His Silence - Chapter 74

I was right about Oliver going into town earlier. He pulls up outside the front of the house at midday. He doesn’t even come into the house; instead Oliver walks round the side and straight to the annexe, hands buried in his pocket. Where’s he been? Perhaps he just fancied going for a walk somewhere. There’s no way he could’ve heard me go into the annexe earlier, if he had then I’m sure he would’ve stopped talking to Mary.

‘Hey.’ I jump as Callum’s voice reaches me.

He saunters into the living room, a big smile on his face.

‘Jesus, you frightened me,’ I say to him.

I’m sitting on the sofa, Mum’s diary in hand. I’d spent the last hour or so going through it, from beginning to end, reading every entry. It’s the first time, since Oliver gave it to me, that I’ve had a proper chance to go through it.

‘Sorry, you did look a little lost in thought there. What’s on your mind?’ he asks.

'Nothing much, I just spotted Oliver getting back, he’s headed straight round to the annexe. Have you just finished with Mary? Eve said you were with her earlier.’

‘Oh, yeah, yeah we had a good session actually,’ he says.

I frown at him, thinking back to my own sessions with Oliver. ‘A good session, so I take it she’s trying out these stupid exercises with you as well?’

He shakes his head. ‘It’s not just that, and they’re not stupid, Grace.’ I flinch as he calls me by the name Oliver keeps insisting on.

‘Why are you calling me by that name?’ I ask.

‘What do you mean?’ he says, sitting next to me.

‘You know my name’s Danielle, don’t you start falling in line with everyone else.’

He bites his lower lip. Jesus, what’s Mary been saying to him?

‘So, have you found anything else from your mum’s diary?’ he asks, seemingly brushing off my question. God, at this rate I’m going to have to make sure I keep drumming it into him.

‘Um, no, nothing much. Back then, when she was pregnant with me, she seemed to be head over heels in love with this place, there’s nothing to suggest what was to come in the future. She doesn’t have a bad thing to say about Oliver, but, there’s this person’s name, which keeps cropping up, Gavin. No one’s mentioned this guy’s name since we’ve come here. He must’ve been a resident here at the time, for example here.’

I flick through the pages of the book until I find the page I’m looking for. I pass the diary to Callum; I can still see the text.

Chatted with Gavin today at lunch about Grace. Gavin spoke to me about Harvey though as well, telling me how important it is for us to show as much attention to Harvey when the new baby arrives. Children, especially boys, can go off the rails if it seems to them as though they’ve been pushed to the side and forgotten about. Of course, I’m never going to allow that to happen, but it is going to be hard with the new baby and having to entertain Harvey. I don’t think Harvey quite understands what’s coming.

Callum shrugs. ‘I don’t know; perhaps he left here a few years ago, or he could’ve died, you just don’t know. This all took place years ago.’

I picture Mum speaking to this man at the dining table, even though I’ve no idea what he looks like.

‘No one’s mentioned him though, have they?’ I say. ‘People have spoken to me about my parents and Harvey, but not him.’

‘I don’t know,’ Callum says, handing the book back to me. ‘Perhaps Oliver and Mary are right; perhaps you need to focus more on the present.’

I stare at him. ‘What the hell, Callum, you know the reason why I came here,’ I say to him, standing up from the sofa.

‘I know, but remember when I said to you that finding out the truth might make you angrier,’ he says.

‘What’s Mary said to you?’ I say. This isn’t him, this isn’t Callum speaking. I curl my fists.

Callum stands up. ‘I’m only trying to help you,’ he says.

‘No, you’re not,’ I say, my spittle flying out. 

‘Danielle, please, I . . .’

‘Just leave me alone,’ I say, tears brimming in my eyes.