Escape From the Country Page 7

“Chris? Is that you?” Julie called from the kitchen.

  “Yeah, only me. You ok?” He called back exhaling in as controlled a manor as possible.

  “Yeah, fine thanks. Just thought I’d carry on putting all these things away in the kitchen. Thanks for getting the smoothie maker down for me. I’ve been dying to use it for days now.” As much as he wanted to take credit for helping his wife, he didn’t remember unpacking anything as a wave of guilt went over him.

  “I didn’t think I did, did I?”

  “Well I wasn’t going to get it down, it’s too tall for me. You must have done it and forgotten, although I wondered why you didn’t just get the rest of the stuff out of the box whilst you were there?”

  Chris shrugged it off. He had more important things to think about, namely who Margaret Winshaw was and what she had to do with this house.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Although he assumed he’d have much better luck with the internet over some old books in a library, Chris soon realised he was coming up short with what he wanted to know. He’d found the odd piece on the local area, mainly to do with when the village was founded and that it had always been a small market town to trade from the local farms, all of which he already knew. He opened the photo on his phone again and started to look for other people in it. He keyed in the various names with no luck until that of a young boy, aged 12, Fred Fisher. The only hit he got was that there was a Frederick Fisher living in a postcode attached to the local area. It meant he had to sign up to the website and pay a small fee to view the full address, but he knew it was worth it.

  Driving to the address he found, Chris wasn’t sure how he was going to even begin the conversation with this Mr Fisher. If he was twelve in 1952 that’d make him well into his seventies by now. He appreciated how creepy it was turning up to someone’s door and asking about a photo they were in over sixty years ago, but he was on a roll and the momentum was carrying him along. He couldn’t let a silly thing like social etiquette get in his way.

  As he pulled up outside the modest cottage at the edge of the village, he gave a sigh, wondering how he would start the conversation or even introduce himself. At least he had a better excuse to be out of the house now. He told Julie he needed to get the car serviced at the BMW dealership back in town. He didn’t like lying to her, but he didn’t like worrying her more so.

  The cottage was a typical country dwelling, probably worth a lot more now than it was when the owner first purchased it. Chris was all too familiar with these little fixer uppers that were selling for a small fortune nowadays. City folk were itching to get a slice of the country life whilst dialling in from home on their high-speed internet connections on big salaries with the odd commute into the office. Assuming Mr Fisher was still the owner, he clearly had no intention of selling up given the well lived in vibe the outside of the house gave. Several pots littered the front garden, most overgrown with weeds and grass, with the odd flower desperately trying to show itself to the world. The door looked like it had been replaced not too long ago, but the wooden build, in desperate need of a good varnish betrayed the lack of security, knowing one good kick and it would give way. Chris raised the tarnished door knocker and rapped it twice. He backed away, hoping to give a less imposing impression to whoever answered. He could feel his heart start to pound, he was sure this would lead him to the answers he was looking for, or at least what questions he should be asking. The sound of the latch got his heart racing. The door opened to reveal a man in his late seventies, he thought this surely must be the guy he needed to see.

  “Hello?” the man stood in the doorway holding the door half open in a cautious manner.

  “Hi, I’m looking for a Fred Fisher?” Chris asked in the humblest voice he could manage.

  “That’s me.” The man replied curtly.

  “Erm, I’m sorry to bother you sir but”

  “Don’t call me sir lad, get to the point. What do you want?” His abruptness pulled Chris up short and caused him to lose his train of thought.

  “Er, sorry, I didn’t mean to, you see.”

  “Spit it out lad, come on, I’m not getting any younger!”

  “Sorry, I’ve just moved to the area and found a photo that was taken back in the fifties. It has something to do with the house I just bought. You’re in it you see and I was hoping you wouldn’t mind telling me if you knew some of the other people?”

  It was all out there now, leaving Chris hanging by a thread. It wasn’t the way he’d imagined the conversation would go, but he couldn’t help but respect the man’s matter of fact way he had about him.

