“Yeah,” Snake said. “But, we didn’t know this. We didn’t think he was planning to climb to the top. We just thought we’d get in through one of the doors somehow—maybe even find the secret entranceway to the basement.”
They watched the shrink’s eyebrows arch upward.
“But, Jimmy always had to do stupid shit,” Hollywood said. “Excuse my language, Doctor, but he was always goofing around or trying to be a daredevil or a jackass, and tonight was no different.”
“He almost made it, though,” Snake said. “He was going to try to get in through one of the gable windows and come down and unlock the front entrance. He almost got to the top of the canopy, and then we saw it.”
Snake’s voice quivered for the first time during the discussion.
“What did you see, Snake?” Susan leaned forward, her tone now inquisitive.
“It was some sort of shape,” he said. “It moved, but it didn’t look like anything at all. It was just a shape at the top of the canopy, standing right above his head.”
“It was black,” Hollywood said, “a solid, black mass. We couldn’t see through it. I could see the snow flying around it, almost evading it, like it wouldn’t touch it. Whatever it was, it didn’t seem human. It killed Jimmy tonight. It moved over his hands as he clung to the roof of the entrance. It made him fall to his death; we saw it!”
“What happened to the ladder?” The shrink asked this next question, seeming to almost know what the answer would be.
“It fell into the snow,” Hollywood said.
Susan sat back, the color of her face drained to a pale wan, and she sighed before she spoke.
“Again, I want this to remain in this room. I need you to avert the truth from even your parents right now, as your parents have been notified. If this gets out, there will be media hype, interest from the police, and possibly even a lawsuit over Jimmy’s death, though against whom I wouldn’t know. Either way, it’s going to be unwanted attention that none of us can afford right now. If you listen to me and do as I instruct you, I can make this go away. That is what you want, isn’t it?”
“We just wanted them to listen,” Hollywood said, “to find out what did this to Jimmy.”
“Unfortunately, the police will never do that for you. They’re not inclined to believe you, nor equipped to help you with this situation. Fortunately for you, I and the team are. And I assure you, Leah Leeds will be getting to the bottom of what happened tonight, once and for all.”
“Doctor,” Snake said, until she corrected him, insisting on being called Susan. “Susan,” he continued. “Will the cops be charging us with anything?”
“I doubt it,” she said. “They could’ve charged you with breaking and entering, if you’d actually entered, but that didn’t happen. Trespassing would also be an option, but Leah Leeds would never allow that to happen, even though it isn’t her property. And, your friend was the one who brought the ladder without your knowledge and climbed to the top of the entrance. I can’t think of what they could charge you with. Besides, I wouldn’t worry about it now. Remember, I’m going to treat you both as my patients even though you may not be, technically.”
“You can do that?” Hollywood asked.
“Of course I can,” she said. “You’re both minors and have been through a very traumatic experience. I’m a ‘shrink’ as you called me.”
They found her easy to trust.
“So, when are we going to meet her?” Snake asked, looking at Hollywood as he did so.
“Leah Leeds?” she asked. “Well, I’m going to need you to be here at my office, first thing tomorrow morning. I’m bringing you with me to the society’s headquarters at the university. You’ll meet her then and tell the team exactly what you’ve told me and anything you didn’t recall tonight, agreed?”
They nodded. Then she spent another ten minutes briefing them on what their story would be to the cops and to their parents, at least, for now. They would reaffirm that it was dark, that Jimmy had brought alcohol, (which he had), and that it was hard to see amid the falling snow. This was the story they would tell, at least until all was settled, and the mystery was behind them.
* * * *
It was now six-thirty in the morning, and nearly three hours had passed since she drove the teens home, first arriving at the Stone house and explaining her contrived role to Snake’s now awakened mother, then seeing Hollywood home and waiting until her father arrived. She’d suggested to both parents that she thought it best if both teens would be at her office in the morning when their thoughts would be more focused and clear. Then, they would further their discussion of the night’s events. Losing a close friend was one thing, but actually witnessing that person’s death was another. Their grief served as a perfect cover.
