Bad Things

by Tamara Thorne

  “He said he almost killed his brother once.”

  “Almost. He also said he realized what he was doing and stopped.”

  “Audrey, be careful. I don’t want to think he did it, and my instincts don’t believe it, but I’m afraid that could be because he’s not stable . . .”

  She opened her mouth, but he shushed her.

  “I think that if he is responsible, he isn’t responsible, you know what I mean?”

  She shook her head no.

  “If he did do it, I don’t think he knows he did it. Maybe he’s got a split personality or something. All that brother stuff.”

  Audrey looked stricken. “I don’t believe it.”

  “Then let’s find proof.”

  Audrey nodded. “If you’re wondering if Robin existed, I can tell you that he did. Rick showed me some photos taken before their parents died. And Carmen talked about him too. He was horrible. He died in a fire. Carmen has the newspaper clipping. I saw it.”

  “Christ, I’m glad to hear that. Audrey, I don’t think he did anything. I’m just playing devil’s advocate.”

  “I know, Duane. You’re good at that.”

  “Besides, you’re my sister. What kind of brother would I be if I didn’t worry about you?”

  Audrey stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “I know, and I appreciate you very much.”

  “Boy, was that cat pissed,” Rick said as he came back into the room. “Supremely pissed.” He had washed the claw marks, and they stood out blatantly against his pale skin. “But I think he’s okay now.”

  “Good. We won’t put him through that again.” Audrey glanced out the window. “I’m exhausted. I’m going home to bed. Will you fellas see me out?”

  They walked her to her car and watched until she was out on the street. Dakota shivered, watching the leaves in the grass. “You know, Piper, it’s scary knowing those jack-offs are there and not being able to see them.”

  “In this case, what you can’t see won’t hurt you,” Rick said dryly. “Believe me, if I could trade you eyes, I would.”

  “Let’s go in.”

  “Yeah.” They went inside, and Rick locked the door, then pulled the drapes closed. “Tomorrow night is the dangerous night, Dakota. Halloween.”

  “Shelly’s going to a party?”

  “The overnight,” Rick said. “I hope to hell we know what happened before then, but either way, she won’t be here.”

  “What about Cody?”

  “Audrey and I were planning on taking Cody trick-or-treating, very early. Do you want to come?”

  “Yes.” He grinned. “I brought a costume. I love dressing up for Halloween.”

  “You just love dressing up.”

  Dakota gave him a shit-eating grin. “Do you have any lines on parties?”

  “No. We’re coming back before full dark and staying in, where it’s safe.” He hesitated. “We’re planning on watching for Big Jack.” He hesitated, obviously trying to make light of something that was deadly serious to him. “If we both see him, we’ll know I’m not a raving lunatic.”

  “It’s Big Jack night. If I stick around, do I get to see him, too?”

  “I hope so. I’d like you both to see him. That would make me feel . . . less weird.” Yawning, he checked his watch. “Let’s get some sleep.”

  A few minutes later, Dakota entered the upstairs bathroom to brush his teeth, then stripped to shorts and T-shirt before quietly letting himself into Cody’s room. The boy was fast asleep on the race-car bed by the window. Dakota eased his six-foot-four-inch frame onto the old twin bed near the door. His legs hung over the end, and he knew this wasn’t going to be much fun.

  He lay quietly on the bed, unable to sleep, his brain going a hundred miles an hour, asking himself questions he had no answers for. As he was about to give up and go take a sleeping pill, he heard a scratching noise emanating from somewhere near the closets. “Cody, Cody!” whispered a voice.

  Across the room, the boy sat up.

  “Cody!” the voice whispered again.

  “Hi, Bob,” the little boy said.

  “Cody, Cody, let’s hit the roady!”

  The boy giggled, then shoved his hand over his mouth, looking toward Dakota, who studiously feigned sleep. Quietly, Cody got out of bed and approached the closet. As he opened the door and stepped in, Dakota could hear him giggling. There was a funny sliding sound and the giggling grew faint, then disappeared altogether.

  Rising, Dakota turned on the overhead light and crossed to the closet as quietly as he could.

