Chapter Two.
The autopsy report was handed to Inspector Simon Culvate, and as he read through the summary, he noticed that his friend and ex Priest Adrian was murdered and had not died of supposed natural causes. “Oh, dear Lord, Adrian..., I am so sorry,” said Simon.
WPC Evans, looked at her friend and boss, “Sir... what is it?” Simon continued reading for some seconds before he answered. “Sorry Murphy! It is this report, it would appear we have another murderer on our hands, Adrian was poisoned, and the substance was mixed into the varnish painted over the photo of Kate upon the churches main doors.”
WPC Evens looked horrified at that news. “I don’t understand Sir,” “It would appear the pathologist found trace levels of Fox glove under Adrian’s finger nails mixed in with the pieces of photo paper which he had tried to remove, splinters drew blood and a substance referred to as vx-ricin was mixed within the poison, at such a high concentration, it heightened the poisons affect, and brought on a heart attack.”
WPC Evans looked shocked. “We need to prevent the wardens or church members from trying to remove the photo.” “I have already had the Pathologist inform the crime scene investigators, also the church is sealed while further evidence is collected, now we know ricin is involved, this has changed how we handle this case, and bio-hazardous clothing, will be needed.”
WPC Evans had the results from the external CCTV cameras at Kate Winslow’s home. “Strangely Sir, the perpetrator who vandalized your aunts’ home, is unidentifiable and kept their appearance disguised, however, the vehicle used is most definitely, Justine’s car, only Justine is still in hospital and under armed guard.
The morning post delivered a registered letter to the Avon and Somerset Police, and upon opening it, a collection of photos of Kate Winslow clearly showed her talking to various characters who were known to be coven members and were under suspicion for involvement in the dark arts, black magic.
Included in the package were a batch of photos of Kates garden, and clearly within one of the photos, was a patch of Foxglove flowers, along with photos of the spurge family, and flowering castor beans, a form of Ricinus communins, and from which ricin can be created.
Orders were issued for inspector Culvate to be kept from the investigations, due to conflict of interest. And by the next day a warrant was issued and served on Kate Winslow, and to search her home and garden.
Kates rear garden covered just over three acres and due to having been away for some six months, it had been left unattended, and the involvement of seeking out the perpetrator of the previous murders, had taken Kates time.
Eventually Kate had found the various alien plants which had grown in a distant part of her garden, Kate had taken measures for their removal, only unknown to her, previous photos had been taken, and trace evidence remained in the soil, giving clear indications that the plants were there, and that Kate had taken steps to apparently remove the evidence.
From within her home, was found a book, which had been hidden at the back of her book case on Witch Craft and Poisons, and this implemented Kate, and in been involved in the possible death of the priest. News quickly spread through Mid Martin Henge and surrounding villages of her arrest, and suspected involvement in witch craft and of growing poisonous plants.
Although Kate was taken to Yeovil for questioning, she remained calm and quietly sat reading a book while she was kept waiting for an interview. As the desk, Sargent looked up at the person standing at the reception desk, he blinked and stood to attention.
It was John Wykes, the Chief Superintendent of Avon and Somerset Police, along with Mike Summers chief constable of Wiltshire police and Andrew Wilmott chief constable of Avon and Somerset. “Sargent, we have just interrupted a long-awaited game of golf to come and visit a very close friend, and in whom you are I believe, holding in this very station.”
As their identity was verified, the nervous desk sergeant let them in and then informed the arresting detectives as to the visitors. Twenty-three minutes later the interview room door was unlocked, and a nervous detective apologized to Kate Winslow.
“Miss Winslow..., I truly apologies, it would appear evidence has clearly shown you were not even in the country when certain murders took place, and that earlier photos of your garden taken for the Somerset Garden magazine, clearly show there was no trace of Foxglove or the ricin plant before you left the country. Also, we were unable to find any trace DNA or finger prints upon the hidden books discovered in your book case, yet every single book other than those two, showed clear evidence of use and DNA trace, it would appear you are the victim of a nasty hoax.”
Kate smiled, “Not so sir, it was no hoax, but a concerted effort to destroy my good name, and your foolish actions of acting without thinking have only heightened the gossip. I shall be talking to my cousin, as he is able to sort this mess out.”
“Umm..., yes Mam would that be Mr. Andrew Wilmott by any chance?”
Kate smiled, so he got my text after all, I do hope he was not put out,”
“Apparently, Mam he was in the middle of a game of golf with fellow colleagues, and they are presently chewing the balls off certain senior officers for authorizing your immediate arrest.”
Kate smiled and allowed herself a gentle laugh, at the visualization of the last comment, “Quite so, now can my nephew Simon arrange for me to be taken home? but first I think I will leave a message for my cousin, to call round for a pot of Tea and to let him see just how tidy your colleagues have left my cottage,” said Kate.
