The Good Sisters

by Helen Phifer

  ‘As much as I want you both to stay with me I’m afraid that you do. It’s not my decision to make. Once the house is sorted then I’ll try my best to see what I can do.’

  ‘Why though? We’ve lived with him for ages. I hate him and I hate Tamara even more. All she cares about is what handbag to use and if her lip fillers need a top-up.’

  Summer looked at her sister. ‘Don’t be a brat; he’s done his best. It wasn’t his fault Mum went off the rails.’

  Kate felt her eyes fill with hot, salty tears. This was what they’d been arguing about whilst she’d been in the shop. Their divided loyalty to her and Martin, and the fact that she’d let them down when they needed her. Never had she felt so ashamed in all of her life. Her arms began to smart as if to remind her of her failed suicide attempt, and she knew then that there was no going back. She’d never touch a drop of alcohol again. It hadn’t helped anything; in fact it had ruined her life.

  ‘Look, please don’t argue. You need to go back with your dad today because if you don’t, Autumn, he won’t let you come back to see me and I’d hate that. I love you both so much it breaks my heart having to let you go.’

  She looked at Summer. ‘I did go off the rails, but there were a lot of reasons for that. Your dad wasn’t a very good husband to me and then Amy found out that she was dying and I just couldn’t cope with it all. One day when you’re old enough to understand I’ll tell you everything. For now I need you to do what your dad tells you and hopefully between the two of us we’ll be able to work things out.’

  ‘What you mean – you’ll get back together with him and we can all live back at home like we used to?’

  ‘No, Summer, I don’t think I could ever get back with your dad. I don’t want to; we don’t really like each other any more. Sometimes even though you’re married you grow apart – and we’ve done that. Maybe we could be friends again. That would be okay, wouldn’t it?’

  Summer nodded her head and Kate knew she would rather befriend Peter Sutcliffe than become friends with Martin again, but the girls didn’t need to know that and for their sakes she would pretend to get along with him.

  Autumn pouted. ‘So we can’t live with you?’

  ‘Not at the moment, I’m sorry.’

  ‘But we can come and see you and go for bike rides and eat sweets?’

  She laughed. ‘Of course you can, whenever your dad allows you to.’

  ‘Okay.’

  Kate stood up. All of sudden she felt exhausted. She needed to go home and have a strong cup of coffee. Her hands were beginning to tremble and her mouth felt parched. An ice-cold glass of wine would make all this real-life stuff not seem so hard to deal with, but the thought of Ollie waiting for her and the fact that she wanted to see her girls again would hopefully be enough to stop the thirst.

  ‘Come on, girls. Let’s go home and get something to eat. I’m starving.’

  Chapter Sixteen

  Kate was nervous. She didn’t want to say goodbye to her girls and she definitely didn’t want to see Martin, but for now she had to do both and put on a brave face. Ollie had been busy all day, stopping briefly for a bacon sandwich then getting straight back to work. She knew he was letting her spend as much time with Summer and Autumn before she had to say goodbye to them and for that she was grateful. Martin’s car approached the house. At least once the girls had gone home she had a visit from Father Joe and Beatrice to look forward to.

  Kate walked the girls to the front door. Summer ran off to hug Martin as he got out of the car. Autumn hung back, clinging on to Kate’s hand. She whispered, ‘I don’t want to leave you.’

  Kate bent down and whispered back, ‘I don’t want you to either, but remember what I said. It won’t be long before you’ll be back. I promise.’

  Martin held out his arms for Autumn, who reluctantly let go of Kate and walked towards him.

  ‘Did you miss me, baby girl?’

  Autumn nodded her head, the whole time watching Kate who smiled at her.

  ‘Say goodbye to your mother then get in the car. I just want a quick chat with her.’

  Both girls ran back to hug and kiss Kate. Kate didn’t think she’d ever wash her cheeks again. Summer grabbed her sister’s hand, dragging her back towards the car where they climbed in. Tamara was watching from the passenger seat, looking as if she was bored already. Martin walked as close to Kate as he could get and sniffed.

  ‘Well, well you don’t even smell like a drunk. I can actually smell your perfume instead of eau de chardonnay.’

