Dead Voices

by Rick Hautala

  Elizabeth smiled thinly and nodded at the grizzled old man. “Sure,” she replied.

  Without another word, Eldon gave her the hammer and a nail and then, stepping to one side, gripped the pinch bar with both hands and pulled back until the wire was taut.

  “There yah go. Give it a whack!” he said. His face flushed red with strain ... as Elizabeth placed the small, horseshoe-shaped nail up against the barb and drove it in with two solid, accurate blows. When Eldon released the tension on the wire and saw that it was going to hold, he smiled, wiping his forehead on the sleeve of his frayed plaid work shirt.

  “Thanks,” he said, making no effort to take the hammer from her. “So, you must be the woman Junia Payne gave me a call ‘bout.”

  “You can call me Elizabeth. “

  “Sure thing ... Elizabeth,” Eldon replied.

  His eyes were such a dark brown that they looked like two little balls of black rubber. His cheeks were weathered like leather and stubbled with a short white beard that looked at least two weeks overdue for a shave. When he smiled, his teeth, brown-stained and rotting, stood out in his mouth like spindly tree stumps. He was dressed like a typical Yankee farmer, with bib coveralls, plaid shirt, and mud- and manure- crusted rubber boots. In spite of his taciturn exterior, there was something that was immediately likable about him, and Elizabeth’s smile widened.

  “Junia Payne is my aunt,” Elizabeth said, still feeling a need to shake hands. She wasn’t at all confident about how to proceed with this conversation now that the preliminary challenges had been made and met. Narrowing her eyes to slits, she looked over her shoulder at the long line of newly strung barbed wire that ran a good two hundred yards before it jagged to the left, back toward the bam. All in all, she guessed Eldon had enclosed roughly half of a five — or six — acre area.

  “Stringing barbed wire’s usually a two-man job,” she said. “Do you mean to tell me you did all of this by yourself?”

  Eldon wiped his forehead and nodded. “T’weren’t easy,” he said, “but I can’t afford no hired help now that the boys are all growed up and gone. Farmin’s been my life, but it sure as hell ain’t no livin’.” He held out his hand to take the hammer back from her before adding, “ ‘Course, if you don’t have anything else planned for th’ afternoon, I might ask yah to help me finish this up.”

  Looking ahead at the line of still unstrung posts, Elizabeth considered for a moment before saying, “I don’t have anything special planned for this afternoon ... other than what my aunt spoke to you about. I’m not exactly dressed for farm work, though.” She was grateful, at least, that she hadn’t worn a skirt as she had originally planned.

  “To tell yah th’truth, I certainly’d ‘preciate some help here. I’ve done the bitchly part, down along the slope,” Eldon said. He used his sleeve to wipe his forehead again and let his breath out in a long, rising whistle. Rotating the shoulder he had used to brace the pinch bar, he added, “T’ain’t as young’s I used t’be.”

  “Who is?” Elizabeth said, unable to stop herself from thinking, Well, Caroline isn’t getting any older! She was grateful when she saw Eldon’s deeply wrinkled face widen into a smile. “Do you want me to pull the wire or do the nailing?”

  Handing the hammer back to her, Eldon said, “Looks t’me like you got nailin’ down just fine. Soon’s I saw yah comin’ toward me ‘crost the field, I could tell you were a farm girl. “

  “Really?” Elizabeth said, half suspecting Eldon was about to make a joke about his psychic abilities. “And how’d you know that?”

  “By the way you walked,” Eldon said simply.

  Elizabeth looked at Eldon, wondering what it was he was supposed to do for her. Junia certainly hadn’t supplied her with any facts, and Eldon looked so much like a typical Maine farmer, she couldn’t quite fathom how someone like him would have an interest in spiritualism or anything else occult; he certainly didn’t look like someone who had any particular psychic abilities.

  Then again, who is the type? she asked herself, remembering Frank’s comments about Graydon. “So much for stereotypes,” she muttered, as she unslung her purse and laid it down on the fresh grass. Without another word, she rolled up the sleeves of her fresh, white blouse and started working alongside Eldon.

