Chapter One
​
Tuesday 24th October
​
Becky looked ahead of her as she walked down the towpath towards her boat hoping for a glimpse of her husband. She stepped carefully as the ground was uneven where cyclists had churned up the earth in the previous weeks when it had rained it had then dried hard in the warmth of the autumn sun. She stopped for a moment, putting the bags down on the ground, then set off for the last hundred metres. The sun was bright for the time of year; it lit up the autumn berries in the hedgerow which made Becky think that the trees and bushes were putting on their crown jewels, a last outing before winter. As she stepped onto the back of the boat she found the doors locked. She grimaced as she put the two heavy shopping bags down on the deck hoping that Tom was on the butty, the unpowered boat that they towed behind them and was used by Tom as his work shop. As she crossed over from the boat to the butty she could see the back doors were open. Becky rubbed her hands together, coaxing life back into them and wished she’d taken her shopping trolley with her as she’d bought more than was on her list, but a bargain was a bargain and some of the offers made economic sense.
​
‘Tom,’ she called out, ‘you got the key for the boat, I forgot to take mine with me?’
​
She could feel the boat moving as Tom walked through it towards her. A smiling face appeared in the doorway and a hand jingled a small bunch of keys in front of her.
​
‘Yeah, here you are, you left them by the kettle.’
​
Becky took the keys from her husband and smiled back at him. She noticed that he had changed out of his work clothes and into his favourite day wear of black trousers with braces and his grandad collar white shirt. He had tied a red polka-dot scarf around his neck. He looked like a typical boatman from the early 1900s. It could only mean one thing.
​
‘What have you been up to while I’ve been gone?’
​
‘Not a lot. Tommy came by with the fuel boat and topped us up, then I helped him up through the locks.’
​
‘Funny how, in the six years we’ve been together, I’ve never met him.’
​
‘Probably just as well, he can be a miserable bastard. Possibly why he’s still single.’ Tom smiled at her.
‘Does he get on ok with his customers?’ Becky wondered why if he was that miserable he was in a trade that dealt with people.
‘Just those who don’t think they deserve a discount for always buying off him.’
​
‘Discount?’
​
‘Yeah, I don’t think some of them realise that this is his livelihood. Hard enough as it is without giving discounts.’
​
‘I suppose this means you’ll be off for a couple of days getting rat-arsed.’ She grinned.
​
‘You know me so well, my love, though I’ll only go, if it’s ok with you.’ Tom climbed up the steps to stand by Becky, pulled her into his arms and gazed into her eyes, smiling, his head tilted slightly to the side. She gazed back, her pulse quickening. He was so handsome, she thought, it felt like falling in love with him all over again.
​
‘You and your puppy-dog eyes, of course it is. A couple of days on my own, will be lovely. It’ll give me a chance to clean the boat through.’ She loved being with him but relished a little time on her own now and again.
​
‘You mean you don’t want my company?’ Tom looked hurt.
​
‘You know jolly well I miss you when you’re away, but I do enjoy a couple of days on my own every now and then. When will you be off?’
​
She gazed lovingly at him, drinking in the dark curly hair and blue eyes and the smile that had captured her heart in the first place.
​
‘I’m ready now, I was just waiting for you to return as I knew you hadn’t got your keys.’
​
She slapped his upper arm in feigned anger, then kissed him. ‘And, just when do you think you’ll be back?’
​
‘Day after tomorrow, before noon as I’ve got supplies arriving in the afternoon.’
​
‘Is it paid for?’
​
‘No, but you don’t need to worry, it’s all on account.’
​
‘I was only asking in case you don’t get back in time, or it arrives early.’
​
‘Good thinking. I knew there was a reason I married you.’
​
‘Well you’d better be off then, I’ll close up the butty. See you Thursday. Enjoy yourself and be good.’ Becky wagged her finger at him.
​
‘As always, my love.’
​
Tom waited for Becky to open the boat and kissed her one more time before striding off up the locks. She didn’t mind him going off for a couple of days. He worked hard enough, often weeks in a row without any time off; money was hard earned. They attended boat shows throughout the year, which was where most of their income came from, though these were mainly from late spring to late summer. The last boat show had been three weeks ago. The rest of their income came from local sales wherever they moored.
