Walnut Grove House

by Alexie Aaron

  “But were they?” Cid questioned.

  “Mr. Garrett, you just spoke about honoring love in all forms.”

  “Yes.”

  “I fell in love with Arnold the moment he was born. His mother was attending a party in this very house and went into labor. I was the only female who wasn’t afraid to help her. The moment he slipped out of his mother into my waiting arms, I knew that all the gold that I had amassed was not as precious as this child. I saw the good inside of him, an innocence that if properly nurtured could influence many. A light in the darkness. Mr. Garrett, I know darkness. I was once tied to a darkness pretending to be a light.”

  “The Borgias,” Cid said quietly for Kiki’s benefit.

  “Yes. I brought the Borgias to a position of power that should have been a beacon to draw many to the light, but instead, they were merely masquerading. When the last of the direct line died out, I had no more interest in humans. I returned to Hell and the gold I had amassed. That was until I was dragged back by August and his summoning circle. I regret, in my haste to be free of Lucrezia, I did not burn down her home to rid me of the controlling circle. I never saw August as a threat. You see, he is a distant relative of the Borgias. He stated his reasons for calling me as within his rights. I looked at his line and found a vast fertile family. At this time, I was disillusioned by the human race, so I once again agreed to a contract. He would supply me with souls, and I would help him to accumulate his fortune. I resumed my heritage demon role and was quite resigned to make this once again my vocation, but then Arnold was born.”

  “When did you find out that August was going to sacrifice Arnold in order to take his youth and replace him?” Cid asked.

  “August didn’t like living with a glamour that aged his altered self. You see, because of the nature of the contract he signed, inside he was a man of twenty, but on the outside, he aged. August was too old to attract the women he wanted to bed. So he decided to become Arnold. In order to do so, he had to kill him. I lied and told him he had to do so in battle. August was unnaturally strong from years of being in my acquaintance. I knew if I were to save Arnold, I would have to level the playing field.”

  “But how did you convince this supposedly righteous man to join you in murder most foul,” Cid asked.

  Arnold looked over at the contractor. “Don’t judge me, young man. Not until you have stood in my shoes can you possibly know what horrors were presented to me had I not complied. Miss Gee gave me a glimpse of the future with August continuing in it. I admit I didn’t want to die. But know this, I also knew I had to stop him from continuing to pray upon our neighbors and possibly spreading his crimes further afield.”

  “I’ll leave it for the light,” Cid said. “I will never understand why you two killed six people devoted to Miss Gee, nor two innocents.”

  “Who were these innocents?” Miss Gee challenged.

  “Jon O’Connor and Daniel Sullivan,” Cid answered.

  “We paid their families compensation,” Miss Gee dismissed.

  “What a horror you are,” Cid said. “How can anyone put a monetary value on a human life?”

  “In my line of work it’s easy,” Miss Gee admitted. She looked long and hard at Kiki before sending telepathically to the contractor, “Is it this easy in yours?”

  Kiki turned away.

  Faye appeared. “Cid, there is another car approaching.”

  Kiki grabbed her stomach. “It’s Bridgeton. August is within him.”

  “How do you know this?” Arnold asked.

  “I’ll answer that,” Father Santos said, walking out into the hall. “Once you’re possessed, you will always be aware of your possessor. Alan, I suggest you take Kiki out of this house before August uses her. I cannot guarantee her safety if she stays.”

  “I can,” Miss Gee said.

  Father Santos looked at the creature before him. Did no one else see the abomination of corrupted flesh or smell the sulfur that no perfume could adequately mask. “Miss Pickles, think of your contractors, your boyfriend and of the innocent lives lost already in this house. This is no place for you to be right now.”

  “Have we finished speaking about the renovation?” Kiki asked Arnold.

  “Yes. I’m satisfied with your work,” Arnold said.

  “I’ll send the final invoice. Please remember to get the west foundation wall looked at in the spring,” Kiki said and took Alan’s hand. She started for the front door, changed her mind and headed for the kitchen and the rear exit.

