Dawes was standing at the bottom of the ladder impatiently waiting for Boyd to hurry along.
“Stanley, what the hell’s wrong with you today, speed it up will you.”
“Fuckin’ idiot,” said Boyd under his breath.
Boyd climbed another seven rungs of the ladder to reach the highest window of the three storey house at the end of the leafy road in Truro. He reached for his T bar and gingerly dipped it in the bucket of soapy water which was hanging from the ladder. Hauling that bucket of water up the ladder with one hand whilst holding on with the other made his legs turn to jelly.
Cautiously Boyd reached over to his right and covered the window with suds as water dripped from the T bar to the garden below. The pane was masked with soapy water obscuring the view into the room beyond the window. Boyd tucked the damp T bar back in his tool belt and grabbed a wiper blade to remove the soap from the window. He strained as he reached the far corner and worked back towards the middle of the window.
As he cleared away the soap he saw a figure standing in the window. The figure of a young man was staring at Boyd. Boyd smiled at the man, which was something his boss insisted he did with his customers, but the man didn’t smile back. The intensity of the man’s stare bothered Boyd. He chose to ignore him and continued to clear the soap from the window. The streaks of water distorted the man’s face so Boyd couldn’t make him out. As the water evaporated in the warmth of the late afternoon sun, the man’s face became clearer. Boyd tried not to stare back and carried on with his work. The weight of the man’s stare fell upon Boyd and even without looking he knew the man was watching him.
Eventually Boyd had finished the last window of the house and was about to make his way carefully down the ladder. He looked back to the window and saw that the man was still there, still staring at him. The sun disappeared behind a cloud, taking some of the glare away from the window which made it easier for him to see the person who was watching him. It bothered him why this strange man was so interested in him.
Suddenly Boyd froze with dawning recognition when he realised who the man was. His hands tightly gripped the ladder as he stared back at the man in the window.
The man in the window slowly shook his head with a disapproving look.
Boyd was confused, how could it be. The man moved closer to the window and Boyd could clearly see his face. There was no doubt as to who the man was. Boyd was staring into the eyes of a dead person, it was Ben Walker. Walker looked at him and a menacing grin spread across his face. Ben Walker put his face up to the glass and mouthed four words through the window. Boyd could clearly read Walker’s lips.
“I’ve got you now.”
In shock Boyd released his grip from the ladder and fell. He dropped like a stone and fell twenty five feet to the garden below. Luckily he had a soft landing in the hedge which separated the garden from the pavement. He dropped from the hedge and awkwardly landed on the grass, only just avoiding an ornamental sundial.
Boyd lay on the grass as Dawes came running over, almost knocking over the sundial.
“What do you think you’re doin’ Stanley?” shouted Dawes, showing no concern for Boyd’s wellbeing.
Boyd groaned as he turned over in the grass and looked at Dawes.
Dawes was used to seeing Boyd’s pale and insipid complexion, but was taken aback when he saw how colourless he looked as he lay face up in the grass. He was whiter than white.
“Good God Stanley, you look awful.”
Chapter ninety four
Thomas Judd’s Hypnotherapy Practice
The Quiet Area
5.42pm
Christopher was rocking in his mother’s arms as she sat back on the settee. Other than feeling tired, he showed no ill effects from being hypnotised.
The four adults said nothing as they contemplated what they had just witnessed.
Eventually Judd spoke.
“So what happens next?”
“Nothing, nothing is going to happen next,” said Maria, as she nuzzled into Christopher’s hair.
“We can’t stop now, I’ve got to hypnotise him again, and the sooner the better.”
Judd’s shock at what had just happened had turned to excitement. He was desperate to find out more about Ben Walker.
“Leave my son alone.”
For Maria the nightmare was getting worse. There was nothing that could have prepared her for what had just happened. The first time he’d been hypnotised had been bad enough. She was hoping that Judd would have been able to use hypnosis to stop the sleep talking, but when this Ben character briefly popped up she had been horrified.
But after speaking with Campbell, it seemed likely that Ben was a figment of her son’s imagination which was enhanced by hypnosis. She’d expected today’s session to stop the sleep talking and put an end to Christopher’s imaginary friend.
But it hadn’t. It really seemed that Ben was a real person. There was no way on God’s earth that her son could have come out with the things he’d said under hypnosis. He just didn’t have that level of vocabulary and understanding of the English language.
“But Maria, this is really important, ground breaking,” pleaded Judd.
“I don’t care, this isn’t what I signed up for.” Maria pulled Christopher closer.
Campbell was keeping quiet. While he agreed with Judd and was eager to find out more, he also respected Maria’s wish to cease the hypnosis.
“I would like to hear it from Esther’s standpoint, I’d appreciate the view from a professional.” said Judd.
Esther had been standing with her back against the wall. She moved forward and cleared her throat to speak.
“From my professional position as a Child Health Visitor I have to consider Christopher’s welfare and to be honest, I know very little about hypnotherapy, so I agree with Maria that there should be no further hypnosis.”
Judd was about to say something, but paused as Esther raised her hand to imply she had not finished.
