The House on Rectory Lane

by Stuart James

  Anton was also waiting, sporting a slicked back hairstyle and dark shades. He rummaged around in his trouser pocket, summoned the gates and got out of his car to greet them. Jake rolled the car and parked between the van and front door. The house was even more magnificent than they remembered. Autumn was starting to kick in; there was a chill in the air, and the sky was darkened by the thick clouds moving overhead. The wind howled through the trees like a warning sign, creeping from deep in the woods as it made its way towards them. Kate got out and left Sean in the car who was busy on his iPad playing something or other which involved penguins trying to stay on a conveyor belt. Their son was oblivious to what was going on around him.

  It was immediately noticeable how bitter cold it had become.

  ‘Hi, all, pleasant trip?’ Asked the estate agent.

  Jake was trying to move as fast as he could as there was a downpour threatening. ‘Yes, thank you, no problems.’

  Anton offered his hand, but this time he held back on kissing Kate, which pleased Jake. After the formalities, the keys were passed over, and Anton wished them all the best. They were all tired and couldn’t wait to get inside. Jake opened the front door and got all the cases from the car. The removal men worked quickly, and Jake got stuck in with them. Kate stationed herself in the hallway directing them to the room each piece of furniture and box was supposed to go to. Once the guys had finished, and the van was empty, Jake handed the boss a twenty-pound tip and bid him farewell. He noticed the head man craftily slip it into his front shirt pocket, hiding it from the other three guys as he shut the door. He spun around with a huge grin.

  ‘Yes, hello new home, woohoo!’ His voice echoed down the long hall. He felt the size of the place as he dashed from room to room, Sean chuckling in the background. He ran his fingers along the wall and then jumped two-footed into the kitchen. He could already feel the stress evaporating from his body. The sense of space, seclusion, peace.

  ‘Mummy, what’s wrong with Daddy?’ Sean asked Kate as she unpacked the kettle. ‘He’s happy, baby, really happy.’

  ‘Are you happy, Mummy?’

  Kate crouched down on one knee.

  ‘Yes, Sean, I really am.’ Her tears of joy unnoticed by her son.

  Jake walked into the kitchen and found the two of them. He went over to a carrier bag which he had placed in the corner and opened it. He produced a bottle of champagne and twisted the cork, which eventually worked loose and made a crack – like a bullet leaving a gun. It hit the ceiling and Sean jumped. Fizz spilt over the top and soaked the tiled floor. He filled both glasses, and passing one to Kate; they clinked them together. ‘A toast, to us, happiness, and a new life.’

  ‘We’re here, baby, the three of us, the start of a better life, better times, and privacy,’ Kate announced.

  ‘You better believe it.’

  ∞∞∞∞ Kate started to move the boxes around when Jake came up behind her and placed his arms around her hips.

  ‘Leave it babe; we have so much time to do it, let’s enjoy tonight.’

  She placed the box back down and turned to Jake, planting a kiss on his lips.

  They were starving. It was early evening and they hadn’t eaten for hours. The excitement and anticipation had drained their bodies. Jake removed his phone from the back of his jeans and hoped for a good 4G reception. They knew it wasn’t great as Jake missed work calls the day they viewed the place. The Internet and Wi-Fi wasn’t due to be installed until the middle of the following week.

  He was lucky; one bar flickered in the corner of the screen. Searching on the phone, he found a couple of restaurants locally. As he scanned down the page, the Indian looked like the best choice. Highly rated on Trip Advisor. Further down the page, it stated they didn’t deliver.

  ‘Good choice, babe,’ she stated and looked over the menu.

  Once they had chosen their food, Jake called and placed the order, asking for directions, so he didn’t get lost if his signal cut out on route. Leaving Kate to bath a grumpy Sean, he set off.

  ∞∞∞∞ Jake started up the car and opened the gates. The rain was now coming down hard. The high wind hurled water against his window. The car took ages to heat, luckily, he had a fleece on the back seat which he pulled himself into. He put the postcode into the satnav and pulled out onto the country lane. Jake struggled to see in front of him and had the wipers on full speed. The road was deathly quiet, the fields to the left, pitch-black. Jake expected some sort of glow from a house, a streetlamp, but there was nothing. As the road veered to the left, he turned the steering wheel hard and noticed someone standing on the side of the ditch. The figure was dressed in a long, yellow rain mac. His green florescent wellies glowed in the dark. Jake slowed to see if they needed a lift someplace local. He suddenly had a flashback to the homeless guy who’d pulled a knife on him. Jake was determined not to let it affect his new life in the country. Winding the window down, he shouted above the noise of the storm. ’You OK mate, been fishing?’

