by Lu Hersey
“I’m sorry, sir, I can’t let you through right now.”
I jump out of the ambulance, then wince with pain. I must have twisted my ankle at some point.
“Elliot? Where did you get to?”
“Danni! You look terrible! Are you okay?”
The policeman realizes we know each other and lets Elliot through. He runs straight up to me and gives me a massive hug.
“Ouch!”
“God, I’m sorry – have I hurt you?”
“No, I just seem to hurt everywhere.” I smile. He looks so worried, I want to reassure him I’m all right.
Suddenly I realize. He’s right next to me and he’s okay. He can breathe.
“Hey, how come you can get this close?”
“That’s why I only just found you. I had to throw that thing into the fire to destroy it. It was horrible, Danni. She’d made it with wax, and stuck a couple of big spikes through the head and heart. You could tell she’d been working it, pushing the spikes in different places. Ask Levi. Anyway, I just saw Aunty Bea and told her not to come round to the house again. Ever. Not that she’ll take any notice of course.”
Across the car park, tiles clatter down from the chapel roof. The air is filled with smoke and dust and the stench of burning. A policeman comes over to us.
“Could you all leave now, please. The building is becoming unstable and we want everyone out of here.” He walks off to try to disperse the crowd. I grab Elliot’s hand and take him to the ambulance.
“Can he come with us, please?”
The paramedic looks at us for a moment. “He doesn’t look very injured.”
“No, he’s not. But he’s had problems breathing.”
She nods. “Okay, I guess so. Come on then, jump in. Time we got you all to the hospital.”
I look at Elliot. “Have you got your phone? Would you mind calling Dad? I really can’t face explaining anything just yet.”
chapter 34
“Why didn’t you just stay in Bodmin?”
Dad’s trying not to shout at me because the nurse has told him I have concussion. But I can tell he’s angry. I’m not surprised. Michelle is having twelve stitches. She’s trying to be brave about it but her lower lip trembles.
“It wasn’t Danni’s fault. Her mum wanted her to go to Ancrows.”
For a moment Dad looks confused. He looks at me. “Did she? I thought she was still in a stupor, or whatever the doctors call it. How do you know?”
“It’s a long story, Dad. Wait until we get home and I’ll start at the beginning. I’m just really sorry Michelle got dragged into it.”
Dad looks slightly appeased. “And what about the police? When I arrived, they told me they want you and Levi in for questioning.”
“Can they wait until tomorrow?” I’m so tired, and my head is throbbing.
The nurse who’s patiently stitching Michelle’s arm decides for us.
“I don’t think you should have to see anyone until you’ve had a good night’s rest. The police can wait. I’ve told them you’ve got a minor concussion and you need to stay calm.”
I smile at her. “Thanks.”
“Anyway, look at your brave little sister here. She certainly needs to get home. She’s had a nasty shock, haven’t you, darling?”
Michelle nods. “Have we got any ice cream in the freezer?” she asks hopefully.
Dad shakes his head.
I look at them both and make a snap decision. “I’ll go and ask Elliot to get some for us. I think we need it. Is that okay, Dad?”
“Yes, good idea. Here’s some money. Don’t be long, will you?”
“I won’t.” I grin at Michelle. “I’m guessing chocolate ice cream?”
Her face lights up. “Yes, please.”
“There, that’s the last one!” says the nurse. “No more stitches. We just need to talk to Dad so he knows how to change the dressing.”
I take the opportunity to slip out to the waiting room to find Elliot. I also want to find out if Levi’s been treated yet. I hope his hand isn’t as bad as it looked.
The waiting room is surprisingly empty. The couple of times I’ve been to A&E in Graymouth, it was far busier than this.
Elliot and Levi are sitting next to each other. Levi waves a heavily bandaged hand at me. He’s grinning all over his face. I can’t believe he’s so cheerful.
“What are you so pleased about? That looks terrible!”
“It may have escaped your attention, Danni, but this is my right hand. I need it to write. Without it, I can’t possibly do a chemistry test on Monday. Or maths homework. I’m very upset.”
