by Maggie Mundy
This life here was meant to be the answer not the problem. Walk away, he told himself, but he knew he wouldn’t. They have their grandparents who could deal with things, but the kids were looking to him. Beth would kill him when she got back, if he deserted them. He was being tested again and this time he would not let people down.
“Come on, you two. No one’s had tea. There’s frozen pizza there that will do. Anyone who doesn’t eat their share and I tell your mum when I find her.”
“What are we going to do?” Keri asked. Tears left lines as her makeup ran down her cheeks.
“I’m going after her first thing tomorrow morning, which means you kids are going to have to cope on your own for a bit.”
“But where’re you going to look?” David asked.
“We’re all going to look. We’ll start with her room and clothes and every corner of this house, there must be something here that could give us a clue. We don’t stop looking until we find something. Right?”
“Right.”
“Your mum’s not a quitter. She’ll fight to get free, and we’ll help find her. She wouldn’t want us sitting around moping.”
It worked. The kids put all their energy into going through every draw and cupboard. He didn’t think they’d find anything but they needed to see someone in control. It kept their minds busy so they wouldn’t sit there and imagine the worst. Her clothes held no more pieces of paper. He went through the bedside cupboard. There were old photos of the kids and Jeff. There were even some letters from Jeff wrapped in ribbon. He didn’t want to know what they said and they would hold nothing that would be of relevance, anyway.
He went to the dressing table, running his hands along the beautiful oak. She said she bought it from a secondhand shop and rubbed it down by hand. She did a good job. She even loved wood like he did. He wanted her back. He wanted to say to her the words he should have said long ago. When he got her back, he would not let a day go by when he didn’t tell her he loved her. The phone rang.
“I’ll get it,” Keri yelled down the hallway.
If it were the police, she would come down and get him.
The sock drawers held, as expected, an assortment of hosiery. The underwear drawer was different. His hands hesitated as if he was invading her privacy by moving the bras and undies aside. He found a book. It was a diary––he snapped it shut just as Keri came through the door.
“What is it?” She asked staring at the book in his hands.
“Looks like your mum kept a journal.” He wanted to find her, but wasn’t so sure about seeing what she had said about him. He would do what was needed to find her though.
“We have to read it.” Keri sat down beside him on the bed.
“I’ll read it. There maybe things she’s written about I don’t think you and especially your brother should read.”
“You mean sex. Ew, I don’t want to read that. You win. We haven’t found anything else yet, but will keep looking. That was Nan on the phone, and she said she didn’t want to speak to you.” Keri got up.
“Surprise, surprise.” Greg shook his head.
“The police phoned them and told them about the car and the notes. She wants us to go and stay with them for the weekend. She thinks we aren’t safe with you. I don’t think they ever forgave Mum for taking you back after she found out about what you’d done.” Keri bit her bottom lip and shrugged. “I feel safe when you’re here, and so does David. We don’t want you to go.”
“Thanks. How about you put the coffee on? I think I’ve a lot of reading to do.” These kids were his family, and he had to be enough for them ’til they found Beth. Where the hell was Jeff when he needed him? Since that night when she told him to go, Greg hadn’t heard a whisper. Now, when he wanted the ghost to help him, there was nothing. He had wished for silence from the dead man, and now he had it.
****
Beth lifted herself up onto her elbows, but dropped back down onto the pillow as the room spun. Closing her eyes, she tried to concentrate and stop the vomit rising into her throat. Opening her eyes, she focused on her surroundings. The room was circular, with no windows and one lamp next to her bed. It only served to illuminate her, but left the rest of the space dimly lit. Where was she? Her mind was fuzzy, but she had to remember.
Streetlights: she remembered them shining, and then bursting into flame. Flowers, she was delivering flowers. Will was there, and put a needle in her arm. Will was there again, but this time there were flashing lights. Her hands reached under the covers to discover she was naked and sore. This couldn’t be real.
Beth screamed, the sound echoing back at her from the walls. Curling herself into a ball, she started to cry. She held her abdomen as gut-wrenching sobs tore from her and cried until there were no more tears to come. Fear ate away at her, and the cocoon of the blankets provided false security. Taking a deep breath, she sat up and threw back the covers and shivered as she hugged her arms to her chest. Her clothes were scattered on the floor at the end of the bed. She grabbed them and dressed, then peered around the room. There was a table with an assortment of food on it. Mostly muesli bars, and a box containing water bottles. She grabbed one and drank thirstily and then needed to use the toilet. There was a port-a-loo up against the wall and baby wipes next to it.
It didn’t take long to search the place, and she found a door but it wouldn’t budge. There was a vent letting in the air. When he came back she would kill him. If she could break one of the legs off of the table and hit him senseless it would work. She had never wanted to hurt anyone in her life, but would do anything to get out of here. When she went back and sat on the bed, she noticed the piece of paper stuck to the wall.
