The Remarkables (The Remarkable Owen Johnson, part 1) by A. D. Elliott Read Free Book Online Page B

unassuming old lady. “What are you?”
    Mrs Ar gyle’s face was stony serious, her lips pursed. She appeared to be wrestling with conflicting thoughts as she stared at Owen, before she settled into a frown. “Now listen to me, Owen Johnson. There is a time for questions and answers but that time is not now. There are things in this world that you do not currently understand, but you will soon. There are powers in us that you don’t understand, but you will soon . Right now you need to trust me.”
    “But my dad….”
    “Please, Owen.” She held out her hand, her features softening. “Trust me as your father always has done. The safest course of action is for us to get out of town for a while; it’s what he’d want us to do.”
    Owen had so many questions, so many things that had happened that he didn’t understand, but one thing was clear: Mrs Argyle was clearly going to do her upmost to keep him from harm. In fact, when he thought about the manner in which she had evicted the man from his kitchen, she was probably the safest person to be with right now. He took her hand and she squeezed it back, before letting go.
    “Come on then ,” she smiled, but this was quickly replaced by a cross look. “Damn it!” she cursed. “I haven’t got my purse. Have you got any money?”
    “A few quid in my bag, ” and then remembering why he had the money: “I’m supposed to be meeting Katie!”
    “Sh e’ll have to wait, I’m afraid. We need to get to the train station, pronto.”
    Owen remembered back t o the morning and Katie’s kiss. “I really ought to see her before we leave.”
    “Why? She’s not going anywhere. And her parents would not have wanted her being dragged into all of this.”  Mrs Argyle clearly did not have the time nor the inclination to be trifled with affairs of the heart, so Owen didn’t bother explaining to her about Katie’s imminent trip to her grandfather’s.
    “Well where are we going to then?” he sighed.
    “Good question.” Mrs Argyle tapped her teeth with the nail of her index finger and hummed a tune. “I know someone who we can bunk down with. He’s a lousy cook but he’ll be able to set you straight on a few things.” She smiled at Owen. “I’ll just overcomplicate things if you allow me to explain; I haven’t got the patience for detailed question and answer sessions.”
    Whilst Owen suspected that she was just delaying explaining today’s events, it was evident that Mrs Argyle’s mind was made up. She picked up her pace to clarify her steadfastness, walking at such a speed that Owen had to break into an occasional jog to keep up with.
    “ How is young Katie Morgan?” Mrs Argyle began. “Is she your girlfriend now?”
    Owen felt himself redden. “What?  No!” he said with feigned incredulity.
    Mrs Argyle smiled. “Not for the want of trying, then?”
    “She’s just a friend.” Owen’s face was like a furnace.
    “ It was a terrible loss, her parents’ death.” Mrs Argyle spoke as if they were part of some great assignment together. “I can see why you two are so close. Death forms a bond that cannot be easily broken.”
    They walked on in silence for a quarter of an hour or so, Owen’s thoughts meandering between today’s events and his own bereavement, until they reached the station.
    “Righty-oh,” Mrs Argyle said, clapping her hands together. “ You go and buy a ticket and I’ll meet you on the platform in a jiffy.”
    Owen wished that Mrs Argyle’s instructions were a little bit more detailed. “A ticket to where?”
    “We’re heading to a town called Tring. Just a single ticket will do; don’t worry about a return.”
    Owen looked toward the ticket hall to see where he could buy one from. He turned back to Mrs Argyle but she had vanished. Spinning on the spot he couldn’t see any sign of her, but the ladies’ toilet was nearby so he assumed that she must have needed to answer the call of nature (rather quickly based on the speed in