The Haunting at Grays Harbor (The River Book 8) (13 page)

The goop began to lighten, turning from a dark brown to
clear. Steven was horrified to see the face of a girl slowly appear in the
substance, not more than a foot from the surface. Her eyes were wide and her
mouth open. Her other arm was raised, and had almost broken through.

Her fingers moved again, and Steven slid back from the
grave’s edge, terrified.

Maynard sat down on the ground. “Give me a few moments to get
the trance going,” he said. “Then I’ll open it to you. Let me do the talking,
I’ve dealt with this before.”

Maynard closed his eyes and his chin lowered to his chest.
Roy joined Steven next to the grave and the two of them slowly lowered
themselves until they were sitting on the cold dirt.

“Please tell me we don’t have to dig her up,” Steven
whispered to Roy.

“Quiet please,” Maynard said.

They dropped into the River and waited while Maynard entered
his trance. After ten minutes they saw the trance form like a bubble around
Maynard’s body. Once it had solidified, Maynard invited them in.

The girl was seated on her grave, waving her fingers over her
physical hand that extended out of the goop, playing with it.

You’re all like my father,
the girl said, not looking up.

How is that?
Maynard asked.

You can all see me,
she replied.
Most people can’t. Usually only my mother
can see me.

Is your mother here?
Maynard asked.
Is she upstairs, in the attic?

Yes, that’s her.

Maynard paused, trying to get a sense of the girl.
What’s
your name?
he asked.

Christina,
the girl replied.

Well, Christina, my name is Maynard, and these two gentlemen
with me are Roy, and his son, Steven.

Christina looked up and smiled, then back down at her
physical hand. It wiggled again.

How long have you been buried down here?
Maynard asked.

Years, I think. Many years. I’ve lost count. It’s hard to
keep track of time.

Is that your hand sticking out of the grave?
Maynard asked.

Yes, she said,
and it wiggled again.

I see you can make it move.

I can’t move the rest of me,
Christina said,
but I managed to
get my hand out before it hardened up.
The fingers waved again in the air.

Someone buried you here? Trapped you in this stuff, while you
were still alive?

My mother,
Christina said.

Steven tried to stifle a reaction.
I’d give anything to
have my son back,
he thought,
and this woman buried her child — alive?

Christina seemed to pick up on his thoughts.
She wanted
him back,
she said.
He promised her if she would start up the vortex,
he’d take her back, and become my daddy again. But he didn’t. He abandoned her.

You know that your mother is a vorghost, upstairs in the
attic, right?
Maynard asked.

Of course,
Christina replied.
I see her all the time. I’ve been
trying to convince her to stop, but she’s crazy. I told her my father never
loved her, it was all a trick, because he’s never come back, and I don’t think
he ever will. But she wouldn’t believe me. My brother warned me about her, and
he was right. She won’t listen to anything I say, she’s too addled. She gets
real scared and depressed and she doesn’t make any sense. Now she’s trying to
kill herself, all because of him.

Because of your father?
Maynard asked.

I hate him!
she said, looking up at them, her face contorted into
something far more menacing than a nine-year-old girl.
She wouldn’t have
buried me here if it weren’t for him! It was all his idea. He made her do it.

I’m confused, Christina,
Maynard said.
Your father forced your mother to
make this vortex? And to use you as a power source for it?

Yes,
she said angrily.
He told her he’d take her back if she did it. But
he didn’t. He just disappeared.

And now your mother is stuck as a vorghost, with you trapped
down here?

She thought he would come back,
Christina said.
She waited years
and years for him. I kept telling her he wouldn’t. I didn’t want him to,
either. I hated him. I still do. He was a terrible father. I told her that,
thousands of times, but she wouldn’t believe me. Then, a little while ago, she
felt the energy change, and she thought for sure he was coming back for her.
But he didn’t. That’s when I convinced her to damage the rod.

She broke the rod, herself?
Maynard asked.

She was crying and throwing herself around like a crazy
person, screaming! She kept asking me why he didn’t come back. I told her he
tricked her, that her vortex was just a big joke that he’d pulled on her, and
that she should be insulted by it. I was hoping she’d do something drastic, and
she did - she started pounding on one of the rods, and she busted it all up.
But she stopped before she destroyed it, unfortunately.

That rod is in another house, now,
Maynard said.
It’s in your
neighbor’s attic.

Yes, I know!
Christina said, giggling.
I made Georgina take it home
with her!

How did you do that?

I just attached it to her, when she came down here. People
sneak into the house all the time. I see them, out on the street, talking to
each other, scared of this place. They chant “Murder Marie!” and they dare each
other to come inside. The house used to be locked up tight, and they’d sneak in
through a bedroom window in the back, but after the power shifted, I could do
more. I unlocked the front door, made it easier for them to get in. One day, Georgina
made it all the way down here, to the basement. She lifted the board and saw my
hand. She screamed like they all do, and ran out. But I hooked the rod to her,
and she carted it off. I figured it would throw off the vortex. Was I right?

Yes, you’re right,
Maynard answered.
The rod is in her attic, and it’s
scaring their family. They’ve moved out.

Oh, that’s too bad, I didn’t mean for them to move out,
Christina said, looking dejected.
I
just wanted this vortex to come apart, so my mother would die.

I think she is dying,
Maynard said.
She’s eating herself, upstairs. Slowly.

