Into the Thinnest of Air

  ‘Then why have you barricaded the door?’ said Jimmy.

  ‘Just in case,’ I said.

  ‘Are you sure there was nothing outside?’ said Valerie.

  ‘Not a damned thing,’ I said flatly. ‘Nothing to stand between us and the way back to town.’

  Thomas stirred uneasily in his chair, his arm falling away from Albert. ‘Perhaps I should go outside, say a few prayers …’

  He sounded like he was hoping someone would talk him out of it. Eileen put a hand on his arm.

  ‘You can’t go. Who’d look after me?’

  ‘Of course, dear,’ said Thomas. ‘What was I thinking?’

  Jimmy smirked at him. ‘I don’t see what use a few prayers would be, anyway. Unless you were planning a full-scale exorcism …’

  ‘The Church authorities already tried that,’ said Eileen. ‘It didn’t help.’ She looked at Thomas. ‘You stay here, with me. There’s nothing useful you can do outside.’

  ‘Don’t worry, dear,’ said Thomas, hanging on grimly to the lifeline he’d been offered. ‘I won’t leave you alone.’

  Eileen had chosen her words carefully, to give Thomas a good reason not to go outside. She seemed a lot more in control of herself since she’d stopped drinking.

  ‘We have to do something!’ Jimmy said loudly. ‘We can’t just sit here, waiting to see which of us might disappear next!’

  ‘What do you suggest?’ Valerie said sharply. ‘Do you want to go out into the car park and see if the tree’s waiting there for you?’

  Jimmy shot a quick glance at the coat stand holding the door shut and reluctantly subsided.

  ‘Maybe we should just barricade ourselves in here and sit tight until daylight,’ he said sullenly. ‘Walking back into town wouldn’t be as dangerous in broad daylight, when we can all see what’s happening.’

  ‘Remain here until morning?’ said Thomas. ‘Do you really think we’d last that long? It’s not even midnight yet!’

  He didn’t sound like a confident man of the cloth any more. He looked like his faith had taken a hard knock; and without it to lean on, a lot of his strength had deserted him. His black-leather jacket suddenly looked as if he’d borrowed it from someone much bigger.

  ‘If we all just sit here together, looking out for each other, what could happen?’ said Eileen.

  ‘You really want to find out?’ said Valerie.

  ‘Olivia was only taken because she was on her own,’ Eileen said patiently. ‘Out of sight of everyone else.’

  ‘I haven’t told you everything,’ said Albert.

  We all turned to look at him. Albert’s voice had been quiet, sad, and perhaps just a bit guilty.

  ‘What haven’t you told us, Albert?’ said Penny.

  He forced his head up, so he could look at all of us. ‘There are stories about the Castle that no one else knows, going all the way back to the time of the smugglers. Stories of people who visited the Castle and were never seen again. They just disappeared. At first people put it down to the smugglers, but the disappearances continued long after they were gone. No bodies were ever found, no traces of violence … They just walked in through the door and never walked out again.’

  ‘I never came across any stories like that,’ said Valerie. ‘And I’ve spent a lot of time researching the Castle’s history.’

  ‘While the inn was being refurbished,’ said Albert, ‘Olivia and I discovered a handwritten manuscript. In a hole in a wall that isn’t here any longer. We think it was written sometime after Tyrone’s crime and was probably intended for publication, to cash in on Tyrone’s notoriety. But apparently no one was interested. It was basically just a list of names and dates. The chronicle of a mystery with no answer. The manuscript seemed to suggest the disappearances stopped well before Tyrone’s time. And since it wasn’t a modern thing, Olivia and I decided not to say anything. We didn’t want to scare off people who might want to spend the night here.’

  ‘Did this manuscript offer any explanations as to why all those people disappeared?’ said Penny.

  ‘No,’ said Albert. ‘Nothing.’

  ‘So any of us could disappear …’ said Valerie.

  There was a long pause.

  ‘Look on the bright side,’ said Jimmy. ‘At least we’re not hearing Voices.’

  Thomas punched Jimmy on the shoulder, hard enough to make him cry out.

  ‘What was that for?’

  ‘Stop scaring people, Jimmy,’ Thomas said harshly.

