by Mark Tufo
Michelle went back to the car and unbuckled George and lifted him from his seat. ‘What do you think, Georgie?’ she asked as she carried him to the door. ‘This is your new home.’ George buried his face in his mother’s shoulder, too tired and grumpy to care. Michelle looked up at the house again, feeling like she was here for a viewing, not to move in. It was a lovely place, she had to admit, and though Thussock itself had been initially underwhelming, the surrounding area was glorious. Beggars can’t be choosers, she reminded herself. And though I’m not a beggar yet, for a while it was a close run thing.
She took a breath – excited, nervous, heart fluttering with anticipation – and went inside. She could hear the rest of her family exploring already, their footsteps echoing from different rooms and different directions, but she couldn’t see any of them. She was standing in a large square hallway with the staircase, the kitchen, and three other doors ahead of her. A downstairs bathroom, the ground-floor bedroom she and Scott would share, and the living room all looked like they hadn’t been decorated in decades. Scott had already brought a load of their furniture up from Redditch, but rather than making her feel more at home, seeing their things in these unfamiliar surroundings made her feel even more disconnected. She ran her hand along the back of her sofa in the living room, and all she could see was the place in the house in Redditch where it used to be. She sat George down and left him to wake up fully while she continued to explore.
It wasn’t a particularly well-planned house, she decided. In fact, parts of it looked like they’d barely been planned at all, just tacked on to cope. The girls and George all had rooms upstairs, but there was just a toilet up there, no bathroom, and down here there was no way into the dining room from the living room, nor from the dining room into the garden.
The others had met in the kitchen, an impressively well-sized room. ‘So what do you think, girls?’ she asked.
‘It’s big,’ Tammy said, stating facts rather than expressing an opinion. That was usually a safer option.
‘Bit cold, isn’t it?’ Phoebe said.
‘That’s just because no one’s been here for a couple of days,’ Scott said. ‘You wait, there’s a real fireplace in the living room. I had it going in the week. I’ll stoke it up again later if I can find enough wood.’
‘You could burn some of this furniture,’ Tammy suggested. Much of the previous occupant’s stuff had been left behind and whilst he’d already thrown a lot of it out, Scott had simply assimilated the rest.
‘We might be able to salvage some of this,’ Michelle suggested, looking at a dresser and gently pushing it, checking its sturdiness. ‘Might even be able to sell bits of it.’
‘Nah,’ Scott told her. ‘It’s all crap. I’ll burn the lot of it.’
‘Might be some antiques here.’
‘I told you, it’s all crap.’
She shrugged her shoulders. ‘Every penny helps.’
Tammy and Phoebe disappeared upstairs again to choose rooms, taking George with them. Michelle went to the kitchen window and looked out over the yard.
‘So what do you think?’ Scott asked.
She looked over her shoulder at him, then faced the window again. ‘It’s big. We’ll be rattling around here.’
‘That all you’ve got to say?’
‘It’s a lovely house, Scott. It will be, anyway.’
‘Told you I’d see us right, didn’t I? When I say I’m going to do something, I do it.’
‘I never doubted you, love.’
‘You’re going to be happy here then?’
‘We’ve only just arrived.’
‘I know that, but just look at this place. Much more space than we had before. All those fields... the countryside.’
A pause. Careful consideration. Say the right thing. ‘We are where we are.’
‘What?’
‘It’s what I keep telling the girls. We are where we are, now it’s down to all of us to make the most of it.’
‘And we will. This is the start of a new chapter, Chelle. Turning over a new leaf, all that stuff...’
‘Lay off on the clichés, love,’ she said. ‘Don’t you know that’s how ghost stories always start?’
‘You’re taking the piss.’
‘Of course I am. I don’t believe in ghosts. You should know that by now.’
Michelle walked around the battered wooden table which took up most of the kitchen floor. She went back through to the hall and looked up. She could hear the kids thumping on the floorboards above her. It sounded familiar and normal, though none of it felt normal yet. It will in time, she reassured herself. Give it a chance.