  Miss Gee looked at Arnold. “Do you want to confront him here in the hall or in the - what is he calling it these days…”

  “Media room,” Cid supplied.

  “No, in the library,” Arnold said. “Mr. Garrett, you may bring your priest.”

  “Father Santos is his own man,” Cid said.

  “Oh, I was talking about the other priest lurking in the shadows.”

  “I guess this is my cue to enter,” Father Simon said.

  “Congressman, Miss Gee, may I introduce good friends of mine, Father Santos and Father Simon.”

  The congressman reached out his hand and shook the priests’ hands. Miss Gee just glared.

  Father Santos looked at Gadus who said, “You really are out of your depth here. I suggest you go back to where you peddle your indulgences.”

  “I assure you that is no longer so,” Father Santos snapped.

  “I seem to have hit a nerve,” Miss Gee said.

  “Excuse me. But if the two of you could put aside your vast differences for a moment and concentrate on what is about to walk in the door,” Cid warned.

  Faye manifested. “Bridgeton is staring at the pieces of broken jar you left on the steps.”

  “Is it at all possible that he isn’t aware of his actions?” Cid asked.

  Miss Gee looked back at Cid and shrugged. “Possession isn’t my thing.”

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Jesse ducked behind an arborvitae seconds before Kiki and Alan rounded the house. Prior to that, he only missed being seen by Bridgeton because the uber driver was wary of driving into a private drive with a guy who was obviously wearing someone else’s clothes and dropped him off at the gate. Jesse walked in, sticking to the grove side of the house.

  The only thing going for you right now, thought Jesse, is that Wayne and I have the same boot size.

  “Am I going to have to cut you out of the ice again?”

  Jesse jumped and clutched his chest with one hand. He whirled around, and Murphy was standing there with his axe on his shoulder. He looked different to Jesse, more solid. He reached out to touch the ghost.

  Murphy let himself be solid. He felt the light push of the contractor’s fingers upon his chest. “Why are you here?” Murphy asked.

  “I escaped the hospital. They were going to put me through all these tests because there is a very suspicious bruise around my heart.”

  “Hand shaped?” Murphy asked.

  “Yes. I feel that is between you and me.”

  “Mia’s bruise isn’t there anymore.”

  “She doesn’t need it because you are in her heart, old man,” Jesse said. “Thank you for saving my life.”

  “Why were you out there on the ice?”

  “Keys. Bridgeton was going to toss the keys into the water.”

  “Cid used these keys to release spirits in the walnut grove.”

  “Please, tell me more,” Jesse asked.

  Murphy did so, and the contractor scratched his beard. “I guess Father Santos knows what he’s doing…”

  “I don’t think he does,” Murphy said, crossing his arms. “Mia would know, but she’s far away.”

  “I don’t have my phone. It was lost in the lake,” Jesse explained.

  “We will have to muddle through without her then,” Murphy said, his eyes twinkling. “Maybe you can think like her.”

  “I’ll try.”

  “Say w
hatever comes to your mind when I present an idea.”

  “I can do that.”

  “I think that we should get the keys and unlock the boxes in the attic before Arnold confronts Bridgeton.”

  “I agree.”

  “Mia doesn’t agree right away. If I’m wrong, she calls me a dumb farmer. But if I’m right, she makes me earn it.”

  “Well, Stephen, I don’t know…” Jesse said. “Let’s try it your way and see how far it goes.”

  “Much better,” Murphy said, picking up his axe.

  “I know a back way into the attic. I was responsible for examining the structure, and I found an opening from one of the wings into the main attic. I’ll climb to the attic. You bring the keys.”

  “If someone else brings you the keys, it’s important you open the north box first, then the south, east, and finally west,” Murphy said and disappeared.

  Jesse ran across the courtyard and let himself in the old servants’ entrance.

