Tandem

Raechel Harchey

Raechel was relieved to arrive safe and sound back in her Nook. The drive hadn't been as terrifying as she'd thought but she was pleased to be settled back in her little safe space. She settled herself down onto some blankets, the journey had taken almost all of her energy.

She'd just been dozing off when the sound of rustling caught her attention. At first she dismissed it as Alpha making himself comfortable but as the noise persisted she found it increasingly irritating. She raised herself up onto her side to look for the cat but he was sound asleep on a cushion in the corner. She listened intently for the noise but it had stopped. She rested her head back down on her pillow and it was then that the noise began again. She raised her head and was able to determine that it wasn't in fact coming from her Nook but from another. She sat upright and strained her ears, it sounded as though it were coming from the Nook beside her.

The one to her right belonged to a young woman and her daughter but Raechel had heard them both leave for the day. That could only mean the noise was coming from the other side. Holt's Nook. Raechel scrambled to the doorway and threw aside the curtain. She swung onto the ladder and pulled herself up to see inside Holt's Nook. Slowly, she pulled herself up and into the doorway to see the source of the noise. A figure in a grey hooded sweatshirt was crouched in the corner, rifling through a small wooden cabinet. Raechel watched as they placed something inside one of the drawers. This was some interesting type of criminal she thought to herself. Somebody who gave things to their victims rather than stole things away.

"Hey," she called out. "What are you doing?"

The figure froze and closed the drawer gently. They turned around slowly to face Raechel but she couldn't make out their face underneath the hood of the sweatshirt.

"I said, what are you doing here?"

The figure slowly removed their hood and Raechel prepared herself to move swiftly out of the way if they were to lunge. A mass of dark curls were revealed first, followed by even darker eyes. Eyes that Raechel would have recognised anywhere.

"Holt. What the hell?" Raechel scrambled into the Nook so that she was stood opposite her friend. He looked well, better than she would have expected for someone who had just runaway.

"Hi Raechel." He reached his arms out and brought her in for a hug. The relief she felt at just seeing him again, in knowing that she wasn't alone, was immense.

"What happened?" she asked, pulling away to look him in the eye. "Where did you go?"

"I went home, to see my mum. I figured I hadn't seen her in a while and I know that things at home aren't the best but there's only so long I can go without checking in."

"Why didn't you tell me you were going?"

"I left pretty early one morning and you weren't up yet. I figured I'd be back sooner than I was, that's why I didn't make more of an effort to say goodbye."

"I was really worried about you Holt. It's not like you to just vanish." "I'm sorry. I had to go."

"If you're going to do that again, can you please just write me a note or something?"

"Of course. Sorry."

Raechel sat down on a beanbag in the corner of the Nook. It was far more comfortable than the mats she stacked on top of each other to sleep on. She pulled a cushion behind her head and stared up at the ceiling. Holt had stuck lots of posters and travel magazine covers up onto his ceiling. She could just imagine him falling asleep to the images of national parks, mountains and jungles. Maybe he fell asleep pretending that he was in a hammock somewhere overlooking the Amazon Rainforest, or peering out the front of a tent at Everest Base Camp. Maybe he was just imagining himself to be anywhere other than here.

"So, how was your mum?"

"She was alright," Holt set himself down on a cushion opposite and pulled a blanket over his knees. "She said she was pleased to see me and asked what I'd been up to."

"Did you tell her about what you've been helping me do?"

"No way. She'd tell me it was a bad idea to get involved in all of this. She knows about what the Gauze does, everyone does. She's never thought it was a good idea. If she found out I was involved in any way, she'd tell me I was a fool."

"It is a bad idea, I have to agree with her there. I've told you so many times that I shouldn't be dragging you into this."

"I'm too involved to walk away now." "Too right you are."

Holt chuckled to himself. Raechel was cross that he'd just vanished on her without saying a word but the trip had done him a world of good. He looked better than he ever had before. He didn't look tired anymore, as he had just before he'd left. He had colour in his cheeks and his hair looked a little more shapely, like he'd had a hair cut.

"Were you alright here, by yourself?"

"I was fine, as I say I was just worried that you were MIA."

"MIA?"

"Missing In Action."

"Oh right, well I should've sent a postcard. Did you do any more digging after I left?"

"Yes, and you'll never guess what I found or should I say, who." Raechel sat up excitedly. She could see that Holt was intrigued

"Do elaborate."

"Even though you weren't here, I went to visit Hollydew House," Raechel waited for Holt's reaction. She thought he might feel a little disappointed that she'd gone without him, despite the fact that he was the one who left without telling her where he was going.

"I thought you probably would," Holt said. He looked down at the floor and Raechel felt an instant rush of guilt at his disappointment. "How did it go?"

"I didn't meet Leah, she passed away a little while ago." "So is there a new family living there now?"

"Her grandson was there, Jack Taylor-Gilbert. He invited me inside the house to talk about what's been going on."

"How'd he take it? I can't imagine anyone would be pleased to hear that their grandfather is a murderer."

"He never had a real relationship with his grandad. From what he told me, it was always just him and his grandmother. Bertie disappeared when Jack's father Oliver was so young, so he's never really known life with his grandfather in it."

"Sounds sort of like me with my mum then," Holt said sadly. "He lives in a nicer house than me though."

"It's even nicer than the picture."

"So what was he like?"

"He looks exactly like Bertie for a start. He's got the same colour eyes and hair as his grandfather. The men in that family have very strong genes"

"Are you sure it wasn't actually Bertie?"

"Well if it was, he hasn't aged since he was in his early twenties. I want to know which anti-ageing cream he uses."

"Point taken. What did he say about his grandfather?"

"Well first, he told me why he goes by Bertie instead of Nick. Apparently there were three Nick's working at Diamond Constructions. Each one chose a variation of the name to go by to avoid confusion."

"How the hell do you get Bertie from Nick?" Holt raised an eyebrow.

"He took the Gilbert part from his surname and shortened it."

"Right," Holt remained unconvinced. "I guess it's useful to go by a name nobody would ever associate with you if you're a nasty piece of work and lead a completely separate life."

"Exactly, I couldn't have put it better myself."

"Did he tell you anything else?"

"That was the main thing really. But it explains why Arina knew him as Bertie."

Holt nodded.

"I think we're onto something Holt. I really think we're getting somewhere."