by Graham West
The rotting wooden door was ajar. Cody looked back at the expanse of ground he’d crossed. It looked like an arena—maybe they’d have a circus there one day. He pushed gently on the door, waiting as it swung open with a loud creaking sound. His heart felt like a lead ball, swinging against his ribcage. He waited a moment longer and then, with a hesitant step, entered the cottage.
In one corner was and old bed and in the other, a chair. In that chair—the only chair—sat a man. A candle burned on the small table at his side.
“Hello, Cody,” he said with a smile. “Thank you for coming.”
Cody stared at him. He looked tired and kind of sad, just like Mum did most days since Auntie Alison had gone. “How long have you been dead, Mr. Root?” he asked.
The man smiled. “Call me Jacob. I think we can be friends.” He leaned forward. “I left your world a long, long time ago, Cody. But there are people—people like you—who can still see me. Please promise you’ll never wander beyond this cottage, never go any further into the woods!”
“I won’t. But why?”
“Bad things happened a long time ago. You must not go there.”
“But you look sad. Why are you sad?”
Jacob Root started to fade, until Cody could see through him. “I want to be with my daughter.” His voice seemed to come from a distant place, echoing around the room. “But you must go now, son. Your family are looking for you. You must go quickly. I will see you again!”
Cody spun around, fleeing the cottage with Jacob Root’s voice ringing in his ears. He ran, jumping over gnarled roots and diving beneath the web of branches, until he reached the fence and the NO ACCESS sign. He turned off his torch at the first lodge. The paths were all lit and he’d just have to try and remember where he lived. That might not be so easy.
Sometimes he wished other people had special eyes too. The fact they didn’t had always frustrated him. Why not? Dead people were there, all right, although sometimes they wore funny clothes and did things that normal people couldn’t. The coolest was not having to open doors; they just appeared. They could just disappear too, so if he’d yelled at them they’d have probably vanished. Maybe being dead was more fun than being alive. Maybe that’s why his artist friend, Enrico, killed himself.
***
Laura Nelson had never dressed so quickly. “I can’t believe it!” she screeched, choking back the tears. “We have one bloody night—just one!—and this happens!”
“It would have happened anyway,” Peter retorted. “But if we’d been in bed asleep, we’d have never known he was missing till the morning!”
Laura flashed the torch into the shadows where the light from the pathways didn’t reach. “Cody!” she yelled. “Cody!”
The bedroom lights from a nearby lodge came on.
Peter groaned. “Jeez, now the whole site’s going to find out our kid went missing while we were getting pissed. Great!”
“I don’t give a shit what anyone thinks. I just want my son back!”
“Cody!”
“Codyyyy!”
They spotted the sign: NO ACCESS BEYOND THIS POINT.
“You don’t think he’s gone in there, do you?” Laura shone the torch into the darkness.
Peter shook his head. “I think he’d be too scared, and how would he see, anyway?”
“Unless he’s gone off into the park.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Well, why would he go missing? It doesn’t make any sense.” Laura snapped, still flashing her torch around the trees. “Cody! Codyyyy!” The lights from another lodge came on. “They probably think we’re looking for a dog or something. If they thought it was a kid, they’d come out and help, surely?”
Peter wished someone would. He wouldn’t have cared if a whole search party had materialised, even if it meant being voted the world’s worst parents.
There was a rustling sound. “What’s that?” Laura spun on the spot, shining the torch into the trees. There, in the distance, the light picked out something.
At first, it looked like a discarded jacket, maybe something a parent had left during the day. They both left the pathway, heading into the darkness, treading the bracken and stepping over the roots and stumps of felled trees. But as they approached, Peter could see it wasn’t a jacket. It was a small boy. Their boy.
Laura screamed, breaking into a run. “Dee!” She fell to her knees at his side. “Dee!”
Peter arrived as his little boy opened his eyes, looking up into the faces of his anxious parents. “Mummy! Daddy! I’m so sorry. I got lost!”
