Brimstone

by Tamara Thorne

  “Oh …” Delilah’s head swam, her vision darkened, and then she realized Adeline had a supportive arm around her as Ben patted her forehead with a cool cloth.

  “Delilah? Are you all right?” Adeline peered at her.

  “Should I call the doc?” Ben asked.

  Delilah righted herself. “I’m fine. Perfectly fine. Do not call the doctor, Ben. I’m prone to fainting.”

  Addie studied her. “Like when something surprises you?”

  Delilah nodded. “You do know how to choose your words, I’ll give you that.” She glanced from Adeline to Ben and swallowed her pride. “I’ll be honest. When I’m shocked or frightened, my blood pressure drops quickly. That’s why I faint easily. It’s rather embarrassing.” She glanced around - the store was quiet, no one was watching. “Thank you for keeping me from falling, Adeline. I’m fine now.”

  Adeline nodded and returned to her stool.

  “What was it, Dee?” Ben asked gently. “A shock or a scare?”

  “Both. A memory. Addie, you and Carrie were in the basement of the hospital. I heard you. I heard Grandfather. There was shouting and screaming. I was terrified.”

  Adeline bent closer, and the gold fleck in her eye seemed to pulse. “You heard us?”

  Delilah nodded. “I’d heard Carrie’s voice calling me in my head - that’s why I came in in the first place. And then Carrie ran up the stairs, gave me the book, and slammed the door in my face. I never saw her alive again.”

  “I’d imagine that’s why you thought I killed her,” Adeline said somberly.

  “I’m sorry, Addie.” Delilah paused. “I was very young.”

  “Indeed.”

  “There’s something else. Carrie gave me a big black book and told me to hide it where it could never be found.”

  Adeline gasped and Delilah could see, beyond doubt, that the gold fleck really was throbbing; it wasn’t her imagination.

  “The book!” Adeline searched her face.

  “You know what I’m talking about?” Delilah asked, surprised.

  “I spent years trying to find it. I searched the basement, his offices - I searched everywhere. When the hospital closed down a few years later, Ike and I prowled that place at least once a week, looking for that book. It contains the formula that will put Henry Hank Barrow to rest forever. Do you know where it is?”

  Delilah shook her head. “I have no idea. None at all.”

  “Well, Dee, it’s in there somewhere.” Adeline tapped her own temple. “You’ve hidden the memory away.”

  “Yes. I don’t consciously recall anything about a book, but what you say rings true.”

  Adeline put her hand over Delilah’s. For the first time, she didn’t want to pull away. “We have to help you remember, Dee. If we can find it, Holly will be safe.”

  35

  Sleepover

  Holly arrived at the Granger home in time for fried chicken and fresh corn on the cob. During dinner, all talk was about their campout in Oak Creek Canyon. They were leaving at dawn and planned on fishing, hiking, and swimming. They’d cook over a campfire and sleep in tents.

  After dinner, they watched Tarzan and Holly’s favorite, Star Trek. She’d hoped to stay up longer, but Meredith insisted the whole family go to bed early so, reluctantly, she grabbed her knapsack and followed Becky upstairs.

  Trudging behind her, Holly hoped the girl would stop talking soon. She’d never stopped chattering all evening, mostly about horses and Barbie dolls and what fun they’d have playing with those things on the campout. No way was Holly going to waste a second playing with dolls when she could be hiking and exploring, but kept her mouth shut.

  Becky shrilled as she opened the door to her room, “I’m so glad you’re sleeping over!”

  Holly didn’t answer. In addition to the wall full of horses, the room was furnished with a cotton-candy-pink carpet, matching walls, fluffy white curtains, and twin beds with peppermint-striped spreads and mounds of stuffed animals. There was a record player and albums by the Beach Boys, the Monkees, the Rascals, and even the Magical Mystery Tour album. On the wall was a framed portrait of Jesus, as well as posters of the Monkees clowning around and The Beatles in Sergeant Pepper finery.

  “Put your bag on the bed by the window. I hate being by the window,” Becky prattled. “I’m afraid someone’s going to look at me.”

  On the second floor? Holly was happy to take the window.

