Helen Phifer - The Secrets Of The Shadows

‘Not good Sean, not good at all.’

The church steeple loomed in the distance and Will thought he would give anything to be anywhere other than there. But he would push his problems to the back of his mind and do his best for whoever it was that needed his help, they hadn’t asked for what had happened to them – unlike him.

June 27 th1984

Father John wanted to speak to Sophie without Beth present but it was impossible, Beth knew that something was going on but she didn’t want to admit it. He’d woken in the night after a terrible dream where he was playing tug of war. He was on one side and the shadow man on the other – Sophie had been the rope. When he had opened his eyes his hair was plastered to his head with sweat. The room smelled terrible, like rotting vegetables. He’d sat up and reached out to turn on the bedside lamp, smelled then jumped out of bed and turned the main light on because the lamp cast too many shadows. It had been years since he’d encountered that particular smell and he felt unsettled; the shadow man had been here – in his room. John knew that whatever it was wouldn’t be able to touch him in a house that belonged to God but it scared him that it still believed it could go wherever it wanted. The sooner Father Robert came back from Manchester the better because at this very moment in time John felt violated in God’s house. He knelt down at the side of his bed and began to recite a prayer that he hadn’t really used since he was a child. He paused, sure that he heard a deep voice repeating each word, and every hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He whipped his head around, looking for a shadow lurking in a corner, but he was alone. He finished his prayer then stood up. ‘I’m not afraid of you anymore. I don’t know why you are here but I think that it’s time you moved on, because if you don’t I will send you back to whatever hellhole it is you have come from and you will never see the light of day again.’

With that John left the bedroom and went straight downstairs and out of the front door to check on Beth and her children. Beth’s house was in darkness which was a good sign, they must all be sleeping. Unsettled, he went back to the presbytery and took the key for the church from the large pewter dish on the sideboard in the hall. He needed to be close to God, so he made his way over to the church, which was shrouded in darkness. The spotlights which illuminated it every evening had turned off. They ran on a timer so as to save money but he wasn’t scared, this place was his life and he believed in God and the power of good. This also meant that he believed in evil as well and somehow in the hours of darkness it was far easier to believe that evil was lurking in the shadows. As he strode across the damp grass he sensed someone walking behind him but he brushed it off as his imagination. It wasn’t until he reached the small cemetery where the grass ended and the gravel began that he heard definite footsteps behind him. He didn’t turn to look but continued in the direction of the church. When he reached the huge oak door he inserted the key in the lock and opened it. His heart was hammering inside his chest but he would not show his fear because he knew that it would be a sign of his weakness. Stepping inside he felt along the wall to the left of him for the light switch. When his fingers located it and pressed it down the relief which washed over him was overwhelming as the entrance was bathed in glorious light. He stood there leaning against the closed door until his breathing slowed and was back to normal; the door felt as if it was vibrating the tiniest bit. He had never noticed that before, but then he had never had cause to come in here in the middle of the night after a bad dream and being followed by a man who wasn’t from this world. The inner sanctum of the church was still in darkness and for the first time in his life as a priest he felt scared of that darkness and what could be waiting in there – Get a grip John; you are in the Lord’s house. There is no way that God is going to let such evil enter his house; this is a place of safety and love . He marched across to the glass door and threw it open, if that repugnant smell had entered his nostrils he would have screamed but it didn’t. The church smelled like it always did, a little bit damp with the lingering aroma of candlewax and the smell of the fresh flowers that the mother’s union brought in and arranged each week. This week it was lavender, roses and lilies and they smelled fabulous. He crossed himself; Thank you God, I’m glad you kept to your side of the bargain, I need all the help I can get. I’m still a beginner at all this stuff you know. Please don’t leave me to deal with it on my own because I don’t know whether I can . He turned on the lights and the shadows were banished, John felt his nerves begin to steady and his heart start slowing to a more regular pace. He busied himself lighting candles and arranging hymn books into neat piles. When he’d done this he walked to the altar and knelt down to pray harder than he’d ever prayed in his life.

Chapter 6

Annie loved Sunday morning shifts; usually there wasn’t too much happening. Sometimes there was the odd drunken prisoner to deal with from last night’s shenanigans on Cornwallis Street, which was famed for the number of drunken brawls at the weekend. It always amused her seeing their faces as they were released from custody to do the ‘walk of shame’ home. Nine times out of ten a look of bewilderment was etched across their faces as they had no recollection of what arseholes they’d been to get locked up in the first place. Kav her Sergeant, had looked at her when she had come into the parade room at the start of her shift and nodded. Annie guessed that he knew or had heard something; he seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to her. When Mike had attacked her, Kav had been the one to find her unconscious and he had dealt with it himself after she had confided the whole sordid story to him. He had stopped it from becoming public knowledge and she was eternally grateful to him. At the briefing he had put her double crewed in the van with Jake and it was over a greasy breakfast in the hospital canteen that she had blurted to him about finding Will with Laura yesterday morning. She hadn’t meant to but Jake had asked if they wanted to come round for supper tonight and she didn’t have the energy to make up a plausible excuse, besides he would hear it soon enough so it was better he heard it from her. His face had turned redder than the sea of tinned tomatoes that were swimming around on his plate; he’d dropped his knife and fork and clenched his huge fists so hard his knuckles were white.

‘Please tell me that this is some kind of joke because I will kill him. I warned him, if he didn’t keep his dick in his pants I would rip his head off.’

‘Calm down Jake, please. It’s okay, I sort of expected it to happen, in fact I’m surprised he lasted this long given his reputation.’

‘What planet are you on? It is not bloody okay. I don’t give a flying fuck, he promised me he wouldn’t mess you around. That’s it; I’m going to kill him.’

‘No you are not, keep out of it. This is between me and Will. I’ve moved out and gone back home now anyway. He left a voicemail yesterday trying to apologise and said he had to work the murder at the church that came in so I went and packed up most of my stuff after tea. He isn’t worth you getting in trouble and losing your job over and I can’t be bothered anymore, I’ve cried it out of my system and from now on I’m staying single. No more men. now promise me you won’t do anything stupid?’

‘I can’t Annie, you can’t expect me to let him do this to you and not say anything, it’s not right. He’s my friend but you’re like my sister and I wouldn’t let anyone treat my sister like that.’