Chapter Twelve
When they got back to the lodge, Laura sent her son to his room. She glared at him from the doorway. “If we weren’t on holiday, you’d be in big trouble, young man!”
Cody didn’t look up. He sat on the corner of his bed, fiddling meekly with the tag on his zip. “I’m sorry,” he whimpered. “I hid in the trees and waited till it got light again.”
“But why did you run off? What were you thinking? Anything could have happened.”
Cody didn’t answer.
“And you went out in your pyjamas!”
Cody looked up. “I put a jacket on,” he replied indignantly.
“You put that thin tracksuit top on. It’s cold in those woods!”
“I wasn’t cold.”
Laura turned to see her husband standing in the doorway. “In future, we’re locking that window—and the bedroom door.”
Cody looked horrified. “But you can’t! How will I meet Mr. Root? He’ll be angry with me!”
Laura stared at him. “Please don’t tell me this has something to do with these so-called friends of yours.”
“I told you I was meeting him here.”
“Not in the middle of the night!”
“He isn’t going to hurt me, honestly.”
“I don’t care,” Laura hissed. “I don’t know what’s going on in your head, Cody, and I don’t know where you went, but this has to stop.”
“I went to Mr. Root’s house,” Cody protested.
“His house? Where’s his house?”
“In the woods.”
“Where? I haven’t seen a house.”
“It’s after the sign that says not to go past.”
“What? You went past the fence?”
Cody nodded. “It was dark, but I had my penlight, and I found the little house where he used to live. I pushed the door open and he was waiting for me. Then he started to disappear and told me to go cos you were looking for me.”
A chill ran the length of Laura’s spine. “Oh my god,” she gasped.
“Look, let’s sleep on it,” Peter said. He walked across and locked the window, shoving the key in his pocket. “We can talk it over in the morning. We won’t lock the bedroom door,” he told Cody, who watched him anxiously. “But I have the key to the front door, so I’m afraid Mr. Root is going to have to find another friend.” He left the room.
Laura followed him to their bedroom and undressed, throwing her clothes across the back of the dressing table chair. “I haven’t got the energy for all this shit. I just want to go home.”
Peter was studying her, standing in her underwear. After a few drinks they usually made love, but neither of them was in the mood. The night had been ruined, and Laura felt like giving her son a good, hard slap. She was angry, and not just with Cody. She was angry with herself because if there was an answer to all this, she didn’t know what it was.
***
Darren spotted Danielle pulling up in her ten-year-old Volkswagen Polo and instinctively took a step back behind the reception doorway. It was that first look he feared. That look that would tell him it was over.
“Hi, babe,” he said as she walked in, trying hard not to sound as nervous as he felt. Danni glared at him as if he were something she’d found on the sole of her shoe. His heart sank.
“Don’t act like we’re still together, Darren, because we’re not!”
H
e tried his best to make polite conversation as they walked to the lodge, but by the time they’d reached the front door, Darren had given up.
Josie greeted her first. “Hi, hun. Lovely to meet you at last.” The others followed, Darren introducing them, one by one. There were brief hugs and air kisses, but Danni looked uncomfortable.
“We’ve always told Darren you’re welcome here,” Jenny said as Danni took a seat, “but I think he must have been ashamed of us.”
Danni managed a smile. Everyone was looking at her.
Rob stepped forward, knowing that it was pointless to drag the small talk out. “Darren tells me you two are splitting up.”
Danni flushed. “Yeah, well, I found out about what he did.”
“Elizabeth and Hanna?”
She frowned, pulling out her phone and tapping the screen. She stared at it for half a minute or more before looking up at Rob. “That’s you. In the picture…it’s you, isn’t it?”
Rob nodded. “Elizabeth was my wife. And Hanna was my daughter.”
She stared in disbelief. “But…I don’t understand.”
“She was my mother,” Jenny added.
Danni looked at Darren, then back at Rob, who stood with his arm around Jenny’s shoulder.
