Cindy took another slow sip, the wine planting the roses back in her cheeks. “Well, I’m just glad everyone is okay.” She turned a warm smile on Boone. “And why were you exploring houses with your thirteen-year-old brother again?”
“Mom, I told you, I’m trying to forget about Brenna and this house was just the ticket.” Dolefully, he checked the clock on the VCR. “Worked too. Haven’t thought about her in eight hours and thirty-seven minutes.”
Teddy’s eyebrows went up. “Sounds like a record,” he said, cheering him with the glass and tipping it back.
“And we needed Boone’s car,” Gavin explained further.
Cindy stared dully at the TV, not noticing P.J. Soles flash Michael Myers before asking if he sees anything he likes. “This town used to be so safe.”
“Times are changing, Mom.” Boone popped a mini-Butterfinger into his mouth and crunched down. “People are crazy.”
Her eyes drifted to Teddy on a wave of uncomfortable silence washing across the room, accentuating Boone’s loud crunching. “Well, you can just stay here tonight, Teddy,” she said, forcing a smile.
“Thank you much, ma’am, but I really don’t want to put you out.”
“You’re not putting us out of anything. I set some blankets and pillows on the dining room table and there are towels in the bathroom. And help yourself to the bar.”
“Much obliged, Ms. Lewis. I’ll find the shelter first thing in the morning and get out of your hair.”
“Well, thank you again for protecting my misguided children, and thank you for your service to our country.” Her eyes shifted to Gavin and thinned. “And you can watch Pet Sematary again if you want,” she said, clicking a red thumbnail against the wineglass.
Teddy smiled brightly. “Ooh, I heard that’s a good one!”
“I’ll call your schools in the morning and get you excused from class tomorrow but this is a one-time deal.”
Gavin nodded rapidly. “Okay,” he replied, saying as little as possible to avoid screwing up this unexpected and wonderful twist of fate. No school? Amazing. They needed to find a dead body more often.
“It’s not like you’d be able to concentrate on anything after tonight,” she muttered. “I’m also going to follow up with this Detective Olson in the morning. Okay?”
They nodded agreeably.
“All right then, goodnight.” Cindy got up and flashed Boone a look before turning for the hallway. “And save some of that candy for tomorrow night. Some trick-or-treaters might show up before I leave for Connie’s party.”
“Hey, Mom?”
She stopped and turned.
Gavin cleared his throat. “Where’d you buy that camera from anyway? Kmart? Circuit City?”
Frowning, she set the wineglass on the dining table and removed an earring. “Why? Do you want to take it back? I thought you liked it.”
“No, I love it. I just… Where’d you get it?”
She took out the other earring and pressed her lips together. “That’s none of your business, Gavin,” she said, heading down the hallway. “Goodnight!”
Leaning forward, a coat of disgust painted Boone’s face. “You haven’t seen Pet Sematary yet?”
Teddy snorted, eyes glued to the twenty-six-inch television across the room. “Last movie I saw in the theater was The Terminator back in 1984.”
Boone’s face warped. “What!”
Staring at the TV, Teddy’s eyes glazed over, blurring a young Jamie Lee Curtis into someone else. “Donna wanted to go see City Heat.” A delicate smile pulled back a little into his beard. “She was a huge Burt Reynolds fan,” he explained, rubbing a palm back and forth across his dirty jeans. “But,” he sighed, “I was dead set on seeing Arnold.” He shook his head and seemed like he was about to say something else, but decided against it in the end.
“I can’t believe she bought it,” Gavin whispered, glancing down the hallway. “She even got us out of school!”
“This is so awesome.” Boone leaned his head back on the couch and kicked his feet up on the coffee table, crossing his legs at the ankles. “Technically, we deserve it because this weekend was kind of scarring. I’ll probably never sleep again.”
Gavin slowly shook his head. “And Scotty wanted to go antiquing.”
Teddy screwed his face up. “Antiquing?”
“I still can’t believe all of that happened.” Boone turned the butterfly knife in his hand, watching the living room lights wink off the blade. “I’m going to write a book about this, get rich and famous and make Brenna rue the day she ever met me.”
