Round and round.
– Holly in her room, slowly revolving, slowly revolving.
A small metallic squeak caught his attention and when he looked back at the door he saw the frosted glass suddenly filled with a light inside, half of it instantly vanished as a black figure rose to fill the space.
He looked back at Keech.
But then the door opened and Mary Wasson shuffled into view, looking spaced out. Her wild hair was a galaxy of kinks and curls. Swaying on her feet, she had a glass of milk in her hand, tilting it so that she was very close to spilling it. She saw him and blinked slowly, cocking her head towards her shoulder and clicking her spine into place. He realised she was trying to figure out who he was.
‘It’s me, Matt.’
‘Ah! You again …’ She raised a finger. ‘You can’t come in.’
‘I know that. I just wanted to check to see if you were all okay.’ He sniffed. ‘Have you been drinking?’
She gave a dumb-looking smile. ‘We’re aaaalllll okay.’
‘How’s the seance going?’ He glanced up the stairs.
‘Mr Hodges said I can’t let you in or you’ll muck it up. He said they both had to be with Rachel alone. No interruptions. They’re just about to start so …’ she stumbled a little. ‘You need to get back in your car.’
She went to shut the door but he put his foot half-inside. ‘Are you sure this is a good idea?’ He smiled at her, conscious he sounded like he was talking to a four-year-old. ‘What do you reckon, Mary? You think Rachel should give this one a miss?’
‘Oh, why don’t you just faaaaaaade away.’ She wiped her unsteady fingers across the space between them. ‘Just fade away and leave my kids alone.’
He could hear voices upstairs. Bob and Joyce were making some sort of announcements. The ritualistic opening of the seance no doubt, and though Matt wanted to push Mary aside and rush up there, he knew it was pointless. ‘Fine.’ He turned to head back to Keech.
‘And why don’t you tell those policemen to do something useful?’ Mary nodded towards the street. ‘Like finding our cat.’
He froze, mid step. Turned. ‘What was that?’
‘Finlay’s gone. Haven’t seen him since this morning. So get that lot—’ she lifted her glass toward the police, and a bunch of milk swilled over the side, soaking her thumb. She didn’t seem to care. ‘Get that lot to bring our cat back. He’s old, you know, and he gets very, very scared on his own.’
Matt stepped back from the door as it slammed shut, while his phone started buzzing in his pocket.
He grabbed it quickly, wondering if it might be Rachel, but it was an incoming call from a number he didn’t recognise.
‘Hello. Matt Hunter.’
‘Yeah, is that the professor guy?’
‘Who’s this?’
‘It’s me. Kassy West. Rachel gave me your number.’
‘Kassy. Are you okay? We’ve been looking for you. You might be in danger.’
She laughed. ‘I’m fine. In fact, I’m great. Cos I’ve got some info for you on the Hodges you’ll probably want to know. Been doing a bit of digging.’
‘What info?’
‘Come and meet me, and I’ll tell you.’
‘Just tell me on the—’
‘Come and meet me. You’ll be glad you did.’
He waited. ‘Where are you?’
‘Where do you think? I’m at the vaults. Meet you up top.’
‘Why on earth are you at the vau—’
‘See ya soon.’
‘Kassy, just get yourself …’
She hung up and when he dialled back, it went straight to voicemail.
He rushed back to Keech and spotted Larry trotting back down the pavement.
‘What’s going on?’ he said.
‘The seance is starting, but listen …’ Matt turned to Larry. ‘The pet cat’s missing, which yes, sounds pretty bloody worrying to me.’
Larry immediately leant his head to speak into his radio, lips close enough to touch the plastic grille. ‘Butterfield? Come in?’
‘This is Butterfield.’
‘Everything alright back there?’
There was a beep and a sharp hiss, then a voice said, ‘All good. Couple of teenagers necking in the alley, but nothing to worry about.’ He checked in with the officers at the church too. Nothing unusual there either. Good old Pastor Todd was doing as he was told. Walking the police around the building, letting them see everything. They were just about finished apparently, with nothing odd found.
‘There’s something else. Kassy West just called. She’s got some information on the Hodges, and she wants me to go to the vaults to get it.’
‘Tell her to get her backside over here and tell—’
‘She’s not answering her phone.’
Larry blew out a breath. Checked his watch. ‘Fine. Keech. Go and pick her up. Make sure she’s safe.’
‘She specifically asked for me.’
‘Then go with Keech and for God’s sake bring her back so we can keep an eye on her, too.’
‘What about you?’
‘I’ll watch the house.’
‘Well …’ Matt waited. ‘Be careful.’
Keech was already up the street, popping the police car open. ‘You coming, or what?’
Matt hurried into the passenger seat and was pulling his seatbelt on when he paused midway. ‘Who the heck are they?’
A crowd of four or five teenagers were walking up to Larry, staring up at Barley Street and giggling. One of them even tried to climb over the wall and into the garden but Larry hauled him back.
‘Just kids. They come round every Halloween,’ he turned the key and the engine growled. ‘They want to see Holly’s ghost.’
‘Oh, right,’ Matt said.
‘It’s kind of a tradition round here.’
They pulled away just as Matt saw Larry flash his ID and angrily yell at the kids to clear off.
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
Obviously, there was no table this time. Instead Bob, Joyce and Rachel sat in a circle of three creaky camping chairs. Joyce had her hands on her lap, upturned. Her eyes were closed, lips quivering with silent conversation to the dead.
Bob was sitting in his chair, looking at Joyce and back at Rachel, tapping nervous fingers on his knees. Whenever he caught Rachel’s eye he’d give one of his pat-you-on-the-back smiles. A sort of grandad’s reassurance that it’ll be alright, young’un,
