The Good Sisters

by Helen Phifer

  ‘I don’t know. I expected it to be in the house somewhere. Maybe it’s in the grounds. I hope that when you search them tomorrow you find it.’

  ‘So do I, Father, so do I.’

  Chapter Twelve

  The cool air blowing on Autumn’s face woke her from her sleep. She opened one eye, wondering where she was, and remembered she was at her mum’s big old house. Summer was curled up next to her, her duvet tucked around her so she looked like a sausage roll. There was a faint glow from the night light that her mum had insisted they buy because the house was new to them and she didn’t want them waking up wondering where they were. Which was exactly what had just happened to her – yay for her mum being a mind reader.

  Where was that draught coming from? She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and pulling the earphones from her ears. She heard the fast, scurrying footsteps as someone passed by their bedroom door, which was ajar. It must be her mum going to the bathroom. It sounded like her. She was sure Ollie would make far more noise. She whispered, ‘Mum,’ and was greeted by silence. This time she said it louder, but not loud enough to disturb her sister who could sleep through a hurricane. ‘Mum.’ Still no reply.

  The footsteps, which seemed to be going from room to room, stopped and Autumn felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Her mum would have answered her. Who was scurrying around the landing? Part of her wanted to get up, turn the light on and see what was happening. The other part of her wanted to scream for her mum and hide under the duvet.

  A picture of the clown from that awful film her dad had been watching with Tamara one night when she’d gone to bed and woken up for a drink flashed in front of her mind. It had been a horrible stuffed toy, really tall and freaky with a white painted face, huge red eyes and lips. Her dad had shouted at her for creeping around. She knew he was mad because she’d made them both jump, scaring them so much Tamara had screamed and thrown the bowl of popcorn she’d been nursing all over the carpet. It had made Autumn giggle until she’d gone back to bed and had to turn the light off; then she couldn’t get the picture of the horrible toy clown out of her head.

  What if it was the clown from that film? She told herself she was being stupid. Her mum didn’t have a clown in the house. At least she didn’t think she did, but could she be sure? She hadn’t been into the attic because it was too dark up there. What if there had been an old rocking chair up there with a clown doll sitting on it, rocking back and forth? Then what?

  Her stomach began to churn as her arms broke out in goose bumps. Making herself lie back down, she pulled her duvet up around her, tucking it under herself like her sister. If she put her earphones back in she wouldn’t hear any stupid noises out on the landing. She was being silly. She lay down facing the back of her sister’s head, not wanting to turn and face the window. In her mind she started to sing her favourite Pink song, anything to stop the scary thoughts about killer clowns.

  Her eyes beginning to grow heavy, she felt herself drifting off to sleep and was almost there when she heard the scurrying, shuffling sound, which was now much louder, coming towards their open bedroom door. Her eyes opened wide as terror filled her entire body. She opened her mouth to shout to her mum, but no noise came out. Shaking her sister, she swore under her breath when she didn’t move. This time she shook her as hard as she could. Summer turned around. ‘What’s wrong with you? It’s the middle of the night.’

  ‘There’s someone shuffling around on the landing. I’m scared.’

  Summer, who was a year older than her, rolled her eyes. ‘It’s probably Mum or Ollie.’

  ‘I shouted mum; it’s not her. What if it’s a…’ She didn’t know what to say. Her sister would tease her for the rest of her life if she said she thought there was a killer clown shuffling around on the landing.

  ‘A burglar.’

  ‘Then they’d have to be pretty stupid. This house is empty. There’s nothing in it to steal and I’m sure Ollie would chase them off. Go to sleep, Autumn.’

  Summer flopped back down, closing her eyes. There was no mistaking the shuffling, scurrying sound on the landing outside. She sat up and stared at her sister. Autumn was hugging her knees and feeling terrified.

  ‘Who’s out there? Mum, Ollie?’

