by Robert Innes
Harrison looked down at the ground. “Well, you know. If you think he’s trying to make himself look better by having a wife and you feel bad about being single.”
Blake could not have been more touched by what Harrison was implying, or felt worse about himself because Harrison had felt the need to make such a suggestion.
“Listen to me,” Blake said, unlinking his arm and turning to him. “I would never use you like that.” He took hold of Harrison’s hand with both of his own and gripped it tightly. “And for your information, the only time I would ever want to give Nathan the impression that me and you were an item would be if it were actually true. And, after everything you’ve been through, the last thing I’m going to let you be is a pretend answer to my stupid ex-boyfriend. I care about you too much for that.”
Harrison looked up at him, his eyes wide. Blake briefly wondered if he was about to burst into tears.
Instead, Harrison just said, very nervously and quietly, “And I care too much about you for you to be dealing with me after everything that I’ve been through. I meant what I said when we were sat on that wall Blake. I do really like you.”
“I know.” Blake smiled, thinking back to when they had been sat on the stone wall on top of the highest hill in Harmschapel, where they had both confessed their feelings for each other. “And I really like you. And I will wait as long as it takes, but we’re not starting a relationship with you playing a role. Alright? But thank you. I really mean that.”
Harrison didn’t break his gaze into Blake eyes. For a few moments, neither of them moved. Blake studied Harrison carefully, debating whether the moment was right to lean in towards him for a kiss. But then, before he could even move his head an inch forwards, a familiar voice rang out behind them.
“Aw, isn’t that romantic?”
Blake’s face dropped as he realised that Nathan was walking towards them. “We’re going to put a pin in this moment, alright?” he said to Harrison, who just laughed softly and nodded.
Blake looked down the path to where his ex-boyfriend was striding towards them. “Now Blake, don’t let me stop you,” Nathan said, the Irish twang in his voice as strong as ever.
“And yet, here we are,” Blake replied sarcastically.
Nathan rolled his eyes as he arrived at Blake’s side. “Still as hilarious as ever. Davina tells me you and your man here are joining us for dinner?”
“I’m not really Blake’s man,” Harrison said, glancing at Blake.
Nathan raised a disdainful eyebrow. “No, when I say ‘your man,’ it’s just an Irish thing. You know, ‘look at your man with the nice coat,’ ‘is it your man I ask for to get a drink?’ And are you not? Blake, I’m disappointed in you.”
Blake narrowed his eyes. As he had predicted, Nathan could not have looked less disappointed if he had tried.
“Is Davina alright?” Harrison asked. “She seemed pretty upset earlier when I saw her.”
Blake’s lips thinned as he saw that patronising look on Nathan’s face he had seen so many times during their relationship. “She’s fine, thanks for asking, fella,” he answered. “Nothing for you to worry yourself about.” He tapped Harrison dismissively on the arm then carried on walking towards the hut, which was now just a few feet away from them. “Now, will we go? I’m fecking starved.”
As he strode on ahead of them, Blake turned to Harrison and closed his eyes in silent frustration. “He’s a character, I’ll give him that.” Harrison murmured.
“You are far too polite,” Blake replied flatly.
When they reached the hut, Rupert was standing by the open door, waiting patiently for them.
“Evening!” he said, smiling warmly. “Come in, come in. Blake, nice to see you. Glad you could make it.”
“Thanks,” Blake said, stepping into the hut. “I appreciated the invite. Wow, you’ve certainly made it look nice.”
“It’s totally different to when I saw it this morning,” Harrison told him. “This big table wasn’t here, for a start.”
The table in the middle of the hut was just big enough to seat six people. Over it was a large white tablecloth with a few candles placed in the centre, and silver cutlery was placed in size order in front of each chair.
“Where’s Davina, Nathan?” Rupert asked once they were all inside. “I understand there was a bit of a fracas this morning?”
