There was a long pause. Darryl and Hubert both gave loud sniffs.
“So,” Scott asked, “how soon can we do this?”
“Load her computer tonight, then come back here while I work on the program. By tomorrow morning, she’ll do whatever we say.” Hubert gave one loud and extremely long sniff, making it clear that their meeting was over.
Moments later Scott and Darryl were scampering down Hubert’s rickety porch steps toward their bikes.
“That cousin of yours sure has a brain,” Scott said.
“Yeah,” Darryl said, drawing in a deep breath of fresh air and obviously enjoying it. “Too bad we can’t convince him to try a shower.”
Scott grinned as he climbed on his bike. “Once he changes Priscilla’s chart, you’re sure she’ll follow it?”
“Hey,” Darryl sniffed, “if it’s on her astrological chart, she’ll do it. I’ve listened to her talk about this stuff. Believe me, she’ll do whatever it says.”
Scott began to smile. He liked that idea. A lot.
They rode off. “So when do you want to do it?” Darryl asked.
“Do what?”
“Load this disk,” Darryl said, patting the shirt pocket that held the disk.
“How ’bout tonight? Can you get us in?”
“A piece of cake. What time?”
“I don’t know. How does midnight sound?”
“Perfect.” Darryl grinned. “The Bookshop tonight, at midnight.”
**********
5:48 p.m.
Julie paused her ancient VCR, and the group stared at the freeze-frame picture on the screen. Becka had taken the videocassette over to Julie’s house, and after viewing it, they had decided to invite Ryan, Krissi, and Philip over for a “second opinion.”
“There,” Julie said, pointing to the screen, which showed a long hallway full of doors. Several cameras and measuring devices were scattered up and down the hall. “This is where it gets interesting.”
Julie pushed the Pause button again, and the video started.
Everyone watched in silence. For several seconds nothing happened. Then, ever so gradually, some of the papers and charts on the hallway floor began to stir.
“Did someone open a window?” Ryan asked.
No one answered. The wind grew more intense. Some of the instruments mounted in the hallway began to shudder. Suddenly one with aluminum cloth stretched between brackets blew over and fell with a crash.
Krissi gave a start.
“Hang on,” Julie said. “It’s not over yet. Keep your eye on the farthest door, the one at the end of the hall.” More seconds passed. The wind increased until suddenly the door flew open. The entire group jumped. As they watched, a small shadowy figure from inside the room darted past the doorway and out of sight.
“What was that?” Ryan demanded.
Julie pressed Slow Motion Rewind. The figure reappeared, moving backward. When it was in the center of the door’s opening, she pressed Pause.
“Wow,” Philip said as he dropped to his knees and got a better look.
“What is it?” Krissi chirped a little nervously.
“That’s what we want to know,” Julie said. “It’s so far away and so blurry, it’s hard to tell.”
Everyone continued staring. “It looks like a little girl,” Philip finally said. He moved closer to the screen and pointed. “See, here’s her hair, long and dark, it’s blowing all over the place, and this, this could be an arm …”
An eerie silence stole over the group.
Finally Ryan turned to Rebecca. “Is this who you saw in the window yesterday?”
Becka looked at the ground.
Ryan continued — not mean, just perplexed. “And you still don’t think it’s a ghost?”
When Becka answered, her voice was just above a mumble.
“I’m … I’m not sure. It looks just like the girl, but Scotty and I — ” she glanced up and held Ryan’s gaze — “we’ve been fooled before.”
“I think we should all go there and investigate,” Philip said.
Becka answered quietly. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
“Why not?” he insisted. “You might be in danger if you go with the Ascension Lady. I say we go ahead of time and check out the place.”
Becka swallowed, struggling to find the right words.
Ryan reached out and touched her shoulder. They’d had enough talks about the supernatural for Ryan to know what was on her mind. “Beck’s afraid because we’re not Chris tians. She’s afraid we might get hurt.”
A strange sort of silence filled the room. Finally Julie spoke.
“Is that true? Is that what you think?”
Becka searched for the words. She didn’t want to sound high-and-mighty or judgmental to her friends, yet they deserved to hear the truth. “The Bible says there’s no such things as ghosts.
Only demons.”
“And angels,” Krissi interrupted, trying to sound cheery.
“Don’t forget angels.”
“Angels don’t go around haunting houses,” Julie corrected.
Becka hesitated, then continued. “So, if I’m right, that little girl is not a ghost, but … a demon.”
Philip asked the next question. “And you’re worried about us, because … ?”
Here it comes,
Becka thought.
There’s no getting around it.
“Because Jesus gave those who believe in him authority over demons.” There — she’d said it. She took a breath and waited.
“And the rest of us?” Philip persisted.
“I …” Becka looked down. “I’m not sure of the details.” After a moment, Krissi blurted, “Hey, I’m a Chris tian.” The group turned to her in vague surprise. “Sure, I go to church every Christmas, sometimes Easter too.”
Everyone chuckled. “I think there’s more to it than just that,” Ryan said kindly. “From what I’ve been reading in the Bible, it’s not just a church thing; it’s what you believe inside … and what you do with it.”
Becka looked at Ryan. He gave her a wink.
“I say we investigate anyway,” Philip insisted. “Take our chances.”
