Fangtooth (8 page)

Chapter 16

“You little bastard,” Lillian Brown
snarled as she squeezed Jack’s arm. A wild look sparkled in her eyes. Shazam
barked loudly.

“Let go of me, you crazy bitch,” Jack
screamed.

Lillian squeezed tighter. Jack wanted to
punch her, but he couldn’t hit a woman, not even one as mad as this bitch. He
grabbed her hand to try to prise her fingers apart, but her grip was too
strong.

The two grey streaks in Lillian’s hair
accentuated her piercing grey eyes. Her lips curled back, and when she spoke,
spittle flew out and struck Jack’s cheek.

“It’s all your fault,” she said. “You
and your kind come down here and bring all the bad luck with you.

“Just let me go you stupid cow,” Jack
said, trying to remain calm. “You’re coming with me,” Lillian said as she
started to drag him towards the road.

Jack tried to resist, but despite
Lillian’s thin stature, she seemed to possess the strength of the damned.

Shazam ran around the pair of them,
barking wildly, seeming unsure what to do.

“What’s all the commotion?” Zander asked
as he appeared from the outbuilding.

“You’ll see. You’ll see,” Lillian
screeched. “Come with me, you’ll see.”

“Tell this crazy cow to let me go,” Jack
said.

“You look wet kid. Been swimming with
your clothes on?” Zander replied, ignoring Jack’s plea.

Jack tried to brace his feet on the
pavement, but it was no good. Pain radiated from his injured leg.

Rather than intervene, Zander followed.

Lillian pushed Jack into the Sheet and
Anchor bar. Jack counted at least fifteen people inside the room.

“Here he is,” Lillian screeched.

Everyone turned to look. Graham stopped
cleaning glasses on the bar and leaned forward. “What’s all this about?”

Lillian pushed Jack into the middle of
the room. “Ever since this lad and his father arrived, there’s been nothing but
bad luck.”

A man with ginger hair stood up from his
seat at the bar and raised his hands. Jack recognised him as the man from the
shop, Duncan someone or other.

“Come on now, Lillian. Let the lad go.”

“She’s right,” Zander said as he walked
into the bar. “I’ve never had it so bad. It’s as though the fish have all
disappeared.”

“Yes, what about the
Silver Queen
?”
Lillian snapped.

“I don’t know what the hell you’re
talking about,” Jack said, his cheeks starting to burn.

“The
Silver Queen
was a boat that
disappeared just before you arrived. Went missing with all hands,” Lillian
said.

“That’s nothing to do with me.”

“Of course it’s to do with you. You’ve
brought bad luck to the village. I told everyone it would happen. Didn’t I tell
you? When you start letting outsiders buy up the houses, it creates bad karma.”

“Leave the boy alone,” someone said.

“No, let her speak,” a man with short
hair and leather hardened skin said.

“She’s got a point,” piped up a
middle-aged woman with her black hair tied back in a ponytail. A few of the
other patrons nodded in agreement.

“And then there was that attack,”
Lillian said. More patrons nodded.

“And there was that woman, pulled from
the sea like she’d seen a ghost,” someone said.

Graham held his hand up. “There’ll be a
logical explanation.”

“We don’t need an explanation. We know
what’s happened. We need to get rid of the newcomers,” Lillian said.

Jack trembled. He couldn’t believe they
were talking this way. The animosity directed towards him filled the air. He
fought back tears. Didn’t want to show any sign of weakness.

“So what, you want to chase them out of
town, is that what you’re saying?” Graham asked.

“Something like that,” Lillian replied.

“Hey now hold on,” Jack said, finally
finding his voice. “We didn’t come here looking for trouble.” Rather than
appear timid, he held his head up and maintained eye contact with Lillian. Judo
had taught him that predators choose victims who appear unaware, timid or lost,
and this was no time to be any of those.

“Then what did you come here for?”
Lillian spat back.

“To make a fresh start.” All eyes turned
towards the door, where Jack’s father stood. “Now can someone tell me what the
hell’s going on?”

Lillian released her grip.

Relieved to see his dad, Jack hurried
across and stood next to him. Lillian shook her head in disgust. “You outsiders
are all the same. All you do is bring misfortune.”

Bruce grimaced. “What are you talking
about? Surely you people aren’t going to listen to this madwoman.”

Graham puffed out his chest. “You can’t
come here and tell us not to listen to one of our own.” The crowd made grunts
of agreement.

“Everybody needs to just calm down,”
Duncan said as he stood up and placed himself between the two factions. “This
is no way to treat newcomers. It’s bad enough we’ve lost business to the new
resort down the coast without trying to run people out of town.”

