The Grave Read online

  That was the point, he saw it now, now it was too late, that was the moment all was lost. She was soft and pretty in an overused way and it had been years, well of course it had been years.

  He had never enjoyed sex with a hooker, never wanted some brutalised whore who was busy thinking about her next score while he pumped away above her, but this girl, she had sparkling eyes, soft lips and it had been so very long. She would want something from him afterwards, money probably and so really, little better than a whore but she had searched him out, it made a difference. He could feel his body pleading, his brain and common sense were fighting a losing battle.

  He slipped the car into gear and drove off past the Pharmacy, past the streetlights, past the point of no return.

  Chapter 5

  There had been little conversation on the drive to the shack, Samuel was too tense and wound up, he had spoken once.

  “So, what’s your name, seeing as you know mine already?”

  “Sylvie, I’m Sylvie, nice to meet you Samuel.”

  She had held a hand towards him, a grin on her face but he didn’t glance at her and with a shrug she let it drop back into her lap, the silence resumed. For long minutes she spent the time gazing through the window at the darkening silhouettes of trees and fence posts flicking away behind the car as it grumbled on over the tarmac. The occasional signpost would flash a bright message into the gloom and the houses they passed glowed like little oasis with the lawns touched green under lamps and security lights, otherwise all was dark and quiet.

  A few cars hissed by, the occupants heading for a night in the town and one van overtook them, she watched the tiny rubies of its tail lights fading into the black until it turned a distant bend and became a memory.

  “How far is your place, I know it’s in the woods, but how far?”

  “Not far now, a few minutes that’s all.”

  They turned in from the road and the darkness was deeper, much deeper than she had thought it would be. The track was rutted and winding and she hung on to the sides of the seat as they bumped and jogged into the woods. The way was a tunnel lit only by the headlights, now and again a creature would leap or scutter from their path, a sharp intrusion, here and gone in a flash. Apart from the roar of the engine, the sounds now were all those of nature and of night in the woods.

  He swung left and the road ran beside the river for a brief spell. The dark water glinted as the moon caught the ripples but the gently flowing ribbon was mysterious and she turned away from the window. She watched him, the shape of his head and shoulders, tense and unfriendly and wondered nervously what she had done. The idea had seemed good in the town, she’d been filled with bright light bravado but now was unsure. It was further than she had thought it would be, she would have to be sure he left the keys in the car, even then didn’t know whether she would be able to find her way back alone.

  Maybe she should let the plan go, just have the sex and ask him for payment, he must know money was what it was all about, or at least he must believe that. She would wait, play it as it came, let things develop, but for sure this dark and forbidding place wasn’t what she had imagined. Parks and playgrounds had been the only natural spaces she had known, the woods at night were not as she had expected.

  Chapter 6

  As the car drew into the yard Samuel jumped from the door, leaving Sylvie to clamber down on her own. By the time she joined him he had his provisions piled beside the steps.

  “Shall I lock the car for you?”

  He looked at her askance.

  “Why the hell would I lock the car, who do you think is going to take it out here?”

  With the sharp rebuke he turned and climbed the wooden stairs, slipping the keys into the pocket of his jeans. At least she knew where they were and knew the old Land Rover wasn’t locked. Her mouth was dry and nerves fluttered in her belly, this had been a bad idea. Hell it hadn’t even been a proper idea. She had seen him, remembered the talk and decided to try and get to him and then see where it led. Some vague notion of lifting valuables and then running had tickled at the back of her mind. She knew he lived in the woods but had never had any idea just how far out of town it was, no-one had ever said. She had assumed a couple of miles, walking distance at a pinch not this great trek away from the lights and the houses and all she was used to. How could anyone live out here?

  The talk in town could be all wrong of course; they had said he had money. That he was a rich recluse, eccentric, but this place gave lie to all of it. It was ramshackle, simple and sparse. She had expected a pretty cottage, perhaps something even more grand, but this was little more than a hut, the floors were bare and the kitchen simple and old fashioned.

  She had listened to the idle chatter and this is not what it had said. He had come to the town just a few years ago, no-one knew where from, no-one knew anything. He kept himself to himself except on a rare occasion when he would say a few words about the weather or suchlike. That he didn’t seem to work but always had money in his pocket and paid for everything in cash led to rumours of riches hidden at his place. Where the money had come from was never made clear but that it existed never seemed in doubt and so here she was.

  In her mind now were several options. Maybe she could get him to give her money, if he liked her enough, if she gave him a good enough time. It wouldn’t be much though, she had approached him; he would probably think she was on the game and want to pay her whatever he felt the sex was worth. She could tell him a sob story, God knew her life was full of those, maybe she could appeal to his kindness. From what she’d seen though there wasn’t much of that about this man. The other option, the most daring, the one she had in mind back in town, was to take what she could and to run.