“I think she already does,” Gavin replied, tossing a piece of popcorn into his mouth. “Thus, the part about telling you to get lost.”
Boone leaned across Teddy and punched Gavin in the thigh, making him cry out in pain. Balling his hands into fists, Gavin lunged and fought back, dumping popcorn on Teddy.
“Fellas!” Teddy said, trying to separate them without spilling his drink. “We’re all on the same team here now.”
Yielding, Gavin sat back and rubbed his leg, grimacing in pain. “He gave me a Charlie horse!”
“Quit yelling, Gavin!” Cindy shouted from down the hallway, shutting her bedroom door.
Teddy eased Gavin back into the couch with his left hand and lowered his voice. “Now men, we need to keep calm and figure out our next move here, so let’s all just take a deep breath and try to focus,” he suggested, the smell of whiskey wafting from his lips. “Now, here’s the plan: I say we forget the whole darn thing and just get on with our lives.”
Gavin stared hard at him for a long moment before grabbing the cordless phone from the coffee table and poking at some numbers. Putting it to an ear, he listened to it ring like a fog horn blowing in the night.
“Who’re you calling now?”
“Pincher.”
“Again?” Teddy asked, taking a large gulp that emptied the glass.
“They always answer.” After a few more rings, a staticky answering machine clicked on and Gavin hung up. “Still no answer.”
“They’re probably in bed,” Teddy said, checking the clock on the VCR. “It’s almost midnight.”
“Or they’re all dead,” Boone said, pulling his hair back. “Obviously, putting the penny back didn’t work and he killed his parents.”
“Don’t even kid around about that, Boone.”
Boone interlocked his fingers behind his head and watched the Sunday Night Movie through faraway eyes. “Maybe we should sneak out and go over there because this is driving you crazy, and I’m kinda curious myself.”
Gavin’s lips tightened as he considered it for a second or two. He wanted to make sure his friend was okay. He did, but… “No, Mom will make us go to school tomorrow if she catches us. We can’t risk it.”
“True.” Boone shifted on the couch, trying to free up some room between he and Teddy. “Then we go over there as soon as she leaves for work in the morning.” He looked at Teddy. “We can drop you off at the shelter after that.”
Teddy’s lips went down at the corners. “Maybe before you go to your friend’s house would be better.”
Boone’s face hardened. “Maybe we’ll need your help to keep from getting killed if putting the penny back didn’t work.”
“Again?”
Gavin jumped up and went to his coat hanging on the rack by the front door, reaching into a pocket. Coming back over, he plopped down next to Teddy and began laying Polaroids on the coffee table like tarot cards. There were seven of them in all. The errant picture of Gavin’s shoe. The one of the house’s empty dining room table. The ghostly shot of Boone’s Camaro hanging on the wall, followed by Pincher sitting glumly on the end of his bed. Gavin held his breath and studied the tall, white shadow looming in the corner of his bedroom that still made his heart beat faster. Then there were the pictures of Teddy’s haggard face and Hank sleeping in the backyard of that confounded house. That left one more sheet of film in the camera and Gavin had to make it count
.
Reaching a veiny hand out, Teddy brought the snapshot of the dining room closer to his face, gray eyebrows pulling together in the soft light. “Huh.”
“What is it?” Gavin asked.
“I don’t remember that being there before, but I could be wrong.”
Gavin followed his finger to the floral centerpiece on the long dining room table. The creamy peach roses spilling from a short vase were full of life and color and he couldn’t tell if they were real or fake. “No, you’re right. That wasn’t there before.” He looked up at them, face paling. “And I don’t mean just in the house; I mean in the picture too.”
Chapter Seventeen
All Hallows’ Eve
Monday, October 31st, Back Then
Scotty stared down at the old penny lying next to a carved pumpkin on the front steps. Set against the cold gray cement, the copperhead looked bigger than it really was. Menacing. The Lincoln Memorial resembled grinning teeth, begging them closer, assuring them everything was fine. Just fine. Scotty cleared his throat and swallowed hard. “Well, this is an auspicious start.”
Boone turned a frown on him. “A what?”
