Haunted in the Night

Chapter Fifteen- Part Two

The morning went by quickly, a few customers came in, thankfully they did not say much about Claire being there, of course they eyed her off but that was all.
“You ready for some lunch?” Chad asked her once he came out of the office.
“That would be good” she replied as she packed up the empty box, folding it up.
“Shall we then?” he asked, motioning to the door and she smiled as she put the box down and they headed out, Chad locking the shop up behind him.
“What if a customer comes though?” she asked him unsure about closing the shop for lunch.
“Oh don’t worry, everyone in town knows the shop closes for lunch, Helena used to do it everyday and we’d go get lunch then come back and open up again” he told her and she remembered her parents doing the same thing on some days, it seemed as if it had become tradition now.
“So where would you like to go?” she asked him and he smiled as an idea of a place obviously popped into his head.
“Let me take you somewhere we haven’t been yet” he suggested and she nodded happily, wondering where that could possibly be, Meadows Ville is a small town, there aren’t too many places that you can go.
Turns out he took her to the local pub, once more an old building, with the brown paint fading and peeling, but inside was quite nice, they walked straight past the bar into the back area where there was a dining room set up.
The walls were a dark red, with brown wooden chairs and red table cloths to match the walls, there were a few paintings on the walls, one Claire found she liked particularly was one of the forest, the trees were lush and green, it made it look more calm and serene, then scary and cold how Claire only saw it now.
“What can I get for you today?” the waiter asked as he walked up to them, he had short brown hair and brown eyes, he had broad shoulders and strong torso, he looked like he worked out a lot, he also had a big nose, with big bushy eyebrows.
“I’ll take a chicken parmigiana please” Chad answered the man when he handed the menu over to the waiter then he looked to Claire who was still scanning all the options.
“I think I’ll try the same thank you” Claire decided, she liked the sound of it, she’d had it before, many years ago while in Adelaide but hadn’t for quite a while now.
“I’ll be right back with your order” the waiter smiled at them before ducking off into the kitchen.
“This is a nice place” Claire complimented, they tried to go the more traditional pub atmosphere over the rustic pub feelings, it reminded Claire a lot of the pub back in the city, where she would take her grandparents for special occasions.
“Yes it is nice” Chad replied as he watched her, trying to gauge what she was thinking, she seemed slightly distant to him.
“Are you alright?” he asked her finally when he couldn’t stand not knowing anymore as she just stared off distantly.
“Yes I’m fine” was all she replied but it didn’t sound quite right, like it was just an automatic answer and she still stared off, not meeting his eyes.
“Claire what is the matter?” he asked her as he reached over and took her hand in his, that got her attention and she turned and looked at him, her eyes sad.
“I miss my grandparents is all” she told him and he smiled at her softly.
“They mean a lot to you” he told her, he could see how much she missed them, he understood that they had been the ones who raised her when her parents went missing, they took her away from this place with all the horrid memories.
“You know if you stay here with me, we can still go and visit then, especially at Christmas time” he promised her and she smiled at him widely.
“You would really do that for me?” she asked him a bit shocked.
“Of course, they are your family, they obviously mean a lot to you, I would never force you to never see them again” he stated.
“Thank you Chad” Claire said but then they were quiet when the waiter came back out with their drinks, a tall glass of Coca Cola with ice.
“You’re meals we’ll be ready soon” he told them as he placed the glasses down in front of them.
“Thank you very much” Claire said to him before he left and Chad smiled at her admiringly and she looked at him confused.
“Why are you looking at me like that for?” she asked him, she needed to know, she didn’t like being confused, it frustrated her.
“Your so polite” he complimented and she blushed slightly, realising he meant when ever the waiter would serve them she would say thank you, it was nice to know that he was noticing these little things about her.
“It was the way I was raised to be” she replied, meaning how her parents how first raised her, they had always taught her to be polite and then her grandparents carried on the same thing.
“Tell me about your life Claire, in Adelaide” Chad said and she thought for a moment before answering, trying to think of what would be good to tell him.
“Well there is not all that much that I do there, I study and go home, that’s about it, or I’m at the little bookstore down the street” she replied, not really knowing what to say, she wasn’t really a big city person, she didn’t go out to bars, she didn’t party, she preferred to be at home with a good book.
“And what is it about this certain bookstore that you like so much? Is it because it’s just down the street so it’s convenient?” he asked as he took a sip of his drink.
“Well there is that but it’s a lovely little store, its ran by this lovely elderly couple, they also have a little cafe attached and I could spend all day in there” Claire answered, smiling happily as she pictured the little place in her mind.