  He looked inside.

  Cody wasn’t there.

  A half dozen nails, some slightly bent, were scattered on the floor. He saw empty nail holes around a two-and-a-half-foot square on the wall.

  “Shit.” With a whole new load of goose bumps rising on his balls, Dakota went to tell Rick.

  44

  “Piper! Open up!”

  Dakota’s voice cut through Rick’s nightmare, and the pounding on his bedroom door brought him bolt upright. “Hang on,” he grunted, extracting Quint’s claws from his forearm.

  “Piper!”

  “Shut up, you’re scaring the cat!” The feline suddenly raced painfully across his bare chest and thumped to the floor, heading for the safety of the headboard.

  “Hurry up!” Dakota’s voice was lower, but he rattled the hell out of the doorknob.

  Rick’s feet hit the floor, and a moment later, he unlocked the door. Dakota pushed his way inside,

  “Christ, O’Keefe,” Rick said, shutting the door.

  “What is it with you and locks?” Dakota said. “Listen. You know how you can see those greenjacks?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, I just heard Bob the Invisible Friend.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me. He called Cody’s name, Cody answered him, then walked into the closet.”

  “What?” Rick listened to Dakota’s words, hardly able to comprehend what he was hearing. “Cody!” He started for the door, but Dakota grabbed his arm.

  “Rick, wait. Cody’s not there.”

  “The passages are blocked; he has to be there!”

  “Calm down and listen to me. The nails have been driven out from the inside.”

  “That’s impossible!” He tried vainly to pull free of Dakota.

  “It must be Jade, Rick,” Dakota said. He was breathing fast now, catching Rick’s fear. “It has to be Jade. You’re here and . . .”

  “And what?” Rick asked, his head beginning to throb.

  Dakota stared hard at him. “And you’re here.”

  “You mean you thought that I might be Bob? That I tried to assault my own daughter?” Furious, he yanked free of O’Keefe and glared at him. “I thought you were supposed to be my friend! You son of a bitch!”

  “Rick, you’re my best friend and I believe you, but you’ve been under a lot of stress and, shit, if you were in my place, you’d have to make sure, too.”

  Stonily Rick nodded. “Well, then, is there anything else I can do to prove to you that I’m not skulking around scaring my children at night? Do you want me to write it in blood?”

  “Don’t be sarcastic, Piper. You’ll just have to apologize to me later, after you’ve had time to think.”

  Rick didn’t know whether he wanted to cry or commit murder. “You won’t tell me where Shelly is because you’re not sure I’m not guilty. That’s it, isn’t it?”

  Dakota drew himself to his full towering height and crossed his arms. “We don’t have time for bullshit. Yes, Rick, that’s right. I don’t think you’re guilty, but I can’t take a chance on Shelly’s safety. You’d do the same.”

  “You fucking bastard.” Rick felt his body tense, imagined his hands around O’Keefe’s throat. “You fucking—”

  “Piper, listen. What if somebody assaulted Cody while I was watching him for you? Wouldn’t you be worried about leaving him with me even though you didn’t really think I did it? My s
exuality is a little strange. Wouldn’t you think that maybe, just maybe, I’d branched out into pederasty? You’d worry, wouldn’t you? Even though I’m your closest friend, you’d worry.”

  Fury gave way to grudging understanding, and Rick nodded. ‘You’ve made your point. I have no right to be angry with you for looking out for my kids. I’m sorry.” He felt beaten. “God knows, with the stories I’ve told you about my childhood, you must think I’m completely nuts.”

  “No. To be blunt, it’s a possibility—as you yourself say—but I don’t think so. Frankly, I happen to believe you, Piper.”

  “Thanks. But what do we do now?” Rick asked dully.

  “Check passages?”

  “This place is a honeycomb. We’d never find him from the inside. Also, you’d never fit, and I’d be a tight squeeze in most of them.”

  “So let’s see if any other ones are missing nails. Where’s the one in this room?”

  He picked up his flashlight and handed it to Dakota. “In here.” He led O’Keefe into the dressing room and pointed. “Look in that cabinet.”

