The Haunting of Highdown Hall

by Shani Struthers

Walking over to the bed, tuning into the vibes still present, Ruby knew Cynthia had been far from faithful to John. There had been many lovers on this bed.

  Knowing she was goading her, but unsure what else to do, she replied, “Perhaps he didn’t understand as well as you think he did, Cynthia? Everybody has limits, even John.”

  Steeling herself, Ruby waited for Cynthia’s reaction and was surprised when there wasn’t one.

  “Cynthia,” she tried again, “do you think you pushed John too far the night of your party? That his temper finally snapped? Could he have killed you? Tell me what happened.”

  No, no, NO! Cynthia screamed.

  Quickly, Ruby reinforced the white light around herself, one hand on her necklace, the other still clutching at the stone in her pocket. What little light was entering the room through the windows fell back, retreating, as though it too were afraid. Suddenly Ruby thought of her mother, had she experienced something similar years ago? Had she goaded a spirit, when really she should have left well alone? Was she, Ruby, now making a mistake, doing the same thing her mother had? She may be psychic, she may be able to connect with the spirit world, but really, she admitted to herself, her knowledge of what lay beyond was scant. All she knew, and this her grandmother had taught her, was that the light was good, the light never judged, it welcomed you back, glad to have you home again. But if that were true, why were so many reluctant to go towards it? Why choose torment over relief? What did they know that she didn’t?

  Cynthia spoke again, the anger having left her voice.

  John wouldn’t hurt me.

  Had Cynthia reacted differently, Ruby might have been more inclined to believe in her own theory. As in life, so on the other side, violent denial can sometimes mean you’d touched a sore spot. That this particular spirit remained calm in the face of such allegations suggested Cynthia had known her man, had known just what he was capable of: endless devotion, by the sounds of it.

  Deciding not to irritate her any further over this point, Ruby apologised.

  “If I’ve done John a disservice, I’m sorry. But might it still be him waiting for you in the shadows, Cynthia? Not intent on harming you, but simply trying to reach you?”

  I, I... Cynthia seemed uncertain now. I don’t know...

  “I’m here, Cynthia, I’m with you. Don’t be afraid. Look into the shadows. It may be John; it may be nothing bad at all.”

  I... Cynthia started again. But this time Ruby could sense her moving forward, slowly, wanting so very much to believe.

  “Who is it?” asked Ruby. “Can you see?”

  No answer.

  “Cynthia, is it John? Is John waiting for you?”

  Ruby held her breath, praying for a happy ending. In truth, just an ending would do. Was she right? Had Cynthia been hiding from her protector all along? Her own fear the only thing keeping her prisoner? Losing contact briefly, Ruby began to wonder if Cynthia had finally gone to the light – if she hadn’t, if she was still present, then contact would usually be maintained. Go on, Cynthia, go on... she urged with every fibre of her being. Starting to feel a glimmer of hope at last, she relaxed. Too late she realised her mistake. From out of nowhere, she was suddenly hit square in the stomach and sent flying backwards onto the bed, her feet leaving the ground entirely, her arms flailing either side, desperate to find something to hold onto, to break her fall.

  Her mind scrabbling to comprehend, Ruby attempted to clutch at her necklace, needing the comfort of the trinket’s heritage, of Rosamund, more than the stone itself. She couldn’t move, however, she was pinned down, a pressure upon her, oppressive, choking.

  “Cynthia,” she managed. “Stop.”

  But as soon as she said it, she knew it wasn’t Cynthia. Cynthia was hiding again, whimpering. This was the one who waited in the shadows.

  “John?”

  That didn’t feel right either. But if not John, who the hell was it? Or what from hell was it?

  Desperately, she forced herself to remember what her grandmother had taught her. That evil did not exist, only acts of evil, and always at the root of those acts was fear. This ‘being’, doing its utmost to drain her life force, was not evil, simply frightened, as frightened as Cynthia was, or perhaps even more so. Fear was the reason it attacked, she told herself. In such a situation, she should feel only empathy for the spirit, immense love. Love triumphs over everything.

