by Hoy, E. S
The fact this Sasha girl had Eve’s number meant she had got very close to Nathan’s mobile in the few short hours they had been apart. She played back the first of her twenty messages, after listening to just the first she deleted the rest. This Sasha was a whacko; she was full of poison sending her death threats and foul mouthed abuse. Turning her phone off again Eve decided her first job on waking would be to get a new phone number. Nathan would then have no way of contacting her, or handing her number out to his groupies.
Five hours later Eve felt rested and had a new number. When she had switched her phone back on there were another fifty messages, but thankfully the network kindly changed her over for free. The only person she gave her new number to was her agent; she would tell Tara when she got in later.
Eve made herself a cup of tea and then sat facing the mountain of mail. She began by sorting it into three piles; junk, bills and important. There was one that puzzled her, it had been sent recorded delivery and was from a solicitor in Northwich, Cheshire. Curious she opened it first, after reading it she sat in silence her mind trying to absorb the information it contained.
Eve’s father had apparently passed away a year ago; the lawyers had found no trace of her mother or sister. Therefore Eve was the only living relative, and so the sole beneficiary of his estate. She was required to contact them immediately and make an appointment to see the solicitor to discuss details.
Eve had only vague memories of her childhood home, it had been a cottage near a railway, she wasn’t sure exactly where. The house felt large at the time but who knows as a child everything feels big. Eve rang the solicitor and arranged an appointment for Saturday; the day after tomorrow. Folding the letter back up; she began working through the rest of the mail, pushing her father to the back of her mind.
Tara was home at four and the two girls had so much to catch up on; it took three mugs of tea before they ran out of gossip. Tara wanted to know whether Eve had met the kitten yet;
“What do you think of Freud, our new addition to the family?” Eve had forgotten about the cat and looked around for it
“Is it a he then?” Tara nodded “I haven’t seen it since I woke” Just then she heard a scratching noise. The girls followed the sound to Eve’s pile of dirty laundry in the basket. In amongst the clothes they found Freud nestled in a pair of her pants. Eve chuckled as she tried to untangle his claws from the lace.
“Great another man wanting inside my underwear” Tara frowned at her with a questioning glance
“You said Nathan asked you out not that he wanted sex with you?” Eve shoved her
“Don’t be silly it’s a turn of phrase, a joke you prude. Blimey Tara you really can tell that you spend too much time with geeks and nerds. You know nothing about the ways of the world” Tara smiled
“That’s the way I like it thank you, I would take a book over a man any day of the week” Eve knew she meant that; Tara was a virgin and probably would stay that way too; unless a male version of herself ever showed up. Eve managed to free the kitten and they went back to the lounge where she told Tara about her father’s death and the letter. Tara was as unemotional as Eve, they had both disconnected from their respective families. Neither girl would feel the loss of a parent,
“I will come with you if you like, just in case he left you millions! No seriously if you want company I don’t mind tagging along.” Eve nodded she would appreciate her being there; it was a big thing raking up her past. Her father had been a nice man from what she remembered, however not nice enough to look after his own daughter.
Eve thought back to the terrible day her parents had hugged her goodbye. They appeared to be distraught but how could that be true if they never came for her like they promised? She recalled her feeling of loss as Isabella left her with the woman at Social Services and then walked away. Eve’s heart had broken into pieces. She had spent the first three weeks away from home living with her sister in a smelly hotel room. Izzy became more anxious as each day came and went without news from their mother. One day Izzy broke down
“Eve I am so sorry it looks like we can’t go home, I can’t get a job and take care of you. You need to start back at school in a weeks’ time and you have no school to go to. Eve I have phoned a lady who is going to find you somewhere to live. She says she has a place for you now, I am going to take you tomorrow and then as soon as things are sorted I will come back for you.”
Isabella had been rejected too, there was no way a nineteen year old could care for her alone. When it first happened she hated her sister, but later in life she grew to understand that Izzy was left with no other option. She wondered what ever happened to her. She had to go it alone all this time too, Eve hoped she had found happiness somehow. The fact the Solicitors couldn’t trace her made her wonder if she had moved abroad, it was certainly a nicer thought than the alternative
Going home would perhaps give her some answers and closure; perhaps this could be the start of something good for her. She wondered how her father died, he must only have been in his late forties early fifties. The other question was; what had happened to her mother? No trace the solicitor said, how could that be? Answers were exactly what Eve needed, and Saturday couldn’t come soon enough.
Saturday morning arrived and the two girls were sat in the solicitor’s reception area. Eve was dressed in her usual multipurpose plain black dress; Tara was fidgeting on the seat next to her. Northwich was a just a small town but they had found it a nightmare to find a car park; the one way system was ludicrous. Mr Dixon welcomed them into his office;
“Miss Purnell we are so glad to have finally found you, I hope our letter didn’t cause you too much distress” Eve shook her head reassuringly “good, that’s good; I realise that you have been estranged for some years. Now your father passed away last January, would you like to know the circumstances at all?”
“Yes I would like to know, just for curiosity, my father sent me away sixteen years ago but I remember him as being quite young.”
