The Lake House (20 page)

She began to cry again and James held her. His stomach churned at the thought of the thing in the cellar taking his son and almost taking his wife. When she had cried herself out he kissed the top of her head.

‘I’m sorry, Eleanor. I had nowhere to keep it that was safe. For God’s sake, I thought it wasn’t real, that it was man-made. I can’t believe that it’s alive after all this time. How can that be? It doesn’t make any sense. I’m going to get Davey to fetch Farmer Mitchell and as many guns as he owns, and then we will go down into the cellar and hunt for this thing. I promise you I will shoot it dead myself, even if I have to go down into the drains. I don’t care. We can’t tell anyone what you saw; we’ll say it was some kind of giant water rat.’

‘Why, because people will think I’m mad?’

‘No, because no one will want to help unless they don’t know what it is they’re dealing with. People like to know what’s what. It’s easier to believe it’s something we know rather than some kind of monster.’

‘What about you, James? Do you believe me or do you think I imagined it?’

‘I believe every word you said. I told you I will hunt it down and find it if it’s the last thing I ever do. I’m also going to put some more bolts on the cellar door, just to be sure that whatever it is can’t get out.’

‘Thank you for believing me. I’m so scared for Joseph. It must be able to come and go, so it might have taken him somewhere. He must be so terrified on his own.’

James didn’t want to tell her that he didn’t think it had taken Joe because it felt like it. Something like that would need to eat. What would it live off? A piercing pain shot through his heart and he almost doubled over with the severity of it. After a minute he straightened up and realised that what had just hit him had been pure, raw grief for his son.

James got dressed then went outside to the outhouse where his tools were kept. He found what he needed to make the cellar secure and stop whatever it was from escaping. He believed everything Eleanor had said, confirming his worst fears. He knew she felt like she was losing her mind but she would no more lie than she would hurt a hair on their children’s heads. If she said she had seen a monster, then that’s what it was. It must have a way in and out of that cellar. If it came in through the drain, it must lead somewhere. It had to live somewhere. He’d never heard another person speak of such a thing in the area so it was very good at hiding itself. He wondered how long it had been living below the ground like that and what it lived in.

It had been more than a year since he’d moved it in, never checking on it once because he didn’t think he needed to. He imagined it had a huge nest somewhere deep in the earth that was full of human bones and he felt the bile rise in the back of his throat, because at the top of that pile would be his son, Joe. He stormed back into the house where he began banging and screwing an assortment of bolts and padlocks onto the cellar door. If it wanted to come into the house it would make so much noise he would have his shotgun at the ready for it the minute it burst through the door.

Eleanor had washed and dressed Martha and was reading to her in the drawing room. He’d looked in on them on his way in and his heart had filled with sorrow for his son, who should have been sitting next to them. A loud hammering on the front door made him stop what he was doing. Lucy rushed to open it and he saw the two policemen from last night.

‘Good morning, Mr Beckett. Is there any news? Has Joseph turned up with his tail between his legs?’

‘Good morning, officers. I would give everything I own to be able to say yes to that question. Have you any news?’

‘I’m afraid we haven’t, sir. We’ve organised a search party to come and meet us here in half an hour so we can search the gardens and woods again. Two of the local boatmen have kindly offered to check the lake.’

James flinched at the thought of them finding his son floating in the cold water, and he knew it was a very real possibility. He nodded at them both.

‘That’s very kind of them and yourselves to sort this out. I can’t tell you how much I really appreciate it.’

Eleanor walked out holding Martha’s hand. She looked at James, then continued walking to the kitchen, pausing to look at the new locks and bolts that he had fixed to the door. She nodded her head in approval. The men waited for her to reach the kitchen and then the officer who was in charge lowered his voice.

‘Can I ask why all the locks?’

‘My wife is terrified that our daughter might go down there looking for her brother and it’s too dangerous.’

‘Once we have the search party organised we’ll give it one last once-over if that’s okay with you?’

‘It is. I’ve already organised some neighbours to come and help me search the cellar. Davey has been to ask Farmer Mitchell to come over with some guns.’

