Soul Inheritance (22 page)

“
Nothing. I didn’t even know about her until just before he died. I was hoping to locate her while I’m here.”

“
I hate ta tell ya this but Melissa’s in the Bangor Hospital. She went there when your father did, only she never left. Bein’ twins ya’d think he’d a took her with him. She developed a fascination with fire, suicide by fire to be exact. Went over the edge and just never came back.”

“
Twins?” Katherine was still. “I didn’t know. Is she lucid at all?”

“
I’ve tried a couple a times ta talk to her; she just looks at me like I’m some little green man. Don’t think it’d do much good to try. Sorry. Besides, ya’re a ways from Bangor now.”

“
Yea, I guess you’re right. I should make it to Shin Pond today.”

“
We, we should make it to Shin Pond.” Jim attempted to reinforce his determination to accompany her on the journey.

Katherine rolled her eyes at him.

“
No, don’t do this to me, please. I’ve waited my whole life to find out what’s up with that place. This is the chance of a lifetime for me,” he smiled sheepishly, “in more ways than one.”

Miranda whispered in her ear, but she didn’t hear the words as she gave in to her attraction for this handsome man. Nodding she got up and walked to her suitcase, tossed it on the bed.

“
Let me get dressed. Is there a place to get breakfast around here?”

Jim let out a sigh of relief. “Yep, just up the road. Now that we’re in agreement, mind telling me what ya know ‘bout what’s going on?”

Over breakfast they discussed what Katherine knew from the book, the dreams, her trip to Salem minus the dramatics. Then Jim filled her in on the more recent family history. Throughout the morning she became more and more comfortable. It felt right to let him come along and Miranda receded until Katherine hardly felt her presence at all. It was comforting to know she wouldn’t be alone physically. He felt familiar, as if she’d known him before. The mutual attraction between them made promises of its own.

By the end of breakfast they’d decided to take both vehicles. The truck was better suited to the off road experience ahead, providing the road in was not completely overgrown. As they pulled out of the parking lot and onto the highway Jim led the way. Two hours later they pulled over in front of a Mom and Pops gas station on route 159 ten miles outside of Shin Pond.

Sliding out of the seat Jim proceeded to pump gas as Katherine lined her car up on the other side.

“
We’d best top off he’re.” He said as she climbed out. “It’s the last gas station unless we want to go into town. Ya didn’t want to stop in the’re for anything did ya?”

“
I thought I might ask around about the place.”

Jim laughed, raised his eyebrows. “Well, ya could do that. But that’d make ya quite the spectacle. This’s McKlannen Lake central without going to the lake itself. They haven’t seen a family member in fourty years.”

Considering this Katherine nodded, “You’ve got a point. Maybe we’d better go check out the lake first. There’s not likely to be anything there anyway. Doubt there are many left who’d have even known the family.”

“
There’re three. One that went to school with your father and his sister and two that knew their parents.” He smiled. “Historian of McKlannen Lake he’re, remember?”

With a chuckle he set the gas pump to run on its own and headed inside. “I’ll pay, just come on in when ya’re done. I’m gonna get somethin’ ta drink. Want anything?”

“
I’ll look after I’m done.” Watching him go she couldn’t help but smile. That gnawing inside was Miranda complaining about adding company, but she ignored it. That strange feeling slid around in her belly, then was still.

‡

Bells jangled as Jim opened the door. Going to the cooler he gathered a Coke and a water, picked up a box of granola bars and stood by the window watching for Katherine to start replacing the pumps in their cradles.

The old man at the counter eyed him, then Katherine curiously.

“
She looks a might familiar,” he said. “You ‘all from round these parts?” His blue eyes shifted back to Jim. He was short, with thin pale grey hair barely covering his shiny head. Coveralls over a thin flannel shirt covered a sizable barrel round the middle and he looked like he might be in his seventies.

“
Well, I am. She’s not. From North Carolina, down past Greensboro. She’s up he’re on family business.”

“
She sur resembles the McKlannens. Used to own the lake up on the road past Shin Pond Village,” he motioned in the direction they were traveling.

“
Well, she’s kin.” Jim fell silent, wondered if he should have offered the information.

The old man placed a withered hand over the lower half of his face and looked cautiously at Jim. His piercing blue eyes communicated all too clearly his suspiciousness and fear.

“
If’n you’re smart you’ll listen close,” he spoke in a conspiratous tone, removing his hand to brush back the thin hair. “That place’s nowhere to be. It’s evil that dwells on them shores. Hardly a beast alive’ll enter the’re. A pack a wolves all that roams and they’re of an unearthly sort. Taint a person within three states hasn’t heard of the goin’s on and won’t even a non-believer in the nether worlds go the’re. Ever now and then somebody foolish tries to prove the tales wrong.”

He stood silent as he glanced back out at Katherine, who was now putting the pumps back in their cradles. Jim stood looking at the store keeper, spellbound.

“
Well, how do ya know so well ‘bout the lake and the family?”

“
I used to live on the property next to the McKlannens. My daddy bought huntin’ rights to a cabin the’re when I’s real young. Knew the McKlannen boy growin’ up. We hunted the’re a few years, saw stuff now and then we couldn’t quite explain, but daddy, he didn’t believe in such things as unnatural stuff, so he ignored it, until one day he saw somethin’ he couldn’t ignore and we never did go back to that place.” The old man’s face was stern.

“
I thought I knew everyone who’d ever known the McKlannen’s round here.” Jim put out his hand. “I’m Jim Lancaster. I’ve researched the McKlannen family for a long time.”

The old man did not take the hand, but just stared at it as if it were a foreign concept. “That so. Well, ya missed one sonny. People go out ta that lake and they don’t ner come back. The Sheriff won’t go looking for ‘em either! Sent a couple deputies looking once. One came back scared crazy. Still resides in the Bangor Mental Institute. The other one ner come back.”

