The House

by Eden Darry

  Floyd’s eyes lit up with childish enthusiasm. “I’d love to help. Where is it?” He looked around the workshop.

  “It’s in the van.” She nodded to a Luton van parked out front. “Sadie’s taking them into town, so we’ll put it up once they’ve gone.”

  Floyd nodded and grinned. Fin returned it. He had one of those smiles that made you want to smile too.

  Fin was feeling better than she had in days. She was still exhausted—still haunted by those awful dreams—but the idea of doing something nice for the kids made her happy. She supposed it had something to do with realizing one of her own childhood fantasies. A big wooden playset on a big lawn outside a big house.

  They soon got to work, stripping an antique armchair that probably cost as much as all her own furniture did new. She kept an eye out for Sadie leaving with the kids.

  * * *

  Fin squinted at the instructions and turned them upside down to see if they made more sense that way. Shit, it was like trying to read hieroglyphics. “Floyd. Can you make this out?” she asked.

  Floyd ambled over and took the instructions off her. “Yes.” He barely glanced at them before handing them back.

  Floyd turned out to be an instruction manual reading genius, and she was happy to follow his orders as the playset went up with ease.

  When they finished, Fin fetched them a glass of water each, and they sat at the picnic bench. “Thanks so much for that, Floyd. I don’t think I could have done it without you.”

  Floyd shrugged. “You’re welcome, Mrs. Claiborne.”

  “I’ve told you before, call me Fin.”

  He looked uncertain but nodded.

  “How long have you lived around here, Floyd?”

  “All my life.”

  “You like it?” she asked.

  Floyd shrugged again. “I like it.”

  “Did you know the people who lived in this house before us?”

  Floyd suddenly looked nervous. “I helped them like I help you. My mum looked after their kids.”

  Fin knew Floyd’s mum was a childminder. With Sadie insisting on going back to work, they would probably need her services. Fin pushed down the annoyance. “Why did they move?”

  She watched as his gaze slipped away from hers and focused somewhere behind her. “They didn’t like the house,” he said.

  “I thought a family member got sick back in France.”

  Floyd shook his head. “They didn’t like the house. The kids didn’t like the house. They used to cry when it was time to go home.”

  “Why didn’t they like the house?” Fin asked, not really sure if she wanted an answer.

  Floyd hesitated. “It’s a bad house. That’s what they said, and I agree with them. The little boy got very sick, and so they left.”

  “Sick how?”

  “My mum said he had fits. He had nightmares too. The ambulance came one night and the family never came back.”

  Fin was silent. This was the last thing she needed Sadie hearing about. Why did everyone think this place was bad? And what did it say about her that she didn’t?

  “Look, Floyd, let’s keep this to ourselves for now, okay?”

  Floyd nodded.

  “Good. Time to get back to work.”

  Floyd stood and Fin thought he seemed relieved to be moving out of the shadow of the house.

  * * *

  Fin stood and watched her kids, with an arm around Sadie and a stupid grin on her face. Lucy had bolted out of the car, squealed, and run straight to the newly erected playset, climbing up the ladder and running around like a lunatic. Liam was excited too, but as was his nature, he was much more reserved with his investigation. He walked around the outside, trailing one hand over the freshly cut wood. He pulled on the rope swing, tested the netting she’d staked into the ground and attached to an opening on the top of the playset. At Lucy’s insistence he finally used the ladder to climb inside.

  Sadie tugged on the back of her shirt and she turned to face her. “That was a lovely thing to do, darling.”

  Fin smiled. “I’m glad they like it.”

  “I had no idea what you were planning.” Sadie tipped her head up and Fin lowered hers to kiss her. One of the kids yelled, “Yuck!” Fin thought it was Lucy.

  “If you’re good,” Fin said to Sadie, “I’ll let you play with it later.”

  “Hmm.” She pretended to consider. “There’s something else you have I’d much rather play with.” She lifted her eyebrows suggestively.

  Fin laughed and smacked her arse playfully. “So naughty.”

