The rest of the hour prior to dinner being served was civil, but there was an undercurrent of tension. Gregg sensed it as he came into the kitchen to munch on snacks. He glanced at Elizabeth quickly, who caught his eye, then turned away. Eric was sitting on the sofa with Mary, showing her how to play a Game Boy, and Lily was hovering near them. Rick was sitting by himself playing another video game, looking sullen. Mary looked like she was trying to flinch away from Lily every time the little girl got near her and Eric seemed to notice this; several times Elizabeth heard him say, “This game is a little too hard for you to play with, Lily. Why don’t you try one of those other ones over in the toy box?”
Diana heard Eric and turned around. “Mary, let Lily play with you and Eric!”
“Mommy!” Lily wailed, her face pouting.
“Mary...” Diana’s voice was stern, authorative.
“Okay.” Mary’s voice was so soft, so subdued, that Elizabeth barely heard it but she could detect the defeat and fear in it. Eric looked puzzled and a little annoyed. He glanced at his mother and Elizabeth met his eyes. Just do what Diana says, Elizabeth thought, nodding at her son. Eric understood the silent communication and sighed. We’ll talk about this later. She traded glances with Gregg again and then her silent reverie was broken by Laura’s voice as she called everybody to the table for dinner.
As usual, the food was excellent. The turkey was moist and seasoned perfectly; the stuffing was scrumptious. The corn and mashed potatoes melted in your mouth. There was warm bread, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce. Elizabeth helped her mother with the drinks, and conversation centered on the food and past years’ Thanksgivings. Diana gave an anecdote or two about Thanksgivings in Ohio. Elizabeth paid special attention to them as Diana talked. “My mom comes from a big family so we’d usually have two turkeys and a ham,” Diana said, her tone now more jovial and friendly but still bearing an underlying hint of condensation. “And my ex-husband came from a big family. Every year we would take turns going to each other’s parents’ for Thanksgiving. My ex mother-in-law ran a large resort hotel outside Columbus, so she always had the best spread on the table. Perfect china, perfect silverware. It was like eating at a five-star resort hotel at her place. Of course, she hated it every time we came over because Rick always found something to break and—”
On and on it went. Elizabeth ate and listened, paying more attention to Diana than she had in the past four months. Diana didn’t seem to notice and rattled on. Laura carried most of the conversation with her, but her father piped in as well, along with Gregg. The more Elizabeth observed her parents, the more she realized that something was wrong.
Mom had slipped back into that Body Snatcher persona; it almost seemed like her mother’s mind and will had been zapped by the evil entity Elizabeth imagined Diana to be and was replaced with a puppet-mom that nodded and spoke the right things, the kind of things only Diana would approve of. Dad didn’t fare much better, but Elizabeth caught the faint hint of disapproval in his demeanor. Gregg caught the vibes at once and glanced at Elizabeth again. Diana’s kids picked at their food and were mostly silent during the meal. Eric dug into his food ravenously as usual, shoveling it in like it was the last thing on earth to eat, and Mary ate quickly. Elizabeth’s eyes lit on her niece and Mary looked back briefly. I’m scared, those eyes seemed to say.
Elizabeth finished her meal and helped her mother clear the table. “That was great, Laura,” Gregg said, leaning back in his chair. “Once again, you put on a fabulous dinner.”
“Diana helped quite a bit with this meal, folks,” Laura said, carrying plates of turkey to the kitchen counter. “She helped make the stuffing.”
I doubt it, Elizabeth thought as she picked up empty glasses. She’s so stuffed with bullshit I doubt she’d have the strength to turn her attention away from the cigarettes and the Diet Pepsi she drinks all day. Besides, isn’t this the woman who doesn’t cook for her own kids? What the fuck is she doing suddenly helping prepare Thanksgiving dinner?
Gregg and Jerry headed back to the living room to reclaim their respective spots in front of the TV. Rick and Lily went back to the living room to mope, and Eric went to the bathroom. Elizabeth helped her mom and Diana clear the table and then she picked up her own glass. She was out of soda and was still thirsty. “I’m going down for a refill,” she said, heading toward the basement door. “Anybody want anything?”
