The Fenton Saga: Never Say Goodbye / There Was No Body.

by Colin Griffiths

  It was the heat that woke him in the early hours. He had slept well, but he woke up feeling intense heat. His body was soaked with sweat. The fire he thought I've left the fire on. He focussed his eyes, the gas fire was still alight, but the flames were now above the mantelpiece, scorching the wallpaper. He could see the wooden letter-rack on the mantel burning. He tried to understand the situation. He tried to get to the gas fire to turn it off, but the heat was too intense. As the flames now spread, being fanned by the wind. The wind which was now in his home. He looked around, the curtains were burning, the sofa on which he sat was burning, and the whole room was alight. The windows smashed with the heat, the door was ablaze. There was no exit that way. Panic set in. He didn’t want to die. For a second he wondered if he could sense his own death. He couldn’t. That reassured him for a moment, but how was he going to get out. The house was burning. There was no way out. He cried as he waited for death. For a moment, he thought about his wife. He would soon be joining her and everything seemed all right, because he was no longer in a burning room. There were no flames, no fire and no smoke. He thought that he had died and been taken to wherever it was when death took over your body.

  The cousin of Marie Rose, Dr James McCarthy, had been taken by a light which lifted him through the ceiling of his room, through the roof. He hoped he was going to heaven, but he somehow knew that wasn’t the case. Elsie would have to wait. He knew he had other patients to see. Patients he had yet to meet. How he hoped that they would not smell of death.

  ***

  Todd watched the home burning. He thought for one moment that the man inside was going to die. Todd wanted to help him, but he couldn't. All he could do was watch, helplessly, while he saw the man struggle. He didn’t want to be a part of this, not killing someone. He thought of the lady and young girl. Maybe they had died too, now that scared Todd.

  This whole thing was so fucked up he wanted to scream and stop this stupid flying. He wanted to go home. He had killed people, or at least hurt them. He now hated his gift. He should have left it where it was hidden. His father had made it return. He was responsible, just as he had been with all the bad things in their lives. Only one man was responsible. He was now sure that all this was his father’s doing. His father had sent him up here, so that he couldn't save Wendy.

  Then he saw the storm close in and douse the flames in the house, somehow lifting the man from the carnage. As with the other two, Todd didn’t seem to know this man. He was glad that he looked okay. Now, like with the other two, the man had gone, disappeared, lifted from the fire into the storm and gone. As before, the storm calmed, having done what it had been sent out for. As he made his way home, Todd could see the thousands of people walking to Ashbourne. As everything else was going crazy today, Todd really hoped that he hadn’t missed the party.

  Chapter 36

  The girls had been walking for almost an hour. Neither Wendy nor Katy were dressed for a terrain such as this. They were cold in their thin jumpers, their jeans felt damp against their skins. Their shoes were not made for walking through damp, dense forest and were now cutting into their feet as they walked, causing their feet to blister. Their cuffed hands were making it difficult to get into a stride. Their wrists were hurting, where the metal cuffs were chafing. The voices of the night and the screams of wild animals, chilled them to the core. They shivered from fright, they cried through fear. They thought of their loved ones, trying to focus on good memories.

  For tonight they were going to die.

  Bill, who was dressed in a thick hoodie and walking boots, still looked strong as he ever did as he walked. The heavy rucksack didn’t seem to be a burden to him. Every now and again, the girls lagged behind, he would grab their hands and drag them, cutting their bodies on the roughness of the forest floor. On one occasion he had dragged Katy by her hair, her screams should have been heard miles away. No one heard, except the night of the forest and maybe the wild animals busy looking for their own prey, smelling the blood, following the trio until one dropped, when they would pounce. The forest took no prisoners, made no allowances. It was unforgiving in its brutality.

  Bill had changed since they got into the forest. He had only spoken when telling the girls to get a move on. He looked different. He looked evil. He looked mad. They needed to rest.

  The skeleton-like trees had got thicker and there was no longer a trail to follow. It was misty, Wendy wondered how many mysterious creatures would be lurking in the woods, waiting to attack, viewing them as another meal. She hoped Bill was a good shot. The girls walked closely together. Bill was always two yards in front, never more than two yards. In spite of it being summer the ground was now boggy. The moonlight was barely shining through the trees and where it did, it gave an eerie glow. The trees were whispering now, calling their names, calling them deep into the forest, to meet their fate. Both girls now feeling emotionless, as if their death loomed as they walked deeper and deeper into the primeval forest.

  They had walked for another fifteen minutes and the trees did not seem so dense now. They needed to rest. The girls sat on a log now. They had to rest. Bill could do as he wished. They could walk no further.

  ‘Move!’ he shouted at them, pointing with his shot gun.

  ‘We can't. We need to rest.’ cried Katy.

  Wendy said nothing, he could do what he liked, her body hurt so much, there didn’t seem anything Bill could do to make it worse,

  Bill sat beside them on the tree stump. He took his torch from his rucksack, turned it on and shone it in the faces of the two girls back and forth, then he shone it on their bodies. The girls didn’t care now. They were too done in.

  ‘What the fuck happened to you two?’ he asked as he looked at the cut up bodies of the girls.

