by Mina Carter
All the police officers seemed to have found an excuse not to go inside since their colleague had seen the corpse move, and now they were stood around in groups of three or four with the others they had brought in to do the forensic stuff. Becky wasn’t sure what was going on. Heath seemed to have forgotten his idea of her going back to his flat.
After an hour of everyone milling around outside speculating, someone made the decision to call in a more senior officer and a vicar. Becky wasn’t sure what they thought would be achieved, but at least something was happening.
It took another half an hour for a Chief Inspector to arrive. As soon as he got out of his car, he held a little meeting well away from Becky, then turned and approached her, Heath having pointed her out to the more senior officer.
“Ms Frippe? Chief Inspector Budden. Rather an unusual situation you have here.”
“Don’t I know it! What’s going to happen now?”
“Firstly, the body will be removed from your property. I’m not sure I believe it moves, but I can’t dismiss everything that’s been witnessed. We’ll get it into a coffin for removal, rather than a body bag. In the circumstances, I think that will calm things down a little. That should happen fairly soon. One of my officers is calling O’Hara’s to get a coffin brought out. The officer who claims to have seen it move will be taken for psychological assessment before making a statement. Given what’s happened, I think that’s the best thing to do. You should have your house back in a couple of hours.”
She nodded, not sure what she would do then. Maybe just arrange for it to be cleared, then have it demolished. It was probably a listed building though, so that wouldn’t be allowed. Perhaps it would be less disturbing inside once Miss Freaky was taken away?
By the time the coffin turned up, Dan had brought Imy and Brenda back. Becky didn’t tell any of them about the body moving, thinking they were probably going to have enough nightmares. She wouldn’t be surprised if they all needed some heavy-duty counselling after this. At her encouragement, they went to explore the garden.
The plain coffin was lifted from the hearse it had been brought in and carried inside. The two men from the funeral directors’ were accompanied by several police officers. Their stoic expressions gave nothing away, but Becky guessed they were at least a bit worried about going back in. She wouldn’t have wanted to do it and guessed the officers didn’t want to either.
Holding her breath, Becky waited for the coffin to be carried back out with Miss Freaky inside. It would be a massive weight off her shoulders not to have the thing in the house. Maybe things would finally stop getting weirder
She peered in the open door to see it been brought towards her. The men carrying it all frowned and glanced at each other nervously.
Then the front door slammed shut.
CHAPTER TWELVE
BECKY COULD HEAR yelling coming from inside. The policemen ran at the door and tried to yank open it, tugging hard on the handle. When it wouldn’t shift, they thumped on the wood, calling to the trapped men. One of them rushed to get a red metal battering ram from a car, but even that didn’t work. It barely made an impression on the solid door.
Then a blood-curdling scream was heard. Shouts and cries accompanied it.
Rather than being professional, the police descended into panic. Someone produced a crowbar and they tried to lever the door open. The Chief Inspector ran over to join in the efforts.
“Someone get in round the back!” he yelled urgently at his men and a couple of them rushed away.
The scream inside died down and another set up.
The efforts to get the door open doubled, but to no avail. The two men who had gone to gain access from the back returned, shouting that they still couldn’t get in.
“Break a fucking window!” Becky bellowed at them.
They didn’t need telling twice. Nightsticks were employed to smash the windows in the rooms either side of the front door and the police piled in through the improvised entrances.
All the while, more screams came from behind the door. Then it all fell silent. A moment later, the door was opened.
The scene inside was horrific. Three men lay on the floor covered in blood and not moving. Becky couldn’t tell if they were unconscious or dead. The other men were obviously in deep shock.
Only a few minutes later, an ambulance was screaming along the road and turning into the drive. It was followed by two more. Paramedics jumped at and ran inside to tend to the injured men.
Becky wasn’t sure if anyone else had noticed that the coffin was open and the corpse was nowhere in sight.
During all the bustle of the injured men being taken out of the house and loaded into the ambulances, an inconspicuous car pulled up and out stepped a vicar. He looked in his mid-fifties and had the mild appearance she often associated with men of the cloth.
Seeing everyone official was frantically busy, the new-comer approached Becky, frowning deeply.
“What has happened? I was called out to administer to a body.”
“The body got pissed off about being brought out,” Becky replied shakily.
The vicar looked at her like she was nuts. “I beg your pardon?”
“You might as well go home. I think this place needs an exorcist rather than a vicar.”
“Perhaps you could tell me what’s happened,” he said gently, taking her arm to lead her away.
“If I do that, you’ll be trying to get me locked up in a nuthouse.”
Xander approached them hesitantly. Becky hadn’t seen him for quite a long time. In fact, she thought he had left. “This is a very disturbing turn of events,” he said when he reached her and the vicar. “I really don’t know what can be done. I’ve been consulting with the Chief Inspector, but with this turn of events, I’m flummoxed.”
“We could go back to my idea of burning the place down,” Becky muttered.
He managed a weak smile. “I’m starting to agree with you.”
They didn’t speak as the three ambulances turned carefully and left. The second they hit the road, the sirens started blaring out their urgency.
