SHORT FAT STUBBY FINGER STORIES PRESENTS: The Night of the Darkness by Tony Stewart: Episode 32 Part 1

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Short Fat Stubby Finger Stories PRESENTS:

Episode 31

Rosetta despatched Joseph and Martin to the bathroom to clean up while she searched the house for a medical kit, finally finding one in her father’s trunk by the time that they all met back in the kitchen.   She handed a bemused Martin some cotton balls, antiseptic cream and plaster, but treated Joseph’s cuts herself and the entire operation for both men was concluded within a minute and a half.   Joseph felt that it would have taken far less time had Rosetta not been so gentle in her application, especially when she gently smoothed out each band-aid several times with her index finger to ensure that it stuck firmly to the skin, and to ensure that she didn’t increase the pain level    He would have been just as comfortable had she simply placed the band-aid on the cut and gave it a firm press with her thumb to force the adhesive to stick to the skin.   But he said nothing, and was secretly pleased with the attention Rosetta was giving him.

   “What now? “ Martin asked as he finished applying the last of his dressing,

   “Well the barn is much bigger than I had anticipated.   I doubt there is very much we can do to discover if there is anything hidden in there – physically, or in the form of a clue that we can use, until we get the light problem sorted out.” Joseph replied with a shrug of the shoulders,   “I am surprised that there is no light switch within easy access just inside the door.   I don’t see any reason why anybody would want to traipse all over the barn in the dark just to turn a light switch on … especially when the power seems to be fitted to the barn just beside the door.   Mind you, that thought may not apply to whoever it was that was in the barn.   Whoever it was that we saw in there obviously knows the place a bit better than we do, and probably doesn’t need the lights turned on, or a least during the day time … and he probably has nothing to do with what we are searching for.   He will most likely turn out to be completely harmless, perhaps simply a homeless tramp … or perhaps a teenager who comes here for drinks or to have a smoke or two.   It may even be the same person that set fire to the carpet.   Either way, I don’t believe he is of any danger to us … he has had plenty of chances to harm us and didn’t.   However I would much prefer to have the place well lit when we come tomorrow to be on the safe side.   If we do have a Norman Bates on our hand I am sure that we would be far safer with all of the lights on.”

   “Unless our mystery man turned out to be our missing uncle, of course,” Martin offered , and regretted his gaffe immediately,   “Sorry Rosetta, wasn’t thinking.”

   “Some hope,” Joseph intervened, with a soft smile on his face, in an attempt to diffuse the silent atmosphere he knew would automatically now exist in the room,   “There is a possibility something happened to him that has left him slightly mistrusting of strangers, but I think that he would have identified himself when he saw Rosetta.”

   “Yes, he would have.”   Rosetta snapped,   “He would not play silly games with us.   He would be too worried about my father.”

   “Rightly so, Rosetta, however, regardless of our mystery guest, I suggest that we have a more thorough search of the house while we have the chance, and see if we can find anything we may have missed the first time around before our Uber driver arrives.   Remember, we are looking for anything that appears out of kilter.   Something that you wouldn’t think was normal to find in this house if its occupants were other than members of an archaeological team.   But at the same time do consider the professor’s line of work … and the subsequent discoveries that he has made recently.   It could be a note, a map, a letter,a lap-top, a usb stick, a c.d or a d.v.d … something that rattles your sixth sense … your instinct.   Something that you don’t understand, but arouses your curiosity,   Look everywhere regardless of how insane it feels.   If he has hidden something tangible that may be of help to us it will be located in the least expected place.   And I do mean unexpected.”

   “Right ho, Old Chap.  Where would you like me to start?”   Martin asked enthusiastically.”

   Vittorio’s room, please Martin.  And Rosetta, could you please check the kitchen.   The shelves, the fridge, everywhere.”

“Aye aye, Sir,”   Rosetta replied with a huge grin, happy to be of service … and hoping to impress by making a discovery… and the three of them headed off towards their individual search area, their spirit’s high.

   Entering the bedroom, Joseph turned on the light and then pulled back the curtains.    Although there was plenty of light in the room, he didn’t want to miss one clue should it exist.    It never occurred once to him that he had absolutely no idea what he was doing or hoping too find.   He was simply obeying the thought that had entered his head seconds prior to suggesting it to Rosetta and Martin.