Turning his head so he could see Katherine coming across the parking lot, but still see the old man Jim kept up the conversation. “Yea, I know. I’m a state trooper. Know some of the guys who’ve been on searches in the area.”

“
Well, then. You should know better,” the old man huffed, stared him in the eye.

“
Say ya spent time at a cabin up the’re. You know anything about the layout of the road up there?” Growing uncomfortable with this character Jim looked for an out.

A paper bag snapped and the old man put it on the counter as he rang things up and put them in it. Then he took out another bag and drew a map on the back.

“
Yep, best turn back now while ya still can. If she carries McKlannen blood ‘taint no way it’ll let either of ya back out. It needs her ta carry on the family heritage,” he paused, looked into Jim’s eyes. “It’ll need
you
for a breeder.” A sly smile crossed his face. “If ya’re going to keep goin’ at least ya should know where ya’re goin’. Here’s where ya’ll come in. The’re’s a road goes up this way…”

Jim stood listening carefully to the old man’s directions. Katherine entered, caught the end of it, looked curiously at the two, but said nothing. The place felt strange. She hadn’t been there before. There was a presence there she knew all too well and she fought a desire to grab Jim by the arm and flee. She knew she had to learn to stand her ground; that she offered something for them to fear.

“
Ready?” Jim turned his back to the old man, made his face stern and his eyes big, clearly encouraging a yes.

“
Yea, we really gotta get on the road.” She gladly turned and headed out the door. To her dismay it shut behind her, but she kept walking.

“
How’d ya really know the family?” he asked, laying a hand on the door to push it open.

“
Oh, let’s just say we’re close personal friends. Once upon a time.” For just a moment Jim thought he saw the old mans’ eyes glimmer. They were a malevolent green, like the one a camera flash elicits, then solid black. He blinked, looked again. Only old grey eyes looked back.

Chapter thirteen

As Shin Pond passed and Shin Pond Village came into view Miranda began to stir and emerge. Katherine’s angst grew as she approached the place she knew only in dreams. The personality that was slowly becoming part of her was a welcome thing.

Again she tried to recall the children. This time she was allowed happier times at the lake, canoe rides with the kids and Charles before the change. The children running through the house laughing and playing, the day that each was born and placed in the arms of a proud father.

With intent Katherine recalled them as they stood by their father in the forest, the day that Miranda almost made it out with them. She recalled the ceremony performed on the ring. Bringing Miranda back to these things suppressed the desires she felt rise in her at thoughts of Charles and even the thing he’d become. Again she tried to recall the children.

‘
Later.’ She heard Miranda whisper in the corridors of her mind.

Letting it go she concentrated on the truck as it drove along. Jim maintained a steady five miles an hour above the posted speed limit.

“
A man who likes to push the limits,” she muttered, then laughed.

That wasn’t all bad, at least he wasn’t a stick in the mud. Thoughts shifted to Jim the man, not the companion. How tight the tee-shirt was, how it made his muscles bulge. How much she liked to see a man with bulging muscles.

A shiver shot down her spine as a flash came of Charles splitting logs with no shirt, his abundant muscles flexing, the skin moist with sweat. The emotion behind it was the same now as it was all those centuries ago.

“
I guess sex drive hasn’t changed as much as we think it has after all.” She smiled, changed the radio station as the one she’d been listening to began to break up.

Finding nothing that came in clearly she gave up and hit the CD button. It couldn’t be far now. As if on cue Jim gave a signal to go left. They exited onto a very rough forestry road. Katherine slowed, giving him more room, watched him bouncing over the ruts. Ahead lay a wide pool of water.

Jim stopped, sat for a moment, then slowly advanced forward. As she watched the muddy water came halfway up the rims of the truck, nearly to the bottom of the door. Following suit Katherine reached down and put Jeep into four wheel drive and slowly moved forward. She felt it kick in, move sure footedly through the muck, climb out on the other side with no effort at all.

After another mile or so they came to a tall chain-link fence with sagging barbed wire running along the top. They stood before the gate, studying the huge, rusted, sturdy looking lock.

“
Don’t suppose it’d unlock even if I had a key. How’d the cops get in to search?” Katherine walked up, put her hand on the rough surface of the corroding links.

“
They probably went in on the other side of the lake. There’s a road there too. It’s easier terrain, but I’ve already been told how impassable that one is. Our little friend back at the store gave me some directions from this side to a cabin on the property and the house. At least we have some sense of it.”

“
Oh, guess I didn’t tell ya. There’s a map in the back of the book. Don’t know how old or how accurate it is, but it’s there. I guess the terrain part of it hasn’t changed.” Feeling sheepish for forgetting, or more appropriately for getting distracted from remembering as she now fought the urge to reach out for his arm, she pulled at the lock.

Jim went back to his truck, withdrew a hammer from behind the seat.

“
This should do it.” He swung at the lock several times, then returned to the truck again and retrieved a large screwdriver which he wedged in the top of the lock where it closed and hit over and over with the hammer. It bent, eventually broke.

“
Damn. Wonder who made that lock.” He smiled at Katherine as they pulled the sagging gate back together. “How far do ya want ta take yar Jeep?”

Katherine looked at the overgrown road ahead. It was deeply rutted, but no trees grew in the way. The tree line lay across an overgrown field.

“
Let’s go as far as the tree line and see what we’ve got.”

Climbing back in their cars they preceded to the edge of the woods. Ahead was a brushy, but still passable, trail. Katherine opted to leave the Jeep there and pack her gear in the truck. Not so much because she feared damaging the Jeep.