’He’s something to do with this Our Doris, you’re right. I’m going to have to tell Sue and Tony tonight. I don’t know what the beast wants with him, but it is quite clear he is being hunted,’ Wee Renee said, sadly.
The next place to visit was the donkey path. Wee Renee took them to the area that backed onto the School. Our Doris and Beryl hadn’t been down here for a while now, and it brought back good and bad memories.
She didn’t have to take the dogs right in, they picked up the scent and pulled to go against the wall. This was the third place that they had smelled the beast.
‘Let’s go to the centre of the Village now, see that they can find,’ Wee Renee said.
They pulled to go back into Friarmere, down the donkey path. All the humans knew they had picked up a trail and were going to find them some fresh places. Wee Renee’s plan was going to work.
When they got on to Church Road the dogs pulled downwards towards the centre and the first place they went crazy at was Ian’s Butchers Shop.
This wasn’t exactly surprising, for a meat-eating beast. It probably was trying to get in there. Ian’s brother had taken this over now. The dogs began to pull once more.
The next place was unexpected, as the dogs were very excited outside the Chip Shop. Haggis was stamping his feet and puffing angrily. Our Doris said that they were all just playing up and were after a fish supper, but when Wee Renee found the patch that they were sniffing out, she said Our Doris had done them an injustice. It still had a definite reek, even if masked by the smell of frying chips. A scent that was like fermented rubbish and onion.
‘I’m going to disagree with you Our Doris. This Chippy has been marked for some reason,’ Wee Renee said. Our Doris nodded.
’Does Bob come down the Chip Shop a lot?’ Our Doris asked, concerned. ‘You know how fond I am of him and him of me. No-one calls my hair an Easter Egg like he does.’
’I should imagine he does come down the Chip Shop. It must be one of the places teenagers go. I know I did when I was his age,’ Wee Renee said. ‘Although he isn’t probably ordering a battered haggis like I did.’ Haggis barked at her. ‘Ooh sorry Haggis, it’s a different thing to you, wee doggy.’
Off they went and this time to the Coffee Shop. Again, Our Doris wondered whether it was about food. Tommy and Suzanne wondered whether it was about them, as they had been in that coffee shop only yesterday, just after they had found the evidence on the canal.
Wee Renee looked around the building until she found another oily marker that she had seen outside the chip shop. This time she squatted down and smelled deeply at the urine. As the Chip Shop had been open, there were lots of people, and Wee Renee didn’t want to have a good go at it there. But here it was closed, and there weren’t many people wandering past now.
’Pungent,’ she said.
Our Doris stooped down and had a sniff too. She was always one for smells and loved to describe them, especially bad ones.
’Ooh, it’s rich that one. And musky,’ Our Doris said. Suzanne pulled a face. She wasn’t going to smell that.
’What’s it like?’ Tommy said.
’Earthy, and a bit oniony. But definitely strong piddle as well. It smells like they don’t digest their food properly either. I have whiffed bins like that in the summer,’ Our Doris replied confidently.
’Yes, that’s right,’ Wee Renee said. The dogs seemed to have lost the scent of the beast, and Wee Renee wondered whether that was it.
‘I don’t really want to take them onto the canal,’ she said. ‘The bench is a bit of a way down. By the time we are returning it will be nearly dark.’
’You’re not wrong there. I don’t fancy that at night either. It’s a bit creepy down there,’ Suzanne said. ‘Besides that, what if the monster picks up our scent because we are alone on the canal and it’s easier to pick up.’
‘That’s a thought,’ Beryl said.
Bella started to pull again, and they had an idea that she’d picked something up. This time it was the Pub, and the oily splashes were everywhere.
’Ooh, this is a good one,’ Our Doris said.
’Yes. That would bring a tear to a glass eye. We’ll have to tell Lauren to get some bleach outside here. Try and mute it down a bit,’ Wee Renee said.
’Yes, it’s kicking up a right stink,’ Our Doris said.
