"But without proof, there's nothing you can do, and a professional assassin probably isn't going to talk."
"Too true. Could your demon be behind it somehow? Could he have taken over someone and had them hire Macrone?"
"Not his MO."
"Yeah. He'd probably just kill you directly, right?"
"Without blinking." Then after a couple of seconds, Arlene said, "Then again, maybe not."
"No?"
"A spirit from the immortal world warned me that Kamet is aware of my presence and my purpose here. She said I'm in grave danger and that I should leave here and not return."
"A ghost warned you to leave?"
"A spirit."
"Okay. A spirit warned you to leave?"
"Yes."
"Then why are you still here?"
"I told you. A demon from the Underworld has been accidently released and we must find a way to send him back, because for the past eleven years he's been taking over people's bodies and killing others. His first victim was Simona eleven years ago when she and the coven tried to send him back down."
"This Kamet killed Simona?"
"Yes."
"Whose body did he use to do that?"
"The person he used was innocent of any wrongdoing, and I would not reveal that person's identity even if I knew."
"You don't know?"
"No."
"I thought you knew everything."
Arlene just stared at him with a disgusted look until he got uncomfortable.
"Okay, I'm sorry. I apologize. It's just that it all sounds so crazy."
"I told you that you weren't ready to believe— yet."
"I guess you were right, but I'm glad you told me anyway. At least now I understand the motivation for—" Using his hands to gesture at the books on the table and the piles stacked up on the floor, he said "—all this."
"It's alright if you don't believe us, Richard. We understand. And I know for a fact that the day will come when you will believe."
* * *
"Welcome back," Arlene said as Erin and Megan entered the reading room. It had been an eighty-minute ride from the airport and they were tired from their trip to California.
"Yes, welcome back," Madam Elana said. "Are you alone? We thought you were bringing Nancy."
"Nancy promised that she's coming. But she and her husband had a vacation already scheduled and she refused to miss it. She's very much afraid she might not be returning home when this is over, so this could be the last time she'll have with her husband and daughter. She said she'll definitely be here on August 18th."
"We'll work with that date then," Arlene said, "From what we've read, it seems critical that every member of the original coven participate in the effort to reverse the spell they invoked. It's a shame you couldn't convince Delores to come. Hopefully, Kamet will still be too weak to kill again before the eighteenth."
"Does that mean he'll be back to full strength on the eighteenth and able to kill?" Megan asked.
"I don't know, Meg. I'm just guessing. However, if the pattern of past murders is any indication, he probably won't be back to full strength before then."
"It's too bad we can't perform the exorcism right away," Renee said, "to take advantage of this time when he's still weaker."
"Yes, but we may only get one shot at this, and I feel it's more important that we have everything prepared and have the maximum number of original coven members present."
"What about us?" Megan asked.
"What do you mean, Meg?"
"Are we going to participate in the exorcism? I mean Renee, Erin, and me."
"I'd like you to be there, if you wish, as well as Oculara. The greater the size of the circle, the more ethereal energy we'll have available."
"Maybe we should invite the whole town," Megan said.
"No, we don't want to turn this into a circus. We know we're serious, and we know Oculara and the coven members are serious, but I don't know about anyone else. And— the participants have to understand there's a possible danger. I don't expect the chances of someone other than myself being hurt are very great, but I can't know."
"Why are you in greater danger?" Erin asked.
"Because I'll be inside the circle, chanting. And I'm the one who will be drawing on the ethereal energy of the circle and attempting to focus it."
"Like Simona?" Megan asked.
"Yes, Meg. Just like Simona."
* * *
Chapter Thirteen
"Arlene," Erin said after picking up the phone when it rang in the reading room, "Oculara says Father Paul wishes to speak to you. He's on line three." When Arlene nodded, Erin told Oculara that Madam Arlene would take the call." Erin then passed the receiver to Arlene, and when she was ready, Erin depressed the button to connect the line.
"Good morning, Father Paul. This is Arlene Watson."
"Madam Arlene, would you be so good as to come to the rectory?"
"Of course, Father. When?"
"Whenever is convenient for you. I'm there now."
"I'll come right over, Father. I'll leave in a few minutes."
"Do you know where the rectory is?"
"It's behind your church, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll be there shortly."
"Thank you. I'll be waiting."
"What did he want?" Erin asked after Arlene handed her back the receiver and it had been placed in the phone cradle.
"He only said he wants to see me. I need a break anyway. My eyes are starting to cross from reading."
"My eyes keep doing that as well," Renee said. "I thought that once we set a date for the exorcism, we'd be able to stop searching."
"I think it's important we keep looking. There might be something that will prove to be important, just like the requirement you found in Prague after you believed you had finished with that old book that the full original group be assembled to have the best chance of banishing the demon. We have to be here anyway, and every time we go out in this town, we attract a crowd of curious onlookers. I prefer being out of the public eye."
"Yeah, I can't wait until we can go home," Erin said. "I was hoping to spend some quality time at the beach this summer with our friends from high school."
