CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Jess collected her hairbrush, a few toiletries and a fresh change of clothes. Allison hadn’t taken part in Jess’s earlier explorations and wasn’t comfortable showering in a strange room. And at this point, neither was Jess. She promised herself she’d hurry—she would just shower and change. She would dry her hair when she got back to the room.
Allison was already in the shower.
“I’ll be back,” Jess shouted into the bathroom.
“Okay,” Allison shouted back. “Hurry, will you?”
“I will.” Taking a deep breath for courage, Jess padded down the hall quickly. She chose the room at the end of the hall, the one she was most familiar with. Not that it would make any difference. By now, Siler House knew exactly where they were at any given time.
Stop thinking about stuff like that.
Her hand paused as she reached for the doorknob. With a quick glance back to her own room, Jess opened the door and let herself in, leaving the door open—just in case.
As if it would do any good if Siler House or anyone in it decided to come after them. The room was empty. No sign of ghosts of any sort. No demons. No Riley. Just a normal room.
Keep thinking that. Normal. Everything’s normal.
Jess made sure the towel in the bathroom covered the mirror before undressing. After waiting for the water temp to adjust, she stepped into the shower. She washed in what she thought was record time. Grabbing the towel, Jess ran it over her body and then over her hair. She dressed, tugging her short-sleeved shirt over her head and resisting the urge to bolt from the room.
Normal, normal, normal. Everything’s just fine, Jess.
Heart pounding, she quickly scooped up her things and hurried from the bathroom.
Don’t look behind you. Just keep moving. There’s nothing there. Nothing there.
The door was still open, but it felt as though it were a hundred yards away. In her mind, she pictured the door slamming shut in front of her.
Stay casual, Jess.
Her eyes focused on the door as she crossed the room, letting out a sigh of relief once she was back in the hallway.
Exploring Siler House used to excite her. She’d loved to go from room to room, taking in the furnishings and atmosphere. Now, everything about the place made her uneasy. Very uneasy. The sooner they did this, the sooner Riley was gone, the better. Of course, what about afterward? Would the experiment be over? Or would EPAC have more in store for them?
You’d better hope you’ll get out of here at all.
The hall was as empty as she’d hoped. Still, the eeriness of it made her break into a run to her room. She opened the door and stepped inside.
Allison gave her a smile of relief. “Glad you’re back.”
“Something happen?” Jess asked, trying to sound composed.
She was back in her room. Allison was here. Yeah, like that was a whole lot better—the girl who could become possessed at any moment.
She’s not. It’s Allison. Just Allison.
“Everything’s fine. If you’re going to dry your hair, you’d better hurry. You can use my dryer. I left it plugged in.”
Jess nodded. “Thanks.”
Why did it feel as though something was about to go wrong? Terribly, horribly wrong? And how had Allison suddenly become the calm one?
Jess closed the door to the bathroom as she dried her hair, leaving it slightly damp to save time. She unplugged the dryer and walked back into the bedroom. Allison was sitting on the edge of her bed facing the doorway.
“Sshhh!” she said turning her head back to Jess.
Jess crept over to Allison. Outside the door, someone paced the hallway.
“It’s like the other night,” Allison whispered. She scooted back on the bed and wrapped her arms around herself.
The pacing continued and Allison’s fear was escalating. She buried her head in her palms and began to whimper. Which was why Jess had to go and open the door. By now, she believed there were things that wanted to hurt them in Siler House. But, realistically, it could also be Gage or Bryan, or Dr. Brandt.
Or someone else entirely.
Each creak of the boards set Jess’s nerves on edge.
She went across the room. They couldn’t jump at every shadow. They’d be a wreck by the time they had to do the séance.
“Don’t!” Allison pled. “It’ll know which room we’re in.”
More footfalls sounded outside the door.
“Whatever it is, it already knows which room we’re in.”
