Hiding Game, The

by Brindle, J. T.

  Another hard slap made her buckle at the knees. ‘I mean it, Rosie. If I can’t have you, nobody else will. I’ll see to that.’

  She didn’t answer. Instead she turned her eyes upwards to look at his face, ugly and distorted with fury. In that moment she knew him better than she ever imagined. ‘If I can’t have you, nobody else will,’ he had warned. That was how she felt about Mike.

  Again he grabbed her, raising her to him by sliding her up against the wall. ‘You’ve been seeing him, haven’t you? All this time! And again tonight when I couldn’t find you – you were with him, weren’t you?’

  Hating him, Rosie stayed silent.

  A vicious slap across the mouth brought a fresh spurt of blood. Rosie raised her head as if about to answer, then spat in his face. Incensed, he held her away from him, bunched his fist and brought it crashing down against her temple. With a cry she slumped to the floor and he raised his foot to kick her.

  ‘Leave her alone!’ Luke burst through the door and without any thought for his own safety launched himself at Eddie. There was a vicious scuffle and for a time it seemed as if the boy’s anger was more than a match for the man’s strength. But after a few minutes, Luke was hurt and bleeding, and Eddie was triumphant.

  Taking the boy by the scruff of his neck, Eddie asked softly, ‘Tell me where I can find him or I swear I’ll tie you both up and set fire to the place.’

  ‘You wouldn’t!’

  Laughing, he shook his head. ‘If you think that, you don’t know me.’

  Realising he was crazy enough to carry out his threat, Luke wondered if he should tell. Why should he care about Mike Peterson anyway? Nothing was the same any more. His mother was even talking about settling here, when their plans had always been to travel, to be free, see as much of the world as they could. He didn’t know she had been scouring the country for him. Mike Peterson was all she cared about now, so why not let Eddie finish him off? The idea was tempting.

  ‘Well? I’m waiting!’

  It was on the tip of his tongue to tell Eddie that Mike Peterson was now in a mental hospital, and had been since the night they had first met him. But then he thought of his mother and how she would feel, knowing he had betrayed her, and changed his mind. ‘His name is Mike Peterson,’ he answered sullenly. ‘And it’s no good asking me any more, because I don’t know.’

  Eddie’s answer was to smash his fist into Luke’s face. ‘Maybe that will loosen your tongue.’

  ‘You can hit me again if you like, but I still won’t know any more than I’ve told you.’ He remembered his mother’s courage and could not be less than she was.

  Taken aback, Eddie hesitated. He had known Luke since he was a small boy, and knew him well enough to recognise that he might be telling the truth. ‘Mike Peterson, you say?’

  Luke nodded. ‘That’s all she’s ever told me.’

  Hard-faced, Eddie nodded. ‘I’ll find the bastard,’ he rasped, ‘and when I do, he won’t be a threat any more.’ With murder in mind he stamped out of the camper van.

  Luke tended his mother. After a splash of cold water and a few minutes to recover, she managed to sit up in his arms. ‘Where is he?’

  Luke remained silent.

  ‘Luke! What did you tell him?’ Tugging at his sleeve, she made him face her. ‘Please, Luke. I need to know.’

  Looking down at her cut and bruised face, Luke felt ashamed. ‘I didn’t tell him where he was if that’s what you’re worried about.’ Anger betrayed itself in his voice. ‘I nearly did though.’

  ‘So what did you tell him?’ Wincing with pain, she drew herself up to sit in the chair, her eyes pleading with him to tell her the truth.

  ‘His name, that’s all. He’s gone to find him.’ The enormity of it all suddenly dawned on him. ‘He won’t kill him, will he?’ Murder! A thing like that would touch them all.

  Rosie leaned forward to rest her hands on his shoulders, her eyes wide with fear. ‘You know what he’s like. We have to stop him.’

  Luke looked at her defiantly. ‘Why should I stop him?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Ever since that day when we met Mike Peterson at the river, you’ve changed. You always seem to be miles away… thinking about him. You take off and don’t tell anybody where you go.’ His voice stiffened. ‘I followed you… the other night, when you thought I was nowhere about.’

  ‘You had no right.’

  ‘I know where you go.’ His voice shook. ‘I know what you do.’

