by Graham West
“A milkshake?”
Cody would never turn down a chocolate drink of any kind, no matter how bad he felt. He closed his book and stood up. “Okay. Can I have a cookie too?”
He saw the relief on his mother’s face as he grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair.
“You can have anything you want!” she said, pinching his cheek.
When they reached the hotel, Mr. Blakely was standing at the reception desk with a pretty lady. “Are you okay, son?” he called.
Cody nodded and broke free of his parents, hurrying over to the desk. “I have something to tell you.”
Peter and Laura Nelson moved quickly behind him. “Come on, bud. Don’t be bothering the man.”
Blakely grinned. “He’s fine. What is it, son?”
“I saw Mr. Root last night,” Cody said. “He was standing by the bike shed. And he left a pitchfork in the ground.”
Blakely’s smile vanished. The lady beside him looked confused.
“That’s enough!” his father snapped. “I’m sorry, Mr. Blakely. I can see you’re busy.”
“I thought we were going to get away from all this shit,” Laura muttered as they dragged their son in the direction of the hotel café.
Cody heard the comment. “It’s not shit!” he protested. “It’s true, and I was just telling Mr. Blakely!”
His father’s hand tightened around his own. “When we get back home,” his dad said sternly, “we’re taking you to see someone who can help you.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Rob’s mask was slipping. He’d apologised to his daughter, who had grudgingly accepted that his behaviour had been totally out of character, but the huge hole in his recollection of the previous day was eating him up. If there was something in the depths of Mosswood, why hadn’t it affected Darren as well? But Darren was still stressed out, waiting for Danni to call, and wasn’t in the mood to discuss anything else.
Jenny had said the same thing when Rob had told her about his experience. “Places like that are always a bit eerie. It doesn’t have to be supernatural.” Rob guessed she was more concerned with the possibility he might be showing those initial, dreaded signs of Alzheimer’s disease. “If it happens again, you should go and see Doctor Elworth.”
He laughed it off. Josie had suggested the same thing—they were both thinking the same thing—and fought hard to keep his spirits up, which involved him reluctantly taking his turn behind Jake on the pool’s mega-slide, hitting the water with such force it was like being fired through a glass door from the barrel of a cannon. It made them all laugh, particularly Josie, who saw the look of bewilderment on his face as he surfaced.
That evening, as the sun dipped behind the trees, they all sat around the table outside the lodge. No one was drinking alcohol, so Rob had gone to the bar and returned with two bottles of champagne. “What’re those for?” Josie asked, concerned.
“Because no one is drinking, and I’m no idiot. It’s because of me and what happened last night.”
Kayla shrugged. “We just thought—”
“I know what you thought,” Rob interrupted. “You thought I’d kick off again, which proves none of you really understand.”
Josie flashed him a look. “We didn’t want you to be tempted, that’s all.”
“Why? I’ve told you before. That wasn’t me last night. I don’t know what happened or why, but I’m okay now. I’m happy with a coffee, so I’d rather you just relax and enjoy yourselves. Okay?”
They all nodded, like a class of obedient schoolchildren, and Rob sat down and glanced at his watch. It was nine o’clock. Another couple of hours before he could retire to his bed, close his eyes and shut out the world. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.
***
“Isn’t that illegal?” Penny asked with a perplexed frown.
“Isn’t what illegal?”
“You found a body—well, the remains of a body—and you didn’t report it. Isn’t there some law against that?”
Blakely guessed there was, but right then, he was more concerned about having a kid on the site who saw dead people and seemed quite happy to tell everyone he happened to meet. Penny had remained remarkably calm about the whole thing, even when Blakely had told her about the dreams. She had more of a problem with Jenny and her suggestion they should exhume Jacob Root and move him as soon as possible.
“That Adams girl might be better keeping her nose out. She’s got a free holiday. It doesn’t mean she has the right to start throwing her weight around.”
“He is her ancestor.”
