Ashes to Ashes (Experiment in Terror #8)

by Karina Halle

  “So, Tony,” I said to him, pointing my fork at him with a smile.

  He looked to me, Dex, and Rebecca. “Tell me again why you’re here. I mean, in Oregon. On the coast. It’s another episode, right?”

  I felt defensive for one second before I remembered that both Matt and Tony watched the show and totally believed in what we were seeing—and doing.

  My shoulders relaxed. “Yeah, it’s a haunted school.”

  “No way,” said Matt. “Not the one in Gary that used to house the sick kids.”

  “The very one,” Rebecca said. It was the first thing she’d really said to them other than, “Hi, I’m Rebecca,” and the twins eyes flew to her and her cherry-print dress.

  “And you’re the new partner,” Tony said, trying not to drool. “You know, I used to watch you on Wine Babes all the time.”

  I groaned internally. I felt like I was about to have fucking déjà vu.

  “Were you ever in Maxim like Jennifer was?” Tony asked.

  Yup. Déjà vu. My upper lip involuntarily curled. Dex put his hand on my knee. Uncle Al looked at me with a dry expression.

  Rebecca let out a laugh. “Me, in Maxim? Oh mercy, I’m not a bloody whore, you know. My tits and arse aren’t for the world to see.”

  And Rebecca saved the day.

  “That’s a shame,” Tony supplied.

  “Anthony!” Uncle Al warned. “Eat your damn food and shut up.”

  “Back to the ghosts,” Matt said, always the smarter one. He eyed me closely. “Have you been there before? It’s really fucking creepy.”

  “Language, Matthew,” Uncle Al said.

  Matt took a long gulp of his beer, staring at his dad over it before saying, “Whatever, Dad.”

  “No, I haven’t,” I said. I haven’t been to Oregon for months, I wanted to say. “But apparently all the hauntings started recently.”

  “Don’t you think that’s odd?” he asked, leaning forward like it was a conspiracy theory.

  “Why?”

  He took a lazy bite of chicken. “I don’t know. We always knew about that place…our friends live in Gary and they’d go there at night, way before it was a school. They said they’d see soccer balls going down the dark hallways by themselves and shit. They’d hear, like, the wheels of a gurney being pushed. Children crying. It’s just funny that the school has been operating for a while and only now they think there are ghosts.”

  I thought back to the teacher, Brenna McSomething, who reported the hauntings. I had to wonder if she was anything like Dex and I, if her very presence caused things to happen. And if her being there caused the hauntings to increase…what would it be like for Dex and I?

  “Perry?” Dex asked gently, his hand pressing down on my leg.

  I looked up at him and his deep, dark eyes, and realized that everyone else was staring at me. “Sorry,” I said. “Must have zoned out.”

  “Matthew, please stop with this ghost talk,” Uncle Al chided him. “It’s not appropriate for dinner.”

  Matt mumbled an insincere sorry and Marda quickly took over the conversation by asking us if we were hooked on any TV shows. Rebecca, her, and Tony got in an argument over Breaking Bad for a bit until it was time for dessert.

  Dex leaned into me, his breath hot on my neck. “I really hope they’re serving pie,” he murmured.

  I flushed from my head to my toes and bit my lip. I shot him a sly glance, glad my hair was shielding my red cheeks from everyone else. “You remember that, do you?”

  His gaze intensified, mouth parting open. “You have no idea. Of course, you were the one who was baking it.”

  “You know you can have pie any time you want,” I teased him.

  “Are we talking pussy or pie right now?”

  I giggled, hoping no one could hear him. “Take your pick.”

  Alas, it wasn’t pie but plain old ice cream with chocolate syrup. I opted out of it, relishing another beer instead. As soon as we were all finished, Rebecca and her impeccable manners started taking all the plates over to the sink to do the dishes, and naturally I had to help her.

  Meanwhile, Dex took that moment to pour Uncle Al another glass of wine and ask him if he could speak with him, in private.

