He drums his fingers on the table, his phone next to him. His breath threatens to run away like a freight train. To keep himself occupied, he looks through the journals of John Hammel again, but doesn’t come across any new information other than Griffiths was the name of Carys, his girlfriend. Graham wracks his brain, attempting to remember if he’s metanyone with that surname in the village, but he hasn’t. He’s sure of it. It’s a piece of the puzzle they are missing, and need it in order to proceed.
He thinks of the room hidden upstairs. It shocks him that he hadn’t realised it was there. Stephen had seen something was out of place immediately with the boarded-up window, but Graham had lived here almost a year and yet hadn’t thought to investigate the odd dead end hallway in his cottage.
Sometimes he wonders if his mind blocks certain things from him. Mr Mallow explained in detail about mental health back in Cherry Hollow, about how one’s mind can alter and make one see or hear things that aren’t really there in order to protect oneself from the truth, which would likely cause more damage.
Four minutes later, Olivia calls.
‘Graham, make it fast. I only get five minutes.’
‘Olivia, good to hear your voice. I’m sorry for calling so late, but I’m in a bit of a bind. I could use your words of wisdom.’
‘Now, I’m intrigued.’
‘There’s a missing girl who’s been gone ten years and …’
‘Stop right there. I’m not the person you should be talking to, Graham. Surely, Stephen Mallow is much more qualified for things like this?’
‘Yes, he’s here, but I’m a little worried about him. He’s not himself.’
‘Well, that’s not surprising.’
Graham pauses before asking, ‘Why’s it not surprising?’
‘Haven’t you heard?’
‘Heard what?’
‘The poor woman he was seeing, Rachel. She died in a tragic accident a few months ago. It left him devastated.’
Graham clears his throat. ‘I’m sorry, but can you repeat that?’
‘Stephen’s girlfriend, Rachel, from Cherry Hollow, is dead, Graham.’
‘B-But … how is that possible? Wait, how the hell do you know about it? You’re in prison.’
‘Tactful as always. I happen to receive the monthly gossip from Penelope and a couple of the other ladies in Cherry Hollow. It seems they enjoy writing to me. A few letters ago, Penelope told me about Rachel’s death. She fell in the bathroom and hit her head. Stephen found her on the bathroom floor a few hours later.’
Graham covers his mouth with his hand. ‘Oh, God … I had no idea. Mr Mallow … he … well, he inferred that she was alive.’
‘I see … three minutes left.’
‘This changes everything, Olivia. Don’t you see what’s happening?’
A pause stretches on.
‘Yes, it appears that Stephen is suffering from intense grief,’ says Olivia at last.
‘Not only that, but I believe his grief is manifesting itself into something much bigger than he realises.’
‘Why do I feel like I already know this story?’
‘Because you do. We all do. The darkness … it’s back. And it’s after Mr Mallow for real this time.’
Graham ends the call, a dull ache settling in the pit of his stomach. How could he have not realised? The fact Olivia knows more about the man who’s been staying with him for the past few days than he does, is ridiculous. Mr Mallow has never mentioned a single thing about his girlfriend passing away. In fact, he spoke about her as if she were alive.
Does that mean he truly believes she is?
Graham’s mind reflects back to Cherry Hollow and the woman who moved there only a year or so ago, Emma Smithson. She’d suffered through the same thing. Seeing a person who wasn’t there because of the magnitude of her grief. Because she wasn’t strong enough to admit they were really gone. Grief is a powerful emotion in this world. There’s a lot Graham doesn’t understand about it, but he does know the power it holds over those who are struggling, who perhaps aren’t strong enough to deal with it alone.
