2.0 - What Lies Below Page 9

  Before long they were back at Lake House, and she quickly jumped out of the car. The dress was where she’d left it.

  Seth picked it up and studied it. ‘Well I’m no expert, but it’s wet and looks like a wedding dress. You’re right.’

  ‘Do you think whoever was wearing it tried to drown herself then changed her mind?’

  Shaking his head, he surveyed the grounds around him, down to the water’s edge. ‘No, what I think is someone has tried to play a prank to scare you.’

  Puzzled, Maddy looked at him. ‘What do you mean? I don’t understand. How would a wet wedding dress scare me?’

  ‘It sent you running for help, didn’t it? This is a small village with its own share of idiots. Trust me, it’s someone idea of a joke.’

  ‘Can we just have a quick search to double check? I’ll never forgive myself if someone needed help and I ignored them.’

  Seth dropped the dress and began to stride in the direction of the lake, scanning the grounds from left to right as he went. Maddy followed, struggling to keep up with him.

  ‘You check the shoreline, I’ll check the grounds,’ he said, and walked off in the opposite direction.

  Maddy wondered if she’d annoyed him. There wasn’t much she could do if she had, but she needed to know there wasn’t a body out here. Walking the full length, she got to the jetty and noticed a small pile of stones scattered along it. They hadn’t been there when she’d left last night, because she’d had no shoes on and she’d have stood on them. Something was going on. Who had been here, and why? She didn’t know the answer, but she was determined to find out.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  C onnor filled the hire car with diesel. He had a Waitrose carrier bag filled with an assortment of chocolate bars, cans of cola, and a cheap mobile phone. This was going to be fun; he’d never been to the Lake District before. He’d never heard of Keswick either, but that wouldn’t stop him.

  There was a good chance the police were looking for him, so he’d left his own car at home. They had those cameras on the motorways that would ping when a wanted person drove through them, so he didn’t want to risk getting arrested before he’d had the chance to pay Maddy a visit.

  He shouldn’t have hurt Stella so bad. He knew that now, but it was too late. She’d got him angry, though, and he’d only been able to keep up the nice guy pretence for so long before he’d flipped. And she should have known better. If she was such a good friend to Maddy, she wouldn’t have been so eager to jump into bed with him.

  The Ford Focus wasn’t flashy, so it wouldn’t stand out too much. He’d googled Lake House and been surprised to see the run-down, boarded-up mansion where Maddy had apparently run away to. He would never in a million years have pegged her as the kind of live-on-your-own-in-a-scary-house kind of girl. It just showed him how wrong he had been about her from the start, which made him even angrier – with himself and her.

  In fact, he was furious with her for being so independent and self-sufficient. The one thing about this entire mess that made him smile was the fact that she’d chosen to live in a house that might as well be on another planet. No one was going to hear her scream for miles; when he got started on her, he could take his time. Make it last as long as he wanted.

  He grinned. This was going to be such an exciting little adventure. Her success would be very short-lived…but his? Well, if he got caught, he’d be forever remembered for what he’d done to her, and he could live with that. Any form of recognition was better than living a life of anonymity.

  He’d programmed Keswick into his satnav because he wanted to take his time; there was no rush. He might even book himself into a nice hotel he’d found on the Internet, called Armathwaite Hall. It had a spa, so he could book himself a massage and go for a swim, as if he was on a short holiday.

  He had all the time in the world to find Maddy. Just as she thought she had all the time in the world to write that stupid, damn book. He was pretty sure that even she couldn’t come up with the ending he had in store for her. She thought she was clever hiding in an abandoned house, but he would show her how clever she was.

  Briefly, he wondered if the police would tell her about Stella. He’d deliberately smashed Stella’s phone to pieces so she couldn’t phone for help after he’d left and got out of London. She wouldn’t be able to contact Maddy for a while either, so he should have at least a couple of days before she even knew he could be coming for her.

