Learn English Through Story Level 3 | Graded Reader Level 3 | English Story| The Mystery

chapter 1 scary stories Michael Rose had been working for the Lancashire police for seven years he loved his job because he lived and worked in a small village he knew many people by name even though he was only 33 he was an old-fashioned type of policeman friendly caring and ready to help he liked the people of Pendle Lee and the people of Pendle Lee liked Sergeant Rose crime was not a big problem at the police station days went by quite slowly many other officers lik to be in a bigger town or a city but Michael

loved being part of a small community The Village itself was also a lovely place to live the church which was in the center had been built in 1376 many of the houses had been stand in for a very long time even the pub which was called the White Witch was hundreds of years old at the edge of the village a river flowed through the fields and woods on summer evenings it was as beautiful as a painting however there was not very much for young people to do bored teenagers were often getting into trouble in fact

most of the problems Michael had to deal with were caused by teenagers loud music graffiti and bad behavior were the main things usually he just talked to the young people and their parents he hardly ever had to take one of them to the station in seven years he had only arrested five people yet in those seven years he had found 11 lost dogs and returned them to their homes some policemen would have found that kind of life boring but Michael was happy it was the middle of summer the sun had just set and it was

very late Michael was at the police station he was on the night shift for a few hours he had been doing some paperwork even in a small village station there was a lot of bureaucracy he had also had some coffee and had read the newspaper the police station cat Harriet was sitting on his knee she was purring sorry Harriet Michael said you're going to have to move I want another coffee he tried to push the fat tabby cat off his lap but she didn't want to go suddenly the phone rang that's strange Michael thought nobody

ever called late at night unless something was really wrong he picked up the phone Pendle Le police station he said oh Michael said a voice he recognized it was Mrs White an elderly lady who lived on the edge of the village I'm sorry it's so late she said but there's something happening in the cemetery Michael side every now and again a group of teenagers would gather at the Pendle Lee Cemetery wearing black clothes they would light candles and play loud music is it those kids again Michael asked maybe Mrs White replied I can't sleep and

it upsets me that they go to the graveyard my parents and grandparents graves are there of course said Michael I'll go right away then maybe you can get some sleep around 10 minutes later Michael parked the police car at the cemetery gates he could hear music the yellow glow of candles told him where the kids were he got out of the car and switched on his torch next to the gates was a very old house in the past the cemetery caretaker had lived in it but the place had been standing empty for 20 years some

of the windows were broken climbing plants had grown over the building they had even gone through some of the windows 200 years ago it had been really pretty but now it looked like something from a scary movie Nobody went inside Birds had made their homes in the empty rooms using his torch to light the way Michael went towards the teenagers lots of candles were glowing on the graves there was loud music and some of the teenagers were standing in a circle singing when Michael appeared out of the darkness he frightened some of them a girl

nearly screamed sorry he said to her it's only me are you trying to make a ghost appear it's none of your business said a tall boy he stepped forward into the torch light Michael knew who he was his name was Alex he was 17 years old and his parents owned the bakery it is my business Michael replied this is a cemetery it's an important part of this community and having a party here isn't respectful the girl who had nearly screamed came across to Michael we can do what we want she said she was trying to

sound Brave after her fright earlier Michael recognized her now Katie Lewis she was only 14 and she should have been at home in bed what are you doing Michael asked are you trying to make contact with witches I don't think you'll have any luck tonight Pendle Lee was in a part of Lancashire that was famous for its witches in the early 17th century some women and men from the area had been arrested it was said that one talked to a black dog that was really the devil the villagers believed that witches had made some people

sick and even killed them it was believed that cows stopped giving milk because of magic spells The Unlucky women and men were kept in prison at Lancaster Castle The Witches had been hung in 1612 many people went to watch now the witches were seen as ordinary people who were scapegoats of the community but the stories had continued until the present day the Lancashire witches brought many tourists to the area people could buy toy witches l cter Castle even had a special tour of the old prison rooms and every year on Halloween people from all over

walked up Pendle Hill in the dark Pendle Lee had its own stories too some were about the cemetery the first Graves were over 700 years old long before the big Pendle Lee church was built an even older Church existed where the cemetery was the stories told of witches meeting at the place where the old church once stood it was said that they danced around large fires and tried to see the devil the ghost of a witch called Agnes cot was said to haunt the graveyard some people said that the caretaker's house was haunted too strange

noises were heard late at night strange lights were seen too even when the teenagers were in their beds Michael switched on his torch again time to go he said to the kids before the ghost of Agnes cot really does appear then you'll all run screaming back home anyway you can't stop us said Alex we'll come back again the more this community hates us the happier we are I'm sorry you feel that way said Michael he did understand there was nothing for teenagers to do in Pendle Lee he thought that young people's discos at the church