The doorknob turned back and forth, but no one entered. Jess held her breath, but Allison…Allison was curled up on the bed whimpering.
Enough of this! It’s scaring the shit out of her.
And me!
But it’s going to make Allison crack completely.
The pacing resumed. Jess took a final step forward and the pacing stopped.
Open it. It’s right on the other side of the door. Just open it!
As Gage had put it, if they weren’t calm, they weren’t thinking. Right now, Allison wasn’t thinking. They’d need her for later. They couldn’t afford for her to make any mistakes in telling them how to guide Riley over into their realm.
What if it’s Riley?
It’s not.
If he were free of the mirrors, he wouldn’t be walking the hallway waiting for an invitation. Her hand hesitated only once. Gathering up every ounce of courage she had, Jess grabbed the knob and flung the door open.
No one was there. There should have been. There should have been someone standing right outside the door. For some reason, part of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven came to mind—the part where Poe kept hearing the tapping on his chamber door, but when he answered, quoth the raven, nevermore.
Stop it! You’re freaking yourself out even more because Allison is on the edge, and she’s going to take you with her.
Jess scanned the hallway and gasped. Mrs. Hirsch walked from one of the rooms. She switched the key ring from one hand to the other before looking in Jess’s direction, then raised the chain around her neck—the one with the pendant she always wore. She held it as though showing it to Jess, then tucked it back inside her uniform and walked off toward the stairs. Without a single word.
Jess exhaled and leaned against the doorway.
When had Mrs. Hirsch returned?
Jess stepped out of the room in time to see the woman’s shadow on the landing wall.
“Mrs. Hirsch!”
The first step creaked and the shadow on the wall headed downstairs.
Jess jogged down the hall.
“Mrs. Hirsch!” Jess shouted. “Wait!”
What was with her, anyway? Jess came to the top of the stairs.
And came to a complete stop.
The stairwell was empty. Mrs. Hirsch couldn’t have gone down the steps that fast. Jess ran halfway down the stairs before a few things occurred to her. The ghosts at Siler House were becoming less and less transparent or glitchy as they’d once been. In fact, the last time she’d seen Gracie and Emma, they hadn’t been transparent at all. The only other explanation was that Jess was getting better at seeing ghosts. Probably a combination of both.
The hallway behind her seemed too open, the stairwell too treacherous. All Jess wanted was to get back to her room. She raised a trembling hand to her mouth. Dr. Brandt had lied to them.
Something had happened to Mrs. Hirsch, because what Jess had seen was her ghost.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Footsteps and voices echoed up the stairwell. Gage, Bryan and Dr. Brandt. Jess blinked. Her pulse still wild, head still reeling, she tried to unscramble her thoughts. Did Brandt know? If so, why hadn’t he told them?
Unease pooled in her stomach. She needed to talk to everyone, everyone except Brandt. But there was no time. They were coming up for the séance. Brandt would know something was up if she asked to speak to everyone else—alone.
Something is terribly wrong h
ere. Something is wrong with Brandt.
The three of them met her at the landing. Bryan panned the video camera to Jess.
“And this is Jess, our resident Ghost Whisperer.” Bryan waved at her from behind the camera lens.
She forced a smile in his direction.
“Is Allison ready?” Brandt asked casually.
Jess nodded. “Yeah, she’s ready. I just need a moment with her before we start.”
Brandt glared at her. His eyes were different. Darker. Colder, although not as cold as the chill that scurried up the back of her neck. “Five minutes.” He grinned and Jess wanted to recoil. “Do not make me come for you.”
Bryan was recording the whole thing and Gage’s face was tight. So they knew something was wrong. They just didn’t realize how wrong.
“It’s a shame Mrs. Hirsch isn’t here,” Jess said. Hopefully, the guys would pick up on her comment. She couldn’t see Bryan’s reaction from behind the camera, but Gage gave her a questioning frown.
Brandt waved a dismissive hand. “Given our task, I think it’s better she isn’t here.” He walked ahead to the staircase leading up to the music room.
