“I’m not that kinky so get that thought out of your mind.”
“Spoilsport.”
Sandra giggled and followed Hilary into the living room. Tim followed close behind. He headed for the table, picking up a bottle of wine.
“Châteauneuf-du-Pape, anyone?” he said.
“I never drink anything I can’t pronounce or spell,” Sandra teased and Tim rolled his eyes. “Cola, as requested,” she said, handing the bags to Hilary.
“Thanks. What do I owe you?”
“A very large friggin’ gin and tonic,” Sandra joked.
Hilary poked her tongue out and blew a raspberry. “I’ll be right back.” She headed for the kitchen as there was a knock at the door.
“Oh, before I forget, Tim, that Armadillo stuff you drink was on offer, so I got you three bottles for a fiver.”
Sandra could hear Hilary roar laughing from the kitchen.
“You know damn well what it’s called Sandra, but thanks anyway,” Tim replied dryly.
“Sand, get that for me please,” Hilary shouted from the kitchen. “Tim’s too scared.”
“You’re not funny, Hilary.” He stood up and headed into the kitchen.
Sandra chuckled as she made her way up the hall. She opened the front door to Stephen, who was looking dapper in a pair of royal blue trousers and striped shirt. He was with a tall muscular black guy.
“Hello handsome, glad you could make it.”
“Wow. You look stunning.” Stephen kissed Sandra on the cheek. “This is my husband, Ian” He gestured towards his partner.
Ian hugged Sandra and kissed her on both cheeks. “You must be the famous Sandra.”
“Ooh, continental… two kisses. I like it,” Sandra joked and Ian flashed her with a perfect Hollywood smile. “You two must have the same dentist,” she added.
“Group discount,” Stephen replied jokingly.
“Bloody hell, your kids would be gorgeous.” Sandra could see how well matched they were.
“Thanks, we get that all the time.” Ian smiled. “He’s a sexy bugger, isn’t he?”
“Don’t just stand there looking fabulous, you two. Come in.” Sandra ushered them past her and closed the door. “Straight on.”
They all walked into the living room as Hilary came out of the kitchen with two very big glasses that could have doubled as fish bowls. “Hello, come on in. It’s so nice to meet you both. What can I get you to drink?” She handed the two glasses to Sandra.
“Two bourbon and cokes please.” He handed her a heavy and bulging bag.
“I’ll be right back. Make yourselves comfy in the posh room. Sandra will show you where it is.”
Sandra directed them into the sitting room Hilary had christened ‘The Posh Room.’ It was a spacious room with polished floors and a huge conservatory leading out into a well-lit garden. The corner suite was massive and took up a lot of space. They sat down and were almost swallowed up by the squishy cushions. “Loving the drag queen glasses,” Ian said.
“I don’t feel like I’ve had a drink unless it’s in one of these,” Sandra replied staring at her glass. “Why do you call them drag queen glasses?”
“Because drag queens use them to make their big manly hands look smaller.” Stephen seemed surprised Sandra didn’t know that already.
Sandra laughed as Hilary entered the room with another three more huge glasses. Tim followed close behind looking nervous.
“Tim, this is Stephen, and Ian. You’ll have to forgive him. He gets very scared around gays.”
Tim blushed and shook their hands in turn. “I apologise for my wife, she does like to talk shite.”
“Oi, cheeky, you know you get a lot of attention from men.”
“I’m not surprised,” Ian and Stephen replied in unison as they all burst out laughing.
Sandra felt more relaxed than she had in weeks. They got on brilliantly well and were slightly tipsy by the time dinner was served.
They were all sat around the polished mahogany table when Hilary asked the question Sandra had been dreading.
“What do you think about this business with the lane, Ian?”
Sandra looked nervously at Stephen. He would be her only ally around the table this evening.
“If I’m being completely honest, I think it’s a load of rubbish.”
“Ian, that’s unfair and you know it,” Stephen replied.
