When he finally did turn there was nobody there. Nobody, that is, except the fibreglass Jesus hanging heavy from the cross. The doll-eyes looked hungry and judging. The mouth, eager and fierce. Matt stepped backwards, startled. The fibreglass groaned again, though it sounded more like the statue itself, expressing an emotion. Like this was the exact second Christ was going to lose all patience, and rip himself down from those nails so he could stride up the aisle and strangle his latest betrayer.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Matt, Larry and Keech were leaning against the police car, three of them in a row, with feet locked against the kerb directly outside 29 Barley Street.
Matt hitched himself up on the bonnet and gazed up at the night clouds, which were glowing as they slouched across Menham. A few houses up the street, more midget vampires and werewolves were rapping on doors, demanding sugar. Whenever they trotted up to number 29, Larry moved them on. But Matt rummaged in his jacket pocket and pulled out a small bag of Haribo he’d bought earlier. He tossed it into a skeletons bucket.
‘Great night for ghosts this,’ Keech said. ‘If you believe in that sort of thing.’
‘And do you?’ Matt asked.
‘I’m an undecided. A fifty-fifty guy.’
Larry said nothing, just took another swig of his water bottle before glancing up and down the street for signs of people. So far, it had all been exceptionally quiet. Which felt both reassuring and worrying, all at the same time.
Matt kept staring at Holly’s old room and the roof above it, where the black rabbit supposedly first stood tall. Directly underneath, Holly’s window still had the cardboard taped across it and the curtains were shut tight. He thought of himself and Rachel standing there together and talking last night. Just before she’d fallen into the final spiral that was turning her into the fourteen-year-old hysteric the Hodges were morphing her into. The glass was glowing a little from the light inside and every now and then he’d see shadows moving as they set up their equipment.
Larry’s radio was strapped to his shoulder and it kept squelching and buzzing as the other officers periodically checked in. He’d stationed another two watching the back while a further two were up at the church right now, keeping an eye out there.
Quite the operation, Keech had said earlier, in a tone that in reality said: is this really a good use of police time?
They sat there, waiting in silence for many minutes, until Keech said, ‘Sir, what was it like?’
‘What was what like?’
‘You know … seeing Holly Wasson, all hung up like that.’
Matt quickly looked at Larry. Tried to gauge the face. Morose was the closest word he could think of.
‘I just helped out in the morning … All we did was take her down.’
‘That can’t have been easy,’ Matt said, quietly.
‘Well … bakers bake, postmen post … and police do what they do.’ He gave an unconvincing it’s-no-big-deal shrug. ‘Got called in to help out one morning. Then moved on.’
‘Which means you actually touched Holly Wasson.’ Keech was wide-eyed.
‘The girl wasn’t toxic, you know … and despite what people round here think, she wasn’t a monster. She was just this normal, pretty little girl …’ He decided not to finish. He shook his head then kicked a pine cone that had somehow made its way to the pavement. It bounced angrily at the wall.
Keech waited for a second. ‘One little question … I heard the sister tried to saw through the flex with a bread knife, but she wasn’t strong enough to—’
Larry slapped Keech on the arm. ‘Enough talk.’
It was too late. An image of Rachel hacking away at the cable, while her sister hung there swinging, started flooding Matt’s mind like a swift cancer.
‘Look, fellas,’ Larry said, ‘I think I’ll have a quick wander up and down the street. So Keech, you look after the front for a few minutes. I’ll be five minutes, tops.’
‘No problemo.’
‘And Matt, why don’t you walk with me?’
‘Actually, I’ll stay.’ He nodded toward the house. ‘I’ll keep an eye out.’
‘Fine.’ Larry headed off, talking into his radio again.
He wandered off. He and Keech watched the house in silence, until Matt felt his phone chirp in this pocket. He pulled it out and saw a message from Wren.
Hey M. When you home? Amelia really freaking out about her room tonight. Worse than ever. xxw
He sighed and jabbed a quick message back. Apologising that it might be a late one.
Keech leaned over and said, ‘Uh-oh. Having a few issues at home, ey?’
‘Er … do you mind?’ Matt clicked send and dropped the phone back.
They watched the house some more.
Matt didn’t like this, the waiting around. The not knowing what on earth was happening in there. The assumption that everything was alright. And the curiosity. The ravenous curiosity he had to break into that room to listen and watch what the Hodges were doing with Rachel, even if it was just more mumbo jumbo around a table.
Just as he thought that, he suddenly spotted something in the house. The lights were off downstairs, but Matt saw a black shape flicker in the glass of the front door. He pushed himself from the car.
‘What?’ Keech said.
‘I saw something.’ Matt took a step towards the gate. ‘Someone’s moving downstairs.’
Keech shrugged. ‘So what? Maybe one of them’s gone to the kitchen to get a Coke.’
‘It’s a good time to check if they’re okay.’
‘But you can’t go in.’
‘I won’t go in. I’ll stand at the door and I’ll check on progress, alright?’
Keech strained his neck to see where Larry was.
‘It’ll be fine.’
Keech looked over at the door. ‘Just don’t go in, okay?’
With a nod Matt headed up, pushing the iron gate, quickening his pace up the path. As he hurried up there, he noticed that the dandelions and wild nettles were swaying in tiny little circles. All of them. He slowed, and watched them move.
The breeze isn’t doing that, you know.
– Focus.
Round and round the flowers
