Chapter 2 (Needles and Haystacks)
And the Doctor wasn’t lying about blending in. After they had visited the estate agent, set up the tenancy agreement and settled themselves in, the Doctor had set about getting them jobs.
Holly had landed herself a part-time job at the newsagent around the corner (the previous girl had - mysteriously - won a round the world cruise and would likely be gone for a good few weeks), and Lilly had also managed to get a job at the local playgroup (another worker who had - this time - won the lottery!)
The Doctor, however, had opted to remain at home and continue to observe the neighbours.
During the first day, contact with the residents of the estate had been pretty quiet, much the Doctor’s frustration, but he had advised on getting settled in slowly so as not to arouse suspicion.
On the first night the Doctor had decided that the three of them needed to head to sample a local restaurant.
They had ventured into the town centre - a mere 15 minute walk from the house - and had found a little Italian place - Da Vinci - and had sat down to order.
Whilst they were waiting for their food, Holly looked up as a bald-headed man with small spectacles entered the restaurant with his plump, grey-haired wife.
“Hey,” whispered Holly. “Look.” She nodded towards the couple.
“Mr and Mrs Twemlow from down the street,” said the Doctor, tapping his fingers on his chin.
They were shown to a seat beside the window and the Doctor leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing.
“Should we say hi?” said Holly.
“Don’t be daft, Dangerfield,” said Lilly. “We don’t want to arouse suspicion.”
“Hello!” beamed the Doctor, giving a slight wave to the couple.
Mr and Mrs Twemlow looked across at the Doctor and his friends, and then a look of recognition arrived on their faces. Mr Twemlow nodded and mouthed “good evening” at them, before returning to study the menu. He had spoken to them as they moved in earlier in the day.
“So much for not arousing suspicion,” hissed Lilly.
“I’m just saying hello,” smiled the Doctor, eyeing them up.
“Anything?” said Holly.
“I’m sorry?” said the Doctor, frowning.
“You getting any vibes from them?”
The Doctor scoffed. “I’m not an alien detector, Holly.”
“Then how are we meant to do this?”
“I already said that it’s not going to be a quick one. We’re likely going to be here for a good few weeks. We’ll route them out eventually.”
Presently their meals arrived. Holly had picked pasta, Lilly soup and the Doctor a large, cheese and tomato pizza.
For the entire time that they ate, the Doctor continued to watch Mr and Mrs Twemlow, but they didn’t give off any strange signs.
Not long after the Doctor and his friends had finished their food, the Twemlow’s left and the Doctor looked a little deflated.
“We’ll catch that rotten rabbit,” said Holly to the Doctor’s bemused face.
Day 2
The following day Holly and Lilly started work. Holly was quite nervous when she entered the small paper shop. She had worked in a library before and, of course, the factory, but nothing as small as the paper shop.
It was run by another resident of the Runswick estate - Arnold Jefferson - who was a kind, old man with a big, bushy-white beard and a shiny bald head. She was reminded of Uncle Albert from Only Fools and Horses.
He was also the local scout group leader and commanded an army of thirty children.
“I think that’s everything you need to know, miss,” said Arnold, unwrapping a bundle of papers. “If there’s anything you need just give me a call. Jean’ll be in at 3 o’clock to take over.”
“Thanks Arnold,” smiled Holly. The old man turned to go. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course you can, dear,” said Arnold, turning back to her and smiling.
“You moved into the Runswick estate six months ago, right?”
“We all did,” said Arnold. “It was one of the biggest relocations that this town’s ever had to do. The biggest since the war actually.”
“Where did you originally live then?”
“It the tower blocks over to the North of the town, near the docks. There were six of them.” Arnold looked wistful. “I don’t know why they bothered building them to be honest. They replaced the old slums with the tower blocks back in the 50’s and then replaced the flats with the new estate six months ago. Seems such a waste of money to me.”
“And you all came here?”
“Most of us,” said Arnold. He frowned. “Why are you so interested? Didn’t you come from one of the flats?”
“No,” said Holly. “We moved from out of town.”
“Oh, I see. So you’ll be wondering why everyone’s pally with each other then?”
“Yeah, sort of. But, apart from us, have you seen any strangers around the estate?”
Arnold blew air out of his cheeks. “Strangers? Oh, Holly, we may have all come from the same flats, but that doesn’t mean we knew every single person that lived there. I only knew a handful of the older residents that were on the same floor as me.”
“Yeah, I suppose,” said Holly. She looked dejected.
“Do you want to tell me what’s this is really about? I mean, I’ve been around long enough now to know when someone’s get something on their mind.” He chuckled.
“It’s nothing,” said Holly. She looked at the old man. He looked like a kindly old soul, but then again he may actually be the alien. “Me and my friends are worried that there’s someone…dodgy living in the area.”
“Dodgy it what way?”
“Not right,” she said. She tried to gauge his reaction, but he remained smiling.
