Meanwhile Gardens (8 page)

Auntie Gem remembered that painful time so well. She had taken a week’s leave, spending most of it in the tribute-filled gardens in front of the palace, and had especially wanted to be there for the princess’ last night in her home.

As the sun set over Kensington Palace Emma had pointed out the heron, wings closed over its body like a monk’s cowl, beneath one of the three enormous stone urns on the roof above Diana’s apartment.

At first they had taken it for a decorative sculpture until it changed position and shook its pointed beak at them – right at them! Silhouetted against the dying sun the bird
remained guarding the princess until night fell and they watched it slowly fly northwards – northwards to this section of the Grand Union Canal.

Since that time Auntie Gem had wondered if what she now called ‘her heron’ was indeed the one atop Kensington Palace that night.

Was it? she asked herself. Could it really be the same bird?

As if to confirm this the ring of a bicycle bell interrupted her musings. As the cyclist sped past Auntie Gem looked up and there, watching motionless from the opposite bank, was the heron.

But that wasn’t all that got her attention.

Auntie Gem saw that she was now just further on from the gasometers. With a shiver she looked over at the opposite side of the canal, at the tightly planted saplings lining the cemetery wall.

And then she heard it. A young girl’s tuneless singing. All Auntie Gem could think of were the lost and lonely warblings of Ophelia before she threw herself in the river and drowned. The words were indistinct, the voice unclear as it dipped then grew in intensity, seemingly lacking in rhythm or rhyme.

More proof of the wandering soul of the poor young girl.

Ollie had heard the otherworldly laughter, she herself had seen the spectral, virginal figure and now here was further proof.

Auntie Gem kept her eyes straight ahead. She blocked her ears and quickened her step, relieved to see the chimney of Peters & Peters beyond Mitre Bridge in the distance.

Unaware of the ghostly status she had attained Rion sang along to her favourite songs, playing and replaying the same tunes but now, she realised sadly, the battery in her ipod was fading.

Remembering batteries can be recharged if left in the sun Rion took the headphones off, removed the powerpack from the music player and placed it in the brightest bit of sunlight.

She had had another good night, finished Jake’s last apple and now wondered what she was going to do. Even though she had no money she knew something would turn up, besides Tanya would send the savings she had been entrusted with, but – where would she send them?

Old George’s Cavern, Kensal Green Cemetery, London?

Rion smiled and picked up her wellworn copy of
Face the Fear and Eat It
– the book that had propelled her to London in the first place.

Sitting in the sun Rion was unworried. It would all be ok. The realisation that her family could no longer touch her made her smile and smile.

Today she was enjoying her freedom, the sun on her face and doing nothing. Absolutely nothing.

And as for the storytelling later?

Rion stretched and wiggled her toes, she would think about that when the time came.

Ollie was in his workroom when the phone rang.

“I’m not disturbing you am I sweetness?”

Ollie looked around him. He had been up since early that morning, returning calls, replying to the most urgent of faxes and emails, placating angry clients. “No, Auntie Em.”

“I’ve just put the phone down on poor Gem. It seems she had another haunting experience on her way to work this morning.”

“Another one?”

“At exactly the same place apparently.”

“Further on from the gasworks?”

“So I believe, she was a bit upset and it was hard to understand exactly, anyway, she’s refused to walk back.”

“I could go and get her Auntie Em.”

“Thanks for offering angel,” he was such a kind boy she thought, “but I’m going to collect her from work later, the thing is – I need a favour.”

“Ask away.”

“Well, Auntie Gem has refused to walk down the canal until – well – until that part is exorcised.”

The penny began to drop, albeit slowly.

“And you want me to – ? Auntie Em you know how terrible I look in priestly garb, remember Nicky’s Halloween party? I mean I just can’t carry it off and besides – ”

“Sweetness, I was only going to ask you to investigate – just so we can tell Gem there is no ghost and nothing to be afraid of…”

Ollie wasn’t exactly thrilled but he felt he had to satisfy his own curiosity anyway. “It’ll have to be later on.”

“You’re an angel, angel.”

It was close to four thirty when Ollie knocked on Nicky’s door. He could hear music coming from her studio which normally meant she was working.

Nicky opened the door and looked him up and down.

“You’ve got quite good legs you know – ”

Having decided his tracksuit bottoms were too cumbersome Ollie had changed into shorts.

“– but shouldn’t you have a day’s break between exercise?”

Ollie closed the door behind him and followed her into the large open room on the ground floor. “Well, if I stop now I’ll never start again. I’m not disturbing anything am I?”

The studio was set up for a shoot. Hum raced to the other side of the large piece of black material that split the room in two.

“I was just taking some pictures of – you two know each other don’t you?”

Ollie stuck his head around the screen to see an instantly familiar face. Dressed all in black, with vibrantly patterned pink socks, the man sat on a stool in the middle of the space. Hum sniffed him curiously.

It was Will.

Or was it Andy?

“Oh. Hi,” Ollie nodded, his heart beating furiously.

“Andy needed some shots done. He’s off to Japan later this month.”

Trying not to show too much interest Ollie looked at the floor and grunted.

“Hey,” Nicky was unable to contain her excitement. “Angie just called – the shoot with Vance has been confirmed!”

“Do you think it’ll happen this time?” Ollie asked, still not daring to lift his eyes from the floor.

“We’ve been told she’ll be in town for the Awards at the end of the month – so a step closer.”

“That’s great – I really hope it happens,” Ollie said, before remembering why he was there. “Could I borrow your ipod Nicks? Mine’s bust.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got some Bush tunes,” Nicky nudged him in the ribs and grinned. “It’s on the counter.”