   Slowly and methodically he went through each drawer and every piece of clothing.   He checked the pockets of each shirt and coat, ran his hands down the legs of the trousers in case of hidden objects. twisted and turned hairbrushes that refused to budge despite his continued attempts, lifted the lid off shaving cream and various other cosmetic jars sitting on the dresser in case they had some hidden compartment inside them.   He even checked through the various shoes and boots, also checking the heels for hidden compartments.

   He pulled back the sheets and blankets one by one, slowly examining what lay beneath each one of them, before folding them after he finished, until he had them all lying in a neat pile on the floor.

   He looked under the bed, under the mattress and then began the arduous task of meticulously going through every single item in the trunk which contained many items whose use was a mystery to Joseph, thus making it difficult to gauge their importance.   But, in his mind, Joseph was convinced that if there was something there, he would find it.

********

Mary was not by nature an easily frightened woman, but this man made her blood run cold.  It was his eyes, his blood-red eyes that penetrated so deep into her soul that frightened and intimidated her the most.    And when he suddenly rose to his feet it felt to Mary that he was about to rush up the hill and kill her.   She froze on the spot, the terror that began to rise inside her made her want to scream so loud they would hear her in the village itself, but nothing emitted from her lips but heavy breathing.   The wild-eyed man took two paces forward from the cart where he had been hiding and Mary found herself on the verge of fainting, he was coming her way and she had nowhere to go.   She might outrun him to the car, but he was sure to get to the Mini before she could get it started … and her legs were like jelly – which meant movement would be impossible anyway.

   Mary fought desperately with her mind to force it to obey her … to give her the chance to survive … to live, however it was all to no avail … he was coming her way … and she was in big trouble.   But suddenly, for reasons unknown to her, this bizarre creature ignored, or dismissed, her presence.   He turned, and crept closer to the house where he located himself in a position where he could spy on those inside through a window where the curtain was not completely drawn.

   It took Mary several seconds to comprehend her change of luck and several more to come to grips with what was now going on … and when she did Mary was not in the least bit impressed with his decision.   Her fear was now completely gone from her mind as a result of his decision, but now it seemed that his decision was giving her cause for frustration.   Not only was he doing what she had planned to do, but he was also stopping her from doing anything at all.   However she realised she was not really in a position to do anything about it.   She certainly couldn’t just walk up to this unkempt creature and tell him to buzz off for fear of his reaction, and she was hesitant to try to drive off in case she was seen by Joseph or his friends.   She took a risk sneaking over to where the scruffy fugitive had been hiding earlier to get a better view, and wait to see what happened next.

********

On the other side of the window, inside the kitchen, Rosetta concentrated intensely on her search unaware of the prying eyes watching her every movement.   She had vigorously sorted through the pantry, raking her hands through the meagre array of flour, cereals, sugar, and other food items that lingered on the shelves … showering the contents on the floor in her wake.   She had pulled out every pot and pan that lay cluttered under the sink and had been extremely lucky not to have snapped the rusted water control tap as she removed a rather large electric saucepan that was stuck behind it.   Had she snapped it she knew there had been a good chance of her flooding the kitchen.

   Previously, perhaps in response to an over enthusiastic attempt to find something to impress Joseph, Rosetta had completely dismantled the stove and oven, but had been unable to put it back together again and bits and pieces of the ancient food cooker lay all over the floor.   The drawer holding the knives and forks, which were situated directly under the window, was to be next on her demolition list, and as she settled herself into this final task she noticed the trail of destruction her search had created and winced at the sight.   It had not been intentionally intended, but the room looked like a disaster area none the less.

   She pulled open the top drawer, eager not to cut herself on the sharp knives, cautiously removing each knife by the handle before placing it in the sink.

   The forks were next, but they were placed on the side of the sink to keep them separate them from the knives, then finally she began to sort through the spoons.

   And as Rosetta went about her task of methodically moving each spoon one at a time she noticed that one solitary spoon, right at the bottom of the pile, was lying with its bottom-side up and facing a completely different direction than all the other spoons.   It looked odd and out of place.

   Carefully, she scooped aside the ones on top of it, and, placing her outstretched fingers on its base, she ever so gently pulled it up and turned it over.  To her surprise she found a glistening ring stuck to the spoon by blu-tac.