  ‘All right, all right!’ Jimmy massaged his shoulder. ‘Lighten up, Thomas.’

  But Thomas didn’t look like he’d be lightening up any time soon. He seemed almost as much in shock as Albert. And as scared. Eileen took a firm grip on Thomas’s hand, and he let her.

  ‘Email!’ Jimmy said suddenly. And we all jumped, just a little. Jimmy grinned around the table triumphantly. ‘We’re not cut off, after all. Albert, you said you had a website. So you must have a computer. We can use it to email the local police and have them send a car to rescue us!’

  But Albert was already shaking his head. ‘Olivia had a laptop. She kept it in one of the upstairs rooms, which she was using as an office. But the laptop was gone when I went upstairs earlier. I haven’t seen it anywhere since.’

  ‘Why didn’t you say something?’ said Thomas.

  ‘I didn’t see the point,’ said Albert. ‘The laptop had just vanished, like the phones. And Olivia. And the hanging tree …’

  ‘OK!’ I said loudly. ‘I am ready to go on record here as saying ghosts and even ghostly trees are not noted for stealing phones, car keys and laptops.’

  ‘Who knows why things vanish?’ said Valerie. ‘I’m thinking of the story Thomas told us … About the scholar who opened a door between the worlds and let something in. And how that creature might still be with us in our world … What if it could open a door in space and pull people through it?’

  We all thought about that.

  ‘Why would it want to steal our devices?’ said Penny.

  ‘Who knows why a monster from some other place would do anything?’ said Valerie.

  ‘But if it could open a door anywhere, then none of us are safe,’ said Jimmy. ‘It could be here in this room, right now. Watching and listening to us, waiting for its chance … And we’d never know until it was far too late.’

  Everyone looked round the room, including me. Even though I had no idea what I was looking for. The empty room stared calmly, implacably back. Thomas rose to his feet suddenly.

  ‘I can’t stay here. I have to get out of here. I have to get out!’

  Eileen was quickly on her feet beside him, talking quietly but insistently, trying to calm him down before he did something stupid. But Thomas wasn’t listening. He kicked his chair aside and made a dash for the front door. We all went after him, except Albert, who stayed where he was, lost in his own world. Eileen caught up with Thomas and grabbed him by the arm. He threw her off so violently she lost her balance and fell to the floor. She cried out in pain, but Thomas didn’t even glance back. He only had eyes for the door.

  I caught up with him and put myself between Thomas and the door. He tried to go round me, not even seeing me except as an obstacle in his path. And when he found he couldn’t, he threw a punch at me. He was a big man but slow, and I dodged the blow easily. I caught hold of his arm while he was off balance, twisted it up behind his back, and held him helpless in an arm lock. He tried to break free, and then cried out miserably when he found he couldn’t.

  ‘Don’t hurt him!’ said Eileen. She was having trouble getting to her feet. Penny had to help her.

  ‘Now is not a good time to be losing one’s self control,’ I said quietly to Thomas. ‘Take it easy. Everything’s going to be all right.’

  ‘It’s not safe in here,’ said Thomas. He seemed on the verge of tears.

  ‘It’s not safe outside,’ said Jimmy, watching from a cautious distance.

  ‘I think we should all go back to the ta
ble and sit down,’ I said, in my most reasonable voice. ‘So we can work out what to do for the best. All right, Thomas?’

  He nodded reluctantly. I let go of his arm and stepped back. Thomas took a deep breath.

  ‘Yes. Sorry. You’re quite right, of course. Sorry about that. I’m just … not good at coping with pressure.’

  He went back to the table and sat down, avoiding everyone’s gaze. Eileen looked at him, but didn’t go after him. Valerie and Jimmy looked at each other but didn’t say anything, then went back to the table and sat down together. Eileen looked at me and silently indicated that she’d like a quiet word. I nodded to Penny, and she went and sat down with the others.

  ‘Thomas chose the Church so there would always be someone to tell him what he was supposed to be doing and thinking,’ Eileen said bluntly. ‘He’s always been good with people, but not always so good with himself. He needs something he can lean on when I’m not around. He can be strong and brave for other people, but he can also fall apart really easily when he’s out of his depth. I’ve spent most of my life looking after him.’

