by Alicia Hope
Claire-Rose smiled her thanks. ‘And I’m glad to see you’re feeling better.’ She turned to Alan Jenkins. ‘Alan? Where’s Sally this morning?’
‘Um, still sleepin’ when I left her.’
Claire-Rose glanced at her watch. She’d slept in after her night out so was breakfasting later than usual. Her forehead creased. It wasn’t like Sally, with her up-and-at-’em approach to life, to still be sleeping at this hour.
‘Morning all.’ Byron’s deep voice snapped her out of that train of thought, but she was careful to look up casually. All the same, the breath caught in her throat when their eyes met, and she gasped a little breathlessly, ‘A-and the same to you, Byron.’
The others were exchanging greetings and didn’t notice Byron’s gaze lock with Claire-Rose’s, but when Thomas rattled out breakfast orders for himself and Selena, Byron pulled himself together. He placed the Fox’s breakfasts in front of them and took a pad from his pocket to note the other orders. After taking them from around the table, he turned to Claire-Rose. ‘And you, ma’am, what would you like?’
Her full lips spread into a slow smile. ‘The same again, please.’
‘Right you are.’ He grinned at her, and it occurred to Jill, who’d watched the exchange, that they were sharing some sort of secret.
Noticing Jill’s scrutiny, Byron straightened saying briskly, ‘Right. I’ll be back soon with your drinks,’ and strode to the kitchen.
When Jill’s searching gaze turned her way, Claire-Rose jumped in to enquire of Alan, ‘Is Sally OK?’
He turned his face away and didn’t answer.
‘Alan?’
Mumbling, ‘Not really,’ he kept his gaze averted.
‘Oh?’
‘She ... um....’ He finally looked at Claire-Rose. ‘She’s had a ... scare.’ His gaze flicked over Jill and Selena, before returning to Claire-Rose.
She sucked in a breath.
Not Sally too?
‘What’s happened, Alan?’
The others at the table heard the urgency in her voice and grew quiet.
Throwing himself against his chair’s backrest, Alan ran an agitated hand through his thinning hair. ‘We’re both feelin’ foolish.’ He bowed his head and sat forward again. ‘After sayin’ we were hopin’ for some spooky entertainment....’ Raising his head, he looked out from under his eyebrows at the others around the table.
‘No need to feel foolish, Alan, nobody here gives a hoot about that. We only care about Sally. What happened?’
He took a deep breath. ‘Well, as the sayin’ goes, it was all fun ’til the screamin’ started.’ He paused to gather his thoughts. ‘Yesterday evenin’ we decided to go for a paddle on the castle’s lake. I wanted to see if I could catch one of the huge trout they claim live in it. Was a good night for it, too, with a heavy mist on the lake. They say that’s a good time to catch the big ’uns.’
Everyone nodded, and Claire-Rose noticed that, like her, they were all leaning forward, listening intently.
‘When we got there, Sally was grumblin’ ’bout somethin’, but I’m afraid I wasn’t really listenin’, too busy plannin’ my fishin’ strategy.’ He glanced at Claire-Rose. ‘Sal gets talkative when she’s had a couple’a glasses of red, y’see. Anyway, turns out she was feelin’ cold and damp, probably ’cos the sun had gone down and more mist had rolled in. Anyways, we grabbed the canoe and paddled out to the middle of the lake, ’cos I thought that’d be the best spot. I’d just thrown my line in when Sally said something I didn’t catch, and then she let loose a scream like I’d never heard ’er give before. The canoe rocked violently ’n I had to drop my rod ’n grab onto the sides. Felt like I was on a buckin’ bull ride.’
As one, breaths were drawn in and held around the table.
‘And the next minute, we’re in the drink. The canoe flipped right over. I lost my rod ’n all.’ Alan’s troubled eyes did the rounds of the table again and found all eyes glued on him. ‘Soon as I surfaced, I looked for Sally, but couldn’t see her anywhere. I figured she was still under the water, so I dived down to find her.’
A bang from the kitchen made everyone jump, and Jill clicked her tongue in agitation, but every atom of his audience’s attention quickly re-focused onto Alan’s words.
‘I found ’er alright.’ He paused, thoughtful. ‘Never seen nobody scream under water before....’
