Ruckman Road: An Alex Penfield Novel

by Robert W. Stephens

  She walked out of the bedroom and back onto the landing. Then she heard more laughter coming from behind the attic door.

  Hannah walked across the landing and approached the closed door. She heard footsteps dart across the wooden floor inside the attic. She opened the attic door quickly and shined the flashlight inside. The only thing she saw was the chair by the window. There were a few concealed areas a small child could hide inside. Maybe that’s where she had gone, Hannah thought. She walked inside and made her way over to the chain hanging from the center of the attic ceiling. She pulled it, and the small light bulb turned on. The pipes running close to the ceiling casted long shadows on the walls and floor. Hannah searched the attic thoroughly but found no one. The child was gone. She didn’t know how that was possible. She clearly had heard the laughter coming from the attic. The door had been closed. The girl would have had to run past her to get away.

  She was about to leave the attic when her skin felt hot. She looked down at her arms, wondering if she’d somehow gotten something on them while searching the attic, especially the back corners. The skin on her forearms was red. The heat suddenly increased in the room again, as if a wave of hot air had blown through the attic door. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead. She didn’t know how the room had gotten so hot. Her arms hurt even more now. In fact, the pain was excruciating. She looked at her arms a second time and saw tiny blisters forming on her skin. Heavy sweat ran down her face and chest. She stumbled out of the attic, and the air instantly felt cooler. Hannah looked back at the attic through its open door. There appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary.

  She rushed down the stairs to the second floor and ran into the closest bathroom. Hannah turned the faucet on and ran water over her forearms. She screamed when the cold water hit the blisters, which were even larger now. She then felt pain on her chest and back. Hannah lifted her shirt up and saw her chest and stomach were also covered with small blisters. She turned sideways and looked at her back in the bathroom mirror. It was covered with blisters, too.

  Chapter 12

  Sarah

  Penfield ended the call with Hannah. She told him she’d gone to a health clinic after her body had broken out in blisters. Hannah also told him about the little girl in the house and how she’d somehow escaped the attic after Hannah had tracked her down. Penfield didn’t know what to think. Hannah had, no doubt, gone on very little sleep. He didn’t know if it was possible her sleep-deprived brain had imagined the entire event out of a desperate desire to understand what had happened to her brother. He thought about immediately calling Torres and telling her about the incident but then decided to tell her in person. He went to slip his phone back into his pocket when he felt it vibrate again. He looked at the display but didn’t recognize the number.

  “Hello, this is Alex Penfield.”

  “Detective, this is Beth Percy, returning your call. I’m sorry it took so long to get back to you. I was out of the country and just got your message late last night.”

  Penfield hesitated a second. He didn’t remember calling her. Then he remembered the first name Beth. She was Joseph Talbot’s ex-wife. She’d either reverted back to her maiden name or perhaps never took the name “Talbot” to begin with.

  “Yes, Ms. Percy. Thanks for calling me back.”

  Penfield had been very vague in his message to her. He now related the events of the last few days to her, including the potential sighting of Talbot in the water, as well as the search of his home. He briefly described the state of the house, including the video cameras in the majority of the rooms. She didn’t interrupt him, nor did she have any kind of reaction when he finished.

  He waited a few seconds and then asked, “Ms. Percy, are you there?”

  “I’m sorry. I’m just not sure how to respond.”

  “When was the last time you spoke with your ex-husband?” Penfield asked.

  “It’s been a few months. We didn’t have any children, so there really was no reason for us to talk anymore.”

  “Were you aware he’d moved to Virginia?”

  “Yes. He told me he was going there, but I don’t know where he worked or where he lived beyond it being in Virginia.”

  “Do you know if your husband was in any kind of trouble, like money problems or disagreements with anyone?” Penfield asked.

  “The only person he ever had a disagreement with was me. I suppose I shouldn’t say that. I guess that makes me a suspect,” Beth said.

