CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Jess swatted at another mosquito. Funny how she couldn’t stand the little bloodsuckers when she’d first gotten here, but now found them almost preferable to being inside. She stood in the dark with Gage, Allison, and Bryan, facing the back of Siler House. It loomed over them as they contemplated the best way to end this—the best way to free themselves from its stranglehold.
The house had become an addiction. And, like an addict who’s suddenly come to terms with his or her dependency, finally admitting it was both frightening and also provided an overwhelming sense of relief.
Bryan laughed. “It’s weird, don’t you think? The house can keep us from leaving, but it can’t stop us from feeling like rats in a snake pit?”
“Because it likes it,” Allison replied. “It likes our fear.”
Jess shuddered. Had she ever really loved it here? She’d been so willing to find all the good in the house. The house was beautiful. Jess thought it would have been so much easier if it had been otherwise. Looking at it, there was nothing that warned people away. Siler House was something shiny and appealing until you saw the ugliness it hid underneath the paint and floorboards. She had seen it too late.
Gage paced a few steps. “Our first move is the most unnerving. We’ve got to have a little one-on-one with Riley.”
Jess grimaced inwardly. This was her part. “I guess that means I’m the one who has to get his attention.”
She stole a glance at Allison, but she was either focused on what Gage had to say or was ignoring her.
Gage nodded. “You and Allison.”
Allison looked at them all with an expression of resolution and hurt. She’d made it clear she didn’t want any part of this, but probably understood there was no other choice. Allison was the only one of them that knew how to do this. She was the only one who’d ever had to deal with malevolent things—demon or spirit. She’d been the one to shout to the rafters that the house and everything in it meant them harm.
“Okay,” Allison said, sounding tired. “But after we bring him into the open, it’s anyone’s guess what’ll work to get rid of him forever. Or even if there is a forever. In time, he might still come back. Like the demons.”
Bryan lifted his head from his hands. They were all tired. Maybe too tired to be working out such a plan. But the longer they waited, the more advantage Riley and Siler House gained.
“So, how do we get him out of the mirrors?” Bryan asked.
Gage shrugged. “No clue.”
Allison turned her head to Jess. “Use the Ouija board—do the whole séance thing. We have to call Riley, but only him. When he’s over, we have to clear the space—we have to tell the board to quit and we have to snuff out the candles and break the séance.”
Finally. Allison realized they had to use the board.
“And then?” Bryan asked. “Is that when it’s my turn?”
They all stared at him. Jess felt sorry for him. It was a lot to bear.
Bryan scoffed. “So, it’s all on me, then. We’ve got to hope I’m strong enough to nuke Riley and anything else he brings with him. But we don’t even know I can get rid of ghosts…or whatever the hell he is.”
“You’re our best hope and you’ll have help,” Gage assured him. “The rest of us will have this banishing spell memorized. And we’ll have all those herbs and things from Dr. Brandt. We’ll perform the ritual while you do your…thing.”
“Then we go after Gracie and Emma next,” Jess said.
Gage nodded. “We get a shovel from the renovation crew, we go get that skull, and we bury it in the cemetery. Hopefully, that’ll put Gracie and Emma to rest, once and for all.”
Bryan scratched his neck. “Once we start this, there’s no going back. We bust that lock on the fence and dig up those graves, someone’s going to notice.”
“You think they won’t notice until then?” Allison burst into hysterical laughter. Jess knew she was thinking of all the things that could go south in a hurry.
Jess wrapped an arm around her. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “We’ll get through this. All of us.”
“We have to do this after the last of the maids and the renovation crew have left for the day. We can’t risk involving anyone else,” Gage said. “As for the property, whatever damage is done, it’s done. We’ll just have to work fast the next morning before anyone shows up.”
Bryan swatted a mosquito. “We should do it when the crew won’t be here, or the maids.” He cocked his head and shrugged. “That means Friday night. The maids and the crew don’t show up on the weekend.”
“That gives us only a day to prepare,” Jess said. “What about Dr. Brandt and Mrs. Hirsch? What do we do about them?”
Gage rubbed his eyes. “If we include Dr. Brandt, we don’t have to worry about what Mrs. Hirsch thinks.”
Allison shook her head, her soft strawberry blond hair sweeping against her slumped shoulders. “But—”
“How else are we going to do it?” Gage snapped. “There’s not a chance we can do all this without one or both of them finding out—ahead of time, or worse, during.”
Bryan’s gaze cut to Gage. “Brandt’s been wanting to bring Riley over. This way, we just keep him close.”
Something about Brandt was off, Jess felt sure of it. “Allison’s right. I don’t know if that’s the best idea.”
“Got any ideas how we can do it without him?” Gage wanted to know. “Because I’m listening.”
Jess knew he was tired. They all were. Their nerves were on edge. Everyone wanted Gage to be the one to fix it, to have a plan, and like the others, he had nothing. First, they’d have to collect the supplies without Dr. Brandt’s knowledge, then set up in a room where he, or more likely, Mrs. Hirsch wouldn’t walk in on them. Their absence would ensure someone would wonder what they were up to. And, while Dr. Brandt seemed occupied with the house and who knew what else, even he’d be curious. He could walk in at the wrong time.
“Fine, but I don’t trust him,” Jess said.
“Won’t he go back to EPAC?” Bryan asked. “If we succeed and he’s there—”
“He tells EPAC we’re marketable. I know. I know,” Gage finished.
“Not if we meet in the middle of the night again,” Allison suggested. “Of course, we’ll still need to worry about Mrs. Hirsch. Or, we can do it your way and take our chances with Dr. Brandt.”
“We could hope he realizes this is something neither he nor EPAC can control,” Jess said, not really buying into it.
“He spends time down in the basement right after lunch,” Bryan said. “And since he doesn’t go up to the music room before then, maybe a couple of us could set up the room fast. No one will think much of it since Jess practices up there, anyway.”
“Works for me,” Gage said.
Allison shivered. “I’m scared.”
Bryan smiled nervously. “At this point, I think we all are.”
The worry was easy to see on Allison’s face. She hadn’t needed to tell them. Her eyes were owlish, with dark crescents underneath, her skin pale, and she was gently rocking back and forth. Allison was close to shutting down.
Jess recalled Allison’s words, how she described hiding in her ivory tower. Run away, Allison! Run away!
Jess turned to her. It was bad timing, but she had to know. “When we do the séance, how will we know Riley’s all we’ve brought back?”
Allison continued rocking. “We’ll know. I’ll know.”
She’s going to break. Allison isn’t going to be able to hold this together much longer.
And if she did break? If Allison lost it before they could cross Riley over and banish him to who knew where for who knew how long? What then? And what were the odds only Riley would be waiting on the other side of that door? Allison would be weak, vulnerable. Even more than now.
Jess feared the worst was true.
The demons would come for Allison. Maybe for all of them.