  There was no reply. Autumn felt the tears build up in the backs of her eyes and she needed to wee. She’d never been so scared. Summer stood up. She lifted her finger to her lips to shush Autumn before she spoke. She crossed the room to where the light switch was and flicked it, looking relieved when the room was bathed in bright, white light. Autumn stood up. She was terrified, but she wouldn’t not stand by her sister. If someone was out there, they would have to fight the both of them.

  The light from their room flooded through the crack in the door, filtering some of the light out onto the landing, enough so that Summer could reach out and switch on the landing light. She flicked that switch down as well then threw the bedroom door open so hard it thumped against the wall with a loud thud. The landing was empty. A small childlike giggle echoed around the stairs, making Autumn scream.

  ***

  Autumn’s scream was so loud that Kate’s eyes flew open and she jumped from her bed, running for the stairs to see what was wrong. She was shocked to see both girls standing there, holding hands and shivering.

  ‘What’s the matter? Are you all right?’

  Ollie was close behind her; he bounded up the stairs. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘Autumn heard someone walking around, then we both heard a child giggling.’

  Autumn shook her head. ‘They weren’t walking they were shuffling, well actually more like scurrying around from room to room. I thought it was you, but I called out and there was no answer.’

  Kate looked at Ollie and he couldn’t miss the horror in her eyes.

  Kate pulled both girls close, wrapping her arms around them. She was torn. She didn’t want him to check the bedrooms on his own, but she couldn’t leave her daughters standing there shivering. He made his way along the landing, opening each bedroom door and reaching inside for the lights, looking relieved when he found that every room was empty. The attic was bolted shut from this side so even if somebody had been up there they wouldn’t have been able to get through the door.

  ‘It’s clear up here. Should we all go down?’

  Kate nodded. Ollie led the way downstairs and they followed. She glanced at the clock in the hall and noticed it was twenty past three. Didn’t they say that three a.m. was the haunting hour? She shuddered, leading the girls into the kitchen.

  ‘Who wants a hot chocolate? And then we can all go and snuggle up in my bed. Ollie will sleep on the sofa, won’t you?’

  He nodded emphatically even though his eyes betrayed what he really felt. He no more wanted to sleep alone on the sofa than she did. He left them to go and check the rest of the house. The cellar door was bolted shut from this side so again if someone had gone down there they wouldn’t have been able to lock themselves in. Kate didn’t expect him to down there in the dark on his own to check.

  Kate busied herself pouring milk into mugs and microwaving each one. She spooned the chocolate powder into each one and stirred it, turning and passing one to each of them.

  ‘I wasn’t making it up, Mum. I swear I heard someone moving around and we both heard that laugh.’

  ‘Of course you weren’t. I know you wouldn’t do that. I don’t know what to say, sweetie. I believe you, but I don’t have any answers for you. I don’t know what it could be.’

  She couldn’t tell them that she’d heard the footsteps herself or that they’d found the shrivelled up, long-dead head of a woman behind a panel in the hall. God they’d have nightmares for the rest of their lives and never want to come here ever again. Ollie took his hot chocolate from her and patted her hand.

  ‘This is a big, old, empty house. I’m not saying that you didn’t hear those noises because there’s no doubt in my mind that you did. However, sometimes when you’re in a strang
e place the wind and the noises the house makes can sound very scary. I kept thinking I could hear footsteps the other day and it drove me mad. I finally realised that the wind blowing through one of the bedroom windows and the cold air was making the wooden floorboards where there was no carpets contract, and they kept creaking. Not to mention the doors that wobble in the wind.’

  Both girls were staring at him with eyes wide. Their heads were nodding in unison and Kate hoped that their tired minds were accepting Ollie’s explanation.

  ‘Your mum has been living here for ages on her own and isn’t scared. Isn’t that right, Kate?’

  Kate nodded. That wasn’t technically true, but if it made her daughters feel better she’d agree to being the Queen of England. Both girls began to sip their hot drinks. They looked tired and Summer’s eyelids were getting too heavy for her to keep open.

  ‘Come on, why don’t I tuck you into my bed? I’ll just go and make a bed for Ollie and I’ll be straight in.’

