Chapter 25
Sadie waits until she sees the yellow SUV disappear around the end of the road, then steps outside the front door and pulls it closed behind her.
Just gone one thirty and the street is quiet, heavy with heat. Most sensible people are probably inside with the aircon turned up to max. She looks both ways, just to check, and then crosses the road and stands outside Home and Spry.
Beyond the gate, a paved path leads up to the door of the house. Sadie can hear the whisper of the sprinkler. Birds are calling somewhere. She’s half expecting to hear someone shout out or ask her what she’s doing. But the street remains quiet.
She pushes the gate open and looks around. Lush green lawn either side. The sprinkler whirring back and forth. The house sits pleasantly in front of her. Not threatening or scary. Just another faux-colonial-style property, beautifully kept and maintained. Conserved.
Before she can change her mind, she walks up the path to the front door.
She can see a discreet security camera tucked just over the frame.
Will it be working if no one lives here?
Maybe, if the Conservators want to keep the house secure.
On the other hand, if someone has already broken in, maybe not?
Next to the door is a small black box. A key safe. She remembers Frances saying that some residents kept traditional keys for spares. She presumes the box is empty and, even if it wasn’t, she doesn’t know the number to open it.
She crosses to one of the windows. She’s feeling bolder. She’s not doing any harm, after all. If anything, she’s being a good neighbour; checking that everything is okay. The curtains are open, and she cups her hands around the glass and peers inside.
Unlike their house, which is open-plan, this house has a more traditional layout, divided into separate rooms. This one looks like some kind of workroom.
There’s a table with a sewing machine on it and a chair draped in fabrics.
In one corner a figure stands motionless.
Sadie jumps, then realizes her mistake. It’s a dressmaker’s mannequin.
She lets out a breath, laughing at her own stupidity. Just a little twitchy there.
She walks over to the other front window and peers in.
From here she can see straight into the living area, all the way to where doors open out to the back yard.
Again, it’s the complete opposite of their house.
Instead of modern furniture in neutral tones, the sofa and armchairs are floral and chintzy.
There’s a large Persian rug on the floor and dark cabinets filled with china and ornaments.
Seeing the interior, she revises her opinion of the owners.
Maybe not Dale and Nancy. This wouldn’t be their style.
Dale and Nancy would be more cream leather sofas, glass coffee tables and golfing trophies.
This is more prim and proper. A Hyacinth Bucket or Dolores Umbridge.
Sadie can practically picture her. Houseproud, prissy.
The sort to keep a ball if it went over her fence and tell children off for making noise.
Not the sort to just disappear and leave all her prized possessions.
Of course, none of this explains the figure she saw inside or the phone calls.
Someone is moving around here at night, and it’s not a burglar, unless they’re a very neat burglar, judging from what she can see through the windows.
A squatter, then? But a squatter who has her phone number.
The thought is unsettling, but it doesn’t feel right.
It feels, weirdly, like the caller was trying to help her.
Sadie steps back from the window, feeling frustrated. She worked up the courage to come over here, but it hasn’t really told her anything. She needs to look inside.
She turns and walks back down the path, mulling over her options. If she could get round the back, maybe there’s a way in there. But how? She’s still preoccupied as she lets herself out through the gate and almost walks straight into a tall figure coming down the street.
‘Whoah!’
‘Oh, shi— I mean, sorry!’
Sadie looks up. Shorn white hair. Sharp features and crazy mismatched eyes – one blue, one brown. The priest from the other day. Father Miller. Not in his robes but dressed down in a shirt and jeans, although still wearing a clerical collar.
He frowns as if also taking a moment to place her. ‘Sadie?’ Then he smiles. Sort of. ‘Well, this is serendipitous. I was planning to call on you on my way into town.’
‘You were?’
‘I like to introduce myself to all newcomers – whether faithful or sceptical.’
There’s an amused glint in those mismatched eyes, and Sadie feels a little thrown. Some people, you can sum up quickly, but with Father Miller, she can’t be sure whether he’s being serious or messing with her.
‘Well, Dad’s at a staff meeting at the school.’
‘Ah. That’s a shame. Bad timing. And you look like you’re on your way out too.’ He pauses, then glances back at the house. He frowns. ‘Forgive me if I’m mistaken, but isn’t your house across the street?’
Sadie’s cheeks flood with heat. ‘Yes, I, erm, got confused.’
‘Confused as to which was your house?’
‘Yes. I was going out and I forgot something and I went to the wrong house.’
He stares at her. ‘What did you forget?’
She shrugs. ‘I forgot.’
A smile tugs again at the corners of his lips. ‘Right.’ He nods towards the house. ‘Well, a word to the wise. This house is empty. Unoccupied. And the Conservators – you know who they are?’
‘I’ve heard them mentioned.’
‘Right. Well, they look after Serenity Falls, and they don’t take kindly to people snooping around empty houses. Nor does the sheriff. I wouldn’t want you getting yourself into trouble.’ A pause. ‘And I’m sure your dad wouldn’t either.’
Her stomach dives. Fuck. Please don’t tell her dad.
