Haunted House Tales

by Riley Amitrani

  Deep in his heart, Jack was hoping to find some sort of evidence that his Mum was well and fine abroad as was being accepted. Maybe he would come across some sort of receipts for plane tickets or other indication that she had fled the abusive situation he knew existed…missing passport, old letter or note…anything to convince him that what he feared most was untrue. What Jack also suspected, and what nagged at his entire being was that something much more sinister was afoot. Knowing his father’s true character and nature, the person that he kept under a mask from all the town, Jack dreaded what he also suspected: that his father might have finally gone too far.

  At each break-in, Jack made little thefts in addition to his extensive searches of the pub to try and obscure his true intent. To add to the obfuscation, Jack made random incursions around town. However, as his searches continued to come up empty, he found his anger at his father boiling over and was not surprised when he heard that the police had been summoned to investigate. He knew his last couple of visits to Carver’s Arms had been a bit too intense and that the degree of damage had pushed his father to take official action.

  Investigation in Herriard

  Herriard, United Kingdom

  27 January, 2018, 11 AM

  Sally White and Tomasz Peterson, the investigative officers from the regional police division arrived in Herriard and made their way to Carver’s Arms to meet with John and get some more detailed information on the rash of thefts and vandalism that John had reported to their office from time to time. John met the officers at the entrance to the pub and he showed them all around the place so they could get an overall sense of the pub and see where a potential burglar might have gained access. He gave them a detailed chronology of the events of the past few months and offered special emphasis on the one door and window on the lower level that seemed to have been the primary targets for access for the burglar. In addition, John took them to the couple of rooms that had been the main focus of the intruder’s vandalism. Unfortunately, he had in the interim, cleaned up the messes that had been left behind.

  “I know you likely had no idea, Mr. Carver,” Officer Peterson said, “but having cleaned any of the damage up is an impediment to the investigation. Fouls the crime scene, sir.”

  “I understand, Officer. When it first happened, I thought maybe it was just kids up to mischief. Did not think it was a big deal until it happened a few times. Was not thinking clearly. My apologies.”

  “It’s OK, Mr. Carver, Officer White quickly interjected as she shot her partner a scathing look. “We can look at the whole situation. Most people would have done the same.”

  Peterson felt his face redden as he absorbed the mild rebuke from Sally White. It was not the first time they had clashed since becoming partners. Though not that far apart in age, Tomasz Peterson was still of the mind that he was in charge due to his greater years of experience on the job and resented Sally’s comments like these when they were on the job. He knew she was bright and ambitious, and he often misinterpreted her approach as a personal attack. As well, Peterson was still struggling with having been paired with a woman ever since his former partner had been forced to take early retirement from the force due to medical issues. It was not that he viewed her as incapable or unqualified, but more the way he had been brought up by his own father.

  Sally immediately regretted having jumped in so quickly to try and soothe John Carver’s feelings, but she sensed Peterson’s arrogance, that was often hard to overcome, perhaps having a negative effect on their presence. Her friendly and warm approach to investigations had frequently softened victims’ shells to them, especially in small villages such as Herriard. The look of scorn she received in return from Peterson confirmed her regret and she was sure she would pay for this later. Maybe directly, but more likely in a passive manner, which was more Peterson’s style vs. just voicing his displeasure to her in a mature manner. He seemed emotionally immature to her, despite him being six years her senior, but she had just accepted this as who he was.

  “I do have a list of all that was stolen, though.” John added as he turned to a desk behind himself and opened a drawer to remove a sheet of paper, handing it to Peterson.

  “Thanks, Mr. Carver,” Peterson said. “This is very helpful.”

  “Besides the pub, there have been a few random break-ins around town. You might want to talk to those people as well. I can give you names and addresses.”

  “Sure. The more information we can get the better.” Sally White replied. “If you think of anything else that might be useful, please let us know. Even if it seems insignificant to you, it may not be to us.”

  John nodded his understanding.

  “If you follow me, I can show you to the room I set aside for your stay during the investigation.”

  The officers followed John out of the room and down a short and narrow hallway. As they walked, Sally could not help but notice that the condition of the place seemed to be lacking in having had any type of updating or even regular maintenance. She supposed it might be an effort to present a rustic throwback atmosphere, or perhaps John Carver had just lost his initiative over time. In either case, the old creaking and bumping sounds that John had mentioned to them briefly seemed no surprise as she looked around. Each step, as they moved down the corridor, seemed to initiate a new round of noises one would expect in such a place. It was no wonder the man had given them no concern.

  At the end of the dim and narrow passageway, John stopped at the last door on the right and opened it indicating this was their room. In a rare show of chivalry, Peterson stepped aside to allow Sally to enter the room first as the hinges on the door to the room creaked just as eerily as had the floorboards in the hallway. She was briefly caught off guard but thought perhaps he was somehow trying to make amends for their earlier clash of styles.