Gage stayed alongside her, letting Bryan and Dr. Brandt get ahead of them. “We need to talk—”
“I saw her ghost,” Jess whispered, interrupting him. “He knows. He has to.”
“What?” Gage shook his head. “Are you sure?”
Jess nodded.
“Son of a bitch.”
“The clock is ticking, Ms. Perry. You and Ms. Giles now have four minutes,” Brandt called back to them.
Gage took her gently by the arm and they ducked into her room. “Four against one. We can take him down, tie him up until after the séance.”
“We don’t have time,” Allison said. “It’s too close to midnight. It’s important that we start this as soon as possible.” She unfurled herself and slowly swung her legs over the edge of the bed. “If we’re going to do this, we need to hurry.”
Siler House had already broken Allison. Shoulders slumped, she wouldn’t meet Jess or Gage’s eyes. If she checked out now, they were lost. Jess had no clue why it was important they start the séance as soon as possible, but it didn’t matter. She either trusted Allison at this point, or she didn’t. “You can do this,” Jess encouraged. “I have faith in you.”
Allison smiled briefly and moved past them, looking like someone walking death row on execution day.
Brandt had set up the music room. He’d placed four folding chairs around a card table in its middle. Candles burned atop the baby grand piano in the corner and the lights had been dimmed. The odd glow coming from Bryan’s camera and the candles’ flames reflected eerily off the mirrors. Brandt had taken down the sheets they’d hung over them.
Another larger, floor-length mirror trimmed in ornate gold had been propped against the far wall. Like the others, it was uncovered.
Brandt sat at the card table, the Ouija board already in place.
Allison gasped and Jess placed a hand on her arm to calm her.
Keep going. Just keep going, Allison…
“Have a seat,” Brandt said rather coolly. “Jess and Allison should sit next to each other.” He motioned to the two empty chairs across the table. “Gage, sit next to me. Bryan is recording the séance and won’t be participating directly.”
Gage leaned in and whispered into Bryan’s ear. Bryan frowned.
Allison’s expression resembled a rabbit cornered by wolves and Jess felt sorry for her. “We need you, Allison. Stay strong. You can do this. We’ll follow your lead. Just tell us what to do.”
“The candles,” she said, her voice faint. “The color is wrong.”
The candles? The mirrors were uncovered and Allison was concerned about the color of the candles?
“What about the candles?” Gage asked.
“They’re not white,” Allison stressed.
Jess frowned. “What does that mean?”
“They should all be white. White is pure.”
“Well, some are close,” Gage offered. “Most of them look yellow. Except for the couple of red ones. At least they’re not black.”
“At least they’re not black,” Allison echoed.
Don’t space out on us.
Allison’s words and that damn song echoed in her head.
Run away, Allison! Run away!
See how they run! See how they run!
Brandt observed their conversation and reactions, Jess noticed, but never said a word. The apprehension in her stomach had turned into greasy panic. She took a deep breath and pushed the unease down.
When they had taken their assigned seats, Brandt leaned forward. “Here are the rules. We concentrate on Riley and Siler House.” He glanced at Jess and Gage. “No one else. Not your grandmother or father, and not Ben.”
He leaned back. “Of course, if someone or something else presents itself to Allison, then the choice is hers.”
“But that’d be opening her up to—” Jess interjected.
“Yes! It very well might, Ms. Perry. And as I stated, we leave that choice up to her. Is that clear?”
It was. All too clear. To everyone. Brandt belonged to Siler House now. Jess reconsidered Gage’s offer to deck Brandt and tie him up. She gave Allison a sidelong glance.
Allison watched Jess carefully, and slowly shook her head. “No,” she mouthed.
And that ended that idea.
“Good,” Brandt replied, taking everyone’s silence for agreement.
