Change of plan

As Adam and Sarah were talking, the other 'schoolboy' was passing the old church, talking to Alice and Margaret.

"Looks the same as it's always done to me," he said, glancing at the door and boarded-up windows. "I remember when we were kids, we all thought it was haunted. Some of them reckoned they'd been in it - well, you know what young lads are like for making things up - but most of us kept away. Always seemed a bit creepy."

Margaret chuckled. "Yeah, I remember the young'uns being drawn to it and scared at the same time. Funny to watch them daring each other to go up to the door and knock."

Alice cut short their reminiscences by pointing out that pretty soon, there really would be something to be frightened of in the church.

As far as Nick was concerned this was now a fact, as much as it was for the two women.

While he'd been at the station, he'd bumped into Sally and Joe. Neither of them had appeared guilty or nervous, in spite of what they'd done; it was as if they had no memory of their encounter with Adam.

However, they had earnestly given Nick a copy of a leaflet about the Church of the New Word, telling him that he really should get involved. Ultimately though, it was the light in Sally's eyes that had convinced him this was something to be taken seriously.

Once the three of them had read the leaflet, Alice decided on a change of plan.

Instead of going back to the Wee House to tell Nick what they knew, it made more sense to get to the hospital and talk to Adam.

Things, pointed out Alice, were happening a lot sooner than they'd feared.



Part Two begins here.