Sister Arn touched my head in a soothing manner and placed her hand on the small of my back. “There, there. You’ve done well. You sent it away with all of your faith in God’s presence. You are an overcomer. A good soul, a true one.”
“Is it true, father?” I asked him between gasps.
“Is what true?” he replied, dabbing the sweat from his brow and his upper lip.
“The Calling told me… The Calling told me you took advantage of young altar boys.”
The priest turned a beetroot shade of red. “That’s absurd! How dare you accuse a man of the cloth of such things.”
My energy was weak. I wanted no fight, I simply wanted the truth. “The Calling. Not me. I thank you for coming.”
“Sisters, we must leave. We shall commence the second clearing in a week. Please be ready. Do not listen to demons, Dee, for they will tell you all kinds of weird and wonderful things. Please take care in the meantime.”
After the priest left, I unpeeled myself from the floor, knowing he was lying. The timid stammer, his face, the quick dart of his eyes to the sisters for validation. I saw all that. The Calling was correct. I felt like my existence, my soul, had been torn. Many wretched souls in the house. Why? My brain was tired, foggy from the morning. A thousand days would not be long enough to recover from what the house of Echo Creek had done to our family.
I wanted closure. To rest my head on my pillow at night and not worry that homicide would be my legacy. I became dizzy as I rose to my feet. Staggering to the shower I turned the shower on the highest and hottest temperature possible. Perhaps I was to be the next wretched soul of the house. After an hour I sat at the table and sipped a cup of coffee, which I almost never made, but all my energy had been usurped by The Calling and the ritual of that morning. I made it strong enough so I would grit my teeth as I drank it.
How I wished for my children now as I sat alone in the house. The windows banged, but now it was due to a slight breeze in the air, not from dead spirits. Conflicted, I didn’t know what to do about the priest and the allegations The Calling made. What should I do? How many altar boys were there? I knew the church. I knew the people who attended it.
I placed my hands down on the table and placed my head in them. I was convinced that Echo Creek was full of the damned.
Amber ~ Chapter Eight
“This town is becoming more and more interesting the longer I live in it. Well, I’ll be.” Harry proclaimed as he scratched his head at the lady’s dramatic performance. She left me rather annoyed more than anything else.
“I don’t know who she was, but I didn’t like her. If she’s coming to town and going to take over the old manor we’re doomed,” I said flatly.
She’d almost made me forget that we had demonic energy running rampant on our property causing my mother to be a killer. Almost. “Harry, do you mind if I leave early today. I have to go and see how Mom did with the priest.”
Harry nodded his head. “You certainly can. I hope to know too. Call me with the details. I’m guessing since your mother hasn’t tried to call you, she may well be fine.”
Harry's absent-minded sentiment made me question myself. That wasn’t necessarily the case. It might be that she was off on a killing spree. “Let me check my phone.” I rang, panicking now that Harry had said that. I didn’t know if I should have come to the work in the first place. I wanted to stay at home with Mom and see about the clearing, but she’d told me to go to work.
“You love it at that bookstore. We need normality in this house. Please go to work. Don’t stay here.” Her hands had covered mine with a tight squeeze.
“Okay. Harry might be able to help as well. Call me if you feel like something is about to happen. Don’t hesitate, Mom. We can’t afford to wait until those voices start messing with your head.”
“I won’t. I promise. The priest is here. This is what he specializes in, I’m sure nothing bad will happen.”
I picked up the phone, working to stop the craziness in my mind from running away with me. I blinked and gulped down a lump in my throat as I looked at the envelope box on my screen.
I opened her text. I want to let you know I’m fine. Please don’t worry. The house is partially cleared.
What the hell did partially cleared mean? Did that mean there was going to be a partial demon in the house? I didn’t understand. I wrote back to her.
I don’t understand but okay. I waited a beat, with my heart in my mouth, for her reply. She replied almost instantly.
Explain when you get home. Don’t worry. I left it at that and went back out front in case more rude, arrogant customers entered the store. “What did I miss?”