Penny sighed. “Okay, so how do you propose performing this little exercise with a park full of people?”
That was it. He didn’t know. He just wanted the nightmares to stop. “That kid freaked me out a bit. And one of the rangers confirmed there was a pitchfork by the bikes. A kid could have injured themselves on that.”
“But you don’t honestly think that a ghost put it there?”
Blakely shrugged.
“Come on, Dennis. This is just some snotty-nosed little kid telling you all this.” Penny sighed in exasperation. “I admit, I don’t understand how he knows about the gardener, but that pitchfork must have been left by one of the groundsmen.”
“It wasn’t. Theirs are in the storeroom. They’d never leave equipment lying around.” Blakely’s palms were damp with sweat. “That pitchfork belongs to him. It belongs to Jacob.”
“Oh, for God’s sake, Dennis! How do you know that?”
The frustration on his wife’s face made him recoil inwardly. “That kid found a cottage in the woods. It looks like it might have belonged to Amelia’s father. That’s where I saw the pitchfork.”
“It was the same one?”
“Yep. One of the rangers had put it in the storeroom at the reception. I went to check.”
Penny looked stunned.
“So I can’t see how it got there. The kid wouldn’t have done it, and as far as I know, no one else knows about the cottage. I certainly didn’t.”
“I still don’t believe a ghost moved it!” Penny huffed. “And I can’t believe you do, either!”
“I don’t know what to believe, but when I saw that fork in the cottage, it had blood on it…” A thought suddenly struck him. “I wiped it on my shirt.”
Before he finished speaking, he went to the cupboard where they kept their laundry basket and rummaged around until he felt the familiar material of his white polo top. Blakely pulled it out and held it up. It was creased and stained, but there was no sign of any blood. Just a dirty hand print. Cody had been right; he hadn’t seen any blood. He gasped. “It’s gone!”
“Or it was never there,” Penny said. “I’m thinking you should have a few days off work. Get some rest.”
“What? You think I’m going crazy?”
Penny shook her head. “No, but you’re talking about dismantling a building and digging up a body, and you’re wiping non-existent blood on your shirt. I think it’s all down to stress.”
“I can prove the cottage exists! I’ll ask that kid to take us—he knows exactly where it is.”
“Are you kidding? There’s no way I’m going into those woods with you and Chucky.”
Blakely stifled a chuckle. “You can be cruel sometimes, Pen.” He saw the familiar mischievous grin form on his wife’s face, and they both burst out laughing. It felt so good. He pulled her into his arms. “Why are we arguing? Whatever shit is going on out there, we’re both on the same side.”
“I know,” Penny murmured, nestling her head against his shoulder. “How about we have a really early night and do some connecting?”
***
Things weren’t turning out too well for Jenny. Isaac must’ve sensed the tension hanging in the air and he was playing up. She was hot and tired, but the ceiling fan did little more than shift warm air around the room, and she eventually stripped off, lying on top of the duvet in her knickers.
Despite the heat, Jake found her
irresistible. “Hey,” he whispered, running his hand down her belly and slipping beneath the cotton fabric of her underwear. “How about we do it very quietly?”
She pushed him away, even though she wanted more. “It’s friggin’ boiling.”
Jake nuzzled her neck. “I’ll take it easy, promise.”
“Nope.”
“What’s up? We haven’t done it for nearly a week.”
Jenny sighed. “We will. Just not tonight.”
Jake pulled back, and Jenny rolled over onto her side. Her father’s words still echoed in her head, and they stung like hell. But there was something else. She’d felt Jake touching her, felt him kissing her neck, yet for a moment, however briefly, she’d wished it had been Kayla’s lips she’d felt, and Kayla’s hand between her legs.
Jenny fell into a restless sleep an hour later, wishing she was back home, away from Kayla and away from the park. She dreamed of Amelia, sitting by the window, her silicone skin glowing in the moonlight. Jenny held out her hand, gently stroking Amelia’s hair, praying that her touch would breathe life into the motionless form.
