The Suicide Forest (The River Book 5) (4 page)

Steven slipped into the River and found Judith waiting for
him. She reached out and held his hand, and Steven felt the coin begin to heat
up. His instinct was to drop the coin, but he looked at her, and her facial
expression told him to keep holding on. After a moment, it began to cool. She
left the River, and he followed.

“It’ll protect her now, from you,” Judith said from her
daybed, grabbing another tiny sandwich with the tongs.

“What about Roy?” Steven asked.

“Roy doesn’t threaten them,” Judith said. “You do.”

“Me?” Steven said. Roy seemed surprised as well.

“Yes,” she said. “You. Whatever these beings are, you scare
them. You haven’t got a clue how to deal with them, so scaring them does you
little good other than to make them angry. To drive you away, they’ve
threatened something that’s important to you. That’s what they normally do in
situations like this. You must take the threat seriously. Your client must be
vigilant with the token whenever you’re around. Make sure she understands.”

“Why me?” Steven said. “Roy has had the gift longer than me.
I can’t even trance, not really.”

“Everyone’s different,” she said. “Some people have stronger
abilities than others, in certain areas. You scare these beings. The token I
gave you will protect everyone in her house from you, if she uses it
correctly.”

“But it won’t protect her from whatever these things are?
Whatever they’re doing there, aside from us?” Steven asked.

“No,” Judith said, taking a sip of tea. “it won’t. And
there’s little we can do about that just yet, because we don’t know what they
are. The token will make it possible for you to be there, in the house, without
scaring them so badly they want to kill anyone. With them distracted, you’ll be
able to figure out what they are. That will be the second step. Roy, another
favor please. On the shelf over there, third shelf down. Looks like a little
lantern? Would you bring it to me?”

Roy once again set down his tea and walked to the shelf
looking for the item she indicated. It was about four inches tall, with a small
handle. The sides were made of a mixture of tin and glass. He handed it to
Judith, who thanked him.

“Once you can get in the house safely,” Judith said, “you’ll
place this in a room of the house for a night. That’s all it needs, just one
night. Doesn’t matter where you put it. Then bring it back to me, and we’ll go
from there.”

“It’ll collect information on what’s inside the house?”
Steven asked.

“Such brilliance! Too much for me in my state,” she sighed
dramatically. “Really, show mercy and withhold your wisdom and insight before I
succumb.”

“Come on, Steven, let’s go,” Roy said in a huff.

“Not so fast, Mr. Hall,” Judith said. “I have an assignment
for you, as well.”

“What?” he said gruffly, tired of Judith’s wisecracks.

“Now, now,” she said, “I am trying to help you here, dear,
although it’s difficult at times. A little courtesy if you will.”

Roy closed his eyes and exhaled. “What would you like me to
do?” he asked calmly.

“Once the woman has the token to protect the house from your
son,” Judith said, “I want you to try another trance. But you’ll have to do it according
to my precise instructions. Steven, do you have something to write on? You’ll
need to take this down.”

Steven removed his phone and opened a note. “Go ahead,” he
said, ready to type.

◊

“I’m going to kill Dixon,” Roy said as they marched back down
the hill toward the marina. “He sent me to her just to get back at me for that
massive poker loss the last time I went with him to Cabo.”

“How do you know that?” Steven asked. “Maybe she really is
the best. A little eccentric, but then so is Dixon.”

“I’m not going to do it like that,” Roy said. “I’ll trance
and do everything else she said, but I’m not doing it naked. She’s just making
that part up to humiliate me. I won’t do it.”

“You have to do it,” Steven said. “We need to find whatever
it is that opened the door. This lantern will collect information, but you’ve
got to find the ‘Ouija board,’ or she’ll not be able to help us figure out a
plan. She said she’s got to have both for the next step.”

“Fuck her,” Roy said. “I’m not going to do it. Maybe we
should get a second opinion.”