  Now though she saw it had been stupid, she had assumed there would be a safe, a desk, articles around she could hide in her bag but this bare and simple place held nothing of value, whatever money he had it hadn’t been spent on comfort. Maybe there wasn’t any, no money, no treasures, nothing; just a dirty, scary, curmudgeonly man and bare boards. The thought depressed her, she had made mistakes before, so many mistakes and this looked to be just another one, another stupid half-baked idea, doomed to failure even before it began. Tears stung her eyes and she felt ready to cry in earnest now. She turned from him and gulped back the misery. She’d make the best of it now. She’d have to.

  Chapter 7

  He looked at the girl, she was young, muscles still trim, skin smooth and warm. It had been a long time and now Samuel hoped for no more than physical release. For Sylvie though it didn’t seem she felt the same, it seemed to him that she enjoyed it. She laughed and stroked at his skin, raked her fingers through his hair. She had poured them both whiskies while he stowed the shopping and then dragged him up to the bedroom. If she found the space unappealing he couldn’t tell. She threw herself across the bed her legs waving in the air as she pulled off her jeans and threw aside the cheap sweater. Her bra and pants were skimpy and covered little of the small body.

  He was taken aback by the girl’s enjoyment. Even though she had made the move on him in town, he’d assumed she was simply out for money, not for this, not for pleasure. He tried to shake off his earlier misgivings and found himself smiling as she wiggled across the covers, in her underwear. She patted the mattress and crooked a finger at him. Maybe it would be okay, perhaps she really did like him after all. The smile felt odd on his face, it didn’t fit the fall of his muscles and his eyes filled for a moment. It had been so long, so long since he had felt pleasure, so long since he had felt anything other than breathing, dragging from one day to the next.

  Living alone he didn’t acknowledge loneliness, loneliness would be an emotion and he quelled and quashed anything other than the slight pleasure he took from the birds, the trees and the quiet river. Before, he had let emotion rule him and he knew too well it was a traitor and a trickster and he had no truck with it now.

  Looking down at this young body, the long legs crossed at
the ankles and her slender arms flexing as she raised the glass to her lips he felt himself stirring and the sense of living took his breath away. He dropped his clothes to the floor and lowered onto the bed beside her, still wearing his shorts, tightening now as evidence of his growing passion. She ran a finger round the waist band and slid them away from his backside.

  They enjoyed each other, at least Samuel believed they did, she giggled and writhed and gave as well as taking, he let her set the pace and, once he had relaxed, it was easy and fun. He was still afraid but not as much now and at the end as he lost himself in the moment he was as he once had been, a man and only that, no pain, no guilt and no sorrow.

  They wrapped themselves in towels and went to the kitchen, he cooked eggs and toast and sitting on the old couch they drank whisky and smiled at each other.

  Not lovers, not even friends, but now more than strangers.

  “Where do you live Sylvie, are you from the town?”

  She nodded at him, her mouth full of eggs and toasted bread, “Yeah, born there, never been many places, never had the chance. No job, not much to do and I’m not clever or anything. What about you, where are you from?” A cloud swept through his eyes and he stood and carried the plates back into the kitchen, he didn’t answer her, no lies, no dissembling, just silence.

  “Will you want me to take you back? To town, tonight I mean? Will you be missed?”

  “Nah, there’s nobody to miss me, Mum and Dad have moved away. I live in a flat above the betting office. I can stay, if you like, I don’t have to but it’s a long drive back, we can leave it, ‘till tomorrow.”

  “Why didn’t you go, with your mum and dad?”

  “We didn’t get on here and I didn’t see how being somewhere else would make a difference and they were going to live by my nan. All old people, minding my business, nagging at me. I’m better here.”

  He simply nodded, he understood the value of being alone all too well. Maybe this girl would be good to know, maybe when he went into town he could meet her sometimes, chat. He had to ask about the other thing though, what she wanted, what was expected from him now. He still couldn’t believe she had simply come with him for fun.

  “Do you need some money, something, if you’ve no job?”

  He didn’t know what he hoped for, the truth would do, at least not offence, and he felt he owed her now. She had made him remember what it felt like to be alive, how could you pay for that? He didn’t know.

  “Well, I suppose if you’re offering.”

  He was saddened, had hoped for something else, but tried not to let it show.

  “How about I take you back in the morning and then I can give you something, you know for your time?”

  She simply nodded and it was settled. She stood and walked to him, the towel fell to the floor and she giggled as he grabbed at it, dragging it back over her nakedness.

  “Come on Samuel, let’s go and get warm again.”

  She led him by the hand back to the bedroom.

  Chapter 8

  The moon was caught in the trees outside the uncurtained window, the silvery luminescence was enough to show her the dark shapes in the simple room and the hump of the man sleeping now on the other side of the thin mattress. He was breathing deeply, his mouth was open a little. One arm was cast above his head the bulk of it squashing the pillow, the other draped over her chest, just below the level of her breasts, she took in shallow breaths, trying not to disturb him.

