Cock & Bull - Laura Barnard Page 0,33
starting to run down my face.
‘Phoebe!’ he shouts. ‘The road!’
I spin back just in time to spot someone in the middle of the road. I slam the brakes on, emergency brake style, desperately trying to stop before hitting them. Scrunching my eyes shut, I hope to God I don’t kill someone.
When I open my eyes again, my heart racing so fast I feel it pulsing in my ears, I see we’re okay. The person is stood frozen to the spot in front of the hearse panting erratically. Its only when I focus on them that I realise its Clooney’s dad, Fergus. I turn to see that the coffin has smashed against our head rests and has chipped slightly.
I turn to Seamus with a grimace. ‘Oops.’
‘Oops she says,’ the voice comes again.
‘Ugh, if Niall would just shut up I wouldn’t have crashed in the first place!’ I jump out of the car, choosing to ignore Fergus shouting about how he could have been killed. This farce has gone on too long.
I open up the back in search of Niall. He must be lying next to the coffin. I search around but he’s not there. What the hell’s going on? Is there some sort of secret compartment I’m not aware of? Or maybe he’s actually in the coffin.
‘What are you doing?’ Seamus asks, suddenly at my side, the skin around his eyes bunched up tight. He waves at the family limousine behind us.
‘Open the coffin!’ I demand, hand on my hip. ‘I know Niall’s hiding in there. I think we can both agree this has gone beyond a joke now.’
‘Phoebe!’ he reprimands, his neck red. ‘I am NOT opening the coffin,’ he hisses. ‘Niall is NOT in there. I have no idea what you’re talking about.’
‘Who the hell is Niall?’
‘I can hear him. I can hear you!’ I shout defiantly at the coffin. Why are they doing this to me? It’s gone way beyond a joke now.
‘What on earth is going on here?’
We both turn round to see Niall standing behind us, head tilted to one side. I look behind him to see he’s been driving the following car filled with mourners.
‘The family are distraught. Now what on earth’s going on?’ Niall demands.
‘Not that they’d give a feck.’
I clutch at my temples, a headache forming. What is going on? Let me get this straight.
‘Are you seriously telling me you can’t hear that?’
They both look at each other, exchanging worried glances.
‘Are you okay, love?’ Seamus asks
Shit, am I okay? Do I have a concussion? No, I was hearing the voice before I almost hit Fergus, wasn’t I? Right now the only possible out is to go with the feeling sick excuse. Maybe I can make out I’m delirious from a fever.
‘Err... yeah, I think I’m feeling a bit...’ I fake a cough. ‘Ill.’
‘I think so too.’ Niall nods at his dad. ‘Why don’t you go home for the day.’
Chapter Eighteen
I’m still shaking. What a bloody day. I’m more confused than ever. How the hell did I hear that weird voice? What is going on with me? Am I having a breakdown or something? I suppose it’s possible. I have been through a traumatic event. Being cheated on and then soon after choosing to leave the country to take on a failing business. Yes, in fact I’m surprised it hasn’t happened sooner. I reckon a good night’s sleep will sort me out. I just need to learn how to de-stress.
For once I’m actually glad to get back here. It might be failing but at least its home for now. I open the door to the pub and nearly fall over when I see that its packed. What the hell is going on here? Have I walked into the wrong pub by accident? I lean back, but no, it’s our names above the door. Unless this is part of my hallucinated episode?
I walk in to see Ella with a frown on her face, looking unnervingly worried as she serves a man. When I take a closer look I see that the guy looks like a traveller.
I go round and walk behind the bar placing my hand bag on the floor.
‘Look,’ Clooney says to the guy, his chest puffed out. ‘I saw the ten euro note myself. It wasn’t a twenty.’
‘Well I’m fecking well telling you that it was,’ he argues, slamming his fist onto the bar, his face reddening.
Shit. I look around to see they’re all travellers. I try not to be biased towards people