Into the Town

Whilst Luke and Will were outside, checking the front garden for any sign of the watcher. Alicia was still with Jackson in his new room. The process of calming her son down was now over. Now it was about getting information of who this pervert was.

“Have you seen this person before Jackson?” Alicia asked, a lot more harshly than she’d intended for it to come across, given the shocked look on her son’s face. But she had an idea of who this person was. Her husband. Despite Luke’s attempts to lie to Oliver, Alicia was sure that he knew where they all were. And that this was an attempt to confirm it. Plus, becoming a creep, spying on them in the dead of night, was in her opinion, something that Oliver was more than capable of descending too in a moment’s notice.

“No Mum.” Jack replied. Shooting down Alicia’s theory in an instance.

“Okay.” Alicia said, not entirely dismissing her earlier theory. But realising that it had taken a real blow. “So, you didn’t recognise them. Why were they at your window then Jacky?”

“I don’t know. They were just sort of there, leaning up against the glass.” Jack said. He was confused at the whole situation. “They just asked to be invited in.”

“Invited in?” Alicia asked, now completely at sea with this whole situation. “What d’you mean, ‘invited in’ Jack?”

“Just that. They said that they couldn’t come in unless they were invited. I said no. I told them to go away.” Jack said, his voice getting faster and faster. “I told them to go away. Then he started banging on the window. Shouting that I had to invite him in.”

Jack stopped there, breathing hard, in and out, trying to gain control of himself. “That’s when I screamed.”

“Did you find anything out there?” Alicia asked the second that she walked through the door to see her brother and son waiting there, neither having gone upstairs yet. She’d finally managed to convince Jackson to go to sleep, and would feel a lot better knowing that she hadn’t had to lie to do it.

“No.” Luke responded dully. “Neither me nor Will could find anything out there. If someone was outside that window, then they’re either an Olympic athlete, or have discovered how to fly.”

“Whoever it was. They were asking Jack weird things.” Alicia said.

“What weird things?” Luke asked, sitting up in his chair.

“Jack was insisting that whoever it was, was asking for permission to come in. Said that they couldn’t enter without it.” Alicia said, she didn’t want to mention the part where her son thought that the person had been floating in mid-air. That kind of talk would get him sent to the mental unit of any hospital faster than she could say psycho.

“Shouldn’t we like, call the police or something.” Will asked nervously.

“They won’t do anything.” Luke said, his previous sense of eagerness gone now. “Other than take your brother away for psychoanalysis.” Luke sighed, Will was right, they should call the police, but he knew the cops around here wouldn’t do anything. “Look you two go to bed. I’ll stay up and keep an eye out. Don’t think whoever it was will come back. But just in case.” Luke reached into his pocket and took out a small knife. “I’ll be ready for them.”

Alicia stared at the blade for a second, then hurried Will up the stairs. Then she turned back to her brother.

“Where’d you get that from?” Alicia asked looking at the knife.

“Work.” Luke said as he rested the knife on the arm rest. “Might have some more need of it too, now that The Murder House is occupied again.”

“Yeah I thought it looked occupied when we drove in.” Alicia said remembering the way the house had its lights on. Even when she’d been a child here, she’d never noticed that before. “D’you know who bought it?”

“Some man named Clarke apparently.” Luke said wiping his eyes, trying his best to fight off sleep. “He also bought the old Barker place. Turned it into some antiques store.” He hadn’t seen it, but he’d heard about it from the local Policeman when he’d gone to file his most recent complaint against Leonard with the department.

“I’ll have a nosy around tomorrow after I’ve enrolled the boys up at school.” Alicia said. It would be weird to revisit the streets she’d grown up with. But she had no job yet. And anything was better than sitting around here all day.

“Really?” Luke asked. “I mean there ain’t that much too it to be honest with you, sis. They probably won’t even be here much longer. The high street is dead after all. Has been for years.” Helped along of course my Mr Davis who seemed to think that open store that didn’t have his name plastered over the walls, was a personal affront to him. It was the only reason for him buying so much of the town.

“Really.” Alicia said, getting up and heading for the door. “Not The Murder House, just the new shop. Plus, it keeps me out of your way for starters.”

The following afternoon, and after making sure that there was nothing that she could be fined for with her parking, Alicia walked down the old street of her childhood. The day had gone well up to that point, enrolling the boys into their new school had been a lot easier than she’d first imagined, at least a lot easier than it had been when she’d been staying with her sister. She’d even managed to get them both new phones, hopefully that would stop Oliver from messaging them every second of the day.

That good mood was dimmed slightly at the sight of the high street. Almost all the shops were boarded up, closed, never to open again.

