Tymber Dalton (42 page)

“What have you been doing?” Sami asked, noting a black smudge on his hand.

He looked at it, puzzled, and wiped at it. “I don’t know what that is.” He went into the downstairs bathroom.

The meteorologist explained Doppler radar signatures to the audience. The entire county lay under a watch, and this was only the front edge of the band.

“…expect gusting winds, heavy rain up to six inches in areas, possible localized flooding, and stay indoors…”

“No shit,” said Matt, making Julie giggle. “Going out in this slop is crazy.”

“Why don’t I make lunch?” Sami headed for the kitchen.

“I’ll help,” Julie volunteered.

“No, that’s okay. You and Matt catch Steve up. I’ll have it ready in a few minutes.”

Matt didn’t look happy about spending time with Steve and Julie, but he didn’t argue.

Sami listened to their conversation from the kitchen. She nearly tripped over Pog’s full bowl and scooted it out of the way. How much was Steve feeding the dog, anyway? She wanted to make sure she heard what they said. Julie explained a full house cleansing ritual, bottom to top, and what it entailed.

It didn’t take Sami long to prepare lunch, and she called everyone into the kitchen.

Julie looked disappointed. “I don’t think we’re going back to the well this afternoon.”

“From the looks of it, it’s a real frog-strangler.” Steve smiled. “But you can do your other stuff here in the house, can’t you?”

Julie nodded. “It’ll take a few hours at least.” They all jumped at a loud crack of thunder.

After lunch they returned to the living room to check the radar. They were socked in.

“Hope you don’t have plans later,” Matt said to Julie.

She shook her head. “No, I’m all yours today.”

Sami knew it was an unintended remark. The women exchanged glances, and Julie apologized with her eyes.

Steve, on the other hand, misinterpreted the comment in the best possible way. “You know, Julie, Matt is staying with us for at least a couple of weeks. The two of you ought to go out.”

“I’d like that.”

Matt started to reply when lightning flashed outside, followed almost immediately by a loud bang. Pog yelped, cowering at Sami’s feet. Then the power blinked off.

“Shit,” Sami said.

A moment later they heard a rumble, like an engine starting, and the lights flickered back to life.

“Hey, I forgot about the generator,” Steve said. He found the remote control and turned the TV and satellite box back on.

Nothing but snow.

“Great,” Sami said. “Lightning must have zapped them.”

“It might be the storm,” Julie said. “I know my satellite sometimes goes out when it gets very windy.”

“Well, no more SpongeBob for me today,” Steve joked. “Why don’t we get started?”

* * * *

Steve felt better after eating lunch and taking his medicine, his head clear and full of ideas. Sami wasn’t the only one who’d benefit from this, he thought.

Julie remembered Matt’s original tour of the house was interrupted by their discovery in the attic. All four went upstairs, Steve in the lead this time, Sami bringing up the rear.

Finding nothing, they descended to the second floor. They started with the two unused bedrooms, not much of interest there. Steve led the way to the guest room. “This is where Matt’s staying,” he said, stepping all the way in between the bed and dresser so everyone could fit. “Have you heard anything odd in here, Matt?”

Matt shook his head. “All quiet.”

Did he blush?

Sami led the way to the guest bathroom, followed by Julie and Matt. Steve started after them when he again noticed the grocery receipts on the dresser. He really looked at them this time.

He read the one on top, his eyes widening, and quickly pocketed them before joining the others.

* * * *

The tour finished in the master bedroom. “I will admit,” Sami said, “that I have seen something here.”

“What was it?” Julie asked. This was part of their prearranged plan.

“Well, it was a woman, tied to the bed, being raped.”

Julie’s eyes widened. “Oh my gosh!”

Steve’s brow furrowed. “Sami, why didn’t you say anything before?”

“I didn’t want to worry you. You had enough on your plate without thinking I was crazy.”

“You should have told me.”

Julie interrupted, returning to their script. “Who do you think it is?”

“I’m supposing Evelyn Simpson. I have a feeling George is her attacker.”

“How was the room arranged?”

Sami thought for a moment, then she shuddered for real. “Actually, I think it might have been arranged exactly like this.”

“What about the bed?” Julie asked.

“Oh, the mattress was new when we got here. We had to rip the plastic off of it.”

“No, I meant the frame itself.”

Sami turned to the four-poster bed, then her eyes widened in genuine horror. “Oh my God! It is!”

Why hadn’t she put two and two together? Of course it was the original bed frame. She didn’t think she could sleep in the bed now that she knew.

“Why don’t we go through the rest of the house?” Julie suggested.

“You go on,” Steve said. “I’ll catch up. Little boys’ room.”

Sami wasn’t sure what lay behind his smile, but there was something going on. She shut the door behind her and followed Matt and Julie downstairs.

* * * *

Steve locked the bathroom door and took the receipts from his pocket with trembling hands. The first was a receipt from Winn-Dixie for soda water, orange juice—

And condoms.

The time-date stamp read Sunday night.

After Matt arrived. And before Matt was introduced to Julie.

Why would his best friend buy condoms?

Because he’s fucking your wife, you idiot.

The other receipt had only one item on it, a bottle of vodka from the liquor store, purchased a few minutes after the other items.

Images flooded into his mind again…Sami and Matt in the guest bathroom…drinks…then into the guest room to make love…

Steve wanted to die. Anything to make the images go away.