  “Do you have any idea what might have happened to him?” Penfield asked.

  “No. Joe and I just….I just don’t see how I can help you.”

  “What about the cameras? Was that something he did when you lived with him?”

  “We had a security system for the house. Joe set up a few cameras on the outside, but nothing on the inside. I don’t know why he would do that,” Beth said.

  “This is a bit different, but did your husband ever mention anything about a skull?” Penfield asked.

  “A what?”

  “A skull. We found one among his belongings.”

  “God, no. I certainly wouldn’t have let him keep something like that in the house.”

  Penfield grew discouraged. So far every question had ended up as a dead end.

  “One more question. Do you know anyone named Sarah?” Penfield asked.

  Beth was silent for several seconds.

  “Ms. Percy?” Penfield asked.

  “Why are you asking me about that name?”

  “A co-worker of Joe’s mentioned it. He said Joe would mention the name Sarah, but the co-worker wasn’t sure who that might be. I asked the neighbors, and they don’t know her either. I even asked his sister, Hannah.”

  “You’ve met Hannah?” Beth asked.

  “Yes. She’s been here the last couple of days,” Penfield said.

  “What did she tell you about Sarah?”

  “She said she didn’t know who she was.”

  “Then Hannah’s lying,” Beth said.

  “How do you know she’s lying?” Penfield asked.

  “Because I’m the one who told her about Sarah.”

  “Who is Sarah then?” Penfield asked.

  “Joe and I were married just a few years. The first half of our marriage was great. We got along really well. I just loved being with him. I think he would have said the same about me, at least I hope he would have. Then things changed. He became distant. I couldn’t get him to open up. I tried everything. Finally, he told me one day that he simply didn’t love me anymore. I asked him what had happened, and he said it was because of Sarah. I was stunned. I had no idea he’d been having an affair. I didn’t see anything like that coming. Joe told me he’d loved Sarah his whole life, and he wanted to leave me to be with her.”

  “Did you ever meet her? Do you know where she lives?” Penfield asked.

  “I’m not sure she even exists,” Beth said.

  “How’s that possible?”

  “I had him followed. I’m not proud to admit it, but I was hurt, and I wanted to confront Sarah,” Beth said.

  “You hired a private investigator?” Penfield asked.

  “That’s right. He followed Joe for two weeks. Cost me a lot of money, and you know what the guy found? Nothing, absolutely nothing. I went through Joe’s computer while he was at work. I knew the password to his email. There was not one email to or from a Sarah. I checked his phone after he fell asleep. Not one call to a Sarah. There wasn’t even a Sarah listed in his contacts, unless he used some other name for her. I even started following Joe myself once I couldn’t afford the investigator anymore. I never saw him with any woman. All he did was go to work in the morning and then come home.”

  “Maybe Joe broke things off with her. Maybe he told her he’d have to cool things down until he’d left you,” Penfield suggested.

  “Maybe, but I don’t think so. I finally broke down and called Hannah. She and I weren’t close. She lived in another state, and I always got th
e feeling she didn’t like me,” Beth said.

  “Why’s that?”

  “It wasn’t something specific. It was just a feeling, especially at the wedding. It was just the look on her face. Joe told me I was imagining things, but women have a way of knowing these things.”

  “What did Hannah say when you called her?” Penfield asked.

  “It was uncomfortable to say the least. She didn’t even know we were divorcing.”

  “Joe never told her?” Penfield asked.

  “No. I knew they talked at least once or twice a week. She said he never had said anything negative about us. She had no idea. I don’t know. Maybe she was lying about it, but I didn’t think so. She really sounded shocked.”

  “Did she know who Sarah was?” Penfield asked.

  “She said she’d never heard of her, but I was convinced she wasn’t telling the truth.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because she didn’t immediately deny knowing her. She said nothing after I said the name ‘Sarah.’ I asked her a second time, and then she said she didn’t know who she was. I’m really sorry to hear about Joe. I hope to God that wasn’t him in the water.”