But Amelia didn’t move. A strange loneliness gripped Jenny. “Where are you?” she whispered. “Why can’t you talk to me?”
There was a loud hooting of an owl in the distance and Jenny woke suddenly.
The window was open, and a cold breeze gusted through the room. Jake was still asleep but instinctively pulled the duvet up, covering his shoulders. She rose quietly and crept over to the window. It was so peaceful, almost surreal. Then she saw something move amongst the trees. Amelia appeared suddenly and stood silently, her eyes piercing the darkness.
“You heard me,” Jenny whispered. “You heard me call you in my dream.” Amelia’s smile sent a feeling of warmth coursing through Jenny’s body. Throwing on her dressing gown, Jenny tiptoed to the front door, carefully opened the latch and stepped outside.
The grass was damp with early dew, and she glanced at her watch. It was three o’clock; not long until the dawn light broke through the trees. Amelia turned and walked away and Jenny followed hesitantly.
“Where are you taking me?” she whispered.
There was no answer.
“I know about your father,” she continued under her breath, knowing Amelia could hear her thoughts.
But there was still no reply. No voices in her head.
Jenny lost track of time as she floated above the undergrowth, travelling further into the forest until she arrived at the edge of a small clearing. Amelia stared up towards the sky and turned suddenly, raising her arms. Jenny gasped as the clearing exploded into flames and covered her ears to drown the screams that filled the air. Amelia stood amid the fire in her white nightgown, her eyes filled with sadness.
“What is this?” Jenny cried.
There was no answer. Only the myriad wailing voices, a cacophony of sound that chilled her soul and, despite the fire, left her shivering.
Amelia raised her hand once more. The flames died. The forest fell silent.
“Jesus, Jen, will you keep still!”
She opened her eyes to find Jake staring at her as the ceiling fan continued to push warm air around the room.
“Hope you’re not starting those dreams again.”
“What?” Jenny replied drowsily. “Like it’d be my fault if I was!”
Jake’s features looked almost ghostly in the moonlight. “And are you?”
She shook her head. “Let’s just try to get some rest, eh? Isaac will be wanting to go to the pool in the morning.”
Jake flopped back on the bed and within minutes he’d fallen asleep, unaware of the things she’d seen. Something terrible had happened deep in those woods, although what and when remained a mystery. But at some time during the morning, she’d make an excuse and slip away. She needed to speak to Blakely. Was he hiding something more than a body? Was he covering up a dark history—the kind that would close the whole park? Maybe she should call Sebastian Tint: the old man who had become like a grandfather, not just to her, but to Jake and Darren too. He had Amelia’s diaries.
Diaries that may contain the answers she wanted.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Darren sat with a glass of blackcurrant juice, scrolling through Owen Mendez’s profile. It had just turned six and the rest of the family were still in bed. It was good to be outside, breathing in the fresh air. His parents had only taken him camping once, and that had been more than enough for his mother, who preferred luxury hotel rooms and a cooked breakfast to bugs and bowls of cereal, but Darren had always loved the outdoor life.
The summer weeks he’d spent on his aunt and uncle’s farm in Devon remained vivid in his memory. The fresh air, the open spaces… He’d helped with the horses and even learned to ride Tessa, a chestnut mare who had once been a winner at the international horse show in London. His Aunt Cassie was three years younger than Darren’s mother, and the two sisters could not have been less alike. As different as his father and Uncle Harry.
Cassie was a looker too—they had that in common—but she never wore make-up and was quite happy in a baggy top and denims, up to her knees in mud and shit. Darren liked that. Even on the rainy days, they sat on hay bales in the barn, watching the clouds roll across the mountain peaks.
It was at times like this, with those memories still so clear in his mind, he wondered how he’d ever gotten himself involved with a scum bag from the Kirkland Estate. His whole world had fallen apart when his father left. He was angry, and even now, thinking about that day, the tears formed in his eyes. His father would have moved here, and they could have made a fresh start. They’d rented their house from a cosmetic surgeon who had gone to work in America, and they’d been free to pack up and move any time they wanted to, but his mother didn’t see her future living on a farm.
