Rach looked like she was about to explode. “You’re not seriously suggesting…”
I cut in before she started screaming the pub down. “I’m not suggesting anything, I’m just pointing out the timing.”
I sat back in my chair and looked up at the wooden ceiling beams above me - anything to avoid Rach’s glowering glare. An awkward silence followed but I couldn’t be bothered to try and fill it. When I looked back at everyone, Rach was staring at her drink, Max was playing on his phone and Will was trying to catch my eye. He started twitching his head - as if he had some sort of nervous tick - and I looked at him questioningly until he got fed up with trying to communicate in code.
“Over there! Norman just came in.”
Looking round to where (I now realised) he was gesturing to, I saw Norman sitting on his own at a table in the middle of the room, his wallet already out in front of him. I watched as he waved to my mum at the bar and she brought him over his pint of beer. She sat down to talk to him and his face lit up; my mum usually had that effect on lonely old men, especially Norman, who seemed to spend most of his none-cemetery time at the Inn.
He was quite healthy looking, I supposed, for someone in their eighties; if I didn’t know any better I’d put him at seventy years old at the most. He had bright white hair and crinkly skin that had obviously spent many years outside in the sun, but his eyes were bright and his smile was that of a much younger man. I had a fleeting feeling that he must have been quite good-looking in his youth and then quickly batted the disturbing thought away.
As I was sitting there studying his kind face, I began to feel bad about my gossiping. Rach was right; he was just a lonesome old guy who missed his wife desperately. Poor man.
I was about to turn my attention to Rach to tell her this when both Norman and my mum turned in their seats and looked straight at me.
The suddenness of the movement and the total synchronicity of the action sent an ice-cold jolt up my spine and I froze, returning their gaze. I found I couldn’t look away, and in those couple of seconds, the rest of the pub crumbled away from my vision, my eyes focused only on that table and the two familiar yet haunting figures staring in my direction.
My mum was the first to break eye contact and she turned back to Norman, who after a few more seconds, turned his gaze away from me as well. I realised I hadn’t been breathing and I took a deep breath to calm myself down. Norman and my mum were now back to talking to each other normally, looking, to any regular observer, like two locals catching up.
I glanced at Will and saw the confused look on his face, quite possibly a mirror image of my own. “What was that about?” He looked over at Norman’s table and then back at me.
Rach and Max were whispering to each other and apparently hadn’t noticed anything, but I’m glad Will had. “You saw that too? That was weird, right? It’s not just me?”
He shook his head, looking back at Norman and my mum, who were now leaning towards each other, their voices low. “They’re definitely acting bizarrely.”
I nodded my agreement, thinking out loud. “And they’re not the only ones; Veronica, my dad, Emma…”
Will sat forward on his chair, cradling his drink in his hands. “Connor.”
I put my juice down onto a Guinness coaster and smiled at Will. “Connor. It’s strange how all this started happening when he blew into town.”
I was having fun, for the first time in days, trying to come up with some kind of conspiracy surrounding Little Forest. I was imagining Connor somehow brainwashing the residents of the village, one by one, creating some kind of Irish-inspired cult. I laughed to myself, imagining everyone in the village slowly changing their wardrobe into the same emerald green colour.
I stopped laughing when I saw Rach’s face. She looked angry, and it was only a matter of time before she exploded. Max, as usual, just looked bored.
“Oh come on, Rach. I’m joking.”
Sure enough, a couple of seconds later Rach was on her feet and pulling Max up with her. “Will you stop it? I know you must be bored now you don’t have Veronica to hang out with, but going around accusing Connor of God-knows-what isn’t going to help! If you actually got to know him instead of condemning him straight away, you’d realise how nice he is. But I’m guessing that thought hadn’t occurred to you.”
She paused, taking a deep breath before continuing her verbal attack. “You’re such a hypocrite, Beth. You constantly moan about the people who do nothing but spread malicious gossip around the area, and yet you’re no better. In fact, you’re worse. At least normal people don’t usually go as far as linking people to dead bodies!” She took another deep breath before starting to walk towards the door.