“Hmm. I suspect that lady will be heading up to the old manor. Look at this.”
Harry handed me the local newspaper and on the second page was the old manor with its haunting appeal and vines hanging everywhere staring back at me. The headline read;
Billionairess Anna Scotchham sets her sights on reclaiming history in Echo Creek.
“Ugh. That’s all we need.” I was grumpy and tired like we all were at home, and she just added to my trouble.
The sandpapery sound of Harry scratching his chin made me look over at him. “What is it?”
“There’s something strange about that lady. The book she bought. She’s up to something and I’d like to know what it is…”
“What? Why, what book did she buy?” I was focused on what Harry was saying.
“She bought a book about the old manor.” He was still scratching his chin.
“Harry, that means nothing. I thought you were going to tell me something juicy. It makes sense that she wants to investigate the history of the house. She plans to purchase it.”
“No, no. That was much like the book you have on Echo Creek Drive. I believe she may be making this quite a unique venue. I’m intrigued to see how it will go.”
“Harry, this has nothing to do with our house. Stay focused. We still need to find out what’s behind the voice.”
“True, true. I’m still thinking of that Anna woman. There’s something significant about her.” Harry harped on as I tuned out and resumed filing books away that I’d missed the day before.
Before I knew it, I got into a groove with it, and soon it was time for me to finish up. I was keen to get home and tell Mum everything I’d found out.
When I stepped onto the porch, the house felt different. I don’t know - lighter. Mom was watching the television and tapping her fingernails on her leg. There was no relief written on her face like I thought there might be. Instead, there was a thoughtful expression of worry all over it.
“Mom. How did it go?”
“It went.” Her helpless eyes looked sideways at me briefly.
“I know it went, tell me what happened. Why is it so chilly here?” I rubbed my arms several times as I reasoned it was a good time to make a cup of tea.
“All of the windows flew open, the lightbulb cracked so I had to change it. It broke the latch on the bay window. I’ll have to ring Benny, the local repairman. The doors slammed and I discovered the priest has a penchant for altar boys.” She sat blankly as she changed the channel and her leg bounced up and down. I spat out the water I was drinking, and the contents flew out over the kitchen window.
“You what?” I squealed in alarm.
“As I said; The Calling told me to kill the priest and that he liked little altar boys. I don’t know, maybe it was playing tricks on me. I asked the priest and he told me it was absurd, but his cheeks went a funny shade of red. I think he does, Amber, and he’s coming back next week.”
My mother sat quietly sipping her drink and set it delicately on her coaster as I attempted to keep a straight face.
“I cannot believe this. What- I can’t deal. What are you going to do? Are you going to let him in the house again? Mom, you have to find out!”
“I will ask Clare. She’s the town gossip. I’ll have to be careful though, but she can’t help herself and wil
l tell me if he has or not, I’m sure.”
“Mom. You’re wayyyy too calm right now. I’m having a hard time dealing with this. Did you get this crap out of here?”
“Partially, yes, as I said. There was a lot of prayer and holy water. Some sort of chanting and special oil too. I think the house feels better, don’t you?”
I stopped for a moment to assess my feelings and look around. “I actually do think it does. I have stuff to tell you too, about this house.”
“Go ahead, it can’t be any worse, can it?”
“I guess not.” The water boiled on the stove, and I made myself a freshly brewed tea. “I found out that a massacre took place here sometime in the 1950s. Women and men were raped here. I don’t know where the bodies went, but it happened. There was a banker who lived here too, and he had some huge embezzlement scandal at his job, and guess who was a part of it?”
“I have no idea.” My mother, understandably, was worn out from everything.
“Kimberlee.” I sipped my tea, letting it sink into her skull.
“Dear God. Why did Roger bring us here? This place has been nothing but hell. I think we have to leave and go elsewhere.”
“I was thinking, after what I read, I’d agree with you, but it does feel better in here. Maybe the crazy-ass priest will be able to get rid of it completely.”
