Lavender Hill Read online

  “There’s plenty left in the kitchen. Go and help yourself.”

  Jack grabbed some breakfast from the kitchen and sat down in the living room to watch the news with the others.

  “What’s happening outside?” he asked.

  “There’s still a few people from the rally outside, and there’s going to be more later, apparently,” said the chubby woman.

  “Any news about what’s gonna happen today?” Jack asked everyone.

  Nothing, no, not heard anything, came back the replies.

  Jack sat quietly watching the TV. After a while, Amy came in with some breakfast and sat down next to him. Everyone watched the TV in silence, feeling a little strange and apprehensive after the novelty of first arriving had now worn off.

  Everyone turned around to look towards the living room door as they heard people talking outside. Eventually, the Tall Man appeared and addressed the group.

  “Ladies, gentleman – you’ll be glad to know we are happy for you to leave. We will help those of you that live outside London to get back home.”

  “How are we going to avoid the crowds outside when we leave?” asked the chubby woman.

  “There are passages that will take you to nearby buildings, so you won’t have to leave through the front door.”

  “Underground tunnels,” said someone excitedly.

  “Yes,” replied the Tall Man blankly. “Could you all be ready in about twenty minutes, please? We are on a tight schedule.” He then walked off towards the exit.

  Everyone finished their breakfast quickly and rushed off to their rooms.

  “Where are you going after we’ve left?” asked Amy as she and Jack packed.

  “I’m going to quickly go over to my house here and then head back home to Devon. Do you want to come with me?”

  “Yes, definitely – we can travel back to Bristol together, so you can pick up your car.”

  They both looked around as someone knocked on the door.

  “Yes,” said Jack.

  The Tall Man entered and closed the door behind him.

  “Mr Clarke, I’m afraid we would like you to stay with us for a bit longer.”

  “Why?” asked Amy.

  “We just want to ask Mr Clarke a few more questions – just routine investigations in relation to the Rapture.”

  Jack looked at Amy and then back to the Tall Man.

  “Can you ensure she gets back to Bristol OK?”

  Amy looked alarmed. “I’m not going to leave you here on your own.”

  “You can’t stay here, Ms Stola, and Mr Clarke appreciates he will be expected to remain with us for a little longer.”

  “I’ll be OK, Amy.” Jack held out a hand to touch her. “I’ll call you as soon as I’ve left here.”

  Amy remained quiet.

  “Excellent, could you just stay here while we escort the others away, Mr Clarke.” The Tall Man left the room.

  Jack held out his arms and Amy moved in closer to him.

  “What do they want with you?” asked Amy.

  “I don’t know, but I’m sure it’ll be OK.”

  “You’ll contact me as soon as you leave.”

  “Yes, course I will.”

  They could hear people gathering outside, so Amy collected her things ready to leave. She held Jack one more time before they kissed. The Tall Man looked around the door to indicate it was time to go and Amy walked out while glancing over her shoulder to look at Jack.

  Jack walked into the corridor to watch everyone leave. Amy was last and she waved at Jack as she left. The Tall Man ushered everyone out and then stood talking to another agent. After a while, Jack turned around and walked to the living room and sat down. The room felt very empty after the busy and lively events the day before. He switched the TV on and put on the news.

  “...it’s clear the Pointers must have vital information about the Rapture...” said a reporter outside Thames House.

  Jack laughed a little to himself and then looked around as the Tall Man entered the room.

  “Could you come with us please, Mr Clarke,” he said, with a smile that Jack noticed for the first time never quite reaches his eyes.

  *****

  12:58pm

  “So what are you going to do?” asked Ms Gossip.

  “I don’t know. But there’s a lead I’m going to continue investigating,” replied Katie as she stood at her desk collecting her things.

  “Did you really feel the Rapture?” asked Ms Giggles.

  “Yes,” Katie replied bluntly.

  Mary approached the desk. “Katie, can you come over to my office, please.”

