The Ghost House

by Helen Phifer

  He smiled at her as she got into the car and slammed the door too hard, making him flinch.

  ‘Oops, sorry, I’m used to my boyfriend’s heap of junk.’

  ‘It’s fine don’t worry about it.’

  She reached over to grab her seat belt and her phone slid from her wet grasp, falling to the floor. She bent down, struggling to find it. He reached out, grabbing a handful of her long dark brown hair. She screeched with shock. Before she could scream again his hand wrapped itself tightly into her hair, dragging her head back before he pushed it forward with such force that her head slammed against the dashboard, dazing her. She reached up for his hands, scratching at them but he held fast and slammed her head again and again until she was unconscious. When she stopped fighting his hand reached under his seat for the knife that he’d tucked under there away from his mother’s prying eyes. He pulled her head back to expose her throat and he sliced her neck from ear to ear, a spray of blood coating him and the windscreen.

  He pulled her head forward to try and slow it down. Part of him hadn’t wanted to do it but he’d had no choice. If he let her go she would be able to describe him and his car to the police. The blood pumping from the open wound was warm and sticky and he watched mesmerised as the life bled from her.

  In the distance through the tree’s he saw the beam of a car’s headlights and the fear of being caught broke him from his trance. He pushed her down as far as he could into the footwell of the car and rubbed his blood-soaked hand in her hair and on her coat. Then he started the engine and drove in the opposite direction to the lights: he had to get away from here.

  His hands were still slick with blood and the strong coppery smell filled the car. He wiped them along the front of his trousers so he could grip the steering wheel better. That was another pair he would have to get rid of. His stomach began to churn; the smell in such an enclosed space was making him feel ill. He drove until he reached the playing fields on Rating Lane then parked his car along the lover’s lane, which was deserted, taking some tissues from the glove compartment he rubbed the specks of blood off the windscreen. The stench was awful, if the police pulled him now that would be it: game over. His hand reached out and caressed the blood-soaked hair of the dead girl. Think, you idiot, think.

  Chapter 15

  Two bottles of wine and almost the whole of Lost Boys and Annie was struggling to stay awake. She dragged herself away from Will’s arms, which were wrapped tight around her. She needed to lock up.

  He was fast asleep and looked so peaceful: there were no bad dreams for him. In the kitchen she grabbed her coat from the back of the chair. She couldn’t find her scarf so she looked under the table to see if it had fallen to the floor and remembered the straw. She let Tess out of the back door, who quickly squatted and then came back inside. It had been raining heavy so she bent to wipe her paws with an old towel.

  ‘How come you manage to walk through every puddle, Tess?’ Annie shivered, something strange was going on. Surely no one had been into the house, Tess would have barked. She locked the door, relieved that she had Will for company.

  He shuffled into the kitchen. ‘Sorry, I’m terrible company.’ He looked even more gorgeous all bleary eyed and with ruffled hair.

  ‘I’m just locking up. Is there anything you need?’

  ‘Only you. You’re not going to leave me all alone on that big old sofa are you? We could put another film on. I promise to be a good boy.’

  Annie preferred the thought of him being a bad boy but the thought of cuddling up to him was even better. She knew it was far too soon to even contemplate starting another relationship but she craved affection and would hopefully get some sleep safe in his arms.

  He took hold of her hand and led her back to the sofa where he’d fashioned a bed out of the duvet and pillows. Annie watched as he took off his pants to reveal a pair of lime green and black Calvin Kleins®. She sighed, how was she supposed to lie next to him all night and keep her hands to herself? Not wanting him to feel underdressed she went upstairs and put on her wonder woman pyjamas. But she felt self-conscious. If the sight of her in these shorts didn’t send him running for the door she might just be onto a winner. It still niggled away at her why he was here but she wasn’t about to start interrogating him now. He held up the duvet and patted the space next to him and she climbed in, her heart racing. This was bizarre even for her but she wasn’t complaining. Will’s breathing slowed and got louder as he fell asleep, she closed her eyes and it wasn’t long before she joined him.

