Peter James - The House on Cold Hill

Her luck was in. Shortly after 10.30 a.m., as her third client of the morning — a sweet elderly widow in the process of buying a bungalow — was settling into the chair opposite her, her secretary buzzed her to say that Kingsley Parkin was suggesting meeting in LoveFit café, where it was quiet enough to talk.

Perfect, Caro told her. She knew where LoveFit was, although she’d not been there — it was just a five-minute walk away.

Caro arrived, full of apologies, at almost a quarter past one.

Kingsley Parkin, in bright red trousers, a cerise shirt with a collar so high it enveloped his ears, a white jacket and Cuban-heeled Chelsea boots, jumped to his feet from a brown leather sofa, close to the entrance. He was even shorter than she remembered.

‘Never worry about punctuality, love. As an Irish mate of mine says, when God made time he made plenty of the stuff.’

She grinned then rather awkwardly accepted his embrace and his kiss on both cheeks. She tried to keep relations with clients strictly formal, but this was a different circumstance. He reeked, as before, of tobacco.

‘Nice place,’ she said approvingly, looking at a wall of surfing pictures and another plain orange wall on which four stripy surfboards hung on display like a piece of modern art, with a palm tree in the middle. ‘Do you surf?’

‘Only the internet, love! Not much of a one for all that exercise stuff.’

‘I really appreciate you seeing me at such short notice,’ she said.

‘I’m glad you called. I’ve been really worried about you.’

‘You have?’

‘I’ve got us that far table,’ he said. And then added, lowering his voice, ‘I’ve asked them to make sure they don’t put no one next to us so we can’t be overheard — as I think I know what this is about!’

They sat down, tucked away in the far corner, and ordered. While they waited for their food Caro kept to business, updating him on the searches on the property he was considering bidding for. Then they made small talk for a few minutes.

Her chicken salad and coffee arrived. A protein shake, a glass of iced water and a large plate of pitta bread stuffed with falafel were placed in front of the old rocker.

When their bearded waiter had retreated, Parkin said, ‘I did try to warn you on Monday, love.’ He picked up the pitta with his hands but chunks of falafel tumbled out. So he put it back on the plate and attacked it instead with his knife and fork.

Caro stared down at her mountainous salad. She had no appetite. ‘I’ve not — I–I’ve never believed in the occult — paranormal — spirits. My mother always has, but she’s a little bit — sort of — eccentric.’

‘And now something’s happened to change your mind, hasn’t it, which is why you wanted to see me so urgently?’ As he chewed, a tiny sprig of salad bobbed between his gleaming teeth. Just like his jet-black hair, the whiteness of his teeth only served to accentuate the tired, aged skin of his face.

For an instant, Kingsley Parkin reminded her of one of the Mexican Day of the Dead skulls she’d seen on sale at Cancún airport, a few years ago when they’d holidayed there. Some of those skulls wore wigs and had great teeth, too.

She hesitated, as if still reluctant to open up to this man. Then she said, ‘We’ve only just moved into this house — less than two weeks ago. But there’s a lot of strange things been happening.’

He watched her face and nodded. ‘I know.’

‘How?’

‘Like I said — your aunt Marjie told me. You’ve smelled her perfume in your bedroom, haven’t you?’

Caro felt her face redden. ‘Yes — how...?’ Her voice tailed away.

‘And you found a silk scarf she’d given you, years ago, on your bed, didn’t you?’

She stared at him, wide-eyed.

‘She’s trying to let you know that she’s around and wants to help you.’ He closed his eyes. ‘She says you, your husband and your daughter are in terrible danger. Your aunt is really very agitated. She wants you to leave. All of you. She’s telling me you must leave the house. You must. Just as soon as you can.’

He closed his eyes and balled his knuckles against his forehead in concentration. After some moments he murmured, ‘What is it, dear? What is it? I can’t hear you very clearly, there’s a lot of interference, what is it, what is it?’

Caro stared at him. He nodded several times, then opened his eyes, looked warily at her and placed his bony hands on the table. ‘She says that if you don’t want to stay there for ever, now is your only chance to leave.’

‘We can’t just leave,’ Caro said, then shrugged. ‘We’ve sunk everything we have into that house. It’s — it’s our future.’

Closing his eyes again, he began to pound his ears with his knuckles. ‘There’s something in the house, someone, something, it’s very indistinct, there’s someone, she’s saying, someone who doesn’t like to let people leave.’

There was a sharp crack that made them both jump. Caro froze for an instant, in shock and confusion. Then she heard gurgling water.

Parkin leaped to his feet, yelping, looking highly agitated and flapping his napkin. Other diners were looking at them. The bearded waiter was hurrying over with a cloth in his hand.

The medium’s glass had shattered. Water, ice cubes and jagged shards of glass poured over the edge of the shiny wooden tabletop.

A couple of minutes later, with order restored, and a fresh glass of water placed in front of Parkin, which Caro eyed nervously, the medium continued.

‘See?’ he said, staring at her knowingly with gleaming eyes.

‘See what?’

‘Come on, Mrs Harcourt — Caro — may I call you Caro?’

‘Of course,’ she said flatly.

‘That was a sign from your aunt. She’s not happy with your attitude.’

‘Oh, come on, it was just a faulty glass. Probably got cracked in the dishwasher and the ice caused it to contract.’ She said it without conviction.

‘Is that how you want to explain away everything else that’s happened in the house? Do you want to be in denial?’

‘What else has happened that you know?’

He stared at her again, hard. ‘You’ve seen her, haven’t you?’

‘I’ve seen a woman standing behind me in my mirror, yes. Ollie — my husband — has seen her too.’

‘Can you describe her?’

‘She’s not that distinct — an old woman — in her seventies or eighties. Sort of like a translucent shadow.’

He shook his head. ‘That’s got to be the woman your aunt is telling me about. If you’ve seen her then you really do have to leave.’

Caro shivered. The events of the night, the presence of this woman in her mirror, and now this medium all went against the grain of what she believed — and what she wanted to believe. And yet he was right, she couldn’t be in denial. ‘I told you — on Monday — I just don’t believe in — I’ve never believed in, you know — inspirits. Not in the past. I always thought it was rubbish.’

‘And now?’

‘Now I’m not so sure. Something’s happening, isn’t it?’

‘There’s a really bad energy in your house.’

‘There must be ways of dealing with bad energy. Shit, you are really spooking me!’

He closed his eyes, and again pressed his knuckles to his forehead. ‘She’s showing me a bed. She’s showing me something very wrong with a bed. Does that mean anything to you?’

Caro stared back at him. ‘Yes, yes it does. Can you help us?’

‘I am trying to help you. I’m telling you that you have to leave this house.’

‘And I’m telling you that we’ve sunk every penny we have into it. Surely there has to be a way of making it OK? Aren’t there people who can deal with — whatever you want to call it — hauntings — ghosts — poltergeists? Aren’t there specialists who know how to clear a house of these things?’