The Busker: A gripping psychological thriller

by M. J. Patrick

  It was calming for her to lie across the back seats, rubbing her forehead, and taking tiny sips from the water bottle. The sun streamed through the windows. She enjoyed soaking in it. Outside, the highway flew by. She ran her finger around the rim of the water bottle. The countryside was beautiful. It was as she pictured it, the brown and green colours of the trees and bushes stretching far into the distance. She was happy to be out of the grey city.

  The hangover continued to rock the inside of her head. She tapped her forehead with the water bottle, cooling herself with the water. The silence in the car made her feel restless. She needed something to preoccupy her thoughts away from the stinging headache and bubbling stomach. She hated herself. She drank to run away from her problems.

  ‘My head is killing me,’ Sally said to Charlie's back in the front seat. ‘How about we talk about something.’

  ‘Okay. What do you want to talk about?’ he asked.

  ‘I’m the one back here with the hangover, so I can’t be relied upon to be a good interviewer. You come up with something.’

  ‘How about we talk about you, Sally?’ Charlie said.

  ‘You want my life story?’

  ‘Start talking,’ Charlie replied. ‘And I’ll keep driving.’

  On the back seat, Sally shrugged. She rubbed her forehead. ’There isn’t much to it. It’s the usual upbringing, I guess.’

  ‘I’m sure there’s more to tell,’ Charlie said.

  ‘This is hard to answer.’

  ‘You wanted it.’

  ‘You go first,’ Sally said. Talking more about her past scared her. Why did she even want Charlie to ask her questions in the first place? But here she was anyway. She might as well find out more about this man driving her into the wilderness. ‘Tell me about your life.’

  ‘I asked the question first,’ Charlie said. ‘You were the one who wanted me to ask a question.’

  ‘But I reckon you’ve probably got a more interesting life,’ Sally replied.

  ‘More interesting?’

  ‘You’re so much more adventurous than me. I bet you’ve got some good stories. Where did you grow up? What were your parents like?’

  ‘It’s nothing special.’ He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, fidgeting. ‘My parents weren’t there for me, so I kind of grew up all over.’

  ‘There was no one else around? You had to look after yourself?’ Sally asked.

  ‘I guess you could put it like that.’

  ‘That must’ve been very hard.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Charlie said. He flicked a piece of dirt off the steering wheel. She could see her questions were making him uncomfortable.

  ‘Are you okay with me asking you about your life?’ Sally asked.

  Charlie reached to the side seat and scrambled around, silently looking for something. He stopped when he found a cassette tape. He inserted it into the car’s sound system. ‘This is a silly game. I want to listen to some music,’ he said.

  Charlie was brushing her off. She had to say something, reduce the tension. ‘You don’t have a proper modern sound system or anything in here? Like one you can plug a phone in?’ she asked.

  ‘I don’t. It’s an old car. But I’ve got loads of tapes.’

  He was staring at her through the rearview mirror.

  The music from the cassette tape spluttered to life. The song was familiar, she’d heard it before. She tried to remember. It was something she’d listened to recently. It was good. What was it? Then she remembered.

  ‘Is that your band playing?’ Sally asked, eyebrow raised.

  ‘Yeah. Is that alright?’ Charlie asked aggressively. Sally flinched, his defensive tone scared her.

  ‘It’s fine,’ Sally said. She acted casual but it was weird he was playing his own music. ‘I enjoyed you guys last night. I thought you were good.’

  Charlie shook his head. ‘It sounded like you were complaining.’

  ‘I wasn’t.’ She hated how quickly she lapsed into being submissive to him. She hated herself for it. She always had this need to placate everyone all the time. Charlie was being weird, and the first thing she did was to try to explain herself. She never had any backbone when it was needed. The one time she'd fought back had been the night before, and that had resulted in Ashley walking out on her. She should check on her friend. Message her. Her new phone probably had the same number. She could message her.

  No. Ashley should be the first to apologise this time.

  ‘Fine,’ Charlie said.

  The silence hung in the air. Awkward. Sally hugged her seatbelt and stared out the window. Charlie was shooting the car down the highway. He must’ve been going over the speed limit. They were passing so many cars. She couldn’t see far into the country beyond the road, a thick wall of trees obscured any view.

