“It makes it so cosy, doesn’t it?” she replied in a trance.
“Yes, it’s really great.” Max smiled as he watched Greta gliding around in her bare feet on the carpets.
“Even the drawing room is so much more homely. Particularly now that horrible mirror isn’t in there any more.”
“Yes, the remains are in the dustbin. So it won’t frighten you again. Hey, maybe you caught sight of your own reflection and that’s what scared you. It might have even scared Nonie! Seeing your ugly mug staring out at her!”
Greta picked up one of her shoes and threw it at Max. Her aim was poor and it missed him by miles.
“Mind the floor. Don’t want any dust on it!” he laughed.
“I don’t deserve you!” Greta replied.
“No, you don’t. After all, who in their right mind would have bought you a country cottage in the middle of nowhere on a beautiful island?”
“I really do appreciate everything, Max. I might not show it at times, but believe me, I do.”
Max walked over and took Greta into his arms. He gazed into her eyes, held her face between his hands and gently kissed her.
“I would do anything for you, you daft creature. You might be a complete pain in the arse; but I wouldn’t have you any other way!”
“You’ll have me in tears next,” Greta whispered.
“No, I couldn’t cope with any more water. We’ve had enough in the kitchen to sink a small ship. Now, go and collect Nonie. We have one more job to do and you know exactly what it is.”
“Okay. I won’t be long.”
Max kissed Greta on the cheek.
“Missing you already!”
She raised her hand as she walked out of the back door.
“Shoes!” Max reminded her.
“Thanks, nearly forgot!” Greta hopped on one foot and then the other, replacing her shoes on her feet, after retrieving her failed missile from the corner of the porch.
“Keys!” Max yelled.
“In the car,” was the response.
“Bye!”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Nonie, Max and Greta were stood in the kitchen around the well. Nonie was looking around the room. Max stared at the hole in the floor and Greta was wringing her hands in anticipation.
“Okay, what’s the plan, Nonie?” Max broke the silence.
Nonie looked incredulously at Max. “Plan? You can’t plan anything with the spirit world. It just happens. He will make things happen. We’ll just have to be patient.”
“I thought all good investigators had a plan! Ah well, so how long will it take?” Max pursed his lips.
“Who knows… hang on a minute…” Nonie took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “I think we might have something.”
She paused and remained still. The kitchen was in silence. At length, Nonie nodded as though she was being given an instruction.
“I have just been in communication with Willow and Evie.”
“And?” Max prompted.
“They are saying Barnabas is here, but I can’t pick up on him yet.”
“Perhaps he is playing hide and seek!” Max was inflicted with a thump on the arm from Greta.
“Now is not the time to mess about, Max!” Nonie sternly warned. “Not if you want Barnabas out of here.”
Max put up his arms in submission.
“Okay, okay, I will shut up.”
Nonie closed her eyes again and began to concentrate.
“Shall I put the kettle on?” Max asked.
“Shush! Please, Max!” Nonie opened her eyes and glared at him. She resumed her stance and closed her eyes once again.
“Are you sensing anything, Greta?” she whispered.
Greta looked at Max.
“Sorry, no. Nothing.”
“Okay…” Nonie replied. “Are you sure?”
“Yes! I am completely sure.”
There was a faint rumbling sound.
“Sorry! That’s my stomach!” Max burst out laughing.
“Oh, for the love of god!” Nonie opened her eyes. “I really cannot concentrate on anything with you here, Max. Can you step outside for a while, please? I need to clear my head.”
“Sure. In fact, I’ll nip up to the pub and grab some sandwiches. I’m starving. Do you want me to bring you anything back?” He looked at Greta, who was shaking her head in annoyance.
“See you later, Max.” She indicated for him to leave by looking at the door, before Nonie lost her temper.
Nonie waited until Max was driving up the track before she spoke.
“Sorry, Greta. Max was blocking everything. He has a lot of negative energy around him and it doesn’t help when I am trying to summon Barnabas.”
“It’s all right, Nonie. Max is not the best person to have around at a time like this. He thinks it’s all a big joke. Anyway, how are you going to move Barnabas on?”
“I think a lot of the trouble is centring around the box of bits in the tunnel. He appears to be protecting them. I think if we were to move them from the cottage, he might just leave too.”
“Well, we’ll have to wait until Max comes back as the box is quite heavy and I haven’t the strength to carry it up the ladder from the tunnel. I can’t see that it would make much difference. He did say before that he only stored rum and tobacco there, nothing more than that.” Greta didn’t want to entertain Nonie being involved in the knowledge of the gold.
“Oh, okay.” Nonie sounded disappointed. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so keen for Max to leave, in that case.”
“Well, can you try again to summon Barnabas? Don’t forget you have a ferry to catch this evening.”
Nonie nodded and closed her eyes. In a trice, her body froze. With her arms held tightly to her sides, her body rose upward and she transformed into Barnabas. She spoke in his voice.
“Why are you still here? Did you not heed the warnings?”
“We own Greenacres. We won’t be leaving here,” Greta replied, staring at the upright figure of Nonie. She looked like she was being suspended in thin air. Her feet were hardly touching the ground. She still clutched hold of her handbag.
