by Hunter Shea
Chapter Twenty-Three
Greg Leigh sat in his easy chair, but he was feeling far from relaxed. Rita and Selena sat on the loveseat opposite him. They had dropped Ricky off at his friend Xavier’s house earlier, then came home to drop the bomb. It had been one hell of a surprise.
“And when is this person coming?” he asked, holding off on his anger until he had all the facts.
Rita put a hand on Selena’s lap and answered, “There are actually two of them and they’ll be here tomorrow around noon.”
Greg looked at Selena, who cast her eyes down to her mother’s hand.
“I don’t remember anyone asking me if this was okay,” he said. He dug a nail into the armrest, trying to keep his composure.
“Selena came to me a few days ago. She and her friends did all the research and she showed it to me. I told her to contact them.”
Rita looked him in the eye, defiant. She was in full on momma-bear mode. Things could get ugly, fast. Selena looked as if she was close to crying. Greg took a deep breath, hoping it would calm him. He and Rita were very much alike when it came to fighting. Both were stubborn as hell and defeat was never an option. It was why some of their more legendary arguments led to his sleeping in the guest room for as much as a week at a time.
Rita continued, “I don’t know if you’ve been aware, but we’ve been living in fear the past few weeks and you didn’t lift a finger to even attempt to find some answers. If bringing in the people from this website makes Selena comfortable, that’s good enough for me.”
She had him there. He still thought there was a rational explanation for what they had experienced, and since it hadn’t happened again, it was easy to ignore. He had work, and with this being the busy season for his company, he often brought it home with him. Where would he have found time to seek help? And just where the hell did they expect him to start?
It was Rita who went to the library to see if she could find anything that would shed some light on things, but the occult section left a lot to be desired. Greg remembered coming home one day to find her sitting in bed, books on UFOs, ghosts and witchcraft on the comforter. He had joked that she looked like one of the gang from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and she had given him the cold shoulder in return. When that proved fruitless, she went to Father Ogden and asked him to bless the house. That was supposed to happen in another week and Greg had already made a mental note to keep busy in the yard when the padre came to the door. He thought Father Ogden was a bit of a tosspot who was well past his prime. He couldn’t stand the man’s sermons. They always seemed to tie back to abortion and the sanctity of life. Roe v. Wade must have really unhinged him, Greg had thought more than once.
“How much is this going to cost?”
Greg held his breath, waiting for Rita to answer. What she said next would determine whether there would be peace in the Leigh house tonight. Even in the best of times, money was tight.
“Nothing. They do this to help people, not to make money.”
Greg huffed. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”
Selena spoke up. Her bottom lip quivered and her eyes were glassy. “Please, Daddy, don’t be mad. They’ll only be here for a couple of days. The woman who wrote me said she knew what we were dealing with and that she could help. I don’t…I don’t know how much longer I can stay here, waiting for that thing to show up again. Even when I don’t see it, I can feel it. It’s like I’m being watched all the time, even when I’m out of the house.”
Greg almost told her to stop thinking crazy thoughts like that, but one look at her face made him swallow his retort. Jesus, she was a mess. He felt his anger, his trepidation, his wounded macho pride fade away. Whatever apprehension and doubt he felt, and it was impossible to discount, would have to be put on the back burner for now. He motioned for her to come over. Selena rose from the loveseat and melted into his outstretched arms. She buried her face in the collar of his shirt and wept.
When he looked toward Rita, she mouthed a silent thank you.
Eve looked over the questionnaire that Jessica had asked the New Hampshire girl’s mother to fill out. It was standard procedure for Jessica to gather as much information as she could before she went to someone’s home to take on their supernatural problem. It was essential for Eve, too, so she could get a clearer picture of what Jess was about to step into. If she didn’t like what she saw, there would be no trip. She’d dismantle the Jeep herself to stop her.
