“I did not dare rush my aunt, despite my urgency to leave. She had been very accommodating, not to mention informative, and for that I was extremely grateful. I could not imagine what she was searching for in that wooden box of hers, but whatever it was, I sincerely hoped that she would find it soon.”
“Here you are!”
“She announced her find as if she was speaking to the object in her hand itself. From my angle I could not make out what it was, other than that it was quite small, and fitted easily into her hand. She closed the lid on the box, and slid it back into place, before she came back to retake her seat. She leaned over to hand me her find, which I now could see was a plastic cassette case. I took it, gratefully, and turned it around in my hand to see if there was any indication on the outer case as to the contents of the tape inside. When I could find none, I asked her what was on it.”
“That’s a recording of Amy singing. I’m not sure why I kept it all these years, I never listen to it, and I have no need for such things these days.”
“Upon hearing her words, I almost dropped the cassette on the table. It seemed a singularly odd sort of a gift to give someone, especially considering the circumstances. Even so I did not wish to appear ungrateful, so I thanked her for it, and asked her how she had managed to acquire it in the first place. To my knowledge, such formats had not been invented before Amy had been killed.”
“Spencer and I would sit for hours listening to Amy sing, she had such a sweet voice. So Spencer purchased a phonograph and bullied her into singing into it so that he could make a recording of her voice. He was so proud of the recording that he used to keep the tube by his bedside. On the night before I was due back at boarding school, I remembered the tube, and I stole it from his nightstand. After all, both he and Amy were already dead, and I did not think that either Artemis or Spalding would be listening to it anytime soon. I kept it with me throughout boarding school, and when I went to stay with my school chum’s family for the holidays, they owned a phonograph of their own and allowed me to play it. They too said how much they loved her voice, so we often listened to her singing in their house.
“When tape recorders became popular, I bought one myself and transferred the old tube from the phonograph over to a spool of tape on my new machine. It wasn’t perfect, certainly not by today’s standards of machine, but it was clear enough for me. Eventually, I had it transferred onto this cassette. I’m not completely sure why I kept it all these years. I suppose it was because of the memory of that sweet, simple girl, and the fact that she had been so kind to me. But I haven’t felt the urge to listen to it since Spalding told me about the hauntings.”
“My aunt leaned right over the table and tapped the cassette in my hand with her right forefinger.”
“You can do whatever you think fit with this, Jonathan. I’m not giving it to you because I think it may be haunted too, nor because I am scared to keep it. I just don’t feel the need to have it anymore. I won’t lie to you, you know that your father and I were never close. Possibly to do with the differences in our ages or maybe because I was always a little jealous that when he came along, suddenly our parents had far more time to dote on him than they ever did me. Either way, you are still my nephew, and I would never wish you any harm, so take the advice of an old lady and do not let that wife of yours even cross the threshold of that pest-hole. Call her tonight and tell her to stay put in London. Make up any excuse you think will work, and if I were you, I would put up at a hotel tonight and drive back to London first thing tomorrow!”
“I did not need much encouragement. I had already convinced myself that Jenifer was never going to spend a single night at the manor. But now, having listened to my aunt’s story in full, I was more determined than ever to not let her so much as set foot inside. Knowing my wife, I would have a battle on my hands because without telling her the truth, which I was loathe to do, I would have to make up a feasible reason that she could not argue with. But that was another problem which I would face when it was necessary to do so.
“For now, I just needed to ensure that she stayed away. I felt really awful having to leave so suddenly, but as soon as I looked back at my aunt, she seemed to understand my concerns without me having to say the words. In fact, she egged me on, as if she were afraid that I had not taken her warning seriously.”
“Go now Jonathan, do not waste any time. Call your wife and make sure that she understands the seriousness of the situation. That house has seen enough misery to last a lifetime. Do not add to it by staying there another night yourself!”
“I kissed my aunt’s cheek and thanked her for her time and advice. I dropped the cassette in my jacket pocket, still unsure why I had agreed to take it, other than the fact that part of me sensed that my aunt no longer wished to keep it. As I walked down the corridor to the exit, I saw Verity standing alone at the reception desk. She smiled when she heard me approaching and tried to ask me how my visit had gone, but I cut her off in mid-sentence and asked if there was a payphone in the home. She pointed off to one side and told me there was a phone around the next bend.
“When I reached it, I was relieved that there was no one using it. The thought of having to queue up behind a bunch of old fogies with all the time in the world to talk, was not a prospect I relished. I grabbed the receiver and fumbled in my pocket for my loose change. It was then that I remembered that I had used the last of it to buy my aunt her flowers.
“In desperation, I ran back around to the front desk and the ever-smiling Verity. But, when I asked her for change, she apologised sweetly, and informed me that they did not keep a register at the home, as they did not sell anything from there. She even looked in her own purse for me, but she did not have anything small enough. She saw me eying up the telephone on her desk, but before I had a chance to ask if I may use it, she informed me that staff were not allowed to make private calls from there. Then she suggested that I could reverse the charges. I could not believe that I had been so stupid to have not thought of it myself. I thanked her and gave her hand a gentle squeeze of gratitude, before rushing back around the corner.