I laugh. “Yeah, looks like it. Hey, can one of you manage to pop round to the supermarket? Michelle’s been amazing and she’s asking for ice cream for tonight.”
“I’ll go! I’m the only one round here who’s still in one piece.” Elliot jumps to his feet. “What sort does she like?”
“Chocolate. Here, take this.” I hand him the money Dad just gave me. “Do you think it’ll be enough to get two large tubs?”
“I’ve got some money too, don’t worry.” He smiles and leans towards me so he can plant a careful kiss on my sore mouth. It tingles, but in a good way.
“Is your tongue still hurting?”
“I’ll live.”
He smiles. “You’d better! I won’t be long.”
I watch him as he hurries out through the exit. I can’t help noticing how good he looks in those jeans.
“Hope he gets the expensive sort with chunks of chocolate in it. Reckon we’ll be staying in Cararth tonight. We won’t be going back to Ancrows to the Chill Out later, that’s for sure – so we may as well eat some quality ice cream.”
I’d completely forgotten we were supposed to be going out tonight. Even if any of us were in a fit state to go, it’s obviously not going to happen in the burned-out chapel building.
“Have you called Sarah?”
“Yeah. She’d already heard about the chapel burning on the local news.”
“The news?” I gasp. It hadn’t crossed my mind that the fire would make the news.
“Yeah, on the radio. We could even be on TV tonight!”
My heart sinks. “Were there TV cameras at the chapel?”
“Not when we were there. Not that I noticed anyway.” Levi looks disappointed.
“Thank goodness for that.” I sigh with relief.
“I suppose we weren’t exactly looking our best, now you mention it. Oh, Sarah knew that the crazy minister was involved too.”
“Crawford? Seriously? How come?”
“Seems like someone recognized him and told the reporters. It gave them a chance to bring up all the back story about the exorcism and him killing the boy on the news.”
“Wow. I hope the police will leave us alone now they know who he is.”
“So do I. My mum’s not going to be too happy if I’m in trouble again.”
“You won’t be. I’ll tell her what happened myself. You were a real star, Levi. Thanks.”
Levi grins. “I was, wasn’t I? But you gotta tell me why you jumped in the fire like that to save some old rug. You’re bloody lucky to be alive!”
I shrug. “It was Mum’s. It meant a lot to her. That reminds me. While I’m here, maybe I should just pop round to check on her?”
Levi looks at me steadily. “Okay, but we still have to talk about what happened. If it was your mum’s, how come you gave it to the homeless guy?”
“I didn’t want Crawford to take it back.” I sigh. “Look, I won’t be long. We’ll talk about it later.”
I know Levi wants to ask me loads more questions, and I don’t blame him. I’ve just no idea how to answer them right now.
I hurry out of A&E and round the outside of the building. It’s already getting on for six and the light is fading. I reach the main entrance and head straight for the lift. I hope Mum’s okay. It was horrible seeing her like that this morning. Seems like years ago now.
There’s a nurse
I don’t recognize on the ward. I tell her I’ve come to see Mum. She stares dubiously at my burned jeans for a minute.
“Okay, since you’re family. But I think the doctor might be in there with her.”
“Thanks!” I practically run down the corridor. I have to catch Mum before anyone sticks any more needles in her. I need to know she’s safe. The corridor smells of something sickly sweet like strawberry jelly. I suppose it’s better than this morning.
Mum’s door is slightly ajar. I push it open. Dr Murphy is standing by Mum’s bed, writing something on her clipboard. Mum’s fast asleep, but looks far more peaceful than when I last saw her.
“Oh, Danni! Good to see you!” Dr Murphy smiles, then stares at me in amazement. “Whatever have you been doing? You look like you’ve been beaten up and rolled in a bonfire! And you stink of smoke…”
I shudder inwardly at the mention of fire, but just smile at her. “I’m fine, honestly. How’s Mum?”
