The Demon of Devilgate Drive (Skeleton Cove Horror Book 1) Page 11

  But then, what was the true version? That me and Suzi had been held captive by a bunch of villains? That we'd been kidnapped, locked in a cellar, seen a demon on the telly and found two of the baddies dead? We could tell how we'd run to a fisherman's cottage for help, but he'd turned out to be one of the demon's cronies. And how they'd wrapped us up like a pair of mummies, intending to bury us in the cemetery. And then...

  It was hardly a believable story. In fact it was exactly the sort of tale I used to read in my horror comics, like Dawn of the Dreary Dead, or The Fiend of the Fell, or...

  I looked at Suzi but she was fast asleep, her head lolling on my shoulder.

  Seventeen

  Mrs Delacroix fussed around us, providing warm blankets and hot tea. She said Maggie had gone to let our parents know we were safe and that the sergeant would drop us off at home as soon as he'd had a chat.

  Huh - a chat? I could imagine exactly how that was going to go. We'd tell him what had happened, how we'd been mummified and almost buried alive and how Mr Taylor was a demon. Then everyone would have a good laugh and say things like, 'Tch - kids, eh?' Or maybe not - maybe they'd write us off as a couple of troublemakers, or throw us in the detention centre for young offenders at Northfield.

  I sipped my tea and looked at Suzi. I could tell from her face she was thinking the same as me. Whatever we said was going to sound like rubbish. She leaned against me and slipped her fingers through mine.

  'We have to tell the truth, even if they don't believe us.'

  I nodded, but I wasn't convinced.

  To give him his due, Sergeant Potter listened to us while we told our tale. He nodded or frowned occasionally and sometimes jotted down a note in his little black book, but other than that, he didn't interrupt.

  'Hmm,' he said, when Suzi told how we'd climbed up the chimney. He looked at her, then at me. He looked at his notebook and flicked back through the pages. Then he drained his coffee cup and put it down carefully on the table. Eventually he spoke.

  'I'm not going ter say I believe all this guff about demons and whatnot, cos I don't, but I will say this - I've heard stories about Nathaniel Darke and his carryings on. I've also heard tales of underground passages and such like underneath the cemetery, so...' He chewed his lip and made tutting noises. 'However, all this Mr-Taylor-is-a-demon rubbish, well. Got to admit, it's a bit far-fetched, eh?'

  'We knew you wouldn't believe us,' I said.

  'Look, son,' he said in a quieter voice. 'I've known George Taylor a long time. If he was a demon, I think I'd have noticed.'

  'No you wouldn't,' I said, leaning forward. 'We didn't notice until today and anyway, you weren't there...'

  He held up a hand. 'Now just hang on. I said I didn't believe he was a demon but I'm prepared to admit that you might - I say might - have seen someone who looks like him and that this same someone might have been involved in kidnapping the pair of yous.'

  'It was him,' said Suzi, squeezing my hand. 'And his face fell off. That doesn't happen to normal people, does it?'

  Sergeant Potter chuckled. 'No, I must admit, it doesn't.' He closed his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose. 'I think the best thing you two can do is leave this to us. If there's a crime been committed, we'll find the culprits.'

  Which, to my ears, sounded exactly like, 'Sorry but we don't believe you.'

  Potter sighed. 'Right, we'd better get you home.'

  In the back of the police car, I began to wish I'd had time to talk over everything with Suzi. Potter would drop her off first, then me, and I wouldn't see her again until school tomorrow. That's assuming Mum would even let me out of the house alone.

  By the time we got to my house, Maggie was just leaving. She gave me a hug and told me to sleep well. Inside, it was almost teatime and Mum had a hot meal waiting. She held me tightly for a long time before finally allowing me to sit down at the kitchen table.

  'I thought...' She waved her hand in front of her face and dabbed at her eyes. 'Don't you ever do anything like that again.' Her voice was calm but I could tell she was dead serious and I felt bad that she'd been worrying about me. Which made my decision to shimmy down the drainpipe after she'd gone to bed, all the more difficult.