  Rebecca and I exchanged a look as my uncle agreed, looking as surprised as we were, and the two of them walked out of the kitchen and into the backyard that overlooked the beach. I could barely make them out through the window above the sink.

  “What’s going on?” I asked Rebecca. “I know he hates doing the dishes but…”

  She glanced out the window, watching as their shapes disappeared into the darkening sky, then busied herself with the scrubber brush. “Oh, I don’t know. I guess Dex just wants to make a good impression, that’s all.”

  “Did he tell you that?”

  She paused for a moment before scrubbing at a tough stain. “Not in so many words. But he’s here for you, Perry. He just wants everything to be okay. And he wants your family to accept him. He knows it’s an uphill battle but you know Dex. He’s determined once he puts his mind to something.”

  I know I doubted Dex every now and then but hearing that really made me feel good inside. Solid. I could only hope that whatever he was saying to Uncle Al, that my uncle was being nice about it all.

  They were only out there for five minutes before they came back inside. Uncle Al came in first, his face red, but whether it was from wine or anger, I didn’t know. Dex followed shortly after, his beer almost empty and dangling loosely from his fingers. While my uncle disappeared into the living room where the twins were watching a movie with Marda, Dex loitered in the kitchen for a moment. He didn’t meet my eyes, and instead pulled out a chair and sat down.

  I glanced at Rebecca, who gave Dex a strangely sympathetic glance before she turned back to the dishes.

  “Dex,” I said quietly.

  He looked up. His face was open, expression blasé, but there was something troubling about his eyes. They looked haunted.

  “Are you okay?”

  He smiled but it failed to make his eyes crinkle. “Yeah, I’m fine. Bit of heartburn though.”

  “Maybe it’s the beer,” Rebecca suggested.

  He answered that by finishing it off and getting back up. He headed for the front door. I hastily put down the plate I was drying and ran after him, stopping him just as he put his hand on the knob.

  “Where are you going?” I asked, feeling suddenly uneasy about his change in mood.

  “Got a bit of a chill,” he explained, looking over my shoulder toward the living room. “Summer’s not here yet. I have my jacket in the car. I’ll be back.” He leaned forward and kissed me lightly on the cheek before stepping out into the night.

  I went back to helping with the dishes but wasn’t the least bit surprised to see that Dex didn’t come back in until we were done and watching some lame ass Ben Stiller movie with everyone else. There was no room beside me on the couch, so he sat on the ground, his legs stretched out in front of him. He wasn’t even watching the movie; instead, he was staring blankly at a spot on the carpet.

  I felt a pair of eyes on me and looked over to see Uncle Al staring from across the room. It took everything I had to keep from glaring at him in return. I came here hoping to make amends with at least part of my family. I had no idea what the hell my uncle was thinking, but whatever he heard about me from my parents, it was obvious that it was affecting him in some way. If he said something upsetting to Dex, I could damn well count on him feeling the same way about me.

  I waited until the movie was over before I decided to confront him.

  “I really hope you don’t mind sleeping on the couch,” Marda said to Rebecca as she started to pull the bed from it.

  “Perry and I would be happy to take the couch if Rebecca wants the guest bedroom instead,” Dex said. To hell with that, I wanted privacy to talk with Dex about what was going on. But while the three of them were having a debate over it, I took the moment to ask Uncl
e Al if he had any Sleepytime tea.

  He gave me a curious look but walked into the kitchen where I followed him. He pulled open a cupboard and started riffling through tea boxes. “Marda is the tea drinker in the house now. Are you sure you don’t want a glass of wine? Always helps me.”

  “Nah,” I told him, leaning against the counter. “Wine only makes my body sleepy but it doesn’t quiet the mind.”

  “Having trouble sleeping?”

  “Can you blame me?” I asked directly.

  He paused, box of chamomile tea in hand before placing it in front of me. “I’m afraid this is the most relaxing tea we have. I can ask Marda if we have anything else.”