Hall were a good idea the villagers were worried about noise and alcohol however having teenagers on the streets at night was a bigger problem after the kids left the graveyard Michael looked around there wasn't any graffiti on the graves tonight in the past there had been a problem with graffiti even some of the headstones had been smashed smashed that was a few years ago Alex and the other young people were angry and bored but Michael didn't think they would do anything that bad he decided to keep an eye on them anyway a few days later

Michael was on a normal afternoon shift he liked to work during the day because there was more to do he could walk around the village and talk to people he could stop by the different shops and chat with the owners at the station other officers would come in from time to time even Harriet the cat liked the daytime best on sunny days she could lie on the step outside the station anybody coming in or going out would have to step over her Mr Murphy an elderly man had called in at the station to give Michael

some beans Mr Murphy had grown them himself in his allotment he was always stopping by with fresh vegetables like many older people he used his allotment for pleasure rather than needing the food he grew more than he could eat Michael was just admiring the fresh green beans when his mobile rang I'll just get that Michael said to Mr Murphy he put the beans down the call was from his boss who had an office in the city we've just heard from the o Wald Gallery the Chief Inspector said they called the national emergency number can you

go there Michael they've been burgled Michael switched on the sirens as he drove quickly through the village in his car as he drove he thought about the gallery he hadn't been there for over 3 years but he used to go a lot that was because his ex-girlfriend Sarah loved art Sarah had left to go to America about three years ago she worked in art restoration and had been offered a job in Boston after thinking long and hard she decided to take it but Michael couldn't get a job with the police in the United States he

didn't want to stop being a policeman either so he stayed in Pendle Lee and Sarah moved to Boston the Oswald Gallery was just outside the village it was in a beautiful 18th Century House a man called John Oswald had built the house and the gallery was named after him it took Michael around 10 minutes to get there when he arrived he walked to the door two elderly women quickly came to meet him they looked upset both of them started speaking at once oh Sergeant thank goodness you're here one of the women exclaimed I'm Joan pots

I work here we don't know how it happened the other lady was saying at the same time but it's my fault no lahy of course it's not your fault said Joan yes it is lah exclaimed I'm so angry with myself Michael raised his hands let's stay calm he said we'll go inside and you can tell me all about it then we'll start searching for the thief chapter 2 past life once inside Michael took out his notebook now tell me what happened he said no one had come to visit for over 2 hours said Joan pots

it was a slow day lah Bingley sat down behind the reception desk I'm afraid I left the reception she said every year we have a competition for artists people from all over Lancashire send in their paintings this morning we had some new paintings come in and I was very excited I wanted to see them even though it's not my job to unpack them I went upstairs to look while I was gone someone came in and stole one of our paintings so it's all my fault Michael looked all around the room don't you have security cameras

he asked no Joan replied replied it would cost a lot of money but we never imagined that someone would steal from the Oswald gallery and neither of you saw anybody Michael asked no both women replied at the same time we didn't see or hear anything said lah letun have a look at where the painting was hung Michael said the women led him into one of the gallery's little rooms modern gallery had lots of space in white paint but the Oswald Gallery was different the building had many small rooms and Halls the walls were covered in

beautiful old wood the windows were very small as visitors walked around they could imagine living 300 years ago paintings were hung on all the walls but in one place there was an empty spot it was here said Joan it was called summer Michael took out his phone I'm going to call the crime scene police he told Joan and lahy someone will come around and check for fingerprints I'll also need a photograph of the painting please it'll help in the investigation I'll go and find one said lah the artist was Butterworth of course the Oswald Gallery