“I almost leaped for the phone as I saw a couple of old ladies tottering down the corridor. But, as it was, they did not wish to use it anyway, and just gave me an odd glance as they passed by. I dialled the operator and gave her my details, and she dialled my home phone. I listened as each ring went unanswered, my heart in my mouth. Finally, the operator cur back in and informed me that there was no answer and to try again later.
“It occurred to me that Jenifer may have gone to visit her mother after work, but unfortunately I did not have their number to hand. I re-dialled and asked the operator again to try my home. It was just possible that Jenifer was in the bath or taking something out of the oven when the phone first rang, and she did not manage to reach it in time before the operator cut off the call.
“Hopefully, if that were the case, then Jenifer would have realised that it was me trying to get through, and might be standing over the phone right now, waiting for it to ring again. I listened once more to every ring tone, praying for Jenifer to pick up the receiver. But, yet again, after a dozen or so rings the operator came back on, with the same advice as before.
“I checked my watch; it was now almost eight o’clock, and I knew that Jenifer should have been home hours before. I was at a loss for what to do next. I did not want to start the long drive back to Brier’s Market without speaking to Jenifer first. I needed to hear her voice and know that she was safe, and more importantly, convince her not to come down the following day. Then it hit me. I ran back around to the main desk to find Verity talking to a rather severe looking, middle-aged woman with half-moon glasses perched precariously on the end of her nose. By the sound of her tone I gathered that she was Verity’s superior, and the last thing I wanted was to get Verity in trouble, regardless of how desperate I was. So, when the dour-looking woman raised her head, I made sure that I chose my words carefully.
�
��I quickly explained who I was and why I was there and made a point of telling her that Verity had already explained to me that the desk phone was not for general use, but I pleaded with her to just allow me to check a number with directory enquiries. Verity, bless her heart, quickly explained my lack of change situation, and the older woman gave me a very sharp glance up and down before she instructed Verity to allow me to make my call.
“I thanked her for her understanding but she had already turned to leave, and did not acknowledge my gratitude. Fortunately, I knew Jenifer’s parent’s address, but, as I gave it to the operator from directory enquiries a sudden fear struck me that they might be ex-directory. I waited, patiently, and after a moment or two, the operator came back with the number. I quickly wrote it down on a piece of paper which Verity, anticipating my need, slid over towards me with a pencil on top.
“Once I had the number, I ran back around the corner to the phone kiosk. I dialled the operator and gave her the number, asking once more to reverse the charges. After a couple of rings, I heard Jenifer’s father answer the phone. Once the operator had verified that he was willing to accept the charges for the call, she put me through.
“I apologised for not being able to pay for the call myself, and for the fact that I did not have time to pass pleasantries as I was in a tearing hurry. But, before I had the chance to ask if Jenifer was there, he said something which immediately made my blood run cold.”
“Jenifer called us from the station when she arrived, has she told you her news, she wouldn’t tell us before she spoke to you first?”
“I stumbled over my words, my mind racing ninety to the dozen. I asked him to clarify what he meant by Jenifer having called them from the station, although deep down I feared that I already knew the answer. To my horror he confirmed that Jenifer could not wait until tomorrow to see me, and that she had caught the afternoon train to Brier’s Market. She had called her parents at five o’clock that afternoon to confirm that she had arrived and said that she was going to take a taxi to the manor, so that she could surprise me.”
“He continued talking, something about Jenifer talking about nothing else all week but the house, and how she was looking forward to seeing me. But his words fell on deaf ears. All I could think was that my darling wife had possibly been at the manor all evening, and what was worse, I was still over two hours away from her, with no means of speaking to her to tell her that she needed to get away from that place right away.
“I think that I actually replaced the receiver without saying goodbye to Jenifer’s father. Instead I just ran from the home, without even acknowledging Verity for her kind assistance, and jumped into my car. The rain was still pelting down, and I switched on my wipers and lights as I pulled out of the car park. I knew that there was no way under the sun that I would remember the entire route back to the manor, as I had used far too many back roads for that. So, at some point I would have to pull over to reference the map. But for now, I just needed to be moving.
“I drove like a man possessed. Several times I actually found myself screaming my lungs out at the faceless vehicles ahead of me, not caring about the fact that I was usually the one in the wrong, trying to overtake when there was no physical room to pass by, or tail-gating the car in front of me when they were keeping to the speed limit and driving safely. I cursed myself every time I had to pull over to check the map. On more than one occasion I found myself having to re-configure my route due to flooding having closed off the road I intended to use. Even some of the ‘B’ roads I found myself using should, in reality, have been closed due to the condition of their surface, but still I raced down them, trying desperately to keep my old car under control.
“There were several times along my journey when I was thankful not to be pulled over by the police, such was the callousness of my adherence to the laws of the road. But there were times when it felt as if I was in one of those strange dreams where you find yourself trying to run away from something, and you do not seem to be making any headway. It was almost as if the manor was taunting me, laughing at my futile attempt to reach it before my poor wife became its next victim.