  As they strung the barbed wire, which Elizabeth had done more of as a child than she cared to remember, Eldon said very little. She figured it was up to him to talk if he wanted to, but the next two hours passed mostly in silence, broken only when Eldon commented on the fine job she was doing —” ‘Specially for a woman.”

  All during the time they worked, Elizabeth’s curiosity steadily rose. She wondered why he had asked her to bring blank cassette tapes and what — exactly — he planned to do for her. How could such an apparently hard-working, practical man be interested in anything supernatural, unless Sunday mornings at the local Baptist church could be considered “supernatural”?

  The sun was lowering in the west and there was a slight chill in the air when Elizabeth drove the last nail into the last post. Her arm was aching from the palm of her hand right up to her shoulder, and there was the thick pad of a blister on the heel of her palm. Her body was sticky with sweat, and she promised herself a very long, hot shower when she got home.

  “I cain’t tell yah how much I ‘preciate th’help,” Eldon said, as he picked up the nearly empty spool of barbed wire, slung it onto his shoulder, and started across the field toward the barn. Exhausted, Elizabeth followed along until he pointed over to the place where she had first joined him and said, “Yah might wanna pick up your pocketbook ‘fore it gets too dark.”

  As tired as she was, she ran over to where she had left her purse, scooped it up, and, slowing her pace to a casual walk, started up the slope toward the barn. In spite of what Eldon had said about having done the worst part down by the river, her sneakers and jeans were caked with mud and grass stains, and her blouse was sodden with sweat and grime. She figured her face must be just about as dirty as her hands, but in spite of all that, she was feeling good, exhilarated, after a few hours of honest, hard labor, and content that she had been able to help him out.

  As she came up into the dooryard, she knew Eldon was inside the barn by the sounds of clanging metal that echoed from the wide open doorway. It sounded as though he was running a length of chain over some metal; the noise rang out like rattling gunfire. Leaning her head inside, Elizabeth blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to adjust to the darkness. Her nostrils filled with the smell of fresh cow manure and musty hay; and she marveled at how, for probably the first time in her life, she thought of the identical smells in her father’s barn with pleasantly nostalgic thoughts.

  “Be right wit’cha,” Eldon’s voice called from somewhere down the line of cow stalls. “Just gotta take care o’this.”

  Preferring to stay in the sunlight, Elizabeth backed out into the dooryard and, placing her hands on her hips and stretching back, inhaled deeply. Already, her knotted muscles were softening in the warmth, and she found herself thinking that — no matter what happened with Eldon Cody — she wasn’t about to let this terrific feeling be ruined.

  A looming shadow shifted within the bam doorway. Elizabeth tensed for an instant, then relaxed when she saw Eldon walk out, squinting in the bright sunlight.

  “Well,” he said, running his work-grimed hands through his thinning hair as he looked out across the field they had just finished refencing, “I hope you brung what I asked yah to.”

  Elizabeth was only momentarily confused; then she shook her head and said, “Oh, yeah — sure. I have the blank tapes. “

  “Com’on, then, ‘n’ we’ll see what we can git.”

  Elizabeth halted on the walkway, and Eldon turned and looked quizically at her.

  “Somethin’ the matter?” he asked. His voice and expression were as hard as nails, in spite of the welcoming gleam in his eyes.

  “Well, I was just — you know, I have no idea what you plan to do,” E
lizabeth stammered as she twisted the strap of her purse nervously in her hands.

  Eldon snorted with laughter and, shrugging his shoulders, said, “Why, I’m gonna help you so’s you can talk to your dead daughter. Com’on in’ta the house, ‘n’ we’ll git goin’.”

  2.

  Frank knocked on the front door several times before he saw motion through the gauzy white curtain and heard the steady approach of footsteps. He could tell by the smallness of the silhouette that it was Suzie Norton. Stepping back to allow the screen door to swing open, he smiled widely and said, “Howdy, Suze.”

  The woman in the doorway regarded him with a fluttering of eyelids and her own friendly smile.

