by Jim Ody
“How do you like the camp?” Keith said to the screen, and responded for them.
“Man, it’s great!” Brett was saying, and they virtually high-fived. “But, you know?”
“What, Brett”
“You should have like wet T-shirt contests, and adult weekends!” Brett winked.
Keith nodded enthusiastically. “Exactly!” He agreed. “I couldn’t agree more!”
“What about you Jenny? What do you like about the camp?”
She would then look a bit shy, and mumble, “I like the beds… and I like you.”
“Really?” Keith tried to look shocked, but he knew she wanted him. “What? Together,” he winked in the way he’d seen Brett do to Meg.
“Of course.”
“Well, your wish is my command…”
“But what I’d really…” but Keith saw them all suddenly get up, and then they were walking off. That was frustrating. He only had a few cameras.
He went off to pee knowing it would be a while before any camera picked them up again.
He sat back in his chair and tapped the card whilst he waited for them. The words on the card jumped out at him. Treasure Hunt. He wondered whether Mother was up to something again.
Twenty minutes later, he found them again.
This camera only worked on night vision as it was hidden in a dark place.
This camera was in the bunker.
Little Miss Evil
Chapter 46 - Will
W ill looked at himself in the mirror. “Why am I feeling so nervous?”
Fiona slid her arms around him. “Hmm, trying to impress an older woman, eh?”
“She’s not that much older.”
“And now he’s defending an older woman.”
He turned around and pecked her on the cheek. She was wearing a floaty dress that flattered her figure. She’d said she thought it looked like a tent, to which he’d quickly said that was the reason he loved camping. They’d both laughed at that. It was another bout of silliness they loved to have together.
“You look pretty good, too!” Will said.
Despite what Matilda had said, Will and Fiona had bought a bottle of wine from the small convenience store in the village, and Will clutched it as they left the cottage.
They held hands and looked to put everything behind them. Whatever happened in the future they would deal with it together.
“Wow, this is a lovely house,” Fiona said as they walked up the driveway.
“I know, it looks pretty expensive.”
They knocked on the door, and it wasn’t long before they could make out somebody coming.
When the door opened, Matilda stood there looking amazing. “Hello! Come in, come in!” she said. Then there was the awkward moment where she went in for a kiss, and Will got the side wrong and they ended up touching lips.
“Oh, I’m sorry!” she grinned, and before Will or Fiona had a chance to say anything, she leant over kissed Fiona on the lips too. “So you don’t feel left out.”
“For you,” Will said, remembering the wine.
“Silly, you shouldn’t’ve!” She said grabbing it quickly anyway. She didn’t put up much of an argument.
“It was really nice of you to invite us over,” Fiona said. “Your house is amazing by the way.”
“Oh, thank you,” she grinned. “We love it.”
“Is your husband around?”
Matilda ushered them into a large sitting room, and gestured towards the inviting sofa.
A piano sat in the corner shining as if never played, and a bookshelf was lined with leatherbound books from a time that life had almost forgotten.
“He’s late,” she said, doing her best to hide her disappointment. “As I said earlier, he’s been working away and has got caught up. His son seems to have inherited the same gene, as I’ve not seen him either.”
“Oh dear,” Fiona said, as Matilda twisted the corkscrew, and then with a plop, opened it.
“Boys, eh? He heads off down to the campsite chasing girls. Again, another of his father’s traits, I’m afraid. He’ll come back when he’s been rejected or hungry!” There was something in the jesting that seemed like it was based on a sad reality.
She grabbed some glasses and began to pour. The golden liquid sloshed around the large glasses. She turned and handed a glass to each of them.
“Thank you,” Fiona said, and Will could tell she wanted to ask more questions. She always liked to get an understanding of people, and the best way to that was to ask a few questions.
“I like the painting,” Will said, nodding up to a picture that was very much like the house they were sitting in.
“Oh, that old thing,” Matilda said, pouring herself an even larger glass of wine. “I did that a few years back. I was still finding my feet back then, you know, experimenting.”
“Oh, you did it?” Fiona looked impressed. “Is that what you do?”
Matilda nodded. “Yes, yes…” she almost waved that away. “I wasn’t always a stay at home lady of leisure… I mean, five years ago I was a manager in a finance company. All incredibly boring but it paid well….”
Will felt there was more to it, but couldn’t bring himself to press. You could never tell with some people.
Fiona took another sip, then must’ve felt compelled to fill the silence. “Well, your painting is wonderful, so if you’ve done better ones now, they must be amazing!”
Matilda looked at the painting again, this time she looked to be discovering it for the first time. “Yes, I suppose it has an amateurish charm…”
“We’d love to see some of your new ones, wouldn’t we?” she turned to Will who nodded in agreement.
Matilda smiled. “Oh, okay, after dinner then,” she said. “Excuse me, I must check on the meal.” Off she went with a skip in her step.
“Imagine living here,” Fiona said drinking in the interior like it was straight out of a magazine. “This would be heaven. Away from everything.”
“Just us,” Will added.
