Sorrow's Point (8 page)

These things, if Lucy was possessed, should be easy to see. If I could not find proof of any of them, I could get Will off this possession kick and get him to investigate specialists for Lucy.

I flipped through the rest of the section, which dealt with carrying out the exorcism itself. That didn’t apply to me.

But a nagging feeling wouldn’t leave me alone. I wanted to ignore that room in the attic. I wanted to ignore the mirror. And above all, I wanted to ignore Lucy herself. Her face was not normal. Her eyes were not normal, and there was still an unanswered question. How did she know I had been a priest?

###

I left the library and walked down the hallway in search of Will. I found him in the living room watching TV. The living room was massively white. The mahogany paneling either had been taken out of the room, or was never present to begin with. The walls were white. The sofa was ultra modern and white. The coffee table and end tables were a black glass or plastic with silver metal supports. This, I could tell, was Will’s room.

“Hey, Will,” I said.

Will was sitting in a black chair. He turned towards the doorway. “Finished?”

I nodded. “With research, yeah.” I looked around the room. Along one wall was a large LCD TV. The TV sat on a large black piece of furniture that contained various electronics and DVD’s.

“Can I see one of those home movies?” I asked.

Will’s eyes darkened. “Sure.”

He got up and opened the cabinet below the TV. After a moment, he pulled out a DVD. He turned to me and motioned for me to sit down on the couch.

I sat. After a few moments, the movie was playing.

“This is last Christmas,” Will said.

The screen was filled with a beautiful Christmas scene. There was a large tree with multicolored lights and topped with a golden angel. The wall behind the tree was cream colored. Surrounding the tree were numerous presents, some big, some small, but all ornately wrapped.

“Tor likes wrapping presents,” Will said.

I smiled at him. “I can tell.”

Then I heard a giggle that sounded like a bell. Lucy appeared on the screen. Her blond hair was messy, but it was messy with sleep.  She was wearing a red plaid nightgown.

“Daddy!” she said with a giggle. “I wanna open presents.”

On the TV, I could hear Will laugh.

Tor came into view. “I don’t know why you have to film everything.”

“Oh come on, Tor. I like to preserve things,” Will said, off screen.

“Well, at least let your daughter open her presents,” she said.

The rest of the video was more of the same. Lucy unwrapped all her gifts, complete squeals of delight at everything. A solid black cat played amongst the torn paper around the floor.

This was not the same Lucy as the one upstairs, and for the first time, I let myself really think that there was something supernatural wrong with Lucy herself. What, I didn’t know, but I knew in my gut this was something I had to see through to the end.

###

Will stepped out of the room when the movie was over. I could hear him sob from outside the room. I stayed where I was to let him have his privacy.

Women never seemed to understand that about men. Men cry in private. It isn’t so much that we are ashamed, it’s more that we are so concerned with being protectors that showing weakness is never a good idea. Granted, it’s dumb prehistoric bullshit, but it’s one of the few instincts the human race has left.

Of course this train of thought got me thinking about the last time I’d cried. It was when Tabby and I broke up. Even though it had been mutual, I knew I’d been a dumbass and if I’d paid more attention, we’d probably still be together. Even now, I couldn’t imagine a girl more perfect for me. She taught me to live and be comfortable in my own skin.

What was ironic, and what would have made the church a lot harder on me if they had known, was that Tabby was a witch. Not a ride on the broom sort of witch, but a goddess fearing pagan. Of course, there really wasn’t any fear about it— except that her magic scared the crap out of me. Maybe it was I who was goddess fearing and not Tabby?

My superiors would have branded her damned, but I knew better. She was one of the kindest people I had ever met. She tried her best to live a good life. I didn’t care that she was different. I just didn’t understand the logic of the church. How could someone so kind and caring be damned? I don’t think God is vengeful. I’m sure it’s odd to hear that from someone who was once a priest, but there are a few of us who don’t feel the same way the church does.

I paused. Tabby was something else for me to have in my pocket. If this all went to Hell, I could call her and see what she had to say. She did have a Hell of a lot more experience than I did with supernatural stuff. It’s not every day that an ex-priest has a witch he can call on. Maybe there was something at work, getting me involved with Lucy. Maybe there wasn’t and I was getting dragged into this craziness by my idiotic brain. Either way, if things got out of hand, I could call Tabby. She would give me a kick in the ass if I needed it. Maybe she might even be able to help.

###

After a bit, Will walked back into the room. “Tor’s here, want to help with the groceries?”