"I miss my husband," Megan said. "We talk almost every night, and he keeps asking when I'm coming home."
"It won't be much longer, girls. I want to be done with this just as much as you, but we all know how important this is. Well, keep at it. I'll be back shortly."
The church and rectory was only a five-minute drive from the antiques shop. If not for the constant stares from the curious, Arlene might have been tempted to walk.
Father Paul's aged housekeeper admitted Arlene within a few seconds of her ringing the doorbell and then escorted her to Father Paul's office.
"Come in," Arlene heard when the housekeeper knocked lightly on the door.
Mrs. McGrath gestured to Arlene that she should enter, so Arlene turned the doorknob and opened the door, then stepped inside, closing the door behind her.
"Thank you for coming, Madam Arlene," Father Paul said as he stood up behind his desk to welcome her.
"My pleasure, Father. I needed a break from reading anyway."
"Please have a seat," Father Paul said, gesturing towards a chair in front of his desk. He sat down when Arlene did.
"Madam Arlene, I owe you an apology."
"An apology? For what, Father?"
"When I came to see you, it was at the behest of the county sheriff. He said he was concerned that you were a disruptive influence in the community. I'd wanted an excuse to call on you anyway, so I went. When I returned, the sheriff called again. He wanted me to prepare a report that he could then use to have you picked up and brought to a mental institution for a medical evaluation and ultimate commitment. I had no idea that was his reason for asking me to visit you, and I was most upset that he believed he could use me in that way."
"And did you provide him with
such a report, Father?"
"Certainly not. I told him I had found you to be an extremely articulate and intelligent young woman whose feet were firmly planted in reality. I said you may have certain beliefs I don't personally share, but you're certainly not psychologically disturbed."
"Thank you, Father."
"Uh, that apology was one of the reasons I asked you come. The other reason is one I had wanted to discuss that day but didn't quite know how to broach the subject."
"You wanted to know about the exorcism we're planning?"
"Uh, yes. Am I so transparent?"
"I suspected there was something else you wanted to discuss but hadn't raised. I believe that neither Madam Elana, Gisela, nor Oculara would have said anything, but I'm just as certain the coven members have been spreading the tale all over town."
"As I said, you're an extremely intelligent young woman, and I'm sure you knew you couldn't keep this a secret."
"Of course. What's your main reason for asking about it, Father?"
"You're direct, so I'll be just as direct. I'm concerned that it might be envisioned as being sanctioned by the Church if I don't try to intercede."
"We've never suggested that at any time. If the Church wishes to sanction it, that's up to the Church or their local representative to declare. Would you officially declare it as being sanctioned?"
"I couldn't do that under any circumstances. I don't even know if my bishop would take it upon himself to make such a declaration."
"I understand."
"However…"
"Yes, Father?"
"Like many residents of this county, I've been concerned for some time that the homicide rate has jumped significantly during the past decade. And not just in single or even double digits over that time. We've all suspected there was some unknown reason for it. Some have blamed the weather, others have blamed the economy or the political environment, while a small number are blaming extraterrestrial aliens. But there's no disputing that something unknown is happening. Your interpretation is as worthy of consideration as any of the others."
"It wasn't mere interpretation, Father. I know for a fact that a demon named Kamet is the one responsible."
"I've heard that name mentioned among my parishioners. You say you know this for a fact? Just how can you be so certain if it's a demon from Hell who doesn't have a mortal body that can be seen?"
"If he wished to be seen, I would be able to see him. I know what I know because I was warned by a spirit from the immortal world."
"You mean heaven?"
"That's one name for it. I wish there was some way I could convince you. I could use an ally with an unimpeachable reputation."
"I wish that as well."
"Wait a minute. I might know of a way."
"What is it?"
"The same way that convinced Maria Gianni."
"If the spirit of a deceased cleric, relative, or parishioner was hanging about in the rectory, you would have already seen it, or at least felt it. Right?"
"Yes. I was thinking we might call someone from the other side. Someone who has information only you and they would know. Would that convince you I was the genuine article?"
"Are you talking about having a séance?"
"Yes."
"If it was learned that I participated in a séance, I would be ridiculed."
"Then don't tell anyone. And if anyone does find out, simply tell them it was an effort to debunk my claims."
Father Paul leaned back in his chair, staring at Arlene as he thought. After a full two minutes of silence, he said, "Okay. But I get to select the deceased person who is called."
"Of course, Father. As long as you promise me that the person you wish to summon is a real person who is deceased, not just a made up name, and that the person was of good moral fiber because I cannot summon someone who was pulled down to the Underworld immediately following their death. Also, the person must know something about you that no other living person could possibly know. Agreed?"
"Agreed. When do you want to do this?"
"The sooner the better, so you can't assume I dug into your background to learn private facts about you."
"The facts I have in mind would never be available to you or anyone else."
"Good. How about tonight?"
"Fine. What time? Midnight?"
"No. Anytime after the antiques store is closed. We can perform it downstairs in our reading area."
"I'd rather it be done here."