  “Okay, don’t take all day, I want to show you something.” Becky, hands on hips, tapped her foot beside her open closet door. “Come here.”

  “Wow, you have a lot of toys,” Holly said as she peered inside the huge closet. There was a built-in cubby that held not only a dozen board games, but an ugly orange and aqua Barbie sports car, a Daktari Jungle Set, and a tea set, white with tiny pink roses. Beside the cubby sat three big black vinyl Barbie Doll fashion cases that Becky opened to reveal four Barbies, a Midge, two Kens and a Skipper, and more clothes for all of them than Holly could believe.

  “What do you think?” Becky burbled. “I’m getting a Dream Kitchen for my birthday, and a Rickey so Skipper has a friend, and an Allan so Midge can get married and-”

  Holly spaced out. She didn’t like the pastel pink room; she loved purple, cobalt, and ruby red. And she hadn’t liked dolls since she was eight. She wouldn’t tell Becky, but Barbies, especially the blond ones, made her think of stale cigarette smoke clinging to her mother’s hair when she came home late at night. In Holly’s head, Barbie had alcohol on her breath and giggled the same high-pitched way Cherry did when she was trying to get something from a boyfriend. Barbie was what Holly didn’t want to be when she grew up, and the fact that almost every girl she knew loved Barbie Dolls was why Holly preferred to hang out with boys. They were easier to get along with, easier to understand.

  Right now, she wished she was camping out and roasting marshmallows over a fire with Keith. Or talking history with Steve Cross. Or Adeline Chance. Or having a root beer float made by Eddie Fortune and listening to him tell her about, well, anything he wanted to tell her about. Eddie’s really cute.

  “Holly? Are you listening?”

  “Sorry?”

  “Did you hear anything I said?”

  “Sure. Your doll collection is really nice.”

  “Thanks, but did you hear what I said about how I want to marry Davy Jones and have three babies?”

  “Yes, sure.”

  “Who do you want to marry?”

  “Uh, I don’t know.”

  “Well, you can’t have Davy, he’s mine. So, who?”

  Holly shrugged. “Little Joe on Bonanza?”

  “He’s cute. You want to play Barbies now? They could go horseback riding.” She started to rummage in her closet.

  Holly figured Becky would throw some kind of fit if she didn’t play along. “I have an idea for a game. Maybe a Barbie and a Ken could be horse thieves.” Holly held back a snicker at the look on Becky’s face.

  “Huh?”

  “And the other Barbies and Ken could be the posse who catches them.”

  “I don’t get it.”

  Holly smiled. She couldn’t help it. “Never mind. I just thought of it because of Little Joe.”

  “Tell me more!”

  “Never mind. You wouldn’t like it.”

  Becky was in her face, all excited. “Tell me!”

  “Well, I was just thinking …” Holly drew the words out. “The posse could catch Barbie and Ken and hang them. String them up. You know, like in the old days.” She lowered her voice. “I bet they hung horse thieves right here in Brimstone.”

  Becky’s eyes went wide. “You - you want to kill Barbie and Ken?”

  “I told you you wouldn’t like it.”

  Becky hesitated. “Then what?”

  “Well, then they could leave them hanging for Skipper and Midge to find so they won’t be tempted to steal horses. And they could bury them. And then …” Holly shook her head. “No, never mind. It�
�s too much.”

  “Tell me!” Becky demanded.

  “Well, okay. Then the ghosts of the bad Barbie and Ken can come back and haunt them!” Holly tilted her head sideways and stuck her tongue out. “They’d look like this.” She laughed.

  But Becky shook her head. “No, that’s too scary”

  “Okay.” Again she wished she were somewhere else. Keith would’ve laughed or at least rolled his eyes.

  Becky’s eyes lit up. “I know! We could have a horseback wedding for them! A double wedding. I have two bridal gowns.” Her eyes lit up. “And we can take them all with us camping tomorrow! It can be their honeymoon!”

  “Oh, shoot,” Holly said.

  “What?”

  “I need to go back to the hotel. I forgot something.” She stood up and headed for the door.

  “What’d you forget?”

  “My toothbrush.”

  “My mom has extras for guests. I’ll get you one in a minute.”