I didn’t say anything. I just stood up and followed him out to the car. The more I thought about it, the more sense it made to bring Tabby in. She was the one who watched horror films of every description. She was the one who studied folklore about demons and vampires. She was the one who was a part-time ghost hunter. It wouldn’t hurt to ask if I could bring in another person.

After we got all the groceries in the house, Tor put everything away. I tried to help with that, but Will stopped me.

“Your best bet is to sit here at the table with me. The kitchen is Tor’s domain, and I don’t want to see you get clobbered for putting something in the wrong spot.”

I grinned and looked over at Tor. She was arranging cans in alphabetical order. I was way out of my element. I sat down at the table like a good boy.

“I have a question,” I said.

“Okay,” Will said, scratching his wrist.

“How would the both of you feel about me bringing in a friend who might be able to help?”

“What sort of friend?” Tor asked. Her eyes never left the cans she was arranging.

“My ex-girlfriend. She might be useful.”

Tor snapped her eyes upwards towards me. “And how would your ex-girlfriend help?” she asked, nastiness evident in her voice.

I took a deep breath. “Because she’s battled a demon once before.”

It got so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.

Then, Tor straightened up and put the cans in the pantry. “You really think she can help Lucy?”

“I think she can try.”

I got into my car and started it. I had dumped the ruined plants in the dumpster, but I still didn’t feel safe. There was something not right, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I cued my iPod and cranked the volume on the car stereo. Today was Type O Negative day.

I’m sure it sounds really weird to have specific days set aside for music, but it’s something I’ve always done. For me, it’s like I need a soundtrack for my day in order to make it better or to keep it from going badly. If I didn’t play the soundtrack for my day in my car, things just didn’t work right; almost like a transmission that is missing just enough tines on the gears to sound odd but can still shift.

Ironically, if I didn’t go anywhere by car, I didn’t need the soundtrack. Maybe the soundtrack was my way of being obsessive compulsive and staving off the bad luck that I feared was about to rain down upon my head.

Type O Negative was what I listened to when I felt down, but I didn’t know why. Sometimes, the music helped me get out of my funk, and sometimes, the funk was a sign that trouble was brewing. Either way, it felt right and true to play Type O Negative today.

Most people familiar with the music would feel it’s downright morbid, but when you looked underneath, it was all sarcasm and message.  I loved it. I hated that I would never hear Peter’s dark voice again.
Rest in peace, Peter Steele, wherever you are.

Suddenly, I heard an upbeat bit of music in the background that was completely counterpoint to the song I was listening to.

“Oh shit, the phone.”

I grabbed my purse from the back seat while keeping my eyes on the road. The car swerved slightly, and I decided not to look in the backseat and just rooted around with my hand. I felt the handle of my purse, grabbed it and threw it into the front passenger seat. Then, I dug inside it. Finally, I felt my phone in the bottom of my purse. I snatched it and answered it.

“Yeah,” I said.

“Tabby?” he asked.

Holy shit, it was him. The him that got away. The him I feel I corrupted.  My defrocked priest, Jimmy Holiday.

“Why, Jimmy. I thought you’d disappeared.”

He laughed. “Nah, just stuck in a cubicle for way too long. You still witchy?”

It was my turn to laugh. “Um, yeah. I was born a witch, I don’t think that’s going to change anytime soon.”

“Good. You wanna come to Virginia?” he asked.

What the Hell?
Maybe this was the wrongness I’d been sensing. Things were pretty bad if Jimmy Holiday was asking a witch for help. When we were dating, he avoided my work like the plague. Now, he was asking for my help. This could be interesting.

I felt my gut clench up. It hit me—whatever was happening with Jimmy is what caused my plants to die. There was a badness that Jimmy had gotten himself involved in. If he wasn’t careful, something this bad could kill him. “What’s going on, Jimmy?”

I heard him cough. “You got any experience with possession?”

I felt cold. I pulled into my space at the college. “Why?”

“I’m down here in a town called Sorrow’s Point.” He laughed. “I know, great name for a town.” He paused. “Anyway, I’m here trying to save a little girl.”

“You didn’t go all priesty again on me again, did you?”

“Nope. Guy I knew from back home contacted me because I used to be a priest. He thinks his daughter is possessed. I’m … I’m starting to think it’s possible.”

Ever get that feeling that whatever is going on in your life, the crazy thing is what you have to do? I had it. Right then. “How old is the little girl?”

“Six.”

“Where in Virginia?”

