“It’s a name you don’t hear often,” Roy said. “Was hoping you might be aware of him, since he seems to have a connection to an object that we’re dealing with here.”
“Maynard, Maynard,” Deem repeated, trying to recall where she’d heard the name. “Let me ask around, OK? I’ll call a few people. Is it urgent?”
“Yes,” Roy said, “we’ve got some real havoc here.”
“Alright,” she said. “I’ll do it right away. I’ll call you back. At this number?”
“This number is fine,” Steven interjected.
“Oh, hello, Steven!” Deem said. “Nice to hear your voice again. How is the search for Jason going?”
Steven knew the question was coming, and he hated having to lie, but he had no choice. “We’re still looking, doing all we can,” Steven said, feeling guilty.
“I hope you find him soon, or get some kind of break,” Deem said. “Do you think it might have been someone connected with the whole St. Thomas thing?”
“We really don’t know,” Steven said. “There’s been no trace of him, and we don’t have any clues or things to go on. So it’s been difficult.”
“If there’s anything I can do to help from down here, just let me know,” Deem said. “Winn too. We’re both ready to help. I’ll get going on these calls and see what I can find out about Maynard.”
“Thanks, Deem,” Steven said, feeling even worse. Remembering the loss was bad enough, but lying about it to friends made him feel awful.
“Yes, thank you,” Roy added. “We’ll wait for your call.”
Roy ended the call and handed the phone back to Steven. “Sorry you had to do that,” he said.
“I hate it,” Steven said.
“I know you do,” Roy replied.
They drove on in silence, passing through Tacoma and eventually Olympia. Then they turned north on Highway 101.
“Let’s stay at a place in Aberdeen,” Roy said. “I don’t want to stay at Eximere tonight. Too much weirdness.”
“Agreed,” Steven said. “That way we’ll have cell reception for Deem’s call, too.”
They drove through the forest, eventually arriving at the eastern end of Grays Harbor and the birthplace of Kurt Cobain. The welcome sign at the edge of town invited them to “come as you are.”
Steven pulled into a motel and got them two adjoining rooms. As they walked to their rooms, Steven asked Roy if he was hungry.
“I could use something,” Roy said.
“I’m going to give Barbara a call and see how she’s doing,” Steven said. “Give her an update on what we’ve found.”
“Don’t get her hopes up just yet,” Roy replied. “We don’t even know if this guy from Utah will give us the time of day.”
“I’ll be careful,” Steven said. “I just want to keep in contact with her so she doesn’t think we’ve bailed on her. I’ll knock on your door after I’m done with the call and we’ll go to dinner.”
◊
The waitress lifted away the finished plate of razor clams and Roy ordered more coffee and a piece of blackberry pie.
“They have the best blackberry pie here,” Roy said enthusiastically. “Aren’t you going to join me?”
“No, I’m stuffed,” Steven said. “No pie.”
The waitress, who looked old enough to be Steven’s mother, tilted her head at him. “Are you sure about that, hon? He’s right, you know — it’s the best.”
“I can’t,” Steven said, holding his stomach, unsure if all the deep fried seafood he’d just ingested was going to sit well. “I’m sure it’s great, but I have to pass.”
The waitress gave him a motherly stare of disapproval, then turned and walked off with the used dishes.
“She reminds me of Mother,” Steven said under his breath. “She could make you feel guilty even though you hadn’t done anything wrong.”
“That she could,” Roy said, sipping the last of a beer. “She excelled at that.”
Steven pulled his phone from his jacket pocket and checked it.
“You get a call?” Roy asked.
“I thought I felt it vibrate, but there’s no call.”
“Phantom ring,” Roy said. “Heard about it on the radio. People the whole world over feel their phone vibrate when it never did. Human beings trying to adjust their bodies to a new technology, and it’s messing with their physiology. Our systems aren’t tuned to respond to a vibrating brick. It’s not important to our survival, but our brains say it is, so we misinterpret any little thing as a ring. Sad state of affairs, if you ask me.”