  In the pale light she could make out his hair, the gleam of skin on his forehead and the darker colour of his lips. He wasn’t a bad looking man, older than anyone else she had been with, but she had been surprised by his tenderness and even more by his gratitude. When, in the midst of the sex, she had seen the glisten of tears on his lashes she had to turn away and she felt her heart change in that moment.

  She didn’t know him, she couldn’t say whether or not she liked him, certainly being with him was different, but it had not been the way she had expected. They had talked little; no amount of trying on her behalf had drawn out any information about the man. Though they had been now as close physically as two humans could be she still did not know where he came from, what his family might be, she still didn’t even know him by any other name but Samuel.

  Staring through the window at the dark trees and the beautiful moon she was swept with sadness. She had intended simply to take from him, money yes, and whatever else she could get. Now, in the darkness it was possible to realise the idiocy of her plan, there was no way to take his money, if indeed there was any. No way for her to drive the big old Land Rover and find her way back through the terrifying darkness of the woods beside the pewter slide of the river. Again, yet again, she had made stupid decisions, acted without thinking and now here she was lying in this strange, plain room with a man who, more and more she was beginning to like but about whom she knew nothing.

  She shook her head, what a fool she could be at times. With a gentle finger she stroked a lock of hair back from his forehead. No, she would take from him only the pleasure he had given her tonight and maybe there would be a chance to know him better and perhaps he could be a friend. God knew she needed friends, especially now.

  She had told him there was no-one in the town to miss her, she had lied.

  Chapter 9

  Sylvie drifted back into her dreams, almost sleeping, comfortable with the thoughts she’d just had. Happier now the decision was made to do something good, something kind.

  The flash of light across the walls and ceilings almost passed her by, it was an instant of change, but somewhere her safety mechanism registered the difference in illumination and she stirred. Her eyes were wide in the darkness and though, at this moment she couldn’t really name the cause of alarm, the knowledge that there was something wrong caused her heart to pound. Samuel slept on; she slithered carefully out from under his casual embrace. Through the woods now came quite clearly the rumble of an engine and even at this early stage she felt deep in her gut that this was trouble coming. She was no stranger to trouble and sliding her feet from under the thin covers she pulled on her shirt and braced herself to face it.

  The engine noise stopped and, as expected, it was now superseded by the slam of a door and the crunch of shoes on the broken path outside. She flew now on bare feet from the dim room and ran down the stairs. Hanging onto the banister for support her nerves jangled and jolted with fear of what she thought she knew. By the time she had reached the door and dragged it open he was there, his hand raised to knock. Thank God she had got there in time, maybe Samuel would sleep through this, maybe she could deal with it, handle the situation and he would never know.

  She stepped onto the wooden balcony.

  “Phil, how did you get here, how did you know?”

  There was no answer save the slap of his hand across her cheek.

  “Bitch, what the hell are you doing?”

  Another blow, she couldn’t help herself, she cried out.

  “Stupid bitch, Benny saw you, getting in the weirdo’s car, he came to find me, do you think I like that? Do you bitch? Do you think you can make me a laughing-stock, behavin’ like a bloody whore?”

  Another blow aimed now at her belly, bringing her to her knees. She knew he had held back, she knew from past experience he wouldn’t let go yet, wouldn’t use all his strength not until he had taken his full revenge.

  She looked up at him; tears ran from her eyes, cold on the stinging skin of her reddening cheek.

  “Phil, don’t. Please don’t, I’ll explain, I was out to get some money, I thought I could kid him, you know pinch some stuff. I didn’t know it was going to be like this. I thought he’d have a posh house and I had no idea how far it was from town. Listen to me Phil, don’t make a noise, come on let’s go. Let me get my bag, and then we’ll go.”

  “So, you came to rob him, well where’s the stuff, where’s the money?”

  “There isn’t any, least I don’t think so, look at this p
lace, look at it. There’s no money, there’s nothing to take. Come on let’s go back, I made a mistake Phil. Just a mistake.”

  “Yeah, you can say that again.”

  He raised his leg, a karate kick, his trainer connected with the side of her chest causing her to gasp and cry out in pain.

  Now, the door swung back on its hinges crashing against the old wood of the walls. There he stood. In the light from the car headlights Samuel looked enormous, the night was filled with the sound of his breathing and the look on his face chilled her to the depth of her being. She had never seen such anger.

  He didn’t speak. He reached out and grabbed the youth by both shoulders dragging him into the room. Flinging him backwards he watched coldly as the yob crashed into the threadbare couch. Samuel raised his powerful arm and crashed it downwards. If it had found its mark then surely it would have smashed the skull of the man cowering before him.