“Hard to know if he did or not,” Granger replied, “without talking to one of them about it. Some men get off on that kind of thing. Not me; I’d just like to make that clear.”
Eliza smiled. “Is your wife still alive, Granger? I noticed a picture on Robert’s dresser.”
“No, she’s been gone for years now,” Granger replied. “Died in childbirth.”
“Oh, I’m sorry!” Eliza said, noticing Robert look down as Granger spoke. “So, you never knew her?” she asked Robert.
“No,” he replied. “Just stories.”
An uncomfortable silence settled on them, and Eliza felt a little awkward for prying. She felt it might be a little too much to ask more, so she remained silent.
After a while Granger checked his watch. “It’s been twenty,” he said. “Let’s give it another go.”
They rose from the bed, and Robert called out to Agnes, dropping into the River almost immediately. Granger and Eliza joined him. To her relief, Agnes was there, approaching Robert for another grope.
Who is Marvin, Agnes? Robert asked, stepping away from her hands.
He runs the office, Agnes replied. Marvin and I get along better than any of the others here. I believe he has a crush on me. I can’t let him pursue me, of course, because he’s of a mixed racial background, but we do enjoy a dinner together every Thursday night.
And Kendall? Robert asked. His music machines? Do you know where he kept them?
Oh, those stupid contraptions? Agnes asked. Can you imagine a grown man, playing with such toys? Tena had to treat him like a child! That’s exactly what she did, she…
Robert cut her off. Do you know where he kept the music machines? Did he keep them in his room?
Oh, he had far too many when they moved in, Agnes said. Marvin let him store them until he could sell them all. Who would want to buy such ridiculous contraptions? Sometimes I don’t blame her for taking charge. If I had such a pitiable husband, I’d take over, too! I suppose I’d rather have sex with Dominic than with him!
Where? Robert asked. Where did he store them?
Marvin let him keep them in the attic, Agnes replied. But it was only temporary. He was allowed to keep them there only until he could sell them off.
Do you know where in the attic? Robert asked.
How would I know that? Agnes replied. I never go up there. It’s…
Her tongue slowly escaped her frozen lips, and her eyes widened as she began to asphyxiate once again. As her hands came up to her throat, Eliza dropped from the River, not waiting for the final moments to replay.
“The attic,” Eliza said. “That’s where we have to go. Some of the devices might still be there.”
“We’ll have to figure out how to get up there,” Granger replied. “I don’t think it’s a smart idea to explore to find the way up.”
“I don’t suppose Nick mentioned anything about an attic in his journals?” Eliza asked.
“No,” Granger replied. “He didn’t document anything above the landing.”
“One of the papers we copied at the lawyers had a rough layout of the place,” Robert said. “It was part of a title transfer.”
“Why don’t we check that out next,” Granger offered, “and see if it indicates a way up into the attic.”
“Alright,” Eliza replied, frustrated that they couldn’t spend the rest of the evening pursuing the lead inside the house, but knowing Granger was right.
They carefully left Agnes’ room and descended to the ground floor, Eliza on high alert for any appearance from Tena or Dominic. Once they cleared the front door and began walking through the yard, the cool night air lifted the tension she always felt while inside the house, and she began to feel optimistic.
“What a relief,” Robert said, as they opened the iron gates. “The pressure was becoming unbearable.”
“If we’re going to stay in there longer,” Granger said, “pursuing something higher up in the house, we may face even greater pressure. We’re going to have to mitigate that.”
“I wish I could help,” Eliza replied as they walked to the car. “I don’t feel it at all; I don’t know what you’re going through.”
“You know when you have a sinus cold?” Robert said. “It’s like that, but all around your head, not just in your nose.”
“That sounds unpleasant,” Eliza replied. “And it gets worse in certain places?”
“I don’t feel it at all until we step inside,” Robert said. “And it’s worse on the far side of the house, the landing side. Same for you, Dad?”
“Same for me,” Granger replied. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was a legend shelf, but that can’t be it.”
“We wouldn’t be able to get in at all if it were that,” Robert replied as they got into the car and Granger began the drive back to their place.
“A legend shelf?” Eliza asked.
“It forms a barrier,” Granger said. “Usually set up and maintained by someone who’s gifted.”
“If it’s a legend shelf, something’s very wrong with it,” Robert said. “We shouldn’t be able to get anywhere near it.”
“Maybe that’s it,” Granger said. “A legend shelf that’s broken somehow. If that’s the case, someone who was gifted was trying to protect something.”
“If that’s the case,” Robert repeated, “we’re not going to be of much help to Eliza. The pressure in Agnes’ bedroom is already bad. I can’t imagine what it’ll feel like if we go higher.”
“Isn’t there a way to counteract it?” Eliza asked. “Like with protection?”
“A legend shelf wouldn’t be of much use if there were,” Granger replied. “Almost all gifteds know how to take protection. A properly set up legend shelf will keep most anything out; at least, it’ll keep out whatever it’s been programmed to keep out.”
“I can go up there on my own,” Eliza said. “I don’t feel it.”