  ‘It’s where you dragged us.’ said Katy, she just burst into tears. Bill went to his rucksack, took out some water and a sandwich, handing them to the girls.

  ‘You should have said. We will rest here now, while you eat and drink to build up your strength.’

  The girls took the water and food. Although it was welcome, the Jekyll and Hyde character of Bill made it scarier. They huddled together, cold and shaking, wet and hurting, Bill Fenton lit a cigarette and climbed onto a branch of a tree and just looked down at the girls.

  ‘You rest, build your strength up, because you’re going to need it.’ Then he laughed, long and loudly, like a hyena in the dead of the night. He sat in the tree, as the girls rested, watching them, always watching.

  They rested for a couple of hours, with Bill watching from the tree all the time. He didn’t need sleep; it was too big a day to sleep. It wasn’t long before he got them up and going again. The girls’ bodies were still aching from the beatings they had taken. The terrain became rocky in its nature, with hidden caves, dark and uninviting in the mountainsides. They could hear the sound of running water. They could now see the hills against the sky. As the trees seemed to thin out, the moonlight lit the ground.

  ‘We’re here.’ was all that Bill said.

  The girls didn't know where ‘here’ was, but they felt somewhat relieved, hoping that they could rest up properly, hoping they might see the nice side of Bill. They could now see what ‘here’ was, as the trees parted to show a clearing. As they walked towards the wooden cabin, which was hidden deep in the woods, in a small, picturesque clearing.

  Both girls realised that the trek they had just been on was deliberate. Bill Fenton had known exactly where he was going. As they walked closer, the cabin became clearer. They didn’t know what was in store for them. They had survived this long and the longer they survived, the more determined they grew to get through it. They just needed one chance, one opportunity to make their escape. Surely Bill Fenton would soon let his guard down. He hadn’t slept, he would lose his focus. They felt that it was their only chance. Nobody was coming to rescue them.

  Chapter 37

  With the kidnap of a young girl from their own estate, no one really knew
why there was a need to party. Ashbourne Estate was awash with partygoers. Carol, Becky and Tracy were joined by the blurry-eyed Simon Goldstone on the opposite side of the street from Carol’s house. The thousands of people were now shouting Wendy Cross’s name, it was as if she was some superstar rather than a lost, frightened girl. Every street was full of people. The news reporters were conducting numerous live interviews from the estate and also from the people who were still walking towards Ashbourne, yet the crowd would not let the reporters anywhere near the street where the Fenton’s lived. That was out of bounds. Simon Goldstone only got through, because Carol had allowed it. The whole country was watching, maybe even the whole world. The two men dressed in black still watched, just waiting for their orders.

  Simon Goldstone stared at the hole in the roof and the glow coming from it, it was one of the most eerie things he had ever seen. His walk across the fields had given him new faith in the youth of today. He had enjoyed the walk, enjoyed the company. Maybe he would have a different outlook after this.

  He wished he hadn’t enjoyed the vodka and the dope as much.

  ‘You say it was lightning?’ He asked, not really believing it.

  Carol stared at him.

  ‘There’s no storm.’ He added, sarcastically.

  ‘Simon, why are you here?’ she asked.

  He looked at her, then at the house, then at the people still partying in the streets, shouting for Wendy Cross.

  ‘I've no idea.’ he said.

  ‘Then just shut up.’

  The four of them just turned to stare again at their house with a hole in its roof. Partygoers from the other estates were setting up tents in people’s gardens. Camping stoves were being set up. Ashbourne Estate was being turned into a holiday resort. As the cafe opened up for food in the middle of the night, Phil Collins’ ‘Something in the Air Tonight.’ played. Simon Goldstone stood and looked, thinking that there had never been a more apt song.

  ***

  Todd returned home in the same way that he had left, through the roof.

  Everyone saw the light coming towards them, growing brighter and brighter, until it disappeared through the hole in the roof, with a crash of thunder. No one seemed surprised. It was as if they were expecting it. There was a big cheer, then, as if the landlord had called time, people started packing their stuff away. Those who lived nearby went home whilst those who had travelled for miles packed up their tents which they had only just pitched. The cafe closed without serving a single burger. Sofas, chairs and dining tables were taken back in. People went to bed, the visitors started their long walk back. The news reporters were packing away their gear, reporting that the rave had now ended and everyone was going home, adding that they would try to interview some people in the morning, as no one seemed interested in talking now.

  There was no light in the Fenton’s house, no storm raged, the hole in the roof was barely visible, as the moonlight seemed to fade and the lights from the houses went out as people went to their beds.

  Daniel heard the thunder. He heard Todd coming back. The light on the stairs was no longer there. He stood hesitantly at the foot of the stairs. He could hear movement from Todd’s room. He heard the wardrobe doors close, and Todd opened his bedroom door. Standing at the top of the stairs he looked at his brother.

  ‘Who put that hole in the fucking roof?’ he asked, and both brothers laughed nervously.

  ‘I'm sorry, Todd,’ said Daniel, ‘I was supposed to protect you. Protect us. I shouldn’t have let you do it.’

  Todd walked down the stairs, and hugged his brother.