“Why?” Steven asked. “What she’s suggesting makes sense to
me. There’s no reason not to follow her instructions. You’re just pissed that
she was a little sarcastic with you.”

“And what is it with you?” Roy asked. “They’re scared of you?
What’s that all about?”

Steven thought Roy might be a little jealous. Up until now,
Roy had always been the senior leader, the one with the most knowledge as they
worked together. Steven was only his assistant, or his student. To learn there
was something in him that scared these creatures – Steven was surprised, but he
also knew it bothered Roy.

“I don’t know about any of that,” Steven said. “I’m just
taking her word for it.”

“The word of a dingbat,” Roy said, stomping faster as they
approached the boat. “She’ll probably get us both killed.”

Jason slid into the empty booth seat across from Steven.

“You’re late,” Steven said.

“Traffic, sorry,” Jason said, taking his jacket off and
setting his phone on the table. Steven noticed that his son’s upper body was
even more muscular than the last time he’d seen him.

“You working out?” Steven asked.

“Swimming,” Jason said. “Every day.”

“You hated swimming as a kid,” Steven said, looking back down
at the menu.

“Well, things change,” Jason said. “I eat onions now, too.”

“Shocking,” Steven said. “How’s life going? How’s school?”

“Fine,” Jason said. “Nothing interesting to report.”

“Grades?” Steven asked.

“Fine,” Jason said. “I’m moving, by the way.”

“Out of student housing?” Steven asked.

“Yes,” Jason said.

“Where?”

“Well,” Jason said, “I met this girl. She lives in a house
with several other roommates. One of the rooms opened up. So I’m taking it.”

“Can you afford it?” Steven asked.

“I definitely thought your first question would be, ‘who is
she?’” Jason said.

“OK, we’ll start there,” Steven said. “Who is she?”

“Her name is Jennifer,” Jason said. “She’s from Montana.”

“Is it serious?” Steven asked.

“Kinda,” Jason said. “More me than her.” Jason reached for
his phone and flicked his finger across the surface a few times. “Here’s her
picture,” he said, turning the phone to Steven.

“She’s pretty,” Steven said, proud but not surprised that his
son had landed a good-looking girl. Jason had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a
dimpled chin. He’d always been popular with girls.

“She rides horses,” Jason said, pulling the phone back. “Her
father is a rancher.”

“What’s she studying?” Steven asked.

“Biology,” Jason said. “Wants to find the cure for cancer.”

“I hope she does,” Steven said, and a waitress showed up at
the table to take their orders. She returned quickly with their drinks.

“There’s something I wanted to ask you,” Jason said.

“No,” Steven said reflexively. “No more money. I’m jobless at
the moment.”

“I don’t need any money,” Jason said. “Mom gives me plenty.”

Steven felt his irritation rising. Sheryl, his ex-wife, had
agreed to keep Jason on a tight budget while he was in school, but he was
always a momma’s boy, and Steven knew she was a pushover whenever Jason begged.

“How much has she given you?” Steven asked, careful not to
let his irritation show.

“Well, she gave me a thousand for my birthday last month.”

Steven gulped his drink and resolved to call Sheryl to
discuss the agreement they’d made and find out why she was breaking it. Somehow
Jason saw this on Steven’s face.

“You always do this,” Jason said.

“Do what?” Steven said.

“Turn everything into an issue with Mom,” Jason said. “All I
wanted to do was talk to you about something which has nothing to do with money
or with her, but you’ve turned the whole thing that direction.”

“Sorry,” Steven said. “Old habits die hard. What did you want
to talk to me about?”

“This is going to sound a little weird,” Jason said, stirring
his iced tea with a straw, “so please hear me out before you say anything.”

“Alright,” Steven said, sitting back in his booth seat a
little.

“I’ve told you before about the dream I’ve had with you and
Grandpa Roy in it,” Jason said. “The one with the book.”