  Dakota opened the doors, then got down on his hands and knees, shining the light inside. He gasped, pulling back so quickly that he hit the back of his head. He stood up, his eyes boring into Rick’s with an intensity he’d never seen before. “We have problems, my friend,” he said, his voice shaking.

  “The nails are gone?” he asked, thinking, and proof of my innocence.

  “For a start. Take a look.”

  Dumbly Rick took the light and squatted. “Dear God,” he heard himself say. “Oh, dear God.”

  Within the cabinet, among the nails, was the filleting knife and Jade’s poodle, which lay in a pool of its own blood. Its mouth was taped shut and the hind legs were dismembered and lying several inches from the rest of its body.

  “Dear God.” Blindly Rick stood and rushed into the bathroom, where he hugged the toilet bowl, violently ill.

  Dakota said nothing until Rick had brushed his teeth and splashed his face with water. Then, firmly, he placed his hand on Rick’s shoulder. “The dog’s body is still warm,” he said, his voice cool and businesslike. “We’d better find Cody.”

  “Yes.” Rick walked past Dakota and picked up the phone.

  “Who are you calling?”

  “Carmen. She’ll help.”

  Dakota nodded. “I’m going to get my shoes. Back in a flash.”

  45

  Carmen stood with Dakota, Hector, and Ricky in Cody’s room and stared into the passage within the closet. They’d called his name for fifteen minutes, but there was no reply, and now there was talk of going inside the walls to look for him. Only Rick and Hector were small enough to fit into the passage, and Carmen did not want either of them to go in, though Hector appeared more than willing.

  “No,” she told him. “It’s not good to go in there. Something bad will happen.”

  “All the more reason to go after him,” Hector insisted.

  “Cody could be anywhere,” she said. “Those passages run all over the house. If we found him, it would be by sheer luck.”

  Ricky, who looked pale and ill, nodded. “I should go. I’ve been in them before.” Nervously he ran his fingers through his tousled hair. “God, who else is in there?”

  “It’s a spirit,” Carmen said.

  “I’ll bet it’s a kid,” Dakota cut in quickly. “Maybe a friend from school? An older kid. You know, people, he knew exactly what he was doing—he’s obviously been in there before—and whoever it was didn’t know I heard him, so there’s no reason to think that he won’t come back out sooner or later.”

  “Dakota has a point,” Hector said.

  “Yes,” Rick agreed. “Except tomorrow’s Halloween.”

  “Here’s what we’re going to do,” Carmen said abruptly. “Hector, you go clean up the mess in Ricky’s room—”

  “Should we leave it for the police?” Dakota asked.

  “We don’t need police,” she said with finality. “After that, Hector, please take the cat and put him back at our house. Make sure you cover his eyes outside so he doesn’t see those jacks. Then come back here.”

  Hector nodded silently, leaving her to eye Ricky and Dakota. “Did either of you check on Jade?” she asked.

  They shook their heads.

  She pulled a key from her pocket. “Let’s go.” She bustled toward the stairs, Dakota and Ricky following. “If he’s not with her, we’ll keep looking until we find him.”

  Instead of knocking on Jade’s door, she inserted the key in the lock and turned it silently. The door opened on the shadowed room. Putting her finger to her lips to signal silence, she led them into Jade’s living room, crossing herself as she always did when she saw the murky forms of the stuffed dogs. They seemed to watch her as she moved through the room. She paused to whisper to Ricky. “You know where the openings are?”

  He nodded.

  “Check them. Check for dust.” Without being told, Dakota remained with his friend. That pleased Carmen, because Ricky looked too close to panic to be left alone, and she feared he might fall apart completely. She watched him tiptoe toward a coat closet that contained an opening, then let herself into Jade’s bedroom. The old woman snored in her bed, blissfully unaware that her poodle had been killed. The one that died a couple months ago was perched on the night table, fresh from the taxidermist, eternally licking its privates. Carmen crossed herself again, then checked Jade’s closet.

  Nothing blocked the opening. Jade continued to snore as Carmen pushed the latch. The panel slid open silently, letting cool, stale air waft over her face and making the hairs on her arms and neck stand on end. Involuntarily she shivered, then put one hand inside the opening and wiped it across the floor before letting it shut.

