The Haunting of Pitmon House (12 page)

Eliza turned; a ghostly form was stretched out, lying on its
back. She could see through it to the pattern of the mattress below, and as it
slowly rose up, she felt the hair on the back of her neck come to attention,
expecting its face to be the same as the one she’d seen on the riverboat.
Instead it was old and lined with wrinkles. He was wearing a finely pressed
shirt and tie, and swung his feet off the bed, onto the floor. His head turned
to look at them.

You caught me taking a nap,
he said, his voice echoing slightly in the way Eliza
had expected their voices to sound downstairs.

Reid Pitmon?
Granger asked.

The figure on the bed stood up to an imposing six foot six.
He took a step toward them.
Please, sit. I see the lady already has. Please,
dear, it’s not impertinent. I would have asked you to. Don’t feel any need to
apologize.

He turned, but Eliza caught a small smirk on the man’s face
that he tried to hide.

We want to talk to you about Nick,
Granger said.
Do you remember
him? Nick Fesco? He visited you many years ago.

Reid folded his arms over his chest, and one arm raised so
that he could tap a finger against the side of his forehead.
Nick Fesco…no,
the name doesn’t sound familiar.

He died in this house,
Granger said,
about ten years ago.

Well then,
Reid replied,
he must have stuck his nose where it didn’t
belong. Impropriety is often rewarded around here with severe consequences.

We were hoping you might be able to tell us about your
conversations with him,
Granger said.

If he died here,
Reid replied,
why not ask him yourself?

He’s not communicative,
Granger replied.

Then your Nick Fesco is a smart man, indeed,
Reid said.
What is it they say,
discretion is the better part of valor? He’s right at home here at Pitmon
House.

Nick had been asking about your family?
Granger asked.

If he did, I assure you he didn’t learn anything from me,
Reid replied.
When people come
around here asking for my family’s dirty little secrets, they find in me a
solid stone wall, firm and impenetrable! I do not allow gossip about the Pitmon
name. I have always been relied upon as someone who will defend the family!
He
raised his chin defiantly.

We’re here on a different matter,
Robert said.
We’re trying to find
Yessler. Do you know him?

Yessler?
Reid said, walking to Robert.
Where did you hear that name? Don’t
think your good looks will charm me into an answer. I’m far, far too
experienced in the art of subterfuge to let handsomeness get under my skin.

Robert smiled and turned to Eliza, raising an eyebrow as he
met her gaze. She resisted a temptation to laugh.

We learned of Yessler because we encountered one of his
automatons,
Granger
replied.
A fishing scene. It had an ill effect on someone who’s now in the
hospital. It was made by Yessler, and we understand that he lived here. Under a
different name, perhaps.

Not made by him, collected by him, you mean,
Reid corrected Granger, irritated at
his inaccuracy.

So you do know him?
Robert asked.

No!
Reid replied emphatically.
I did not say that I did.

But you know that he was a collector?
Rachel asked.

I know that you seated yourself before you were invited to do
so!
Reid snapped
back at her.
Gauche!
His head threw back, and he stared down his nose at
her.

Yessler collected automatons,
Robert said.
Did he keep them
here?

Eliza saw Reid’s attention become distracted by something in
the doorway. She turned, and thought she saw movement, as though something had
just passed by.

I haven’t said anything of use to you,
Reid said, his eyes still glued to
the doorway.
You can question me all day, and you’ll hear nothing of use. I
am an exemplar of discretion. You’ll rend no further information from me!

Eliza walked to the door and stuck her head out, looking for
the figure she’d seen walk by. Nothing was there. She turned and looked the
other way; the walkway was empty. As she turned to go back into the room,
something caught her eye; past the sitting area on the landing, where the
walkway ended and the stairs continued up to the second floor, she saw the
bottom half of a figure, ascending. She squinted her eyes, trying to make out
details; it was hard from this distance. The figure wasn’t wearing clothes; the
legs looked as if they were covered in thick hair, like an animal. As its feet
climbed the stairs, she thought she could see hooves. She watched as they
stepped up, disappearing from sight.

Eliza?
Robert asked, coming up behind her.

I thought I saw something,
she replied turning back.

You saw nothing!
Reid said. He turned to Granger.
Women are often subject
to fanciful impressions, am I not right?

You are not!
Eliza spoke up.
That thing with the hairy legs. What is
that?

Brazen impudence!
Reid said.
You were not invited in here, madam! You can
hold your tongue, or I’ll call for Marvin to throw you out! He’ll do it! He
does whatever I say!

Marvin has the hairy legs?
Eliza asked.

No, you idiot!
Reid yelled.
Marvin is the director of the house. I have
a mind to ask him to bar you from entry in the future. I don’t like your tone
and I don’t like your insolence!

Back to Yessler,
Robert said.

I told you I don’t know that name!
Reid insisted.
I can’t speak to
something I know nothing about!

You already told us you knew he collected automatons,
Robert said.

Don’t twist my words!
Reid replied.
I know the tricks handsome people like you
play! You contort things until more dim-witted sorts become confused and say
things they shouldn’t! It won’t work with me! I have far, far too much family
pride to let the likes of you penetrate my resolve! Ask tomorrow, and you’ll
get the same answer. There! You see, it’s impossible! Don’t even try!

This is going nowhere,
Rachel muttered.