  Ollie, who was standing at the top of the stairs listening, clenched his fists.

  ‘No I don’t. I haven’t had a drink for days. I’m afraid that you, Martin, still smell of eau de bullshit though.’

  He laughed. ‘I quite like this new feisty Kate; in fact I think it makes you look sexy as hell when you’re mad at me. What do you say I come back later on when I’ve dropped the girls off for old time’s sake – finish what we started the other night?’

  Ollie began to run down the stairs.

  ‘I say that you go and take your girlfriend and give me a break. You and me have been over since you changed the locks so don’t try and pretend any different. I want to start having regular visits with my daughters and I’m going to a solicitor to make sure that it happens. In the meantime a thank-you would be nice.’

  Ollie appeared at the door. He stood next to Kate, his face a mask of anger. Martin backed away with the palms of his hands in the air.

  ‘Only kidding. No need to go to the solicitor’s just yet. I’m quite happy for the girls to come and spend time with you now that you’re capable of taking care of them. I’ll leave it up to them to arrange it with you.’

  He turned and walked quickly back to the car in case Ollie ran after him. Kate could feel the warmth of Ollie’s arm, which was snaked around her waist, gently clenched against her side to stop her from running after Martin and hitting him with a brick. He got in and began reversing. She waved and blew kisses at the girls, forcing herself to stand there until all she could see were the tail lights of his car. Once they were out of sight she felt herself slump and if it wasn’t for Ollie she would have fallen to the floor and had the biggest screaming tantrum of her life. He pulled her close, holding her head up so she was looking in his eyes.

  ‘That man is a wanker and you were amazing. Don’t listen to a word he said. You’re a wonderful mother and as sexy as hell. I’m falling in love with you, Kate Parker. Those big blue eyes get me every time you smile.’

  He pulled her close enough that his lips pressed against hers and she kissed him back with more passion than she’d ever had in her entire life. She had no idea how this wonderful man had come into her life, but she was eternally grateful that he had. They stayed that way, locked in a passionate embrace until Ethan came up behind them.

  ‘Urgh get a room; that’s disgusting at your age.’

  Kate pulled away, her cheeks burning, and Ollie burst out laughing.

  ‘Jealousy will get you nowhere, mate. You have no idea how to treat a lady. I bet you don’t get a kiss like that after taking your girlfriend to the Italian tonight.’

  Jack started laughing. ‘Haha I bet he won’t. See you tomorrow. Are you guys going to be okay here on your own tonight?’

  Ollie winked at him. ‘I guess so.’

  Kate nudged him in the side and walked back into the house, but Martin’s words were stuck in her head like the blade of a dagger and she couldn’t get them out. All she wanted was an easy life for a change.

  The front door slammed as Ollie closed it after the lads. He wandered into the kitchen where she was standing, gripping the sink and staring out into the back garden. He walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her. ‘You’re girls are amazing, just like you.’

  The tears that she’d tried so hard to contain all day began to run down her cheeks and she whispered, ‘Thank you.’ He held her close, feeling her frail body trembling as she cried silent tears.
She finally turned to look at him. He kissed her again and held her tight.

  ‘You look exhausted. Should I take you to bed for a rest?’

  Lifting her sleeve she wiped her cheeks and blotted her eyes. ‘There is nothing more that I’d like right now than to go to bed with you to keep me company, but Father Joe and Beatrice from the post office – who thinks you’re rather handsome – are coming soon, so I better go and sort myself out.’

  He kissed her forehead. ‘Does she now? The dark horse – well I suppose I better contain my lust and behave myself. At least until she’s left. Why are they both coming?’

  ‘They’re not coming together; I just ended up inviting them both. Beatrice is going to fill me in on the sordid history of this place, although I’m not sure I really want to know the more I think about it. She said that she doesn’t want to be here when it gets dark though and that scared me even more.’

  ‘What about the vicar?’

  ‘He said he needed to speak with me about it as well. The more I hear the more I feel sick. Surely after all this time it’s okay? I mean I love this place. It’s looking so much better with all the work you’ve been doing. It’s my dream home. I never thought I’d be able to live in a place like this so I don’t want to sell it or abandon it. I want to make it a good place to be. If it was a convent it must have been a good place once upon a time.’

