Page 84 of The Other Side

“Not near a house?”

Fuck. “No.”

Matthew frowned. “I keep having flashes of a little stone cottage.”

“Do you have any ideas about what might have happened to my dad?” Penny asked.

“Nothing that makes sense. If you fell and hit your head, it’s possible someone took you to their place. I have no idea why they wouldn’t call for an ambulance… Or why they’d keep you so long.”

“Or how they managed to pick me up. I’m heavy.”

“Maybe you didn’t lose consciousness and went with them because you were concussed,” Rachel said.

“And they kept me locked up for months? And kept Indie too?”

They kept asking Drum questions that he couldn’t answer and he pretended to be as puzzled as they were. As he was trying to think of a way to leave, Rachel cleared her throat.

“If it had happened in Sparlow, we’d be just as puzzled but would probably accept it more easily,” she said.

“Why’s that?” Drum asked.

“Strange place,” Matthew said.

“A witch lives there,” Penny blurted.

“Penny!” Matthew shot her a look, then turned back to Drum. “They keep themselves to themselves. Yes, there is a woman who’ll make charms and such for people but she’s harmless.”

“I’m really sorry this has happened to you,” Drum said. “You might not be at this point yet, but I think if it was me, I’d try and put it behind me. It is inexplicable so stop trying to explain it. Maybe your memories will come back, maybe they won’t, but I don’t see the point in letting it overwhelm your life. You’re safe and well and back with your family. As soon as you’re ready to start work again, I’ll step aside.”

Drum pushed to his feet.

“Let me see you to the door,” Matthew said.

When Drum had stepped outside, Matthew pulled the door closed and put out his hand to stop Drum walking away.

“I don’t know why I don’t remember being away for four months, but I do remember you walking towards me across a field. I’d come out of a house with the dog.”

Drum put on the best puzzled expression he could manage. “I don’t recall that.”

Matthew stared at him for a moment, then shrugged. “There’s so much that I don’t remember, I guess I could be imagining it. As for Sparlow… When I started this job, ten years ago, there was a piece of paper clipped to one of the pages in the job description. It said Don’t spend time in Sparlow after dark. Take my advice. While you’re still doing the job, heed that warning. To be honest, I don’t know if I want the job anymore.”

He stepped back inside and closed the door.

Drum sagged and returned to his car. He wasn’t sure he wanted the job either. Before he set off, he wrote up the conversation he’d just had with Matthew and his family, including what Matthew had said about the field and a house. If he didn’t and Matthew had told someone else, it would look bad. But he didn’t include the comment about Sparlow. Something made him keep that to himself.

He’d just set off when he had a call asking him to go to Lily’s. Drum put her address into his phone, made a U-turn and headed to Stoney Middleton.

Lily hurried him inside, shutting the door firmly behind him.

“Are you all right?” Drum asked.

“Another elderly woman has been murdered. Do I look all right?” She folded her arms. “Is there a serial killer out there?”

“I can’t discuss the investigation with you. I’m only on the edge of it anyway. I don’t have the authority to ask questions, never mind answer them. I got into enough trouble for talking to you and Arthur about Sonita.”

“I heard it was Stan Motson’s mother.”

Drum said nothing. He wasn’t going to deny it.