by Reid, Terri
Sally turned, tears shining bright in her eyes. “And if they didn’t?”
Eloise shook her head. “We’d need someone with more power to finally set them free.”
Sally brusquely wiped her sleeve across her eyes. “Well, then the least we can do is make sure that someone helps avenge their deaths.”
She pulled a Swiss Army knife from her pocket and pulled out the largest blade. She bent over the table and cut the leather thongs that still bound the little skeleton.
“I know it doesn’t mean much now,” she said softly, “But I feel better doing it.”
Eloise placed her arm around Sally’s shoulders and gave her hug. “It means a lot.”
Sally sighed deeply. “Okay, what now?”
“I suppose we could knock,” Eloise replied with a little smile.
Sally smiled back. “Great idea.”
Starting at one side of the attic, Eloise and Sally worked systematically down the walls, knocking and looking for anything that might give them a clue about the current plans of Delphine.
Finally, they came to the corner with the skulls. They stood in front of them and shined their flashlights down through the pile. A glint of metal reflected the light back at them, making one of the eye sockets look like it glowed.
“Sally, there’s something behind the skulls,” Eloise said.
Sally shook her head. “I did not want to hear that.”
Eloise knelt down and lifted the top skull gingerly. She carefully placed it a few feet away. Then she moved on to the next skulls until she could see the top of a steamer trunk.
“Well, this could be what we’re looking for,” Eloise said.
Sally knelt down next to her and helped her move the skulls.
In a few minutes, they had the skulls safely moved and had revealed the entire trunk. Eloise tried lifting the latch, but it was locked tight.
“Maybe there’s a key somewhere around here,” she said.
She started to feel around the beams for a nail with a key. In the meantime, Sally pulled out her Swiss Army knife and began to work on the lock. In a few minutes, Eloise turned from her searching because she heard the sound of the latch being released.
“Where did you learn that?”
“MacGyver re-runs,” she said.
They slowly opened the trunk, wary of what they would find inside. The first thing they saw was a dozen quart jars. Sally pulled one out and wiped the dust from the outside. She nearly dropped it when she saw that the bottle contained a preserved human heart.
“This is so sick,” she said, carefully placing the bottle outside the trunk on the floor, “I’d suggest that it might be Delphine’s, but from what I can see – she never had a heart.”
They continued to pull the bottles, all containing preserved human parts, out of the trunk. Below the bottles was a false bottom. Eloise tugged on the corner and pulled it out. Lying below was an assortment of surgical tools.
“Ah, her little black bag,” Eloise said, picking up a rusted scalpel. “It sure looks like she packed carefully. I wonder if she figured she’d come back to use them?”
They removed the tools and checked the trunk for any more hidden recesses.
Sally shook her head. “Nothing - no papers, no letters, nothing to help us figure her out.”
Eloise looked down at her watch. “We’re running short on daylight and I really don’t want to try to find our way back to the SUV in the dark.”
“We could bring Bert and Ernie back with us tomorrow,” Sally suggested.
Eloise shook her head. “Remember the prime directive from Paul. There is no way they are going to go along with breaking and entering.”
Sally stood up, walked away from the trunk and stood in the middle of the attic. She placed her hands on her hips and took a deep breath.
“Okay, if there are any spirits left here, we want you to know that we’re on your side. We want to stop Delphine before she hurts anyone else,” she said, “So, if there is anything you can do to help us – let us know right now.”
Suddenly, from the other side of the attic, they could hear a large piece of wood fall to the floor.
Sally gasped and jumped. After a moment, she took a deep breath and said, “Okay, that’s really good, thanks!”
Eloise hurried over to the other side of the attic and found that the piece of wood had been hiding a small, deep shelf. She shone her flashlight beam into the opening and found six leather-bound books. She lifted out the top book and flipped it open. Page after page was handwritten in calligraphy. Eloise turned to the front of the book and read aloud, “The personal scientific journals of Delphine Lalaurie, January 1, 1835.”
She turned to Sally. “Good job, looks like we got a winner. Let’s take these books back to base and see what we can find out.”
Sally smiled and then said aloud, “Thanks for your help – we won’t let her win.”
With the journals stored in their backpacks, Eloise and Sally walked back to the window at the end of the attic.
“I want to replace this plywood, so our visit isn’t too obvious,” Eloise said, moving to lift the piece of wood back in place. She looked out the window before covering it, gasped and dropped the wood on the floor.
“What, what is it?” Sally asked, moving next to Eloise and peering out the small window.
“There are hundreds, maybe thousands of spirits down there,” Eloise said.
Sally squinted and stared down at the ground below them. “Down there?” she asked, pointing to what looked to her like acres of empty grounds.
Eloise nodded. “I have no idea what they are doing here,” she said, “They can’t have all died here during the hurricane, there are just too many. Oh, no!”
“What?” Sally asked, “What’s oh, no?”
Eloise turned back to Sally, her face blanched. “Delphine is down there with them,” she said.
“Where?” Sally asked, and moved closer to the window, “Oh crap!
Sally turned back to Eloise. “Does Delphine have long black hair and a really long dress?”
Eloise nodded.