​
Becky stowed away the groceries in the galley. Space was at a premium, so she only bought what was needed for the next few days, unless, as she had today, seen bargains that could not be ignored. She noticed that Tom had made up the log-burner ready to light and stocked the basket in case the temperature dropped. Set in the middle of the boat by the galley, the log burner heated the sixty-eight-foot boat very efficiently, a little too well sometimes, causing Becky to open the front doors to bring the temperature down a little. The water tank was full, having been filled the previous day. There was a water tank on the butty, as well, which meant they never ran out. Tom had set up a pump which enabled them to transfer water from the butty to the boat when needed. The kettle on the gas hob whistled to let her know it had boiled.
​
No rest for the wicked, she thought, the sooner I clean the boat, the sooner I can sit down and read my book. It was the latest offering from one of her favourite romance authors. She had picked it up in one of the canal-side book exchanges that had popped up in recent years. Some of them were in pubs and shops and even the odd decommissioned telephone box. Only very occasionally did she keep a book to read again, otherwise she deposited books as well as picking up a book or two.
​
The windows were washed first. Becky removed the panes of glass, one at a time. She stood them end on in the sink to wash them, then dried them with an old tea-towel that she kept for just this job. Before replacing the glass, she made sure that the spots of moss that had grown over the last few months on the rubber seals were removed. The next task was to dust down the furniture and all ledges before hoovering. She was never sure which should be done first, dusting or hoovering, but she argued that having dusted, the hoover would pick up all the particles that fell to the floor. The laundry that had been done the previous day, was now dry and ready to be put away. She had a washing machine stored in the butty, it was her one concession to living on a boat, and a rotating washing line that fitted into clips on the tiller arm. Between their bedroom and the bathroom, Tom had built a wardrobe with a shelf above and drawers beneath. He was very meticulous as to how his clothing was put away, insisting that underwear be put in his top drawer and other non-hanging items in the next drawer down. Becky had two drawers beneath these. Living on a narrow boat was definitely not an existence for anyone who had a lot of clothes and shoes. She had soon learnt that all she needed was a pair of walking boots, a pair of sandals she’d managed to buy in the sale at an outdoor clothing shop, a pair of trainers and one pair of heeled shoes for the rare occasion when they went out for a meal to celebrate their birthdays and wedding anniversary. These were the only times she dressed up and had one dress she wore on these outings. Slippers, she had argued were not shoes, so didn’t count.
​
As she put away Tom’s clothing, the second drawer resisted all attempts to close properly. Becky pulled the drawer out and tried to push it back into place twice before deciding to pull the whole drawer out of its space. The drawer itself wasn’t large, but it was heavy having been made from solid wood. Becky managed to place it on the floor. Looking into the void, she saw a pair of thick woollen socks had managed to escape from the top drawer, ultimately stopping the lower drawer from sliding back into place. Becky managed to lift one end of the drawer, on the floor, and rested it on her foot while running her hand down the bottom edge so that she could lift the other end. Her fingers collided with something solid on the underside of the drawer. Feeling around the object, she wasn’t too sure what it was. She tipped the drawer up on its end, the clothing spilling out onto the floor. A small blue notebook was inserted into a plastic wallet which was taped to the underside of the drawer. Removing the notebook, she flipped through the pages, not sure if she should read the contents, after all Tom had put it out of sight, he obviously didn’t want anyone seeing it. Each page was dated with a place name and a list of items, against which a figure had been written and totalled at the bottom. Some pages had a second figure that was either positive or negative.
​
Becky returned the notebook to its hiding place and replaced the drawer. Most of the clothing that had spilled onto the floor was still folded, making it easy to put back. She thought about the first date in the book and went to find her log book. From the first day she and Tom had set off with their floating business, Becky had kept a daily log of where they’d been and what they’d done, what they’d seen and sales they’d made. The date fitted with the first time Tom and Tommy had gone off on one of their ‘forty-eight hours’ stints. Curiosity took over. She picked up a pen and found a scrap of paper and returned to the drawers. She pulled out the drawer far enough to retrieve the booklet and wrote down the dates from every page. She noticed that at the bottom of each page was a number one or two with an arrow pointing to the right. The first number was a two.