There was no answer to her invitation so she shrugged and headed down the stairs to the basement.
Once in the basement she made her way toward the bar, heading to the refrigerator. She had just opened the refrigerator door and was rummaging among the pony bottles of Rolling Rock and the liter bottles of Pepsi when she heard footsteps scamper toward her. She turned around and was surprised to see Mary.
Her niece ran up to her and clutched the side of her leg. She immediately started crying, and as Elizabeth bent down to calm the girl down she could tell Mary was trying to control her emotions. “Mary,” Elizabeth whispered, trying to soothe her down. “What’s the matter, honey?”
“Take me home with you,” Mary said quickly between sobs. Her face was hot and wet with tears. “Please! L-Let’s leave...nh-nh-now!” She started sobbing again.
“Mary, honey,” Elizabeth said, her arms around her niece, trying to comfort her. Her mind was racing back to almost a month ago when her mother had called that Saturday morning and told her Mary had spent the previous evening at their home and made those wild accusations. “Shhh. It’s going to be okay.”
“Just take me,” Mary said, her breath hitching as she fought to control her sobs and the volume of her voice. “K-kidnap me or something...just...take me away from them!”
Elizabeth felt the skin along her arms erupt in gooseflesh. The intensity of emotion in Mary’s voice was too great to ever be coming from such a young child. Elizabeth instinctively held her niece close to her for protection. “Its okay, Mary, you’ll be safe. I’ll take care of you.”
The door to the basement opened and footsteps sounded on the stairs.
Elizabeth felt Mary stiffen in her arms; she felt her stomach contract as the footsteps grew closer. Mary’s face scrunched up as she fought to hide her emotions. “They never leave me alone!”
This last exclamation from Mary, spoken with such heartfelt emotion, sparked anger in Elizabeth. She stood up quickly and, grabbing Mary’s hand, she led the little girl to a door that opened off to her father’s workroom. She opened the door quickly and pushed Mary through. “Stay there,” she whispered quickly, then shut the door before Mary could respond. By now the footsteps had reached the bottom of the stairs and Elizabeth spun around, already knowing who she was going to meet when they rounded the basement family room.
Rick and Lily entered the basement family room, Lily’s eyes glancing around as if searching for something. Rick looked bored, but there was an undercurrent of something else working there, something malicious. “Could you please go back upstairs?” Elizabeth asked.
Rick looked at her with an expression that seemed to say, You think you can tell me what to do? Lily ignored her and tried to walk around Elizabeth toward the door she had shoved Mary into a moment before.
“I don’t think so,” Elizabeth said, placing herself in front of Lily. She was furious. “You aren’t allowed down here at all. Now go upstairs!”
“We can go anywhere we want,” Rick said. It was one of the rare times the boy spoke, and if she hadn’t been so angry she would have felt a tremor of fear at the sound of his voice. It was so...wrong. It was as if he were speaking while chewing a mouthful of rocks at the same time.
“No, you may not,” Elizabeth said, and she had to stand her ground as Lily tried to get around her again. The little girl tried to dodge past her to get to the door that led to her father’s workroom and this time Elizabeth had to grab her to hold her back. She was a little too forceful and Lily stumbled back slightly. Elizabeth felt her hands go cold at the brief contact between them an
d she tried not to let her surprise and fear show. She’s cold, she though. So cold. There was also the sense that Lily’s flesh was slimy, as if she weren’t even human. “Get the hell out of here,” she said, the fear making her incredibly defensive now.
Lily glanced back at Rick briefly, who nodded. “Come on, Lily,” he said. The two kids headed toward the stairs; they glanced back at Elizabeth as they ascended the staircase, as if they were waiting for the opportunity for Elizabeth to turn her back on them.
Elizabeth watched them go up the stairs, heart pounding in her chest, and when the basement door closed she bolted toward her father’s workroom and Mary came to her quickly. Elizabeth swooped her up in her arms and held her as Mary cried openly now. “Shhh, calm down honey, its okay, they’re gone, they’re gone, I’ve got you and nobody’s going to hurt you. It’s okay, I’m going to take care of you.”