Fiona then glanced to the door that Matilda had vanished through. “Do you think she’s alright?”
“What? Do I fancy her?”
Fiona pulled a shocked face. “No! I mean, she seems a little, I don’t know, highly strung or a little drunk.”
Will wasn’t sure. He thought she was just being polite and was perhaps a little excited for the company. “I’m not sure. I think she just likes to entertain. Maybe with her husband not being around… I don’t know. I’m guessing now.”
They then just sat politely, neither wanting to get caught whispering when Matilda returned.
When Matilda did return, she did so with a welcoming smile again. “Would you like to come through to the dining room now?” She was a wonderful hostess.
“Yes, of course,” Fiona said, and Will nodded. He liked the way that Fiona always knew what to say.
They followed Matilda into the next room where a long table was laid out with five places. She was clearly hopeful that the men of the family would return and join them.
“I’m awfully sorry, I forgot to ask whether you have any dietary requirements? Allergies, or vegetarians?”
She looked relieved when both Fiona and Will shook their heads. “No, we will eat anything!” Will grinned.
“Please make yourself comfortable then, and I’ll bring in the starter.” Matilda turned and was gone again.
The table was laid out with place mats which depicted the house again, but this time it was of a different style, and the house looked much older. There was silverware, with small covered pots, and next to their wine glasses were smaller glasses perhaps for port after.
“I could get used to this!” Fiona said.
“So could I!”
Matilda returned with two small plates. Both had a few leaves of salad drizzled in some vinaigrette, and a slice of Pate.
“Wow!” Fiona said, and Matilda seemed very proud.
She left, and returned with her
own plate.
“Please dig in!” she said, and passed around a basket of warm bread rolls.
“Thank you,” Fiona said, taking out a roll. “This looks amazing.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. It’s just a little something I put together.”
Will wasn’t sure whether she was just being modest. As he took a bite the creamy pate almost melted in his mouth.
“So what do you both do, then?” Matilda asked as she took a roll herself.
As usual, Fiona was the first to speak. “I work in the hospitality sector. I’m just a manager, but you know, it’s fine for now.”
Matilda stopped and looked almost disappointed. “Oh, come now, being a manager is a very important role. Don’t sell yourself short. Be a strong proud woman!”
“I don’t think I’d ever thought of it like that?” Fiona said mid-mouthful.
Matilda turned to Will. “And what about you?”
Will had many stock answers to this question. It was how life worked. You weighed up which one you reeled out depending on the person. Some people just wanted a one-liner, whereas others wanted the deep details.
“I guess I work in pharmaceuticals,” Will started. He saw she wasn’t glazing over, so continued. “We produce new medication. I deal mainly in the testing area.”
“Oh, very interesting. Do you test on humans or―” she leaned in and whispered behind her hand; “―can you not say?”
It was one of the first things people asked him, well those that didn’t just respond with a nod or a standard confirmation. “We have test subjects. They are incredibly important in order to get the medications approved and out to market.”
“I see. A risky business though?”
Will was enjoying the pate, but in politeness, placed his knife and fork down in order to speak. “Everything in life has risks, I guess. Even after rigorous testing, people can still react. Testing can only go so far.”
“I see.” Matilda took a sip of wine.
“There’s only so much testing that can be done,” Fiona added.
They all continued to eat.
“This is so good,” Fiona said when she was done.
“Thank you,” Matilda responded, looking pleased with herself. Then she got up and cleared the plates.
“Let me help,” Fiona said, but Matilda would not hear of it.
“Gosh, no. You’re the guests. Please, sit and relax whilst I bring through the main course.” She then glanced at the two empty places where her husband and son should be.
“I wonder where her husband is?” Will said in a hushed voice.
“And her son,” Fiona agreed. “She doesn’t look like she’d allow them to be so slack with time.”
“Nothing stranger than folk.”
Then Matilda returned with some pork medallions, a scoop of mashed potatoes, green beans and an artistic swirl of thick, and probably rich, gravy swirled over the top.
“This looks amazing!” Fiona said.
Matilda almost blushed.
Little Miss Evil
Chapter 47 - Jenny
J enny had fallen into a deep sleep. When she woke up, she was surprised to see that everyone was there.
“Here she is!” Meg said, as if she’d disappeared to another world and finally returned.
“Wow, I must’ve needed that!” she said. It was funny, she looked up and saw the faces of everyone, and even with the three guys she’d only met the day before, there was an excitement. Like a few days into a new school term when you’ve made new friends. Everything is still new, but there is now a degree of trust.
“What’s the time?” she said, grabbing for her phone.
“Half six,” one of them said.
“Really?”
“Yeah, Max was going to kiss you to wake you up!” Brett teased.
“Bite me!” Max said.
Adam laughed. “He thinks he’s American now!”
Then Meg was there hugging her. “Wakey-wakey, Jenny-Wren. The boys have got lots of alcohol for us to consume when we win the treasure hunt!”
Brett intervened. “I’ve been thinking about this.”