  “It’s not fancy, but it’s clean and quiet.” John said as he stood in the doorway. “If you have further questions for me or if there is anything you need while here, be sure to come find me. I am almost always either in the bar or at the front desk.”

  Sally stepped inside the cozy, but welcoming room and glanced around to get the feeling of the small space and when she had turned back, Peterson had already tossed his bag onto the double bed, leaving her the much smaller single that was tucked away from the door. So much for chivalry, Sally said to herself, as she fought the urge to roll her eyes or say anything. She was not sure if this was payback for her having embarrassed Peterson in front of John earlier during their initial questioning of the inn’s owner or if it was just more of her partner’s typical personality. Rather than make this yet another issue between them, Sally just let it go and carefully set her own bag on the remaining bed.

  As she put away the scant items she had brought along for the trip, Sally was able to let a smirk cross her face as she turned her back to Peterson and let out a deep, but silent breath. She could just imagine the ugly back and forth that could have occurred between them as Peterson would inevitably inform her that he should have the double due to his being older and the more senior member of the force relative to her. This type of confrontation had materialized between them more times than Sally could remember or cared to recall. In the end, all it would do, she knew, would be to drive a deeper wedge between them and the fallout would be to hamper or even possibly compromise the investigation. It was just more of the same immaturity and lack of respect she had been the recipient of from Tomasz since they had been teamed up.

  Sally had bigger ambitions and goals than her partner and having him report back that she was difficult to work with or obstinate would only hurt her reputation as she moved ahead in her career. True or not, the police department was still much “an old boys’ club” and Peterson had contacts that she knew would just take his word for whatever he cared to report back. Better just to let it all slide off her back than to walk into that career killer. She knew her intuition and skill as a detective would eventually outshine anything that Peterson mig
ht try and use against her. It was just a bed, for fucks-sake. And they were just here for a brief investigation. If it was that important to him, let him have it and let him feel as if he had showed her who was really in charge.

  “You all set?” Tomasz asked Sally as she closed up her bag and set it up on a shelf in an alcove just adjacent to her bed.

  “You bet. Want to see if we can talk to some of the locals around here who got victimized as well? Maybe they can shed some light on what may be going on.”

  “Good idea. Maybe nothing, but it sure can’t hurt.”

  The pair armed themselves with their interview pads and headed back downstairs and out into the quaint village of Herriard. It was as stereotypical as any small English village could be. Quiet streets that looked as if they had only recently been paved over from dirt or stone. The place was hardly a hotbed of commerce, with just a few thriving businesses along the main thoroughfare: a bakery, a butcher’s shop, a chemist, and of course the Carver Arms. Sally was sure it was boring to her partner, who she knew was a strong devotee of the city life, having grown up in London. She on the other hand, found Herriard delightful and charming. Her own upbringing had been in a small village such as this and she could not help feeling the soft tug of nostalgia as they made their way past the thatched roofs and other quaint surroundings.

  The list of other robbery victims that they had gotten from John Carver was short, but it did seem as if the people on it were located in close vicinity to the pub itself. On first glance, Sally supposed this was not surprising. Whoever was responsible was perhaps targeting a specific area of the town. But the more she thought about it, the more that seemed a too simplistic scenario. Sally had already made the intuitive connection that the other robberies, that is those other than the pub, were just a distraction. The multiple incursions at Carver’s Arms made it clear, at least to her anyway, that the pub was the real target. What was now gnawing at her was the possibility that it was someone from Herriard that was the thief.

  She was sure Peterson would follow his normal line of questioning about what was taken, when they had been robbed, etc., but there was a subtler line here that Sally wanted to pursue but was not quite sure how to do that without ruffling her partner’s feathers again. She did want to see what had been taken and when, but underneath all that she was curious if someone here might know if one of their neighbors might have a beef with the pub or John Carver. A local would certainly know their way around and be able to try a ploy of misdirection by hitting a few other homes as well. On the other hand, it might be someone who had lived here years ago and had moved on, only to slink back into town now. But if so, why now and why the pub?

  Investigation in Herriard: All is Not as it Seems

  Herriard, United Kingdom

  27 January, 2018, 6 PM

  Back at the pub, Tomasz and Sally took a small table near the crackling fireplace in the back of the pub to talk over all that they had discovered as well as all that was still a weird mystery from the day. Peterson seemed unfazed by the sudden change in weather, but Sally could not get close enough to the gentle blazing embers to ward off the chill of the early evening. Despite having been born and raised in England, she had never gotten used to the unrelenting chill, fog, and what seemed to her at times, as a rain that never let up. Late in the afternoon, as the pair was finishing up the last of their interviews with the various residents of Herriard that had been victimized by the as of yet unknown thief, the temperature had plummeted and a heavy mist appeared and had settled in over the environs of Herriard like a heavy blanket.

