Everything was nearly ready.
23. The Chest
The Band were on a specific mission now. Wee Renee said that they must be discreet in the Village. She knew the people to ask to help her investigate where the key would fit. She decided to ask Pat as well.
In the morning she called up Our Doris, Pat and Beryl. She asked if they could meet at the Coffee Shop at about 11 am. If they had a coffee first and then lunch afterwards, they should hopefully be able to stay in the Coffee Shop long enough to wander around and look anywhere that there could be a keyhole.
’It could be anywhere. Under a window seat, a locked cabinet – anything,’ Wee Renee told them each over the phone.
All the ladies wanted to come and help. They also thought that it would be quite a nice day out. After they had been to the Coffee Shop. Lauren said they could go around the Pub in the afternoon if they still hadn’t found it. Often it was very quiet after the lunchtime rush so they could have a good look around in there.
Wee Renee had decided to only take a small group to avoid suspicion. She didn’t want everyone else in the Village seeing them snooping around. If over twenty of them were walking round in a big gang, looking through Shops and Pubs, it would undoubtedly be very suspicious.
Yes, they lived in Friarmere, people should be used to that, but they had to appear normal. After previous incidents, the Villagers would easily get alarmed. Wee Renee didn’t want a whole posse of people startling the creature and scaring them off before she had delivered the skin and ended the cycle.
Pat brought Jackie, and all the other ladies arrived at the coffee shop at 11 o’clock. Wee Renee had instructed them to meet her outside.
‘Look you lot, we have a few hours - plenty of time. So just be discreet. Don’t do anything until we have ordered our first item,’ Wee Renee said. They all agreed and went in.
They ordered their coffees and found a large table that was central in the Café. It had high backed brown leather seats and was lit attractively.
There were lots of old tins there had contained cakes, baking ingredients or biscuits placed all around the coffee shop. Blackboards where hung from the ceiling, showing the specials of the day.
The women sat in silence for a moment reading all the chalk writing as well as looking at the menus in front of them, before they decided what they were going to have.
As Wee Renee was looking at what was on offer, she was also searching along the walls. It didn’t help in here that everything seemed to be made of dark wood so could hide a keyhole somewhere on the walls.
The places that contained the cups, the coffee, everything had been designed in dark wood but had a mixture of old items within it. This could be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
’What are your feelings about it in here?’ Jackie asked in a low voice. ‘Do you think it’s in here?’
’I do,’ Beryl said. ‘Look at the amount of stuff in here.’
’I don’t know,’ Wee Renee said. ‘The fact is, that at the moment I have seen nothing that is large enough to hold that skin. That thing is bigger than us. You haven’t seen the size of its feet, they are enormous.’
’Oh yes, I see,’ Beryl said. ‘I’ve been looking at everything, thinking of whether it has a keyhole or not.’
’No, I would say even folded up, as the skin is at least as big as a medium-size suitcase,’ Wee Renee said.
’Yes, I would say an empty skin folded up animal skin would be about as big as that,’ Pat agreed.
They decided what they wanted to eat, and each said they would go up individually and order their own meal. They would each take a different route around the coffee shop and look for anything bigger than a suitcase container. Even if they couldn’t see the keyhole, it could have a pile of old biscuit tins on top of it.
Each lady went up and ordered, sitting back down and giving their report as they did. The last one to go was Wee Renee. She said she was going to go to the toilet first to have a good look around there.
As it was downstairs, this was as much as she could do in the final areas. She did this first then ordered her meal. When she returned, she said she’d found nothing unless it was in the locked office downstairs.
’It could be,’ Our Doris said. ‘It’s a pity we don’t know anyone who can pick locks.’
’I can do that,’ Wee Renee said. ‘but I have no hairpins with me. Do any of you lot?’
