Ghostly Play

by K E O'Connor

  “What about the pig?” Helen gestured to the sty. “We can’t leave her here. He’s going to make her into bacon sandwiches.”

  “Piers won’t do that,” I said. “Who will he have to play with if his pig is gone?”

  “You know nothing about me,” spat Piers. “Get out of here before I do have you arrested. I’m not messing around this time.”

  “Neither am I.” I turned and walked away, Flipper by my side, and Helen hurrying along next to me.

  “What are you doing?” Helen tugged my sleeve. “I can’t believe you’re leaving that pig behind.”

  “I’m not.” I slowed and turned. I’d been teaching Flipper a few tricks, and he knew the perfect trick to help us out and set the pig free.

  Helen stopped walking. “You’re up to something.”

  I gestured at Flipper and then pointed at Piers. “Jump.”

  Flipper’s ears pricked up, and he raced back to the pig sty. He launched himself at Piers, just as the pig lined herself up so Piers tripped over her and fell into the muck, Flipper landing on top of him.

  Helen laughed. “That’s genius. And Piers thought they were stupid. Well done, Flipper and pig.”

  I watched with delight as the pig and Flipper touched noses then turned and ran together across the field toward us.

  “That’s it, you two. Let’s get out of here.” I suppressed a laugh as I saw Piers rolling around in the mud. He deserved nothing less.

  Flipper and the pig reached us. I petted Flipper on the head. “That was perfect, you clever dog. You’ll get a big treat when we get back to the house.”

  I looked at the pig. She was panting and had several sores on her body. My loathing for Piers grew. He’d not been looking after this animal for some time. She wasn’t large, so I scooped her into my arms, and we ran back to the car.

  “Wait! You can’t steal my pig.”

  I glanced over my shoulder to see Piers on his knees. “Keep going,” I said to Helen.

  “What are you going to do with the pig?”

  “She’s coming back to the house with us.”

  “You want to put her in the car?”

  “I’m hardly going to walk back with her in my arms.”

  “Then you’re paying for having it cleaned when her trotters get mud everywhere,” said Helen.

  “You wouldn’t abandon this pig for the sake of a little mud, would you?”

  Helen looked at the pig and sighed. “She is kind of cute. But she’s still covered in mud.”

  “I’ll sit with her in the back seat on my lap. I’m happy to get covered in mud so long as we get her out of here.”

  “And away from the hideous Piers,” said Helen. “How are we going to explain having Piers’s pig, though?”

  “We’ll think of something.” I let Helen open the back seat of her car for me and slid in, keeping the pig on my lap. She seemed remarkably calm, given we were abducting her. Maybe she was relieved to be away from Piers and his cruelty.

  Flipper hopped in alongside me and gave the pig a thorough sniffing before lying down next to us. He didn’t seem disappointed in having another new friend of the pig variety.

  “Get us out of here,” I said to Helen. “We don’t need Piers calling his uncle and having us arrested for pig rustling.”

  “He might still do that. At least we’ve rescued the pig. Anyone who sees the state she’s in will be on our side.” Helen roared the engine, wheel spun the car around, and shot us away from the scene of the crime.

  Chapter 10

  We’d been sitting in Helen’s car for ten minutes, trying to figure out what we would do with our stolen pig.

  “We can’t have the pig in the house,” I said. “Alex has Lucy around, but she’s house-trained. Seeing the state of this little one’s enclosure, I don’t think that’s the case with her.”

  “We can hide her in an outbuilding,” said Helen. “There are several around the back.”

  “That could work if we can find one that’s secure and make sure she’s got something soft to sleep on and food and water. We can keep her there for a few days until we figure out a longer-term solution.”

  “Well, we can’t stay in here, and neither can the pig,” said Helen. “As cute as she is, she sort of stinks.”

  Helen was right. I now smelled of an unhealthy mix of damp straw, pig muck, and mud. “Let’s see if we can find somewhere to put her.”

  We all climbed out of the car. I kept hold of the pig, not wanting her to run off and get lost. We crept around the side of the house and over to the outbuildings.