There was no evidence to be had outside the front of the pub, even though there was so much urine. Beryl said she would pick Bambi up now, as she felt she was getting a little bit tired and they still had to walk back up to Wee Renee’s house and Wellmeadow Lane.
Unexpectedly Haggis wanted to go back over to the other side of the road where the Coffee Shop was, so they let him. He walked past the shop and up another little street at the side of the shop. There weren’t many houses up there, in fact, it was only one row of terraced houses and then the quarry with nothing afterwards. From there on, just a vast stretch of bleak Moors before they hit Yorkshire again.
The humans followed them upwards, and Bella seemed to pick up the scent too. Bambi had had enough now and was snuggled inside Beryl’s coat, but she was carrying on with the mission, just using her ears and eyes, like everyone else.
When they got to the row of terraced houses, the scent ended at a red car. Not a house, not at the quarry, but all the way around a red car. Against the tyres, Wee Renee could see the oil splashes. This car had not been moved since the beast had visited here.
’I wonder who owns this car?’ Wee Renee said to the others. None of them were familiar with the car or the owner, and they certainly weren’t going to knock on every terraced house door and ask whose car it was. Our Doris said that they would get the ultimate shock if they told the car owner the truth.
‘In the future, once we have more information, I’m not ruling door knocking out,’ Wee Renee advised them.
’Surely this can’t be anything to do with Bob,’ Our Doris said, trying to reason it out.
’It doesn’t seem likely,’ Wee Renee said. She looked at her watch. They wouldn’t have that long to get back to eat their meal – in a way she was hoping that there were no more sites tonight. Of course, there might always be a new one tomorrow.
‘Shall we get back now everyone?’ Wee Renee asked. ‘We can have a little debriefing over our tea.’ They all thought this was a great idea. Everyone was tired, and as they made their way up to Wee Renee’s house, they agreed it had been a successful mission. They had found a lot more sites than Wee Renee imagined possible, but again this had thrown up more questions.
When they got to Wee Renee’s house, she dished up the meal and made teas and coffees. Wee Renee told them that she was going to lock the three dogs in the kitchen while the owners ate. She gave them their treats for being good sniffer dogs. Their owners thought it was a lovely gesture and a decent payment, for their hard work.
She shut the door, and they all sat with a plate on their knee in Wee Renee’s living room. Suzanne had not been in here, and Beryl had only heard tell of it but had not seen it.
Wee Renee didn’t eat that much of her chilli as she was explaining the Melden Triangle to Suzanne. Then she got her silver and gold pins out these would be all silver tonight - no sightings just evidence. She put them in the Pub, Sue and Tony’s house, the Chip Shop, Butchers Shop, the Coffee Shop and finally where the red car was on Mount View. She stepped back to admire her work.
’It’s getting quite busy isn’t it?’ Beryl said
’A bit too busy,’ Our Doris said laughing.
’Listen I don’t want to rush you, but I’ve got to get to Band soon,’ Wee Renee said, a little embarrassed. They all said it wasn’t a problem and had all got stuff to do but had had a great time.
She picked up her cornet, and all of them came out of her house, which she locked up. They walked to the bottom of the drive. She said she would walk up to The Grange, as it wasn’t that far, but Our Doris insisted she dropped her off. She would then take Beryl. It wasn’t safe an
ywhere in Friarmere.
When she got close to Our Doris’s car, the three dogs began to pull again after being rested. Wee Renee didn’t know whether they wanted to go towards the Moors.
’I’m not going up to the Moors again,’ Suzanne said.
Wee Renee didn’t want to go there either. In fact, she needed to get to Band. She sighed, this was too good a chance to miss.
‘Let’s just see. If it looks like they are going there, we will stop them,’ Wee Renee said.
Haggis pulled across the road and started to walk upwards, there was only one street up there. The street that ran to the Primary School.
‘You don’t think there is something up, there do you?’ Wee Renee asked. Tommy looked up the street.
’Just for the sake of checking out the Primary School, I’m going to go up there with Bella. Do any of you want to come?’ Tommy asked.
