I was saved from having to think of a topic of conversation when our meals arrived. Matt set them on the table with a flourish and a smile and then he was gone and the tension had evaporated.
“That does look good.” Jake grinned as he picked up his cutlery.
“It’s the best calzone you’ll ever eat.”
The rest of the night passed in gentle conversation about home life and history and future. Amicable, comfortable, easy. I didn’t regret what I’d said. In fact, I was glad I’d said it. Jake needed to know that he was one of the reasons I had managed to push so many boundaries and move forward.
Once we’d finished and settled the bill, Jake took my hand as we stood up. The feel of him so close to me worked wonders for the butterflies that took flight in my stomach.
In the past, dating and relationships had been a chore. I’d never felt like this about anyone before, and it was daunting. I was worried that I’d mess something up just by being me, by doing something insanely stupid or appearing to be too clingy or some other newbie relationship fail.
Underneath all of that was the biggest fear. Now I had fallen for him, things would go wrong and I would have my heart broken.
I glanced at him from under my lashes as we walked along the high street, hand in hand, passing the pubs and restaurants all aglow, and I knew I didn’t want to get my heart broken. Not by Jake. Ever.
“Well, here we are.” We came to a stop just outside of my garden gate. I was thankful that I had taken pride in it.
“Do you want to come in?” I asked as he pulled me into his arms. My stomach swooped.
The light of the lamp just behind him gave his dark hair a golden sheen, and his eyes sparkled.
I bit my lip.
“No.” He shook his head, with a slight smile. “Not on the first date.”
I would’ve argued if his lips hadn’t met mine in a kiss so soft it was barely there. Teasing and sweet.
“Though technically it’s our first date, I think that we can skip the formalities.” I kissed him back, reaching up and pulling him closer as my arms wound around his neck.
I felt him against me, hot and hard, and I moaned as I thought about the things he did to me, the way he made me feel.
He pulled back, a slow, lazy grin on his face. “Did anyone ever tell you you’re irresistible?”
“Who, me?” I feigned surprise and fluttered my eyelashes.
He kissed me again, his lips leaving a trail down my neck, stopping in the crook of my shoulder.
“Here I am trying to do the right thing and you’re temptation on a plate.”
I nipped his ear. “Nobody ever had fun doing the right thing.”
“You can say that again.”
His mouth came back to mine. This time his lips pushed against mine with hunger. He pulled me against him, and I felt his length harden against me through his jeans, pressing against my thigh. Then I waddled backwards, still safely ensconced in his arms as his lips continued to mould to mine. His kisses became more fevered, needy, and as I fumbled with my bag, looking for my key, his teeth sank into my neck, eliciting a soft groan.
“You’ll have to wait until we get inside, or I’ll be done for indecent exposure.” I grinned, using all my willpower to turn from him.
His hands snaked around my hips, and he brushed my hair aside. His lips met the top of my back, sending thrills chasing down my spine. I almost wilted in his arms. Then my fingers grasped the key.
It took several tries before I unlocked the door, and when I finally did, we pushed it aside as I turned back into his arms and stumbled into the passage.
As the door closed, shutting out the night, he took me against the wall.
* * *
“Let me guess, your date went well.” Olivia arched her brow as she jumped into the car.
“Is it that obvious?” I flicked my hair and my cheeks heated.
I had never felt this vulnerable and content in my life. A weird pairing of emotions.
“Let’s just say you have a morning glow.”
“I had a shower!”
“Don’t be so crude, Peyton.” Olivia rolled her eyes. “I just mean you look happy.”
“I am happy.” I grinned.
“Okay, good, but that’s enough of the mushy crap. Let’s get to the office.”
“Buzz kill.”
She stuck out her tongue, but a smile formed as she clicked her seatbelt into place.
It wasn’t long before we were at the office and the kettle was on. I sorted out two cups of instant brew and Olivia booted up the computer. I made the coffees, satisfied as the steam rose from the cups, and handed one over to her.
“So what’s the plan for today?” she asked.
“Well, I’m going to go and bless those spots at the funfair this afternoon, and then I’ll go back tonight to see if it worked. What about you?”
“I’ll compile the hours we’ve worked first thing and log what we’ve done. I think if Terry is as prude as you say, we need to make sure that what we were doing is clear. Don’t want to risk not getting paid. And then—”
The phone rang. I jumped, and several drops of coffee splashed my hand. I hissed and wiped them away before setting the cup down.
“Well, if you aren’t going to answer it.” I dived forward and picked up the handset.
Olivia reached up to stop me.
I batted her away and pushed the phone to my ear. “Good morning. Soul Seekers, Peyton speaking.”
“Just the woman I wanted to talk to.”
I frowned. “Is that right? Can I ask who’s calling?”
“You don’t recognise my voice? It’s me, Vic Reeves. I bought the funeral parlour.”
My face drained as the words sunk in. I had put this to rest only recently, thinking I wouldn’t hear anymore. My stomach clenched as I realised my stupidity in answering the phone. Should’ve left it for Olivia.