  Suzie was quite an attractive woman, with long brown hair and very clear, green eyes that were always sparkling. Considerably younger than Brad, probably no more than twenty-five, she still had the figure of a schoolgirl, with a slim waist and large, rounded breasts. Frank always felt just a bit uncomfortable in her presence because of all the bragging Norton did during the long, boring night shifts, about Suzie’s bedroom expertise. Over the years, Frank and Suzie had developed a teasing repartee between them, and Frank sometimes found himself wondering how far Suzie would go if he decided to make a serious move. He would of course never really try to get his partner’s wife into the sack, but still ... the fantasies were sometimes fun.

  “Well, well, well,” Suzie said, letting her words drawl as if she were a Southern belle. Her tongue darted out between her teeth as she stepped back and regarded Frank from head to toe. “I certainly do hope you’re not thinking ‘while the cat’s away ... ‘”

  Although it was early afternoon, Suzie was wearing a thin nightgown that clung to her figure. Frank smiled and, shaking his head, said, “As much as I’d like to, Suze, you know I’m saving myself for marriage. No, I just stopped by to see if Brad was feeling any better.”

  A confused frown crossed Suzie’s face, and, cocking her head to one side, she sniffed and said, “Is this some kinda joke I’m not getting?”

  Frank shrugged. “I don’t think so. I just wanted to see how Brad was feeling. I haven’t talked to him for a day or two, now, and I —”

  “What the hell are you talking about, Frank?” Suzie said. Her frown deepened. “Brad left for work over an hour ago. He said he was putting in extra hours, helping you with ... he didn’t say exactly what, but he said he was working with you on something.”

  “For Christ’s sake,” Frank said, scratching his head. He looked away from Suzie for a moment. his first thought being that Brad was seeing another woman on the sly (he was pretty sure that was Suzie’s first thought, too).

  “I’ll have his balls, that rotten son of a bitch!” Suzie muttered, her face noticeably paler, and her eyes glistening as tears began to form. She seemed somehow diminished in size, and Frank’s first impulse was to hug her for reassurance.

  “Well — hey, all I know is, this is the third day I haven’t seen him,” Frank said. It twisted his gut to see the pain and dark suspicion in Suzie’s expression, so he added, “But when I do, I’ll sure as hell find out what’s been going on.”

  “You aren’t keeping anything from me, are you Frank?” Suzie said, her voice softening. Her lower lip trembled when she spoke, and Frank could tell it took a lot of effort for her to keep from crying. He reached out and placed his hand gently on her shoulder. It felt thin and frail beneath his hand, and his heart ached for her. “You know I wouldn’t lie to you, Suze,” he said simply.

  Suzie sniffed loudly, and her expression hardened again. “If I find out you’ve been keeping something from me, I’ll get even with you — right after I’m through with Brad!”

  “It’s not what you think,” Frank said mildly, even though he only half-believed it himself.

  Suzie sniffed again as she twisted her shoulder out from under Frank’s grip. He let his hand drop to his side, and for several seconds, the two of them just looked at each other in tortured silence. Finally, Suzie nodded and said, “Yeah — sure it isn’t.” She stepped back into the house and, still looking squarely at Frank, swung the door shut in his face.

  “Catch’cha later,” Frank said to the silhouette behind the door-window curtain, then walked down the steps back to his cruiser. As he got into the car and pulled out of the driveway, he could feel Suzie’s harsh gaze boring into the back of his head. He felt her pain and confusion, but he told himself to leave it at that — there was no reason to get involved any deeper than he had to. If there was something going wrong between Suzie and Brad, it was none of his damned business. If there was anything else going on, some screwup at work where Brad might need some disciplinary action for taking off time not owed to him — well, that was the chiefs responsibility. All Frank knew was that he wasn’t about to be a buddy-fucker and tell everyone at the station that Brad was AWOL.

  As he drove back to town, though, Frank couldn’t help but wonder what in the hell Brad was up to. It was stupid to jeopardize his position on the force by calling in sick just so he could skip work for a few days. Frank had no idea if Brad had something going with another woman or if it was something else. Whatever it was, it had to be something Brad wanted to keep to himself. He certainly hadn’t mentioned anything to his partner. As far as Frank could remember, Norton hadn’t been acting differently lately, so he tried to push it all aside, telling himself it was probably something minor, and even if it wasn’t minor ...

