The Cellar

by Natasha Preston

  Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I stepped around the shoulder-height hedge that surrounded the house. Why did he need a hedge so tall? His house was the only one around and certainly couldn’t be seen by the nearest house down the road. Who was he trying to keep out? Or in?

  It struck me how normal his house looked. He had no family, but this was a big family home. Why would he need something this size if it were just him? He didn’t seem that wealthy and didn’t splash his cash around. Why buy a huge house for one, non-rich, single person? Unless he didn’t buy it and it was inherited. I mentally kicked myself. Maybe the freak just liked it! Most people would buy the best they could afford. I was reading too much into it, as Theo always said.

  I ran around the side of the building. My heart thumped against my chest, and I felt slightly sick. I didn’t really know what I was looking for—just anything. There was a huge possibility he was innocent and his weirdness was just weirdness. Other than a gut feeling, I had nothing on him at all.

  The first window was a large one; I peered through it, holding my breath. I could hear my pulse pounding in my ears. The room was a large living room decorated in a traditional way but seemed in keeping with the time. Two large leather sofas faced each other with a dark wooden coffee table between them. A wide fireplace dominated one wall with a large mirror hanging above it. Nothing out of the ordinary at all.

  “Come on, you bastard,” I whispered. There had to be something. I passed the second window on the sidewall, a bathroom wall, and arrived at the back of the house. The back had three long windows across it, two separated by the back door. It was all the kitchen and dining area. I studied the room, taking in every detail. Nothing. Was it all normal because there was nothing or because he was hiding something? I had too many questions, and it was driving me fucking crazy.

  I moved to the other side of the house and found nothing. One room was a utility room and the only thing that seemed out of place was a pile of folded clothes. From the neatness of the rest of the house, I would have expected them to be put away, but that hardly meant he was a kidnapper. In the other room was a table, a dark red, high-backed chair, and a half-height bookshelf.

  There was one strip of glass beside the door. I peered inside and saw the hallway and stairs. I frowned and moved closer. By the stairs were four boxes of shoes from New Look. What the hell would he be doing with women’s shoes? Summer had dragged me into that shop a million times before. What would a thirty-odd-year-old man be doing shopping there, and for who?

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  I spun around as I heard a car. “Shit,” I muttered and sprinted toward the hedge to the left of the house—closer to my car. My heart felt as if it was going to rip through my chest and my stomach did somersaults. The hedge scratched at my face as I shoved into it just in time to see his car pull into the drive. Could I get all the way through? The bottom of the hedge was bare, but it had started getting dark out. I hoped I could get out without him seeing me.

  His engine cut out, and I heard him get out. I froze, half-buried in the damn hedge. I watched him walk to his front door with his briefcase. As soon as he was inside, I covered my face and pushed all of my weight against the branches, forcing my way through.

  I ran to my car and started the engine before I’d even closed the door properly. Could he hear the engine? I sped off toward Summer’s house, hoping Colin didn’t hear me. Damn, that was too close. It was worth it, though. I now knew he was hiding something.

  ***

  “Hello,” I called out and shut the front door to Summer’s house.

  “Kitchen,” Dawn replied. She sat at the table, poking spaghetti with her fork. “Nothing then?”

  Yes. Possibly. I shook my head, not wanting to give her false hope.

  She nodded. “Your dinner’s in the microwave. Your parents will be back soon. ”

  “Where are they?” I asked and turned the microwave on to heat my dinner.

  “Shopping. ”

  “Daniel and Henry?”

  “Daniel’s still out, and Henry’s taking a shower. ” I sat opposite Dawn, and we both picked at our food; neither of us were hungry. I couldn’t remember when I was. “I want to be out there too. ”

  I nodded. Being in her position must be the hardest. There was nothing she could do but sit around. Someone had to be here in case Sum called or came home. “I know you do. But we might hear something. If Summer came home, she would want to see you. ”

  Dawn looked up, titling her head and smirking. “Lewis, if Summer walked through that door right now, you would be the first person she ran to. I used to think teenage love was fickle until I saw how much my daughter loved you. Just the way she looked at you. It’s how I look at Daniel. I knew then I was wrong about young love. ”

  I swallowed. That was hard to hear. I never thought she really loved me, not in the same way I loved her, and not because she didn’t say or show it, but because it didn’t seem possible.