  They both looked back again to watch their children play. Floyd was pushing them alternately on the swings. Fin felt light and happy. The cloud which had been over her all week finally lifted, and she could breathe much more easily. It had been a shitty six months, and she could finally see the proverbial sun poking through. Thank God. Maybe the dreams would go as well—it was probably all stress related anyway. Who wouldn’t be stressed with all they’d been through?

  She decided this weekend she would take Sadie somewhere nice. Out to dinner or the ballet in London. They both loved the ballet. Sadie had dragged her along when they were first going out. She hadn’t been looking forward to it at all. It seemed to be something rich people did and, frankly, total bullshit and a waste of money.

  Fin had taken her seat fully preparing to hate it. It was the first of many occasions in her relationship with Sadie where she’d been pleasantly surprised. As she’d watched the dancers leap, vault, and spin across the stage, she’d been mesmerized. The sheer physicality and power of the women and men stunned her. From that first time, she was hooked. The next week, Sadie took her to the opera, but she really couldn’t get on board with that at all.

  Fin bent and kissed Sadie again. “I need to get back to work, babe.”

  “Okay. I’ll call you for lunch.” Sadie gave her a quick pinch on her bum and Fin yelped in surprise.

  “Let’s put the children to bed early tonight.” She winked and Fin couldn’t help but laugh.

  * * *

  The afternoon was so mild, Sadie decided to serve lunch outside. It meant the children could carry on playing on the playset and she and Fin could watch them—well, watch Lucy, more like. She’d discovered the joy of jumping from the top of the slide to the ground. Sadie’s heart leapt into her throat the first time she’d caught her doing it. She was dreading Lucy’s teenage years if this was what she was like at three. Lucy didn’t have any fear—she never had. She reminded Sadie of her sister. And Sadie had been around for Rena’s teenage years too and seen first-hand how that went.

  Liam was the complete opposite, and Sadie worried about him just as much, though for different reasons. He found it hard to make friends and was so quiet you could forget he was in the room. He was so self-contained, but he saw everything. He took it all in and seemed so grown-up sometimes, but he was also vulnerable, much more so than Lucy. Maybe because he was small for his age—he took after her and had a slender frame.

  He walked towards her now and she smiled. “Hi, darling. How’s the playset?” She stroked his head, flattening his soft, curly hair.

  “I like it. Do you want to watch me swing by myself?” he asked.

  “In a little while I do. We’re going to eat first.”

  “Out here?”

  “Yes. Is that okay?”

  He nodded enthusiastically. “I don’t like it in there.”

  “What, in the kitchen?” she asked.

  “The house,” he clarified.

  Sadie sat in one of the wooden chairs and pulled him onto her lap. He leaned back into her, and she hugged him tight. “Why don’t you like the house? Do you miss your friends?”

  He sighed. “No. I told Mum, it’s the house.”

  Sadie turned him around on her lap so he was facing her. “When did you tell her you didn’t like the house?”

  “I don’t know. But I don’t like it here, Mummy.”

  “Why not?”
>
  He shrugged and leaned forward into her. Her arms came around him automatically.

  Sadie wasn’t sure what to do. Of course she wanted her children to live somewhere they were happy, but unless he told her why he didn’t like it here, they could hardly just move on the whim of a six-year-old.

  Liam hadn’t seemed himself lately. She had barely noticed because she’d been so wrapped up in the Lance Sherry business. Sadie felt guilty. She’d put his mood down to all the upheaval but hadn’t actually taken the time to ask him what was wrong. He said he’d told Fin too. Maybe he’d told her more than he’d told Sadie? The two of them were especially close. Although, lately…when she thought about it now, their usual bond hadn’t seemed as strong. Maybe she was imagining it. It had been an awful six months, and they all needed time to adjust and get back to normal.

  Sadie squeezed Liam and kissed his head. “Why don’t you go and tell Mum and Floyd lunch is ready?”

