The Haunting Season

by Michelle Muto

  Gage gave them a half-cocked smile. “We’re going to do what we came here for. We’re resurrecting Riley. And then we’re going to hand him a one-way ticket back to hell.”

  Bryan snorted. “Yeah? How are we gonna do that?”

  “With a few things I snagged from Brandt’s room. He printed out some voodoo crap about vanquishing spirits. I guess in case things got out of control. There’s a small bag of weird stuff still in his room, too.”

  “So, we’ve got to get back into his room without anyone seeing us.” A line of wrinkles claimed Bryan’s forehead. “Sure. But I think he’d miss the whole box, so what do we need from it?”

  Gage shrugged. “Weird stuff, like a small piece of wood tied to cardboard. It’s from a Rowen tree or something. There’s a rabbit’s foot, some smelly flower stuff rolled up into a turd-sized joint looking thing, and what looks like a four-leaf clover in a glass vial.”

  “Sage,” Jess informed them. “The stuff that looks like a super-sized joint? It’s called sage.”

  Bryan laughed. “And you think that’s going to work? A four-leaf clover? Some herbs? Man, that’s the worst plan I’ve heard yet.”

  “Probably,” Gage said, clapping a hand onto Bryan’s shoulder. He doubted any of that was their silver bullet. If he was right, the end-all answer was standing right in front of him. “But that’s why we have you.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Jess swatted at another mosquito. Funny how she couldn’t stand the little bloodsuckers when she’d first gotten here, but now found them almost preferable to being inside. She stood in the dark with Gage, Allison, and Bryan, facing the back of Siler House. It loomed over them as they contemplated the best way to end this—the best way to free themselves from its stranglehold.

  The house had become an addiction. And, like an addict who’s suddenly come to terms with his or her dependency, finally admitting it was both frightening and also provided an overwhelming sense of relief.

  Bryan laughed. “It’s weird, don’t you think? The house can keep us from leaving, but it can’t stop us from feeling like rats in a snake pit?”

  “Because it likes it,” Allison replied. “It likes our fear.”

  Jess shuddered. Had she ever really loved it here? She’d been so willing to find all the good in the house. The house was beautiful. Jess thought it would have been so much easier if it had been otherwise. Looking at it, there was nothing that warned people away. Siler House was something shiny and appealing until you saw the ugliness it hid underneath the paint and floorboards. She had seen it too late.

  Gage paced a few steps. “Our first move is the most unnerving. We’ve got to have a little one-on-one with Riley.”

  Jess grimaced inwardly. This was her part. “I guess that means I’m the one who has to get his attention.”

  She stole a glance at Allison, but she was either focused on what Gage had to say or was ignoring her.

  Gage nodded. “You and Allison.”

  Allison looked at them all with an expression of resolution and hurt. She’d made it clear she didn’t want any part of this, but probably understood there was no other choice. Allison was the only one of them that knew how to do this. She was the only one who’d ever had to deal with malevolent things—demon or spirit. She’d been the one to shout to the rafters that the house and everything in it meant them harm.

  “Okay,” Allison said, sounding tired. “But after we bring him into the open, it’s anyone’s guess what’ll work to get rid of him forever. Or even if there is a forever. In time, he might still come back. Like the demons.”

  Bryan lifted his head from his hands. They were all tired. Maybe too tired to be working out such a plan. But the longer they waited, the more advantage Riley and Siler House gained.

  “So, how do we get him out of the mirrors?” Bryan asked.

  Gage shrugged. “No clue.”

  Allison turned her head to Jess. “Use the Ouija board—do the whole séance thing. We have to call Riley, but only him. When he’s over, we have to clear the space—we have to tell the board to quit and we have to snuff out the candles and break the séance.”

  Finally. Allison realized they had to use the board.

  “And then?” Bryan asked. “Is that when it’s my turn?”

  They all stared at him. Jess felt sorry for him. It was a lot to bear.

  Bryan scoffed. “So, it’s all on me, then. We’ve got to hope I’m strong enough to nuke Riley and anything else he brings with him. But we don’t even know I can get rid of ghosts…or whatever the hell he is.”