  To Sally, if that was not bad enough, a miserable drizzle had accompanied the fog, and while it had not actually soaked her, it was enough to chill her to the bone. She was not sure if Tomasz felt the effects of the weather or not or if his apparent oblivious reaction to it was just more of his macho façade. The fire finally overcame her discomfort, and she felt herself beginning to return to normal as the chills faded away and the dampness left her. They ordered pints of the Carver’s Arms house ale and pulled out their notes from the afternoon’s work. As was usual, Sally noticed that Tomasz’s notes were quite scant, while she had taken page after page of details from the various locals.

  It was not as if what they had been told looked as if it might provide some sort of miraculous insight for a real breakthrough in the case, but it still amazed her as to how much Tomasz relied on his memory from interviews. More than once they had lost vital leads on cases due to this, as keen barristers, using legal technicalities, had police evidence disregarded as no concrete proof of the evidence was available…Tomasz’s say-so sometimes had no standing in the courts. Yet, despite those incidents, he continued on in this manner. As far as she knew there had been no type of reprimand or disciplinary action from their superiors when this had happened. She did not know if this was yet another part of the “old boy network” at action, but she was pretty sure if it had been her that the outcome would have been much different. So, just to cover herself, she always kept thorough written records of her investigations.

  Amazingly, though, Tomasz’s recollection of investigations was very accurate. However, once the courts became involved, no one but Tomasz was swayed by his recall of the events. Sally laid her note pad on the table as they both sipped from their drinks. She peered out the small window just adjacent to their table to see that the weather from the afternoon had not changed as night had fallen. If anything, the fog had grown denser and dropped from the roofs of the stores and houses lining the lanes of Herriard to fill the town completely. Visibility was nil and the rain, which in the afternoon had been just a misty nuisance, had increased in intensity to a steady pattering. Just the sight of it made Sally shiver again, despite her proximity to the flaming logs in the fireplace.

  Just out of curiosity, Sally decided to direct their conversation to her partner’s court…to let him take the lead. She was interested to see if his recollection of the interviews jived with her notes—though she was pretty sure they would. But also, to make the investigation go more smoothly, she knew, from having worked with Tomasz, that it was always better to let him get the impression that he was fully in charge and that whatever had been discovered in questioning had been his doing.

  “What do you think, Tomasz? Anything strike you as unique or unusual around town that might head us in the right direction?”

  The man hesitated, inwardly caught off guard that she was so willing to let him take the lead. In his heart, he felt that was only right, but typically Sally did not let her ambition and drive take a back seat. He took a quick draw on his ale as he quickly thought this over, before charging ahead.

  “Not especially. The access to all the houses seems generic. Poorly secured windows and doors, or even portals that were left unlocked overnight would make it easy for even a beginning thief to gain entrance. In only two cases was there evidence of a forced entry. And the evidence left behind of that damage seemed to me to be too obvious.”

  “Too obvious?”

  “Yeah…like the thief wanted to make sure the forced entry was seen. A seasoned burglar would never leave such glaring, blatant signs of a forced entry…at least from my experience.”

  Sally ignored the obvious dig of “my experience” which she was sure was aimed at her. Tomasz rarely missed an opportunity to make sure she knew who had more experience between them. However, despite this she had to agree with him. The damage to the one door and one window they had found seemed to be out of character with an experienced thief.

  “Thinking this was to make sure it was found?”

  “Seems like it. Probably did not want anyone, police or otherwise, to miss it. Seems like the pub here is the real target, and the other houses left as an attempt, though a weak and poor one, as misdirection or to confuse the actual scenario.”

  Again, Sally was impressed with her partner’s observations and sense of professional police intuition. She had gotten so focused on the specifics of what had been stolen
and other vagaries of the various break-ins that this detail had escaped her.

  “I had not thought of that, Tomasz. Good point.”

  Peterson smiled smugly. Sally did not miss his facial expression. As good as Tomasz was at police work, he had little skill at hiding anything he was thinking or feeling, especially when it came to working with her…not her specifically, she guessed, but more along the lines of having been teamed up with a woman in general. She could see the gears turning in the man’s head, confirming to himself why he indeed was the lead in their professional relationship.

  “Even what was taken seems random, for a seasoned thief.”

  “How so?”

  “I am sure you have it all catalogued in your journal there, but it seems to me to be a bizarre mishmash of stuff. Some obvious…like expensive electronic devices and jewelry, to items that seem to have no real monetary value.”

  Sally again absorbed the shot at her investigative methods, but like it or not, he was right. A burglar normally takes items that could be easily pawned or that would provide instant monetary value. But as she reviewed her notes, there did seem to be a lot of small items, that while they might be of sentimental value to the owner, they were not what a typical thief would bother with.

  “Again, like the thief wanted to make sure it was obvious that he had broken in, rather than taking items just based on their monetary value. That what you thinking?”

  “Seems more logical to me than anything.”

  They both sipped again from their mugs and let the last words of their conversation sink in as the fire popped and sizzled while a brisk wind gusted intermittently against the old inn.

  “So, the other houses in town are basically irrelevant. Other than to the owners, I guess.” Sally finally said. “Just subterfuge to make everyone think the thief is just running rampant in Herriard.”