  Mary walked off and Katie followed. She closed the door behind her as she entered the office.

  Mary stood in front of Katie and looked at her for a few moments. “What you did was unprofessional...”

  Katie looked awkward and was about to reply, but Mary said, “However, he is cynical and certainly arrogant, so between me and you, well done.” She smiled and held out her hand for Katie to shake.

  “Thanks, Mary – thanks.”

  “If you need a reference you can ask me, and I wouldn’t worry too much about what’s happened. Jeremy’s got so many enemies in the industry that you’ll probably have plenty of offers.”

  They exchanged a few more pleasantries before Katie walked back into the newsroom. As she approached her desk, she looked up to one of the large screens placed around the office. Jeremy was giving a live broadcast from outside Thames House.

  “...the protesters have gathered again in London, without considering the disruption they are causing...” Jeremy could be heard saying in the background.

  “What’s this lead you’re investigating?” asked Ms Gossip innocently as Katie arrived.

  “Something I noticed in the data from the Pointers,” replied Katie without much enthusiasm.

  “Don’t you think you should tell someone if it’s important?”

  Katie looked up at the screen.

  “...what do you think you are doing...” said Jeremy to some protesters as they gathered around him.

  Katie looked back to Ms Gossip. “No, I don’t. And maybe you should mind your own business.”

  Ms Gossip huffed indignantly and turned to look at the screen, as Jeremy could be heard arguing with the protesters.

  “...you’re a bunch of religious zealots who are disrupting the lives of ordinary Londoners...”

  “...chuck him in the river...” shouted someone in the crowd.

  This seemed to excite the crowd and they grabbed Jeremy, while laughing and chanting, to throw him in the river.

  “...get your hands off me...” he shouted desperately as the crowd lifted him up.

  Katie, and the other reporters who had gathered around the screen, watched open-mouthed as the crowd walked over to the edge of the bridge.

  “Surely they’re not going to do it,” said Ms Gossip, while Ms Giggles held her hand tightly over her mouth to smother her laughter.

  Everyone watched as the crowd reached the edge of the bridge and then tipped Jeremy over the side. Jeremy’s scream could be heard becoming increasingly distant before it was abruptly stopped by a splash of water. The camera quickly pointed over the side of the bridge to reveal Jeremy floating down the River Thames with a furious red face and shouting abuse at the protesters.

  The newsroom went unusually quiet as people looked at each other in shock. Then, spontaneously, everyone began to cheer and clap.

  Katie grabbed a bag full of her things and walked towards the exit of the newsroom. Just before leaving, she turned to look at the reporters as they watched Jeremy on the TV. She smiled and then continued out the door.

  *****

  2:02pm

  Jack stood up quickly as he heard the door being opened.

  The Tall Man entered. “Mr Clarke, sorry for keeping you waiting so long. As you can appreciate, we have lots to keep us active at the moment.”

  “Why am I still being held? When ca
n I go?”

  “We would like you to stay with us for a few more days, Mr Clarke. I’ll escort you to your house in Notting Hill so you can collect some things, clothes, etc.”

  Jack considered arguing, but then said, “OK, when are we going?”

  “We can leave now.”

  Jack grabbed his bag and followed the Tall Man through the corridors of the hidden building under Thames House. After riding in an elevator, they walked into a courtyard where a car was waiting for them.

  *

  Jack observed the street life of London as they drove to his house. It was a bright spring day and people sat outside cafes chatting, doing business, reading newspapers or just people watching. Jack felt home sick for London as he observed its buzz and energy, and he remembered the good times there with Sarah and the kids. These thoughts naturally lead him to start thinking about their move to Devon, and his subsequent experience of the Rapture. As he thought about the Rapture, the sights and sounds of London became smothered by those of the Rapture, and the intense feeling of hope and understanding filled his mind. He suddenly focused on Gabriel Ash and felt the urge to escape from the government agents so he could travel back to Devon.