‘Can I ask you, sir, why you need guns? We’re looking for a missing nine-year-old boy, not hunting.’

‘I want to make sure everyone is safe. This might sound really strange to you but my wife believes some animal came out of the drain in the cellar and may have taken Joe away deep down into the drains somewhere.’

‘And you believe your wife, do you, sir?’

He nodded his head. ‘I do, officer, one hundred per cent, and if you are a wise man then you should believe her as well.’

The two policemen looked at each other as if to say he’d lost his mind, but James didn’t care. He had told them as much as he could and if they didn’t believe him that was their choice. He wouldn’t feel bad if whatever it was helped itself to them after he’d warned them. Davey walked in with Mitchell, who took his cap off and nodded at James.

‘I’m sorry to hear about Master Joe. I’ve brought guns and ammunition.’

‘Thank you, Mitchell, that’s very kind of you.’

‘It’s the least I could do.’

James turned to look at the policemen. ‘Would you mind if we go down and start to search for my son?’

‘Not at all, but be careful with those guns. I don’t want you blowing your limbs off. Sanders will accompany you down there while I wait up here for the others to arrive.’

James noted the look the younger man gave his older colleague. He wasn’t impressed and didn’t want to go down into that cellar either.

‘Would you excuse me while I go and speak to my wife?’

James didn’t give them a chance to reply. He turned and walked to the kitchen where he kissed both Martha and Eleanor on their heads.

‘I want you to stay in here with Martha, Lucy and Mary. I’m going into the cellar with Davey, Mitchell and Sanders the policeman. The other policeman is waiting up here for the rest of the search team to arrive. I want you to shut this door and push a chair under it so you are all safe. If anything should happen, God forbid, you take Martha and you run from this house as far away as possible. I will come and find you as soon as I can but you are not to wait here for me. Do you understand, Eleanor? You and Martha are the most precious things in my life and I will not knowingly put either of you in any danger.’

She nodded her head, then stood up and kissed him. She didn’t care that the staff or Martha were watching. She loved this brave, foolish man more than life itself.

Chapter Sixteen

Henry wondered what was happening right now, and who had been the lucky recipient of his gift. He had finally driven back to the caravan park after spending some time alone and was ready to see Megan. He parked the van and pulled his hood up as he strolled back down to his home. Megan flung open the door, jumped down the three small steps and threw her arms around his neck.

‘Where’ve you been? I was convinced you’d got caught. I’ve been so worried about you. Why didn’t you ring?’

‘I had to wait for the right opportunity to dispose of our package. Do you have any idea how busy Windermere is at this time of day?’

He was secretly pleased that she had been worried about him. Relationships had never been his strong point in life and his psychiatrist, Doctor Grace Marshall, had commented several times about his lack of female companionship over the years. She’d asked him if his frustration was sexual, which he’d found far too much of an intimate question to ask someone she barely knew. He went inside and Megan followed, shutting the door behind her then turning the lock. He sat down and she walked over and sat down on top of him.

‘Jesus, Henry, I have needs, you know. I like sex and you’re almost turning me into a nun.’

He smiled, then grabbed a handful of her hair and dragged her mouth towards his. She pulled away from him and grinned.

‘Now that’s more like it. Oh, before I forget, there were a load of coppers at the house next door earlier.’

The passion left Henry as soon as it had come. He sat up and pushed her off his lap, turning to look out of the small window that looked onto his hole in the hedge.

‘What were they doing?’

‘I don’t know, but there were four women and that young woman who helps the old bird out. They were looking into the boathouse windows and all the outhouses.’

‘Shit, shit, why didn’t you phone me and tell me?’

‘What, and have you drive straight past them? I’m not totally stupid.’

‘No, you’re not. I didn’t mean that. What were they doing that for?’

‘I don’t know but it didn’t look serious. They were all laughing when they drove away in the van.’

‘How do you know that? You can’t see the drive from here.’

‘I snuck through your hole in the hedge and watched from the corner of the boathouse to make sure. They didn’t go inside it. In fact they spent longer in the house than they did outside.’

