Leave the Last Page

by Stephen Barnard

  ‘Look at the lid,’ said Tom.

  The old man closed the box. The ornate carvings of elephants had been replaced. With dragons, or at least creatures that seemed to be mix between dragons and dinosaurs. The old man squeaked: ‘What on earth is going on here? What are you two up to?’

  Then the doorbell tinkled.

  Stood in the doorway was a pale man in a black suit. ‘Sorry I’m a little late,’ he said, removing gloves from his uncommonly large hands. ‘I had some other dealings to attend to. But now I’m here…’ He stretched out his arms as if awaiting an embrace. ‘Let’s do business!’

  A ferocious wind blew through the shop, sending antiques and artefacts toppling. The old man squealed as he tried to prevent things from falling off his shelves.

  The wooden box slid off the cabinet. As it hit the floor the lid flipped open. The dagger in its tusk sheath started to wobble. ‘Grab it, Tom!’ shouted Patty.

  Tom made a lunge for the box. He got his fingers inside, but then the lid slammed shut, crunching against his knuckles. He screamed in pain.

  The man in black chuckled as he walked through the store. ‘An old lady and a boy? Really? Is that all I have to contend with?’ He swirled his long fingers. The box lid sprang open, and then snapped down again. Tom gritted his teeth as tears formed. When it opened again he removed his hand swiftly and tucked it under his armpit.

  The tusk lifted out of the box and flew towards Kildark’s outstretched hand.

  It never got there though. A whack from a walking stick sent it flying onto an empty shelf.

  Grandma Patty stepped in front of him. ‘Before you take something else, I think you have something to return. To me.’

  He smiled. The corners of his mouth stretched unnaturally wide and exposed sharp teeth. ‘I’m rather taken with your mother’s necklace. I think I’ll be keeping it.’

  He moved his arm towards the tusk, but Patty batted it down with the stick. Kildark withdrew his arm, looking mildly irritated like you would at a buzzing fly. She sidestepped to catch his eye again. ‘What do you want with the necklace? Do you even know?’

  This seemed to annoy him. ‘Get out of my way, hag!’ The force from his booming voice sent her flying backwards; she landed in a pile of rare books that had toppled from one of the shelves.

  This time when Kildark stretched out his arm for the tusk, nothing stopped it. His long fingers closed around the horn shape. With the other hand he unsheathed the blade. ‘I do like shiny things!’

  He was about to fit it back together, but stopped as Tom got closer. ‘You’re brave!’ shouted the boy. ‘Taking on pensioners! Sending them sprawling!’ Tom had just dragged the old man out from under a collapsed shelving unit.

  Amused, Kildark exposed the full blade of the dagger. ‘And should I now take on a young boy? Slit his soft throat?’

  ‘If that’s the kind of coward you are!’ The weapon did look frightening in Kildark’s hands though. Tom did his best to control his frantic breathing. ‘I’m ready for you!’

  The man in the black suit laughed. ‘Oh dear! I think you’ve watched too many movies, my lad. The odds are against you here, and you don’t get to win. I don’t care about being cowardly, or about not being brave. You see, that’s the concern of heroes, and I am clearly a villain.’ Then the smile fell from his face. His voice became gritty. ‘I could gut you before you felt the first bite of cold steel. I could eat your heart while it was still beating.’

  Tom involuntarily took a step back.

  However, Kildark sheathed the blade fully, and tucked it inside his jacket. ‘But I’m not going to do that. It would be too easy. Instead I fancy more of a sport. Perhaps an enraged father and a persistent policeman? Their struggle – albeit brief – would be more satisfying than you mismatched pair!’ Patty had hobbled over to Tom and now stood beside him. ‘How comical you both look.’

  A voice squeaked from behind them. ‘Get out of my shop!’

  They turned to see the old man, spectacles askew on his long and reddened nose, advance towards them. Held out in front of him was the oldest looking shotgun Tom had ever seen. ‘You might want to duck!’ shouted the shopkeeper.

  They ducked.

  The sound of the shot boomed around the room, and the shop window exploded outwards.

  The man in the black suit was nowhere to be seen. ‘Where’d that rapscallion go?’ bellowed the old man. ‘He disappeared into thin air!’