   Rosetta removed the ring from the sticky substance and tried to examine it, and as she did so she realised that there was a pattern on it that looked vaguely familiar.   Unable to make it out more clearly, she moved closer to the window, but as she twisted the ring around in her fingers, she found that she still didn’t have enough light, so she looked up to pull the curtains back a bit further- and as she did her eyes came in contact with the wild red eyes that were pressed up tight against the window.

   In the kitchen, Rosetta screamed.   In the next room Joseph got such a fright from the unexpected sound that he dropped a small hammer he had just extracted from the professor’s chest onto his foot … and the cause of the pandemonium jumped up and ran for his life.

********

   Mary never heard Rosetta scream.   All that she saw was the wild creature jump in the air, then turn and rush madly towards her.   Mary also screamed, and this time she obtained the co-operation of her legs.   She began to tun towards her car, but stopped dead in her tracks as one last look behind to see how far away the man was revealed that he was not following her.   Instead he had run directly to the spot on the barn wall that he had appeared from in the first place, and was in the process of disappearing back into it.

   Mary had no idea that he hadn’t even noticed her in his own panic and, fearing that he would do an about-turn and come back after her, she ran towards the assumed safety of the farmhouse, and arrived there, just as Martin opened the door.

   Unprepared for the door to be wide open, and Martin blocking her entry into the house, Mary couldn’t stop quickly enough at the speed she was travelling at.   She ploughed head first into Martin, one of her legs ending up between his, and the pair of them performed a bizarre waltz through the hallway , and into the kitchen where they finally lost balance as they made contact with the flour and sugar that Rosetta had spilled.   They hit the slippery floor, and still entwined, they flew across the room until Martin’s head collided with the base of the kitchen cupboard.

   “What the hell?” Martin cursed as he attempted to place his hand on his now aching head and simultaneously disentangle himself from Mary.

   Rosetta was still screaming as Joseph arrived, and, as he pulled her close into him she broke into a sobbing mess.

   “What’s going on?” He asked in total confusion at the madness that was now the kitchen.

   “There was someone at the window. A mad man,” was all that he could coax out of her, before Rosetta sunk her trembling body deep into his in search of comfort and safety.

   Mary managed to be the first to get up from the floor and as she looked around the room she found herself confronted by Rosetta crying her heart out in Joseph’s arms; Martin covered from head to foot in sugar and flour, and the room around her looking like a bomb had hit it.    ‘What was going on, here?’   Her mind questioned.   Then, suddenly, she realised that she herself was about to be questioned as to what she was doing here, in the next few seconds or so.   Quickly regaining her composure, and deciding that defence was the best form of attack, Mary opened with her best shot.

   “What happened here?” she asked, her sweeping arm indicating the state of the room, “and who or what was that thing running around the yard?”    Then, in a stroke of genius, before anybody could reply, she asked, “Joseph? Is that you?”

   Joseph looked at her quizzically at first, before recognition slowly began to sink in, and he released Rosetta, who by this stage had stopped her crying, and was eyeballing Mary suspiciously.

   Before Joseph could answer, Rosetta had turned to him. “Joseph! Who is this woman? Do you know her?”

   But Joseph didn’t answer her.   Instead he looked past her, straight at Mary.   He still wasn’t certain.   The woman’s face seemed familiar, yet … .  Joseph realised that, if she did know him, she probably dressed differently, wore her make-up differently, or perhaps she didn’t even wear make up in the environment that they knew each other in … , but the understanding of why he couldn’t instantly recognise her was not of much help to him.   Then something twigged in his brain, something familiar, as Mary cocked her head to one side and an amused grin began to form over her face as she seemed to realise that he didn’t recognise her.   ‘And fair enough.‘ It seemed to say, “I’ve let my hair down and dressed for the weekend in the country.   No prissy dresses or skirts today, I am afraid.   I’m not in the office now.’    Hesitatingly,  Joseph offered the only possible name that came to the fore in his mind,  “Mary?  Mary Henningworth?”

   “Why, Joseph! It is you. What are you doing way out here? And who was that man that tried to attack me?”

   “Perhaps the question really should be, ‘Who are you’? “ Martin interjected as he continued to brush himself off.