  Doing her utmost, she had to admit it was hard to feel immense love under such dire circumstances. She did her best, but to no avail – the grip around her neck was getting tighter. Ruby was convinced her windpipe wouldn’t be able to withstand such pressure. She knew she should remain calm, but it was no use, panic was setting in. Nobody knew she was here, nobody living that is, there was no one to help her.

  If she lost consciousness the fight would be over – for her anyway. She had to concentrate. But she couldn’t think straight, let alone visualise; her mind was becoming filmy at the edges, detaching itself. As she was about to surrender to oblivion, she heard a faint noise. It grew louder, more urgent, bringing her back to full awareness the more insistent it became. Barking?

  Jed, is that you? She couldn’t turn her head to see, but the barking became more furious, startling the malign entity that had hold of her. For a moment the presence faltered, only for a second, perhaps two, but it was just enough for Ruby to redouble her efforts, sending light and love to wrap itself around this tortured being. As she did so, its grip loosened. As though scalded, it started to retreat, shrieking hideously all the while. She poured forth more light and love, sending it from the very core of her own being, outwards like a tidal wave, reaching higher and higher, getting stronger and stronger, relentless in its flow. When she was sure it had retreated far enough, that she had achieved a measure of safety, she pushed herself up from Cynthia’s bed, coughing as she did so, one hand reaching up to support her bruised throat and chin. The atmosphere was once again subdued. Her attacker was gone – for now.

  Turning to where Jed stood beside the bed, looking at her with bright eyes worried, his tail wagging only intermittently, she whispered “Cynthia? Cynthia, are you okay?”

  Get out! Cynthia’s reply lacked its usual venom; instead her voice was anxious. She was obviously as concerned for Ruby’s safety as Jed was.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “You did go, didn’t you?”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “Yes you did, admit it!”

  “Oh, for goodness sake, Cash, yes I did go, but I wasn’t alone. Jed was with me.”

  “A ghost dog?” Cash almost spat. “What good is a ghost dog?”

  “A lot of good, as it turns out. It seemed the last thing my attacker was expecting was a ghost dog attacking him right back. His surprise at Jed doing so gave me the break I needed to regain control.”

  “Your attacker? What the...”

  But Cash didn’t get to finish his interrogation as just at that moment Theo, Ness and Corinna marched into the office, ready to do business.

  ***

  All four faces looked shocked as Ruby revealed what had happened at Highdown Hall the previous day, even though she was sure she had played down events considerably. As she got to the bit about Jed, he came moseying into the room and settled himself in front of the heater.

  “He’s attached himself to you good and proper, hasn’t he?” said Ness, eyeing him.

  “He has indeed, he’s part of the team now – and a welcome addition he is too, isn’t he, Theo?” said Ruby, referring to how the dog had helped send the young boy, Timothy, to the light.

  “He can’t stay,” was Theo’s sober reply.

  “I don’t think he does stay,” said Ruby, looking fondly over at him. “I think he comes and goes between our world and the next whenever he wants to. I’m not sure who’s given him leave to do so, but one thing I do know, I’m very grateful to him. He saved my life.”

  “Your life?” Cash was incredulous now. “Are you saying that spirit,
the one that attacked you, could actually have killed you?”

  “No, no, no,” Ruby was eager to placate him. “At least, I don’t think so. The point is, he, whoever he is, didn’t do any lasting damage. I’m fine, really.”

  “You’re not going back to Highdown Hall alone again.” It was Theo this time, just as concerned as Cash. “I forbid it. When we go back, we go together or not at all.”

  “And what would happen if we decided upon the latter, if we didn’t go back at all?” As Corinna spoke, Ruby saw a nervous glint in her eye.

  “That’s not an option, we have to go back, but we keep in mind we’re dealing with two spirits now, both of them angry and confused. Double trouble if you like.”

  Her attempt at humour fell flat. No one was smiling.

  Ruby continued, “We need to do our utmost to uncover the exact events leading up to Cynthia’s heart attack; doing so may give us a clue as to who the other spirit is.”

  “And you don’t think it’s John Sterling?” asked Ness.

  “No,” said Ruby. “And more to the point, neither does Cynthia. It’s not some sort of devil creature either, I sensed all-too-human emotions. Blind rage being the most obvious.”