  ‘We’ll see what they say and take it from there. It is a fabulous house and you deserve to live in a wonderful home because you’ve had a crap time. I thought my life was bad, but at least Ellen died knowing that we still loved each other completely. Martin is the meanest person I’ve ever met. He comes across as one of the lads and a good bloke, but you don’t treat women the way he treats you. It’s so wrong and he makes me feel so violent.’

  Kate began to laugh. ‘He’s not worth it. He never was and never has been. He thinks because he’s got money he can treat everyone like that. I’d hate you to get into trouble because of him.’

  ‘Trust me I’ve never been in trouble, but it’s something I’m willing to take a chance on – and besides I’m not stupid. I’d drag him down a dark alley where there’s no cameras.’

  A knock on the door echoed throughout the house and Kate looked at Ollie. He reached out to squeeze her hand. ‘Whatever it is we can deal with it. I’m here to help you now. I won’t leave you on your own.’

  She stood up. ‘Thank you.’

  ***

  He watched her walking away and hoped that they could deal with whatever it was that was happening, because he’d never experienced anything like it. He heard the loud chatty voice of the woman from the post office whose name he’d never taken much notice of until Kate had mentioned it. Kate led her into the kitchen where he was filling the kettle.

  ‘Hello, I’m Ollie. I’ll leave you ladies to it, should I?’

  Kate shook her head. ‘I’d rather you stayed. This involves you, Ollie.’

  ‘If you’re sure?’

  ‘I’m sure.’

  He walked over and kissed the top of her head and watched Beatrice’s eyes fly wide open in surprise. ‘Now would you like tea or coffee?’

  ‘Coffee would be nice, thank you. I didn’t realise that you two were…well I don’t know why I would. It’s none of my business, is it? I have a reputation as a nosy old crow, but it’s just my nature. I’m naturally inquisitive and there isn’t anything you don’t find out when you work in the busiest shop in the village. You know I think you two make a lovely couple and I’m glad that you’ve found each other. It’s your love that will see you through this mess and you do love each other. I can see it in your eyes.’

  She stared at Ollie. ‘Ellen said that you have her blessing. She thinks you both make a great couple as well.’

  The mug he had been holding crashed to the floor, breaking into many pieces. He turned around, his mouth open, and looked at Beatrice to see if she was playing some kind of sick joke, but the woman looked embarrassed.

  ‘Oh dear, I’m sorry. Sometimes it just happens and the words come out before I can think about the consequences. I didn’t mean to upset you. She’s here with us right now though and she said that Kate needs your help, but you need hers as well. I’m not sure what that means. Do you understand any of it?’

  Ollie sat down, his mouth open. He couldn’t stop staring at Beatrice. ‘Yes, sort of. I thought I heard Ellen whisper that in my ear a few days ago when I was at home, but how do you know that?’

  Her cheeks had flushed pink. ‘Believe it or not this isn’t common knowledge. I’m a medium – and no jokes about how am I sure that I’m not a large, please.’

  Kate looked at Ollie. Reaching her hand out she held on to his.

  ‘You’re a psychic medium?’

  ‘Yes, since I was a girl. I don’t always listen to what the spirits have to say. They can get a bit noisy. Ellen is standing right behind you, Ollie. Her left hand is on your shoulder and she’s relieved to see you happy. She said it feels as if a weight’s been lifted from her shoulders.’

  His fingers lifted up and he touched his shoulder.

  ‘Ellen wants you to know that you were a wonderful husband and she loved you dearly, but she couldn’t stand to see you alone and in your own little world. She said you deserve to be happy and she’s glad she had a helping hand in getting you and Kate together. She also wants you to know that there is something bad in this house. She doesn’t know what exactly. It hides out of sight most of the time because it needs inviting in again, but the nun is nice and she’s trying to help Kate.’

  The shock had made his normally tanned face drain of every bit of colour. Kate, who couldn’t stop staring behind Ollie, didn’t seem to know what to do.

  ‘Is she pain free and happy?’