  Drat. Holly glanced at her watch. It was almost ten. Steve would be on duty and she really wanted to tell him what happened at the abandoned house before she went camping. Plus, her need to get out of playing with Barbie Dolls was almost overwhelming. “No, I have a special toothbrush I have to use. I need to go get it.”

  “Special? What’s wrong with your teeth?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Then why do you need a special toothbrush?”

  Holly wanted to smack Becky. “Because the dentist said so.”

  “Why?”

  She counted silently to three. “I don’t know. I didn’t ask. He just said so.” She went to the door.

  “I’ll go with you.”

  Holly thought about trying her luck at using her newfound eye-power to make Becky decide to stay home, but it didn’t seem like a very nice thing to do. And what if she sees my eyes turn gold? No, that was definitely a bad idea. Instead, she said, “I thought you didn’t like going outside when it’s dark.”

  Becky paused only an instant. “Alone. I’ll be with you and we can run.”

  Well, it was worth a try. “Okay.” At least it would kill enough time that she wouldn’t get stuck playing Barbies before bed.

  They tiptoed past Todd’s room - he was fast asleep. Holly paused. “Becky, why are we sneaking? Your mom won’t care if we go out for a minute.”

  “It’s more fun.” She put a finger to her lips then they crept downstairs, past the family room where Meredith and Michael were talking quietly, then Becky led them to the kitchen door.

  A moment later, they stepped out into the warm, humid night. A sickle moon hung overhead, highlighting the thick blanket of stars that Holly had never seen in Van Nuys. She stared up, picking out the Big Dipper and Jupiter before Becky tugged her sleeve. “Come on. Let’s go!”

  They walked down the long curving cobblestone driveway. It smelled of night-blooming jasmine and mesquite, and of coming rain. After a couple minutes, they finally arrived at the gravel road. The pale gray gravel looked silvery-white in the thin moonlight and the hotel was a great dark hulk dotted with gleaming amber eyes. Holly scanned the windows and balconies of the fifth floor. Delilah wasn’t watching. “Let’s go.” She started walking, her tennis shoes crunching gravel.

  “Go faster,” Becky urged. “It’s spooky out here.”

  Holly couldn’t imagine how the other girl could call this spooky, but she walked a little faster, but refused to run, no matter how scared Becky claimed to be.

  She opened a lobby door and headed for the desk, Becky beside her. As she passed the copper-clad door, Steve’s voice rang out. “Good evening. Welcome to the Brimstone Grand.”

  He stood up and smiled at them. “Oh, hi, guys. Becky, your mom just called. She said that next time you sneak out, you should be quieter. And if you’re not back in twenty minutes, she’s coming to get you.”

  “I told you to stay home,” Holly said as Becky blushed.

  “So what’s up?” Steve leaned on the tall desk.

  “Holly forgot her toothbrush,” Becky volunteered.

  The way Becky looked at him, Holly figured he was running neck and neck with Davy Jones for the job of husband.

  “Holly,” he said, “I brought the bike up from the drugstore. It’s parked in the garage.”

  “Thanks!”

  Becky gave her a curious look. “You rode downtown today?”

  Holly nodded. “Yeah, but it was too hot to ride back up, so Keith Hala offered to show me the trail. Your mom was cool with me leaving the bike with Eddie at the drugstore, so I did.”

  “Keith Hala?” Becky’s eyes got big. “You went with Keith? What’d you do?”

  None of your beeswax! Holly was annoyed, but didn’t want to show it. “He was at the drugstore so we walked up the trail to the playground.” She would never tell Becky more than that - Keith’s grandfather might be okay about the haunted house, but no way would she risk Meredith finding out.

  Becky grinned. “Do you like Keith? I mean, aren’t you taller than him?”

  Holly rolled her eyes.

  “Holly and Keith, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love then comes mar-”

  Steve tapped his watch. “Tick tock, Becky. Tick tock.”

  Becky looked put-upon. “Come on. Let’s go get your toothbrush.” She tugged Holly toward the elevator.

  “Take the stairs,” Steve called.

  Holly threw him a grateful smile.

  “Why do we have to take the stairs?” Becky whined.

  “The elevator’s acting up.”