  Penfield didn’t know what else to ask, so he thanked her for calling him and being so open. He ended the call and phoned Torres. He told her to meet him at the Talbot rental house.

  Penfield called Hannah next and asked her to meet them at the house as well. She told him she’d just gotten back to the house already. Penfield arrived at the house before Torres did. He waited for her to show before exiting his car. He gave her a brief run-down on the conversation with Beth Percy as they walked to the house. Hannah must have been watching for them because she opened the front door as they turned the corner.

  “Are you okay?” Torres asked, as she and Penfield entered the house.

  Hannah closed the front door behind them. She nodded to Torres.

  “Did Detective Penfield tell you about last night?” Hannah asked.

  “He did.” Torres paused. Then she asked, “And you’re sure you really saw a little girl?”

  “I didn’t see her, exactly. I heard her.”

  Torres tried not to let the doubt show on her face.

  “These old houses can make some strange noises, and it was pretty windy last night,” Penfield said.

  “The wind doesn’t sound like laughter. I think I can tell the difference,” Hannah said.

  “You’ve been through an awful lot of stress,” Torres added. “We’re not saying you made this up. You just might have thought you heard something. I’m sure it was an honest mistake.”

  “It wasn’t a mistake. I heard laugher, and I heard footsteps. Several times. I followed the noise all the way to the attic. And what about this?”

  Hannah raised the sleeves on her arms. Torres winced as she looked at the blisters and red skin.

  “Did the doctor say what could have caused that?” Penfield asked.

  “She said it was an allergic reaction to something, but I didn’t touch anything up there,” Hannah said.

  “About the girl, you said yourself there was no way the girl could have gotten past you,” Torres said.

  Hannah looked away. She clearly didn’t have an answer. When she turned back to them, Torres could see the look of frustration on Hannah’s face.

  “Who’s Sarah?” Penfield asked.

  “You asked me that before. I told you I don’t know,” Hannah said.

  “That’s not exactly true. Is it?” Penfield asked.

  He waited for Hannah to respond. She didn’t.

  “I spoke to your sister-in-law this morning,” Penfield continued.

  “I’m surprised she cared enough to call you back,” Hannah said.

  “She told me she’d been out of the country, and she just got my message today.”

  “Hmm, probably traveling on my brother’s dime.”

  “She said something else that was interesting. She said your brother left her for another woman, and that woman’s name was Sarah.”

  “My brother would never be unfaithful.”

  “She also said she called you for help and told you all about Sarah, whoever she might be,” Penfield said.

  Hannah looked away a second time.

  “Who’s Sarah?” Torres asked. “We can’t solve this case if we don’t know all the information.”

  “Sarah isn’t real. She doesn’t exist,” Hannah admitted.

  “What do you mean? She doesn’t exist?” Penfield asked.

  “When my brother was a kid, he would always talk about Sarah. She was like…I don’t know, an imaginary friend or something. My parents thought it was cute at first. A lot of kids have imaginary friends - at least I think they do. But then Joe told them Sarah was a grown woman, not a kid like him. It was just…weird. Unfortunately, it never went away with Joe. Sarah was always there.”

  “So when Beth called you and told you Joe was having an affair with Sarah, you knew exactly what she was talking about?” Penfield asked.

  Hannah nodded. “I thought things had gotten better. Joe hadn’t actually brought Sarah up for a few years. Then I get that call from Beth. I couldn’t believe it.”

  “Why didn’t you tell her the truth?” Torres asked.

  “How could I? How could I possibly tell her that the woman she thought was sleeping with her husband was just in Joe’s imagination?”

  “Did your brother ever seek help?” Penfield asked.

  “Are you asking if he was crazy?”

  “I’m asking if he got help for believing in Sarah, someone who you’re now saying didn’t exist,” Penfield said.

