Chapter 2

Chapter Two

“No.” Letisha sounded desperate as she followed Sybil into the house. “This isn’t a good idea. I hate to quote a movie cliché, but the black chick always gets it first.”

Sybil exchanged a smile with Letisha. “No, you’re too tough for that.”

Letisha smirked. “I flunked physical education, remember?”

Light streamed inside from the open doorway and a skylight above in the octagon-shaped foyer. Dust motes floated in the air. Sybil noted the beautiful parquet flooring that had been dulled a little by time and dirt. She couldn’t wait to see it restored to its former glory.

“Oh, my God.” Letisha seemed to have lost a little of her fear. She stepped past Sybil. “Look at these portraits.”

On each side of the octagon there was an enormous portrait of a person dressed in vintage clothing. Sybil took a step toward the one Letisha stared at. It appeared as fresh as if someone had painted it yesterday. Based on the woman’s dress, Sybil knew the era was from the 1890s.

Sybil stepped closer and peered at the woman’s blonde pompadour hairdo and startling blue eyes. “Wow, look at her eyes. They’re the icy keen eyes of a Siberian husky.”

Letisha snorted. “That’s what every woman wants to hear. That she looks like a dog.”

“No.” Sybil laughed. “That isn’t what I mean, and you know it.”

Sybil continued to stare at the portrait. The woman’s necklace caught her attention, and Sybil peered closer at what dangled at the end of the necklace. A silvery depiction of an octopus or other multi-legged creature.

What the actual hell?

She noted a large mirror next to the portrait and glimpsed herself. Dark brown eyes wide. Almost-black hair tousled by wind and rain. She smiled. A lunatic’s smile.

Sybil jerked back with a start.

“Sybil! Come on!” Letisha’s voice sounded so close Sybil jumped again, but when she turned and looked around, Letisha wasn’t there. The wind howled outside, and Sybil realized she’d been standing in the foyer forever. At least it seemed like forever. She closed the front door. Nothing like letting all the weather inside.

Letisha popped into the enclosed foyer, and Sybil heard the echo of their voices, almost like they were in a mall. “Girl, come on.”

Sybil stepped into the space beyond the foyer and noted the large reception living area. The Great Hall.

Sybil had seen photos of the house’s interior. In fact, she’d obsessed over the layout. The rooms still had all the items inside. The only thing Clarice hadn’t sent her were photos of the attic and basement. Clarice explained when she sent the photos to Sybil’s cloud account that she’d never thought of taking photos of the attic or basement.

But was she going to ignore the fact she’d looked in the mirror and her own image had shifted? Had smiled at her. Her skin prickled.

Oh, places like this, they make you cray cray, don’t they?

“Hey.” Letisha stood next to her. “We need to see if someone is in here.”

Sybil snapped out of it.

Letisha walked over to the huge two-story stone fireplace. The opening was large enough for someone to stand upright inside it.

Letisha snagged a fireplace implement. “I’m not hunting for some old white lady ghost without serious weaponry.”

Sybil also took a fireplace implement. “Come on.”

To their right, a staircase angled up and to the right. Before they could move, a commotion came from a doorway to their left and in walked Pauline and Maria. Both of them were soggy from the rain. Maria didn’t look happy, but when she saw Sybil and Letisha, her expression brightened.

“There you are,” Maria said. “Why are we in here without the cops?”

“Did you see anyone out back?” Letisha asked.

“Not a soul.” Pauline sauntered farther into the room. She slicked a hand through her wet hair. “Have you seen anyone?”

“Not yet. I’m not sure there was really anyone here,” Letisha said.

“We’ll go upstairs.” Sybil gestured to Letisha. “You guys stay here.”

“No way.” Pauline stepped forward. “Safety in numbers.”

They all followed Pauline, the steps creaking as they made their way up the staircase.

“You know where you’re going?” Letisha said in a low tone.

Pauline stopped on the stairway, frozen. “No.”

“When you get to the third floor, it’s two doors down on the right. That’s the window,” Sybil said”

“You’re sure?” Pauline said, her voice dripping with doubt.

Letisha made an impatient sound in her throat. “Yeah, we’re sure.”

Irritation heightened inside Sybil. “We’re making enough noise.”

Pauline nodded, and to Sybil’s surprise, she didn’t argue. They made it to the second-floor landing when Sybil heard it. Unless she was imagining it all? She recognized the song.

“Oh my God,” Maria said as she came up the stairs behind Sybil. “What is that song? That guy’s voice.”

It was loud enough Sybil could hear the lyrics. “ Forsaken . David Draiman.”

“Where’s it coming from?” Letisha asked from her position behind Pauline.

“This floor.” Sybil could tell it was here, not one floor up where they intended to go. “Come on, we’re getting out of here. We’re calling the cops.”

They headed down the steps as quickly as they could and back to the van.