  Through the mirror, Charlie noticed Sally looking out of the window. ‘There are usually big fires every year down around here,’ he said. ‘The fires can move pretty fast. Sometimes this whole area is black. It’s like a scene from an apocalyptic movie.’

  ‘That’s devastating,’ Sally said.

  ‘It’s nature out here. Sometimes it needs rejuvenation. It keeps it healthy, like a cleanout. Life comes back though, it always does.’

  ‘It’s scary how strong nature can be sometimes. When I went to the beach the other day I practically drowned in the waves.’

  Charlie laughed. ‘How are you feeling after that little incident by the side of the road?’ he asked.

  ‘Better, I think. Sorry again for all that.’ Stop apologising, she told herself.

  ‘I was thinking we might stop and rest soon, get some proper lunch.’

  ‘That sounds good. I might need some food after last night,’ Sally said. ‘So, who is in your band? Where did you meet them?’

  ‘I met them around. I’ve known a few of them for a long time. Years.’ His hesitant tone signalled to Sally he didn’t want to dive deeper. Sally decided to stay silent, and she carried on watching the road. It was good to be finally out of the city.

  The tape kept on playing in the background. They were slowly ascending. The highway was sloping upwards. They were moving into the mountains, further into nature.

  A green board passed by, announcing an exit into a town. Charlie followed it off the highway and on to a smaller road, the car bumping on the uneven tarmac. The road led into the small town indicated on the sign on the highway. A gathering of corrugated iron houses hugging the main road they drove down. The town consisted of one general store advertising milk and pastries and an old chapel appearing lonely on the far end of town. There was no one else about. It was quiet and lazy in a summery country way. Where was everyone? They must be indoors, or there wasn’t many of them.

  At the far edge of the town was a cafe. A sign out the front advertised soft drinks and meat pies. Charlie parked by the outside tables.

  ‘You’re fine with a meat pie?’ he asked. He gestured at the outdoor seating and before Sally could reply he was walking into the cafe. ‘Find a table you’ll like and I’ll get the food.’

  Sally sat at the nearest table. She put her phone out on the wooden surface. She should message Ashley, but she was not going to be the first one to apologise. She had to be strong.

  Like the town, the cafe was also empty. Sally was the only customer sitting on the outside tables. Down the road were the few houses and shops, beyond them was a forest. The bush.

  She was sitting in the sun. She closed her eyes and angled towards the light, feeling it flood over her face. Charlie returned with two pies a minute later. Sally picked at hers, playing with a bit of pastry between her fingers.

  ‘You’re not hungry?’ Charlie asked.

  ‘My stomach hasn’t fully recovered,’ Sally replied.

  He took a bite of his. ‘I see,’ he said through the mouthfuls.

  Sally’s phone on the table started to vibrate. Both her and Charlie leaned over to see whose name it was on the screen. Her heart jumped. It could
be Ashley.

  30

  ‘Nicole? Who’s she?’ Charlie asked, looking at the name flashing up on the screen.

  The phone, lying on the outdoor table in front of Sally, buzzed with the incoming call. ‘She’s my neighbour back home,’ Sally said, eyeing it.

  ‘Aren’t you going to answer her?’

  ‘No,’ Sally replied. She didn’t want this to be happening now, not in front of Charlie. It was a window into her private life she’d rather be left back on the other side of the world.

  ‘Maybe it’s important.’

  ‘It probably isn’t,’ Sally said, still ignoring the phone vibrating in front of her.

  ‘It could be an emergency.’

  ‘It wouldn’t be. She wouldn’t call me for anything like that. We weren’t even close.’ And there was no one back home Sally even cared about.

  ‘What’s the harm in picking up?’ Charlie asked. He’d stopped eating and was now aiming to grab the phone off the table.

  Sally snatched the phone back from his grasp, and the phone caused her hand to vibrate. ‘I don’t want to,’ she said.

  ‘We aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, plus you said you aren’t hungry,’ Charlie replied.

  Sally sighed. ‘Fine.’ She took the phone and herself away from the table. If she was going to talk on the phone, then she’d do it away from Charlie, where there’d be no chance he could listen in. She walked to a tree a few meters away from his prying eyes and accepted the call.