 She was not at all surprised at the number of closed shops however, and even less so that nobody had been willing to take the risk. Not if half of what her brother told her about this Leonard were to be believed.

This was reinforced by the poster that adorned all of the empty lots, all with the same message directly below it.

PRIVATE PROPERTY OF MR LEONARD DAVIS, NO TRESPASSING, TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED.

Bellow that was a number to call to let the respective properties. But given the lack of anything but a facade, showed that this was not a well-used number.

All apart from one. A small store nestled in-between two boarded up shops. From the outside its exterior, it looked like an antique shop. A sign on the front read: ‘August and Clarkes’.

Well, here it was. The only new shop in town. Owned by the same people who’d bought The Murder House.

Alicia began to peer inside, trying to make out the items. The contents inside looked like the usual random collection of junk that poor people hoped to sell in order to make a few quid.

“Can I help you, my dear?” A voice behind her says, and turning Alicia sees an elderly man leaning heavily on a walking stick at the door, and watching her like a hawk.

“What?” Alicia asks nervously, an initial fake nervousness that was starting to feel more and more real by the second. She reminded herself that she had meant to come here. Alicia quickly makes a show of trying to regain her composure. Something about the man was creepy though, like he was x-raying her. “No. No, sorry. I just don’t remember this place from my childhood.”

The old man smiled as he limped outside and looked at his store.

“No need to apologies, madam we’ve only just moved here a few days ago.” The Old man said.

“We?” Alicia asked, not failing to notice the word.

“Yes. My business partner, Mr Augustus. He’s mainly works behind the scenes. I’m merely the front man. My name is Mr Caleb Clarke, hence the name of our store.”

Alicia nodded, and looked into the store once more, hoping to get a look at the other partner. But she saw no-one, the store was empty, both of staff and customers.

“You really took the risk. I mean, didn’t you get the memo that the high street was dead.” Alicia said gazing back across the street to emphasis her point. Almost every other store had a ‘TO LET’ sign hanging from the facades.

Caleb however, smiled, like he’d heard this argument many times before.

“Yes. But our collection is truly unique. Can’t be found on Amazon or some other online only vendor.” Caleb replied, like a rehearsed statement.

Alicia nodded, doubting that fact, but guessing that for older folks like Caleb that the internet was a complicated thing. But the idea of an antiques shop so close gave her an idea. A way to dump a load of the stuff that she’d brought up with her.

“Do you buy as well as sell?” Alicia asked, and thinking about some of her ex’s possessions that she really wanted to get rid of.

“You have some items for us?” Caleb asked, his eyes glinting like a magpie that had scene treasure. “May I see them?”

“Not with me exactly. They’re back home. I didn’t expect to come across a place like this.” Alicia said her hands in her pockets.

Caleb looked, for the first time, disappointed, like a child that had been promised a treat, only for it to be snatched away at the last minute. But the businessman managed to correct himself, straightening up, and towering over Alicia.

“I understand of course. Well, if you give me the address, I can come around later, and size up the collection.” Caleb said smiling, a gold tooth glinting in the winter sunlight.

Alicia smiled at this, glad that she didn’t have to haul all of her ex’s stuff halfway across the town. “Okay.”

Caleb bowed slowly, and equally as slowly raised himself back up to a standing position. “I shall come around tonight to view the merchandise.”

“That’s good. For a moment I thought you’d want me to bring them over to yours.” Alicia said before thinking, but it was too late now, Mr Clarke’s interest had once more been peaked.

“Really. And what about my home would be so uncomfortable miss?” Mr Clarke asked, leaning against the doorframe.

Alicia thought about lying, about saying that she misspoke. Then decided that the truth was the only way out of this. Or at least a half truth.

“Your home. The Lodge I mean. Don’t you know what people from around here call it?” Alicia said innocently enough, at least she hoped so.

“Ah of course.” Mr Clarke said, his previous customer service voice back. “The Murder House. I believe. Yes I heard that. A tale told to frighten the young and gullible.” Mr Clarke gave a shudder at the thought. “I did not take a woman of such intellect like yourself to believe in such ghost stories, miss.”

“Sorry. I’ve only just come back. And the last time I was here, I was young and gullible.” Alicia said. Well, there was some truth to that. At that age, she’d thought that her husband might actually be a good person. “It always gives me the creeps then. I guess it still does now. I’m sure once you and your partner remodel the rumours will vanish.”

Mr Clarke smiled, it was a cold smile. A smile that said she knew too much.

“I’ll see you tonight to inspect my items.” Alicia said, backing up a lot more quickly than she’d intended too.

“Of course. I shall come over to your house tonight, to assess the merchandise. As I’m afraid remodelling is not on our priority list at the moment.” Mr Clarke said. And bowing once more, he returned to his store.