Lost Souls

40

The family and their helpers split into two groups. Mr. and Mrs. Rusk, took Amber and Alex with them to search the upstairs and the attic, where no one had been since the family moved into the Manor. Katie, MacBlaine, Jimmy and Christopher formed the downstairs search party. They would have another look in the rooms found through the kitchen wall, and then take a peek in all the other lower floor rooms. Once the house had been searched from top to bottom, both parties would eat lunch and then take on the mammoth task of searching through the grounds.

​On the top floor, Amber bounced along the corridor, stopped in front of her mother, and proudly announced, "I've looked in all the rooms mummy. I can't find any bones or ghosts!"

​"Oh my goodness. I don't think we'll find any bones pumpkin pie. I don't want to see any ghosts either really," Mrs. Rusk gasped, as she bent down to cuddle Amber.

​"What are we looking for then?" Amber demanded to know as she pulled back from her mum and stood with her hands on her hips.

​"Well, how about secret notebooks or photographs," her mother replied, hoping that would send Amber away happily.

​"Why didn't anybody tell me that before?" Amber sighed, as she stormed off like a mini tornado.

​Mrs. Rusk watched her disappear into another room, and then went to find her husband, who she found on his hands and knees peering under a large double bed in one of the many guest rooms. "Amber just asked what we're looking for. What are we looking for darling?"

​Mr. Rusk sat back on his haunches, and slowly shook his head. "To be honest Grace, I'm hoping something just jumps out and bites me on the arse. I haven't a clue what I'm trying to find really.

​"Okay, that helps," Mrs. Rusk grinned. "I suggested to Amber notebooks or photographs."

​"Could be. It would be great if we found a picture of Galbraith suffocating the kids."

​Mrs. Rusk pulled a face. "I hope we don't Michael. That's too horrifying to imagine."

​Mr. Rusk stood up and rubbed his wife's shoulders. "I wasn't being serious Grace. Just trying to show you what we'd need to find to bring a prosecution against Galbraith."

​"We're not going to get him are we?" Grace Rusk asked disappointedly.

​"I don't know honey. Unless something major turns up, it's going to be very difficult that's for sure."

​Grace fell into her husbands arms and sobbed gently. In all her life she'd believed children should be loved and kept safe. Now, in the very house she was living in, it looked like someone had left a group of young children to die, or worse murdered them.

​Downstairs the other group were still in the semi gloom of the secret rooms. Although the floors had been searched thoroughly and the dirt had been lifted and sifted, the walls and ceiling hadn't been touched. Now, with torches in hand Katie and the others looked for anything that could be used as a clue to what had happened to the children.

​Jimmy and Christopher were hardly speaking to one another. If one moved closer to talk to Katie, the other would barge into the conversation or just stand quietly in the near vicinity, making it awkward for any private time together.

​Katie for her part hadn't a clue what to do. She liked both the young men, but for different reasons. Christopher was kind and gentle, and she could imagine spending time just snuggling up with him watching a DVD, or going for romantic picnics to the beaches nearby. Jimmy was the mysterious one, who she believed would bring adventure into her life, but she didn't want to become involved in anything illegal, and she knew already he'd broken into Galbraith Lodge. It was a tricky situation, and one that Katie hadn't had to deal with before. She was still day dreaming about the boys when Jimmy shouted loudly from the room to her left.

​"Hey, come in here. I've found something.

​Katie, and the old vicar moved quickly to where Jimmy and Christopher stood beside a deep recess in one of the walls. It looked like someone had removed a brick or two and made a secret hiding place for what Jimmy had found.

​"It's a diary!" Jimmy exclaimed excitedly, as he flicked through the pages. "Looks like one of the kids hid it," he added, as he tried to read some of the fading handwriting.

​"Let's get dad to take a look. This is brilliant. Well done Jimmy."

​Christopher grimaced as he watched Katie kiss Jimmy's cheek. He deeply wished he'd been the one to find the dairy, especially as Jimmy glanced his way and winked smugly.

​"Do you want me to stay and keep looking babe?" Christopher asked Katie, trying to score some points back from Jimmy.

​Katie looked at him as if he'd just sworn at her. "Babe!" she groaned, clearly annoyed by his choice of words.

​Christopher tried to sound nonchalant when he answered. "Sorry. Just trying to be nice, that's all."

​"More like being a prat," Jimmy said sarcastically.

​"You'd know about that mate," Christopher replied, his anger growing.

​MacBlaine, sensing trouble, stepped between the two teenagers before anything happened. He was certain one of them would throw a punch and then it would turn nasty. "Enough bickering lads. I'm sure Katie likes you both, and will decide who she'd prefer to go out with after we sort out what happened here. Isn't that right my dear?"

​Katie couldn't speak. She was stunned that the vicar had explained how she felt so simply. She would go out with one of them as a boyfriend, but she hadn't decided which one yet, and until she found out the mysteries of Dovecot Manor, she wasn't going to be sidetracked by anything.

"Let's all just get along for now. We need to work as a team. So please, no more silliness. Okay?" she asked, in a very grown up manner.

​Christopher nodded, embarrassed by his stupidity.

​Jimmy just smiled brightly, and held the diary over his head like a victory trophy. "Come on. Let's get out of here," he suggested as he grinned at Christopher, and headed towards the exit back into the kitchen.