  The girls stood up, following their mum to her room. Kate tucked them in once more. She would sleep on the chair if it meant they felt safe. ‘I won’t be long.’ Summer’s head hit the pillow and her eyes closed.

  Autumn smiled. ‘Sorry, Mum, for being a nuisance.’

  Kate bent down and kissed her forehead. ‘Don’t be silly; you’re not a nuisance. You have no idea how much I’ve missed you both.’

  ‘Dad said you were a drunk living on Benefit Street and you couldn’t look after us.’

  Kate flinched. She’d been expecting this, but hadn’t expected it to hurt quite so much. Martin was such an idiot. What else had he been telling their children?

  ‘Your dad and me, well, we don’t really get on any more. I was a drinking a lot, but I was never a drunk – well not the sort that he meant. When Amy died it broke my heart. She was my best friend and I got poorly. I’m much better now and I don’t live on Benefit Street. I live in this beautiful old house, which one day will be a bed and breakfast with paying guests.’

  ‘I know, Mum. He can be mean sometimes. He wouldn’t let us come and see you even when we begged and cried. I don’t think I’ll ever forgive him for that.’

  Kate felt another strip being torn from her heart as she blinked back the tears once more. She was turning into an emotional wreck. She looked down at Autumn, who was drifting off to sleep, and she wished she could turn back the clock and put things right. How had her daughter got so wise? She turned around to see Ollie standing outside the bedroom door with his arms wide open. She fell into them and began to cry. He pulled her close and let her cry, rubbing her back.

  ‘I’ve never wanted to hit another man as much as I’ve wanted to hit Martin these last few days. The more I hear about him the worse the anger inside me gets. Has he no shred of decency inside him?’

  She shook her head.

  ‘Well wait until I get him on my own. I’ll be telling him a few home truths and if he doesn’t listen I’ll be using my fist to drive them home.’

  ‘He’s really not worth it. I’m just glad the girls know he was being unreasonable and a fucking bastard.’

  Hearing Kate swear made Ollie laugh. She pulled away from him then started laughing herself. ‘Sorry, but he really is.’

  ‘Yes he is. So what should we do? Stay up or curl up on the sofa together? I’m going to be man enough to tell you that I’m feeling pretty freaked out by all this. I have no idea how you’ve managed to live here on your own for so long.’

  ‘I can tell you why, because the last two days I’ve been stone cold sober. Before then when you and the lads left I’d hit the bottle and be comatose by ten. I need to get hold of the priest and see if he managed to find anything out. Do you think I should ask him to bless the house for me?’

  ‘I can’t see that it would hurt. Anything has to be better than living in fear of ghostly footsteps.’

  She looked at his face to see if he was being sarcastic. He wasn’t and that made her fall in love with him even more.

  ‘I’m tired, but I don’t want to leave them alone again until we find out what’s going on.’

  ‘Why don’t we bring the sofa in here? It’s not that big and then if we fall asleep at least we’re nearby.’

  She nodded. ‘You’re full of good ideas.’

  Between them they managed to carry it through without making too much noise. Neither girl stirred – they were in such a deep sleep.

  ‘Who’s going upstairs for the spare duvets?’ Ollie winked as he said it, but he meant it.

  ‘I think we should both go. I’ll run in and get them and you wait at the top of the stairs for me. That way you can hear the girls if they start to scream – and me too.’

  His face turned an even whiter shade than it already was. She hadn’t realised how scared he was. She was scared, but she didn’t want to show her fear because this was her house and she wasn’t going to be run out of it by some mischievous ghost or whatever it was that was residing in here. If she’d known then exactly what it was she might have changed her mind and gone straight to Ollie’s house until the priest had come to do a blessing, but she didn’t know or have any concept of how bad things were about to become.

  9 June 1940

  Crosby was writing up his last report of the day before going home when his office door burst open.

  ‘Have you heard what they’re doing? It’s madness, I’ve told them so, but they told me that it had already been decided and I was to shut up and help out as much as I could. I can’t; I don’t want anything to do with it. It will bring nothing but trouble, mark my words.’