was small and not very important but it had the largest collection of Butterworth paintings in the country Tristan Butterworth was a famous painter from the 1940s and 50s he had lived near Pendle Lee for many years when he died in the 1980s many of his best paintings were given to the gallery people came from all over the United Kingdom to see them L came back into the reception and handed a large photograph to Michael here it is she said summer it's a wonderful picture isn't it Michael looked at it it showed a beautiful summer scene

in the background the sun Shone on a river green fields and trees were all around in the front of the painting there was a large tree and under it sat a young woman she was wearing an old-fashioned yellow dress and a big hat this was painted in 1951 one lah said looking at it makes me feel so calm it almost feels like you're really there it's lovely said Michael I'll need to keep this photograph for our investigation is that okay of course said lah we'll do whatever we can to help back inside his car Michael

phoned his boss Chief Inspector Blake he gave Blake all the information he had so far the inspector was very busy Michael could tell he wasn't very interested in a painting stolen from a village Gallery the city had more crime than the police could deal with they should have had security cameras Blake said angrily he told Michael to contact the art loss register it kept an international database of art that had been stolen or lost if a rich person or a Museum wanted to buy a piece of art they could find out if it was stolen

through the register if it was the buyer could alert the Police the thief who was trying to sell the art could then be caught it was hard to find stolen art sometimes the buyer knew it was stolen but didn't care sometimes a group of Thieves would plan a big burglar and then wait for many years before selling the art in places like Africa or South America America can you deal with this Blake asked Michael I don't have another officer who can come down there right now it's too bad we have to send you a crime

scene officer just to take some fingerprints I still think it's a good idea Michael said the inspector was often in a bad mood and Michael was glad he didn't have to work in the city with him you know we're on terror alert Don't You Blake went on we may have to send officers to Manchester or London at any moment you too Sergeant I know Michael replied leave everything to me inspector I'll send you my reports after the phone call was finished Michael opened the car window he took a deep breath of fresh air then he

looked at the photograph of Summer again the young woman in the picture was very pretty she had long wavy blonde hair she looked out across the fields Michael wondered if the woman had been real or if she had come from the painter's imagination Michael was soon back at the station he immediately contacted the art loss register he informed them about the stolen painting and gave all the details then he went out and interviewed the villagers he was hoping someone had seen something strange like someone hurrying away from the village meanwhile the crime scene officer was

exploring the gallery if fingerprints were found they would be put into the police fingerprint database if the thief had done anything wrong before his or her prince would be in the database they would match with the prince from the crime scene then the police would have a name over the next two days Michael was busy he put up signs about the burglary the signs asked people with any information to call the police or the national Crim Stoppers number he also went from house to house asking the villagers if they had seen a stranger in the

village a few couples and families had had picnics or had stopped at the white witch pub but nobody had been behaving strangely he made copies of the summer photograph then he took them to all the art shops and auction houses in the area he sent the photo to colleagues in Preston Manchester and even London at the station he put the photo on the wall instead of trying to find a stolen painting he began to feel that he was trying to find the beautiful woman it seemed very important to take her back to the gallery where

she lived after a few days the other police officers started to joke about Michael's painting he looked at it a hundred times a day sometimes when he was talking to someone his eyes would go to the photograph have you fallen in love some of the officers asked Michael no longer chatted with the Villagers he didn't seem to have time anymore even Harriet the cat seemed in a bad mood because of Summer Michael only wanted to to hunt for the painting and was no longer interested in playing with her whenever he had a moment he was

on the phone or visiting auction houses asking about the painting even when he was not at work he'd visit places that sold old paintings on Tuesday afternoon the phone rang it was exactly 5 days since summer had been stolen every time the phone rang Michael hoped it was about the painting it was Joan pots from the gallery something terrible has happened she exclaimed lah has been taken to hospital another painting was stolen and this time the thief pushed lah down the stairs she's unconscious after going straight to the gallery and looking at the crime scene

