Don't Look Back

by Ben Cheetham

  “Be careful,” Adam called back.

  Henry laughed, swinging precariously with only his legs hooked over the branch. “Get him down from there,” Ella said to Adam.

  He rose and hurried across the lawn. Henry’s legs suddenly lost their grip. With a cry of alarm, he fell into his dad’s outstretched arms. Adam staggered under his weight, recovered and set him on his feet.

  He looked sharply at Henry. “What’s the matter with you?”

  There was an insolent gleam in Henry’s eyes. “I’m just having fun. You said you want me to have fun.”

  “You could have broken your neck.” Adam put his hand on Henry’s shoulder and guided him firmly towards the house. “I want to talk to you about something.”

  They went into the study and Adam picked up the mutilated bunny. “Well, what have you got to say?” he demanded.

  Henry treated Adam to an accusing look of his own. “I saw you burying the robin. Why didn’t you tell me it was dead?”

  “I didn’t want to upset you.”

  Henry thrust his chin out angrily. “You should have told me.”

  “Maybe, but that’s no excuse for doing this to your brother’s bunny.”

  “Stuffed toys are for babies. I told you I’m not a baby.”

  Adam shook his head. “That’s not a reason.” He pointed at the cotton wool bulging through the rents in the bunny. “This…” He sought for the right words, but all he could think to say was, “This was Jacob’s favourite cuddly toy.”

  “So what?” exclaimed Henry, tears filling his eyes. “I hate him! I hate Jacob. He was always hitting me and I never hit him back, except once and… and…” He trailed off into deep, shuddering sobs.

  Tears welled into Adam’s eyes too. He drew Henry into an embrace and stroked his hair. “It’s OK, shh.”

  Henry’s sobs gradually subsided. He looked pleadingly up into his dad’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Dad. I don’t really hate Jacob. It’s just that sometimes when I think about what happened I get so angry. I just wish I could forget all about it.”

  “I know,” soothed Adam. There were times when he wished he could erase what happened that day from his memory, just as there were times when he feared that wish would come true.

  “Are you going to tell Mum about the bunny?”

  “We’ll keep this between us, but in future if you feel like this will you speak to me?”

  “Yes, Dad. I promise.”

  “Don’t say it unless you mean it.”

  “I do.”

  “Good. And I promise not to keep things from you. You’re right, Henry. You’re not a baby anymore. Tell you what, there’s a load of scrap wood in the outhouses. Why don’t we build a treehouse?”

  Henry’s eyes lit up. “Really? Do you mean it? Can we start right away?”

  Adam nodded. “You fetch the wood out. I’ll be over in a short while.”

  “Thanks Dad.”

  Adam smiled as Henry gave him an extra-tight hug. Then Henry turned and raced out of the study. “No running in the house,” Adam shouted after him. He sighed at the futility of trying to get anything to stick in an eleven-year-old’s head. His gaze returned to the bunny. He stared at it sadly for a moment before putting it in a desk drawer and heading to the patio.

  “Don’t you think treehouses are a bit dangerous?” Ella said when he told her why Henry was scurrying back and forth with armfuls of wood between the outbuildings and an oak tree.

  “We’ve got to start trusting him more, Ella. That’s what this behaviour is all about.”

  “In that case, we should tell him about the ghosts.”

  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

  “He starts school tomorrow. It’s better he hears it from us than from one of the other kids at school.”

  “I don’t want to upset him, especially not after last night.” Adam thought about the promise he’d made and felt like a hypocrite, but he was loath to risk turning Henry against Fenton House. If Henry decided he didn’t want to be there, then they were as good as gone.

  Ella looked at him as if she could read his mind. “OK, Adam, we’ll play it your way for now.”

  He felt an urge to get away from her knowing eyes. Gin and tonic in hand, he rose and headed over to Henry.