  Before going to bed, I pretended to go for a glass of water from the kitchen. There was something I needed if my plan was to work. I made a big thing of saying goodnight to Mum, then went up to the bathroom. After cleaning my teeth, I gave my face a good wash with cold water, hoping it would help keep me awake. Then it was simply a case of pacing around my bedroom as quietly as possible, counting the minutes until I heard Mum's footsteps on the stairs. When she came out of the bathroom, I jumped into bed and switched out my light just as she opened my bedroom door. Closing it quietly, she went to her own room and I waited for the telltale click of the door and the squeaking of the springs in her mattress as she got into bed.

  I resumed my pacing around the room, going over everything that had happened since we left school on Friday. There was plenty to think about and I still didn't really know if my plan made any sense. If I was wrong, we'd be no further forward but if I was right... I put that thought out of my head.

  Half an hour later, I risked opening my window.

  An icy wind bit into my face as I clambered down the drainpipe. I wished I'd brought a jacket, but I'd had to leave it hanging on the hook in the hall in case Mum got suspicious. With two jumpers and a woolly hat, I'd have to keep moving to stay warm.

  The streetlights were still on, so I kept in the shadows as much as possible until I got to Suzi's house. I hadn't been able to tell her my plan, but I reckoned she'd be expecting me.

  Looking up at her bedroom window, the house was in darkness. Maybe I'd misjudged things and she'd gone to bed? Or if I woke her, she might tell me to go home and stop being silly. Whatever. I had to try.

  The first bit of grit I threw up at her window got a result. The light flickered on and a second later, Suzi was leaning over the windowsill.

  'What took you so long?' she said, grinning.

  I waited for her to climb down then pulled her into the shadows behind her dad's shed.

  'We're going to Mr Taylor's house.'

  Suzi's jaw hit the ground. 'You're flippin jokin?'

  I shook my head. 'If he's really the demon we have to find proof.'

  'True, but we don't even know where he lives.'

  I waggled a finger at her. 'That's why we have to check the records.'

  That familiar little crease crept across Suzi's forehead. 'Which records, exactly?'

  The school was in darkness, which is just as well, because if it hadn't been I might have had second thoughts. Making our way past the old Grammar School buildings, we headed for the new block where the offices were. Of course, I had no idea where they kept files about teachers, or even if such things existed, but it made sense that someone in the school would have to have Taylor's address.

  Hurrying down the path between the assembly hall and the main entrance, I peered through the window next to the door. There was nothing of any interest other than an empty hallway, so I turned my attention to the front door and gave it a push (just in case some fool had left it open), but it was firmly locked. Never mind, it was time to get out my secret weapon.

  'Captain Cockeyed's Fishy Fingers?' said Suzi. 'What you plannin to do with that?'

  I held up the section of cardboard I'd torn off the fish fingers packet. 'Saw this trick on an episode of The Rude Intruder the other week.' Tearing the piece of cardboard into a more manageable size, I stepped up to the door. Sliding my device into the crack between the door and its frame, I was pleased to find it was a perfect fit. However, the method used my TV spy-hero Tony Hamboni, didn't work as well as I'd expected. In fact, the piece of card simply crumbled as soon as I put any pressure on it.

  'Great,' I muttered, throwing the useless thing to the ground.

  Suzi patted my shoulder. 'Never mind - would've been fab if it'd worked.' She walked away and pick
ed something up from the edge of the flowerbed that ran around the front of the offices. 'Let's try this instead.' And with that, she threw a stone through the window.

  The crash was so loud I jumped back in fright. 'Flippin heck, Suz, what'd you do that for?'

  'Need to get inside, don't we?' She stepped up to the window and gingerly picked the broken pieces of glass out of the frame, then slipping an arm through the hole, reached round to the door handle. There was a click and the door swung open. 'Voila.'

  In the entrance hall, I kicked the shards of glass to one side and looked around. The headmaster's study was only accessible through the secretary's office. A panel on the right hand wall had a sliding window hatch where Mrs Hunter would appear to answer inquiries from pupils. Usually, kids only got invited into the office if it was something really important.

