by Wendy Wang
“She wanted to talk to some of the spirits out there,” Jen said. The matter-of-factness of her statement still shocked him, despite his first-hand experience earlier in the day. His neck twitched from muscle memory and he could almost feel the invisible hands cutting off his access to air again. He rubbed his throat.
“Is that safe?” he asked.
The two women responded simultaneously.
“No,” Evangeline said.
“Yes,” Jen countered.
The women looked at each other and frowned.
Jen sighed. “Charlie’s been talking to spirits a long time. I have no doubt she’s fine.”
“Hello Deputy,” Lisa said as she walked into the kitchen carrying more dirty dishes. She put them in the sink and leaned against the counter. “This is a surprise.”
“Hi Lisa.” He offered her a perfunctory smile.
“Charlie’s not answering her cell phone,” Evangeline said.
Lisa’s gaze bounced from her aunt to Jen to Jason. “Uh, should we be worried?”
“I think we should,” Evangeline said quietly. Jen and Lisa shifted their gaze toward each other and Lisa’s head began to bob in a nod.
Jen relented. “Fine. I give in. Evangeline, can you watch Ruby and Evan?”
“Of course,” Evangeline said.
“Lisa, get Daphne. I’ll get the bags and we’ll go do our thing.”
“Wait. What’s happening?” Jason held his hands up, unsure how his simple request to talk to Charlie had moved into some sort of action.
“You go get the bags. I’ll fill him in.” Lisa folded her arms across her chest and stepped forward. Jen nodded and disappeared through the swinging door. “Listen, Charlie thinks that this spirit guy is tied to the girls that have gone missing.”
“What? How?”
“Charlie met with more than just your grandmother today. She talked with Honey Talmadge. I guess she’d have been your great aunt if she’d lived.”
“Okay—” Jason listened carefully, trying to keep himself from jumping to any conclusions or scoffing at the impossibility of Lisa’s words. He didn’t have the luxury of skepticism anymore. “And what did Honey have to say?”
“You know, it’s a really long story. One that I’d be happy to tell you on the way there.”
Chapter 27
The gloom of the woods made it difficult to see, even with the dying light of the day filtering through. As Charlie approached, the girls’ apparitions began to disappear. She hoped once she showed herself to be friendly they would come back. She clicked on the flashlight. She had walked deep enough into the dark woods that she feared tripping over something and breaking a bone, yet she could still see the back of the house. It was such a strange delineation between light and darkness. Even with the encroaching storm, there was plenty of gray light to see by in the backyard. Panic fluttered softly against her rib cage and she turned in a circle.
“Please come talk to me,” she said to the trees. “I promise I've only come to help.”
Thunder grumbled off the horizon and the leaves above rustled in the wind. She didn't want to be caught in these trees when the rain started. She would never make her way back then.
“I know you're here. I saw you.”
Something cold fluttered along her arms and she turned quickly to find the source. A pale silver orb floated a few feet away.
“Hello,” she said. “I've come to help you.”
The orb bounced a little making a wavy line of light in the air. It circled her before breaking into a dozen smaller orbs. She could feel them — the anguish of their souls and their disbelief in her ability to help them.
“I truly am here to help,” she whispered. “But you must talk to me first. How did you come to be here?”
The voices hummed through her head—each one wanting desperately to share their story — but their voices mingled too much for her to single them out. The sound grew louder and louder in her head until she could not hear anything outside of herself. Charlie squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her hands to her ears.
“Stop please, I can only hear you one at a time.”
The voices stopped completely. When she opened her eyes, a single girl stood before her. The girl wore a tattered brown skirt and a sweat-stained linen blouse, just like in her dream. Ruth Mathis.
“I know you. I dreamed about you. You’re Ruth.”
The girl nodded.
“Ruth, do you see a light?”
The girl glanced around before her gaze settled on Charlie again. She shook her head. Charlie pursed her lips. It was a long shot to hope it would be as simple as telling the girl not to fear the light, but to instead just walk toward it.