  ‘I have nothing to be ashamed of.’

  Luke shrugged her off. ‘Sitting outside a mental hospital like some sort of vulture, watching his wife come and go. I saw you creeping round the building, peering through windows, trying to catch a glimpse of him.’

  ‘That’s enough, Luke. I don’t want to hear any more.’

  ‘If you ask me, it should be you in there because you’re as mad as he is.’

  Rosie smiled. ‘I’m in love, that’s all. I’ve always loved him.’

  Luke leaped up, his face warped with anger. ‘You don’t understand, do you? He’s not yours to love!’

  ‘Oh, but he is.’

  There was a pause then, as these two looked at each other, a wealth of love between them; a love confused by all that Rosie knew, and Luke could only imagine.

  ‘You’ll find out one day,’ Rosie said, ‘so you might as well know now.’ Pausing, she took a deep, invigorating breath. ‘You have to understand… how it was…’ Rosie’s courage almost deserted her, but she had always known the moment for truth would come.

  ‘What are you trying to say, Mum?’ Like a prisoner waiting to be executed, Luke wanted it over.

  ‘Mike Peterson is your father.’

  For a long, agonising moment, he stared at her, eyes wide with disbelief. He saw the truth on her face but could not accept it. ‘He can’t be my father. You told me he was dead!’

  ‘I lied to protect you.’

  Grey with shock, Luke turned on his heel and ran into the night. Behind him, he could hear his mother’s frantic cry, ‘Eddie wants to kill your father. You’ve got to stop him!’

  Painfully, Rosie pulled herself out of the chair and staggered to the water bowl where she sponged her face and neck, and wiped away the blood. ‘Got to find him.’ Mumbling to herself, she buttoned her blouse. Catching sight of her dishevelled self in the mirror, she was deeply shocked. ‘I can’t let him hurt Mike.’ Without Mike she was nothing.

  A moment later, she left the camper van and disappeared into the darkness.

  The quickest way from West Bay to Bridport was on foot.

  After leaving the camper van, Eddie had followed the ancient route through the spinney, across the meadow, and along the narrow footpath that ran alongside the river. The only light was the soft haze of moonlight above, and even that was muted by the tall trees.

  Filled with murderous thoughts, he pressed on towards Bridport where he would find the nearest pub and begin his search. He suspected Rosie and Peterson must have been meeting in Bridport, and that was where he would find him, he was sure. Bridport was a small place; everybody knew everybody else. Someone was certain to know Mike Peterson.

  He grinned. ‘He needs to be taught a lesson… they both do. Nobody takes my woman.’

  He leapt the stile and clambered over the gate – but his feet never touched the ground.

  Stealing up behind him, the figure was stealthy, silent as the night and indistinguishable from the trees all around. Quick, agile fingers curled round a chunk of branch and, raising it high, brought it crashing down on Eddie’s skull with a nauseating crunch. The terrified scream of a night creature sent the animals scurrying for cover and from somewhere in the distance came the sound of voices.

  Satisfied, the figure went softly away.

  In the ensuing silence, the broken body settled. Caught by its feet it hung upside down from the top rung of the gate, its eyes wide open, staring after the furtive figure.

  There was
no backward glance. The escape was swift and sly, and soon, save for those accusing eyes, it was as if nothing had happened.

  3

  ‘What do you mean?’ Kerry’s mother stopped what she was doing and turned to face her daughter. ‘Who was watching you?’ Since Mike had been in hospital, Julie was over-protective of her daughter and grandchildren. If she had her way they would all move away from this area, and Mike could hunt high and low but he would never find them – not if she had her way, he wouldn’t.

  ‘That woman. She was there again tonight.’ Unsettled by the incident, Kerry threw her bag on to the kitchen table, took off her jacket and sat down. ‘I’ve seen her a few times,’ she said, draping the jacket over her lap. ‘She’s always in the shadows, but I know it’s her. She’s there when I go in, and she’s there when I come out.’ Grimacing, she shivered. ‘She’s beginning to give me the creeps.’

  Wiping her hands on the dishcloth, Julie leaned against the sink, her anxious gaze fixed on her daughter. ‘What makes you think she’s watching you? She could be waiting for anybody. Maybe she gave a friend a lift and has to take them back home.’