  “You’re our best hope and you’ll have help,” Gage assured him. “The rest of us will have this banishing spell memorized. And we’ll have all those herbs and things from Dr. Brandt. We’ll perform the ritual while you do your…thing.”

  “Then we go after Gracie and Emma next,” Jess said.

  Gage nodded. “We get a shovel from the renovation crew, we go get that skull, and we bury it in the cemetery. Hopefully, that’ll put Gracie and Emma to rest, once and for all.”

  Bryan scratched his neck. “Once we start this, there’s no going back. We bust that lock on the fence and dig up those graves, someone’s going to notice.”

  “You think they won’t notice until then?” Allison burst into hysterical laughter. Jess knew she was thinking of all the things that could go south in a hurry.

  Jess wrapped an arm around her. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “We’ll get through this. All of us.”

  “We have to do this after the last of the maids and the renovation crew have left for the day. We can’t risk involving anyone else,” Gage said. “As for the property, whatever damage is done, it’s done. We’ll just have to work fast the next morning before anyone shows up.”

  Bryan swatted a mosquito. “We should do it when the crew won’t be here, or the maids.” He cocked his head and shrugged. “That means Friday night. The maids and the crew don’t show up on the weekend.”

  “That gives us only a day to prepare,” Jess said. “What about Dr. Brandt and Mrs. Hirsch? What do we do about them?”

  Gage rubbed his eyes. “If we include Dr. Brandt, we don’t have to worry about what Mrs. Hirsch thinks.”

  Allison shook her head, her soft strawberry blond hair sweeping against her slumped shoulders. “But—”

  “How else are we going to do it?” Gage snapped. “There’s not a chance we can do all this without one or both of them finding out—ahead of time, or worse, during.”

  Bryan’s gaze cut to Gage. “Brandt’s been wanting to bring Riley over. This way, we just keep him close.”

  Something about Brandt was off, Jess felt sure of it. “Allison’s right. I don’t know if that’s the best idea.”

  “Got any ideas how we can do it without him?” Gage wanted to know. “Because I’m listening.”

  Jess knew he was tired. They all were. Their nerves were on edge. Everyone wanted Gage to be the one to fix it, to have a plan, and like the others, he had nothing. First, they’d have to collect the supplies without Dr. Brandt’s knowledge, then set up in a room where he, or more likely, Mrs. Hirsch wouldn’t walk in on them. Their absence would ensure someone would wonder what they were up to. And, while Dr. Brandt seemed occupied with the house and who knew what else, even he’d be curious. He could walk in at the wrong time.

  “Fine, but I don’t trust him,” Jess said.

  “Won’t he go back to EPAC?” Bryan asked. “If we succeed and he’s there—”

  “He tells EPAC we’re marketable. I know. I know,” Gage finished.

  “Not if we meet in the middle of the night again,” Allison suggested. “Of course, we’ll still need to worry about Mrs. Hirsch. Or, we can do it your way and take our chances with Dr. Brandt.”

  “We could hope he realizes this is something neither he nor EPAC can control,” Jess said, not really buying into it.

  “He spends time down in the basement right after lunch,” Bryan said. “And since he
doesn’t go up to the music room before then, maybe a couple of us could set up the room fast. No one will think much of it since Jess practices up there, anyway.”

  “Works for me,” Gage said.

  Allison shivered. “I’m scared.”

  Bryan smiled nervously. “At this point, I think we all are.”

  The worry was easy to see on Allison’s face. She hadn’t needed to tell them. Her eyes were owlish, with dark crescents underneath, her skin pale, and she was gently rocking back and forth. Allison was close to shutting down.

  Jess recalled Allison’s words, how she described hiding in her ivory tower. Run away, Allison! Run away!

  Jess turned to her. It was bad timing, but she had to know. “When we do the séance, how will we know Riley’s all we’ve brought back?”

  Allison continued rocking. “We’ll know. I’ll know.”

  She’s going to break. Allison isn’t going to be able to hold this together much longer.