I flipped my phone closed. “She’s on her way,” I said. “She has to drive from Morgantown.”

“Morgantown?” Will asked.

I nodded. “Morgantown, West Virginia. It’s where she lives now. She’ll probably be here in five or six hours. She said she’d be in touch.”

Will stretched. “Good. We can use all the help we can get.” He scratched his ear.

I played with my soda can, letting the aluminum crackle in my fist. “Besides,” I said, “if an exorcism is granted, they recommend a female be present.” I looked at Tor.  “I’m not sure you want to see your daughter’s exorcism.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think I can take much more as it is.”

“It’s settled then.” I turned to Will. “Do you want to be present?”

He paused. “I’d like to try.”

I nodded. Would he really be able to do it? I didn’t know, but it was his choice to make – not that there ever was going to be an exorcism. That depended on the church. I was there to collect information and get proof. I still didn’t know if Lucy was even possessed. The house, for sure, I felt was haunted. But Lucy was a mystery.

I was hoping I could get medical proof of her condition, something to make Will realize that his daughter was treatable and not by way of exorcism. Can you imagine how frightening an exorcism would be for a kid who didn’t really understand what was going on? Maybe, if I was lucky, I might be able to help figure out what needed to be done to make Lucy better. I didn’t want to think about the supernatural part of it – the reason I called Tabby in the first place. It was easier to think that the haunted house and Lucy were two separate things, but I knew they were connected.

And if the church granted the exorcism, who’s to say that she really was possessed? My skepticism was going overboard. I needed to pull myself back. It wasn’t up to me to decide if Lucy is possessed. I was there to gather information and help Tor and Will submit it to the church—that was all. It was the church’s job to decide Lucy’s fate. I was sure that if I was asked and if an exorcism was granted, I would participate. Maybe I was crazy, but I thought that participating in an exorcism would be an interesting experience.

“Should I save dinner for your friend?” Tor asked.

I shook my head. “I wouldn’t. She’s not going to be here until eight or nine. She’ll probably stop on the way to get something to eat.”

Tor got up from the table and began pulling out various things from the pantry.

I turned away. Whatever it was that she was making looked way too complicated for me to even begin to try to decipher the ethnic region, let alone what it actually was.

I looked at the clock. “It’s only two.”

Will laughed and patted me on the shoulder. “You’ve never seen Tor really cook. For awhile, she considered becoming a chef, even took classes, but she couldn’t take the demands of some customers, so we get the benefit of her expertise.”

He said it with pride. Even though he said he no longer loved her, I could tell from the way he acted that he did. I wasn’t sure if their marriage would survive, there was so much hurt between then, but at least Will could still be proud of his wife. I liked that.

“Care if I check my e-mail?” I asked.

He got up from the table. “No, not at all. You brought your laptop right?”

I nodded. He followed me into the library. He worked on his machine until he had a guest account set up for me on his wireless network. After a few minutes, he had me hooked up to the net and I was ready to go.

“I’m going to go check on Lucy,” he said. “If you need anything, just ask Tor.”

“Okay.”

He left the room. I loaded my browser and looked at my e-mail. It was amazing how much mail I had just by missing a day. I shot off a quick message to my boss, letting him know that there was nothing to report yet, but that Lucy was really sick.

I got everything with work dealt with as much as I could. I had the feeling that most of my contracts would be given to other designers. I should have felt upset about it, but I didn’t. Ever since all this started, I couldn’t make myself care about my job. Lucy, on the other hand, was completely fascinating.

I grabbed my notes. I had no proof towards anything, yet. Hopefully, I would get some soon.

###

Will was gone for a couple of hours. After I was done with all of my computer crap, I went back into the kitchen. Tor poured over dinner. It was interesting just watching her work. The way she moved, it was like she was choreographed. She measured nothing, and with each thing she added, the aroma grew more and more appetizing.

“What are you making?” I finally asked.

“Chicken Marsala. Chicken braised with mushrooms and a wine sauce.”

“It smells really good.”

She smiled at me. This was the first time I really saw her smile; it was captivating. Now, I knew why Will married her. She had a smile that could control a room and stop it dead. A smile like that could be dangerous, depending on the person using it and their intentions. I could only hope that Tor’s intentions were good ones.

I smiled back. It was nice to be friendly with her. I wasn’t sure if she was an enemy or an ally. Until I knew, I would keep her close and pretend everything was peachy. I didn’t need any more conflict. Things were going to be crazy enough once Tabby got there.