Southend

5.

by MistThing, published on December 27, 2000

-"Wha?" Gabriel was startled by Annie's gentle touch, straightening up abruptly in the armchair.

-"Dinnae go mental on me, Blake!"-Annie was taken aback by his intense reaction, "Yah were sleepin' an' haverin' fer the last two hours now!"

-"I did what?!"- Gabriel was still partly captured within his fading dream.

-"I mean, yah were talkin' nonsense in yer sleep!"-Annie stood at what she decided now was a safe distance from the unusual stranger.

A man joined her. "Auch, weesht, woman!"- he spoke to her fondly -"Can't yah see the man's bloody tired?"

Kirk, thought Gabriel, Annie's husband. Annie muttered something angrily and left them for the kitchen. Gabriel stood up, stashing Grace's notebook in the back of his jeans. "My name's really Gabriel, Gabriel Knight"-he extended his hand to Kirk-"and I do appreciate your wife's fine hospitality."

-"Anythin' for a friend", replied Kirk, shaking his hand-"Annie here told me 'bout you an' the girl."

He means Grace. Gabriel nodded slightly and said, "I have a question, Kirk, that might sound...well, weird. Is there a place where I can find more about the MacAlister family?"

-"Clan, lad. The MacAlister Clan ." Kirk chuckled "Fine choice, Knight. Not a weird question at all around this area. You can git tah Glenbarr Abbey, it has a centre 'bout the MacAlister clan. T's in Glenbarr village, by Tarbert. Go tomorrow mornin'."

-"I can't afford the waste of time." Frustration and helplessness tightened their grip on Gabriel's soul again.

-"You have no choice, Knight." Kirk shrugged."The MacAlister Centre opens up only in the mornin'. Maybe I could answer a tad for yah, though. Goin' way back, some o' my great-great grandparents were MacAlisters, too..."

-"How come?" wondered Gabriel –"Your surname is Allison!"

Kirk laughed. "Aye, it is. The Allisons are a sept of the MacAlister Clan."

Gabriel's despair was pushed aside by sudden alertness. "Say, Kirk. Can you name some more MacAlister septs for me?"

-"Lucky fer yah, I could, even if you'd wake me up in the middle o' the night!"-Kirk knocked on his forehead-"All in there. My grandpa made me study them all, the auld bugger! He skelped my erse fer every mistake!"

-"Can you name them for me now, then?"

-"Lets see... Alastair, Alexander, Allison...I'm skippin' a few...MacAlasdair, MacAlaster, MacAlester, MacAlister of course...skip, skip...McLister, Sanders, Saunders..."

-"Bingo!" said Gabriel. Nailed you, Saunders, Inspector-Metropolitan Police-Special Branch! You Bastard!

Kirk studied Gabriel's face. "Somethin' I said?"

Gabriel smiled. "Just nice to see someone who knows his roots. Anyway, there's somewhere I need to go now - I wanna see this Mull of Kintyre place. How do I get there?"

-"At this time o' night?"-exclaimed Kirk-"You're a raj, aren't yah?"

-"You mean, 'nut case', don't ya?" Gabriel headed for the door "Grace would sometimes say I am, and worse...Time is runnin' out for me though, and I need to see the place... where Grace's plane crashed..."

-"Where my boy was killed two years ago..." Kirk said quietly. "Take my van, Knight. Here, I'll draw yah a little map tah show yah how to git there..."

-"Thanks"-Gabriel was moved-"I can't promise you when I get back, though."

-"It's fine."

Gabriel drove Kirk's van with the lights off until he had to park and go on by foot. In the darkness he almost rammed a black car that was already standing there. Gabriel cursed silently and stepped out, shutting the van's door as quietly as he could. He approached the car, studying it. The dark windows prevented him from looking inside. He bent down to copy the car's plate number, which was a strange "MA-S23A". He stood up, stretching his back, his muscles aching again. That two-hour sleep didn't quite do it, he thought. Ah, hell. Gotta work. Gabriel turned and walked towards the edge of the cliff, drawn by an invisible thread. He slowed down, hearing the waves splashing, as he did in his dream. Reaching a spot that gave him somewhat better visibility, he bent low and strained his eyes, trying to pierce through the blackness, looking for a familiar figure. There you are, bastard! A short distance from him stood a tall man with his back to him, wrapped in a long dark overcoat, his hands deep in his pockets. The harsh, freezing wind raised havoc in his hair as he peered down the cliff. He didn't notice Gabriel sneaking behind him until it was too late. Saunders turned, his back to the void, as Gabriel attacked, knocking him to the ground. The two men rolled on the wet grass, hammering at each other with silent determination, dangerously close to the cliff's edge. Saunders was taken by surprise by Gabriel’s assault, giving him an advantage. Finally Gabriel jammed Saunders to the ground, using his all body weight. He thrashed his fist into Saunders' face one more time, just to make sure there are no surprises. Saunders grunted in pain, struggling desperately.

"And that's for Gracie!" shouted Gabriel, driving his fist into the inspector's face the second time. Saunders groaned. Gabriel held him down, his head hanging over the chasm below.

"What have you done with Gracie?" he roared "Tell me!"

Saunders, battered and terrified by the intimate closeness of the abyss, coughed and choked, and then gasped, the cold air burning his throat. Gabriel didn't let go. "Tell me!" he hollered at his victim's face "Or maybe you prefer to find out how's the weather down there!" He pulled Saunders closer by his collar.

-"You -" Saunders wheezed "You don't understand ---"

-"Then explain it to me!"

-"I am on your side, Gabriel ---"

The fog crawled up from the sea and thickened around the two tiny figures on the ground.

Last update: October 24, 2007

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Southend

5.