Now, after the late breaking of a baby-blue dawn, Susan stood under the newly risen winter sun as it glowed above the highest heights of the great house, lighting and displaying the vintage house in all of its glory. Now, she saw it up close, not briefly against the eerie backdrop of a night sky, or quickly from the road in a hastened glimpse. She had permission to enter the site past the police tape that draped the front iron-gate. She walked down the limestone pathway and stood immersed in front of its eerie opulence even under the sun.
It stood grand, erect, silently beckoning yet masquerading as a voiceless fortress in the morning sun. She marveled at the sturdy structure bathed in its chocolate hue, the Colonial arches and gables, the short but reaching spire that pointed upward at the winter sky. Here is where the third eye of Leah Leeds had budded and sprouted wide like a wild dandelion, where a child became the prey of the many hidden evils that dwelt behind its walls. Here is where a young mother took her life under the spell of possession, and where a young husband and father lost his mind, leaving his daughter to fend off the visions and demons that now enveloped her adult life.
She wouldn’t stop Leah from reentering this house, but she could be there by her side, a prospect that had not been possible with Paul. She wasn’t going to let what happened to him happen to his little girl. The meeting at the university was scheduled for nine o’clock; she would arrive with the two young people who had experienced last night’s terror at this house. They would all discuss the night’s events, the next plan of action, and how they were going to move forward. She stood staring, prepared as the determination grew inside of her. She would be there to help destroy the evil of this house—once and for all.
Chapter Three
The inner stylings and workings of Room 208 hadn’t changed in the past few months. The Paranormal Research and Investigative Society’s headquarters looked much the same as always with the long conference table situated directly in the middle of a vast array of technology that adorned the room. It had remained a studious room amid a gallery of video and playback systems, recording devices, digital players, receivers, speakers, and televisions, all in the quest of exposing the shadowy realm of the unknown within this fluorescently lit one.
Dylan Rasche sat at his normal seat at the head of the long conference table. To his left sat his tech man, Brett Taylor, and to his right, the fully recovered Sidney Pratt. The three sat comfortably in the lush purple-velvet chairs within their haven, ready for business as usual. They’d been awakened in the early hours by a call from Susan Logan and told to assemble for a meeting, that it concerned Leah, and that they would be having guests. Dylan, as chief-investigator, would brief them before she arrived. Now, at the head of the table, he began.
“As you both know, Susan has called us here early this morning. That’s because our worst concerns about Leah have now surfaced.”
“Here we go,” Sidney said, predictable with his witty interruptions. “I’m just glad that this time, the story’s not about me.”
Dylan choked back a slight chuckle at Sidney’s wry and offbeat sarcasm. After all, Sid wasn’t aware of what was about to be revealed. After composing himself, he continued.
“Sid, something awful
happened last night,” Dylan lightly scolded. “By coincidence, it concerns Leah and whether we like it or not, it’s our next case.”
“Where’s Leah? Is she alright?” Brett asked, almost jumping up from his seat. His nervousness bordered upon hyper, a trait seemingly out of character.
“Leah’s fine,” Dylan said. “She’ll be here shortly.”
Dylan allowed a momentary pause to fill the room before he continued.
“As we all know, over the past couple of months, Leah has been continually tormented by visions and dreams of Cedar Manor. Susan has informed me that last night, three teenagers went to Cedar Manor to do some ghost-hunting. One of them climbed a ladder in an attempt to reach the top of the canopied entrance, and break into one of the gable windows. The young man fell while trying to make it to the top. He was killed instantly when his body was crushed on the stone platform below.”
Gasps escaped both Brett and Sidney. Another stunned and silent pause blanketed the room in a solemn hush.
“Where’s Leah, now?” Sidney stood from his chair with a seriousness that blatantly embarrassed his sarcastic side.