“Well, the good news is that I’ve just had my first paranormal sighting. The bad news is that she saw me, too.”
Eloise looked out the window and saw Delphine gliding quickly across the lawn towards the house, her glaring eyes fixed on the attic window. With her hair flowing behind her and her arms outstretched in front of her, she floated over the ground at a pace that mortals would consider a fast sprint.
“She’s going to be in the house in a matter of minutes,” Eloise said, looking around the room. “And if the only way out is the same way we came in – there is no way she’s not going to catch us.”
“Will the amulet at least protect you?” she asked.
Eloise shook her head, “Only if she wants to snatch my spirit,” she said, “Not if she wants to fling a knife across the room into my heart.”
“Crap,” Sally said, “We could really use a little help about now.”
Sally felt a chill down her spine and slowly turned around. Standing next to her was a little black girl whose wrists still held the leather thongs that she had cut earlier. Her hair was in braids and she wore a little cotton shift. The child smiled up at Sally and then motioned for her to come with her.
Sally tugged Eloise’s shirt and Eloise turned, seeing the girl. Sally’s eyes were filled with tears as she looked down at the sweet little girl.
“Come on, I think my new friend here is going to help us out.”
The girl led the two down the staircase, but instead of continuing down the hall, she turned and pressed a knob on the wall. Instantly, one of the panels in the hall opened, revealing a servant’s staircase. The panel was about two feet wide and four feet high.
“A secret passage,” Sally whispered. “I knew there had to be one.”
The little girl moved to the side and motioned for them to go ahead.
“Can’t you come?” Sally asked.
The girl sadly shook her head and stepped aside.
Sally turned grief stricken eyes to Eloise.
“She’s safe for now,” Eloise promised. “But we’ll come back and make sure that she goes home.”
They stepped through the doorway and the panel slid back in place, leaving them in total darkness. The stairway was very narrow and steep. They placed their hands on either side of the wall and hurried down the steps. Cobwebs brushed against their faces and the scurrying sounds around them told them that they were not the only occupants of the stairwell. Sally stepped down on the next stair and something moved beneath her foot.
“Oh, gross,” she whispered.
“Keep going,” Eloise whispered urgently behind her, “I think Delphine is in the house.”
This reminder urged Sally down the stairs even faster. With an outstretched hand, she felt the door at the bottom.
She felt around for the doorknob and some kind of large insect ran across the top of her hand, she pulled back for a moment and then felt around until she found it.
Slowly she pushed the door open and entered the kitchen. They ran across the room and out a screen door. A narrow dirt path led directly to a small grove of pecan trees. Rushing to the trees, they continued running down the path, the full branches of the trees providing them a cover from anyone looking out of the windows of the house. After about a half mile, the grove opened to a large meadow. Eloise and Sally stopped at the edge of the grove and leaned against the large trunk of an old tree, trying to catch their breath.
“Okay, I think the SUV is in that direction,” Eloise panted, pointing across the meadow and to the right.
“So, what’s the plan?” Sally asked, bent over with her hands on her knees, taking deep breaths.
“Well, the way I see it is that once we leave this grove Delphine can see us and will come after us,” Eloise said, “So my plan is that we run like hell.”
Sally lifted her head up and met Eloise’s eyes. “Good plan,” she said.
“Okay, let’s go.”
They started running across the field, Eloise swerving back and forth in the field.
“Why are you running like that?” Sally yelled, following Eloise’s steps.
“There are spirits all over the place out here,” Eloise replied. “I’m trying to avoid running through them.”
Sally nodded. “Good idea,” she said, paying more attention to exactly where Eloise ran.
When they had run another quarter mile, they heard a terrifying scream of rage coming from the house.
Eloise turned back to Sally. “I would guess that she’s seen us. Can you run faster?”
“Oh, yeah, after that scream, I can run much faster.”
They sprinted across the field, their goal another small grove of trees at the far end. The screaming continued, but it was getting closer. Sweat dripped from their faces and they wiped their arms across their foreheads to keep the sweat out of their eyes. They entered the grove at a full run and found a narrow path that was overgrown with branches and thickets. They barreled through, uncaring of the scratches they received on their arms, legs and faces.
“I think this is the path that led to the carriage house,” Eloise cried. “We can turn up here to get back to the SUV.”
They turned up the path and continued to run. The screams echoed in the woods. They ran faster.
“How far can she follow us?” Sally asked.
“I guess we’re going to find out,” Eloise said.
They broke into the clearing and ran towards the parked SUV. Eloise reached in her pocket for her automatic door lock switch and unlocked the doors as they ran. They pulled open the doors and climbed inside. Looking out the windshield, they could see Delphine flying down the final few yards in the grove. Her face was contorted with rage and here eyes glowed with fire. Eloise fumbled with the keys, trying to insert them into the lock.
“Hurry, hurry,” Sally cried, watching Delphine fly out of the grove towards them.
Eloise stuck the key in and turned the car on. She immediately threw it into reverse and floored the accelerator. The SUV spun backwards and scattered gravel and dirt everywhere. Then she pushed it into drive and flew across the uneven ground toward the road. In her rear view mirror she could see Delphine was still pursuing them, only yards behind the car. Eloise pounded the accelerator; the vehicle flew over a small hill and hit the ground with wheels spinning and dirt flying. The wheels hugged the ground and jumped forward upon impact. They pulled onto the road and, to Eloise’s relief, Delphine stopped at the property line.
