The Loveliest Dead

by Ray Garton

  “I’m so sorry, Jenna, I didn’t mean to cause trouble, but she seemed so sincere, so urgent. I thought you might want to talk to her.”

  Jenna nodded. “I wish Mavis and Arty hadn’t come out on the porch—I would’ve talked with her longer. I just wanted to keep the peace—that’s why I sent her away.”

  “Are you sure? I’ve got her number, I can call and tell her to back off. Seriously.”

  “You have her number? I may give her a call.”

  Kimberly lowered her voice. “Why? Aren’t you happy with the Binghams?”

  Jenna stopped pacing and lowered her voice to a whisper. “I don’t know. They’ve got some priest coming in this evening, Father Malcolm. He might exorcise the house. But they don’t seem very professional, you know? Whatever Mavis saw upstairs, it shook her up. And down in the basement, Arty saw something that scared him so bad, he had to take a pill for his heart. It’s like they’ve never done this before. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me. What do I know? But I keep remembering what Lily said about them—that they’re frauds. And what she said about this place—’Terrible things have happened in your house.’ The way she said it, it sounded like she knew a lot she wasn’t telling.”

  “That’s what I mean,” Kimberly whispered. “I’ve never heard of her—she can’t be too famous—but at the same time, she sounded like she knew what she was talking about. Especially about your father.”

  “My father.” Jenna leaned her hip against the edge of the counter. She’d broached the subject once with her mother recently, but had not thought about him since. She wondered if she’d closed her mind to any thoughts about him—if, without even realizing it, she hadn’t wanted to ask any more questions about him. “Is that why you asked me for his name? You said you wondered if you’d known him.”

  Kimberly nodded. “I’m sorry, I felt bad lying to you. But like I said, she was very convincing, and I was afraid you wouldn’t tell me if you knew she was asking.”

  “Why did she want to know?”

  “She seems to think your father is connected to all this.” She narrowed one eye. “How much do you know about him, anyway, Jenna?”

  “Nothing. Like I said, I never met the man. But Mom was very honest with me about it. It’s not like he left a big hole in my life or anything—Mom did a great job with me by herself.”

  Neither of them heard Miles enter the kitchen. When he said, “Mom,” Kimberly jumped and let out a yelp of surprise.

  “You okay?” Jenna said.

  Kimberly rolled her eyes as she relaxed. “I’m jumpy. No offense, Jenna, but I’m a little nervous in your house after what happened with Ada.”

  Miles said, “What are they going to do with those cameras and tape recorders?”

  “They’re going to try to figure out what’s going on in our house, honey,” Jenna said. “They’re going to try to get rid of the fat man.”

  Miles nodded once. “Is it okay if I ask them how they’re going to do that?”

  “Sure. Just don’t get in their way, all right?”

  As Miles left the kitchen, Kimberly said, “I’ve got to get home. I haven’t started dinner and my boys are going to start worrying soon, I’m sure. Not about me, of course, but about dinner.”

  Kimberly wrote down Lily Rourke’s cell phone number for Jenna, then Jenna walked her out to the porch. As she watched Kimberly get back into her car and drive away, she hated to see her go. She turned and wearily went back into the house.

  Lily was brushing her teeth in the motel room when Claudia’s cell phone chirped. Claudia was in the shower, so Lily rinsed her mouth and answered it.

  “It’s Kimberly Gimble.”

  “Hello, Kimberly,” Lily said. “Thank you for meeting us over there. I’m sorry for the little scene that erupted on the porch.”

  “That’s okay, Jenna didn’t mind.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “In fact, she said she might call you. I gave her your number.”

  “Really? Why didn’t she talk to me while I was there?”

  “She was just trying to calm things down. She’s had enough stress lately.”

  “Of course. I understand. Should I call her?”

  “No, she’ll call if she wants to talk. Were you serious about going back there?”

  “Yes. The chief of police is familiar with me and I was going to bring him along to vouch for me, but I haven’t been able to reach him. How long are the Bing-hams supposed to be there?”