The two other dog owners did want to come because they didn’t want to tell the dogs not to smell the scent. That seemed to be counter-productive. Wee Renee thought that she would have some explaining to do to Alan, but she needed to go with them. Deep down, she knew he would understand.
They walked up to the School, wondering where the hell this mission was heading. Luckily the gates were open, and the three dogs went inside.
’No poopoo,’ Our Doris said. ‘Kids play around here – dirty.’ Our Doris emphasised the words to Haggis, who totally ignored it and would have one after they had found where the scent was coming from.
The dogs took them around to the back of the School. Tommy and Suzanne’s children had gone to the School but had left long ago. Both daughters were married now, but they roughly remembered what it was like. There was a large playground at the front, and there was a smaller one at the back with an all-weather pitch. Further up behind the all-weather was the football pitch.
Between the two, and set back, there was something extraordinary. The School only used it occasionally. An outdoor stone and grass amphitheatre. This was where the dogs were heading. When they got there, they made straight for one spot. They were going berserk in the centre of the amphitheatre.
They were nowhere near any streetlights. Here, in the immense darkness, the humans didn’t know what to make of it. Their eyes were used to it, however, and Wee Renee looked at all the others.
This was a place where kids went. Again, a place where children were supposed to be safe. Small children this time. What was the monster doing here? What was it doing in that amphitheatre? Where little ones sat and watched plays. A special place, where some of them would make up their own stories, during playtime and perform them. Whatever had it been doing here?
Bella and Haggis started to dig at the centre of the amphitheatre in the grass with their paws. Bambi struggled to get down, and Beryl put her on the grass where she joined in. Tommy went over to see what they were looking at. He passed Bella’s lead to Suzanne so that he could feel around in the grass with his fingers, to see what they were after.
‘There’s something here!’ Tommy exclaimed.
’It could be anything,’ Our Doris said. ‘It could be some food that a kid has dropped.’
But it wasn’t. Tommy said it was hard to pull out and he wiggled it forward and back, forward and back, until it came out. What he got was a curved six-inch piece of flint, like a giant eagle claw.
’Fancy putting that there!’ Our Doris said. ‘I wonder why it’s there. You’ve done a good job getting that out. That’s bloody dangerous for kids, it’s quite a sharp piece of rock.’
’That’s not rock, its flint. And that’s not just a random item. That’s a knife,’ Wee Renee said. ‘I am sure of it. Our monster put that there. Was it hard to pull out Tommy?’
’No not really. It seemed to be just pushed in, there was just a problem, because there was little to grasp at the top. Also, I was unaware of the length of it, so I was careful when I pulled it out,’ Tommy advised her.
‘Can I have a look at it, please?’ Wee Renee asked. Tommy put it in her hand. She scrutinised it.
‘I have seen similar in museums. It’s a primitive weapon. Considering it is made of flint and obviously not been formed with metal tools, it is extremely well made. It looks like a knife. A ritual knife,’ Wee Renee said quietly.
19. Distracted Band
Wee Renee only just made it to Band in time. She was not the last, however, as Gary still hadn’t arrived.
She thought something had happened before she got there as the whole Band was talking and no-one was holding an instrument, but it was just that they were generally talking about the mystery they were currently embroiled in. Alan was looking at them strangely.
Gary arrived and sat down, looking somewhat flushed. Wee Renee was still trying to get her cornet out of its case. The case was at her feet, and she seemed to be all fingers and thumbs tonight. It wasn’t like her to be like this, and mostly she just put it down to being late. She hated to be late.
Alan told them which hymn he was going to play, tapped his baton on the Conductor’s Stand and everyone picked up their instruments, and they began to play. Sadly, it was not at the same time and not tuneful at all. They only played five notes before he stopped them. Alan’s was horrified.
’Right you lot, concentrate - together,’ Alan said. The Band tried again, but it wasn’t much better. He stopped them once more.
’Together this time. I’ve heard better training Bands,’ he said. He started off, and again they weren’t much better. Alan didn’t stop but decided to carry on but shook his head. He faced the fact that it was going to be one of those nights.