  I tried the door. Locked. I gave the hatch a nudge. Nothing.

  Suzi had picked up the stone from the floor. She gave me a wink.

  'No, don't do that,' I said. 'One broken window's enough.' I nipped back outside and picked up the piece of cardboard. Sliding it inside the overlapping bit of the hatch, I gave it a push and the clip holding the hatch shut, dropped off. I looked at Suzi. 'Voila.'

  It was an easy matter to slide the hatch along and scramble through the gap. Suzi clambered through after me and I switched on the lamp next to Mrs Hunter's desk. We began pulling open drawers - I started with the desk while Suzi looked through piles of folders on a coffee table. Luckily, the drawers were all unlocked, but it was mostly pens and paperclips, along with some personal 'feminine' items that made me blush. I closed the drawers and glanced round the office, my gaze falling on a filing cabinet tucked away in the corner. Pulling open the top drawer, I flicked through the various folders and files. Most were to do with the building regulations, and stuff, so I moved to the next drawer.

  These ones were in alphabetical order and started with Mr Archbold and Mrs Ball. My fingers skimmed over the tops of the folders to 'T'. 'Bingo,' I muttered, pulling out Mr Taylor's file.

  Spreading it out on the desk, we opened the file. There on the first page was Mr Taylor's address: 34 Screamer's Way, Skeleton Cove.

  I found a bit of scrap paper and scribbled down the details, before shoving the folder back into place. As I pushed the drawer closed, Suzi grabbed my hand.

  'Wait, while we're here, why don't we...' She wiggled her eyebrows and I knew immediately what she meant.

  Pulling the drawer open again, I took out the files for our least favourite teachers - Mr Crackling, Mr Worsted-Major, Mrs Klomp and Mr Schreader. And of course, Mr Beaumont.

  We spent the next few minutes going through the files, but there was nothing interesting in any of them. Until I opened Beaky Beaumont's. Inside were all the usual personal details, but there was also a large brown envelope marked

  Ministry of Protection

  'Ooh,' murmured Suzi. 'That's interesting.'

  I undid the metal fastener and pulled out the single sheet of paper.

  Eighteen

  Back outside, we retraced out steps, turning right through the main gates. Mr Taylor's house was in the old part of Skeleton Cove where ship owners had built their houses in the days when the area had been a bustling port, trading goods with the West Indies and Africa. I couldn't imagine how a teacher could afford to live in one of those houses, unless he was doing something he shouldn't be doing.

  'What we gonna do when we get there,' said Suzi, trotting along beside me. 'What if he's in bed? What if we're totally wrong about him?'

  'And what if we're not?' I retorted. 'Anyway, if he's a demon he won't be in bed. He'll be casting spells and stuff.'

  'Is that what demon's do, then?' she said, with a giggle.

  I stopped. 'You didn't think it was funny when we were lying on those flippin slabs, did you? Or when they were planning to throw us in a grave.'

  She coughed. 'No, course not. I wish we had a better plan, that's all.'

  I sighed and stared at the ground. 'I don't know. It's all getting a bit complicated.' I looked at her. 'We need to find evidence. Something that'll persuade Sergeant Potter that Taylor's one of the villains.'

  She patted my arm. 'Or one of the demons.'

  Screamer's Way was a long road on the edge of town. As we turned the corner, I felt a shudder in my stomach. If I was right about any of this we could find ourselves in a lot of bother. We'd already discussed calling the police and decided against it, but now I was beginning to think it'd be a good idea - even if it got us into trouble.

  'There's a phone box back there,' I said. 'I'm going to call the station.' Suzi nodded and I headed across the junction. It wasn't exactly an emergency, so I fished out a 2-pence piece and pushed it into the slot. After several rings I was about to hang up when a man's voice answered. I pushed button A.

  'Is that the police station?' I said. He said it was. I asked if Sergeant Potter were there. He said no. The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but I wasn't interested in playing guessing games - I only wanted to get my message across.

  'What'd they say? asked Suzi.

  I shook my head. 'Dunno. It was odd. This bloke answered and asked me to verify my whereabouts.' I looked at her. 'But he never asked who I was. Anyway, he said he'd pass the message on.'

