THE APPOINTMENT: A chilling ghost story of malevolence and death Page 6

  “Do you mind if I get back then Kelly, there’s no point in me hanging around here is there?” Charlene didn’t relish being there in the dark, that’s for sure, the thought gave her the jeebies and she couldn’t get away quick enough.

  “Sure, Charlene, I don’t need you. Thanks for everything. I can’t apologise enough.”

  Charlene gave her a big hug and said goodbye to Mr Midgely. As she headed for the rear entrance, Kelly suddenly remembered something and ran after her.

  “Hey, I almost forgot. I left my camera in your car. I’ll come out with you and get it.”

  Kelly retrieved the camera, and waved goodbye to Charlene as she watched her drive away. On the way back to the house she stopped to check the images which she had taken, as a final effort to erase all possibilities that she had encountered something unexplainable in there. But there was nothing. The only visible thing to attract her attention was the battery signal, warning her that they needed replacing. She was a little surprised to discover that the batteries were drained, because she had fitted new ones that morning in readiness for the job – just as she always did. Perhaps they were duds, she concluded. But at least now she could convince herself once and for all, that none of the incidents had happened. Not that she’d ever doubted it for a moment!

  When she got back to the house she found Mr Midgely waiting for her in one of the rooms. He was pacing the floor with his hands clasped firmly behind his back, his rifle propped up against a wall. As she walked towards him, he withdrew a large brown envelope from his jacket pocket and handed it to her.

  “Most of the information you’ll need about the property is in this paperwork. You’ll find all the dimensions in there as well. I’ll walk round with you to see if there’s anything worth photographing, although I suspect it will all be external. No point trying to camouflage anything. It’s only going to attract developers, although its Grade Two listing puts a lot of restrictions on it.”

  “Evelyn seems to think there are a few people interested already. We have clients sitting on our books, who are waiting for land and buildings suitable for development. She has suggested group viewings because of its location, and I think she has quite a few lined up.”

  “Well, it certainly isn’t for the feeble-minded, I can tell you. Group viewings sound sensible. I wouldn’t want to be coming up here every day, to open up for any Tom, Dick, or Harry. No doubt there’ll be plenty of them finding their way up here to nosy around, as soon as it goes to market. Old abandoned places like this, especially hidden away in the forest - which is indeed a rarity on its own – sparks off speculation, conspiracy theories, and all manner of things. This place is no exception it’s been talked about for years. You only have to go down to the village to see how much superstition there is. They won’t even talk about it. Too scared they’ll inherit a curse, or some such nonsense.”

  “Anyone who is serious will want to see whatever information we have, before they decide to look. If it’s of interest, they’ll be happy to turn up on the given day. They like to play hard to get anyway, and will not show their hand until negotiations begin - developers don’t part with their money easily. And those who are known to us may even ask for a private viewing. Evelyn can recognise the time-wasters I can assure you, she’ll soon sort them out.”

  “Well whoever wants it, will need to act fairly soon, or it may be lost forever. Another bad winter and it may not survive the elements.”

  “Well the better months are ahead of us, and Evelyn is expecting it to be offered at auction quite soon. It may even be sold before going to auction. She thinks it will be snapped up.”

  “Let’s hope so. I must confess I’ll be glad to see the back of it. We’ve only traced a few relatives, and very distant ones at that. None of them knew about the place and therefore have never seen it. Their inheritance came as quite a shock to each of them. They’ll only be interested in the money, and quite frankly I expect they’ll agree to accept whatever offers come along. Your company comes well recommended, so I’m happy to leave it in your capable hands.”

  “Shall I make a start outside then? There’s little I can photograph internally, from what I’ve already seen, and like you say, we need to get everything done whilst it’s daylight.”

  They headed off together, chatting lightly and after completing the job outside, the two of them returned to the house and looked around the ground floor and the basements, before proceeding upstairs to the other floors. Needless to say, Kelly saw nothing which resembled the bed chamber with the four poster bed. And so she was able to put the horrors of that day, firmly to the back of her mind.