   “Yes!” Rosetta chimed in.   “You can’t come running in here, scaring us half to death, then demanding answers to your questions.   Who are you?”

   For a split second Mary’s face started to distort and turn to a snarl in response to Rosetta’s venemous tone.   Joseph immediately sensed the growing hostility between the two women, but he had absolutely no idea what was going on, and decided diplomacy might be the right tactic to take … especially when he realised that they themselves had no legal right to be in the farmhouse regardless of the fact that Rosetta’s father had rented it … and it was quite possible that Mary did.

   And he had to be careful of what was said.   Mary could be a gigantic thorn in his side if she said something that would make Mary and Martin suspicious about who he really was.   That was the last thing that he wanted – he was in far to deep now to even consider pulling out, never mind being caught out.   He chose his words carefully, Rosetta and Martin, this is a friend of mine, Mary Henningworth.   Mary, this is Rosetta and Martin.”

   Mary put her out her hand, only to have it ignored by Rosetta, but accepted by Martin who had by now calmed down, and he bent her hand over and gently kissed the back of it.

   “Charmed,”   Martin’s voice reeked of a newly found smoothness that surprised Joseph, but he gave it no more thought,  “I am always pleased to meet a friend of Joseph’s.   I am sure that Rosetta is just as happy to meet you.   She is just a bit shocked by the recent chain of events.   I apologise for my ill-mannered behaviour a minute ago – you took me by surprise and unfortunately upset my equilibrium causing me a temporary moment of insanity and embarrassment – please forgive me.”

   “My apologies, also.” Mary smiled at his change of tone, feeling that, at least for the time being, she had the upper edge and quickly took advantage of it,   “I came here to look at the farm.    I heard that it was coming up for sale.   As Joseph is aware, my divorce will be settled shortly.   I expect to receive a hefty settlement out of it, and I thought that I might move to the country for a while while I do it up to rent or sell.   London’s weekend in the country crowd are always looking for somewhere new to stay, or rent out annually so they can go there whenever they feel stressed out.   I could make a good income renting it, or if it’s not too expensive to completely do up, I could put it on the market.   I am certain that it would sell quickly, but if I have to rent it I will still make a motza as they say.   It would be a perfect chance to let my broken heart recover, you understand, and let me retain the lifestyle I would prefer to lead”

   Mary looked directly at Rosetta as she spoke, relishing in her own inventivenes as she continued..   “I hadn’t realised that anyone was here as I didn’t see any car when I drove up.   And, that wild man!   Who was he?”    He nearly scared me to death.”

   “Me, too!” Rosetta said in a calmer voice as she accepted Mary’s story, shuddering as she relived the memory of events that had occurred only moments ago.

   “We have no idea who it was that you saw.”    Martin replied.  “We are here because this young lady’s father was living here until recently, when he became ill.   We have just come to collect some of his possessions as it is unlikely that he will be coming back here.   As far as the mess is concerned I have no idea.   Rosetta was packing out here. Perhaps she can explain it to you.”

   Rosetta looked at the messy, stove, flour and sugar laden floor, and found herself unable to explain her actions without admitting to the fact that she had been searching through everything, and then having to explain the reason why.   ‘Damn you, Martin!’   She thought to herself. “I was um!   Ah…”   She said stumbling over the words and feeling embarrassed.

   “Perhaps it happened when that thing appeared at the window?” Mary offered.

   Rosetta’s resentment of Mary’s presence dropped fractionally as she nodded her head in quick agreement.   Mary’s suggestion had given her a chance to bow out of an awkward question with some decorum.   Still, her intuition warned her that all with Mary was not what it seemed.   She felt that she should be wary… especially around Joseph.

   “As far as our car is concerned it was stolen a bit earlier,” Martin continued, “and I have already received a call from the police to say that they have located it at the local garage.   As I said to the others earlier, there would not be too many Mercedes Benz around here and I was right.   Must have been some opportunist joy-riders, or some of the hooligans from the village … why else would they be way out here in the sticks, then abandon it in the village?   Probably just wanted to get to the pub, I should imagine.   Never mind, I have it back now, or I will when we get back to town.   But, in the meantime, I was wondering if we could impose on you for a ride back to the village when you are ready to leave?”

   “That would be my pleasure, Martin. As long as you don’t mind dropping your standards and travelling in a Mini?”

