Scaderstone Pit (The Darkeningstone Series Book 3) (10 page)

Trevor peered into the narrow gorge, but it was too dark to see anything properly. And anyway, the relatively sheltered area within the gorge was thick with a dark tangled mass of brambles. Trevor thought back to the briars he’d already struggled through and made a quick decision: he wouldn’t venture into the gorge in the dark, but he’d tell the survey team to pay particular attention to the area.

Trevor nodded to himself. This was good. This was exactly the sort of thing he’d come to find out. But he’d seen enough. He’d done his best under difficult circumstances, and it was time he went home. But as he turned away, he heard a sound that made him freeze in his tracks.

No! It wasn’t possible. But there it was again. There could be no mistake. Somewhere, out there in the freezing darkness, a baby was crying its heart out.

Trevor span around, scanning the shadows. But the harsh wailing cries echoed eerily around the empty space, rebounding from the bare rock and crowding in on him from every direction. He shook his head in disbelief. This was ridiculous. No one would bring a child to such a place. Surely his mind was playing tricks on him. It was the cry of a fox perhaps. Or a screech owl. But no. The wailing went on, rising in pitch, becoming a desperate scream.

That sound could only come from a baby
, Trevor told himself. But what should he do? Should he fetch the police? Trevor ran his hand through his hair, pressing his fingertips hard against his scalp. Yes. The police would know to handle this. Something was very wrong here and he couldn’t deal with it himself. But even if he ran, it would take him twenty minutes to get to the police station. He might find a phone box sooner, but he couldn’t think where the nearest one might be. And once he’d telephoned, it could be quite some time before a constable arrived.

There was nothing for it. If a young child was outside on a cold winter night like this, then every second was vital. He’d have to do something about it, and he’d have to make it quick.

“Hello?” he called out. “Hello? Is there somebody there?” There was no answer.

He thought back to the broken glass. He’d imagined a tramp had been trespassing, but perhaps there was a vagrant out here: a destitute mother, huddled away in the dark with her baby.

“Do you need help?” he called. But still there was no answer.
She’s afraid
, Trevor thought.
Scared of the authorities
. He’d have to be careful how he handled this or she’d run into the night and then he’d never find her. “I mean you no harm,” he said, keeping his voice as steady as he could. “You can’t stay out here. It’s too cold. Let me see if I can help you.”

Trevor took a slow, steadying breath. The baby’s cries ran through him, set his teeth on edge, and his heart beat ten to the dozen. But none of that mattered. He wouldn’t stand by and see a woman in distress. He strode forward. The sound was clearer now and it seemed to be coming from within the narrow gorge. He squared his shoulders and stood tall. “Tell me where you are,” he called out. “It’s all right. I’m not a policeman.”

He took a few more steps toward the gorge. “Hello? Are you in there? Come out so I can see you.” He swallowed hard. The gorge swallowed up what little light there was; he could see very little. There could be ten drunken tramps in there for all he knew. And if they were lying in wait for him, he’d make himself an easy target. But what choice did he really have?

“I’m coming in there now,” he said. “I don’t have any money with me—nothing like that. But I’d like to see that you’re all right.” He took a step forward.

And the crying stopped, as suddenly as if someone had thrown a switch.

“Hello?” Trevor shouted. “Are you still there?”

Silence.

He stood perfectly still, listening. Up above, the wind whispered through the treetops, rattling the bare branches against each other. Somewhere, a tree trunk creaked and groaned as it swayed.

Trevor exhaled noisily. This was ridiculous. It was no time to play cat and mouse. A child’s life was at stake, and yet someone would rather hide away than accept his help. “I know you’re in there somewhere,” he said. “And I won’t leave until I know your baby is all right.” He took a few more steps forward, listening. The baby must still be somewhere within the gorge; it must be a dead end, and there was no way anyone could’ve slipped past him. He opened his mouth to call again. But then he heard a different sound. And it chilled his blood.

A whisper hissed gently through the darkness, like the merest suggestion of a sound floating through the cold air. “Get out of here,” it whispered. “Get out, and never come back.”

“What?” Trevor scanned the shadows. “Is someone…is someone there?” And now the whisper was louder, as if someone was standing at his shoulder, murmuring into his ears. “Get out of here. Get out!”

Trevor stepped back, stumbling over a loose stone. He shook his head. “I was just…just trying to help.”

“Get out of here! Out of here!”

Trevor turned around, facing back the way he’d come. The dark gorge was behind him now, and he pictured someone creeping from the shadows. His skin crawled.
I need to find the baby
, he thought.
I still need to find it
. But he found himself looking for the path he’d taken just a few minutes ago. “I’ll give you some room,” he called out. “I won’t come near. Just tell me you’re all right.”

“Go,” the voice hissed. “Go now, while you still have a chance.”

Trevor stumbled along the path. “All right,” he cried out, and his voice was hoarse. “I’m doing what you ask, just…don’t hurt the baby.”

A hollow chuckle echoed around him, amplified by the emptiness. Trevor walked faster, looking frantically from side to side. A surge of panic twisted in his guts. He headed for the gap between the gnarled trees, but as soon as he stepped between them, the eerie laughter grew louder, harsher, rejoicing in his terror.