“But, on the other hand, I have to agree with Tom, something is happening here, something very unusual. Unless Tom is staging an elaborate hoax, and I don’t think he is, then I agree that we need to get to the bottom of it. If whatever is going on with Christopher isn’t stopped, it may have implications for his health, and I mean from a mental health angle.”
Judd nodded. “I agree with Esther.”
Maria didn’t want to hear any of this. She looked at Christopher, who clearly didn’t like the attention he was getting.
“Can I go home mummy?”
Maria nodded.
“We’ll be going soon darling,” said Maria whilst kissing his head.
Esther continued, “I would like to make some enquiries about the implications of hypnosis and what effect it may have upon Christopher. If there is chance that it could be harmful, then I agree with Maria and the hypnosis should stop…….but, if my enquiries confirm that there will be no ill effects, I think Tom should continue.”
Nobody spoke. Christopher was irritable and was getting tired. He hadn’t eaten since lunch time and wanted to go.
“I think we’re missing an important point,” said Judd, as all eyes turned to him.
“This could be considered a murder case, Ben said that he’d been killed by someone.”
Maria put Christopher on the settee, stood up and walked over to Judd until she was facing him.
“Can you hear yourself? You’re literally accusing my son of murder and that’s ridiculous. You clearly have no idea how stupid you sound. In any case, if my son is possessed by the soul of some dead person, if Ben Walker had been a real person, he would have probably been a pirate, or someone from hundreds of years ago, so murder isn’t an issue.”
She paced the room looking for the words needed to convey her anger.
“Tell me Tom, am I right, whenever you hear of people who are hypnotised and regreviss, regreshiv….” in her anger Maria struggled to find the word.
“Regressive hypnotherap
y,” offered Judd.
“Yes, regressive hypnotherapy, whenever regressive hypnotherapy is used it always conjures up someone noteworthy like Henry the Eighth, or Joan of Arc or someone famous like the other Joan, Joan Collins.”
“Joan Collins isn’t dead,” said Judd interrupting her flow, which heightened Maria’s anger. Her fiery temper was rising.
“You know what I mean, these characters are always someone we’ve heard of.”
“You’re confusing hypnotherapy with stage hypnosis. You saw what just happened, I’d hardly had time to hypnotise Christopher before Ben began speaking. Regressive hypnosis takes time and is a laborious task. Play back the video and see for yourself, I didn’t set any of this up.”
The camera was still on and recording everything. Judd walked over and switched it off.
“And a lot of help you are, I thought you were supposed to be on my side,” said Maria to Campbell in an accusatory tone.
“I am on your side, but I have to say that I do agree with both Esther and Judd. If Esther can confirm that none of this will effect Christopher, then I think Judd should continue.”
Maria threw her hands in the air.
“Campbell, I’m sorry to have to remind you, he’s not your fucking son, he’s mine and it’s got nothing to do with you or anyone else in the room. Now, if you will excuse me, I’m taking Christopher home.”
She picked Christopher up and held him close as she left the Quiet Area, leaving Campbell and the others behind.
They could hear Maria struggling with the door which led out of Judd’s office, up the stairs and out of the building.
“Can someone help me with this door please!” shouted Maria.
Esther went to the office and opened the door, allowing Maria to clump up the stairs. Christopher was crying.
They heard the outside door thud as it shut behind her.
“Give her some time and she’ll come round to the idea,” said Campbell in a calm voice. The others nodded.
Campbell decided to give her some space and not go back to the flat that evening. He sent her a text message to say he was staying at David’s house. David was an old friend from the coffee shop and was to be Campbell’s best man. In his text message he told Maria to contact him if she needed anything.
---------------------------------------------
That night was the first time since she could remember that Christopher slept without chanting. He banged his head, but he was quiet. He didn’t even resort to the old ‘ughh ughh ughh’ he used to do before the talking started.
Maria lay in bed listening to Christopher gently bang his head and she remembered that the voice purporting to be Ben Walker promised to stop talking when Christopher slept. She dismissed the thought as nonsense and put it down to coincidence.
The next morning, after a bad night’s sleep worrying over what had happened, she woke and got Christopher and herself ready for the day.
“Where’s daddy?” asked Christopher.
“He’s not here at the moment.”
“I want daddy.”
Maria checked her phone. There were no missed calls or texts, other than the one Campbell had sent from David’s.
She could be a stubborn woman and at times held a grudge when it would be better to give in. Many times she had cut off her nose to spite her face. She was adamant not to contact Campbell.
She had planned to meet with Samreen later that day, but after yesterday’s events wasn’t in the mood to see anyone. She wanted to hide away from the rest of the world and be on her own.
By ten thirty, she was climbing the walls with boredom and had to get out of the house. She strapped Christopher into his buggy and left her flat. Leaving the car parked outside, she decided to walk. She had no idea where she was going and let her feet take her anywhere.
It was a beautiful May morning and the high street was busy. Maria negotiated the pedestrians as she weaved Christopher’s buggy in and out of the clusters of old ladies who gathered outside the charity shops which were dotted up and down the high street.
