The Case of the Haunted Cot

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Price lay on his living room sofa reading when the doorbell went. He stared across the flat to the front door. Price tried to think of anybody that might be, but he came up empty. That almost certainly meant it was somebody annoying. Price took in a deep breath and spent all of two seconds deciding whether he should open the door. He fell on the side of no; after all, he was already lying down, and really enjoying this book.

Whoever was on the other side of the door, however, appeared to have other plans. Plans that included Price. Not content that the doorbell went unanswered, they’d decided to try their luck thumping on the door itself. Price was curious about the next stage if he still failed to answer.

Thump thump thump, at first. But, after another minute of Price ignoring it, it became crash crash crash.

Price was now at the point where if he didn’t answer it, there was a very good chance he would be cleaning up bits of splintered wood. As he stood up, Price wondered less who was at the door, and more about what they might do to him. The impatient thundering meant they were desperate to speak to him, and the only people that were ever desperate to speak to Price were usually not interested in thanking him.

Opening the door, Price called into the hallway: ‘Can you not take a hint?’

He was greeted by a man whose deep sadness Price noticed instantly. This was mainly down to how heavy his face seemed, and how gaunt and hopeless its features were. Price had no idea who this was, but the fact that Price wasn’t lying on his back with a bleeding nose was a good start to their relationship.

‘Hey,’ the man said, ‘you’re Trenton Price, right? The atheist, debunker, science guy?’

‘… Yeah.’

‘Thank God.’

‘I’m going to remain quiet for a moment and let the irony of that sink in.’

The man was clearly uncomfortable, repeatedly turning around to check down the hallway, like a spy in enemy territory. Again Price worried this man intended to do him harm, as everything about him told Price I’m scared of being caught here.

Price wondered who had given this man his address, but it wasn’t immediately important so he put the question to one side for now.

‘I need your help,’ said the man, taking Price completely by surprise. ‘My marriage is in trouble.’

‘I don’t think you understand what I do,’ Price said. ‘Have you even read any of my work?’

Has anybody? Thought Price, feeling almost as sorry for himself as he did the rest of humanity.

With a wave of his hand, the man asked permission to enter Price’s flat. Still no less confused than when he answered the door, and feeling no less threatened — he’d offended a lot of people in his time, after all — Price could see no reason to let him in.

‘I, I can pay you for your time,’ the man said.

Price fully opened the door and waved him in.

***

***

‘When it started, it felt like I was being watched all of the time.’

Miller studied Sophie Fullwood as she spoke. They sat in the pews near the front of the church; at least, Miller and Sophie did, with a couple of feet gap between them. Father Lenn stood in the aisle, trying to distance himself from the conversation, but still watching over it. Miller appreciated it must have been hard for him.