The Suicide Forest (The River Book 5)

by Michael Richan

  “Please follow me,” the maid said, escorting them into a small room just inside the entryway. There were several chairs and sofas in the room, and several cases of books on the walls. “Would you wait here while I inform Mrs. Duke that you’ve arrived?”

  “Of course,” Roy said. The maid pulled the door closed behind them.

  “Fancy place,” Steven said, looking at a marble bust on a shelf.

  “I wonder if she earned it,” Roy said, “or if she inherited it. Dixon said she’s the best he knows on the subject. Maybe you should let me do the talking?”

  “When do I not?” Steven asked, continuing to admire the objects in the room.

  The door opened again, and the maid said, “Mrs. Duke is ready to see you. Would you both please follow me?”

  They followed the maid as she led them upstairs to a room on the second floor. “Mrs. Duke is a little incapacitated today, and doesn’t have the strength for the stairs, so she’ll be seeing you in the upstairs sitting room. If you wouldn’t mind limiting your visit so as to not tire her excessively.”

  “Of course,” Roy said.

  “Mr. Roy Hall and Mr. Steven Hall,” the maid said as they entered the dark sitting room. At the far end was Mrs. Judith Duke, reclining on a daybed. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a state of perfection. Her skin was dark and wrinkled, the result of years of sun exposure, and the lower half of her body was under a blanket. From her daybed, she had a view out a large window that overlooked the front yard.

  “I saw you come up from my nest here,” she said, pointing to the window. “Forgive me for not getting up, but these old bones can’t manage it today.”

  Roy and Steven approached the daybed and shook her hand, which was frail and delicate. Steven could feel each bone in her hand as he touched her. “Nice to meet you,” he said as he released her hand.

  “Likewise,” she said, glancing up at him for a moment, and then returning her eyes to the window. “You came in Dixon’s boat. I watched you arrive.”

  “We did indeed,” said Roy. “We left from Ballard.”

  “Dixon is a wonderful man,” she said, letting her head tilt slightly to one side as she said it. Given what Steven knew about Dixon’s reputation for exploits, he wondered if Judith Duke was one of the many ladies he’d romanced over the years.

  “I don’t normally see people these days,” she said, “but if Dixon says I need to see you both, then I don’t doubt there’s a good reason.”

  “We’ve encountered something troubling,” Roy said, “and we need the advice of someone who has expertise. I’ve encountered something like it before, but this is different.”

  “Ah,” she said. “That old game. There are many people out there who consider me an expert on many things — it’s true. But if you don’t come to the point, you might exhaust me before I can do anything to help you.”

  Roy seemed a little taken back, so Steven jumped in. “There is a woman we were trying to help, in Seattle,” Steven said. “There was something threatening her, upset at our presence in her home. We were only trying to figure out if her home was haunted, but whatever it was threatened to kill her if we remained there. My father felt it was out of our depth.”

  “Really?” She asked, turning her head from the window to face them. “How do you know that?”

  “He felt it was demonic,” Steven said. “And I felt something evil when I was there. Neither of us know much about that side of things.”

  “Roy, would you bring me that glass cruet on the table over there?” she said, waving to the opposite wall. “And three glasses?”

  Roy retrieved the items, and placed them on the table next to the daybed, where Judith began to pour, filling each glass.

  “None for me, thank you,” Steven said.

  “It’s not spirits, my dear, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Judith said, replacing the stopper on the cruet and handing a glass to Roy. “It’s something we’re going to need if we’re to keep discussing this.” Roy took the glass from her hand, and she passed another glass to Steven. Once they all had a glass, she raised hers with a small salute, and they all shot the drink. Steven and Roy placed their empty glasses on the table next to the cruet.

  “I’m guessing that was some kind of protection?” Roy said.

  “Incredibly astute,” she said with a tone that made it hard to detect if it was sarcasm. “I’m looking forward to your next observation.”

  Steven stepped in again, afraid Roy might take things off rails. “I’ve taken protection before,” Steven said, “but only just before something dangerous was about to happen. I hope nothing dangerous is imminent.”

  “It is,” Judith said, motioning for them to sit in nearby chairs, “if we are going to discuss whatever you felt in your client’s house. You’ve come to me for my experience, and this is the first bit of it I’ll share with you: half the battle with these things is not opening yourself up to them. Talking about them can, in some cases, invite them in. Once they’re in, they can be very difficult to get rid of. I find it’s a lot simpler to protect one’s self so they don’t get in in the first place, then you don’t have to worry about getting them out. What we just imbibed will allow us to discuss your situation without fear we’ll be overheard, or what we say mistaken as an invitation. Do you understand what I’m talking about?”

  “I think so,” Steven said.

  “You know how the religious and superstitious always warn children not to play with Ouija boards?” she asked him. Steven nodded, and she continued. “Just playing with them invites something in, they say. Well, it’s true. Of course, there has to be something the invited want. They don’t come in without a purpose. But there are so many things they want. So just talking about them – even thinking about them – can bring them in. You open up that part of your mind they’re not supposed to see – it’s like a lighthouse, shining through the fog, showing them where to go.”