He clutched the sink for support, the receipts balled up in his hand. He looked into the mirror and saw the other face, the rough, ragged, wild-eyed man of his dreams.

Was it him? Was it
really
him?

Steve touched his cheek with his hand. The mirror man touched his cheek.

Steve smiled.

The man in the mirror leered back.

More images flooded in. Matt and Sami slept together. They were lovers before Steve met her. They found the basement room, knew he was drinking.

He awoke on the cool tile a few minutes later to the sound of Sami tapping on the door.

“Steve, are you okay?” she called out.

He pushed himself up and grinned into the mirror. “Yes, I’m okay. I’ll be out in a minute.”

He heard her leave the bedroom and shut the door behind her.

* * * *

Sami rejoined Matt and Julie in the living room. Sami arrived in time to catch Pog trying to drink out of the downstairs toilet. “Pog!” She pulled him out and closed the door. “Go into the kitchen, drink from your bowl.”

Matt walked past the kitchen doorway and saw Pog’s food dish was still full. “He must be upset because of the storm.”

Sami called to the dog. “Pog, come.” She walked into the kitchen

Pog walked over to the kitchen doorway and sat.

He refused to budge.

Matt, Sami, and Julie exchanged looks. Sami grabbed Pog’s bowl and carried it closer to the doorway. “Poggy, please, come.”

Pog looked at her and whined.

Matt grabbed the dog’s collar. Pog scrabbled frantically, trying not to be dragged through the dead zone.

“No, Matt, stop. Let him go.” Sami brought Pog’s food bowl into the living room where the dog practically inhaled it. She brought his water bowl, and he drank as if dying of thirst.

Julie’s mouth set in a grim line. “George Simpson’s back. And I’m willing to bet he’s really, really pissed.”

Sami returned the empty bowls to the kitchen. “What do we do?” she whispered.

Julie handed out supplies and equipment. “We need to get back into that room and cleanse it again, once and for all, and work our way through the whole house, bottom to top.”

“What about Steve?” Sami whispered. “Don’t we need to do something to him?”

“Hopefully, with him in the house, we won’t have to do anything else. If we do, I’ve got the rituals ready.”

Matt glanced up the stairs. “What about the basement room? How do we explain?”

“Let me handle that,” Julie said. “The two of you play dumb. Most importantly, act normal. Pretend we don’t know about George.”

They heard the master bedroom door open and Steve returned. “Are you ready?”

“We need to go through the whole house and see if we can get any readings with the equipment first,” Julie explained. “When we do the rituals, we’ll start in the basement. When that’s finished, we’ll scan again, see if there’s any difference.”

Steve nodded. “That sounds logical. It is sort of a science, isn’t it?”

Julie nodded. Sami had no idea how Julie acted calm. Sami felt her heart would explode, it pounded so hard.

“I’m going to stay here for this round, if you don’t mind,” Steve said. “I’m pretty tired, but I would like to see when you get to the ritual part. Or if you find anything interesting.”

Sami desperately searched for any hint of George Simpson in her husband’s demeanor.

He returned to the couch and lay down, trying the TV again.

“Can I get you anything?” Sami asked him.

Steve shook his head and smiled. “No, I’m okay. Thanks, babe.”

* * * *

They returned to the attic and scanned it, raising their voices over the roar of rain on the tin roof.

By the time they worked their way to the first floor they had picked up nothing on the equipment. Their nerves were shot.

Steve was dozing on the couch. He opened his eyes when he heard them return.

“Done already?”

Julie shook her head. “We still have to finish this floor, then downstairs.”

He closed his eyes again. “Wake me if anything interesting happens.”

* * * *

Sami, Matt, and Julie went to the basement. With the door closed behind them, Julie whispered, “Here’s our chance. Matt, set up the FLIR. Point it at the bookcase. Sami, do you have clothes in your dryer?”

Sami nodded.

“Are they warm?”

Sami opened the door. “No.”

“Crank it up.”

“What—”

“Just do it!” Julie snapped.

* * * *

The others were downstairs. Steve went to the kitchen to take another Valium. He desperately needed it. Sami might be disappointed he slept the afternoon away, but he worried what might happen if he didn’t. He reached for the bottle of pills, pausing while the voice screamed at him again out of the darkness.

There was only one way to silence it.

He put on a kettle of water to make iced tea. He filled the pitcher with ice, tea bags, a couple of scoops of sugar. He added the hot water and stirred briskly until everything dissolved. He tasted it, added a little more sugar, stirred, then tasted it. There was only a slight bitterness that could be explained away as strong tea taste.

He put the pitcher in the fridge to chill.

Then he went into the bathroom and locked the door behind him. With shaking hands, he quietly lifted the toilet tank lid.

There was the bottle, already missing a quarter of its contents. He couldn’t remember when he drank it.

Steve squeezed his eyes shut as tears rolled down his cheeks. He was losing the battle, and he knew it. All he wanted was for this to be over.

He prayed Matt kept his promise.

* * * *

After a few minutes, the clothes were hot. “Hand them here,” Julie said.

“What do you want?”

“Whatcha got?”

“Towels?”

“Perfect.”

Sami tossed her several. Julie balled them up and tucked them around the bookcase, then sat and waited for a minute.

“What are you doing?” Matt asked.

Sami got it right away. “Genius! The FLIR will pick up the heat signature.”

Julie smiled. “Instant activity. What does it look like on camera, Matt?”