“Watch your mouth, Amber, please.”
I watched as she flicked through the channels until she settled on a program. “Come on, Mom. The priest is doing God knows what to little boys. I can’t. I really can’t. You said it yourself that you believe The Calling. The problem I’m having is who is calling? Which person in this house is it? Where’s it coming from? I know all these people died here tragically, but who is speaking, specifically?” I was thinking out loud, as my mother pressed the volume button up to drown out my logic.
I could empathize, I understood, she didn’t want to talk about it anymore and it felt like Harry was the only person I could discuss it with if she was going to close down.
“Glad you had a nice shift.” Vacancy with no lights on. She’d gone now and pain shot through my stomach as I wondered if I would ever get my mother back.
Robbie, Cleo, and Dusty burst through the door from the school bus and I’d never been happier to see them.
“Hey, sis! Whoa, the house feels different. Is it gone?” Robbie asked.
“Kinda,” I replied. “Mom said it was partially removed.”
“Partially removed, how does that even work?” Dusty pondered as he looked between me and Mom. Personally, I was wondering the same thing.
“Is Mommy, okay? She's looking at the TV weird,” Cleo noticed and stared at Mom blankly. She’d checked out.
I whispered to Cleo as I bent down to her level. “Why don’t we get this book bag off and we can get some apple snacks going. I bet you and Robbie are hungry.”
That seemed to divert their attention away from Mom. Anything I mentioned about snacks to them was like offering a dog treats.
“Yay! Snacks! I love snacks.” Robbie exclaimed to me.
I had a lot of work to do if I was going to figure out what the hell was going on in this house and the town.
Dee ~ Chapter Nine
A break in the stormy weather is what we received. The priest arrived for the second session, and after another harrowing ordeal and windows blowing open, he suggested that he’d removed the evil energy from the house.
“It has been done. I declare it done. With the sisters, I will bless the house so no more evil or wretched beings can return to it.”
“Please. I’ve had it. I can’t do it anymore. If it doesn’t work, my family is leaving and that’s all there is to it.”
“I understand, but let all be well, for it is done.” Father Clarence put his hand on my shoulder, and it made me feel grubby. I didn’t want his hands on me at any stage. Not wanting to be rude, I slowly slid away from him. His saucy smile also disturbed me. My mind twisted in turmoil as I didn’t know if ‘The Calling’ was telling the truth or not.
“Thank you, father, and sisters. I appreciate you all helping me. I am grateful.”
I let them out and collapsed onto the couch. It was done. The house was clear, or so he said. I got up a while later and walked through the bedrooms of the children and smiled as I saw all their toys, their trinkets, posters, and other things that made them unique. Each of their rooms expressed their personalities, all so different, and all of them my babies.
Sighing with resignation I found the courage to have a lie-down, the first restful one I’d had in months. Prior to that, I’d been too scared to sleep. My fears were if I slept for more than two hours at a time I would wake up to a bloody nightmare. What Amber relayed to me about the house was chilling, but half of it I’d simply declined to listen to.
Ignorance was bliss for me at this stage. The less I knew the better. As I passed through the bedrooms one more time, I noticed Robbie’s Superman poster was dogeared and needed some tack on the back of it. I was about to go in and do it, but sleep was calling, and I wanted to be fresh for when the kids got back from school.
I had one more job before that happened and it would take all my strength. I would be taking a visit to the thrift store to speak to Clare. She could surely wear out the most energetic person on the planet with her incessant ramblings and chit-chat about who’s who in town.
Resting, I fell asleep easily and didn’t wake for another three hours according to the clock. Yawning and feeling like a punch-drunk boxer on the ropes, I showered and headed into town.
Fresh and crisp, the sky was a perfect country blue color and my mood was considerably better than it had been for some time. Truly, I was happy to be alive.
Be delicate Dee. Don’t dig too much. Let her come to her own conclusion and go digging herself.
Bringing my sunglasses to the top of my head I steeled myself for the drama show about to occur. Clare was humming, with a duster in hand, and getting too close wasn’t an option due to my allergies.