‘Oh, Alan,’ Claire-Rose breathed.
‘Yeah ... well I grabbed ’er and brought ’er to the surface, still screamin’. But no sound was coming out, just an awful rasp, like her voice had been squeezed outta her body.’
The women at the table winced and Jill had to look away.
‘I managed to drag ’er to the shore, ’n carried ’er, ringin’ wet, to our room.’
Claire-Rose didn’t bother making sympathetic noises, she got straight to the point. ‘What frightened Sally so badly, Alan?’
‘Him,’ and he indicated Jill with a sideways nod. ‘Sally says it’s the same one.’
‘You mean...?’
‘Yep,’ he sighed, running a hand over his face, ‘she thinks she saw the ghost. In the water, she said, below the canoe, and—’ He broke off to take a deep breath. ‘She described him to me later, when she could speak again. Said it was hard to see ’cos of the thick mist, but she’s certain she saw a face with holes where the eyes ’n ears should’ve been. And when the mouth hole opened, she reckons she saw a crab crawl out of it—’
‘Oh!’ Jill cried, leaping to her feet. Selena followed suit.
As Peter and Thomas rose to comfort their wives, Claire-Rose enquired calmly, ‘Is Sally alright, Alan? Does she need anything?’
‘No, I think she’ll be OK. I gave ’er a sleeping pill so she could get some rest. That, on top of the seasickness tablet she took earlier will have her out to it for a while.’ He gave a wry smile. ‘Not a good sailor, my Sal. She’d get sick in a wobbly bathtub.’
‘Oh?’ Claire-Rose’s eyes narrowed. ‘So before you went out on the lake she had a couple of wines and then took a seasickness pill?’ At Alan’s nod, a knowing look crossed her face, but she kept her voice even. ‘Well, let me know when she’s up for visitors, and if I can do anything for her.’
And there I was, thinking the Jenkins were too level-headed to be frightened by ghost stories. But all the spooky talk among this group has their collective imaginations working overtime. First Jill, then Selena, and now Sally. Who’s next in line to fall prey to fanciful imaginings, I wonder? Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Randeep for a couple of days….
Her voice rose as she addressed the table. ‘Hey, has anyone seen the Singh-Samras today?’
She received shakes from all five heads as Peter piped up, ‘Saw Mandeep at breakfast yesterday, but not since. And can’t recall when we last saw his wife.’
‘Here we go, folks.’ Byron arrived bearing a tray of hot drinks which he proceeded to serve. When everyone remained silent, he remarked, ‘Is everything OK?’
Claire-Rose chewed on her lower lip and murmured, ‘We’re a bit worried about Mandeep and Randeep. Nobody’s seen them for a while.’
‘Oh. Well, they might be ... you know ... spending some quiet time together.’
‘Yes, but....’ Claire-Rose threw him a significant glance.
‘Right then, we’d better check on them.’
It took a while for Mandeep to answer the knock on their unit’s door. When he did, fragrant smoke curled around him and escaped through the partly-open doorway.
He squinted through the smoky haze, frowned and barked, ‘Yes?’
‘Sorry if we’re disturbing you, Mandeep?’ Claire-Rose gave a tentative smile. Byron stood beside her, and behind them hovered Peter, Jill, Thomas, Selena and Alan. Everyone had insisted on coming along, claiming they were, ‘All for one, and one for all.’
Mandeep’s manner softened. ‘’Tis OK. What can I do for you?’
‘We’re just checking everything’s alright with you and Randee
p. We missed you at breakfast.’
Running a tense hand over his smooth black hair, he looked at the floor, shuffling his feet. More smoke swirled past him and through the door, and Byron gave a muffled cough.
‘So ... is everything OK, Mandeep?’ Claire-Rose persisted.
He mumbled something under his breath.
‘Pardon? I didn’t catch that.’
With a sigh he raised his head to look squarely at her. ‘No, everything is not OK.’
‘Oh.’ Claire-Rose’s stomach fell. ‘What’s wrong?’
He stepped outside and closed the door. ‘It is Randeep.’ He flicked an uneasy glance at their unit and muttered, ‘She will not come out. Just stays shut inside, with the door locked, praying and burning so much incense ... all that smoke! It is too much.’ He turned smoke-reddened, anxious eyes onto Claire-Rose. ‘I don’t know what to do with her.’