“My dear Holly, there are plenty of bad pennies that moved into the estate. You’ll have to be more specific.”
Holly was about to go into more detail when the shop door opened and a young man with a shaved head and goatee walked in.
“It doesn’t matter,” said Holly. “Just me being silly.”
“Are you sure?” said Arnold.
“I’ll be fine,” said Holly. “I’ll call you if I need you.”
Arnold arched his eyebrows and then gave her a little wave as he wandered out of the door. Holly eyed up the newcomer with curiosity. It could be anyone, she thought to herself. This was going to be harder than she first thought.
Holly returned to the house that afternoon, unlocked the front door and threw her keys onto the side. She hung up her jacket on the hooks at the bottom of the stairs and walked into the living room. The Doctor was sat in the middle of the floor, his legs crossed and studying a long sheet of paper.
Holly sat down on the sofa, her hands in her lap.
“Good afternoon,” said the Doctor, not looking up from the list.
“Hey,” she said. “What’s that you’ve got there?”
“A list of all of the residents of this estate.”
“How’d you get that?” said Holly, slipping off the sofa to kneel beside him.
“I pulled a few strings,” he said, flashing her a smile. “When you’ve travelled around as much as I have you tend to make friends. Enemies, mostly, but also friends.”
Holly glanced at the list and saw Arnold Jefferson’s name on it. He lived only a few blocks away. So far she’d not managed to find any more clues to the alien squatter, but she trusted that the Doctor would be able to sniff him or her out.
“They all moved from the flats,” said the Doctor, consulting another sheet of paper. “Every single one of them. This estate was built purposely for them.”
“And there’s no anomalies?” said Holly.
“No,” came Lilly’s voice as she entered the living room, a towel wrapped around her head and a white dressing gown on. “The Doctor’s cross-referenced all the names. Every one of the people that live on the Runswick estate came from the flats. We’re the only new arrivals.” She sat herself down on the sofa and smiled at Holly.
“How was your day?” said Holly.
“Ah,” said Lilly.
“What?” said Holly.
“Lilly got herself sent home from the playgroup.”
“What?!” spluttered Holly.
“It was a misunderstanding. A parent came to collect their child and also took another one. I didn’t check the records and stopped him.”
“You dislocated his arm,” said the Doctor, flashing her a disappointed look.
“Turns out he was the uncle of the other child, but I didn’t know that.”
“You like putting people in hospital, don’t you?” said Holly, remembering what she had done to Roxy.
“He was okay. Didn’t wanna press charges, but…”
“You’ve lost your job,” said the Doctor, not looking up from the paper.
“Yep,” said Lilly sadly.
“Well at least you did it out of protecting the child,” said Holly, getting back to the sofa and sitting next to her.
“I still say I should have had the paper shop job,” said Lilly. “I can’t work with children.”
Holly had to agree with Lilly, but the Doctor thought it would have been good for Lilly to take some time out and have some actual fun. It had backfired.
“So what you gonna do now?” asked Holly.
“I’m not getting another job,” said Lilly, “but I will be doing my own investigating.” Lilly turned to her. “Did you get anywhere?”
Holly shook her head. “It could be anyone. I spoke to about 30 different people today. Women, children, old men, young men, couples…anyone of them could have been the alien, but none of them gave off any vibes.”
“See this is the worry,” said the Doctor, pointing to the list.
“What?” said Lilly and Holly in unison.
“I detected the alien reading when the estate was built six months ago, but it was just a flash. A moment. The alien could have been at the flats as well.”
“You’re joking?” said Lilly.
“And those flats were built in the 1950’s,” added Holly.
“So this alien could have been here for decades living amongst these people?”
“Yep,” said the Doctor. “Fully integrated and involved with everyone.”
Holly sighed. “This is going to take a long, long time.”
It was run by another resident of the Runswick estate - Arnold Jefferson - who was a kind, old man with a big, bushy-white beard and a shiny bald head. She was reminded of Uncle Albert from Only Fools and Horses.
He was also the local scout group leader and commanded an army of thirty children.
“I think that’s everything you need to know, miss,” said Arnold, unwrapping a bundle of papers. “If there’s anything you need just give me a call. Jean’ll be in at 3 o’clock to take over.”
“Thanks Arnold,” smiled Holly. The old man turned to go. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course you can, dear,” said Arnold, turning back to her and smiling.
“You moved into the Runswick estate six months ago, right?”
“We all did,” said Arnold. “It was one of the biggest relocations that this town’s ever had to do. The biggest since the war actually.”
“Where did you originally live then?”
“It the tower blocks over to the North of the town, near the docks. There were six of them.” Arnold looked wistful. “I don’t know why they bothered building them to be honest. They replaced the old slums with the tower blocks back in the 50’s and then replaced the flats with the new estate six months ago. Seems such a waste of money to me.”