  “What the hell! Forget about it,” Frank muttered to himself as he pulled into the police station parking lot. He had concerns of his own, and they were much more important. Whenever he saw Brad next, he’d ask him what the hell was going on. He’d get the truth out of his partner, so he decided to leave it at that for now.

  3.

  After taking a few minutes to wash up in Eldon’s bathroom, Elizabeth joined him in the living room. Afternoon sunlight cut across the worn-out rug and reached partway up the wall, illuminating the faded design of the wallpaper. Motes of dust drifted into the bar of light, were momentarily bright, and then winked out as they floated into shadow. Elizabeth thought that’s all any of us are — tiny specks of dust, sailing aimlessly in the void. For our brief instant, the sunlight lights us up, and then — blink — we’re gone.

  But gone where? she wondered. Where do we go? What happens to us? And more to the point, what the hell can this old farmer tell me about it all?

  “I wanna do a little demonstration first, if yah don’t mind,” Eldon said.

  “Well, before we start, I was just wondering —”

  Eldon raised his eyebrows and looked at her. “Yeah?”

  “What I mean is — well, this whole thing has me sort of confused,” Elizabeth said, shaking her head. “I don’t understand how — or why — someone like you can be involved in ... in whatever you want to call it.”

  Eldon’s face remained impassive as he looked at her. Then he cleared his throat and said gruffly, “It’s called E.V.P. — electronic voice phenomenon. The how’s simple. I got the equipment and desire to do it. ‘N’ it works, so I do it. I won’t be makin’ any claims as to how it happens, but I know it does.” He squinted as he looked at her, his eyes asking for her understanding, and although she was still confused, Elizabeth nodded.

  “Now as to the why of it,” Eldon continued. “Well ... I guess that ain’t so hard to understand. I spoze, just like some folks go to church ‘n’ some folks read astrology or whatever ‘n’ others don’t believe in anything, this is what gives my life meaning.” He folded his rough workman’s hands in front of his face, looking almost as if he were praying. “But unlike a lot o’that stuff, what I do is different ‘cause it works ... every time.” A thin smile flickered across his face, then dissolved. “But the best way’s to see and hear it bein’ done, so let’s get a move on.”

  “Uh, yeah — okay,” Elizabeth said. Still confused, she looked squarely at Eldon and nodded.

  “Al’right, then,” Eldon said. He reached over to
the end table beside the couch and picked up a small tape recorder. Placing it in his lap, he cleared his throat again and began, “What I’ve here is an ordinary tape player. You got them two tapes I tole yah to bring, right?”

  Elizabeth opened her purse and fished around inside until she produced them. She made as if to give them to Eldon, but he waved his hand in front of her and said, “Nope. Don’t wanna even touch ‘em. Just so’s you can’t say I fudged with things.”

  “What exactly do you plan to do?” Elizabeth asked. Her curiosity was rising, even though she thought Eldon was failing miserably if he was trying at all to create any kind of atmosphere receptive to ... whatever he was up to.

  “Step by step is how we’re gonna do it,” Eldon said. “Here yah go.” As he handed the tape recorder to her, a smile curled one comer of his mouth. “What I want yah t’do first is take the wrapper off one of them tapes and put it in’ta the machine. “

  Elizabeth struggled to catch the opening tab on the cellophane covering, but after a moment got it, pulled it away, opened the plastic case, and shook out the blank tape. She pressed the button marked STOP/EJECT and, after opening the lid, dropped the tape into the slot and snapped the cover shut.

  “Fine. Now press the play button,” Eldon said.

  “But the tape’s —”

  “Just press it. “

  Elizabeth did as she was told, and for the next few seconds, both she and Eldon listened to the faint hiss the blank tape made as it played.

  “Nothin’ on it, right?” Eldon said. His eyebrows rose into twin semicircles, and the smile on his face widened just a notch.

  “I don’t get this at all,” Elizabeth said cautiously. “What did you expect to hear?”