The House on Rectory Lane

by Stuart James

  ‘Oh, neither really,’ replied Jason. He didn’t want to get into it; he was trying to take his mind off it all for a while.

  ‘So, what brings you to Ramsbury?’ Asked Jason.

  ‘I’m a car salesman, and before you start with the boo’s, I’m one of the good guys.’ Jason and the barman laughed.

  ‘I’ve yet to see one of those!’ Joked Jason.

  Nico ordered a Jack Daniels, and when it arrived, he sighed with pleasure.

  ‘Just what the doctor ordered. I’ve been waiting all day for this.’ Making small talk about their families, work, and friends for the next hour made Jason realise how much he had needed the company and distraction.

  ∞∞∞∞ Reynolds and Marsden were in their favourite pub; out in the country with great food and an open fire. She needed to call Tony, and let him know the development. She knew him and felt she needed to keep him in the loop. As she imagined, he took it bad. She rejoined Marsden at the bar. He had a gin and tonic waiting for her. ‘How did it go?’

  ‘How do you think? He’s probably already auditioning.’ The two officers were never off duty. Reynolds left strict instructions to her officers to call if anything developed. She ran the team and rarely switched off.

  ‘So, what’s happening with you?’ She asked.

  ‘Oh. The usual. Emily walked out again. Said she couldn’t be with someone who put the job before her. I don’t think I’ll ever settle if I’m honest.’

  ‘Do you miss Abberley?’

  ‘Sometimes. But I prefer living here. You have to stay put now. I can’t follow you around forever,’ he laughed. Reynolds had moved to Ramsbury first. It brought her closer to her mother, the money she made was also an added bonus, and when the time had been right, she’d offered Marsden a position he couldn’t turn down. He was a top officer, and they worked well together. She knew he’d come. He didn’t have any ties or family nearby. They spent the evening talking about the case in Abberley. The man who had been so difficult to catch, the serial killer who had shown no remorse. How they planned to get to the bottom of the disappearance of the Prescotts and drank more than they should have. They headed off at eleven when the bar had shut.

  ∞∞∞∞ The barman called last orders at the bar when Jason had half a pint left, and Nico was empty. ‘I thought it was twenty-four hours?’ Asked Jason.

  ‘I’m afraid not, sir. Licensing laws.’

  Jason wanted more booze. He turned to Nico. ‘Well. We’ll just have to take the party somewhere else. I’ve a couple of bottles of red wine in my room that needs attacking.’

  ‘Sounds good to me!’

  He had enjoyed Nico’s company and didn’t want to finish the night so early. Once in the room, Jason grabbed a bottle, undid the cork, grabbed two glasses and sat on the

  sofa.

  ‘Bloody laws in this country. We even struggle in London to get a drink past eleven,’ said

  Jason. Nico threw back his drink before going to the toilet stating that the alcohol had gone straight

  through him.

  When the door locked, Jason removed his phone. The call from earlier was bugging his

  drink-addled mind. Whoever it was had a copy of the DVD of Mark and his family. He decided to

  call the number again.

  Jason froze on the seat.

  The mobile number he dialled starting ringing. From his bathroom.

  Chapter Twenty

  Adam had been and found a loose connection with the alarm, pissing Jake off more than he already was. Jake tried to request a refund, but Adam feigned deafness and drove off. ‘Can you believe that guy?’ Jake seethed to Kate and June who were looking at home décor magazines in the kitchen.

  ‘Jake, it’s fixed now. Forget it.’

  Leaving them to choose the colour schemes, he went to put the TV on and immediately shouted them in to join him:

  ‘Police are growing concerned for the safety of a young woman in Ramsbury who has been missing since last night. Shelly Greenwood left her weekly drama class at approximately 9.00 p.m. and hasn’t been seen since. She is thirty-four years old, 5 feet 7’g, has long blonde hair. Her car has been found abandoned a mile from her home. If anyone has any information, the police are urging you to ring 101, where your call will be treated in the strictest of confidence. Tony Farrell was the last person to see her.’

  ‘Yes. I teach her drama. I can’t believe this has happened. I waved goodbye, and that was it. Gone. I hope people aren’t looking at me.’

  ‘Can you believe this nutter?’ Jake said to no one in particular.