“Yes, they were newcomers too,” Lillian
said, grinning maniacally as she sprung on Duncan’s argument. “They put most of
you out of business. Came from the city with their big plans, and now look what
it’s done to us.”

“You can’t blame everything on
outsiders,” Duncan said. “Where would we have been for all those years if
people hadn’t come here on holiday?”

Lillian cackled. “Yes, they built us up
all right, just so they could knock us down.”

“Can someone tell me what this is about?
I’m sure we can straighten it out.” Bruce said.

Jack shook his head. “They’re trying to
blame us for the lack of fish and for the recent incidents.”

“That’s crazy.”

“Look, look, he’s calling us crazy,”
Lillian shouted.

Bruce shook his head. “That’s not what I
said. You’re trying to twist my words around.”

“Will everyone just calm down,” Duncan
said. His permanently red cheeks looked overly flushed.

“How can we calm down, Duncan?” a large
man wearing a hat and sporting a well-worn suit shouted. “As if it’s not bad
enough these people have left us with nothing, now we can’t even make a living.
Do you know how much money I earned last year? Less than twelve thousand
pounds. It’s not right. A man should be able to support his family.”

“Aye, John’s right,” Zander said. “We
don’t need outsiders coming here disrupting our way of life.”

“What way of life?” Bruce said. “By the
looks of it, you need all the outsiders you can get to bring money back into
the village.”

“We’ll manage,” Zander replied.

Bruce grabbed Jack’s arm. “Come on,
we’re going.”

Not wanting to argue, Jack followed his
dad out of the bar. Shazam was sitting outside. Her tail started wagging when
she saw Jack and Bruce.

“Some good you were,” Jack said,
scratching the dog’s head.

As they walked away, Jack glanced back,
worried they might be followed. When he didn’t see anyone, he relaxed a little.

“So much for a peaceful life in the
country,” Bruce said.

Jack could see his dad clenching his
jaw. “I told you it was a mistake moving here. Remember Tenerife?”

Bruce didn’t reply, but Jack could see
by his expression that he was inclined to agree.

When his dad did eventually speak, he
said, “So how come you’re all wet? And where did you get those cuts? Did that
madwoman do it?”

“I tripped and fell in the sea.”

Bruce visibly blanched. He stopped
walking and grabbed Jack by both arms. Jack grimaced.

“Take it easy,” Jack said.

“You’ve been in the sea? Promise me you
won’t go in again.”

“Hey, chill. It’s no big deal.

“Jack, promise me.” He squeezed tighter.

“Jesus, don’t blow a fuse. Okay, I
promise.”

Bruce let out a breath then released
Jack. “I’m sorry, but there’s something going on out there.” He pointed to the
sea, lips pursed.

“I know. The shark, remember.”

“Yes … the shark.” He had a faraway,
wistful look about him before he turned and started walking again.

Jack fell in step beside him. He gazed
out to sea as he walked. Wished he was anywhere rather than here, even back in
Tenerife.

Chapter 17

The night swept in across the sea. Jack
sat in the living room, looking out the window. He had changed out of the wet
clothes when he arrived home, quickly transferring the cannabis to his new
jeans in case his dad found it.

The reflection of the full moon rippled
on the surface of the sea like mercury. Lights flickered on the horizon from a
passing ship.

Jack could see his dad’s reflection in
the glass. “So did you get to see that woman at the hospital?”

Bruce looked up from his newspaper. He
licked his lips, then nodded.

“Well?”

“Yes, she’s okay.”

“So what happened to her?”

“She had an accident, that’s all.”

Something in the way his dad spoke made
Jack think he wasn’t telling him the truth, or at least not the whole story.
When he turned around to look at him, his dad had buried his nose back in the
newspaper.

“So what are we going to do about living
here, you know, with what happened earlier?”

Bruce looked up again. “They’ll get over
it. They’re just looking for a scapegoat, and unfortunately, as newcomers,
we’re it.”

“So what are you saying, that we just accept
it? That madwoman grabbed me and marched me into the bar for Christ’s sake.”

“A lot of these people have lost their
livelihoods. They’re upset. Give them time. Eventually they’ll accept us.”

Jack wasn’t convinced. “I’m going out,”
he said.

“It’s dark, and after what happened
today, I think you’d better stay in.”

“No way.”

“Jack, I’m not asking you. This isn’t
open for debate. You’re staying in.”

