Sunshine Spirit

by Barbara Willis

  Jane felt a moment of panic. There didn't need to be blood.

  The bottle she'd opened and the drops she'd put in Hugh's tea flashed into her eyes; shaking hands tipping tiny toxic drops into a cup. Hours, it would have taken hours to filter through his system wreaking its havoc before causing his death.

  Then she saw herself tipping the tea away and washing the cup.

  She hadn't been able to do it, as close as she came, and had thrown the rest of the bottle's contents away too.

  Hugh hadn't been poisoned, but he was dead.

  'I don't understand.'

  Will gently tipped Hugh onto his side and felt beneath him. His hand came up covered in blood and he looked over to the second, and now quiet, man who lay further along the hallway. He'd crawled across the floor and now lay outstretched with a gun in his hand. Will moved to the second man but found more blood on his own hands, instead of a pulse in the man's body.

  'He must have reached for that and done it himself.' Will nodded towards the weapon the second man now held. He'd found enough dying strength to shoot Hugh in the back.

  As the words touched her, caressing her conscience, Jane slumped back against the wall; two men were dead but not one because of her. Will was soon next to her and they stayed there for a long time as they held each other, Will wiping Jane's tears away with his hand and stroking her hair as she cried. An actor and a receptionist sat in the silent hall smeared with the blood of the two men who lay dead in front of them.

  'Mrs Cartlyn's rooms please.'

  When they finally stood up Will led Jane upstairs and sat her down on her bed, then he returned to the hall to call the only person they felt they could.

  Jane could hear Will's side of the conversation, seemingly composed; she couldn't see his eyes watching the hall floor the whole time. She heard the words and the pauses in between as Mrs Cartlyn clearly probed and instructed.

  'Mrs Cartlyn. It's Will Batten. I'm terribly sorry to telephone at this time of the night, morning. Something really terrible has happened. Yes. Yes. Two men and Hugh. No we're both fine, just shaken. She is. There are two men here now Mrs Cartlyn. It's Hugh and some other man. A third left, but I don't know where he went. Yes. Yes, he did. Should we leave right away? Alright, yes. Yes. Please. Should we, uh, do anything here in the meantime? Alright yes, yes I will. Tomorrow? Of course. Thank you Mrs Cartlyn, thank you so much.'

  The receiver was clicked onto its cradle and, not long after, Will jogged back up the stairs. He smiled at Jane as he entered the room. 'The guy in the living room, Jim, he's gone; he must have recovered enough to sneak out. I don't know when. He's certainly not downstairs and I've locked the doors. Mrs Cartlyn's sorting out, uh, she's dealing with…well she's doing everything else.'

  'What do we do now?' Jane was shivering, even though she still wore her coat after a walk that seemed an age ago. There were bloody fingerprints on her cheek where Will had touched her after checking Hugh and, against her currently ashen complexion, the red marks looked even brighter; poppies on snow.

  'Come on, first thing is to get cleaned up.' Will helped her to stand and took off her coat. Jane noticed his skin as he helped her; the crimson splashes had dried to a deep reddish brown. He lifted her dress over her head, then handed her a towel and left the room to run a bath. When he'd done so, he returned and guided Jane to the bathroom. He turned away as she undressed further, taking off her slip and underwear, and stepped into the hot water; she sat there, knees to her chest and her chin resting on them as she stared at nothing. Knowing she was in the water, he returned to her; kneeling on the floor next to the bath, he picked up a face cloth and gently soaped her face and back. Her hair was falling loose from its ties and Will saw smears of blood in it as he carefully freed the rest and washed it for her. Then she rested her head on his shoulder as he slowly and gently washed another man's blood from her face and his hands.

  Will helped Jane from the bath and tenderly dried her shaking body. He walked her back to her room, where he helped her into her nightclothes and tucked her into bed. Neither of them had spoken since Will had left to run the bath. As he turned to leave the room Jane held his hand firm.

  'I'll be right back, don't worry,' Will soothed as he left. He soon returned with a sugary cup of tea; it was a simple thing, a tool to provide relief from shock, but the task had been a hard one.