  “I hope we’re still together hundreds of years on, like you two. ” Her mouth pulled up into a grin. “I love her, Dawn, and I won’t ever give up. Besides, I told her I’d marry her at Disneyland. ”

  “Marry her at Disneyland?”

  I smiled. We weren’t going to say anything to anyone—besides it was just a dream—but I wanted it now more than ever. “I know. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her as excited as she was when she found out you can get married there. ”

  “Do it as soon as she gets back,” she said.

  In any other situation, Dawn would be telling me I was crazy for talking about marrying her seventeen-year-old daughter. I envied people that had problems that small. You never know what’s around the corner. I would never again not do something just because I was worried about what other people would say or think.

  After I forced down half of dinner, I went to Summer’s room. I wasn’t sure what to do next. All I wanted to do was go back to Colin’s and search every inch of his house. “Where have you been?” Henry questioned the second I walk into the room. He sat on her bed, obviously waiting for me.

  “You know where. ”

  He sighed, shaking his head. “And?”

  “Couldn’t see much through the windows, but I did see four pairs of women’s shoes stacked in boxes by the stairs. ”

  “How do you know they were women’s shoes?”

  “New Look boxes. Colin is definitely hiding something. ” Henry opened his mouth to start the lecture, so I held my hand up. “His place was creepy, man. I’m not exaggerating or looking too far into it. He’s a single man living alone and buying women’s shoes. His house is a spotless family home surrounded by high hedges and trees. ”

  “Okay, the shoe thing’s weird. I’ll give you that. ”

  “But?” I prompted, raising my eyebrow.

  “But it doesn’t prove anything. ”

  I walked over to Summer’s dressing table, where she had a few photos of us stuck around the edge of the mirror. “I know it doesn’t. That’s why I’m going back in the morning. I need to get inside. ”

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  Tuesday, December 30th (2008)

  “I’m starving, walk quicker,” Henry snapped.

  “I don’t think you’ll die between here and Pizza Hut, which is about three feet away,” Summer replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

  “Okay, why are you with us again, Sum?”

  “Well, actually there are two of my friends and one of yours, so what are you doing with us?”

  “Okay,” Kerri yelled. “Both of you shut up. ” Sum and Henry fought all the time. They loved each to death, but most of the time, they wanted to strangle each other. If I were their dad, I would have gone crazy by now.

  Henry opened the restaurant door and walked ahead. I hung back with Summer, holding the door open for her. “Thanks,” she said, smiling up at me. I gulped and smiled back. As we walke
d in, I made sure I was close enough so my arm “accidentally” brushed against hers. For a while now, I had suspected she wanted more than friendship, and as soon as I found out, it hit me like a fucking bus—I wanted more too.

  Henry, Kerri, and Beth were already following a waitress to a table. Man, Summer walked slow. “So, you hungry?” I asked. Oh God! How stupid is that? “So, you hungry?” Jesus, Lewis! I winced, mentally kicking myself.

  Summer laughed. “Yep. ”

  “Getting your weird pizza?”

  She stopped, turned to me, and scowled. Her lips pouted the tiniest bit, and I wanted to grab her and kiss her, bite that lip. “It’s not weird. Try some and you’ll soon see the way. ” My heart raced as I pictured her feeding me the slice of pizza…naked.

  “Um…” I trailed off, all coherent thought had fucked off, and I was left with the very nice image of a naked Summer. She rolled her eyes and sat down in the booth. I sat next to her and pressed my leg against hers. She tried to hide her smile by biting the inside of her mouth, but she didn’t do a very good job. She grabbed a menu even though she’d just admitted she already knew what she was having. Summer’s pizza was chicken, sweet corn, pineapple, and bacon. I’d drop all the yellow crap. I didn’t know how she could eat it.