Rather than argue, Jack stood up, said,
“It’s not fair,” and stormed out of the room, banging the door behind him for
good effect. He made sure his dad heard him thunder up the stairs and into his
bedroom. Once inside, he fashioned a pile of clothes into a vaguely human shape
on the bed and threw the covers over it. Then he went across to the window,
opened it, and slipped outside onto the porch roof, shutting the window behind
him. He’d known the porch would come in handy, which was why he’d chosen the
bedroom at the front. From there it was a simple exercise to drop the eight
feet to the ground, hanging by his arms onto the edge of the tiles to lessen
the height.

A quick glance back at the house, then
he ran down onto the road and started walking towards the village.

Lights blazed in many of the houses, but
drawn curtains diminished their radiance. If it hadn’t been for the full moon,
he would have had difficulty navigating a path. In the distance, lights
illuminated the harbour, and Jack saw Zander’s boat bobbing gently against the
quay. He wondered whether Zander would notice any of his cannabis was missing.
Not that it mattered if he did. He wouldn’t know who had taken it.

In need of a quiet place to roll his
joint, Jack skipped over the harbour wall and settled down on the ground as he
prepared his cigarette before lighting it.

The first hit tickled the back of his
throat, and he held the smoke in his lungs for as long as possible before
exhaling. Through the resultant pale cloud, he viewed the sea, chuckling to
himself when he remembered how scared he had been when someone pushed him in
earlier. The whole situation now seemed ridiculous. Of course a shark wasn’t
going to get him. There probably wasn’t even one out there, just the result of
someone’s overactive imagination. But now that he thought about it, and far
from making people stay away, stories of a man-eating shark would probably help
the local economy. There were probably lots of people who would pay to see the
killer from the deep.

Jack took another hit. He wondered
whether someone local had made the whole thing up to make a little money. The
thought made him giggle and he snorted and coughed out a cloud of smoke. Not as
backward as they appeared, the villagers were the real sharks.

When the joint was smoked down to the
end, Jack tossed it into the sea. He thought he heard it sizzle as it hit the
water, but he couldn’t be sure.

He stood up. His mouth was dry, and he
swallowed in an attempt to produce saliva. The rippling water far out to sea
was almost hypnotic. Jack stood transfixed for a while, listening to the gentle
susurrations of the waves as they slapped against the harbour wall. Time became
irrelevant.

The door to the Sheet and Anchor opened
and a rush of chatter bubbled out. Jack snapped out of his daze, ducked down
and peered over the wall to watch a man stagger from the bar. He giggled at the
sight. The bar door swung slowly shut, and silence descended.

At a higher elevation beyond the bar, he
thought he could see Jen’s house. A bedroom window was alight. He wondered
whether it was Jen’s bedroom. The thought accelerated his already fast beating
heart. What was she doing with that twat, Rocky? Jesus, he would love to get it
on with her – at least then living here would be bearable.

Spurred by the thought, he lit a
cigarette and started to walk towards her house. The buildings along the side
street muffled any sound from the sea; it felt almost surreal, as though
everything was holding its breath.

Shadows bathed the streets. The hairs on
the nape of his neck prickled as though someone were watching him. Jack spun
around, but as far as he could see, there was no one there. He proceeded with
caution. It would be just like Rocky to be lying in wait somewhere. Wet clothes
he could endure, but a broken skull wasn’t so easy.

A rapid staccato clicking sound filled
the silence. Jack flinched and an involuntary shiver ran down his spine. He
stared around, wide-eyed to trace the source of the noise, but he couldn’t see
anything.

Not wanting to hang around in the dark
to see what it was, he stubbed the cigarette out and ran up the slight incline
to where brightly lit windows and a couple of streetlights cast a welcoming net
of light. The brief exertion left Jack breathing hard. He stood and stared back
down towards the harbour. For a moment, he thought he saw something large
scurry across the path he had just taken, but he couldn’t be sure. Somewhere in
the dark, a cat hissed and then screeched. Unable to see anything else, Jack
turned and hurried on.

When he reached the house, he stood
outside, unsure what to do next. He rocked from side to side and wrung his hands
together. She had a boyfriend, so what did he expect to achieve? As he was
about to turn and walk back home, a shadow crossed his path. The movement
startled him and he looked up, only to see Jen in the bedroom window. Jack
could see she was dressed for bed in a blue nightgown. She combed her hair,
staring absently at the window as she did so. It was such a simple, everyday
act, but Jack stood entranced. She was gorgeous.

“
Jen
,” he said as loud as he
dared.