  She took in a deep breath and spoke. ‘Hello?’

  ‘Hello, Sally?’ Nicole’s voice was croaky and hesitant. Sally braced for or an awkward conversation.

  ‘Yeah?’

  ‘It’s me, Nicole. How are you? I’ve not seen you around for some time.’

  ‘I’m good. I’ve gone travelling, so that’s why I haven’t been home,’ Sally explained.

  ‘That’s nice. I’m not catching you at a bad time, am I? I’m never good with time zones.’ Nicole asked. Sally glanced over at Charlie. He was eating, but his eyes were still watching her, curious.

  ‘No, I’m free.’

  ‘Lovely to hear. How are you since the Funeral and all that?’

  ‘I’ve been okay,’ Sally replied. She wanted Nicole to hurry and get to her point.

  ‘Good.’ A pause. Sally waited for Nicole to continue. There was more to this phone call than her Dad’s neighbour calling for a chat. ‘How's travelling? Is that Ashley there with you?’

  Nicole mentioning Ashley made Sally shiver. ‘I’m out on my own at the moment,’ she said. ‘We’re having a good time.’

  ‘Good, good. I’ve been trying to call the last few days.’

  ‘Sorry. I’ve been a bit busy,’ Sally replied.

  ‘Well, there has been a reason I’ve tried to call.’

  ‘Yeah?’

  ‘There isn’t an easy way to say this, I don’t know the full story, of course. But your Mum has been round.’

  The air rushed out of Sally’s lungs like she’d been punched. ‘My Mum?’ she asked.

  ‘Yes. She’s visited the house a few times this past couple of days. I spoke to her three days ago. She’s heard about what happened with your Dad. She seems very upset by it all,’ Nicole said.

  ‘What does she want?’ Sally was numb. Her Mum. At her Dad’s house. She couldn’t picture it.

  ‘She wants to see you.’

  ‘Does she?’

  ‘I’m only the messenger, but Sally, It’ll do you some good. She seems so devastated by it all and by the thought of you all alone. She’s been around a few times now actually. I feel a bit pressured to make this phone call. I told her I wouldn’t, but she’s very persistent.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘She’s left her details with me. I can message you her phone number if you’d like.’

  ‘I don’t want anything to do with her. She ran away from us. I haven’t seen her since I was ten.’

  ‘Look, I don’t know the details, but you should call her. It’s something you two should figure out. I’m just the messenger here.’

  ‘I don’t want to speak to her. Tell her to go away.’

  Nicole ignored her and continued. ‘I’ll send the details on to you. She’d been pushing me to do it. I hope you’re having a lovely trip. You deserve one after all that’s happened,’ she said. ‘I hope you have a good rest of the trip, and I’ll see you when you get home.’

  Sally hung up, and she felt sick again. But it was not the hungover type of sickness. This was a sickness emanating from a hole in the centre of her chest.

  She reached for the nearby tree, using her hand to balance herself. She covered her mouth and started to cry.

  Her Mum.

  But her Dad lying there, dead, in the church. Where was her Mum then?

  Her Mum had walked out on Sally and her Dad when she was ten. Sally hadn’t seen her for years. Her Mum had nothing to do with her, no contact in all the years since. Nothing. Where had she been for all those years?

  Sally could sense Charlie staring at her, taking in her reaction to the phone call. She turned away from him. He’d already seen her be sick on the side of the road. He should not see her like this. He should not see the tears streaming down her cheeks.

  ‘You’re okay?’ Somehow, Charlie had sneaked up on her. He was right next to her. He must’ve seen her crying from the table.

  ‘Yeah,’ she replied.

  ‘You sure?’ he asked, and she felt his hand on her back. Why couldn’t he leave her alone?

  ‘I’m fine. Give me a minute.’

  ‘Okay,’ he said, but he didn’t move. He stood behind her like her shadow.

  ‘Can you leave me alone?’ she asked. The meanness in her voice surprised her, and she winced at herself. ‘Is it alright if you can please wait by the car? I’ll be back over soon,’ she added with extra sweetness to counter her rudeness. It was unfair to attack him because of this, even if he was being annoyingly sympathetic.