  “I’ll escort you to your home and wait for you inside,” instructed the Tall Man as they approached Jack’s house.

  Jack stared ahead without responding.

  “Mr Clarke?” asked the Tall Man, and placed a hand on his arm.

  Jack jumped out of his trance. “Sorry, yes – OK.”

  They left the car and walked towards Jack’s house. As they approached it, his neighbour’s dog walked towards them. The memory of the Rapture was still in Jack’s mind and he began to think about Gabriel Ash’s dog barking, which seemed incredibly intense and real. The neighbour’s dog started to snarl and show its teeth at Jack, and he immediately understood it was reacting to his memories as if they were real. As the dog in Jack’s imagination barked, Jack felt the urge to silently mouth this action towards the neighbour’s dog – sensing that its reaction would distract the Tall Man. Jack silently opened and closed his mouth, and the dog became intensely aggressive as if it was being attacked. It ran towards Jack, which made the Tall Man jump in front of him to grab it.

  Jack stood back as the Tall Man fought with the dog. The agent who had been waiting in the car ran towards them and tried to help the Tall Man control the dog. The intensity of the dog’s attack caused the two agents to ignore Jack, and he quietly stepped back away from them. He paused for a moment before turning around to run up the road. Jack ran without looking back and while expecting to be grabbed, but no one followed him. He continued running until he came to a crowded street and then slowed to a normal walking pace. After a while, he looked back to see the two agents appear in the distance behind him but without seeing him in the crowd. He quickly walked into a nearby bookshop and stood behind a bookshelf, carefully watching through the window. As the two agents quickly walked past the bookshop, Jack moved out of sight. He waited a short while before looking outside and then quickly walked in the opposite direction.

  Jack jumped onto a bus heading for Waterloo train station. He knew exactly what to do next. Travel to Devon, and make his way to Gabriel Ash’s house.

  *****

  6:07pm

  “He escaped your custody because of a dog,” said Sir Jeffrey, peering over his glasses.

  The Tall Man and a collection of other agents sat around a table.

  “It was a... uh... very large, and... vicious dog, sir,” replied the Tall Man, looking decidedly less tall.

  “I was under the impression you were large and vicious, Agent Jones.”

  The Tall Man fidgeted in his seat.

  “Well, why was this gentleman so important to this investigation, anyway?” asked Sir Jeffrey.

  “He had the highest score in the tests we conducted, sir, and he was lying about the location where he experienced the Rapture. He told Agent Sutton he has another house in Devon.” The Tall Man indicated towards Agent Chris Sutton, the young man who had portrayed himself as a Pointer the previous evening.

  “Yes, apparently you seem particularly good at playing one of these Pointers, Agent Sutton.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  Sir Jeffrey paused for a few moments. “Let’s discuss the outcome of these tests before I’m convinced this Pointer is worth pursuing.” He turned to a young woman sitting in front of a laptop. “Dr Koreshi, can you bring us up to speed, please.”

  “Yes, Sir Jeffrey,” replied the doctor, a psychologist. “As with the data collected by 24/7 News, we didn’t find any trend with race, gender or background of any kind. The differences were quite subtle and really only emerged when we analysed their psychological profiles. The Pointers seemed to share at least two characteristics. The first is a preference for sensory stimuli that might be called natural and the second is a high score for openness.”

  “Natural stimuli?” asked Sir Jeffrey.

  “Yes, most of them prefer to follow the day-night cycle closely and feel agitated if they don’t. They like to feel the cold in the winter and heat in the summer. There’s a preference for natural food, and sights and sounds that you would find in nature, certain colours and combinations of colours, etc.”

  “And the tendency to be open minded?”

  “Yes, they score highly in a personality variable called ‘need for cognition’. This is the tendency to enjoy effortful thought, thinking and analyses, which can promote openness to new ideas, etc.”

  “Are they religious?”