  “My parents tried to get him to go. He wouldn’t do it.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me any of this before?” Penfield asked.

  “I’m sorry for lying about not hearing the name, but I didn’t see how it could have anything to do with Joe disappearing,” Hannah said. “I was also scared you wouldn’t keep looking for answers if you thought something was wrong with Joe.”

  “Did you change the video?” Torres asked.

  Hannah looked confused by the question.

  “The video with the chair moving across the attic floor,” Torres continued.

  “No!” Hannah said.

  “We checked the same file on both our drives. The chair doesn’t move in either of them. It only moves on your file,” Torres said.

  “That’s not possible.”

  “We checked the files several times. It’s only on yours. That leads us to just one conclusion,” Torres said.

  “I didn’t change it. I swear. I wouldn’t even know how to do it if I wanted to. I’m not good with video editing. That was my brother’s thing.”

  “We can show you our files if you like,” Torres said.

  “No. I believe you, but I don’t know how that could happen.”

  Neither Penfield nor Torres knew what to say next. Joseph Talbot had apparently been a disturbed man. Both of them had strongly suspected it after the initial tour of the house. Now they knew for sure.

  Chapter 13

  The Basement

  They left Hannah in the house and walked back to their cars. Penfield expected Torres to tell him it was time to move on. The Joseph Talbot death was probably a suicide, at least that’s the theory Torres had. Talbot was clearly a disturbed individual. Placing video cameras throughout a mostly empty house was enough to convince her of that. Granted, the open windows gave Penfield pause. However, the person had taken nothing, and they’d not harmed or threatened Hannah when they could easily done so. Maybe Torres was right: maybe Hannah had done it herself.

  Torres didn’t bring up those things, though. She seemed agitated, angry even, at least that’s how Penfield interpreted the scowl on her face. He thought about asking her what was wrong but decided against it. They agreed on a time to meet later, and Torres got into her car and drove off. Penfield watched her leave. Then he turned back to the Talbot house. The sunlight reflected off its wh
ite wooden boards and almost made the house seem to glow.

  He clicked his remote to unlock the car and felt his side burn as he pulled the door open. Penfield placed his hand on the roof of the car to steady himself. He cursed the pain. He’d gone an entire day without anything, and now it was back for no apparent reason. All he’d done is open the door. A second wave of pain raced through his body. He’d never been shot before, and he had no way of knowing if this was a normal reaction to his body slowly healing itself. Maybe something was wrong, though. Maybe he should have been way better by now. The pain eventually subsided, and he climbed into his car. He started the engine and looked back to the house again. Hannah still wasn’t outside. He couldn’t begin to imagine what she was going through. Penfield backed out of the parking space and pulled away. As he drove out of the fort, he wondered what the hell he and Torres were going to do.

  Hannah stood by one of the windows in the den and watched the two detectives leave the parking lot. She stayed in the house a few more minutes. She knew she’d made a big mistake by not coming clean about Sarah, but she really had no choice.

  Hannah left the house and walked to the parking lot. She drove back to the Hampton Arms hotel, parked her car in the parking garage, and walked to the marina instead of entering the hotel. She sat down on a bench and watched the people go by. There wasn’t a large crowd by any means. The cold weather made sure of that. She knew the detectives didn’t believe her. They practically came out and accused her of faking the video file and lying about the child’s laughter and the footsteps. She had to prove them wrong. There was something going on in that house. Her brother had seen or heard the things, too. It had to be the reason for the video cameras. She didn’t know why he hadn’t said anything to her about it. Based on the computer’s video files, he’d been recording the inside of the house for at least a month. She remembered she’d spoken to him at least a dozen times during the last thirty days, yet he had said nothing about any strange events in the house. She was angry with him for not telling her about his problems, and she felt guilty for even feeling that way. Maybe he was worried she’d have the same reaction as Detective Torres. Nobody wants to be made to feel like a fool.