  “What we just drank will keep the lighthouse turned off?” Steven asked.

  “You’re as bright as your father,” she said, closing her eyes, looking slightly bored.

  “Clara!” she yelled at the top of her lungs, and began ringing a bell that was on the table by her daybed. “Clara!”

  The door to the room creaked open and the maid appeared. “Yes, Mrs. Duke?”

  “Please bring some tea,” Judith said. “And some of those little sandwiches.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Clara said, exiting the room and closing the door behind her.

  “You must try them,” Judith said, suddenly perking up. “I realize it’s not dinner time yet, but the bread comes from a bakery in Tacoma and is sliced incredibly thin. The English cucumbers are grown year-round in an organic hothouse up in Silverdale. If you haven’t had these particular cucumbers, you haven’t lived. They excite the tongue in absolutely incredible ways. Now. About your problem. Tell me exactly what you saw, heard, smelled, and felt. Leave nothing out. Begin.”

  Roy seemed resigned to let Steven respond to her. He’s probably a little put off by her, Steven thought. Steven began relating their experiences with June. He let Roy tell what the trance had been like.

  “How did you come across this book you were returning to them?” she asked.

  “We found it along with some objects when working on another case,” Roy said. Both he and Steven had agreed to keep Eximere secret for now, until they had returned more of the books, so he didn’t share any more about it. “Once we determined who it belonged to, we tracked down their children until we found June.”

  “You’re only telling me half the story,” Judith said, “but you have some reason for not telling me all of it that you think is significant. Fine, I don’t want to know. It doesn’t really bear on the situation, anyway. I was asking for my own amusement. But you must be honest with me about things that matter.”

  “Do you have any idea what we’re dealing with?” Steven asked.

  “No,” Judith said. “It could be o
ne of a thousand things or beings. And so asking me what to do about it would be premature and wildly unfruitful, even though it’s what you really want to know.”

  “Any way to whittle it down?” Steven asked. “Figure out what or who we’re dealing with?”

  “How intuitive!” Judith said to Roy. “Your son seems to know the next step, as though he’s done this before. Clara will be entering the room in a moment, and we’ll all stop discussing this while she’s here.”

  On cue, the door opened and Clara came in with a tray, loaded with tea and sandwiches. The sandwiches were impossibly small.

  “Here now, you must try one of these,” Judith said, picking one up with a small pair of tongs, and passing the bread and cucumber over to Steven. He opened his hand and accepted the offering, which she placed in the exact center of his palm. Steven looked at it – it was no more than half an inch square.

  “Aren’t they delightful,” she said, passing one to Roy, who opened his palm as well. “Thank you, Clara, that will be all.”

  After the door had closed, Judith began pouring tea for both of them. Steven really didn’t want any, but he knew better than to refuse her.

  “The next step will involve a token,” she said, passing a cup to Steven. “The token will keep whatever is in the house busy with something else whenever you’re there, so you’ll be able to talk to this woman without fear of her being hurt because of your presence. You’ll send the token to her in a package with a note, explaining that she must keep the token pressed between her palms, like this – ” Judith demonstrated by holding her hands together, palms pressed tight – “whenever you are there working with her in the house. That is how she’ll stay safe, and it’ll allow you to keep researching. You won’t be able to go back until she’s received it and is ready to use it. For god’s sake don’t deliver it yourself. Mail it, or have UPS deliver it, something like that. Instruct her to call you when she’s received it and understands how to use it.”

  “Alright,” Steven said. “What is the token?”

  “We’re going to make one,” she said, “specially for this situation. Roy, there’s a drawer in the bureau over there. Inside is a small tin that has several coins in it, would you bring it over to me?”

  Roy rose, set down his tea, and walked over to the bureau, rummaging through the drawer she mentioned. He returned with a small mint tin, which he gave to her.

  “Thank you,” she said, opening the tin and removing a 50 peso coin. “I had these consecrated years ago. You have to use something that is small, so it can be held easily. I used to use American quarters, but I found people kept accidentally mixing them in with their normal change, so I switched to foreign coins. They’re still the right size, but they stand out and don’t get lost. You see, more of my experience for you to benefit from!” She smiled weakly at Steven, handing the coin to him. “Place it in your palm, and jump into the flow, please,” she said.

  Steven slipped into the River and found Judith waiting for him. She reached out and held his hand, and Steven felt the coin begin to heat up. His instinct was to drop the coin, but he looked at her, and her facial expression told him to keep holding on. After a moment, it began to cool. She left the River, and he followed.

  “It’ll protect her now, from you,” Judith said from her daybed, grabbing another tiny sandwich with the tongs.

  “What about Roy?” Steven asked.

  “Roy doesn’t threaten them,” Judith said. “You do.”

  “Me?” Steven said. Roy seemed surprised as well.

  “Yes,” she said. “You. Whatever these beings are, you scare them. You haven’t got a clue how to deal with them, so scaring them does you little good other than to make them angry. To drive you away, they’ve threatened something that’s important to you. That’s what they normally do in situations like this. You must take the threat seriously. Your client must be vigilant with the token whenever you’re around. Make sure she understands.”