She repeated this mantra as Mary cried into her shoulder. Elizabeth held her niece, trying to soothe her and calm down her own racing nerves and then she heard another set of footsteps on the stairs.
Elizabeth tensed up, hoping it wasn’t the kids again, but these footsteps were heavier, those of an adult. She whispered to Mary, “It’s okay, it’s not Rick and Lily. Just be quiet.” She stood up and Mary held on to her as Elizabeth approached the partly opened door to see who was coming down the stairs.
Diana walked past the door on her way behind the bar, presumably to fetch another can of Diet Pepsi.
Elizabeth turned to Mary quickly. “Shhh, it’s Diana. Be quiet.”
Mary quickly hitched in a sob and tried to hold her breath.
Diana turned toward the door and saw Elizabeth and Mary. She frowned. “Everything okay?”
The anger came out again, so sudden and huge that Elizabeth had a hard time holding it back. She glowered at Diana as Mary cowered against her. “Everything’s fine.”
Diana stepped forward, a Diet Pepsi in her hand, a look of phony concern on her face. “Are you sure? Mary, you okay honey?” She took another step closer to dad’s workroom.
“Everything’s fine!” Elizabeth said through gritted teeth. “This is none of your business!”
Diana barely flinched. She looked a little surprised maybe, but not too much. She looked toward Mary, who hid her face against Elizabeth’s stomach. “Everything will be okay,” she said, her voice all fake concern and affection. “I know you miss your daddy, but you’ll see him tonight when we get home. He’s looking forward to seeing you. I know he is. He just hasn’t seen you for so long because he’s been working. That’s why you’re upset, right?”
She was talking to Mary but the question was directed at Elizabeth, who felt a burning in the pit of her stomach. She felt like a rabbit cowering in its burrow as a snake slithered by looking for food.
“Mary?”
Mary nodded once, keeping her gaze downcast and away from Diana. Elizabeth glanced back up at Diana. “She’s just upset that her father couldn’t be here,” she said, the words coming quickly. “That’s all.”
Diana stood there for a moment as if considering this. Then, as if she were satisfied with this answer, she nodded. “Everything will be okay. Your dad will be home tonight. He’ll be very happy to see you. Now why don’t you come upstairs and play with Lily and Rick.”
Elizabeth bristled at the suggestion. Now why don’t you come upstairs and play with Lily and Rick. There had been no mention of Eric. No, why don’t you come back upstairs and play with the kids. It was as if Eric wasn’t even in the equation.
“I’ll take her up,” Elizabeth said, meeting Diana’s gaze.
Diana studied her for a moment and Elizabeth forced herself not to drop her gaze. She tried to be strong in the conviction of her promise to take Mary upstairs and it must have worked: Diana nodded, then turned and headed toward the stairs.
Elizabeth pulled Mary close and whispered in her ear. “I’m going to go upstairs and tell them you’ll be up in a minute, that you’re in the bathroom. I want you to slip out through the sliding door and make your way around the side of the house to my car. The car is unlocked, so open the backdoor and crawl in and lay down in the back seat. I’m going to get Gregg and Eric and we’ll be out in less than five minutes. Whatever you do, don’t get out of the car. Do you understand me?”
Mary nodded, her lips trembling.
“Okay.” Elizabeth gave Mary a kiss, then stood up, motioning Mary out the workroom. “Let’s go.”
As Mary headed toward the sliding glass door that led to the concrete back patio, Elizabeth headed toward the stairs. She paused briefly at the half-bath room that was situated beneath the stairs long enough to turn on the light and close the door to give it the appearance of being occupied, then she headed up the stairs.
She immediately crossed the kitchen to the living room, ignoring Diana who gazed at her from her seat at the kitchen table. Gregg was sitting in the red plush easy chair and she leaned close and whispered in his ear, “Please don’t make a fuss but we have to go. Now!”
Gregg looked at her in surprise, the implications of the sudden change of plans evident on his face. He must have immediately sensed something was wrong; whatever he was going to say in protest never made it out of his mouth. “I’ll explain on the way home,” Elizabeth whispered again. “We’re not going to say goodbye, we’re just going to get up and go. Meet me at the car.” Hoping Gregg would do exactly what she asked him to, she headed to the living room to find Eric.