  Will had taken a deep breath as he reached the bottom of the stairs and turned the corner into the hall, knowing the macabre sight that would await him. He tried not to look at the two men who lay dead in the house, but couldn't tear his eyes from them as he carefully stepped around their bodies. He tried to convince his eyes that it was a stage and the men merely actors, trying to lie still in their morbid roles. He was pleased when the kettle finally boiled and he could creep past again, as though the men might be disturbed, and head back up the stairs to Jane. He had to be strong for Jane.

  As he reached the landing, he turned to glance back down to the hall. Putting down the tea, he searched out fresh bed sheets which he took downstairs and carefully placed over the two men.

  Jane was sitting up when Will returned, clearly impatient for his presence. She drank the tea he offered and they sat side by side. Will put the empty cup on the nightstand and his arm around Jane, who was still cold but not shaking quite so much.

  'What happens now?'

  'Mrs Cartlyn said it's absolutely safe to stay here tonight. She was quite business-like, if that's the right thing to say. She asked'And who exactly is dead Mr Batten?'She did seem a tiny bit surprised they'd come, but not shocked; and certainly not at all disturbed by the fact that two of them are lying dead in her house.'

  'What if the other one, Jim, comes back? What if he's outside somewhere?' Jane's body stiffened and her eyes widened but Will just held her face gently in response, making her look at him.

  'Don't fret, I don't think he's anything to worry about; he's just extra muscle, making up numbers. I can vouch for his knuckles, but I doubt he's anything more than a pair of fists doing as he's told. He's long gone Sunshine, don't worry.' Jane relaxed a little just for a moment, before she got out of bed to turn the key in the bedroom door.

  'Just in case,' she said as she got back into bed and they both tried to sleep for the little time that remained before daylight.

  The sun rose over the house with four occupants, two living and two dead. The two who still breathed rose and dressed. Will made sure he was the first downstairs, keen to check that no tell-tale scarlet had seeped through the white cotton. Jane followed; she too took a deep breath as she turned into the hall but saw white shrouds not still bodies and her composure remained unsteadily intact. Will made sure Jane was comfortable being downstairs alone then trotted back up to get their bags, which he left by the front door.

  'We can't just go Will. What about Mrs Cartlyn's housekeeper? What if Mrs Grey comes in today and sees this? She'll have a heart attack. Two men are dead; and they must have families, people who'll miss them, people who rely on them. There'll be police everywhere and an investigation. We'll be arrested.' She stood next to Will at the front door, her back purposely turned on the white sheets. 'As much as I want to get out of this house, we can't just leave. Can we?'

  'Mrs Cartlyn said we should leave today and everything here would be dealt with. She was quite insistent Jane. All we need to do now is load up the Ruby and get going. She said she'll check whether it's safe for us to go home now. Now that this has all…' Will wasn't quite sure what to say and Jane raised her eyebrows in question. 'Now that this has all happened. She also said she has somewhere else we can stay while she does that, while she checks it's all over.'

  'Where?' Jane's voice rose slightly.

  'I don't know. We're to meet her for lunch and she'll give us the details.'

  'Where are we meeting, at the Grandchester? Surely we can't go there.'

  'The Savoy.'

  'Pardon?' Jane's eyes were once more wide, not this time with horror b
ut surprise.

  Will shrugged to express his lack of any more knowledge on the subject and repeated 'The Savoy?'

  'Why didn't you tell me this last night?'

  'Don't you think you had enough to worry about? You were in shock Jane, shaking like a leaf, cold as ice and just as white; I wanted to look after you.'

  Jane smiled and touched Will's arm, 'It's a strange place to meet though, don't you think?'

  'Well, apparently the best place to hide is not to hide.' Will shrugged again.

  'Mrs Cartlyn has more secrets than a magician.'

  'She certainly does.' Will opened the front door and motioned for Jane to go first. Neither turned to look back as they locked the door and left the two bodies behind them.

  Second Flight

  The drive back to London was many journeys all stuck together, a kaleidoscope trip that changed with every turn. There was silence, discussion, commenting on the passing scenery, spirits lifting, moods sinking, futures planned but pasts longed for. Outside, the world stayed calm and roads led the way they always did. Inside the car, Jane and Will moved through many emotions and their own paths led them in ways they never imagined.