Oh, she always does that,
Christina said, rolling her eyes.
She’s been doing
that for years, whenever she gets depressed. She just grows back.

You’d like the vortex to be gone?
Maynard asked.
If we were to dig
up your body, and bury you somewhere else, the vortex would lose its power
source. That would kill your mother.

Alright,
Christina said.
Where would you bury me?

Probably in the forest,
Maynard answered.
We wouldn’t want anyone to
stumble across your grave, so it would have to be private, with no one around.
That way you could be at peace.

I like that idea,
she replied.
Would I still be a ghost?

That would be up to you,
Maynard said.

Christina seemed to be pondering the idea.
And my mother
would be gone?

If you’re the power source for this vortex, and I think you
are, then yes, if you’re not here to be used by it, the vortex will collapse
and eventually your mother will die.

And will my father’s vortex die? She said her vortex was
necessary to keep his going. Will it destroy his vortex, too? If it will, I’ll
do it.

Maynard?
Roy said.
I need to talk to you. Outside the trance, privately.

Maynard paused for several moments, then he turned back to
Christina.
We’ll be back. We’ll talk more then, alright?

And you’ll bury me somewhere else?

We’ll discuss it, yes,
Maynard said.
I promise.

Alright then,
Christina said, absently flicking her ghostly fingers at her
physical hand in the dirt.

Maynard, Roy, and Steven all dropped out of the River, and
slowly stood up.

“What?” Maynard asked. “What is it?”

“Not here,” Roy said.

They walked out of the room and back through the basement,
then up the wooden stairs and into the kitchen.

“Well?” Maynard asked.

“I want to be away from the house,” Roy said, walking out of
the kitchen and down the hallway. “Steven and I need to check on a few things,
and then I’ll tell you.”

“So where are we going?” Steven asked.

“Back to Aberdeen, to the motel,” Roy said.

“Roy, we dig her up and bury her somewhere in the forest, and
this’ll be over,” Maynard said, not leaving the kitchen. “Her mother is out of
her mind and won’t notice if we act quickly.”

“No, it’s not that simple,” Roy replied, walking back into
the kitchen to face Maynard. “Please, you need to trust me on this. A couple of
hours won’t make much difference.”

“Other than I’m a thousand miles from my wife and home,”
Maynard replied testily. “I’m not here to monkey around.”

“Maynard, if I’m right, I promise you, you won’t consider the
trip wasted,” Roy said, “but you’ve got to let me check into something first.”

 “What?” Maynard asked, his level of defiance increasing.

“It’s something I can’t do here, and I must do privately,”
Roy said, staring Maynard down. “So I need you to take us back to Aberdeen, and
let me sort out a few things.”

Maynard pressed his lips together and walked out of the
kitchen, obviously angry. They listened to him stomp down the hallway and out
the front door.

“What’s going on?” Steven asked.

“I’ll tell you when we have some privacy, back in the motel
room,” Roy said. They walked out of the kitchen, following Maynard. When they
exited the house, Maynard was replacing items in his trailer. He waited for
them to arrive, and took the shovel and bucket from them, tossing them inside.
He slammed the doors of the trailer closed and locked it up, then walked to the
cab of the truck and got inside, clearly irritated.

It was a mostly silent ride back to Aberdeen. Steven could
see Maynard chewing at his gums. Finally he spoke.

“I don’t like being shanghaied,” Maynard said.

“How is this a shanghai?” Roy asked.

“You lure me up here with pleas for help, then you keep me in
the dark when it comes time to take some action,” Maynard said. “I don’t like
it.”

“We do need your help,” Steven said. “We don’t have the
faintest clue what  we’re dealing with here. We need your expertise.”

“Then why aren’t we finishing things?” Maynard asked.

“I already told you,” Roy said. “I gotta check on a few
things. Then we can proceed.”

“Things you can’t tell me,” Maynard said snidely. Steven felt
himself begin to sweat, sitting between the two of them.

“Yes, because I made a commitment to someone that I have to
honor,” Roy said. “That’s the only reason. You should understand that.”

“I might understand it,” Maynard said gruffly, “but it
doesn’t mean I like it.”

“Well, I don’t care if you like it,” Roy said. “Can’t be
helped.”

“And I can just sit on my hands while you two check into
‘something,’ is that it? Maybe I’ll crochet myself a doily?”

“You got a nasty little streak in you, you know that?”

“Better than reeking of coffee. You smell like you bathe in
it.”

“At least I can drink it without having to ask someone for
permission.”

“Guys,” Steven inserted. “Come on. Let’s stop the insults.”

“You let your son push you around, too,” Maynard continued.

“You’re asking for a bruising, my friend,” Roy replied.
“You’ll leave my son out of this if you know what’s good for you.”

“I’ll return to civility when we’re back to taking care of
business, and not this f’ing around.”

“Why can’t you just say ‘fuck’ like a normal person?” Roy
said.

“Stop!” Steven shouted. “Stop, both of you. Not another word.
Maynard, I promise you we’ll be back on track, just give us a little bit of
time to work out whatever my father is worried about. Dad, stop insulting
Maynard. He just wants to get things done. You’d be pissed too if we were kept
in the dark about something. You’d be cursing up and down about it. So let’s
just ride back to Aberdeen in silence, do what we gotta do, and get back on
track.”