They sat in silence for a while and looked towards the sea.
Derek turned to Pearl. “What are we going to do now?”
“You’re going on that boat trip. And you’re going to find out all you can about Beryl. And Pam. And Felicity.”
“Will do. Are you coming with me?”
“I certainly am.”
They stood up and Pearl linked her arm through Derek’s again. Derek didn’t care if people thought he looked strange with his arm cocked at such a funny angle. He was proud to have Pearl on his arm. It didn’t matter that other people couldn’t see her.
They headed towards the boat. Derek stopped and whispered, “It looks like Pam’s having an argument with Howard. He’s the driver of the coach. I wonder what he’s saying.”
Pearl took her arm away from Derek’s. “We’ll soon find out. You get yourself on the boat and I’ll go and listen to them.”
Derek did as he was told. He raised his hand in greeting to the other passengers as he climbed aboard the boat. He turned around and looked at Pearl who was now standing next to Pam and Howard on the path near the boat.
Howard threw his hands in the air and stormed away. Pam ran the back of her hand over her cheek. Was she crying? Theresa appeared on the scene behind Pam, running again. Pam turned her way and said something. Theresa talked for a moment. Pam nodded and smiled at her. Theresa said something else and then turned and walked away from the boat.
“Hello, Derek. I hope you enjoy this little excursion.” Felicity appeared at his side. She waved over to her mum on the path and yelled, “We’re all here! Apart from Theresa!”
Pam raised her hand and nodded.
Felicity turned back to Derek. “Have a good trip around the harbour. This is where I get off.” She turned towards the gangway at the front of the boat.
“Get off? Aren’t you coming with us?”
“No. Mum gets terrible seasickness. I like to keep her company. Funnily enough, Beryl was just the same. She never went on these boat trips either. I’d better hurry, they’re moving the gangway.” She rushed away.
Derek looked over at Pearl. She was making ‘get off the boat’ gestures at him. Felicity ran down the gangway and over to her mum. Pearl’s gestures were even wilder now. Derek ran towards the front of the boat. The gangway had now gone. The boat was slowly pulling away from the path.
Derek looked at the gap between the boat and land. Would he make it if he jumped?
There was only one way to find out.
Derek leapt forward.
Chapter 8
The thought that this was a terrible idea shot into Derek’s mind immediately. Another thought followed that - was he going to meet his Dorothy soon? His heart sped up and thudded in his chest. He vaguely heard screams behind him as gravity took over and he headed down towards the water. This wasn’t how he wanted to die.
He felt a sudden warmth beneath him and he shot forward. He landed with both feet on the path. Pain darted through his knees. He doubled over and grasped his chest.
Pearl crouched at his side. “Derek! Speak to me! Derek!”
Derek gasped, “My heart! It hurts.”
Pearl put her hands over his chest and closed her eyes. A wonderful heat seeped into Derek’s chest and down his body. It swept through his knees taking the pain away. He straightened up and took a deep breath. He gave Pearl a weak smile. “I think you just saved my life. Did you help me fly just then?”
Pearl nodded and pressed her lips together. She stood up straight and patted his chest gently.
“I thought I was a goner then,” Derek said.
“Me too,” Pearl admitted quietly.
Pam grabbed his arm. “Mr Quill! Are you alright? Whatever did you do that for? You could have died! If you wanted to get off the boat then you should have asked the captain to let you off!” She burst into tears.
Derek said, “I’m alright. Sorry for scaring you. I suddenly remembered that I get seasick.” He gave her an embarrassed smile but Pam wasn’t paying him any attention. She was sobbing into her hands.
Felicity ran over to them and put her arm around Pam’s shoulders. “Mum, it’s okay. He’s alright.” She threw Derek a hard look. “You idiot. What did you do that for? Look at what you’ve done to Mum.”
Pam took her hands away from her face and gave them a wobbly smile. “Sorry. I thought we were going to have another death on our hands. I thought it was going to be like last year all over again with poor Beryl.” She began to cry again.
