- 5 -
"I have no idea what you're talking about!" I protested.
"Please don't insult our intelligence," said Hearst. "The powers in this world, of whom I'm one, have long known that extra-terrestrials exist and have collected the alien artefacts that periodically show up on our planet. Its proximity to the Rift that runs through Cardiff is why I bought this particular castle. It was Sir Charles who brought you to my attention, a woman who rejuvenated at one point and has not aged from then til now."
"Not aging means you have to relocate periodically so that no one notices," said Sir Charles, "usually between Cardiff and London in your case, returning as your own daughter when necessary. Unfortunately for you photography came along and you haven't been as careful as you might have hoped. To someone like me, someone looking for the unusual and with the resources to follow any lead, you left a trail that could be found. Most recently, Mary Kaminski left Cardiff for London in 1919, returning to Cardiff last year as Mary Milenski. We've got you, Mary, and we will have your secret."
"There is no secret," I said. "I'm as surprised as you are that this happened to me, and I don't think it can be replicated."
"We'll see," said Hearst, "but now it's time we returned to my guests. We'll be back tomorrow. That's when your interrogation will begin in earnest. Oh and don't bother calling out. Nobody will hear you. The staff have all been sent home and no one else has any reason to come down here."
With that they departed, leaving me to stew.
"Gods damn it!" I yelled, both annoyed with myself at being taken in by Trudy and fearful of what 'interrogation' might entail. My weakness for a pretty face had got me into this, and I wasn't at all sure I could get out of it. The key was well out of reach, so that trick you see in the movies where someone uses their belt to hook a key wasn't an option even had I been wearing a belt over the silk gown I was currently sheathed in.
Being stronger than a normal human I tried pulling the bars of the cell door apart, straining with all my might. They didn't budge. To add insult to injury all the bottle of 'expensive wine' that had lured me in here contained was water. Swigging it disconsolately I slumped down on the bench, wondering what to do next.
"Chin up," came a new voice, and there was Joanna Smith, taking the key down and opening the cell door.
"How did you know I was here?" I asked, pleased to see her but puzzled by her presence.
"A little bird told me and... hmmm."
She was staring at something on the wall above the door.
"What is it?" I asked, exiting the cell.
"Strain gauges measuring any force applied to the bars," she said, "and the force you applied was substantially more than even the strongest human could manage. Since we don't want anyone knowing you're part alien I'd better just remove those."
"You know?" I said, as she tore them off. "How can you possibly know?"
"I know many things, including that you're an Arcateenian political prisoner who's been on this planet since 1812."
"Who are you?"
"Later," she said, reaching behind her and pulling a Colt 45 automatic from where it had been tucked into the waistband of her trousers. "The subtle approach hasn't got me anywhere so it's time to be a lot more direct!"
- 6 -
When we burst into the banqueting hall, with Joanna brandishing her gun, we were met by shocked silence.
"Mary?" said Jack Kennedy. "What's going on?"
We ignored him.
"I want all those men who have fob watches to lay them on the table then back away from it," said Joanna. "NOW!"
Hearst, Sir Charles, Harry Conway, and Bertrand Russell all did as she asked, their faces grim.
"Now see here, young lady," said Russell, "violence is never the answ..."
"Be quiet, please," said Joanna. "Mr Kennedy, if you would be so kind as to open them each in turn."
Jack frowned, but moved forward to comply. I glanced across at the women, who were clustered together. Lenore looked concerned, Marion Davies outraged, Margo was sucking nervously on her cigarette holder in short sharp bursts, and Trudy looked fearful, trying to fade back into the wall to escape what she imagined was my wrath. As angry as I was with her I wasn't going to resort to physical violence.
At the other end of the table, Jack opened Hearst's fob watch. Nothing happened, not that I knew what was supposed to. He moved on to Bertrand Russell's. Again nothing. The same was true of Sir Charles's, leaving only Harry Conway's.
"Don't!" he cried, leaping forward as Jack prised it open.
But he was too late.
A stream of energy swirled out of the fob watch, hanging in the air for a moment before streaming down the table, enveloping Margo Chadwick and being absorbed into her body. She looked around her wildly, her eyes blazing with a new fervour, before focussing on Joanna.
"You!" she shouted, then she kicked off her four inch heels, hitched up her dress and ran out of the hall.
"Get after her!" yelled Joanna. "She mustn't escape!"
Kicking off my own heels and hitching up my dress I took off in hot pursuit, chasing her up the grand staircase and into her bedroom. She reached the tall vertical trunk housing her dresses before I could grab her, locking herself inside. I don't know what she was thinking but I had her now. There was nowhere else for her to go. As I stood there panting, hands on knees, so an unearthly vworp vworp sound started to come from the trunk. To my astonishment it then dematerialised, fading away to nothing. What the hell...?
When I returned to the banqueting hall one look at my expression was enough to tell Joanna that I'd failed.
"The tall trunk in her room..." I began.
"I understand," she said, nodding sympathetically. "OK you lot, I need you all to gather together in front of me."
When the others had done so she donned a pair of sunglasses and pulled what looked like a slender flashlight or substantial fountain pen from her pocket. It was black and had two parallel gashes on the side of its casing.
"You might want to look away now, Mary," she said.
I did so, turning my back on everyone, but still experiencing the edge of a flash of light that left me feeling slightly light-headed.
"Listen up," Joanna said, tucking the gun back in her trousers and addressing the now entranced group. "Mary is a normal human being who arrived here with Trudy as a guest, no more than that. You will put all thought that she might be long-lived out of your minds and destroy any evidence to that effect without further thought. This has been a perfectly pleasant evening at which nothing out of the ordinary happened save for Mary and Trudy rowing. As a result of this I've decided to accompany her to the railway station and Jack has agreed to drive us there. You will all remember Margo as going up to her room to lie down after we departed. That is all."
With that she took off her sunglasses and everyone shook their heads, as if emerging from a trance.
"C'mon," said Jack, taking our arms. "After that scene between you and Trudy I'd be only too happy to give you a lift."