“Yes?” Steven said. He remembered Jason mentioning the dream
once or twice in his teen years. Steven had dismissed the dream previously, but
now that he’d learned about the River, and Roy had shown him the family book,
he knew what Jason’s dreams must have been about.

 “Well, I had the dream again,” Jason said, “but this time you
and Roy fought about it. And you killed him.”

Not what I was expecting,
Steven thought.

“Not what you were expecting?” Jason said, studying Steven’s
reaction.

“No,” Steven said, “but then, crazy things happen in dreams.”

“This one was different,” Jason said. “It was more vivid than
the other dreams. More real. I woke up really jarred by it. It still bothers
me.”

“Sorry to hear that,” Steven said, not sure what exactly he
should say about it.

“So,” Jason said, “I was wondering, do you have dreams like
that? Really vivid ones, where people die?”

“No,” Steven said, “I don’t.”

“So it’s not inherited?” Jason said. “Maybe I should ask
Grandpa Roy.”

“Why would you think it’s inherited?” Steven asked. “Dreams
are weird. Lots of things are inherited, but everybody has strange dreams now
and again.”

“Because every time I’ve had the dream,” Jason said, “I knew
that you and Grandpa Roy were keeping something from me, something important.
And during this last dream I realized I needed to tell you that I knew. It was
something you were waiting for.” Jason took a sip of his drink and set it back
down on the table. “So that’s why I asked to meet you. To tell you.”

“To tell me what?” Steven said, doing his best to pretend he
didn’t know what Jason was talking about.

“That I know,” Jason said.

“Know what?” Steven said, still acting baffled.

“I don’t know exactly,” Jason said. “I just had the
impression that I had to tell you that I knew. But I don’t know what I knew.
See, I told you it was weird. And I know how you are, so I know you probably
think I need to see a psychiatrist or something.”

“No, I don’t think that,” Steven said. He knew at some point
he’d have to talk to Jason about the gift, but he wanted to wait until he was
better versed in it, not still a novice working with Roy. If he was going to
tutor Jason on how to use the gift, there was a lot more he needed to know
before he felt ready to do it. And he wasn’t even sure Jason had the gift in
the first place.

“When did you first start having this dream?” Steven asked.

“When I was ten, or eleven,” Jason said. “Somewhere around
there.”

Hits at puberty,
Steven thought, thinking of Roy talking about June’s
grandson.

“Any other strange dreams?” Steven asked.

“Like what?”

“You know, like this one with me and Roy in it?”

“Well,” Jason said, “I have dreams all the time. I usually
don’t remember them for very long.”

“Nothing that stands out?” Steven asked.

“No,” Jason said, “other than this dream, the one with the
book. So, is there something you and Grandpa Roy aren’t telling me?”

What do I do?
Steven thought.
I can’t lie to him. But I’m not prepared
to go down this path just yet, either.

“There are some things I want to share with you later, when
you’re older,” Steven said. “Family things you should know. But I’d rather you
concentrate on your studies for now. There will be plenty of time to discuss
them when you’re older.”

“I’m twenty,” Jason said. “I am older. I’m not a little kid
anymore. I’d like to know.”

“Well, I’m not ready to tell you,” Steven said. The waitress
arrived with their food and set a plate in front of each of them. Normally
Jason would have dived into his food, but he just stared at the plate.

“You’re upset,” Steven said.

“Yes,” Jason said. “So the dream is right, there is
something.”

“Later, when you’re older.”

“What is it, some deep dark family secret?” Jason asked,
still not touching his food. “I’m not a child, Dad, I can handle whatever it
is.”

“Well,” Steven said, “I’m not going to tell you until I’m
ready to tell you. Finish up school, and when you’re older we’ll have a big
sit-down and I’ll tell you the whole thing, alright?”

Jason wasn’t looking at him. Steven could tell he was still pissed.

“Do you know how humiliating it is to be told that?” Jason
asked. “I imagine if Grandpa Roy had said that to you, it would drive you
crazy.”