  Quietly she left the bedroom, then waited for Ricky to finish up. Afterward, she led them out of Jade’s quarters, locking the door behind them.

  In the living room light, she examined her fingers. No dust. “Ricky? Was there dust?”

  “In the one in the closet,” he said, wiping his fingers on his sweatpants. “But not in the one by the back stairs.”

  They heard the back door open, and a moment later, Hector came in. “Everything’s taken care of.”

  “Quint’s at your place?” Rick asked.

  “Yes. Boy, that cat didn’t like it outside.” He held up his arm, displaying scratch marks. “He’s okay now.” He looked at Dakota. “Shelly wants to talk to you,” he said.

  “Shelly’s here?” Ricky interrupted hopefully.

  “No. She’s on the phone.” He turned back to Dakota. “She only wants to talk to you. I told her to call over here, but she wouldn’t do it. The front door’s not locked; you can go on over.”

  Dakota touched Ricky on the shoulder. “I’ll be right back. Don’t worry.”

  Carmen watched Ricky as Dakota left, and her heart ached for him, he looked so stricken. “Hector,” she ordered. “You check the rest of the passage openings down here. If they’re open, call Cody.” She turned to Ricky. “You and I will check the upstairs. Come on.” She grabbed his hand and began to lead him toward the staircase. “We’ll find him right away.

  She hoped she spoke the truth.

  46

  Numbly following Carmen into Shelly’s room, Rick felt as if he were drowning. He couldn’t seem to think anymore, couldn’t comprehend what was going on around him. Vaguely humiliated, knowing that she was treating him like a child, coddling him, leading him, he didn’t have the strength to take over the search for his son, let alone protest, though he knew he should.

  At least he hadn’t told Carmen the reason Shelly had run away. Then he’d get the same pitying and nervous questioning glances from her that Dakota had given him since he’d arrived. Rick didn’t think he could stand that.

  They’ll think you’re crazy and send you away.

  “Shut up,” he whispered.

  “What?” Carmen looked at him.

  “Noth
ing. Nothing.”

  “I remember the day I nailed this one shut,” she said, her hand on the closet doorknob. “I heard noises in here one night. It scared me so much, I stuck a chair under the knob. The next morning, I looked inside and found one of my dresses was on the floor. It was damp.” She shook her head. “I didn’t know what was on it, I just threw it away. Then I got a hammer and drove twenty-four nails into the panel. I counted every one.”

  She glanced at him as she opened the closet door. “Ricky?”

  He froze. “Yes?”

  “Why did Shelly run away?”

  He didn’t want to answer, but her expression demanded it. “She says someone attacked her.” That was enough truth for now.

  “Do you believe her, Ricky?”

  “Yes.” I didn’t, I couldn’t have.

  “So do I. Look.” She stepped aside so that he could see inside the closet. Even without a flashlight, he could tell that the panel below Shelly’s dresses and shirts had been tampered with. One corner was splintered, the nail next to it bent and only halfway removed. More nails littered the floor. A spray of dark spots that might be blood stained the floor. “I cleaned this room a week ago,” she told him. “This wasn’t like this then.” She bent down and called, “Cody? You in there? Cody?”

  “Piper!” Dakota’s voice, not Cody’s, jolted Rick. He spun toward the door.

  “Up here!” Rick yelled.

  Immediately he heard O’Keefe’s heavy footfalls come up the stairs two at a time. Seconds are passing, he thought as he heard him running up the hall, and they feel like hours.

  Dakota finally appeared in Shelly’s doorway, windblown and breathless. He rested against the doorframe, leaning his head back, and took a deep breath. He exhaled noisily.

  “What is it?” Rick demanded, impatient with O’Keefe’s dramatics. “What did Shelly say?”

  “Piper,” he said, coming into the room. “Stick your tongue out.”

  “What?”

  “Stick it out. Now.”

  “No.”

  In two broad steps Dakota reached him. “Why not? What are you hiding?” He glared down at him.

  “I’m not hiding anything,” Rick avowed angrily.