by Wendy Gill
After a while, Henry decided to place his two captives back to back before they became conscious and tie their hands and feet together, then neither could move. He had them safe, they could not escape. He was tired now and hungry, he had not managed to raid the kitchen like he had planned. He drank a mug of cold water and took one of the apples he had bought at the farmer’s market over to the table and sat and munched on that.
Henry was tired, so he decided he would go to sleep and decide what to do with the two men in the morning. He would deal with the whore another day.
A moan came from Freddie disturbing Henry’s peace, and Henry guessing that Freddie was beginning to come around marched across the shack floor and punched him in the face. No more moans came from Freddie.
Henry was just about to drift off into a peaceful dreamless sleep when more moans disturbed his slumber. This had to stop. So, Henry marched across the floor and this time he punched Jackson in the face, but the moans did not stop. Freddie again, so for good measure Henry silenced Freddie once more.
Henry went and lay down on his put-me-up and was soon fast asleep.
Sylvia Jenson, Marcy’s aunt, was taking her time to hitch up the horse to the wagon in the stable at The Retreat. Marcy had been expected back at The Retreat around dinnertime, but she had failed to return.
Sylvia took two of the girls with her in the open wagon and they set off to Marchum in search of Marcy.
They had met nobody on their way into Marchum, but they did come across Marcy’s discarded shopping basket lying on the grass and this set alarms bells ringing in Aunt Sylvia’s head. After making enquires around the town they discovered that there had been no sighting of Marcy anywhere in the town. Marcy had vanished.
The light was fading when they set off back home and as Henry was dragging Jackson into the wood; their wagon was heading up the drive to their front door.
A search of the house revealed no Marcy and no Freddie, but they did find Lillian’s body lying on the bed where Henry had left her.
Aunt Sylvia ran over to the bed and was relieved to find Lillian was still breathing.
Aunt Sylvia went out of the bedroom and down into the kitchen where she found a clean towel and filled a big bowl with water and then she headed back upstairs.
Very gently, Aunt Sylvia wiped the blood off Lillian’s face and Lillian groaned back to consciousness. Seeing Aunt Sylvia, Lillian promptly burst into tears.
Aunt Sylvia stood no nonsense, “Lillian, what has happened to you? Have you seen anything of Marcy or Freddie? Has Marcy been back here?”
Lillian shook her head, “I came up here for a little nap and I was on my way back downstairs when my door opened, and this gorgeous man stood there. Well, you cannot let an opportunity like that go by, can you? So, of course, I asked him in and he hit me right on the nose and that is the last I remember.”
"It looks like you got what you deserved then. I will not have you using my house as a brothel. You two go and lock the doors, make sure you put all the bolts on while Lillian and I make sure all the windows are shut and secured, then we will all meet back in my bed chamber.
“We will stay together for the rest of the night. There is nothing we can do until the morning it is too dark outside to see anything so therefore too dangerous to be abroad. We will just have to hope and pray that Marcy is safe. Come along now let us make this house as secure as we can.”
It was just about to break dawn when Ella was roused from her sleep by a hammering on the door. She jumped out of bed and grabbing her dressing gown she donned it while making for the front door.
She was astonished to find Blanche standing on the doorstep, “Blanche, what on earth is amiss?”
"It’s Jackson, he has not come home. I have not seen him since he went off with you. Is he here? No don’t answer that, I know he is not here, he would never have left me on my own all night. I dare not come last night in the dark on my own.
“If I had not been so heavily pregnant, I would not have hesitated, but I did not want to put my baby in harm’s way. Jackson has never stayed away and left me on my own before. Something bad must have happened to him, I know it has,” she could say no more and started to sob.
“Why didn’t you go next door to PC Keyser, ask him to see if he could find Jackson?” Ella asked.
“I did,” Blanche sobbed, “But he was not in.”
“Blanche, you must stay here with this young woman and Mr Grundy, on no account must you venture out, promise me Blanche,” Ella held her friend by the shoulders.
Blanche nodded then sobbed, “Where are you going?”
“I am going to get dressed then I am going over to the livery stables and hire a horse. Then I am going to fetch Charlie. Something is going on here Blanche and I don’t like it, we need Charlie.”
Ella dressed in her father’s old riding breeches, headed across the quiet town, keeping a watchful eye out for anything or anyone suspicious. It was just getting light and people were beginning to venture out of their houses and strangely enough, it made Ella feel safer with other people moving about.
At the livery stables Ella paid for the horse and set off at a steady trot until she reached the outskirts of the town, then she set the horse into a gallop and made good time reaching Charlie’s estate, nearly two hours later.
She jumped down from the horse, tethered it to the rail at the side of the house and ran into the house heading for the breakfast room, knowing that at this time of day Charlie would still be at breakfast.
Ella found Charlie and his grandmother seated at the breakfast table and exclaimed, “Charlie, Jackson is missing!”
Charlie on seeing the love of his life appear in the doorway stood up and went across the room and taking her in his arms he proceeded to kiss her.
“Charlie, didn’t you hear what I said? Jackson is missing,” Ella looked up at him, returning his embrace.
