The Turning

Three

ThreeKerry Hardman knocked on the front door as a storm rumbled its way across the land. She stood there, kicking her feet on the stone slabs as she waited for the door to open.

“Kerry. Hi,” Jake said as he moved to one side. “Come in before it pours it down.”

“Thanks,” she said as she shuffled past him into the hallway. “Where's Katherine?”

“She's out with my Mom. Dad has dropped them off. He will be back in a bit. He needs to see the estate agent first.”

“Cool. Did they like the house?”

“Yes. Very much so. He's going to make an offer, so fingers crossed. You want a cup of tea?”

“Do you have coffee?”

“We do. I can even make you a proper one if you fancy?”

“Sounds great,” she said, her smile lighting up her face. “Milk with two please.” Jake walked through to the rear kitchen with Kerry following. She slouched against the counter while Jake made himself busy with the kettle and café tier.

He turned and looked over at Kerry who was nibbling her thumb. “So, how's things?”

She pinched her nose up slightly. “Good, I guess.” Jake knew that he would be doing most of the talking. Unless he mentioned video games. Then he would not be able to shut Kerry up. They'd met her months before, not long after they'd moved in. Her father, a mixed race ex-hippy, was their postman. He'd recommended Kerry to Jake when he told him his that his laptop was playing up. A few hours later a mid-twenties girl with coffee coloured skin, a tangle of black hair, and square-rimmed black glasses had knocked on his door. They had both warmed to her, especially Katherine who took an instant shine to her quiet and polite manner. She started fidgeting, thinking of some small talk that would get the conversation flowing. “How's business? Still searching for lost souls?”

“You make me sound like some sort of ghost hunter,” he said chuckling. “Things are surprisingly good. There has been lots of work coming my way, which I'm surprised about. I didn't think a place like this would too need too many private investigators.”

“Oh but it does. Lots of people around these parts go missing. Two of my friends did a few years ago. Vanished off the face of the Earth. It's because there is not much work. People get into bad habits like drugs and theft. Then all of a sudden they're AWOL.”

“Did your friends turn up okay?” Jake asked intrigued.

“Yes. One went to Ibiza with a friend but neglected to tell anyone. The other had met a man online, who was from a place called Doncaster or something. A few weeks later she was home with all her laundry.”

“Well it sounds like I'll be busy for the next twenty years or so. Hopefully not too many trips to Doncaster though. It's grim up north.” Kerry laughed as he handed her a thin china mug filled with coffee. The ice was well and truly melting.

* * *

The two men walked out of the estate agents' office into the late summer sun. A warm breeze blew down the high street from the Atlantic, buffeting them gently as they chatted. Storm clouds on the horizon were being blown inland towards the village.

“I'll phone you as soon as I get a response from the vendor,” the estate agent said, his northern accent sounding out of place this far south.

“Thanks Jeff,” Doug said happily.

“I can't see there being any problems. The house has been empty for a few months and they are keen to sell.”

“I'll keep my fingers crossed. How do you like Cornwall as oppose to Manchester?”

The younger man considered the question for a second. He was a good ten years Doug's junior, dressed in a grey pinstripe suit. His greying hair was cut short and styled. The older man's hair was cut by his wife and never styled. “I'm from Salford originally. But I've not lived there for years. Before I moved here I was in Birmingham, not too far from where you live now I guess.”

“So what made you give up the lights of Brum for this dive?”

Jeff laughed. “My boss didn't like me. He was my new area manager. Young, ambitious, stupid. A bit of a d**k. Call it a clash of personalities. As luck would have it I got offered this job as he was sharpening the knife. Best thing we ever did. It's just me, the wife, and two dogs. The kids are all grown up now. They only come down when they want a bit of sun and sand.”

Doug nodded, thinking that the younger man had fallen on his feet. “Well let's hope I'm sharing your way of life soon. I don't have any dogs, although I'd happily trade them for my wife if you want to swap?”

The two men finished their business with warm handshakes and promises to speak soon. Doug walked the few hundred yards back to his son's house with the stride of a man ten years younger. He was daring to believe that all this was within his reach. And his wife's of course. He turned right onto Jake's road as the first drops of rain started hitting the pavement around him. He looked out to sea, smiling at the thought that seeing this would be an everyday occurrence. “Son, I'm back. Where are you?”

“Kitchen Dad. Come through.” Doug walked into the kitchen to see his son sat at the table with a young woman with curly dark hair. Jake smiled. “Dad, this is Kerry. Kerry this is my Dad, Doug.”

Kerry stood up clumsily, offering her hand. “Ello. Nice to meet you.”

