Sleepwalk

by Ros Seddon

  Let’s go.’ Slim put his foot down hard on the clutch and lifted the gear stick into reverse, then he released the clutch and the Landrover began to move backwards, slowly at first and then fast……… much too fast and then he remembered he had to put his foot on the brake and the clutch at the same time but his foot hit the brake first and the vehicle juddered to an abrupt stop stalling the engine. The motion lunged his upper body forward and then jarred him back into the seat hard and Bits shot off the front seat and landed in a heap on the floor.

  ‘Sorry mate; haven’t done this for years. We’ll put it back where we found it eh?’

  He tried again. ‘Gear in neutral……. start the engine…….clutch, into first and away.’

  This time he got it right and the Landrover came to rest back where he had started with a nice, smooth stop. Of course now he had a taste for it and he couldn’t leave it there could he? And Bits was giving him that but we haven’t actually been anywhere have we? look and so he did a few more reverse-forward actions and then felt so confident that he pulled slowly up over the gentle woody incline to the road and away he went…… Slim, the car thief; Slim the law breaker; Slim, the cool dude driving a Landrover. He managed to get into third gear by the time they reached the warehouse and then slowed and stopped, turned around incredibly competently, pulled away and managed to get up to fourth gear before he reached the bend. He turned onto the wasteland and reversed the vehicle under the trees very carefully until it was out of sight of prying eyes. He left it there then and returned to his bucket seat beneath the bridge and fed his little canine friend from the bag of dried dog food he carried around in his rucksack. Every week on Giro day Slim bought a big bag of it and it had to last until the next week so he fed him scraps from the skips when he could to make it go further. Occasionally he found dented tins of dog food but mostly Bits had to make do with whatever little luxury came their way. So far this week there had been nothing more exciting than a dented tin of spam which they had shared lovingly. As the little dog tucked into his dried meat and biscuits Slim lay back in his seat, watching Vanguards Landrover from the corner of his eye and he wondered what it must be like to be paid extortionate amounts of money by someone in return for your daily services; to live in a real house with curtains in the windows; to watch tv; to sleep in a soft warm bed at night and to drive around all day looking after the river and the wildlife……. and be paid for doing it…………

  Felicity, David and Oliver were at the cottage. They had called in to show Ollie where Vic lived and to give David the chance to see how the loft was progressing before going to her parents for Sunday lunch. Oliver had to see every little nook and cranny of the house and the garden and Felicity held his hand as she showed him around.

  ‘Wassat Vic?’

  They were upstairs in the front bedroom and he had spotted the ladder going up to the loft space. It was amazing to see daylight flooding through the roof space. She had seen it for the first time yesterday after work when the two dormer windows had been fitted up there and she’d been astounded when she’d climbed the ladder to see the floor all boarded and the windows and en-suite walls in place. Bob had told her the stairs were due in on Monday and some more plasterboard had to be fitted around the window recesses and then it would be ready for plastering.

  ‘Wanna see Vic!’ Ollie had his hands either side of the ladder about to climb it.

  She looked to David for some direction.

  ‘Come on then mate. You go up Flick and I’ll come up behind him. I haven’t seen it yet.’ David was just as excited as she was.

  The three of them climbed the ladder and Ollie ran to the far side of the huge room excitedly. They looked out of the front window which overlooked the road and the fields on the opposite side, then they went to the back window and looked out.

  ‘Wow!’ David was enthralled. ‘That is some view Flick. You can see right over the valley. I reckon you’ve added a lot of value to this place by doing this. I’m no expert on property prices but I do know a very good estate agent……….’

  ‘I’d say when it’s finished it’s added at least ten thousand to the value so you were right David, it was well worth doing.’

  ‘It’s much bigger than I thought.’ David was in his property developer mode. ‘In fact, it’s more like an apartment than a bedroom. You could actually put a little kitchenette in here Flick alongside the bathroom and rent it out as one; become a Landlord. You could earn some money toward your mortgage payments …… and you’re in the right business to know how to manage a let.’