“Tell me what is your favourite book?” Chad asked and Claire gaped at him.
“What?” he asked suddenly confused as to why she was looking at him with such shock.
“You cannot just ask me that, do you know how hard it’ll be to pick a favourite out of all the books I’ve read? It’s a long list” she chuckled at him smiling widely.
“Okay then just tell me about one of your favourites then” he suggested and Claire thought long and hard for a moment.
“The complete Fiction of H.P Lovecraft” she replied simply.
“What is that about?” he asked her, obviously not twigging to who H.P Lovecraft is.
“He was an author from the nineteen hundreds, he wrote many short stories, but sadly did not become quite famous until after his death, he write mysteries and thrillers and this book has his entire works in it, I love it” she told him fondly as she remembered how she couldn’t put his book down, it has enchanted her, she held onto every word like it was her lifeline.
“At least I know what to get you for birthday and Christmas for presents” he chuckled and she looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to explain what he was talking about.
“Books” he replied and realisation hit her and she smiled at him with a chuckle.
“Good luck finding many that I haven’t read” she almost challenged him as she took a sip of drink.
“Here you are, I hope you enjoy your meal” the waiter said as he suddenly appeared and placed their orders down in front of them, it looked and smelled delicious, the cheese melted perfectly on top of the chicken schnitzel.
“Thank you so much, this looks so good” she told the waiter who smiled at her before leaving them to eat, they were the only ones in here which seemed a little strange to Claire.
“Where is everyone?” she asked, suddenly aware of how alone they were, looking around as if someone was going to appear right in front of her.
“Most people come out here for dinner, they spend lunch either at home or the cafe, that’s why I thought this place would be good for lunch, keep you away from the gossiping women” he chuckled as they picked up their cutlery and began to eat.
It was perfect, the way the cheese melted with the chicken was just perfect and tasty, Claire found herself savouring every mouthful.
“I’ll definitely have to come back here" Claire commented as they continued eating.
“Yeah this place is great, Helena and I used to come here for every lunch” he told her, a small smile of content on his face but then his eyes turned sad and his smile disappeared, Claire could see the happy memories that he shared with Helena here were now tormenting him as they were the last ones, they could make no more.
“We’ll just have to make happy memories here with us now" she stated, reaching over and touching his hand, pulling him from his saddening thoughts and his smile returned, he appreciate her trying to help him move past it and be happy, a lot like he had been trying to do for her also.
“Well I’m full, what about you?” he asked her as he took his last bite and placed his knife and fork down on the empty plate.
“If I take one more bite I’m not going to be able to continue stocking the shop, my gut will be too heavy to move from this chair" she told him and they both chuckled.
“Dylan" Chad called over the waiter who had served them, at least now Claire knew his name.
“How much?” Claire asked smiling as he grabbed their bill.
“$36 dollars" he told them and Claire gasped at how cheap that was, most places for two of their meals would be more.
“I’ll pay this time" Claire said as Chad went too and he looked at her with uncertainty.
“Are you sure?” he asked as he watched as she pulled out her purse and paid the waiter, giving him a ten dollar tip also.
“Thank you very much Miss Claire" Dylan smiled gratefully at her before rushing off, leaving them to be as they grabbed their things to leave.
“Is there anyone in town who doesn’t know who I am?” she asked as they left and Chad chuckled.
“Doubtful, but that was a kind tip of you to give, most people here I’ve noticed don’t tip at all" he complimented her and she blushed shyly.
“He has good service skills" she remarked and Chad just smiled at her with admiration before he reached over and took hold of her hand while they walked.
“Excuse me miss but your working with Bob on the case of all this missing people am I correct?” suddenly an elderly man asked as he approached them, Chad had just been about to unlock the Hardware store door and Claire turned to look at the man.
He was quite old, probably in his 80’s to 90’s, his hair was white as well as his longish beard, his back was hunched slightly as he gripped his walking stick, he even had a slight tremor that seemed to keep him shaking slightly, his blue eyes watching Claire intensely.
“I’m sorry but what's your name?" she asked him, her voice soft and kind as she looked at the man curiously, wondering why he was asking, she didn’t recognise him but then it had been a long time since she’d last been here.
“My name doesn't matter, all I need to know is if you are helping Bob with this case” he told her, his voice serious, his eyes uneasy, something was obviously bothering this poor man.
“Yes I am, is there something I can help you with?” she asked politely, worried as he stood unsteady on his walking stick.
“Good because I know who is behind it all" the man suddenly stated.