  The house was at the end of a long road, overlooking the cliffs at one side of the bay. It was a big place with a well-kept lawn at the front and space for parking round the back. It seemed odd that a man who drove a Morris Marina would live in such an expensive house.

  Creeping up the lawn, we ran over to the big bay window and peered in. The curtains were drawn and there were no lights on. But then, it was after midnight, so if Mr Taylor were a perfectly normal sort of bloke, he'd be in bed like every other perfectly normal bloke. If he wasn't, then...

  'Come on,' I hissed. 'Round the back.'

  The drive was gravel and we had to keep well into the side to avoid crunching through it and making loads of noise. Reaching the corner, I popped my head round. At first it seemed like this part of the house was dark too, then I noticed a dim glow in the window furthest away from us.

  Sneaking past the first window and the back door, we stayed in the shadows close to the house. Reaching our target, I signalled Suzi to keep down. Ducking my head, I got on all fours and crawled along under the windowsill. Like the one at the front, this was a bay window and again the curtains were drawn. However, a chink of light showed at one side where the curtains hadn't been pulled right across, leaving a small triangle of glass that gave a clear view into the room.

  Raising my head, I risked a look inside.

  'Oh, God...'

  Suzi crouched beside me. 'What is it?'

  I shuffled out of the way so she could have a look, then watched her face as her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. She blinked, then sat down heavily on the ground, her back against the wall. 'What...?'

  Resuming my place at the window, I stared at the scene in front of us, hoping that somehow I'd imagined what was happening inside. But no, it was true - Mr Taylor was sitting at a table, dressed in the suit he wore for school and with a drink in his hand. Opposite him sat another man, a man who looked exactly like Mr Taylor. Except this one was wearing a monk's robe.

  I could see their mouths moving but the glass was too thick to hear anything. 'We've got to get inside,' I whispered.

  Suzi's face was a picture. 'Are you crazy?'

  'Probably, but how else are we going to find out what they're talking about?'

  She shook her head slowly.

  I sat there for a moment, wondering if I was being stupid. Maybe we should call the police back and tell them there were two identical men in Mr Taylor's house and that one of them was in fancy dress? Of course, they'd be sure to believe that.

  I had to get inside. At least if I could listen to their conversation it might answer a few questions. Crawling along to the back door, I gave the handle a gentle wiggle, but it was locked. We'd have
to find another way in. Looking up, I saw there was a waste pipe like the one at Mrs Brick's house. One of the windows on either side would probably be the bathroom. I glanced over at Suzi. 'You stay here if you want, but I'm going up the pipe.'

  Suzi rubbed a hand over her face. 'I must be mad.' She sighed and got to her feet, carefully avoiding the windowpane we'd been looking through.

  The pipe was a lot easier to climb than I'd thought. It was wider than the one at the Brick residence and because this house was built from stone, it had lots of handy ledges to use as footholds.

  It was probably expecting too much for the bathroom window to be open, and after a few minutes of tugging and pushing, I gave up and shimmied back down the pipe.

  'What now?' said Suzi.

  'Let's try the other windows,' I said, and set off around the other side of the house. On this side, there were only two possibilities - the nearest was a small square window with a wire mesh cover instead of glass. My grandmother's house had one just like it that was used as a sort of air vent for the pantry. It'd also be easier to get through a bit of mesh than glass. Directly above where I stood, was a normal-sized window. There weren't any drainpipes on this side so there was no way to get to it.

  Suzi took the opportunity to look around the garden for anything that might be useful.

  Turning back to the pantry window, I gave the mesh a tentative push. It wobbled a little and I could see it was held in place by a series of metal tacks around the edge.

  'Try this,' said Suzi handing me a stick.

  'Thanks.' Wedging one end under the lower edge, I levered the stick up and down, gradually sliding it further under the mesh covering. Then, bracing the stick against the window frame, I pulled outwards, ripping the mesh away.

  I repeated the operation further up and was soon able to fold the metal back over, leaving a clear space to climb through.