“Steady, pal!” Adam said, and it was noticeable that he was becoming more relaxed too.
“Nah, listen. If we split into groups then we have more chance of one of us winning, yeah? We can split the prize!”
Nat nodded at that, and hugged Adam. “I want to be with Adam!”
“Let’s go and get something to eat now, then we can decide on groups or teams afterwards, okay?”
“Always thinking about his stomach!” Meg said.
They were all in agreement, so off they went to join the busy food hall for more burgers.
“I’m going to get fatter,” Nat said as they queued up. She patted her stomach.
“Not with Adam helping you to burn the calories!” Meg nudged her, and the two of them began to giggle.
Jenny wondered what it was like to have someone like Adam. Not necessarily Adam, but someone like him. Her friends had said that the more you did together, then the closer you felt to them. It sounded like an excuse to have sex early in the relationship to her. But now she was beginning to wonder. Nat and Adam seemed completely besotted with each other. And even Meg and Brett looked like they’d been a couple for years.
When it was their turn, Jenny noticed that Trev was back working. He looked at them all, and his painted on smile dripped off. He suddenly looked panicked.
He locked eyes with Max, “I can’t serve you.”
“I’m sorry?” Max said.
“Kevin!” Trev said loudly. “Kevin!”
The older guy was back, and he immediately understood the situation. “Why don’t you take a break, Trev? Yeah?”
Trev nodded, finally broke the stare from Max, and stomped off.
“What the heck?” Brett said completely bemused by the whole scene.
“Max upset him last night,” Jenny said as quietly as she could.
“How can I help you fine people today?” Kevin said with more enthusiasm than seemed appropriate.
One by one they gave their orders, until they all had their food, and they walked outside to the benches.
“How the hell did you annoy the nerd?” Brett asked, as they all sat down.
Max shrugged. “He thought he was clever.”
“You have a nerd-off?” Brett grinned.
“Something like that.”
Jenny felt she had to speak up. “To be fair to him, the guy made some calculation, and Max suggested it might not be right. The guy exploded and stormed off.”
“Brilliant!” Brett laughed. “Max, my man, you are one of a kind.”
“Yeah, I’m a beast.” The words were said deadpan which only made them more amusing.
Meg was on her phone. She had a small cheeseburger and took minute bites out of it. “Nothing yet,” she said.
“What?”
“The Treasure Hunt. I thought there’d be more information. There is a timer, counting down the minutes until the clues are released.
She refreshed the page, and suddenly saw more text appear.
“Oh, hang on,” she said. “Update!”
“What does it say?”
Meg mumbled as she read it in her head, then said, “Oh, interesting. You have to put your email address or telephone number in at 8, the clues will be sent directly.”
They looked at each other, suddenly beginning to feel the excitement.
“What about the prize, or prizes?” Nat asked.
“A free night, I expect!” Brett said.
Then Meg nodded to Jenny, “Or a free massage by Keith!”
They laughed, but Jenny felt a little embarrassed. It was typical, all the hopes she’d had and all the interest she actually received was from a guy who looked like he’d date anyone. And video it.
Little Miss Evil
Chapter 48 - Keith
H e walked out of the food court holding his burger. He saw them all sitting
around on one of the benches, and headed straight over. It sounded lame, but he wanted to be part of their group. Sure, they were a few years younger than him, but so what? You’re only as old as who you feel, he grinned to himself.
He knew he had to make it seem like another coincidence. They didn’t need to know he’d been following their every move from camera to camera.
“Hey guys!” He said as he walked up.
Brett was the first to notice him, and was quick to respond, “Here he is! The head honcho!”
Keith liked that. He might even get it put on a T-shirt. “Mind if I join you?”
“Grab a seat, buddy,” Max said.
“What’ve you been up to?” Keith said, placing his burger box on the table, and slowly opening it. Of course, he already knew, but that was all part of the game.
“We took row boats out today,” Meg said. “We went over to the other side.”
“What died?” Keith said and made an awful sound that might have been laughter.
“Good one,” Brett encouraged.
“We went and saw the bunker!” Max added.
“Oooh, it’s a strange place, isn’t it?” Keith said. He was met by nods. He glanced at Jenny. He wanted her to look at him and acknowledge that he was there. He looked for something to engage with her about, but drew a blank. Then he realised he was just staring and broke away his gaze.
“Too right!” Max was saying. “Freaky as fuck!”
“What’s your plans for tonight?” Keith fished.
“The Treasure Hunt!” Meg said. “I expect you know all about it! You got any hints?”
Keith threw up his hands. “Nothing to do with me,” he said. “I suspect Mother has blown our marketing budget on some outside agency. This is them trying to impress her.” He said using his fingers to create the speech-marks either side of his head.
“You really know nothing about it?” Jenny said, and Keith felt his heart increase.
“Nope, I could do it with you though?” he said.
“He’s lying,” Brett grinned. “How can he not know?”
Keith just pulled a face. It was good that they weren’t sure. It played into his hands perfectly.
“You all doing it together then?” he pushed.