And Trevor ran. He staggered blindly forward, branches whipping at his chest, his face, his hair. His breath came fast, the cold night air stinging his throat. In moments, he reached the edge of the site and changed direction, heading for the path that led back into town, but he didn’t slow down. And he didn’t stop running until there was solid tarmac beneath his feet and a lamp post at his side.

He staggered to a halt and bent over, resting his hands on his knees while he struggled to catch his breath.
This is madness
, he thought.
Madness
. He shook his head then stood up straight, staring into the empty street ahead of him. The street lights cast their pale pools of light on the pavement, and along the tidy row of houses, the downstairs windows were all lit with the same friendly glow. Inside, people would be huddled around their fires or sitting down to tea, their tables freshly laid with bread and butter, cakes and pastries. It was all so safe, so normal.

Trevor put his hand to his mouth. If only he had a cigarette. But he’d given them up: Iris preferred the smell of cigars and he couldn’t afford such luxury. “Damn it,” he whispered. He took a breath and blew it out, a plume of water vapour condensing in front of him and curling up into the wintry air.
I just don’t know
, he thought.
I don’t know what to do
. He could go to the police. But the whispered voices and ghostly laughter could not have been real. It just wasn’t possible. And if the voices were caused by his mind playing tricks on him, he must have imagined the baby’s cries as well.

Trevor looked down at the state of his clothes and shook his head. His shoes were filthy and his trousers were damp and spattered with mud. He couldn’t go to the police like this. They’d think he’d been to the pub after work and had one too many. They’d laugh in his face. And he didn’t know who might see him going into the police station. This was a small town. People talked.

A little way along the street, a door opened and a woman stepped out, closing the door quickly then pausing to wrap a headscarf around her hair. She glanced in Trevor’s direction and looked him up and down before walking hurriedly away.

Trevor watched her anxious retreat and he made his mind up. He could not have people looking askance at him, and he couldn’t afford gossip. Especially not now, just when things were starting to happen for him.

He was finally getting somewhere, and he couldn’t throw it all away on a flight of fancy.
I made a mistake
, he thought.
That’s all
.
Just a stupid mistake
. Then he turned up the collar of his coat and set off for home. He walked as quickly as he could. And he didn’t look back.

Chapter 13

2021

SIMON PACED THE ROOM
, his phone pressed against his ear while he waited for Cally to answer his call. And the moment he heard her voice, he launched into his explanation. “Listen, Cally love, so sorry to bother you in the evening, but something’s come up.”

He let Cally complain for a moment, tuning her out as he crossed to the table and scribbled some notes on a pad. “Anyway, I’m sure you’ll want to know about this. There’s been a really interesting find. No, it’s not here. It’s quite a few miles away. But they’ve taken it to the museum at Grand-Pressigny, and I’d like you to go over there in the morning and take a look at it.”

Again, he let her objections wash over him. “I’ll send Gerard over to you in the morning—he doesn’t speak much English, bless him, but he’s a local so he’ll make short work of the driving. It’ll only take you about two hours to get there, and it’ll do you good to get a break from the dig. We’ll just have to struggle on without you.” He restrained the urge to chuckle. Cally was a wonderful asset for the show, but sometimes she could be hard work, and he was already looking forward to a morning without arguments.

She was saying something about expenses now, but he cut her off. “Yes, yes, that’s all fine. But listen, I haven’t told you the best part yet. This is your big chance, Cally, darling. I want this new find in the show, but I need to keep Imogen here or the schedule will be shot to hell, so I need you to do a piece to camera. Gerard will handle the filming, and he’s a joy to work with, he really is.”

He rolled his eyes as Cally complained. She wasn’t fooling anyone. Simon knew this was the opportunity she’d been waiting for, and with her natural good looks, he was certain that the camera would love her. “You’ll be wonderful,” he said. “I only wish I could be there to see it for myself. So don’t worry about a thing, my love, it’s all been arranged. The car will pick you up at half past seven. Call me tomorrow, let me know how it went. Bye for now.” He took the phone from his ear and was about to end the call when he realised Cally was still talking. He sighed, and held the phone up again. “What was that, Cally love?” He listened for a moment. “Oh yes, sorry. I forgot to tell you. It’s some sort of jewellery. A whole collection. It’s unique—at least 20 pieces, all found together and beautifully preserved. From what I hear, they’re nicely carved so they’ll be great for the show. There could be some media attention, so that’s why we’ve got to move fast. Oh, and you’ll like this, they think it must be very early stuff. Maybe even Neolithic.” He paused, enjoying Cally’s sudden silence. “I must dash. We’ll talk again tomorrow. Bye Cally.” And he ended the call before she had a chance to respond.

Chapter 14

2021

I TOYED WITH MY FOOD
while Cally talked on the phone. I couldn’t help hearing what she was saying, but none of it made much sense. And her expression didn’t help; she looked excited, angry, and scared all at the same time. I took a sip of wine and waited patiently for her to finish the call.

When she finally put her phone down on the table she shot me a puzzled look and said, “That was weird.”

“Is everything OK?” I asked. “It wasn’t bad news was it?”

She shook her head. “No. Not really. Just unexpected, that’s all. They want me to go and do some filming tomorrow, at Grand-Pressigny. And I finally get to go in front of the camera instead of crouching in a hole in the ground.”

“Hey, that’s amazing. You’ll be brilliant, I know you will.”

She gave me a shy smile. “Thanks, but I’m totally unprepared. I’d better go back to my hotel and do some research. I’ve got an early start in the morning.”