​
Becky folded the scrap of paper and put it in the pocket of her jeans, then returned the notebook to its wallet on the bottom of the drawer. She sat down at the table with her log books and checked the dates she’d just written down. Each one of them coincided with Tom’s time away with Tommy. Becky sat with her head in her hands gazing at the list of dates. After ten minutes, she stood up, screwed up the scrap of paper and put it into the log burner. She decided that if the dates coincided with Tommy’s appearance, it must be to do with the side-business that Tommy ran, buying and selling at antique fairs. It would also account for the extra money that Tom often brought back home. Feeling better about everything, Becky made herself another hot drink and prepared her evening meal. She switched the television on and watched the tea-time quiz show then picked up her book. She was glued to it, turning each page in anticipation of what might happen next. She couldn’t put it down and read the whole book that evening. Looking at the clock she saw it was late and was about to go to bed when there was a loud knocking on the bow doors. She pulled the curtains back tentatively to see who was there.
​
‘Hey Becky, it’s Billy from the pub,’ A voice called. ‘could I have a quick word with you… it’s important.’
​
‘It’s gone midnight, can’t it wait until the morning?’
​
‘No… it’s sort of urgent…’ Billy was shining his torch to show his face.
​
‘Hang on a minute, I’ll open the door.’
​
Becky felt the boat rock slightly as Billy stepped onto the boat. He appeared in the door way looking quite untidy. He was rubbing his left shoulder and there were scratches on his hand which were still seeping blood.
​
‘You look like you’ve been in a brawl.’
​
‘Yeah, something like that. I’ve just caught two good-for-nothing bastards robbing my pub. I caught them in the act. I’d gone upstairs to bed when I heard a door open. I went downstairs, thinking perhaps I’d forgotten to lock one of them when I saw the two sods emptying the till and helping themselves to unopened bottles of spirits. Luckily for me, I’d picked up my revolver. I pointed it at them and told them to stop or I’d shoot. They just laughed at me, so I fired at one of them,’ Becky gasped. ‘just to maim, not kill, you understand.’ Billy could see he’d alarmed her. ‘The other one leapt over the bar and came towards me, and I fired again.’
​
Becky looked at him feeling very puzzled. ‘Billy, I’m sorry to hear of your troubles, but what’s this got to do with me?’
‘No easy way to say this…’ Billy said gruffly. ‘one of them is your husband,’ Becky gasped and brought her hand up to her mouth, Billy must be mistaken she thought, ‘only trouble is, I don’t know which one…’
​
Becky shook her head, confused. ‘What do you mean one of them is my husband? He’s gone away for a couple of days with his friend you must be mistaken.’
​
‘Look, come with me. I’ve got them both tied up in my cellar. I can’t make head nor tail of it all.’
​
‘It’s got to be a mistake, like I said Tom’s gone away for a couple of days with his mate.’
​
‘And I’m telling you I have him trussed up like a chicken in my cellar.’
​
Billy sounded quite insistent, so Becky decided, out of curiosity, to go with him and prove him wrong. ‘Let me get my boots and coat. Step inside Billy, I won’t be a minute.’
​
The sky was clear, and Becky could see a good display of the milky way. The temperature had dropped to near freezing. She pulled the curtains closed to keep any heat in and locked the doors before following Billy along the towpath to the pub where he unlocked the door. The lights inside were dimmed giving an eerie feel. Some parts of the lounge bar where plunged in darkness. He took the revolver out of his coat pocket and set it on the bar and locked the doors. She could feel her heart beginning to race. It couldn’t be Tom, he wouldn’t be so stupid as to commit robbery. Becky stepped back at the sight of the weapon. ‘You had that gun with you when you came to me?’