  After they closed the door for the last time on Richmond Row and turned their backs on the two lifeless men, they travelled in silence for some miles both deeply buried in their own thoughts.

  Will's concerns started with Jane's safety, which led him naturally to dwell on what they would do next and then when he'd return to work. This thought took his heart to visit the Halls, reminding him of his own need to send them more money soon. He also knew that his bid to raise cash had been the cause of this nightmare that couldn't be quelled by waking. He felt guilt and anger. He felt guilt at how little he was doing for the Halls, guilt at the danger he'd unwittingly cast across Jane and anger at himself for the very same reasons. Surprisingly, no anger stirred towards Hugh lying dead miles behind them. Hugh had been a decent man, Will was sure, who loved his country and carried his duty to it and his countrymen with pride; he'd been working towards the 'greater good' and Will hoped that his death hadn't been in vain. Will was also sure that he'd never know what had been going on in Hugh's life, what subterfuge he'd been a part of; he accepted and almost welcomed that. But he hoped that Hugh's last moments hadn't been filled with 'what ifs'. And he hoped that Hugh wouldn't have been able to kill him.

  As Will drove, Jane stared unseeing at the passing landscape as she worried about the unidentified and concealed dangers that could be waiting for Will; she hoped but doubted that this part of their story was over. She tried hard to push the leaden weight of two dead men from her mind and her eyes. She wondered when she would see her friends again; wanting especially to call Florence and assure her she was alright. She wanted to stand backstage to watch Will and have picnics of pork pie and hard-boiled egg; she wanted to be at home or working at the hotel. Even sheltering in the underground now emitted a nostalgic glow, as warped as that seemed. Jane closed her eyes as she heard her mother's words; no matter how bad things seem, they could always be worse.

  Some things were the same in both Jane's and Will's minds; matching thoughts that started with fear for each other. Both wanted their lives back; they yearned to be just a young couple living their lives in London as they chose and no-one else dictated, knowing the dangers they faced and with their fears in the open. They longed for their fears to once more be the same as everyone else's.

  As fields and farms were replaced with villages then towns, Jane felt butterflies stretch their wings within her. When the quiet roads bore houses, then tall buildings, shops and hotels, Jane felt nauseous. It was strange to feel such apprehension; usually this started when security and familiarity was replaced with the unknown and there was a longing to turn back to safety and reassurance. Today Jane hadn't left safety and comfort but sharp, deeply penetrating fear; disbelief felt like it punctured her heart and her brain, seeping bloodied horror everywhere. She didn't want to turn back, knowing what lay in the house they'd left behind, but didn't want to go forward either. She wanted to stop and stay completely still in time, where neither the past could haunt nor the future threaten.

  As Will parked the car in a relatively quiet side road a few streets from the Strand and the Savoy, all was quiet. The two returning travellers were still for a moment. Will leaned back in his seat and sighed before turning to Jane. 'Ok?' Jane nodded in reply, a hundred fears haunting her eyes. Will got out and walked round to open the passenger door for her. 'We'll leave our bags with Ruby until we know what we're doing.' On the pavement they both paused. Will took Jane's hand then a deep breath, and walked her to The Savoy.

  The doorman greeted them with a smile and stood aside for Jane and Will to enter. They stepped from the grey street, where people wore thick coats and avoided puddles, into the shine and sparkle of the hotel. Glass met crystal and carpet met marble. Everyone inside had a gleam somehow; it wasn't their attire (although everyone was dressed appropriately for their role in the hotel, whether their guise was visitor, guest or staff) but in their demeanour and their essence. The outside world, grey and wet, seemed forgotten and Jane recognised just how much she missed her job; it wasn't just the normality of life 'before' that she pined for, but the magic of the hotel - the escapist glamour of a world miles apart from most people's lives, yet only a few metres away, was addictive.

  Will gently tugged Jane's hand as she'd stopped just inside the door and hadn't moved forward, absorbing the sights and sounds of the lobby and those who moved within it. 'Come on,' he urged, 'We need to find Mrs Cartlyn.'

