“What’s going on? Why were you screaming?” Coleman’s waving her gun around as she looks in all directions before getting back to me. “Is someone else here? Do you need an ambulance?”
“Did you just shoot through the door?”
“No. I heard you screaming so I shot the lock off. Answer my question. What’s going on?”
“Bats,” I say, and roll over and off the hay onto the floor. “You could have killed us.” Mojo’s back and he drops a slimy, decapitated spider on my face.
“Chiropteras? You were screaming over a few winged rodents?”
“They’re mammals not rodents and there was more than a few.” I push myself up and watch the room spin. “What are you doing here? I said to be here at seven o’clock.”
“Wait. Did you fall out of the loft? What step were you on when you fell?”
I get to my knees and glare at Coleman who’s staring up at the loft. “I dropped from half way down because I didn’t want to get shot by someone shooting through the door,” I yell at the woman. “I need to leave to go get Grace.”
Coleman’s climbing up the ladder. When she gets to the top, she leans out like she plans on doing a backflip. This plan of mine tonight is such a bad idea.
I take out my phone and call Grace to tell her I’ll see her in a half hour. She’s very excited and even remembered I was coming.
I turn back to Coleman. “You’ll need to lock your gun in your vehicle or you’re not staying. I’ll be back soon.”
The woman ignores me. As I shut the door with the blown out lock, I hear her say, “That’s it. They scared Nordquist to his death.”
Perfect.
∞
I get a rancid chicken salad sandwich from a convenience store because I had to get Tylenol. I don’t like to take any medication– white man’s drugs as Maybelle calls them. My head is giving me no choice though, and I don’t have the option of going back to the hotel to sleep away the pain.
On the way to Grace’s place, I warn Mojo to stop eating the spiders because he could get rabies and then Coleman would shoot him. He grunts and gnaws on beef jerky that I’m sharing with him.
When I stop in front of the blue mansion, my eyes are fixated on the mannequin in the upstairs window. The gate slowly slides open and I can’t stop staring. It not only has its hand up in a wave to me, it’s totally naked.
Grace is on the front porch, moving her arms like she’s directing traffic on an airport runway. I’m driving slow with my mouth wide open. I think the woman’s wearing a ball gown– the one the mannequin used to wear. As I get closer, I think it’s a wedding gown. Her lavender hair is combed straight up and wrapped into a cone on top of her head.
I put my hand on the back of my own head where it slammed against the bale of hay. There’s a spot that’s warm and throbbing. Every fiber of my being is saying turn around and keep driving until I reach Las Trebol. Contacting the dead with two crazy women makes me the insane one.
Grace keeps directing me until I stop in front of the steps then she curtsies and spins around for me to admire her dress. I guess that’s what she’s doing.
“Look at you,” I say, as I get out of the jeep. I can’t think of anything else to say. I help her down the stairs and into the passenger seat. Her lavender cone nearly touches the top of the roof.
She’s chatty about how long she has waited for this night. I remind her that we’re going to the old barn off Hedge Road, but I’m not sure she’s listening to me.
She’s brought a paper bag and she rustles around in it and pulls out a gelatin spider, which she shoves in my face. “Have an appetizer,” she says, letting it fall in my lap. Dear Great Spirit, it has no head.
I jerk and a tire slides off the road and onto the dirt. I oversteer and cross the center line before bouncing back into the lane. We’ll all be dead by morning.
Mojo sits up and gives Grace the evil eye. When she sees him, she shoves one of her spiders in his face. He grunts and lies back down. The wolfdog does not take food from strangers.
“Now, Grace. You do remember where we’re going tonight, right?” I want to confirm this because I don’t want any surprises from the woman when we get to the barn.
“Yes, of course I do. You’re taking me to see my darling Argus. I do so miss him. All these years I’ve waited. If only I had met you sooner.” She keeps talking for another ten minutes, but she makes less sense with every word. I’m not sure she remembers that the man is dead or that she’s an old lady now. I think the wedding dress is a good indication that I’m right.
