by Stuart James
‘More,’ he demanded. When they had enough, Jake asked, ‘what do you think about calling up to our neighbours on the other side?’
Kate remembered passing the house on the way in yesterday. She recalled how tidy everything appeared out the front.
‘It might be a bit rude.’
‘How is it rude?’
‘Well, I thought it was traditional to wait until neighbours came over to you?’
‘Come on, let’s go and say hello.’
∞∞∞∞ A few minutes later they pulled up outside. They parked on the drive, hoping the occupants wouldn’t mind. There were no gates at this property, and Kate noticed again how immaculate the place looked. Jake knocked on the front door. They waited for a minute or so, and then he knocked again. Much harder.
‘Jake, stop, talk about pissing them off before we even meet them.’
There was no sign of any life.
‘I’m going around the back.’ Jake went off. He returned a few minutes later. ‘That’s weird.
The place is empty.’
‘What, no one’s in?’
‘No, I mean empty. No furniture, sofa, telly. People.’
‘But I saw a dog out the front yesterday. A Jack Russell I think. What about the car here?
The clothes on the line?’
‘Well, there sure as hell isn’t anyone living here now. If there was anyone, they left in a hurry.’
∞∞∞∞ Once back home, they let Sean watch a bit of telly; then it was bath time and bed. He was hardly able to keep his eyes open. Once he was tucked in, Jake and Kate regrouped in the living room. It was nippy in the house, and Kate suggested they light the fire. Jake went out to the back shed and brought in some logs which he struggled to light. ‘They’re too bloody damp.’
‘Aren’t there any firelighters?’ ‘My darling, the love of my life, the woman I adore more than anything … if there were firelighters, would I be struggling with a half packet of broken matches?’
He continued cracking the remainder against the side of the box.
‘Look. Let me try.’
‘Be my guest, baby girl.’
Kate tore off a long strip from the cover of a magazine, ripped the last match and touched it to the paper. Jake thought about blowing it out for the fun of it, but his life was worth more to him. The flame grew in a small corner and spread faster than she ever thought possible.
‘Voila.’
‘Show off.’
‘If you want a job doing, do it yourself.’
‘Yeah, yeah.’
∞∞∞∞ A short while after they had cosied up, Kate saw two people walking up the drive. She stood and looked out the window.
‘Who’s that?’
Jake was sure he had closed the gate. Now it was open. He made his way to the front door trying to look out the peep hole.
‘Who is it?’ He asked.
‘Laura and Pete.’ Jake unchained the door, widened it and greeted the two of them. He really wanted to leave them at the front, ask what he could do for them, but didn’t want to appear rude even though he wanted an evening with Kate. Alone.
‘Come in. What a lovely surprise.’ They followed Jake into the living room. As they all hugged, Jake noticed Laura was carrying a bottle of wine. Pete had a four pack of beers. They were here for the night. Laura’s eyes lit up seeing the open fire.
‘Wow, I’ve always wanted one of those.’ Kate looked over at the roaring flames. The heat coming from it radiated the room.
‘Oh, it’s one of the perks. Easy to light as well, eh, Jake?’
He ignored his wife’s sarcasm. When the drinks were poured, they settled down. The conversation flowed between the four of them. Like friends who had known each other for years. Pete announced, ‘Listen, Jakey, I have a contact nearby. A landlord who’s into property development. I wanted to check it was OK to give him your details? Could be lots of work passed your way.’
Kate thought to herself, Jakey, I don’t even call him that.
‘Sounds good. I’m ready to start more or less. I can use the car until I sort out a van. We’re still sorting the place out so when I come across the tools, I’m ready to go.’
Kate sipped on her wine. She wanted to question Laura. In particular the deal with the neighbours. The empty house. The face at the window. The previous owners who lived in their house.
‘What were your old neighbours like?’
Laura piped up, ‘The Prescotts?’
‘Yeah. I think that was the name the agent mentioned.’