Michael went to the hospital with Joan they were both very worried about lah because she was old her chances of getting better quickly were not good she'd hit her head quite badly and broken one of her legs Joan couldn't help crying as they stood in the waiting room at the hospital the doctor in charge promised to call Michael as soon as there was a change Michael needed to ask her about what happened perhaps lahti saw the thief coming up the stairs but while she was unconscious and in danger all he could do was wait and

hope meanwhile he needed to contact the art loss register about the second stolen painting it was another Butterworth called evening in June this time it was of a Terrace outside a lovely old house there was a table with teacups and a teapot and a large strawberry cake on one of the chairs sat a woman Michael recognized her as the woman from Summer this time she was dressed in a pretty purple dress she was reading a book in the background were Green Hills and the sun was just going down the sunset seemed to make the picture

glow Michael thought it was strange that both paintings were of the same woman there were many Butterworth pictures that showed Landscapes or still life scenes only a few had the young woman in them perhaps that was a clue who was she Michael asked when he called Joan that night don't you know asked Joan it's Sylvia Sylvia and Tristan Butterworth got married in 1950 she was very beautiful and was his model for some of his paintings maybe if we find out more about Sylvia Butterworth it might give us a clue Michael said perhaps the thief wants

to collect paintings of her good idea said Joan maybe he's obsessed with her we have an archive at the gallery it has a lot of information about Sylvia in it you can look at it if you like the next day after his afternoon shift Michael went back to the Oswald Gallery it had been closed and there were plans to buy security cameras the risk of someone getting hurt again was too big just took Michael upstairs to a small office it was filled with filing cabinets this is the Butterworth archive Joan said the filing cabinets are

full of photographs and letters they belong to both Tristan and Silvia there are also lots of papers about Butterworth's paintings and exhibitions you can look through them if you like Joan made him a cup of coffee then she gave him the keys to the gallery and the code number of the alarm system she went back to the hospital where she spent her evenings sitting with lah Michael was alone he didn't know where to start looking all he knew was that someone had a reason for stealing Butterworth's paintings of Sylvia perhaps the past would give him

a clue first he pulled open some files of photographs there were lots of black and white ones there were many of Sylvia by herself Michael knew they were not important for the investigation but he couldn't help looking some were of Sylvia when she was very young most showed her in her 20s and 30s Michael felt that he had never seen anyone more beautiful Sylvia had big dark eyes and a glowing smile she was quite tall and looked strong and ident when she was younger she had worn her long hair down when she was older she

wore it up in the style of the 1950s her clothes were always pretty and looked good on her in some of the photos she was with a man Michael recognized him as Tristan Butterworth the names places and dates were written on the backs of many photos there were many pictures for example of Tristan and Sylvia in a gorgeous landscape in the background were lakes and mountains on the backs of the pictures were the words honeymoon Cumbria 1950 the couple looked very happy some of the photographs showed other people too there were many that had been

taken on the Terrace of a house Michael thought it was the same Terrace as in evening in June in the photos lots of people were standing around they had glasses of WI wine and cigarettes in other photos the same people were sitting under a tree having a picnic behind them the Pendle Le River flowed everyone was smiling at the camera there were a few pictures of Butterworth with another man the pictures said Nigel and Tristan with different places and dates there were also pictures of Nigel and Sylvia next he looked at some old letters there

were lots from Sylvia to Tristan Michael began to read he read for a long time when he looked at his watch he had been reading for over an hour he had been in a different world it seemed as though Sylvia was writing to him he put down the letters and picked up some different ones all of them were to Sylvia from a man named Nigel Huxley some were dated from 1941 to 194 before and had been sent from France Michael looked through them quickly Huxley had written about being a soldier in World War II he

wrote about being frightened when bombs fell close by he also told her about other soldiers who had died some of the letters were very serious but others were full of fun in these light letters he wrote about parties and Friends Huxley had written to my darling Sylvia at the top of the letters it was clear that he had been in love with her Michael took out his notebook and wrote down Nigel's name perhaps he was still alive maybe he had more information about Sylvia and the paintings Michael had been in the archive for hours at

last he decided to go home he wanted to come back as soon as possible because because there were many more letters and papers to look at but before he left Michael opened the filing cabinet with the photos there was one he wanted to see again the photo showed Sylvia sitting on a beach she was wearing a big sun hat and a white dress her hair was down in her hands was a small book she had stopped reading and was looking into the camera but instead of SM smiling Sylvia looked serious Michael felt that she was

looking right at him before he could stop himself he had picked up the photo then he put it into his pocket he had never stolen anything in his life now he was a thief just like the person who had taken the paintings Michael had spent many hours in the archive and it was now nighttime on his way home he drove past the cemetery he was worried that the teenagers were there again suddenly he saw something it looked like the glow from a candle or a torch it seemed to be moving among the graves those kids