  Kerry shook her head. ‘No. She was watching me. I just know it.’

  ‘What does she look like?’

  Shrugging her shoulders, Kerry loosely described her. ‘Early to middle thirties, attractive, thick auburn hair.’ Anticipating her mother’s next question, she went on, ‘When I saw her there tonight, I deliberately drove past to see her in my headlights.’ The whisper of a smile creased her mouth. ‘She didn’t like that. She tried to slink away but it was too late.’

  ‘If you’re right, and I’m not saying you are—’

  ‘Mother, I am not imagining things.’

  ‘OK. Assuming you’re right, why would she be interested in you?’

  ‘I’ve no idea. But if she’s there again, I shall ask her.’

  ‘Don’t make a fool of yourself, Kerry. I know what a temper you’ve got, and if that poor woman is there for some perfectly normal reason, you’ll frighten her half to death.’

  Angered by her mother’s casual attitude, Kerry snapped, ‘I don’t want to talk about it any more.’ Grabbing her jacket, she strode across the kitchen and out into the hallway where she hung the jacket in the closet. A moment later she returned.

  Pouring herself a glass of sherry, she asked, ‘Do you want one?’ Holding a second glass, she waited for her mother to answer.

  Julie shook her head, then changed her mind. ‘Why not?’ She watched Kerry pour her drink. ‘If you’re so convinced about this woman watching you, don’t you think the police might be interested?’

  Thrusting the glass into her mother’s hand, Kerry frowned. ‘I’ve already said, I don’t want to talk about it any more.’ Sinking into the seat opposite, she gave a huge sigh and took a generous gulp from her glass. ‘Instead of being so concerned about that wretched bloody woman, you might ask how Mike is.’

  ‘Is he any different from the last time you saw him?’ The question was dismissive, prompting a burst of anger from Kerry.

  ‘You couldn’t care less, could you?’

  Julie regretted betraying her feelings, but then Kerry had known for some time how she felt about Mike. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said, ‘but I do worry about you and the children. I can’t help that.’

  Leaning back in her seat, Kerry closed her eyes. ‘I know,’ she said heavily. ‘I worry too. But we’re all he’s got. Somebody has to believe in him.’

  ‘Do you mind if I ask you something… personal?’

  ‘Yes, I do mind.’ She took another gulp of her drink. ‘But I expect you’ll ask anyway.’

  And, true to form, she did. ‘Do you still love him?’

  Opening her eyes, Kerry stared at her mother for a moment. ‘I’m not sure any more,’ she admitted softly. ‘I’ve thought about it a lot these past few weeks, and it doesn’t help. I loved him before but now, after all that’s happened, I don’t know how I feel.’ Sitting up, she let her gaze fall to the floor. ‘I never know where I am with him any more. Sometimes he’s like the old Mike, happy and teasing, cracking jokes and making me laugh. And then, other times, he hardly talks. He seems miles away, and when I ask him if he’s all right, he goes on about that night, and the storm, and how that couple vanished into thin air.’

  ‘What does the doctor say about it?’

  ‘I haven’t told him.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘Because it’s like talking to a machine. He analyses every word I utter. He makes me feel as if I’m being interrogated.’

  ‘I’m sure he’s only trying to help.’

  ‘I dare say, but it’s Mike who’s the patient, not me. Besides, I don’t think I should report everything Mike confides in me, however bizarre it seems. If they think he’s still convinced those young people just vanished, they’ll never let him out. I can’t do that to him.’

  ‘I don’t suppose you’d be telling them anything they don’t already know. They must realise he’s not fully recovered, otherwise they would have let him out before now. He’s in the best place.’

  ‘Just lately you’re full of wise, snide comments. Mike’s in “the best place”? What’s that supposed to mean?’ The question was fired with resentment, and the moment it was out of her mouth Kerry regretted it. She regretted a great deal these days – Mike’s breakdown, his business folding, the effort and energy it had taken to create her own small catering business, although it was doing better than she had hoped and the money was enough to keep their heads above water. But the price was a heavy one. She regretted all the lost opportunities to be with the children, and now, with her mother doing all she could to help, she couldn’t even sound gracious or grateful. Lately it seemed as if the whole world had climbed on to her shoulders, and the burden was breaking both her back and her spirit. She was living on her nerves, up one minute, down the next. This whole thing with Mike, and all that had happened since, was really getting to her.

