by Shaun Hutson
He seemed more intent on gazing after Becky, who was picking her way carefully through the maze ahead of them.
Hailey felt a wave a panic rising inside her.
Memories?
She looked into one mirror and saw herself as a child again. Standing alone, sobbing – lost.
When she blinked, the image vanished.
In another she saw Rob and Sandy Bennett, both naked, coupled together. Sweat pouring from their undulating bodies, pleasure etched across their faces.
Again the image disappeared when she blinked.
The image of Adam Walker loomed at her from another of the mirrors.
He was looking at her angrily. There was pain in his expression.
She looked away, but the image was still there.
Hailey felt her heart thud rapidly against her ribs.
She reached out to touch his image.
‘Come on,’ said Rob, touching her bottom with one hand.
Hailey spun round, her face pale.
‘Are you OK?’ Rob wanted to know.
She looked back at the mirror.
The vision of Walker was gone.
Hailey nodded. She leant forward and kissed her husband.
‘I love you,’ she whispered.
Rob looked suprised.
‘I know,’ he murmured. ‘Even though I don’t deserve it.’
‘Come on.’
Becky’s excited shout came from just ahead of them. ‘I’ve found the way out,’ she called.
They hurried to catch up with her.
60
‘SHIT,’ GRUNTED ROB as the gears of the Astra crunched.
‘Do you mind,’ Hailey said, slapping him gently on the thigh. ‘This is my car you’re wrecking.’
‘Bloody Astras.’ He grinned.
‘Well, it’s more reliable than yours, or we’d be in yours now instead, wouldn’t we?’ she said smugly. ‘When are you getting it fixed?’
‘It goes in for a service tomorrow. Christ knows how much that’ll cost. I think the exhaust is fucked.’
‘Watch your language,’ Hailey said quietly, inclining her head towards the back seat.
‘She’s asleep,’ Rob said, glancing in the rear-view mirror. ‘She has been since we left the fair.’
He could see Becky safely strapped into the rear seat, the panda he had won for her still clutched in her arms. She was breathing slowly and evenly.
‘I’m glad we went,’ Hailey said. ‘It was a good idea. Becky loved it.’
‘So I do have my uses, then?’
‘Sometimes.’
As he swung the Astra into the drive, Rob glanced at the dashboard clock: 7.38 p.m.
He brought the Astra to a halt next to his own Audi, peering briefly across at the other vehicle.
‘Jesus Christ,’ he snarled.
Hailey turned to look at him, at his angry expression.
Rob switched off the engine and swung himself out of the car.
‘Rob, what is it?’ she asked.
‘Come and look,’ he told her, standing back from the Audi to examine it.
Hailey slipped out of the passenger side and wandered around to join him.
‘Oh, no,’ she murmured, looking down.
Both offside tyres had been slashed.
No, that was an understatement. They had been shredded.
Huge lumps of rubber had been cut from them. The now exposed inner tubes, looking like pieces of protruding intestine, had been gouged and ripped with incredible savagery.
The Audi was listing to one side, its chassis sloping down at an angle, the car’s frame resting on the offside axles.
Rob walked around the vehicle to look for more damage.
The other two tyres were untouched. He could see no harm to the bodywork itself.
In the back seat of the Astra, Becky began to stir.
‘You get her inside,’ Rob said wearily. ‘I’ll sort this out.’ He walked back round and looked down at the slashed tyres, shaking his head.
Hailey lifted Becky from the rear seat of the Astra and carried her towards the front door.
The little girl stirred and opened her eyes.
Hailey put her down as she fumbled for her front door key.
Becky stood motionless, the panda still held firmly in her grip.
‘Soon be in bed, darling,’ said Hailey, pushing the key into the lock.
It was as she did so that she first noticed the smell.
Foul, noxious – and horribly familiar.
It clogged her nostrils as she eased the front door open, the sound of the alarm soon filling her ears.
Hailey thought she was going to vomit.
She put out a hand to hold Becky back, not wanting her to step into the hallway.
The vile smell was even stronger now, and Hailey saw why.
She put one hand to her face, covering her nose and mouth.
The dog excrement had been loosely wrapped in clingfilm, then pushed through the letterbox. The several reeking parcels had burst open to spill their fetid load all over the carpet. There were half a dozen of the rancid packages lying all around.
Hailey stared at them with disgust, the stench filling her nostrils.
She felt her stomach contract.
The alarm continued to ring.
‘Fucking kids,’ snarled Rob, gazing at the ceiling.
Beside him, Hailey rolled over in bed and moved closer to him.
‘I’d like to get my hand on the little bastards who did it,’ Rob continued.
‘Why would kids do something like that?’ she wanted to know.
‘They probably thought it was funny. Ha-bloody-ha. Those tyres are going to cost me seventy quid apiece. Still, I suppose it could have been worse. At least they didn’t break into the car.’
Hailey nodded slowly.
‘Kids,’ she murmured distractedly.