  He’d never thought of himself as a killer before. But after the way he’d laid into Stella last night and the black thoughts he was having about Madeleine Hart, he realised that there was a very strong possibility it could end up that way. There was every likelihood that Maddy would end up dead. He could throw her body in the lake and drive back to where he came from without a second thought, then be out of the country before anyone even realised she was missing.

  As he pulled onto the motorway, a broad smile spread across his lips. The last twenty-four hours had turned into a very interesting, not to mention immensely satisfying, period in his life.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  J oe walked into the hospital, flanked by the copper who had told him his name was Mark, he was forty-one years old, and married with two kids. They’d gone from arch enemies to friends in the space of one crazy, messed-up hour.

  At the A&E waiting room, Joe sat down on one of the hard, plastic chairs while his new friend went to find out where Stella was. He heard the murmurs around the waiting room, no doubt wondering who he was or what he’d done to get preferential treatment. After a few minutes, Mark waved at him from a set of double doors, along with a nurse in a pair of blue scrubs. As he made his way towards them, Joe ignored the stares of the curious spectators and kept his eyes to the ground, slipping through the narrow gap in the doors before they clicked shut behind him.

  He tried not to look at the assortment of walking wounded surrounding him. He always had a bit of a phobia about blood but thank God the shock of seeing Stella injured had propelled him into action instead of fainting, for a change. That would have looked really impressive if he’d have passed out on the floor in front of her.

  His empty stomach was churning, and he didn’t know if he felt sick, hungry, or a combination of both. This was not how he’d envisaged his morning going.

  Mark led him to a cubicle where Stella was in the process of being patched together by a nurse. She attempted a painful smile, and he felt his heart miss a beat. Even with her bruised and bloodied face, he still found her attractive. He wanted to scoop her into his arms and hold her tight, to tell her he’d look after her and find the bastard who’d hurt her. But that was ridiculous. He barely knew her, and he doubted she would be looking for a relationship after what had just happened to her. He was more than happy to be a friend to her until she decided the time was right. He ignored the voice that whispered, and what if the time is never right?

  The female officer stood up, passing Stella what looked like a huge mobile phone, and asked her to sign her name with a stylus.

  ‘Right, that’s everything we need for now,’ she explained. ‘I’ve asked for a wanted marker to go on the police national database for Connor Wood and we’re off to make some arrest enquiries now, Stella. If you need anything, you can contact me on the number I’ve given to you. CID will probably want to interview you about the assault, given the seriousness of it.’ She smiled kindly. ‘However, they’ll leave you alone for now. I’ve got your first account, so don’t worry too much.’

  Stella attempted another smile, which turned into a grimace. ‘Thanks.’

  As both officers made to leave, Mark turned to Joe and stuck his thumb up at him. ‘Good luck, mate.’ Then they were gone, and Joe wondered what the hell to say to the battered and bruised woman on the bed in front of him.

  It was Stella who spoke first. ‘Thank you. I didn’t know what to do.’

  He shrugged. ‘You’re welcome. If I’m honest with you, neither did I. I wimped ou
t and panicked.’

  She gave a throaty laugh. ‘No, you didn’t. I knew he was a wrong one. He treated Maddy like shit and I let him reel me in like a giant fish. I proper fell for his charm.’ She sighed. ‘I’m such a pushover.’

  He watched her blink back the river of tears that were threatening to fall and reached out to take hold of her hand.

  ‘First of all, you’re not a pushover. He took advantage of you then hurt you. He’s a prick, and when I get hold of him—’ Joe stopped himself. The anger he felt towards that wanker was bubbling away inside his chest, but now was not the time. He didn’t want to scare her.

  ‘I wanted to shout after you yesterday and tell you I’d love to go for a drink with you,’ she told him. ‘I wish to God I had. I wouldn’t be lying here now looking like an extra off a Rocky film.’ She hesitated briefly. ‘Is it really bad?’

  He grimaced. ‘It’s quite bad, but you still look beautiful to me.’