“Ruth, do you know where he put you?”
Ruth’s dark eyes widened, and she nodded slowly.
“Can you show me? Maybe if I find the place, then maybe it will free you.”
Without warning, Ruth turned and began to run deeper into the woods. Her apparition reduced to a single point of light — a silvery orb — and Charlie took a deep breath and began to follow her.
Her flashlight died five minutes into her quest. It dimmed to faint yellow before the light completely disappeared. She shook the dead cylinder, but when it did not come back to life, she shoved it back inside her bag and pulled out her cell phone. She pressed the center button, but the phone was dead too.
“Dammit,” she whispered.
The heavy grayness of the woods pressed in on her and she could no longer see the house. The organic stink of the marsh wafted thick through the trees but at least the brush had thinned. She didn’t have to fear tripping and falling, or worse, knocking herself unconscious. Her eyes searched for the silver orb and caught sight of it just as it disappeared behind a tree.
“Ruth,” Charlie called into the milky gloom. “I can’t see very well. Please come back.”
She held her breath and waited. No response. Charlie reached inside her bag and wrapped her hand around one of the cool stones. She took a deep breath and headed for the place she last saw the pale floating sphere.
Movement ahead of her made her heart jump into her throat. Blood hammered through her ears and instinctively she hunkered down behind one of the thick tree trunks. Slowly she peeked around the base of the tree concealing her. A man walked through the woods. She had dreamed of him enough to recognize his shape. He had come from the other side of the woods and carried a shovel against his shoulder.
Charlie took a deep breath and raised herself into a half-crouch. She kept her eyes on his dark form as it moved among the trees but wished she could see better.
The sound of a girl whimpering filled her head and tiny pinpricks of light appeared among the low brush and bases of trees. The pale spheres grew larger, casting just enough light for her to see her way forward. Charlie followed the bouncing lights.
He stopped near the edge of the woods. Through the trees she could see the darkening marsh in the distance. Thunder clapped, closer now, but it didn’t seem to bother him. The orbs flitted upwards and Charlie’s gaze shifted, following them. Through the canopy of leaves, she could still see some sky. Grey and black clouds sailed by at a fast pace. The storm would be on top of them soon. Panic wound around her heart and squeezed. She wanted to stay and see what he was up to but she also didn’t want to get caught beneath the trees once lightning joined the party. Maybe she should just head back to her car. Give Jason a call. Tell him what she’d seen. Surely, he’d bring reinforcements especially, since they were looking for this man.
She glanced back at the trees where she’d last seen him. He was gone. Her breath stuttered in her chest and she quickly scanned the trees looking for any sign of him. Where had he gone? She moved closer to where he’d stopped.
A spray of dirt hit the mound not far from her and she froze, holding her breath. The sound of metal cutting through earth came from somewhere in front of the growing mound of soil. Where was he? More dirt sprayed over the top of the heap
, hitting the leaf litter on the other side. Charlie took cautious steps backwards, making as little noise as she could until she reached a nearby tree. She watched the pile grow, little by little, and her gut twisted tighter with each sound of the shovel scraping through dirt. She would hide until he finished whatever he was doing, then she would hightail it back to the house. Call Jason. Call Lisa and Jen. Do whatever it took to stop him. If she couldn’t stop Talmadge, she would make sure his lackey didn’t get away with his plans of adding to his collection.
Her thighs began to ache from crouching and she leaned against the rough bark of the tree. Cold air swirled around her neck and the air pressure changed. Thunder cracked overhead and the sounds of fat drops of rain drumming against the leaves echoed through the trees. Wet drops landed on her skin, driving her to her feet. She would come back with reinforcements.
His hand wrapped around her neck and he slammed her against the tree, knocking the breath out of her. She flailed her arms and tried to call out, but the only noise she could make was grunting. His grip tightened and her hands went to scratch him, but they swiped right through his barely visible arms. He locked his gaze on hers and smiled.
“I told you I would break you,” Aldus Talmadge said.