  “I don’t know. The priest is supposed to get there sometime this evening.”

  Lily’s chest began to feel tight again, and she frowned. “Father Malcolm.”

  “Yes, that’s the one.”

  Lily was not surprised, but an alarm went off in the back of her mind. Something about Father Malcolm going to the Kellars’s house bothered her, something beyond the fact that he was just as much a fraud as the Binghams.

  He’s a defrocked priest, Donald Penner of the Southwestern Skeptical Society had said. An embezzler and a pedophile.

  A pedophile.

  “Are you still there?” Kimberly said.

  “Sorry, my mind wandered. When is Father Malcolm supposed to get there?”

  “She said this evening.”

  “Thank you for your help, Kimberly, I appreciate it. We’ll be in touch.”

  After severing the connection, Lily punched in the number of Chief Winningham’s cell phone. She had called the station earlier, but he’d gone and wasn’t expected back. She called his cell phone and once again got no answer. She put the phone back in Claudia’s purse and sat on the bed.

  Lily had a very bad feeling about Father Malcolm showing up at the Kellars’s house, but she was still not certain why.

  When Jenna asked Mavis what they would like for dinner, she said, “We’re pizza people, so don’t bother cooking anything, just order a delivery and we’ll be happy.” Jenna called Round Table and ordered three large pizzas with different toppings, and soft drinks. David came into the kitchen while she was making the call, and after she hung up, they embraced. She was careful not to press against his injured hand. “How are you feeling?” she whispered.

  “Like a zombie. But I’m hungry.”

  “I’ve ordered pizzas.”

  “Like we can afford pizzas.”

  “Don’t worry, Mom will pay for it.”

  David shook his head. “What exactly are they doing, anyway?”

  “Waiting for Father Malcolm.”

  David sighed. “I can’t believe we’re going to have a priest in the house.”

  “I know. But they’re here, so we might as well let them do what they do.”

  David kissed her briefly on the mouth. “I’m sorry for being such a pain in the ass about this.”

  She smiled. “Thank you. But it doesn’t matter now. We’re handling it.”

  Father Malcolm called on Mavis’s cell phone a few minutes later and said he was at a Denny’s near the freeway in Eureka. Mavis told Jenna where he was and asked for directions to the house.

  “I know where he is,” Jenna said, “but I honestly don’t know how to tell him to get here. We haven’t lived here long enough to get to know the area that well. I could go to him and he could follow me back.”

  Mavis told him they would be there in a few minutes, and Father Malcolm said he would be at the coffee counter. As she put her cell phone back in her purse, Mavis offered to go with Jenna, who told Martha to take care of the pizzas when they arrived.

  “Couldn’t we do this tomorrow?” Chief Winningham said over the phone.

  “I’m sorry to impose, Chief,” Lily said, “but it has to be tonight.”

  “I’m just sitting down to dinner.”

  “All right, then, after dinner. Just call me before you leave and we can meet at the Kellars’s front gate.”

  “I wouldn’t do this for just anyone, you know. But I suppose you’re not just anyone.” There was a smile in his voice.

  “Than
k you so much, Chief.”

  “I’ll call you when I’m finished eating.”

  Lily pressed the End button and put the phone down on the table. They were back at the diner. Across from Claudia, Lily was squeezed into the same booth by the window they’d occupied before. Claudia was finishing an open-faced turkey sandwich while Lily, still queasy, sipped chicken soup. “The chief will call back soon,” she said.

  “I’m going to have a slice of pie,” Claudia said, pushing her empty plate away. She waved the waitress over and ordered apple pie a la mode.

  “There’s not much I wouldn’t do,” Lily said, “to have your metabolism.” Her hand holding the spoon stopped halfway to her mouth when the electric-blue flashing started, and the soup’s aroma was overwhelmed by the smell of bananas. The spoon splashed into the bowl of soup with a clatter. Before Lily could speak, her head slumped forward and she fell into thick blackness.