  ‘Is that why you drink?’ I said.

  ‘No,’ said Eileen. ‘I like to drink.’

  ‘You’re not drinking now.’

  ‘I’m busy now. I’ll drink later.’

  We shared a small smile, and then went back to the table to sit down with the others. Thomas didn’t look at Eileen, but let a hand drift in her direction so she could hold it. I looked round the table. Everyone looked back at me, waiting for me to say something reassuring. Which isn’t really what I do best.

  ‘Try not to let what’s happened get to you,’ I said. ‘There’s no actual evidence that we’re in any danger. We can’t even be sure something bad has happened to Olivia. There’s no body, no signs of violence … She’s just missing.’

  ‘That probably sounded more comforting in your head than it did out loud,’ said Penny.

  ‘But there’s nowhere Olivia could have gone!’ said Jimmy. ‘She just vanished into thin air!’

  ‘So it’s up to us to work out the how and why of it, so we can get her back safely,’ I said.

  No one seemed particularly convinced. Thomas stared down at his hands, clasped tightly together on top of the table to stop them shaking. Eileen sat as close to him as he’d let her, being strong for both of them. Jimmy looked troubled and truculent, keeping himself angry to keep from being scared. Valerie couldn’t sit still, trying to look in all directions at once. Penny was looking at me, confident I would work out what to do for the best.

  I was glad one of us felt that way.

  Normally when I’m working on a case, at least I’ve got a body to work with. Someone who’s been killed in a certain way, in a specific location. There will be evidence and clues to examine, directions to look in. People to question, about where they were when the murder took place and what they saw and heard. And I can compare testimonies, and work out who’s lying or hiding things. But here I had none of these things. All I knew for certain was that no one sitting at the table could be the kidnapper, because they were all with me when Olivia disappeared. So? When in doubt, start asking questions and see where the answers lead. I cleared my throat, and everyone’s eyes snapped round to fix on me. I did my best to smile confidently round the table.

  ‘Let me say this again, I do not believe in ghosts and I don’t believe most of the weird stories I’ve heard tonight. And even if I was disposed to believe some of them, there’s no evidence indicating they have any connection with anything that’s happened here. If it was just Olivia vanishing under mysterious circumstances, then maybe I’d be thinking otherwise. But our phones are gone, along with our car keys and Olivia’s laptop, and the Castle’s only landline is dead. All of which suggests to me that someone has taken steps to prevent us from leaving. Which in turn suggests that some person kidnapped Olivia for their own reasons.’

  I turned to Albert. He looked blankly back at me. I did my best to sound calm and authoritative.

  ‘Do you or Olivia have any enemies? People who might want to hurt you?’

  ‘You mean apart from us?’ said Jimmy.

  ‘Shut up, Jimmy,’ said Eileen.

  Albert was already shaking his head. ‘No. And it couldn’t be a kidnapping for money, because we don’t have any. Every last bit of our lottery win went into renovating the Castle.’

  ‘Who knew you were doing that?’

  ‘Well, everyone,’ said Albert. ‘We publicized it on our website, Jimmy wrote several pieces about it for the local paper, and then there’s all the workmen we brought in … We wanted everyone to know. How else were we going to bring in the customers?’

  Valerie leaned forward and fixed me with a steady gaze. ‘You said someone wants to keep us here. You think we’re all potential targets, don’t you?’

  ‘It seems likely,’ I said. ‘Which brings me to my next question. What has everyone here got in common?’

  They all looked at each other. I waited patiently.

  ‘We’re all old friends,’ said Jimmy, ‘apart from you two. And you weren’t even supposed to be here, Ishmael.’

  ‘We were all invited to this special meal at the Castle …’ said Valerie. ‘We were the only ones to be invited to the pre-opening celebration.’

  ‘Hold it!’ said Thomas. His head came up and his eyes were suddenly sharp again as he glared at me. ‘You and Penny are the only outsiders. We all know each other, but we don’t know you. We don’t know anything about you. In fact, everything was fine until you turned up!’

  ‘Told you, Ishmael,’ said Penny. ‘Jinx!’