Some miles away and while under guard at Yeovil hospital, Justine gave birth to her baby, which was immediately taken into intensive care as its delivery was eleven weeks premature, and the child was grossly disfigured. The next morning as the nurse entered Justine’s room, she discovered the bed empty and there was no sign of Justine anywhere.
The police had the room under constant surveillance with two constables guarding the door and checking the credentials of all who visited the room, yet even upon replaying the CCTV recordings, it clearly showed Justine never vacated the room. When they went to check on the baby, it was missing, and no one could explain how a secured intensive ward was entered, and a child extracted.
Yet the chilling thing was upon replaying the CCTV for the protected intensive ward. Justine could be seen to be standing next to her baby’s cot, reaching in and removing the child, then she looked up directly at the recording camera and smiled, and then in an instant, she was no longer there, both mother and child had simply vanished.
The incredible thing was the police had Kate Winslow’s home, also under twenty-four-hour surveillance, and dashboard camera of the unmarked police vehicle stationed outside of Kates home, recorded Justine walking up the lane dressed still in her hospital gown, with bare feet and carrying her baby. She entered Kates garden and then appeared to vanish.
Only moments later the WPC positioned inside the cottage witnessed the materialization of Justine and the baby right before her eyes, one moment the hallway leading to the front door was empty, the next their stood Justine and the baby.
The WPC screamed from fright, but Kate remained calm, and stood her ground, “In the name of Jesus the Christ I command you foul evil spirit to depart from here immediately, you have no authority or claim upon me, I am protected by the Blood of Christ, a child of God, purchased by the Atoning Sacrifice, your kind are defeated and have no claim upon me, be gone back to hell in the name of Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God” said Kate.
Justine screamed as she faded back into a swirling black mist and vanished. “That... that can’t just have happened, it’s impossible, I don’t believe in evil spirits or heaven or hell, no! No... that was impossible, this is some kind of illusion, a dream, a nightmare, that’s it, I must have fallen asleep and it was some type of hideous nightmare.”
Kate smiled at the ranting WPC, “If you say so, but if it was just a dream, then the CCTV will not have recorded anything.”
At that, Kate called Simon her nephew, and awaited his arrival. Incredibly, upon checking the digital time recordings they synchronized almost to the second with that of the Yeovil hospital CCTV recordings, and that also of the dashboard recordings, of the unmarked police vehicle.
As Justine was seen vanishing, and the very next second, she was seen materializing outside Kate Winslow’s home, as recorded on the dash camera of the police vehicle, and seconds later, the internal CCTV recordings in Kates home, recorded the spirit entering the cottage, and the incident of Kate banishing it back to hell.
Simon looked at the WPC, “Well unless this CCTV can record your dreams, I would say this clearly shows this home and that Miss Winslow is under attack, and as it is, I don’t understand, as I was under the impression that Bishop Andrew and his wife Ruth, had banished the spirit.”
“They did Simon, that poor girl opened herself to demonic possession, there is no saying how many evil spirits took control of her, and the child. The baby is certainly not of flesh; and it at least explains how Justine managed to enter the various homes, and to murder her victims.”
The WPC still could not believe what she just saw. “No! this is crazy, I do not believe in God nor the devil, and evil spirits do not exist.”
“God believes in you my dear,” replied Kate, “He loves you so much that he even sent his only begotten Son Jesus, to pay the price of your sins, you saw for yourself that foul evil spirit could not claim me, even though it came here to attack me..., or do you think it just paid an uninvited visit for a pot of tea and a slice of cake?”
Simon laughed, “Believe what you want, the evidence clearly shows otherwise,”
“No..., no she must be some type of a witch, and this was her doing, and an illusion,” stated the WPC. Kate smiled, “A witch! I thought you said a moment ago that you do not believe in such things, what is it, as you can’t have it both ways.”
The WPC broke down in a torrent of tears, her mind was in shock and she had not been prepared to face such a reality, her whole world had been ripped apart, and she had been forced to consider that there are forces in this world above and beyond that of our control or understanding.
WPC Murphy Evans arrived and escorted her crying colleague away, and as she watched the traumatized constable been driven home, Evans returned to talk with Kate and her boss Simon Culvate.
“I can just see the news of this spreading like wildfire sir, there are already copies of the hospital CCTV recording going viral on YouTube, and I saw at least two youths with mobile phone cameras recording the events that just happened here, Kate I fear there is an orchestrated campaign to tarnish your name.”
Kate smiled. “Tell me something I do not already know, still as I am awake and I doubt very much I will get any further sleep tonight, I am going to make some hot chocolate, would either of you like a drink and a biscuit, or a slice of cake.”
WPC Evans grinned, “Do you have any angel cake, I think it would be useful about now to have such angelic help,” and there was laughter at her attempt of humour.