Stunned by her extensive rant, it took me a couple of seconds to recover. “Wait, Rach! Aren’t you staying for the Quiz Night?”
She rolled her eyes. “No. Oh, and you owe me three-fifty for the drinks. You can give it me at work.”
And with that, her and Max were gone. I turned back to face Will and saw the shocked but amused look on his face. He mouthed ‘Wow’ at me and I had to keep back a laugh. “Is she usually like that? I don’t know how you work with her.”
“She’s usually way more normal than that.” I tried to push the image of Emma lying on the forest floor out of my head. “I guess I did step over the line. I’m sure Connor’s a great guy, and this is just really bad timing.” I sighed. “Emma deserves better than my stupid joking.” I slumped down in my seat, staring at the table. “Rach is right.”
Will didn’t miss a beat as he leaned forward and whispered, “I think you’re right.”
***
We sat in the cosy pub corner and had a couple more drinks while Will tried to convince me that - joking aside - it was a little odd that the first horrific death Little Forest had seen in years just so happened to occur as soon as Connor and his mum moved into the village. I’m glad Rach had left; if she’d still been around to hear Will’s wild conspiracy theories, she would have gone even more insane than before.
When Will got up to go to the toilet and I was left alone, I looked around the pub and was surprised to see that four people had joined Norman at his table. I didn’t recognise any of them; they must have been some more late tourists. They were all listening intently to Norman, and oddly, they looked quite scared. It took me a minute or so to tune into the conversation, but when I did, I realised why they looked afraid: Norman was telling his ghost stories again.
Well, I say Norman’s stories, but they were actually the village’s stories. You couldn’t grow up in Little Forest without hearing the many, many supernatural tales that had sprung up over the years, and with Norman being one of the eldest residents, I supposed it was quite possible that he was responsible for the majority of them.
He was currently telling the tale of the ‘black dog’ near Coley Farm, just outside the village. The story of the canine apparition was one of the first I remembered hearing at school; it wasn’t as horrible as some of the other village legends and therefore got told to kids at an early age, or at least it did when I was at Little Forest Primary. Compared to murders and shrieking noises in the night, what was a friendly ghost dog to worry about?
Of course, Norman embellished the story for these gullible tourists, turning it into a ravenous, homicidal beast with a penchant for blood. I had to give it to him: he was a good story-teller.
In fact, I was so enthralled in his tale that I didn’t notice Will come back and sit down again.
“What’s going on?”
I jumped slightly at his voice, then gestured at Norman’s entourage. “He’s pretty good.”
Will followed my gaze. “Good with tourists. Not so much with new residents, apparently.”
“Maybe Norman should try telling some of these stories to Connor. They seem to be a good bonding tool; that lot are hanging on his every word.”
Will smirked at me over his drink. “I can’t really imagine those two settling down for a c
osy story time hour in front of the fire, can you?”
I shook my head, still looking over at Norman, who’d evidently just finished the story and was laughing so much at the tourists’ faces that tears were streaming down his face. He was then distracted by my mum, who had just turned the TV above Norman’s table over to BBC One. It was muted but the subtitles were on.
“Thank you, Mrs Powers!” He turned to face his captive audience. “Sorry, folks. There will be a short interval in this evening’s story-telling entertainment.” He gestured to the TV where the football was just coming on. “I’d hazard a guess at around ninety or so minutes long.” He laughed again and waved them away as he settled in for the match.
He looked like the only one; all the other regulars were gathering for the quiz. I smiled at Daniel Fields, the resident quizmaster, as he appeared with his notebook and microphone.
I took another glance at Norman and shook my head. “I just can’t imagine them having anything to do with each other. I wish Rach had heard what they were fighting about.”
“Well, why don’t you ask him?”
Will looked serious enough, but I never knew with him. “Really? You want me to go over to that table and ask him outright why he’s been arguing with the newbie?”