When they were five miles down the road, Eloise pulled off to the side of the road and turned to Sally.
“You okay?” she asked, her breath coming out in gasps.
Sally stared at her wide-eyed for a moment. “Where did you learn to drive like that?” she finally asked.
Eloise grinned. “Four-wheeling in Wisconsin. Where did you learn to run like that?”
Sally shook her head and a smile finally appeared on her face. “Shut up.”
They both grinned at each other, Eloise put the SUV into drive and they headed home.
Chapter Fourteen
“Begging your pardon, ma’am,” Sgt. Turner said, as Eloise and Sally climbed out of the SUV at the base camp. “But we had orders to protect you starting this morning. Your trip was clearly unauthorized.”
Eloise looked at the big burly man with a mask of surprise and innocence on her face. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Sergeant,” she replied. “I had no idea. I thought you were coming this evening at eight p.m.”
“No, ma’am,” he replied. “We were distinctly told to report at 0800 hours.”
Eloise shook her head and tapped her forehead. “Oh, you know, I always get that military time confused – you meant eight o’clock in the morning and I thought eight o’clock at night. It’s totally my fault, I am so sorry. I certainly hope we didn’t worry you.”
She smiled at him with her most apologetic look.
Sergeant Turner looked confused.
“Well, I suppose as long as no one got hurt, it’s fine, ma’am,” he said.
“Thank you, Sergeant, I really appreciate your understanding,” she said. “Could I at least make it up to you, can we offer you some lunch or something. Sally’s cooking.”
The sergeant, quite aware of what Sally considered cooking, politely and quickly declined.
“No, uh, I mean no thank you, ma’am,” he said. “Me and Sergeant Anderson are set up fine.”
He pointed over to a large double-room sized tent complete with generator and running water.
“Okay, sergeant, just call out if you need something,” Eloise said as she and Sally entered the motor home.
“Using my cooking as an evasive tactic was not nice,” Sally said, “Effective, but not nice.”
Eloise chuckled. “I’ve got to use what I can,” she said, “Now, let’s get cleaned up and start looking over these journals.”
Eloise stripped off her uniform and stepped into the tiny bathroom. She reached inside the shower and turned the water on – hot and strong. She slipped off her underwear and then reached up to untie the ribbon that held the amulet around her neck. She slipped the amulet off and retied the ribbon, hanging it from the shower caddy surrounding the shower head. She stepped in the shower, enjoying the feel of the hot stinging water on her body. She lathered up, using her favorite lavender soap, trying to wash away the sweat and the memories from the day.
Her thoughts turned to the scenes from the attic. She could easily take the horrible images from her dream and transpose them onto the bodies in the attic. She could envision their cries of pain, their eyes filled with agony. Tears slipped down her cheeks, mingling with the water from the shower. She could picture the sweet little girl who helped them.
She closed her eyes for a moment, to bring the sweet face back into view. But this time, instead of a smiling face, the girl was panicked. She was trying to yell at Eloise, fea
r in her eyes. Eloise felt a cold chill run down her spine. Then she felt a slice of pain on her face.
Eloise tore open her eyes and grabbed for the amulet just as the room started to get hazy. Her fingers closed around the red material and tightened, as she felt herself being pulled away. With her amulet in her hand, the hazy feeling withdrew, leaving Eloise standing in the shower, adrenalin pumping through her body.
“No, you can’t hurt me,” she cried out loud. “You can’t have me.”
Eloise leaned her head against the side of the stall and took a deep breath. With deliberation, she untied the ribbon and retied it around her neck.
“Thanks, little one,” she murmured, once again grateful for Sally’s small act of kindness towards the little girl.
Eloise walked out of her room a few minutes later, dressed in an oversized tee shirt and cut off shorts. Sally was already in the kitchen, dressed in a black sports bra and black runner’s shorts. She was grilling a couple of hamburgers on the stove.
Eloise was amazed. “Don’t tell me that you are actually cooking red meat,” she exclaimed.
Sally grinned, without turning to look at Eloise.
“I feel I’ve had a traumatic enough day to be justified in regressing to our cave dwelling ancestors,” she replied.
“Sally, after our day today – you deserve a side of beef.”
Sally laughed, but her laughter stopped when she turned and looked at Eloise.
“Crap, what happened to you?”
“What do you mean?” Eloise asked, perching on the stool next to the counter.
Sally picked up a small mirror on the counter and handed it Eloise. Eloise held it up and saw, to her horror, that she had a long jagged red scratch across her cheek, surrounded by a red mark in the shape of a hand.
She reached up and touched it, wincing at the tenderness.
“Ow, well obviously someone needs a manicure,” she replied, setting the mirror back on the counter.
“What happened?” Sally demanded.
Eloise shrugged. “I was stupid and took the amulet off in the shower. Delphine tried to take me away again – but, thanks to the help of our new little friend, all she got in was a good left cross to my cheek.”