  A couple of hours later and Mr Midgley was driving Kelly round to the front of the house to pick up her car.

  “I’ll wait for you and you can follow me back. Down the right way this time,” he instructed, half jesting.

  Kelly walked over to her car, got in, and within minutes she had her engine running and the heat on full blast. She glanced very quickly towards the front door – it was just as she remembered, except it was firmly closed. But the face of the strange and sinister man, whom she’d imagined earlier, was still as vivid in her memory as if he had truly existed. And for a brief moment she felt a shiver run down her spine. She didn’t delay setting off. She followed closely behind Mr Midgley as he turned his car and drove round to the rear of the house again. He went out of the same entrance through which he had arrived, but he turned left, which was the opposite direction to where she had come from. She couldn’t imagine how she could have got it so wrong. Her navigational skills had always been second to none, and there was no logical reason behind her disorientation. She would find the humiliation hard to live down, as she had always taken a pride in her professionalism, and excellent time-keeping. And as she drove out of the entrance in the same direction as Mr Midgely, she didn’t look back. Having satisfied her curiosity about The Grange, she didn’t want to linger and she certainly didn’t want to see the place ever again. Although she had convinced herself of a rational explanation, her mind had been too deeply disturbed - and with the best will in the world she doubted her ability to be able to shake it off. Fortunately for Kelly her work here was done, because there was nothing more required for her to do which would necessitate another visit. She left knowing it would be for the last time.

  So she never saw the girl’s pleading face at the upstairs window, watching her in vain as the car disappeared out of sight - or the dark sinister shadow which loomed above her.

  5

  As Kelly followed Mr Midgely along a route which was in stark contrast to the track which had first led her up through the forest, she was bitterly disappointed in her failure to have got it right. Not only could her professional reputation be in ruins after the dreadful incident, her mental state of mind could also be in jeopardy. And she wasn’t sure what to expect when she arrived back at the office, it all depended on Charlene, whether or not she’d spilt the beans, or kept quiet. The latter, Kelly felt, was unlikely. She knew only too well that Charlene would find it difficult to quell her excitable nature, and so she suspected that the outcome of her explanation to all and sundry would be a ghostly one. Charlene’s expression, whilst at The Grange, had not gone unnoticed by Kelly, who likened it to that of a child gazing into Santa’s face and his magical grotto. Her whole demeanour spoke a thousand words, which looked as if they were about to spill out in droves at any second. Kelly knew from past experiences, that she would hardly be able to contain her excitement on the way back to work, least of all when she arrived there.

  No, Kelly didn’t feel hopeful at all.

  When she finally arrived back at work, it was even worse than she had anticipated. Every member of staff from every part of the building was waiting for her arrival. It was overwhelming to say the least, as they had all used their lunch break as an excuse to hang around the sales office whilst they waited for her to arrive. And they knew exactly when to expect her, as she had phoned in to say she wa
s on her way.

  Charlene was sitting on top of her desk, looking like the Town Crier. She was clearly in command of the rhetoric, as well as being the life and soul of the crowd which she had generated. Kelly’s hopes were dashed to a pulp. This was the worst she could have imagined. She was almost expecting the cameras to start flashing as she walked into the room. Someone had clearly advised Evelyn of her arrival too, because she walked in within minutes of her.

  Kelly hated fuss and attention.

  Evelyn was the first to show her concern, asking her if she felt fully recovered. It was very clear that Charlene had embroidered the entire saga, and started a whirlwind of speculation - hence the audience. She was rather surprised they hadn’t opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate the occasion.

  She spotted Fee hovering around in the background precariously balancing a tray in her hand, as she attempted to get through the crowd with tea and sandwiches for Kelly. At least that was one consolation as she’d missed lunch and was feeling a little more than peckish. But the minute she sat down to try and enjoy it, everyone formed a circle around her and began to furiously fire questions. Fortunately Evelyn intervened and ordered everyone back to work, so at least a modicum of normality resumed.