Beth,
Your body is beautiful and I hope you like the photos I left you. I want to make love to you, but I was concerned about your time with that killer. You never know what he might have picked up in prison. Our time will come. I’ll get you a dress and a ring. You know you’re the only one who has ever understood my pain and always will be. I can keep you happy.
Beth rushed over to the port-a-loo and threw up. Pulling up her sleeve, she saw the red mark where he had inserted the needle. Will’s brother Steve had been a drug addict. Was it heroin he had given her? What did it matter?
Beth started to cry again, gut-wrenching sobs that hurt her lungs as she breathed in. She had to think. She had kids. She couldn’t give up. They had lost their father already. Greg would look after them until she got free.
Wobbling back to the bed, she saw an envelope on the table. She opened it and a note fell out.
You know you’re all I want, Beth. The voice in my head told me not to waste my time with you, but I didn’t listen. She wants me to kill Greg, but I want the others out of the way as well. I will rid you of all of them. Your children are holding you back. We should be together, just the two of us. Don’t worry, Beth––I’ll be back for you, I promise.
Beth tipped out the rest of the contents of the envelope to find nude photos of her. He had positioned her body so he could take close-ups of her most intimate parts. She had been unconscious, and he had done these things to her. What kind of monster was he? She thought him sad and lonely, but that had covered his psychosis. She had no tears to shed as she tore the photos to pieces. He talked of voices in his head. She had heard Jeff once, but the voice in Will’s head sounded malevolent––whoever it was, why did they want Greg dead?
From the note, she got the impression Will intended to kill all of her family. She would stop him even if it cost her life. One thing she knew for sure: if she didn’t get away from Will, she would die here.
Chapter Nineteen
Will didn’t want to leave the farm, or more importantly, he didn’t want to leave Beth, but people would get suspicious if he didn’t return home. He assumed the police would want to interview her friends, and the fact that he had put an order in on the day she went missing made him nervous. He couldn’t have any loose ends leading them to him. He had intenti
onally switched his cell phone off, so he wouldn’t have to answer to the police.
Pulling in his driveway, he glanced across at the pick-up outside Beth’s. What did she see in that man? Will had been too kind letting them all live this long. Once they were gone, Beth would see he was the one for her. If there were nothing left here, then she would be able to stay with him, in her new home. She would have nothing to worry about. He would feed her, and look after her, so she would want for nothing. Pressing the message button on his home phone, there were four from the police. He decided he would phone them and get it over and done with.
****
How many times would this stupid policeman ask him the same question?
Stay calm, the voice said in his head. He didn’t need her interrupting him. She said she wouldn’t let go until Greg died, so he accepted he was stuck with her for now.
“So, who were the flowers for, again?”
“Wendy, my financial advisor. She’s been helpful with some investments I made. Beth must have taken them to the wrong place. I definitely said number 160, not 60.”
“We will be in touch with you, Mr. Kearns. Also, if you could make sure your cell phone is on and you are contactable, it would make things easier.”
Walking out of the police station, he realized he knew how to rid himself of the problem of Greg. He needed the old car he kept up at Gawler. It would be a good excuse to go back and see Beth. He didn’t want to drug her this time. He didn’t want to fight her either, but if it made her see sense, then he would.
****
Will shook his head in annoyance at the lack of her appreciation. Beth sat huddled on the bed with her arms folded around her knees. The table leg she had tried to hit him with lay on the far side of the room. He took weeks to set this place up for her and she had tried to hurt him. He hadn’t meant to hit her so hard, and could see her cheek was swelling. There was fear in her eyes as she glanced his way. It made no sense that she couldn’t see what he was doing for her.
It feels good, doesn’t it, to see the fear in their eyes.
I’ve always liked to watch, and being in your mind is better than when I was alive.
Will sat in front of Beth and attempted to touch her face. She pushed his hand away. It made him want her more. He grabbed her chin and made her look straight at him. Her hand came up and slapped his face. The stinging spurred him on. He had never experienced such rage, and found it exhilarating as his heart beat so fast it thundered in his ears. He kept kicking and punching, and she just lay there like a rag doll. He needed to stop. He couldn’t risk killing her.
Now, she would need him even more to look after her. He picked Beth up and placed her on the bed. Her eyebrow was bleeding, and the blood streamed down her face. He got a tissue and wiped it away. She whimpered.
“It’s all right, I’m here for you. I’ve always been here for you. The others blinded you to my love.”
Will held her while she cried. It was good for her to let out pain. She had held it in for too long. He should have done something sooner. He didn’t want to leave her, but had to get back. There were things to be done so they could finally be together forever. He would sort out Greg so he could get into Beth’s house and get rid of the kids as well. It was too risky with Greg there.
The car from his aunts was just what he needed, old but with enough guts to last a little longer. By the time Will reached Blackhill, it was dark. Joggers often ventured along by the national park and he was sure he would be able to find someone. He wasn’t disappointed. Within half an hour, a woman came jogging along. He turned the engine on and headed toward her. He expected the thud to be more pronounced as he hit. It felt like nothing more than a bump. He pulled up and walked back to the form on the ground, to discover she was still breathing.