“No, not going to happen,” Robert replied. “We can’t let you do that, alone. It’s far too dangerous.”
“We’ll have to figure it out,” Granger replied. “If it’s broken somehow, we might be able to exploit it.”
“Why don’t I feel it?” Eliza asked. “Is there something wrong with me?”
“Highly unlikely,” Granger replied. “It’s more likely that the opposite is true. And that’s another thing we might be able to exploit.”
The opposite is true? Eliza thought. What does that mean?
Then she heard it, the faintest thought, rumbling around in Robert’s mind: she’s special.
She’s special? she wondered. He’s thinking I’m special?
And why can I detect what he’s thinking?
Chapter Fifteen
It was another long work day, and as Eliza drove from Spring Green to Madison, she knew she was tired. In addition to not sleeping well, worried about Shane and Rachel, she was putting in extra labor at work, trying to lessen some of the guilt she felt for Rachel’s absence. It was catching up with her and she knew it.
When she arrived at Granger’s place, Robert immediately recognized what was going on.
“You’re not sleeping, are you?” he asked.
“Not very well,” she replied.
“It’s understandable, given everything that’s going on. I hope you’re eating, and keeping up your strength?”
“Haven’t been good about that, either.”
“Have you eaten dinner?” he asked.
She paused. He took her lack of a reply as a no.
Granger came into the room, ready to go.
“She hasn’t eaten in a while,” Robert said to his father.
Granger took one look at Eliza and removed his coat. “When’s the last time you ate?”
“I’m not hungry, really,” Eliza protested, watching as Granger walked to the kitchen and turned on the stove.
“Answer my question!” he said. “Did you eat lunch? Breakfast?”
Eliza thought. She honestly couldn’t rememb
er the last time she’d put any food in her mouth.
“We’re not going anywhere until you get something in you,” Granger said, pulling eggs out of the refrigerator and starting up an omelet.
“I don’t think I can eat anything,” Eliza said, walking to the counter.
“You have to,” Granger replied. “We made up a special batch of protection, finely tuned for what we’re about to do. You can’t drink it on an empty stomach. You’ll be three sheets to the wind. You have to eat first.”
She sat on a stool by the counter, and watched as Granger whipped up the food.
“A special batch of protection?” she asked. “How does that work?”
“I have a book,” Granger said as he stirred the eggs. “It was given to me by my mother, and she got it from her father. It’s got the recipe for the protection I’ve always made, but it also has recipes for some modifiers to boost certain aspects. I’ve never had cause to use the modifiers before now, but I figure this is as good a time as any to give them a go.”
“Modifiers?” Eliza asked. “Like what?”
“Like fire protection,” Granger replied. “I was surprised to find that in the book. So we made a batch that included special ingredients designed to provide extra fire protection.”
“And there are other modifiers?” Eliza asked.
“Lots,” Robert said, sitting next to her. “Well, dozens, at least.”
“Why wouldn’t you just use a protection that involves them all?” Eliza asked. “Why limit yourself?”
“What, like a super protection?” Granger asked, chuckling. “People try. The problem is that certain combinations cancel things out. Once you’ve got a good, solid base recipe, like we do, it works for most things. You can get away with one or two modifiers, but if you add more than that, you have to test them to see if they both still work. Sometimes they counteract, and you wind up with no added effects. Some mixtures actually decrease the effectiveness of the base recipe. So you have to be careful.”
“So complicated,” Eliza mused.
“We tested this one,” Robert said. “Very effective against fire.”
“Well, that’s a relief,” Eliza replied. “Do you think it will be enough to get you upstairs, past the pressure you’ve been feeling?”
“There’s another modifier that might help with that,” Granger replied, “but we didn’t have time to test them together. It won’t matter anyway. We’re going to try something that I think might be a lot safer. To start with, anyway.”
Eliza took the fork that Granger handed to her and began to eat the eggs. Although she didn’t really want them, her stomach seemed to approve of their arrival. “What?” she asked. “What are we going to try? Did you find the map of the place?”
“Won’t need it for tonight,” Robert replied. “We’re going to stay out on the front lawn, and explore the place entirely in the River.”
“We’ll bypass the second floor altogether,” Granger said, a smile on his face. “We’ll rise up to the level of the attic, and pass through the walls directly into it. That’ll keep our bodies outside, away from an attack from Tena or Dominic, and we’ll concentrate our exploration directly on the attic, rather than trying to find our way through the second floor.”
“We can do that?” Eliza asked, already knowing the answer. She remembered drifting from her bedroom down to the barn while in the River, able to pass through walls. Of course they could do it with Pitmon House.
“We should be able to,” Granger replied. “Unless there’s something up with that legend shelf. They’re supposed to work on all levels, keeping people out of places, including people moving in the River. We’ll just have to see what we’re dealing with.”
Eliza increased the speed with which she ate the eggs. She liked Granger’s plan, and was excited to try it out.
“Whoa!” Granger said, observing her. “Slow down. We’ve got all night!”
“I want to know what’s up in that attic!” Eliza said, speaking through the food. “There’s got to be something that will explain what happened to Shane.”