“We’ve discussed this before. I’ve always respected your opinion, so allow me to have mine.”
“I do respect your opinion, but remember there are others around the table who think otherwise. I’m sorry Sandra, he doesn’t mean to be so rude.”
Sandra was angry with Hilary for bringing the subject up.
“Don’t apologise for me, Stephen. I’m sure Sandra understands I’m not being personal. I just don’t believe in ghosts.”
“Well I do and I’ve seen him for myself.”
“What does he mean, Sand?” Hilary asked.
“I went there today and saw him for myself. She isn’t making it up.”
Sandra squirmed in her chair as all eyes focused on her. She could see how hurt Hilary was by the deception.
“Sand? What’s going on?” Hilary asked.
“Hils, can we talk about it tomorrow? Now isn’t the right time. We’ve all been having a good night so let’s leave it for now. I’ll tell you everything tomorrow.”
Hilary nodded her head in agreement, but Sandra knew she would have to tell her the truth sooner, rather than later.
The drinks continued to flow and they all got on brilliantly, singing and dancing the night away to Hilary’s eighties music.
Hours later Stephen, Ian and Sandra staggered towards the front door with Hilary in tow.
“I’m sorry I’ve upset you,” she whispered drunkenly into Hilary’s ear. “You’re my best friend in the whole world and I promise I’ll tell you everything tomorrow.”
“I just want you to be okay. That’s all,” she slurred in reply.
Hilary pulled Stephen and Ian into a hug, telling them she would see them again soon.
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” Sandra said as she wobbled down the path towards the waiting taxi.
Chapter 39
Sandra woke the next morning and felt her insides somersault. She groaned as the room began to spin and wondered how much she had to drink the night before. She tried to remember as she hung her head over the side of the bed, and threw up into the bucket Nathan must’ve left there.
She stretched over to the glass of water on her bedside cabinet and took a sip of water from the glass. There was a yellow post-it note stuck to the side of the glass with his familiar scrawl written on it. She squinted at the tiny writing. Hope you had a good night. Love Nathan x, it read. She grabbed the baby wipes from her bedside cabinet and wiped her sticky mouth, feeling a tiny bit better.
Sandra picked up her phone, annoyed to see it was nearly ten am. There was a text from Nathan telling her where the bucket was. She messaged him back to say thank you and sank her throbbing head back into her pillows, relieved to have the day off work. There was no way she’d have made it into the office after such a heavy night.
She forced herself out of bed. Standing up made her stomach lurch. She only just made it to the bathroom before heaving and splattering the toilet with the remaining contents of her stomach. The smell made her retch even more. Defeated, she sank to her knees, hanging her head over the bowl.
The loud noise of the phone ringing in the bedroom felt like it was splitting her head wide open.
“Shut up. Shut up,” she whispered to herself before the next load of what she surmised was gin made a reappearance.
Sandra finished vomiting and lay on the floor as the room began to spin again. After lying there for ten minutes she crawled back towards her comfy bed, but didn’t have the energy to stand up. She pulled the phone cord and watched as her mobile dropped onto the floor. She dragged it towards her, trying to focus on the screen.<
br />
There was a new message from Hilary. She had slept through her alarm and missed the trip with her brownie group. Sandra wanted to laugh, but her head hurt so much, she stopped herself. She knew Hilary would be mortified to have let her group down, but wondered if she was in a similar state.
Any other time, Sandra would have called Hilary, but if she was honest, she didn’t care that much at that moment and lay flat on the floor, shutting her eyes again and drifting off to sleep.
It was nearly midday when she woke. “Shit,” Sandra said aloud. She needed to go and speak with David, but would have to hurry as it would be dark by five.
***
Sandra felt sluggish and wanted to lie down again and close her eyes, even for just another ten minutes, but now she was up and about, she had to keep going. She made herself a cup of strong black coffee with two heaped sugars. Sipping the steaming liquid, she flinched, undecided as to whether it was the amount of coffee or sugar she’d added that made it taste so bad.