She followed Scott into the living room and peered through the rattling, single-glazed French doors into the overgrown back garden. It too had plenty of potential. Sort the lawn out, put in a couple of flower beds, maybe some decking or a patio by the house... The garden was certainly much bigger than the small square patch of grass they’d left behind. With no visible boundaries, no fence or wall, it seemed to go on forever, stretching towards the hills. Scott put his arms around her from behind. She flinched. ‘You made me jump.’
‘You wait, Chelle,’ he said, ‘once the rest of our stuff’s in here it’ll feel like home. The truck’ll be here Monday afternoon.’
She nodded and gently freed herself from him, keeping hold of one hand for a few seconds longer. Her attention was caught by a pile of clutter in the corner of the room. ‘What’s all this?’
‘Some of the old guy’s stuff. I was going through it before I chucked it out. I’ll keep the magazines for the fire.’
‘You said you’d cleaned this place up,’ she said, running her fingers along a dust-covered dado rail.
‘I have cleaned it. You should have seen it before I started. Some rooms hadn’t been touched in years. I swear, I was flat out all week. I dumped three loads at the tip. It’s a sixty mile round trip, you know. There’s still more down the side of the house to get rid of. Once that’s all gone and the rest of our gear’s in, we’ll be sorted. This time next week...’
‘I think it’s going to take a while longer than that. It’s not all about decoration and furniture, you know. The kids are—’
‘The kids are going to be fine.’
‘I know that, I’m just saying it’ll take them time to adjust. In some ways it’s been a bigger move for them than us. They’ve had to change school, leave their friends...’
‘We’ve all had to make sacrifices. But I’ll tell you something, Chelle, we’ve made a bloody good long-term move here. I was looking in an estate agent’s window in town the other day. You should see the prices some of the properties like this one are up for. Once I’ve done it up, we’ll make a killing on this place. We’ll double the value of it in no time, I reckon. Think how much stronger a position that’ll put us in.’
‘One step at a time, love.’
‘I’m serious. I’ve got big plans...’
‘You’ve always got big plans.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘Nothing.’
‘I’m gonna start down here,’ he said, oblivious to her reticence. ‘I’ll knock the kitchen through into the dining room, make it more open plan, then I want a conservatory coming off the living room on the back and a decent-sized patio. All the windows need replacing, there’s no double-glazing, it’s all the original glass by the looks of it. Then I was thinking about extending our bedroom back and putting in an en suite, maybe even a walk-in closet if there’s space. You’d like that. You always said you’d like more room for your clothes.’
‘It’d be nice, sure, but I don’t need more room.’
‘Structurally the house is sound. The extension could do with a few minor repairs, but nothing much. I want to get someone in to look at the rendering.’
‘Slow down, love.’
‘The rendering’s important. It’s not just about keeping the place looking nice, you know.’
‘I understand
that...’
‘We’ll need to re-carpet throughout, but it’s not worth doing that until I’ve done the interior alterations.’
‘But...’
‘Probably be a good idea to get the drive tarmacked too. The gravel’s okay, but it’s so bloody noisy, you know? And we’ll be constantly dragging it into the house.’ He stopped. She was staring at him. ‘What?’
‘Where are we going to get the money for all of this, Scott? Just because we’ve got a little in the bank at the moment, doesn’t mean we can afford to let ourselves go wild.’
‘You have to speculate to accumulate.’
‘Yes, but the business is gone, remember? That money’s all we’ve got to live off until we’re earning again.’
‘I don’t see the problem. It’s a sound investment. We use the cash in the bank to increase the value of the house.’
‘Then what?’
‘Then we’ve got an asset worth double what it is now. We’d never get that kind of return from a bank.’
‘I know, you’re right.’
‘So what’s the problem?’
‘How do we live in the meantime?’
‘We’ll manage. We always do. Fuck’s sake, wish you’d have a little more faith in me.’