“Jackson can take care of himself, on the other hand, have you put glue on your back?” he asked.
“Glue, what would I want to put glue on my back for?”
“Well there is something holding my arms there, they seem to be stuck. For some reason I cannot remove them from your back.”
Ella looked up at Charlie’s gentle amused face and she put her hand on his cheek and said, “I love you, Charlie Blurr.”
“Those are the magic words I wanted to hear, look my hands are free. What is this about Jackson?”
"I found another body Charlie, a young woman sitting in our porch, she had been beaten up and Jackson went to warn the people that live in The Retreat to be careful, there was a mad man on the loose.
“Blanche came and knocked us up early this morning, just as it was getting light and she said Jackson had not been home all night. Jackson has not been seen since he left our house to go to The Retreat, so I have come to get you.”
“You have found another body, have you? I bet that went down well with Jackson and Clarence,” his eyes were dancing.
Ella matched his enjoyment and she said, “Mr Grundy told me to leave her where she was, to let someone else take care of her, his sausage and mash was getting cold. I had to bribe Jackson with some of the sausage and mash before he would come and have a look at the poor young woman.”
Charlie’s grandmother had been sitting watching and listening to the conversation between two young people joined together in an affectionate embrace and she was content to sit and watch.
This had been a long time coming. She thought Charlie would never find a young woman to take his fancy, but it had finally happened, and she had to admit she liked Ella, even if her dress sense was sadly lacking. Charlie loved her and that was all that mattered.
Charlie looked across at his grandmother.
“What are you waiting for? Go, find Jackson and make sure he is alive when you do, or don’t bother coming back,” his grandmother told him.
“I don’t know what it is about Jackson, but he has all the women dallying after him, i
ncluding my grandmother,” Charlie told Ella.
“Jackson told me it was because he was a devilishly handsome man, that’s why all the women want him,” Ella’s eyes danced up at Charlie.
“I should have known,” he remarked.
Going over to the mantelpiece he pulled the bell and when the butler appeared Charlie instructed him to make sure Ella’s horse was given some water, but not too much, and to have a horse saddled for him and brought around to the front of the house.
Looking at Ella from across the room he said, “Nice outfit.”
Ella looked down at her legs, clad in in her father’s old riding breeches and laughing she said, “My father’s. You cannot ride fast if you are frightened your skirt will blow up, so I decided to wear these. I must say they are very comfortable to wear.”
“I am going to get changed, meet me outside. We had better set off immediately and go and see what trouble Jackson has landed himself in now.”
Charlie’s eyes sparkled with devilment, he bent his head and kissed Ella firmly on the lips then off he went to get changed.
Ella watched him go out of the breakfast room door, across the hall and take the stairs two at a time. She had a tender smile on her lips as she watched him. She still could not believe how her world and changed since receiving the letter from Mr Grundy seven months ago, and Charlie was the centre of it.
Ella gave a big sigh of contentment and looked across the room to find Grandma Blurr watching her and Ella felt her cheeks go crimson.
Ella found it hard to look away and after a few seconds Grandma Blurr said softly, "You’ll do. Come and grab yourself a slice of toast and eat it while you are waiting for Charlie to come down. Help yourself to a glass of milk before you go charging back to rescue Jackson. I bet you had nothing to eat before you came, did you?
Ella shook her head as she walked across the room to partake of a bite of breakfast.
“When you have eaten your toast, go and join that grandson of mine and find Jackson, but make sure you bring them both safely back.”
Ella shot her a grateful smile and said, “I will, I promise.”
She buttered herself a slice of toast and greedily guzzled down a glass of white creamy milk.
Chapter Fourteen
Freddie was the first to recover his senses. He could not see a thing at first, he thought he had gone blind, but gradually he became aware of darker shapes and he realised he was in a darkened room.
His head hurt, and he could not seem to move his arms or legs. After a while he could feel the rope restraints at his wrists, he was tied up. Not only was he tied up, but he was tied to someone else, back to back, he could not move, one way or the other.
He tried to nudge the person behind him. That did not work. The person he was tied to did not move. So, Freddie fearing the worst found a finger of his fellow captive and tried to twist it but Freddie could not get enough movement to achieve any significant pressure because the rope that bound them together was too tight.
Still holding the finger, Freddie gave it a quick hard nip. That had the required effect and he let the finger go.
A yelp came from behind him.
“Hello old chap, are you alright; we seem to be in a bit of a pickle. Do you know what is going on?”
Jackson tried to open his eyes without much success or, so he thought.
“I can’t see,” he mumbled.
“I thought the same, but I think we are in a dark room, I can just about make out dark shapes. Can you move?” Freddie asked.
“Leave me alone, let me go back to sleep.”
“Go back to sleep, what are you talking about, we have to get out of this mess. Going back to sleep is not going to solve anything.”
“No, but I could not feel my head when I was asleep. My body hurts, back and front, I would rather be asleep. Besides, I have just been bitten on my finger by a rat. I hate rats. If I am going to be eaten alive by rats, I would rather be asleep.”