He’s right,
Steven thought.
It would have driven me crazy to be told
that by Roy. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons Roy just kept his distance all
these years. Distance meant he didn’t have to say anything.

“It might have,” Steven said. “Your grandfather drove me
crazy about a lot of things. But I dealt with it, and you must deal with this.”

Jason looked up at Steven, and their eyes met.

He knows it’s something big,
Steven thought.
It’s growing in
him, he senses it, and he senses it in me. He’s looking for answers. I will
have to supply them soon.

“I need you to trust me on this,” Steven said. “I have good
reasons. For one, I’m not ready to tell you. There’s things I need to do first.
Second, as I’ve said, you’re in school. What I’m going to tell you is a huge
thing, and it’ll impact the rest of your life. I couldn’t bear to see you drop
out of school because of it.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Jason said.

“You might,” Steven said.
Hell, I might have, if Roy had shown
it to me when I was a kid,
he thought. “I’m only asking for a year. You
keep up the studies, get your degree, and in the meantime I’ll get my end of it
in order. Then I promise I’ll let you in on it.”

“Alright,” Jason said, and picked up his fork. “I’ll wait.”

They ate in silence for a moment, until Steven raised a new
subject and their conversation turned. Steven could tell Jason was still angry,
giving him short answers to his questions and not really opening up about
anything. At the end of the meal, Steven gave Jason a big hug that was tepidly
returned, and they parted cordially.

As Steven drove to pick up Roy, he considered telling Roy
about Jason’s dream, but he decided not to. Roy would just push him to tell
Jason now, and Steven wasn’t ready. Roy might even go around him, and talk to
Jason directly.
No, Jason is my child,
Steven thought.
He’ll find out
from me, and he’ll learn from me. That’s my right as a father. I’ll have to
figure something out soon, though. He won’t be patient forever.

◊

Steven and Roy arrived at June Williamson’s house an hour
later. They drank some of Roy’s protection in the car before approaching the
house. June invited them inside.

“Do you have the token?” Steven asked June. She held her
hands up to show him – palms pressed tightly together.

“Good,” Steven said. “Unfortunately, you’ll need to keep
doing that while we’re here. It’s to protect you.”

“Whatever you say,” she said, giving him a weak smile.

“How have things been?” Steven asked.

“Worse,” she said, sitting in a large overstuffed chair.
“Robbie spent the night with me. He said he felt hands in his bed.”

“Who was in the house last night?” Roy asked.

“Just the three of us,” June said.

“Might your daughter have had someone over?” Steven asked.

“No,” June said. “No one was over.”

“Your daughter has her own room?” Roy asked.

“Yes,” June said. “We each have our own room. Robbie came
into my room around 2. He was crying. Of course it didn’t wake Evie up, nothing
ever does. I let him sleep in my bed for the night. When I went into his room
in the morning, it was trashed.”

“Can we see the room?” Steven asked.

“Sure,” June said, rising from her chair. “Come with me.”

They followed her down a short hallway and turned at the
first door on the right. Inside, the floor of the room was covered with toys
and clothes. There were posters that had fallen from the walls.

“I started putting things back,” June said. “Got the mattress
back on the bed, and made it. Put some things back on his desk. But you can see
there’s still a lot more cleaning to do.”

“Boys’ rooms are often a mess,” Steven said.

“No,” June said, “not like this. And not Robbie. It’s
normally very clean. I know when he went to bed it was in perfect shape.
Something happened.”

“Alright,” Roy said, leaving the room and walking back to the
living room. “There’s a couple of things we need to do while we’re here today.
Then we’re coming back tomorrow.”

“What do you need?” she asked, following them back.

“First there’s this,” Steven said, producing the small
lantern Judith Duke had given to them. “I need you to leave this somewhere in
the house overnight. We’ll come back and get it tomorrow.”

“Should I put it in Robbie’s room?” June asked.