  Cid watched as Bridgeton walked into the entrance hall. He didn’t immediately acknowledge Cid. He looked around first and said without making eye contact, “Are you aware there is broken glass on the porch? I wonder if my uncle knows how sloppy you contractors are?”

  “You could ask him yourself. He’s in the library.”

  “I thought I recognized the driver. The car is new though…” Bridgeton said distracted. “Why are you standing around?”

  “I’m here to answer any questions you may have.”

  “Not dressed like that,” Bridgeton sniffed, looking at the ill-fitting work clothes. “Go and change into something more appropriate for a business meeting. If you see my uncle, tell him I’ll be checking out the foundation problem.” Bridgeton walked down the hall in the direction of the kitchen and the entrance to the basement.

  “I need keys,” Murphy whispered behind Cid.

  “They are iron keys. You can’t touch them.”

  “I have someone who can turn them.”

  Cid pulled the prayer beads, from which the keys still were attached, from his neck. “Hold on to them from the beads. Remember, you won’t be able to travel like a ghost.”

  “I think I can remember how to climb a stair,” Murphy said, pushing his hat back.

  Cid waited until Murphy had made the second flight of stairs before calling out, “Faye!”

  Faye appeared.

  “Be aware that Bridgeton is in the house, and I fear August has gone to feed.”

  “I’ll warn the others,” she said and disappeared.

  Cid walked quickly to the library. He opened the door slightly and slid inside. “Bridgeton is headed to the basement.”

  “August is feeding then,” Miss Gee said. “This gives us time, but also handicaps us. He will be strong, and Arnold grows weaker by the minute.”

  Cid looked over at the congressman who was sitting down flipping through a book, not really seeing the words on the pages.

  Father Santos and Father Simon were conspiring on the opposite side of the room.

  “I’m glad that you’re here,” Cid said.

  “I wasn’t needed in the hospital,” Father Simon reminded Cid.

  “No. I just thought you were…” he stopped before he blurted out about the keys and the attic, “with Jesse,” he finished.

  “He’s so headstrong, reckless, and irreverent,” Father Simon said. “A very bad patient.”

  “Someone will have to keep an eye on him,” Father Santos said.

  “Excuse me, are you talking about the man Bridgeton supposedly bashed in the head?” Miss Gee asked.

  “No, another contractor who fell through the ice,” Father Santos said.

  “Why was the fool on the ice?” Miss Gee asked.

  “He was trying to stop Bridgeton from tossing something into it.”

  Arnold was on his feet and opened the safe. “The keys are gone.”

  “It’s probably for the best,” Miss Gee said.

  “But what if he wins?”

  “He won’t,” Miss Gee said confidently.

  “What if he wins?” Arnold asked again.

  “The spirits will be trapped here forever and…”

  “This is not acceptable!” Arnold said. “You promised that if anything happened to me, the spirits of the men who lost their lives in this house would be released.”

  “I don’t remember any such promise,” Miss Gee lied.

  “I’ll take the house down brick by brick if I have to,” Cid vowed.

  “You’ll do no such thing!” Bridgeton said, walking into the library. “It’s my home, and I’ll raise my family in it. You, sir, need to find your place.”

  “Bridgeton, calm down.”

  “I will not calm down. You gave the house to me. I have the papers. I am not only the heir but the owner of the demon Gadus!”

  Arnold looked at Miss Gee.

  “Don’t look at her, she’s not going to help you. I know her name, and I know what you did to August. I’ve known since I was old enough to understand the words that were whispered to me. The treachery of the female demon. Do you know how old the body is that you…”

  “That will be enough of that!” Arnold said standing. “You’ll not inherit this or any part of my legacy. Get out, Bridgeton, and take August with you!”

  Bridgeton instead walked over and sat down in a chair opposite the congressman. “It’s time you and I had a private talk, Arnold.” He looked over at the priests and then at Cid. “Get the fuck out of my house!”

  “It’s not your house!” Arnold said.

  “I beg to differ,” August Atwater’s voice proclaimed.