“And you all came here?”
“Most of us,” said Arnold. He frowned. “Why are you so interested? Didn’t you come from one of the flats?”
“No,” said Holly. “We moved from out of town.”
“Oh, I see. So you’ll be wondering why everyone’s pally with each other then?”
“Yeah, sort of. But, apart from us, have you seen any strangers around the estate?”
Arnold blew air out of his cheeks. “Strangers? Oh, Holly, we may have all come from the same flats, but that doesn’t mean we knew every single person that lived there. I only knew a handful of the older residents that were on the same floor as me.”
“Yeah, I suppose,” said Holly. She looked dejected.
“Do you want to tell me what’s this is really about? I mean, I’ve been around long enough now to know when someone’s get something on their mind.” He chuckled.
“It’s nothing,” said Holly. She looked at the old man. He looked like a kindly old soul, but then again he may actually be the alien. “Me and my friends are worried that there’s someone…dodgy living in the area.”
“Dodgy it what way?”
“Not right,” she said. She tried to gauge his reaction, but he remained smiling.
“My dear Holly, there are plenty of bad pennies that moved into the estate. You’ll have to be more specific.”
Holly was about to go into more detail when the shop door opened and a young man with a shaved head and goatee walked in.
“It doesn’t matter,” said Holly. “Just me being silly.”
“Are you sure?” said Arnold.
“I’ll be fine,” said Holly. “I’ll call you if I need you.”
Arnold arched his eyebrows and then gave her a little wave as he wandered out of the door. Holly eyed up the newcomer with curiosity. It could be anyone, she thought to herself. This was going to be harder than she first thought.
Holly returned to the house that afternoon, unlocked the front door and threw her keys onto the side. She hung up her jacket on the hooks at the bottom of the stairs and walked into the living room. The Doctor was sat in the middle of the floor, his legs crossed and studying a long sheet of paper.
Holly sat down on the sofa, her hands in her lap.
“Good afternoon,” said the Doctor, not looking up from the list.
“Hey,” she said. “What’s that you’ve got there?”
“A list of all of the residents of this estate.”
“How’d you get that?” said Holly, slipping off the sofa to kneel beside him.
“I pulled a few strings,” he said, flashing her a smile. “When you’ve travelled around as much as I have you tend to make friends. Enemies, mostly, but also friends.”
Holly glanced at the list and saw Arnold Jefferson’s name on it. He lived only a few blocks away. So far she’d not managed to find any more clues to the alien squatter, but she trusted that the Doctor would be able to sniff him or her out.
“They all moved from the flats,” said the Doctor, consulting another sheet of paper. “Every single one of them. This estate was built purposely for them.”
“And there’s no anomalies?” said Holly.
“No,” came Lilly’s voice as she entered the living room, a towel wrapped around her head and a white dressing gown on. “The Doctor’s cross-referenced all the names. Every one of the people that live on the Runswick estate came from the flats. We’re the only new arrivals.” She sat herself down on the sofa and smiled at Holly.
“How was your day?” said Holly.
“Ah,” said Lilly.
“What?” said Holly.
“Lilly got herself sent home from the playgroup.”
“What?!” spluttered Holly.
“It was a misunderstanding. A parent came to collect their child and also took another one. I didn’t check the records and stopped him.”
“You dislocated his arm,” said the Doctor, flashing her a disappointed look.
“Turns out he was the uncle of the other child, but I didn’t know that.”
“You like putting people in hospital, don’t you?” said Holly, remembering what she had done to Roxy.
“He was okay. Didn’t wanna press charges, but…”
“You’ve lost your job,” said the Doctor, not looking up from the paper.
“Yep,” said Lilly sadly.
“Well at least you did it out of protecting the child,” said Holly, getting back to the sofa and sitting next to her.
“I still say I should have had the paper shop job,” said Lilly. “I can’t work with children.”
Holly had to agree with Lilly, but the Doctor thought it would have been good for Lilly to take some time out and have some actual fun. It had backfired.
“So what you gonna do now?” asked Holly.
“I’m not getting another job,” said Lilly, “but I will be doing my own investigating.” Lilly turned to her. “Did you get anywhere?”
Holly shook her head. “It could be anyone. I spoke to about 30 different people today. Women, children, old men, young men, couples…anyone of them could have been the alien, but none of them gave off any vibes.”
“See this is the worry,” said the Doctor, pointing to the list.
“What?” said Lilly and Holly in unison.
“I detected the alien reading when the estate was built six months ago, but it was just a flash. A moment. The alien could have been at the flats as well.”
“You’re joking?” said Lilly.
“And those flats were built in the 1950’s,” added Holly.
“So this alien could have been here for decades living amongst these people?”
“Yep,” said the Doctor. “Fully integrated and involved with everyone.”
Holly sighed. “This is going to take a long, long time.”
To be continued...
No comments:
Post a Comment