  It took every ounce of strength to manhandle the woman from the car. He decided to dump her body down by the dock near to the old paper mills. They were due to be demolished any time and the businesses that used to run from there had all relocated. He also knew there were no CCTV cameras in the area. There wasn’t much point because all that was left was piles of rubble and crumbling buildings.

  The blood made it hard to grip her properly and the stench was making him gag. He would have liked to have put her in the cellar with Jenna, an unexpected addition to his collection, but if he could barely carry her three hundred feet he wouldn’t be able to carry her a mile uphill through woodland. He removed her clothes, knowing full well, along with the rest of the world, the basics in forensic science. The real challenge was getting her positioned. He didn’t want to leave her lying on the floor as if she had just been abandoned; he wanted her sitting up on display. He placed her in a boarded up doorway but her head kept flopping to one side. Taking the scarf he had stolen earlier that evening he inhaled one last time, memorising the smell. Then he wrapped it around the girl’s neck several times until it covered the dreadful, gaping wound. He wished he could be there to see the face of the person who unwrapped it. He attached the material to a rusted nail that was sticking out of the frame; it didn’t look very sturdy but it worked. Hopefully rigor mortis would set in soon enough and then she wouldn’t need her head holding up. He wondered why he had wanted to cover the wound on her neck when her forehead was grazed and dinted: it felt like the right thing to do if there was right thing in these situations.

  Getting into his car he took one last look around to make sure there was no one lurking. His hands were trembling so much he could barely grip the steering wheel and his stomach lurched every time he breathed in. If he was lucky his mother would still be at the church giving him enough time to sort out the car and shower. Putting the windows down to hide the blood on them and let some fresh air inside, he drove home at the correct speeds, not wanting to draw attention to himself. He reached his house without passing a police car and drove straight into the garage. He shut the door and didn’t turn on the light: none of the nosey neighbours could see in.

  Stripping off his clothes until he was standing in his boxers he pulled a black plastic bin liner from the drawer and stuffed all his clothes into it. He would dump them behind the bins at the back of the druggie flats in the town centre. He began to clean the car, bleaching and scrubbing everything in sight. Tomorrow he would take it down to the Polish car wash and get it power washed on the outside as well, just in case any blood had got underneath: you could never be too sure.

  He muttered to himself, ‘This is all your fault, why did you make me so angry that I couldn’t control the rage. I hope to God I haven’t ruined everything?’ He finished cleaning and turned the light off then went upstairs to have a quick shower. Just as he was towelling himself dry he heard the taxi with his mother in pull up outside. Perfect timing. He dashed downstairs to put her cup of milk into the microwave and waited for it to beep. He slowly mixed the cocoa powder into the scalding milk and stirred again careful not to crack the delicate porcelain cup. Then he took a deep breath to prepare himself for the interrogation that would begin in less than sixty seconds.

  She walked in through the front door and locked it behind her. She came straight to the kitchen where she looked him up and down.

  ‘Why is your car in the garage and what are you doing lounging ar
ound in your dressing gown? Are you ill?’

  He envisioned taking the dog chain and choking her with it until her vicious tongue protruded from her mouth, all swollen and black. How nice it would be to permanently silence her. He knew that he would one of these days; it was just a matter of when.

  She walked into the living room and sat on the sofa, turning on the television. She found a repeat of CSI and settled down to watch it. He placed the cup of cocoa next to her on the small oak table then whispered ‘goodnight’ and turned to go upstairs. He knew she was staring at him, he could feel her eyes burning into his back and he knew she was wondering what was going on. He had a feeling she was beginning to feel a little bit scared of her wishy-washy son but there was no way she would admit it to anyone. She was a tough old bird, he’d give her that.

  Will’s phone began vibrating in his trouser pocket against the wooden floorboards. Annie stirred but his eyes sprung wide open: it had to be work. He was used to calls like this: no one else would ring him at five-thirty in the morning. Extracting himself from Annie’s legs he got off the sofa and picked up his trousers, tiptoeing into the kitchen. He fumbled to get the phone out of his pocket, finally grabbing hold of it.

