As I walked down between the high wooden fence and the house, I tried to listen for any sounds. Looking up, I found the 2 windows that sat on this side both closed and the curtains drawn. It seemed that old Mavis was a stickler for standard routines. That was fine by me. It probably meant she was snuggled up in bed after kneeling down beside it and giving thanks for the day.
I stepped out into the half-moon light and looked at the back door. There were 2 windows on this side of it, both with drawn curtains. I could make out a very faint light penetrating one of the windows and wondered whether she’d occupied a back bedroom instead of the front one that most houses had.
I crept right up to the door and pushed my ear against the timber, holding my breath to somehow increase the sensitivity of my hearing. I could hear a car drive past along the road, a dog barking somewhere behind me, but other than that, silence. The only constant was the cricket chirping away somewhere in the grass behind me. If anybody was inside this home, they would either be reading or fast asleep. I was hoping for the latter.
“Let’s get this done,” Loui suddenly hooted and I jumped a little, nearly falling down the single step. I agreed with him and slowly reached for the door handle, the beating in my chest picking up speed as the excitement finally gripped me.
13.
Whatever had happened that day back at the farm, happened again. I blacked out. Although this time it wasn’t anywhere near as long. One minute I was slowly reaching for the door handle of Mavis Toomey’s back door, the next I was standing in the middle of her bedroom staring down at her corpse.
She’d died. I don’t know how or when, but she was dead. When I came to, I was standing beside her bed, looking down at an old face I barely recognized. She looked asleep except I knew she was gone. There was no movement from her; no breathing; no occasional shifting. She was just dead.
Loui began screaming in my brain, loud enough to hurt my eyeballs. He was pissed, pissed enough to reach down and try and grab the old woman. But I pulled him back just enough to try and settle him. He wanted to destroy this woman and his chance had been stolen away from him.
I reached down and tried to feel for a pulse. When I felt nothing, I squeezed her nostrils shut, waiting to see if she would start gasping. Part of me hoped she’d only pretended to be dead, maybe hearing us creeping around her home. But she didn’t move, not a single twitch after holding her airways shut for a full 2 minutes. She was dead. The bitch had managed to evade us, dying before Loui could work his magic.
14.
After scouring the rest of the home for any signs of life, I thought it best to get out of there. There was no-one else and so figured there was no point in hanging around. Loui was hugely disappointed and if I didn’t get him back to the boarding house, was sure he would choose some random victim whom to inflict his rage on.
I took a final look in Mavis’s room, seeing her lying in her bed, the blanket pulled up under her chin. She was lying on her back and could have been sleeping, off on another dreamtime adventure. But for Mavis Toomey, there would be no more dreams. She’d managed to live out her final days in her family home, eluding Loui by less than a single day.
Chapter 7
1.
I didn’t want to stay in Melbourne. Not then, not ever again. I sent Darren a letter and asked him whether he’d mind keeping an eye on the old home for me. I slipped a few pounds into the envelope for him, then mailed it the very next morning.
From the post office, I headed straight to Flinders Street Station, purchasing a ticket to Sydney that very day. The train ride wasn’t one of my favorite journeys on record, opting for a seat instead of a sleeper. I wanted to try and conserve money as much as possible. I had plenty, but wanted it to last.
Sydney turned out to be just as boring as Melbourne, not holding much interest for me. And so, I decided to travel a little further, taking a chance and exploring more of the world.
2.
8 years, James. That’s how long I was gone for. That’s how many years I was able to keep Loui away from Cider Hill and the shitstorm he wanted to unleash on the town. I know what you’re wondering. Fuck me, I can read you like a book. Did I kill anyone? Did I hurt anyone during my travels?
In a word, yes. I did. More than once. But that story isn’t for this book, my friend. Those souls need telling, but not at this time. Right now, I need you to understand everything that happened with that disgusting town, the horrendous people that chose to isolate and torment a little kid and what that kid did to avenge himself.
3.
I returned to Cider Hill in the summer of 32. Were you already a cop by then? It had been a long time and although Darren had done a great job of looking after the place, it needed quite a bit of work to restore.
Rats had found their way inside and had built several nests around the place. A branch from one of the gums had crashed through into one of the upstairs bedrooms and there were also a few