  He nodded and slid off her lap. Sadie watched him run off towards the workshop. She was struck again by how vulnerable he seemed. She started setting their lunch up on the table when something made her look up. She was just in time to see Lucy about to jump from the top of the slide.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Sadie watched her fall as if in slow motion. One minute she was at the top of the slide waving at Fin, Floyd, and Liam as they walked back across the lawn. The next moment it was as if something pushed her from behind and she fell. It was the only way Sadie could describe it. The way Lucy pitched forward—stumbled, almost—made it look as though someone had shoved her hard.

  Before she even hit the ground, Sadie was running. The playset wasn’t that high and the ground beneath was spongy, but all the same, Sadie ran to her daughter as fast as she could.

  She reached her at the same time as Fin, and they dropped to the ground together. Lucy was crying, and when Sadie held out her arms, Lucy threw herself into them, then screamed.

  Sadie held her back gently looking her up and down to see what was wrong.

  “I think she’s broken her arm.” Fin saw it first. “Look.”

  Lucy had a long-sleeved shirt on, but her arm poked at the shirt and kinked in a strange angle at the elbow.

  Fin brushed her hand lightly over Lucy’s hair. “We need to take her to A & E.” Sadie watched her stand and brush the grass from her jeans. Her face had turned to stone, and Sadie knew she would be feeling like this was all her fault.

  She sighed and stood with Lucy in her arms, careful to avoid jostling her injured arm. Lucy dropped her head onto Sadie’s shoulder, and Sadie rubbed her back in soothing circles.

  “I’ll watch Liam if you like.” Floyd spoke up, concern etched on his young face.

  Sadie hesitated—she barely knew this boy—but before she could object, Fin said, “Thanks, Floyd, we appreciate it.” Sadie watched Fin bend down to their son. “Be good for Floyd, okay? We shouldn’t be too long. Floyd, we’ll call Sadie’s parents to come, so you shouldn’t have him for more than an hour.”

  “Can I come with you?” Liam looked as though he might burst into tears.

  “No, mate. I need you to stay here with Floyd, okay? We need to go now.” Sadie smiled as Fin gave Liam a quick hug, squeezed him tight, and ruffled his hair.

  * * *

  Liam watched his parents drive away from the house with his sister. This house was bad. He’d been trying to tell them for ages, but they wouldn’t listen. The house scared him, and there were things here that wanted to hurt them. Now it had hurt his sister. He’d told her not to play with Koosh. Lucy thought Koosh was fun, but Liam knew better. Koosh wasn’t even a kid.

  He looked up at Floyd, his mum’s friend who worked for her. Floyd looked down at him and smiled. He smiled back because that’s what you did when someone smiled at you.

  “What do you want to do?” Floyd asked.

  Liam shrugged. He didn’t want to go back in the house, that was for sure. “I don’t want to go inside.”

  Floyd looked back at the house and took a big gulp like a cartoon character. Liam thought he looked scared. “No, me either. I don’t like your house. Let’s walk down to the trees.”

  “Why don’t you like our house?” Liam walked alongside him.

  “It’s bad. I went in once and—” Floyd shut his mouth and quickly looked at Liam. “I shouldn’t say.”

  “Why not?”

  “It’ll scare you, and then your parents will be mad with me.”

  “I’m not a baby. Lucy’s a baby but I’m six.” Liam held up six fingers to prove his point.

  “There’s a man who lives in there. He’s bad. He’s always lived in there.”

  “Koosh,” Liam said.

  “Huh?” Floyd pulled back some low hanging branches so they wouldn’t hit Liam as he walked through.

  “That’s what Lucy calls him. It’s not his proper name, though. My parents can’t see him, but he’s always there. All the time. Why’s he living in our house?”

  “Because it’s his house really, and he doesn’t like anyone else living there. I don’t go inside any more. Don’t tell anyone, but he scares me.” Floyd went red in his face, and Liam patted him, like Mum did when Liam was sad about something.

  “Don’t worry. I am too.”

  Floyd’s face brightened. “Do you want to see something cool?”

  Liam nodded. He was worried about Lucy and the house and Koosh. It would be nice to see something cool.