  And if she did break? If Allison lost it before they could cross Riley over and banish him to who knew where for who knew how long? What then? And what were the odds only Riley would be waiting on the other side of that door? Allison would be weak, vulnerable. Even more than now.

  Jess feared the worst was true.

  The demons would come for Allison. Maybe for all of them.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  The sun shone a bit too brightly through the window the next morning. Jess would have liked to sleep longer, but someone was knocking lightly on their door. Head pounding from lack of sleep, she rolled over and looked at her roommate, hoping she’d answer it seeing as her bed was closer to the hallway. Allison was sleeping like the dead. There was another, louder tap on the door.

  Ugh!

  “Just a second!” Jess called. Wiping her bleary eyes, she forced herself from the bed and stumbled to the door. Allison merely grumbled something and rolled into her pillow. Jess raked a hand through her hair and opened the door a crack.

  A woman wearing the standard Siler House maid uniform stood before her. Jess didn’t recognize her, but that didn’t mean a lot. Since they’d been here, three maids had either given notice or just walked off the job—like the gardener had done last week.

  The woman smiled. “Dr. Brandt sent me to check on you and Miss Giles. Are you two all right? It’s after nine o’clock and he wondered if you were joining him for breakfast.”

  Who was this cheery in the morning?

  She opened the door a little further. “Where’s Mrs. Hirsch?”

  The maid gave a slight shrug. “I don’t think she’s in today. Should I tell Dr. Brandt you’ll be down shortly?”

  Another polite smile.

  “Not in? She lives here. I mean, she’s been staying here with the rest of us.”

  “Sorry. I’m sure you could ask Dr. Brandt.”

  “Tell him we’ll be down in a few.”

  With that, the maid turned on her heel and headed back down the hall.

  “Who was that?” Allison asked, voice still heavy with sleep.

  Jess closed the door. “I don’t know. One of the maids. Another new one.”

  Allison looked at the clock and leapt from the bed. “It’s after nine! Mrs. Hirsch will be up here next if we don’t get downstairs!” She slid out of her sleepwear and grabbed last night’s pair of shorts from the floor.

  Jess stretched, trying to shake off the sleep that wanted to reclaim her. She changed out her sleepwear as well, also putting on last night’s clothes. After breakfast, she’d come back and take a shower. A nice, long one. “The maid said Mrs. Hirsch wasn’t here today.”

  Allison stopped brushing her hair and turned to face Jess, surprise evident on her face.

  “Yeah,” Jess replied, sliding on her sneakers without bothering to unlace them first. “That’s what I thought, too. It’s why I want to hurry up and get downstairs. Don’t you think it’s a bit too weird?”

  Allison nodded as they left the room. “Think she saw something and quit? It’d sure make things go more smoothly.”

  Jess nearly laughed. “If she didn’t quit after seeing what happened with Bryan and the knives, she never will.”

  “You never know. Mrs. Hirsch walked around at all hours. Alone. She’s likely to have seen anything. Maybe she found some way to leave. We could hope, right? For her sake?”

  It was possible, but Jess still didn’t feel right about it. Mrs. Hirsch just wouldn’t have quit. And if they were stuck here, then Mrs. Hirsch had to be, too. The house had affected everyone who stayed here around the clock.

  What if she had gone the way of Dr. Brandt? What if she was so taken by the house that she’d holed herself up in one of the rooms?

  What if she’d uncovered one of the mirrors?

  Jess envisioned Mrs. Hirsch, a crazed look on her face and a large, shiny knife in her hand.

  …She cut off their heads with a carving knife, have you ever seen such a sight in your life…

  Stop it! Just stop it right now!

  Her mother’s words rang in her head. Your imagination. Your misplaced imagination.

  “When’s the last time you saw her?” Jess asked.

  “Yesterday. Last night, maybe? You don’t think Riley or the house…” Allison trailed off.

  Jess forced a smile, trying not to recall Allison’s words about how pissed the house would be once it realized what they were up to. “No. I’m sure she’s around here someplace.”