The photo shoot has been forgotten and just as well. After thinking about the spider and bat attacks as well as Argus’ refusal to communicate with me, I’ve decided the only way to contact the man and end this haunting is to do a séance. It may be the last one I ever do.
When we get to the end of the dirt road, Grace sits up straight and salutes. “Who’s here?” she asks as I park next to Coleman’s vehicle. “Looks like the cops are on to us. Are you sure it’s safe to go inside?”
I’m sure it isn’t, but I don’t tell her this. I’m too busy wondering how she instantly recognized an unmarked vehicle as the cops.
When we walk into the barn, the first thing I see is police tape wrapped from one end to the other below the loft, closing off some newly alleged crime scene. “Please don’t tell me forensics are on their way,” I say.
Coleman’s eating the last of a dried out donut and shaking her head no. “I’ve roped off for investigative purposes only. Let’s get this operation started.” She’s staggers when she sees Grace. The woman was trailing behind me and has now made a sweeping entrance into the center of the barn.
“What’s she dressed like that for? Don’t tell me. And no photos with me in them. Got that, Raven?”
I ignore her and ask for help in moving the lunch table to the east corner, I sprinkle rock salt around it and light my smudge stick then I say a serious prayer to the Great Spirit. Grace applauds my efforts and I instruct the women on what we’re doing, not that I really know.
“Do we hold hands?” Grace asks.
“No,” Coleman shouts. “No hand holding. Keep your hands where I can see them.”
I take a deep breath and say what I hope is not my last prayer. “Before we begin, I want both of you to clear your mind of any negative thoughts. Pray to whatever god you believe in and ask for protection. Take this seriously. Contacting the dead must be approached with reverence and caution. Although it may appear otherwise, we aren’t asking them to step into our world. We’re stepping into theirs.”
“But we’re coming back. Aren’t we?” Grace asks.
“The Great Spirit willing,” I say. Coleman rolls her eyes at me and I glare back.
The barn is eerily quiet and chilly, the latter probably due to the hole Coleman blew through the door. It’s a miracle she didn’t kill both me and the wolfdog. I’ve got my eyes closed and I feel the energy lift as the women relax.
From my bag, I remove the Ouija board and place it on the table along with a black onyx and a smudge stick that I put in an orange clam shell. Coleman is nodding her head, taking mental notes. I take my pendulum and hold it in the center of the board.
“Ready?” I ask.
Grace says she is and Coleman orders me to proceed. Both are staring at the Ouija board; the pendulum hangs still and heavy. I watch a flurry of hay fall from the loft. Apparently, Argus is ready too.
Chapter Thirty Five
§
“We call forth the spirit of Argus Pudge and ask that you join our circle and speak what truth you left unsaid in life. Argus Pudge, please make your presence known to us.”
The hay’s no longer falling, but there is rustling in the loft that I’m sure is the bats ready to attack. I can almost see our rabies infested faces being flashed on the nightly news.
“Argus, my name is Jack Raven, and I’m here to release your spirit from this earth so that you can continue your soul’s journey.
Please give me a sign that you are here.”
There’s a clock ticking that isn’t in the barn. The bats are quiet, the spiders have retreated. Five minutes pass and there isn’t a sound that isn’t coming from the two women who are having trouble focusing.
“You both need to relax… and pray… hard. Argus Pudge. We’re here to help you. Please make your presence—
I feel a tap on my shoulder and jump before turning around to stare at the wall. “Thank you Argus. I’ve brought Grace Parker to help you crossover. If there is anything you would like to say to Grace before you go, please speak now.”
Grace is looking around while pretending she isn’t. The pendulum sways from one side of the board to the other. It occurs to me that years ago, a farmer might not have had much of an education. “You can answer yes or no,” I say, as I position the pendulum over each to demonstrate. “Do you understand?”
A screech from the loft makes Coleman and me jump. The pendulum swings to YES.
“Ask him who killed him,” Coleman says, with an interrogator’s bark.
I give her a dirty look then ask, “Did you die in this barn?”
YES.
“Was Edith Pudge here the night you died?”
YES.