Wee Renee had played this hymn a hundred times if not more, but tonight she just couldn’t concentrate. She thought about everything they had discovered earlier, and she couldn’t switch it off. Wee Renee took her cornet away from her mouth and closed her eyes. Snap out of it – she told herself.
She wasn’t the only one that was distracted. The whole Band seemed not to be with it tonight. As the hymn finished, Alan sat back on his chair and told them to put their instruments down.
’I don’t know whether something else has gone on in this haunted triangle place or you have all come here from the Pub after a large session on the loopy juice - I don’t know. But I have never heard you play so bad. Let’s try something else. Let’s get that march out that we started the other day,’ Alan said a bit desperately.
They got out ‘The Champions’ and began to work on that. Alan didn’t stop them but kept shaking his head. After they had done the piece, he sat back down on his chair again.
‘Band put all your instruments down,’ Alan said exasperatedly. ‘We might as well not have had a rehearsal tonight there’s too much going on with you lot. And I know what’s going on,’ Alan said.
’It’s all this new monster stuff,’ Carl said. As if Carl had just announced its name, the beast howled, and it didn’t sound that far away from The Grange. Alan's eyes darted to Carl, who stared back at Alan, wide-eyed.
‘You see,’ Carl said, ‘it’s hanging over us all the time.’
Hazel, the new cornet player, was out of the loop as she had declined the invitation of going to the Pub. She could tell something was going on and had heard the howls herself, but she didn’t know how involved all the Band were in this mystery.
’Rick can you go into the office and the kitchen pal, and bring the committee in with us?’ Alan asked him.
Rick walked out of the rehearsal room and into Ernie’s office. He told Ernie that Alan wanted him to join them in the rehearsal room. Then Rick went into the kitchen where Brenda, Ann and Sue were laying out cups for a drink and gossiping about the current situation. He told them to come too. When they were all in, Ernie shut the door, and Alan spoke.
‘Rehearsals a right off tonight, Ernie. They can’t play with all this hanging over them. The buggers been yowling only a minute ago,’ Alan said.
‘Probably annoyed that his dinner’s in here, behind closed doors,’ Jackie said
to her sister, leaning forward to the horn section.
‘Probably crying because his bloody ears are bleeding after your playing,’ Alan said, laughing loudly.
‘He’s after something, I can tell,’ Adam said.
’Yes, Jackie was joking, but she’s right. That thing would eat us, no messing. I think it’s scary to come out even when I’m with Andy,’ Liz said.
’And I don’t like leaving Lauren in the Pub,’ Rick said.
’Aye that’s more of a problem than you think Rick because tonight I have discovered that the Pub is one of the places that it’s been sniffing around,’ Wee Renee said.
’You know more stuff than you have been telling us, Rene,’ Pat said.
’This is very recent stuff, and I don’t know what to make of it yet,’ Wee Renee said. ‘I was still on the streets half an hour ago, that’s how recent it was. But it was great. It really is getting exciting,’ Wee Renee said.
’How far is it spreading?’ Maurice asked.
’All over Friarmere,’ Wee Renee said. ‘Everywhere.’
’But still not in Melden?’ Terry asked.
’Not as I know of. I can’t see how it would have the time, with the amount of stuff it’s doing around here,’ Wee Renee said.
There was another howl again this sounded very close.
’Can someone tell me exactly what is happening?’ Hazel asked.
’I’ll tell you in a bit,’ Carl said. ‘Don’t worry, Hazel. You’ll know as much as everyone else does soon.’
‘I think we need another meeting, maybe tomorrow. Spend a whole night trying to work all this mess out,’ Gary said.
’I have information to impart tomorrow as well. About exactly what it is after and what it is doing. But I tell you this, you aren’t going to like it,’ Wee Renee said.
’Great,’ Alan said. ‘I didn’t like anything you told me the other day too.’ Alan gave a little humourless laugh.
’Apart from the Pub,’ Freddie asked, ‘is there anyone else who should be particularly worried from your findings?’.
Hide Page 15