Regaining my composure, I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry, Mr. Reeves, but I’m afraid I can’t help you.” Before he had a chance to reply, I hung up.
“That was him again,” Olivia said.
“How often has he been calling?”
“Well, it’s not up to a harassment charge yet, but often enough. That’s why I wanted to get the phone.”
“I’ll let you get it the next time.” I shuddered. “I wish I hadn’t spoken to him. Now I feel lousy.”
“Listen, all he can do is ring, and we can tell him no. Every time. You’ve made up your mind, and you don’t have to do it, Peyton, so don’t worry.”
“I know.” I took a deep breath and willed my stomach to unfurl from its knot. “It’s just . . . it sounds stupid, but I feel like I’m being haunted. By it. By him.”
“If you want, I can block his number?”
“Let’s just see how it goes. If it gets too much, we’ll block it.” I picked my coffee back up. “The damn phone scared me so much I spilt my coffee and burned my hand.”
“I’m sure you’ll live.” Olivia sipped hers and turned back to the computer.
I watched her work for a while. She opened up a spreadsheet she’d made specifically for the funfair case and entered hours worked.
“You do that for every case?” I nodded towards the screen.
“I normally keep it all in one document, but this time I’ve made a separate one so we can keep track of what hours we spend on this case. It’s great for itemised billing.”
“You’re a genius, you know that.”
“I know.”
I smiled.
Olivia’s arrogance was startling, but it’s who she is, and I wouldn’t change her for the world. Without that arrogance, I don’t think I would be where I was today.
* * *
As the afternoon drew on, I packed my bag with a couple of things and left the office. I was keen to get this started, and I didn’t have to wait for cover of darkness to complete the blessing.
I drove to the field on Old Road and parked in the sam
e spot as I had previously. Shouldering my pack, I stepped from Thumper, crouched beneath the fence, and came up on the other side. I was glad it was light. I wasn’t sure my heart could take another moment of darkness in that old place.
I had already marked on the map where the deaths had occurred, and I travelled to each of the points.
First, the homeless man who’d died in one of the sideshow tents. It took a little bit of locating and a lot of sleuthing, but I finally found it and ducked inside. The sleeping bag was still lying on its dirt patch, and rubbish was strewn everywhere. They had removed the body, but not the traces that he’d been living there.
My chest hitched. Just another homeless person forgotten about. It made me sad to think that a life could mean so little. I wouldn’t blame him for haunting the funfair at all.
I did the blessing, sprinkling holy water on the sleeping bag and around it, watched it soak into the ground, and then I stood up.
One down, two to go.
Next, I paced to the spot of the gang fight. Easy to find this one because it was in the only clear space on the grounds and there were shreds of the flower bouquets. The flowers had rotted and seeped into the earth, but the pastel-coloured cellophane wrappers were recognisable. There was a weathered picture taped to one of them. The photo was barely recognisable. I wondered if he had been forgotten about, too.
I completed the blessing and then moved on to the next site. The spot just below the Ferris wheel. It was hard to pinpoint the exact mark. There were no remnants of flowers left here. I wondered if the woman had had any family, what drove her to take her own life.
As I said the blessing, I thought about how I was never alone, not even in my darkest moments. If I had been, who knows where I might’ve ended up.
Time to go home. I was ready to put this behind me, and all I could do was hope the blessings had worked and that the spirits who had died there could now go to rest.
I took a quick detour and headed into the office, where I called Rob and Terry to update them on the status of the investigation.
Rob sounded pleased. Terry, bored. Not that it bothered me. My part in the job was done for now. All I would need to do was check that it had worked.
If Terry didn’t believe me, that was his problem.
* * *
As darkness descended over the town, I drained my coffee and pulled on my jacket. It was the last thing I wanted to do after being snuggled up in the house for the last few hours watching bad TV and enjoying my own company, but I had a business to run, and I said I’d be there to check if the blessings had worked.
I had pre-packed a bag just in case, and as I slung it over my shoulder, I gave the house a last once-over to make sure everything was turned off. It made me flash back to the days that I would come home in such a state that everything was left on and I couldn’t have cared less. There had been more than one occasion that I’d woken up and realised the oven had been left on or a pan of water had boiled and smoke was rising from the metal. I’d been pretty lucky.
I locked up and hurried along the narrow walkway, towards Thumper. I jumped inside and started the engine. Having her back on the road had been a Godsend, and I was getting used to having a run-around again rather than always relying on my legs. That used to get me into trouble in the past because I’d walk right into the bars.
It wasn’t long before I was pulling up to the field on Old Road. I cut Thumper’s engine off and sat in silence. The field was quiet and everything else around me was still. The place was like a graveyard. Even the houses a further down the road were dark and quiet. I wondered if it was part of the spell of the abandoned funfair or if this was just a modest neighbourhood.
I stepped out and crouched under the fence. From my pack, I took out the K2 metre, then the DVR, set it to record, and placed it in my pocket. Then I walked around the funfair, making sure to stop by each of the blessing sites. The metre in my hand stayed green. The white noise it emitted was a welcome comfort in the silence. Even if the blessings had worked and I had successfully de-haunted the place, it was still creepy.