  “There’s no sign on it.”

  Steve came around the desk and stuck an Out of Order sign on the door. “There is now.” He grinned like the Cheshire Cat.

  Becky looked annoyed. “Sheesh, I never get to ride the elevator!”

  “Your time will come, Becky.” Steve tapped his watch. “Better get going.”

  “Come on.” Holly headed for the stairs.

  “I’ll wait here.” Becky stared longingly at the elevator.

  “Be right back.” Relieved, Holly trotted to the fourth floor. As she put the key in the lock, Cherry’s door opened. Holly whirled, expecting to see her mother. Instead, she found herself staring into the ratty little eyes of the creepy bellhop. Surprise etched his features and he reminded Holly of Leroy, the caretaker in The Bad Seed, as he rapidly stuffed something lacy and black into his pants pocket.

  Suddenly furious, Holly glared at him. “You put those back. Right now.” She stepped toward him.

  He backed into Cherry’s room, his eyes trying to dart but they were trapped in Holly’s gaze. He stumbled against the foot of the bed as she advanced, caught his balance, then continued backing up. He stopped at the dresser.

  “Put them back,” Holly ordered. “Right where you got them.” Rage filled her as she watched the bellhop simper. Rage and disgust. Her eyes zoomed in on a drop of spittle that hung from his lower lip and when it fell, Holly followed it until it dropped to the floor. As her eyes came back up, she saw a wet stain spread over the front of his gray pants. Disgust beyond any she’d ever known filled her and as Meeks put her mother’s underwear away and shut the drawer, Holly’s vision went crystal clear and she knew for certain her eyes had turned gold.

  He should be scared!

  She smiled as he tried to shrink away from her. “You’re never coming in this room again, understand?”

  He nodded, as meek as his name.

  “And you’re never, ever going in my room.” Fire flowed in her veins. “Repeat it.”

  “I’m never going in your room.” He sounded like a robot.

  Holly remained in the doorway, imprisoning him. “If you ever do, or if you peep on me or if you even look at me, I’m telling my grandmother and you’ll be fired. Understand?”

  He nodded.

  Holly backed up, her microscopic vision taking in every eyelash, every pore, every blackhead and trace of pale stubble on the man’s face. His eyes were the color of dishwater
and his upper lip was an ugly liver-colored caterpillar under his gigantic nose. She saw armpit sweat beginning to stain his jacket.

  “Go back to your room and stay there until it’s time to go to work.”

  She made room for him to pass and with his head down, arms flat at his sides, the big man sped into the hallway. She watched until the door of his room slammed and the lock turned.

  “Holly?” Steve was on the landing. “Is everything okay?”

  She nodded and, keeping her eyes on the carpet, walked toward him.

  “Did something happen?”

  “Where’s Becky?” she countered.

  “I put her in charge of the front desk.”

  “Good idea.” The anger was filtering away, but her heart was still drumming like Ringo Starr. He knew about her eyes, so she looked up at him.

  “Wow. I thought your eyes were more blue than gold.”

  “They change. Adeline explained it to me.”

  “Okay, makes sense.”

  She adored him for not pressing. She didn’t want to tell him anything about what had just happened, didn’t want to have to answer questions about the bellhop, not Steve’s questions, not Delilah’s, not anybody’s. Not now. She manufactured a self-deprecating smile. “It was stupid. When I started to open my door, I thought I heard a noise and freaked out.”

  “Do you want me to check?”

  “Yes, I’d like that.” Her eyes had to look normal before facing Becky and she wanted to talk to Steve anyway; it was the perfect solution. She unlocked the door and stood back as he pushed it open.

  Flipping on the light, he glanced in the bathroom then crossed to the balcony door, opened the blinds and peered out. “There’s a couple sitting outside the room two doors down. Do you think that was what you heard?”

  Relief filled her. “That had to be it. Gee, I feel like a real baby.”

  “Don’t feel like that,” Steve said. “It pays to be cautious.”

  “Steve, can I tell you a secret? You can’t tell my grandmother or Meredith or anyone else.”

  He zippered his mouth with his finger then crossed his heart.

  “Today, Keith Hala and I went in that old haunted house on the trail.”