“Whatever you do, don’t touch it.” Gavin pulled his coat tighter around him as the crisp October wind pulled bangs from his face. Swollen rainclouds rolled above, somehow holding in their bulging load.
“Just knock already,” Boone whispered, pulling his stonewashed Levi’s up by the beltloops and peering over his shoulder at the silver and black Camaro parked in the lonely street. The Monday morning rush hour was over and it seemed as if they were the only people on the entire planet.
Pincher’s house was dark and quiet as well. Orange and purple lights framed the windows with fake cobwebs and spiders hanging over the glass panes. Gavin reached past a plastic hand with long nails jutting from the door and knocked three times. Stepping back, he stuffed his hands in his coat pockets to keep from fidgeting. He stared at the peephole, watching for movement and slowly realizing something was stirring in his peripheral vision. His eyes flicked over to the fake spiders crawling along the fake webbing on the windows.
“Jesus,” Boone gasped. “Are those…?”
“Holy crap!” Scotty backed up and nearly tumbled down the steps. “They’re alive!”
Gavin stepped back as well, imagining the hairy beasts jumping into his hair and laying eggs in his ears.
“Boone’s right, they’re probably all dead inside,” Scotty whispered, pulling out his crucifix. “This place is cursed now. Let’s go call the cops!”
“They’re not dead,” Gavin replied, making sure his wooden stake was still inside his coat pocket.
“But their car is here,” Scotty jerked his chin at the dusty Buick Regal parked in the driveway. “They never leave without it!”
“Hey listen, fellas, maybe we should go catch a movie or something. Ya know? Or, hey I know.” Teddy snapped his fingers, “Take me to the shelter.”
Gavin turned to Teddy with anger curling his upper lip.
Teddy swallowed hard. “Or not.”
Carefully stepping over the soiled penny, Gavin tried the doorknob. It clicked open and, steering clear of the nervous spiders, he pushed the door into the living room. The rusty hinges groaned like even the door didn’t want to go in there. Standing like statues, the group quietly peered inside.
“Pincher?” Gavin croaked, clearing his throat and trying again in a louder voice. “Pinch?”
A car drove by on the street, bass bumping from its speakers and rattling the house’s windows. They watched the boxy Honda Civic turn a corner and disappear, pulling the music with it on a string.
“Let’s go,” Gavin whispered. “And don’t touch the penny.” Following a strip of gray daylight inside, he hurriedly crossed the threshold before one of the spiders could jump on him. Inside, he rolled an ankle on a cat toy and cursed under his breath, examining the empty recliners and darkened TV in the living room.
Scotty’s face soured. “I can’t tell if that smell is from old people or dead people,” he whispered, passing a record player resting on a stand filled with vinyl records – most of which had Kenny Rogers and Barry Manilow on the cover.
Teddy pulled a metal flask from an inside pocket and unscrewed the cap. “Reminds me of my mom’s place, God rest her soul,” he said, cheering the heavens and taking a long pull of the booze he borrowed from Cindy’s wet bar just before leaving the apartment this morning.
“There’s no one here.” Gavin peeked in the kitchen before letting his eyes climb the carpeted staircase. “Let’s try upstairs.”
Teddy followed his gaze up the carpeted steps and took a drink of liquid courage.
Heading for the stairs, they all screamed when Pincher sprang from behind the living room drapes. A white lab coat fluttered out behind him – covered in bloody handprints – as he rushed across the room, wailing like a banshee. He slammed Scotty up against a wall so hard an Elvis plate fell to the carpet. Alcohol squirted from Teddy’s nose as Pincher throttled Scotty with both hands. Face twisted with rage, his long black gloves coiled around Scotty’s neck. “I’m going to kill you,” he growled, choking him with an unwavering resolve.
Scotty tried to scream but couldn’t get it out. His eyes bulged in their sockets, hands grappling with Pincher’s tight grip.
Gavin snatched a table lamp and jerked the cord from the wall before hoisting it high into the air as an image of crazy Hank slashed through his mind. Putting the penny back didn’t work and now Pincher was just as dangerous as the murdering realtor and Gavin had to stop him. Gritting his teeth, Gavin brought the lamp down with a loud cry.