“Ask,” Coleman says. I tell her to shut up. “Did you die of a gunshot wound?”
YES.
“Is the person who shot you here tonight?”
NO.
Coleman sighs then rolls her hand for me to speed things up. I point my finger at her then put it to my lips. Grace is fussing with her wedding dress.
“Please quiet your minds and be respectful,” I whisper. Mojo pokes Coleman and gives her the evil eye.
“Did Edith shoot you?”
NO.
No? “Was there another—
“Is the person who chopped off your head here?” Coleman shouts before I have a chance to finish my question. As I start to grab the pendulum to slam it in the woman’s face, it swings in a wide circle. My stomach is twisting in knots. Coleman is telling me to ask.
“Keep your mouth shut or leave,” I tell her. Mojo is beside her, growling quietly. Coleman is jerking her head at Grace.
“Did someone who is here now use an ax on you?”
The pendulum is still spinning in a circle. It finally stops on NO.
I’ve still got a sick stomach and I’m dizzy again. For a second, I think my fall caused a blood clot that’s now escaped and I’m about to pass out or die. I can hear the bats inside my ears, screeching to get out of my head. Coleman kicks my leg under the table. When I look at her, she looks concerned. I take a deep breath and ask the Great Spirit for protection.
The pendulum starts swaying from one side of the board to the other. “We come in reverence to assist you in going to the light. Know that we are here to help you. Please speak what truth you left unsaid in life. We come with love and acceptance to help you continue your soul’s journey. Argus Pudge—
Grace is looking at the barn door and patting my hand. Coleman is standing up in slow motion. As I turn to look, Grace laughs and says, “Uh, oh.”
The barn door is wide open; a line of furry bats are sitting on top of it. Grace is smiling. Coleman is crouched on the floor now with one arm wrapped around the table’s leg. A gray cloudy shape floats across the floor to the bale of hay inside the yellow police tape.
“Edith, dear. What a surprise to see you here.” Grace has her hands folded in her lap looking like she has a canary in her mouth. The barn door slams shut and the bats screech as they fly to the loft.
“Sit in your chair,” I tell Coleman, who looks to be on the verge of tears. I put my hand over Grace’s and ask her to pray. She balls her fists together and puts her head down like she’s at the dinner table. I ask the Great Spirit to protect her. Mojo’s in ghost pose but eyeing the spiders, which are marching like tiny soldiers beside the spirit. Minions.
I have no idea how Grace thinks the blurry, misshapen form is Edith Pudge since it has neither a face nor a… head. Whatever the reason, I’m going with it. I get up and walk towards it.
“Edith Pudge. You are no longer in this world. You are in spirit now where all is forgiven. Release your anger and resentment. As humans, we are imperfect. Karmic lessons must be learned. Grace was a child. Argus was weak. Do not attempt to seek revenge for what was done. It is time to leave this place for all eternity.”
The strings of light bulbs are swinging in a wide and dangerous arc. “Edith stop. What was done is over and done with. Speak your truth to Grace then continue your soul’s journey in peace.”
One of the bulbs explodes and Coleman yelps. I walk across the room and toss rock salt between me and the spirit. The cloudy shape spreads and shifts. The black eyes I saw the night I stayed here appear above the shape. They look to be dripping candle wax. “Let me help you,” I say, and hear the words I heard before: “Be a quiet little mouse.”
“It’s safe now Edith. There’s no reason to fear anything anymore. It’s over.”
“What are you doing here?”
Another bulb drops to the floor and this one sparks. There are hundreds of spiders crawling down the ladder. They’re making an impossible thumping noise as they make their way to the… black widow. I should have guessed.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” Coleman yells.
“Go on and take Grace with you. I have to finish this.”
“No way, Raven. I order you to leave.” Coleman grabs Grace by the arm and pulls her to the door. “Do you hear me? I’ll arrest you if you refuse to leave.”
“Edith, it’s over. It was over nearly sixty years ago. Grace was young and she made a mistake. Speak your truth and be gone.”
