Experiment in Terror 05 On Demon Wings (17 page)

she thought and I couldn’t let her worry about me any more

than she needed to. She had my dad to worry about. When

he came home to see Officers Monroe, Hartley, and a few

other cops taking photos of the house, he nearly had a

heart attack. When he found out exactly what happened, his

skin went so pale, I swore I could see his skul underneath. I

thought he was going to scream or maybe throw up

(seemed like the thing to do these days) but he just

absorbed it al and shook. That was far scarier. My dad

needed to throw things and yel and flip tables. That was his

thing. That’s how he dealt with life. The fact that he just took

it and kept it inside made me feel queasy. There was

official y too much anger and fright in this household and it

was only going to get worse.

We went up the back patio steps and through the back

French doors into the house and walked past the study

without even a glance. I was afraid to look. It was shut and

tomorrow there would be a team coming over to clean it but

I could stil feel the evil seeping through the cracks.

My mother sat down next to Ada and my father in the

living room. They were watching
A Fistful of Dollars
but

they weren’t real y watching it. They were watching each

other. Watching the house. And getting lost in their own

heads.

There was a smal part of me that was almost glad that

they were freaked out. It was comforting to know I didn’t

have to suffer alone, even though they only knew a very

smal percentage of what was going on. I wanted to keep

them in the dark about the rest for as long as possible and

there was only one way to do that. I had to know what I was

dealing with and how to get rid of it.

I know Maximus had said he’d talk to me in a few days,

but I didn’t have a few days. I couldn’t explain it, but it felt

like I was running out of time. Besides, I didn’t mind kissing

him again. I welcomed that whole distraction with open lips.

I mean arms.

Taking my phone out of my hoodie pocket, I cal ed him

and went up the stairs to my room to finish the cal in

private.

“Darling,” he answered.

I smiled and hoped he could hear it over the phone.

“Hey. How are you?”

“I’m…I’ve felt better. Good ol’ whiskey head. My

apologies that I didn’t cal you earlier.”

“That’s OK,” I said, having forgotten myself in al the

commotion. I thought I heard a girl giggle in the

background. My brow furrowed automatical y. “Where are

you?”

He cleared his throat. “I’m out getting some fresh air. You

know, at the market. It’s just wrapping up. Great tacos

here.”

I listened harder. It did sound like he was somewhere

where there were a lot of people. I don’t know why I was

being so paranoid.

“Look, something happened today,” I said, not wanting

to say too much over the phone.

“Are you al right?”

“Yes, I am. We al are. But the cops were here earlier

and…”

“Cops?” he exclaimed. “Wel I’l be. You sure you’re al

right?”

“I am for now but I was wondering if you’d come by and

do like, a reading or something? I don’t know, I just feel like

I’m running out of time and if this is going so far as to scare

my family and not just me, I can’t just watch it happen. I

can’t. I won’t!”

“Al righty, no worries Perry. I’l head over right now.”

“Thank you,” I whispered softly into the phone.

“You got it,” was his answer and the phone went dead.

I took in a deep breath and changed into leggings and a

long teal sweater so I didn’t look like I just rol ed out of bed,

then did a quick run of concealer and mascara on my face.

Downstairs, my family was stil silent, stil pretending to

watch the TV. I perched on the edge of my dad’s armchair

and lay my hand down his. It was cold. He looked up at me

and smiled. It was strained, but it was something.

“I have a friend coming over,” I announced quietly.

Everyone turned to look at me, surprised.

“Perry,” my mom said with disapproval. “After what

happened today.”

happened today.”

“Because of what happened today,” I corrected her. I

didn’t want to bring up anything about ghosts but I had to

say something. “He’s new in town. And…he makes me feel

safe.”

My family was adept at the three-way “Perry” glance.

Eyes were darting al over among Ada, my mother and my

dad.

“Who is he?” my father asked.

“You’ve never mentioned anyone,” Ada shot in.

“Is is that fitness guy?” my mother asked, a little too

hopeful y. I had forgotten about her fears of me turning into

a spinster, but now I knew I had to milk that for al it was

worth.

“No,” I said to her. Her face fel and I added, “It’s that

Maximus guy I told you about.”

“Maximus, huh?” Ada commented with a sparkle in her

eyes. “Would this be the same Maximus that you met out in

New Mexico?”

“That’s the one,” I said, my voice on edge as I shot her

the stinkeye. I didn’t want her to bring up his ghost-

whispering business in front of the rents.

“Oh, Perry, I hope you’re done with al those…those…

doorknobs,” my mother said, slapping her thighs. By

doorknobs, I’m pretty sure she meant Dex.

“He’s not a doorknob. Or any knob,” I said, and Ada

giggled. Probably because I said “knob.”

My mother and father exchanged another look. They

were suspicious, wary, disbelieving. But that was OK with

me because lo and behold, they were worried about me

and not about some mystery person who left decapitated

livestock in the house.

They asked me a few more questions about him; most of

them I couldn’t even answer because I didn’t know myself,

like what the hel his last name was. Then we turned our

attention back to the screen and watched that until Clint

Eastwood kil ed some more Mexicans and the doorbel

rang.

Shit.

I leaped up and ran for the door, opening it and jumping

down on the front stoop where Maximus was standing.

“Whoa, where’s the fire?” he drawled, putting his hand

on my arm. He gave it a squeeze and peered down at me.

“You al right, little lady?”

