Chapter 5
5
The next morning, Charlotte woke feeling refreshed. The bed was extremely comfortable, and the silence around Nightshade Cottage as darkness had finally drawn in made falling asleep easy. Comet had settled well in his bed, too, and the first thing she heard as dawn broke was the rather pleasing alarm clock of wild birds outside in the trees that surrounded Lorelai’s garden. Having been used to being awoken by the much less attractive sound of drunken students returning at dawn to their dorm rooms, this was a pleasant treat. She wondered how she’d feel in a week or two, though, at being up quite so early.
Comet lifted his head as Charlotte swung her feet out of bed and into her furry Ugg slippers. No matter what the time of year, she always had cold feet, and the slippers were a worthwhile luxury. Yawning and stretching, she padded over to the bedroom door, not bothering to open the curtains just yet. Comet followed her through to the kitchenette, hot on her heels.
Nightshade Cottage felt quiet. Charlotte remembered that Lorelai had said she was going out early, to babysit her granddaughter Thea’s children for the morning, and so she assumed that she had already left. Charlotte flipped on the kettle to make a cup of instant coffee, then let Comet out into the back garden where he did the necessary. While the kettle boiled, Charlotte ensured she kept her word and tidied up after the dog.
‘Well, old chap,’ she said as she settled onto the cosy sofa that occupied the living area. ‘What shall we do today? I think I’m in the mood for a bit of exploring. What do you say we take a wander and see what we can discover around here?’
Comet tipped his silky black head to one side and regarded her with his usual quizzical expression. Charlotte laughed. It never got boring, having a cocker spaniel as a companion. And she knew he’d be happy to take some exercise with her. Quickly, after grabbing a piece of toast and gulping down the rest of her coffee, she showered, dressed, and was soon locking the door to her rooms and heading out down the driveway.
It really was shaping up to be a stunning morning. The sun was already high in the sky, and the air smelt fresh, warm and inviting. Charlotte had packed a small rucksack with her phone, some water for herself and Comet and the notebook and pen she carried everywhere, and resolved to see if she could find the Lower Brambleton Observatory. Officially, she wasn’t due to start for another day or so, but she wanted to get her bearings. She knew it was within walking distance of Nightshade Cottage, through the woodland incline and at the top of the hill, but it wouldn’t hurt to test that distance before she actually had to be there.
As Charlotte walked along the path that seemed to double back around Nightshade Cottage, she noticed that Lorelai’s home really was the only house for quite a distance. Although she’d begun following the narrow road that led to the house’s driveway, she was soon directed by her phone’s GPS, which, to her relief, was working, albeit intermittently, to a footpath that took her up through a copse of pine trees and up the hill. She’d expected a bit of a climb: most observatories were at a higher point than the settlements around them, but the one at Lower Brambleton was still fairly close to the village itself, perhaps because there was relatively little light pollution this deep into the countryside. All that would change with the new houses, she thought. But that wasn’t really her dilemma to consider.
Making her way through the pine copse, which was heavy with the scent of warm sap and the mouldering remnants of wild garlic underfoot, Charlotte amused herself by watching Comet darting in and out of the trees, tail wagging, snout to the ground. She hoped he wouldn’t find anything to roll in. No matter how fond Lorelai seemed of him, that wouldn’t do him any favours with their new landlady. She loved the way he explored his surroundings, and it was wonderful to see him off-lead in a place where she didn’t have to worry about meeting other people, or their dogs. In Bristol she’d had to keep a sharp eye on him, in case his questing nose got him into trouble.
Eventually, the trees began to thin, and the top of the hill levelled off to a flat plain that extended across a generous sweep of land. Charlotte spotted a red-brick building with a central tower enclosed by a high chain-link fence in the near distance, about four hundred metres from her. That had to be the observatory. From this aspect, across a field of grass that looked as though it hadn’t seen a mower in months, it looked lonely and unloved. Suddenly, Charlotte felt a sense of sadness that its time would soon be over.
Not your problem , she told herself firmly. She had a job to do, and she was determined to do it. Sometimes, you just had to divorce yourself from your emotions and look at things in a scientific and factual way. Years of research had taught her that.
Making her way across the field of tall grass, wishing she’d put jeans on instead of the cut-off denim shorts she’d chosen for the walk, she drew closer to the building. First impressions were not encouraging. There was mortar missing from between the serried layers of red brick, the dome that topped the observatory and provided the opening for the telescope was green with age and, alarmingly, had what appeared to be cracks across several facets. A vibrant green ivy plant twined possessively up one side of the building, and the windows that were inset into the heavy metal door at the front of it were grimy and blackened with dust and cobwebs.
Charlotte had been warned by the contact at Flowerdew Homes that the observatory had lain abandoned for some years, and that a security company had looked after the land and the building since it had closed, but that hadn’t stopped quite a few attempts by people hellbent on breaking in to try their luck on the site. As a consequence, there was a heavy chain-link fence wrapped protectively around the building, with razor wire on top, and piles and piles of junk and rubbish, obviously fly-tipped, at various points inside and outside the fence’s perimeter. An old mattress, mouldy and damp, lay on its side just past the padlocked chain that marked the entry to the building. Several black bin liners, their contents spilling out like innards, obviously having been attacked by the local wildlife in need of a snack, were piled up. Charlotte wrinkled her nose at the smell of rotting refuse.
‘I think I’d best put you on a lead when you come with me tomorrow,’ Charlotte said, reaching down to touch Comet’s soft head. It was partly for her own reassurance. She’d known the building was going to be a challenge, but the reality of it, deserted, abandoned, unloved, abused by time and indifferent locals, gave her a sense of melancholy that she was finding hard to shake. After the peace, tranquillity and wonderful atmosphere of Nightshade Cottage, it was an unpleasant contrast.
Pausing a moment longer to look at the path that led from the gated fence to the front door of the observatory, Charlotte wasn’t prepared for Comet, who’d caught sight of something on the other side of the fence, to suddenly wriggle through the gap between the gate and the fence and shoot off in pursuit.
‘Comet!’ she shouted, heart thumping. ‘Get back here, you bugger!’
Comet, however, was following his instincts. She watched as he rounded the corner of the observatory and disappeared from view.
Calling his name again, she started to panic. This place, with all of its waste hazards, would be an absolute nightmare for a naturally inquisitive dog. He could have eaten anything by the time she caught up with him, not to mention cutting his feet on discarded items. The thought of syringes, rusty tin cans and broken glass raced through her mind. She had to get through the gate and get him back before he seriously injured himself.
If only she’d waited until she’d arranged to meet the contact that Flowerdew Homes had appointed! He’d have all the keys, and it would have been a matter of moments to retrieve her dog. Pushing against the fence, she attempted to wriggle through the small gap that she’d managed to create. It wasn’t going to be big enough, she realised. She had one arm through, but that was about it.
‘Comet!’ she yelled again, but frustratingly, the spaniel remained out of sight. Pushing herself harder into the gap, breathing in as far as she could and starting a rather unbecoming wriggle, Charlotte could feel the cold steel of the fence biting into her back and chest as she wedged herself between the gate and the fence. ‘Just a little further…’ she muttered to herself, thanking goodness she’d only had one slice of toast for breakfast. But it was no good. She’d pushed through as far as the fence was prepared to admit her in its locked state.
‘Comet!’ This time, there was a hitch of pain and frustration in her voice.
Then, breaking into her worry came a harsh, angry voice. ‘Just what the hell do you think you’re doing? Didn’t you read the bloody sign? This is private property, and you’re trespassing!’