He wondered where he’d be right now if Taylor hadn’t come along. His parents might have got back together eventually. They might be relaxing on a beach in Greece or living the high life in Vegas. But then, he’d been lucky is some ways. He had a family. He had a sister—two sisters, if he counted Kayla. Then there was Jake. Well, he was definitely more like a brother than Darren could have hoped for, and while Rob was not quite a father figure, they got on well, considering. Finally, there was Danni, the girl he thought he’d never find. That was, until she discovered his past.
Darren glanced back at his phone. Owen Mendez seemed pretty keen to meet up; it had to be worth checking him out. Apparently, he was in a new relationship with a girl called Velma, who worked in public relations. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to start making new friends. If things didn’t work out with Danni, Darren might need someone to hang out with.
Message me when you’re here. We’ll meet up. Cheers.
He didn’t want to sound too keen just in case he was misinterpreting Owen’s intentions and the lad was looking to hook up with someone. There was nothing wrong with playing it cool, just in case. He thought about messaging Danni, and his finger hovered over her name for a moment, but he changed his mind.
“You want some breakfast, hun?” Josie seemed to appear out of thin air and made him jump.
“Jesus, Jo! How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
Darren laughed. “You’re like a friggin’ ghost!”
“It’s these slippers,” she answered with a grin. “They’re excellent for covert operations.”
Darren nodded. “You should have a warning bell around your neck.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” She laughed. “So, would you like some toast?”
“Sure—with plenty of butter, please.”
Josie vanished, leaving him alone with the birds, who were now in full chorus. Darren checked his phone again, scrolling through his pictures of Danni till he got to the one of her in a bikini. He recalled the first time they’d made love. The first time for him, and for her too. The passion had carried them through the initial fumblings, and neither had wanted the night to end.
“That was amazing,” Danni had whispered in his ear as the sun poked through the curtains. “I don’t want to leave you…I want to stay like this all day.”
He had felt exactly the same, and in that moment, all the painful memories of the past—Elizabeth’s and Hanna’s deaths, losing his parents and the two years in prison—were all forgotten. He had been truly happy for the first time in years, but now she had gone. He had managed to screw up his life once more.
***
Cody Nelson had not set eyes on Bailey since the thing with the pitchfork, and that suited him just fine. Yesterday had worked out okay in the end. After the milkshake and a chocolate cookie, he’d felt brighter and ended up at the pool in the space bubbles—giant see-through plastic globes filled with air, which he climbed into fully dressed as the attendants pushed him out onto the water. Cody had felt like a hamster in a ball, running and falling as it rolled across the surface. For that short time, he’d forgotten his troubles.
They’d had a burger with another milkshake afterwards and gone riding on the adventure trail—all three of them, Mum included. Except she was a bit wobbly on the bike and needed to keep stopping. Dad had laughed, and Cody had wondered if maybe he’d forgotten they were going to take him to see someone and get help.
He wasn’t too sure what that meant. What happened when you went to see someone? A couple of the kids in school had said he should be in a straitjacket and locked in a padded cell. He hadn’t wanted to sound stupid so he’d asked the teacher what a straitjacket was. To his relief, he discovered they didn’t use them much these days.
After the bike ride, he’d sat drawing until his mother put him to bed and read a chapter from a kids’ book about the planets. Cody was pretty angry with himself for falling asleep. He’d wanted to stay awake and listen to what his parents were talking about. The glass against the wall didn’t seem to work that well, but if he was really quiet and stood next to the bedroom door, he could make out most of the conversation.
It was a tapping on the window that woke him at two-thirty in the morning. The luminous hands on the alarm clock lit the whole room as he tiptoed over to the window, careful not to wake his mum and dad, who were snoring so loudly he probably could have stomped around in a pair of giant boots without disturbing them.