When she didn’t respond, he shouted a
little louder and waved his arms. She probably wouldn’t be able to see him, as
he knew at night windows in brightly lit rooms acted more like dark mirrors,
but he was eager to attract her attention. He looked around the ground, spotted
a patch of gravel at the side of the path that led to the front door, and
scooped a few stones up. He threw them towards the window, and the gravel
skittered off the wall and into the flowerbed. Dismayed at his aim, he grabbed
a few more of the small stones and threw them again. This time his aim was
better and the stones tinkled against the glass.

Startled, Jen approached the window and
cupped her hands over her eyes to peer out. Jack waved up and Jen frowned.
After a moment, she opened the window and leaned out, smiling.

”Hey,” she said.

Jack nodded. “Just thought I’d see what
you were up to.”

“Well, let me see.” She tapped a finger
against her lips. “I’m not wearing any makeup, and it’s late, oh and look, I’m
dressed for bed.”

“Very funny. I meant, you know…?”

“Actually, no, I don’t know. But I’m
glad you called by. Gran’s locked herself away and Mum and Dad were moaning
about some stupid program on the telly. Anyone would think they thought it was
real life. You know, I sometimes wonder who the kid is in this family.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. So you’re
not a fan of TV then?”

“Nah, not really. I prefer listening to
music.”

“Me too. So what do you like listening
to?”

“Oh you know, Blink 182, Rasmus, a bit
of Korn, System of a Down, that kind of stuff.”

“Oh, I had you down for Will Young and
The Backstreet Boys.”

Jen laughed. “Do I look that analy
retarded?”

“Well now that you mention it…”

“Hey, anymore of that and I’ll come down
and give you a slap.”

“Promises, promises,” Jack said beneath
his breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothing, just thinkin’ out loud.”

“Now there’s a surprise. You can think.
Einstein must be turning in his grave.”

“I don’t have to stand here and take
this abuse, you know.”

“Really, you mean there’s somewhere else
you can go and get it from instead?” She chuckled.

“Very funny. And
here I was being neighbourly.”

“Sorry. So what are you doing out?”

“I was bored. You know how it is.”

“So you thought you’d pay little old me
a visit. That’s sweet.”

Not as sweet as you
. “Yeah,
somethin’ like that.”

“Well, much as I’d love to stand here
with the window open in the cold and talk, I had better go and get my beauty
sleep.”

“Nah, you don’t need it,” Jack said,
blushing. Had he really said that? Jesus, she must think he was a dork, but he
wanted to keep her talking. She was the best thing about being here.

Jen smiled. “Thanks, but I really do
need some sleep. Mum’s got me helping her with the shopping tomorrow.”

Jack racked his brain for something to
say. “Did you know Zander sells drugs?”

Jen leaned further out the window. “What
sort of drugs?”

“Cannabis. I found some on his boat, and
I saw him selling a packet to some bloke.”

“Cannabis. Really?”

Jack was glad she didn’t ask what he was
doing on Zander’s boat, because then he would have to explain about being
pushed in the sea. Granted he could tell her Rocky had pushed him, but he had
no proof, and besides which, he thought it would make him look like a bozo.
“Yeah. Seems he’s got a nice little operation going on.” Of course he didn’t
know much about it at all, but if it kept Jen talking, he could make Zander
into the biggest drug baron in the world for all he cared.

“That toe rag.”

“What, you don’t like drugs, is that
it?”

“I’ve never tried any. Then I’ve never
been offered any either.”

“I could, you know, let you try some of
mine one day, you know, if you’d like.”

Jen smiled. “Most men woo a girl with
chocolates and flowers.”

“I’m not, you know … not when you’ve got
a boyfriend.”

Jen’s smile faded. “It’s okay. Anyway,
I’ve really got to go. It’s been nice talking to you. See you later.”

Before Jack could say anything, Jen
closed the window and drew the curtains across. He didn’t know what it was, but
something in her voice and expression told him that all was not well with her
and Rocky.
In other
words, they were on rocky ground.
He giggled
at his little joke, then turned
and started for home with a lot more
spring in his step than before.

Rocky pressed himself into the shadows of the doorway as
Jack walked by. He had stood listening to the bastard chatting up his
girlfriend, and the blood in his veins was close to boiling point. He opened
and closed the blade of the small penknife in his hand, liking the feel of the
sharp steel as it brushed through his fingers.

He could have jumped out and attacked
the little shit then and there, but he didn’t, not where Jen might see. No, he
would wait and bide his time.

Jack was going to get what was coming to
him when he least expected it. Rocky was going to make sure of that.