The Haunting at Grays Harbor (The River Book 8) (7 page)

“Help me move this!” Steven shouted, running to one end of
the table and waiting for Roy to take the other end. They lifted it gently and
slid it carefully away, giving the disc more room to grow. Soon its other edge
was bumping into the legs of another table, and Steven and Roy moved to
relocate that table as well.

As it crossed six feet in diameter and the edges rose to
almost three feet high, Steven began to wonder if it would ever stop.

“Incredible!” Roy said, staring down into the surface of the
giant disc as it continued to expand.

“This room is only so big,” Steven said. “It might take it
all!”

They moved another table out of the way and soon the disc
grew to almost ten feet in diameter. Its vertical growth had slowed, stopping
at around four feet tall. The top surface of the disc had become translucent,
and they could make out movement under it. As the growth of the disc came to a
stop, the surface cleared and then disappeared, revealing a detailed three
dimensional map of the pacific northwest.

“You know, I like to have something fun happen every day,”
Roy said. “This counts for the next month.”

Steven approached the edge of the huge disc. He reached out
to feel it, but felt his hands warm as he did so, so he pulled back. “I don’t
think I should touch it,” he said.

Roy touched the side of the disc and a white ring appeared
that ran around the entire circumference of the top of the object. He pulled
his hand away, and the ring faded.

“Touch it again,” Steven suggested. “And when the ring
appears, slide your hand one way or the other.”

Roy reached out again, following Steven’s instructions. The
ring appeared, and he slid his hand slowly to the left. The map in the center
of the disc zoomed out quickly, and they were looking at the Earth, hanging in
space.

“The other direction,” Steven said. Roy moved his hand to the
right, the ring rotating under it. The map zoomed in, and soon they were
looking at the state of Washington.

“Keep going,” Steven said, and Roy took a step to his right,
continuing to touch the ring. The image inside zoomed further until they saw
Grays Harbor, with Westport and Ocean Shores on one end, and Aberdeen on the
other. The sun was beginning to set, casting a deep yellow glow over the area.

“This thing is amazing!” Roy said, gazing down into the disc.
“Look how clear everything looks!”

“Keep going,” Steven said. “Let’s see where this points to.”

Roy took another step, and the images zoomed further,
centering over a dark stretch of the harbor and the land between Westport and
Aberdeen. As Ray continued to slide the ring, the images shifted further, and
soon they were looking down on the neighborhood of Barbara Winters’ house.

“I knew it,” Roy said. “They are connected.”

“Will it go further?” Steven asked.

Roy took another step, and they zoomed through the roof of
Barbara’s house and into her attic. The movement stopped as the image came to
rest on the strange object that had been behind the knee wall. The disc was
magnifying the size of it, making it look three times larger than it was in
real life. They watched as the thin wire coil surrounding the core tried to
spin, scraping against the side of the core and leaving gouge marks.
Occasionally a spark flew from the contact.

“Not that we needed a reason to help Barbara,” Steven said,
“but if we don’t figure out what that object is, it could destroy Eximere.”

Roy removed his hand from the ring, and the disc rapidly
shrunk until it was back to its original size. Roy and Steven stood looking
down at the small cork trivet on the floor between them.

“Do we have to give it back?” Roy asked.

“No, I bought it,” Steven said.

“Good,” Roy said.

As they rode in the elevator to Elliott’s floor, Steven could
tell Roy was excited at the prospect of some fireworks.

“I’m not going to get into a fight with this guy, like
Judith,” Steven said, tamping down Roy’s expectations. “He’s been useful, and
as far as I can tell, he’s been honest with us. The only reason you don’t like
him is because you’re intimidated by the technology.”

“First Eliza, and now you!” Roy said. “I am not intimidated
by technology. I just don’t like it very much.”

“Think of it this way,” Steven said as the elevator doors
opened and they stepped out, “if we’d never met Elliott, we wouldn’t have met
Victor.”

Roy grumbled in response.

Steven knocked on Elliott’s door and it opened to reveal the
tiny, cramped condo that was the false front to Elliott’s workspace. Elliott
was holding his phone and staring down at it as the two men entered.

“Hello, Elliott,” Steven said.

“Steven, Roy,” Elliott responded, not looking up.

Roy gave Steven a disapproving glance, then turned back to
Elliott.

“I know I’m supposed to be nice to you,” Roy said, “but do
you think you could put that thing down and make eye contact when you say
hello?”

“What?” Elliott said, looking up quickly and then back down
to his phone. “I’ve got to monitor this.”

“We need a database search,” Steven said, producing Roy’s
sketch of the strange rod in Barbara’s attic. “We need to find someone who can
help us with this.” He handed the sketch to Elliott, who took it with his free
hand and began walking to the back of his apartment, where a door at the end of
the hallway opened to reveal a large, open space. He continued to watch his
phone as he walked to a laptop and opened it. Steven and Roy followed him, and
Roy walked to the windows overlooking the Ballard locks.