Michael said out loud he looked at his watch 12.16 a.m. Michael stopped the car at the gates and got out his torch then he went into the cemetery the light seemed to have disappeared he listened but he couldn't hear anything the moon was shining brightly and the air smelled like cut grass and old flowers he walked on the graves looked quite scary in the dark although he didn't believe in ghosts Michael didn't feel very brave it was like a graveyard scene from a scary movie suddenly he got angry the teenagers were probably hiding from him

maybe Alex and his friends were all sitting behind the headstones waiting for him to go away they probably thought this was funny Michael decided to switch off his torch and wait for the kids to come out the Moonlight helped him to see quite well but suddenly a cloud moved across the sky and the Moonlight disappeared it was very dark Michael turned around around in a circle nothing no light and he still couldn't hear anything either he was about to switch his torch back on when he saw a small light it was near the old caretaker's

house there was someone there Michael put on his torch again he Shone it across the graves towards the empty old house hello he called out immediately the candle light disappeared Michael started to walk it's Sergeant Rose here what are you doing when he reached the house he shown his torch all around there was nobody there however a strange symbol had appeared on the front door it showed three stars inside a circle painted in yellow paint he tried the door but it wouldn't open he went up to some of the windows and shown his torch inside

the rooms were empty apart from some broken tables and chairs there were spiders webs everywhere whoever you are Michael said to the empty air you should go home suddenly he heard a ghostly laugh he couldn't tell if it was a man's or a woman's voice before he could turn around there was a sharp pain in his head and he was Falling Towards the ground chapter 3 young woman with flowers when Michael finally opened his eyes his clothes were wet from lying in the grass for a long time he put his hand to his head when

he looked at his hand there was something dark on his fingers blood he felt sick and his head hurt his torch was lying on the ground but it wasn't working anymore Michael looked around he didn't know what to do the best thing would be to call his boss then go to the hospital and get a doctor to look at him he stood up all he wanted to do was get into bed slowly he went back to his car and drove home early the next morning Michael went to the station he wrote a report about what

happened in the graveyard his head still hurt badly but he didn't want to spend the day waiting to see a doctor instead he called the hospital about lahi she was still unconscious and the doctors were doing all sorts of tests after the hospital call he phoned the homes of Alex and some of the other teenagers from the cemetery he asked their parents to bring them down to the station as soon as possible if Alex had hit Michael he was in serious trouble then he arranged for another officer to talk to the teenagers although Michael wanted

to talk talk to Alex and the others himself he was a witness to a crime he couldn't be the questioning officer too then Michael searched the internet for Nigel Huxley Huxley might have information about the paintings or Sylvia he found out that Huxley had also been an artist he was a sculptor but he was not as famous as Butterworth his last sculpture was made in 1967 now Huxley lived in a village only 20 kilomet from Pendle Lee he was 85 years old and it seemed that he was very rich Michael thought about everything he now

knew about Huxley he lived nearby and knew about art and although he was old you didn't have to be fit to push an old lady downstairs he had been in love with Sylvia perhaps he had driven to the gallery he could have stolen summer while lahti was looking at the new paintings upstairs the second time lahti may have seen him stealing evening in June he might have pushed her down the stairs then put the painting in the car and driven home Michael decided to pay Huxley a visit but first he put out some cat food

for Harriet the big tabby was still in a bad mood Michael just wanted to talk about think about and dream about those paintings he had no time for cats or the other villagers when Mr Murphy came in that morning with a bag of Aubin Michael had simply thanked him and looked back at the computer at lunchtime Michael drove to the nearby Village it took him a long time to find huxley's house the house was very large in fact it was a mansion but it was hidden behind lots of trees on the edge of the village