  For the rest of the afternoon, Adam and Henry worked on the treehouse. By teatime, they’d constructed a platform cradled in the oak tree’s lower branches and reached by a makeshift ladder nailed to its trunk. Henry wolfed down his food and asked, “Can I go back outside?”

  “For a short while,” said Ella. “I don’t want you in bed late.”

  Henry pelted off to the garden. Adam went to the study and threw himself into his writing, the words coming like rain from storm clouds. It was dark when he broke off and went in search of Ella. He found her in the sitting room.

  “Henry’s in bed,” she told him.

  Adam felt a flutter of anxiety. “I think I’m more nervous about tomorrow than he is.”

  “Kids are adaptable. He’ll soon make new friends.”

  “That’s the thing. We never had to worry about him and Jacob making new friends because they always had each other.”

  Ella glided her hands over Adam’s neck and massaged his shoulders. “Mmm, that feels good,” he said.

  She kissed his ear, murmuring, “Let’s go to bed.”

  They headed upstairs. Ella went into the bathroom. Adam paused halfway through undressing, his gaze sliding across to the wardrobe. A sliver of mirror was exposed. Hearing the bathroom door, he quickly shoved the wardrobe fully in front of the mirror and got into bed.

  Chapter 21

  Day Six

  It was still dark when the urge to write dragged Adam out of bed. After several hours, Henry came into the study. He was wearing his school uniform. His hair was neatly brushed. Smiling, Adam beckoned him closer and kissed his cheek. “Be good.”

  “I will, Dad.”

  “It’s time to go,” called Ella.

  Henry turned to leave, but Adam kept hold of his hand. He thought about the mutilated bunny. It’s no bad thing, he told himself. He’s just trying to let go. “Remember what we spoke about yesterday, Henry. If anything upsets you, tell me and we’ll deal with it together.”

  Adam waved Henry and Ella off, calling after them, “Good luck!” Ella left the gates open for the home security engineer. Adam had only just sat back down at his desk when a white van pulled up. He showed the engineer where the goths had broken in. While the engineer set about surveying other potential points of entry, Adam made himself breakfast. He was eating on the patio when the crunch of gravel signalled Ella’s return.

  “How did it go?” he asked as she came into the kitchen.

  “He seemed to take it all in his stride.”

  The engineer presented them with a quote for installing new locks and repairing the French doors and the back gate. They agreed the price and arranged a date for the work to be done. Then, for the first time since their weekend away, they found themselves alone. “It’s so quiet here,” Ella said as if she’d only just noticed.

  “We should do something to take our minds off Henry.”

  She arched an eyebrow at Adam. “Oh yes, and what do you have in mind?”

  He laughed. “Not what you’re thinking. I was about to suggest a walk on the beach.”

  “Sounds good.”

  They left by the back gate. Fluffy white clouds scudded across the sky. A cool wind was chopping up the sea and whistling through the rock arch. Ella stopped so abruptly that Adam bumped into her.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  She pointed to the far side of Satan’s Saucepan. A tall figure dressed all in black was heading rapidly in their direction. “Is that one of the men who broke in?”

  A jolt of adrenaline quickened Adam’s pulse. “Yeah, I think it is.” He pulled Ella behind him and shepherded her back along the narrow path. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that the man was catching them up
.

  “Hurry up,” he said to Ella.

  “I’m going as fast as I can.”

  Realising they wouldn’t make it to the gate, Adam pressed the house keys into Ella’s hand. “Go and phone the police.”

  Her eyes flitted to their pursuer and back to Adam. “What about you?”

  “Go,” he urged.

  She continued on her way. Nervous tremors ran through Adam as he turned to face the fast approaching figure. There was a thick growth of stubble on the man’s chin. His raven black hair was dishevelled as if he’d been sleeping in a ditch. Adam held up his hands, palms out. “I don’t want any trouble.”

  The man stabbed a finger at him. “Where the fuck is she?”

  “Who?”

  “You know who! My girlfriend. Faith.”

  “How am I supposed to know where she is? She legged it at the same time as you.”