  Patty uncovered her ears. ‘I think he tends to do that.’

  They heard a car engine roar outside, then a large black shape whizzed past the window.

  Patty and Tom helped each other to their feet. She noticed Tom’s red and swollen fingers. ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘I’ll live.’

  Grandma Patty screwed up her face a little. ‘Hmm. While we’re on the subject, I think it’s now worth asking: does anyone die in your version of the story, Tom?’

  He shook his head. ‘No, but nobody gets their fingers crushed either.’

  ‘Indeed. According to the story he should have got here first, but instead we did.’ She looked around at the destruction in the shop that the old man was now trying to put right, picking up broken bits and cursing under his breath as he did so. ‘And look at the mess he caused.’

  ‘He said he was late because he had something else to deal with. But there’s nothing else for him to do in the story.’

  Grandma Patty led Tom towards the door, now hanging from its hinges. ‘He didn’t like it when I asked him about his motives for stealing the necklace. I don’t think he likes being restricted by what’s in your story, Tom.’

  The breeze on their faces was welcome. ‘He mentioned an enraged father. Do you think that’s my dad? Is that why he was late?’

  ‘It’s possible. If he hasn’t been there already, I think it might be where he’s going next, even if it’s not in your notebook.’

  Grandma Patty put an arm on Tom’s shoulder. ‘I think it’s time we took you back home.’

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  BEN GAVE THE HOLLIDAYS SOME SPACE.

  When they’d reached the family home, Alex and Charlotte had embraced each other, and quickly exchanged questions about each other’s wellbeing. As they hugged again, Ben volunteered to put the kettle on and slipped into the kitchen.

  As he made the drinks he took the opportunity to send his son, Daniel, a text. Hope ur ok. Shud b back 4 dinner. Will get pizza. Dan went back to his mother’s the day after tomorrow, and as much as he felt he had to help the Hollidays, he knew he needed to spend some more time with his own son. I need to get him off that damn computer and get him talking, he thought. Giving him an update on today’s crazy events would do that. Dan was hooked on this case – as well as Ben – having helped out already with the last breath lead.

  He sent him another: wait til I tell you about today.

  Only, today wasn’t over yet. Far from it. This Kildare – Kildark – character was likely to show up shortly. And what would happen then? Nothing from years of conventional police work was giving Ben any insight. They would just have to make the best of the situation when it arose.

  He went into the living room with the mugs.

  Alex took his drink. ‘Charlie, tell Ben what you’ve just said.’

  She was twirling what Ben assumed was Kildare’s business card around in her fingers. ‘He said he had the answers to all our money worries.’ She looked at Alex when she said that and he bristled a little. Ben remembered what Alex had told him about hiding some of the facts of his failing business from his wife. She was clearly in the picture now. ‘He said that he would be back as soon as Alex returned, with a life-changing offer. He said he’d give us what we wanted.’

  ‘Do you think he has Tom?’ asked Alex.

  Ben shrugged. ‘According to the story, and what we saw, Tom and Patty are still in pursuit of him.’

  ‘That’s what I thought.’ Alex’s eyes grew large. ‘So when he gets here, if we could keep h
im here…’

  ‘Tom and Patty might soon follow,’ finished Charlotte. She spoke to Ben, but put her hand on her husband’s knee. ‘Alex tells me you saw him walk?’

  ‘It was, I don’t know, a projection of some sort, an image, but yes, walking by his grandmother’s side.’

  She blinked back tears and nodded.

  Alex stood up abruptly. ‘I’m going outside. To check the perimeter of the house. Maybe I’ll see him coming.’ He left quickly.

  Charlotte warmed her hands on her tea. She looked thoughtful as she took a sip. ‘Alex is a good man,’ she said.

  ‘I know,’ replied Ben, feeling a little uncomfortable.

  ‘Tom wasn’t born paralysed. He walked for ten months. It was lovely.’ She stared into her cup. ‘Like everyone, that’s the time when you make your house safe for your little one. Extra cupboard locks, higher shelves, fireguards, stair gates…’

  She watched through the living room window as Alex strode across the front lawn. ‘He blames himself, despite what the investigation proved. He was the one that fitted the stair gate, after all. He should have seen that it was faulty. He should have tested it more robustly. He even went so far as to blame himself for not having the wooden stairs carpeted – maybe that might have made all the difference.’

