by Nell Dixon
I found Francis’s obituary. It seemed he had died suddenly whilst staying with friends. I barely had enough time to read the piece before it was time to return to the bank. At least I knew Francis hadn’t died in the cottage. A detail I found strangely comforting.
On Wednesday I would have to ask Mike how I could go back further to see who owned the cottage before Isabella and Francis. Perhaps that would give me some more clues. I had to admit doing the research was quite exciting. I felt a bit like Velma, the clever one, from Scooby-doo. Although I’d rather not look like her; everyone knew that Daphne was the looker in that gang.
Nasreen was back at her position when I returned to the bank so I was spared any more of her conversation. Fortunately Jo kept her talking when we closed so I was able to escape at the end of the day with my sanity fairly intact. I hurried across the car park to make my get away before she escaped from Jo. My mobile rang as I reached my car.
“Hello darling.”
“Hi Mum.” I zapped the car door open with my free hand. A wave of heat escaped from inside the car and I stood for a moment waiting for the interior to cool.
“Kate, you haven’t done anything yet have you about this party idea you and Louise had?”
I’d forgotten all about Lou and I suggesting Mum and Chuck throw a party to celebrate their wedding. “Um, no, not yet. Why?”
“It’s just that I’ve been thinking about it. What with Louise being pregnant and everything it’s a lot of work.”
There was something else behind this reluctance to have a bit of a do. I could tell from the tone of her voice. “It’s no trouble, Mum.”
“Well, I don’t think it’s a good idea. Chuck and I have been talking about it and with you being so busy with the cottage and your job at the bank. Chuck isn’t used to family life and having lots of people around. I know it doesn’t seem like it when you first meet him but he’s actually quite shy. It might be nicer if he has some time to get used to us all and settle in. After Louise has the baby, then we could do something perhaps.”
“If you’re sure that’s what you want.” I slipped inside the car and rolled down the windows. The plush material of the driver’s seat heated my bum and back. I hadn’t thought Chuck was very shy when I’d met him.
“I think it’s for the best. Chuck and I plan to take a few little trips soon so it would leave us free to travel if we put the party idea on hold. He wants to look for a nice holiday place for us.” She gave a happy sigh and I pictured her with the dreamy expression she always got whenever she was planning something nice.
“Sounds lovely.” The heat in the car started to dissipate and I wanted to get away before Nas emerged from the bank and tried to talk to me again.
“I’ll call you later this week. We thought we might go away this weekend if the nice weather holds. There are some lovely coastal properties that we’ve found on the internet.”
“Remember it’s a buyers market, Mum.”
“We will darling. Don’t worry I told Chuck that you and Steve were the property experts.”
She rang off and I started the engine.
Chapter Fifteen
By the time Wednesday evening rolled around I wasn’t sure if I was looking forward to Mike’s class or not. My sleep had been undisturbed the previous night and I ‘d begun to wonder if the sobbing that I’d heard before had been a bad dream after all.
Louise met me at Benny’s Bar after I’d finished work. We’d decided to eat our supper there before the start of class. Benny’s had used to be a pub called the Hop and Grapes, or as Steve used to call it, the Hope and Grope. Back then it had nicotine stained ceilings and scuffed velour seating.
Now it was all sleek laminate and chrome. During the day it served trendy open top bar meals to local business people. Later on it would fill up with girls in high heels and short skirts and young men with designer stubble who smelled of Lynx aftershave.
Lou claimed meeting there would boost my confidence and give me some practice at being back on the singles scene. Personally, I thought she hoped to spot her mystery one night stand amongst the customers.
“Can’t you remember anything about him?”
“He just seemed really familiar as if I already knew him. Oh and I vaguely remember we agreed that neither of us liked pickled eggs.” Lou gazed around at the virtually deserted bar.
“Pickled eggs?” My sister must have been out of her skull that night.
“I felt as if I knew him from somewhere. It was odd, but good odd if you know what I mean”
I took a sip of my dry white wine. “But you’d know him if you saw him again?”
Lou sighed. “Yes. Well, probably. I think so. He was drop dead gorgeous, I remember that bit.”
I should have ordered something stronger than wine. Pretty well anyone would look gorgeous if you were wearing beer goggles. “You come in here regularly, maybe the bar staff might know who he was?”
“Sophie was working the bar that night. I asked when I came in but she’s in Kos for a fortnight soaking up the sun, sand and Metaxa.” Lou toyed with her soft drink.
“And you can’t remember any of the other details of the night? I mean, if you were both legless then how did you get home?”
Colour crept up my sister’s cheeks. “We staggered back through the park. We didn’t even make it all the way back to mine before we first, you know, down by the swings. The grass is nice and springy down there.” The corners of her mouth turned up and her cheeks grew even pinker.
“Too much information! Don’t tell Mum that bit, will you? She’ll have a fit.” I tried to remember when Steve and I had last done something that spontaneous. Up until about a year ago we’d been unable to keep our hands off one another although we’d never explored the possibilities of the children’s play area. Our sex life had been pretty active though and it was probably why I still had the hots for him even now. I tried to remember exactly when everything had started to change.