They all thought about it for a moment and realised that they had nothing with them that would be suitable to fiddle in a lock with. Wee Renee was a little relieved about this. Although it would be great to thoroughly search this premises, there was something at the back of her mind telling her that she would probably be committing a crime. She had only learned how to pick locks to get into her own house if she over forgot the key, which she never had.
’While we have our meal, we’ll have another think about it in here. If we come up with nothing, then I suppose we will have to move onto the Pub. I really hope we find something in there, or else I’m stumped again,’ Wee Renee said.
’If I know you, Wee Renee, even if it isn’t there it won’t be long before we find what we have to find,’ Our Doris said.
’It’s just the thought of trying to get access to the Primary School. I don’t think we’ll get in,’ Wee Renee said. ‘We need more help, more advice.’
’You’ll have to ask him again,’ Pat said.
’Who’s him?’ Jackie asked.
’Faerie Sid,’ Pat said.
’Pat, I don’t like to bother him for every little thing, besides that he tends to give me more of a general idea. He has given me visions previously, which I have to work out. Maybe he can do that if we are unsuccessful and really hit a dead end,’ Wee Renee said.
‘We never got to find out the name, you said you’d tell me,’ Pat said to Wee Renee.
‘Sid, I’ve told you. You’ve just said it,’ Wee Renee said.
‘Not him. The one who’s taken the skin,’ Pat clarified. Wee Renee laughed loudly.
‘You’ll like this, Pat. I’ve shortened it, so it rolls off the tongue a little better. His name is Phallus,’ Wee Renee said.
Pat was taking a swig of her drink, and it spurted across the table. Between a mixture of coughing and laughing, she rocked forward and back in her chair.
‘You are kidding me. Fancy calling himself that! Filthy pig. What’s it short for?’ Pat asked, wiping her eyes.
‘Battered Phallus,’ Wee Renee said. Pat screeched with laughter, holding her sides.
‘I can’t breathe – this is hilarious – you couldn’t make it up!’ Pat guffawed loudly. The rest of the Coffee Shop patrons looked over. The women waited until Pat calmed down.
’Anyway, I’m glad it wasn’t here,’ Beryl said.
‘Why?’ Our Doris asked.
’Well first because I only live two doors up and one set of stairs away from this place. And secondly, if we had found the keyhole to something with that much space, how are we going to take a massive skin away with us without people being able to see us?’ Beryl asked.
’We just would have caused a distraction or something, like break a load of cups to get them all running towards the fuss. Or maybe we would ask Pat to pass out. She’s quite a good little actress is Pat,’ Wee Renee said.
’Really?’ Beryl asked.
’Yes, I’ve done some Amateur Dramatics before now,’ Pat said. ‘Bagged the lead role on occasion too.’
‘Oh, I didn’t know that,’ Our Doris said. ‘Are you going to take it up again?’
’If all this dies down and we have no more mysteries to solve or monsters to kill, yes I might, out of boredom. It’s all time consuming though you know. There are so many divas, backstabbing and drama, even offstage. That’s the part I didn’t like,’ Pat said.
’It doesn’t look like you will have to do that,’ Beryl said. ‘The best chance now is the Pub and even that I can see from my window. There are a lot of disadvantages abou
t living in the centre of this Village,’ Beryl said.
’Yes, and you would think that it would be a lot safer than where I live, smack bang in the centre of the Melden Triangle,’ Our Doris said. ‘But I don’t think it is.’
’Wee Renee?’ Jackie asked.
’Yes,’ Wee Renee answered, who was just receiving the meal in front of her. Jackie waited until the waitress had long gone before speaking.
’You know that Sid that we were talking about, he said about the bad luck that we would get if we killed this monster? What are you envisaging he means? Because there is so much stuff going on here compared to Glossop and I’m wondering how bad it could be. In my way of thinking this place seems to have a bad luck charm, not a good one,’ Jackie said.
‘I can see how you would think that Jackie, and from an outside perspective anyone would say you were right. But do I really want to test the theory? The fact is that even though we have monsters that seem to naturally gravitate to this area, we do have the means to overcome them,’ Wee Renee said.
