Page 161 of Too Close To Home

Eileen peered up at him. “Late at night, though?”

Jake tilted his head, listening again, a tightening low in his chest.

“Maybe he’s doing work up there. Building summat.” He set the mug down on the draining board. “I’ll go ask him.”

He hopped outside, scaled the small fence between the houses and banged on the next door. He was about to knock again when the door finally opened and Mick filled the doorway, broader up close than Jake had expected, shoulders blocking most of the light behind him, along with a smell lingering with him. Metal. Sweat. A staleness beneath it.

Jake jerked his thumb back towards Eileen’s place. “Eh up, mate. I’ve been doing some work next door. Loft insulation.”

Mick’s gaze rolled past him, as if checking the street, the gardens, who might be watching. Then it landed back on Jake. “So?”

“We’ve had a bit of noise carrying through. Banging up in the roof space. You got summat going on up there?”

Mick looked at him, eyes widening. “Uh…no.”

“Aye, well, Mrs Briggs next door says she can hear some stuff at night, and I’ve checked her structure’s all sound. Could come in and check yours if you like.”

“No.”

“I’m a legit roofer.” Jake slipped a hand into his back pocket, producing one of his business cards. Not that it would scream professional, but it at least gave him something. He held it out. “Won’t charge to take a look.”

Mick didn’t take it. “I can’t hear no sounds.”

Jake nodded. “Right. Fair enough. Only Eileen’s convinced summat’s not right. Make her feel better if I checked your roof won’t collapse on you. Or her.”

“It’ll be gone soon.” Mick stepped away from the door, ready to close it.

Jake pressed his palm to the wood. “What? The roof?”

“The noises.”

“Right. What’s making them, then?”

“Nowt.” Mick shoved the door harder, and Jake had to step back, dropping his hand as Mick slammed it in his face. Hard enough, the frame rattled.

Jake went back to Eileen’s.

“Everything alright, love?” Eileen called from the kitchen as he stepped in.

Jake stopped, glanced up the stairs to the hatch. “Gonna have another quick look, Eileen.”

“Alright, love. I’ll pour you another brew, shall I?”

By the time he reached the landing, his hackles had properly risen. That vague, nagging unease from earlier tightened. Made it harder to ignore. So he pulled himself up into the loft again, less careful with the ladder, less concerned about the dust spreading its way to Eileen’s beautiful home.

He didn’t bother checking the rest of the space. He went straight to the party wall. The dividing line between the two houses. Then he crouched low, one hand braced around the beam, the other flattening against the brick. He closed his eyes, listening. Nothing. Only the faint creak of the house settling around him. The quiet click of timber cooling as the day’s heat drained out of it. Normal.

He went to pull back when a sound came through. Faint enough, he thought he’d imagined it. But he stilled, every muscle locking as he leaned closer, bringing his ear nearer to the wall. There it was again. A dull scrape. Uneven. As if something were being moved. He slowed his breathing, instinct kicking in before his thoughts could catch up. He stayed where he was, barely daring to transfer his weight. Then another sound followed. Softer. A muted thud, as if whatever it was had been dropped. Or fallen. He drifted his gaze across the wall, tracing the line, imagining the space beyond. The mirror of this loft, hidden on the other side of a few inches of brick and timber. Then he pushed back from the wall, heart kicking harder, adrenaline creeping in as he dropped down the ladder.

Eileen looked up as he came back into the kitchen. “What’s he building? Can you ask him not to do it so late at night?”

Jake glanced out of the window. There was a space where the van had been.

“When did he leave?” he asked.

“Just now. Told you. He comes and goes more times than the number fifty-two to High Street.” She pointed. “You popping off now? Only, I got another cuppa for you.”

“He live with anyone? Wife? Girlfriend?”