The Dark Water

by Helen Moorhouse

  “What on earth is going on?” asked Calvert again, pushing his glasses up his birdlike nose and squinting.

  “It’s all right, Speccy,” Jack growled back.

  “Ain’t nothin’ to worry about. Me and Tiger thought we ’eard a mouse, didn’t we, Tiger?”

  Martin froze again as he saw Jack turn his attention back to him, his face turned away from Calvert so that the younger man couldn’t see the expression that gleamed in his eyes, the expression of sheer contempt as he spat out his words.

  “But it was nothing. Nothing at all,” he spat, his words directed straight at Martin. Then more softly, “Isn’t that right, Tiger?”

  There was the noise of a door opening then, and all three turned as Laurence’s tousled head poked out of his bedroom door, squinting as Calvert shone the torch in his face. “What’s going on?” he said, his voice husky with sleep. “I was just falling asleep and I heard all this noise.”

  “It’s nothing, Laurence. Back to bed,” snapped Calvert brusquely and ushered the boy back into his bedroom, accompanying him and closing the door behind them both.

  Martin was almost sick with relief. Mr Calvert wouldn’t hurt a fly, never mind his only godson. He worshipped that kid like a son. He’d never do anything to harm him.

  He saw his moment then and fled for the stairs while Jack stared at the closed door of the boy’s bedroom for a moment. He was fast, he knew. He could be gone before Uncle Jack even turned, safe for one night at least. And Laurence too. He ran hastily down the steps, toward the hall below, feeling escape in his veins. Until he heard the deep whispered growl come from the darkness above him, echoing through the empty space of the hall.

  “Loose lips sink ships Martin,” it said. “You remember that.”

  CHAPTER 23

  November 28th

  “It’s no good, Maisie,” said Martha at last. “I’m going to have to just go and get this prescription filled and go home.”

  Maisie Gordon threw her eyes to heaven. “Hallelujah!” she exclaimed, gratefully. “You’ve spent two days sounding like Darth Vader and as for your humour – my God!”

  Martha managed a weak grin. She knew Maisie was right and that she should have gone to the doctor first thing Monday morning but she had stupidly carried on.

  Martha ran her hands across her cheeks, as if that in some way would alleviate the constant nagging irritation from her sinuses that had troubled her since the weekend spent poring over the back-story of the Dubhglas murders with Sue. So much information, and none of them were any the wiser as to what Gabriel was experiencing.

  She stood up from her desk and drew her handbag over her arm, ignoring yet again the juddering sensation from her phone which was on silent in the outside pocket. Dan again, she was sure. Over the last few days he had bombarded her with text messages and calls that she had ignored, a constant barrage of ‘need to see you’s’. and ‘it’s urgent’s’. It didn’t help that she had finally confided in Sue, told her friend of her concerns at his intentions, expecting support, yet Sue had been nothing but matter-of-fact in her response. She had been expecting this turn of events all along, she said. “Maybe having a baby is the new black in advertising,” she’d shrugged. “If he’s Mr Family Man he might land a particular client or something – you know what he’s like.” Martha knew Sue was right and it had made her even more inclined to ignore the texts. She knew it was stupid but a part of her wondered whether, if she continued to ignore them, he would just go away.

  “I hate to leave you,” said Martha to Maisie who wrinkled her nose.

  “Trust me. I’d rather you left me,” Maisie replied.

  Martha could never tell if she was serious or not.

  “Just go,” said Maisie, with a grin, making a shooing gesture. “And don’t come back till you’re better. Please.”

  Martha grinned. “You’re sure?”

  Maisie simply pointed to the door in response. Martha blew her a kiss of gratitude and Maisie covered her mouth and nose to jokingly prevent infection. With that, Martha was gone, pulling on her coat as she walked down the stairs and out onto the street.

  It was dark by the time she emerged from the pharmacy, antibiotics in hand, and decided to flag down a cab. The painful sensation in her face had grown stronger as the afternoon had progressed and she longed just to climb into bed and sleep.