“You could say that,” Nathan replied. “Your delightful brother has a lot to answer for, I’ll tell you that for nothing. But I managed to calm her down. She’s on her way down. She was after taking forever in the bathroom getting ready so I said I’d meet her down here.”
“Must be quite a novelty for you,” Blake said innocently. “To be with someone who actually takes longer getting ready than you.”
Nathan chuckled dryly. “I forgot what a laugh a minute you were, Blakey.”
“Oh, do you two know each other then?” Rupert asked, opening a bottle of wine from behind the mini bar.
“Sure. There’s history,” Nathan said, holding his glass up but not taking his eyes off Blake. “But that’s all it is. Just history.”
Bitterness ricocheted through Blake’s body, but he merely smiled and said nothing.
“Polly will be joining us shortly,” Rupert said glancing between Blake and Nathan. “She’s just sorting out the menu for us tonight. If anybody has any allergies or anything, do let me know and I’ll tell the kitchen?”
“Yeah, I’m vegan,” Nathan said, taking a sip of his wine.
“Ah, yes. Don’t worry, Davina mentioned that to Polly,” Rupert said as he went around filling up everyone else’s wine glasses. “We made sure the wine was too.”
Blake raised a disdainful eyebrow. “Vegan? Since when?”
“Since I started seeing Davina,” Nathan replied, “We made a decision to cut out all meat, dairy, there’s a lot of stuff I cut out once we became an item.”
“You’re not kidding,” Blake replied, raising his glass to him.
Before Nathan could reply, the hut door slammed open and Davina and Polly rushed in.
“Polly?” Rupert said, looking at her in concern. “What’s wrong?”
“Rupert, he’s out there. The hooded man! We just saw him,” Polly said urgently.
“What was he doing?” Blake asked, standing up. “Do you want me to go and have a look?”
“No, no, Blake,” Rupert said firmly, indicating that Blake should sit down again. “I won’t have my guests dealing with my problems.”
“I’ll phone the police,” Davina said.
“What about your dinner?” Nathan asked her.
“There are more important things happening than stuffing your face, Nathan!” Davina snapped, before turning to Polly. “Lock this door behind me, just to be on the safe side. I’ll be back when I’ve spoken to them.”
“He’ll be gone before they even get here,” Polly said but she pulled out a set of keys from her pocket. “Be careful, Davina. He could be dangerous.”
“It’ll be fine. I’ll go straight to the manor, and when I’ve spoken to them, I’ll come straight back.”
Davina left the hut and Polly closed the door behind her and locked it.
“Right then,” she said, apparently attempting to return everything to normal. “Sorry I’m late. Dinner won’t be long.”
“What are you all on about?” Nathan asked, frowning. Blake could tell he hated being the only person in the room who didn’t know what was going on. “Hooded figure?”
“Oh, it’s a long story, Nathan.” Polly said, walking across the hut to the mini bar. “Don’t you concern yourself with it. Can I get anybody a drink?”
“I’ve done the rounds with the wine, Polly,” Rupert replied, taking his seat.
Polly nodded and knelt down behind the bar to make her own drink.
“But my wife has gone to phone the police. Why bother when we’ve got a detective sergeant sitting right here?” Nathan waved his wine glass in Blake’s direction.
“
Because I haven’t got any jurisdiction, Nathan,” Blake told him flatly. “I’m on holiday, away from where I usually work.”
“Well, you used to work round here,” Nathan replied.
“Yes, and then I moved,” Blake snapped. “Remember?”
“Blake,” Harrison said gently. “You don’t need to do this now.”
Blake glared furiously at Nathan, wondering why he possibly thought that he would be capable of spending this much time with him without attempting to bite his head off.
“Duncan is out there.”
They all looked up at Rupert, who was standing in front of the window, staring out at the lake in front of the hut.
Polly popped her head out from underneath the bar. “He’s not bloody fishing again, is he?”