“You’re just selective in what technology you’ve decided is OK and what isn’t,” Steven replied. “I don’t see you hand-pouring hot water over your coffee grounds. And you seem to think watching a football game on TV is preferable to being there in person.”
“It’s called instant replay, all the different angles. You can’t get that if you’re freezing your ass off in the stadium.”
“That’s my point,” Steven said, a little irritation creeping into his voice. “You pick and choose based on preferences. Your hatred of cell phones and computers is just a choice, because you don’t want to learn how to use them.”
“Bah!” Roy scoffed. “Working a coffee maker or a TV is simple compared to that phone or a computer. They deliberately make them complex. And I can’t see how they make life any better. The benefits of a coffee maker are obvious.”
Steven rolled his eyes, exasperated.
“What’s wrong with you?” Roy asked. “You seem on edge.”
“Lying to Deem, on top of everything else,” Steven said. “Eximere threatened by this thing, and Jason buried there. It’s like he’s threatened again. And I’m committing a sin to hide a sin. Just exactly the spiraling guilt my mother warned me about.”
“You can’t let her religious clap trap weigh you down,” Roy said. “We’ve been over Jason’s death a hundred times. This is the way it’s got to be. I wish you’d stop fretting over it.”
“You asked why I’m on edge, and I’m telling you,” Steven said. “I don’t like the idea of his body there, threatened by this thing. It’s like he’s not at rest.”
“What, you want to move him? Where, exactly?”
“No, I’m not saying that. And now we’re sitting around, waiting on a long shot from Deem. I feel like we’re losing control.”
“We’ll call the guy directly if Deem doesn’t come through. Calm down. Things will work out.”
Steven suddenly pulled his phone from his pocket again, looking at it.
“See, another phantom ring,” Roy said.
“Goddamn it!” Steven said. “I missed a call, while we were talking! Didn’t even feel it vibrate!”
“Useless things,” Roy said as the waitress placed a coffee and a piece of blackberry pie in front of him, with a fork. She slapped the check on the edge of the table and wandered off.
“I don’t recognize the number,” Steven said, “but it was from a 702 area code, which is the same as Deem’s.”
“Mmm!” Roy said, chewing down a bite of the pie. “You’re missing out.”
Steven saw the voicemail icon light up, so he pressed it and held the phone to his ear. Roy shoveled another bite of pie into his mouth and followed it with a long sip of the coffee.
After he finished listening to the message, Steven lowered the phone and clicked it off, replacing it in his jacket pocket.
“Well?” Roy asked between bites. “Who was it?”
“Winn.”
“Winn? That’s a surprise.”
“Deem called him to ask if he’d ever heard of Maynard. Turns out Winn knows him. We’ll call him back as soon as we get out of here.”
Roy smiled as he chewed. “See, things work out. You need to listen to your old man.”
Steven watched Roy finish off the last few bites of the pie, and he smiled a little. He may not be right about technology, he thought, but he’s right about most everything else. I’m not doing
either of us any good by worrying about Jason, or feeling guilty. But it’s damn hard to stop.
Roy slid from the booth. “Hitting the john. Meet you out front.” He left Steven alone with the check.
Chapter Eight
Steven heard the knocking on the adjoining door and rolled over to look at the clock. He’d overslept. Their call was in five minutes.
He stumbled to the door in his underwear and opened it. Roy, fully dressed, held out a cup of coffee to him. “Oh, we’re not quite ready to face the day, are we?” Roy said, walking into the room.
“Damn neon light,” Steven said, waving at the motel room window. “Blaring in my face all night long.” He sat the cup of coffee on a table.
“My mattress was like sleeping on a plywood plank but you don’t see me still running around in my skivvies,” Roy said.
“I’ll be back for the call in a minute,” he said, stumbling into the bathroom.
After using the facilities, he splashed cold water on his face to help him wake up faster. Grabbing a thin towel from the rack, he wiped the water from his face, then walked back into the motel room. Roy was seated at the table, checking his watch.
