10.

In the car, Emilio drove, and Zara sat in the passenger seat. They both were sure that for a moment at least, the spirit from the house was sitting on the back seat. When either or both looked, the back seat was empty. Emilio began to pick up speed before noticing that there were two playing cards lying face down on the dashboard. He attempted to reach for them when Zara slapped his hand.

'What are you doing?' asked Zara. 'Do you want her to kill you?'

'You know what that thing is? And what does playing cards have to do with anything?'

'It is how she claims her victims, or at least one way she has of seeking her revenge.'

'What? This makes no sense.'

'It makes perfect sense. I've been hearing these stories all day; strangers keep on coming up to me ...'

Before Emilio could enquire any further a siren went off. A lone police officer on a motorcycle pulled them over. With the rain still falling, the officer approached the driver's side of the car and lifted the visor on his helmet. Emilio wound down the window.

'License and registration please,' said the officer.

'I apologize officer if I was speeding ...'

'License and registration please' repeated the officer.

Emilio complied. After a moment or two the officer would make another request.

'Sir, will you and the lady both please step out of the vehicle?'

'What? Are you serious? It is raining and we both are in our night clothing.'

'Sir, please exit your vehicle, I will not ask you again.'

Both Emilio and Zara did as they were asked, covering themselves up as much as they could. The officer reached into the car and took the two playing cards off from the dashboard. He turned them over. Shining his torch in the nighttime darkness revealed a two of hearts and a three of hearts.

The officer then shone his torch into the car. On the back seat there were two more playing cards. These two playing cards seemingly turned themselves over revealing a queen of hearts and a ten of hearts. The officer stood up straight and remained like that for a moment or so. Emilio and Zara could only just look at each other.

'What's all this about?' the officer asked before discovering two more playing cards that so happened to be within his own notepad.

The officer looked at these cards, turned and fell backwards but did not hit the ground. His being, his body lay with his heels on the ground with the rest of him hanging at an angle as if an invisible entity was holding him by his shoulders. The officer moved towards his motorcycle as if this invisible entity was dragging him towards it. The officer then got on his bike and somehow seemed to be able to drive off despite how he had appeared to be.

'Emilio c'mon, we need to get away from here.'

'This is crazy. Right, but you have to tell me what the hell is going on here. I want to know what you know.'

Seconds after having moved on in the car, a small bright light began to come towards Emilio and Zara. Before either of them could realize exactly what it was, a thump hit them head on. It was the police officer's motorcycle. The collision flipped the officer and over the car and he came down landing on his back right in front of it.

Emilio, managing to stop the car without hitting the officer, got out and headed straight for him. The officer no longer had his helmet on. His eyes were wide open, and blood trickled from his nose. With great difficulty he spoke two words before taking one last breath.

'My chest.'

After pausing for a moment, Emilio returned to the car.

'Right, what is it that you know? What have you not been telling me?'

'The people in this town act strangely towards me and around me. This has been going on since we moved here.'

'Strangely how?' asked Emilio, knowing almost exactly of what his wife speaks, only not to the same degree.

'The way they look at me, the way they talk to me, Emilio they know who I am, who you are, and these people are afraid, but not afraid of us, and with what some of them told me, ... I have done a bit of digging.'

'Of course, they know of us, why wouldn't they?'

'We have not mingled much at all since we have moved here, it is not just our names and what we do that they know, they know where we have come from, our histories. It is freakishly obsessive. What they are afraid of is our house, our home or more importantly what is in it. We both know they have reason for how they feel ... for we have seen this ourselves.'

'OK so what is happening? What is going on?'

'Nine years ago, a young lady from this town never turned up for work. She went missing. Apparently, it was unlike her not to turn up and to leave without informing anyone. It is believed that she was killed by an older guy. This lady, this woman had lived with her father, in our house. Her father's remains were found a few years later.'

'Why do we only just know all this now?'

'For some reason her spirit only returns during times when the weather is not so good. There was a lightning storm the night she was last seen alive. There have been quite a number of deaths in this town over these last nine years. The belief is that this spirit, the very same spirit we have seen ourselves tonight, is taking out her revenge on anyone she encounters and doing so in the form of playing games. There was a game meant for us just now, we would have lost only for the fact that officer interfered. He interfered in our game and lost his own, now he has suffered the consequences. We can return home but not until tomorrow and as long as the rain has passed.'

How is anyone supposed to respond to any of this. It's all beyond reality only for the fact it is right there too. This is all more than a little ... crazy.

11.

A loud continuous knock comes to the front door of the Collins household.

'Alright, alright. I am coming' called out Emilio as he came downstairs having only just woken up. With it being early in the afternoon and having only had a couple of hours sleep, Emilio unwillingly opened the door.

'Mister Collins I presume, a mister Emilio Collins?'

'Yes, can I help you?'

'I am Detective John Willis, and I am going to need you to accompany me to the station please, so when you are ready, I would be grateful.'

'Can I ask you what this is about?'

I don't know if you have been watching the local news today but an officer of ours was found dead during the night. In his possession he had your driving license and registration. I would be more than interested to hear how he came to have these items.'

At this point Zara came to her husband's side.

'Is everything alright?' she asked.

'I think my wife should join me,' speaks Emilio addressing the detective.

Having arrived at the station, John Willis saw no reason to use an interrogation room. At this moment this interview as far as he was concerned was just an inquiry. They all sat at the detective's desk and Detective Willis introduced a young man.

'This is Officer Richard Phelps. He will be sitting in on this interview, and he may just have one or two questions of his own. So, what can you tell me about the officer we lost? How did he come to have your driving license and registration?'

'I am brand new to all of this so maybe I should let my wife explain what happened last night.'

'Do you know of Lydia Devlin?' Zara asked detective Willis.

'Don't tell me you are going to put the blame of the death of one of our finest officers down to a myth?'

'It is a lot more than a myth and it would be safe to say that you know this better than most. We saw her. We saw Lydia Devlin or the spirit of what was once Lydia Devlin. It is why we were out driving around late last night. It is also why that officer had in his possession Emilio's drivers' license and registration. He pulled us over. We may not have been alone during that particular moment.'

'You both do know the severity of this situation, right? There is a dead police officer and the only link we have to his death is the two of you.'

'You were the one who investigated Lydia's disappearance right? You, more than anyone, know that what we speak is the truth. You have investigated deaths over the years since Lydia disappeared, deaths which in some way may seem strange but were perfectly explainable. You also believe that Lydia is dead. Am I right?'

Zara had the detectives' attention. He paused for a moment before standing and continuing to speak.

'OK, where are you going with this?'

'Can we stop her? What can we do to make sure no one else dies? Like, what I saw last night ... it was ... it was ...' speaks Emilio, half at a loss as to how his wife knows so much.

'It was what, Mister Collins?'

'It was unlike anything I have ever experienced before ...'

'If the detective is going to help us with this or us to help him, we need to find her. We need to find Lydia's remains and I think I know where to look' says Zara.

'Right, take it for a moment that I am listening to you both. What do you suggest that we do?'

Thing is, that John Willis does believe that Lydia Devlin is indeed dead, and more than that he believes her spirit is back haunting Castletown, more than just haunting Castletown in fact, but at the same time he has a duty to be an objective detective. The whole thing is just so ... absurd. He cannot allow his beliefs and spiritual suspicions to get the better of him, though what choice does he really have?