  This time, the tears did fall, and he squeezed her hand gently. Grabbing some tissues from the box on the trolley, he passed them to her.

  ‘Sorry.’

  ‘For what? If I was lying there, I’d be crying as well.’

  ‘No one’s ever called me beautiful before and meant it…well, apart from my mum, and she has to. It’s written in the parenting rule books to call your kids beautiful, even when they’re the ugliest little things you’ve ever set eyes on.’

  Joe laughed so loud it echoed around the cubicles, and Stella and the nurse joined in.

  When he finally got control of his laughter, he looked her in the eye. ‘So, do you fancy coming to my place when we get out of here? It’s not much, but it’s clean – a bit messy. I can cook you a mean burger with all the trimmings, and he has no idea where I live.’

  Stella nodded. ‘I’d love to. I might not be very good company, though.’

  ‘That’s okay. You can lie on the sofa. I have a book of poems you can read if you like, while I’m making your dinner.’

  ‘Oh God, I’d forgotten all about Zara’s dreadful poetry. I’ll pass on that, but I’m up for lying around on the sofa while you cook for me.’

  He smiled. ‘It’s a date then. How long do you think you’ll have to be in here?’

  The nurse looked up. ‘The doctor said if your CT scan is clear, you can go home. But only if you feel up to it.’

  ‘I’ll feel up to it all right. I don’t want to be in hospital too long,’ Stella told her. ‘I have a dinner date with a very nice man.’

  The nurse stood up. ‘Leave it with me, I’ll see what I can do.’

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  M addy sat on the top step of the house, waiting for Seth to come back. When he came into view, his cheeks were red, and he was out of breath.

  ‘I’ve checked as far as I can, along the perimeter of the back of the house, the grounds, and the part of the fell that I can get to. I swear there’s no body or a woman with hypothermia anywhere.’

  She let out a huge sigh. ‘Thank you so much. I didn’t want to phone the police and look like an idiot, but I couldn’t not do anything. I hope you’re not too mad with me for dragging you out here.’

  He smiled. ‘I’m not. You’re new to the village, and what were you supposed to think? It must have been a bit of a shock. But I promise you, it’s someone’s idea of a joke, nothing more.’

  ‘Would you like a cool drink?’

  ‘I thought you’d never ask. Yes please.’

  Standing up, she led the way inside, leaving the offending dress on the steps. For some reason, she didn’t want it in the house. She wasn’t superstitious or anything – she didn’t believe in bad luck per se – but on this occasion she decided to go with her instinct and leave it out there. In fact, she would bag it up and ask Seth to drop it into the bin at the rear of the pub. She had no use for an old wedding dress, and at least whoever it was that had thought it was funny to leave it there wouldn’t be able to do the same to anyone else.

  Their footsteps echoed around the hall. It was still dark inside and chilly.

  ‘It’s certainly gloomy in here when the sun doesn’t shine,’ he commented. ‘Does it really not bother you?’

  Maddy shook her head. ‘I don’t mind. I mean, I prefer it when it’s lighter. But I’m not scared, if that’s what you’re asking.’ She felt bad. She’d dragged him out here on a wild goose chase and now she was being downright rude towards him, when all he’d done was ask her a question.

  ‘How’s the writing going? Have you managed to get much done?’

  For some reason, his question grated on her more than the previous one. She found herself feeling defensive and about to bite his head off for the second time. She took a deep breath before answering.

  ‘It’s okay. I did a lot more than I expected to last night. Whether it’s any good or not is a different matter. I had the help of an ice-cold bottle of Chardonnay for inspiration.’

  He began to laugh. ‘I’m sure it’s wonderful. I’ve ordered a copy of your book from the village bookshop. I know she orders her stuff from Amazon because it’s cheaper, then sticks a couple of quid on it. But you know, you have to shop local and support the local businesses in a small place like this.’

  Maddy felt the sudden onslaught of anger subside at his confession. ‘Thank you, that’s really kind of you. I hope you’ll like it.’