​
‘Well I wasn’t going to leave it here, was I? Come with me. They’re both in the cellar.’
​
Becky was still uncertain about Billy’s claims. She watched as he unlocked the door next to the bar and switched on a light. ‘Just be careful on the stairs, they’re a bit steep.’
​
She decided that she had nothing to lose by following him down. The stairs were wooden and creaked at every step. The light at the bottom of the stairs had no shade on it and it dazzled in Becky’s eyes as she drew level with it. At the bottom was another door with a pane of glass set in it. Billy looked through it first. ‘They’re both still out for the count.’
​
Becky peered through the glass and gasped. She closed her eyes and shook her head before looking again. She could see Tom lying on the ground with his hands tied behind him and his feet bound. She thought perhaps she was looking in a mirror, as opposite him, was his reflection. She placed her hand on the door handle and hesitated, not sure whether to enter the room or not.
​
‘The door’s locked.’ Billy informed her.
​
Becky kept staring through the glass. ‘Oh my God, I’m seeing double…’
​
‘That’s what I thought, there are two of them, exactly alike.’
​
Becky gasped for breath, she felt cold. Tears stung her eyes as she pushed past Billy and ran up the stairs to the bar. Billy chased after her.
​
‘I need a drink…’ She rasped.
​
Billy placed two tumblers on the bar and poured them both a generous slug of brandy. Becky now noticed some unopened bottles sitting on the bar and the cash tray from the till. ‘What are you going to do with them? Have you called the Police?’ She hoped he hadn’t, she was sure that Tom would be able to explain what had happened, thought she wasn’t sure how he was going to explain a double.
​
‘No, I shouldn’t have this gun… no licence.’ He waved it in the air causing Becky to step back. She decided that if that was all he was worried about, perhaps it wasn’t so bad after all. ‘I need to go back downstairs...’
‘Let’s sort out what we’re going to do first. This is serious, they were here to rob me.’
​
Becky ran her hand through her hair then pulled out her mobile from her jacket pocket. The number rang six times then went to voicemail. ‘Oh for heaven’s sake, just answer the bloody call.’ She shouted at the phone. She dialled it three more times before it was answered.
​
‘Leigh, it’s Becky.’
​
‘So I see from the caller ID.’
​
‘I need your help urgently.’
​
‘Do you have any idea what time it is?’
​
‘Yes, that’s why I need you…’
​
‘Where are you?’
​
‘At the Boat Inn by Elmsdale Locks, down Dark Lane.’
​
‘If you’ve been caught in a lock-in, I can’t help you…’
​
‘Leigh, it’s not that. Please… I need your help, you know I wouldn’t call you at this time of night unless it was urgent.’
​
Leigh could hear the panic in her voice. ‘Ok, I’ll be there in half an hour.’
​
‘Tha…’ The phone line went dead. Becky sat back down on the bar stool.
​
‘Who’s Leigh?’
​
‘My brother.’ Becky cast her eyes around the bar. ‘Do you live here on your own?’
​
‘No, but tonight I am. The wife’s gone to see a show in London with her two sisters.’
​
‘Are you sure there are two of them down there, and not just one in front of a mirror?’
​
‘I have to say I began to believe the rumours about the pub being haunted, not that I’ve seen or heard anything all the years I’ve lived here, until tonight. When I was upstairs and heard the noises down here, I began to believe some of the rumours, but when I saw them…I suppose reality kicked in, when I saw the jacket on the back of the chair. I mean have you heard of ghosts removing their clothes?’
​
Becky turned around and looked to where Billy was pointing. It was Tom’s jacket, she was sure. She slipped off the stool and walked over to the chair. She picked it up and sniffed the collar. It was Tom’s aftershave. As she smelt the unmistakable aroma of sandalwood, she pictured him walking down the towpath, turning to wave at her. She felt inside the pockets and found his boat keys.
​
‘Just the one jacket?’ She asked, still hoping that it had been a mirror downstairs reflecting Tom’s image.
​
‘The other one is on the floor behind the bar.’
​
Billy walked round the bar and picked the jacket up off the floor and handed it to Becky. She sniffed the collar. It was the same aftershave. She felt dizzy.