“You have exactly one minute to put on some clothes,” Roy said.
“I can dress while we talk to them,” Steven said, unplugging his phone from the charger by his nightstand, and placing it on the table next to Roy. Just as he sat it down, it rang. He picked it back up, saw the 702 area code, and pressed the button to take the call and turn on the speakerphone, then sat the phone back down on the table next to Roy.
“Hello?” Steven said.
“Hello, Steven? It’s Winn. And I’ve got Maynard here with me.”
“Hello, Winn!” Steven said. “I’m here, and I’m with my father, Roy.”
“Hello,” Roy said.
“As I was mentioning to you last night,” Winn said, “I’ve known Maynard for many years. I told him what you told me, and he’d like to ask you some questions.”
“Go ahead,” Steven said.
They heard a man clearing his throat on the other end, then they heard him shouting at the top of his lungs: “I’D LIKE YOU TO GO BACK OVER YOUR STORY AND… ”
They heard Winn telling Maynard he didn’t need to shout. “Oh,” Maynard said. “Can you hear me alright?” he asked, his voice normal.
“Clear and plain and coming through fine,” Roy said.
“You’re coming through fine, too,” Maynard said. “Pardon me, I’ve never used one of these things. I’d like you to go back over your story. Start from the beginning, and don’t leave anything out.”
“Roy?” Steven asked, hoping he’d take over and tell the story, so he could use the time to get dressed.
Roy began relating the incidents at Grays Harbor to Maynard, and Steven began to locate his clothes. Once he finished, he sat down at the table next to Roy and took a long sip of the coffee Roy brought. It tasted terrible.
“Did you touch it?” Maynard asked. “The rod in the attic?”
“No, we didn’t,” Roy replied.
“Well, don’t!” Maynard said. “Steer clear of it at all costs. You could make things infinitely worse by meddling with it.”
“You seem to know what it is,” Steven said. “Can you tell us how to stop it?”
“Have either of you had any experience with vorghosts?” Maynard asked.
“Never heard the term before,” Roy said.
“Where are you at, again?” Maynard asked.
“Aberdeen, Washington,” Steven said. “It’s about two hours west of Seattle.”
“I’ll leave here in a little bit,” Maynard said. “Where can I meet you tomorrow morning?”
“It’s a long haul, Maynard,” Steven said. “Seattle to southern Utah is at least sixteen hours.”
“I’d better get started then,” Maynard said with a little irritation. “Where can we meet?”
“We’re staying at a motel in Aberdeen,” Steven said, giving Maynard the motel’s address and their room numbers. “We could meet in the lobby of the motel tomorrow morning at nine if that’s not too early.”
“It’s not, that’ll be fine,” Maynard said. “Goodbye for now. Don’t touch that rod until I get there, remember!”
“No, we won’t,” Steven said.
“So, I guess that’s it,” Winn came back on the line. “Maynard has left the room and has gone to pack, I think.”
“We appreciate you hooking us up with him,” Steven said.
“He’s the best at what he does,” Winn said. “But he doesn’t like to work over the phone. That’s why I drove up to his place this morning, and I’m guessing it’s why he’s gonna drive up to see you.”
“I hate to put him out,” Steven said.
“He just does what he does,” Winn said. “And honestly, you’ll want him there. He looked a little worried when you described the rod, how the coil was broken. I think he feels it’s serious.”
“Alright, we’ll wait the day for him,” Steven said.
“And like he said, don’t touch it,” Winn said. “You’ve probably already seen some strange things. It will become much worse if you touch it.”
“No, we won’t,” Steven said. “Thanks again, Winn.”
“No problem, guys,” Winn said. “Good luck.”
“Say thank you to Deem for us, will you?” Roy asked.
“Sure thing.”
They hung up.
“You haven’t touched your coffee,” Roy said.
“I took one sip,” Steven said, standing up. “I’m not in the mood for bathwater.”