I nodded quickly. “Yes. Wel . I don’t know. But here’s the

thing…”

I leaned over and quietly shut the front door so my family

inside couldn’t hear me. Maximus lifted his brow.

I lowered my voice and continued, “My family doesn’t

know you’re a ghost whisperer or anything like that. They

don’t believe in that stuff and to bring it up, wel , it causes

problems. I don’t know why. And especial y today, they want

to believe what happened was caused by someone living,

not dead. So we have to keep everything on a low pro,

OK?”

“I got ya,” he said, his eyes darting over to the windows

of the front sitting room. A light there had just gone on. It

was probably my dad, wondering where the hel I went. “So

what happened today?”

I gave him the Cliff Notes version while my dad watched

us out of the window. I waved at him as I explained, hoping

he would know we’d be coming in soon and to not interrupt

us.

“Did you find the head?” Maximus asked when I was

finished.

“No.” I reached over and grabbed his hand. “Do you

think you can get a good sense of what’s going on tonight?

Like, wil you be able to do anything?”

He looked up at the house, taking it al in. He didn’t look

al that confident. “I’m not too sure. This might be a slow

process. You know I can only pick up on what the person

was feeling when they died. Abby, if it is her, she didn’t die

here. So I don’t know what I can do with it. And I’m pretty

sure I know exactly what she felt when she died.”

“But you said you’d fix this,” I pleaded, almost stomping

my feet like a little girl.

“I’m going to try,” he said, placing his other hand on top

of my head as if to calm me down. “I promised you that.

We’l figure out what it is first and then take it from there.”

“Take it where? Like an exorcism?” I shuddered at the

thought.

“You’re not possessed, Perry,” he said. “And exorcisms

are a waste of time. Good luck getting someone to do it in

the first place. Then you have to prove you’re possessed,

which is hard to do, cuz like I said, it’s often in people’s

heads. Personality disorders are usual y the cause. There

is, as it turns out, always another explanation. And getting a

priest or a shaman to exorcise a person who isn’t

possessed is very, very dangerous. To the victim, to the

priest, to everyone. Besides, you don’t exorcise a house.

You clear it.”

“So do you think you’l be able to clear it? Can you do

that?” I felt more anxious by the second. “And don’t say

you’l try.”

He paused and licked his lips. Then…

“I never try anything,” he drawled. “I just do it.”

It was a line from one of my favorite movies,
Faster

Pussycat! Kill! Kill!
and I felt a grin tugging at the corner of

my lips. This man knew exactly how to calm me down and

possibly get in my pants.

“Wanna try me?” he added.

I smacked him on the arm, then took hold of his hand

again and led him inside the house.

“You know, I reckon you look a bit like a young Tura

Satana,” he whispered into my ear.

“Must be the boobs,” I tossed over my shoulder just as

my dad appeared in front of us, having been waiting in the

sitting room al this time.

“Perry, I thought you weren’t coming in,” he said with a

nervous smile as he looked up at the burly redhead. My dad

wasn’t very tal , so Maximus towered over him.

“Dad, this is Maximus,” I said. “Maximus, this is dad.”

Maximus shook my dad’s hand firmly, looking him

straight in the eyes, and said, “You have a very lovely

daughter here, sir.”

My dad beamed. He never beamed at any guys I brought

home. OK, so I brought home only one, but stil .

“Oh, wel , we like her.” He laughed awkwardly.

Sure,
I thought.
Now you like me.

We walked down the hal while Dad asked Maximus

where in Louisiana he grew up and they started talking

about the Cajun food. We came to the living room, where

Ada and my mom were standing, waiting for us.

Maximus shook hands with both of them and I could see

his frame, manners and charming drawl was winning over

my mother in two seconds flat. Ada, on the other hand, was

a bit snarky. I gave her a funny look, warning her to behave

but she just rol ed her eyes and plopped down on the

couch, pretending the movie credits were fascinating.

“Since you’re here, how about we order Chinese,” my

mom offered brightly. “I don’t think I’l be cooking in that

kitchen for a long time.”

Maximus nodded and folded his hands in front of him.

“Perry told me what happened. I’m very sorry for al of you. I

hope whoever did this wil be brought to justice soon. In the

meantime, if there is anything I can do, I would be happy to

help.”

He looked to my dad. “I know you have cleaners coming

in tomorrow, but I would be happy to give you a hand in

putting the room back together, make it look like nothing

happened in there. I know how terribly upsetting it must be

to have your sanctuary desecrated.”

Man, he was
good
.

My father almost looked chagrined at Maximus’s

generosity. I looked over at Ada to see what she thought

but she gave me a sarcastic look. Sheesh, what was up her

butt? Did she have ginger-vitis?

I tried to think of a smooth way of getting him out of their

hair but Maximus was smooth himself and turned to me with

his extra-watt smile. “I’d love to see the rest of your beautiful

house, Perry.”

I stifled a giggle and took hold of his arm, gently leading

him out of the living room and up the hal to the stairs. I

looked over my shoulder to see if my family was fol owing

us. They weren’t but I could hear excited, hushed words in

my wake. They’d be talking about him for a while.

“I’d particularly like to see your bedroom,” he said as we

walked up the stairs.

“Wow, you are on a rol tonight,” I commented.

“That’s been the hotspot of supernatural activity in your

house, hasn’t it?”

Oh. Of course. Right. We were back to talking about