  The chap looked at him oddly. He looked to be in his late sixties. He wasn’t holding a rod or a fishing net. ‘Do you need a lift? I’m going to town; it’s no problem.’ The guy stared through Jake. He tried again. ‘My family and I have just moved—’

  ‘I know where you live.’ The guy cut him short.

  ‘I’m sorry?’ Jake responded.

  ‘You’ve made a huge mistake.’

  Jake eyed him up and down. ‘Sorry, I’m not following?’

  ‘Go back to where you came from, now, tonight, before it’s too late.’ The man moved back

  and climbed over a ditch into the field behind him. As Jake tried to digest what had just been said, he pulled up the handbrake and switched the engine off. Jumping out, he headed to where the man had been standing. It was dark, but the rain was starting to ease off slightly. A fox was screeching in a nearby field, and the sound gave Jake a chill down his back. He looked into the field, the moon reflected across the ground allowing it to light up ever so slightly. The glow of the man’s boots was visible halfway up the hill as Jake watched him running. There was little point going in after him, he realised.

  Crack pot. He climbed back into the driver’s seat and followed the sat nav for their takeaway.

  ∞∞∞∞ Later, as they were finishing up their food, they heard a loud buzzing sound, like an alarm to let school kids know that class was finished, and which appeared to be coming from the hall, began deafening them, and made Kate jump and Sean squeeze his hands against his ears.

  ‘What was that?’ She asked as it faded.

  ‘I don’t know, smoke alarm maybe?’

  ‘Could be,’ said Kate.

  Screeching again, it penetrated through Jake’s skull as he rose from the table and went into

  the hall to investigate. There was a monitor on the wall that was flashing red. As he glanced at it, he saw two people on the screen standing at the gates to the drive. He lifted the phone. ‘Hello?’

  The woman spoke. ‘Hi, sorry to intrude; we’re your new neighbours from down the hill. We just wanted to say hi.’

  ‘Oh, wow, sorry, please, come in.’ Jake grabbed the gate fob from the side table, and pressed the button to open the gates. ‘Kate, we have visitors.’

  ‘Hi, I’m Jake. Kate and my son, Sean, are just coming.’

  Kate stood and went to meet them in the hall.

  ‘Come in, come in, you’ll catch your death out there. What a night.’

  Kate introduced herself and beckoned for their unannounced guests to come inside. ‘I hope we haven’t intruded? I’m Laura; this is Pete.’

  Pete was a big guy. Taller than Jake, around 6 feet 2, athletic with a full black beard which was beginning to grey at the edges. He also had a loud voice, making him appear authoritative. He wore a thick woollen jumper and a black flat cap.

  Laura was the opposite. Small, petite, and almost squeaked when she made conversation. She had large looped earrings that swung violently when she moved her head and
kept hidden behind her husband.

  ‘Good to meet you both, I’m Kate.’

  The two women hugged, Laura awkwardly.

  ‘Wow, nice place,’ said Laura a little over excited.

  Jake and Pete joined them in the kitchen.

  ‘And who’s this little man?’ Asked Laura.

  Sean was happy he finally got noticed.

  ‘I’m Sean.’

  ‘Well, it’s good to meet you, Sean.’

  ‘Yes, and it’s also his bedtime. I’ll be back in five minutes.’

  Jake and Pete were deep in conversation.

  Pete announced he was also a tradesman and did plastering.

  ‘A spreader,’ as he called himself.

  ‘So, tell us about yourselves,’ asked Laura. ‘What brings you to Ramsbury?’

  Kate filled them in on their life story to date. Laura listened with such interest. The type of woman Kate would like around the house. A cup of coffee every so often. A moan about the husbands. The odd shopping trip. A barbecue every so often. They wanted to make friends as soon as possible. That was one of the promises both Kate, and Jake had made.