“You must leave here, immediately! Before it is too late!” Barnabas dictated.
“No, I think you misunderstand us. You must leave, Barnabas. You, not us.” Greta stood her ground.
“I cannot leave; I told you I am damned to stay here, forever.”
“Well, I’m sorry but it’s time for you to leave us; to leave this world. You are being given the chance to leave. You must look to the light. When you see it, you must follow it. Over the bridge, follow the light, Barnabas. You will find peace there. You are in the wrong place here. You have been stuck here for so long. You must be exhausted. For you to rest in peace, you must walk towards the light. Do you see it? Now go, follow it. It is your exit from this world. Take this opportunity. Go!”
Greta stood with bated breath. Nonie was still standing to attention with her arms at her sides. She was breathing erratically. Her eyes remained closed.
“Follow the light, Barnabas!” Greta repeated. “You will find peace there!”
There was silence. Nonie released her clutch on the handbag and it dropped to the floor. It startled Nonie, who opened her eyes. She held her forehead and blinked.
“Has he gone?” Greta whispered.
“Yes, I believe he has,” Nonie replied.
Greta handed Nonie a glass of water. She took it and drank it straight down without breathing.
“Fantastic! He has actually gone,” Greta sighed.
Nonie leant against the kitchen work surface. She rummaged around in her handbag and took out one of the pink pills and swallowed it without water. She made a face.
“Ergh! Okay, my job is done here. Barnabas has gone.”
“Great. Right, well. I’ll take you to the ferry terminal. You might just catch the 6 o’clock sailing from Ryde Pier Head. Ready?” Greta asked.
“I’m ready,” Nonie smiled.
“Here. I think this should cover your expenses,” Greta handed Nonie a folding of notes.
Nonie gratefully took the money without counting it and placed it in her handbag.
“He won’t come back again, will he?” Greta needed reassurance.
“No, not now.” Nonie spoke with a choked voice.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, just exhausted, dear. It has been a bit hectic these last few days.” Nonie gathered up her handbag, straightened her jacket and smiled up at Greta. “Let’s hit the road.”
They met Max driving down the track. Greta opened the window on the car and called out.
“All clear! Barnabas has gone. I’m taking Nonie back to the ferry.”
“Oh right, good stuff. Thanks Nonie, nice to have made your acquaintance!” Max called from his car. “Safe journey back to England!”
“Goodbye, Max. Good luck!” Nonie responded.
“Thank you. But I don’t need it!” Max waved.
“You might do,” Nonie uttered under her breath.
Greta didn’t take any notice of the exchange. They drove in silence to Ryde. Greta parked the car at the pier head, opened the boot and took out Nonie’s luggage.
“Thanks for you help, Nonie.” Greta kissed her on the cheek.
“You’re welcome, my dear.”
“You’ll keep in touch?” Greta asked.
“Course I will, dear.” Nonie smiled and took the case from Greta. “Ah good, the ferry’s in. Goodbye!”
Greta watched the little figure walking along the gangplank and handing her ticket to the steward dressed in a fluorescent waistcoat. She got back into her car and watched as the vessel left the pier, smoke billowing from its vertical exhaust pipes as the engines burst into life.
“I sincerely hope I don’t have to see you again,” Greta thought to herself as the catamaran disappeared across the Solent.
Max was in the kitchen at Greenacres when he heard a strange noise coming from the drawing room. He put down his half-eaten sandwich and decided to investigate. When he walked into the room, he couldn’t see anything. He concluded it must have been the wind blowing against the windows. It was starting to get dark and the wind speed had strengthened considerably in the last half hour.
“Must be a storm brewing,” he mumbled and walked back to the kitchen.
He hadn’t noticed the small black figure running stealthily from the back door, through the kitchen and disappearing down into the well hole. The athletic figure deftly scaled the ladder and reached the passage floor in double quick time. Rolling onto its side and onto its feet, the figure resumed a crouched stance and looked around in a searching fashion.
Max put the kettle on and spooned coffee into a cup.
The figure drew out a knife and held it at arm’s length. It inched its way along the passage, placing one foot slowly in front of the other, looking back as it made its way towards the wooden door.
Max added a spoonful of sugar.
The figure held the knife to the latch and levered the door open in silence. Dust fell sparingly from around the frame. The figure crept into the room and lit a match.
The kettle boiled and Max poured the boiling water into the cup.
Staring around the space, Ardi spotted the wooden box on the floor. She crouched in front of it and slowly lifted the lid. She gasped in awe at the gold, which shone back at her from inside the box. The match extinguished and Ardi reached for a pocket torch from inside her leather jacket. She shone the light onto the gold and thrust her hand through the layers. She smiled and nodded to herself.
“Thees is my ticket out of ‘ere,” she whispered and pulled a cloth bag from inside her jacket. She filled it until it brimmed with coins and jewels. She tied the bag with a piece of rope and pulled it hard so it knotted. She thrust a handful of coins inside her jacket pocket and zipped it up.
Max added a dash of long-lasting milk. He made a face.