The edges of her vision grew dark, and she stared into his inky, unforgiving eyes just before the world went black.
Chapter 28
“Stop the car!” Jen said from the seat next to him. The urgency in her voice made him hit the brakes.
“What? What is it?”
“Graveyard.” Jen looked at him as if she’d just explained what she meant in detail.
“Okay. So?”
“Just pull in. I need to get something.”
Jason threw a glance over his shoulder to Lisa. “Is she for real? We’re almost there.”
Lisa shrugged and nodded. “She’s for real.”
Jason’s lips twisted into a scowl and he put the car in reverse. He pulled into the parking lot of the Talmadge Island Presbyterian Church. No lights were on inside and the building looked empty. The hair on his arms stood up, but he ignored it.
“Pull around behind the building,” Jen ordered. “There’s a cemetery back there, I’m sure of it.”
Jason did as he was told and parked close to the open metal gate of the old cemetery. A white Chevy truck was backed into the corner space and Jason eyed it. Maybe it belonged to a caretaker. He wrestled with the urge to check the license plate.
“I’ll be right back.” Jen hopped from the car before he could respond. He watched her disappear into the shadows. Shiny obelisks and large granite stones marked newer graves near the front of the large, shady plot of land. Toward the back, deep in the gloom, he could see simpler, tall, flat headstones and several crypts. The whole place made his skin crawl.
“Should we go with her?” Jason asked.
“Nope, she’s fine. She’s just getting some graveyard dirt.”
“Okay.” He turned in his seat and glared at the two women in his backseat. “What is she gonna do with that?”
Daphne looked up from her phone, her expression uncertain. Lisa shrugged and her lips curved as if she had a secret she didn’t want to share.
“What?” Jason’s voice rose sharply.
Daphne quirked one eyebrow. “Well if you must know, Jen will probably use it to help Charlie get rid of this nasty ancestor of yours.”
“I kinda hope it doesn’t come to that.” Lisa stared at the graveyard through the window. “It’s dangerous to summon a reaper.”
“What are you talking about?” Jason understood the words they said, but it was still like they were speaking some secret language. His gaze bounced from Lisa to Daphne and he frowned. Maybe Charlie wasn’t the only crazy person in her family.
“Should we tell him?” Daphne’s delicate features shifted to amusement.
“No.” Lisa said, her expression opaque. “He’s not ready.” Her hazel eyes studied him as if she were seeing into the heart of him. He fought the urge to squirm like a little boy beneath her scrutiny. “He barely believes as it is.”
Daphne tilted her pixie face. “You’re right.”
Lisa’s attention shifted from him to the front window. “Jen’s taking too long.”
“Maybe she didn’t have a gift?” Daphne offered.
Lisa shook her head, resting her hand on the door handle. “No, that’s not it. Come on.”
“I thought you said she’d be fine.” Jason glanced into the thickening shadows. Thunder boomed overhead, and he leaned forward to look at the black cloud moving overhead.
“Well, I can be wrong.” Lisa pulled the handle and pushed against the door.
“Ha!” Daphne snorted. “You’d better record that Jason. Lisa never admits to being wrong.” She opened her door too and jumped out to join her cousin.
“Great. That’s just great,” Jason muttered to himself. He climbed out of his car. “It’s gonna rain!”
Neither woman acknowledged him and he kicked his toe against the front tire. He sighed and followed them into the cemetery.
Ray Kurtz stopped in his tracks when he saw the pretty, young woman dash across the cemetery. He slid silently into the deep shadow of a large tree and watched her go from grave to grave as if she were looking for something. Or somebody, he thought. He tapped his fingers against the bark.
“Come on,” he whispered. He had things to do. If she didn’t leave soon, he would just take her and throw her into the pit with the others. What was one more girl?
Finally, she stopped in front of one of the older stones. He could hear her talking aloud to it, but from this distance couldn’t quite make out what she was saying. She had a bag slung across her body and she reached inside and pulled something out, placing it on top of the headstone.