He laughed, shaking his head. “No, not Norman. God no, he gives me the creeps. I was thinking more along the lines of asking Connor.”
“You want me to ask Connor? I don’t even know him; I can’t just walk into Cocktail and start demanding answers.”
“No, but you could flippantly mention it while already at some kind of social gathering with him.”
He’d lost me. “Social gathering? You want me to throw a party?”
“I was kind of thinking of the book club.”
I nearly choked on my drink. “I’ve managed to stay away from that book club for two years. I have no desire to get stuck in a room with Rach and Daniel Fields.”
“And Connor.”
I thought it over, staring at Norman. He hadn’t looked at me since his and my mum’s weird synchronised staring.
“I’m just saying, if you want answers…”
I looked over at Daniel, who now had a pint in one hand and the microphone in the other, waiting for the exact moment the clock struck eight so he could start.
I nodded, hoping I wasn’t going to regret this decision. “Start reading.”
***
The next night, I phoned Rach apologising for the pub and asking if I could go to her book club. She obviously didn’t guess my ulterior motive because she sounded genuinely pleased when I asked; she’d been trying to get me to go along for months. I loved reading, but the idea of reading to deadlines and forced-fun meetings had never really appealed.
But now there was Connor.
The only slight flaw in my plan was that I hadn’t read this week’s book, ‘The Secret of the Abbey’, which Rach had been adamant about. I really didn’t want to wait until next week to question Connor, and I knew she wouldn’t let me come otherwise, so I lied. I told her I’d read it about a year ago but didn’t have my copy anymore, and she said that was fine.
As soon as I hung up, I logged onto my computer and went online to read the blurb, or reviews, or anything I could learn about the book before I had to leave. But, of course, when I most needed it, the internet connection decided to go down. I reset the router in the hallway then waited at my laptop until it started working. It didn’t.
I swore at my computer and was about to phone Veronica to ask if I could use hers when I suddenly remembered we weren’t talking. My stomach did a little flip and I flopped down on the bed in despair. So many of my actions were automatically linked with V and our friendship that it was proving hard to stop being friends with her. I picked up my phone again before I could get too upset, and phoned Will’s mobile. It was ringing out, and I was about to hang up when he finally answered. “Yep?”
I paused. “Will?”
“Oh, hey Powers.”
I could barely hear him. “Where are you?”
There was a brief pause, as if he couldn’t hear me very well either. “I’m in the woods, reception’s a bit dodgy.”
The mind boggled. “In the woods? It’s almost dark… what are you doing?”
I could just about make out his words as the phone line crackled and whirred. “I come here and listen to music sometimes when I need to escape the parents. I’m pretty near the castle actually; I just saw your dad but he ignored me.”
I pictured Will sitting in the woods, surrounded by nature, listening to music. It was such a bizarre image that I had trouble even imagining him doing it. I guessed I knew even less about Will than I thought. “I don’t think he knows who you are; he probably thinks you’re one of the annoying kids who keep spraying graffiti on the walls.”
“Yeah, those morons. Can you tell him I’m not?”
“What?”
“Not a graffiti-spraying idiot.”
I was getting exasperated. “Sure. Look, I just called to see if you knew anything about the book ‘The Secret of the Abbey’? I’ve got about five minutes to learn it.”
I was hoping Will would be at home and near a computer, but now that I knew he was in the forest of all places, I wasn’t expecting much help.
“Yeah, we sell it at the store. I haven’t read it, though. I think it’s about…” he trailed off, and I thought the phone had packed in.
“Hello?”
“Erm… nuns and stuff.”
I smiled to myself despite being on the verge of throwing my phone against the wall. “Great, thanks for that. I’ll let you know how it goes.”
I hung up, grabbed my coat and bag, and headed out the room. Neither of my parents were back yet so I didn’t have to explain my sudden interest in Rach’s club, not that I would have anyway. We still weren’t really talking, and the fact that they hadn’t questioned me about it pissed me off even more.