  She needed to be better for Friday, she knew. For their appointed date. The thought of visiting Gabriel’s Highland castle made her feel physically ill, yet it was all arranged. Gabriel had insisted. All of them, Ruby included, were due to leave Friday morning, and then pick up Sue on the Saturday morning from the train at Dubhglas village. The trip hung over her like a cloud, she realised, as she settled herself into the back seat of the taxi. She remembered the wording of the letter Gabriel had received – ‘a delicate issue of a supernatural nature’ – and now she was up to speed on everything that had happened there, those grisly events. Gabriel knew little more than what they had gleaned from the newspaper reports so he could cast no fresh light on anything. He’d been kept in the dark about it his whole life, with summers spent at the castle at the bidding of his parents, yet all detail about Laurence kept from him until he discovered the truth of his death by accident as an adult.

  Suppressing a shudder, Martha rummaged in her handbag and withdrew her phone. At least deleting texts from Dan might take her mind off what was ahead in just a couple of days – heaven knew he’d sent enough of them over the last day or so. There hadn’t been one since she had left the office – that one asking once again if she was free to talk anytime soon.

  The air was thick with heavy frost as she got out of the taxi at the bottom of Calderwood’s driveway and made her way up toward the house. The driveway was prone to ice, she knew, and it was safer to walk on the grass verge than drive up the slight incline. Besides which, she loved the feeling of breathing in a frosty evening – the scent of the actual cold itself, infused with chimney smoke and city smells. She felt an unanticipated thrill at the thought of Christmas also and her stomach did a childish lurch of excitement. Martha smiled, heartened again by the sight of Will’s car parked outside the door. It was unusual for him to be home before her. And it meant that Ruby would be too, which made her feel even more excited.

  Martha didn’t bother searching in her handbag for her well-buried keys, instead choosing to ring the doorbell for Will to let her in, taking a final moment to savour the evening, the twinkle of distant stars in the sky and the first sheen of frost forming on the bonnet of the Volvo. The door opened suddenly and she was bathed in light and a delicious smell of cooking from indoors.

  “Have you been outside at all?” she asked, glancing at the scene around her one last time before turning back to Will with a smile. A smile that disappeared as soon as she saw the stony expression on his face.

  “Whatever’s the matter?” she asked as he turned his back on her and walked toward the kitchen without so much as a greeting. Her heart sank. What was wrong with him now. Martha frowned and stepped into the silent hallway, pushing the door shut with her foot before shrugging off her coat and unwinding her scarf. She slung her belongings over the bannisters of the stairs and straightened her clothing, taking a deep breath before walking toward the kitchen. Heading into battle again, she thought to herself.

  Again, there was an unexpected face at the kitchen table but on seeing who it was this time, Martha stopped dead in her tracks and instantly felt blood rush to her cheeks. There, in the same place where Gabriel had surprised her only a few nights ago, sat Dan. He was nursing a mug of something as he gave her a weak smile. On his knee, staring at his face, sat Ruby.

  Martha reeled, tried to take in that he was here, opposite her, in her own kitchen.

  “I tried texting you over and over,” said Dan, in a tone that suggested he was trying to calm her down, even though she hadn’t uttered a word.

  She noticed that his eyes were red-rimmed and he had a sniffle. Everyon
e’s bloody sick, she thought to herself. “Dan,” she said abruptly.

  He pushed a stray lock of hair away from his eyes. It immediately flopped back again. “Sorry to just land on you like this, but I needed to speak to you urgently. I thought you might be at home – I hope you don’t mind?”

  Martha gritted her teeth and held her breath. She could feel temper rising within her and didn’t want it to come out, didn’t want a scene in the kitchen, in front of Will. She was having trouble dealing with how surreal this felt. A part of her had banished Dan from her life and had begun to treat him mentally as if he didn’t exist. Yet here he was, representing something that she had tried so hard to leave behind, sitting in front of her, intruding on her new life.

  And then there was Ruby. Martha’s chest heaved as she tried to control herself. Daughter and Father. Meeting each other for the first time. And without her here. Without her presence to protect Ruby from him. Martha suddenly felt weak and vulnerable, violated somehow. As if it was somehow inevitable that her fears should come true. That Dan would just take Ruby away from her forever. She sank onto the nearest kitchen chair, aware suddenly that her head was pounding, her swollen sinuses throbbing and her legs had turned to jelly.