  ‘What frame of mind was she in, Mr Farrell?’

  ‘I didn’t notice anything wrong with her. She was her usual self. We have a production coming up shortly, Guys and Dolls. She’s playing the lead role, Sarah Brown. I don’t know where I’m going to find someone to fill her boots.’ As Tony spoke, he moved over to his right, and the camera followed him. He managed to get his drama class a subtle plug, ‘If there’s anyone who fancies auditioning?’

  As the reporter handed back to the main newsreader, Tony was seen in the background mouthing, ‘Call me.’

  Jake turned the TV off, and they all went back to the kitchen, numb with the news they had just seen.

  Jake went to bed shortly after and left Kate and June talking in the kitchen. He had worries. The only job so far was the leaking bath, despite trying to drum up business. Pete had promised to get him in contact with a local developer, but he didn’t want to pester him. Maybe he’d call Pete tomorrow to see if he could push for some work. He wasn’t used to it. In London, he’d built a small empire, but money would soon dry out if he had to commute. Kate spoke about doing some parttime work which would help. Again, in London, she headed a recruitment firm, she was paid well and often had to go away weekends. She finished working when Sean came along. They missed her wage packet now. He worried about the girl who was missing and wondered if it had anything to do with the Prescotts disappearance. Sean was starting school in a few days. He hoped he’d adapt all right. Jake also hadn’t seen Punchy Man for a while. Maybe first thing tomorrow, he’d go for another run.

  ∞∞∞∞ Karen was growing ever more concerned. She’d tried calling Jason since early this morning. The hotel he was staying at had sent someone up to the room, but there was no reply. After another couple of hours, Karen called back and demanded someone enter room 117.

  The police arrived thirty minutes later. Jason had been found by one of the cleaners, hanging from the oak beam just inside the front door. Reynolds and Marsden were the first on the scene, followed by the CSI unit. They had trouble containing the newly arriving guests who were doing their best to get a glimpse of what the commotion was about. ‘We need to look at the bigger picture here. If he has hung himself, why come here to find his brother? He could have done this back home.’

  ‘Perhaps he didn’t want to be found by his family? Planning ahead?’ Said Marsden. Interrupting the conversation, one of the CSI’s told them, ‘It looks like there was a struggle. Apart from the obvious marks to his neck, he has a gash on the side of his temple which would suggest he’d been hit with a large object. Possibly a bar of some sort.’

  ‘Was anything found on the body. Keys. Phone?’

  ‘Only a wallet with a minimal amount of cash and the key card to this room.’ ‘OK. Good work.’ Reynolds turned to Marsden. ‘Poor sod. He’ll never know what happened

  to his brother now.’ They began to interview the staff and discovered there was no working CCTV. The Spanish waiter said he’d been drinking with another guy but couldn’t give a description of any sort. The strange thing was, they’d checked the resident’s list, and it seems the guy had just walked in. The only people staying in the hotel the night before was a family who had left that morning and Jason Prescott.

  ∞∞∞∞ It was nearly 10.00 a.m., and everyone was still asleep. As Jake walked into the kitchen, he stopped in his tracks. The back door was open. Not wide, but enough to le
t the cold breeze flow in. He wondered if Kate and June had forgotten to lock it when they went up, but after the events of the last few days, he very much doubted it. He went over to the door and opened it wider.

  Surely the alarm should have picked this up , he thought, anger at Adam rising once again. He stepped out into the garden. The morning was fresh and the sky a piercing blue. He loved autumn. There was something cosy about the chilly evenings and the early sunset.

  He checked around the side of the house. When he was satisfied that there were no intruders, he went back in. Kate was standing at the back door, and he jumped with surprise.

  ‘Shit! Jake! You frightened me,’ she said.

  ‘Same here. Did you forget to lock up last night? This door was open.’

  ‘I locked it, Jake. Mum went up a few minutes before me as I went around making sure all

  the doors and windows were secure.’ Jake believed her; she wouldn’t make a mistake like this. ‘Jake,’ she said. Her eyes were shifting around the garden, and she was wringing her hands nervously, ‘I need you to check the rest of the house.’

  ‘OK. Stay here, put the kettle on, it’ll be fine. I’ll go up to check Sean and your mum’s room.’