  ‘Let’s not get too carried away, eh? I don’t much fancy having someone living right above me; I’d lose my privacy.’ Felicity smiled as she said it but she had had the very same ideas when she had seen the conversion yesterday.

  ‘Woah! Ollie mate come away from there.’ David ran to the hole in the floor which would become the landing at the top of the second flight of stairs and scooped up his son before he managed to climb back down the ladder.

  Felicity had had another idea yesterday too…. That if David did ask her to move in with him she could let her house and the loft and have two incomes which would more than cover the cost of her mortgage payment leaving her free to contribute to his mortgage and pay back the money he had loaned her. But he hadn’t asked her….. and it didn’t seem likely that he would. As she gazed over the vast green valley and the distant hills at the back of her new loft conversion she sighed a deep mournful sigh. So much had happened in the last six months. Everything had changed. Whoever it was that had invaded her privacy while she slept alone; hit her over the head; brutally took the life of her poor little cat and started the fire here in the sanctuary of her little cottage they seemed to have gone quiet. Perhaps they had moved on. She had moved on. She had found a life with David…..and she had never dreamed this view existed.

  Claire Peters had gone over both cases so many times she thought her head would explode. She had the files on her desk in front of her. Their prime suspect in both cases was Eleanor Wilson, although, other than a little background information no one really knew very much about her and there was nothing more that could be done until Saturday evening when the plane from Crete arrived at Gatwick, then they would be waiting for her. Ellie worked part time at a flower shop near Exmouth and her boss had spoken highly of her, as had everyone else Claire had spoken to; neighbours in Rose Lane and at their previous address. According to her current employer Ellie had qualified as a junior school teacher and used to work at a village school on the Devon/Dorset border but had left her profession when she became pregnant with her first child, Oliver. He obviously didn’t have a close relationship with her though as he was under the impression that she still lived at Rose Lane with David. Claire made some enquiries and found the name of the school where Ellie had worked and decided to take a trip up there. She contacted the Headmaster and set off along the A35 to Dorset. By the time she arrived it was almost ten thirty and the little village school was already on its mid morning break. The playground was awash with children, laughing, skipping, screaming and shouting. She walked between them and they made a path for her to the front entrance with its huge oak doors that opened into a hallway with a polished wooden floor. A sign on the wall contained the names of classrooms; their areas and locations. Claire found the location for ‘Headmasters Office’ and made her way along a wide polished corridor. Paintings, poetry, mathematical charts and scientific diagrams drawn by the children adorned the walls on either side of her as she passed by empty classrooms and came to a door at the end of the corridor marked ‘Charles Braithwaite-Headmaster’. She knocked the door and a deep voice said ‘Come’.

  ‘Mr Braithwaite? DC Peters from East Barton constabulary.’ She held her hand out to him and he stood briefly and shook it and then sat back down in his padded leather swivel chair and beckoned her to the chair in front of his desk.

  ‘Now then Detective Constable Peters; I understand you want to talk about Eleanor W
ilson? What has she been up to then to bring you over here?’

  ‘We don’t know that she has ‘been up to’ anything Mr Braithwaite. Her name came up during our investigation of a particular case and we simply want to eliminate her from our enquiries. I don’t know if you can help. I’m just trying to paint a picture……

  Find out what kind of person Mrs Wilson is. What can you tell me about her?’

  ‘Ah. In that case DC Peters, perhaps it’s not me you should be talking to. I can tell you she is a first class teacher. The children loved her and were quite upset when she left to raise a family. We had various supply teachers for almost a year after she left in the hope she would return to work after the baby……. but it wasn’t to be. She left her mark on year two I can tell you.’

  ‘Left her mark?’

  ‘They found it hard to adjust to anyone else after she left. Children don’t like change DC Peters. They gave a few replacements quite a hard time. Ellie is a lovely girl with a sweet nature; and it rubbed off on her pupils. Always happy they were. Happy children learn more.’