  “I couldn’t get hold of you but I need to speak to you urgently about a certain matter,” he said. “I reckoned that maybe your phone was broken or lost or something so I just came here – I didn’t know what else to do.”

  Dan spoke quickly and earnestly – keen, Martha thought, to reassure.

  “Will was kind enough to let me in,” he added, a smile breaking out on his face as he glanced in Will’s direction.

  Will was standing at the cooker, stirring something he had been busy with since Martha had walked into the kitchen. He turned his head to give Dan a weak grin and throw a sidelong glance at Martha, before turning back to his cooking.

  It suddenly hit her that of course Will was still completely in the dark about Dan’s appearance in Edinburgh. She still hadn’t managed to tell him about their contact – had hoped to keep it a secret until Dan was gone. Shit, thought Martha. She had a lot of explaining to do.

  Ruby interrupted the scene by sliding off Dan’s knee, giving him a flirtatious toddler’s grin as she did. He watched her leave the room, his expression blank, but Martha was sure she could see a vague look of wonder in his eyes. It made her feel sick. Martha felt a rush of desperate protective love as she watched her daughter.

  “I’ve been explaining to Will why I had to see you, actually,” continued Dan.

  “It seems that our Ruby . . .” he began, pausing after he said it, seeming to realise that he may have overstepped his mark.

  “Well, it seems that Ruby has come into some property. In the south – Cornwall. My Aunt Ellen – you remember her, don’t you Martha?”

  Martha glimpsed Will stiffen at the allusion to the shared memory. As it happened, she didn’t remember an Aunt Ellen, but Dan could be very secretive about certain things. His extended family being one of them.

  “Well, Aunt Ellen died a few weeks ago – she was ancient, you know. Ninety-something. Natural causes – don’t worry!” Dan laughed at his own joke.

  “But she owned quite a bit of land. A big estate near Padstow – it’s a tourist haven now, of course, but for some reason she decided to leave a chunk of it to Ruby – I’d been corresponding with her, you see, in the last few years, and she knew about Ruby and what a mess I’d made . . . Well, that’s all for another day. Anyway, her will was read last Friday and it seems that Ruby is to get a portion of the land – which could be worth a fortune by the way.”

  Martha continued to stare at Dan. Land? For Ruby?

  “Thing is,” Dan shifted slightly in his seat, “we’ve got to sign some documents or other. It’s not legal until both of her – parents have signed on her behalf, it would appear.”

  Martha closed her eyes and opened them again. This was really the last thing she wanted to listen to right now. She wanted to go to bed and have a rest and wake up tomorrow with everything sorted out. Surely it could wait? Portions of Cornish land weren’t going to go anywhere after all, were they?

  “And that’s the next thing,” said Dan. “We’ve got to do it really soon or else there’s some clause which hands the land on to someone else. We have to do it Friday, in fact. That’s why I’ve been trying to get in touch with you over the past few days.”

  Martha reddened as she felt Will turn to look at her again.

  “I’ve taken the liberty of booking us an appointment with a solicitor here in Edinburgh for early afternoon on Friday – I really hope you don’t mind?” continued Dan.

  Martha was jolted back to reality. “Friday?” she repeated. “This Friday? Why? What could be so vital about these documents that we have to sign them Friday?”

  Dan shrugged. “It’s the clause in the will – they need to be done by the end of the month. Old Ellen was a funny old bird. I suppose she just wants to make sure that everything’s done and dusted as soon as. If you’d replied to my texts at the weekend . . .”

  Dan’s voice trailed off and Martha looked at Will who was looking straight back at her now, eyebrows raised.

  “Oh God, we’re going to Dubhglas on Friday . . .” she remembered.

  “That’s a pity,” Dan said. “But it’s Ruby I’m thinking of – property is still worth something, even in these times – and the location is absolute prime land for development . . .” Dan glanced up at Will and back at Martha. “The thing is, it could maybe pay for private school or university or something. And I’d feel in some way that it might make up for my – not – being there for her for the past two years.”