First semi-intelligent thing I’ve heard from you,
Reid replied.
I have
appointments, you know. I may be retired, but I lead a busy, busy life full of
schedules and engagements. You can’t take up my entire day with your
questioning!

We’re leaving,
Granger said, slipping from the River.

Eliza turned to look out the door one last time before
dropping; she couldn’t see anything on the staircase beyond the landing. She
slowly let herself slip from the flow, trying to minimize the pain she’d feel
in her neck.

“Seemed like a waste of time,” Rachel said.

“On the contrary,” Granger replied. “We learned that Yessler
didn’t make the automatons; rather, he collected them. And we confirmed that he
had some kind of connection to this house.”

“Yeah, Reid kind of slipped up there,” Robert said. “He
seemed obsessed with not telling us anything about the family. Makes me think
there’s plenty to learn.”

“And we discovered there’s some kind of creature in the
house,” Eliza said.

“What did you see, exactly?” Granger asked.

Eliza walked out onto the landing where the sofas and chairs
were arranged, looking down over the entryway. She pointed across the open
space to the opposite wall, where the staircase to the second floor began.
“There. It was just the bottom half of it, but it wasn’t human. It was covered
in hair, like an animal.”

“Walking on two legs?” Granger asked. “Like an ape?”

“Didn’t have the gait of an ape,” Eliza replied. “It was
walking like a person. But it wasn’t a person. It might have had hooves.”

Rachel raised a hand to her head. “The pressure is getting
worse,” she said.

Granger reached into his jacket pocket and removed the flask.
“Here,” he said, handing it to her. “Take a big gulp before we head back.
Probably a good idea for everyone to take another dose, just in case.”

As they passed the flask around, Eliza looked again over the
landing to the second story staircase. She tried to replay what she had seen,
but it had looked so odd, so unusual, that her brain hadn’t really had the ability
to record it properly. The more she tried to recall it, the fuzzier it seemed.

“There’s that smell again,” Robert said. “Some kind of…” he
stopped. “No, it’s not the same.”

The smell hit them all at the same time. It smelled smoky,
like charred meat — Eliza imagined ribs that had been left on the barbeque too
long.

Suddenly, a loud, blood-curdling scream erupted in the
distance. It was coming from upstairs.

The acrid smell of burning meat filled her nostrils, coating
her nasal passages, making her want to sneeze. She could see the others having
the same reaction, holding their hands to their faces in an ineffectual attempt
to stem the odor.

The scream came again, and Eliza turned back to the second
story stairwell. A faint, ghostly face appeared at the point where the stairs
disappeared beyond a wall. It slowly descended a stair, revealing a head with
no body, floating inches off the carpet. She watched as it turned, and as it
saw them, its face recoiled in surprise. Its eyes narrowed, and she felt its
gaze upon her, looking at her, watching with alarm.

Granger screamed, and they turned to look at him. He fell to
the ground, holding his leg. Smoke was rising from his pants over his shin.

“We need to get out of here,” Eliza said, turning to look
back at the face. It watched them as she and Robert lifted Granger, asking him
if he could walk.

“Something’s burning on my leg,” he said. “Hurts like a son
of a bitch.”

They assisted Granger to the top of the stairs and began to
descend. Eliza was aware of the face still staring at them. It reminded her of
how her cat would silently stalk a bird or a snake in their yard, still and
frozen, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Granger stifled a yelp as they descended each step. More smoke
rose from his pant leg, and when they reached the bottom step the cloth burst
into flame.

“Hold him!” Robert said to Rachel, who stepped in to keep
Granger propped up. Robert removed his jacket and used it to smother the fire,
extinguishing it within seconds.

“I’ll take him,” Robert said to Rachel. “Get the door!”

Rachel ran ahead of them to the large door across the
entryway. Eliza couldn’t see the face from the stairs anymore, but she sensed
it was still there, watching behind them as they tried to escape.

Sunlight swept into the room as Rachel opened the door, and
Eliza and Robert assisted Granger over the threshold. Rachel pulled the door
shut behind them.

“Down!” Granger said, wincing. “Put me down.”

They lowered Granger to the porch, where he reached for his
singed pant leg and pulled it up. A large red welt appeared on the top of his
shin, already blistering.

“Son of a bitch!” Granger said. “Hurts like hell!”

“Want a hospital?” Robert asked. “Or do you want me to do
it?”

“You do it,” Granger replied. “It’s not that bad.”

“Not that bad?” Rachel said. “You’ve got to be kidding!”

“I’ve had worse,” Granger replied. “Robert’ll know what to
do. Let’s get back to the car.”

They assisted Granger down the walkway and through the gate.
Eliza looked back over her shoulder at the house as they left, half expecting
to see the face from the stairs staring at her from one of the windows. Nothing
appeared.

They had Granger to the car within minutes, and Robert
assisted him into the passenger seat. As they drove back to Granger’s place,
Robert peppered him with questions about what had happened.

“It felt like a breeze blowing against the skin of my leg,”
Granger replied. “Which I thought was odd, since I was wearing pants. Then the
breeze turned hot, and kept getting hotter.”

“It happened when it found us,” Eliza said.

“It?” Rachel asked.

“The face on the stairs,” Eliza replied. “The head that was
watching us.”

“Head?” Robert asked. “I didn’t see it.”

“Me either,” Rachel replied.