Eric was playing with one of the electronic Game Boys. Rick was sitting next to him, peering over his shoulder.
Elizabeth stepped over Lily, who was sitting on the floor in front of Mary’s toys, and plopped herself on the sofa next to Eric. Knowing there was no other alternative for prying her son away from Rick without raising some sort of alarm, she went for the direct approach. “Honey, I need you to come home with me real quick.”
Eric and Rick looked up in surprise. Eric looked surprised that they were leaving. Rick frowned. “Going home already?”
Elizabeth tried to smile to reassure the older boy, but she knew it was a false smile he would see right through. “I forgot something at home and I don’t want to drive back and forth by myself,” she explained. “We’ll be right back.”
“But mom!” Eric protested as Elizabeth took the Game Boy out of his hand and pulled him off of the sofa. She didn’t even bother to get their coats; her purse was on the end table by the front door and as she passed it, dragging Eric behind her, she plucked it up with her free hand and slung it over her shoulder. She opened the front door and was just stepping outside when she heard Diana call out. “Where are you going?”
“We’ll be right back,” she said, ushering Eric ahead of her out of the house and slamming the door behind her.
“Get to the car,” she told Eric. Elizabeth noticed with relief that Gregg had gotten to the car—he’d probably exited quietly through the garage door—and was already getting into the front driver seat. Elizabeth steered Eric toward the back seat, saw that Mary was hunkered down behind Gregg, and slipped into the front passenger seat. “Let’s go,” she said.
“What the hell is going on?” Gregg said, his voice high and scared. He started the car and had barely gotten it warmed up when the front door opened and Diana peeked out. Rick’s face peered out from beneath her right arm and Elizabeth said, “Drive!”
Gregg backed the car down the driveway, and as they drove past the house and down the street, Elizabeth noticed Diana and Rick had taken another step onto the front porch and were watching them leave. Elizabeth felt their eyes light on her as if they were looking directly at her and she turned away, feeling a creeping sensation along her spine and the back of her neck.
From the backseat Mary’s voice came, full of fear. “Are they following us?”
Gregg jumped. He glanced back into the rearview mirror as he made a left on Fir Lane then a right on Douglas, which would lead to Denver Road. “What’s Mary doing back there?” H
e asked. He glanced at Elizabeth quickly, the look of confusion and fear quickly giving way to anger.
“Please just drive home and I’ll explain everything.”
“They’re not following us, are they?” Mary asked. She was still hunkered down in the backseat and Eric, who had barely been able to climb into his car seat and buckle up when Gregg had backed the car up, was looking at his cousin in surprise.
Elizabeth glanced behind them. “They’re not following us,” she said. “They probably don’t know you’re gone yet.” She turned to Gregg. “Get us home.”
“What the hell is Mary doing back there and why is she here without her parent’s knowledge?” Gregg asked. He glanced from the rearview mirror to the road in front of him and Elizabeth knew that if she didn’t explain quickly she would lose her credibility.
“Diana is not her parent!” she snapped. “Her father hasn’t known what’s been going on at that house for months and her mother is dead, so just drive and listen.”
Then, as Gregg drove them home through Lancaster County’s back roads, Elizabeth told him about their encounter in her parent’s basement. And for the first time since the weekend Mary and Laura had come to their home for the weekend, when Laura had told them Mary had seen a shapeless, shifting monstrosity fused seamlessly with Ronnie’s sleeping form in the master bedroom, she told Gregg her true feelings of the situation. “This is far more than Mary reacting psychologically against all she’s been through,” she said. “There’s something wrong with Diana and her kids. I don’t know what it is, but I can feel it.” She glanced in the rearview mirror into the back seat at Eric and Mary, who was now sitting up in her seat, her face still red from crying but now looking calm. “The kids feel it too. Don’t you?”
And while she had never spoken of her feelings with her son, Eric met her gaze and slowly nodded.
Gregg saw the exchange and, still looking stunned, his face showing the strain of wanting to do what was right and trying to be rational, stayed silent and drove.
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