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Both men took the steps two at a time, and Gardener went through the door first. The inside was as magnificent as the outside, only much more disturbing.
They were in a graveyard. An earthy smell, and it being soft underfoot, told him that the maniac had used soil – and not for appearance. Peering into the distance, Gardener could make out a series of randomly scattered tombstones and, what he suspected were fake trees. On the extreme right and left of the building were in fact two shrines; on either side of the headstones were two angels staring down at the names on those headstones. A small amount of green coloured lighting added to the emotional scene. Other than that, there was very little light.
Gardener felt a breeze skate across the back of his neck, forcing him to shiver. He really didn’t like it at all.
“Jesus Christ!” whispered Briggs. “How does he think of all this?”
“He’s disturbed,” replied Gardener. “He doesn’t live in the same world we do. Everything about him tells you that.” He moved forward and bumped into something solid, causing him to curse. Whatever it was must have grazed his shin.
“Steady, Stewart,” said Briggs, before shouting, “he could have given us some fucking lighting to work with!”
Which is precisely what their host did.
Puzzled, Gardener glanced behind and noticed that he had bumped into a real tree stump. And that the headstones all around them contained names of all the people he knew: his father, the rest of the watch committee, even one for himself and Sean Reilly. The shrines bore the names of Corndell’s parents: Wallace and Betty.
Corndell junior had a very sick mind. His masterpiece confirmed it: the inside of the opera house was more unsettling than anything he’d ever seen.
Gardener turned around again as a noise diverted his attention. Two halogen lamps cut the darkness to reveal a round column, rising up from the graveyard, leading into the rafters up above.
Gardener peered upwards. Although it was dark, he could make out the top of the column, which had a small round base. Though he couldn’t swear to it, he thought he could see a pair of feet.
Chapter Fifty-six
Corndell chuckled to himself as he surveyed his handiwork from another arched box at the other side of the opera house. Two police officers completely out of their depth, unaware of the situation they were caught up in, and therefore unable to help. Something to which they were unaccustomed.
He turned, reached out and pulled a lever. The hum of an electric motor broke the silence.
Laughing even more, Corndell was thinking of how much he had enjoyed himself recently. But as Gardener had mentioned only minutes previously, his finest hour was yet to come.
The column descended.
Chapter Fifty-seven
The column suddenly moved, forcing Gardener to jump back. He would have lost his balance had it not been for Briggs.
“Steady, Stewart.”
“Stand back,” said Gardener, “I’ve no idea what’s coming down but I wouldn’t put anything past this freak.”
The column continued lowering, sliding into the earth beneath them. As it did so, the feet Gardener thought he had seen grew into a pair of legs: wearing blue jeans and a pair of small white boots with a heel, certainly not suitable footwear for holding your balance. There must have been countless females in Leeds wearing those kinds of fashionable boots but he knew whom they belonged to.
The person on the column let out a whimper.
“Who the hell’s on that?” shouted Briggs, peering upwards.
“Oh, Jesus,” said Gardener, “it’s Laura.”
“What?”
She had now dropped low enough that they could see up as far as her chest. Laura’s arms had been tied behind her back. As her face came into view, Gardener noticed she had been gagged and a noose had been tied around her neck. Her biggest problem was that the base upon which she was standing was perhaps only a foot in diameter, allowing little room for error.
“What the hell goes through this bloke’s mind?” Briggs asked Gardener.
The slack in the rope was taken up and it started to tighten. Gardener realized – with a panic – that if they didn’t do something, his partner’s wife was going to be hanged right in front of them.
But what could they do? The column still towered above them – well out of their reach. It was impossible to climb because it was a smooth round pole. It was pretty much in the middle of the earth and he could see nothing he could use to gain any height: not that he thought he’d be allowed to anyway.
Gardener turned and glared at Briggs. “How the hell are we going to get her out of this?”