Becky started to look for her family. In the panic of trying to get in the house, she had lost sight of them. They were stood in a tight huddle under a tree quite a distance away. Thinking she needed to find out how much they had witnessed, she left Xander to fill the vicar in and headed over to them.
“Mum, I’m taking Gran and Imy home,” Dan said before she could say anything.
“Good. You’ll be better off well away from here.” Becky gave her family a tight smile. “Don’t worry about any of the stuff you brought down. Just leave.”
Dan nodded, but Imy started to protest. Brenda said nothing at all.
“Imy, three men are on their way to hospital because of what that thing did to them. Now it’s disappeared. I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but I know I’d rather you were all safe, and the best place for that is at home.”
Although she still complained about having to go, Imy did eventually get in the back of her brother’s car with her grandmother. All the time, a thought was niggling at Becky. She was starting to think she knew what would have to be done. It wasn’t going to be easy, and she would have to do it alone so no one else was hurt.
“Where are they going?” Heath asked quietly as Becky waved them off.
“Home. I don’t want them anywhere near this place.”
“Good idea. This is no place for kids. I’m not sure anyone should be here.”
Pulling in a big breath, Becky turned to look up at him, full of grim determination. “Right, I think I know what to do.”
“You do?”
“Yep. I don’t think that thing as actually dead, so that means we have to kill it. Technically that’s murder, but I don’t care. Are you up for it?” She studied him closely, wondering what his answer would be. It was hardly a normal thing to ask someone to do.
“I think you might be right,” he finally replied
after a long silence.
“Okay. Murder it is then.”
“Wait, how are we going to kill it?”
Becky gave him a dark smile. “I’m thinking we go for a combination. Decapitation and burning. I’d rather get everyone away from here before we try though. I don’t want anyone else getting hurt by that thing.”
Heath nodded and Becky hoped he would be able to come up with an idea to get shot of everyone. While he worked on that, she wanted to talk to the vicar. A bit of divine help wouldn’t go amiss. And she would need something to do a bit of beheading with.
The vicar Reverend Wallis, looked at Becky like she was completely insane. She found out he’d been filled in on all the weird stuff since his arrival. All she could do was hope he would do as she’d asked. After a moment. The vicar nodded reluctantly and said he would make some calls.
“Ms Frippe?”
She turned to look straight into the face of the Chief Inspector. “Yes?”
“Heath tells me you’re planning to have the house boarded up.”
“Um, yes.” She just had to go along with this.
“I shouldn’t be agreeing to this, but there’s been enough injury already. I’ll have to work out how to cover up what happened here today, and that’s not something I ever thought I would do. However, I truly believe there’s something unnatural in this house, and I don’t intend to put any more men in harm’s way.”
She nodded. “I think the best thing all round is to abandon this place and leave it to fall down on its own. As for that thing inside, I’d rather not know what it is. Nor do I ever want to see it again.” Becky had never realised how good she was at lying, not that she was actually lying, but she was hiding an awful lot.
Becky took a wander around the garden while the police and everyone with them left. By the time she returned to the house, only Heath and Xander remained.
She told the solicitor to leave, explaining she was going to going in a few minutes too.
“But the house isn’t secure,” Xander complained.
“You think that’s a consideration after what’s happened today?” she pointed out. “Get out of here. We’ll be right behind you.”
With barely another protest, the man returned to his car and left. As soon as he had gone from the drive, Reverend Wallis reappeared from where he had hidden around the corner.
“I really don’t like this,” he told them worriedly. “I’ve made the calls though.”
“Thank you. I have no idea if this will work. I’m running on intuition.”
“Or maybe someone higher is prompting you,” the vicar responded.
Becky huffed. “Please don’t try to sell me all the God stuff. I don’t think I’m buying. Sorry.”
“Don’t worry. I know a lot of people find it difficult to believe.”
“Maybe, if I live though this, I’ll give church a try, but I’m not making any promises.”
Waiting for those the vicar had called to arrive, Becky slipped her arm through Heath’s and led him away from the house. She had things she wanted to tell him and they would be best said in private.
Stopping under a large oak tree, she turned to look up at him. “Thank you. I’d never have got through the last few days without you.”
“That sounds like you’re saying goodbye.”
“I am. You need to leave. Enough people have been hurt, so I’m going to do this alone.”
He frowned. “Becky, I’m old enough to make up my own mind about whether I help or not. I don’t want you to do this on your own.” He lifted a hand and cupped her face. “I think I’ll stay.”
“Heath, no. This is going to be dangerous, to say the least. I’m tied to this house and there’s nothing I can do to change that. What I can do is make sure it doesn’t get its hooks into Dan or Imy. They’ve got my mum to look out for them. You’re only in this because you happened to be on duty on one particular day.”
“Becky, I’m here because I like you. I really like you. I want to see where this could go, and I can’t do that if you’re dead, so stop arguing.” He gave her a small smile. “Maybe when this is over we can go out on a proper date?”
