With the departure of the excitable Halloween tour, the café had quietened slightly, and with a strong gut feeling drawing her over to the pub, Rosa wrapped a couple of witchy cakes in a serviette and told Sara that she wouldn’t be long.
Shivering as she walked across the beach, she pulled her coat around her and lit her way with the torch from her phone. She could have done with one of the head-torches they’d borrowed for the tour. The waves lapped their soothing lament and a lone seagull gave its familiar cry. With no moon or stars lighting her way, and without the pub lights on, it really was very dark.
This time last year had been a completely different scenario, Rosa recalled. The Ship Inn had just been completely refurbished and a big opening night Halloween party had been thrown. Live music had been blaring and everyone, having been told to WEAR to SCARE, was dressed up as ghouls, ghosts or witches. This was the very party to which she and Titch had pitched up drunk, despite Josh’s insistence that Rosa mustn’t go; the very party where Lucas had tried to kiss her, and she had turned her head so that his lips landed on her cheek.
Rosa tentatively made her way around to the back door of the pub and pressed the intercom buzzer. Nate had been telling her way too many spooky stories earlier, so when the wind blew an empty crisp bag up over the car park she jumped back and gave a cry of fear. She pushed the buzzer again, hoping that with the orange glow coming from downstairs, Sheila might still be up and about. The wind had started to strengthen now, so trying the buzzer a third and last time, Rosa pressed her ear to it in case she could hear Sheila reply. Nothing. She then pushed open the letter box to check if she could see anything, but it wasn’t what she saw, it was what she could hear that caused her alarm. ‘Help! Help me! Please, somebody help me.’
Rosa was just about to phone Sara, but on trying the handle, she found that the back door into the pub kitchen was unlocked. Entering in haste, fumbling for light switches, Rosa called out: ‘Sheila! Sheila? Where are you?’ Now she was inside, Rosa was sure she could hear the lyrical melody of James Arthur’s new single coming from upstairs. As soon as she switched the lights on, however, the music stopped and she thought she must have imagined it.
‘Down here.’ The publican’s voice was barely audible. ‘In the cellar.’
Rosa shot behind the bar, then trod carefully down the steep cellar steps. There at the bottom, lying in an awkward heap, was Sheila Hannafore, a shadow of the bold and feisty character that Rosa once knew. Her white hair was stained with fresh blood; her face was gaunt and etched with both illness and fear.
Rosa got down to her level. ‘Oh my God, Sheila, I’m calling an ambulance now.’
Sheila held out her bony hand to Rosa and said weakly, with a lone tear running down her left cheek, ‘I didn’t think it would be you who came to my rescue.’
Rosa felt tears stinging her own eyes. ‘Well, it is, and I will do everything I can to help you.’
‘Please don’t call an ambulance, love. This wasn’t an accident, see. And I don’t want to get anyone into any trouble. Just sit here a minute.’
‘Oh Sheila, I can’t leave you like this. Lucas would kill me.’ Rosa got through to the emergency services quickly. ‘An hour, really?’ she objected. ‘The lady has cancer and a head wound. This is serious. Please come as quickly as you can.’ Ending the call, she asked softly, ‘Where are you hurting?’
‘My back.’
Sheila was slightly delirious now; her eyes were closed and blood was running from the wound in her head. Rosa took off her scarf and did the best she could to stem the flow. Trying not to panic, she then placed her hand gently on the ailing woman’s clammy forehead.
‘Tell my boys it was an accident, won’t you? Promise?’
Rosa took Sheila’s hand. Her head was moving agitatedly from side to side.
‘Try and keep still, Sheila. We’ll get you to hospital where you’ll be sorted.’
The injured woman then let out a terrible groan. ‘Bloody cancer! Nobody tells you how painful it is.’ She started to cry.
‘Have you got any painkillers?’ Rosa asked. ‘I can go and get them.’
‘I’ve had enough of those already. Plenty. Don’t leave me, please don’t leave me.’
Rosa squeezed her hand. ‘I’m here.’
Sheila’s tears flowed faster. ‘I’ve been a terrible mother,’ she sobbed. ‘I didn’t intend to do bad things.’
‘No, you haven’t. I spoke to Lucas,’ Rosa lied. ‘He didn’t mean to stay away so long. He’s just been so busy, and he had problems with his phone and problems with his love-life. You know what men are like. He said that he was going to be coming down soon. He didn’t even realise that so much time had passed.’
A smile spread over the woman’s dry lips as Rosa promised, ‘He loves you, Sheila. He loves you very much.’
‘I think he loves you more,’ Sheila managed.
Not knowing how to respond, Rosa was glad to spot some glass bottles of water within reach. She opened one up and poured some on a tissue to dampen Sheila’s dry lips. She didn’t give her any to drink in case she had to have an operation.
‘Thank you,’ the woman whispered. Then, ‘I didn’t want to worry Tom and the girls either; they have their own lives to lead. Can’t be looking after a silly old woman down by the sea.’
Rosa felt remorse for lying to her – but what else could she say to explain Lucas’s lack of attendance? She then had a terrible thought. Luke had stopped coming down immediately after the conversation they had had about him moving on with his life. Maybe it was her fault he wasn’t here. She had to call him – right now. Looking at Sheila, she didn’t think his mother had long to live, and he was in London, at least four hours away. Why, oh why could he not have picked up or called back when she had left the message for him the other day?
‘Tell them it was an accident, that I tripped and fell, won’t you?’ Sheila repeated, her voice getting weaker. ‘I don’t want them to have to go through anything else.’ Her eyes flickered open and shut. ‘The will is in the back safe. They will get their money. Tell them, Rosa, tell them.’
‘Sheila, Sheila, stay with me. Please – the ambulance will soon be here.’
Seeing a shadowy figure coming down the cellar steps, Rosa screamed a full-lunged scream. Then, on seeing who it was, she simply exclaimed, ‘Luke! Thank God you’re here.’
‘Well done for leaving the back door wide open, bird. I left my bloody key at home. Have you called for an ambulance?’
Rosa was sure she had shut it so just replied with a stressed, ‘Yes. It’s on its way.’
Luke went down to Sheila’s level. ‘Oh Mum! What have you done?’ His voice broke. ‘Where’s Tom?’
Rosa saw a glimmer of light flash back into the now open eyes of Sheila and she, too, felt a rush of relief, knowing it had been the right thing to call Lucas before.
‘My boy, my boy, you came. Call Tom for me, call him, please.’
Lucas’s eyes had the look of a frightened horse. Gently, Rosa moved out of the way so that he could get close to his mother. Then, with Lucas on the phone to Tom, Sheila put her arm up and gripped Rosa’s hand as hard as she could muster.