  “Why me?” Steven said. “Roy has had the gift longer than me. I can’t even trance, not really.”

  “Everyone’s different,” she said. “Some people have stronger abilities than others, in certain areas. You scare these beings. The token I gave you will protect everyone in her house from you, if she uses it correctly.”

  “But it won’t protect her from whatever these things are? Whatever they’re doing there, aside from us?” Steven asked.

  “No,” Judith said, taking a sip of tea. “it won’t. And there’s little we can do about that just yet, because we don’t know what they are. The token will make it possible for you to be there, in the house, without scaring them so badly they want to kill anyone. With them distracted, you’ll be able to figure out what they are. That will be the second step. Roy, another favor please. On the shelf over there, third shelf down. Looks like a little lantern? Would you bring it to me?”

  Roy once again set down his tea and walked to the shelf looking for the item she indicated. It was about four inches tall, with a small handle. The sides were made of a mixture of tin and glass. He handed it to Judith, who thanked him.

  “Once you can get in the house safely,” Judith said, “you’ll place this in a room of the house for a night. That’s all it needs, just one night. Doesn’t matter where you put it. Then bring it back to me, and we’ll go from there.”

  “It’ll collect information on what’s inside the house?” Steven asked.

  “Such brilliance! Too much for me in my state,” she sighed dramatically. “Really, show mercy and withhold your wisdom and insight before I succumb.”

  “Come on, Steven, let’s go,” Roy said in a huff.

  “Not so fast, Mr. Hall,” Judith said. “I have an assignment for you, as well.”

  “What?” he said gruffly, tired of Judith’s wisecracks.

  “Now, now,” she said, “I am trying to help you here, dear, although it’s difficult at times. A little courtesy if you will.”

  Roy closed his eyes and exhaled. “What would you like me to do?” he asked calmly.

  “Once the woman has the token to protect the house from your son,” Judith said, “I want you to try another trance. But you’ll have to do it according to my precise instructions. Steven, do you have something to write on? You’ll need to take this down.”

  Steven removed his phone and opened a note. “Go ahead,” he said, ready to type.

  ◊

  “I’m going to kill Dixon,” Roy said as they marched back down the hill toward the marina. “He sent me to her just to get back at me for that massive poker loss the last time I went with him to Cabo.”

  “How do you know that?” Steven asked. “Maybe she really is the best. A little eccentric, but then so is Dixon.”

  “I’m not going to do it like that,” Roy said. “I’ll trance and do everything else she said, but I’m not doing it naked. She’s just making that part up to humiliate me. I won’t do it.”

  “You have to do it,” Steven said. “We need to find whatever it is that opened the door. This lantern will collect information, but you’ve got to find the ‘Ouija board,’ or she’ll not be able to help us figure out a plan. She said she’s got to have both for the next step.”

  “Fuck her,” Roy said. “I’m not going to do it. Maybe we should get a second opinion.”

  “Why?” Steven asked. “What she’s suggesting makes sense to me. There’s no reason not to follow her instructions. You’re just pissed that she was a little sarcastic with you.”

  “And what is it with you?” Roy asked. “They’re scared of you? What’s that all about?”

  Steven thought Roy might be a little jealous. Up until now, Roy had always been the senior leader, the one with the most knowledge as they worked together. Steven was only his assistant, or his student. To learn there was something in him that scared these creatures – Steven was surprised, but he also knew it bothered Roy.

  “I don’t know about any of that,” Steven said. “I’m just taking her
word for it.”

  “The word of a dingbat,” Roy said, stomping faster as they approached the boat. “She’ll probably get us both killed.”

  Chapter Three

  Jason slid into the empty booth seat across from Steven.

  “You’re late,” Steven said.

  “Traffic, sorry,” Jason said, taking his jacket off and setting his phone on the table. Steven noticed that his son’s upper body was even more muscular than the last time he’d seen him.

  “You working out?” Steven asked.

  “Swimming,” Jason said. “Every day.”

  “You hated swimming as a kid,” Steven said, looking back down at the menu.

  “Well, things change,” Jason said. “I eat onions now, too.”

  “Shocking,” Steven said. “How’s life going? How’s school?”

  “Fine,” Jason said. “Nothing interesting to report.”

  “Grades?” Steven asked.

  “Fine,” Jason said. “I’m moving, by the way.”

  “Out of student housing?” Steven asked.

  “Yes,” Jason said.

  “Where?”

  “Well,” Jason said, “I met this girl. She lives in a house with several other roommates. One of the rooms opened up. So I’m taking it.”

  “Can you afford it?” Steven asked.

  “I definitely thought your first question would be, ‘who is she?’” Jason said.

  “OK, we’ll start there,” Steven said. “Who is she?”

  “Her name is Jennifer,” Jason said. “She’s from Montana.”

  “Is it serious?” Steven asked.

  “Kinda,” Jason said. “More me than her.” Jason reached for his phone and flicked his finger across the surface a few times. “Here’s her picture,” he said, turning the phone to Steven.

  “She’s pretty,” Steven said, proud but not surprised that his son had landed a good-looking girl. Jason had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a dimpled chin. He’d always been popular with girls.