Henry began to pace up and down, making the caravan rock slightly.

‘Are you mad at me, Henry?’

‘No, of course not. Why would I be? I’m just a little bit puzzled as to what they wanted.’

‘Well, whatever it was, it couldn’t have been important or they’d still be there. Maybe they were looking for that freak I saw last night.’

She stood up and took hold of his hand. She led him to the bedroom and he followed her. She was right. They had nothing to worry about. If they knew he was here they wouldn’t be searching the house next door. This place would have been crawling with plain-clothes officers. He let Megan undo the buttons on his shirt and push him down onto the bed, trying to stop worrying if this was the beginning of the end.

***

Will and Cathy watched as the recovery truck drove away with her daughter’s car for a full forensic search, which would be carried out first thing in the morning by whichever CSI was on duty.

‘Christ, it was a pile of shite anyway, and I certainly don’t want the bugger back now. I can’t get rid of the image of that head rolling around, thudding against the boot every time I turned a corner.’

Her daughter had been driven away by her father, who had dropped her off at her friend’s house. Cathy knew he wouldn’t be bothered mollycoddling Georgia all night so he’d have been glad to get shut of her. She went inside her house and made sure it was locked up then went back out. She’d got changed into some joggers and a T-shirt. Will was just putting the screwed-up ball of crime-scene tape into her bin.

‘I didn’t think you’d want that left across your drive for the neighbours to gawp at.’

‘No, I don’t. Cheers. Come on, let’s get to Jake’s. I’m starving and I need a glass of something strong. I’m still in shock, you know.’

‘I can imagine, and I think I need a glass of something as well.’

She got into his car, which smelt of his aftershave and peppermint chewing gum.

‘Annie’s a lucky woman. You always smell so damn good.’

He laughed. ‘I suppose she is, but then again she could say that I’m a lucky man.’

‘Yes, you are, but I won’t hold it against you. Now get me to Jake’s and feed me because I’m like one of those little mogwais from that film
Gremlins
. If you feed me too late I turn into a monster.’

They arrived at Jake’s less than five minutes later and he’d opened the front door before they got out of the car.

‘All right, Will, boss?’

‘If you have something for me to eat you never have to call me boss again. I’m starving.’

They followed him inside to be met by the smell of Chinese takeaway and Cathy squeezed his arm.

‘I bloody love you, Jake Simpson. Did I tell you that I think you’re one of my best officers?’

‘Ha-ha, yes, you did…never. But flattery gets you everywhere. I wouldn’t have thought you’d have much of an appetite after seeing that…’ He left the word hanging in the air.

‘No. Well, an hour ago I wouldn’t have, but a girl’s got to eat. I have to keep my energy levels up if we’re fighting serial killers.’

They laughed, but it wasn’t funny and they all knew it.

In the kitchen, sitting around the dining table, were Kav, Alex and Annie. There were trays upon trays of food laid out and Cathy groaned.

‘Remind me to get invited round here more often.’

Jake opened the fridge door and pulled out some bottles of lager and a bottle of wine, then he set about flicking the caps off and pouring wine into both Annie and Cathy’s glasses. They all sat down and did nothing but eat for the next twenty minutes. When the plates had been cleared and the table was empty it was Kav who started the conversation.

‘Plan of action from what I can see is: Annie, don’t try to be a hero. It’s gone past that shit. I think we’re talking about a life or death situation here. I’m sorry, but you are not to be left alone at any time. You are no match for Henry Smith and I think that the nurse, Megan Tyler – the one who helped him escape – has now become his accomplice, unless that head in Cathy’s car belonged to her.’

Annie nodded and sipped her wine. ‘I agree, but why are you so sure that it’s him? We don’t know that and there isn’t anything that ties him to the scenes as yet. How could a nurse go from being a caring person to a killer’s sidekick. What if it’s some copycat?’

‘If it’s a copycat they would be doing exactly what Smith’s done in the past, Annie – slitting throats, not severing heads. Think about it. He wanted you dead and you almost killed him. He’s had almost two years to think about his revenge and, all of a sudden, he’s dropped off the radar.’