  We were just checking the first one, when an overhead light blinked on, dazzling us. Before we had a chance to hide, the back door opened.

  “Lorna! And Helen! When the security light went off, I thought someone was trying to break in.” Camilla stood on the back doorstep, dressed in a cream robe. She looked ready for bed.

  “Sorry to disturb you,” I said, standing there with the pig in my arms. There was nothing we could do. We’d been caught with a stolen pig in hand.

  “What are you doing out here at night?” Her gaze went to the pig. “And you have a muddy friend.”

  “We’re looking after her,” said Helen swiftly, “for Piers.”

  “That’s Piers’s pig?” Camilla took a step forward. “I thought she looked familiar. I haven’t seen her since she was tiny. What’s he doing lending you his pig?”

  “He asked us to look after her. He said he wasn’t going to be around much for a while.” I thought my lie sounded convincing.

  “And Piers’s pig will be good company for Lucy,” said Helen.

  I nodded. “Pigs are sociable animals. They like to have other pigs around.”

  Camilla gave us a bemused smile. “I didn’t realize you and Piers were such good friends.”

  “We’re not,” I said. “Not really. But I love animals and didn’t like to think of this pig all alone.”

  “I hope you don’t mind,” said Helen. “We were looking for somewhere to put her for the night.”

  “You’re in the right place,” said Camilla. “Most of these buildings have equipment in them. Lucy sometimes goes in the one at the end when she fancies slumming it and not sleeping in the house. You can put your pig in there for the night.”

  “Thanks. Sorry again for disturbing you,” I said. “I thought it was a bit late to come in and ask for a bed for the pig.”

  “That’s no problem,” said Camilla. “I was making myself a cup of cocoa before turning in.”

  “That sounds like a good idea,” said Helen. “Perhaps we can have cocoa as well?”

  “Let’s deal with this pig first,” I whispered.

  “How have things been going with Alex, today?” Camilla stepped closer. “I know he can be a little tricky to work with. I’m sure you’ll sort him out.”

  “Things have been going great.” I omitted the fact I’d played a computer game with Alex for hours. Camilla would not approve.

  “That’s good,” said Camilla. “All he needs is a firm hand. Discipline never hurt anybody. I spent the longest time trying to convince him to join the Army. That would have sorted him out. He’d have a routine, a hierarchy to respect, and a job for life. But he wasn’t keen.”

  I raised my eyebrows. I couldn’t imagine anyone less likely to join the Army than Alex. “We’ll get it all sorted. A few more days on the paperwork and I’ll have everything up-to-date.”

  “That sounds excellent,” said Camilla. “Make sure you girls aren’t up for much longer. We all have busy days tomorrow.”

  “We’ll be right in.” I hurried to the end outbuilding and placed the pig inside. There was already a trough with food in that must be for Lucy and a bowl of water.

  “Sort out that straw,” I said to Helen, as I stroked the pig and made sure she was calm.

  “I’m not getting myself mucky,” said Helen. “You’re already covered in mud. You deal with the pig’s bed.”

  She had a point.
“Fine. You go get some warm water, so I can clean the sores on the pig, see if we can get her comfortable.” I kicked the straw into what looked like a comfortable pile as I waited for Helen. It was the perfect overnight retreat for a pig who needed somewhere to chill out after a horrible ordeal.

  When I turned around, the pig was already eating. Flipper sat next to her, a curious look on his face. Maybe he was trying to figure out whether he wanted another pig friend or not.

  “You need to get changed.” Helen looked down at my mud-spattered clothes as she returned with a bowl of water and a clean sponge.

  “I don’t mind a bit of mud.” I knelt next to the pig and gently stroked her head. She flinched away the first couple of times, but then relaxed and continued eating. “Don’t worry; you’re safe here with us. You get some rest, and we’ll come and see you in the morning.” I washed her sores and made sure they were clean of mud.

  I followed Helen out of the outhouse and locked the door.

  “Piers will be spitting mad after what we’ve done,” said Helen. “He was wearing designer clothes when he landed in all that muck.”