  ‘Thomas has a point,’ said Jimmy.

  ‘Yes, he does,’ said Valerie.

  ‘I’m here because I was invited,’ said Penny. ‘And Ishmael is with me.’

  ‘And we were both sitting right here with you when Olivia disappeared,’ I said.

  Thomas subsided, reluctantly. He’d thought he’d found someone he could blame for everything; and now he didn’t have a scapegoat after all, the fire had gone out of him again. But Eileen was still looking at me thoughtfully.

  ‘What do you think is going on here, Ishmael?’

  ‘I think we’re all in danger,’ I said steadily. ‘Or there’d be no point in preventing us from leaving. Whoever’s behind this still wants something from us.’

  ‘But we’re only staying here because Albert saw the hanging tree,’ Valerie said slowly.

  ‘Did he?’ I said. ‘Did he, really?’ I turned to Albert. ‘Just how clearly did you see this ghost tree?’

  He stared back at me defiantly. ‘I saw it as clearly as I see you now. It was standing right there, where the plaque in the ground is. A tall tree with wide spreading branches. Clear as day, in the moonlight. It was big and solid, and it looked real as real. But there was something wrong with it. It looked twisted, distorted …’

  ‘And you’re sure there wasn’t anyone hanging from the branches?’ said Jimmy.

  ‘Jimmy!’ said Eileen.

  ‘It might be relevant!’ said Jimmy.

  ‘No,’ said Albert. ‘I didn’t see anyone, just the tree. That was enough. Just looking at it made me feel sick. Like I was seeing something that shouldn’t exist.’

  ‘It wasn’t there when Penny and I looked out the door,’ I said steadily. ‘And there was no sign of it anywhere when I went outside.’

  ‘Just like in the stories!’ said Valerie. ‘The hanging tree comes and goes, and no one knows why. You can’t dismiss this, Ishmael, just because it doesn’t fit with your comfortable everyday world view. People have been seeing such things and talking about them for centuries. There must be something behind all these stories.’

  ‘Something, perhaps,’ I said. ‘But has it got anything to do with what’s happening here and now? Or is someone just using the old stories for their own purposes?’

  ‘How do we find out?’ said Eileen.

  Penny looked at Albert. ‘What happened to the old manuscript
you found? About all the people who went missing in the Castle? Do you still have it? It might contain details that could help us.’

  ‘We burned it,’ said Albert.

  ‘You did what?’ said Jimmy, his voice rising angrily.

  ‘We didn’t want anyone to know about it,’ said Albert, not looking at him. ‘It might have frightened off the customers.’

  ‘We were having such a nice evening,’ said Thomas. His voice was calm enough, but his gaze was worryingly vacant. ‘Everything was going so well. Good friends together again. And now it’s all spoiled. Everything’s gone wrong. We should never have come here. The Castle has always been bad luck for us.’

  ‘This isn’t about you, Thomas,’ said Albert. ‘My wife is missing!’

  Thomas didn’t say anything. He just sat there staring at nothing.

  ‘We’re all quite safe,’ I said, ‘as long as we stick together.’

  ‘Are we?’ said Jimmy. ‘Are we, really? If someone, or something, could just grab Olivia without any of us hearing or noticing anything, what’s to stop them taking any of us whenever they feel like it?’

  ‘Because I’m here,’ I said. ‘And I won’t let that happen.’

  ‘You didn’t save Olivia,’ said Albert.

  ‘He wasn’t with her,’ said Penny.

  Valerie suddenly shrieked and jumped to her feet. She pointed at the middle window with a shaking hand, her eyes wide with shock.

  ‘There! At the window! A face looking in at us, and there was something wrong with it!’

  We were all on our feet in a moment, looking towards where she was pointing. I hurried over to the window, with Penny right beside me. Everyone else stayed where they were. When I got to the window and looked out, there was no one standing outside. I couldn’t see much because of the bright lights behind me. I considered having Penny turn off the lights again, but I didn’t think the others’ nerves would stand it. I looked back, to see Eileen comforting Thomas, while Jimmy had his arm around Valerie. Albert didn’t seem to know what to do. I looked at Valerie.

  ‘What kind of face did you see? Was it a man or a woman?’