The questions were pretty straightforward. They asked the experiencer to describe what they saw, when, where, the weather at the time, if there were additional witnesses, etc. From all accounts, what happened with the Leigh family was recent and brief. No prior history.
“What do you think?” Jessica asked. They were in the living room, having finished watching Dancing with the Stars, a guilty pleasure for them both. Jessica looked like a little girl in her long Mickey Mouse night shirt and fuzzy slippers. Eve smiled, remembering having her on one lap and Liam on the other, sitting on the same couch watching cartoons. Now here she was, being asked to give her blessing to let Jessica travel to New England to help a scared girl who wasn’t much younger than her brave and stubborn adopted daughter.
“Well, from what I learned from your dad, doppelgangers are pretty rare and don’t pose a threat to anyone but the person they’re impersonating. I hope this is all just a misunderstanding and not a sign that something might happen to the girl. Poor kid.”
“That’s why I want to go. How many people have had the chance to investigate an actual doppelganger? And I want to give some peace of mind back to Selena if I can. So, can I go?”
Eve rubbed the back of her neck. “I don’t know. New Hampshire isn’t exactly around the corner.”
“I’ll only be gone for a few days.”
“Yeah, but I don’t like the idea of you alone in a place you’ve never been. There are dangers to young ladies other than ghosts, you know.”
“I won’t be alone. Eddie will be with me.”
“And I’m supposed to be over the moon that you’re going there with a boy you barely know?”
Jessica shrugged. “Wasn’t it you who said you liked the idea of me having someone that would have my back? And he really did.”
“What will the sleeping arrangements be?” Eve knew Jessica wouldn’t be shacking up with Eddie, but it was fun to push her buttons sometimes.
“Oh jeez, we’ll be in separate rooms at the Best Western. Who do you think I am, some reality show horn dog? I’d break his arms if he even suggested sharing a room.”
Eve bonked Jess on the head with the rolled up questionnaire. “Sounds like you already made plans.”
Jessica laughed. “It’s all refundable. If I show you one more thing, will you let me go?”
“I dread to think what it could be. I know you won’t be happy until you do, so let’s see it.”
Jessica picked her laptop off the floor and called up a video, sizing it to full screen. “Pay close attention when you get to the four-minute, thirty-three-second mark.”
Eve did.
And asked her to play it again.
Even though Jessica’s GPS told her to take I95 most of the way from New York to New Hampshire, Eddie had convinced her to take the more scenic route that took them along I84, then up through I495 where the road would end right at the exit to Seabrook. He had logged on to AAA the night before they left and gotten the directions from them. It meant less traffic and should save them about thirty minutes.
He wore khaki shorts and a tucked in gray golf shirt. When she picked him up, she joked that he looked as if he were going to play croquet at a country club. He commented on her choice of black jeans and faded Ozzy Blizzard of Ozz tour shirt as the first choice of metal heads, circa 1981.
While in Massachusetts, they passed a sign for Old Sturbridge Village. Jessica turned down the blaring radio and said, “Oh wow, I remember that place. My aunt Eve took me there for my tenth birthday. I was into American hi
story at the time and I thought it was even cooler than Disney World.”
“What is it?” Eddie asked. He kept one hand on the bar above his head and had sparingly taken his eyes off the road. Jessica laughed inside. She knew her driving took a lot of people by surprise.
“It’s a replica of an old colonial times village. The people who work there dress in period pieces and they have a working blacksmith, farm, mill, you name it. I remember that I got to play tug of war on the common ground and when we won, we were given rock candy as a prize. We should go there on the way back.”
She gunned the Jeep up to eighty-five to pass a car that dared to only go a tick above seventy in the middle lane. Eddie sucked air in hard through his teeth, but she gave him credit for not telling her how to drive.
“Bear in mind, I do have a job to get back to, no matter how insignificant it may be,” he said.
“Well, that’s if we can wrap this one up one-two-three.”
Eddie shook his head. “I don’t know about that. Getting a chance to investigate a recurring doppelganger is pretty rare. We don’t have much history to draw from.”