Felicity pulled her closer. “Nobody is going to die on this trip. Not with us two in charge. Come on, let’s go for a cup of tea.” She began to lead her mum away. Derek heard her say, “Pay no attention to that old fool, Mum. I think he’s got a couple of screws loose. Did you see him talking to himself? I don’t think you should let him in the social club.”
Pearl folded her arms tightly and declared, “Well! So much for customer care! They haven’t even checked you over. And they haven’t offered you a cup of tea!”
Derek looked back towards the boat that was now sailing away. Everyone was staring at him, some had their mouths open. Derek gave them a friendly wave and called out, “I’m fine! Have a lovely trip.” He turned back to Pearl and said, “Tell me what you overheard.” He paused. “Pearl? Are you alright?”
She gave him a tight-lipped nod. “I thought I’d lost you then, Derek. Please don’t do anything like that again. I nearly didn’t get to you in time when you threw yourself off that boat.”
Derek gave her a solemn look. “I’ll try not to do that again. I wasn’t thinking straight. Tell me what Howard was saying to Pam. She seemed very upset.”
“I’m not surprised. He was really laying into her and saying she was doing a terrible job. He said he didn’t want to do any more business with her. Nasty sod. Then that Theresa woman came along and told Pam that she was doing a brilliant job and everyone on the coach thought so too. She said she was glad Pam was now in charge as she never liked Beryl. She went on to say that she shouldn’t speak ill of the dead but she was glad that Beryl was no longer around.”
Derek frowned. “She’s changed her tune. From what she told me on the coach, she liked and admired Beryl.”
“I don’t trust Theresa. She was overly sweet with Pam. It made me feel sick. She’s definitely two-faced.”
“Where did she go?”
“She said she’d bumped into an old friend and was going to have a catch up. She wanted to let Pam know she wasn’t going on the boat. I could tell she was lying. She’s up to something.”
Derek nodded in agreement. “I think we need to find her and see what she really thinks about Beryl. And we need to follow Pam and Felicity. I think they’re hiding something.” He thought for a moment. “Felicity said that they’re following the exact same schedule as last year. And she just told me that Beryl didn’t go on the boat trip last year. We never asked Beryl what time she died. Was it when everyone else was on the boat trip? If Pam and Felicity never got on the boat last year either, that definitely makes them suspects.”
“Don’t forget Theresa. We don’t know if she got on the boat last year either.”
Beryl materialised at their side, a sad look on her face. “Theresa didn’t get on the boat. She cancelled at the last minute. I remember standing here and waving the boat away. I headed back into the town.” She frowned and rubbed her head. “I think I’m remembering more. I think I saw something, or someone, in town that gave me a shock. Can we retrace my steps from last year? And I mean literally, I need to head back to the 199 steps that lead up to the abbey.”
Derek gently bent his knees. They felt strong enough at the moment. He hoped they would stay strong. He wasn’t so sure about his heart.
Chapter 9
They headed away from the harbour and towards the town. Beryl led the way.
Pearl nudged Derek and said, “Have you noticed how she’s swaying slightly? I think she’s becoming more drunk by the minute. I hope s
he’s not going to turn out to be an obnoxious drunk.”
Beryl walked unsteadily along the streets and towards the 199 steps. Derek noticed someone sitting outside a café and drew Pearl’s attention to them too. He said quietly, “Shall I talk to her?”
“I think you should. She’s on her own. She might open up to you. You sit with her whilst I catch up with the drunken lout.” Pearl jogged after Beryl who had now started to sing loudly to herself.
Derek approached Pam and cleared his throat. Pam looked up from the book she was reading. Derek smiled and said, “I’m probably the last person you want to see! Can I apologise again for scaring you? I keep forgetting how old I am. My mind says ‘yes’, but my body says ‘hold on a minute there, old fella’.”
Pam laughed and put her book down. “I know exactly what you mean. Apology accepted. You gave me a scare, that’s all.”
“Are you on your own?” Derek asked, looking around.
“Yes. Felicity’s gone for a walk up the steps. She needed to calm down, she was furious.”