  The men in the room could see Bridgeton’s Ken doll features fall away and a harsher visage form as the elemental took control. “It was my money that built this house, my money that supported your mother, and my money that you still rely on to do your good works.”

  “Grandfather, let the boy go. He’s an ass but still innocent. It’s time for the likes of us to…”

  “To what? Leave? I’m not going anywhere. And if she’s wise, Gadus will return to my side before I out her to the demon council.”

  “You wouldn’t dare!” Miss Gee exclaimed.

  “I would. I understand that they will strip you of your gold and your skin. No more will you be able to seduce humans in your flayed form.”

  Father Santos crossed himself.

  Jesse pushed through the insulation and found himself in the main attic. A door slammed open, and Murphy stumbled in.

  “The weight of the iron is zapping me of my energy. I must return to the outside to recharge,” he said, holding the beads at arm’s length. The keys twirled back and forth.

  Jesse took the keys. “Go recharge and then return to Cid’s side.”

  “But…”

  “That is where Mia would like you to be,” Jesse insisted.

  “But…”

  “Stop being a dumb farmer and…” Jesse’s last words fell away. Murphy had already left.

  Jesse stood up and said aloud, “Now which way is north?”

  “Well, if it isn’t the eejit who took an icy plunge for us wee ghosties,” Blue Daniel said.

  “Time’s not on our side,” Jesse said. “Which way is north?”

  “Behind you,” Jon O’Connor said. “That box is set as close to north as it gets.”

  Jesse moved quickly to the box. He tore away the surrounding insulation and started to fit the keys into the lock.

  “What are you doing?” Jon asked amazed.

  “Setting you free. I don’t know if I have to remove your heart from the box, but I will open it,” Jesse said.

  Jon fell to his knees. “Praise Jesus, Mary and Joseph.”

  Jesse found the key and carefully fitted it in the lock and turned it. Blinding light burst out, and Jesse fell backwards. He rubbed at his eyes, trying to rub the blue dots away.

  “Careful, Jesse, you’
ll rub your eyeballs out,” Jon said softly.

  Jesse focused on the voice and saw Jon O’Connor staring down at him.

  “You could have warned me that your heart was so powerful,” Jesse said.

  “I think they trapped part of the light that was coming for me,” Jon said. “I hear my mother.”

  “Find Faye and say goodbye,” Jesse said. “I’ll release Daniel.”

  Jon disappeared. Jesse removed the heart which had withered and dried into something resembling a misshaped prune and set it in a handkerchief he found in Wayne’s jeans pocket. He crawled over to where he had found Jon’s remains and set the heart in the center. He gently replaced what had covered Jon’s body. He crawled back to the open box and turned around. Jesse didn’t trust his eyes or his balance, so he crawled directly away from the north box. He kept a hand on a beam he knew to be true from his earlier inspection. He found the south box and started fitting the three remaining keys. He got it on the first try.

  Daniel was watching Murphy moving towards the trees from the nursery window when he felt his chest inflate. He stumbled to the mirror, and instead of seeing the air-starved corpse, he saw a pale imitation of a flesh-and-blood man. He was still dead, but he was no longer saddled with the blue hue left from Miss Gee’s suffocation. He drifted upwards until he found himself in the attic. Jesse was carefully tipping the contents of the box into Wayne’s oversized flannel shirt.

  “That’ll be my lungs,” Daniel said.

  “I think I’m supposed to bury them with your remains,” Jesse said, folding the material with reverence over the compressed and dried mass of organs.

  “Then we have to rip apart some stairs,” Daniel said. He stopped and looked at Jesse. “Pardon me for saying this, but you don’t look so good.”

  “I used to be dead but not dead-dead,” Jesse said. “I think I still have to release the other two.”

  “Ah them. They will be a problem,” Daniel said. “Wait until Murphy returns. I need to find Miss Faye.”

  “To say goodbye?” Jesse asked.

  “No, I’m not sure I’m going yet. I’m going to be there to be a shoulder to cry on when Jon leaves her.”