  “Then he’s an even bigger idiot for wearing expensive clothes when riding a quad bike,” I said. “From the way he was treating the pig, he doesn’t want her. When he’s calmed down and had a shower, he’ll see this is for the best.”

  “I hope so,” said Helen. “I thought he was going to run us over with his quad bike.”

  “I get the impression Piers is used to getting his own way. He doesn’t like it when people stand up to him,” I said. “We’d better watch our backs, just in case he gets mean.”

  We’d only been in the kitchen a few minutes. Helen was making us hot cocoa while I washed my hands, when the back door was shoved open and Piers stalked in. He’d changed out of his mud-covered clothes but still had the slight odor of pig sty about him.

  “Where is she?”

  I pushed back my shoulders and glared at him. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

  Piers’s eyes narrowed. “What have you done with Priscilla?”

  “That’s the name of your pig?”

  “I didn’t name her,” growled Piers. “Alex named the pigs.”

  “Well, Priscilla is safely out of your reach. You’re not getting her back.”

  “She’s mine.”

  “Not anymore,” I said. “I’ll take good care of her and make sure no one torments her ever again. You’re not fit to look after an animal.”

  “Lorna’s right,” said Helen, coming to stand beside me. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

  “I’m ashamed of nothing,” said Piers. “And I don’t appreciate it when people steal from me.”

  I stepped closer to Piers and lowered my voice. “You will not do anything about this. If you do, I’ll reveal your cruelty to Alex. He’s not going to think much of you, once he realizes what a nasty piece of work you really are.”

  “You wouldn’t dare. He’d never believe you.”

  “I think he would. I’m getting on well with Alex. I’m sure he’ll be interested in what I have to say. And when I show him the condition Priscilla is in, he’ll know you’ve not been looking after her properly for ages. Sores like that don’t develop on a pig’s skin overnight. He’ll kick you out of his exclusive club. Then where will you be?”

  “Alex trusts me,” said Piers. “I’ll say the pig got the injuries by accident.”

  “He owns a pig,” I said. “He’ll know injuries like that aren’t accidental. He won’t want you around anymore when he sees what you’ve done to Priscilla.”

  “So, back off,” said Helen. “Priscilla lives with us now. You will tell Alex you gave her to us as a gift.”

  Piers scowled. “I’d never give either of you anything.”

  “I can well believe that.” Piers was clearly the taker in every relationship. “This time, you’re making an exception. You like me and Helen so much that you gave us your prize pig. That will make you look good in Alex’s eyes.”

  “That wretched pig is nothing but trouble, anyway.” Piers stalked to the kitchen door. “Not a word to Alex. I’ll tell him I gave the stupid pig to you. You make sure that’s what he thinks. If you tell him otherwise, I’ll make sure you both lose your jobs.”

  I didn’t think Piers would do that but was happy to play along if we got to keep Priscilla safe and away from his sick little hands. “It’s a deal.”

  Piers yanked open the door and slammed it shut behind him.

  “If we didn’t have a number one suspect in Greg’s death, we do now.” I glanced at the door leading into the garden. “You don’t think he’ll take Priscilla?”

  “No. The door lock is strong. She’s safe here with us. And you’re right; he’s our top suspect. He must have been the one who shot Greg.”

  “How can we prove that?” I asked. “So far, all we know for sure is that he’s a nasty piece of work, who enjoys torturing animals.”

  “That’s a good start,” said Helen. “Don’t most serial killers start by torturing animals?”

  “The police will need more to go on than that,” I said. “We need to do more digging into Piers’s background, see what dirty little secrets he’s hiding.”

  “We can follow him,” said Helen. “See if he goes to any seedy gambling dens and blows a ton of money. Or has a secret girlfriend with expensive tastes he needs to fund.”

  “I’ll start with doing more research online before we tail him,” I said. “We already know he likes the high life. Maybe there’s more we can find out, without risking getting run over by his quad bike.” I tensed as the kitchen door swung open, expecting to see Piers back for a re-match.

