The Dark Place (#FrightFest2016 Gold Winner)

The Dark Place - Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Six

1

After Penny and her mother had left the locksmiths they headed back home in the hope that he had left the house early. They had spotted his car long before they reached the house so Penny's mother drove straight past and doubled back towards town.

"So where are we going now mum?" asked Penny, looking at the houses as they sped past the passenger side window.

"We're going up to Munford House."

Penny frowned and looked over at her mother. "But shouldn't we be heading the other way?"

"What?" asked her mother, keeping her eyes focused firmly on the road ahead.

"You're going back towards town." Penny watched her mother wipe the beads of sweat away from her forehead with the back of her hand. "You're frightened aren't you?"

"Don't be silly." Her mother glanced over at her and gave a smile that didn't make it to her eyes. "I just have to get something from the office before we see the Moon's"

"Mum, it's all right to be frightened you know." She looked away from the woman next to her and back out of the passenger side window. "I know I am."

There was a long silence before her mother said, "I left my paperwork about the 'Big House' indoors."

"So why are we going to your office?" There was another silence. "Mum?"

"I have everything backed up on my hard drive. I'll just get a couple of printouts and we'll be off, okay?"

When they had reached the office Penny saw an elderly man sitting behind a desk by the window. "Well now, who's been a dirty little stop out then?" he smiled as he looked over the bifocals strategically placed on the end of his nose.

"Not now Christopher," her mother moaned as she made her way over to her own desk in the far corner.

"Come on Donna, there's no need to be like that is there?" he said, a mask of mock pain playing across his features

Penny cut her eyes at the man; she didn't like him.

"Knock it off will you," her mother said as she logged onto her computer. "Is Mr. Hartford in his office?"

"No, he's popped out for a meeting, should be back soon though. Not very happy with you at the moment though"

Penny's mother slipped a few sheets of paper into her printer. "And what's that supposed to mean?" she asked without looking up from her monitor.

The old man got up from his desk and walked over to Penny's mother's, looking over her shoulder at her monitor as she pulled up the Munford House files. "It means that ever since you've been running your own job we haven't seen that much of you. Hartford's just wondering if you've managed to fuck it up yet I expect." He smiled.

"Sorry to disappoint you Chris but everything's going just fine at the moment."

A shudder passed through Penny as the man looked over at her and smiled; his eyes looking her up and down in a way that made her shudder inside.

"Mmmm... very nice, yours is she?"

"Mum, are you going to be much longer?" asked Penny as she looked out of the window, away from the old man.

"Just a few more seconds dear."

Penny still felt the man's perverted gaze on her and she shivered again. "Give me the keys and I'll wait in the car."

Her mother said nothing, but seconds later Penny herd the quiet hum as the printer kicked into action.

"Chris, haven't you got any work of your own to do?" she heard her mother ask.

"Don't worry; I know where I'm not wanted," came the old man's answer. To Penny's dismay he went back to his desk by the window in front of her and, instead of looking back down at the papers that littered his desk, he sat back in his chair and stared straight at her, a crooked smile playing over his face.

Penny frowned at him, folded her arms across her chest and turned towards her mother.

"Mum!"

"Just shutting down sweetheart; I'll be right with you."

As soon as her mother had finished Penny ran over to the door and out of the building. She heard old Chris say, "Goodbye young lady," but she didn't return the gesture. She was just glad not to be in the same room as him anymore. But even as she crossed the road with her mother she felt the old man's eyes watching her through the office window. She turned to give him another scowling look and then climbed into the car.

2

Mrs. Hughes had combed the garden from back to front but there was no sign of Tamicka anywhere. She wouldn't normally have worried but for the fact that there were only two ways out of the garden; the first was through the kitchen where Mrs. Hughes had been standing for the past half-hour making a late breakfast. The second was through the back gate which was so overgrown now that if she hadn't seen it during the better days at the 'Big House' she wouldn't have even known that it was there.

Was there a chance that Tamicka had come back in while she was preoccupied with the cooking? If so, why hadn't she said something as she had passed through the kitchen?

The old housekeeper walked back through the main hall and knocked on the study door. When there was no answer she opened the door a little and looked inside. Nobody was there. She closed the door again and went through to the entry hall. The double front doors were slightly ajar and when she pushed them open she could see that Mr. Moon's car was not outside.

3

At the end of the gravel drive Penny saw Mrs. Hughes standing over by the spot where Mr. Moon's car had been parked the last time they had visited the 'Big House'. Her mother pulled up and lowered the driver's side window while Penny watched the large housekeeper waddle slowly towards them; her usual welcoming smile beaming across her round face.

"Hello Mrs. Stephens, what brings you out here today?" The old woman's smile faltered slightly when her eyes scanned Penny's swollen lip and her mother's black eye. "It's probably none of my business but..." she began.

"Is Mr. Moon around?" Penny's mother interrupted as she picked her sunglasses up from the dashboard and slipped them on.

"Sorry, I think he must have taken little Tamicka into town."

Disappointed, Penny sank back in her seat. She had been looking forward to seeing Tamicka again. "Do you know when they're likely to be back?" she asked.

The old woman looked thoughtful for a moment. "To be honest, I didn't even know that they were out until I saw that the car was gone," she said. "Why don't you two come inside and I'll make us all a nice cup of tea."

Her mother didn't answer; she just sat there staring down at the steering wheel through her tinted lenses. Her lips started to quiver and Penny could see the tears as they rolled down her cheeks.

Mrs. Hughes opened the driver's side door and put her hand gently on the young woman's shoulder. Penny hadn't realized what a good act her mother had managed to put on for her benefit. Now that her armour had cracked she couldn't stop it from falling apart around her. Penny climbed out of the passenger seat and helped Mrs. Hughes to take her mother out of the car and into the house.

Author's Note

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