  Ben understood. ‘I think parents never stop doing that, when things go wrong.’

  ‘Oh I know that, Detective Fields.’ Her tone had changed a little. ‘I knew that Patty was going to take Tom out yesterday and I just let it happen. I could have put my foot down with Patty, or with Alex and insisted that Tom spent the day with friends and not his unreliable mother.’

  ‘None of this is anybody’s fault. You mustn’t blame yourself, either of you. I think Tom’s going to come home today.’ He knew he should never suggest such a thing in his line of work; it was important not to give false hope. But he wasn’t working. And he did believe it.

  ‘I hope so, Ben. I don’t think I can go another night without him.’ She dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve. ‘I’m also worried that Alex is going to lose his mind. I tell him all the time that he’s a great father, but he never seems to believe it. He knows he could do more, be around more, but I understand how hard he works. I would never ask him to sacrifice what he does just for us. I think he just wishes he could be two different people, be in two different places at once.’

  Ben thought about Daniel. ‘I know how he feels.’

  At that point they heard the front door open. Alex came back into the living room. ‘There’s a black car parked outside. I think it’s an Alfa Romeo Spider.’

  Ben got to his feet. ‘That’s our guy.’

  The three of them stood in front of the living room window looking at the car parked on the other side of the road. It was still, and there was nobody in the driver’s seat.

  ‘Did you see him?’ Ben asked.

  ‘No. One second the road was clear, then the next time I looked, there it was. It was like it just appeared out of thin air.’

  ‘I have a habit of doing that.’

  The three of them whirled round. Charlotte fell backwards onto the window sill. Alex took a step forward, but Ben held him back with an outstretched arm.

  Sat on the sofa was the man in the black suit. Cross-legged, he thrummed his fingers against his knee. A foot rested on the coffee table. His grin brought goosebumps to Ben’s flesh.

  ‘How did you get in?’ demanded Alex.

  ‘There are many things that I can do that your little mind couldn’t comprehend. There’ll be many questions you will have that the answering of which would be pointless for your meagre intellect. In this instance however, your back door was unlocked. Please sit. This is your house, after all.’

  Ben locked eyes with Alex. ‘It’s alright. Let’s just talk to him.’

  They took seats around the room, none of them daring to sit too close to the unwelcome visitor. He leant forward though and extended an arm to Ben. ‘My business card,’ he said. ‘The Hollidays already have one.’ The detective pocketed it without looking at it; he didn’t dare take his eyes off him.

  The man in black rubbed his hands together. ‘Shall I begin? Why not. I have something that you need. You have troubles that I can solve for you. You need money-’

  ‘How do you know this about me?’ asked Alex.

  ‘How I know doesn’t matter. And as I have said, you can’t presume to understand. Let us just deal with what I do know.’

  ‘Money doesn’t matter,’ said Charlotte. ‘We just want our boy.’

  ‘Of course – a mother’s love. Him, I don’t have, but he’s close. I can sense it.’

  Alex grabbed Charlotte’s hand. ‘Then when he’s home we won’t have any more troubles.’

  Kildark laughed. ‘How amusing! All of these things that you want and wish for are – if not literally – in my hands…’ His fingers grew from his outstretched palms. ‘…and I’ll decide who gets what.’

  Ben saw the Hollidays recoil from the abnormal fingers and then deflate a little. He took up the conversation on their behalf. ‘So then what do you want? Why are you here?’

  ‘What I want is what we all want: answers. And I’d be willing to trade for the right answer, if you have it.’

  ‘Go on.’

  ‘You are weak where I am strong, but there is a more powerful force at work here. The thing that brought me to this pathetic world of yours. I would have it, and I think you know what it is. Give it to me, and the boy is yours.’

  Ben jumped in before the Hollidays could answer. He didn’t want them to give this man too much, even if he promised them Tom. ‘I’m a police detective and I’m in charge of this case. The origin of this mess was you, when you blew open the doors of the Sunnyside Care Home. Only you know why you did that. I was hoping you’d tell us.’

