A thud on the window made her almost jump out of her skin. Maya froze staring wide-eyed right back at her. “What was that?”
“I don’t know.” She slipped off the bed, crouching as she tiptoed to the window. Pulling the curtain aside, she looked out at the pine tree across the driveway. Nothing out of the ordinary. And then she looked down to the ground. A black bird with one wing splayed to the side hopped in the small patch of grass like it was trying to fly away. But the way its wing looked was weird. “It was a bird. It must have flown into the window. I think it’s hurt.”
Maya pounced off the bed and joined her in looking down at it. “What should we do? Should we try to help it? Take it in to the vet?”
But before Ashley could answer, Lucas stepped out of the house from the kitchen door. He paused seeing the movement in the grass and then he went over. He was directly under them so that they couldn’t see the bird. His body jerked and there was a flash of his leg in the dark pants. He bent lower and when he rose he held the bird’s leg with the tips of his fingers. It hung limp, swaying with every step he took going across the drive. He pitched it into the trees bordering the property.
“He killed it!”
When he turned he glanced up at their window. They jumped back, but Ashley was sure he had seen them watching. She rose to her tiptoes trying to see what he was doing. He got something out of his car and then went back into the house.
The guy was such a creep. And it didn’t look like her aunt had broken up with him.
THIRTEEN
CLAIRE FINISHED SETTING THE PLATES IN THE SINK and then stood there, her hands gripping the countertop. Either Lucas was lying, or Carol had been seriously mistaken as he’d suggested. Add to that fact that she really disliked him… Well, what he said could be true.
Could be.
She glanced over when he opened the door and came through. His smile was sheepish and his gaze darted past her.
“Got it.” He held his phone up and then slipped it into the pocket of the shirt. He kept walking over and placed his hands on her shoulders gently turning her to face him. “I hope you believe me, Claire. Hell, you know how I feel about casinos. I’d rather stick pins in my eyes than hang out there.” He grinned. “Maybe I’ve got a doppelganger in the area. I don’t know who Carol saw, but it sure as hell wasn’t me.”
She looked up examining his eyes. On one hand, it really didn’t matter if he’d gone there. It was his life, and he could do what he wanted, go wherever. But it was the lies that were maddening, not to mention insulting to her intelligence. And her gut was screaming at her that he was lying.
Maybe it was time to bring this relationship to an end anyway. For the last couple of months things had changed or maybe it was her who had changed.
She looked down. “Look Lucas, we’re friends. You don’t owe me anything...” Looking up into his eyes again, she continued, “...except that I expect you to be honest with me. If we don’t have that, we really don’t have anything.”
“Jesus, Claire! I’m being honest! I love you!” His grip on her shoulders tightened.
Her chest felt heavy. It wasn’t the first time he’d said he loved her but try as she might she couldn’t say it back. She’d thought maybe in time she’d grow into that feeling but it was starting to look like that would never happen. What could she expect? She’d jumped into this thing before she even was truly over the divorce from Jake.
“Lucas... I don’t know. I think we want different things. You want more and I just can’t give it to you, not now.” She sighed. “Maybe I never will. And this thing, Carol seeing you at the casino with that woman has brought it all home to me.”
He pulled her into his arms, “I wish I could make you see how much you mean to me. I would never do anything to hurt you, like lying or running around. Don’t give up on this.” He pulled back, and there were tears flooding his eyes.
God. Her stomach dropped down to her knees knowing how much he was hurting. If there was one thing she knew, it was how bad it felt being the one who was dumped. It wasn’t that long ago that Jake had done the same thing to her, walking out and ending the marriage. Being the one left behind hurt—a lot!
And talk about honesty. If she was honest with herself, she would have known that her interest in Lucas was a rebound kind of thing. He’d been there when she was vulnerable needing emotional support—dealing with not just her marriage breakdown but the death of her brother and sister-in-law.
Why did life have to be so difficult? Working up her nerve, she looked at him. “I think we need to take a break. It’s not forever but for now, we both need to figure out some things.”