  The man transferred his finger to Fenton House. “She never left that place.”

  “My wife’s calling the police.”

  “Where’s Faith?”

  “I told you, I don’t know.”

  “Bullshit! Faith saw you watching us fuck. Does your wife know you get your kicks out of perving on people? Maybe I should ask her.”

  A wave of anger swept over Adam, propelling him to grab the man and thrust him towards the brink of the path. The man cried out, wind-milling his arms. Adam held him there for a second then, shocked by the realisation of what he was doing, he pulled him away from the edge.

  “You tried to kill me,” gasped the man, staggering backwards, his eyes round with fear.

  “Stay away from my family!” warned Adam as the man turned to run back towards Treworder.

  Adam’s legs trembled under him as he returned to the house. Ella rushed out of the backdoor. “Are you OK?”

  He nodded. “He’s gone.”

  “The police are on their way.” Ella drew Adam inside and locked the door. “What happened?” she asked as he dropped heavily onto a chair.

  “He wanted to know where the girl who went into the passageways is.”

  “How would we know that?”

  “That’s what I told him, but he’s convinced she’s still in the house.”

  Ella’s eyes darted around as if she expected to see Faith skulking nearby. “What if he’s right?”

  “The police searched the house. She’s not here.”

  “It’s a big place. They could have missed her.”

  “Even if they did, why would she still be hanging around?”

  Creases clustered on Ella’s forehead. “Faith and her friends came here to find something, right? Perhaps she found it.”

  “What are you suggesting?”

  “I don’t know, but don’t you think it’s odd that she hasn’t contacted her boyfriend?”

  “Not really. I imagine she’s not best pleased with him for running off and leaving her behind.”

  A testy note came into Ella’s voice. “You’ve got an answer for everything, haven’t you?”

  Turning her back on Adam, she left the kitchen. Sighing, he went after her. She stared pensively out of the dining room window.

  “I don’t want to argue, Ella. Seriously, though, what’s more likely?” Adam gestured to the garden. “That this girl’s out there somewhere hiding from the police and her boyfriend? Or that she’s fallen into the clutches of some sort of demon ghost thingy?”

  A faint smile found its way onto Ella’s lips. “When you put it like that...”

  Adam put his arms around her and held her silently as they waited for the police. They glanced skyward at a whump-whump sound. A blue helicopter emerged from the clouds. They went into the garden and watched the helicopter circle above Treworder. A police car pulled into the driveway and a constable informed them, “We’ve arrested a man fitting the description you gave us.”

  Ella puffed out a breath. “Thank god for that.”

  “I’m going to need a statement.”

  They went inside and sat at the kitchen table. Ella spoke first while Adam wondered how much he should say about what had taken place on the cliff tops. Another police car showed up. A constable poked his head through the front door and called his colleague outside.

  It became clear to Adam that the decision had been taken out of his hands when the first constable returned and said, “I’m sorry to tell you this, Mr and Mrs Piper, but the man we arrested has made some very serious accusations. He believes you’ve kidnapped his girlfriend and are holding her in this house against her will.”

  “That’s insane,” exclaimed Ella.

  “I agree, but we’d like to search the house again.”

  “Search all you want,” said Adam. The constable stared at him intently. Guessing what was coming, Adam squirmed internally.

  “He’s also claiming that you, Mr Piper, watched him and his girlfriend engaging in sexual intercourse outside your front gates five nights ago. And furthermore that when he threatened to expose this, you attempted to throw him off the cliffs.”

  “The second part of that is nonsense,” Adam replied.

  “What about the first part?” Ella asked, frowning at him.

  Adam gave her a sheepish glance. His gaze returned to the constable. “Yes, I saw them. I could hardly miss them.”

  “And what exactly happened on the coastal path today?” inquired the constable.

