CHAPTER ELEVEN
Gage took a seat quietly, as Dr. Brandt had motioned for him and Bryan to do. Allison was at it again. Demons. Evil spirits. The girl needed to let off the crazy pedal. Okay, so they all had some sort of experience and, as he saw it, had time to come to grips with it before they’d come here. It wasn’t like they’d all been invited here for a picnic.
Sure, it was a bit freaky. But if Allison didn’t chill, she’d soon find herself on the fast track to the funny farm. He’d hate to see that happen.
Jess sat at the table a bit too stiffly. Gage offered her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. He could see Allison’s nervousness was wearing on her. In fact, the whole topic of Siler House had begun to cause a rift between the two girls. It didn’t take a genius to figure it out. Jess loved Siler House—so much so that Gage sometimes thought she and the house could use some alone time. It was the way she looked at everything, the way she studied it and touched the furniture and art. It was even in the way she listened so intently when Dr. Brandt talked about the place.
In contrast, Allison hated the house. Feared it. Even said it had done bad things. And that was a bucket full of crazy.
Gage had come to grips with the fact that there probably were ghosts, as well as ways to make weird shit happen—like make stuff vanish or…reanimate things that had been alive. But a house was just a house. Just walls and floors and a roof. It didn’t have a soul or a spirit. It had never been alive and therefore, couldn’t die and haunt people. Maybe Allison meant the house was haunted as in ghosts were haunting the house.
He and Bryan listened as Dr. Brandt quickly filled them in on what happened last night. Ghosts in mirrors? That was some weird, freaky shit.
“If Riley is some sort of demon or evil spirit, do you think he’s hurting them? The girls and the other ghosts?” Jess asked.
“They’re dead, Jess. If they’re really ghosts, they’re not feeling anything,” Gage pointed out softly.
She glared at him, which definitely wasn’t the response he’d hoped for. So much for trying the reassurance route.
Bryan rubbed his chin. “Maybe we could talk to them. Find out if they’re in any sort of danger from Riley.”
Jess’s pretty eyes lit up in Bryan’s direction.
Grrrreat! Leave it to Bryan to say exactly what Jess wanted. And the doc just sat quietly, scribbling down notes and watching everyone’s interactions like a hawk. Gage didn’t trust Dr. Brandt. Of course, he didn’t trust this whole experiment, but until he checked out what Brandt was writing, he didn’t have any real proof. Yet. First step, see what buttons to push.
“Wait…” Gage said. “How do we know any of this is true?” He glanced at Dr. Brandt. “You said you wanted to see how we’d respond to what you say is a haunted house. We don’t actually know the house is haunted. Yet.”
Dr. Brandt set down his pen. “And what do you think is happening here, Gage?”
Gage didn’t want to say that maybe Brandt was setting them up to look like the Scooby Gang meets Ghostbusters. “I don’t know! Group psychosis? You get all of us to start joining in—seeing what Allison says she sees. So far, I haven’t seen a thing. I haven’t felt a single thing.”
Allison slammed her hand on the table and glared at him. “I am NOT lying!”
“She’s got a point. Just because we haven’t seen any ghosts doesn’t mean they aren’t here,” Jess chimed in.
“Whoa!” Gage leaned back and extended his palms outward. “I wasn’t saying there couldn’t be any ghosts. It’s just that only Allison has seen one so far. And this Riley dude was inside a mirror. In the dark, in the middle of the night. Jess didn’t see him, right? So, don’t you think that maybe just maybe at least one more of us should see something first? Especially Jess. She’s like the Ghost Wrangler or whatever. Has anyone else seen, heard or sensed anything since we’ve been here?”
“Fine.” Allison crossed her arms tightly. “The house is haunted when you say it is, jackass.”
Jess and Dr. Brandt sat silently. Bryan was busy covering up a smirk. Gage sighed. He’d hoped to get a rise out of Brandt, not everyone else, and least of all, Jess.
Riiight. He was the jackass. They were all supposed to take Allison in Freaking Wonderland’s word that the house is twin to the hotel in THE SHINING because she said so.
Jess stared at him, daring him to say something. Gage held his tongue. He’d have to give in until he found something in Brandt’s room. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe the house wasn’t haunted, he only knew Brandt wasn’t telling them everything. If he could prove there was something weird going on with the study, then maybe his folks would also give up on bringing Ben back. Maybe then they could accept his death.
“What about those ghost hunting devices?” Bryan asked. “Do you have any of those?”
“Yeah,” Gage added, motioning to Bryan. “What he said.”
“Yes,” Dr. Brandt said. “And we’ll be using those tools starting today. First, let’s finish up with the history of Siler House, shall we?” He motioned to the kitchen. “Why don’t you and Bryan grab some breakfast before I begin?”
Bryan and Gage nodded and headed for the kitchen.
“So, there really was some kid named Riley?” Gage asked on his way out of the dining room. “You’re not messing with us?”
“I’m not messing with you,” Dr. Brandt replied.
Dr. Brandt busied himself with more notes. Gage tried to see what he was jotting down, but without standing over the dude’s shoulder, he couldn’t read dick.
Gage grabbed a plate of food and returned, immediately digging into his plate of scrambled eggs and bacon. Dr. Brandt stopped writing and pushed his chair back. He took a final sip of his coffee, which had to be cold by now, but he didn’t seem to mind.