“Let’s say five thousand,” Elliott muttered as he set his
phone down next to the laptop and began to log in. Steven could see rapidly
moving images on the phone, but couldn’t make out what they were from his
angle.

“Five thousand for this search?” Steven asked. “Fine, take it
from my credit.”

“My object database has grown a little since you were last
here,” Elliott said, “though it’s nowhere as comprehensive as it needs to be.
Can’t guarantee anything.” He looked at the drawing Steven had given to him. “I
tag everything when I add it, and I would have tagged something like this as a
rod, I think.”

He typed on his laptop and Steven saw a list appear on a
larger screen next to Elliott. There were four items.

“We’ll just take a quick look at each of these, and see if
you recognize any of them,” Elliott said, opening the first one on the list.

“Alright,” Steven said, noticing that Roy’s interest had
finally been piqued and he had moved from the windows to stand right next to
him, eyeing the monitor carefully. The first object had a similar shape to
their drawing, but no coil.

“That’s not it,” Roy said dismissively.

The second object was similar to the first, but was larger
and a different color. The picture showed it floating in someone’s kitchen,
about four feet off the ground. A small child was in the background of the
picture, sitting in a high chair, oblivious to the bizarre object.

“No, that’s not it either!” Roy said angrily.

“He’s just showing us the ones that got a hit,” Steven said
to Roy, calmly. “Next one, Elliott.”

The third image showed a long metallic casing sticking part
way out of the ground.

“Next,” Steven said.

When the fourth image appeared, Roy reached out and pointed
at the monitor. “There we go!” he said. The image showed a core with a
perfectly formed coil. “I suppose that’s how it’s supposed to look,” Roy said,
“if it isn’t busted up.”

“What can you tell us about this one?” Steven asked Elliott.

“Very little,” Elliott said, looking at the record. “There’s
no additional data. I have it referenced to a contact, though. Let me check
that.”

Elliott tapped away at his keyboard, searching for the
corresponding contact record. He had it located within a few seconds and
brought another image to the screen. It was a picture of a man who had a bald
head and a short, white, goatee. He had thin, wire-framed glasses with a
well-defined bifocal line.

“Maynard Stout,” Elliott said. “Lives in Utah.”

“Can you give us his contact info?” Steven asked.

“Another three thousand,” Elliott said, back to watching his
phone.

“Nickel and dimer!” Roy muttered under his breath.

“Hey, I gotta keep this enterprise going somehow!” Elliott
said without looking away from the phone. “It’s not like I get Yelp reviews!”

“Fine,” Steven said. “Take it from my credit.”

Elliott clicked print and carried his phone to the printer to
await the document.

“Utah,” Roy said to Steven. “Maybe we could get Deem or Winn
to talk to this guy for us.”

“You really don’t want to go back to Utah, do you?” Steven
asked.

“No, I don’t,” Roy grumbled.

Elliott returned with the paper and handed it to Steven. “He
lives in Toquerville,” Steven said to the other two. “I wonder if I’m
pronouncing it right. Any idea where that is?”

“Never heard of it,” Elliott said, still watching his phone.
“Whoa!” he exclaimed, a huge smile spreading across his face.

Steven couldn’t stand it. “What are you watching?” he asked.

“Twitch,” Elliott replied. “This guy is taking down a
fortress in Far Cry 4 with a mod I can’t believe!”

“What?” Roy asked Steven, completely baffled.

“He’s watching someone play a video game,” Steven told Roy.

Roy shook his head like he couldn’t comprehend what Steven
was saying. “What?” he repeated, exasperated.

“Never mind,” Steven said. “We’re out of here, Elliott. We
know the way out.”

“See ’ya,” Elliott said, kicking back in his chair, his eyes
wide at the spectacle playing out on the tiny device in his hands.

◊

“Hi, Deem,” Roy said, holding Steven’s phone. “It’s Roy.”

“Oh, hello, Roy!” came Deem’s voice through the speakerphone.
It was cheery and reminded Steven of how much they’d enjoyed being around Deem
and Winn. “How are you?” she asked.

“We’re fine,” Roy said. “Say, I’ve got you on speakerphone.
Steven is here, we’re both in a car. Hope you can hear me OK.”

“I can hear you fine, Roy,” Deem said. “What can I do for
you?”

“Well, we’re working on a problem up here, and we came across
someone’s name who might be able to help us. The name is Maynard Stout, and he
lives in Toquerville. I was hoping that was in your neck of the woods.”

“It’s not far from here,” Deem said. “Just a few miles north
of St. George.”

“Well, that’s handy,” Roy said. “Ever heard of this guy?”

“No, I can’t say I have,” Deem said. “But… wait a minute, I
did hear the name Maynard recently. Trying to remember where.”

“It’s a name you don’t hear often,” Roy said. “Was hoping you
might be aware of him, since he seems to have a connection to an object that
we’re dealing with here.”