He shook his head. “No. That’s just another way of saying we’re breaking up. I don’t need to figure anything out. I know what I need and it’s you, Claire. You’re the first thing I think of when I wake up and the last thing before I go to sleep. Don’t do this, Claire. Don’t do it to me or you. We’ll get past this and make it work.”
She faltered a little. “I don’t know...” There were things she’d miss. Quiet dinners followed by snuggling watching a movie, talking to another adult about work and stuff. And of course there was the sex, and the fact that he made her feel special and pretty. But was that enough?
Not if she didn’t trust him anymore. And she didn’t.
He took a deep breath gazing at her with such intensity, “Come over tomorrow night for dinner. Sleep on this and then we can talk. You’re tired. This move has taken more out of you that you realize.”
Part of her wished that what he said was true. Their relationship had always been comfortable and fun even if she didn’t care as much as him. But nothing lasted forever. And this lying was a side to Lucas that was a game changer.
“It’s just one night. You owe me that much, Claire.”
Her eyes closed and she nodded.
For the first time she knew how hard it had been on Jake leaving her. She huffed a sigh. The irony of it all was that Jake had left because he wanted kids and she didn’t. Now she had kids. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. When Lucas held his arms out to her, she wondered what Jake was doing right then.
Lucas pulled her into him again, rubbing her back. But it didn’t help. She felt wooden in his arms.
FOURTEEN
THE NEXT DAY Ashley was just finishing up from her shower and blow-drying her hair when there was a knock on the bathroom door.
Aunt Claire’s voice sounded when she turned the dryer off. “Ash? The cable company just called. They are ahead of schedule and can hook the internet and cable up this afternoon.”
“Great!” She turned the hair dryer back on, fluffing out her thick mane of damp hair. At least now they could get on the internet, and she could do her own research into the Ouija board. Leah had been fit to be tied when she’d told her what had happened the night before. Now, she wanted to bring crystals and sage and all kinds of things with her when she came over that afternoon. It was a good thing Aunt Claire was going into work to check on things at the office. Who knew what kind of crazy cleansing ceremony that Leah was going to do?
She finished in the bathroom and then went downstairs. Maya was hunched over her bowl of cereal while Claire was tidying up, her hands in a sink full of white suds washing dishes.
She got a bowl down and glanced over at her aunt as she poured the cereal. “A bird flew into Maya’s bedroom window last night. It scared the crap out of us.”
Aunt Claire looked over at her. “Did it crack the window?”
“No. But it hurt itself. It was on the ground flapping around but its wing looked like it was broken.” She looked over at her aunt examining her face. “Lucas saw it and he killed it.”
Her aunt’s eyes flashed wide. “He killed it? He never mentioned that! It must have been when he went out to the car to get his cell phone. Damn it. That’s horrible.”
“Yeah. We were going to come down to see if we could help it but he just killed it.” Ashley’s felt her chest fall picturing it.
The poor thing. Alive one minute and dead the next because of that brute.
“He must have thought it was going to die anyway. He was just putting it out of its misery, I guess.” But Aunt Claire’s voice lacked conviction and she seemed sad.
Maya walked over and put her bowl in the sink. “It might have lived if we’d nursed it. Maybe its wing wasn’t broken but kind of bruised.”
Aunt Claire sighed. “Yeah. But we’ll never know, will we?” She changed the subject and smiled. “So the boys are coming out Tuesday? We’re getting a raft? I hope the weather holds. Which reminds me. I’ll pick up a bunch of water shoes in town.”
Ashley looked over from her place at the table. “Will you be home for dinner?”
Claire was quiet for a few beats. “Probably not. I made a casserole for you to heat up. And there’s salad stuff in the fridge.” Aunt Claire turned and looked at each of them. “Do you think I work too much? I know you spend a lot of time alone and have to fend for yourselves at meals. I could try to cut back if you—”
“We’re fine, Aunt Claire. You need the money, and it’s not like we’re little kids. Even being out here isn’t so bad. The lake helps. I mean our friends come out, so it’s not like we’re really alone. Not like what I thought at first.” Ashley could see the pained look in her aunt’s eyes. She added, “Plus having the internet will help.”