  I quickly reached out and grabbed his arm. “No, don’t bug her about it, it’s no bother. Chamomile is just fine.” I glanced at the living room where I could still hear them arguing over the couch. Rebecca seemed to be whining, given the rising pitch of her voice. “Look, I was hoping I could talk to you. You know, niece to uncle.”

  He sighed quietly. “Right. I thought you might want to. Well, I want to talk to you too.”

  Interesting. I nodded. “Okay then. Shoot.”

  He lips twisted wryly, an expression that made him look a lot like my dad when he was getting into scholarly mode. “You asked me first. The table is all yours.” He gestured to it, and while I sat down, he put the kettle on and pushed a box of ladyfingers in front of me. “Eat. You could use it.”

  I tried not to laugh. What was it with Italians thinking everyone but the most obese person was severely underfed? Still, I picked one up and nibbled at the chocolate coating while I tried to think of the best way to ask.

  “I was just wondering,” I began slowly, keeping my voice low so that the rest of the house wouldn’t hear me, “what my parents have said to you. You know, if anything. If you know what happened.”

  He sat down across from me and rubbed at the lines in his forehead. “I know what happened.”

  “And? What was that? What did they say?”

  “I talked to your father, mainly. Your mom didn’t have much to say to me. She never really does, to be honest with you, Perry.”

  “Well, you and me both.”

  “They love you very much. You do know that, don’t you?”

  I felt a sting of tears behind my eyes. “I don’t know,” I said truthfully. “I guess they do, like every parent has to.”

  “No parent has to love their kids, Perry. It’s a conscious decision. They love you because they do, not just because you’re their daughter. They just don’t understand you. They worry. They’re afraid for you, that you’re making all the wrong choices.”

  I felt myself stiffen. “I’m not making wrong choices. I’m making the only choice.”

  He let out a breath. “The way they see it, the way your father told me, was that you were very ill…mentally ill. It was enough for them to really worry.”

  That was putting it mildly. I was fucking possessed!

  “And then when you were doing better, just as you got back and were recovering, you decided to leave and go live with the very man who put you in that terrible position.”

  “They don’t know Dex,” I said, the anger rising in me. I struggled to keep my voice down. “They don’t know him, but if they did, they’d see he’s the only one who loves me unconditionally. He’s always been there for me.”

  “Except when he wasn’t.”

  I opened my mouth, ready to spew venom, but he raised his hand in a manner that made me shut up, like he was some mob boss.

  “Perry, you can’t pretend what happened to you didn’t happen. You can’t pretend he didn’t break your heart like I told you he would.”

  I shook my head. “He did. I know, but people make mistakes. They deserve second chances.”

  “You’re right. And I agree with you,” he said, giving me a hard, steady look like he was trying to freeze me in place. “But not when you’re not well.”

  “I am well. I’ve never been happier.”

  “I can see that,” he said simply.

  “Perry?” I heard Dex’s voice from the other room and spun around in the chair. He came out of the living room and poked his head in the kitchen while Uncle Al got up and poured me my tea. “I’m going to bed now. Becs won the great couch debate. You going to be long?” His eyes went to Uncle Al and back to me, that strange haunted look coming back into them.

  I shook my head. “I’m just getting tea. I’ll come to bed soon.”

  He stared at me for a few moments.

  Don’t worry about me, I thought hard, trying to project it on him. I don’t know if it worked or not. He just nodded sharply and said goodnight to both of us.

  Once I heard the door to the spare room close, Uncle Al put the tea down across from me. “Careful, it’s hot.”

  I blew on it for a long time before taking a scalding sip.

  My uncle leaned back in his chair. “So what else do you want to know?”

  I felt frustrated at the conversation and fidgeted in my seat. “I don’t know. That, I guess. I wanted to know what they said. I guess they think I went off with Dex because I’m crazy.”

  “Perry, they just want you to come home, that’s all.”

  “I’m twenty-three. My mom wanted me out of the house for the longest time, how could they want me back?”

  “They don’t think you know what’s best for yourself at the moment.”