  Peeved, Julie snapped back, ‘I mean exactly what I said. Mike is a sick man. His mind was badly affected by what happened on that night, and it’s no use you pretending otherwise.’

  ‘Leave it, Mother. Please.’

  Unrepentant, Julie persisted. ‘He’s not the only one who’s suffering. I’ve heard you in the small hours pacing up and down, and lately I’ve noticed you’re drinking too much for your own good.’

  ‘I don’t want to hear any more!’

  ‘Well, you’re going to, my girl!’ There were times when Julie was too outspoken, but when she had a bee in her bonnet, there was no reasoning with her. ‘You’re falling apart before my eyes and I’m worried sick. Since Mike’s car hire firm went broke, you’ve worked like a dog to build up a catering business, and it’s beginning to pay real dividends. But if you carry on like this, you’ll see it go the same way as Mike’s business.’ Sighing, she lowered her voice to a softer, kinder tone. ‘Oh, Kerry, I know how hard this all is. I really do want to help, and I do my best, but nothing seems to please you any more. You’re hard on me, and you’re even harder on yourself. I haven’t seen you smile in weeks.’

  Kerry defended herself. ‘I know you do your best, and I’m really grateful, but you should understand, there are some things I don’t want to talk about. Besides, as long as I take care of the kids and protect them from what’s happened, isn’t that all that matters?’

  ‘You’ve set yourself an impossible task if you think you can protect the children altogether. Look how Jack came home from school the other day, upset and crying because some bully of a boy teased him about his crazy daddy.’

  ‘Jack can look after himself.’

  ‘He shouldn’t have to look after himself. It might help if Mike would just accept what the doctors have told him, that the injury to his head caused him to hallucinate.’

  ‘He can’t because, like you said, he’s a sick man.’

  ‘But Jack was with him. And you don’t hear him claiming to have seen two peopl
e disappear into the sky.’

  Kerry felt exhausted. ‘I don’t know what to think any more,’ she groaned. ‘I’m just so afraid I’ll go under.’ Tears rolled down her face. ‘Oh, Mum, what am I supposed to do?’

  As she quickly crossed the kitchen to comfort her daughter, Julie caught sight of Jack standing by the door; confused and tearful, he was clutching his ragged teddy bear close to his chest. ‘Jack, why aren’t you in bed?’

  At once, Kerry was out of her chair and rushing towards him. Throwing her arms round his shoulders, she hid her tears and smiled. ‘Did you have a bad dream, sweetheart?’ These days hardly a night went by when he didn’t wake up in a sweat.

  Unresponsive to his mother’s embrace, Jack peered over her shoulder to stare accusingly at his grandmother. It was a long, uncomfortable moment before he spoke and when he did it was in a quiet, damning voice. ‘I heard you arguing. You woke me up.’

  ‘Sorry, sweetheart, we didn’t mean to.’ Beneath his gaze, Julie felt uncomfortable. Sometimes, like now, he had an unnerving habit of looking at her as if he could see right through to her soul.

  Unaware of the tension between these two, Kerry swept him into her arms. ‘Come on, big boy, let’s get you back to your bed.’

  Julie stared after them as they left the room and wondered what had been going on in Jack’s mind when he stared at her like that. ‘He hates me,’ she murmured, then dismissed the idea as ludicrous. ‘Why should he hate me when all I’ve ever done is to be here for him… for all of them?’ She shook her head. ‘I’m beginning to imagine things now. If I’m not careful, they’ll have me locked up alongside his father.’ The thought was sobering, and with it came a burst of hatred. ‘It’s his father he should hate. He’s the one who’s torn this family apart.’

  Kerry came quietly into the room. ‘Talking to yourself,’ she smiled. ‘That’s a bad sign.’

  Startled, Julie looked up, hoping she had not been overheard. ‘Is he all right?’

  ‘He’ll be fine.’

  ‘Was it a bad dream?’

  ‘He wouldn’t say. But he’s calm enough now.’

  ‘And Susie?’