Dead men spread no rumours

Chapter 4

It was a Saturday. The sky was blue with a peppering of clouds. I was on my way to the farmers markets to pick up some veggies for mum. Ellie's missing persons portrait photo, stuck on the billboard of the police station, watched me as a continued my journey along the street.

There was something different today, something unlike any other day. House number 12, the house with the pastel blue roof, white curtains and green armchair looked like a fish bowl with no goldfish. I fond myself stopping and staring at the bag of bones called Cecil, making his way across his veranda towards me. I had never seen him outside his house. He with taller than I anticipated

With a skeletal, bony finger Cecil the locked eyes with me and gestured for me to approach him. Never having met Cecil, apart from brief eye contact from the safe distance of his yard, I was suddenly over come with a feeling of worry and dread. I looked around to see if anyone was seeing my situation. But of course not. Feeling left with no other option I crossed the constantly surveyed boundary of his property. Once I was close enough to question his invitation. He turned around. Then walked inside. Once again. I followed.

Inside his house the rugs were well cleaned, the dishes stacked and the wallpaper a crisp white. On the table in the dinning room sat two freshly made cups of tea. Cecil them motioned for me to take a seat as he slowly lowered himself into his chair. He spoke of how he had lived in the town his whole life, married his first love and hid from others when she passed away. As he spoke of the changing of the seasons and the people of the town; I sat and drank my tea.

The conversation came to a pause where Cecil stared me dead in the face then said "I believe I can trust you, no once else will. They are too hardened in their beliefs to accept the truth". I was completely lost, telling be my expression he followed up with "I know what happened to Ellie". Curiosity too the best of me and I questioned him." What happened to her?"

Across the police car pulled into the station. Cecil looked like he had been slapped in the face. His complexion turned a pale grey and his eyes locked on the car. "You have to leave." And with that he pushed me out the back door. Leaving me to wonder why he was so unsettled by the police.