​
‘Oh God, I think I’m going to be sick.’
​
Billy pulled an ice-bucket off a shelf under the bar and pushed it into her hands. He hated it when customers threw up, especially in the bar. Thankfully, it rarely happened. Becky suddenly felt cold and clammy as the feelings of nausea overcame her. Billy screwed his eyes tightly shut at the sound of retching and heaving. He was tempted to put his fingers in his ears so that he couldn’t hear it but reached for a dry cloth instead.
​
‘Here, you can wipe your face with this. I’ll get you a glass of water.’
​
‘Thanks, I don’t know what came over me.’ She could feel the feelings of sickness abating. ‘How did you get them both downstairs?’
​
‘Carried them after I’d tied them up.’
​
‘Didn’t they put up a fight?’
​
‘No, I knocked them both clean out with a well-aimed punch. I was a boxing champion in my early twenties. Don’t think either of them saw it coming.’ Billy laughed.
​
Becky’s phone rang. ‘Leigh?’
​
‘I’m outside, you need to let me in?’
​
‘It’s Leigh, he’s waiting outside.’
​
Billy unlocked the door and looked in amazement as Leigh walked in. He was dressed in a dark blue pin-stripe suit with a pale blue shirt and a dark pink tie as if he was ready for work. Becky rushed into his arms.
​
‘Oh Leigh, I’m so confused. Billy, here, has Tom locked up in his cellar downstairs for attempted robbery, only there’s two of him.’
​
Leigh screwed his eyes shut. ‘Explain that to me again.’ He gently let Becky go. She stepped back and wiped the tears away from her eyes.
​
‘Tom is in the cellar, but so is another man who looks exactly like him. Billy said they were trying to rob the pub.’
Leigh narrowed his eyes as he absorbed the information. He looked at Billy. ‘Perhaps you’d be so good as to show me.’ His authoritative tone was greeted by Billy with relief. Here was someone to sort out the mess.
​
The three of them made their way down the stairs to the cellar. Leigh had to duck under the naked light bulb. Billy looked through the glass as if to check the two men were still contained in the room.
​
‘Could you open the door please?’ Leigh asked.
​
Billy withdrew a large bunch of keys from his trouser pocket and unlocked the door. Leigh, followed by Becky, stepped into the room and stared at the two men lying on the ground.
​
‘Unbelievable,’ Leigh turned to Becky. ‘how can you tell which one is Tom?’
​
Becky shrugged her shoulders and stared at the two men lying on the floor. ‘I can’t, I don’t see any differences in them whatsoever. It’s as if he’s been cloned.’ Becky could feel her hands shaking and her heart beating so fast it made her gasp for breath.
​
‘Why haven’t you called the police?’ Leigh questioned.
​
Billy shrugged his shoulders and raised his hands in the air and looked at Becky.
​
‘Billy said he doesn’t have a licence for the gun he shot them with.’
​
A voice from the ground made Becky jump. ‘Becky… what are you doing here?’
​
Becky stared at the two men not sure which of them had spoken. They had both come to from the blows that had knocked them out. She looked at one and then the other and back again.
​
‘Which one of you is Tom?’
​
‘I am.’ They both replied.
​
Becky gasped and stepped backwards. Remembering to breathe, she spoke again.
​
‘Which one of you is my husband?’ She demanded. Her heart was now thumping heavily in her chest.
​
‘I am.’ They both replied again. They looked at each other and grinned.
​
Before she fainted, Becky could hear her heartbeat thrashing in her ears, the pounding in her chest getting heavier. Leigh caught her before she hit the floor.
​
‘Billy, can you give me a hand to get her upstairs?’
​
‘Give her here, I’ll take her up.’
​
Leigh managed to put Becky into Billy’s arms and watched him take her up. He then turned to the two men lying on the floor.
​
‘I don’t know which of you is her husband, and I don’t really care. You obviously don’t have an ounce of morality between you.’
​
‘Do you think you could sit us up please? It’s a bit uncomfortable lying on the floor.’ One of the twins asked.