  Father Malcolm was a round-shouldered, fleshy man in his late fifties with pasty white skin and short, gray hair. His pale blue eyes were set close together above a nose that was prominent and razor-thin. The skin around his dark eyebrows was dry and flaky. He smiled, his lower lip prominent and glistening pink.

  When he saw Mavis, Father Malcolm stood, put a few dollars beside his coffee cup on the counter, and went to her, embraced her briefly.

  “Good to see you, Mavis,” he said.

  When Mavis introduced her, Jenna smiled and shook the priest’s clammy hand. He put his left hand over hers and said, “I’m glad I was lecturing in San Francisco this weekend so I could come when Mavis called. She says you’ve been having a difficult time. I want you to know, God has not turned His back on you.”

  “Come follow us to the house, Father,” Lily said.

  “Yes, let’s go,” he said. He stood between them and put a hand on each of their backs as they headed for the entrance. “I’ve rented a lovely Ford Taurus with the most wonderful sound system. I’ve been blasting Vivaldi all the way here,” he said with a chuckle.

  They left the restaurant to go to their cars.

  Lily awoke suddenly and her head jerked up with a deep, rough gasp. Across from her, Claudia leaned forward and said, “You okay, Lily?”

  Her headache had returned, along with her nausea, but she nodded. She put her purse on the table, ready to leave. “We have to get over there before that priest arrives.”

  “What? Why?”

  “I’m not exactly sure, but there’s going to be trouble if we don’t.”

  “What did you see?”

  “Nothing good.”

  “What about the chief?”

  “Oh, that’s right, the chief.” She picked up the phone and punched Redial.

  “Winningham.”

  “Chief, it’s Lily Rourke again. I’m sorry to interrupt your dinner, but we’ve got to get over there right away.” She lowered her voice and said, “I’ve had another vision. I have a... a sickening sense of urgency about this.”

  “It has to be this second? I haven’t had dessert yet.”

  “If you don’t come, I’m going over there by myself.”

  “Look, I don’t want you to cause any trouble, Lily. You said you weren’t welcome there.”

  “Something bad is going to happen very soon, Chief.”

  “All right. I’ll eat dessert later.”

  Lily told him where they were. “We’ll wait for you, then we can leave together from here. And could you do one more thing for me, Chief?”

  “What’s that?”

  “Could you wear your uniform? I think it’ll give you more of an air of authority, and they might be more likely to listen to you.”

  Winningham chuckled. “You’re a take-charge kinda woman, aren’t you?”

  “I am? Well, I hope that’s not a problem.”

  “Not at all. Give me ten minutes.”

  Lily put the phone back on the table and her purse beside her on the booth’s cushion. She sipped some more ice water. “I hope he doesn’t take long,” she whispered. “I don’t think we have much time.”

  On the last stretch of Starfish Drive before reaching the gate, Jenna said, “Mavis, do you think I should get Miles out of the house for the night? I could ask Kimberly to take him.”

  “If you really feel strongly about it, then you should,” Mavis said. “But we encourage families to stick together, particularly if an exorcism is involved. There’s a great deal of strength in a family united. It’s a powerful force of goodness and can actually help us in what we do. I’m sure Father Malcolm would say the same. By the way, is he still behind us?”

  Jenna checked the rearview mirror. “He’s there.”

  She slowed the Toyota, turned right, and drove through the gate. Father Malcolm’s headlights swept behind her as he followed. She stopped in front of the house and they got out of the car.

  “Should I bring all my things in?” Father Malcolm asked as he got out of his car.

  “Just your briefcase for now, Father,” Mavis said.

  Father Malcolm leaned into the car, came out with a large black briefcase, then closed the door.

  Jenna led the way to the front door, then went inside with Mavis and Father Malcolm following a few steps behind.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Saturday, 1:23 P.M.

  It was a chilly, misty evening, but when Jenna and Mavis got back to the house with Father Malcolm, the living room was warm from a fire David had managed to build one-handed, and smelled of pizza. Everyone was sitting around eating off paper plates—Shannon and Willy sat cross-legged on the floor, watching TV with Miles as they ate—except for David, who was stoking the fire. The aroma of the pizzas made Jenna’s stomach grumble with hunger, and she went to the kitchen for a couple slices.