  As Will told the maitre d' at the Savoy Grill who they were meeting, Jane's eyes scanned the diners and spotted their host just as the very smart and amenable man started to guide them to her table. Mrs Cartlyn was seated at the edge of the room, looking immaculate and refined. She didn't smile as they approached, but nodded at the maitre d' who left the moment he'd pulled out a chair for Jane. It dawned on Jane then that she didn't think she'd ever seen Mrs Cartlyn offer a real smile, a happy to see you smile or an I love you smile, to anyone.

  Jane felt Will's hand seek hers out under the table, and was glad of the contact as dark butterflies soared.

  'Welcome back.' Mrs Cartlyn eyed the young couple and Jane thought the old lady's face softened as she did so. Both Jane and Will replied in unison with a thank you. 'Not quite the nice little break while things died down that I had envisaged.' She'd been straightening her cutlery as she spoke, then looked up as she finished speaking; neither Jane nor Will knew what to say for a moment and then Will found his voice.

  'Mrs Cartlyn, we had no idea Hugh would find us. How did he know where we were?'

  'I don't know Mr Batten. I didn't believe for one minute anyone would find you at Richmond Row.' She looked from Will to Jane. 'You must be shaken.'

  Jane nodded. 'It was horrible Mrs Cartlyn. Terrifying. The men were there when we came back from a walk, then it was dark all of a sudden. They had guns and then I had a gun and there was a shot and…' Jane couldn't stop until Mrs Cartlyn, in uncharacteristic affection, touched her hand which lay next to a glass.

  'It's alright dear,' she patted Jane's cold hand as Will's fingers tightened around the other one. 'Sshhh.' Jane couldn't stop tears running down her face in response to the spoken memory and the old lady's unexpected tenderness.

  'Sorry, I'm sorry,' Jane said as she started to withdraw both her hands to find her handbag and a handkerchief. As she pulled her hand away from Mrs Cartlyn's Jane knocked the glass from the table and it hit the floor with a smash. 'Oh no, I'm so sorry.' Within seconds, two waiters were at the table and the shattered glass was gone; a new glass was replaced and all was calm once more.

  Will poured Jane some water and she calmed. As two different waiters returned to their table, Mrs Cartlyn said 'I took the liberty of ordering a light lunch for us all.' The three diners were silent while the dishes were served; a variety of dainty sandwiches and small cakes on a stand, salad, fresh
water in a beautiful carafe, a bottle of wine. 'Does that suit?' the old lady asked her guests. One of the waiters held the wine bottle in front of her for inspection and she nodded before he poured a small amount into her glass. She sipped, then nodded again without making eye contact with him and he poured wine into the three glasses.

  'Yes, of course, it's all lovely thank you Mrs Cartlyn,' Jane replied to their host, and Will echoed her response.

  'Right. Down to business.' Mrs Cartlyn said as soon as the three of them were alone again. 'Come on, you eat, I'll talk.' Jane and Will hesitantly started their meal as Mrs Cartlyn spoke. 'Answers before questions.' She took a second taste of wine and winced slightly as she looked at the glass disdainfully, 'It'll do, I suppose, there is a war on.' She put the glass down and her gaze returned to her companions. 'I had no idea that Hugh would follow you to Richmond Row; as for the other fellows, well, that was uncharacteristically careless of him. And while we're on the subject of them, rest assured they have been taken care of. There'll be no repercussions from the incident and you shall hear no more of it. And I expect to hear no more of it.' Jane felt Will's hand move to squeeze her knee.

  'Mrs Cartlyn,' Will began, before Mrs Cartlyn held up a hand to stop him.

  'Mr Batten, questions later. Although Hugh, sadly, is no longer with us it's still prudent to check that all is safe and the affair has reached its, somewhat unnatural, conclusion. As I mentioned to you over the telephone I have another property, in London, where you can stay. I assure you, with absolute and utter certainty, that no-one will come knocking there. Of course, you can go home if you wish; I have no sway over your choices, but I would advise you,' she hesitated, possibly for emphasis, 'to take up my offer.'

  There was a noticeable and awkward silence as Will and Jane gave time for Mrs Cartlyn to continue before they spoke. They both started to speak at once, but Will let Jane talk.

  'Mrs Cartlyn, I need to return to work; I can't afford not to work and I can't risk losing my position at the hotel. And I have my room at Mrs Foster's as well.'