Michael parked the police car in front of the house it was a lovely old place there were lots of steps leading to a big door Michael went up and rang the bell after a few moments an elderly woman opened the door Mrs Huxley Michael asked no I'm the housekeeper the woman said she looked at his police uniform and car for some reason she didn't seem too happy do you want to see Mr Huxley yes please if he's at home Michael replied you'd better come in said the housekeeper Michael followed her into the house wait here

the housekeeper pointed to a chair by the door she wasn't friendly at all Michael wondered if she ever smiled he sat down the big Hall was was painted a light green the floor was made of gorgeous dark wood in the corner stood a large sculpture Michael couldn't really tell what it was it could have been a woman with long wavy hair or a tree whatever it was it looked very modern suddenly the housekeeper appeared again you can see Mr Huxley now she said he's in the living room Nigel Huxley sat in a big chair he

didn't look 85 at all he seemed a lot younger but perhaps that was because of his bright blue eyes he looked intelligent and full of energy I'm sorry about my housekeeper Huxley said she's not very nice to visitors even policemen Michael looked around the living room the Sun was shining through the large Windows there were two huge sofas and and a few chairs in the middle of the room was a round table lots of books were everywhere on the table on bookshelves and on the floor there was also a beautiful old fireplace above the fireplace

on the wall there was a painting Michael immediately recognized Sylvia that's a Butterworth picture he exclaimed yes Huxley said it's called young woman with flowers Tristan Butterworth gave it to me the painting showed Sylvia holding lots of flowers they were pink orange and red the background was a dark green and Sylvia was wearing a green dress Michael couldn't take his eyes off the picture even when the housekeeper came in with tea and biscuits he couldn't stop looking at Sylvia how can I help you Huxley asked taking a cup of of tea and a chocolate biscuit

Michael finally took his eyes off the painting and looked at the old man I'm sorry Mr Huxley I should have introduced myself I'm Sergeant Rose from the police station at Pendle Lee you heard about the robbery at the gallery asked Michael of course Huxley replied I collect Butterworth paintings I'm often at the Oswald gallery you know that lah Bingley is unconscious in hospital Michael asked watching Huxley closely yes it's very sad and upsetting Huxley said Michael looked at the picture of Sylvia above the fireplace somebody wanted those pictures very badly he said badly enough to

almost kill an elderly woman both paintings were of Sylvia I think we should look for someone who is obsessed with her huxley's eyes Shone and he gave a small smile so you've come to question me he said good detective work Sergeant Rose it's true I was in love with Sylvia she and I grew up together our families were friends we lived in the same Village and went to the same church even when I was a teenager I loved her I met Tristan Butterworth at Art School Sylvia would model for us both then the second world

war started I became a soldier but Tristan couldn't join the Army he had Polio when he was a baby and there was something wrong with his leg while I was in France Tristan and Sylvia fell in love I wanted them to be happy so we stayed friends what happened to Tristan and Sylvia Michael asked he'd almost forgotten about the stolen art the butterworths moved to America in the 1960s Huxley went on we wrote letters at Christmas but after a few years our letters stopped I heard they were living in New York Tristan had an exhibition

at the Museum of Modern Art then I read in the paper that he had died in 1986 I never saw Sylvia again I tried to find her but with no luck now my paintings of Sylvia bring back wonderful memories memories of Summer would you break the law to get more of those memories Michael asked I'm sorry to disappoint you said Huxley but I didn't steal those paintings so you won't mind if I look around your house Michael asked yes I do mind Sergeant Rose the old man replied standing up my house is private if you

don't have a search warrant please leave buxley was starting to get angry but Michael knew he was right without a search warrant the police couldn't search someone's home Michael had to leave he thanked Huxley for his time on his way out to the car again he thought about the old man firstly he seemed obsessed with Sylvia and collected paintings of her secondly he was familiar with the Oswald gallery and lived close by thirdly he didn't want the police looking around his house Michael decided to call Chief Inspector Blake to find out if he could get

a search warrant for the Mansion later that night Michael decided to go to the gallery he wanted to look in the archives again and still had the key he wasn't really thinking about the investigation he was wondering if Sylvia was still alive in New York or somewhere else she would be an old Woman by now in his imagination however she was a beautiful young woman he wanted her to stay that way he still kept the photo of Sylvia in his wallet every now and then he took it out and looked at it before he left

for the gallery he called Joan pots he wanted to let her know that he would visit the archive now that the gallery was closed she believed the paintings would be be safe however she was still happy to know that a policeman was around she also told him that they had bought a new security system there were cameras for every room in 2 days time it would be installed then they could open the gallery again meanwhile lahti was out of danger she could open her eyes and talk a little bit she had no memories at all