"Okay. Do you have a large table capable of seating at least six?"
"The dining room table can seat eight."
"Fine. Ten o'clock?"
"I look forward to it."
* *
"We're going to hold a séance in the church?" Megan said. "Isn't that sacrilegious?"
"Not in the church. We're going to do it in the rectory. That's the small building behind the church where Father Paul lives."
"And you want me to be the medium?"
"Yes, Meg. It's important we get Father Paul firmly in our camp, and this could do it if we can make contact with the spirit he has in mind."
"Who does he want to contact?" Renee asked. "His mother?"
"I don't know. He'll tell us tonight just before we begin."
"Who's going?" Erin asked.
"Us four, plus Madam Elana, Gisela, and Oculara. Father Paul said his dining room table seats eight. And Renee, please, no joking around tonight. This is serious. I want him on our side."
"Okay, Ar, no joking. I promise."
* *
Father Paul was praying when his housekeeper escorted the seven women into the dining room. He completed his silent prayer, blessed himself and stood up. "Welcome, ladies."
"Father Paul," Arlene said, "I'm sure you know Madam Elana, Gisela, and Oculara. These are my lifelong friends, Megan Kearney-Heston, Erin McDonald, and Renee Dennis. Since you've read my book, I'm sure you'll understand what I mean when I say lifelong friends."
"You mean these are the ladies who accompanied you back through time?"
"Yes."
"It's my pleasure to welcome you to the rectory, ladies. All of you."
"Thank you, Father Paul," Madam Elana said. "I never really expected to see the inside of this home."
"All residents of Lake Georgina are always welcome here should they need guidance and believe I might help them. Please take seats at the table in whatever arrangement or configuration best serves your purpose."
"Megan serves as our medium," Arlene said, "so she should sit in the center of a longer side, and you should sit opposite her, Father Paul. Everyone else can sit wherever they wish."
Arlene took a seat next to Father Paul, with Renee and Erin taking seats on either side of Megan. Oculara took a seat on the other side of Father Paul, while Gisela and Madam Elana sat on opposite ends of the large oval table.
"Do we need to light candles or burn incense or anything?" Father Paul asked. "That's what they always do in the movies."
Arlene didn't know if he was jesting or being serious, so she said, "No. No parlor tricks. But it would help if we could dim the lights. It helps me focus."
"Of course. The overhead lights are on a dimmer switch. I'll take care of it since my housekeeper has left."
Father Paul walked to the light switch and dimmed the overhead lights to the lowest level where facial expressions were barely recognizable, then returned to his seat.
"That's fine, Father. Have you decided who you wish to contact?"
"Yes. I wish to contact a very dear friend of mine. Her name was Mary Ellen Boyd."
"And where did Mary Ellen live when you knew her?"
"Uh, she lived on Henry Street in Binghamton, New York. I remember her home's interior vividly, but I can't seem to remember the house number. It's been torn down since I lived in that neighborhood, and there's a post office where the house once stood."
"And was Mary Ellen related to you in any way?"
"No, she was my friend. M
y best friend. We played together as small children and grew up together. I suppose I could call her my girlfriend, because we had seriously discussed marriage just before she died."
"And you're sure she's deceased?"
"Positive. I attended her wake and funeral. A hit-and-run driver killed her while she was crossing the street on her way home from a local grocery store. She was only seventeen at the time, bless her soul. I received my calling to the priesthood soon after that happened."
"Okay, Father Paul. At this point, we all put our hands flat on the table with pinkies touching those of your two neighbors. Touching pinkies seems to assist in the flow of ethereal energy around the table and helps us make contact." When that was done, Arlene continued speaking. "When we begin, I want everyone to close your eyes and reach out with all your hearts to the immortal world. Once I begin summoning Mary Ellen, it may take some time for her to respond. Please remain silent once I start."
"How much time will it require?"
"Normally about five to ten minutes, but it always seems much longer. Originally I grew restless when we didn't get an immediate response, but then I realized that the souls in the immortal world aren't just sitting around waiting to respond to my call, and it might take time for them to initiate the procedure from their end. So I ask that everyone sit very quietly. And don't be frightened. There's absolutely nothing to be afraid of. Okay, is everyone ready?"
As Arlene looked around the table, each person nodded.
"Okay, here we go. Everyone close your eyes and reach out with your heart and mind." Raising her voice slightly, she said, "We are trying to contact the departed soul of Mary Ellen Boyd, formerly of Henry Street in Binghamton, New York. Mary Ellen, won't you please come forth and speak with us? I have an old friend here who wishes to hear from you."
The room was deathly silent for about seven minutes. Arlene was about to repeat the summons when Renee said, "Who calls the spirit of Mary Ellen Boyd?"
"Renee," Arlene said, "I told you— no joking around tonight."
"Who summons Mary Ellen Boyd of Henry Street in Binghamton, New York?" Renee said.
"Renee, knock it off," Arlene hissed.
When the Spirit Calls (When the Spirit... series - Book 2) Page 18