“Was it just me, or did Winn sound like he knew a little bit about this thing?” Roy asked.
“Yeah, the way he talked didn’t sound like he was just repeating what Maynard had to say. Sounded more like someone who’d had some experience.”
“Well, OK, we won’t touch the damn thing. What now?”
“Breakfast,” Steven said. “And better coffee.”
◊
As they walked into the motel’s lobby on their way out, Steven was surprised to see Barbara at the front desk, talking with the hotel clerk.
“Barbara?” he asked, walking to her.
“Oh, Steven!” she said, the worried look on her face easing a little. “Are you staying here?”
“We are,” Steven said. “You’ve moved out?”
“We had to,” Barbara said, and then motioned to Steven to follow her outside. They walked through the front doors and into the chilly morning air.
“What happened?” Steven asked, seeing his breath as they stood next to an overflowing ashtray.
“I was going to call you this morning,” Barbara said, worried, but relieved. “We had to leave. Couldn’t take it anymore. At least we all got a decent night’s sleep last night – first one in weeks.”
“That’s good,” Steven replied, wondering just how sleep deprived Barbara and her family had become in order to benefit from the hard beds at the motel. “Did something new happen?”
“Things have been so bad,” she replied. “Ever since May came down from the attic.”
“She was in the attic?” Roy asked, concerned.
“After we went up there the other day, when you were over, I left the ladder down after your visit. When I went back upstairs, I put it away, but I didn’t realize May had climbed up. So I basically trapped her up there, until I heard her pounding on the ceiling door, poor thing.”
“Things got worse after that?” Steven asked.
“Much worse,” Barbara replied. “She’d only been locked up there a half an hour, but she was completely freaked out. She kept calling him the ‘needle man,’ saying he was chasing her around the attic, trying to stick her. I thought once she was down with us, out of the attic, she’d feel better, but she didn’t. She said she kept seeing him, all through the house – standing behind a plant, sitting in a chair, walking into whatever room she was playing in. She’d scream and run, and she wouldn’t stop
. And I swear to god I must have killed a hundred spiders while I was trying to deal with her. They were coming out of the woodwork. I finally said to hell with it, loaded the girls in the car, and we drove here. Been fine ever since. No spiders, no needle man.”
“I wonder if May touched the rod,” Roy said to Steven.
“That thing in the attic?” Barbara asked.
“We’ve made contact with someone who’s going to help,” Steven said, “but he won’t be here until tomorrow. He’s driving up from Utah.”
“Oh!” Barbara said, surprised.
“The one thing he told us to do, in the meantime, was to not touch that rod,” Roy said. “Said things would get much worse if we did.”
“Oh, no,” Barbara said. “She might have. I don’t know.”
“Can we ask her?” Steven said.
“Sure, they’re up in the room,” Barbara said. “I need to get back and check on them. Why don’t you come with me, and I’ll ask her.”
They followed Barbara back into the motel and down a short hallway to her room. Inside they found Georgina and May playing on the floor between the two beds, toys strung around them. Steven noticed that Georgina looked noticeably less stressed than the last time they’d seen her. She was smiling and open, and quick to say hello when she saw them.
“May?” Barbara asked, kneeling down next to where the little child was playing.
“Yes?” she replied.
“Do you remember when you were up in the attic yesterday? Did you see that long rod floating in the attic? The one with the coil turning around it?”
“Yes,” she said demurely.
“Did you touch it?” Barbara asked.
Steven saw the little girl look up at him and over to Roy, checking in advance to see if she was in trouble or not. Steven tried to give her his most pleasant, non-threatening smile.
“Yes,” she said. “It shocked me.”
Barbara turned to look at Steven. “It was right after she came down from the attic that things got so bad we had to leave,” she said. “So your friend from Utah was right.”
“Are you going to help us?” Georgina asked, looking up at Steven.
The Haunting at Grays Harbor (The River Book 8) Page 8