  I nearly smacked my hand down on the table but refrained myself. “I know what’s best for me more than anyone else. I’m not crazy. I had a moment or two there but that’s over.”

  “Is it?”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “What do you mean? Of course it is.”

  “And yet you keep putting yourself in these positions.”

  “What positions?”

  He folded his hands on the table. “My brother told me what you and your sister were saying, that it was possession. Demonic possession. You know Daniel discounted that off the bat, because of his beliefs. But you know my beliefs. You knew what I felt about that lighthouse. I have no doubt that if you keep opening yourself up to this…this job of yours, that you’re just putting yourself more at risk.”

  I couldn’t believe my ears. “You believe that I was possessed?” I asked quietly. I wasn’t sure that I could trust Uncle Al with the truth. We all played it off like I was delirious with a fever, all so my parents wouldn’t fear I was following in Pippa’s footsteps and have me committed. What if Uncle Al was baiting me? What if he’d tell my parents what I really thought, what I knew, happened?

  I cleared my throat and continued before he could answer. “Well I wasn’t possessed. I was just delirious. My parents made a bigger deal about all of it than they should have. And I didn’t want to live in that. Living with Dex made perfect sense and I don’t regret a minute of it. I just wish they could see that I know what I’m doing.”

  He stared at me for a few moments before shrugging, as if all the world had been on his shoulders. I knew he didn’t believe the act but I was giving him no choice. “When you see them, you can tell them that yourself.”

  I took another sip of my tea, the liquid burning my tongue and doing the opposite of making me sleepy. When my mouth recovered, I asked him, “What did you want to talk to me about?”

  “I think we’ve already covered part of it,” he said. His eyes drifted over my shoulder to the empty hallway. “Perry, I’m your uncle. I’m not your father. I know that doesn’t stop me from giving you advice though so I’m just going to talk. You can listen or you won’t listen, it’s all the same. I want you to be happy. But I also want you to stay happy. To think about your future.”

  “Okay,” I drew out, thinking he sounded like he was going into a pitch for a high-interest savings account.

  He sighed and reached for a cookie, weighing it in his hands. “I just don’t want you to do anything foolish.”

  I raised my brows. “That’s kind of vague.”

  “Dex
is foolish,” he said quickly, his words sharp like needles. “You may think you’re in love with him, and I believe you are, and I also believe the man is in love with you, but…come on, bella, you have to step back from the situation for just one second and try and see it all from someone else’s perspective.”

  I swallowed hard, a ball of fire expanding painfully in my chest. “Someone else like my parents?”

  “They’re older, they’ve been there, we’ve all been there. You’re living with this man that you barely even know, a man who just broke your heart and ruined you.”

  “Barely even know?” I managed to say. “I know Dex, okay? I know him more than anyone in this world.”

  “Perry,” he said, his voice tinged with impatience. “When was the last time you were here? Think about it.”

  I blinked stupidly. “Uh, September?”

  “Right. September. You came here with Dex in September. What month is it now?”

  “May,” I said, my throat tightening.

  “And how many months is that?”

  I stared at him, unwilling to count. “I don’t know.”

  “It’s eight months. You’ve known this guy for eight months.”

  Holy fucking shit. Was that true? I’d only met Dex eight months ago? It felt like I’d known him for years, ages, eternity. After everything we’d been through…every episode, every experience, it fused our souls together, time be damned.

  “It feels longer than that,” I said feebly. But I wouldn’t let him, my parents, win this argument. I straightened up in my seat and looked my uncle in the eye. “But so what? Lots of couples move in together when the moment is right. It’s different for every relationship. It doesn’t have to be a big deal.”

  “It will turn into a big deal when you commit to someone you realize you don’t know at all. I’m divorced for a reason. Don’t think I didn’t think like you at one point.”

  I gave him a funny look. “I live with Dex, Uncle Al. That’s it. We’re not getting married. We’ve barely discussed the future at all. Calm down.”

  His eyes widened for a split second. “He’s thirty-two. You’re twenty-three.”