Derek’s face fell. “Because of me?”
“A little bit. But it was mainly because of someone else. Someone upset me but I won’t bore you with the details! Why don’t you sit down for a while?”
Derek pulled a chair towards himself and did so. “I really am sorry about upsetting you. I know about Beryl and her accident last year. Were you two close?”
Pearl appeared at the other side of the table with a grim look on her face. She was holding on tightly to Beryl who was now grinning and swaying from side to side. Beryl held up an unsteady finger towards Pam and slurred, “She wishes we were close! She was like my bloody shadow! I couldn’t get rid of her.”
Pearl tugged on her arm. “Be quiet! Derek’s trying to conduct a serious interrogation.”
Derek looked away from the ghosts and realised Pam was staring at him. “Sorry, did you say something?”
Pam gave him a gentle smile. “Is your hearing going? Mine is too. I said that me and Beryl were friends at school. I thought we were good friends. She was always telling me what to do and how to dress. I didn’t mind. I admired her confidence, I wanted to be just like her. But no matter how hard I tried, it seemed like I annoyed her.” She looked down at the table. “I miss our friendship. I admired her so much.”
Beryl frowned. “I didn’t know that.”
Pam looked back up. “When she died last year, everyone expected me to take over Beryl’s job. I knew no one could do it as well as her. She was one of a kind. But no one else would do it so I had to step in. I’ll never be as good as Beryl. She seemed to be in control all the time.”
Beryl sniffed and said, “You’ll be alright, Pam. Just do what I did.”
Pam carried on, “I had such little confidence at school. Beryl helped me feel better but when we stopped being friends my new confidence evaporated. I had a low opinion of myself.” She gave a mirthless laugh. “I proved that to myself when I got pregnant with Felicity. I was over thirty at the time and I’d never … well, you know. So when this man that I met in a pub gave me a tiny bit of attention, I took it. A one-night stand led to my Felicity. I never saw that man again. I was so ashamed for such a long time.”
Derek was about to ask if Beryl knew about her one-night stand when Beryl spoke, “I didn’t know that. You should have told me. I could have supported you.” A tear ran down Beryl’s face. “I’m an awful person! I was a terrible friend. Look what I turned you into! An unmarried hussy!”
“Be quiet!” Pearl hissed.
Derek said, “Felicity’s a lovely girl. You seem very close.”
Pam smiled. “We are. I keep telling her to move out, get her own house and her own life. But she says she’s happy with me. She seems to think I’m amazing! How lucky am I? I’d do anything for her.” She looked at her watch. “She should be coming back down now. I hope she’s okay.”
“I’m sorry to ask you about Beryl again, but did either of you see what happened to her on the steps last year?”
Pam’s mouth twisted to one side as she considered the answer. “I didn’t. I last saw Beryl at the harbour. She was checking that everyone was on board the boat. Me and Felicity didn’t go on the boat. We walked around here. Felicity went for a walk up the steps. She tried to get me to go but I told her no way! I came to this café. It had started to rain so I went inside. I was inside for a while when I heard a scream. I ran outside and saw …” she swallowed, “I saw Beryl lying in a crumpled mess at the bottom of the steps. My Felicity was standing over her. She’d seen her fall down the steps. Poor love.”
Derek wasn’t sure if the ‘poor love’ was Felicity or Beryl. “Did Felicity see what had happened to Beryl?”
Pam shifted in her seat. “She doesn’t like to talk about it. She mentioned seeing Beryl near the top of the steps, looking unsteady. Then she toppled backwards. Where is Felicity? She should be here.”
Derek stood. “I’ll go and look for her.”
“No! You can’t! Those steps are steep.”
“I can, and I will,” Derek informed her with a smile. “You stay here and finish your tea. Felicity will be back in no time.” This would give him the ideal opportunity to get Felicity on her own again.
Beryl wobbled towards Pam and said, “I’m so sorry, Pam. We could have been great friends. It’s all my fault!” She let out a wail.
