CHAPTER SIX

Nannie's ghost

-----------------------------------Chapter Six------------------------------

 

Dan Reynolds was placed in a secure ward after being taken out from the ICU. Claire was led by a nurse and while she waited for the nurse to swipe the card, she was intruded by Robert who suddenly held her hand giving her a fright.

“I need to speak to you!” said Robert, “Ma’am, please it’s important.”

“You may go in!” said the nurse.

“Please ma’am,” said Robert again

“Give a few minutes please,” said Claire to Robert and walked in to the room. Dan was asleep, with his neck and hands bandaged. She ran a hand over his hair and returned outside. Robert was waiting impatiently breaking his knuckles.

“Alright I’m ready,” she said and he got up with glee and walked with her to the canteen.

“Ma’am I need to know the truth from you,” started Robert

“Truth about what?” asked Claire and Robert brought out the letter and photo,

“Do you know who this is?” he asked pointing to the woman in the photo. She took the photo and observed it carefully.

“Never seen her in my life,” she insisted,

“Look again and think,” he said to her, “you must have known her,”

“What makes you say that?”

Robert pulled out the black necklace without the pendant and showed it to her,

“How come she’s wearing the exact necklace as you are wearing…and besides how for how long have you been knowing Dan……I mean Bryan Reynolds’,

“I don’t what you are talking about; anyhow I’ve only known a Bryan Peter not a Reynolds,”

“What….you mean to say that the person lying over there is not Bryan Peter?”
“Yes, I made a big mistake…..I thought he was my friend…..but I’m glad it’s not him, I have to get going now…”

Robert gave her a confused looked as he watched her take out a mirror and tissue and pat of a few drops of sweat that had gathered on her chin, making sure she didn’t smudge her makeup and got up to leave but Robert stopped her.

“Now what!” asked Claire almost annoyed,

“You didn’t tell me about the necklace and really is Dan Reynolds’s not Bryan Peter?

“Anybody can have the same type of jewelry and Robert for the last time…..I don’t anything about a Scarlet, or about her necklace and the person I came to meet is definitely not the one I was looking for!”

“You knew her name?” “If you don’t know her….how do you know her name….?”

 “Well…um …… it written in the photo…” Claire swallowed her words as she spoke and left in a rush, but Robert didn’t let go of her that easily. Just before she could leave out of the hospital he pretended to run a crash cart towards her and as she fell he hurdled over and reached for her necklace and tucked it into his pocket before helping her up.

“Are you alright?” asked Robert

Claire checked over her left arm and saw a slight reddening but didn’t talk to Robert; instead she went along with an attendant who assisted her to a doctor.

Without further delay he left the building but just about then he happened to encounter Emma and David by the reception. He hid himself and waited for them to pass by before he went out, only leading him into more trouble.

His parents’ car suddenly turned up front of the hospital.

“Mom….Dad…..what are you two doing here?” he asked them with an uneasy laugh,

“We may as well ask you the same thing?”

“Um….I came by to see Grandpa,” he said fast, scratching his hair, but his mother knew he was lying as George was discharged this morning, for she happened to take him home herself.

“Get in the car young man,” she ordered him strictly and he obeyed. As he waited in the car he wondered why his mother went inside, he could have asked his father but he looked so angry that he decided not to say word until they get home.

Mrs. McFinn came back with Claire and Robert felt his pulse beating hard when he saw them together.

Back at home his mother went through a fist with him over the fact of him skipping lessons and not concentrating on his school work as this was the last year of high school.

She took away from him the box and the items and threw it away and warned him not to ever think about it again and sent him off to his room.

Claire had told his mother about everything that Robert had done within that couple of minutes.

Robert spent five hours into the night in frustration before he made up his mind to runaway from home and find about Rachel. As he creped downstairs he saw a light shining from under his father’s office room. Curiously he went towards it and kept an ear to the door and over heard his father talking to himself and eventually walked into the room.

Mr. McFinn was moaning over a photo and a ring in his hand and nearly jumped from his seat when Robert suddenly went “DAD,”

“What are doing here…I thought you were warned to stay put to your room,” he said crossly.

“What is that in your hand?” he asked ignoring what his father just asked him, “is that a photo…?”

Mr. McFinn gasped as Robert snatched it from his hand and starred at it for a while.

“What are doing with this?” asked Robert holding up Scarlet’s photo, “and that’s that ring isn’t it…”

“Yes…..well, you see son…”

“You knew her?”

“Yes,” he sighed, “I guess I got to know her too well…when she came to look after Carol’s baby,”

“Who’s Carol?” asked Robert taking a seat

“This not the time to go through history…go back to sleep,” Mr. McFinn tried to avoid his son but he stayed put to his seat until he spilled out what he knew.

“Okay,” he started again, “Carol was my ex….before I met your mother. She was a single mother at the time and was working at the same firm with me. I knew she was having problems trying to work and raise a kid all together so I hired Scarlet to come and help her.”

But how did you know Scarlet dad?”

“I’ve met her regularly in a Tavern up town; we used to talk for hours….”

“And you fell in love with her?”

“Well…..not quite,” he said rubbing his neck, “but I liked her, don’t tell your mother about this ok,”

“I promise…..so can you explain about the ring?”

“Actually….. I happen to give this to that poor girl…but I just don’t understand how it got back here after so many years….”

“Did she have a son and how old was she then?”

“Eighteen most probably but she’s not mentioned about having a kid, at least I think she hasn’t,”

 “But she had a kid…..didn’t you read the letter dad?”

Mr. McFinn took of his reading glasses and rubbed his eyes whilst Robert took advantage of the second and quickly took the photo and ring.”

“I’ve had enough of this…..please just go to bed,”

“Yes dad, Goodnight,” said Robert and slipped out. Five minutes later Mr. McFinn shut off for the night as well.

Robert headed back into his room realizing that he could find another way after what he heard from his father and pulled out the photo of Scarlet and the ring and pondered to himself for awhile and realized that the letter and the two necklaces must still be in the bin. He looked around first to see of anybody was still awake before he went back down and went straight to the kitchen. The garbage bin was already full but since he had to do this he knelt down and put his hand right in and started searching. He only managed to find Claire’s necklace when suddenly something tugged at his hand and held it tight. Robert struggled to get his hand out and as he did his hand was covered in blood.

He got up immediately and washed off the blood but the bleeding continued for a few seconds.

Just as turned off the tap he heard someone call his name. He ignored at first but listened carefully a second time before going out but there seemed to be no one in the pitch dark.

 “I must be hearing things,” he said to himself and went to the first aid box to apply some medication on to his wound back in the kitchen when he heard a door being opened and shut.

He got up again and went to the doorway, “Who’s there?” he called out, but not too loudly afraid to wake his parents up,

“Show your self now or I’ll call the police….”

Robert waited patiently but since no one answered back he shuffled his hair thinking that it was in his head, but he spoke to soon when a dark shadow grew over him from behind………..

 

 

Author's Note

Thanks to all those who read and review:-)

Reviews

[Thea]

This somewhat built curiosity in my mind...A very interesting chapter...I enjoyed reading it...
:)))

[Coyote Poetry]

A very strong chapter. I had to do a re-read. I like the meeting in the hospital room. A very tense chapter. You have create a dangerous and interesting situation with this story. A excellent chapter.
Coyote

[Leslie Philibert]

Well written crime story, I bet we will hear a lot of Amila in the future.