  ‘It’s done now. No going back.’

  As Daniel hugged his brother, he thought he had made probably the biggest mistake of his life. Carol hugged Todd, as if she was never going to let him go again, when she returned to the house. It had been the worst few of hours of her life. Becky and Tracy stood in anticipation, wanting to hear what had happened. They had somehow expected Todd to return with Wendy. On this extraordinary night, that seemed the most natural thing. Yet they could tell from Todd’s face that was far from what had happened. Carol was just happy to have her son back. Simon Goldstone looked on, wondering what he was going to report. He had no idea, as he didn’t know what had just happened.

  He and Tracy left, as they had been told, in no uncertain terms, that they were not wanted. They had no choice. No crime had been committed, even in the rave that went on, there had been no reports of wrongdoing, just a street party, a very big street party at that, as every street in Ashbourne and further afield showed the remnants of a party. They would have reports to write, interviews to give and, somehow, an explanation as to why a Sergeant was seen on national TV drinking whilst on duty. Goldstone hoped and prayed that no one had seen him smoking.

  The family were sitting in the living room. Todd was trying to explain as much as he could remember about his trip. He told them that he had hovered like a bird, then the storms came over three properties, forcing the occupants out and that he thought at one point that he must have killed them, that he was still not sure what had happened to them.

  ‘Blackpool, Manchester and Birmingham.’ Carol said, ‘Do you know where?’

  ‘Smethwick in Birmingham. That was the old man.’ he said, ‘not sure in Manchester, but it was close to Old Trafford. A nice private estate. That was the young girl, she looked hot.’ He stared, embarrassed, at his mother when he realised what he had just said. He felt a pang of guilt, as he thought about Wendy.

  ‘She was very pretty.’ he continued. ‘The old lady was in Lytham St. Anne’s. A big, posh house.’

  ‘Are you sure it was Lytham St. Anne’s?’ asked Carol. Todd nodded.

  Carol stood up, looking out of the window. The streets were quiet now, though strewn with rubbish. It would be getting light soon. There would have to be a massive clear up. She turned and looked at her two sons and Becky.

  ‘There’s only one old lady that I know from Lytham St. Anne’s and I think she's the reason why you were born.’ ‘Who is she?’ Daniel asked.

  Carol sat down. She looked exhausted.

  ‘Your father called her a wicked witch. I called her a miracle maker.’

  She told them about that first trip to Blackpool, where Marie Rose told her she was pregnant, and then on the second visit, when she knew Daniel’s name and told her she was going to have another son. She continued, telling how their father had grown angry at the second visit and that was when she first realised that he wasn’t the man she thought he was. The three listened intently as she spoke, neither interrupting nor commenting. When she finished they all sat in silence for a moment.

  Todd was the first to speak. ‘Do you think what I did was some sort of punishment?’ He was referring to Marie Rose.

  Carol thought about that. ‘Why would you punish her? I have two wonderful sons.’

  ‘Maybe,’ Daniel paused, gave it some more thought, ‘maybe she could tell us where Wendy is.’

  ‘Maybe,’ Carol said, not sounding too confident.

  Becky shuffled in her seat. She hadn’t said a word since they got back in the house. It was all a bit too surreal for her. ‘What’s all this got to do with Wendy?’ Becky asked.

  ‘I don’t know.’ Todd said. ‘I just hope it has, or I've been wasting my time flying around the country.’

  Carol stood. ‘It will be daylight soon. It looks as if sleep is out of the question. I’ll cook some breakfast. Then we can decide what we’re going to do.

  As she moved towards the kitchen the doorbell rang.

  Chapter 38

  Ten Years Earlier

  The school playground was bustling. It was a glorious May Day, one of those freak days of weather that the United Kingdom occasionally provides. It was eighty degrees and the forecast was that it would stay hot until the weekend, when there would be thunderstorms and it would become significantly cooler. A typical British forecast.

  The field playgrounds were large, with a small group of
trees in the corner. They had not yet been sold off for development. The school was trying to hang onto them for as long as possible, but there had been a policy to sell off school playing fields throughout Britain, and they knew it wouldn’t be long before they had to succumb to the authority’s wishes. The fields would soon be replaced by a much smaller concrete hard standing and a shopping centre would soon be built.

  Ashbourne Estate was growing all the time. The residents didn’t like it, and protested vehemently, with posters splattered everywhere, proclaiming that their village was being destroyed and the community along with it. Their concerns were understandable. They had seen communities completely destroyed when the Conservative government shut all the pits. Yet not only would Ashbourne survive, it would thrive. Some communities just couldn’t be broken.

  The primary and secondary schools shared the same grounds. Todd was up to his usual tricks, being the centre of attention. His friends were hiding things in the woods, and he would go and find them. As a seven year old, he didn’t really understand his ability, nor did the children around him. The school authorities were getting concerned and Daniel was worried big time. He had told his brother to stop it, because people would regard him as a freak. He would tell him it was just fun, it was entertaining, besides which he liked being the centre of attention. He wasn’t yet the reserved person he would eventually become. Daniel used to watch over him at every break time. Todd was his kid brother. It was his responsibility.