Three Mile Drive, Chapter Sixteen (standard:horror, 2649 words) [17/29] show all parts
Author: Brian Cross	Added: May 18 2007	Views/Reads: 2836/2010	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
The continuing story of a faded rock musician who inherits a property in the village of Bramble Dyke, deep in the English Fens, finding himself embroiled in kidnap, incest and murder. This chapter contains a flashback.

Three Mile Drove 

Chapter Sixteen 

A brisk rap on his room door the following morning snapped Darren out of
his morose ruminations over his future in Three Mile Drove. But it 
wasn't to last. 

He drew back the latch to be confronted with the tall, slim figure of
Sergeant McPherson, as a consequence his mind immediately flashing back 
to the unpleasant spectacle of the previous evening. 

‘I'm sorry – I didn't realise I was stepping on your toes,' Darren
snapped, unable to keep the acidity from his voice, ‘if that's why 
you're here.' 

McPherson frowned, his face finally flickering into a brief smile, ‘Oh I
see, mind if I come in?' and then as Darren stepped unwillingly back to 
allow him passage,  ‘I've no romantic interest in Claire Darren, if 
that's how you see it.' McPherson's eyes caught the “no smoking” plaque 
on the wall and he scowled. The number of non-smoking establishments 
seemed to be growing by the day. 

Darren's face might have been struck by a lightning bolt. ‘Eh?' He
fumbled in his pocket, a hand clutched around his lighter. He felt like 
a child in need of a dummy. 

‘Then what were you doing there close on midnight? I hardly see her as a
subject of investigation.' 

‘Yeah, that's where you're wrong. Mind if I take a seat?' Darren simply
gestured to the single easy chair. His head ached and his stomach 
churned. He felt like he'd spent a whole day on a roller coaster. 
‘What's it all about?' 

McPherson sat in the chair. Darren positioned himself on the bed
opposite while the detective explained about the house deeds. As 
McPherson went into his account, Darren began to see the situation for 
what it was. He didn't need to be told about Claire's association with 
the house, he knew that much. It intrigued and disturbed him, but he 
was concentrating on something else. Because as McPherson's voice 
seemed to fade into the distance, like a matinee curtain going up 
before his eyes Darren's mind was replaying events of the previous 
evening with all the ruthless efficiency of a video recorder. 

And when it came to the part where he'd seen McPherson waiting for her
on the porch that would be the point where he'd want to switch off. To 
stop right there. 

But of course he couldn't do that, just as surely as he couldn't erase
the certainty of what had followed. The plain fact that he'd let rising 
emotions cross the border into territory where only jealousy prevailed. 
A make believe world where distortion was the joker and envy was king. 
He'd pre-judged the situation and totally blown any chance he had with 
her, sky high. These were failings he'd often attributed to others but 
never envisaged in himself. Now he knew differently, and more 
importantly, so did Claire. 

He knew he'd let his resentment show, he'd meant to. A spur of the
moment thing, yes, but intentional all the same. 

‘And so I need you to act for me Darren, as a pair of eyes – Darren, are
you listening?' 

‘Eh?' Darren blinked. He'd been staring into the policeman's face for
the past few minutes and yet he hadn't seen it at all. 

He tried to snap his beleaguered brain into gear, ‘I think you just said
you needed me to act.' 

‘Yes I do,' McPherson's voice sounded tired, ‘if you'll just return to
this planet for a while, I'm asking you to do something for me.' 

‘Go on,' Darren summoned all his powers of concentration... 



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