“Maynard, Maynard,” Deem repeated, trying to recall where
she’d heard the name. “Let me ask around, OK? I’ll call a few people. Is it
urgent?”

“Yes,” Roy said, “we’ve got some real havoc here.”

“Alright,” she said. “I’ll do it right away. I’ll call you
back. At this number?”

“This number is fine,” Steven interjected.

“Oh, hello, Steven!” Deem said. “Nice to hear your voice
again. How is the search for Jason going?”

Steven knew the question was coming, and he hated having to
lie, but he had no choice. “We’re still looking, doing all we can,” Steven
said, feeling guilty.

“I hope you find him soon, or get some kind of break,” Deem
said. “Do you think it might have been someone connected with the whole St.
Thomas thing?”

“We really don’t know,” Steven said. “There’s been no trace
of him, and we don’t have any clues or things to go on. So it’s been difficult.”

“If there’s anything I can do to help from down here, just
let me know,” Deem said. “Winn too. We’re both ready to help. I’ll get going on
these calls and see what I can find out about Maynard.”

“Thanks, Deem,” Steven said, feeling even worse. Remembering
the loss was bad enough, but lying about it to friends made him feel awful.

“Yes, thank you,” Roy added. “We’ll wait for your call.”

Roy ended the call and handed the phone back to Steven.
“Sorry you had to do that,” he said.

“I hate it,” Steven said.

“I know you do,” Roy replied.

They drove on in silence, passing through Tacoma and
eventually Olympia. Then they turned north on Highway 101.

“Let’s stay at a place in Aberdeen,” Roy said. “I don’t want
to stay at Eximere tonight. Too much weirdness.”

“Agreed,” Steven said. “That way we’ll have cell reception
for Deem’s call, too.”

They drove through the forest, eventually arriving at the
eastern end of Grays Harbor and the birthplace of Kurt Cobain. The welcome sign
at the edge of town invited them to “come as you are.”

Steven pulled into a motel and got them two adjoining rooms.
As they walked to their rooms, Steven asked Roy if he was hungry.

“I could use something,” Roy said.

“I’m going to give Barbara a call and see how she’s doing,”
Steven said. “Give her an update on what we’ve found.”

“Don’t get her hopes up just yet,” Roy replied. “We don’t
even know if this guy from Utah will give us the time of day.”

“I’ll be careful,” Steven said. “I just want to keep in
contact with her so she doesn’t think we’ve bailed on her. I’ll knock on your
door after I’m done with the call and we’ll go to dinner.”

◊

The waitress lifted away the finished plate of razor clams
and Roy ordered more coffee and a piece of blackberry pie.

“They have the best blackberry pie here,” Roy said
enthusiastically. “Aren’t you going to join me?”

“No, I’m stuffed,” Steven said. “No pie.”

The waitress, who looked old enough to be Steven’s mother,
tilted her head at him. “Are you sure about that, hon? He’s right, you know —
it’s the best.”

“I can’t,” Steven said, holding his stomach, unsure if all
the deep fried seafood he’d just ingested was going to sit well. “I’m sure it’s
great, but I have to pass.”

The waitress gave him a motherly stare of disapproval, then
turned and walked off with the used dishes.

“She reminds me of Mother,” Steven said under his breath. “She
could make you feel guilty even though you hadn’t done anything wrong.”

“That she could,” Roy said, sipping the last of a beer. “She
excelled at that.”

Steven pulled his phone from his jacket pocket and checked
it.

“You get a call?” Roy asked.

“I thought I felt it vibrate, but there’s no call.”

“Phantom ring,” Roy said. “Heard about it on the radio.
People the whole world over feel their phone vibrate when it never did. Human beings
trying to adjust their bodies to a new technology, and it’s messing with their
physiology. Our systems aren’t tuned to respond to a vibrating brick. It’s not
important to our survival, but our brains say it is, so we misinterpret any
little thing as a ring. Sad state of affairs, if you ask me.”

“You’re just selective in what technology you’ve decided is
OK and what isn’t,” Steven replied. “I don’t see you hand-pouring hot water
over your coffee grounds. And you seem to think watching a football game on TV
is preferable to being there in person.”

“It’s called instant replay, all the different angles. You
can’t get that if you’re freezing your ass off in the stadium.”

“That’s my point,” Steven said, a little irritation creeping
into his voice. “You pick and choose based on preferences. Your hatred of cell
phones and computers is just a choice, because you don’t want to learn how to
use them.”

“Bah!” Roy scoffed. “Working a coffee maker or a TV is simple
compared to that phone or a computer. They deliberately make them complex. And
I can’t see how they make life any better. The benefits of a coffee maker are
obvious.”

Steven rolled his eyes, exasperated.

“What’s wrong with you?” Roy asked. “You seem on edge.”

“Lying to Deem, on top of everything else,” Steven said.
“Eximere threatened by this thing, and Jason buried there. It’s like he’s
threatened again. And I’m committing a sin to hide a sin. Just exactly the
spiraling guilt my mother warned me about.”