Sitting on the sofa whilst she finished her drink, Sandra picked up her phone and called Hilary.
It took a while for her to answer, but when she did Sandra couldn’t help but titter. “Kill me now,” Hilary drawled.
“Jesus, you sound terrible, Hils. How much did you drink last night?” Despite feeling terrible, Sandra was trying not to laugh.
“More than you by the sound of it. How come you seem so bright-eyed, and I feel like death warmed up?”
“I’m a good actress. Trust me, I feel much worse than I sound, but the room spins when I lie down, so I had to get up. If you’d have seen me earlier on, you’d think I’d won a part in the remake of The Exorcist, so much liquid came out of my mouth.”
“Oh, don’t. I could throw up just thinking about it. I’ve been sick about six times this morning already and my mouth tastes like an old flip flop. I made it down to the sofa, but poor Tim can’t even lift his head off the pillow.” Hilary laughed. “I’ve never drank so much in my life and dread to think what the lads are like this morning. Have you heard from them?”
“Not yet. I’ll give Stephen a call in a bit. I’m just trying to finish the most disgusting cup of coffee I’ve ever tasted and am about to make myself another. If I don’t, there’s no chance of me driving anywhere today.”
Hilary made a gagging noise down the phone.
“Think so.” Hilary started to gag again. “Call me…” The line went dead.
Sandra chuckled to herself and decided she would pop into Hilary’s on the way home from the lane.
She got up and made herself another cup of coffee. It didn’t taste as bad as the first one. She found a croissant in the bread bin. She didn’t know how fresh it was, and bit hungrily into it, surprised how ravenous she felt. The pastry did the job and settled her stomach. It would do until she had dinner that evening. Maybe she’d call Hilary and ask if she wanted take away picking up.
Grabbing her car keys on the way out the door Sandra felt a little hesitant. Knowing David didn’t want to see her again was upsetting, but there was no way she’d desert him now.
Her head began to throb again so Sandra turned off the iPod connected to the car speakers and drove in silence. A plan slowly formulated in her head. If David wasn’t prepared to destroy the doll, she would. It was the only way they could be together.
Sandra hadn’t thought of Ray until she pulled up outside the lane and realized the port-a-cabin was locked. She doubted he was inside the house itself and guessed he’d decided to resign after the events of the last few weeks. Now Dianne had passed away, the house belonged to the Catholic Church and they’d have to make their own security arrangements. At least for now, there was nobody to stop her from nosing around.
She could see the metal security door had been left unlocked and assumed the police hadn’t bothered to close it after they investigated Rachel’s disappearance. The front door was slightly ajar, meaning she would have no problems getting inside when the time was right.
Sandra had to get to the doll house before David realized what she was doing. She ran down the side of the property knowing she needed to be quick. After reaching the doll house, she pulled off the plastic cover, the doll sat there – its eyes flying open before she had even touched it. Sandra felt uncomfortable being so close to it – her hands trembled slightly, but she had no choice. She knew what Maisie’s reaction would be, and pictured the damaged little girl facing her with bloody eyeless sockets. She grabbed the doll and dashed off, running faster than ever before, towards the front of the house. Sandra stood staring at the open front door, wary of entering. In the distance, she thought she’d heard a child’s cry. Checking her watch, she told herself she was being paranoid. Although Maisie wouldn’t wake for hours yet, time wasn’t on her side, and if her plan was to succeed, Sandra had to act fast and stop dithering. She pushed the front door open – its hinges creaked loudly. She walked into the hallway and was overwhelmed to be standing in the house. Her eyes bounced around as she didn’t know what to look at first. It was as thrilling as she had imagined, and had changed very little from the photographs she had been shown. Dianne had beautifully restored the property, and painted the walls various shades of pastel colours, before being forced to leave
Despite lying empty for years, it looked magnificent, and Sandra imagined the spacious house bursting with light and life, everything clean and sparkling. She thought it was a shame nobody would ever live in such a spectacular property again.