“Remarkable recovery. Just in time too – I was having problems stopping Mr Albright going ahead with the electroconvulsive therapy treatment. That would be far too dangerous for people like you.”
“What do you mean?”
She looks at me for a moment before she answers.
“I’ve come across a few others like you before, you know. Back home in Ireland. You have exactly the same look. I think you may be different in a way Mr Albright would never understand.”
I stare at her in amazement. “So you know about – er, Mum…” I don’t know what to say. My mouth opens and shuts like a cod.
“Truth is, Danni, sometimes I see people come into the psychiatric ward that don’t really belong here. I couldn’t say that to Mr Albright or any of the other medical staff of course.” She smiles. “I thought it would probably be up to you to find a way to help her. By the look of you, it was quite a journey.”
“You could say that. Thanks for…understanding.” I’m so stunned, I can’t think of a better way to say it.
“Whatever you’ve been up to, you look exhausted, young lady. You should go home and get some rest…”
“Yes, Dad’ll be waiting for me – I’d better run. I just wanted to check Mum was okay.”
“Come back tomorrow. She’ll be fine then, don’t worry.” She winks at me, and I smile with relief.
I’m still going over my brief conversation with Dr Murphy as Dad drives us all home. What did she say? I’ve come across a few others like you before. I hope I get a chance to talk to Mum about that soon. It might make her feel better about us being sea people, knowing there could be others like us.
“So how was your mum?” Levi interrupts my thoughts.
“She was asleep, but she looked better than she did this morning.”
“So what exactly happened earlier?” Dad has calmed down a lot, but he really wants an explanation. “I don’t understand.”
“I’m not surprised. It’s so complicated, Dad. Let’s get back and watch the news and I’ll tell you all I know about Mum and Crawford.”
“Who’s Crawford?”
“He was the minister with the Rottweiler that day – do you remember?”
“Oh yes, him. I thought he looked a bit dodgy.”
Elliot can’t resist butting in. “A bit dodgy? He’s the minister responsible for killing the boy in Ancrows years ago! You must have heard of him.”
Now Dad looks totally confused. “Is he? So what’s he got to do with Erin?”
I’m beginning to wish I’d talked to Dad a lot more as this whole thing unravelled. It’s going to take a while for him to catch up. Suddenly I feel so tired, all I want to do is sleep.
Michelle pokes me. “Don’t close your eyes, Danni. They said with a minor concussion you should stay awake for a few hours, remember? Otherwise they were going to keep you in hospital.”
“Good thing you’re on the case, Shell!” I don’t let on how tired I feel. I couldn’t bear to go back to A&E.
“It’s okay. I’ll nudge you every time you close your eyes.” Michelle is sitting between Levi and me in the back seat.
“Thanks. I’ll try not to blink.” I grin at her. Actually I’m touched by her concern. She seems to have managed to shut Dad up as well. He stops asking difficult questions and tells Levi and Elliot they should help Michelle keep an eye on me while he’s driving. It’s a supreme effort for me not to go to sleep, but it’s going to be worth it. I want to spend the evening with my favourite friends and family.
chapter 35
Elliot has his arm round me. It feels warm and comforting. We’re sitting on Dad’s massive sofa, squashed between Levi and Michelle. Dad’s in the armchair. We’re all gazing at the TV screen in amazement. The local news is on and the reporter is standing in front of a burned-out doorway. Behind him, Ancrows chapel is a charred and blackened shell. He’s interviewing Mrs Goodwin.
“As the minister, Mrs Goodwin, you must be shocked about what’s happened here today at your chapel?”
“Of course I’m upset that worshippers won’t be able to come for services here for a while – especially since we’d so recently reopened after the twenty-year closure. But sometimes God works in mysterious ways.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I always felt the chapel held too many shadows of its terrible past. Now that is gone for ever. The fire has given us the opportunity to create a brand-new building, and have a totally fresh start.”
“You’re referring, of course, to the notorious child killing that happened in this chapel all those years ago. The reason it was closed for so long in fact.”
