* * *
Aunt Claudia sat on the sofa reading. At the sound of the front door opening, she looked up from her book. Through the blur of her thick reading glasses she thought could make out Jillian and Patty walking into the front hall with David between them, each girl holding one of his hands. She smiled at them, and nudged her glasses down on her nose for a clearer look.
She got a much clearer look.
Claudia’s mouth dropped open, and the book fell from her hands.
She gasped. “Oh-My-God-Jesus-In-Heaven, what is that?”
It damn sure wasn’t David.
Melanie walked in from the dining room, and stopped short, eyes snapping wide. The glass of ice tea she was bringing from the kitchen dropped from her hand and shattered on the floor. She stood there staring, dumbfounded.
From the front hall, Jilly said, “Mom, we…”
Patty jumped in, unable to contain her excitement. “Look what we found, Mrs. Meljac!”
Melanie and Claudia just stared, aghast.
Quackrak sensed that things were tense and getting tenser.
He mumbled, “Oh dear.”
“Good God, it quacks,” Melanie managed.
“No, mom, it’s talking,” corrected Jilly
Patty said, “Yeah, it must be, ’cause it listens when you talk, and when it quacks like that it looks at you like you’re supposed to understand. So it’s another language or something…maybe.”
Melanie was flustered, frozen in place. She wanted to rush to her daughter, to both girls, grab them and tear them away from the improbable thing that stood between them holding their hands like some wayward, lost…something.
The girls started into the living room, dragging Quackrak with them.
“We can keep him in the guest room, and…” Jilly started to say.
“Not in my guest room, you won’t!”
Melanie shuddered, then shook her head hard, snapping out of it and taking control.
She said, firmly, “Okay…what?” she pointed to Quackrak. “What is that? Where did you get it, and for God’s sake, what’s it doing in my house? Give! Now!” she demanded.
It took a few minutes for things to calm down.
“You say, on the flat rock out in the water?” asked Aunt Claudia.
“Yeah,” said Jilly.
“You’re sure it didn’t come out of the water?” Melanie asked.
“No,” answered Patty. “He just like, ‘pop’ and there he was; right out of thin air. I almost peed my pants,” she grinned, embarrassed. “I was so scared all I could do was scream.”
“Me too,” said Jilly. “But he was scared too. I know he was ’cause when we started screaming he curled up into a little ball, and wouldn’t move.”
Patty added, “…until I poked him. Then I think he laughed, just like he was ticklish or something.”
Everyone had sat down in the living room, Jilly and Patty on either side of Aunt Claudia on the sofa. Melanie had moved one of a matching set of antique chairs from under the front window on the other side of the living room. She sat facing Claudia and the girls from across the coffee table. Quackrak sat on the floor a few feet from Melanie waiting to see what would happen next.
“And this was all just a little while ago, in broad daylight?” asked Aunt Claudia.
Both girls nodded their heads.
Aunt Claudia thought for a moment, sighed, then said, “Well, I don’t know what it is, exactly, but I’m pretty sure I know where it came from.”
Jilly confessed. “Yeah…we kinda figured something like that.” She paused, then said, “But he’s tame. He’s not mean or anything.”
Melanie and Claudia looked at each other for a moment, then at the girls, then back at each other.
“There’s only one thing it could be,” said Melanie. She looked directly at the girls. “It’s gotta be a demon.”
“No way!” Jilly and Patty were both wide eyed.
“Demons are evil monsters,” exclaimed Jilly, “…aren’t they?”
“Who says?’’ asked Melanie.
Jilly looked exasperated. “I don’t know…everybody, I guess. And in the movies, and stories and all.”
She looked at Quackrak, pointing. “He can’t be an evil demon. Look at him. He’s just a little…thing, or something.”
Aunt Claudia said, “Evil, or not, he doesn’t belong here. You two have to put him back.”
“Oh, no, Anta,” Patty said. “I can keep him at my house.”
“Oh, right!” Claudia choked back a laugh. “Just let me call Amanda and tell her we’re sending a demon over as a house guest for a while; just till he gets settled.” She laughed out loud, “Whatdaya think, Mel?”
Melanie chuckled, “Oh, yeah! She’ll love it. No doubt.”
“Hey, Wait!” Jilly said. “You said, you two.” It had just dawned on her.
“You said you two have to put him back. You don’t mean me and Patty…do you?” She was fidgeting, nervously. “Mom! I’m sixteen…we’re both sixteen. We can’t do that stuff yet!” she protested.
“Then it’s time you learned,” declared Melanie.
THIRTEEN
DEPUTY HARRIS grabbed the radio microphone off the dashboard.
Christ, now what?
He depressed the send key, and said, “This is Harris, go ahead.”
“Another one just for you, Jack,” the voice from the radio’s speaker teased.
Harris scowled and clicked the mic again.
“In Brandell?”
“You got it,” came the voice.
He clicked again. “Six calls, Janice. That’s six calls in one day…from Brandell for Christ sake.”
The dispatcher’s voice crackled. “Yes indeedy, Officer Jackie, sir. The good citizens of Brandell require the services of the Princeton County Sheriff’s Department yet once again, today. Go get ’em, tiger.”
Harris growled into the mic, “I got your tiger hangin,’ Janice.”
The radio sizzled static. “My, my, we’re testy today, aren’t we?”
Harris clicked. “Just tell me where it is, okay?”
More static, then, “All right. Uh, listen Jack, this one could be something. You might wanna watch yourself. Reports of gunshots—1121 West Stillman Road. That’s about a quarter mile the other side of Brandell Boulevard. Pretty much just woods out that way. Probably somebody shooting at a tree, but still…” the dispatcher’s voice trailed off.
“I’ll check it.” Harris clicked, then replaced the mic on the dash.
Goodbye Lucifer Page 14