“Hi Clare, how are you today?” Small talk is a good beginning I figured.
“I’m doing well. I’m so glad you’re here. I wanted to see if you’d heard about the new woman in town who is set to buy the old manor. You’re going to have a new neighbor. Hopefully, no one dies this time.” She shot me a closet that-means-your-family look. The nerve and gall of her casual accusation left me reeling with nothing to say. She’d said it so casually, that I had no comeback.
“No, I haven’t heard about her. Has she brought it yet?” I glossed over her heartless dig and kept focused on the goal of finding out about the priest.
“No. There’s a big auction and an open house for the first time since the...ah...you know, the murder thingy. I think a lot of people will come out for that.”
Now I was livid, and Clare noticed my face and fluttered her eyelashes a little more.
“Sorry, I was laying it on a little thick then, huh? I didn’t mean to sound rude.” She plastered a cheesy smile over her fake face, and if I’d had one of those cream pies like they did on TV I would have smushed it right in her face.
“You were. I don’t like the fact that the old man was murdered any more than you do Clare, but truth be told, he was a murderer himself - of his own son.” I stamped the seal of truth in place and now it was Clare’s turned to flush a ripe ole shade of red.
“I guess,” she said quietly. “What can I do for you Dee? Are you in for a scarf or something cute? We just got these polka dot ones in!” She held it up near my neck and for the purpose I was aiming for, I decided to buy it and appease her.
“Sure, I’ll take the purple and white one. It is cute. Thank you. Say, I wanted to ask you something...I ran into the priest, Father Clarence, the other day. Do you think his church is any good? I was thinking I might ask him to lay a blessing over the house.” I explained enough so it would dangle the carrot for her. She packaged the scarf in a brown paper bag and her lashes covered the dow
nward gaze of her inquisitive, prying eyes. She rang up my scarf, then her dam burst open.
“You can’t tell anyone, but I’ve been told that he has an inappropriate relationship with some of those boys in the church. When I spoke to one of them, Johnny Michaels, he got really mad. He said the priest would never do that. I was only asking because I’d heard it too,” she reasoned.
There was cause for suspicion. I’d been right, and yet this was not a subject I’d wanted to be correct on.
“That’s an unfortunate rumor. I hope it's not true.”
“Me too, Dee. Me too. Enjoy your wonderful scarf and say hello to those darling children of yours for me.”
“I will indeed, Clare. Have a nice day and see you at the auction, maybe.”
She clasped her hands in front of herself looking pleased that I bought her scarf. “Oh, I’ll be there. I can’t wait! It’s going to be a big event for the town. I hope to see you there.” I knew when to exit. If I stayed any longer Clare would continue talking and my head would start to hurt. She dazzled her teeth at me as I left the shop, shaken by the news.
Riding home in silence I turned the radio up to listen to the song when a flashy burgundy Maybach rolled past me. A distinct frown fell on my face because, mostly, the popular cars in the region were old pickup trucks, smaller vehicles, or minivans for mothers to drive their tribe of children around. Not a few hundred thousand in a single car. Maybe that was the lady Clare was talking about regarding the old manor. I guessed it was. My thoughts went back to Clare’s comments. Now I knew about the priest I had no clue what to do with the information.
Who would be able to confirm it was true if the boys were denying it? Why was I even thinking about it when I had my own struggles to work out?
As I drove into our open gravel driveway, I contemplated how the kids were feeling inside. I knew how Amber was taking it. She’d turned into some super-sleuth who wanted to beat down the paranormal activity. Dusty at times seemed ambivalent and other times concerned, it made sense; he was a teenage boy after all. Robbie had been the quieter one out of the two and that irked me a little bit. I wanted him to show some sort of feeling about the disturbances, but he never did. His reaction was the same when he found out about his father’s passing as well. He seemed to float through it all and not say much. I parked and proceeded inside with caution.
The Revelation (A Paranormal Crime Thriller Book 2) Page 4
