The back of the house was as dreary as the front even though the stonework had been painted white at one time. Damp had risen from the ground and stained the peeling paint with a green mould.
The three steps that led down to the back door were shiny with damp. To the right of the door was a window that, like those at the front, had been boarded up. Just to the left of the door, though, about seven feet from the ground was a small window that not only had no boards on it but was actually half-open. Buddy took a couple of steps backwards then ran and jumped. He caught hold of the window-sill.
‘Give me a bunk up.’
‘Buddy – don’t,’ Charmian called.
‘Look, stop moaning,’ grunted Julius as he took hold of Buddy’s legs and pushed him upwards. ‘If you’re going to stay here, belt up, or go back and talk to that old crone.’
Buddy swung the window outwards and hauled himself up until his head and shoulders were through the hole. He was now blocking most of the light but he could see that the small room had been some kind of larder. There were shelves on the left and a door on the right which must lead into the corridor next to the back door.
‘Ok, Jules, let go. I’ll go in and open the back door.’
He kicked his legs and started to squirm through. It was a tight squeeze and he grazed his shin, but finally he managed to pull his body through. Balancing with one hand on the shelf and the other on the window ledge, he jumped to the floor. His leg stung like mad. He lifted his jeans and wiped a trickle of blood from the graze.
He was just reaching for the doorknob when it started to turn. Someone was in the house. He sprang round and leaped for the window. His hands slipped and he tumbled backwards on to the floor.
Julius was grinning down at him. ‘The back door wasn’t locked.’
Buddy took a few seconds to get his breath back then let Julius pull him to his feet. He followed him out into the corridor where Charmian was slowly opening another door opposite. The room was in semi-darkness because of the boards on the window. Buddy tried the switch just inside the door but no light came on. In the corner near the window he could just make out an old-fashioned, shallow, stone sink into which a tap dripped softly. Along the far wall an ancient gas stove lay on its side as if someone had disconnected it and then let it drop.
‘This must be where he sleeps,’ Charmian said in a rather scared voice.
Buddy turned and looked at the camp bed that stood against the wall behind the door. There were a couple of blankets on it and a rolled-up sweater that obviously served as a pillow. All along the bed stood candles of various sizes. Was the Beast scared of the dark? At the far end of the bed was a pile of cans. Charmian went over and peered down at them.
‘Stewed Steak. Peas. Potato Salad. He must eat them cold,’ she said, picking up a half-empty can with a fork in it. She shivered and put it down.
‘Do you think he stays here all the time?’ Julius whispered.
‘Don’t know. Let’s have a look at the rest of the house.’ Buddy turned and hit his knee on the edge of the door. His leg was going to be in a bad state by the end of the day.
There was another empty cupboard next to the larder, then three steps that led up to the main part of the house. Buddy walked up them and gently opened the door at the top. There was a large, tiled entrance hall with a wide staircase leading upstairs. Buddy glanced up the stairs then crossed the hall to the front door. This was where the Beast had been that night they’d looked through the letter-box.
The front room on the right of the hall was a mess. The wallpaper was hanging off the walls and there were chunks of fallen plaster on the floor. The room on the left of the hall, though, looked as if someone had swept it recently. It was completely empty except that in the middle of the bare floorboards there was a telephone.
‘Why put it there?’ Charmian asked.
‘Why have one at all?’ Julius answered. ‘The whole place is weird. I wonder where he killed her?’
Buddy had been so concerned about looking for any sign that might connect his dad with the house that he’d completely forgotten about the murder. He suddenly found himself peering at the floorboards as if he might find bloodstains on them.
Julius led the way up the staircase to the first floor. Buddy and Charmian stopped halfway up and looked over the banister to the hall below. There was a chink of glass and Buddy glanced up and saw Julius stumble. A bottle shot out from under his foot and came tumbling down towards them. Buddy tried to stop it but it caught the edge of the stair above him and flipped over his hand. It sailed in a high arc and shattered on the tiles of the hall. The crash could have been heard out in the street.
In the silence afterwards, they all held their breath.
‘Blimey, this is scaring,’ Julius said at last. ‘Let’s have a quick look up here then get out.’
All five rooms were empty. The dust choked Buddy’s nose and the dark corners of the rooms gave him the shivers. Once, when he stood still, he could hear soft rustlings under the floorboards.
Buddy was all prepared to go when Charmian opened a small door next to the bathroom and found a narrow staircase. The stairs curved up to an attic with steep, sloping ceilings. Julius pointed to a large hook screwed into the beam that ran from one end of the room to the other. He didn’t need to say anything; they were all thinking the same thing – perhaps this was where the man had hanged himself.
Despite these thoughts about the house’s past, though, Buddy felt pleased. This was the last room and he hadn’t seen a sign that there was anything suspicious going on. True, it was a bit strange for someone to live in one dirty room and leave the rest of the house empty – and that telephone was odd – but lots of people led really weird lives. Meths drinkers, for instance – they lived in worse places than this. He’d heard of people who never threw anything away and whose houses were piled high with junk and rubbish so that you couldn’t even sit down. No, there was nothing to connect his dad with this house except that he’d told an interesting story about it.