We’d been talking about the project before Myrtle Cottage, about how the one after that would be The One. The property market had taken a dive and we’d come back to our home town after taking a hit on the last house. I’d landed the job at the bank thanks to an inter-branch transfer. Steve had joked that if we couldn’t get a loan then I could raid the vault. Then, something had gone missing from our relationship, we’d started to squabble about money and stress had kicked in when the next property we were in took a long time to sell.
I missed making love with Steve. Our sex life had been good. No, it had been better than good. I missed the closeness we’d had.
“We should go. You don’t want to be late for class.” Lou’s voice dragged me out of my reverie.
Perhaps I should try harder with Mike. Although his excuse about being busy with work had to be a blatant fib, maybe he wanted to let me down gently. He was a college lecturer and the college was on holiday now so surely he could have found a better excuse? I finished my wine in one swift gulp and followed Lou.
We slipped into our seats as Mike arrived. Everyone else was already there with folders and notepads at the ready. Mike gave me a warm smile before he started to talk, which made my heart do a quick little pitter-pat. Maybe there was some zing there after all.
Everyone shared what they had discovered so far about their property with Mike making suggestions on how they could proceed. It was surprisingly interesting and even Louise appeared to be enjoying the discussions.
Eventually it got to our turn and I told the group about Isabella and the change of name from Walnut Cottage to Myrtle Cottage.
“Ah, yes, Myrtle was often carried in Victorian bridal bouquets and would be planted on either side of the front door by the lady of the house to bring peace and prosperity. Perhaps the happy couple decided to mark their union by changing the cottage name to reflect the tradition.” Mike smiled at me again and I knew I was blushing.
“Sexy and smart. If I wasn’t with child I’d jump him myself,” Lou mut
tered as Mike moved out of earshot. I glared at her although it wouldn’t make any difference.
I shared the notes from Francis’s obituary with the group. “I want to go back further now. There are still some strange things happening in the cottage.” I told them about the spirit trap, the face at the window and the sobbing.
“The crying sounds could have been foxes. They can sound very human,”
suggested the male half of the couple in matching tops.
I noticed that this week they both wore blue tee shirts that suggested they were members of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
“No, I think it’s something supernatural,” Mrs matching-tee-shirt said. “I used to live in a haunted house, remember, so I know what it’s like. You want to get the paranormal society in.”
The middle-aged lady with the teenage daughter chimed in, “Maybe you should get it exercised.”
I tried to picture a lycra-clad ghost then realised she meant ‘exorcised’.
“I don’t know, I just think if I can understand more about who used to live there then things will settle down." I wasn’t sure how to explain what I meant. "I want to make sure nothing bad happened there, like a murder or something.”
“Well, if you want me to get in touch with the paranormal society then let me know. My brother-in-law works with the group leader, they’re on the bins at the council,” Mrs matching-tee-shirt offered.
“Thank you, she will,” Lou answered on my behalf.
“Obviously this course is primarily about the architectural history of the house." Mike took control of the class once more. "Of course you can’t actually separate that from the human stories sometimes, especially in a house as old as Myrtle Cottage. Perhaps, Kate, you need to look at the census records and see if you can trace the occupants of the house prior to the Rafferty’s.” Everyone faced forward to listen and make notes as he explained about how to use the search engines on the census records.
Mrs matching-tee-shirt gave me a small purple and black business card as the class ended and everyone prepared to file out. “In case you want to contact the society.”
“Thank you.” I glanced at it quickly and saw it bore the name Brian Howes, paranormal investigator and a phone number. I popped it into my bag and doubted that I would ever be inclined to call a bin man to investigate Myrtle Cottage’s weird noises.
Lou and I loitered behind after the rest of our classmates had gone.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t get to see you before tonight.” Mike finished packing his handouts into his briefcase, an apologetic frown on his face.
“Yes, you said you were busy – with work.” Maybe it was little mean of me to emphasise the ‘with work’ part.
“I’m teaching some summer school classes for the Open University and editing a research dissertation which a friend hopes to get published. It’s all taken up rather more of my time than I’d thought.” He picked up his case and moved to stand next to me.
Now I felt mean, and stupid.
“Wow, you’re a real brainbox.” Lou grinned up at him completely unabashed.
To my surprise the tops of his ears turned pink at her compliment and I smiled to myself. We followed him out of the classroom and waited while he locked up.
“Can I take you ladies for a drink?”
Lou was quick to accept for both of us although I couldn’t help wishing she wasn’t going to be coming along to play gooseberry.
“See he’s smart, a real professor type. You should snag him quick sharp.” Lou whispered as we walked out into the cooler evening air.
I wasn’t sure if she said snag or shag, and for some reason the word professor conjured up images of Michael Caine in Educating Rita and Harrison Ford in his bowtie and wire rimmed glasses when he wasn’t being Indiana Jones. While I could go for a young version of Harrison Ford I don’t think I could ever have gone for Michael Caine, not even in his ‘blow the doors off’ days. Mike was yummy but not Harrison Ford. He could possibly be a little bit Hugh Grantish, if I held my head to one side and squinted a bit.