* * *

Pauline parked the van down the road a little so that they weren’t blocking the entrance to the circular driveway. Sybil had already contacted the sheriff’s department on her cell phone, and the dispatcher had advised them to stay in the van with the doors locked.

“That was weird as shit,” Pauline said. “I mean, there has got to be someone in there.”

“I’m sure there’s a logical explanation.” Maria shifted in her seat next to Sybil. “Is this going to make Clarice mad if we don’t finish any cleaning done today?”

Sybil stared at the house, awash in sudden nerves. She hadn’t shaken the disturbing moment when her image had smiled at her.

Sybil said, “No. She said to take as long as it takes.”

Letisha twisted in her seat to face Maria and Sybil. “She didn’t expect us to do more than unpack our stuff.”

Maria rubbed her arms. “If someone busted into the house, we’ll need a locksmith to redo the locks ASAP.”

“Good point,” Pauline said.

Sybil wanted to scream with impatience, not enjoying the extra complications. “Let’s consider that after the cops tell us if anyone is really in there.”

At least the video on her phone showed someone in there, and Sybil wouldn’t have to defend what she’d seen.

Letisha patted the fireplace poker next to her in the passenger seat. “Good thing we still have these. Just as good as the baseball bat I usually keep next to my pillow.”

Sybil almost said it. What if they were fighting ghosts? The thought came unbidden, and as most times, she didn’t say her psycho thoughts out loud. That way led nowhere good. She touched the cold metal of the fireplace weapon she’d also brought with her.

Letisha shifted in her seat. “Should we call Clarice while we wait?”

“She can’t help us with anything, and she’s supposed to be in Denver today,” Sybil said as she leaned back and propped her head on the black faux leather.

“Well, something weird is going on.” Maria sounded and looked perturbed. “I saw something, Sybil saw something, and then we all heard that song. I think there’s at least three people in there screwing with us.”

Maybe more. The thought came to Sybil. There could be so many people in there. So many ghosts. So many souls crying for help.

Well, you didn’t see any, did you? At least, not more than the one in the window.

Sybil said, “I hate to leave our little fortress, but I need to go to the bathroom.”

Silence.

“You’re going into the woods?” Letisha asked.

“Are you sure?” Maria said. “I mean, there could be someone in the woods, too.”

“When ya gotta go...” Pauline’s opinion came. “I thought you didn’t believe in bogeymen, Maria.”

Maria threw a perturbed look at Pauline. “I said I don’t believe in ghosts. Living creeps, yeah.”

“I’ll be back in no time.” Sybil said and left the van without the fireplace weapon.

She slammed the door and Pauline reengaged the locks. No chance the bogeyman would get inside.

Sybil smirked and remembered she needed toilet paper. Whatever. Thank God for tissues in her belt bag. As she walked away from the van to the woods just behind them, her mind turned to horror movies. Her favorite genre.

A woman walking into the woods. Alone. After all, who ventured outside the safety of a van when there were maybe bogeymen in the spooky, immense mansion down the road? Who did that? Stupid women in horror movies, right? The difference was that Sybil didn’t want to pee her pants, so she’d have to be the horror movie heroine. The thick trees in front of her acted as a wall. She looked for an opening.

“Come on. Let me in trees. You know I’m your friend.”

There. Just to the left. Thank you. She stepped between two vast trunks and swiftly noted she didn’t have to go far to feel instantly surrounded. She’d always loved the forest, but for a second she had to take a gasping breath. This place could be suffocating.

She whispered as she made quick work of her pants and lowered them. “Sorry, forest.”

Thank God no one could hear her mutterings.

She took care of her business, stuffed the tissue in a plastic zip bag to dispose of later. She hurried to exit the trees, but then an impulse came. She looked up. Way up. The trees went on forever, and even in this spot, it was murky. The world seemed to sway slightly.

“Shit.” She reached out, and her palm touched the bark of the tree to her left. She could barely detect the van in front of her. “Okay. What do you want to say to me, trees?”

She dared to close her eyes and allowed the trees to speak. Emotions came, and she reached deep into the tree, wanting to understand what they needed.

The house is dark. You know it. You know it already. What about that mirror? What about what you witnessed?

She snatched her hand back. She shivered, unsure for the moment if the trees had spoken to her, or it was her own mind afraid of the house.

“Doesn’t matter,” she said. “We’re going to do this job. We need the money.”

It was true. They needed the damn money. Operating expenses over the last few months had outpaced money coming into their account. The last job, also at a large mansion in Denver, had brought in a good chunk of cash. Finish this job and they were golden.

You never should’ve allowed Letisha to take that money out for her medical expenses, Sybil.

Shut up mother. Just shut up. Sybil wanted to scream at the voice in her head to shut up. She doubted it would. It never listened to her.

In this case, though, her mother had told her she shouldn’t have let Letisha take the money from the business account. Sybil had told her mother to butt out. Of course, the older woman had sighed and spoken in an imperious tone. Nothing more. Nothing less. Oh, Sybil. Laced with that low-grade but unmistakable condescension and disapproval.