  Corinna couldn’t resist chuckling at Ruby’s second stab at humour, although it was Theo who spoke next.

  “We will go back, but just you, Ruby, you, Ness and me. In my opinion, it is not safe to take Cash and Corinna with us.”

  Corinna stopped chuckling.

  “Hey, not so fast, Theo. I am part of this team and I’d like to remain so, thank you very much. Just because the going gets tough doesn’t mean I want out.”

  “Same here,” chimed in Cash. “I was there at the start of the Highdown Hall case and I want to be there at the end.” Looking intently into Ruby’s eyes, he continued, “Make no mistake, Ruby, I’m here for you.” Turning to the rest of the team, he blushed slightly as he added: “For all of you, of course.”

  Ruby had to blink to quell the emotions this heartfelt show of support – from Cash as well as her colleagues – had stirred within her. Cash was there for her? She liked that, she liked that a lot. And Corinna, dear, sweet Corinna – so ready to take up arms and fight, despite the danger to herself. She tried to speak but couldn’t, no words were enough to express the gratitude she felt.

  Sensing Ruby’s predicament, Theo piped up. “But you know what? Before we delve further into the enigma that is Cynthia Hart, why don’t we go and have a bit of fun? Call it the office Christmas party if you will. Bowling and pizza anyone?”

  ***

  Squeezing into Ruby’s Ford, Theo in the front with Ruby, the other three extremely cosy in the back, the team headed to Brighton’s Marina, home of the Bowlplex.

  “I haven’t bowled in ages,” said Ness, looking actually quite excited at the prospect. She had a lovely smile, thought Ruby, catching sight of her in the rear view mirror. It made her look younger, it was a shame she didn’t smile like that more often.

  Parking in the multi-storey, they made their way to the Bowlplex, opposite the cinema, Corinna complaining the whole time about the dreadful shoes they would have to wear to play.

  “They’re just so damned unflattering,” she moaned. “And God knows who’s had their feet in them before. Ugh.”

  It turned out there were new rules. As long as you were wearing flats, you didn’t have to wear the offending shoes on offer; all five breathed a sigh of relief. The Bowlplex was packed; several other Christmas parties clearly in attendance, but after only a short wait they were able to secure a lane. Theo insisted on paying for it. Knowing it was no use remonstrating with the older woman, Theo could be very determined when she wanted to be, Ruby gracefully gave in, wandering over to their designated alley as money was handed over and punching in the team’s details on the computer screen. She could hear Corinna following behind her, giggling with Cash but, unlike last time, she didn’t mind a bit. Instead, she felt warm inside, happier than she had done in a long time, which was strange considering she’d nearly had the life choked out of her the day before. Or maybe it was because of it? Although she didn’t fear death, she was certainly glad to be alive.

  The team played three games in total, Theo, despite her age and size, proving herself to be a fearsome opponent, winning one game and scoring highly in the following two. Corinna had beaten Theo on the second game, whilst Cash had brought home the third. Ness had scored fair to middling on all three games, whilst Ruby had ranked consistently low.

  “Never mind,” said Cash, putting his arm round her in a show of mock sympathy.

  Swiping playfully at him, she couldn’t help but laugh too.

  “I detect hunger pangs,” Theo suddenly declared, her arms wrapped round her ample stomach. “Pizza Express beckons.”

  Leaving the Bowlplex, they passed various small children’s amusement rides, rendered silent for the evening, as well as Santa’s Grotto – a somewhat plastic-looking igloo guarded by several life-sized reindeers, one whose red nose blatantly marked him out as Rudolph and another who looked like he had a serious case of mange. The grotto was also closed; Santa having departed for home, to Patcham, perhaps, or Whitehawk rather than the North Pole, for a well-earned rest. McDonald’s, on the other hand, was doing a roaring trade, stuffed with the ‘before’ and ‘after’ cinema crowd as well as families no longer constrained by the time limits of school nights. As they passed it, Corinna declared a passionate distaste for the fast food chain.

  Leaning into Ruby, Cash whispered, “I can’t help it, I love Big Macs!” She did too, but she wasn’t about to admit that right now.

