Page 107 of What's the time, Mr. Wolfe
Tony looked in the rear-view mirror at me. “Allof us?”
I got his meaning. There was the group, hisvigilantesas I called them. Would they all be alone at Christmas?
“Maybe notallunless you can hire in tables and chairs... Why not? You said you all meet occasionally, so why not Christmas?” I looked between Tony and Sebastian.
“I don’t know. I mean... we could, I guess,” Sebastian said.
“There, sorted. You get numbers, I’ll get planning.”
I was sure we could have a heated marquee on the patio. I smiled and it widened.
“I want to go to church at midnight, though. Anyone volunteer to come with me?”
“Fuck that,” Tony said. “We’d burst into flames if we ever set foot in a church.”
Ilaughed and it was the first time in a little while that I felt happy. Which was strange considering I’d just buried my grandma.
When we arrived back home, I washed the makeup off my face, tied my hair in a ponytail, and changed into some sloppy clothes. I loved the outfits Sebastian had bought me, the shoes, and underwear. I also loved to just throw on some joggers, flipflops or slippers, and a sweatshirt.
With a cup of tea and a book in hand, I curled up in the corner of the sofa. Sebastian left to head to the office and catch up on some work and I had the house to myself. It was peaceful and I felt content. I read a little, I dozed a little. I opened my laptop and worked a little as well.
I was keen to get back to work, my course was due to start in the New Year and I wanted to be ahead of the game. I also wanted to open the email I’d been ignoring.
I wasn’t shocked to learn I wasn’t related to Grandma. I think I’d prepared myself for that over the past few days. I was sad, of course, but there was also a part of me that was glad. The thought of being related tohimappalled me. I was still to learn the full extent of what he’d done, Sebastian wasn’t about to tell me, but I knew it would hit the news at some point. Then people might come forward, parents of missing kids, kids looking for their parents. I knew I’d find it hard to cope with.The last thing Sebastian had said about him was that he’d been charged with multiple counts of kidnap and trafficking. Word among the police was they were about to blow one of the largest cases London had ever seen. I wondered if I ought to get some therapy in advance of that. Maybe have someone teach me some coping methods. I knew I’d have to speak to the police at some point and Sebastian had hinted that I’d sit with his legal team before it happened.
There was just too much going through my mind. I wanted some fresh air and decided to take a walk. Maybe it was time to face the woods in the light of the day and lay some ghosts to rest.
I pulled on some walking boots and a slid my arms into my red coat. I chuckled as I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. The coat didn’t exactly go well with the rest of my outfit, but I didn’t care. No one was going to see me.
I left a note on the kitchen table just in case Sebastian returned and headed down the lawn towards the entrance.
I stopped to admire the trees. Large oaks, having already shed their nuts, stood tall and I realised, they were a natural barrier. When the clouds decided in that moment to lose some weight, I walked under them and onto the path.
I breathed in deep, and the smell of rain, dampearth, and foliage was a comfort. It was nice to walk along the path, hear the crunch of leaves and twigs beneath my feet. I heard the odd winter bird, and a scuttle as a rabbit shot across the path in front of me. It was a beautiful place, perfect for walking a dog. I doubted Sebastian was the pet kind of person, but I might ask. I chuckled to myself.
I came to the clearing with the stone cottage and paused. I didn’t want to go inside, but I did admire it. The architect in me surfaced. It would make a wonderful place to come and stay, to picnic in the summer, or curl up in front of the open fire in the winter. I wondered if Sebastian had thought about doing it up. It needed a lot of work; I could see holes in the roof. I decided to circumnavigate it.
The stonework above the door and windows was beautiful, the placement of the flint perfect. I imagined it had been an estate workers cottage back in the day when the area had been one large fancy property with land.
A little further behind the cottage was a lake, it looked as if it should have been larger, but the sides had collapsed in and there were a lot of fallen trees and bushes in it. I skirted around to a jetty. I imagined kids jumping into the water in the height of the summer or a small rowing boat moored up. The lake wouldn’t havebeen large enough for anything bigger. Perhaps the owner fished.
A strange feeling came over me. I turned and looked around me. I wasn’t wary of the woods; it didn’t scare me anymore. I felt at peace among the trees with their swaying branches and gentle rustle.
A thought hit me, and I sat on a log to process it.
All those years I’d drawn a stone cottage in some woods.
Had that image been leading me here?
My cottage wasn’t the same as the one standing near me, of course, but similar. All those years I’d had a feeling that I would never get to the cottage and yet, there I was facing it. I’d been as far as the door just a week or so prior. I’d reached the point I’d been trying to get to for years.
“Ruby?” I heard.
“Over here, by the lake,” I shouted back.
Sebastian came through the clearing and walked over to me. “What are you doing here?”
“Just investigating. Isn’t this beautiful? What do you know about this?”