​
‘Not sure I should move you, but I on the other hand do have a sense of morality.’
​
Leigh managed to pull each man into a sitting position.
​
‘Come on, tell me your side of the story. I’ve heard Billy’s.’
​
‘He short changes us. We had someone come in to buy something, so we know how much they paid. Billy undercut the price when he gave us our share of the profit. Simple as.’
​
‘So you thought you’d break in and get some payback?’
​
‘Yeah, something like that.’
​
‘Which one of you is Tom, married to Becky?’
​
‘We both are. We get bored doing the same job week in, week out, so we swop over. She hasn’t twigged.’
​
Leigh looked at them both with the contempt they deserved. He wanted to put a fist into both of their smug faces but knew it wouldn’t solve anything.
​
‘Words cannot describe how I feel about the two of you. You’ll stay here until we decide what to do with you.’
​
‘As you like, you can’t keep us here indefinitely.’
​
Leigh stared at the two men then slammed the door shut locking them in and made his way up the stairs to the pub lounge.
​
When she came to, Becky was lying on one of the couches. Startled, she sat up. Leigh was sat in a chair next to her.
​
‘How did I get here?’
​
‘Billy brought you up, over his shoulder. He’s got muscles on his muscles. How are you feeling?’
​
‘Confused.’
​
‘To be honest, I’m not surprised. While you were out of it I asked them a few questions. Neither will say which one married you… Becky, I’m afraid that there’s no way to sugar coat this, but from what I can deduce, they have both lived with you as your husband.’
​
Leigh saw the colour drain out of her face as her shoulders curved inwards and her head dropped to her chest.
‘I think I’m going to be sick.’
​
Billy thrust another ice bucket into her hands. She dry-heaved causing the muscles in her shoulders and back scream out as if she had lain down on a bed of nails. Her head pounded. The tears started small and gained momentum as they raced down her face. She was sobbing with anger and confusion. ‘Are you saying… they… they have swopped places… that I’ve been in a relationship with them both?’
​
‘That’s how it looks Becky… I’m so sorry…’
​
‘The bastards, the miserable bloody bastards. How could they… how…’ realisation hit her, ‘it’s no bloody wonder Tom didn’t want me to meet Tommy. He didn’t want me to see there were two of them.’
​
She stood up and grabbed the gun that Billy had left on the bar and ran to the door leading down to the cellar. Leigh caught her by the wrist and pulled her back.
​
‘I can understand how you feel but shooting them isn’t the answer. Put the gun down.’
​
‘And just what do you suggest? I don’t want to see either one of them ever again. It all makes sense now.’
​
‘What makes sense?’
​
‘Just something I found this afternoon, that every time they met up, they swopped over. I found a notebook with dates in it that corresponded with when Tom met Tommy, and a number against the dates, one and two, alternating each time. God, they must have been laughing at me not noticing any differences in them. How gullible have I been? I never want to see him again… either of them.’
​
‘Are you sure you don’t want Tom back, assuming we can establish which one he is?’
​
‘No, I don’t want him back, he… they can both rot in hell.’ Tears threatened to spill again.
​
‘I have to admit it doesn’t look good for you Becks, your finger-prints will be on the gun, and I’m not sure anybody would believe you didn’t shoot them.’
​
‘Then what are we going to do, we can’t go to the police now, can we?’
​
‘Well, they would certainly question the delay in calling them out.’
​
‘We need to do something soon,’ Billy interrupted, ‘I have an inspection in two days’ time. They can’t stay down there.’ He looked at Leigh waiting for resolution.
​
‘I have a plan. Leave it with me, I’ll have them out of the cellar before your inspection. Right Becks, let’s get you back home. I take it that those two will be safe locked up in your cellar Billy?’
​
‘Yes, they’re tied up and the door’s locked.’
​
‘What time is last orders?’
​
‘Eleven pm.’
​
‘That’s early.’
​
‘I can stay open till midnight, but there’s no point as there’s no customers.’
​
‘Right, we’ll be back at ten past eleven tomorrow.’