  She sat in the breakfast nook to eat, and listened as Mavis told their story to Father Malcolm in the living room. In the kitchen, Jenna could not understand what she was saying, but she could hear Mavis’s voice and there was a familiar rhythm to it all. She was afraid if she went out there, Mavis would ask her to tell it, and she wasn’t up to going through it again. Jenna tried to tune them out and enjoy a little time by herself, but the memory of the terror on Miles’s face when David attacked him rose up in her mind. When she closed her eyes, she saw the pain on David’s face when she’d hit his injured hand. She remembered why she’d been filling her time with chatter and busywork.

  Someone cried out in the living room, a surprised sound, and Jenna got up and hurried out of the kitchen, leaving her pepperoni slices on a paper plate on the table.

  In the living room, the lamp beside David’s recliner had been knocked off its table and lay on the floor. Everyone in the room—David, Martha, Miles, the Binghams, Shannon and Willy, and Father Malcolm— was on their feet and staring at the lamp, mouths open. The bulb beneath the skewed shade still glowed.

  “What happened?” Jenna asked.

  Standing beside the recliner, David turned to her and said, “Something knocked the lamp off the table. I didn’t touch it, something just... it just...”

  “Miles, come over here,” Jenna said. Miles, who stood by Martha in front of the couch, walked over to Jenna. She turned him around and pulled him close, her hands on his chest. Jenna looked at the others.

  Shannon and Willy had lost the color in their faces. Shannon’s hands were bunched into fists, and Willy held a paper plate with a half-eaten slice of pizza on it in a trembling hand. Arty and Mavis did not look much better—they exchanged a wide-eyed glance, then returned their gaze to the lamp on the floor. Father Malcolm stood a couple feet from the end table at the end of the couch, frowning, mouth open. To Arty and Mavis he said, “What, uh ... what was ...”

  Mavis stepped over to Father Malcolm and whispered briefly into his ear. Father Malcolm’s eyes widened as the wrinkles in his large forehead smoothed out. Mavis looked at David and said, “We, uh... we seem to have angered the demonic entities in the house. That, um, that usually happens after we
put out the religious icons. Right, Arty?”

  Arty cleared his throat and spoke nervously. “Uh, yeah, they don’t like the icons. And now we’ve got a priest in the house, a man of God, and they really don’t like that.”

  Jenna waited for one of them to continue, but they stared silently at the lamp. The fire roared softly and crackled in the silence.

  “Then what should we do?” Jenna said.

  Arty said, “We should, uh ... we should—”

  The lamp at the end of the couch did not fall off its table—it flew off, and slammed into the side of Father Malcolm hard enough to nearly knock him over, then fell heavily to the floor. Its amber glass base broke with a thick crack when it hit the floor, but the light inside did not go out. Father Malcolm stumbled forward, away from the lamp.

  “God!” Mavis cried as she hurried to Arty’s side and clutched his arm.

  Shannon screamed and nearly tripped over the lamp on her way across the room toward the entryway. She stopped suddenly and composed herself. She was breathing rapidly when she said, “I’m sorry. That scared me.”

  “Scared me, too,” Willy said as he went to her side.

  Arty looked at Shannon and Willy and snapped his fingers a few times. “Get those cameras, start taking pictures!” he said. “Let’s not forget why we’re here.”

  They went back to where their bags lay open on the floor in front of the couch. Willy put his plate on the floor, and they got their cameras.

  Jenna’s heart was beating hard, and gooseflesh spread over her shoulders. But she was not so frightened that she did not notice how flustered Arty and Mavis were.

  “Mavis,” she said, her voice unsteady. “What do we do?”

  A cornucopia-shaped Roseville vase flew from the built-in shelving unit in the wall and struck Father Malcolm hard on the left shoulder, then fell to the floor and broke in half. He shouted, “Ah!” and stumbled backward, just in time to miss a heavy pitcher, which flew between Father Malcolm and Martha and landed harmlessly on the couch.