  Jake and Pete spent the next hour talking shop. Pete said he had plenty of contacts and informed him that the local plumber had recently retired. He would throw his name about. ‘Anything I can do, be glad to help.’

  ∞∞∞∞

  Their visitors left at around half eleven, much to their joy. They were beyond tired. They tidied the kitchen and made their way upstairs. Kate checked on Sean, who was out like a light. ‘So, what do you think of our new besties?’ Asked Kate as she removed her clothes, revealing a matching black bra and knickers. Jake couldn’t take his eyes off her. She still had a fabulously toned physique. Her tanned body was flawless.

  ‘I think a lot more of you.’

  ‘Easy tiger.’

  He pulled the blanket off her and planted kisses all over her body until she was quivering.

  She was now putty in his hands.

  ‘I bloody love you so much,’ he whispered in her ear while removing her underwear. The passion was incredible between them as they wrapped up in each other’s arms, sweat

  glistening off both of them. Jake lifted Kate with his big muscled frame, and she bit hard on her lips. The rain was beating against the window, and right now, Kate didn’t want to be anywhere else in the world.

  Chapter Six Kate awoke with a jolt. The alarm clock read 2.58 a.m. The bright blue neon light shining like a lighthouse in the distance. She turned and found Jake still. Shallow breathing. Oblivious to the world. What had woken her? She didn’t know, but she was thirsty after the wine they had drunk earlier. Need to start getting fit. No alcohol during the week from now on. Making her way downstairs, she noticed the floorboards creaking with almost every step. Old house, it’s normal, she told herself. In the kitchen, she downed nearly a pint – the water tasted so good. As she reached for the light switch on her way out, a glow swept across her face. Kate spun around. Outside was completely pitch-black. Only the moon reflecting from the sky. Nothing else. She made her way to the kitchen window. Glancing across the fields. Not a street or car lamp in sight. Deathly silence. She stared out, and her body seemed to freeze. Kate couldn’t move. Like being caught in a subliminal world, trapped in a parallel universe. Suddenly, her face lit up. She blinked as she fell backwards. Her arm stopping her from crashing to the ground. Stumbling, she lifted herself back up. The face at the window. Staring back. Kate let out a scream, a deathly blood-curdling wail. Racing backwards out of the kitchen she tripped at the bottom of the stairs. She needed to run. Fast. She knew it.

  Must get to Jake.

  She burst into the bedroom, but he was still fast asleep. ‘Jake, Jake, wake up!’ He stirred as Kate shook him like her life depended on it. She knew the hardest job in the world was waking her husband when he was conked out. ‘Jake!’

  He jumped. ‘What’s going on babe?’ He glanced at the alarm clock. 3.02 a.m. ‘Jesus, are you ok?’

  ‘There’s someone outside.’

  ‘Come back to bed.’

  ‘Jake, I’m not pissing around.’ Her heart was beating like a steel drum, reminding her of the carnival they went to every year in Notting Hill. Kate lifted her hand and felt her chest. She thought she was going to pass out. ‘Wait here; I’ll get Sean.’ Jake got out of bed and went into his son’s room, lifting him as gently as he could. The boy didn’t even stir.

  ‘Don’t move from this room, Kate, do you hear me?’ She nodded as Jake disappeared.

  First, he checked the front door. Locked tight. Check. Jake glanced at the monitor. No one at the gate. Check. All the windows throughout the downstairs. Closed. Locked. Check. He slowly made his way to the kitchen. The dilemma, he thought to himself. Do I venture out? Inspect the place? Possibly put my life in danger and my family’s? The house was secure. Jake knew that. The door at the front was solid. No one was breaking that down. The windows were old but thickly glazed. Large, strong frames. Glass was always noisy when it broke. We would have heard that happening. Wouldn’t we? His head was racing with thoughts. He made his way over to the window in the kitchen. Nothing. Silent. Pitch-black.

  Back upstairs he held Kate, ‘If there was someone outside, they’ve gone now.’

  ‘You’re sure.’

  ‘Yes. Totally. There’s no one there, babe.’

  ‘I want Sean to stay in our bed tonight.’

  ‘Good idea,’ he replied.