  ‘When she worked here, where was she living?’

  ‘Had a flat with her boyfriend. What was his name? ……….. David. Nice chap. They got married that first year in the summer holidays.’

  ‘I see. So you don’t know anything of her personal life?’

  ‘Ah. Well that’s where I fall short. Our year two English teacher might be able to help you there; Mary Darch. They were quite close, she and young Ellie.’

  ‘Ok. Well thank you Mr Braithwaite. You’ve been very helpful. Do you think it might be possible for me to speak to Miss Darch now?’

  ‘No. I suspect you’ll have to wait until lunch time. Break’s over now. She’ll be in lessons until twelve thirty.’

  Claire said she would come back then. Mr Braithwaite arranged for her to meet with Miss Darch at twelve thirty in the school canteen and that was when she acquired the history that actually had some relevance to the case.

  ‘Would you like some lunch DC Peters? It’s a bit bland sometimes but very healthy.’

  ‘Please, call me Claire. Titles are so formal.’

  They sat at a table in the designated staff area of the canteen; out of earshot of the children who had been playing Chinese whispers … she must be a new teacher…… and giving her curious glances since she had returned at lunch time.

  Mary Darch was a woman in her late thirties and had dark hair which she wore in a shoulder length bob style and her face was quite plain in a scholarly kind of way.

  ‘Now….. Claire…… First of all, she’s not in trouble is she, Ellie?’

  Claire shook her head as she cut into the baked potato smothered in healthy grated cheese…….

  ‘We’re investigating a case and her name came up. She’s out of the country on holiday at the moment so I can’t talk to her and I just want to know a little about her so that we can eliminate her from our enquiry; that’s all.’

  ‘Ah. Well. Ellie is a bit of a mystery. Lovely girl; really lovely. She’s had a hard life. Her parents were killed in a car crash when she was just seven years old. It must have been horrendous for her.’

  Claire almost choked on her lettuce as the story came out. It makes perfect sense that someone who lost their parents in a car crash could have issues with regard to the Hit & Runs…….. Mary Darch went on…….

  ‘Ellie was brought up by her Aunt Catherine. Catherine……. Davis, I think her name is. She is her Mothers younger sister. When Ellie left school and went to teacher training college in Exeter, Catherine moved to the States with her new American husband leaving Ellie with many friends, but no relatives…….. or certainly none that she knew of. After she qualified, she came to work with us here at Radstock. She became an important part of our school. We were all very sorry to see her leave. But she seems very happy now and David, her new husband is such a lovely man. She’s lucky to find someone so kind and understanding.’

  ‘Lucky? Does she not deserve someone like him then?’

  ‘Oh yes. Of course she does………. It’s just, when you get to know her, Ellie can be quite demanding. She sees things you know…….. has premonitions. Some people call it a sixth sense……….. a gift perhaps. Well, whatever it is Ellie has it. She doesn’t want it, but she has it all the same.’

  ‘Do you have any proof of that Mary?’

  ‘Of her visions? Yes. There was this one time……. We were in assembly and Ellie whispered to me, Mrs Bellamy doesn’t look well; I think we should get her a chair. Well the next minute Bellamy was flat out on the stage floor. Collapsed; fainted. She was alright in a few minutes but the whole thing caused quite a stir.’