Acutely aware of Andy’s presence Ollie looked through Nicky’s downloads – a mixture of old, new, borrowed and blue. He scrolled to a selection that would satisfy even the strictest of style police, flashing the screen as proof. “It’s Al Green,” he kissed Nicky on the cheek. “Don’t talk about me,” he whispered.

Ollie whistled for Hum and made his way out. He was dying to say something to Andy – but what? Turning at the edge of the screen Ollie said, as coolly as possible, “I love your socks.”

I love your socks? Did he really say that?

With Hum barking excitedly in front of him Ollie jogged through Meanwhile Gardens and onto the canal. After the shortest of times his legs began to ache. Nicky was right, perhaps he should have rested for a day or two.

He had just lumbered under Ha’Penny Bridge when Al Green began to croon about how tired he was of being alone. Deciding Al was a touch close to the bone Ollie muted his ipod and continued in silence.

After half-a-mile he turned off the canal and walked breathlessly over the bridge at the top of Ladbroke Grove. Ollie entered the cemetery through the small gate by the Dissenters’ Chapel and quickly made his way along the woodchip paths until he saw he was opposite, but further on from, the huge gasometers.

The graves were neglected here. No authors’ societies, no ennobled families, no loving relatives tended these forgotten tombs.

Snuffling happily Hum skirted several overgrown headstones before arriving at the iron-railing fence that marked the cemetery border. Without looking back Hum squeezed through a loose railing and vanished into the rows of tightly planted saplings on the other side.

“Hum!” Ollie barked angrily but the hound had gone.

Ollie could see a small trail stopped at the fence and then carried on the other side. Wishing he had brought a bottle of holy water with him, Ollie pushed the weak railing to one side and went through.

Despite having been in the sun for most of the day the battery hadn’t re-charged. It figures, Rion thought, the only thing I can remember from science class and it doesn’t work anyway. Disappointed she took off the headphones, realising she couldn’t get any more batteries until Tanya sent down her savings.

Again she wondered – where would Tanya send them?

A rustling and a panting broke into her thoughts. A black, shaggy dog, obviously young, bounded into the tiny clearing and over to her. Tail wagging, it sat at her feet and gave her a paw. She could see large brown eyes grinning up at her from behind its unkempt fringe.

Rion immediately recognised the dog. Panicking slightly she realised that its owner couldn’t be far behind.

A more ungainly huffing, puffing and crashing announced Ollie’s arrival. “Hum!” he called in annoyance as he pushed through the increasingly narrow path between the saplings. To his relief he saw an opening ahead. With a final thrust Ollie propelled himself through.

He staggered into the clearing to find a young girl with long, long hair looking at him with apprehension. Ollie knew who it was. Immediately. The girl who had stopped him on the canal a couple of days ago.

With some annoyance he saw Hum sitting contentedly at her feet.

“So you’re not a ghost?” Ollie smiled, relieved, not that he had ever seriously entertained the notion, all the same the proximity to the graveyard had caused him to think more than twice.

Rion stayed silent.

“You’ve been scaring my elderly neighbour half to death. She’s convinced you’re a lost soul wandering between Heaven and Hell.” Ollie grinned again to show her he meant no harm but the young girl again stayed silent.

By the ashes of the dead fire in front of him Ollie saw a well-thumbed book. He reached down for a closer look, picked it up and saw it was
Face the Fear and Eat It
– the bible of the self-help set. “Any good?” he asked.

Rion nodded nervously.

“A friend of mine saw his wife reading this – a week later she served him with divorce papers.”

Rion didn’t know what to say so simply looked at the ground.

Sensing his presence was unnerving her Ollie made to leave. “Anyway I didn’t mean to disturb you. Hum!”

He noticed the young girl freeze slightly. The beginnings of a small smile spread over her lips before fading as abruptly as they appeared.

“I don’t mean you,” he joked. “Hum!” Ollie ordered again but the hound simply lay on his back and stretched.

“It’s your dog’s name isn’t it? Hum?” Rion asked.

“Short for Humdinger – Humdinger the Third that is.” Ollie felt slightly embarrassed. “I know – pets’ names, where do they come from? – but at least he’s not called Truffles – ”

“ – or Nero.” For the first time he heard the girl laugh. “Hum,” she smiled as she bent down to stroke the dog’s stomach. “You know when I bumped into you a couple of days ago I thought you, and the woman you were with, were telling me to hum.”

Ollie let out a yelp of laughter before chuckling apologetically, “Sorry.”

“I was getting upset because the only tune I could think of was the National Anthem!”

“You must have thought – ” Ollie laughed. “Well, what did you think?”

“I thought you were all mad,” Rion smiled remembering the incident. “It’s my first time in London you see.”

“And your mother told you we’d be like this?”

Rion tensed. How did he know that’s what her mother had said?

Ollie looked around the small clearing. Behind the girl he could see an opening, half-screened by a pink blanket, through which he could make out some sort of chamber. “What brought you to the city?”

The girl pointed to the book Ollie held in his hand. “Well, that book played a large part.”

Ollie looked again at the worn copy of the self-help bible, “So it
is
that good.” He gestured to the pink blanket tied across the opening, “And you live – here?”

“It’s meant to be a secret really. Jake said – ”

“Your boyfriend?”

“No!” Rion said quickly, feeling her face turn a bright red. Why couldn’t she control her blushing, she asked herself for the thousandth time. “Just a friend. He helped me find this place actually.”

As if on cue the four notes whistled into the clearing.

Rion gently whistled back. She looked at her watch. It was just after five. “Here he is now.”

Ollie watched as a young man, a Sainsburys bag held tightly to his chest, squeezed through the narrow opening. Ollie judged him to be about the same height as himself but more ruffled, more sloppily handsome.

“I hope you’re ready for – ” Jake began before doing a doubletake upon seeing Ollie. He looked quickly at Rion.