“I’d like that,” Becky replied a bit shyly. She really liked Heath and the fact he had stuck around for the last couple of days, despite all the weirdness, made her think he might really be worth taking a chance on.
As she was about to thank Heath for all he’d done, Reverend Wallis interrupted them.
“They’re here,” he said grimly, looking across at the car and the pickup stopping outside the house.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
STOOD OUTSIDE FRIPPE House were two men. One of them was obviously a Catholic priest. The other wasn’t the sort of person Becky would have expected a vicar to know. In his right hand was a long, cloth wrapped parcel.
“Becky, this is Father Egerton. I’ve filled him in on what’s happened,” Reverend Wallis introduced. “And this is Peter Mullen.”
“Father Egerton.” Becky shook the priest’s hand gratefully, desperately hoping she wasn’t deluding herself with her odd suspicions.
Peter Mullen studied Becky when she turned to face him. It was obvious he had no idea why he had been called out with his unusual delivery. He took her hand with a slight smile though.
“I’m don’t know what it is you’re planning, but I’m guessing it’s far from normal,” he commented.
“As far from normal as you can get,” Becky replied. “Can I see it?”
“Of course.” Peter laid his parcel on the bonnet of his pickup and unwrapped it carefully. Inside was a sword. It wasn’t fancy, but that didn’t stop it looking lethal. “What did you want me to do with it?”
“Nothing but leave it here for a while.”
“This isn’t a toy,” he warned. “You have to know what you’re doing with a weapon like this.”
“I understand that, but I can’t have anyone else getting involved or they’ll get hurt. There’s already three policemen in hospital because of this thing.”
Peter gaped at her. “What thing?”
“I guess you could call it some kind of zombie. It’s Victorian and it’s still walking.”
“Shit!”
Becky huffed. “Yeah. That’s why I don’t want anyone else around. As long as the sword is sharp enough to behead it, that’s all I need.”
He shook his head. “I’m not trying to be patronising, but I don’t think you’d be up to doing that. Decapitating someone with a sword isn’t the sort of skill you can pick up in a few minutes. I’ll have to do it.”
“Becky, maybe we should take the help,” Heath put in. He looked terrified, and she was too, but she wasn’t going to back out of doing what was necessary.
Taking a deep breath, Becky gave in. “Okay. You better hear all of it then.”
* * *
When Becky and Heath finished their strange tale, Peter, Reverend Wallis and Father Egerton all stared at them. That was hardly surprising. Then Peter turned away and went to his pickup truck.
“Back up will be here in a while,” he told them when he returned.
“What sort of back up?” Heath queried. Becky also wanted to know who Peter had got in touch with. She hadn’t thought there would be anyone who could be called in to help with Miss Freaky.
“A Wiccan coven,” the stocky man replied. “I’m a member of it.”
“Oh.” Becky wasn’t sure how to respond to that news. Peter didn’t exactly fit her view of your average Wiccan.
Father Egerton cleared his throat. “I understand why you think you have to destroy this thing, but I’m not sure why I’ve been asked here,” he said quietly.
“Because of the words written on the walls in the secret room. As far as I know, the Church of England isn’t all that big on things that might need exorcising.”
“I can’t perform an exorcism!”
“You’re a Catholic priest aren’t you? That makes you qualified, unless you want to wait for someone else t
o be called out. I think that will just mean others get hurt, or even killed. You’re up for the job whether you like it or not.” Becky looked at the man sternly. “Also, I’d like both of you to bless the sword. It might work better then. I don’t know what sort of religion that thing believed in, but I’m guessing it was Satanism. You two are the opposite of that. Okay?” She looked at them with a hard stare until they both nodded nervously.
Thinking the two men of God would need a bit of time to mull things over, Becky went to sit in her car, telling Heath she wanted a bit of time alone. What she actually wanted to do was leave a message for her family, just in case . . .
Once that was done, left as a text message ready to send to her mum, Becky got out again. She wouldn’t let herself think about how much she wanted to jump back in her car and leave Dorset forever. If she didn’t see this through though, Dan would be the next one having to face it all. There was nothing Becky wouldn’t do to prevent that.
While they waited for the members of the Wiccan coven to arrive, they started to make some plans. It was obvious they would have to search the whole house. There was no guarantee Miss Freaky had gone back to the secret room. As it seemed more likely that had been some kind of prison, Becky thought it was highly unlikely.
It was also clear they would need to stay in one group. Splitting up wasn’t an option when the thing had already hospitalised three men. The bigger the group the more likely they were to get through this more or less in one piece.
As the aim was to behead the thing and then get it outside and burn it, Peter produced a can of petrol from his pickup. Becky was starting to like the guy. He seemed to be taking her insane plan in his stride and getting on with providing her with all she would need to carry it out.
The Reverend Wallis and Father Egerton set about blessing the sword and praying for a successful end to the endeavour. Although not a member of the God-squad herself, Becky did bow her head.
By the time they had finished, the first of the coven members were arriving. One car led to a small flood of them and very soon the driveway immediately outside the front of Frippe House was thick with cars again, but this time the people were here knowing they were in a far from ordinary situation.