Looking around the lower floor of the house, she pushed open the lounge door. Directly opposite her, every shelf on the huge bookcase that lined the chimney breast wall was full, and in the corner of the room near to the dirty bay window was a television still on its stand and covered with a white dust sheet. Scanning the room, she noticed everything was covered – just like a creepy old horror movie where the killer stood hiding under a cover before striking at his frightened, screaming victim. Time had come to an abrupt standstill inside this house, and it seemed everything had been left exactly as it was after Dianne left. The only person she allowed to enter the house had also abandoned it, or so it appeared.
Sandra often wondered what it would be like to be inside the house. Rather than being excited and a little scared, she felt strangely peaceful and being there alone didn’t bother her.
She wondered how long it would be before David was aware of her presence, and just as it crossed her mind, she heard footsteps coming from the hallway. She tried to hide the doll behind her back.
Chapter 40
Sandra’s heart thudded as David entered the room. The light from the expansive windows illuminated him beautifully. He looked as handsome as ever and smiled at her, not looking the least bit surprised to find her standing in the place he had forbidden her to enter.
“You know you shouldn’t be in here my darling.”
“I wanted to see what it was like. So much of my life has been shaped by this house and I had to see it for myself.”
“I understand, but I need to tell you something important.”
Sandra could see David seemed more worried than usual. “What’s wrong?”
“Maisie has deceived me once again. I should have known better.”
“What are you talking about?” Sandra said impatiently. “I’m scared.”
“Maisie is stronger than she’s ever been and can now wake in the daylight. I’m worried I won’t be able to keep her here for much longer.”
“How is that possible? You told me she couldn’t wake during the day.”
“I don’t know how long she has kept it hidden from me. Maisie was playing games with both of us – she was awake when I took you down the well.”
“My God,” Sandra said, suddenly aware of the danger she was in. “She could have done anything to me down there.”
“She chose not to, but the time will come when she will try to harm you. I can’t allow that to happen. I don’t know if she can leave the cavern in the daylight, but it’s too
risky for you to stay here, especially now you have the doll.”
Sandra felt guilty for trying to hide the doll from David, but she wanted to take control of her own life. “This has to end, once and for all, David. You’ll never be free whilst she remains here.”
“Must we go over the same thing time and again? I chose this...” David paused, “…life.”
“This isn’t a life, David. It’s a prison sentence, don’t you realise that? You’re not meant to live like this.” Sandra wanted nothing more than David to leave with her so they could start a life together.
“This was always my destiny, Sandra,” he whispered. “What’s done is done and one day soon she’ll escape these walls. Now I know I wasn’t meant to keep her bound here forever.”
“You don’t know that for sure, David. She may never be strong enough to leave here.”
“Maisie’s stronger than I am now.” David gently shook his head. “If he…” David looked up towards the heavens. “…couldn’t stop her with all his powers, what hope do I have? He knew I wouldn’t be able to stop her forever, but keeping her confined within these walls was the best he could do. He used me.”
“Who are you talking about, David?”
“I’ve told you before, I don’t know who he was.”
“Listen to me for once,” she demanded. “You made a decision to look after a child that no longer existed. You didn’t know what you were agreeing to and don’t owe anybody anything.”
“She still exists, Sandra.”
“In your memories only, but you need to be honest with yourself, David. Maisie isn’t the same person she was all those years ago – I keep trying to tell you that. She’s not even human anymore, you said so yourself.”
“I was born in 1876 and I’m still here. I’m not human either, so what would you do with me?”
She quickly calculated his age to be one hundred and forty years old and knew what he was trying to say to her. He should have been laid to rest a long time ago. “I know who you are and that’s all that matters to me. I’ll do anything to help you. You know that. We’ll find a way of stopping her together.”
Promised Land Lane Page 22