‘They kept themselves to themselves you know? When they first moved in, we called over. Just to introduce ourselves. They were very welcoming.’ Laura slung back her head and downed the rest of her wine, then continued. ‘We thought being neighbours and all, everyone should stick together. Ramsbury can be quite isolated. We’ve lived here for a few years now. You don’t see many people. The summer’s great, but the winter can be lonely if you don’t have people around.’
‘I’m with you on that,’ said Jake.
Kate looked between Laura and Pete.
‘So, what happened?’
‘Well, as they were our closest, you can see there are only a few houses on the lane, we tried to make an effort. Popping over. Coffee on the odd occasion. Inviting them to our place. Drinks in the village. Then they stopped answering the door.’
‘Odd,’ said Kate.
‘We thought so,’ Pete said.
Laura carried on her story. ‘They were a young couple with two kids. I’d say early forties. The adults, not the children.’ She gave a little snigger. ‘Julie was so bubbly. Her husband, Mark, was more of the quiet type. A little reserved. He was a grafter from what Julie said. Worked all the hours. Office type, you know.’
‘I think he was shy,’ Pete said to Laura.
Laura continued. ‘They had a boy and girl. Adorable. So chatty. Always running around the house. They were young if I remember right. A real handful but in a great way. Julie and I went on girly nights out at the beginning. She loved a drink like the rest of us.’
Kate lent over and filled Laura’s glass, much to the annoyance of Pete giving Kate the impression he was a control freak.
‘Steady, babe.’
Laura shot him a ‘whatever’ look.
‘Anyway, the last couple of times, she was different. Like something was on her mind. Quiet like. I asked her what was going on and she kept saying she was fine. I could see it on her face. We called over a couple more times. The car was on the drive. Lights on. But no one came to the door. I called Julie’s mobile, and it continued to go to voicemail. Didn’t even ring. The next we’d heard, they’d upped and left.’
Kate looked over at Jake who was engrossed in the story. He cracked open another beer and handed one to Pete. ‘We heard the same story. I mean, that they just disappeared,’ said Jake. Kate began tidying up. She wanted to ask about the empty house up the road but thought it a bit much. Too many questions. It could wait for another evening. They’d be round again before too long.
Chapter Eight Jake woke early the next morning. It was the start of their first week at the new house. The alarm clock read 6.24 a.m. He pulled the blanket off him and stood in the room. It was chilly. Something he wasn’t used to. The old flat had heat seeping from the neighbours. This place would need a complete revamp. Another job on the list. New Heating. Radiators. Boiler. Insulation. It was endless. They’d been told it didn’t need much work. Yeah right, he thought. He pulled on his tracksuit bottoms and a hoodie. When he checked in on Sean, he was surprised to see he was still asleep. Leaving the house, Jake closed the door gently behind him, opened the gates and ran.
He was quite fit. Not like when he worked on the tools. The last few years Jake ran everything from the office, and the pounds had started to pile on slightly. He needed to put that right. He started a slow jog. Nothing too mad on the first day. Even Usain Bolt started easy at first, he thought. He passed Laura and Pete’s house. No sign o
f life. All the lights were off and the place looked derelict. Jake continued around a bend and contemplated jumping a ditch and heading over the field. He didn’t want to get lost. His phone was at home, and he didn’t know the place well enough yet. Better off leaving the adventures for another day. The town was dead. No dog walkers. Not many cars. He’d been running now for over twenty minutes. No one passed him. Jake had been jogging in a huge circle which he had worked out on a map online. It brought him to the top of their lane. As he approached the house they called to the previous night; he was surprised to see the dog back. Barking from the front garden. Jake stopped. He was panting profusely and sweat trickled down the side of his temple. Jake slowly walked over.
‘Hello, boy.’ The dog raised the noise level tenfold. It began jumping and spinning around. ‘What’s up, boy?’ He crouched at the gate, and the dog came over. ‘You’re not gonna bite me, are you?’ The dog’s tail shifted left and right giving Jake the sign it was OK to stroke him. ‘Good boy.’ He looked on the collar; which stated his name was Hugo. ‘Hey, Hugo, good boy.’ After a minute, Hugo dashed to a corner of the garden and came back with a tennis ball. ‘Oh, I see. You want me to throw it, hey?’ He threw the ball, and the dog chased it across the lawn. Jake looked up. There was someone at the kitchen window. Whoever it was, hadn’t seen him.