  ‘Good afternoon, Father. Now seeing as how I have no idea what you’re talking about, would you be so kind as to start from the beginning so I might be able to understand?’

  ‘That godforsaken convent – that’s what I’m talking about. The government or those do-gooders who have nothing better to do with their time have suggested that with all the evacuations due to take place from the cities that it was a sin to leave a huge, empty house unattended when it could be opened up to rehouse so many of the children who are to be evacuated.’

  Crosby felt a ball of lead form in the pit of his stomach. Why would anyone want to put children into that house of death? Surely not. ‘Is this a rumour or is it official?’

  ‘It’s official. What are we going to do?’ Patrick pulled a crumpled letter from his pocket, throwing it in the direction of Crosby’s desk.

  Crosby picked it up and began to read, the colour draining from his already pale face. ‘It’s been empty since that night. It can’t be habitable. Surely it will be cold and damp?’

  ‘Unbeknown to me they’ve already opened it up and had builders in the last two days, sweeping the chimneys and fixing any problems. The women’s union are going in tomorrow to clean the place from top to bottom. The children are due to arrive on the eighteenth.’

  Crosby shook his head. ‘Who gave this the go-ahead without speaking to you or me beforehand? We need to go up there now and see who’s in charge.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Crosby, but there’s nothing we can do.’

  ‘There must be. We can’t let children go into that house. Who is going to be looking after them?’

  ‘Some nuns from Windermere are coming through to run it. They’re arriving on the fifteenth to make sure everything is ready.’ He flopped down into the chair opposite Crosby, running a hand through his mane of now silver hair. ‘I don’t know what we can do. It seems that the archbishop has already given consent.’

  ‘He must know the history of the house – what happened there. Surely it’s a topic they haven’t brushed under the rug and forgotten all about.’

  ‘He’s new, only been in post six months and very young. If you ask me he’s far too young. He will have been told about what happened, but do you think he’ll believe it? If I hadn’t been a part of it myself I would probably think it was an old wives’ tale to scare anyone away. He will only be thinking of the good the church is doing for thos
e poor children. He won’t even have any idea that the church is more than likely sending them to a far worse fate than Hitler’s bombs.’

  Crosby stood up. ‘We need to go up there now even if it’s only to warn the builders or whoever is working on the house. The last thing I want is for bodies to start stacking up again with cause of death on the report “unexplained”. Maybe we can speak to whoever is in charge and tell them what happened seven years ago.’

  ‘I can’t. I’ve been forbidden by the church to talk about it to anyone.’

  ‘What, are they mad?’

  ‘I’m afraid the answer to your question is quite possibly yes.’

  ‘Well you can keep quiet then. I’ll do all the talking. Patrick, we can’t let innocent people back into that house. Did you ever go back and finish?’

  He realised why the good Father was in such a flap – of course they hadn’t. The convent had been boarded up and left to rot. As far as they were concerned no one was going to use it ever again and judging by the look on Patrick’s face he wasn’t convinced that the house was safe enough to be lived in.

  Patrick lifted his head and stared Crosby in the eyes. ‘You know the answer to that without me telling you. I was too afraid; the church didn’t want any bad publicity or to lose any more of the congregation. I’m so ashamed of my cowardliness. If I was half the priest I should be I would have gone back in there and if needed into battle with no concern for my own safety, but I didn’t. I hoped that it would get bored of waiting around in that empty, dark, desolate house and move on of its own accord.’

  ‘Wouldn’t that empty, dark house be the perfect place for a demon to hide?’

  Patrick nodded.

  ‘Then what do you suggest we do, Father? I thought that you’d sent it back to hell that night?’

  ‘So did I, but you have no idea how powerful these things are. I have such terrible dreams about that house and I’m afraid it’s still there, lurking and waiting for the perfect opportunity. Do you think that because they are innocent children and there will be a lot of them that it won’t be interested? After all there was only Agnes, Mary and Edith living there when it happened. Maybe the fact that there’s too much going on will deter it from rearing its head.’