We found a quiet corner table in the pub and Mike went to the bar to order drinks.
“Don’t worry, I’m going home in a couple of minutes when I’ve drunk this. I can’t seem to stay awake past nine o’clock these days and you need to start doing more than a spot of hand holding with Mike.” Louise covered her mouth to hide a yawn.
“Mum’s been talking, hasn’t she?”
“She may have happened to mention you were looking cosy when she visited you on Sunday.” Lou smirked. “Has he kissed you yet?”
“Lou!” I was prevented from saying anything more as Mike returned carrying a tray of glasses, so I contented myself with giving her a gentle kick on the shins under the table.
She grinned smugly as Mike took the vacant chair next to mine and edged it a shade closer to me. My sister was in mischief mode.
“I, um, could help you with your research if you like, Kate,” Mike offered. “I could meet you in your lunch hour perhaps or after you finish work and we could look at the micro fiche records together.”
I saw Lou roll her eyes while Mike wasn’t looking. It didn’t sound like the offer of a hot date.
“Thanks, that’s very kind of you.”
“What do you think about getting the paranormal society in? You could get a medium, like that bloke off the telly to tell you about the history of the house.” Lou regarded Mike innocently over the brim of her orange juice.
I knew what she was up to. “It’s not exactly scientific. I think we’d be better finding out the facts first.” I raised a warning eyebrow at her.
“Your sister is correct. There’s probably a perfectly rational explanation for the phenomenon Kate has experienced. The glass in the window was certainly distorted and could have accounted for an optical illusion occurring. Also, as your classmate pointed out, foxes can sound very human sometimes.” Mike sipped his pint.
“Exactly.” I frowned at Lou. It was a shame Mike had to sound so, well, teacherish when he said things like that.
“Well, I must be off if I’m going to catch my bus.” Lou finished the rest of her juice and bent to give me a quick hug and kiss.
“He might be easy on the eye but he’s a bit stiff,” she whispered as she kissed my cheek.
I hoped he hadn’t heard her.
We lapsed into silence after Lou had gone, with both of us sitting sipping our drinks and thinking our own thoughts.
“It was very interesting to see inside your cottage on Sunday. I’d often wondered what it must be like.” Mike broke into my reverie.
“I’m glad you came round. I’m sorry it seemed to be the day when everyone else decided to tag along too.” I placed my glass down on the table.
“You seem to be a very popular person.” He smiled at me, sending my spirits soaring. I must try harder to get the hang of this dating lark again.
“Not really.” My face heated when he took hold of my hand like he’d done on Sunday.
“Perhaps we could meet up when you finish work tomorrow, do a spot of research and then call in for supper at the Italian restaurant on the High Street?” His bright blue eyes gazed into mine and I felt sixteen and all thumbs all over again.
“That would be very nice.”
He moved his head to kiss me and I waited to feel the buzz. After all I’d been getting little flips of excitement all night. It was pleasant. I mean he was quite a good kisser, he tasted nice, didn’t slobber or anything but…
“I should get back, it’s been a long day.” I extricated myself from his grasp and finished my drink.
Mike walked me out to my car and kissed me again. I tried to be slightly more enthusiastic in my response this time hoping it might generate a spark between us.
It seemed to please Mike even if I didn’t see any fireworks. “Gosh, erm, goodnight then Kate. I’ll meet you at the library tomorrow evening.”
All the way home I kept replaying the evening
trying to figure out what was wrong. Mike was sexy, intelligent, had a good job, dressed okay, kissed well but still he wasn’t... what exactly?
He wasn’t Steve. I pulled my car up behind the caravan and gazed in frustration at the light streaming from under the edges of the closed window blinds.
The murmur of voices carried on the night air as I locked my car. My ex was entertaining company. I heard the sound of his laughter as I marched up the garden path to the back door. Kissing Mike had done nothing to settle my hormones. How aggravating was it that I still had the hots for a man who had clearly moved on.
I stomped upstairs and decided a nice tepid shower might cool me down. I collected my dressing gown and a fresh towel and pulled the cord for the bathroom light only to be faced by an empty room. The nineteen fifties pearlescent pink bath and handbasin were no more. The shiny black tiles from the walls had been partly chiselled away and the cheap white shower curtain lay screwed up in a heap in the corner. Only the toilet remained.
I gazed around in disbelief and spotted a note stuck to the toilet cistern with duct tape.
‘New suite coming tomoz. Have left loo for now. Ste’
Great, just great, the perfect end to my day.
Chapter Sixteen
Steve looked wrecked when he stumbled into the kitchen the following morning. He ambled in through the back door clad in a pair of lime green cotton boxer shorts and a faded grey tee shirt with his hair sticking out at right angles to his head. I was ready and waiting for his appearance.
“Why didn’t you warn me you were going to rip the bathroom out yesterday?”
I’d had a wash down at the kitchen sink late last night instead of the nice soothing shower that I’d planned.