She hoped he was right.
61
CAROLINE HACKET GAZED at the screen of the word processor, then down at her fingers as they rested on the keyboard.
She reread the words on the screen, then leaned back in her chair, stretching.
There were several books spread out on the desk around her.
Pieces of paper, too, with notes scribbled in biro and pencil.
She worked in one of the spare bedrooms, as she always had done. The room looked out onto her back garden, but her desk was arranged so that she had her back to the view. Some days she found it difficult enough to work anyway, without the distraction of something to look at.
It had been easier in the office when she’d been a journalist. She had always found the seething chaos around her there more conducive to work than the silence and loneliness of this small bedroom. Strange, she thought, how easy it had been to shut herself away mentally in the middle of a newspaper office, surrounded by others of like mind. Easier than this. Easier than the silence she had now.
It was a peculiar paradox. But, she reasoned, not the only one in her life.
She got up from the WP and headed for the stairs. She couldn’t think straight anyway. Perhaps a coffee would help. Some caffeine might kickstart her creative juices. She smiled to herself as she reached the bottom of the stairs.
In the kitchen she flicked on the small music centre that was perched on top of the fridge. The CD began to fill the room with the strains of Celine Dion.
During a break between tracks she heard the doorbell.
Caroline hesitated. She wondered for a second if she should ignore it. Her concentration was wavering enough already, without further interruption.
In the end she decided to see who was calling.
In the kitchen the kettle began to boil.
She pulled open the front door.
Adam Walker smiled at her.
She returned the smile.
‘I hope I’m not disturbing you,’ he said.
‘Not at all. I was having a lousy day anyway. Come in.’
He hesitate
d.
‘The kettle’s just boiled,’ she told him. ‘Can I tempt you to a coffee? I was making one anyway.’
‘Thanks.’
He followed her through into the kitchen.
‘It’s a nice house,’ he told her, seating himself on one of the high stools beside the breakfast bar.
She smiled again and pushed a coffee mug towards him.
‘Sugar there,’ she informed him, nodding towards a bowl close by.
There was a brief silence, finally broken by Caroline.
‘If it’s any consolation, Adam, I think Hailey was wrong.’
He looked puzzled.
‘What are you talking about?’ he wanted to know.
‘She told me what happened. Said you’d been phoning her. I know she hasn’t returned your calls. So, if it’s any consolation, I think she’s wrong. I told her she should at least speak to you.’
‘What else did she tell you?’
Caroline shrugged. ‘What happened between you at your house,’ she explained.
Walker sipped his coffee, his gaze never leaving her.
‘I didn’t force her into anything,’ he said. ‘I don’t care what she said to you.’
‘Look, I’m on your side.’
She sat down beside him.
‘Then help me,’ Walker said.
‘How?’
‘Get her to speak to me.’
‘She won’t listen to me, Adam.’
‘You’re her best friend, aren’t you?’
She gazed at him for a moment, then looked away almost guiltily.
‘What do you want from her?’ Caroline asked.
‘I just want her to listen. All I wanted to do was apologize for what happened. I didn’t intend all that to happen. I thought it was what Hailey wanted. She was the one who was always going on about what a bad marriage she had. I wanted to be her friend. I never wanted to start an affair with her.’
‘Not even if she was willing?’
He smiled. ‘Well, maybe.’
They both laughed.
‘I just don’t know why she’s become so hostile,’ he said finally. He then told Caroline about their meeting in the car park of SuperSounds.
She listened intently.
‘Well, I wouldn’t have turned you down,’ she said, smiling.
‘I don’t need your pity, Caroline,’ he replied flatly.
‘I’m not giving it.’ She looked directly into his eyes.
‘I shouldn’t have come here,’ he sighed. ‘This isn’t your problem. I just thought that if you spoke to her, told her how I felt, then she might call me back. That’s all I want her to do. It sounds pathetic, doesn’t it?’
‘And if she does call you back, what do you think she’s going to say? “Everything’s all right, Adam. Sorry I wouldn’t speak to you. Tell you what, let’s go ahead and have that affair.” Is that what you want her to say?’
He didn’t speak.
‘Let it go, Adam,’ Caroline said quietly. ‘I don’t normally give advice, and if you told me to mind my own business I wouldn’t blame you, but for your sake forget about Hailey.’
‘It’s not that easy.’
‘Oh, come on, you’d only known her for a couple of weeks. It’s not like you were life-long friends, is it?’
Walker looked at her, his eyes narrowing slightly, and Caroline saw something behind those eyes.
Something like rage.
It vanished as rapidly as it had appeared.
A smile again creased his features.
‘You’re right,’ he said finally, slipping from the stool. ‘But when you see her again, tell her I said hello and tell her I understand.’ He put down the mug. ‘Thanks for the coffee.’
‘Adam, wait. I was just about to have some lunch. Nothing fancy: something out of the microwave. If you’d like to join me . . .’ She allowed the sentence to trail off.