“He should have told you,” Josie said, “but it’s a long and complicated story.”
Danni shook her head. “I’m sorry, I can’t get my head around this. I know people can learn to forgive, but this? This is just crazy!”
Jenny smiled. “It’s not just about forgiveness, but please, hear us out. Then, if you still want to walk away from Darren—from us—that’s up to you.”
Danni nodded. “Okay. Tell me everything.” She flashed Darren a look. “And I mean, everything!”
Chapter Thirteen
Laura squinted, peering across the pool at the red-haired girl sitting on the side, dangling her legs in the water. “She’s thirteen? Are you serious?”
“I know,” Peter said. “But don’t question her, for God’s sake.”
“Yeah, or else I’ll be getting an eyeful of her public hair.”
They both chuckled.
“That was funny,” he said, “but I notice you didn’t correct Cody.”
“I didn’t want to get into it. I was just relieved that it wasn’t one of his spirit drawings, otherwise we would have had a lot more unwanted detail to cope with.”
Bailey slipped into the water as soon as she saw Cody.
“So where’s this Nicky woman?” Laura grinned mischievously.
“Nicky?”
“Yeah, Nicky.”
“Over there,” he said, pointing at the young woman sitting at one of the poolside tables with two glasses of fresh orange juice.
Laura flashed him a look of approval “She’s nice.”
“Cody thinks so. Good job, really.”
“Why’s that?”
“Well, she’s gonna be his new mum.”
Laura gave his arm a playful slap. “She’d have her work cut out.”
Peter nodded. His smile faded. “But seriously, all this ghost stuff. It’s something we might need to get on board with.”
Laura’s eyes darkened. “Meaning?”
“I’m just saying. I know Cody has his problems but maybe he really does have this…gift.”
Laura shook her head. “I wouldn’t call it a gift. I don’t know what the hell it is, but it ain’t that.”
“It’s just a term. But I don’t see how a kid like him could make all this shit up.”
“I don’t know what to think, Peter. I’m scared, I really am.”
Peter reached out and placed his hand on hers. “I know. If it’s all in his head, then he needs a psychologist, and if it isn’t…”
Laura sighed. “I don’t know which is worse. I hate the thought of going to some priest, and I hate the thought of Dee with a shrink. I feel like we’ve failed him.”
“Loads of kids have problems, these days. Autism, Asperger’s syndrome, attention deficit disorders. The list is endless.” Peter squeezed her hand. “But we need to make Cody feel as if we’re on his side, even if it means accepting his special friends.”
Laura allowed herself a brief smile. “What? Throw a party?”
Peter Nelson laughed. “Yeah, plenty of spirits and a couple of angel cakes.”
***
Perspiration ran down Darren’s back. It was rare to see Danni lost for words, but she sat, open-mouthed, looking from one to the other in utter confusion.
“I know it’s hard to take in,” Josie said eventually, “and it hasn’t been easy. Darren has worked hard to make amends for what he did, and yes, if he hadn’t stolen that car—”
“You’d be a proper family,” Danni finished.
“We are a proper family,” Darren protested.
Danni’s eyes widened. “What? You call this proper? It’s dysfunctional, to say the least, and that’s being kind.”
Darren felt his heart sink. “Please, Danni. Just give me a chance. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth. I couldn’t.”
Jake stood in the doorway, hands shoved deep into his pockets. “He’s a decent bloke, Danni,” he said, the anger in his voice thinly disguised. “He’ll look after you. What’s in the past is in the past.”
“How can you say that?” Danni blurted, choking back tears. She stared straight at Darren. “I loved you. I really believed we had a future. I even saw us with a family of our own one day.” A tear trickled down her cheek. “But now…I don’t know how I can live with this. I’m sorry.”
“No! Please!” Darren begged. “I want that too—a family. I’ll be a great dad. I know I will.”
“He was probably a great dad,” Danni cried, pointing at Rob, “until you took his kid away from him.”
Jenny’s eyes flashed with anger. “It was an accident!”