  * * *

  Lance Sherry sat in his cell listening to the other inmates playing pool and talking shit outside. He’d been denied bail and would have to sit in here on remand for months before his trial. It wasn’t prison so much that bothered him. He’d done a couple of stretches before, and it was easy enough. No, it was the thought of that bitch out there, living her life while he was locked up like an animal.

  It wasn’t right. All she had to do was keep her flapping lips shut and take his money and get him off. She’d decided to take his money and brush him off like he was some worthless piece of shit. All of this was her fault. He needed to get out of here and teach her a fucking lesson. His new lawyer wanted him to plead guilty. Said it was the best chance he had of getting his sentence reduced and being out within a few years if he behaved inside.

  The smarmy little shit didn’t understand, though. Lance would happily stay in this place for the rest of his life if it meant getting her. And he couldn’t do it from behind bars. No, he needed to get out, get that bitch, and then who cared what happened after that? If he could, he’d go abroad again, but it didn’t really matter. As long as she suffered. As long as she looked into his eyes as she died and understood that Lance Sherry was someone.

  Lance was having dreams now too. Dreams where he killed her and her family. Lance wasn’t sure about killing kids—even he had his limits—but the Man told him it was the only way he could get what he wanted. Lance did something for the Man, the Man did something for him. The Man had a plan. A good one. Lance was getting impatient, and though he didn’t want to admit it, he was scared of the Man. Something about him…Even though he wasn’t here, couldn’t be here, Lance felt his presence all the same. He could see him, sitting motionless on the end of the bed. Day and bloody night. Lance couldn’t get the Man out of his head. And he was obsessed with the bitch’s woman. Lance wasn’t to touch her. Lance wondered, what was so fucking special about her?

  Didn’t matter, though. As long as he got her. Lance briefly wondered if he was losing his mind, but then he shook the thought off like a bothersome fly.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Fin threw a piece of wood into the centre of the basement. She told Sadie she was coming down here to tidy up, but the truth was she couldn’t look at Lucy with her bright purple cast without feeling guilty.

  What was she thinking, buying that playset? Sadie said it was one of those things—even Treven Tate didn’t hold it against her. Kids fell off things and broke bones all the time. So why did she feel
so guilty about it? At the hospital, they’d asked a lot of questions, and Fin felt like a criminal under the doctor’s scrutiny. They had a job to do, she knew that, but their questions made her feel like a child beater, all the same. Lucy’s name was probably flagged on a list somewhere now.

  Thank God, Sadie hadn’t told the doctor about something pushing Lucy off the playset. That probably would have convinced them she and Sadie were bad parents—on drugs or something. Sadie had said it again that night in bed. She told Fin she swore it looked like someone pushed her from behind, the way she jolted forward and stumbled. It was nonsense, but it freaked Sadie out all the same. And now Fin was worried she’d want to move back to her parents’.

  She hadn’t said anything yet, but it wouldn’t be long. Maybe she even made it up as an excuse to leave the house, to leave Fin. She could be fucking selfish sometimes, a spoiled princess. Fin loved her, but her attitude could do with a few adjustments. Fin looked down and noticed she had snapped a bit of wood in half. She needed to get hold of herself. She threw the wood into the pile with the rest.

  Fin crouched on the cold basement floor and wiped her sweaty hair out of her eyes. She sighed. She couldn’t hide down here forever, but maybe she could get away with it until lunchtime. Sometimes it seemed like she was the only one trying to make this new start work. Liam was moping around with the weight of the world on his shoulders, like he was in prison rather than in a beautiful house surrounded by fields and trees. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to end up like his other mother—a spoiled brat. It wasn’t entirely his fault, though. Between Sadie and her parents coddling and spoiling him, it was no wonder he was turning out like this. Scared of the dark, and he’d even started wetting the bed again.

  Fin’s eyes caught on something over at the far wall. She stood and walked over, trailing her hand along the breeze blocks. Breeze blocks. Not very nineteenth century. Someone must have bricked up this part of the basement more recently. Why, though? Fin wondered what was behind there. She picked up the mallet she’d been breaking down some of the furniture with and used it to knock out part of one block.