Back the car up and finish her.
The voice was becoming more insistent, and he would need to drink heavily just to silence her. He didn’t think the woman on the ground would last long. This would be enough. He cut off a piece of the tracksuit and placed it in a plastic bag.
He drove to a backstreet near the shopping precinct. The flames rose from the car and made him sigh with contentment that everything was going as planned. As he pulled his bike from the side of the road and cycled, he could already hear the fire brigade sirens.
Chapter Twenty
That night after the kids had been picked up by their grandparents, Greg sensed the emptiness of the house more than ever. He didn’t want to let Josh go, but knew it was for the best. It was almost as if he’d never see him again. If it was up to Beth’s mum, he likely never would. He needed to find Beth, and the only clue he could get from her journal was how much Will from across the road had unnerved her in months gone by. Greg had phoned the police with his hunch, but they had interviewed Will and he wasn’t under suspicion. Fat lot of good they were.
The cops were only interested in the guy who had been in prison. Go figure. The diary started three months after Jeff died, and if Greg had ever doubted she could hear her late husband, those thoughts were gone. There were so many times she wrote something on one date only to have it come true two days later. They spoke to each other of so much love. What hit home with Greg was it seemed based on so much honesty, unlike their relationship.
The way she wrote about her first night with him when Josh had been conceived brought it all back. The lovemaking, the sadness, and the strength she gained from it. Then she found out she was pregnant, and now he so wished he had been there for her. Beyond all odds, he had found her on the day of Josh’s birth, and he had to find her now. The things she wrote about him, the way she loved him, he hadn’t earned the right to such love. One thing he knew for sure was he would never find it again. He grabbed his keys and headed for the front door. Keri said Will had an aunt up north. He knew people and would find something out. The doorbell rang. It was the police. He recognized the guy from the first few days after she had gone missing when they had questioned him.
“Mr. Barnes, there’s been an unexpected development and we were hoping you could assist us with our enquiries.”
Greg knew this one too well. He was on the line for something and there was no way it could be a coincidence. “What enquiries?” he asked as he folded his arms across his chest.
“There’s been another incident, and we were unsure if it was related to the disappearance of Mrs. Miller.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Greg tried to control his temper, but was losing the battle.
Hold on, they want to help Beth. Don’t get angry. Keep your cool, Greg.
Greg rubbed his brow to ease the nagging ache caused by Jeff’s voice. He had finally decided to make a return, and Greg couldn’t deny that he was more than happy to have him back.
“We believe there has been an attempt to kidnap another woman, only this time things didn’t go to plan and she was run down.”
Greg didn’t like the way this was going but took a deep breath and answered: “So how can I help?”
“I was wondering if you could inform us of your whereabouts last night,” the policeman asked with a deadpan expression.
“You’re kidding me, right? You think I’m out running people down, and I took Beth as well––are you so shit at your job you can’t find the real person, so you come after the one with the record? I was here with the kids all night. They need me here because the police can’t find their mother.”
Greg put his hands in his pockets. The fists they were clenched into would do him no good.
“We’re just doing our job, Mr. Barnes, by covering all areas of investigation, pleasant or otherwise.”
The cops walked away but as one of them passed the back of the pick-up, he stopped. He bent down to look and then beckoned for Greg to come over.
“Could you explain the piece of green material caught in your rear bumper, Mr. Barnes?”
“No.” Greg could have sworn it wasn’t there last night when he emptied stuff out of the t
ray. It would make no difference to them.
“I think we will be taking this as evidence and would like you to accompany us to the station for questioning.”
He was getting fed up of helping people with their investigations. He hadn’t done anything wrong, but doubted that would make a difference. As Greg drove off down the street in the back of the police car, he stared across to Will’s house. The bastard stood in his doorway and smiled. He even gave a wave.
It’s him, isn’t it?
Greg nodded.
He’s not alone. I can sense another spirit with him, and they want you dead.
****
Before the beating, Beth had been determined to escape. Now, she barely had the energy to stay awake. She was scared if she slept again, she would she never wake up. Faces would flash before her: the kids, Greg, Jeff. She had been lucky, to have had so much love in her life. She didn’t want it to end like this.
She forced herself up and gripped the edge of the bed as the room started to spin. Taking one slow breath after another, things steadied around her. There was no mirror, but she knew she must be pretty messed up from the way everything ached. Perhaps that was why Will hadn’t tried to take any more pictures. Even in the dim light, she could see the dark marks on her arms that would soon turn black––her legs would be the same. Every movement she made as she crossed the room sent shooting pains through her, making her giddy again. Her hand went to her back, which continuously ached.
Picking up a water bottle, she sipped at it. Her eyes watered. There was blood around the lip of the bottle. She gingerly touched her bottom lip and felt the split and the moistness of the blood on her skin. Damn Will, but she would not let him win. She would drink. She would survive and see those she loved again. Will had said he would get rid of those she loved, and she had to stop him some way.