‘Too right,’ Pat agreed.
‘We don’t have many natural disasters, but we are in a geological hollow, so to speak down here. The best example is when we got snowed in from all sides this winter. We have a lot of flooding down here don’t we, with all the run-off water from the hills, and the fact that we have a canal and a river running through the Village?’ Wee Renee explained. The three other women listened attentively.
‘What if there were more geological disasters if the beast was killed? What if there is something in those hills that could, I don’t know, push them on top of us then we all got buried. You’ve heard the old legends about the two giants throwing rocks across the valleys,’ Wee Renee whispered. They had all heard of the tale of Alder and Alphin, apart from Jackie. Who didn’t say a word. She would ask Pat later.
‘You know at some point, this place was underwater. The whole of England was. You can tell if you look at the topography going over towards Melden. Look at it another way, when you next see it, and you will see that the hills were once rolling sand dunes under the sea. That is how sedimentary hills are formed,’ Wee Renee explained. Our Doris closed her eyes, and she could imagine it already.
‘What ancient things lie within those hills? What could still be in our rivers? I have been told one of them in the centre of Friarmere runs very deep in the centre. Even deeper in Moorston. How far does that go down? What is in there? I believe there is a remaining seabed down there. Full of marvellous creatures. More than likely very dangerous. I for one, am not willing to test that theory and I trust what the Sid says,’ Wee Renee said.
’I wished I hadn’t asked now,’ Jackie said.
’Sorry love,’ Wee Renee said. ‘But I’m always honest, you’ll find that out about me.’
’On the bright side though Jackie,’ Our Doris said, ‘You’ve got to admit living around here is far more interesting than Glossop. You’ve all this going on, plus you have us, bad boys, to hang around with,’ Our Doris laughed.
The women got on with their meal and thought about their next stop, the Pub.
When they arrived at the Pub, there was only Lauren in the bar serving and two other customers. The two men were drinking beer and fully engrossed in a dominoes game. Pat approached Lauren
‘What’s with the two old fellas over there?’ Pat asked quietly.
’Oh, just ignore them. They probably won’t even notice that we are here looking around. Anyway, I’ve been looking everywhere, and I can’t see anything that could hold a skin or has the keyhole. I don’t think you’re going to be in luck ladies,’ Lauren said.
’We’ll see,’ Wee Renee said. ‘Remember you look at this place all the time and probably don’t see things. Five new sets of fresh eyes might find something that you have missed.’
’You’re right. What can I get you, ladies? It’s on the house,’ Lauren asked.
’Oh, that’s very nice of you. I’m driving so I will just have half a bitter shandy,’ Our Doris said. Pat and Jackie both ordered half a Guinness as Pat was now off antibiotics. Beryl decided on a Malibu and pineapple, which everyone was surprised about.
’A sweet sherry?’ Lauren asked Wee Renee.
’You know me, Lauren. A creature of habit,’ Wee Renee replied.
Lauren gave them their drinks, and after a glance at the two old men she came from behind the bar and started looking around with them.
Lauren was right. There was nothing with keyholes around here. Wee Renee then stopped and tried to look at it from a different angle.
‘I need to find something that is big enough to hold the skin, maybe without keyholes. What items are big enough generally?’ Wee Renee asked.
They looked around again. There was something like a large grandfather clock, but it opened anyway and required no keyhole. It was empty, plus anyone would be hard pushed to shove the skin inside there, anyway.
Beryl, Our Doris and Jackie had been down to the basement, but there was nothing whatsoever in there, only barrels and bare walls, so they returned a little disappointed.
As Jackie walked back into the bar, she saw something again in a new light.
‘What about that, over there,’ Jackie said. ‘that seat with cushions on?’ They walked towards the alcove where the Band always sat. Wee Renee felt like a lightning bolt had struck her. What had Sid said to her, that the skin had been under her hand that day. When she had last been to the Pub, she had sat on this large seat with Pat.