  ‘But perhaps this Mrs Bellamy simply looked faint and Ellie just happened to spot it and……’

  ‘Another time her car was in the garage and we were walking to the bus stop together. There was a man; an old man. He was walking toward us and as we passed him she stopped me; grabbed my arm. Her face was white with shock and she pleaded with me………. ‘We mustn’t let him cross the road’ she said. I said ‘Ellie for goodness sake he’s not crossing the road, look!’ The old chap was just walking on along the pavement minding his own business. She seemed convinced something was going to happen to this old man. I got her to calm down and we carried on to the bus stop and then there was this almighty squeal behind us as a car tried to brake and a really loud thud and the poor old sod had stepped onto the road in front of a car. We both rushed to help of course but he was unconscious. He died later that day in Hospital. I mean it all happened so fast but…….. she knew it was going to happen. She’d had a premonition. Afterwards we talked about it and she’d always had these premonitions she said; ever since she was a child. She couldn’t sleep at night because of it; poor girl. She was tormented inside. And yet on the outside she always seemed so happy. She was an excellent teacher. She gave a hundred and ten percent. She should come back to teaching instead of working in that silly shop. There are lots of part time positions in teaching. I must get in touch with her and persuade her……….’

  The new staircase had arrived at No 1 Mill Cottages and the builders were struggling to get the long heavy timbers off the delivery vehicle into the house. Felicity had been running around after Ollie for the past half an hour trying to keep him out of their way whilst David played project manager. They had taken a couple of hours off work on Thursday afternoon to choose the bathroom and tiles at their local builders’ merchant and were expecting a delivery at any time. David had promised to be there to help off-load it and they hoped it wouldn’t turn up at least until the staircase was inside the house, so when DC Peters arrived to talk to David he wasn’t best pleased.

  ‘It’s not a good time DC Peters. We’re expecting a delivery any minute and I promised to help off-load. Can’t this wait until later?’

  ‘No I’m sorry Mr Wilson. I won’t keep you a minute. We can talk in my car.’

  They walked to the front garden and down the steps to her car and she got into the drivers seat while David went around to the passenger side and sat beside her.

  ‘What can you tell me about your wife Mr Wilson? I understand she has premonitions and she walks in her sleep.’

  ‘Yes. I expect you know about her walking out of the bedroom window. At first I thought she was trying to commit suicide. I’d never seen her walking in her sleep; unless going to the kitchen for drinks or visiting the bathroom in the middle of the night counts as sleepwalking; but apparently they caught her at it in the hospital. She’d broken her leg in three places just a few days before so they were quite shocked to find her wandering through the corridors on her broken leg with no crutches or anything. For a while the Doctors thought it may be something sinister like a brain tumour or something but all the tests proved negative. But you know DC Peters; if you suspect Ellie for what happened here you are wrong. Ellie couldn’t hurt a fly.’

  ‘We simply want to eliminate her from our enquiries Mr Wilson. Obviou
sly we want to know more about her. Cases of this nature are usually down to jealousy and she is still your wife.’

  ‘Yes but she left me; not the other way around. She’d hardly want revenge. It wasn’t like I’d dumped her for Flick. I’ve been on my own for over a year you know.’

  ‘Yes, I know. What about the premonitions? I understand she has them?’

  ‘Ellie is a complicated character DC Peters. Life with her was never dull, let’s put it that way. There were ….. a few incidents but of course it’s all probably coincidence.’

  ‘Incidents?’

  ‘Yes. She always had problems sleeping. She used to have these dreams…….. Visions she called them. Things that happened to people, you know. It was never anyone we knew. She just saw faces and then something would be on the news or in the paper and she’d be in shock saying she should have done something to stop it. To be honest I’m quite a sceptical person but it was all probably coincidence. Look, seriously; you should forget about Ellie and be out there finding the real criminal. We’re doing all this work to Flicks house at our own expense and she’s afraid to move back in until this person is caught.’

  ‘Ok. Thank you for your time Mr Wilson. I’ll let you get back to your work.’

  Felicity was in the back garden with Oliver pulling up weeds which he obviously thought was great fun until he started pulling up her pansies.

  ‘No Ollie not that one. That’s a pansy.’

  ‘Padsy.’

  ‘Yes. Look, here are some weeds. You can pull these up.’

  David stood beside her on the path as Ollie began to tug at a little clump of Forget-me-nots.

  ‘What did she want?’

  ‘She was asking questions about Ellie and I don’t think it’s anything to do with the car tax.’