Rupert nodded bitterly. “Despite how many times we’ve asked him not to, there he is.” He stepped aside from the window so that they could all see. Blake craned his neck, glad of the distraction from Nathan. He could just make out Duncan with his back to them, sat in a small rowing boat in the centre of the lake, a fishing line out in front of him. He was wearing what looked like a deerstalker and a green jacket.
“Rather him than me in this cold,” Harrison said.
“He knows how we feel about the fish in that lake,” Polly fumed. “They’re part of what makes these lakes so beautiful! He just doesn’t care.”
“I’ll go and tell him,” Rupert sighed. “Not that it’ll make much difference, he’s such a –“
But Polly suddenly gasped. “Rupert! He’s there! The man with the hood, he’s there!”
They all looked out of the window. Sure enough, there was the hooded figure. Whoever it was, was standing on the lake’s edge, staring out at Duncan.
“Well,” Rupert said. “At least now he can’t tell us that we’re making it up.”
Blake stood up from his seat and walked across to the window. Duncan was now standing up in the boat, gesturing towards the hooded figure angrily.
“Who the hell is that?” Nathan exclaimed. “And what, you’re saying he’s after causing trouble round here?”
“We don’t know who it is,” Polly said nervously as they all watched what was happening. “But I’d like to see Duncan try and deal with him. One of them will be taught a lesson anyway.”
“Well he’s not going to do much when he can’t even get to him,” Blake reasoned. “Not when Duncan is right in the middle of-“
But then Blake stopped. What happened next rendered him incapable of speech.
The hooded figure took a step towards Duncan from the edge of the lake. Then another. And another. And then, impossibly, and without any visible means of support, they were standing on the surface of the lake. They all stared, bewildered at the sight before them, through the window of the hut. Somehow, the hooded figure was walking on water.
“What the hell?” Rupert gasped.
“How is that possible?” Harrison asked quietly. “How is he-“
From the boat, Duncan seemed to go stiff, staring out at the figure who continued to walk across the lake towards him. He had been gesturing wildly, perhaps shouting at whoever it was to go away, but now he seemed paralysed with fear.
Nobody in the hut seemed capable of movement. Blake certainly could not take his eyes off what he was witnessing. It was absolutely impossible, but yet there he was, watching a human being walk across the surface of the lake.
At last, the hooded figure reached the boat. Slowly, they reached inside the cloak and pulled out what looked like a knife. Before any of the occupants of the hut could do anything, the figure made a stabbing motion at Duncan, who keeled over.
Polly let out a scream of horror and backed away from the window, coming to a rest behind the mini bar, her hands clasped to her mouth.
Again, the hooded figure stabbed the knife into Duncan, this time pushing him backwards as he did so. Duncan stumbled over the side of the boat and landed in the lake, the sound of the heavy splash echoing round the grounds.
“Duncan!” yelled Rupert, rushing towards the hut door. He tried to pull it open, then turned to Polly. “You locked it, give me the keys.”
“I’ll-I’ll do it,” Polly stammered, standing up and hurrying across the hut, pushing Rupert out the way.
Her hands shaking, Polly pulled the keys from her pocket and attempted to unlock the door. In her panic, she dropped them on the floor and then had to find the right key again, but she finally unlocked the door to the hut and pulled it open.
They all ran outside and looked out over the water. Duncan was now lying in the lake, motionless. But he was alone. The hooded figure had completely disappeared.
For a few seconds, there was pandemonium. Polly and Rupert were shouting at each other, crying out to Duncan, who remained motionless, lying in the lake. Nathan was crying out suggestions, asking where Davina was, and Harrison was just leant against the hut, his head in his hands, apparently unable to comprehend what he had just witnessed.
Amongst the confusion, Blake stared out at the lake, frantically trying to piece together what had just happened and how on earth it could have been possible. They had just witnessed a man being apparently stabbed to death, by someone who was able to walk on water and then disappear before their very eyes. None of it made the slightest bit of sense.
Rupert ran into the lake and began wading towards Duncan’s lifeless body, crying out his name.
“That psycho is still running around somewhere,” Nathan murmured. “We should get back in the hut.”