‘Why not tell us what’s happened? We might be able to help.’
He glanced at the door again before taking Claire-Rose by the arm and leading her further along the corridor. ‘I don’t want to upset her more....’
‘Of course.’
The others followed them silently.
When he was sure they were far enough away for Randeep not to overhear their conversation, Mandeep released Claire-Rose’s arm. He abruptly sat on a nearby doorstep and rested his face in his hands. The others gathered around him as he began speaking quietly.
‘My wife is quite superstitious.’ He lifted his head and shook it miserably. ‘I should not have brought her here.’ When Claire-Rose put a comforting hand on his shoulder, he took a breath and went on. ‘I do not believe in such things, but she is certain there is evil here. The incense is not enough, she says, and won’t keep us safe for long. She wants us to return home immediately, even though our holiday has only just begun.’
When he paused, silence and stillness shrouded the group until Claire-Rose said softly, ‘Did something happen to frighten her?’
He exhaled a long, drawn-out breath and clasped his hands together. ‘She became terrified of being hunted by spirits, after hearing what happened to the other women.’
Jill gasped and Peter took her hand, soothing, ‘It’s OK, old girl. Not your fault.’
Impervious to all else, Mandeep went on, the words spilling from his mouth as though a floodgate had been opened. ‘At first she merely stayed in the room, too afraid to pass through the door for fear of what awaited her outside. Then she started begging me not to leave either.’ The stillness felt tangible when he finally paused for breath. ‘And now, she seeks further refuge still, refusing to come out from under the covers for longer than a few, desperate minutes. Even so, she finds no peace from her terrors.’
Looking wretchedly at each of them in turn, he murmured, ‘And so my wife and I must leave this place, and soon.’
Chapter Fourteen
My Hero
Crikey, everyone needs to settle down and back away from the fright buffet! A bad case of night terrors, a billowing shower curtain ‘ghost’, a booze and drug-induced ‘vision’ in the misty waters of the lake, and now a woman scared out of her wits by nothing. What’s next, I wonder?
Claire-Rose sat on the bench seat with her computer on her lap, staring into space. After remaining untouched for a while, her laptop had gone into sleep mode. When the sun disappeared behind a cloud and a gloomy pallor settled over the surroundings, she shivered and hugged herself.
‘Claire-Rose!’ Byron strode up the path. ‘Here, take this,’ and he shrugged out of his coat.
‘Oh, thanks.’ She smiled her gratitude as he draped the coat, still cosy with his body heat, around her shoulders. ‘I should’ve brought my cardy with me. Guess I wasn’t thinking....’
He frowned when his fingers brushed over her chilled skin. ‘Hey, you’re freezing.’ He immediately sat and put an arm around her, and after a brief hesitation, she leaned into his reassuring warmth. ‘Have you had some lunch?’
‘No. I’m not hungry.’
‘Are you still worried about the other lady guests? They’re all fine, you know.’ He gave her a squeeze and snorted, ‘Just scared themselves.’
‘Yeah, I know.’ Her forehead creased. ‘But I can’t help feeling sorry for Randeep, locking herself away in their room too scared to come out.’
‘She just needs to stop burning all that incense.’ He added dryly, ‘She and her hubby are probably both suffering from smoke inhalation. It’s gonna take the cleaners a while to get that unit smelling normal again.’ Pleased to hear Claire-Rose chuckle, her breath soft against his shoulder blade, he gave a wry smirk. ‘It’s not uncommon for people to get freaked out when they stay here, and there’s been a lot of talk of ghosts among your group.’
‘Yeah, but for so many to be freaked out….’
‘Look, people assume all castles are haunted. That’s rubbish of course, but we’ve used it to our commercial advantage, so I guess we can share some of the blame for this rash of “ghostly encounters”. But I reckon it’s mostly herd fright that’s brought it on.’
‘Heard what?’ Claire-Rose straightened to look enquiringly at him.
‘Herd fright, like when one horse in a herd takes fright and they all stampede.’
‘Oh, right.’
‘Anyway, enough talk about freaked-out folk. How are you going with that cold case you were working on?’