  ∞∞∞∞ The following morning, Jake rose early and made a start on the organisation. He needed to sort everything out and put things in their rightful place. He was startled when he saw Sean already set up in the living room perched in front of the telly. He was lying on the floor, on his belly with his head resting on his arms.

  ‘Morning, little man.’ Sean’s face never left whatever program he was watching intently.

  Kate stirred around eleven. Jake heard the upstairs toilet flushing.

  ‘Coffee?’ He yelled up.

  ‘Yep, down in a minute.’

  Kate walked into the kitchen, greeted by the smell of fresh coffee, bacon, and eggs. Smoke

  billowed from the pan.

  ‘Morning, gorgeous.’

  ‘Why’d you let me sleep so long?’

  ‘You needed it, how are you feeling?’

  ‘Don’t ask. Shattered.’

  Jake placed the bacon on two plates, followed by the best eggs she’d seen for ages. ‘Hey, I’m impressed, and you didn’t break any.’

  ‘Just don’t get used to it,’ he replied.

  They both sat down, and Kate poured herself and Jake coffee into two mugs holding her one

  up to the light.

  ‘Darn, my favourite mug. It’s cracked.’

  ‘Oh, don’t worry about it, this stuff is old anyway. When we get a chance, most of it needs

  replacing. Kate, what happened last night?’

  ‘Someone was at the window.’

  ‘You’re sure. You weren’t dreaming or sleepwalking even’?

  ‘I know what I saw, Jake.’

  ‘Well, it had to be some old drunk then. The local village idiot,’ he laughed to himself. ‘It’s not funny. He scared me half to death.’

  ‘Oh, come on, every town has people like that. I suppose we better get used to it. Listen, I’m

  going to organise an alarm system. Maybe some security lights too. It will make us feel better about the place. I can’t believe there’s nothing installed.’ ‘Good idea. I thought we could go into the village later. Take a look around,’ Kate suggested. ‘What do you say?’

  ‘Sounds like a plan. Maybe I can put my card up in a few shop windows while we’re there.’

  ∞∞∞∞ The roads to the village were bad. Potholes. Bends. Tree branches overhanging. As Jake approached the bend, a figure was standing in the same spot where he saw the man the previous evening. He slowed the car down.

  ‘What are you doing?’ Kate asked.

 
; ‘That guy.’

  ‘What about him?’ Kate took a closer look. ‘Drive!’ She shouted. Jake turned towards his

  wife.

  ‘What do you mean, drive?’

  ‘Please, Jake, just go. Now.’

  When they were a few hundred yards away, Jake pulled the car over. ‘What was that all

  about?’ He asked.

  ‘That man. On the road. He was the same guy at the window last night.’

  Jake remembered. He was the same person he had the run-in with on his way for the food and who had warned them to leave.

  Chapter Seven They spent a few hours in town. The first thing on the list was to get Sean an ice cream. They found a cafe that had a whole array of flavours. He gazed through the glass under the worktop. All those tubs. Vanilla. Strawberry. Chocolate. Fudge. Blueberry. Sean spotted salted caramel. There was no changing his mind. They also ordered two coffees and sat at a table out the front. The town was bustling. Nothing like Camden but still lively in its own way. There were small shops scattered everywhere selling everything from books to pottery. Kate loved the place and instantly felt at home. She was pointing out so much to Sean who didn’t lift his head from his food. They noticed the lack of yellow lines, very few parking restrictions and only a few cars. A big car park which was only half full had a ticket machine proclaiming you could park all day for £2.50. There were also a couple of beautiful thatched pubs along the high street. The sun was rising, and they could feel the warmth from it lifting everyone’s mood. A fair was starting up. Trucks filled with cattle.

  ‘Hey, when we finish, would you like to see the sheep and cows, Sean?’ Asked Jake. Sean was oblivious to his surroundings.

  ∞∞∞∞ After a couple of hours, they headed off. On the drive back, Kate prayed she wouldn’t see the man from earlier again. The rest of the day was spent unpacking and putting everything away. Kate looked at the mess everywhere. She feared they would never get the place organised. Jake was so much more enthusiastic and made a game of it with Sean who was at the end of the line, and they passed the smallest things they could find to him to put in their rightful place before joining the line again.