“Yeah. A preventable one.” Danni yelled. “How can you all live together like this?” She stared at Jenny. “Your sister’s a slag and your brother’s a child killer! I don’t know how you get to sleep at night.”
“Oh my god!” Kayla gasped. “Why did I even tell you that stuff?”
Josie’s face was crimson. “That’s enough!” she hissed. “Listen, young lady, Kayla’s had a tough life and has every reason to be a slag, as you called her, but you have no right to criticise her!”
Danni was taken aback. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that, I just—”
Josie’s eyes hardened. “You’re shooting your mouth off because you’re angry. I get that. But we’ve found it in our hearts to forgive Darren, and it hasn’t been easy. So don’t you come here, casting judgement on people you don’t even know. If you can’t forgive your boyfriend then okay, just piss off. See if you can find Mr. Perfect, if he even exists.”
Danni was clearly shocked by the verbal attack. “I’m not looking for Mr. Perfect. But I’m not looking for this, either!”
“What?” Rob said coldly. “We are a family. What exactly are you looking for?”
Darren knew he had been forgiven, but he’d never seen his adopted family defend him so passionately. He felt sorry for Danni, who was beginning to look like a schoolgirl cowering beneath the unwanted attentions of a gang of classroom bullies.
“I don’t know. It’s just really screwed up.”
Josie exhaled, as if releasing all her pent-up anger. “Look, hun, I know this has come as a bit of a shock, but don’t walk away without giving it some thought.”
Danni stood, seeing her chance to run for cover. “I better get going,” she said, glancing over at Darren. “I’ll be in touch.”
Darren could feel the thumping of his heartbeat. “When?”
“I don’t know. Soon.”
He wanted to pull her back. He wanted to hold her while she considered her options. He wanted an answer and he wanted it now. Waiting would kill him. “Please, Danni. I’ll make it up to you, I promise. No more secrets.”
By the time he’d pulle
d himself together, she was gone.
Chapter Fourteen
Kevin Taylor sat, huddled on a wooden bench under the corrugated plastic roof, blowing smoke into the air. This was his kind of pub. No families ordering from flash menus, no young waitresses in tight black skirts, strutting around the place with their tits hanging out. Okay, the smoking den wasn’t up to much—a cheap timber frame with a plastic roof and a couple of chairs—but it was good enough when you wanted a drag, and no one here asked what you were smoking.
He glanced at his phone and grinned at the profile picture he’d put up on social media. It wasn’t him, of course. It was a random picture he’d found of some decent-looking bloke. It wasn’t his name either, but the real Owen Mendez had overdosed the day after he’d arrived at the youth offenders place, and he quite liked the name.
Darren Pascoe had accepted his friendship request three weeks after Taylor had been released. It had all been so easy. Taylor shook his head, scrolling through, checking out his old mate’s latest posts. The backstabbing bastard was at some adventure park with his new family; that was bad enough, but he’d gone and got himself a girl, too. He’d played a fucking blinder there. How the hell had that yellow-bellied little runt managed that?
Taylor had built up his own profile under Owen’s name but hadn’t posted too much. He didn’t want to stick his head too far above the parapet. He’d put a like to a few of Darren’s posts, now and again, to make sure he stayed on his list, but this wasn’t about socialising; this was about keeping tabs on Pascoe. He’d choose his moment, of course, but there was no hurry. He wasn’t even sure what he was going to do just yet, but one thing was certain: no cunt stitched him up like that and got away with it!
Taylor felt the red mist rising. He was the one who’d sat listening for hours while Pascoe whined on about his parents. He was the one who had been there, waiting at the school gates every morning, just to make sure one of the Topham gang didn’t get to the little weasel first. Darren hadn’t even known that they’d been planning to stick his head down a toilet full of shit, just because they thought he was a bit posh, but that was only because Taylor had threatened the three brothers. Lay a finger on my mate and the whole of the Kirkland Estate will come looking for you.