“He’s not going to show up now,” Blake said quietly. “He just disappeared right in front us, what would be the point if he was just going to immediately reappear? I’m going to have a look around.”
Harrison looked up. “But Blake, it’s like Nathan said, he could be anywhere around here. You can’t go looking for him on your own, he’s got a knife.”
“Ah, you’ve got a lot to learn about Blake, fella,” Nathan said, somehow smirking, despite the situation. “A man’s just walked on water. Blake Harte needs to know how he did it. You never could quite turn off from being the detective could you, Blakey?”
Blake glared at him but said nothing.
“There’s a torch in the hut,” Polly said, “The power went a few weeks ago and I left it in there. Hang on.”
Rupert had now reached his brother and was pulling him towards the water’s edge. “Someone ring an ambulance! He’s not breathing!”
Nathan pulled his mobile out of his pocket and passed it to Rupert as Polly ran out of the hut, holding the torch out for Blake.
Blake took the torch and began walking towards the edge of the lake, shining the light into the centre of the pool and staring intently at the water. Harrison walked up behind him, glancing nervously at Duncan’s body.
“Do you think he’s dead?”
“I don’t know.”
“You do,” Harrison said softly. “When Daniel died, you knew he was dead the second you saw him. You’ve said to me yourself, you’ve dealt with enough dead bodies in your old job back in the city to know when someone is dead.”
Blake exhaled as he continued staring through the surface of the water.
“I don’t know that he’s dead,” he said quietly, so that nobody other than Harrison would hear. “But what would be the point in all of that charade if you’re just going to leave him wounded? The size of this mansion and its grounds, it would surely be easy enough to kill him without being seen, but no. Instead, whoever was under that hood wanted to make sure that plenty of people saw him do it. Why? You don’t put on a performance like that if you don’t have an audience.”
Harrison thought for a moment, then nodded. “I suppose that makes sense. What are you looking for?”
“Well the only way I can think of for anybody to walk on water is for there to be some sort of support under the water. Like a path, or some platforms or something. There wasn’t enough time to get rid of any, so they must still be here.”
Harrison stared out at the centre of the lake, where just minutes ago the hooded figure had appeared to be standing. “And?”
“And there’s nothing there.” Blake frowned. “It’s just water.”
He picked up a few stones from the water’s edge and threw them, one at a time, to where the figure had crossed the water. Each stone splashed loudly and then appeared to sink, undeterred on its journey to the bottom by any means of support for someone to stand on.
“So how the hell did he do it?”
Blake turned to where Nathan’s voice was coming from, accidently shining the torch right in his eyes.
“Blake, for God’s sake-” he snapped, holding his hands up to his face.
Blake put the torch to the ground, without apologising. “I don’t know.”
“And I bet that’s winding you up good and proper, am I right?” Nathan asked lightly.
“Yes, that, and your voice,” Blake replied, turning on his heels and walking away from them in the direction of where the hooded figure had first appeared.
Ignoring Nathan’s retort to his back, Blake shone the torch in the direction of the bushes that were festooned around the large metal fence, built along the back of the gardens. It didn’t look like any of them had been disturbed by anybody climbing over the fence, and the wet mud near the lake didn’t even have any footprints in it. To all intents and purposes, the hooded figure had levitated along the ground, across the water and then just vanished.
Blake’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of sirens in the distance.
“The police,” Harrison said. “Blake, are they going to need you?”
“What do you mean?” Blake frowned, turning to him. “You mean, am I going to be one of the officers investigating?”
“Yeah.”
Blake shook his head. “I’ll have no jurisdiction. As far as the police will be concerned, I’m just another witness to what happened.”
Nathan scoffed. “Not that that’ll mean he doesn’t stick his nose in and try to play Sherlock Holmes. Sorry fella,” he slapped Harrison on the shoulder. “As of this moment, your little romantic getaway is over.” He walked off back towards the hut as the sound of sirens got louder.