“Riley was their nephew,” Dr. Brandt said. “In 1906, the Silers took him in. The boy had suffered seizures and delusions for years. Doctors claimed he was mentally disturbed. Even at a young age, Riley talked to people no one else could see. When his parents asked who these people were, Riley became sullen, angry, even growling and striking out. He rarely demonstrated affection, unless he found himself in trouble. His mother often made excuses for him when members of the staff found dead farm animals on the property. Since her son had a medical condition as she called it, he didn’t understand his own strength, or right from wrong. She believed he hadn’t meant to kill any of the animals and insisted some of the livestock deaths were purely coincidence. Riley never showed any remorse or guilt for his actions.”
“How could the Silers ever let him around their children?” Jess asked. “At least, without someone around to watch?”
Dr. Brandt raised a hand. “I’m getting to that. When Riley was thirteen, his father tried to kill him. This is where stories differ. Some think Riley killed his mother. When his father found out what Riley had done, he went to fetch his shotgun, then shot Riley. Without his family, some think he turned the gun on himself. Catherine Siler didn’t believe this. She thought a superstitious farmhand shot the whole family after Riley complained of strange creatures that came to visit him in his room at night. On more than one occasion, Riley said the creatures sat at the breakfast table with the family. At any rate, Riley survived. Catherine wouldn’t let her sister’s only child go to an orphanage. Jonathan Siler agreed, but with conditions. The Silers hired a woman to watch after all three children, but Emma and Gracie were her first priority. Jonathan Siler gave the staff strict orders to keep an eye on Riley and not to let him out of their sight. And, for a while, that worked. At least, for three years, no harm came to the girls.”
“Why do I get the feeling that wasn’t true for everyone else?” Bryan said.
Dr. Brandt gave a nod of agreement. “The first death was ruled a suicide. A pastor who came to say blessings over the house. He didn’t die here, though. He was found hanged in his own church.”
“That’s awful,” Jess said. “What happened? Was there an exorcism?”
Allison inhaled sharply and her eyes darted from Bryan and Gage to Jess, and then to Dr. Brandt. “I don’t think I want to hear any more right now.”
“Not at first,” Dr. Brandt went on, ignoring her. “Not until after the servants started to complain of cold spots and doors opening or closing on their own. One reported hearing Riley talking to someone, but found the boy alone, sitting on the floor facing his opened armoire. She swore that its doors slammed shut right after she’d entered the room.
“Other occurrences made the hired help nervous, too, like a large amount of dead sparrows in close proximity to the house, and dead, shriveled plants that had been vibrant and alive the day before. Riley often sat on the stairwell and stared at the maids as they cleaned. They’d order him outside to play, but that also meant one of them had to go with him to ensure the girls’ safety. Since none of them wanted to be alone with the boy, even outside, they let him stay.”
Dr. Brandt paused for a sip of his coffee. He had Jess and Bryan’s full attention, Gage noticed. Allison stared at the floor. Only when Dr. Brandt paused did she steal a glance in his direction, waiting for him to go on with the story.
Dr. Brandt obliged and sat his coffee cup down. “A few of them became so nervous around the boy, they became accident prone. One of the maids fell from a ladder while cleaning a chandelier and broke her neck. Later on, another maid swore Riley had locked her in a room while she was cleaning, although no one had actually seen Riley near the room at the time. A cook quit after he cut off a finger while making dinner. The boy had come into the kitchen asking for a snack at the time of the accident.”
“Finger food?” Gage scoffed.
Jess winced and Allison began to rock in her chair in seeming discomfort, but Dr. Brandt didn’t notice. “Then, Riley began to have seizures. They terrified everyone who witnessed them. He sometimes spoke in strange voices, foaming at the mouth and twisting in ways that should have broken a few bones. Finally, the Silers talked about having Riley sent to a hospital that could more easily care for him. That’s when the seizures stopped. Almost everything stopped. The accidents, the odd voices. But the cold spots didn’t stop, nor did the reports of doors opening and closing on their own, or the occasional sound of footsteps in empty hallways during the night. For whatever reason, most of the staff stayed on despite these reports. No one quit or talked of leaving. That is, until 1909, when Gracie and Emma were murdered.”
Allison leapt from her chair. “I said I don’t want to hear this!” She turned and fled from the room.
Jess shot Dr. Brandt a harsh glare, although she’d seemed as interested as everyone else in learning what had happened. Again, Dr. Brandt didn’t pay her much attention.
“Allison!” Jess called out before running after her.
Bryan seemed ready to go follow the girls.
“It’s a girl thing. I suppose,” Gage offered. “Let them talk it out.”
Bryan seemed unsure. “You think so?”
“Hell if I know, but sure. I just know I wouldn’t get up and run after you, bro.” Gage grinned. “If you didn’t want to listen to the story because it freaked you out, don’t look to me to hold your hand.” Although Gage wanted nothing more than to go after Jess, to make sure she was okay.
The corners of Bryan’s mouth twitched. “You’re such a jerk, man. But do you think one of us needs to see if they’re okay?”
“Only if you wanna be one of the girls.” Gage gave him a cockeyed smirk. Bryan laughed and settled back into his seat.
“Do you think we could take a look at some of the equipment?” Bryan asked. “Might as well since the history lesson is on hold, right?”
Dr. Brandt stood. “Let me refresh my coffee. Anyone else?”
Gage and Bryan shook their heads.
“I’m good,” Bryan replied.
“Hey,” Gage called to Brandt. “Let’s pick up where you left off. So, the girls died in 1909. Then what?”
“That’s when a lot of people died,” Dr. Brandt replied as he returned from the kitchen. “It just started with Gracie and Emma.”