I moved around the entire funfair, taking regular readings and updating the DVR, but saw nothing.
Satisfied, I left, my steps towards Thumper quicker as I was eager to be out of the confines of the ringed fence. Once I was on the street, I took a deep breath and packed my devices back into my bag.
I took out my mobile and dialled Rob.
“Hello?” he answered.
I heard the sound of cutlery being put down.
“Rob, it’s Peyton. Am I disturbing you?”
“No, it’s fine. What can I do for you?”
“I just wanted to let you know I’ve just been to the funfair.”
“Has it worked?”
“The K2 metre showed up green the whole way, and I caught nothing else.”
“And that means it’s clear?”
“Yes.” I smiled. “It’s clear.”
“Great.” Relief in his voice. “I’ll get onto the lads, and we can get back to work tomorrow. Thank you, Peyton.”
“No problem.”
“I’ll give Terry a ring tomorrow. He told me he wouldn’t accept any calls tonight.”
“Hot date?” I raised my brow.
“More like early night. He said he’s stressed.”
I rolled my eyes. “Bet he doesn’t know the meaning of the word.”
“I’d be tempted to agree with you there.”
“Night, Rob. Enjoy your dinner.”
“Night, Peyton.”
I hung up and threw the bag into the passenger seat and climbed in after it. It felt good to be leaving the funfair behind and to have done something good.
When I’d first spoken to Olivia and Sylvia about the gift, I was apprehensive. I wanted to hide away from anything to do with ghosts. But sobriety and support had showed me the way forward, and it just went up and up. I was using my ability to help others. Something I had always wanted to do.
Life was perfect.
* * *
The next morning, I had a lie-in, indulging in my wish to sleep longer and stay locked in the wonderful dream I had involving Jake and a whole ton of whipped cream.
When I finally got up, I took a shower—colder than normal—and got dressed into a pair of jeans and a tank top. I grinned as I glanced at myself in the mirror. I loved my job. Running my own business and being the boss of a company that wasn’t classed as a normal industry meant I could make my own rules.
I brushed my hair, the scent of strawberries wafting through the air, and then headed down the stairs. I had just put the kettle on, when I heard the front door open.
“You want one?” I called to Olivia without turning around.
I heard her footsteps as she hurried into the kitchen. Her normal amble had turned into a rush, and as I turned to face her, I knew something was horribly wrong.
“Where were you this morning?” she asked.
“Having a lie-in. I figured I deserved it.” I scooped a spoonful of instant coffee into a second cup.
“Peyton, it didn’t work.”
“What didn’t work?” I yawned as I turned to face her.
Whatever this was about, it could wait. I hadn’t even had my first dose of caffeine. There was no way I could function.
“The blessings.”
I froze mid-yawn, mouth hanging open as I stared at my best friend. “Tell me you’re kidding.”
She shook her head, lips pressed together and a solemn look in her eyes.
“But I went there last night. I detected nothing. It was clear.” I held my arms out.
“Well, whatever was happening last night wasn’t a true reflection. Rob just called the office.”
“You haven’t been to the office.” I frowned.
“I have the calls routed to home overnight and weekends. Just in case. His men just took off again. Something about the big tent.”
“Shit,” I muttered. “I didn’t go in there last night
. Couldn’t, actually. That’s what came down on me and Jake when we were in there. It’s not standing anymore. How is that even possible?”
Olivia shrugged. “I have no idea. Rob said they were working on tearing it down, when one of the men was flung across the dirt. He’s in hospital, with a broken arm.”
“How is that possible?” I shook my head.
“I don’t know, but we have to get down there.”
“We?”
“Yes. Now.”
“But I haven’t even had a coffee yet.”
“I think this is more important than coffee.”
She grabbed my arm as I reached longingly for the kettle. She grabbed a coat for me on the way. Then we were out the door, and she pulled it shut.
“I don’t even have my keys,” I said.
“I have keys. Don’t worry.”
“But—”
“Hey, guys.” It was Jake.
I cursed under my breath as he looked from him to Olivia. Clearly, the text I’d sent him about my overactive imagination had been taken literally, as I saw a carrier bag containing several cans of whipped cream.
“Hi, Jake.” I offered an apologetic smile and a glance at Olivia to see whether she’d clocked the contents of the bag. “Sorry. I’ll have to cancel. Something is going on.”
“Don’t tell me he was coming over for an early morning booty call.” Olivia rolled her eyes.
“Hey!” he snapped. “I’m more than just a booty call.”
“Whatever. We have to go,” she said.
“Where are you going?” He set the bag down.
“The funfair. I thought the blessings I did yesterday worked. Apparently they didn’t.”
“Oh.”
“The foreman called. You know, the big tent that came crashing down around us?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, someone was just flung around in there like a puppet.”
“Shit. I’m coming with you.”
“Jake, it’s—”
“Dangerous. I know. Come on.”
He led the charge down the short path to the gate, holding it open as we all stepped through and onto the narrow walkway. I shot the whipped cream one last look before I let Olivia drag me away from heaven and into hell.
Under The Big Top Page 6