“Ergh, give me real milk any time… what the…!” He heard another noise coming from the drawing room. He decided to reinvestigate, given Greenacres’ past history of events and happenings. Walking back to the kitchen he was distracted by his mobile phone ringing in his trouser pocket. He stopped to answer it. Greta was on the end of the line.
“Hey! Have you got visitors?” she asked.
“No, not that I am aware of,” Max replied. “Why?”
“Because I am driving down the track and there is a motorbike parked in the front yard,” Greta replied.
“I haven’t seen anyone. No one has knocked on the door.”
“No matter. I’ll be there in a tick, so I can find out who it is.” Greta ended the call.
Max made a face and placed his phone back into his pocket. He walked towards the back door when he fell to the floor like a stone. Ardi, desperately trying to make her escape, had realised Max was in her way and stopped him in his tracks by hitting him over the head with the bag of gold. Not completely unconscious but dazed, he tried to scramble to his feet.
“Who the… hell are you?” he moaned, holding on to his neck. “Get out of my… ergh…”
Max sank to the floor in agony as he took another blow to the back of his head. He was knocked out cold. Ardi drew a hood over her head and zipped her jacket collar up to her face so she couldn’t be identified. She grabbed hold of the bag of gold and made for the door. She didn’t expect to be disturbed by Greta, who was stood with her hand on the handle.
“Jesus! What are you doing?” Greta couldn’t speak as the small hooded figure pushed her aside to the ground and sprinted for all she was worth to the waiting motorbike.
“Max! Max! Where are you?” Greta screamed. “Oh no!”
She found Max’s lifeless body lying on the floor face down. She turned him over and checked for a pulse. He was alive. “Wake up! Wake up!” she yelled. “Come on, Max. Please! I need you!”
There was no response. Greta rushed outside and saw the figure mount the motorbike which sped off up the track. Greta took out her phone and pressed the camera facility. She snapped pictures of the motorbike and its riders as it disappeared out of view. At the end of the track, the motorbike came to an abrupt halt. It was as though it had hit an invisible barrier. Amazingly it turned tail and began driving back to the cottage. Greta continued to take photographs. It stopped and turned quickly away from her. The bike was on full throttle. The rider and passenger were shouting at the top of their voices. Greta couldn’t decipher what they were saying. She decided to film the unexplainable happening on her phone’s video recorder. What happened next made her gasp in horror.
The motorbike stalled and both people were thrown high into the air. Greta continued to film them. Their bodies hit the ground with an incredible force, one didn’t move. The other had started to run towards Greta, screaming at the top of her voice. It was a small figure, dressed in black. Greta thought the voice had a familiar ring to it. She continued to film.
“Help! You must ‘elp me! ‘Elp!” the voice screamed.
Greta looked on in horror as the figure approached her. Ardi was only a matter of feet away when she was scooped up and hurled into the air, high above the trees into the nearby field. She screamed hysterically once more and was then silent. Greta continued to film as she climbed the fence and walked over to the figure lying in the grass. It didn’t move.
Tentatively, Greta reached down and pulled the hood from the face of the person. She stepped back in shock as she revealed Ardi with blood pouring from her nose and mouth. She could also see that she was holding a cloth bag, which was losing some of its contents. She prised the bag from Ardi’s grip to reveal a collection of gold.
Greta stood upright and bowed her head.
“How could you? You thieving little bitch!” She threw the bag to the floor in disgust.
“Greta!”
Greta turned to see Max staggering towards her, holding his head.
“Did you catch them? Did you?” he moaned.
“No, I didn’t catch them; but something else did.”
Greta pointed to the body.
“Look familiar to you, does she?”
Max tried to focus. “No, who is it?”
“Darling little brother’s girlfriend… Ardi, no less!” Greta spat the name.
“You are joking! Surely not!” Max tried again to focus but his head was throbbing.
“The plot thickens, doesn’t it? How on earth did she know about the gold? There has to be a major conspiracy going on here. But stupid little cow, it’s cost her dearly; her life!”
“You mean… she’s dead?”
“As a doornail, darling. And you should have seen the way she left this world. It was spectacular. I have videoed it all. It will be great evidence for the police.”
“So what exactly happened?” Max was still in shock.
“She, and her accomplice, who I don’t know is still alive or not, were riding up the drive on the motorbike I saw earlier, when something stopped them dead. It was unbelievable. The bike appeared like it had a mind of its own. Then, whatever it was launched them both in the air, and pop! That was it, no more Ardi. Out like a light!”
“I don’t think I can take much more of this,” groaned Max. “Can you ring for help? Police, better get an ambulance too.”
Greta dialled 999 and requested assistance.
As they waited for the emergency services, Greta was trying to make sense of what she had experienced. It was astonishing how the motorbike was kept from leaving Greenacres. An invisible force had prevented their escape. Greta needed to find out who or what was behind it.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Greta was woken by a scratching sound near her head. The noise was coming from the bedstead. She opened her eyes and listened.
“Greta? Wake up!”
“Willow?” Greta mumbled.
“Yes.”
“What happened today? Do you know?”
“Yes. He was furious; so very angry!”
“Who?”
“The man. He was furious that she stole the gold.”
Dream Cottage Page 18