  “No, none of them identified themselves as religious, which has also been observed in the other groups of Pointers held around the country.”

  “Interesting, so how are you interpreting these findings?”

  “Well, as you know the Rapture was experienced predominantly in rural or poorly industrialised regions around the world, so it may be the case people more closely connected with nature, or their local environment, were more susceptible to its effects. In contrast, the Pointers were more predominant in the industrial world and this may be because there’s the time and space to nurture the kind of thinking the Pointers score highly for.”

  “So the Pointers are more connected to nature, and open to new experiences and sensations?” asked Sir Jeffrey.

  “It would appear so, yes,” replied Dr Koreshi.

  “Excellent, this actually feels like we are moving forward. But we are still no nearer to answering what the Rapture is?” Sir Jeffrey looked expectantly around the table.

  The Tall Man responded. “If the Rapture originated in Devon, and this Pointer, Jack Clarke, is from Devon and hiding something from us, then we should bring him back into custody for questioning. He may know something important about the source of the Rapture.”

  Sir Jeffrey nodded. “Agreed – we must be able to identify his location in Devon using utility companies, etc.”

  “Yes, we’ve already contacted the appropriate companies to request access, sir.”

  “Excellent, when do you expect to have this information?”

  “Sometime this evening, sir.”

  “OK, well our mysterious friend, Mr Clarke, is not our only concern at the moment, so I suggest you gather a team to travel to Devon tomorrow.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Sir Jeffrey flicked through a folder containing information about Jack before holding up a picture of him. “I think I might have a chat with this Mr Clarke myself when he returns to enjoy our hospitality.”

  *****

  11:09pm

  Jack entered his Devon home and walked, in the dark, to the living room. He dropped heavily onto the sofa, leant his head back and closed his eyes. He felt exhausted and just sat quietly.

  After a while, Jack opened his eyes again and looked around. He had left the lights off to hide his presence, so the house felt cold, dark and empty. Ambient light from outside allowed him to see around the house, so he stood up and walked upstairs. He was about to enter his b
edroom but then noticed the door to Dylan’s room was ajar. He thought about his children and felt overcome by a terrible sense of loss that he couldn’t see and hold them. These thoughts made Jack walk over to Dylan’s room and go inside.

  In the dim light, Jack looked around the room. The toys had been left over the floor and he leant down to pick them up. As he put them in their box, he stopped to look at Dylan’s favourite toy, a T-rex dinosaur. He knew Dylan would be sad at not taking it with him, so he placed it on the table next to the bed so it would be easier to find.

  Jack walked out of Dylan’s room and entered his own bedroom. He sat on the bed in the dark until the sound of an animal outside caught his attention. He walked over to the window. He could just about see the outline of the fields in the distance. The fields the light from the Rapture had passed over so many days before. As he looked outside, the feeling of the Rapture grew inside him, and as it became more intense, he began to sense someone’s presence.

  Jack suddenly turned around. His breathing quickened, and he thought: someone’s in the house.

  He quickly but quietly walked outside to the landing and leant over to look down the stairs. He listened with intense concentration so he could hear any noise, but there wasn’t any sound. He stood away from the stairs and concentrated on the sensation that someone was present, and again he felt like someone was near. But as he concentrated further, he realised this person wasn’t physically present.

  “WHO ARE YOU?” Jack shouted into the air in frustration and anger, but he was only answered by empty silence. He walked back into his bedroom and sat down on the bed.

  He sat in silence and in the dark. The feeling of someone watching him gradually faded, but rather than relief Jack felt something strange. He felt more alone.

  *****

  DAY 8

  9:28am

  The Tall Man looked out the window of the car as Agent Sutton drove him and another agent towards Jack’s house. He watched the ancient hills of the Devon countryside pass by and noticed smoke coming from the chimneys of small cottages nestled in the pretty villages scattered across the hills. Eventually, they turned off the motorway and began to drive around smaller, local roads towards Jack’s house.