  The man in black continued to grin, but Ben thought he didn’t look as sure of himself as he did before. ‘Very good, detective, but I know you have more for me. You would not have been three paces behind us all this time if you had not. Even if I did have to pick you up and help you out once before.’ He smirked. ‘Won’t you help me now?’

  ‘We don’t know what-’

  ‘You know!’ he bellowed. His enlarged fist smashed through the coffee table. ‘You know what brought me here, so tell me!’

  Alex scoffed. ‘But you are strong and we are weak.’

  ‘Don’t make me show you how strong, little man. Don’t make me show your boy how strong. Again.’

  Charlotte gasped for breath. ‘Have you hurt him?’

  ‘Not much. Tell me what you know and I’ll leave him alone.’

  Ben stood up. ‘Tell him nothing, Charlotte. We can’t trust him. He’ll do what he wants, whatever we say.’ The detective stared at Kildark. ‘You don’t know why you’re here, you don’t know exactly what you’re doing, and you don’t know how this ends, and that worries you. You’re not in charge and you don’t like it.’

  The man in black stood up, face to face with Ben. ‘No, I don’t like it, but that doesn’t mean I have to accept it. Nobody tells me what to do. Nobody influences my actions. Nobody! If I have to kill Thomas Holliday to prove that, I will do.’

  The parents reacted emotionally: a hand over the mouth of the mother and the father scrambling to his feet. Ben held out his arm indicating that Alex should stand down. The detective then continued his verbal exchange with the stranger. ‘Yes, you might do that, but what if you’re supposed to kill the boy? What if that is what you’re expected to do? The force that controls you will make you do that, if that is what it wants.’

  Kildark growled into Ben’s face. His teeth had been shiny and white, but up close Ben saw something else in his mouth. Ben saw fangs, and a forked tongue. Ben smelled rotting meat on this creature’s breath. This was no man.

  ‘This is not the end, Detective Benedict Fields. For you, for the Holliday family, or your own son.’ Kildark must have seen Ben’s look falter. ‘That’s right, B
enedict. I may not know everything, but I know enough to beat all of you foolish insects.’ He pushed Ben across the room so that he slammed back into the armchair he had been sat in.

  Kildark sniffed the air. ‘The boy and his grandmother approach. If I remain here I’ll be leading them back home. Of course, if we were helping each other I would stay. However…’

  He marched through the living room towards the front door. He almost tore it off its hinges.

  Charlotte looked imploringly at Ben. ‘Don’t let him go.’

  Kildark was halfway across the front lawn when Ben caught up with him. He had his handcuffs ready, and when he spun the man in black around he snapped a cuff on his wrist. ‘You’re staying here. I’ll let you go when Tom and Patty are home.’

  Then Ben felt a tightening in his stomach and a fire burning there.

  He looked down.

  Protruding from his belly was an inch of blade and a jewelled handle.

  Kildark’s wrist expanded and the cuff snapped. He opened up his jacket to reveal an empty sheath in the shape of a large tusk. He grabbed the ornate handle and removed the dagger from Ben’s gut. Ben grunted and sagged as the blood poured freely. Kildark replaced the dagger in its tusk.

  ‘Was that expected, Benedict? Did the power you speak of make me do that? Ponder it if you wish, while you die.’

  Ben’s hands were wet with hot blood as he held on to his stinging stomach. His throat tightened and his vision blurred.

  Daniel, he thought, as he slumped to the cold grass.

  Dan the Man.

  Danny-Boy.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  PATTY AND TOM WERE ON ANOTHER BUS, THIS TIME HEADING HOME.

  It had been quite an adventure – chasing the black-suited man across town, avoiding wolves, battling giant tramps and hunting for artefacts – but now Tom would probably have to put that to rest and slip back into his old life. There was no way his mum and dad were going to let him out of their sight once he got back to the house.

  But the story’s not over yet.

  This much he knew, but recalling all the details from the notebook pages yet to come was proving difficult. Yes, he’d written it – finished it only three days ago, in fact, but remembering the ending was tough. And the pages were still blank, even though he knew that they had once contained a plentiful amount of ink and smudges. He was sure that somehow his memory had been wiped.