  The leaves on the ground crunched under Charlie's feet as he drifted back to the car, and Sally began to cry again.

  31

  Beyond the town, trees hung low over both sides of the road. Sunlight escaped between them, shining through the hunchbacked branches. Sally sat in the back seat of the car and stared out the window in silence. Charlie continued driving up into the mountains, the town and the cafe disappearing out of sight on the road behind them.

  The hangover, the vomit, and then the phone call. It hadn’t been a good day so far for Sally. And Charlie had witnessed it all.

  The tears were dry on Sally’s cheeks. Charlie and her hadn’t spoken to each other since she’d walked back to the car and they’d set off again. Ashley had left, then she’d found out about her Mum, and then she’d barked at Charlie. It might’ve been a mistake to go hiking.

  ‘So,’ Charlie said, breaking the silence. His face peered at her through the driving mirror. ‘Where’s your friend? What was her name?’

  ‘Ashley.’

  ‘Yeah, her. I did invite her. Why didn’t she come?’ he asked.

  Sally paused. She didn’t want to reveal too much. What would Charlie think of her if she explained what happened? What was the best way to speak about it without sounding like an emotional mess? ‘We fought last night,’ she said. ‘After I came home from the house party.’

  ‘I see. What went wrong?’

  ‘We said some things. Some hurtful things, and now she’s gone to stay with her cousin,’ Sally replied.

  ‘What was the fight about?’

  ‘It’s a long story.’

  ‘We have a long car ride.’

  Sally squirmed against her seat belt. She didn’t want to talk about this. It was so petty. Charlie would think she was childish. She bit her lip and shrugged. ‘It’s silly. I mean, I felt like I could’ve killed her last night,’ she said.

  ‘You could’ve killed her? That sounds intense.’

  ‘Not kill her exactly, that’s being dramati
c. It’s more like she’s made me so angry.’

  ‘Then tell me.’

  Sally rested her head on the window. The sunshine warmed her face. ‘It’s just silly. She’s been overdramatic, and I’ve now told you I could’ve killed her.’

  Charlie rolled down his window and took a cigarette from his pocket. Hot breeze rolling in from the countryside flooded the car as he lighted his cigarette. He let his hand holding the cigarette to relax, flopping over the outside of the car door. Smoke drifted through the car. ‘I don’t care if it’s silly. Tell me,’ he said.

  ‘Well, it’s complicated. She thinks I’ve been selfish. I think she’s overreacting.’ Sally said. ‘The other night something happened to me. She thinks I’ve embarrassed her in front of her cousin.’

  ‘The one she’s staying with now?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘Okay,’ Charlie said. ‘What did you do to embarrass her?’

  ‘It’s nothing.’

  ‘Go on.’

  ‘He was a horrible person, let’s leave it at that.’

  ‘Okay.’

  ‘She wouldn’t have come hiking anyway. She prefers the city. That was also part of the argument, like our travelling plans.’ She paused. Should she continue? ‘She reminds me of bad things, of stuff that’s happened recently. It’s not her fault, but she wants to talk about it. She wants me to be open about it.’

  There was a sharp turn in the road, and Charlie manoeuvred around it, keeping his fast speed. His hands gripped the wheel. He spoke with the cigarette hanging between his teeth. ‘Do you want to know what I think?’ he asked.

  ‘Sure, go ahead.’

  ‘Your friend is being melodramatic,’ he said. ‘You are on different wavelengths, and she’s set in her ways. There's no compromise. To be honest, she’s holding you back.’

  ‘That’s a pretty bold to make about someone you’ve never really met,’ Sally replied.

  ‘It’s true though. Plus, I met her the other night. She basically told me to fuck off, if you remember.’

  ‘You say she’s holding me back? Holding me back from what?’

  ‘Your life,’ Charlie said. ‘What I’m saying is that your life is yours, Sally. You don’t have to worry about what she thinks of you. You don’t have to do what she says. You don’t have to worry about the past. Forget about it. Move on. That’s what I’ve done, and it works for me. I had a shitty childhood. She wants you to open up about it? Screw that. That’s why it seems to me she’s holding you back.’