Mrs Goodwin nods. “Mmm.”
“Are you aware that the minister here at that time, indeed the man held responsible for that killing, is currently being questioned by the police? I expect they want to know what he was doing here and why he started this fire!”
“I had heard, of course. But we shouldn’t judge Mr Crawford until we know all the facts. The freak storm that blew up may have been partly to blame.”
The reporter is quick to agree. “No, you’re absolutely right. The weather may have contributed. Thank you for talking to us, Mrs Goodwin.”
“No problem.” She smiles.
The reporter turns to the camera. “And on that note, let’s go back to the studio for the latest updates.”
But when it changes back to the studio, the programme moves on to the next news item about a quilt-making contest at the Women’s Institute.
Dad turns down the volume and looks at me. “I wish Mum had told me all this stuff about what happened in Ancrows when we were married. It might have explained a lot.”
“Dad, she witnessed the exorcism and the killing. She knew the victim. She must have been traumatized by what happened.”
“Yes, so you said. I had no idea. I’m still finding it all hard to take on board. I wonder why on earth Crawford came back to this area. And why would he set fire to the church?”
“Dunno. Maybe he didn’t mean to. Maybe it was the storm, like they said on TV.”
“And what I really don’t understand is what you were doing there, Danni. What was that garbled message you left about Mum?”
“I’m sorry, Dad, it must have sounded totally crazy. I was trying to avoid worrying you. But Mum was very upset when Michelle and I visited. She was raving about how Crawford was going to burn something of hers and she wanted me to stop him. I’ve no idea how she knew, but I had to go and find out if it was true.”
Michelle wriggles next to me on the sofa. “Yes, Danni’s mum wanted to say more but the nurse stuck a needle in her and she went to sleep.”
I’m more than grateful for Michelle’s input. When you’re trying to avoid telling the whole truth, it’s great when someone backs you up on the detail.
Dad’s still trying to catch up. “So when you got to the chapel, Crawford set his dog on you? We should press charges. When I take you to the police station tomorrow, I’m going to ask them about it.”
�
��But then they’ll put his dog down. They said so.” Michelle looks upset. “And that man will cry. He cried when they said that might happen.”
“Darling, the dog bit you, really badly. He attacked Danni, and then bit Levi when he went to help. He’s a very dangerous dog.”
I think back to the night Mamwyn and I went to Crawford’s house. The way Gabriel calmed down after she sang the song to the sealskin.
“It might not be entirely the dog’s fault. Really it’s down to Crawford,” I say.
“Well I’m going to talk to the police about it anyway.”
I’m not sure what the police can do about Gabriel, but I’m secretly pleased Dad cares enough to want to stick his oar in. I only hope he wears a better T-shirt.
Despite having a sore tongue and a dull, throbbing headache, it’s one of the best evenings I’ve had in ages. Elliot gets on so well with Dad and Michelle. Levi is on sparkling form too. Maybe it’s the ice cream.
My only worry is that we have to go to the police station in the morning to make our statements. Later, when Elliot’s gone home and Dad’s saying goodnight to Michelle, I grab the chance to talk to Levi.
“Can I ask you a favour?”
“Try me.”
“Tell the truth at the police station tomorrow – then our stories will be the same. Except one thing.”
“And that is?”
“The rug I got out of the fire. If they ask, I tried to get it out but you dragged me away.”
“I was going to ask you more about that rug. What exactly was it? Why did you think it mattered so much to your mum?”
“She’d had it since she was young. She was worrying about it the moment she came round in the hospital earlier today. I know it didn’t look like much, but it means a lot to her. Crawford took it off her when she was on the beach that day – he knew how much she treasured it.”
Levi looks at me expectantly. “Is that it?”
“Yes, why?”
“It doesn’t add up.”
“What?”
“I think you’re hiding something. You have been for a while, before all this happened today.”
“Nothing important, Levi. I can’t really talk about it in detail because it’s Mum’s family stuff, but trust me, it’s nothing bad or criminal.”