Read Online Ash by James Herbert - Free Book Online

might unconsciously reveal about the Inner Court?
    ‘So, the girl . . .’ he indicated the sleeping blonde across the aisle ‘. . . is obviously in your charge.’
    The psychologist nodded but said no more.
    ‘You implied she was a guest,’ Ash insisted politely. ‘Isn’t she really a patient?’
    ‘Yes, but at Comraich we prefer to regard patients as guests, otherwise it might suggest they had mental health problems, or some contagious illness, which isn’t necessarily the case.’
    ‘Yesterday I met Simon Maseby, who called Comraich a retreat.’
    ‘Well, then,’ Dr Wyatt replied. ‘I think retreat is an ideal way of describing the castle, even though we’re licensed to carry out medical procedures there.’
    ‘Like what?’
    She wasn’t fazed by his blunt question. The psychologist smiled at him. ‘Like major and minor operations, counselling, and the use of new, superior medication for those who need it. We use the most up-to-date treatments for all kinds of ailments, including mental instability.’
    ‘And all in luxurious surroundings, going by the hefty fees your guests or their benefactors have to pay.’
    ‘Yes,’ she replied simply.
    ‘Paid to the Inner Court?’
    Her dark eyes skittered to one side.
    ‘I’m sorry, Mr Ash,’ she said, ‘that’s privileged information. May I ask where you heard it?’
    He smiled pleasantly. ‘Why does everything have to be so covert?’ He was gently pressing her, genuinely interested, but he also had a mischievous desire to rock the boat.
    ‘I’m sorry,’ she repeated, and she looked truly apologetic as she swung her eyes back to meet his. ‘I have to keep to the code.’
    ‘The code?’ This was becoming even more interesting.
    ‘Oh, it’s nothing formalized, just a general rule, but we are expected to be discreet. Why don’t you tell me more about yourself? I knew you were coming to Comraich Castle to investigate the strange goings-on there. Being a parapsychologist must be fascinating.’
    She was deliberately changing the subject, and Ash had no wish to push his luck. ‘It is sometimes,’ he responded to help her out. ‘What have you been told about this investigation?’
    She was immediately more relaxed now that he’d changed tack. ‘Just that you’d be with us for possibly up to a week and that we were to keep out of your way while you explored the castle.’
    ‘A week or so?’ Ash was dismayed: he’d hoped to draw conclusions within a couple of days.
    Dr Wyatt nodded affirmation. ‘It’s a huge place.’
    ‘So I gathered. But I’d hoped to finish my job sooner than that. Tell me, have you personally had any strange or unaccountable experiences at Comraich?’
    ‘You mean have I seen a ghost, heard footsteps when there’s nobody there? Screams in the night, rattling chains, freezing areas, that kind of thing?’ She was joking, her voice low and eerie.
    ‘Not necessarily.’ He ignored the exaggerated dark humour.
    ‘Oh, Mr Ash, you don’t know Comraich.’
    He grinned back at her. ‘How old is the castle, by the way?’ Maseby had already told him, but now Ash was only making conversation.
    ‘I think it dates back to the fourteenth century but it was considerably enlarged and improved on over the years. It was built on a clifftop, which makes it look very dramatic.’
    He changed the subject again. ‘How long have you been with Comraich?’ He’d nearly said
with the Inner Court
, the answer to which might have proved more interesting; instead he put his question less obviously.
    ‘Almost three years,’ she answered without hesitation. ‘My father knew Sir Victor and some of his associates and I think he wanted me to be taken care of before he died.’
    ‘I’m sorry. I mean, about your father.’
    ‘Don’t be. It was a blessed relief when he was released from all the months of pain. The end for him was swift, mercifully so, and frankly it came as a relief. It’s hard to watch someone you love suffer.’
    She