“Give it up, Angus,” Cassandra interrupted at the same time Jack clipped, “Not now.”
“What not now?” Belle enquired.
“Nothing, love. The important thing is,” Jack took her hand, “something or,” his eyes cut to Angus when he said, “someone,” he looked back at Belle, “was there the night of the accident.”
Belle nodded. “The third ghost.”
“Perhaps,” Jack muttered.
“Perhaps?” Angus asked.
Jack’s green eyes were intense when he studied Belle a moment before he asked, “Are you all right to talk about this?”
Knowing what he meant, Belle nodded.
Jack looked at Angus. “Belle and I talked about things last night. She says someone pushed her.”
“Oh my God,” Joy breathed.
“What the f**k?” Dad, clearly having been briefed at some point, exploded.
“Pushed her?” Lila whispered angrily.
Belle nodded at her grandmother then chanced a glance at her mother’s pale face.
“She didn’t hear anything, feel anything or sense anything,” Jack stated, his eyes on Angus, obviously filling him in. “She just felt the hand in her back.”
“Impossible,” Angus muttered.
“I felt it,” Belle whispered.
Jack didn’t whisper when at the same time he said nearly the same words, “She felt it.”
“This is not good,” Cassandra declared.
“You think?” Dad snapped.
“Did anyone here that night see anything? Anyone?” Jack asked and Lila, Joy, Yasmin, Rachel, Cassandra and Angus all shook their heads but Jack pressed, “Hear a car? See headlights? Hear doors opening? Anyone moving around the house?”
“Nothing, Jack,” Rachel said softly.
“We were working but we would have noticed something like that,” Cassandra put in.
“We need to talk to those children,” Angus added.
“Can you reach them?” Jack asked.
Angus and Cassandra exchanged a look then Cassandra nodded at Jack. “There are ways.”
“I don’t want them hurt,” Belle said softly.
“Belle –” Jack started but she shook her head.
“Or afraid,” Belle went on. “I don’t want them hurt or afraid.”
“Poppet, you said Lewis was there and he saw something. We need to know what he saw,” Jack replied gently.
“I know, Jack, but I don’t care. They’re children,” Belle said.