“He was actually only forty eight when he died, I am afraid he had a history of drink and drugs. His eventual demise was related to his lifestyle, the coroner specifies an overdose as cause of death. He felt it wasn’t suicide, rather misuse of his quantities. The council took care of his cremation, and costs have been taken from his estate and savings. The money is substantially lower than it was, however there is still a good enough sum for you to enjoy. Mr Purnell was the home owner, and there was no mortgage on the property. The cottage and contents are all yours now; do you wish to see it today at all?” Eve nodded enthusiastically;
“I guess if you have the keys I will go and take a look, is it far away from here?” Eve was shaking, a homeowner was a nice thing to be, but did she really want to own the one that caused her misery? The solicitor fumbled around in his desk and handed her a set of keys
“The address of the property is on the key ring fob, it is in a village called Acton Bridge. I recommend you put the code in your Sat Nav; if you have one. It is a tricky place to find but only ten minutes or so up the road.”
Driving in silence; the two women studied the roads as they were guided to Acton Bridge. The village itself was small and quite rural; with a church and two pubs it was picture perfect. The house was just as Eve remembered, an end terrace cottage backing onto the railway. The station was just behind their garden that’s where Izzy had taken her when they ran away. They pulled into the small driveway in front of a garage and admired the house. Tara was more excited than she was;
“Eve its lovely come on let’s explore” Turning the keys was a strange feeling, her own home if she wanted, how odd. The door swung inwards to the tiny hall; a staircase was directly facing them with a door on either side, they entered the room on the left first. This room was currently the lounge; it was a decent size with a large window, Eve didn’t recognise the sofas but the gaudy carpet was definitely one she remembered. Through an archway was a long galley kitchen, solid wooden units that
were a bit battered but serviceable. This room hadn’t changed at all she recognised the large range and tiled floor. The furnishings throughout were very dated and the smell of smoke and goodness knows what else burnt her nostrils.
Oddly Eve felt no tinge of emotion in the house, but maybe it was because Tara was there. The room on the opposite side of the stairs was a dining room with an open fire; she used to love it when her father lit the fire. The smell of smoke and crackle of wood was comforting. At the back of the dining room through a set of French doors was her mums pride and joy; her conservatory. They were a fad in the ninety’s, anyone who was someone got a conservatory. Eve looked out at the large garden; there was a decent sized patio and generous expanse of lawn that was rather over grown. The place had masses of potential, upstairs were three decent size bedrooms, a main bathroom and a large master suite with shower room. Again the upstairs needed lots of attention but the house itself was sound. Eve had only briefly peeked at the bedrooms; she wanted to be alone when she went into her old bedroom. She knew which one it was as she could see the shapes of the My Little Pony border showing through the cream paint.
“What do you think Tara? Could you live here with me? Its closer to your work too isn’t it?” Tara nodded looking quite excited
“Yes it would save half an hour on my journey easily, it’s good for the motorways, and in fact it is great. I could help you decorate it but we would have to spend lots of money on the bathrooms and kitchen don’t you think?” Eve nodded her wages from the movie plus what her father had left could do most of the work. She had a few weeks free now and could dedicate a lot of time to making the cottage a home.
“We can do this Tara, no rent to pay either think how cashed up we will be, and it will be fab once we have it full of our own things.” After exploring the gardens Eve made some calls on her phone, she found a cleaning company to come out and freshen it up. She also arranged for a local charity to take away some of the furniture and the two beds from upstairs. Then they set off back home to sort out packing boxes in preparation. The move was arranged for two weeks’ time and they were both looking forward to it. A fresh start was what she had hoped for, and that’s what it looked like Eve was finally going to get. Her father owed her and this was the least she deserved.
Chapter 3
The plans for their move were in place, they gave notice to the landlord and preparations were under way. The weekend had been a hive of activity, the girl’s had bought a ton of magnolia paint, rollers and ordered a new pair of curtains for every room. Eve would go alone each day whilst Tara was working then she would join her after to help.
The first day alone in the house, Eve wandered around trying to get a feel for the place. The cleaners had been and gone; and the whole place was gleaming. Standing in the kitchen Eve decided all it needed was fresh paint to brighten up the cupboard doors, it looked so much better now it was clean. The tiled floor looked like new, the oven too. The worktops just needed sanding and oiling to bring the wood back up to good condition.
Eve vaguely recalled her mother being possessive about her kitchen, no one was allowed to cook but her. Eve used to chop the veg and Isabella peeled the potatoes. Smiling she rubbed her hand along the wooden worktops; remembering her mum shouting if she didn’t use the chopping board. There were only happy memories in this room; in fact so far in the house she couldn’t recall a bad one. Going up stairs slowly she wandered into her old bedroom; she pushed the door and stepped inside. She looked fondly at the faded shapes of little pony’s beneath the cream paint. Her father had surprised her with the new décor; it was her seventh birthday. Eve had just come home from school; her father was standing at the bottom of the stairs waiting for her hands on hips;
“Eve we have decided a big girl like you should have something pretty in her bedroom. Do you want to see what I have been doing today for you?” Eve nodded excitedly as he took her hand and led her to her bedroom. Eve stood staring at her bran new room; there were new curtains covered in sparkling stars, a pink carpet and pink walls with a My Little Pony Border. Her new duvet cover matched the curtains and there were three beautifully wrapped gifts on the bed. That was the best birthday Eve had ever had.