  There was a loud clatter as Will almost upended the saucepan he was stirring. Martha felt uncomfortable.

  “How long will it take to sign these forms?” she sighed.

  Dan smiled. “No time at all, I think,” he said. “I’ve booked us an appointment at 2 p.m. – they should have all the documents up from Padstow by then. All we do is sign on the dotted line and then that’s it – we just get on with our day.”

  He looked expectantly across the table at Martha who sighed again.

  “Fine,” she said. “That okay with you, Will? You and Gabriel can go ahead and I can drive up with Ruby on Friday afternoon? So I’ll be there to pick Sue up from the train as planned on Saturday morning at Dubhglas station.”

  Will shrugged and continued to stir the sauce. “You’re Ruby’s parents,” he said simply, without turning round.

  An uncomfortable silence descended on the room.

  It was Dan who eventually broke it. “Sue Brice, eh? Still friends after all these years? Wow! Old Sue was always a tough nut to crack.” He smiled, looked again at them both as if expecting them to join in and found himself looking at Will’s back and Martha‘s stony expression. “Right then. That’s settled. I’ll call you tomorrow with all the details.” He stood from the table and pushed his chair in quietly, glancing again at Will for a moment, and then scanning the room until he spotted his coat slung over another chair. He reached for it, adding, “You look absolutely done in, Martha, if you don’t mind me saying.”

  Martha stood also. “You don’t look so amazing yourself,” she responded and indicated that Dan should walk through to the hall.

  “Oh this,” said Dan, sniffing and pointing at his face. “Just a cold,” he said dismissively. “Scottish winters and all that. Not used to them.” He moved to the door where he paused. “Thanks so much for taking me in,” he piped in Will’s direction, to no response.

  “I’ll show you out, Dan,” Martha said, a slight tone of warning to her voice. She didn’t want Dan to stay a moment longer to make it any worse.

  Ruby was busy playing shop with some cans of beans and a baby doll in the living room as they passed and Martha made a point of going straight to the front door, opening it and standing aside to indicate that Dan should leave. “She’s got a lot on in there,” she said, with a hal
f-hearted smile, hoping that Dan would understand that a father-and-daughter farewell wouldn’t be appropriate under the circumstances. If nothing else, she didn’t think she could bear to watch them together again. A gush of frosty air filled the hallway.

  Dan fiddled with the buttons on his trendy duffel jacket and glanced to where his daughter was playing, but took the hint and made no effort at a goodbye. He fished a scarf from one of the front pockets and flung it around his neck. He always had that knack, remembered Martha. Of just throwing something on and looking marvellous.

  She shook herself back to the present moment and shuffled her feet. “Thanks for . . . the information,” she said politely.

  He nodded, and pulled a pair of gloves from the other pocket. “No trouble,” he responded, stepping over the threshold and out onto the gravel.

  Martha stepped out behind him and crossed her arms against the biting cold.

  She couldn’t help but notice how beautiful the garden looked. She hadn’t spotted the full moon earlier but it completed the perfect winter scene for her. The whole garden was illuminated with a clean white glow which made it look festive and mysterious at the same time. Frost twinkled lightly on the ornamental iron lamppost that she had added to the garden when they moved in.

  Dan looked at it also and smiled. “Narnia?” he asked.

  Martha stared at him and nodded. He’d remembered. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was one of her favourite books – an inspiration for her own books – and she had always said that she wanted a lamppost in her garden when she ‘grew up’. She blushed slightly as she remembered pestering Dan to get one for the house in London when they married. He had always refused – and rightly, she knew. The gardens in their street were tiny and her magical lamppost would have looked contrived and tacky.

  Here in the large and private garden at Calderwood, however, it was perfect. And in the moonlight, with frost twinkling on the newly bare branches of the trees, it looked magical to Martha. She felt very tired all of a sudden and she sighed loudly, closing her eyes for a moment. She realised that she was in no rush to go inside, to face explaining everything to Will. This was a mess of her own making. If only she hadn’t ignored the texts and just dealt with Dan . . .