There were high windows at either end of the attic and Buddy went to the one that overlooked the front. There was a wooden box-seat set into the wall below the window and he stepped up on to it. As he wiped the dust from the window a huge spider scuttled over the glass. He sprang back and nearly fell from the seat. The spider squeezed itself into a long crack in the wall and Buddy leaned forward again.
The sky had filled with a solid screen of black cloud and big drops of rain were beginning to splatter the pavement. A sudden scurry of wind brought the rain beating down so heavily that the houses across the street became just dim shapes. Something moved in the garden and Buddy craned his neck to get a better view. The Beast was walking fast across the lawn.
‘It’s him,’ he yelled and all three of them dived for the stairs. Buddy was almost at the bottom when Julius slipped and crashed into him, knocking him forward into Charmian. They tumbled down the last couple of steps and landed in a heap. In an instant they were up and running along the hallway.
They were halfway down the main stairs when the back door slammed. They froze and listened. There was a shuffling sound, then silence. Buddy’s blood boomed in his ears. Had the Beast gone into the kitchen? If he noticed that the door to the main part of the house was open, he might come up and see the broken bottle.
Buddy leaned over the banister. He could just see the doorway that led down to the kitchen. It was empty. There was a clatter of tins – he must be in the kitchen. If they could get down to the hall without making any noise, there was a chance that they could rush past the kitchen and out of the back door before the Beast knew what was happening.
He began tiptoeing down the stairs and the twins followed. At every step the boards creaked terribly, no matter how carefully they trod. Buddy’s hands were sticky with sweat and he felt a trickle roll from his armpit down his side. At last they reached the bottom and began to pick their way carefully through the shattered glass.
There was a loud clatter of cans. Julius made a funny, squeaking cry of fright and ran to the front door. He turned the handle and pulled but it didn’t open. Buddy stood helplessly as Julius panicked and began to rattle the door in desperation.
Charmian grabbed Buddy’s arm, her eyes wide with fear. The Beast was coming out of the kitchen. He was carrying a knife.
Buddy’s first instinct was to bolt upstairs or into one of the rooms off the hall but Charmian pulled him in the direction of the front door. Julius stopped rattling the door and they huddled together, staring at the Beast who was now on the top step of the little flight of stairs. He was so tall that his head nearly touched the door-frame.
The greyish-white skin was drawn so tightly over his bones that his face looked like a skull. His black hair was roughly cut and a long strand of it flapped over his sunken, red-rimmed eyes. Deep lines curved down from the sides of his nose and joined the sad creases at the edge of his mouth. His pale, moist lips opened.
‘What you doing?’ The Beast’s voice was deep but he spoke quietly and there was a slight pause between each word.
All sorts of mad explanations flew through Buddy’s head but before he could say a word he was astonished to hear Charmian’s voice, loud and steady, demand, ‘Why did you strangle the cat?’
The effect was extraordinary. Despite his size, the Beast suddenly looked like a little boy. His eyes grew wide and his lower lip began to tremble.
‘Didn’t. Didn’t kill him.’ His voice almost broke with emotion. ‘Found him. Put him in a hole. Lady didn’t want him.’
Buddy had never been so sure that someone was telling the truth. The reply was so direct and innocent that it couldn’t be a lie.
The Beast suddenly looked down at the knife then lowered his arm and tried to hide it behind his back.
‘Never killed him,’ he said and shook his head.
‘That’s all right, then,’ Charmian said more gently. ‘We’ll go and tell the lady you didn’t.’ There was a pause then she added, ‘Would you like that?’
The Beast nodded slowly, then mumbled something.
‘Pardon?’ Charmian said.
‘Mr King says no one can come in here,’ he said more clearly.
‘Well, we won’t come in again. We just wanted to find out about the cat, that’s all. Ok?’ Charmian’s voice was still very cool and controlled but Buddy felt her tremble.
‘Ok?’ she said again.
The Beast nodded. Charmian started forward and Julius and Buddy followed her. For a moment Buddy was worried that the Beast would change his mind but when they got up to him, he stepped aside and let them pass. They walked quickly down the steps and along the corridor to the back door. Julius opened it and he and Charmian dashed out to freedom. Buddy controlled his urge to run and he turned when he got to the door. The Beast was still standing in the hall, his head lowered as if in disgrace.
‘We’ll tell her you didn’t do it,’ Buddy called.
The Beast didn’t move. The Beast. What a ridiculous name for someone as helpless-looking as this man.
‘What’s your name?’ Buddy asked.
‘Ralph James Campbell.’ It was said like a child who has learned it in case he ever got lost and Buddy wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d added his address.
‘Goodbye, Mr Campbell.’
Buddy closed the door quietly and, despite the rain, he didn’t bother to run.