of the robbery she was confused about being in the hospital still Michael was relieved that she was getting better chapter four voices in the dark by the Time Michael got to the Oswald Gallery the sun had nearly disappeared he parked his car right in front of the door and was shocked about what he saw there was graffi all over the front of the building it was the same yellow paint that he'd seen at the caretaker house and the same symbols then he saw the broken window the hole was big enough for someone to climb through

but bits of glass were still sharp the robber had probably been hurt Michael looked through the broken window a big rock from the garden was lying inside on the wooden floor bits of broken glass were everywhere on one piece of glass he saw something red it looked like blood the thief had been cut this meant that the police could get an important DNA clue Michael immediately took out his mobile phone he called the city station another officer would come to Pendle Lee as soon as possible the crime scene officer would come too Michael didn't want

to stand outside waiting he decided to go in perhaps the thief was still in the gallery trying to stay calm he opened the front door then he stopped and listened he couldn't hear anything he took another step the wooden floor made a loud noise then slowly and quietly he went to the room with the broken window there were paintings on the wall some of them were Landscapes from the Butterworth collection there were also sculptures but Michael was more interested in the blood it was a very dark red because it was almost dry it made a

small Trail across the floor and into the Hall Michael followed it the trail went up the stairs along the hall and into another room it stopped in front of a wall there was an empty space where a painting once hung suddenly there was a shout from downstairs the two other policemen had arrived Michael went downstairs and greeted them he told them about the trail of blood and the stolen painting can you go through the rest of the building he asked the Constable whose name was John Richie I'm going to look in the garden I'll get

fingerprints and blood said the crime scene officer but I don't think we'll get a match there were no matches on our fingerprint database last time just as Michael was about to go outside the constable called him back you're the one who was hid in the graveyard aren't you he asked I talked to those teenagers every single one has an alibi even Alex who is an Angry Young Man one day he'll end up arrested for something believe me Michael thanked him then took his torch and went outside there was no moonlight so it was very dark

he walked all around the building looking and listening on one side of the garden was the car park two police cars were parked there on the other side of the garden there were woods they made a good hiding place Michael went into the trees it was very dark almost black the trees looked very tall in the white light from the torch Michael thought about his visits to the cemetery now he was walking through Woods at night his torch had be become his best friend it was a good thing he did not believe in ghosts or

witches if they were real he would have seen one by now in fact he felt like the ghost of Pendle Lee himself that's what happened when you spent too much time in graveyards and Dark Places suddenly he heard a noise he immediately stopped walking and listened he wondered if it was a small animal making noises in the dark but then he heard a voice another voice answered two people were hiding in the woods Michael took out his phone and called PC Richie he spoke very quietly and quickly the Constable agreed to join him in less

than a minute the Constable was there walking softly through the trees then they both switched off their torches after a few moments their eyes could see better in the darkness they quietly walked towards the sound of voices two people were hiding in some bushes underneath a tree they were dressed all in black and had long black hair this just made their white faces stand out even more in the dark Michael recognized two young men from the cemetery he gave a shout the boys looked around and saw the officers then jumped up and started to run

Michael and PC Richie raced after them through the trees the teenagers were fast but frightened they kept looking behind them suddenly one of them hit a tree and fell to the ground it's a good idea to look where you're going said Michael as he pulled the boy to his feet meanwhile PC Richie had managed to stop the other one the Constable took the boy's Rock sack and opened it he shown his torch inside what do we have here boys PC Richie asked shining his light on cans of yellow spray paint at the police station Michael

and PC Richie questioned the teenagers they said they'd painted the symbols on the walls but it had nothing to do with the smashed window or the burglary just after doing the graffiti they'd heard someone walking through the car park they'd gone into into the woods and then heard the sound of breaking glass one of the boys fathers was in the room with them which was normal when a 15-year-old was involved in a crime why didn't you call the police he asked his son I hate the pigs said the boy using the insulting word for policemen

can we go now the police would wait until daylight to search the Woods for the stolen painting Michael didn't want to let the boys go until then but he had to there was no reason for arresting them they were checked for cuts because of the broken glass in the gallery window but neither of the boys had been cut anywhere on their bodies they were in lots of trouble about the graffiti but Michael didn't think anything serious would happen to them he let them go home with their parents back at his desk he made some notes