“That’s why I have you here. I was hoping you could see or sense or hear something that I would never pick up on, maybe give us a direction to go on.”
She failed to tell him about her own reticence about this particular case and how his actions with the Edwin Esposito EB made her feel safer. She knew that even if she hadn’t met Eddie, she would have jumped at the chance to examine a doppelganger case. Having him around just made her more comfortable, but she’d die before letting him know that. She still didn’t know much about Eddie Home. She wasn’t about to spill her deepest feelings to him now.
“We’ll see. I have zero experience with this type of thing,” he said. “But thank you for thinking of me. Seriously. I’m happy to help.”
He smiled, which was replaced by a grimace when she swerved around a tractor trailer. He did look sincere.
She said, “Okay, by my estimate, we have about two hours to go. We might as well use this time to learn a little something about each other.”
“Works for me.”
“Favorite movie?” she asked.
“The 40-Year-Old Virgin.”
Jessica laughed. “Really?”
“Really. What’s yours?”
“The Shining.”
“I should have known.”
“Speaking of which, I feel like I may be at a disadvantage here. I can ask you questions and have to take your answers at face value, whereas you can poke around my brain and see things I don’t want you to see.”
Eddie rolled down the window and let his hand undulate against the steady current. “That’s true, I could, but I won’t. I do have control over myself, and I choose to stay out of your head. I have enough nightmares as it is.”
Jessica backhanded his upper arm, but not too hard.
“Okay, you ask me a question,” she said.
“Well, I already know your musical tastes stopped somewhere in a metal concert in 1991. I’ll tell you that my favorite modern band is the Dropkick Murphys. Other than that, I’m old-time crooners all the way. What’s your major in college?”
“Anthropology. I’m not sure what I’ll do with my degree when I graduate, but the subject fascinates the hell out of me. Guess I’m addicted to studying dead people.”
“You ever think of taking parapsychology? There are a few schools out there that offer it as a course of study. Something like that would seem to be right up your alley.”
Jessica shook her head. “I thought about it once, but I’m not interested. Parapsychologists deal with doubt and uncertainty. Their job is to assign everyday reasons for impossible events. I know what’s really out there. And I bet you do, too.”
Eddie moved the conversation back to lighter topics that helped make the stretch through I495 pass by quickly. They stopped for a few minutes to get gas and bottles of water, and less than an hour later, got off the first exit on I95. They only had to go another couple of miles before they pulled up to the Leigh house, a tan Cape in the middle of an entire neighborhood of similar Cape homes.
There were pretty trees in front of every house and plenty of kids playing in the streets. Seabrook looked to be a working family kind of town, and it was apparent that most people took pride in their modest homes.
The Leighs had a full second floor and an attached garage. All of the front lawns on both sides of the street were lush and well groomed. Their mailbox by the curb was shaped like a mini replica of their house.
“Quaint,” Jessica said. “I wouldn’t mind living here.”
“Being so close to the beach doesn’t hurt either.”
They got out of the Jeep and were hit by a blast of heat. Since passing by the exit to Boston, they had rolled up the windows and turned on the air conditioner. Summer was in full bloom in New Hampshire.
“I thought it was supposed to be nice and cool in New England,” Eddie said.
“Not in summer, do-do. Let’s go, time to put on our game faces.”
Jessica adjusted her hair in the car’s side view mirror and walked up the drive. Eddie stayed a pace behind, she hoped trying to pick up some vibes on the place.
The door was answered by an attractive middle-aged woman and her husband, who, despite his smile, looked as if he would rather be anywhere than here at the moment.
She extended her hand. “Hi, I’m Jessica Backman from fear none dot com. This is my partner, Eddie Home. Your daughter contacted me.”
“I’m Rita, this is my husband Greg. Please, come in. Selena’s inside.”