He crouched, not wanting to frighten whoever lived there but listened to the voices coming from inside. Two of them. He made out the first shadow, a tall man, maybe forty or so. A woman came in and joined him. The window was slightly ajar, and Jake could hear the guy. Talking first, then his voice raised to a shout. The woman looked nervous. Pacing up and down. Her right hand in her mouth. Possibly biting her nails. Jake needed to leave. As he backed away, he saw the guy strike the woman on the face. Not a slap. A full-blown punch. Crack. Jake would struggle to get up from that. She fell to the floor. He had to get out of there. Leave. Run. This wasn’t any of his business.
Jake could take him. He knew it. Although unfit, he was built like a shed, but it wasn’t his battle. They can’t start off their new life on the wrong foot. Was it cowardly? He thought so. Smash the guy’s face in and save the woman. Jake the hero. He turned and ran back down the lane towards home.
∞∞∞∞ As Jake returned to the house, he felt in his front pocket pressing the fob; the gates slowly cranked open. It seemed to take forever. Come on, come on. He turned around and glanced up the narrow road. No one was there. No one was following.
Shit. What now? Go to the police? Call an ambulance? His mind was working overtime, and he could imagine the conversation, Hello, is that Mr Punchy Man? This is the police. We have reason to believe you may have killed your wife. Who reported it? Hang on. Let me check. Your new neighbour down the lane. He bent forward trying to gasp in air. Fill his lungs. It felt like they were blocked and there was no way of filling them. Deep breaths. Deeper. Heart pounding through his ears. Jake was on the verge of a full-blown panic attack. He sat and rested. Waiting for it to pass. Should he tell Kate? She’ll freak out even more.
∞∞∞∞ Inside, Sean had surfaced and was already sat in front of the telly in his usual position. He heard his father and raced to the front door to meet him. Sean managed to open the door and manoeuvred himself down beside Jake.
‘Hey, kid. Why are you up so early?’ He’d managed to calm himself down a little. ‘Watching telly.’
Jake picked him up into his arms.
‘Come on you. Inside. It’s too cold out here.’ They made their way in, and Jake climbed the
stairs to greet Kate. She was still conked out. He climbed in beside her. Kate stirred and could smell the fresh air seeping off her husband’s body.
‘Hey, where have you been?’
He decided not to mention earlier.
‘Out for a run. You all right?’
‘Yes. But I’d be better if I had a coffee.’
Jake chanced his luck. Even after the morning he had, he really wanted to devour his wife.
The smell of her perfume. Her scented skin. Lying in bed with nothing but a black negligee on. Watching her stretch in the bed, that waking purr coming from her lips. Jake tried again. ‘Out. Now!’
‘Fine. Your loss.’
‘You need a shower, but I need coffee first.’
∞∞∞∞ He returned ten minutes later with two lattes.
‘I was thinking, money’s tight after the move and all.’
‘You’re telling me.’
‘What do you say about decorating Sean’s room? We could start this morning.’ ‘Off you go then.’
‘No, Kate. I’m serious. I can’t sit around and wait for the phone to ring. In the interim, we
can start by removing the old wallpaper. Why pay someone else to do it? We both noticed it when we viewed the house. It might even be fun.’
‘Jakey baby. I love you.’
‘Yeah. What was that all about with Pete and Laura. Jakey?’
They both laughed. He carried on.
‘Anyway, Sean can help us as he’s not starting his new school until next week. It will make him feel important.’
‘Yes, captain. Whatever you say, captain.’
Jake showered and dressed, then jumped in the car and made his way into town.
There was a DIY shop which sold everything according to their website.
∞∞∞∞ As he entered the store, a bell rang. A guy stood behind the counter in a white coat that wouldn’t look out of place in a pharmacy. A younger lad, dressed much the same, was stocking up the shelves behind the counter. The shop looked so much smaller from the outside. Everything you needed was in the place. There was a smell of wood which filled the air and sawdust covering the floor. Jake walked up to the counter.
