‘Yeah. All fine and dandy.’ Dandy? Who the hell said dandy? Nobody in this century, that was for certain.
‘You sure?’ Fraser seemed suspicious.
‘Yes. Perfect. Just working out what tunes I’m going to listen to and then I’ll be off. You can go. I’m fine.’
He paused and then shrugged. ‘If you say so.’
‘I absolutely do.’ She just wanted him to leave.
‘Bye then,’ he said.
‘Bye,’ replied Liv and she closed the door. The van pulled slowly away and she let out a sigh of relief. ‘Right, car, listen to me. I don’t know what you’re playing at but it’s not funny. You have a new tyre that cost me a week’s wages and you’ve had a rest sat here for five days and now it’s time to go home. Ready? One, two, three.’ She turned the key but nothing happened. She frantically tried it over and over again but it was completely dead. ‘What am I meant to do now?’ She gave a shiver. She was getting cold again, not that she was sure that she’d fully defrosted from standing outside the police station. ‘Right, last chance.’ Maybe it would be like it was in the films when the escaped dinosaur was bearing down on them and the car wouldn’t start, but in the last moment it burst into life.
She took a breath and turned the key. Still nothing. That was when she noticed a shadow out of the window and she froze, staring straight ahead. Was it a person or Janet come for her soul? That was all she needed to finish things off. A tap on the window made her jump and squeal at the same time.
Fraser’s face appeared. ‘It won’t start, will it?’ She shook her head. ‘We can get someone out to look at it first thing tomorrow but for now you’d best come back to Lochy House,’ he said opening the car door.
For a moment she considered her options. There was only one she could think of, which was for her to sleep in the car, but her chattering teeth reminded her that there was no heat in the thing. She was out of options. She’d have to swallow her pride and accept Fraser’s offer. ‘Thanks,’ she mumbled. Liv got out as he held the door open for her, and she went to the boot to retrieve her bag to find a smiling Plastic Stan looking up at her. She didn’t know if the mechanic would need to go in the boot but she really didn’t need any further humiliation, so she hastily folded up Stan who expelled a bit of air but otherwise didn’t complain as she rammed him in her bag. She shut the boot, locked the car and got in the van.
‘It’s all been a bit shit, hasn’t it?’ said Fraser.
‘I think that’s a fair summary,’ she said putting on her seatbelt.
As they trundled along the track the sign came into view and for the first time Liv saw the graffiti scrawled across it. In large spray letters that almost obliterated the Bonnie Scott’s logo it read:The food’s shite. Avoid like the.
At least it explained Robbie’s very cryptic questioning earlier. ‘That’s not good and obviously not true,’ said Liv. ‘Did they get interrupted? Or is it like a competition? Finish the sentence and send answers on a postcard to a PO box.’ Fraser glared and she stopped talking.
‘Look over your shoulder now,’ he said as they passed the sign.
Liv checked behind her and on the back of the sign was scrawled the word ‘plague’. ‘I’m guessing they’re not professional graffiti artists then. I wonder who did it.’
‘I’ve got a couple of ideas,’ he said, his jaw tensing up. Maybe there were still a couple of mysteries that needed solving at Lochy House Hotel.
32
Fraser pulled the van up outside the front door. They both sat there with the engine running. Was he going to say something profound? She waited. ‘Are you getting out?’ he asked.
‘I was waiting for you to switch it off, in case you drove off with me with one leg out of the car.’
He tilted his head in question. ‘I was going to put this around the back in the cart shed in case the temperature drops again. That way it won’t be as iced up.’
‘Right. Good idea. I’ll get out then.’ Liv escaped from the van and watched it trundle off. This was all very awkward and a bit confusing. How did she feel about him now she was pretty sure he hadn’t ghosted her? There was definitely something but it was hard to know if it was tainted by the fake Fraser. Maybe the best thing would be for her to forget all the Frasers.
She plodded up the steps and went inside. A waft of warmth and some now familiar smells greeted her. ‘Hello!’ she called. There was no reply. That was odd. Liv walked through the hallway, passed the abandoned reception desk and pushed open the kitchen door. There was nobody around. She checked the dining room and the library – not a soul. Had everyone gone to bed? She hoped Fraser came back quickly because even an awkward silence with him was better than being in the hotel alone.
That was when she heard it. A tapping noise. Liv went rigid. This was not good. She wanted to dash outside to Fraser but she wasn’t even sure if she’d seen a cart shed, so she didn’t know which way to head. And if she found him she’d look like a twerp for having run to him. No, she needed to think logically and face her fears. Because facing up to things was what this trip was about. Although she’d not considered that it might include actual ghosts.
‘Hello?’ Her voice was a little wobbly. That wouldn’t do. There was nothing to be scared of. ‘Is this a joke?’ She spun around expecting someone to jump out. ‘Effie? If you’re trying to scare me, it’s not working.’ She held her chin high. Silence. She listened hard and there was the tap again. Liv swallowed. She needed to find out what was making that noise. It had probably been doing it all the time she’d been at the hotel; she’d just not noticed before. Liv inched her way down the hallway, following the sound. She reached the reception desk and peered over the top. Nobody there. She heard the noise again and it was definitely a little louder, so she was getting closer. It was probably a window that had been left on the catch or a breeze making something rattle. There was bound to be a simple and non-paranormal explanation.
She moved around the reception desk and stood still. Nothing. She looked about her. There was more wood panelling behind reception but there was something that caught her eye. One of the panels had a join in an odd place and there was a tiny gap. She followed the line of the gap with her eyes. Was that a door hidden in the panelling? She was quite excited by her discovery. As a child she had read countless mystery books and had dreamed of finding secret doors and passageways. Although now she was presented with one she was thinking that maybe they didn’t always lead to treasure, and she was fearful of what was on the other side of the secret door.
As she reached for the panel, the tap went again making Liv jump. It was definitely coming from the other side of the door. But most ghostly-sounding noises were actually plumbing and in a place as old and decrepit as Lochy House Hotel it was most likely the latter. But then what if it was Janet? She shook her head. That was ridiculous. Janet was a figment of Effie’s imagination. Granted it was a vibrant one and based on local legend but most definitely enhanced by Effie’s imagination. It was plumbing, plain and simple. This was most likely the boiler cupboard.
Liv ran her fingers over the edge of the rogue panel. The door was expertly disguised. How did it open? Liv felt around until she noticed a slightly lighter patch on one side where the colour looked faded. She pressed it and the secret door opened. Liv held her breath as she peered inside. There was nothing but darkness.
Liv pulled out her phone to use as a torch as a wizened old face loomed out of the darkness towards her. ‘Shit!’ said Liv stumbling backwards in her haste to get away.
‘Hello, lovey,’ said Winnie. ‘Thank goodness for that. I thought I was sealed up forever like an Egyptian mummy.’