   Joseph wondered why Martin had changed his mood so quickly, but as he currently felt that he himself was somewhere between the devil and the deep blue sea with Mary’s appearance, it didn’t matter too much at the moment to him what Martin was doing … just as long as he didn’t ask Mary too many questions about him.

   “That, Mary, would not be a problem.   Even with my long legs.   I could always hang them out the window if it became necessary.” Martin replied with a smile.   “Perhaps I could show you around the farmhouse in the meantime?   Or, at least, what we have discovered of it so far.   I am afraid that the barn is a bit of a no go at the moment.   It’s very dark in there and we haven’t been able to locate the light-switch.”

   “That would be lovely, thank you.” Mary replied, “I was sort of hoping that Joseph would have made that offer, but yours is one that I cannot refuse.  Again, thank you, Martin.”   She cupped her arm under Martin’s and the pair of them took off on a grand tour.

   “Can she be trusted, Joseph?” Rosetta questioned, the minute that they were out of the room.

   “I think so,” replied a rather bewildered Joseph.   ‘I certainly hope so.’ He whispered under his breath to himself.

   Mary’s arrival had certainly complicated things as far as Joseph was concerned.  He had no doubt in his mind that she was telling the truth as to why she was at the farm, but her reason certainly didn’t make him feel any easier in his mind.   He was here under false pretenses and he worried that Martin may question her about him.   And If Mary mentioned that they were simply workmates in an import / export office … .

   However, had Joseph been aware of Mary’s true reason for being at the farm he would never have had to worry.   For her to betray him, she would have to betray herself, but that was something that Joseph could never have guessed.    All Joseph could do for the moment was sweat it out – and hope for the best.

   “She certainly is up for a divorce with a big payout.” Joseph continued,   “Her husband is a diplomat I believe.   I have heard he is worth quite some money in his own right.   Family thing.    Comes from a dynasty that goes back to the middle ages or something

   “So it is just a coincidence that she turns up here while you are here?”

   “I don’t see why not.    Coincidences can happen, you know.”

   “I don’t remember seeing a “For Sale” sign on the way in.”

   “I think that you are way too suspicious, Rosetta.   I doubt that a sign would do much out here – it’s hardly in what you would call a high volume traffic zone.   Most likely the real estate agent sent her out to have a look at it.”

   “Then why didn’t someone come with her to show here around?”

   “I don’t know.   Perhaps they were too busy.    Maybe a real estate company in London is looking after it.   They’d get more clientele up there with good money looking for a bargain or a country retreat than here in Trenthamville.   A yuppie or a rich retiree may be interested in a country farm for a lifestyle change on the side.  You know, like a hobby farm with two horses, a chicken or two and a pig … like in ‘Green Acres’ … or perhaps somebody would like to do it up and become Lord of the Manor and impress all of their city friends.   If there was a local call for it I think it would have been sold by now.   In fact I doubt that it would ever have had a for sale sign.   Word of mouth would have told the entire village that it was for sale.   I think the owners were grateful your father rented it.   At least it was providing an income for somebody.   I doubt anybody in the village would have rented it.

   And as for Mary coming down by herself, maybe she wanted to have a look around the place without any pressure from the agents.   It doesn’t really matter.   The main thing is that we have a lift back to the village.”

   “She is a woman. I am always suspicious about women.   I don’t trust them.   I know them.   I know what they are like.   We should be getting back to town.   I wouldn’t like to miss out on a room for the night,” she smiled impishly.

   Joseph looked curiously at her, but could ask no questions as Mary and Martin had just entered the room.

   “So how did the grand tour go?   Did you like it enough to want to buy it?”   Joseph asked light hardheartedly.    “Getting yourself prepared for milking the chickens and plucking the cows?”

   Mary laughed at Joseph’s unexpected display of humour.   “I don’t know.   It needs some work, and Martin explained the problem with the barn lights.   I think that I will have to come back and have another, longer, look.   The lounge room is a real mess.   But, I am a bit worried about that strange man.   Perhaps you could come along with me next time, Joseph.”   Mary quickly added, “To offer some protection.”

   Joseph was clearly in a predicament at this point in time.   He had no idea what Mary wanted of him, but he was close to a no win situation. Whichever way that he went there was the likelihood that she would ask him awkward questions, questions that he may not want to answer.   But to his surprise, it wasn’t to be his decision.