  ‘Hello, Will Ashworth speaking.’

  Annie woke up and listened to the string of whispered swear words which came from the kitchen. Her stomach formed a tight knot; this wasn’t good. He walked back in.

  ‘Have they found that poor girl?’ she asked.

  He shook his head. ‘No another girl has gone missing. She was last seen at work in the Abbey museum last night. I have to go.’ He bent down, kissing her on the lips. Then he slipped on his shoes and jacket and headed for the door.

  ‘Wait, you need a key to get out of the gates.’ She followed him into the kitchen and grabbed the spare key off the hook, throwing the pink, fluffy key ring at him.

  ‘Thanks, for a minute I thought you were going to beg me to stay.’

  She laughed and shrugged, closing the door behind him. She went back to the duvet, which was still warm, and Tess pattered in and took over watching her from where Will had left off.

  Chapter 16

  He woke early, needing to pee. He had slept well considering what he had done last night. He regretted it. He had almost ruined it all before he got to have some fun with the woman from the farm. If I get caught I won’t be able to finish what I’ve started. The voice in his head, the one that had told him to watch her because she could be his downfall, echoed loudly. Wiping the seat he flushed the chain.

  As he washed his hands he glanced at his reflection in the mirror. When had his eyes got so dark? Maybe that was the result of being evil; it turned you rotten from the inside out. His face looked different too. His features seemed sharper, more chiselled. In fact, he felt as if the face staring back at him was someone entirely different but that was ridiculous, it was impossible. Then he remembered the way his mother had looked at him last night. Had she seen how different he looked, could she sense he wasn’t the same? Back in his bedroom he began wondering how he could get the woman out of the farm. If he waited patiently it would come to him, just as the plan for Jenna had. Somehow he would know what to do and when to do it.

  Will found some chewing gum in the side pocket of his car. After blowing the fluff off two pieces he shoved them into his mouth and began to chew. There was no time to go home and shower and it was pointless anyway seeing as how he was practically already on scene. He drove down the steep hill noticing the assortment of police cars in the distance; he headed towards them.

  The whole area was sealed off. The blue and white tape stretched from the rusted black railings of the Abbey ruins across the road to a huge oak tree. Jake was standing on the inside of the cordon looking as miserable as Will felt. He rolled down his window.

  ‘All right, lad, we need to stop meeting like this or people are going to talk.’

  Jake grinned. ‘They will indeed. Anyway how did you get here so fast?’

  Will cringed as he watched Jake figure it out and his expression turned to one of disbelief.

  ‘Please tell me you didn’t. The last thing Annie needs right now is a couple of quickies with the office Casanova. She’s messed up enough as it is. Have you any idea what damage you could do if you mess her around?’ Jake turned his back on Will and stomped across to the other side of the road. He turned his head. ‘For God’s sake, Will, I think I’m going to kill you. Bugger off and get out of my sight.’

  He left Will no choice but to get out of the car and march over to him. Anger boiled inside his chest.

  ‘What exactly do you take me for? I swear I went to see her after work last night. All I did was make her some dinner and offer her some company. That’s it, nothing to it. We drank a couple of bottles of wine, watched a film and I slept on the sofa – end of.’ Will thought it best not to add that he’d spent most of the night with an erection while lying next to Annie. It would probably tip Jake over the edge.

  Jake glared at him. ‘I’m telling you, Will, if you hurt her or treat her like one of those women you sleep with once and never speak to again then it will be a crime scene containing the remains of your face that’s being investigated. I’m not letting her get hurt again.’ Jake’s eyes filled with tears and Will was unsure what he should do so he reached out and patted his arm.

  ‘None of this was your fault, there wasn’t anything you could have done. If she never told you what it was like at home how were you supposed to know? I don’t want to hurt her, I just want to help.’