‘Still—’ Miller regards her intently. ‘It was a mistake, right, so we don’t need to tell him?’
‘Yes. I mean, no.’
‘Good.’
She wills him to go away, but now he asks: ‘Where are you off to?’
‘Erm … the cinema.’ She blurts it out, seeing as it was the last thing she and Dad discussed.
‘Oh, well, I’m heading that way. Shall we walk together?’
It’s the last thing Sadie wants to do. There’s something about Miller that makes her uncomfortable. Not exactly creepy. Just kind of unsettling. But she can’t really refuse.
‘Sure,’ she says, trying not to make it sound grudging.
They walk slowly down the street. Miller is using a cane today, Sadie notices. She wonders what he did to his leg but doesn’t really want to ask in case it seems rude.
Trees cast small puddles of shade, but they’re a fleeting respite from the burning early-afternoon sun.
Sadie can practically feel her bare shoulders starting to blister, armpits blossoming with sweat.
Miller looks cool as an iced cucumber in his long-sleeved shirt and jeans. He glances at her house as they pass.
‘I heard about Frankie’s death,’ he says. ‘That must have been a terrible shock.’
She tries to keep her tone nonchalant. ‘Yeah, it wasn’t exactly a great housewarming.’
He nods. ‘I’m holding a memorial service for his family next week. You and your dad are welcome to come.’
She hesitates. ‘I’m not sure—’
‘It won’t be particularly religious, if that’s what you’re worried about. It’s more to celebrate Frankie’s life.’
‘I’ll mention it to Dad,’ she says, thinking she won’t.
They turn a corner and cross over the road. A slight haze hovers over the tarmac.
‘Did you know Frankie?’ she asks, more for something to say than because she really cares.
‘Not well,’ Miller says. ‘You don’t get many young people in church. It tends to be the refuge of the elderly.’
‘Yeah, Dad always says “the closer people get to death, the closer they get to God.”’
He laughs. ‘Well, he’s not wrong on that one.’
‘I guess Frankie didn’t think he was close to death.’
‘None of us do, and yet we walk in his shadow every day.’ Miller looks up. ‘Even on a glorious day like today.’
Sadie side-eyes him. ‘That’s kind of … morbid.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘No, it’s okay. I like morbid.’
He raises an eyebrow. ‘I’m shocked.’
Sadie smiles. She can’t help it.
‘So, have you seen much else in Serenity Falls?’ Miller asks.
‘A bit.’
‘And what do you think?’
She shrugs. ‘It’s okay.’
‘You don’t sound very enthusiastic.’
‘No, I mean, it’s fine, except for the heat … and the weirdness.’
‘Yes, there’s a lot of both of those. And I imagine you miss your home?’
‘Yeah.’
‘What about your dad?’
‘He wants to make a go of it here. And we kind of have to—’
‘Ah, the house contract?’
‘Yeah. So, we’re stuck.’
He looks thoughtful. They’ve reached the bridge that rises over one end of the lake. ‘Well, I suppose there are worse places to be stuck.’ He stops and leans on the railings. ‘For example – this is my favourite part of town. Beautiful, isn’t it?’
Sadie gazes out over the huge expanse of sparkling water, lilies floating on the surface, dragonflies flitting through the air, trees rustling gently in the distance. It is beautiful. And yet, there’s something almost too beautiful about it. Too perfect.
‘I guess.’
‘Of course, beauty can be deceptive. The lake is far deeper than most people think, and the water down there is dark and freezing cold. Weeds and plants will snag your limbs. The mud will try to suck you down. Before you know it, you’re caught, unable to swim for the surface. A ready-meal for the gators.’
Despite the sun, Sadie feels goosebumps rise on her arms. And suddenly she thinks about Frankie again, sinking beneath the surface of the pool, lungs bursting, trying so hard not to open his mouth and let in the deadly water.
Miller turns and regards her with his odd eyes. ‘You know, your dad might want to check that house contract again.’
‘Why?’
‘It should contain a Residency Clause. If the Conservators decide that new residents don’t meet the required standard, they can revoke residency.’
‘And what happens to the house?’
‘The Conservators buy it at a reduced price.’
Sadie considers. ‘What sort of things don’t meet the required standard?’
‘Breaking curfew, committing a crime, antisocial behaviour. There’s quite a long list—’
She stares at him. ‘Why are you telling me this?’
He hesitates before replying. ‘Serenity Falls isn’t for everyone, Sadie – and everyone isn’t for Serenity Falls.
Sometimes, it’s better to work that out sooner rather than when it’s too late.
’ He straightens. ‘Anyway, I should get off. I’m heading that way, and the movie theatre is down there.
Enjoy your movie. What are you going to see? ’
Oh, crap. ‘Erm …’
He regards her with a half-amused smile. ‘Don’t tell me – you forgot.’ He raises a hand. ‘Take care.’ Then he strides away, long legs carrying him swiftly into the small throng milling about downtown. Sadie watches him stop a few times, saying hello to people before moving on again.
When it’s too late. But too late for what?