Although Freddie’s face hurt too, he could not help finding the situation funny and he started to laugh. He tried his best to stem the flow of laughter for it used the muscles in his face and this did not help.
“You have not been bitten by a rat, it was me nipping you to try and find out if you were alright. I see you are.”
“Well, you see wrong, I am not alright, I want to go home.”
“So do I, going home is an excellent idea right at this very moment. But first we will have to get these ropes off somehow.”
“Who are you? Is it your fault we are trussed up like dead chickens?”
“Certainly not, I have no idea why I am here or how I got here. My name is Frederick Atton.”
“I have never heard of you.”
“No, I don’t suppose you have. I doubt if I have heard of you either, but we seem to be in the same mess for our sins.”
“I don’t have any sins, so it must be because of your sins. What have you done to deserve this?”
“As far as I know, I have not done anything. The last thing I remember was I was at The Retreat and could not find Lillian, so I went upstairs to see if she was in her room. Lillian was the only one left at The Retreat because the others had gone into Marchum to try and find Marcy.”
“At the Retreat, were you? That is interesting.”
“When I got to her bedroom, the door was slightly open and there was this man laid on top of Lillian. At first, I was shocked at what I saw because I thought he was up to no good. Then I saw his hair was matted with blood, so I rushed over to see what it was all about, and I felt a blow at the back of my head.”
“Even more interesting,” Jackson said.
“The next thing I knew, I was being pulled down the stairs and my body was rattling down each step and because my hands were tied above my head I could do nothing about it. I must have passed out again for I woke up here and found myself tied to you. What the devil is going on?”
"I have no idea. But it is interesting to hear you say you felt a blow to the back of your head. I had been sent to The Retreat to warn them there was a dangerous man on the loose. He had beaten up a young woman, and she wanted someone to go and warn them at The Retreat.
“When I got to The Retreat I found no one in either, so I too went upstairs to see if I could find anybody and saw a young woman lying on the bed with blood coming out of her nose. I went over to see if I could help and that is the last I remember, somebody hit me on the back of the head too.”
“This young woman that was beaten up, I bet it is Marcy. She had vanished and her aunt and two other women that are staying at The Retreat now went to look for her. Lillian stayed behind to look after The Retreat in case any other unfortunate young woman came knocking on the door. They don’t turn anybody away at The Retreat.”
“My face feels as though it has been rattled down a set of stairs too. This woman you have lost has found her way into my life. Ella picked her up. She is like that Ella, finds all sorts of dodgy characters and involves Charlie and me. Look where it has landed me this time.”
“What woman?” Freddie asked.
"How the devil do I know who she is? She said she had to get back to The Retreat and let them know there was a monster knocking about, and that they were in danger. If you have lost a woman and Ella found one, it must be the same woman. Mr Grundy said I had to come and tell them to make sure all the windows and doors were locked.
“I didn’t want to come, fought against it, but he threatened me with Charlie, so I didn’t have much choice. If I had known I was going to be rattled down a set of stairs, then I should have opted for Charlie’s wrath.”
Freddie started laughing again and he gasped, “Stop making me laugh, it hurts.”
“Then do the same as me and go back to sleep. It doesn’t hurt when you are asleep.”
They heard a rasping noise as a flint was run across a stone and a candle was lit allowing a faint glow to provide light.
Freddie saw a pair of knee length boots appro
aching him across the floor; they came to a halt by his side. He saw the pair of knees bending and a face appeared just above his. The face that came into view seemed familiar.
“Hello Freddie. Comfortable, are you?” a voice asked.
“Henry! Henry Mooreway, I say old chap you are the last person I expected to see but thank God you are here. This gent and I seem to be in a bit of a situation, could you cut these ropes? We would be most grateful.” Freddie’s spirit’s rose.
“You know what Freddie; I have a surprise for you. I have got to kill you. I cannot let you go now you have seen my face. No witnesses, that is the rule. But I don’t think I am going to enjoy it very much. I did not get any pleasure from knocking you out. Not like I get when I hit the ladies, they like being hit do the ladies, some of them beg for more. I ask them to beg for more and when they do, I give them more, oh yes, they like it alright,” explained Henry.
There was silence for a while, Henry letting this information sink in.
"I am waiting for my mother to appear you see. She is displeased with me again for letting Marcy get the better of me once more. I thought if I brought my mother two men, she would realise what a good boy I am.
“I am going to let my mother decide what she wants me to do with you both. My mother does not like men, so I thought it might please her if I let her decide what is to be done to you. She might even tell me what a good son I am. I cannot keep you alive though, even if my mother wants me to. You would tell tales on my mother and me. I cannot allow that, can I?”
“You did this to us, what the devil for Henry? Why are you here in Scotland?” Freddie asked.
When there was silence Freddie continued, “How long have you been here?”
"Not long, I followed you and Marcy here, so I have been here as long as you have. I have seen you many times, but you did not see me, for I am invisible.
"I found your conversation with this little man very illuminating. So, Marcy has been telling tales on me, has she? Your scruffy little bedfellow here says she has been telling everyone that I am in Scotland and to keep their doors locked against me.