“She’s on her way,” Dylan said. “The thing is—she doesn’t know yet. Susan wants to tell her when she gets here.”
“She doesn’t know yet?” Brett said.
“Score another stroke of genius for Doctor Logan,” Sidney said.
“We’re also about to have guests,” Dylan said. “Susan’s bringing the two teenagers who witnessed what happened last night. They’ll be giving us full and private disclosure.”
“This is going to be interesting,” Sidney said.
“Yeah, but how will hearing this affect Leah?” Brett said. “She’ll be intent on going back into that house. Will she be able to handle this?”
“It doesn’t look like she’s going to have much of a choice,” Sidney said. “Either way, we’ll all be there for her.”
“Sidney’s right,” Dylan said. “We’ve never been in that house as a team, but it’s about to happen. She’s going to need us. She hasn’t been back to that house since the night her father whisked her out. She later worked briefly with the police to locate the bodies hidden there when they tried to solve the mystery of Agnes’ son. He was one of the many ghosts she saw in that house. What was his name? Anyway, it’s in her memoir.”
“I remember,” Sidney said. “Angus Marlowe. Agnes’ son was named Angus. He was a rapist and a murderer.”
“That’s right,” Brett said. “He kidnapped prostitutes and kept them chained in the basement, killing all of them in bizarre occult rituals he’d conducted in that house. Leah even saw one of the murders in her visions.”
“I think we all need to revisit Leah’s memoir before going back in there,” Sidney said. “We need a refresher course.”
“That’s a perfect idea, Sidney.” The familiar voice surprised them. “I’ve already begun doing the same thing myself.”
Once again, Susan Logan stood in a doorway she’d silently slipped through, evading the huff and hiss that usually accompanied the heavy swinging door.
“Susan,” Sidney said. “You know, it’s great to finally have a director that we can actually see, but the thing about you is that you appear out of nowhere.”
“Glad to see your sense of humor hasn’t changed, Sidney,” she said.
Dylan could see a twinge of regret on Sidney’s face. Not only had a young man died, but that last mention regarding Roman Hadley had escaped Sid’s mouth too quickly. He was about to ease into a half-apology through a quick clarification, but Susan began.
“I take it the two of you have been briefed?” She asked the question, looking from Sidney to Brett. They nodded.
“Where are our guests?” Dylan asked.
“I left them in the lounge down the hall until we’re ready for them,” she said, removing her coat and placing her purse and tote bag on the opposite end of the table from Dylan. “I thought the arcade games would keep them occupied for now.”
“Where’s Leah?” Sidney asked.
“She should be here soon, but I prescribed her a sleep aid in the event that these dreams intensified, and they have, so she may be a little late. Leah saw what happened last night in one of her dreams. She called me immediately and told me, and damn it, I didn’t act right away! That kid might still be alive had I driven out there immediately!”
“We obviously don’t have time for that now,” Dylan said. “Besides, I assure you, if Leah saw it, it was either happening at that moment or was about to. There’s nothing you could have done. What did Leah tell you she saw?”
“She saw everything these kids described: the young man falling, the ladder in the snow, the blood...It was like being told the same, exact story by two different sources.” She sighed. “There’s more...as I was saying, I began reading Leah’s memoir, and as you know, she describes the Native-American man she met as a child. I recognized his name.
“Tahoe Manoa was one of the many psychic paragons I studied when I was working on my degree in Parapsychology. He’s one of the world’s most powerful psychics, and by some strange twist of fate, he’s the one who diagnosed Leah as a seer when she was a child.”
“You’ve met him?” Sidney asked.
“No, of course not, but Leah has searched for him in the past, hoping that he might be able to tell her more about herself as an adult, maybe shine some light on what she experienced in that house. But, the man is an elusive recluse and apparently not interested in being found. She mentions not even being able to track him through the internet.”
“So, you think we should find this guy for Leah?” Brett sounded ready for the task.