  She gave the second floor hallway a quick glance as they passed it. No Gage or Bryan. “I saw her when she went through the Great Room, but that was it.”

  “She was in the hall right after you left to go downstairs,” Allison said. “I heard a couple of the doors open and close—you know, like she always does when she’s on patrol.”

  “But did you actually see her?” Jess asked as they headed into the dining room. Dr. Brandt sat at the table sipping coffee, an empty plate in front of him.

  Allison shook her head. “No, but I’m sure it was her. It’s what she always does.”

  “Hey!” Bryan said as he exited the kitchen with a plate and coffee.

  “Coffee sounds really good.” Jess said, deciding that coffee outweighed everything this morning, including Mrs. Hirsch’s whereabouts. Allison followed her into the kitchen.

  Gage had already poured himself his own mug. Jess watched as he took a sip. Only Gage could make sipping a cup of coffee sexy. He hadn’t even bothered to comb his hair. Jess resisted the urge to run her hands through it to make it even messier. It was a strange thought in the midst of all they had going on today, but thinking of them together, alone again with nothing else to worry about, sounded like heaven right now.

  “We could use bigger mugs.” He smiled as he walked past Allison. He leaned in as he neared Jess. “Not that I’m complaining about the lack of sleep,” he said quietly.

  Before Jess could reply, he left the kitchen.

  She poured some coffee, added milk and sugar, tossed a Danish onto a plate and followed Allison out of the kitchen and into the dining room.

  “So, what happened?” Bryan asked Dr. Brandt. “Did she say?”

  Dr. Brandt gave a slight nod to Jess and Allison and waited for them to take a seat. Once they were settled, he said, “Bryan was just asking about Mrs. Hirsch. She’s not going to be joining us for a week or so. Family emergency.”

  He turned to address Bryan, his demeanor calm and casual. His face was a mask, totally unreadable. “No, she didn’t explain.”

  “That was sudden,” Gage added. “We just saw her last night.”

  Dr. Brandt offered a thin smile. “These things happen. That’s why they call them emergencies.”

  “So she just up and left?” Jess said. “How is that possible?”

  “I imagine she left right through the front door,” Dr. Brandt answered.

  He doesn’t know? He honestly has no idea the house is keeping them? Liar!

  But, what if it wasn’t keepi
ng everyone? What if it was keeping just them? She’d only assumed it kept everyone who stayed, but what if it was selective?

  Brandt pushed his empty plate aside and folded his hands on the table. “I think the time has come to do the séance.”

  Brandt’s gaze fell on all of them, one by one. Allison stopped chewing, Bryan nearly spit out his coffee. Jess dropped her Danish back onto her plate. Only Gage seemed unfazed.

  “Tonight,” Brandt finished.

  Jess looked down at her plate.

  “After dinner, there won’t be any staff present, and there won’t be any of the construction crew here. And, with Mrs. Hirsch gone, it’s just the five of us. We might not get an opportunity like this anytime soon.” Brandt grinned again and Jess didn’t like it. Had he heard them last night? Maybe he’d been listening to them through an open upstairs window.

  “I think it’s safest this way, don’t you agree?” Brandt pulled a yellow notepad and a pen from the leather portfolio beside his chair. It’d been a while since he’d actually written anything down.

  “We’ll need to record it, of course,” he went on, not waiting on anyone’s acceptance or refusal—not even Allison’s. He looked up, though he continued to write. “I leave that part to you, Bryan. You already know how to operate the video camera.”

  Bryan nodded casually. “Sure.”

  Dr. Brandt went back to scribbling on the note pad. The four of them exchanged a quick glance.

  Now what? their expressions seemed to say. Would Brandt have them send Riley back or would he insist they try to control him somehow? Did he actually believe Allison could handle that?

  No, Jess decided. If Gage and Allison were right, and she believed they were, then Brandt would want, no expect them to control the situation.

  Well, crap!

  “We’ll meet down here at ten,” Dr. Brandt said. “We’ll gather the equipment and set up in the music room. Then, we should go over what we’ll each be expected to do. We’ll hold the séance at midnight.”