  Once Jake had made sure they were both OK, he inspected the rest of the house. He checked everywhere. Under beds. Wardrobes. Closets. Behind doors. He couldn’t be too careful. There was no one up there. Just as he started to relax he heard Kate screaming, he charged back down but stumbled on the last step and fell forward, stopping the fall with his hands.

  ‘Kate? Kate!’ His heart was racing. Pounding through his chest. This wasn’t good. Wasn’t good at all.

  ‘Kate? Where are you?’ He shouted running through the living room.

  He entered the bathroom. Kate stood frozen. The cupboard on the wall where she stood. Red lipstick inked two words in capital letters:

  WE’RE COMING

  ∞∞∞∞ Once Reynolds had spoken to the hotel manager, who was as helpful as a chocolate teapot, they needed to get an officer over to Karen, Jason’s wife. It was something she dreaded, as did every officer. Informing a family their loved one had died. It was always best to do it face to face.

  Once they were back at the station, they called an emergency meeting to brief all the officers on the recent happenings. Reynolds had every available officer in the room. ‘Right. Silence, please. We are now working on a possible murder investigation, as well as the potential kidnapping of Shelly Greenwood.

  She continued to detail the information they had to date. She wrote on the board providing an insight into Jason Prescott, how he’d been found, the marks on his body, and why he’d been here in the first place. Reynolds asked for the case to be the top priority along with the disappearance of Shelly Greenwood. ‘As you are all aware, we are also looking into the disappearance of Jason’s brother and his family, who lived at Rectory Lane and haven’t been seen or heard of in nearly ten months. Most of you have heard about the DVD found, and I would appreciate it if the footage was kept between these four walls. The last thing we need is this getting out and it somehow appearing on YouTube.’

  Ryan rose his hand. ‘Ma’am. Are we thinking the disappearance of the Prescotts and the possible murder of Jason are connected?’

  Marsden answered for her, ‘We can’t jump to any conclusions, Ryan but there’s a strong possibility there will be connections as the investigations continue.’

  ‘What about Shelly Greenwood? Is she connected to the Prescott family in any way?’ Emma asked.

  ‘We’re unsure if there’s a connection with her kidnap, but again, we can’t rule anything out at this stage.’

  ‘OK. I want as many bodies as possible on this today. I need a couple of you back at the hotel, they have no CCTV, but maybe a neighbour saw something? Speak with any staff who haven’t been questioned yet. I also need some officers over at Shelly’s address. Let’s organise a door to door. Maybe a neighbour knows something? Get to the pub where she worked and speak with the regulars – see if anyone was giving her trouble, same with the drama class. There’s loads we can be doing. Someone must know something.

  Dismissing the briefing at the sound of her phone, she stepped outside as Marsden assigned the officers their roles.

  ‘Marsden. You come with me. There’s a development at one of the houses on Rectory Lane.’

  ∞∞∞∞ After looking at the mirror and the words that had been written, Reynolds made the call for CSI to come over. In the meantime, Jake and his family were starting to fall apart. He insisted he wanted out. He was taking his family somewhere close by until the officers caught whoever was tormenting them.

  ‘I recommend a safe house. Just for the time being,’ suggested Reynolds. ‘What? And live like prisoners? Not able to take a piss without being watched? I’m not putting my family through that. No way.’

  ‘Jake. It’s maybe the best option. These people are serious criminals. They’re targeting anyone who lives in this house. That much is obvious. Maybe you should listen to the police?’ June said.

  ‘June, with all due respect, butt out for God’s sake!’ Jake never blew his top, but the pressure was getting to him.

  ‘Jake! She’s only trying to help,’ Said Kate.

  Reynolds stood when the gate buzzer sounded, and she went to meet the CSI team and showed them to the bathroom they needed. Back in the kitchen, she broached the safe house option again.

  ‘All I’m saying is try a safe house for a couple of days. We can get a lot done in that time. We’re trying to help your family here,’ she said.

  Jake was adamant. He wasn’t budging. His home was his castle. If he left. It was on his terms.