  “A photo, you got it there?” he asked.

  “Yes.” Chris fumbled to get his phone out to show the man, now wishing he’d printed it off given the awkwardness of loading it up and zooming on the small screen. The man grumbled and squinted at the phone.

  “You’d better come in, I’ll need to get me glasses to see whatever you’ve got there.”

  “Thank you, Mr Fisher.” Chris said as he followed him into the cottage.

  “Call me Fred boy. Now, where’s me glasses? Ah, there they are. Give us a look then at that photo you got there again.”

  Fred looked down his nose and through his glasses at the picture, mumbling the words written at the bottom.

  “1952, local trade market, Fred fisher, eh, I see. You ain’t moved in down that new bit they’ve built over the other side of the river ‘ave ya? Big white ‘ouse maybe?”

  “That’s the one.” Chris said, elated things were starting to come together.

  “Eh, and these two ‘ere are the ones you want to know about I expect?” Fred asked in a condemning sort of way.

  “Yeah, I was hoping you might know a bit about them?” Chris shrunk back from Fred’s reaction. He’d hoped Fred would know the Winshaws but was hoping for a better reaction than the one he got.

  “Yeah, I know enough lad.” He sighed. “Been seeing things I bet. Wondering if ya going mad maybe? You’d be better off outta that place and find yourself a nice ‘ouse back in town or somethin’.” He turned and reached for an armchair to sit down in.

  “I don’t understand, what’s my house got to do with them? Were they the original owners?”

  Fred sighed again, taking his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose.

  “Yeah, they lived there, but I don’t think its best you keep digging around after them two, it’s done no one else any good. Don’t know why they didn’t pull that bloody place down years ago. Probably some stupid preservation law or somethin’ I expect. Bloody council don’t know their arsehole from their elbow.”

  “How do you mean, it’s done no one else any good?” Chris asked anxiously.

  “I’ll be honest lad, this ain’t somethin’ I wanna get into. Bad stuff happened in that ‘ouse ever since I were a boy. Ever since Winshaw did what he did, that whole place ‘as been bad news. You need to be careful, else you might end up like them hippies few years back.”

  “Hippies?” Chris wondered if that might have anything to do with the tattooed woman Julie saw.

  “Yeah, some bunch of drug addicts a few years back decided to take it over and use it as some drug house or somethin’. Old bill finally stepped in one day when one was running down the road all drugged up screaming top of her lungs. Once the coppers traced her back, all they found was a bloody mess, literally.”

  “So what’s that got to do with the Winshaws?” Chris pressed.

  “Lad, this is a nice little village where nothing ever happens and I like it that way. I’ve learned over the years to keep my nose out of mischief and mischief leaves me alone. Them two were trouble back then, and they clearly ain’t changed. Sorry lad, I’m going to have to say goodbye now. It might not look like it, but I’ve got things to do.” He stood from the worn-out armchair and walked towards the door. Chris thanked him for his time and tried to ask him if he knew the name of the so-called hippies, but the door shut in his face before he could get a word ou
t.

  Chapter Eighteen

  As he drove back to the house, he thought about the way Fred had referred to the Winshaws. The fact he spoke of them as if they were still around was quite unsettling given what he’d experienced recently, only to be assumed by Fred without even mentioning it. He’d gone from a high, with answers just falling at his feet, to a low now imagining what more might be in store for him.

  “Car alright?” Julie asked as he walked through the front door. A slight hesitation and Chris convinced her it was a routine service with perfect results as you’d expect from a new car. Confident he’d kept his little adventure under wraps, he turned the computer on and started to work through his emails in his study.

  A few hours later there was a knock at the door. Chris turned in his chair, surprised he hadn’t noticed anyone pull up especially considering there was a police car sat in his front drive. He opened the door and a young policeman stood there asking for Chris by name.