“My one and only saving grace was that I knew that my wife was a sensible and intelligent individual, who, upon finding that I was not at the manor, would have made her way back into town, rather than just sitting on the doorstep in the freezing cold to await my return. My one hope was that she had not allowed her taxi to leave until she had checked to see if I was in or not. Otherwise, I dreaded to think of her having to walk back along that awful Bodlin road, in the dark.
“I could feel myself starting to perspire from fretting. I shifted in my seat to grab a tissue from my pocket to wipe my brow, and instead found my aunt’s cassette tape. I held it up and looked at it for a split second before hearing the frantic honking of a car horn up ahead. Somehow, I had managed to drift over into the oncoming lane, so I grabbed hold of the steering wheel in both hands, letting the tape fall to the floor, and just managed to manoeuvre my way back into my own lane before the car ahead sped past.
“On through the driving rain I sped, my windscreen wipers were, by now, having a tough job in dealing with the onslaught. My windscreen was constantly misting up since I had turned the heater down due to the uncomfortable temperature inside the car. Opening a window was, naturally, out of the question, so I decided that I would have to live with the unpleasant condition for the sake of safety, and turned the heat back on, directing it fully towards the windscreen.
“It seemed like an absolute eternity before I finally reached my exit for town. Luckily for me, the streets of the town were devoid of traffic, so I managed to speed through without any holdups. Once I turned off and left the firm surface of the streets, I could feel my tyres fight to keep purchase on the quagmire that the torrential rain had made of the soft ground leading towards the manor.
“As I approached the sharp bend in the road where it appeared that Amy had met her fate, I skidded to a halt as a lorry came around the bend without indicating. I sat there waiting for it to pass, grateful that I had seen it in the nick of time. As I tried to move off again my wheels began to spin, flicking up mud behind me. I took my foot off the accelerator and braked gently, to allow the wheels to find a hold in the soft mud. This time I pressed the accelerator only slightly, using the biting point with my clutch to edge forward until I was satisfied that I was back in control.
“When I turned the next bend, and saw the manor ahead of me, my heart sank. Even form this distance I could see that the lights were on inside which could only mean one thing. Somehow, Jenifer had found her way inside! I sped on, oblivious to the battle my tyres were having trying to maintain their traction. By the time I turned onto the pathway which led through the trees, I had to use every ounce of my driving knowhow to keep control of my car.
“As I emerged from the dense clump of woodland that ringed the driveway I could see the manor in all its glory, looking every bit the ogre I had come to regard it as, just waiting for me to draw close enough for it to be able to swallow me up for good.”
Twenty-Five
“I pulled up directly in front of the stone flight and leapt out of the car. I paused for a moment and looked up. There, at one of the upper windows, I could see a faint silhouette. Somehow, I knew that it was Amy, waiting for my return. I took the steps two at a time, and as I reached the front door and found that it was locked, a strange sense of comfort washed over me. Perhaps Jenifer was not inside after all. Maybe I had left the lights on by mistake when I left that morning, or Jarrow had somehow set the generator to kick-start at a certain time so that I would not return in darkness.
“My feelings of trepidation began to slip away as I considered the fact that perhaps it was not Jenifer inside, after all. In fact, the more that I thought about it, the more likely it seemed to me that the Jarrows were there, waiting for my return to offer me dinner. The fact that I had missed one of Mrs Jarrow’s sumptuous breakfasts may well have inspired t
hem ensure that I had a least one proper meal inside me that day.
“Or perhaps, after last night’s séance, they wanted to make sure that I was ok. Mrs Jarrow especially had seemed very concerned for my wellbeing when they were leaving the previous evening. Maybe they had come over to insist that I spend my last night at their cottage, instead of being alone at the manor. A very thoughtful offer, and so typical of their caring nature, and were it not for the fact that I had to find Jenifer, wherever she happened to be in town, I would have gladly taken them up on it.
“An ear-splitting roll of thunder crashed through the night sky behind me, as I fumbled with my keys. Once I heard the lock snap open I rammed the door, letting it fly open and crash against the coat stand behind it. I stood there in the entranceway for a moment and glanced around me. Everything looked exactly as I had left it that morning, with one notable exception. The small overnight case that Jenifer’s parents had given to her last Christmas stood against the front parlour wall, with her raincoat draped over it. For a split-second I was frozen to the spot, my mind a turmoil of possible scenarios as to how Jenifer could be inside the house. Had the Jarrows let her in after all, and then just left her there? Did I leave the front door unlocked that morning? Was there a spare key left outside under a plant pot, which I was not aware of?
“None of that mattered now! Jenifer was somewhere inside the house and I had to find her and get her to safety as soon as possible. Before it was too late! I started calling out her name as I ran into each room in turn, turning on lights in those that were still in darkness. I tried the kitchen and the scullery, but still there was no sign of her. As I ran back out into the hallway I could see someone from the corner of my eye, standing at the top of the stairs. Through the railings I just caught sight of the floral print dress, and I knew that it was Amy, waiting!
Ghost Song Page 25