She sighed. ‘It’s a long story.’
‘I’ve got some time.’ He settled himself more comfortably on the bench, draping his arms along the backrest.
‘Are you sure you want to hear this? Most people would think I’m crazy, talking about solving a mystery this old.’
‘You’re kidding, right?’ Raising his dark brows, he spread his hands wide. ‘Remember me, part-owner of an old, supposedly haunted castle?’
‘Supposedly? I get the feeling you don’t believe in ghosts.’
‘Nah. Reckon they’re just the product of overactive imaginations. You?’
‘Reckon you’re right about that.’ She gave a lop-sided grin and they stared at each other for a drawn-out minute. She saw friendly curiosity in his eyes, and something else she wasn’t prepared to analyse at that point. ‘OK, you asked for it. That old mystery I was trying to solve....’
‘Yeah?’
‘Well, the starring role goes to Elizabeth Lorienne.’
Byron’s eyes narrowed. ‘So you’re related to Edward’s wife?’
‘Yep. She was my great, great grandfather’s sister.’
‘So your mystery does involve the castle?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Well, if you need a partner in mystery….’ He jiggled his eyebrows suggestively, making her smile.
‘Ta.’
‘And in case you’re afraid some ghost will come gunning for you, after what happened to the other women—’
She gave a loud snort. ‘I thought we established that neither of us believes in ghosts?’
‘You don’t have to believe in spooks to mind being alone at night.’
Pausing, she raised a cynical eyebrow. ‘Just what are you getting at?’
He frowned. ‘Why are you looking at me like that? I only meant that you could use the spare room at my place, if things go bump in the night and you get scared.’
She stared at him without saying anything.
‘It’d be your own little sanctuary. I’d behave myself, I promise. Would cook you dinner and all.’ He threw her a sheepish grin, and she laughed.
‘Thanks for the kind offer, but I think I’ll be alright on my own.’
‘Well, OK, but keep it in mind. Hey, how about you come for dinner anyway, tonight? We haven’t had any bookings – think the guests have all been rattled by recent events – so looks like I’ll have another evening to myself.’
‘Thanks.’ She regarded him levelly for a few seconds, and then said, ‘I might take you up on that. On the dinner, that is.’
‘Great. I’ll walk across
and get you, say around seven?’ At her smiling nod, Byron rose to his feet. ‘Well, better get to work or Mum’ll be sending a search party.’ Bending to tuck a loose strand of hair behind Claire-Rose’s ear, he asked kindly, ‘Warmer now?’
She nodded again and handed him his coat.
‘OK, seeya tonight.’ He flashed her a grin and strode off.
What am I doing, going to Byron’s place for dinner? Dinner ... can mean so much more than simply a meal. And Byron ... how much do I know about him? Well for one thing, I know it’s doubtful I’ll ever see him again after I return home. And I reckon that’s exactly how he likes it.
Back in her unit, Claire-Rose stared into the bathroom mirror.
What am I doing? she asked her reflection again.
You’re coming back to life, it replied, so stop over-thinking things and simply enjoy a charming man’s company.
But am I entitled to do that, considering how I treated that other charming man in my life?
An image floated before her eyes of Kris’s mother, standing stony-faced barring the way into his hospital room. Despite the situation, Mrs De Voss had been dressed immaculately in a designer power-suit, presenting a distinguished but formidable façade.
‘What the hell do you think you’re doing here?’ she’d hissed in Claire-Rose’s face. ‘How dare you come near my boy—’ Her angry breath caught in her throat.
Looking past her, Claire-Rose glimpsed Kris on the hospital bed, his pale blond head unmoving, his body still attached to numerous machines. It was obvious his condition hadn’t improved, that he wasn’t responding to treatment. Her heart rose to fill her throat.
‘This is all your fault!’ Mrs De Voss spat the words. ‘I never thought you worthy of him, but I tried to like you, for his sake. And look at what’s happened.’ She fixed Claire-Rose with hard, accusing eyes. ‘I was right to have misgivings about you,’ and her lips twisted, ‘which you’ve amplified many times over.’ Her voice shook and her face fell as she glanced at the still form on the bed. ‘My son, my only child … I have to try to fix this.’