Tears were running down her cheeks at the recollection, she walked back down the stairs and sat on the bottom step. All her memories were happy ones so why did they send her away, her tears stopped as she had a sudden flashback to the last time she had sat on this step. She recalled the whispered conversation and the plan for Isabella to take her away and hide. They were supposed to let her know when they could come home but they never did.
Gasping at the sudden recollection Eve had the urge to hunt for answers, odd so far she found no personal effects from her family. She rang the solicitor and spoke to the secretary; apparently they had cleared the house ready for a sale in case no relative was found. All Mr Purnell’s personal belongings were boxed away in the garage. Eve practically ran outside unlocking the side door and took stock of the enormous pile of boxes before her.
There was no way she was doing this now, it could take forever, and she calmed herself down. Sixteen years and she may solve the puzzle but there was no rush, her priority was making the house liveable. Once they were living here she would go through one box at a time whilst Tara was working. Happy with her plan she closed the door and went back to her painting. Half past four came and Tara pulled up outside, she had brought old clothes with her. Grabbing a roller she joined Eve in the main bedroom.
“Hey Eve, you have done well, I will start my room if you like, looks like you are almost done in here” Eve had also painted her old bedroom which would make a decent size guest bedroom.
“I have a plumber coming tomorrow to put a new suite in the main bathroom. The tiles have cleaned up fine so it should only take him a couple of days” Tara was thrilled, the house had improved vastly in a week; just the clean-up and fresh paint had made a huge difference.
By the end of the following week the place was totally transformed, new curtains and pictures had been hung. Eve had colour washed the kitchen cupboards and sanded the worktops waxing them up like new. She had also replaced the carpets, so the 1970’s horror that had graced the downstairs, landing and staircase was finally gone. Now it was a contemporary light and airy cottage with a fresh clean aroma thanks to the pot pourri in every room. Once their beds and possessions arrived tomorrow it would finally be home.
Moving day was hectic but one large truck had sufficed for all their belongings. It was a smooth operation thanks to Tara’s OCD while packing. Every box was clearly labelled and beautifully organised; the removal men were very impressed. Standing in their kitchen with a glass of bubbly in hand the girls made a toast.
“Well it’s midnight we have moved in and our beds are made, frankly that is where I am going as soon as I down this. Tara welcome to Lilac Cottage, our new home. May we have years of fun and a happy life rent free! Thanks dad for finally doing something nice for your daughter.” The girls clinked glasses knocked the cool liquid back then crawled straight to bed exhausted.
Eve was asleep in seconds, her hair still damp from her shower; before long she was tossing and turning. Eve usually slept soundly dream free, tonight was a different story. Her mother was in her dream; exactly as she remembered her. Long dark hair flowing but with a terrified expression on her face.
“Eve help me, please Eve I want to get out of here, I am so glad you came back to see me I love you Eve” Eve sat up the sweat was pouring off her, she shuddered her mother’s voice had felt so real. Turning the light on she noticed a glowing light from outside; getting up she peered out of the window and saw that her garage light was on.
Eve hadn’t been in the garage since Monday, she didn’t even recall putting the light on. It must have been left on by the people who cleared the house. Grabbing her robe she put her shoes on and crept outside. The lock on the side door was really sticky; it took a lot of wrestling to finally turn the key. Pulling the
door open she looked around for the light switch, it was on the left hand wall as she stretched inside to switch it off something fell out of one of the boxes to the floor. Her heart thumping she bent down to pick up a necklace of beads, it was a rosary by the looks of it. The cross had a letter I inscribed; must have been Isabella’s. Eve rolled the beads in her fingers a gust of wind slammed the door shut behind her.
“Shit” Eve shoved against it and it creaked back open, her heart was thudding she wanted out of this garage now. Her hairs were standing on end, Eve wasn’t easily scared but this place was definitely giving her chills. Placing the beads back into a box she turned off the light and hurried back to bed.
Tara was up early for work the following Monday morning. They had spent the day Sunday finishing off all the painting so Eve could finally relax today. Tara brought her a cup of tea before she left; Eve heard her car pull away and sat herself up in bed. Today she was going to start on the boxes in the garage, she still felt nervous after Saturdays strange happenings.
After getting dressed, feeding the cat and wolfing down some toast Eve went outside. The garage door was ajar again; she really needed to get the lock changed. Stepping inside she felt the same prickling down her back. Grabbing the first box she laid her hand on; she carried it back into the conservatory to go through the contents.
Files and paper work, a very boring first box her dad was a salesman; Windows and conservatories and the first box was full of his sales brochures and clients order forms. She put the entire contents in the paper recycling; once she made sure there was nothing of interest hidden in there. Out in the garage there were another three boxes full of the same. There was too much for her small recycling container; so instead she loaded them in her car to take to the tip later.