  Eva strode into the kitchen, wearing a floor-length black dress and matching eyeshadow. “What have you done to Piers? I’ve never seen him look so angry.”

  “What makes you think we had anything to do with that?” I asked.

  “Because he came stomping away from the kitchen and into the lounge,” said Eva. She looked down at the ground. “And, I may have heard you arguing.”

  “That was nothing.”

  “It sounded like something to me,” said Eva. “I’m glad you’re not friends with him. Piers is not a nice guy.”

  “We figured that out for ourselves,” said Helen. “What’s he done to you to make you dislike him so much?”

  “Nothing in particular.” Eva plucked at the sleeve of her dress. “He’s just generally horrible to anyone he doesn’t think can give him what he wants.”

  “Would that include Greg?” I asked.

  “He was always horrible to Gregory,” said Eva. “I don’t know why he put up with it. But Gregory was such a nice guy, he could never stay angry with anyone for long.”

  “Did you ever see them arguing?”

  “Piers mainly put Gregory down or made fun of him,” said Eva. “It was always subtle. If I ever called him out over it, he’d deny it. He always pretended it was a joke. I knew he was being serious.”

  That was another black mark against Piers’s name. “We’re definitely not in the Piers Torrington fan club,” I said. “I’m not sure he’s a good friend to your brother.”

  “Then that’s Alex’s fault for letting Piers hang around here all the time. My brother can be a knucklehead. So long as he gets someone to play on his dumb game, that’s all he cares about.”

  “It seems like Alex needs better friends, especially now Greg has gone.”

  “He’s got Harriet.” Eva raised her eyebrows and grinned.

  “She’s the perfect girlfriend.” I returned Eva’s grin.

  “You know, if you want to get one up on Piers, I’ve got the perfect way to do that.” Eva smiled evilly.

  “We’re not out for revenge,” I said.

  “Priscilla needs justice,” said Helen.

  “Priscilla? Piers’s pig? What’s she got to do with this?” Eva stared at Helen.

  “Nothing at all.” I shot Helen a warning look. “W
e’re simply looking after Priscilla, while Piers is too busy to take care of her.”

  Eva shrugged. “I never thought he liked that pig. He only bought them so he could have something in common with Alex. Alex adores Lucy and was delighted when Piers arrived with the piglets. Piers never mentions Priscilla. I wondered if she was even still around.”

  “She’s definitely around,” I said. “She is staying here from now on.”

  “Lucy will like that,” said Eva. “Now, about getting even with Piers. I promise you no one will get hurt. Well, the only thing that will get hurt is Piers’s ego. That always needs deflating.”

  I had to admit I was intrigued by Eva’s offer. “What do we need to do?”

  “Follow me,” said Eva. “We need to go to my room.”

  We hurried up the stairs and into Eva’s bedroom. It was a surprising contrast to her ever-present black clothing. There was a large double bed covered in a cream throw and a dozen fluffy pillows. There were several teddy bears squashed among the pillows. A sheer pink fabric covered the window, and her dressing table was covered in sparkling fairy lights. Set up in the corner of the room was a huge flat screen TV and a low seat.

  “This is where I play my computer games,” said Eva. “When I’ve had enough of dealing with Harriet and Piers, I come up here and play on my own.”

  “It’s a nice room. How is this going to help us get back at Piers?” asked Helen.

  “You need to play against him in a game.” Eva gestured to the screen.

  Helen laughed. “You want us to fight Piers online?”

  Eva grinned at us. “He thinks he’s the best gamer around, despite the fact I’ve beaten him several times.”

  “He must hate that,” I said.

  “He has no idea it’s me,” said Eva. “I sign in to all games under a pseudonym. I call myself the Hellion. Piers is always going on about the rivalry he has with the Hellion. He’d die of shame if he knew it was a girl beating him.”

  “I don’t play computer games,” said Helen. “I’ll be no help to you. How about you, Lorna?”

  “I know the basics,” I said. “But I could never go up against an experienced gamer and expect to win.”