Dark Remains: A Maggie Power Adventure (Maggie Power #1)

Chapter 30 - Awake From Slumber

Chapter 30 - Awake From Slumber

Blake had not planned on bringing along the children to his examination of the Countess' estate. But all morning, Maggie had plagued him with her demands to be taken along.

"A want to look into the eyes of that woman at least one more time," she pleaded over breakfast.

"Please, I can be helpful. I know the grounds of her estate well, if she tries to trick you I shall see through her lies." 

When Blake still refused, for next hour she presented him with reason after reason, and eventually persuaded him to take her along. Tom then refused to stay in Blake's home and demanded he be taken along with Maggie too. And with the thought of being all alone in a peeler's crib - as if it were haunted by some ghostly spectre - Jack too demanded he be allowed to go back with them to Little Serrant.

The carriages arrived at the entrance to the Countess' estate some hours later. The gates were locked and members of Blake's team, two uniformed constables from the carriage in front, disembarked and had to force open the lock of the gate.

Soon the horses were speeding their carriages down the pathway, which led to the grand house on top of the small hill. Maggie couldn't remember the first time they had entered the Countess' estate many months before. She was tired and had awoken to find herself looking up at the Countess' beautiful home in a shroud of darkness.

She felt a shiver of reluctance as they moved ever nearer to the house. She had never wanted to return, but knew she had to. She felt the demands of the dead pressing upon her once more.

As the carriage turned to approach the entrance to the Countess' home, she saw the Countess - with Whitmore and Sexton either side of her - being escorted down the front steps towards her own, awaiting carriage. Maggie felt a hollowing out of her stomach as her eyes, for one single moment, met the Countess' again. Could this pale, weak old woman be responsible for all the things Maggie had imagined? All those despicable crimes she outlined to Detective Blake? It didn't seem possible, and Maggie felt all the things she thought had happened, had in fact only occurred in some feverish part of her imagination.

The carriages carrying Blake and his men stopped behind the Countess' carriage. Blake turned to Maggie and the boys and said, "Stay put. I think this could get complicated. Our friend Mr Whitmore is a most difficult individual."

Blake stepped from the carriage and walked to where Whitmore and the Countess stood. They were about to climb inside the carriage. Up to this point the Countess' party ignored the two carriages carrying the children and a dozen or so police. But once Blake walked towards them, the Countess motioned to the two men to help her inside the carriage.

Once she vanished from view, Maggie's attention turned to the Blake and Whitmore, who were in deep discussion as they left the Countess inside her carriage, and walked back up the stairs to the main entrance of the house. She could tell, merely from his posture, that Whitmore was furious. He pointed at Blake, then back towards the carriage and she overheard him saying, "We are leaving this instant. And there is nothing you can do to stop us."

Blake held out a piece of paper, the warrant to search the premises she guessed. At this provocation, Whitmore snatched at the paper and began to read. After a few moments he turned away from Blake and let the warrant fall to the ground. He strode back to the carriage and with the aid of Sexton accompanied the Countess back inside the house.

Blake returned to the carriage and looked to Maggie. "So where then is this folly you have spoken so much about. We need to get over there swiftly and search before Whitmore finds a way of obstructing our investigation."