Progress was slow as they navigated the winding road which skirts the desolate expanse of Exmoor before descending into the flat pastures of the Somerset levels. The countryside was lit by a full moon which shone intermittently as a fresh Atlantic depression nosed its way in from the west. By the time they were on the motorway and heading north, the moon had disappeared and a light drizzle was causing headlights to shimmer and dazzle on the wet carriageway. At first they remained silent, absorbed in their own thoughts until eventually the need to share their deliberations prompted conversation.
"When you climbed up to Kate's window, you said that you used a ladder which you found lying there."
"That's right."
"But there is no ladder. Everything is locked away by the gardener. Richard's fastidious about security. And when you looked in through the window and thought you saw Kate – she was sitting on a bed. And there was a cupboard in the room?"
"Yes."
"But the room is empty – has been for years. So what you saw was an illusion. It wasn't real."
"What is 'real'? It's a difficult philosophical question."
"Only if you happen to be a philosopher."
Flashing lights on the motorway warned of an obstruction ahead temporarily ending their conversation.
"How real is Sarah to you?" continued Doug after they had passed a broken down vehicle.
"She's real to me. I can't tell you how real she is to anyone else."
Doug hesitated.
"Suppose you asked her about where she is – what it's like being there?"
Julia sighed.
"I have tried that but she doesn't answer. In fact, it drives her away. So, if you mean have I asked her what it's like being dead, the answer's no. I don't think she realises that she is dead."
A blast from a passing truck and the intrusion of flashing headlights caused Doug to swerve and struggle to regain control of the Mercedes as it drifted into the next lane. The briefest glimpse of a driver mouthing obscenities.
"I'm sorry. Lost concentration. Let's stop at the next services. I need a coffee."
The rain had eased as they trudged across the soaking car park. To the east, the sky was brighter with signs that the depression was moving away. Inside, the service area was brightly lit. Most food outlets were closed with just a few solitary figures hunched over coffee or tucking in to early breakfasts. They ordered coffee from a slow-moving assistant who looked as if she had lost the will to live, then they sat at a red plastic table adorned with ketchup and mayonnaise.
"When I climbed up to that window and saw Kate – something happened."
"What?"
"She came towards the window – towards me. She was looking at me but also through me – as if she knew I was there but couldn't reach me. I believe she wanted tell me something."
"Tell you what?"
"Remember Freddie's words - 'the future lies in the past'? Maybe her past and our future are connected in some way. Think about it. Nick and Aleena are prevented from marrying because of prejudice. It was the same for Kate and John. And faced with virtual slavery, the girls consider suicide. It's a similar pattern."
"And we know what happened to Kate and John. You're not saying that …"
There was an uncomfortable silence as the implication dawned.
YOU ARE READING
The Voice Within
ParanormalA journalist sacked for phone hacking and tired of his decadent life style researches a triple murder that took place in his own ancestral home during the English Civil War. He discovers that events which occurred there nearly four hundred years ago...