  “So this pizza?”

  She turned and smirked at me. “Yeah?”

  “How the hell did you get there?”

  “I dunno, I just like all that stuff. Trust me, it’s good. ”

  “You gonna feed me some?”

  “Why? Haven’t you learned to do that for yourself yet?”

  I laughed and shook my head. Yeah, I should have expected that one. I pouted. “Nope. I’ll need your help. ”

  She smirked. “You need someone’s help. ”

  “Coming from the girl that’s mixing chicken, pig, corn, and fruit together. ”

  “He’s got a point, Sum. It’s pretty gross,” Henry said, siding with me. Summer rolled her eyes and muttered whatever.

  The waitress arrived and took our order, and I spent the whole time trying not to stare at Summer like a stalker. It annoyed me how much I liked her. If I’d never realized she liked me, I wouldn’t be obsessing about her constantly. I hated that I felt like a damn teenage girl when it came to her.

  I watched her face as our food was brought to our table. Her bright green eyes lit up and she grinned, eager for food. I dragged my eyes away from her and dug into my normal person’s BBQ pizza. “Try it,” Summer instructed, holding a slice of hers out to me.

  Turning my nose up, I bit into the pizza. It wasn’t bad—nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be—but I definitely wouldn’t be ordering it. I chewed slowly, turning my nose up.

  She rolled her eyes. “It’s not that bad. You’re lying. It’s the best. ”

  I swallowed. “No, Sum. You’re just weird. ”

  “Liar. You like it. ” She nudged my side with her elbow. I grabbed her arm and she squealed and wriggled in her seat. Her side was pressed against my chest. I held her close and faked trying to tickle her.

  “Picture,” Kerri shouted. Summer stilled and looked at Kerri, smiling. We were in the same position, her lying against me and my arms around her but we were both looking at the camera. If it wouldn’t make me such a pussy, I’d ask for a copy of it.

  30

  LEWIS

  Tuesday, February 29th (Present)

  “We shouldn’t be doing this,” Henry muttered, tapping his knee and shaking his head. He’d said that about four fucking thousand times already.

  “We need to do something. You know there’s something off about Colin. ”

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  My car was parked in the field near his house, hidden by the tall bush. We could just about see the opening of his driveway. I didn’t know what time he left for work, so we had been parked here since seven in the morning—one hour and twenty minutes ago. “How long do you think he’ll be?” Henry whispered.

  “You know we’re in the car, right? He can’t hear us, and I don’t know how long,” I replied, staring down at his house. He lived alone in the middle of nowhere. He could have easily done something to her.

  “It’s him, isn’t it?”

  My heart dropped. “Yeah. Why’re you so sure now?”

  He gulped. “I’ve run out of alternatives. I just want to find my sister, even if she’s not…”

  “She’s alive,” I snapped. Henry blinked, shocked.

  “Sorry,” I muttered, running my hand over my face. “I just can’t take people assuming she could be dead. ”

  “It’s all right. ”

  “She not dead, Henry,” I said more forcefully.

  He nodded. “I know. Wait, did you hear that?”

  “Hear what?” We fell silent and heard the quiet roar of a car engine. “Come on, you bastard,” I whispered, watching his house. A minute later, a silver BMW backed onto the road. Colin was alone in the car. He stopped to change gears and drove off. “Let’s go,” I said as soon as his car was out of sight.

  We got out and walked toward the house. “How are we going to get in?” he asked.

  “There’ll be a way. ”

  “How do you know?”

  I stopped in the middle of the road, facing his drive. “For fuck’s sake, Henry, we’ll get in somehow. ” What the hell was wrong with him? “Go back to the car if you don’t wanna do this. ”

  “She’s my sister. I’m doing it. ”

  “Stop whining then. ” His house was large and well kept. The grass was cut and the garden was tidy. “Let’s try the back first. ” We walked along the side of the house. The backyard was just as neat, with large bushes and trees lining the boundary, like a giant, natural barbed-wire fence. This was his way of keeping his life private without it being suspicious. The guy was a creep, but an intelligent one.

