Free When Evil Wins by S.R WOODWARD Page B

following his Dad's death he had just moped around his flat feeling lost, and feeling loss. Most mornings he’d woken up at seven thirty on the dot, believing he’d heard his phone ringing.
    As the weeks passed he stopped waking up so early and gradually came to terms with the fact his father had died. But the memory of finding his father in that state, as he had realised then, was going to take a lot longer to reconcile with himself, as it had surely been his fault, somehow, some way. No matter how he tried to address the issue the end result was always the same, he blamed himself; if only he hadn’t been so determined to discover the nature of the abilities he believed he had.
    ***
    One morning during the second month he awoke with a sense of pure clarity and knew then what he had to do, he had to sell his father’s business and take the steps which would eventually lead, he hoped, to a career as a professional paranormal investigator.
    He didn't know if this path would pan out but the money from selling the business would give him enough leeway to discover if this was going to be his true calling.
    The business was quickly snapped up and Janus re-started his research into the paranormal and began devising a regime which he hoped, if he followed it, would lead to a better control over his abilities, a way which would allow him to tap into his psychic faculty on demand.
    Janus started to place adverts in the small ads column of his local paper knowing that, at this stage, it would really be hit or miss as to whether his ability would kick in on cue, but was certain that the impetus in doing this would assist him in his development.
    As part of his studies into the paranormal and his own abilities, he decided from the outset he would keep a journal of every case he was commissioned to solve, using the diary as reference material for tuning his skills, psychical or otherwise. And this was if he was ever going to be commissioned to solve a case in the first place. To his surprise requests for his help started to trickle in and he began his new job in earnest.
    Since that time he’d learnt a lot, purchased extra equipment, the trickle remained just that, a trickle; but barring the financial implications of his chosen profession, he was a lot happier than he had been in a long while.
    In the main, the jobs he was commissioned to undertake necessitated differing levels of background research into the histories of the people employing him, or the places where they lived. However, the slowly diminishing pot of money played on his mind and finally he had to admit to himself he needed to get a job of some sort, part-time hopefully, so he could at least guarantee a level of income when the work wasn't coming in.
    Janus had decided to redouble his efforts in seeking out odd stories the local newspapers sometimes featured, ones that would warrant his involvement after an introductory phone call or letter, and in this way he hoped he could increase his current commissions’ rate.
    It was during one of these intense news analysis sessions, when he was beginning to believe the only course for him was to become a labourer once more, he noticed an advertisement for a clerk's position at Essex County Council's Sites and Monuments office in Chelmsford. They were only asking for twenty to twenty five hours a week and the pay was an absolute pittance, but it was guaranteed income and with his new background in historical research, he felt he would have a fairly good chance in securing the position. His application was in the first post the following day.
    Within a few weeks he had been invited to the offices for an interview and two weeks after that, he started his new part-time filing job at Essex County Council’s Sites and Monuments office.
    Still the sums did not add up. The financial arrangement with his ex-wife the courts had foisted upon him through the incompetence of his legal representation meant he still had a huge hole in his