  “Mr Chris Hanley?”

  “Yes, that’s me, can I help?” Instantly worried that he’d been reported for strange activity in the area by anyone from the electrician to his visit to Fred Fisher, he tried to be as accommodating as possible to avoid any further embarrassment.

  “Do you mind if I come in?” The officer asked. Chris moved out of his way and led him through to the living room, offering him a drink and would have gone on to offer him a three-course meal had Julie not stepped in.

  “Hello?” She said as the policeman entered the room.

  “Mrs Hanley?” He asked hoping he’d not made an awkward assumption.

  “Yes, that’s me, Julie.”

  “Please to meet you, I’m PC Chambers. I’ve just come round to see your husband actually.”

  “Chris? What’s he done?” She asked, a smile breaking across her lips, knowing he couldn’t have done anything wrong. She knew her husband was too squeaky clean to fall the wrong side of the law.

  “Mr Hanley, are you happy for me to continue with your wife present?”

  “Depends what we’re talking about I suppose?” Chris replied with a half-hearted laugh, trying to play this off as a trivial matter.

  “It’s concerning a call to the emergency services a few weeks ago.”

  “Oh, what the electric man?” Julie said. “I didn’t think you called an ambulance for him, he said he only lived around the corner?” PC Chambers looked quizzically at Julie and then back to Chris, not giving anything away.

  “No, I’m afraid it’s regarding a different call.” He looked at Chris, seeking approval to continue with Julie present. Chris began to sweat, but knew there was no point trying to exclude his wife. Any attempt would just make the situation even worse.

  “No, he’s talking about when we first got here and I thought I saw something, just a misunderstanding.”

  “That’s the one sir, just need to catch up on things to get the paperwork straight. Apologies it’s taken so long to get round, we’re a bit stretched at the moment.” Chambers said as he sat down on the two-seater sofa on the far side of the room.

  “Chris, why don’t you get us all a drink?” Julie asked. His face twisted ever so slightly, but enough for her to pick up his distrustful look.

  “Would you mind getting them, I think we need to get straight to it if that’s ok?” Julie nodded and left the room sharply, clearly dejected by Chris’ request. She knew he had every right to be that way, but she felt he was taking it to an extreme and wondered if she’d ever be alone with another man again without his consent.

  “So, I understand you called an ambulance on the afternoon of 14th July at around three in the afternoon?”

  “That’s correct.”

  “And you reported a man hanging from a tree in a nearby field, I assume the one on the other side of this road?” He asked, pointing through the rear doors and across the garden.

  “That’s right.”

  “The ambulance arrived quite soon after you made the call and their report said you led them across the field to the tree where you believed to have found this man’s body?” Julie ran back in the room as she began to hear talk of hanging bodies.

  “You found what?” She exclaimed.

  “It’s nothing, honestly, that’s the whole point, there wasn’t anything there, it’s all fine.” Chris said, trying to calm her down.

  “It’s sure as shit not fine Chris! Sorry, I didn’t mean to.” She said bringing her tone down for the sake of the police officer.

  “It’s quite alright, I’ve heard a lot worse.”

  “When were you going to tell me this?” Standing in the middle of the room, she looked at Chris in disbelief at how much he’d changed and wondered what else he’d kept a secret. The irony of course wasn’t lost on her.

  “I am sorry, I really am but can we please do this later?” He pleaded with her, wishing the ground would swallow him up. Chambers didn’t seem to be deterred from his job, he’d most likely seen worse domestics than this. Julie nodded and sat down next to Chris, trying to put on a united front, made more difficult now after her little outburst.

  “Sorry, please carry on.” Chris said to the policeman.

  “No problem. So, you led them to the tree but you found nothing. Is that correct?” His tone was very matter of fact as he quizzed Chris in his impartial and non-judgemental way.