  Kelly was ravenous and she tucked into her lunch whilst she had the chance, what little there was of it. She’d noticed Fee’s expression from across the room as she fiddled with some papers on her desk. She had that look I told you so written all over her face, and it was clear that her mind wasn’t on whatever she was doing. She kept having a sneaky glance over at her and Kelly was waiting patiently for the outburst to come. As for Charlene, she’d had her moment of fame and she was getting on with her work, or appeared to be - at least she seemed to be busy at her computer.

  The silence was like a ticking time-bomb. Kelly had a disturbing feeling that she was somehow waiting for something to happen – it was all too strangely quiet and subdued. Things had gone from the sublime to the ridiculous, as everyone had retreated to their respectful workplaces. And she knew that Fee couldn’t possibly resist from lecturing her about the supernatural and her strong psychic senses, at any given opportunity. Something would have to give. Fee was probably just biding her time, and then she would no doubt pounce. It was no secret that she read tarot cards, and horoscopes, and she often talked of her premonitions and sightings. No way would Fee be able to keep quiet for too long. But she did, and apart from giving Kelly furtive looks from a distance - that was all there was to it. Or at least that’s what Kelly thought.

  By mid-afternoon, the phones were unusually active. Someone had leaked the incident to the local newspaper and that had fuelled its way to local radio stations, which quickly sped to national newspapers and other media - the interest was frenzied. Some clever individual - name unknown – imagined that the advertising value to the company was incalculable. It probably was, if they could possibly afford the time to talk to them all. But it was all frenzied and rather erratic.

  The phone lines were jammed solid with people trying to make contact, so much so that regular customers couldn’t get through. A crowd was gathering outside, and the situation was becoming chaotic. E-mails were bombarding mailboxes which couldn’t cope, and Evelyn had to do something drastic before they all became prisoners inside the building. She quickly made contact on her mobile phone with as many people as she could, as well as using some of her more influential contacts, to spread the rumour that it had all been a hoax. Hoping that would dampen their enthusiasm. And it worked, although it took the rest of the day for it to filter through. Eventually the crowd dispersed, many of them with their mobile phones to their ears, but gradually the calls eased off. Someone - whoever it was who spread the word - was in for some good ear-bending, once they were found out. Kelly remained silent and got on with her work. As for Fee, she kept her distance - as if whatever Kelly had encountered was contagious. And so the incident wasn’t mentioned again for the rest of the afternoon, much to Kelly’s relief.

  At five-thirty Kelly was on her way home, she didn’t hang around. The day’s experiences had been exhausting. She normally went to the gym first, but this was one occasion when she decided to give it a miss. She wanted to go straight home after grabbing a take-away, and hoped to have an early night. But before retiring for the evening she would get in touch with Francine, her best friend who lived in the next door apartment, to see if she had an hour to spare, so that she could tell her all about what had happened. She was the only person to whom she could unburden her soul, she had that wonderful knack of listening without questioning, and making you feel that she truly understood – and she always did. If she poured it all out to Francine - with the aid of a glass of wine - she could probably then put it to bed and forget the whole affair.

  Kelly and Francine had both bought their apartments from new, and at the same time as one another. It was quite intentional, as they had wanted to take advantage of living at close quarters to each other. And it just so happened that they were both looking to purchase when the developers took on the canal development project, close to the town centre. So they each paid a holding deposit to secure the apartment of their choice, off plan, as soon as they had discovered that the properties were to be converted from a large mill complex. They each chose a top floor apartment with a balcony, overlooking the picturesque Leeds and Liverpool canal. They were in a prime location, which meant there was a strong demand as Skipton was one of the most desirable hot spots. Having purchased them from the outset at a fixed price, they would benefit financially before they reached completion.