“Hello Kerry. You here to get Jake back online?”

“Something like that Dad. There is coffee in the pot. Help yourself while I show Kerry the laptop.” Doug ambled around the kitchen, picking up a spoon and cup before pouring himself a coffee, enjoying the moment. He could hear seagulls. He could actually smell the air. It had a tang to it that he loved. Not the smoke riddled smog that permeated around the cities. This was crisp and vibrant. He loved it. He was actually whistling when his son came back into the kitchen.

He looked at his dad warily. “You okay? You're whistling.”

“I am happy sometimes. Mainly when your Mom's out.”

Jake playfully punched his father on the shoulder. “Wait here while I get the buttons. Two minutes.” Doug sat sipping the strong coffee. He could hear the muted thumps his son was making up in the loft and the metallic whine of the ladder as he climbed back down. Seconds later he was sat next to him, offering him a small wooden box frame. Doug took it, has expression clouding. The small frame was cold. Considerably colder than the balmy kitchen. He inspected the buttons. Hearing the clunk as he lightly shook them in their frame. His hands were tingling. Outside the heaven's opened as dark clouds passed overhead. The kitchen suddenly felt dark and cool. “Barbara found the one in Guzman's office which was in Puerto Rico back in 1951 if I remember correctly. The other one I ripped from the boy vampire's coat in that cave I told you about.”

Doug nodded. An icy dread was smothering the warm feelings he had built up over the last few days. He put them on the table, wrapping his hands around the comforting coffee cup. “What will you do with them?”

“Not sure. Instinct tells me to bin them. After all what are they? Two old buttons. But something is telling me to keep them. Not in the house of course. What do you think?”

Doug looked at the frame, sipping his coffee. “Do you not think that someone or something will one day come looking for them?”

“The boy was ripped to pieces. The rest of them were destroyed, except Elias and Guzman. Do you really think they can find them?”

“They found you on more than one occasion Son. Why risk it?” Jake let his father's words seep into his brain. He nodded and stood up, scooping the buttons up from the table. He clicked them back into the frame as he walked to the back door. He opened it, dropping them into the large black bin under the kitchen window. Doug placed a hand in his arm when he sat back down. “No more dramas. No more adventures in far off places. It's time to raise a family Son. Let's leave the last few months behind us and move on.”

“Your laptop is kaput.” Both men looked up startled. Kerry was stood in the doorway holding it in the crook of her arm. “You need a new hard drive.”

“Sounds painful and expensive,” Doug said.

Jake took the news in his stride. “How quickly can you get it up and running? I don't care how much it costs. I just really need it working.”

“I can pick one up today. There's a place I use in Camelford. I can be back in an hour and have it working an hour after that. Does that sound like a good plan?”

“Kerry you're a life saver. Add the petrol to the cost and I'll give you another hundred for a job well done.”

“Fifty is enough. It's best not to overcharge a private investigator. I might need your services one day.”

A minute later Kerry closed the back door behind her and ran down the drive through the rain, leaving the two men in the kitchen, suddenly at a loss as what to do. Jake looked at the clock on the wall and smiled. “Pint?” Doug looked at the clock on the wall.

“Son, it's ten past twelve! I'll get my coat. Do you have a brolly?”

* * *

Kerry chewed her bottom lip as she tightened the last screw into place. Satisfied, she fired up the laptop and spent an hour configuring the machine, transferring the old hard drive into the new one. Happy with her work, she left a note on the kitchen table before heading out the back door. “Crap,” she said as she'd forgotten something from inside. She scooted back into the house, appearing a few seconds later with an empty cardboard box that had contained Jake's new hard drive. The storm had blown its way east, leaving the land feeling refreshed. She lifted the bin lid and was about to discard the trash when something caught her eye. Her face took on a puzzled expression as she found herself looking into the plastic bin at what appeared to be a small wooden frame. Kerry reached inside and took it in her hands, liking the cool feel of it. “Hmm,” she said as she closely inspected two metal buttons that each had an identical eagle stamped across their faces. These are nice. I wonder why they are throwing them away? She was suddenly unsure of what to do.

“Hi Kerry.” Her head snapped up, spotting a woman at the bottom of the driveway. “You going down the beach tonight? Should be a mental party.”

Kerry smiled at the woman, whose hair looked to be ten shades of red, shaved on one side. “Hi Cindy. I should be there. Have a few things to do beforehand.”

“Okay. Laters,” she said as her sloped off towards the high street.

“See you later,” Kerry said as she headed down the drive, William's two cold buttons bouncing around in her canvas shoulder bag.