‘Thanks,’ he said, still smiling. ‘But I’ve taken up enough of your time. Besides, I’m stopping you working, aren’t I?’
‘Any excuse is welcome.’ She grinned.
‘How’s the new book coming along?’
‘You don’t want to know.’
‘No, you’re wrong. I do want to know. I really respect what you do. And, by the way, I finished your other book. I thought they were both excellent.’
‘Thanks very much. Why don’t you tell me how brilliant I am over lunch?’ She pointed towards the microwave.
They laughed and Walker sat down again.
62
4.07 P.M.
Hailey glanced at the dashboard clock as she drove, guiding the Astra with one hand, holding the mobile phone with the other.
She finished her conversation with Nicholas Barber, confirming their meeting for the following day. The local MP seemed a little less pretentious and self-important than some she had encountered, but nevertheless Hailey wasn’t relishing the meeting. Still, she reasoned, it couldn’t be any worse than her encounter with Water-hole.
They were to meet for lunch the following day to discuss final details of the charity concert that Barber was to attend.
He said his secretary would be on hand to take notes. Hailey assured him this would be unnecessary, but, despite her protestations, he insisted. She thanked him for his time and switched off the mobile, swinging the Astra around a corner.
Up ahead she could see her home.
There was over an hour before she had to pick Becky up. The little girl was playing a game of rounders after school. Hailey decided she had time to shower and change before she set out.
She was pleased with the way preparations for the charity gig were progressing. Jim Marsh too was delighted with her work.
Even Rob had been asking her about it. His interest seemed genuine, too, she mused.
They had gone through too much during the past year for everything to return to normal soon, but they were making more progress, she felt. They had agreed to suspend their Relate counselling sessions for a time.
Just see how things go.
Hailey smiled to herself.
And there’d been no further calls from Adam Walker.
No calls. No flowers.
No contact.
Just as well.
She had been stupid. She knew that. But at least things hadn’t got out of hand.
Not quite.
She shuddered when she thought how easily the pair of them could have become involved.
How easily she could have become involved with this man whom she hardly knew, but felt she understood so well. And who understood her.
Better to have ended it when she did.
She brought the car to a halt outside the house and sat behind the wheel for a moment, glancing up at the sky – at the dark clouds gathering.
With a sigh she slid from behind the wheel, picked up her briefcase and headed for the front door, fumbling in her jacket pocket for her keys.
Rob had called her at work that afternoon to say that he’d be coming home late. Something about having to meet a customer for a drink. He and Frank Burnside were going along to meet the man together.
When she had asked him what time he’d be back, it had taken a supreme effort not to ask him if it was really Burnside whom he was going with. If it was really a customer he was meeting.
The spectre of Sandy Bennett still remained, like the dying vestiges of a bad dream.
In the end she hadn’t asked. He promised her he’d be home around seven, and she’d believed him.
Perhaps she’d ring the pub later.
Just in case.
Hailey selected the front door key from the others on her chain and pushed it into the lock, then stepped into the hall.
Silence.
She frowned.
Why wasn’t the alarm going off?
She crossed to the key-pad and opened its plastic flap.
She had set it when she left that morning – she was sure she had.
Perhaps there was some kind
of fault.
She’d check it now and call the maintenance firm if necessary.
She pressed the reset keys.
Nothing.
She glanced up.
The sensor that normally flickered red in the top right-hand corner of the ceiling was dead.
The alarm wasn’t working.
She wandered into the kitchen to retrieve the alarm-system maintenance firm’s business card from the notice-board.
As she stepped into the room she felt a draught. It was coming from the window over the sink.
Hailey swallowed hard as she moved closer.
The window was slightly ajar.
And in that split second she knew why. Just as she knew why the alarm wasn’t working. The realization set her heart hammering.
Whoever had broken into their house had disabled the alarm first.
63
FOR INTERMINABLE SECONDS, Hailey stood motionless in the centre of the kitchen.
The silence seemed to crowd in on her until the only thing she could hear was the rushing of blood in her ears.
She swallowed hard and looked around.
There didn’t appear to be anything missing. And if someone had broken into the house, they had been very careful. Even the crockery on the draining board close to the open window didn’t seem to have been disturbed.
Hailey moved back into the hall.
She glanced across at the phone.
Call the police. Do it now!
Instead she passed through into the sitting room, the breath now catching in her throat.
What if the intruder was still inside the house?
Intruder?
Even the word frightened her.
There was so much to steal.
TV. Video. Stereo.
She pushed open the sitting-room door.
It was as neat and tidy as it had been when she’d left earlier in the day.
The television still occupied its usual position in one corner of the room. The VCR was still beneath it. Untouched.
Hailey took a couple of steps inside the room, glancing round to make an inventory of their other possessions.
Nothing was missing.
Except . . .
There was something, but she couldn’t quite work out what it was.
Something was missing, but . . .
She noticed some mud on the carpet close to the sofa.