They watched as she finished the plate and handed it back to Granger. Then they left for Pitmon House.
●
The cool damp of the grass felt nice against the back of her arms and neck. Granger was on her left, and Robert on her right, stretched out on a section of grass that was far enough away from the main gate so as to be out of sight of anyone passing by.
“Feeling it yet?” Granger asked.
“A little,” Robert replied. “Eliza?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I feel it. It’s different than what you normally had us drink. Why didn’t we do this before? Lie out here and only go in through the River?”
“When you’re trying to summon a ghost,” Granger replied, “you need to be physically there. Tonight we’re not summoning anything.”
“Quite the opposite,” Robert replied. “We’d like to explore and not run into anything, if possible.”
“OK, I get it,” Eliza replied.
“Alright,” Granger said. “If everyone’s ready, let’s give this a shot. Straight up and then into the attic. Follow me.”
Eliza let herself slip into the River and rose from her body, watching as Granger and Robert rose along with her. They floated upward until they were level with the top of the house, and Granger began to move toward the structure. It only took a couple of seconds before they arrived at the angled roof. Granger passed inside, and Robert followed.
Eliza watched as their bodies passed into the attic, suddenly wondering if this was all a mistake, if Rachel was right, and she should call for them to come back.
No, she thought. Don’t be afraid. Do this. Go in.
She pressed forward, and the wall gave way to a wide, open space, covered with rough floorboards. Dust swirled in the moonlight that poured through large dormer windows.
She turned to look for Granger and Robert, and found them near the wall. They looked in pain.
Are you alright? she asked.
The pressure is severe, Robert replied, holding his head.
I still don’t feel anything, Eliza replied. I’m going to search.
We’ll try to follow you, Robert replied.
She walked toward the center of the space. The moonlight spilled in from the right side, casting patches of light onto the ground at intervals as she looked down the attic. It was long and large, with a high ceiling. Furniture was stacked along the edge of one wall, with legs from chairs jutting out awkwardly. Boxes lined another wall, and farther down more boxes were stacked in batches in the center of the area. After walking several steps, she turned to see Granger and Robert behind her, trying to follow, but finding each step to be more difficult than the last.
She walked back to them, noticing a thin line of blood dripping from Granger’s nose, running down over his goatee.
I think you’d better stop, Eliza said. You’re bleeding, Granger.
He raised his hand to his nose and pulled it way, coated in the dark liquid.
You OK, Dad? Robert asked. Maybe we better pull back a little.
You’re bleeding too, Eliza said, looking at Robert.
The pressure gets worse each step we take, Robert replied. We’ll go back to the wall where we came in.
Maybe you should go back to the lawn, Eliza said.
No, we’re going to keep an eye on you, at least, Granger replied. We’ll wait here. Stay within eyesight. Check what you can. Be quick.
Eliza turned, looking over the large open space. Even walking to the end of it would take a couple of minutes; examining all of it quickly seemed impossible.
She closed her eyes and let herself focus on the automaton she identified at The House on the Rock; she recalled the arm of the carved man, moving over the lantern, making her feel ill. She felt a tug inside her chest as something pointed her in a particular direction, and she opened her eyes. In the distance just past a dormer window, a brick wall jutted out from th
e regular walls of the attic. She thought for a moment of stopping to consult with Granger and Robert, but decided instead to pursue it on her own, not wanting to waste time.
Accelerating over the floor, she arrived at the dormer within seconds, feeling the same ill she remembered from The House on the Rock. It was here, she thought, looking down. Against the wall were two items covered in dust cloths. She couldn’t lift the cloth to see what was underneath; instead she allowed her face to pass through the cloth to try and inspect what was there.
She came face to face with a small woman, not more than twelve inches tall. Her upper body was that of a human, but her legs were green and bent, like a frog’s. Eliza pulled back a little finding a pane of glass; she’d gone inside a display case holding a grotesquerie.
It must be fake, Eliza thought, looking again at the small woman. She tried to examine the join where the doll’s body merged with the amphibian skin, but it was smooth and gradual, completely seamless. If it was fake, it was magnificently done.
She pulled out of the drop cloth, back into the attic. This has to be where he stored his stuff, she thought. This display is probably something he never sold, and it’s been up here ever since.
She turned, looking at the brick wall that jutted out from the side of the attic. It seemed incongruous, unlike the rest of the space. Maybe it was added after the attic was complete, she thought. She closed her eyes again and felt the tug once more, pulling her toward the wall.
She wanted to pass through it, but she stopped for a moment, knowing it would take her out of the eyesight of Granger and Robert.
Just my head, she thought. I’ll just stick in my head and look around.
She moved toward the bricks and slowed as she hovered next to it. She leaned forward, pressing her head down, and felt the sharp cold of the bricks and mortar pressing into her hair and the flesh of her scalp. Surprised, she pulled back.
Wanting to try another approach, she extended her arm and pressed it forward, trying to pass through the wall to the other side. Her hand met the bricks and was stopped.
Interesting, she thought.
The Haunting of Pitmon House Page 16