Aunt Claire sighed and looked down at the floor. “I was going to go over to see Lucas after work. But on second thought, I’d rather spend the evening with you. You’ve been on your own for the last couple of nights, so maybe we’ll watch a movie, make some popcorn. How does that sound?”
Maya smiled. “That sounds like a plan.”
The sound of a car followed by a banging door brought Ashley to her feet. She peered out the window of the kitchen door. “Leah’s here. She’s early.”
Aunt Claire looked at her watch. “Actually now that she’s here, I think I’ll go in early too. That way, I might be able to have dinner with you guys. I just want to check on my listings and see what’s new.”
The knock on the door was followed by Leah striding through with a bulging knapsack over her shoulder. “Hi. My mom had to go to the supermarket to get some things for a bake sale. That’s why I’m early. That’s okay, right?”
When she stepped away from the door, Preston was in tow. “Hi Maya! Everyone.” He looked around at Ashley and Claire. “I wasn’t duh...doing anything, suh...so I thought I’d cuh...come out too.”
Maya smiled. “I don’t think we’re allowed to go swimming without the shoes, but we can hang out. I wonder how Henry’s doing. Did you talk to him today?”
Preston nodded. “He was pluh...playing a vi...video game. He’s n...not doing muh...much. His fuh...foot’s sore.”
Claire called over her shoulder as she left the room, “If you need anything when I’m gone, just call me. I’m going to have a shower and then head in.”
When her footsteps sounded on the stairs and the bathroom door closed, Leah turned to Ashley. “I’ve got everything we need to fix whatever damage you and Maya did last night.”
Ashley felt the muscles in her neck tighten. Sometimes Leah was such a know-it-all. “Everything’s okay, I’m sure. But suit yourself.”
Leah’s eyes went wide and she leaned in. “You’re sure, are you? Well you shouldn’t have touched the board without me being there! Who knows what—”
“What ha...happened, Maya?” Preston’s arm rose cutting his sister off.
Maya threw a dirty look at Leah. “We used the Ouija board. The thingamajig shot off the board when we asked it a question. And then this bird flew into the window and scared the crap outta us.”
“See?” Leah scowled and shook her head. “Something like that happened to Allen in my Facebook group. He started seeing this dark specter in his room. And then it kept waking him up in the middle of the night. It was so bad that his family had to call in a priest and have the house blessed. He still swears it’s around, following him everywhere.”
Ashley felt a cold shudder creep up her back. Holy cow. “Do you think we brought something bad into the house?”
Leah took a deep breath and let it out slowly, “Let’s hope not. I just wish you’d listened to me.”
Ashley’s eyes narrowed. They’d only wanted to contact their parents. “We’ll start this when Aunt Claire leaves. Until then, let’s go outside.”
Maya slumped walking across the room. “I want to see if I can find that bird. We should bury it.”
Leah kept up a running monologue as they went out. “Another girl thought she’d reached her grandmother. But the entity attacked her. It left three long scratches on her back. Her family ended up having to move to get away from it.”
This was ridiculous. Ashley looked over at Maya who had paused, gaping at Leah. Even Preston looked alarmed, his gaze riveted to his sister. Ashley put her hand on Leah’s arm. “Leah. Stop it. We’ll fix this and then we won’t have anything to worry about.”
Leah was not only scaring Maya, but thinking of all the nights when Claire was working and how isolated they were out there in the country was upsetting.
Maya led the way across the driveway, threading her way through the trees on the other side. Preston stepped into the brush and his leg swung out trying to clear it away to see. “I...I found it.”
“Hang on.” Ashley darted over to the garden shed at the side of the property. “I’ll get a shovel.” She yanked the door open and smelled a musty scent of dirt mingling with the smell of gas fumes from the lawn mower. She spotted a shovel propped in the corner and grabbed it, her other hand reaching for her inhaler.