  Jake grunted something which Will took as an agreement and he walked back to his car. Running the last five minutes through his mind he wondered what had just happened. It was far too early for award-winning dramatics. He shook his head and continued to drive down to the car park where he saw the familiar figure standing in the distance barking out orders to some student officers. It was becoming a habit: how come serious shit only happened when Jake, Kav and Will were on duty? The whole town seemed to be falling apart. He parked up and sighed as Kav shook his head at him.

  ‘Nothing, not diddly squat. There isn’t much by way of forensics – no blood, no signs of a struggle – so it looks as if she went with whomever it was of her own free will.’ He turned towards the white-suited CSI whose camera flash was illuminating the early morning sky. ‘Debs said there are a couple of tyre impressions which she’ll take a cast of and that’s just about it.’

  Will looked around the area. It was secluded here and if it was last night there wouldn’t be anyone around. There were two houses nearby but neither of them overlooked the car park.

  ‘It’s unreal. How can two girls disappear within the space of a few days with no trace? It just doesn’t happen, well not around here.’

  The sound of tyres crunching on gravel and the sight of Kav stiffening up made Will groan. He turned to see the newly appointed Detective Chief Inspector getting out of his shiny Land Rover™. Will had heard of his reputation as a stickler for perfection and from the corner of his eye he watched every uniformed officer nearby checking they looked respectable. It was remarkable how straight they were standing: hands out of pockets or wherever else they had them tucked to keep them warm. Will and Kav both shared the same pained expression as he crunched his way along the gravel towards them.

  Kav whispered, ‘Bullshit baffles brains.’ He then launched into an overzealous greeting, pumping the DCI’s hand up and down. Will had no idea what Kav was talking about so he agreed and nodded along at what he deemed were appropriate moments until the DCI turned to him.

  ‘I don’t think we’ve met? DCI Stevens.’ He stretched out his hand. Now it was Will’s turn to talk crap and he did his best to for a couple of minutes until Stevens yawned, obviously bored. Kav smirked, a student officer came shuffling over to them his face drained of all colour, he coughed.

  ‘Sorry to interrupt you, sir, but there’s a reporter asking lots of questions, what should I tell him?’

  Steven
’s beamed at the young officer. ‘Ah the press, don’t you just love how they get a whiff of a story quicker than the bloody sniffer dogs. Leave it to me, son.’ With that he walked off, heading in the direction of the ‘road closed’ sign.

  Kav laughed. ‘Let him get on with it, that’s what he gets paid lots of money for.’

  Debs came to stand with them. ‘Morning, gents. I hate to tell you this but as you have already guessed there isn’t much to go on. I’ve bagged up a couple of cigarette ends and an ice cream wrapper but the shop shut at five and I don’t really think our guy would have hung around for a couple of hours licking his ice lolly and then discarding his evidence. But you never know; not everyone watches CSI or the Discovery Chanel. There are some tyre tracks but same again. On an average day they get between five to thirty cars in and out of here. They could even be the boyfriend’s.’

  Kav answered Will’s next question. ‘He is at the station giving a statement as we speak. He was with friends at The Friars playing pool and was late to pick Emma up. He should have been here for seven-thirty but it was just gone eight when he got here. Said it was all in darkness and she was nowhere to be seen, so, being such a gentleman, he drove back to the pub to finish his game of pool. He did say he tried phoning her a couple of times but she wasn’t answering him, which isn’t uncommon for her when she’s pissed off with him, as he so elegantly put it. Emma’s sister rang him at ten-thirty to see if Emma had a key because she was going to bed. That’s when he started to panic and phoned her friends. He then drove back down here with a couple of mates and began to look for her and as you can tell he never found her and here we are.’

  ‘So he has a good alibi but he could have killed her and dumped the body quick in some bushes.’

  ‘True that, he could have but his mates said he was gone for five minutes and it was raining hard and he came back into the pub wearing the same clothes he left in which were dry apart from a few spots of rain on his T-shirt.’