Chase Me Faster
Catherine Gale and John Steed and Emma Peel
THE AVENGERS
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by Caroline Miniscule
Chapter Three: Warlock - Page 2 ''If you were going to write this as a story for publication, you'd probably call it, Warlock. For the man concerned, the villain of the piece as a writer would say, was a real warlock, or male witch. His name was Cosmo Gallion. A very interesting man, a very powerful man. But ultimately a very foolish man. he believed he could harness - control - the power of evil, and of course you can't. He failed and it destroyed him.'' ''Do you mind if I tape this?'' Caroline murmured, bringing out a tape recorder. ''Please go on.'' ''Well, it was early 1962. I'd just returned from Kenya, where my husband had died. I had some contacts in the museum world. Harry Townsend, at the British Museum, decided to do an exhibit on black magic in African culture, and tabbed me to design the exhibition. As a matter of fact I've done work of various kinds for the library ever since. Well, I was messing about in the exhibition room one day when John Steed entered the picture. I had expected him, Harry had told me that a gentleman had been asking for the names of people who were expert on black magic, and of course had referred Steed to me. Steed introduced himself as a 'sort of police officer,' and showed me a raven's feather. ''I believe this is known as a hex symbol.'' He explained the case to me, how a rocket scientist by the name of Peter Neville had been sent this symbol and been reduced to a wreck in consequence. He also showed me a book Neville had owned, a very rare book called The Occult Grimoire. I spent about three hours with Steed that day, providing him with proof that murder by magic was indeed entirely possible even in the modern world of 1962. After Steed left, though, I have to admit I got to thinking. Murder by magic was entirely possible but the person who could commit that kind of crime would have to be an extraordinary individual. Someone whom I wanted to meet. Especially when, the next day, Steed dropped by again to tell me that Neville had disappeared from his flat and subsequently been found dead. His body had been fished out of the Thames but he hadn't drowned, and no one really knew what had killed him.'' Cathy took a bite of a sandwich. ''Well, I decided to do some looking around on my own. That night I went to Peter Neville's flat and slipped in through an open window. I didn't get very far before someone put their arm round my neck. Well, I acted instinctively, as sixteen years training in judo and karate teaches you to do. I threw the fellow over my shoulder. It turned out to be Steed. It's too bad there wasn't a hidden camera in the room that night. Steed's expression as he realized what I'd done, and why I was there, was priceless. I don't think he'd ever before met a woman who not only wanted to take charge of a situation, but was also capable of doing so. The flat was a mess. Someone had been and tossed the place about. But they hadn't bothered with the books, and that's where we found the books on the occult that Neville had owned, all purchased from a bookstore owned by Cosmo Gallion. I'd heard of Gallion, of course, a well-respected expert in the field of paranormal psychology. The next day I went to his store.'' ''Prompted by Steed?'' Caroline asked. ''Not at all. Steed was definitely a manipulative man, but on this occasion it was my own curiosity that was driving me. In fact, Steed had fully intended to pay a call on Gallion himself, until I pointed out that he knew nothing of the paranormal. Logically, I was the one to go.'' Cathy sipped her tea. ''He was a very magnetic man, Gallion. Very calm, very self-assured. I'd written a monograph on obi and he'd heard of it - complimented me on it. The word aura doesn't mean much these days...but he had an aura about him. He had powers which he could have turned to good or evil...I believe he thought he was above them both. We had a pleasant chat, I told him I wanted to write about black magic in London. It is always necessary, when trying to get to know a suspect, to stick as closely to the truth as possible. Anyway, he was fascinated by me. Especially when I told him my birth date. Sunday. October 5, 1930. At midnight.'' ''''Does that date have some kind of special significance?'' Caroline asked curiously. Cathy smiled. ''Gallion was going to cast my horoscope. I'd suspected that he'd want to, so I looked up a date and a time in which all the...the signs would be right, for someone to be born with terrific occult powers. I set a trap for him, in other words, and he fell into it. '' ''A trap? How?'' Cathy shrugged. ''There's a certain black magic ceremony that can only be performed upon someone whose birthdate is of a certain type. If Gallion were the...well, the villain, I suspected he would attempt to use me in such a ceremony. And he did.'' Cathy finished off her bread-and-cucumber sandwich. ''He called to me, that night. In my mind. No need to hide your skepticism, child. Dismiss it as auto-suggestion if you will, a hypnotic summonsing. He was calling me. So I went to his bookshop, the back room of which served as his...well...the place where his coven met. They all thought I'd be under his spell, in a trance-like state. But Gallion had cast his spell over an entirely different woman than I was, based on that horoscope I gave him. I went along with it long enough to realize that he actually intended to let one of his acolytes stab me to death. Then I disarmed that particular individual, pulled out my gun that I had of course brought along, and fired a shot in the air. At that point Steed arrived - Id learned later that Gallion had held him captive for a few hours - at any rate we were ready to fight for our lives when Gallion had a heart attack and died. With the death of their leader all fight went out of the remaining members of the coven. How very lucky that Gallion should have had that heart attack. Cathy smiled grimly. So Steed thought. However, I believe in a different cause. Gallion had been going to sacrifice me to Asmodeus...when no sacrifice was forthcoming Asmodeus took his own victim. Wow. Cathy nodded. Lots of people play act and try to call on these spirits, even today. But they have no power and can do no harm - of a spiritual nature, anyway. Gallion could....and its a good thing he died. Cathy picked up the teapot. ''But today the sun is shining and we have no one laying traps for us or plotting our doom. Would you like more tea.''The woman who called herself Caroline Miniscule smiled sweetly. ''Yes, please.'' Read more about the first Cathy Gale episode produced, Warlock. |
| Chapter 4: News From An Old Friend, uploaded June 21, 2003 |   
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