   “Why not, Joseph – why don’t we all come out with her tomorrow?” Rosetta piped in unexpectedly, though her tone made it hard to determine how genuine her question was.

   “Yes, Joseph.   There is safety in numbers,” Martin added, “besides I’d like to see Mary again … though we would be better off coming in our own vehicles.  That way we would not interfere with each other’s time schedules.

   Joseph felt trapped and, ironically, so did Mary.   Her intention hadn’t been so much as to question Joseph, as it was to separate him from Rosetta for a while, and perhaps then he would recognise her existence.   Little did she know that one wrong question would have sent Joseph over the top, and he would have spilled the beans about everything, such was the pressure that he was feeling at this very moment.

   Now she felt awkward about coming out again, in case she was asked too many awkward questions about purchasing the farm.   She had absolutely no idea about how she would run a farm, nor did she particularly care for it as a lifestyle and she was beginning to realize she was not going to be putting on an automatic display of enthusiasm about buying the farm for any great length of time …one can only play out a role for so long before it becomes boring … and that could blow her cover.

   “Why that would be wonderful. Thank you all.   You have such wonderful friends, Joseph,” Mary beamed. “Can you give me your phone number please, Joseph, and I will give you a call tonight to make arrangements,” Mary half-lied. ‘Sorry, sweetheart, I will ring you all right, but not to make arrangements, my darling.   Actually I will have to forfeit my day at the farm, as something has come up … or at least it will once I think of something.’    “Unless … I don’t suppose that you are free for dinner tonight, Joseph?”

   “No. I am sorry but we have already made arrangements,” Rosetta advised very smartly, the tone of her voice in direct contrast to the sweetness of her smile. There was no way that she was going to wait all night to get Joseph alone, and she certainly didn’t want competition tagging along, spoiling her dinner and her evening.

   This time Martin did not intercede because he knew that it was important that they discussed today’s events, and made further plans.   He regretted his impulsive behaviour.   He had to admit to jealousy as his motivation for his actions today, and the precarious position that he had put them in, by his agreeing to go with Mary tomorrow.   He was not certain why Rosetta had offered to come.   She had given such clear signs that she didn’t take to Mary, yet she initiated the agreement to accompany Mary back to the farm.

   However, all of that side, it was not that he was interested in Rosetta.   “God forbid,” he thought inwardly as he admitted to himself that she was indeed a very beautiful woman, but she certainly wasn’t his cup of tea.   But he had found himself to be jealous of Joseph, of Joseph’s reputation, of how Rosetta had raved on about him since the minute that she had arrived back at the hotel after meeting him – and now this new, and also very attractive woman, was sending out signals to him.   But, again, he had no interest in Mary herself.   He was simply jealous of the fact that Joseph was receiving so much attention and he was getting none when it was he that had invited Joseph to join the party, not the other way round.  ‘I’m like a bloody child!’  he said as he tried to silently admonish himself with little effect.  His guilt was dominating his thoughts … and would probably do so for quite some time.

   When Martin thought about it, it wasn’t Joseph’s fault.   He seemed quite a nice person to know and if Martin continued to feel upstaged by him, after being the one to suggest his involvement in the first place, then he may as well go home, because he was going to be nothing but a nuisance in this adventure, and he so badly wanted to remain with the action and work with Joseph.   He would just have to watch himself, and hope that his mistake would rectify itself somehow – and certainly never repeat itself.

   Mary had expected Rosetta’s hostility, and had mentally prepared for it when she quite pointedly advised Mary was not going to get free time with Joseph, whether it be for a meal … or anything else, but she had still hoped that maybe she and Joseph could have had a quiet chat over a meal … .   “Never mind.” Mary said cheerfully as she suddenly sprung into life feeling she had out played her luck and needed to be separated from the others before her luck changed in the opposite direction. “I am ready to leave if you people need a lift.”

   Joseph, Martin and Rosetta followed Mary out the door and towards the back of the barn where the car was waiting her return – and as they moved, silent, lost in their own thoughts, not one of them had noticed the hole in the ceiling, or the wild, red eyes staring intently down on the foursome below, as they had made their way out of the building.

Go to Episode 32 part 1