‘I do have faith in you.’
‘I know what I’m doing.’
‘I never said you didn’t.’
‘Change the attitude then.’
‘I’m sorry. I just get the feeling we’re on our last chance here, and I don’t want to blow it.’
‘We won’t. I won’t. I’m doing all this for you and the kids.’
‘We just need to be careful.’
His expression changed. He looked hurt, then angry. ‘You sound like you’re having doubts.’
‘I’m not. I’m sorry, love. I’m just tired, that’s all. That was a hell of a drive. You must be knackered.’
‘I’m all right. Getting used to it. It was a good run today, just on six hours. You should have seen it when I came up last week. Bloody nightmare, it was. Pissing down with rain all the way.’
‘I just need some rest. I’ll be fine in the morning.’
‘As long as that’s all it is.’
‘I’m fine,’ she said again, voice firmer.
Phoebe appeared in the doorway, holding her little brother’s hand. ‘George is hungry.’
‘I’ll see to him,’ Michelle said. ‘Can I have the keys, Scott. I need to get his food out of the car.’
Scott fished in his pocket and threw the keys to her. She left the two of them showing George the garden and went out to the Zafira. Tammy followed her.
‘You okay, love?’ she asked as she opened the boot and dug around for the remains of the picnic lunch they’d stopped and eaten mid-journey. ‘What do you think?’
‘It’s a dump,’ Tammy said, pulling no punches. ‘He said it was a big house, but he never said anything about it being such a shitty big house. Have you seen the state of the bathroom, Mom?’
‘No, not yet.’
‘There’s a tidemark round the bath that looks like it’s been drawn on.’
‘Come on, Tam, try and be positive.’
Phoebe appeared beside her and reached into the car for one of her bags. ‘I’m being positive,’ she said. ‘I like it. I like my room. It’s massive compared to the old place.’
‘What have I got to be positive about?’ Tammy argued. ‘Bloody hell, Mum, thanks to your husband I’ve lost everything. My friends, my freedom...’
‘Oh give it a rest. You haven’t lost any of that. No one’s died. You can still keep in touch.’
‘You think? How’s that going to work then? You think Katie’s dad’s gonna be happy to do the twelve hour round trip both ways so we can see each other of a weekend?’
‘No, but—’
‘Like I said, Mum, thanks to Scott, my life is screwed.’
‘And like I said, it isn’t. You’ll still see as much of your dad, maybe even more of him. You know he works out this way sometimes.’
‘I used to be able to walk to all my mates’ houses. I could see Max’s house from ours. Look around you, Mum, what can you see now? Bugger all. Just fields and hills and bloody trees. No people. None of my friends.’
Tammy wiped away a tear, angry with herself as much as anyone else. Michelle put a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. ‘I know it’s hard, Tam. I know how it feels, honest I do. I’m doing the best I can here.’
‘Problem?’ Scott asked. They looked around and saw him in the doorway. ‘Wondered what the delay was.’
Michelle shot him a quick glance – don’t get involved – but it was too late. Tammy stormed off around the side of the house.
‘What’s her problem?’
‘She just needs a little time,’ she told him. ‘She’ll be okay.’
She squeezed past Scott and went inside to find George, following the whines. Thankfully he was much easier to placate than his older sister. If only chocolate biscuits had the same effect on teenage girls, she thought.
Chapter 50
THE NORTH ROAD OUT OF THUSSOCK
The police officer stepped out into the road and flagged the old Ford Focus down. He’d heard it coming a mile off, its over-revved engine straining with effort. The driver cursed. He’d been too busy messing with his phone to see the flashing lights until it was too late. He braked hard, trying to make the sudden halt appear as controlled as possible. He wound down his window and wiped the spitting rain from his face. ‘Evening, Sergeant.’
‘How are we this evening, Mr Boyle? Driving a little fast, weren’t we? In a hurry?’
‘Just off to see a friend.’
‘Ah, yes. And where would this friend be?’
‘Up near the fracking site.’