  At Pizza Express, they were greeted by a smiling young man dressed smartly in a blue shirt and black, pleated trousers. He selected a table for them towards the front of the restaurant, overlooking the crowded waters glistening in the moonlight and bobbing with yachts belonging to playboy millionaires Ruby imagined, their masts swaying and rattling gently in the breeze. Iced bottles of Peroni were swiftly ordered by Theo and just as swiftly delivered to their table.

  “Hey, look,” said Corinna, gleefully eyeing the menu. “There’s a turkey and cranberry pizza on special, I’m having that!”

  Cash and Ruby both opted for the American Hot and requested extra jalapeños simultaneously. So close to Christmas, the atmosphere in the restaurant was buzzing and it was infectious. Although she couldn’t help but do a quick sweep of the dining room, Ruby knew there’d be no lost soul haunting a place such as this tonight, no child sitting pitifully alone at a table, yearning for birthday jubilations, no chef still in pristine whites, hovering over the juniors, making sure they arranged circles of pepperoni or strips of Cajun chicken ‘just so’. Pizza Express was just too damned lively for the spirit world.

  Back at the table, Theo was holding court, cracking joke after joke, a comedienne as well as a psychic marvel. All were content to let her take the lead, knowing that in the wit stakes at least, they couldn’t compete. Whilst she entertained them all, Ruby looked over to where Cash was sitting. He immediately returned her gaze, as though he’d been waiting to do so all evening. As his mouth widened into a smile, Ruby knew, suddenly and without doubt, that any resistance she might have had towards him was fading fast.

  ***

  Crouching low into her corner, Cynthia wished she could make herself smaller, disappear entirely, become nothing at all. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t do anything except cower in terror. The man, the one who waited for her in the shadows was raging, screaming as though he were in agony, his dark mass beginning to solidify, to take on shape. Again she thought she recognised him. Again she refused to look – her only defence. She wouldn’t listen to him either, despite him calling her name, over and over, beseechingly at first but with increasing fury.

  Then suddenly, with one almighty scream of frustration, the man, the creature, grabbed at her precious items on the dressing table – her crystal bottles, her silver comb, her hairbrush. One by one he threw them across the
room, even the perfume bottle she herself had thrown at the red-headed girl, the girl with curls so like her own. This time, however, it smashed across the floor – Phoenix seeping deep into the rugs, the smell enticing once upon a time but acrid now. Her bed too, the spirit targeted, removing the rose quartz crystal the last girl had placed upon it and lifting it up, smashing it against the far wall, renting the cover in two, scattering the cushions.

  Where are you, Cynthia? You can’t hide forever!

  Trembling, she wondered where Ruby was, the girl who had promised she wouldn’t give up on her, the girl who had been so viciously attacked by this monster. Would she give up on her now? Had he succeeded in frightening her off for good? She hoped not.

  Help me, Ruby, Cynthia whispered into the abyss, please help me.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Looking at her watch, Ruby decided she would drive into Brighton to see Rawlings during the afternoon, perhaps take him a little hamper of food for Christmas that she would put together courtesy of a trip to Waitrose beforehand. She had promised the old man she would visit now and again, hating to think of anyone alone, even him, and especially at this time of year. But first she had more research to do.

  Although she’d had a great time with Cash and the team yesterday, she hadn’t slept well for the second night running. Cynthia had dominated her thoughts and dreams last night, both as the glittering figure she had once been and the terrified wreck she had become. Ruby sensed that, forthcoming anniversary or not, events were coming to a head at Highdown Hall – and neither spirit could be allowed to linger for longer than they already had, the situation was becoming too intense. First though, she intended to trawl through the internet one more time to see if there was anything she might have missed, no matter how insignificant. She needed to unveil who it was that held a grudge against Cynthia, a grudge so extreme it grounded them both.

  Thankfully, Theo, Ness and Corinna were working on the other cases, including yet another call to Brookbridge. A resident, this time from Oakleaf Drive, had called to say they were having terrible trouble with their TV. At seven o’clock every evening – no matter what channel they were watching, it would flip to ITV for the start of Emmerdale. Sky engineers had been called out several times but none of them could find a fault. Fed up to the back teeth, the homeowner had called Psychic Surveys instead.