Pearl shook her head, moved forward and grabbed Beryl’s sleeve. “Derek, let’s get on. I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”
Derek said farewell to Pam and headed towards the stone steps. He stood at the bottom and looked up. A sense of dread washed over him. He pushed it away and took the first step.
Chapter 10
It wasn’t long before Derek needed to grab the black metal handrail at the side of the steps and heave himself up.
Pearl walked at his side, concern on her face. “I can give you a push if you like.”
Derek shook his head, unable to speak. He kept taking one step after the other. He noticed that there was no one else making this journey. Where had everyone gone? All he needed now was the mist to roll in from the sea towards him. His sense of terror was growing by the minute. He half expected a crazed-looking Felicity to come charging down the stairs towards him, ready to push him to his death. He shook his head. He didn’t know if Felicity was even involved in Beryl’s death.
Beryl was two steps in front of him. She was weaving as she took the steps. She was now singing ‘What shall we do with a drunken sailor?’ at the top of her voice.
Pearl put her hand on Derek’s back and gave him a gentle push. She said, “I wish we could see round the curve in the steps. I feel like someone is waiting for us around that bend.” She shivered. “And Beryl is getting worse. She’s almost toppled backwards a few times. Are you sure you’re okay, Derek, love?”
Derek waved a hand to confirm that he was. He heaved himself up another step.
They rounded the bend in the steps. Derek stopped and wheezed. Pearl said, “You get your breath back. I’ll go up and keep an eye on Beryl.”
Derek huffed and nodded. He looked on enviously as Pearl skipped up the steps. One of the perks of being a ghost, he supposed. After a minute he started up again. He could now see the top of the steps.
Pearl came running down towards him. “Something funny is going on with Beryl. She’s started talking to herself. I think she’s reliving the last conversation that she had when she was alive. She’s saying that she won’t tell anyone, that she can keep a secret. She’s still wobbling from side to side. I tried to talk to her but I don’t think she can see me.” Pearl looked towards the top of the steps. “Keep going, Derek, we’re nearly there.”
Derek nodded and looked upwards too. “Oh! Pearl! What’s happening to Beryl?”
They both watched as Beryl reached the last few steps. She was waving her arms around as if she was arguing with someone. Then she went still. In slow motion she began to fall backwards. Her arms rotat
ed slowly as if she was trying to get her balance. It didn’t work. She began to fall. A ghostly scream rang out sending shivers down Derek’s back. Beryl’s head hit the step below her. She toppled over and kept on falling.
Derek and Pearl watched helplessly as Beryl tumbled past them and down the steps, screaming all the while. Derek cried out, “Pearl! Stop her!”
Pearl replied, “I can’t. This is a memory, it’s all in the past. Poor Beryl. What a way to go. Derek, don’t look.”
Derek turned away but he could still hear Beryl’s screams. He said to Pearl, “Shall I go after her?”
“That won’t do any good. Hang on a minute. Something’s happening.” Pearl paused for a moment. “It’s okay, Derek, you can look back now.”
Derek slowly turned his head back to the steps. He jumped as Beryl appeared in front of him. She was smiling. “Did you see me? I rolled all the way to the bottom.”
“Did it hurt?” Derek asked.
Beryl shook her head. “No. My head feels much clearer now. I think I needed to relive that memory.” Her smile died. “I can remember the face I saw at the top of the steps, the face of the person who put a hand out towards me. It was Felicity.”
They all looked upwards. Derek pointed, “I can see Felicity up there. Come on, I think we need to have a talk with her.”
Pearl put her hand on his arm. “Don’t let her push you down the steps, Derek.”
He gave her a brave smile. “I’ll try not to.”
Chapter 11
Derek was completely out of breath as he took the last step. He held on to the handrail and rested for a moment.
Beryl was looking in Felicity’s direction. “I wonder why she killed me? What have I ever done to her? I don’t understand it.”
“You were awful to her mum,” Pearl pointed out. “She wanted you out of her mum’s life.”
Pearl And Derek Mysteries - Box Set 1 Page 17