She stopped to look in the window of a clothes shop and caught site of her reflection. In her mirrored image she saw how tired looking she had become. Bags were beginning to form under her eyes and her red hair was starting to show wisps of grey.
“Where are we going mummy?” asked Christopher.
Maria bent down to his level.
“Where would you like to go darling?”
“The park, please mummy.”
“Good idea, let’s go to the park.”
Maria turned around and headed to the large park which was behind the shops on the high street.
The play area in Keynsham Park was quiet. Most children were at school and other than a small group of mums and their young children, the park was empty.
“Swings mummy,” called Christopher as he pointed to the row of four empty swings in the corner of the playground.
She placed him on a swing and pushed him as he cheerfully laughed and giggled.
“Higher mummy, higher.”
She pushed the swing and became entranced in thought as she recalled what had happened the day before. She’d been thinking about it all night as she had been trying to get to sleep and now, during the day, it was consuming her in her waking hours.
She had been pushing Christopher back and forth on the swing for almost twenty minutes whilst lost in her thoughts. She was brought out of her dreamlike state by the sound of her son, who was close to tears.
“I said I want to get off now mummy.”
She snapped out of her brown study to see the group of mothers staring at her as she’d been aggressively pushing the swing back and forth in a robot like manner. Maria slowed it down until it stopped and pulled Christopher out of the swing.
Within seconds he had stopped crying and was running over to the small climbing frame which had been made in the shape of a steam train.
Lazily she followed him and sat on a nearby bench as he clambered upon the frame and made train like noises which were punctuated with cries of ‘all aboard’ and ‘tickets please’.
Maria’s phone was buzzing. She’d received a text. She grabbed the phone and opened her messages. She was hoping for a message from Campbell, but was disappointed to see it wasn’t from him.
Maria was still angry with Campbell for not siding with her and was holding out for an apology. But no apology was forthcoming. Not even a text to ask her how she was.
She recalled what she had said to him in anger, ‘he’s not your fucking son.’
No wonder he wasn’t contacting her. It had been an awful thing for her to say. The man had stood by her for almost two years and had to endure the strange behaviour of her son. Most men wouldn’t have put up with it, but Campbell had, and without any complaints.
He’d bonded with Christopher as if he were his own child and the two of them had become inseparable. She missed him.
The message was from Samreen. She was checking whether they were still on for lunch.
Maria knew that Samreen would be desperate to know how it had gone yesterday and would have expected Maria to have called her as soon as she’d put Christopher to bed. Maria hadn’t even called her mother and had ignored three missed calls from her. She hadn’t wanted to talk to anyone.
She sat on the bench and watched Christopher playing happily. It was going to be a long day, and keeping her son occupied without going out of her mind would be a challenge, especially after the lack of sleep.
Maria picked up her phone and replied to Samreen’s message.
‘C U in the coffee shop 12.30. M xxx’
She pressed send and checked the time. It was twenty to twelve. She stood up and called to Christopher.
“Come on, it’s time to meet Samreen.”
Christopher cheered and hurriedly clambered down from the climbing frame and jumped into his buggy. Maria strapped him in and made her way to Coaster’s.
Maria arrived at Coaster’s
just before twelve thirty, ahead of Samreen. She ordered two cappuccinos and a babyccino for Christopher. She sat at a table with Christopher and looked around the coffee shop. This was the place where she had first set eyes on Campbell. She remembered how she felt when she first saw him and how he had that special something that attracted her to him. She checked her phone again and was disappointed to see still there were no missed calls or texts from him.
Samreen arrived a little late. She was flustered and apologised for not being on time.
Maria told her what had happened at the hypnotherapist, as Samreen listened intently, not speaking until Maria had explained the evening from beginning to end. They spoke in hushed tones as Christopher was sitting alongside and Maria was mindful that he shouldn’t know what had happened when he was under hypnosis.
“I’d hate you to think that I’m not on your side, but I think that you should allow Christopher to be hypnotised again, if for nothing else but to get rid of whoever Ben Walker is. I don’t think it matters whether Christopher’s made him up or if he’s real, I think you need to use hypnosis to stop all this from happening.”
Maria was considering whether her behaviour last night was over the top. She remained almost certain that she wouldn’t allow Christopher back to Tom Judd’s place, but there was now a nagging doubt in the back of her mind.
Deep down she knew that Ben Walker must somehow be a real person who was communicating through her son. What else could explain the knowledge and vocabulary he was coming out with. Let alone his expression.
He sounded so different under hypnosis. There was little sign of his still-to-develop infantile voice. Although his voice was clearly childlike, due to his immature vocal cords, there was something about the delivery of his tone whilst he was under hypnosis that made him sound older in years. The manner in which he constructed sentences and answered Tom’s questions were way beyond his capability.
Christopher sat on Samreen’s lap and excitedly told her about Tom and the toy he’d been given for being a good boy and how Tom made him go to sleep just by talking to him.
The Hill - Carla’s Story (Book Two): A Paranormal Murder Mystery Thriller. (Book Two) Page 6