When she went back out, taking a deep haul of the medicine, Maya was walking next to Preston. He held the mangled bird with the tips of his fingers. Its eye was still open but its head had been flattened. Seeing it, made her chest tighten despite the fact she’d just used her inhaler. She nodded to the side of the property and led the way over to a grassy spot.
Leah was right on her heels, “He just stomped on it? I don’t think I could ever kill anything. Even if it was to put it out of its misery. I’d never sleep again if I killed anything.”
Ashley pushed her foot on the blade of the shovel, slicing through the dirt like it was butter. “Yeah. I know. He’s such a jerk. He never hesitated even to check it out before he killed it. It was so fast.” She angled the shovel and threw the dirt to the side. After a few more scoops deepened the hole, she said, “That’s deep enough. At least this way nothing will get at it.” She nodded to Preston who was holding the bird cupped in his hands. He knelt down and dropped it in.
Ashley’s gut rolled hearing the thud. She was about to scrape the dirt over it when for some reason, she felt faint. She stumbled to the side and gasped for air. A bead of cold sweat trickled down her temple.
“You okay, Ash?” Maya stepped over and put her hand on Ashley’s back.
Ashley swallowed hard, fighting a wave of nausea. It felt like the cereal she’d eaten was churning in the back of her throat. She passed the shovel to Maya but Preston stepped forward to claim it.
“I’ll take that, let me do it.” He pushed the loose dirt with the blade covering the dead bird completely. “There.” His mouth twitched. “Poor little thing.”
Ashley looked over at Leah and saw her own surprise mirrored in her friend’s face. But she couldn’t say anything, not without embarrassing Preston. It was probably the only time she’d ever heard him speak without the hesitating stutter. He’d actually sounded confident, like Henry.
The kitchen door opened and Claire stepped outside breaking the moment. “I’m off. Help yourself to whatever you want for lunch.” She paused seeing them with the shovel, “You buried it? That was a nice thing to do.” She opened the door to her car and called out, “See ya later.”
Preston stomped on the fresh dirt and then looked over at Ashley. “I’ll put the shovel away.”
When he was out of earshot, Ashley turned
to Leah, “Has he ever spoken that clearly? He didn’t stutter at all.”
Leah shook her head. “He’s been going to a speech therapist for the last three years and never once has he spoken like that. Weird.”
Even Maya had noticed. She watched him come back out of the shed. “Yeah. That’s weird but good, right?”
“For sure.” Leah reached for Ashley’s arm and pulled her along to the house. “You look like you could use a glass of water or something. How are you feeling now?”
But as quickly as the sudden sickness had come—it left. “I’m better, but I think I’ll drink some water.” She looked at Preston and then her forehead furrowed. She’d been sick, and then Preston’s stutter had disappeared. Hmm...
When they went inside, she stood at the sink drinking a glass of water and watching Leah root through her knapsack. Leah placed a bundle of dried herbs, a black crystal, and a box of salt on the table. She looked over at Ashley. “I was going to get some holy water too, but Mom hurried me out the door.”
Maya went over and picked up the box of salt. “We’ve got salt, Leah. What household doesn’t have salt in the pantry?”
Leah snorted. “We’re going to use a lot of salt Maya. I didn’t think your aunt would appreciate us using all of hers.”
Preston stepped closer. “Does muh...Mom know y...you have this st...stuff?”
Ashley set the glass in the sink turning away from the look that Leah shot her. So, Preston’s change wasn’t permanent, just something that happened when they’d buried the bird.
“No! And don’t tell her, k?” Leah looked over at Ashley, “Can you get a bowl for me? Just a soup bowl is fine.”
When Ashley got it and handed it to her, Leah continued, “We should start in the room where you did the Ouija board. Maya’s room, right?” She poured the salt into the bowl and handed it to Maya. “You carry this. We’ll need you to put it in the middle of the room.” Turning to Preston she added, “You close her bedroom window. We’ll seal the room while we cleanse it and then open it again right after.”
A Grave Conjuring Page 8