  “Yes, I’m not sure what came over me, I must have just imagined it.” Thoughts conflicted in his mind. He wanted to tell them both everything, from his experience in the shed to his theories on the accidents that had happened around the house. At the same time, he felt the intimidation of the law and didn’t want anything to disrupt his new life or to get in the way of his own investigation.

  “So, how come you were by this tree in the first place?” Chambers asked. Chris thought for a moment and decided the truth would probably lead to more awkward questions, but a bit of truth might make his story more plausible.

  “I was just out the front, getting something from the car when I saw a man over by the style on the fence. I was just trying to say hello but he turned and ran across the field. I wasn’t feeling great at the time so wasn’t really thinking straight. I panicked and thought the guy might have got the wrong idea. Now, thinking about it, running after him to explain I’d just moved in, probably wasn’t the best plan. I lost sight of him and thought he ran behind that big tree on the other side of the field. When I got there, I thought I saw him hanging from it. Thinking back now, I reckon he might have just been sitting on the branch or something like that. It startled me to run into him the way that I did, so I think I must have just got a bit freaked out and confused. He didn’t say anything to me and with the sun beating down as bad as it was, I think my imagination went into overdrive. Before I knew it, I was back in the road calling 999. Like I said to the paramedics, I’m sorry I wasted everyone’s time, I really didn’t mean it. I think it’s just a combination of the stress of moving and dehydration.” He held his breath, hoping his story would stick and the stone-faced policeman would buy it.

  Chambers continued to make his notes. The sound of his ballpoint pen against the notepad was the only thing breaking the awkward silence.

  “Ok, I don’t think there’s anything else to go over. Obviously, you know how important it is to keep our emergency services available for actual emergencies, but I appreciate your candour and don’t believe you were time wasting, as you genuinely thought there was someone in need of assistance. Although, I do suggest you make an appointment with a doctor just to be sure it was simply a bit too much sun or at the very least, try to take a bit of time and get some rest. I expect you’re both in need of that after moving. It’s not the easiest time, is it?” It was hard for him not to come across with a patronising tone, but Chris would take that on the chin if it meant the officer would leave and he could get on with calming Julie down.

  “Probably a good idea.” He said in a way to bring the conversation to a close.

  “Ok, well th
ank you for your time. A report will be available should you wish to follow any of this up, but I expect you won’t want to. I don’t suppose you’d mind if I used your bathroom quickly before I left?”

  “Of course, it’s at the top of the stairs on the right.” Chris said as the policeman nodded and left the room.

  “Right, what the hell’s going on?” Julie said in an overly loud whisper.

  “Alright, alright, just keep your voice down.” Chris replied in an equally unsubtle way. “I’ll tell you all about it in a bit. I just didn’t tell you before cos I felt like a total idiot and it was embarrassing. Plus, I didn’t want to freak you out. You know you get scared of weird stuff like that, I didn’t need to add any more stress to our situation at the moment.”

  Julie looked at him sceptically. She could tell he was being sincere, but knew he was keeping something back. She opened her mouth to say something but heard the door open upstairs.

  “He’s coming back,” Chris said “please, just leave it for a minute, ok?” he asked, but it came out like an order. Julie had liked him taking charge since they’d moved in and being more assertive, but wasn’t so keen if that meant being kept in the dark.

  “Looks like you’ve got a visitor so I’ll be off.” The PC said as he came downstairs.

  “A visitor, who could that be?” Julie thought out loud.

  “I just saw a man walking across your drive there. Anyway, thank you for your time and I do hope you continue to settle into your lovely new home.” He opened the door and went to leave before stopping and looking around. “That’s strange, I’m sure there was someone out here. You don’t have a gardener, do you?” He asked the couple. They shook their heads, both getting a sinking feeling. “Strange? Would you like me to take a look around?” He asked, his interest pricked.

  “That’s ok. What did he look like out of interest?” Chris asked

  “Er, whitish shirt with green trousers I think? Didn’t get a good look to be fair.”