Coleman is yelling and slamming something against the door. I can hear voices in the loft and the sound of a man and woman laughing.
“Her over me? You are nothing. It is I who chooses another.”
“It’s okay, Edith. The decisions made long ago can’t hurt you now. You can leave this place forever. You are whole and perfect in spirit.”
Another bulb pops and sparks fly. Coleman goes running to put out smoldering hay. “Raven. We’re trapped in here. The doors won’t open. That thing plans on killing us. Help me before this place goes up in flames.”
Grace has wandered back to me and is standing in front of Edith. The bottom of her white dress is covered in spiders.
“Grace tell her you’re sorry. Ask for her forgiveness.”
“For what?”
“Tell her you’re sorry for meeting Argus that night. Tell her you’re sorry that Argus killed her. Argus is gone. Edith needs your help now. She needs to leave here forever.”
Coleman is screaming for me to do something as another bulb explodes. Grace is staring at the spirit. If Edith wasn’t glowing, it wouldn’t be light enough now to see her.
“It wasn’t Argus who killed Edith,” Grace says.
Coleman’s found a hammer and she’s pounding on the door, splitting the wood. I think that’s what she’s doing, otherwise, she’s lost her mind.
“Edith, please. Let me help you. Speak what truth you left unsaid and lea—
The last of the light bulbs shatter with a loud pop, and the barn is pitch black except for Edith’s fading glare. Then the flames explode.
“What are you doing here, Dudl— No, put that down. I did this for you. I’m your favorite.”
I feel my way back to the table and get my things. The west end of the barn is engulfed in fire. I’m choking on the smoke. Coleman has knocked out a couple of boards in the door. I help her tear out enough to squeeze through just before the flames ignite the barn’s roof.
Coleman runs to her radio to call for assistance. I pull Grace into the jeep and drive across the road where we have a front row seat to a barn burning.
“I was so looking forward to seeing Argus,” Grace whispers. She’s picking spiders off her dress and dropping them out the window. I can hear the sirens in the distance,
and a thousand questions in my head.
“Grace, what happened to Edith? What really happened that night?”
She’s silently mesmerized by the flames.
I’m staring at her and feeling invisible spiders crawling all over me. I start to ask again, but the firefighters arrive and start hosing down what’s left of the barn, which isn’t much of anything. The jeep’s passenger door opens and Diana is pulling Grace out.
“Well if it isn’t Ms. Uppity Pants,” Grace says. Her voice is quiet and weak. “How’d you find me this time?”
Diana is yelling at an officer to arrest me. Coleman shoos him away and ignores the woman. An unmarked vehicle is at the side of the road looking suspicious.
“Are you finally satisfied? You could have killed her tonight,” Diana yells. “You couldn’t let this stay forgotten. Why? What difference does it make? It was sixty years ago.” She yells that I’ll be hearing from her lawyer in the morning as she marches Grace to her car. I watch her drive away.
Coleman orders me into her vehicle and I think I’m on my way to jail. “Did Parker confess?” she asks.
“No. I’m not sure what happened to Edith that night. But I think you might want to check out a grave at St. Mark’s Cemetery.”
Chapter Thirty Six
§
Coleman kept the officers away from me as the firefighters sifted through the rubble that was once a dilapidated barn. When she was done barking orders, she told me to go back to my hotel room then warned me not to leave town– unless I wanted to. I laughed and said I would be here another day.
When I got back to the hotel, I called Loren and told her everything that had happened– everything that I understood anyway. I shouldn’t have been surprised that she wasn’t angry about the barn, but I was. She said it was all for the best since she thought it was a fire hazard anyway. I promised to be at the barn in the morning before Todd and Zeda arrive. She thanked me and wished me good luck.
It’s before sunrise the next morning when I block the entrance to the parking area with the jeep and walk to the charred remains of Spider Central. Despite the hour, the air is warm and the birds are cheerfully wide awake. I throw rock salt in a circle then sit down and light my smudge stick and ask to speak with Edith Pudge.
The Eton Bluff Haunting (Jack Raven Ghost Mystery Book 4) Page 17