He templed his fingers. “Riley is stuck in the mirrors because of a séance Catherine Siler and a chambermaid held after the failed exorcism. One of the maids knew a little voodoo and cast a spell designed to bind Riley’s soul to a mirror. The women held the séance, calling upon Riley. When he presented himself, he caught his reflection in the mirror. Once trapped inside, Catherine Siler had the mirror dumped into the Savannah River, away from Siler house.
Jess shook her head. “Then why is he still here?”
“Because, according to the journals Mrs. Siler kept, the demon who possessed Riley told him how to escape into the house itself. Unfortunately, he’s limited to the mirrors—any mirror brought into the house.”
Gage shrugged. “So, why can’t we just break the mirrors?”
“That would be destruction of property, and I’m not sure that would do any good in freeing Riley. He has to be invited back into our realm. I chose the mirror in the corner because it’s an original and closest to the one Riley was first trapped in.” Brandt’s gaze shifted between them. “We want him to feel comfortable, right? Any more questions? Or shall we get started?”
Yeah, Jess thought. Tell us about Mrs. Hirsch. She wasn’t sure what had happened, but she sure bet Brandt knew more than he was telling.
The time for questioning Brandt had passed. He’d already said what he was going to about Mrs. Hirsch. If she was here, she might answer to Allison.
Allison’s eyes grew wide and fixed in the dim lighting, her breathing becoming quick and shallow. Jess reached over and squeezed Allison’s hand.
“We do exactly as I say,” Allison told them without looking up.
Brandt smiled. “That’s my girl.” He rubbed his hands together with enthusiasm. “Now, shall we begin?” He placed two fingers lightly on the planchette. Gage and Jess did the same. Allison’s hand shook as she joined them.
Allison took a deep breath. “Ouija, are you here with us? Can you help us?”
The planchette jerked right, then began spelling its reply.
J E S S
“It wants you to ask the questions,” Allison said.
Jess blinked. “Me? But you’re the one with experience.”
“I’ll tell you what to say and what to do. But you have to be the one to open the connection. You’re the one the house wants most.”
Brandt handed Allison his pad and pen. “Write the questions down, then put your fingers back on the planchette.”
Jess’s m
outh went dry. This was supposed to be Allison’s job. The plan was spiraling out of control. First, Brandt intervening, and now this. She forced herself to swallow. Eyeing the others, Jess asked Allison’s original question. “Ouija, can you help us?”
Y E S
Jess read Allison’s question. “We are channeling the spirit of Riley who lives here, in Siler House. Riley, are you here?”
Without hesitation, the planchette shot to Y E S.
“He’s not alone,” Allison said. “Oh my God, he’s not alone. There are others.”
“How many?” Brandt demanded.
“Two more,” Allison answered. She looked as though she might be sick.
“Who?” Brandt asked. “Who’s with Riley?”
“Is Mrs. Hirsch with you, Riley?” Jess asked. Brandt shot her a hard glare, but she didn’t care.
N O
Brandt grinned.
Allison scribbled something down on paper. Which spirits are with you?
Jess concentrated on the planchette. “Who is with you, Riley?”
“No!” Allison shrieked. “That’s not what I wrote!”
The planchette jerked once and began going over letters so quickly that keeping their fingers resting on top of it was difficult. Through the hole in the planchette, Jess read:
G R A C I E
E M M A
The planchette abruptly returned to the middle.
Jess gasped. How? How could they still be here? Why hadn’t burying their bones worked?
“They’re supposed to be at peace!” Bryan lowered the camera for a moment.
“Keep recording!” Brandt ordered. Bryan raised the camera again.
Jess shook her head slowly. There was only one answer. “They have unfinished business.”
The planchette jerked again, this time hard enough that it pulled away from their fingertips. Moving on its own, it replied.
Y E S
The piano played a familiar stanza. Jess’s breath caught and her blood froze.
She cut off their heads with a carving knife,
Have you ever seen such a sight in your life…
The Haunting Season Page 22