‘Morning. I have a small list if that’s ok?’
The gentleman glanced at Jake.
‘Anything you need, I’m sure we have. If we don’t, it can’t be got. That’s right isn’t it, Darren?’
The young lad agreed as he balanced on the ladder with boxes at the same time. Multitasker. ‘You visiting Ramsbury? I haven’t seen you before.’
‘No. We’ve just moved here. The old house on Rectory Lane.’
Jake noticed the atmosphere change in the store. You could slice right through the middle of
it with a knife, like a lone cowboy walking into a saloon, mean looking, people playing poker and swigging whiskey, and the drifter orders a soda pop. Only this place didn’t erupt with laughter.
∞∞∞∞ Jake left the store with a few rolls of paper, some scrapers, a paper steamer, and paste. The chap behind the counter wished him all the best. It was the way he had said it. Not, ‘All the best now. See you again.’ Or, ‘Thank’s for calling in. It was great to meet you.’ Or even, ‘Good luck to you and your family. You’ve really picked a beautiful place.’
He leaned over handing Jake the goods, stared into his eyes and said, ‘Good luck, son, I mean it.’
On his way back, Jake stopped off at a small bakery and parked right outside. The aroma coming from the shop hit him at the door. His stomach rumbled with hunger. ‘Hi, two bacon rolls and one of those biscuits please.’
Jake didn’t bother making small talk. He’d had enough today.
‘You the new family?’
‘Yes.’
He wondered how she knew.
‘Mary Sutherland,’ she announced as she offered her hand.
‘Jake Morley, pleased to meet you.’ Jake grabbed his food which Mary had bagged up for him.
‘You need anything, I mean it, anything, make sure you call.’
‘Thank you.’
Outside, Jake ran the conversation over in his head.
What did she mean? You need anything, make sure you call. He jumped in his car and headed off. You need anything. Like what? What could they possibly need from her? Perhaps she’s a woman of the night? Just call. Jake shook it from his head. What a weird bloody morning.
Chapter Nine Once they’d
all eaten, downed another coffee and set up Sean’s room, they made a start. The landlord had given permission for them to decorate however they wanted. Anton had told them he was more than happy to have the place done up and promised it would reflect on the price if the landlord decided to sell it to them. It was a big task. They wanted to spend a few hours at it and get as much done as possible. Jake covered the floor in dust sheets. Whatever gaps there were, he placed old towels down. The smell of the old paper peeling off was rotten, and they opened the window to try and coax it out. Kate tried fanning it. The fire alarm went off, instantly causing Sean to hold his ears and scream.
‘Mummy, I don’t like it.’ Jake reached up and removed the batteries, if just for a peaceful life. The three of them worked well as a team. Jake with the heat of the steamer. Kate with the peeling, and their son picking it off the floor and bagging it. Most of the time Sean made balls out of remnants and chucked it about the place. He was happy. Boredom would soon set in though, so they worked fast. After an hour or so, their prediction came true; Sean was just playing about and getting in the way. ‘Babe, he’s had enough, shall we let him loose on the Play Station?’
‘Sounds good,’ agreed Kate.
When she returned, Jake was inspecting something on the wall.
‘Kate, come and look at this.’ He removed a long strip of wallpaper that ripped and crumbled several times on the way down. Jake rubbed the flakes away.
‘Look.’ Kate leant in.
‘What am I supposed to be looking at exactly?’
‘There’s something engraved.’
‘That’s not unusual.’
He carried on rubbing away with his hand. The dust was now starting to fill their lungs.
When enough had been removed, Jake shone the torch from his phone. It was hard to make out at first. The writing was childlike. Faint. Spelling mistakes apparent. Kate read it out. Pleze God
Sum1 healp uss
‘This is absurd, Jake. The writing has freaked me out.’ They were sitting in the living room. The fire was roaring with the help of the firelighters Jake had picked up in the village. He was sat on the floor in front of it. The warmth penetrating through him. Kate was on the sofa.