“Jen?” a woman’s voice called.
“Over here,” the pretty woman answered. When she stood, it looked like she had scooped up some soil from the grave. She shoved it in her bag and turned to meet a pretty blonde and another brunette. A moment later a man joined them. He recognized the cop. A lump formed in his throat — an icy pebble threatening to choke him. What if the cop decided to check out his truck?
The rain began to fall, slow and sparse at first. The sky opened up and began to pour. The brunette with the chin-length hair shrieked and covered her hair with her hands. They all ran toward the parking lot. He moved closer to the fence, but stuck to the shadows. All four of them climbed into a black muscle car and sped off.
Only when he was sure they were no longer in the church parking lot did he allow himself to go to his truck to get the other girl and the duct tape.
Chapter 29
The Uber driver pulled into the circular drive in front of Talmadge House and stopped in front of the wide porch steps.
“You sure this is where you want to go?” the woman asked. Sugar had learned her name was Lorraine, and she was driving for Uber for a little extra money to pay for her daughter’s music lessons. Her daughter had been accepted by a prestigious teacher but the lessons were expensive. Sugar listened to her, nodding where appropriate and making all the polite conversation she could stand.
“Oh yes, thank you.” Sugar finished the transaction on her phone.
“It looks sort of haunted,” Lorraine said. “Not that I believe in that sort of thing.”
“Oh it is, dear.” Sugar pulled a five-dollar bill from her wallet and handed it to Lorraine. “And it’s all right if you don’t believe. I wish I didn’t.”
Sugar rushed out of the car and up the steps before Lorraine could respond. The rain poured down on her in a sheet, soaking her to the skin. Once under the cover of the porch, she shook the water from her short, silver hair. She took a deep breath and walked to the front door. She knew Susan was out of town. How she was going to get in the house she didn’t know, but something inside her told her she didn’t need a key. She placed her hand on the knob, turned it and pushed. It didn’t budge. A cold thread of pa
nic wrapped around her heart. She licked her lips.
“Honey? I need you open the door for me.”
Thunder cracked overhead, drowning out the sound of the deadbolt retracting, but Sugar felt the vibration of it. The door pulled inward on its own, creaking. Her heartbeat quickened and her stomach flopped over like a cold fish. She looked over her shoulder, but Lorraine and her cute little Prius were gone. What had she been thinking coming out here all alone? She hadn’t told anyone anything other than she was going to her daughter’s house. So stupid. Lightning flashed, illuminating the foyer and Honey appeared, beckoning her inside.
“Hurry Sugar. Hurry. She needs you.” Honey’s ragged whisper wrapped around her senses, and the pebbling on her already chilled arms nearly doubled in size. Sugar stepped into the foyer and her sister floated over to the staircase. Honey raised her arm, motioning for her sister to follow. She’d already come this far. Sugar pulled the small gold cross hanging on the chain around her neck to her lips. The hallway light flipped on.
Please God, please don’t let me die tonight. And if I do, please don’t let my soul be trapped in this house. Amen.
Sugar put her hand on the old oak railing and started up the steps.
“Oh my Lord. Poor Butch,” Sugar muttered. She covered her mouth and glanced around. The sheer volume of junk accumulated on the landing and hallway — stacks of newspapers, boxes, old toys, dishes, and books — overwhelmed her. How had things gotten this bad? Her heart ached with sadness for her older brother and guilt for not visiting when he was alive. Maybe if she’d seen this, maybe she could have done something to help him.
Honey drifted into their parent’s old bedroom and the light came on. Sugar had to turn sideways to get past a stack of boxes and when she finally made her way inside their room, her breath caught in her throat. The room looked almost exactly the same as Sugar remembered it. The bed was still made with a faded patchwork quilt. Two side tables, each holding brass oil lamps with matching painted glass shades. Her father had converted them to electric not long after the war ended in 1945. On her mother’s table was a small prayer book. It had never been this dirty when her mother lived though, of that she was sure.