  ∞∞∞∞

  They watched from the screen. Police in and out. The man backwards and forwards. Up and down the house. Making sure his family were safe. Holding his head in his hands. Oh, the stress. He was starting to lose it. His dream home. Not so dreamy now. He hadn’t seen anything yet. Your dream is about to become your very worst nightmare. YOU’RE NEXT!

  ∞∞∞∞ As the night drew in, Jake found June in the kitchen and offered her his deepest apology. Thankfully she understood and appreciated his situation and state of mind.

  ‘Instead of the safe house, why don’t you all come and stay with me, Jake? I’m going to head off tomorrow; I think it would be best, especially for Sean …’

  ‘I can’t, June. I’m sorry, thanks for the offer but we’re staying together and in our own house.’

  Jake went outside and exhaled the contents of his lungs. As he looked around, there was a mist settling as the sky darkened.

  He only had one thing on his mind as he walked up the hill …

  Chapter Twenty-one Jake arrived at the house. Again, he found it pitch-black. No sign of any movement inside. He was pumped up and didn’t care if anyone was in. Jake jumped the gate at the side. No sign of Hugo. No face at the window.

  He slowly made his way to the back door halfway down the garden. He’d brought a heavyduty torch with him. He could shine and bash someone’s head in at the same time. He reached the door. Adrenalin kicked in. Fear. Jake didn’t want to admit it. His heart raced. He stopped to breath deeper.

  Composing himself, he shone the torch inside. The kitchen was empty. Spotless. Using the torch, he shattered the glass in the door, forming a huge spider-like web. Jake used the torch to push the shards inside and reached his hand over and turned the knob. He was in.

  ‘Hello.’ Nothing. He shone the torch around. Dust particles hovered in front of him. Jake moved slowly around the house. Downstairs was much the same layout as his. Living room but without an open fire. Kitchen. Utility. Bathroom. He made his way upstairs. All the rooms were bare.

  He knew it couldn’t have been furnished. It was impossible for someone to move this quick. He assumed it had to be some sort of meeting point. If this was the case, they could come back. Jake made his way downstairs. As he was about to leave, he heard a whimper coming from undern
eath him. Shining the torch in the direction of the sound, he heard another yelp. Jake stopped.

  It was faint, but he could just make it out. The noise was coming from the living room. He entered and heard it again. Ever so slight. Yelp. Making his way over to the corner, he found a hatch. The only difference in this place and his. A basement. Again. Yelp.

  Jake lifted the hatch. It was heavy, but he managed to crank it back. It thudded as it landed on the floor. He shone the torch down. The stairs were deep. Old. He didn’t know if they’d break. He stepped down slowly. When he reached the bottom a feeling of dread rose through his body.

  The dank walls and peeling plaster … screams penetrated from the depths. He could sense it wasn’t a happy place. Dread. Fear. He could feel it. Sense it.

  Something ran at him. Jake jumped back and fell, hitting his head on the bottom step. He grabbed a shelf and pulled himself up. The back of his head was starting to seep blood. Just a gash. He’d live. He shone the torch. ‘Hugo.’ The dog was tied to a post. Tail wagging. ‘Hey, boy. What the hell is going on?’

  I’ve got to get out of here now, he thought.

  Almost at the gates, something crunched under his left boot. He shone the torch down. A necklace or bracelet? He reached down and grabbed it. A silver wristband. As he inspected the piece, he found an inscription. Looking closer the light reflected into his eyes. He moved it sideways, holding it up. The word, Belly. He wiped it. Looked closer. Sheil. Then he realised.

  Six letters. A woman’s name.

  SHELLY

  ∞∞∞∞ Kate was in the kitchen feeding Sean. The phone rang. ‘Hello. Kate speaking.’

  As no one spoke, Kate was about to hang up when a male voice said, ‘I love the brown

  jumper. It matches your eyes.’

  Kate dropped the phone down onto the floor.

  ‘What is it, Kate?’

  ‘They can see me.’

  ∞∞∞∞

  ‘Jake!’ Kate jumped as he came through the door, flustered and holding something in his arms. ‘What on earth is that?’ Jake let Hugo go, and he immediately began running around. As Jake started to explain why he had the dog, June cut him off and told him about the call Kate had just received. Jake was mortified and started checking the rooms for signs of the cameras that had probably been installed somewhere.