  They had been friends since their teens and had grown closer after Kelly’s parents had died. They had independent lives, both fell in and out of relationships - none of which had been serious, and the two of them had worthwhile careers. Francine was a Barrister and a year older than Kelly, her parents lived abroad and her one sibling, a brother, was in the Navy. Kelly and Francine had a lot in common, besides being on their own, and she was the only person that Kelly felt she could talk to about the tragic death of her parents and what she was going through at the time. It was after Kelly’s recovery from her mental breakdown that she and Francine had come up with the idea of buying the apartments, and they had been there for each other ever since.

  After parking her car on the underground car park, Kelly skipped the lift and made her way up the stairs to her apartment – it was good exercise. Missing the gym meant that she arrived home before Francine, who she knew got home around seven o’clock. She unlocked the door and switched on the hall light as she stepped inside. She kicked off her shoes, dropped her keys on the hall table, and switched on a few lamps here and there. After checking everything was okay, she got changed into something less formal than her business suit, and sat down to have her tea. Afterwards, a quick call to Francine on her mobile phone established an arrangement for Kelly to pop round at eight thirty, which gave her ample time to have a shower beforehand.

  At eight thirty prompt, Kelly was ringing the bell at her friend’s apartment. The door was opened by Francine, a charming petite woman with a bubbly personality. She wore her red hair in a short bob which framed her pretty face, and her green eyes sparkled. She greeted Kelly with a bottle of red wine in her hand, as she gave her a friendly hug.

  “Hi, come in!” She put an arm around Kelly and led her into the lounge.

  Francine was casually dressed in a Grey and Pink leisure suit, and her apartment was warm and welcoming. It had the same layout as Kelly’s, except the décor and furnishings had more of an artisan influence and the floors were carpeted, whereas Kelly had hers laminated to suit her more minimalist and contemporary look. And although they were opposites in some ways, they also had a lot in common and were strong soul mates.

  “Sit yourself down whilst I get a couple of glasses,” Francine said, as she put the bottle on the coffee table and disappeared into the kitchen.

  The French doors in the large kitchen-diner opened out ont
o a balcony overlooking the canal, where rows of colourful barges rocked gently on the water below; many of which were decorated with pretty hanging baskets and an array of mascots. In the summer months it was the most commonly used room in the place.

  Francine picked up a couple of glasses and joined Kelly in the sitting room.

  Kelly couldn’t wait to pour out the whole story of her encounter, and to ask her friend’s opinion. She began at the very beginning, careful to impress upon Francine how disturbing and difficult the journey had been, so that she would understand the reason behind the hallucinations. She told her of the Butler standing in the doorway, his appearance, his eyes, and his demeanour. She described the dilapidated conditions which greeted her on entry, before explaining how some of the rooms changed as she ventured further into the house. She remembered with great accuracy, the fire burning in the grate of the drawing room, the smouldering pipe, the tea, pictures on the wall, and the framed photograph. She continued with the dining room and described how the table was elegantly set as if in readiness for a banquet, still recalling every minute detail. But at that point she sat back and sipped at her wine, as she reflected for a few moments before being able to continue. Francine sat back too and remained silent, to allow her friend a breather whilst she gathered momentum.

  Kelly’s demeanour appeared to become quite disturbed, as she recounted her visit to the library which had led to the discovery of the priest’s hole. Francine was quick to notice, but chose not to interrupt, as she listened to her account of the shelves which were stacked with an array of antiquarian books. Kelly carried on with a description of the furniture, the gallery, the elaborate ceiling, the number of windows – she could remember it all so clearly. But the horror of Kelly’s experience only became apparent to Francine, as she listened carefully to her account of the journey through the secret opening, and the terror which followed when she entered that forbidden domain. Her voice trembled as she told her about the dead girl, and how she had recognised her as the same one she had seen in the woods earlier, and who she was certain was the same person as in the framed photograph on the wall in the drawing room. She continued to the point where she had collapsed on the forecourt, and then proceeded to tell her about the changes which had taken place when she had returned inside again, in her search for Charlene and Mr Midgely.