for his report then he made a list of things to do in the morning at the top was the search warrant for Nigel huxley's home he wanted to visit the old sculptor as soon as possible he wanted to have some of huxley's blood for testing too the investigators could match it against the blood from the gallery next he wanted to take Joan pots to the gallery to ask ask her about the stolen painting he was sure it was another one of Sylvia then he wanted to go to the hospital to see if lahti had any

memories of the robbery suddenly the phone rang Michael picked it up hello he said Michael it's Mrs White said the woman on the phone sorry I'm calling so late it's those kids in the cemetery not again Michael S died he was disappointed there were bigger things than bad behavior going on in Pendle Lee I'll go immediately he said it wasn't illegal to be at a cemetery at night but it wasn't respectful perhaps we can ask the ghost of Agnes cot to give them a fright Mrs White said then they'll stay at home every night Michael

gave a short laugh I'll ask her to pay them a visit he said once more Michael drove to the cemetery once more he parked at the gates and got out his torch there were candles glowing among the graves he could see young people sitting around loud music was playing he recognized the tall figure of Alex when he got close to the group Alex saw him and stood up the young man looked angry Michael felt Ang angry too but he didn't want to get involved in a fight with teenagers go away Alex yelled Michael was just

about to reply when he heard a loud scream it sounded like it was coming from the caretaker's cottage immediately Michael started to run to the old house Alex ran too it's Katie Alex exclaimed she went into the house for a dare can't you kids stay out of of trouble Michael shouted as he ran when he got to the house he tried to open the door it was still locked she went through a window said Alex together they ran to the side of the building just then Katie screamed again Michael found the window it was old-fashioned

and the old wood had made it easy to open from the outside he Shone his torch inside and called Katie's name he saw her rush into the room looking very frightened when she saw Michael and Alex she started to cry and immediately tried to climb through the window Michael helped her once outside Katie fell on the ground she lay on the grass it's the witch she said she couldn't stop crying what did she look like Alex asked Michael looked at the young man angrily there are no witches he said or ghosts then he saw a

strange glow coming from inside the house it was very bright orange Katie and Alex saw it too I dropped my candle said Katie the old house was on fire Michael immediately pulled his mobile phone from his pocket he called the emergency number but just as he was about to speak he saw a figure inside the house there's someone in there he exclaimed the witch Katie cried I told you she's real Michael threw the mobile to Alex who immediately told the Emergency Services where they were then Michael climbed through the broken window into the burning house

police he called out but the figure had disappeared he ran through the room and into the Hall Spider's webs were on his face and in his hair the fire seemed to come from the front room he could feel how hot it was he was choking on heavy smoke he looked around confused then he saw her a woman was going up the stairs he had no time the fire was going to burn the old building down he ran up the stairs he could see quite well because of the orange glow from the fire when he got

to the top he saw her standing very still looking at him for a moment he thought that Katie was right the woman was a witch Agnes caught he thought she had long gray hair and dirty old clothes she looked very old Michael told her his name I'm here to help you he said she turned and ran down the corridor Michael followed her he could see smoke from the fire coming up the stairs he went into one of the bedrooms although it was darker in the room he could see the old woman she was trying to

pick up some large flat objects when Michael got closer he saw that the objects were paintings on everyone he recognized Sylvia the old woman looked at Michael and started to cry please help me she said two months later after his evening shift Michael left the station he walked up the road when he got to the old people's home he stopped Nigel Huxley was waiting for him it was the same every Wednesday and Sunday the two men went inside together sometimes Sylvia couldn't remember their names she couldn't remember pushing lahti down the stairs or laughing and

knocking Michael out in the graveyard for weeks she'd been living in the old caretaker's Cottage she stole things to eat as well as the paintings she couldn't be put in prison for her crimes because she had Alzheimer's disease Instead at the old people's home she had food clothing and good care she mainly remembered things that happened 60 years ago Michael knew she had been beautiful then although he couldn't tell from looking at the old woman now he and Nigel would listen to her stories about wonderful summer evenings and her eyes would glow with happiness her

eyes are the one thing that hasn't changed Michael said to Nigel looking at the photo of Sylvia in his wallet they're still beautiful