  Beatrice nodded. ‘Yes, very. It was a bit of a shock at first, but finding that she could flit between this world and theirs has been a huge help. You’re to get on with your life, look after Kate like she deserves and be very careful. What was that, dear? Oh yes and she said that seeing you with Kate’s daughters made her very happy. You would make an amazing dad.’

  Ollie turned around hoping to see Ellen, but there was nothing there.

  ‘She’s gone, said that it’s time to let you get on with your life. She will be around if you ever need her though. I’m sorry if I’ve upset you. I didn’t mean to.’

  He looked at Kate, who shrugged. Then he turned to Beatrice.

  ‘No, well I’m upset, but not because of that. I’ve been feeling so guilty that I was betraying Ellen by being so happy and falling in love with Kate. Thank you.’

  Beatrice grinned. ‘Glad to be of some use. Now let me get on and tell you what I came here for. Although I have a sneaky feeling Ellen engineered this meeting so she could tell you herself. She is a very determined lady.’

  Ollie laughed. ‘Yes, she is and always was. I can’t believe it. I never even imagined this stuff happened for real.’

  He clenched Kate’s hand, feeling as if the worry about letting Ellen down had finally been lifted. She liked Kate and wanted him to be happy. What more could he ask for?

  ‘Beatrice, this house – did you know about the severed head the lads working for Ollie found a few days ago?’

  ‘Not officially. I heard there was a bit of a commotion up here the other night. That would make sense. Have they reunited it with her body yet?’

  ‘I think so. The detective who phoned yesterday said they would be doing it today.’

  ‘That’s good. The nun who we are talking about was the mother superior for this convent and by all accounts she was a very good woman. The only way this thing can be fought is if they bury her head in its rightful place. It will give her the strength to fight the darkness in this house for good and banish it.’

  Beatrice looked around the kitchen, which was full of light and was safe for now. When the lights went out though it was a different matter.

  ‘Kate, I’m a very strong believer that things
happen for a reason. There is a reason you were led to this house and why you are the owner. I think that Agnes believes that too. I can’t hear her properly, but I can see that she wants you to be the one to banish the evil that hides inside here for good.’

  ***

  A sharp pain in Kate’s head made her feel faint. She felt the flow of blood running down her arms and stood up, turning quickly so Beatrice wouldn’t see the bright red stream of warm liquid that was seeping through the sleeve of her top. She could hear Ollie’s voice behind her, but it sounded fuzzy. Her legs gave way and she collapsed to the floor.

  ‘Kate.’

  She couldn’t speak because she had realised herself all along there had been a reason she’d discovered this house. The evil inside it knew that and wanted to hurt her. It was afraid of her and what she might be able to do. It wanted her dead and she knew that it wanted to take over her completely.

  ***

  Ollie jumped up and ran to her. Kneeling down he lifted her head into his lap.

  ‘What’s happening? I don’t understand.’

  He took out his phone and rang for an ambulance. Kate was unconscious. Beatrice began searching through the cupboards until she found a bottle of brandy tucked away at the back. She ran across to Ollie and passed him the bottle.

  ‘Give her some of that; it might bring her round.’

  He passed the bottle back. ‘I can’t; she’s a recovering alcoholic. I don’t want her to get the taste of it again when she’s doing so well.’

  Beatrice straightened up, freezing as she looked in the direction of the stairs. She whispered, ‘You need to get Kate out of here. Whatever it is knows everything about her and is trying its very best to sabotage her. It won’t stop. It thrives off making people’s worst nightmares come true and it’s doing its very best to take control of Kate.’

  The light in the room began to fade and Ollie looked up to see a huge, black mass forming at the bottom of the stairs, blocking the front door. Panic filled his chest and he was about to scoop Kate up into his arms and run out of the back door with her when a brilliant white light filled the kitchen. It blocked out the darkness, stopping it from spreading. Both Ollie and Beatrice had to squeeze their eyes shut. A loud, guttural growl filled the air, making Ollie’s heart skip a beat. The atmosphere, which had been unbearable moments ago, felt much lighter. The room felt peaceful. Standing on the other side of the kitchen door was Joe, who had his crucifix and Bible clutched to his chest.