  Adam told him, leaving out the part where he grabbed the man. He could feel Ella’s eyes on him as he signed his statement. The constable thanked him, left them alone and called his colleague into the house to begin their search. Ella stared at Adam for a moment longer before pointedly standing and leaving the room. He followed her out of the front door. When they were well out of earshot of the house, she turned with a flushed face and said, “Five nights ago. That was the night you came on to me outside. I wondered what got you so worked up. Now I know.”

  “What are you angry with me for? I didn’t ask them to go at it like dogs in the lane.”

  “No but you didn’t say anything to them either, did you?”

  “What the hell was I supposed to say?”

  “You should have told them to get off our land. Maybe then they wouldn’t have broken in.”

  Adam reached for Ella’s hand. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  She pulled her hand away. “What happened on the costal path?”

  “I told you what happened.”

  Ella tapped her ear. “Do you hear that? That’s my bullshit detector going off. You were shaking so badly you had to sit down when you got back to the house. Something happened between you and that man. Something more than just words.”

  Adam’s voice dropped low. “He got in my face so I pushed him. I wasn’t about to tell the police that and get charged with assault.”

  Ella looked at him as if she didn’t recognise him. “Since when do you go around pushing people and lying to the police about it?”

  “I was protecting my family. That’s what matters to me.” Adam reached for Ella’s hand again. “That’s all that matters to me.”

  This time, she left her hand in his, her eyes swaying between uncertainty and understanding.

  A constable shouted to them from the front door, “There’s a phone call for you. Sounds urgent.”

  Adam and Ella exchanged a glance. The same question was in both their gazes – What now?

  They hurried into the house. Ella picked up the phone. “Hello... Yes, this is Ella Piper.” Her face creased. “What kind of incident?” The lines sharpened. “What? Are you sure it was Henry?”

  “Is Henry OK?” Adam asked worriedly.

  Ella nodded, holding up a hand to quiet him. “Of course. I’ll be there as soon as possible.” She put the phone down and looked at Adam as if she could barely process what she’d been told. “That was Mrs Taylor, the head teacher at Henry’s school. Apparently Henry’s hurt one of the boys in his class.”

  “Hurt how? Was it an accident?”


  “I don’t know but it sounds bad. The boy’s been taken to hospital.”

  Adam’s eyes widened. “Bloody hell.”

  Ella grabbed her handbag and rushed outside. Adam made to follow, but she motioned for him to stay where he was. “Someone needs to be here in case the police find anything,” she said, before getting into the car and speeding off without a wave.

  Adam remained on the doorstep long after she was gone, unsure what to do with himself. The constables were busily searching every nook and cranny. Eventually Adam headed to the kitchen and made a sandwich, but it sat uneaten in front of him. His mind was whirring. There had to be some sort of mistake. Henry wouldn’t hurt anyone – at least not deliberately. Would he?

  “No he wouldn’t,” he told himself out loud, but an image lurked like a stalker at the back of his mind – the dead robin, its head lolling brokenly. Had Henry killed it after all?

  He went to the study and forced himself to focus on his work, but the few words he managed felt dead on the page. A constable called him into the hallway and said, “That girl’s definitely not in this house. Not unless she’s hiding under the floorboards.”

  The constable thanked Adam for his cooperation, promising to be in touch if there were further developments. The thunk of the front door closing was followed by a silence that seemed to grow until Adam’s breathing sounded loud in his ears. He glanced around and for the first time found himself wondering, Is this the right place for us?

  Almost as soon as the thought came, it was replaced by another – an inspiration! He returned to the study and this time the words came fast and full of life.

  Chapter 22

  The afternoon was wearing towards evening when Adam became aware of voices – Ella and Henry were back! He jumped up from the desk and hurried to them. Ella’s face was etched with strain. Henry had lapsed into his familiar hunched up posture. He stared at the floor as if he couldn’t bring himself to meet Adam’s gaze.

  “You’ve been hours,” said Adam.

  “There was a lot to discuss,” Ella replied wearily.

  “So come on. Tell me what happened.”