A tiny dog yapped at Rita’s heels. It wagged its tail furiously, so she assumed it wasn’t out to take a bite from her ankles.
“Billy, be quiet!” Rita said to the dog. The little ball of fur groaned and scampered into the house. “I’ll let him out back in a bit so we can have peace and quiet.”
Jessica smiled, letting her know that she wasn’t afraid of dogs.
“My son, Ricky, is staying at a friend’s house tonight. We didn’t want to scare him.”
“That makes perfect sense,” Jessica reassured her.
As she passed by the Leighs, she heard Greg mutter to his wife, “They’re kids. Are you sure about this?”
Rita waved him off.
Selena hopped out of her chair and shook their hands. Jessica could see the stress on the young girl’s face as easily as if she were wearing a T-shirt that said I’M LOSING MY MIND AND CAN’T TAKE ANY MORE. Rita Leigh offered them some iced tea, and they all moved into the dining room to take a seat. Jessica pulled a digital recorder out of her pocket.
“You mind if I record this?” she asked.
Greg Leigh arched an eyebrow, but Rita and Selena both said, “No, it’s not a problem.”
“You have a real nice place here,” Eddie said, admiring the comfortable, ordered living room.
“Thank you,” Rita said with a flush of pride.
Jessica got down to business. Greg Leigh didn’t look as if he’d be long on idle chit-chat. “Okay, Selena, I know you wrote everything that’s been going on in the email you sent and even the video you recorded, but I think it would be best if each of you told us what you experienced and anything else big or small.”
Selena started to talk, but the words jumbled in her throat and she looked as if she was about to cry. Her mother put her arm around her shoulders and said, “How about I start?”
I like mom, Jessica thought.
Rita Leigh proceeded to talk about the day she heard Selena calling for her when she wasn’t anywhere near the house. The recorder rolled on, and Eddie followed the rule this time, keeping quiet.
Jessica hid her reaction well when Eddie grabbed her leg under the table. She followed his gaze to the stairs in the living room, catching the slight crack of a step, as if someone had just walked up and out of sight.
Chapter Twenty-Four
When they had gotten all the information they could,
at least with all of the family members in the same room, consciously or subconsciously affecting one another’s answers to their questions, Jessica turned off the recorder and put it back in her pocket.
“Would you mind if Eddie and I walked through the house?” she asked.
Rita Leigh rose from her chair. “Sure. I’ll take you.”
“If it’s all right with you both, I’d like it if Selena could give us the tour.”
Eddie looked over at Greg Leigh and saw the slight bulge in his neck and jaw as his muscles tensed like steel cords. Rita placed a firm hand on his shoulder to head his rejection off at the pass and said, “Only if Selena is comfortable.”
Selena nodded and pushed away from the table. “Yeah, no problem. Follow me.”
Eddie let Jess take the lead as they followed Selena into the living room and then into the garage. The young girl was well on her way to being a stunner. She was worn down from everything, but he sensed a very strong internal spirit within her. This kid is not one to go down without a fight, he thought.
“This is where your father thought he saw you?” Jessica asked. She had a small notepad in her hand and jotted down a few lines.
“He was putting his car up on those ramps so he could change the oil and he thought he saw me walk in. It made him hit the gas wrong and he tipped off the ramp. I think he’s still pissed that he damaged the car…that is, after he realized I wasn’t hurt or in the garage at the time.”
Eddie opened up his mind, trying to pick up on any residual energies left in the wake of the incident. It wasn’t something he took lightly. Letting his defense down could expose him to things better left on the other side of the barn door. But he was here to help. Time to take a chance.
Even though it had happened weeks ago, time meant very little to his abilities. What occurred a hundred years ago was just the slightest flutter of a hummingbird’s wings to the various dimensions that coexisted with our current interpretation of reality. Eddie’s true gift was being able to peer into those dimensions and, at times, to draw from their power and manipulate objects and people in the here and now. While the girls spoke, he let himself drift, their voices fading into the background.