‘It’s in there, look for a keyhole somewhere,’ Wee Renee said. Lauren took the cushions quickly off the top of it and now they could see it was a chest. They looked around the three sides, and there was no keyhole to be seen.
‘None anywhere. Blast it!’ Beryl said.
’Maybe it’s around the back,’ Pat said. Jackie and Pat picked up each side of the chest and began to turn it.
’Where’s this from?’ Wee Renee asked.
’It’s been here a while. I can’t say how long it’s been here, but I know it came from a place that does house clearances. Where it was before that, I don’t know. It came at the same time as the grandfather clock and quite a few of the chairs. We got them in a job lot,’ Lauren told them.
When Pat and Jackie had turned the chest, even before it got put back down on the carpet, they could see the keyhole and could quite clearly see that it was the same type as would fit the key.
‘It’s bloody heavy. Feels like a solid wood box full of rocks,’ Pat said. The two women set it down.
In some ways, Wee Renee wanted this moment to last forever. She didn’t want to open the chest, as she knew what was inside. How marvellous that this key found in a dead hand in Moorston, under a building, should be the key to this mystery chest going unnoticed every day in a Friarmere Pub.
Where had it come from and how long had it been here? They might never know. And who’s hand had found that key? Did they know what it contained? Did they know what it opened? Or had they just found it? Had the beast been over to Moorston and killed the man for the key or was he just an accident and had been murdered by one of Anne’s creatures when trying to flee with this important object. Had the Phallus killed him? That was an idea to consider too.
There were so many questions and most of those answers she would never have. What a wonderful world it was.
’Shall we do it then?’ Wee Renee asked. Lauren took a glance over at the two men. They were still playing dominoes. They hadn’t noticed a thing.
Lauren nodded, and Pat stepped forward with the key. It went into the lock a little uncomfortably, as it had not been inserted in there for a while. The mechanism of the lock has not been used for so long, and not oiled for much longer.
Pat jiggled it a bit, to try and loosen any rust or dust and tried to turn it. At first, she thought it might break, it didn’t feel like it was going to turn and then finally it did with a grind and a slight vibration up Pat’s arm.
Even though the lock was undone, Pa
t did not open the chest. They were all too nervous to do it.
’Who wants to do it?’ Wee Renee said.
’I do,’ Our Doris said.
’Thrill seeker,’ Pat said. Our Doris was small anyway, but she still got on her knees in front of the chest. She was hoping, just before she opened it that the thing inside had been dead long enough that it wouldn’t burst out of it. A bit like a horrific furry Jack-in-the-Box.
This might not be a good idea after all. Wee Renee and Sid had said that it was only a skin and she believed everything that the pair of them said. She started to open the lid and put her eyes close to the gap. Everything was dark in there, they weren’t in a particular light part of the Pub either. As she opened it further, she saw a hint of fur and shut it again.
‘It’s in there,’ Our Doris said. ‘What do you want me to do?’
’Go on,’ Wee Renee said. ‘Let the dog see the rabbit.’
Our Doris lifted the lid slowly again then stood up with the lid still only about four inches open, and she flung it back so that all the ladies could see the contents. It looked like a folded fur.
In some areas where the folds were, the bent skin was clearly visible as grey, the fur blackish brown. It didn’t look as it should, strange and saggy. Neither animal or mink coat. Just an empty folded bag of fur, but not dried out, like in a rug. The fur was strange and course, thick rough hairs that almost looked oval in construction not classically round. This was exactly the same as Wee Renee had seen previously.
’Well there we have it,’ Beryl said.
’Yes, that’s it. And it’s a good one,’ Wee Renee said. They heard the man’s chair move, and Jackie thought they were going to be discovered. She quickly grabbed hold of the lid and banged it shut again. But the men were just adjusting their seats. The ladies breathed a sigh of relief.
’What do we do now?’ Our Doris asked.
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