“I think it might be worth a shot,” she said. “If he can shed any light on what’s happening to her now, or on that house, it could be the game changer.”
She pulled the thick white and blue tome from her tote bag and opened it to the page she’d bookmarked, placing the book face up in the middle of the long table.
“This is him,” she said, pointing to his picture. “His last known location was the Arizona desert, just as Leah described.”
“Which means, he could be anywhere in Arizona,” Dylan said.
“True,” Susan said. “But, if he can be found, we may need him.”
After closing the book, Susan sat back down and detailed all that had happened the night before, explaining the cover story she’d set in place for Snake and Hollywood. She also told how she had stood in front of Cedar Manor only a few hours before.
“I could feel a bad vibe about that place, anyone could’ve felt it.”
They turned with a start, as this time, they’d heard the huff and hiss of the door.
“What’s happened?” Her small, but astute figure stood firmly fixed in the doorway with a leer on her face that was not about to be lied to, nor was she about to be sheltered from any approaching storm. There, in the doorway, stood Leah Leeds.
“Tell me,” she said, “now.”
* * * *
“Leah, come and sit down.” Susan walked over to her as she stood in the doorway, still holding the door.
Leah turned her head, quickly looking away, aghast at how her worst nightmares were consistently being confirmed. She turned her head in toward them again.
“What’s happened? Just spit it out!”
“Leah, you need to come in here and sit down, okay?” Sidney cajoled her in the older brother tone she was used to hearing. “We’re all here together; everything’s going to be fine.”
Leah strode quickly into the room, letting the door close behind her. She dropped her purse on the table and took her seat next to Sidney. Her eyes darted to all of them, and she noticed Susan quickly closing a book she had been showing. Seconds of silence passed.
“Okay,” she said. “So, who’s going to speak first, or do we all draw straws?”
Susan’s sleep aid had been useless. For the remainder of the morning Leah had just lain in bed, half asleep, restful, but
semi-conscious. Now, three cups of coffee had counteracted the doctor’s mild sedative.
“Leah,” Susan said, taking a seat next to her so that she and Sidney sat supportively on either side of her. “What you saw in the second dream occurred late last night.”
Leah’s eyes widened with fear.
“When...?” Her voice was weak.
“Exactly around the time you were dreaming it,” Susan said calmly. “A young man was killed last night trying to climb to the top of the canopied entrance at Cedar Manor.”
Leah drew her head back as tears welled in her eyes. She forced them back and swallowed hard. Then, Susan told her everything: how the trio of teenagers snuck out of their homes late at night for a ghost-hunting expedition at Cedar Manor (at this, Leah gasped in disbelief), how Jimmy Nort brought a ladder (and a six-pack) and fell to his death, but most of all, the claim by the two remaining teens that a black figure standing at the top of the canopy was responsible for Jimmy falling.
“Where are they?” Leah asked.
“I’ve brought them here to talk to us. They’re waiting in the lounge, but I must alert you to something before we meet them. They’re obviously kids with a fascination for ghost-hunting and the paranormal. Apparently, one of their goals is to become paranormal investigators. Part of the reason they went to that house is because they’d heard the many stories about it being ‘the Leeds house.’ They’ve heard about you and wanted to discover if there were any truths to the legends. Sound familiar?”
She looked at them all when she asked the question.
“I’m going to the lounge to retrieve them. We’ll discuss our next course of action once they’re gone, understood?” The four investigators nodded their consent, and Susan left the room.
In the time that she was gone, Leah told Sidney, Dylan, and Brett her experience of the night before. It was one consistency that they maintained—keeping each other informed at all times. She described the dream of Cedar Manor and its progression from the last time, waking up in a cold sweat, and falling back to sleep in the armchair. Then, she related the dream as she remembered it, even now, to perfection. She described everything that was still etched into her mind: the house, the younger faces, the ladder, the dark figure, and then the blood in the snow.
The Third Eye of Leah Leeds Page 4