I stepped out into the cold and started walking towards Rach’s house, trying to use the internet on my phone on the way. It was being ridiculously slow, as usual, and I’d only just managed to type the name of the book into a search engine when I realised I was there.
Rach had obviously been keeping a lookout for me; the door opened before I was even on the garden path. I put my phone in my pocket quickly and cursed myself for not being more prepared. Walking up to Rach’s smiling face and outstretched arms (she was obviously in ‘hostess’ mode), I hugged her before going inside. She took my coat off me and ushered me into the lavish living room, where Connor and Daniel were waiting.
Rach still lived with her parents, too, but her house was nothing like mine; it was one of the fanciest residences in Little Forest. I didn’t have to ask where her parents were (I knew they had a second lounge where they hung out in the evenings), but I’d never actually been inside either of the reception rooms until now.
This room was much larger than my lounge, and the décor was more old-fashioned and ornate than I ever would have thought possible. The words ‘classy’ and ‘elegant’ popped into my head; it was what I usually thought when I saw Rach, and her house was exactly the same. I walked in, feeling quite self-conscious, and greeted Connor and Daniel.
“Evenin’, Beth.” Connor’s sweet Irish accent washed over me and I almost forgot to reply. When I remembered, I mumbled an embarrassed, “Hi, Connor” before saying “Hello” to Daniel.
I’d never hung out with Daniel before (what with him being about 40), but we knew each other due to the proximity of my house to the school, and it had to be said, he was probably Little Forest’s premier middle-aged bachelor. His big brown eyes and floppy brown locks were often the talk of frustrated housewives all over Little Forest and the surrounding villages, and I had absolutely no idea why he was still single.
I walked over to the big, empty sofa (Daniel and Connor were sitting on rather stiff-looking wooden chairs on the other side of the room) and sat down in the middle of the seat.
/> And I just kept going. The sofa was the softest I’d ever sat on, and I continued to sink down into the middle of it until my legs were sticking out in a comical fashion. I sat there for a minute, feeling Connor and Daniel’s eyes on me while I pretended to brush something off my jeans, then decided I couldn’t possibly sit there in that position any longer.
Rach was out of the room and we were sitting in complete silence. I wondered if Connor and Daniel hadn’t spoken much to each other last week, or if it was my presence that caused them to be so quiet.
In any event, I had to move, and I tried to sit up in order to escape the clutches of the sofa, but without much luck. I tried harder on my second attempt, and almost fell onto the floor in my effort.
I could feel my face glowing red as I finally stood up, crossed the room, and went to sit next to Connor on one of the safer-looking stiff chairs.
We sat there in silence for almost ten seconds before Connor and Daniel, almost at the same time, burst into uncontrollable laughter.
That was the first time that night that I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole.
I was still ignoring Daniel and Connor when Rach came back with a tray, on which was stylishly placed a teapot, cups and saucers, a jug of milk, and a carefully arranged plate of chocolate biscuits. Despite my embarrassment, I was equally impressed and disturbed, and I had to remind myself (not for the first time) that Rach was three years younger than me.
She placed the tray on the coffee table in the middle of the room and looked at Connor quizzically.
“What’s so funny?”
At this question, Daniel started laughing so much he almost choked. Connor was also still chuckling as he answered, “Your chair claimed another victim.” He turned to face me. “Don’t worry, it’s grand. Got me on my first go, too.” As he said this, he smiled and winked at me before going to help Rach pour the tea. Damn that wink. My heart did a little jump and I had to remind myself why I was there.
I laughed as well and mumbled, “Glad it’s not just me,” but it was too low for anyone to hear properly. They pretty much ignored me anyway and carried on pouring the tea and offering the biscuits around.
Connor handed my cup and saucer to me with another heart melting smile and then offered me a biscuit. I declined, figuring I’d only just get chocolate everywhere and embarrass myself further. Rach finished hovering around and sat in the chair next to Daniel.