‘Is that right?’
‘It’s just Murray. You know Murray, Sergeant.’
‘Oh, I know Murray all right. And what’ll you two be getting up to?’
‘Just a quiet night, helping him through his shift. Watch a few DVDs, have a couple of drinks, that’s all...’
They’d been through this routine many times before. The sergeant peered into the backseat of the car where he could see a large black holdall. ‘You don’t mind if I...?’ he asked.
‘Whatever. Do you never get bored of this?’
‘Never,’ the officer replied. ‘You do tend to bring it on yourself though, Mr Boyle, driving too fast on a road as quiet as this. Subtlety has never been a strong point of yours, has it?’
Boyle didn’t answer, he just watched in his rear view mirror as the sergeant mooched through the holdall. A few cans of beer, some smokes, and a stack of DVDs. The officer looked at the covers of a few of them, then shook his head with disdain and dropped them back into the bag. He’d always had his doubts about this bloke.
‘Are we okay here, Sergeant Ross?’
The sergeant leant into the driver’s window. ‘Aye, we’re okay. Just take it easy. I know you’re looking forward to watching your movies with your pal, but try and get there in one piece, won’t you. Oh, and I hope those cans are for Murray, not you if you’re driving.’
‘I’ll just have the one.’
‘I’d rather you had none. On your way now, Mr Boyle.’
Boyle pulled away, sticking to the speed limit until the lights of the police car were well out of sight.
‘Aye, he’s a fuckin’ prick that one,’ Murray said. ‘Always has been. Always will be.’
Two DVDs and half the beer down and he was still complaining about Sergeant Ross. ‘I swear, he’s got it in for me. Always trying to catch me for sumthin’.’
‘Were you speeding?’
‘Yeah, but that’s not the point.’
‘It’s exactly the point, you dozy prick. You know me, man, I’m as guilty of overdoin’ it as you are, but I’m not so soft as to...’
Murray stopped and stared at one of the CCTV screens on the desk.
‘What’s up?’
&nbs
p; He’d spent more time watching the DVDs on his laptop than the security cameras he was being paid to monitor. ‘That’s weird,’ he said. He tapped the screen with his finger. ‘Was that there before?’
‘I don’t know. Not my responsibility. You’re the security man, not me.’
‘Thanks for nothing, pal.’
Murray stared at the screen and used a keyboard and mouse to adjust the picture. His remit was to watch the fracking site, not the surrounding area, but the cameras had been set up with deliberately wide fields of view. You know how it is, Murray, his boss had told him. There’s always some eco-warrior dipshit banging on about us harming the environment. We just need to keep an eye out. Stay one step ahead of the game.
‘What is it?’ Boyle asked, trying to make out the pixelated shape; a blurry mass at the bottom of a tree. ‘Some kind of animal?’
‘I’ve no idea. I think I should go out there and check. You coming?’
‘It’s pissing down and it’s dark.’
‘There’s a flashlight and a spare waterproof in the cupboard. Come on, man. I don’t want to go out there on my own.’
‘Are you serious?’
‘I’m serious. Come on.’
It was hard to work out where the shape was in relation to the security hut. Murray looked back and tried to orientate himself using the drill shaft at the centre of the site as a guide. This was definitely the right place. ‘It was this way, man, I’m sure,’ he said, flashing his torch around the wet grass.
‘Well there’s nothing here now, Murray. Let’s get back.’
‘Wait. Look!’ Murray shone his light deeper into the dense copse of trees up ahead. There was something leaning against one of the larger trunks. Was that someone’s head? A body slumped forward? He called out but there was no response. The two men looked at each other, then took a few nervous steps closer. Murray relaxed when he saw what it was. ‘It’s just a bike. Bloody hell, would you look at that. Just someone’s bloody saddle bag.’
‘What’s anyone doin’ out here on a bike at this time?’
‘You’d be surprised. I could show you some clips on that CCTV. Folks get up to all sorts out in these woods.’