  “This is eerie. Too normal,” Henry whispered. It was. Without knowing Colin, you would think a family lived here. He had made it too normal. So why had no one else ever realized? “There. Look!” He pointed to the kitchen window; above it was a smaller rectangle window—which was open.

  “You’re smaller than me,” I said and grinned, nodding to the window.

  He sighed. “Bloody knew you were going to say that. ”

  “Shouldn’t have wasted that gym membership. Go on, I’ll help you up. ” He placed his hands on the glass and one foot in my hands. I gritted my teeth as he pushed up. Henry was skinny so I thought he would be quite light. I was wrong. “Christ. How much do you weigh?”

  He ignored my question and shoved the window fully open. “Push me up,” he said. The muscles in my arms flexed and strained as I shoved Henry’s foot into the air. He gripped the window frame and shuffled through the tight gap. I couldn’t help grinning as he hung upside down on the other side of the window. He fell onto the floor with a thud.

  “All right?”

  “Yeah, was only a hard tile floor,” he replied sarcastically, rubbing his elbow where it had smacked the ground. He smiled and turned the key in the back door. “Very helpful, Colin. ” I pushed the door open and walked inside. The kitchen was immaculately tidy, nothing sat on the countertops. It looked like a show home. “Where first?”

  “You take down here and I’ll go upstairs,” I said and headed out of the room. “Check everything, okay?”

  “Got it. ”

  I took the stairs two at a time, desperately eager for answers. I pushed the first door open and stepped inside the room. The smell of lemon washed over me. It smelled worse than a hospital and started giving me a headache almost immediately.

  The bathroom gleamed. I could practically see my own face in the sink. He certainly didn’t live like a single man. I don’t think I’ve ever picked up a bottle of bleach. Two bottles of hand sanitizer sat at the side of the sink. Germ freak. I stepped back out and closed the door. The smell was too overpowering; it burned my nose. How th
e hell could he live in it all the time?

  I opened the door to the next room and heard Henry rummaging through cupboards. Was he searching for Summer or robbing him? “Henry,” I called.

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  “Yeah?”

  “If you move anything, make sure it goes back in exactly the same place. He’ll know. ”

  “Right,” he replied. “Will do. ”

  I walked into the overly tidy room and my eyes widened. The room was painted in a peach color. It was just as clean but very old-fashioned. The bedding had a disgusting floral pattern with matching bedside lamps. Whose room was this? Definitely not his. This was a female’s room, and an old one. Did he really live with someone? His mum or gran? I froze. Shit, was someone in the house? Surely we would have heard them already if there were. I didn’t want to tell Henry in case he freaked. We couldn’t turn back now.

  I was about to leave when something on the chest of drawers caught my eye. A line of white, wooden picture frames covered the surface. I took a step closer and my stomach turned. They were all pictures of Colin and a woman that looked like him—his mum? Kissing! The final picture was one of them kissing. What the fuck?

  I turned around and left the room, swallowing my discomfort. If he did that with his mum, what was he doing to Summer?

  “Have you found anything?” I called. I couldn’t have cared less if anyone else was in the house; I needed to find Summer right now.

  “Not yet,” Henry replied. He sounded as frustrated as I was.

  I ripped another door open and continued searching the house. I was in a rush, desperate to get her out of here. What if she’s not here? No, she is. She has to be.

  Every room was immaculate and empty. In the final room, there was nothing but a wall of built-in mahogany wardrobes. I gulped. My heart raced as I eyed them, imagining all kinds of fucked-up shit behind the doors. Stepping forward, I held my breath and reached out to open the doors.

  Women’s clothes? Why would he have a full wardrobe of women’s clothes? The first wardrobe was filled with dresses and cardigans. They were too modern to be his mum’s, going by her old-fashioned room. Nothing looked like anything Summer would wear. She was a jeans and T-shirt girl and rarely wore dresses or skirts. Why did he have these? A thought flew through my mind. What if he wore them? It seemed unlikely, but still possible.