Pincher released Scotty and jumped off to the side, shooting his gloved hands out. “Whoa! Whoa! Take it easy, Gavin!” he said, exploding with laughter. “I’m just messin with you guys!”
Exhaling a frustrated breath, Gavin slowly lowered the lamp.
“Man, you should’ve seen the looks on your faces!” Pincher pointed at them, his bellowing laughter scaring a white cat out from beneath a worn recliner. Chasing his breath, he pushed a pair of black rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose and, without warning, his amusement melted down his face when his eyes locked in on Teddy. Grabbing the lamp from Gavin, he cocked it back in both hands and spread his black dress shoes. “Holy hobo! It’s Crazy Ralph from Friday the 13th!” He took a swing at Teddy and Boone grabbed his arm, making the lamp slip from Pincher’s grasp and fly against a coffee table leg where it shattered into pieces of fake crystal.
Pincher’s jaw dangled in the air. “What’s your problem, Boone?” he cried, staring at the glimmering shards. “My mom’s going to kill me!”
“He’s with us,” Gavin told him, thumbing at Teddy. “Everything is cool.”
“Yeah, his name’s Teddy and he saved my life at that stupid friggin house!”
Looking up at Scotty, Pincher wrinkled his nose. “What house?”
*****
Leaning forward on the couch, Pincher took another swig from a two-liter of Mountain Dew. His dark beady eyes roamed the seven Polaroid photographs fanned out on the coffee table before him. “I can’t believe you guys found a dead body without me,” he said dully, wiping his mouth with a sleeve. “You know I always wanted to do that.”
“He wasn’t dead when we found him!” Scotty leaned back into the couch. “Well, sort of anyway.”
Gavin paced the room. “Roger made the realtor kill his entire family before making Hank cut the realtor’s head off with an axe, and we have to find out why.”
Teddy gulped, shifting in a recliner. “We do?”
“The pennies, Gav! That’s why.”
He shook his head at Scotty. “No, there’s something else. The pennies are just his way in, like candy is for a pedophile.” His chest rose and his voice fell. “He’s using the pennies and we have to find out why so we can stop him.”
“Evil, that’s why.” Boone let the curtain fall back into place and turned away from the large fro
nt window. “Unadulterated evil, my friends.”
Staring hard at Teddy, Pincher sharpened his gaze. “Are you sure you guys aren’t messing with me? I mean, this is getting a little out of hand. Ghosts, cops, and hobos named Teddy? Come on.” He peeled off his long black gloves and slapped them down next to the pictures. “It’s all just a bit convenient for All Hallows’ Eve, so don’t go thinking I’m a total idiot.” His face sobered. “This is a Halloween prank, isn’t it? Come on, you can tell me.”
Scooting to the edge of the couch, Scotty swept a hand over the pictures. “Look I’m telling you, Pinch, it all really happened! The ghost dad hung himself in the backyard, the realtor’s head fell off when he undid his necktie, and when we put the pennies back, you and Hank returned to normal!”
“You were in that house. You saw the picture of our bikes in the trees,” Gavin added, plopping down in Pincher’s mom’s favorite chair and reclining it. “That picture was just as real as the glasses on your face.”
Pincher pulled the big, black frames from his face and poked a finger through a lens. “These are actually fake.”
“And don’t forget about the picture of my car,” Boone said, gesturing to the Polaroid of the framed photograph of the Camaro. “Look, we don’t need to sit around here trying to convince rat-boy of anything. Let’s bail!”
Pincher sighed and returned to examining the pictures. “I can’t believe you guys went through microfilm without me. You know I always wanted to do that.”
“Pinch, you were sitting in your bedroom staring out the window like a mental patient yesterday,” Scotty said, rubbing his nose. “We saved your life!”
“You don’t remember anything from the last twenty-four hours?” Gavin pulled the lever on the side of the recliner, springing him to his feet.
“I told you I didn’t.”
“See? You were out of it!”
Boone pulled the curtain back to check on his car again. “Sitting there turning a screwdriver in your hand like Jack Torrance.”
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