Sybil hurried out of the forest and tapped on the driver’s seat window. Pauline’s startled gaze staring out at Sybil made her smile. Scaring Pauline was a plus. Passive aggressive much? Yep, it was. It didn’t matter. She understood her own pathology, quirks, and foibles. And as much as she hated the saying it is what it is, she had to admit nothing else seemed to fit better.

The van door unlocked, and Maria opened it.

“Jesus,” Pauline said. “We were about to call out the Marines.”

A huge flash overhead made Sybil flinch. Lightning followed. Sybil got inside just as the rain became a downpour again.

“God, I hate lightning,” Maria said as Sybil entered the van and slammed the door.

“All a part of nature.” Pauline’s words could’ve sounded nothing more than conversational, but somehow she made them sound like a lecture.

Flashing lights of a different kind filled the van's back window. Maria and Sybil looked around. Blue and red lights swirled.

“That is the cop or a UFO with interesting lights,” Letisha said.

* * *

Sybil liked quiet, but to use another cliche, the van was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Outside, the rain had stopped. They sat in their parking spot, waiting for Deputy Alyssa Annapolis to return from the house.

“She’s probably dead,” Pauline said.

Letisha threw a look at Pauline. “What?”

Pauline shrugged. “She’s been in there a long time.”

Sybil leaned her head back on the seat. “If she’s checking the basement and attic and everywhere, she’s going to take a while. It’s a big house.”

Less than a minute later, the tall, skinny blonde deputy walked out of the front door.

“Huzzah, there she is.” Sybil threw up her arms, not even caring if she had stated the obvious.

Even from this distance, the woman had an air of confidence and a smile that didn’t go with her face. At one time, she might have been a beautiful woman, but wrinkles on her face made her look used up. Her long hair was in a bun, and she wore a brown Smokey The Bear hat that matched her brown long-sleeved uniform. Sybil guessed the deputy was anywhere from forty to sixty. There was something familiar about her.

The deputy arrived at the van door as Sybil opened it.

“Well, ladies.” Annapolis leaned against the van door. “That’s one heck of a mansion. Don’t think I’ve ever been in a house that big before. The good news is that I didn’t find anyone in there.”

Sybil took in the deputy’s appearance again. The woman had an uncanny resemblance to the portrait of the young blond woman Sybil had seen inside the foyer of the mansion.

Nah. That’s not likely.

But there it was. In the eyes in particular.

“Looks like everything is okay,” the deputy said and smiled broadly, using it as punctuation. As if to say, well ladies, there you have it. Ain’t no one lurking in there ready to slit your throat.

“That’s a relief,” Pauline said.

“Thank you for coming all the way out here to help us,” Letisha said.

“You’re welcome. If you hear or see anything else...well, just call again,” The Deputy said and straightened to her full height.

“I don’t think we’ll be seeing anything else,” Pauline said with an indulgent look at everyone else. “These ladies saw a big ole house and got a little spooked.”

The deputy looked at Pauline. Her expression spelled pure amusement. “Well, you don’t know around here. I wouldn’t be quick to condemn them yet.”

Pauline’s mouth opened.

Maria asked, “What do you mean?”

The deputy leaned against the side of the van and crossed her arms. She looked around. “Have you ever seen any place that looks this weird in your life? The trees? Who the hell would want to live out here? I grew up in this county, and I’ve always hated this part of it.”

Letisha said, “Yeah, we saw the trees. I looked them up online and it said no one understands why they grow so huge and ugly.”

The deputy leaned closer, and the breeze rustled through the trees, moving them until it sounded as if they whispered. The woman’s eyes grew wider. Bigger. As if she wanted to impart an important secret or vital information. “I’ve heard rumors that it’s because this place is poisoned.”

Silence hovered for a moment until Maria asked, “What do you mean poisoned? The soil?”

The deputy smiled and straightened. “Maybe. The soil. The air. I’m only guessing.”

Letisha’s eyebrows raised. “That’s comforting.”

Sybil cleared her throat. “Well…uh…thanks again.”

The deputy looked at each of them as if she might say more on the subject. But then she said, “You’re welcome. Have a great day.”

She walked away.

Letisha held up one hand. “Wait.”

The deputy stopped and turned around. “Yep?”

For once, Letisha didn’t look confident. “Was there...uh music playing? We heard some music.”

The deputy sniffed. “No. Where did you hear it?”

“On the second floor. Uh, we forgot to mention that earlier,” Letisha said. “I mean, it sort of sounded like music.”

The deputy cocked her head to one said. “No. I didn’t hear anything. I’d say it’s safe to go in now, ladies.”

The deputy turned away and headed toward her cruiser.

Sybil left the van door open. “Well, that’s that. Let’s get cracking.”