  ‘I’m pretty sure I will, although I’m not too sure how long it will take me to read it,’ he admitted. ‘I’m not the book buying or reading type.’

  ‘Well, it’s never too late to start. You might enjoy it and find yourself desperate to read another.’

  ‘I might. But there’s only one small problem with that.’

  She frowned. ‘What?’

  ‘How long will I have to wait to read the next one?’

  Maddy’s laughter filled the entrance hall and made her feel a whole lot better about the situation. ‘Now that’s anyone’s guess. Hopefully, not that long. What would you like to drink?’

  She pushed open the kitchen door and gasped to see the floor covered in coloured shapes; confetti was sprinkled everywhere.

  ‘How the hell did that get in here?’

  Seth pushed past her and stood with his hands on his hips staring down at the floor.

  ‘Right, that’s it. Whoever did this has gone too far. It’s not a joke when they’ve come into your house and done something like this right under your nose.’

  A cold chill crept up her spine. He was right. While she’d been outside panicking, someone had come into the house to throw this everywhere then left again before she saw them.

  A horrible thought filled her mind. Had they even left? They could be hiding anywhere and hadn’t she thought she’d heard footsteps last night? She’d brushed it off after the loud bang, blaming her imagination. But someone had obviously been inside, and it creeped her out big style.

  Who would want to do something like this? After all, so far, the only person she’d met was Seth. Surely the villagers didn’t hold grudges against newcomers this much?

  Connor’s sneering face filled her mind. He would definitely be up for trying to scare the living daylights out of her; he was that kind of mean. But he didn’t know where she was.

  A cold chill settled over like a blanket. Or did he?

  Chapter Thirty

  S eth watched Maddy. She looked petrified and he didn’t blame her. This was a huge building, and he didn’t like the thought that someone could be hiding in here trying to scare her.

  ‘I think we should search the entire house from top to bottom,’ he said.

  ‘Even the attics and cellars?’

  ‘Especially the attics and cellars. We need to make sure there is no one in here and no way anyone can sneak in here. Unless we know the house is secure, you can’t stop here on your own. I don’t care if it is someone’s idea of a prank. You can’t be too careful.’

  He didn’t add that you heard all kinds of horror stories on the television an
d in the news; it wasn’t fair to freak her out if it was just someone’s idea of a joke.

  The only person he could think of that might do something like this was Alfie, with his childlike innocence. But would he be clever enough? Seth didn’t know if he was, but right now he couldn’t think of anyone else, unless there was some angry local who didn’t get the job in the first place and was now trying to scare her away. That could be a possibility.

  ‘Right, where are the torches? The sooner we do this, the sooner we know you’re safe in here.’

  Maddy looked at him. ‘I can’t believe it. I’ve lived in London my whole life and never experienced anything like this. I move to the country to live in solitude, and someone decides to try to scare the crap out of me. I don’t understand.’

  ‘Believe it or not, sometimes country folk are much stranger than you city dwellers. It’s probably all some big joke to them. I have one suspect who could be responsible and, trust me, when I get hold of him, I’ll have him by the scruff of the neck to see if it’s him. For now, though, let’s just check the house and see what we find. At least that way it will be secure, and it will settle your mind.’

  He wondered if he should tell her about the legend of the drowned bride from Armboth House – the original Lake House, which was now in the underwater village, hidden in the depths of Lake Thirlmere. This house was a replica of the original which had been submerged underwater when the water board decided to flood the valley to build a reservoir in 1894. The bride had been found floating in the lake on her wedding morning, and locals believed the culprit to have been her fiancé. No one had ever been brought to justice for her murder.

  He decided against mentioning it for now. Maddy’s complexion was still a lot paler than it had been yesterday, and there were fine worry lines on her forehead. He’d save that tale for later, or at least until they got to the bottom of this mystery.

  Maddy opened a cupboard, took out a couple of torches, and passed one to him. ‘Do we need a hammer or maybe a knife?’