Page 16 of The Vampire and the Case of the Perilous Poltergeist

Jones cleared his throat and looked mildly anxious at being called on by the head of the academy. ‘Stockholm syndrome is a psychological response in which a person being held captive forms a bond with their captor. This bond can lead the victim to develop loyalty or even affection for the person hurting them, sometimes to the point of refusing to cooperate with authorities against their captor. It develops as a coping mechanism because the victim’s mind seeks to find some level of safety or stability in an otherwise terrifying situation.’

Looking pleased, Fischer nodded. ‘You absolutely nailed that, Jones. You’re right. The same thing applies to victims of domestic abuse who often want to protect their abuser, which makes arresting that abuser a heck of a lot harder. Many victims are told repeatedly that everything is their fault, that they are responsible for every hit, every punch or kick. They believe that their own behaviourcausedthe abuse and, as a result, they don’t think the perpetrator is actually guilty of anything at all.

‘It will take time and a whole lot of understanding to get the victim to open up, let alone press charges. You have to be patient and conduct multiple interviews before the majority of victims even start to talk about these things. During those interviews, you mustn’t show your frustration or your anger at their situation. Any hint of aggression and they will close down and clam up – they’ll put you in the same categoryas the offender. You will be deemed not trustworthy and also potentially dangerous.’

It surprised me to see Thorsen nodding seriously. His notebook was open and he was taking a lot of notes. Maybe he wasn’t atotaldouche-canoe.

Fischer continued, ‘If you can, it’s often best to get a female officer to talk to the victim.’ He held a hand up to stop the questions as hands were raised instantly. ‘I’m not saying that because the victim is more likely to be female but because, whether you like it or not, women come across as being less aggressive and more empathetic. Even male victims sometimes prefer speaking to a female officer, though I have had occasions when male officers have been requested. Regardless, whoever interviews must be calm, quiet and attentive. You mustlisten.You shouldneverinterrupt.’

He paused. ‘If you take nothing else from the course, remember this: there are occasions where you should SHUT UP and LISTEN. Am I clear on that?’

We nodded. ‘What should you do?’ he asked again, eyeing us all.

‘Shut up and listen,’ we chorused back.

‘That’s right.’ Fischer moved on to practical issues – for example, most victims wouldn’t want the interview to be recorded in case their abuser got a hold of the tape – then talked about how such cases might affect us. He flagged up the need to assess our own mental health, particularly after dealing with particularly difficult or triggering cases. Some of the case studies he ran through were enough to make me feel physically sick. The whole class had been a real eye opener.

Finally we did some role-play and it was good to see everyone taking it really seriously. By the end of the morning's session, I felt a lot more prepared to deal with DV, though I hoped I wouldn’t have to because it made me think darkly of my sire,Franklin, and how different life might have been if I’d bowed to his demands and joined the conclave. Knowing about Stockholm Syndrome had me considering that episode in a new light; I doubted it would have taken me the full one hundred years to get indoctrinated into worshipping the vampire king.

I shuddered. Running away to Portlock was the best thing I’d ever done.

Chapter 14

At lunchtime the scuttle amongst us supernats was that no further poltergeist activity had been seen. Maybe speaking to Aoife had exhausted it, I thought hopefully. Maybe her words had made it rethink its actions.

Unfortunately it struck again, halfway through the DV class after lunch. This time, instead of attacking our instructor or knocking over a podium, it marched the two flags that were sitting up front around the room like little skinny soldiers then flung them on the floor.

‘The windows are closed,’ Jones said into the tight silence. ‘It wasn’t a breeze that made them do that.’

Fischer laughed and picked up the flags to put them back in their stands. ‘Okay, recruits, our resident ghost Petty Peril is blowing off some steam. Nothing to worry over. Let’s get back to work.’

We looked nervously at each other and started whispering. No one minded ghosts in theory, but for the humans in the room this was an unwelcome suggestion that something beyond their understanding truly did exist.

Fischer had complete control of the room; when he held up a hand we fell silent for him to continue his lecture as if nothing had happened. I tuned into his words and forced myself to think of something other than the damned poltergeist.

As the lecture ended, my attention wandered and I started thinking of other things I could do to further my investigation. I wanted to go back to the TAC officer’s room and do some more sleuthing to see if I could find a file on Petrovich.

My ears pricked up when Fischer said something about Commander's Weekend, and my floppy heart fluttered a moment in my chest. Connor was coming to see me – and soon! This coming weekend! Hearing it announced made it more real and I could hardly wait.

After class, Sidnee and I walked to supper with the other supernats and I brought them up to speed about Aoife’s conversation with Petty. I figured they could help look for anything that was putting the academy in danger.

‘What kind of danger?’ Danny asked.

‘I don’t know. The answers were vague – apparently poltergeists aren’t that chatty. My banshee said they spoke on a different frequency so communication was a bit shambolic.’

‘Did Petty say who is to blame? Who we should be watching?’ Eben pried.

I sighed. ‘I don’t know,’ I said again, ‘but it makes sense that we should check out the new TAC officer, since his office was targeted and he was attacked. But I also think we should look at any shifty recruits like Thorsen. This violent behaviour is new, which suggests that whoever is causing it is a new arrival. Hey, Margi, you and Eben are witches. Do you know any way to speakto, or diminish, the poltergeist?’ I wanted to give myself a face palm that I hadn’t thought to ask earlier.

‘No, sorry. I’m an elemental water witch,’ Margi said. ‘Maybe an air witch could do something, but I’ve never been taught anything about ghosts. All I know about them is from the movies.’

‘I’m a shaman, not a witch,’ Eben said sourly. ‘Ghosts aren’t my thing.’

‘Sorry, my mistake,’ I said faintly. I could have sworn that he’d introduced himself as a witch – and when I searched my memory, sure enough that wasdefinitelyhow he’d introduced himself.

Why would he lie? A shaman was totally different to a witch. Had he felt pressured or awkward because there were no other shamans on the course? Maybe he’d blurted out ‘witch’ to fit in with Margi, but now felt comfortable enough to tell the truth? Either way, it was weird.

Eben was from a small village up by Nome and, like me and Sidnee, he already had a job: he was a VPSO, a Village Public Safety Officer. There were village police officers from all over Alaska here at the academy for training so they could go back home all polished and up to date.

---