“And if we’re wrong?” Julie asked with an arched eyebrow. “If it’s more than just a ghost?”
“Then we got our own personal Ghostbuster.” Philip gave Becka a playful nudge. “Right, Beck?”
She smiled feebly.
“When?” Julie asked. “I mean, if the Ascension Lady wants a séance tomorrow night, then we should probably do it — ”
“Tonight,” Philip finished for her. “Let’s grab something to eat and hit the place about eight.”
“Sounds good to me.” Julie grinned.
Ryan also nodded, but more slowly as he kept a careful eye on Becka.
“I don’t know, guys,” Krissi whined, her hand going to her stomach. “Not after yesterday.”
“Come on, babe.” Philip grinned encouragingly. “I’ll be right beside you. It should be fun.”
“Yeah,” Julie agreed, “it’ll be fun.”
Becka’s eyes drifted back to the frozen image on the TV
screen. Somehow,
fun
wasn’t exactly the word she had in mind.
“Beck?” She turned to see Ryan at her side. He spoke quietly.
“You going to be all right?”
She nodded.
“How ’bout Scotty?” he asked. “It might not hurt to have him along.”
Becka broke into a grateful smile. Of course he was right. It wouldn’t hurt to have her little brother along. It wouldn’t hurt one bit.
Or so she thought …
Chapter 4
7:10 p.m.
Hey, check this out,” Scott said as he pulled his Bible closer.
“Remember when Jesus cast those demons out of that guy and into the herd of pigs?”
Becka looked up from her Bible and notes, which she had spread out on the kitchen table. “Yeah, so?”
“Do you know why Jesus sent them into the pigs?” She shrugged.
“Because — ” Scott looked down and read: “ ‘They begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.’ ”
“The abyss? That’s hell, isn’t it? The ‘bottomless pit’?” Scott nodded. “And from what this says, it’s so bad even the demons don’t want to hang out there. Cool, huh?”
Cool
wasn’t exactly the word Rebecca had in mind. She glanced at her watch. “Look, we’ve got less than an hour before we go to the mansion. Let’s stick to the subject and keep getting ready, all right?”
“This
is
the subject,” he said defensively. “Well … sort of.” She gave him a look, then turned back to her notes. Ever since their first encounter with the Society, she and Scott had started paying a lot more attention to spiritual warfare — jotting down verses from the Bible, sharing information. Now, before they went to the mansion, they’d agreed to review what they’d learned and to spend some time praying.
“Okay,” Becka said, then cleared her throat. “First, we know about the armor of God.”
“Check,” Scott said. “The shield of faith, the sword of the spirit, the helmet of … whatever. We’ve been through all that already.”
Becka hesitated. She wasn’t too thrilled by Scott’s careless attitude, but she continued. “Second, we know Christ gives us authority over Satan.”
Scott leaned back, put his hands on top of his head, and quoted: “ ‘I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you,’ and ‘Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven.’ ”
Becka was impressed. She looked back at her notes. “Here’s one on Satan: ‘There is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.’ ”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning we shouldn’t believe what Satan or his little demon creeps say.”
Scott nodded.
“Here’s another: ‘If two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.’ ”
“Okay, all right,” Scott said, nodding again. “Let’s get down to the agreeing part.” He closed his Bible with a thump. “Let’s do some praying and get going.”
Becka glanced at her notes. There were a dozen more verses
… but because of time — and Scott’s impatience — they would have to wait. Reluctantly she closed her Bible. Something didn’t feel right. She couldn’t figure out what, exactly, but it made her nervous.
Very nervous.
“Dear Lord … ,” Scott started, his eyes closed. Becka bowed her head and joined him.
**********
8:03 p.m.
“How’re we getting in?” Ryan whispered.
“Don’t these old places have coal chutes or something?” Julie asked, shining her flashlight along the back of the house. “You know, some sort of slide thing that goes into the cellar?” The group huddled together in the thick, dripping fog near the back kitchen entrance of the mansion. They were well out of sight of the street.
“We could always break a window,” Krissi suggested.
Scott smirked. “Only if we want the neighbors to call the cops.”
“So what do we do?” Julie demanded.
“How ’bout using the door?”
They turned to see Philip effortlessly push open the back kitchen door.
“How’d you pull that off?” Julie asked.
Philip held up a single key. “My dad’s the realtor, remember?” The others snapped on their flashlights and stepped through the door into the darkness. Julie led the way, followed by Krissi, Philip, and Ryan. Rebecca and Scott were the last to enter. Scott was scowling hard and rubbing the back of his neck.
“You okay?” Becka asked.
He nodded. “I’ve got the world’s biggest headache.”
“From what?”
“I don’t know. It came on real sudden, soon as we crossed the street.”
“You want to go back, stay in the car?”
“Forget it.” He tried to smile and make one of his jokes. “I’m in the mood for kicking a few demons’ behinds, aren’t you?”
It was Becka’s turn to force a smile. Scott wasn’t just brag-ging — though he was pretty good at that — he was also speaking from experience. He’d faced demons several times before and come out the winner.
Each time, she and Scott had fought, and each time, thanks to prayer and God’s power, they had won. Barely. But barely was close enough.
But tonight … tonight something was wrong. She was growing more and more sure of that. Besides the uneasy feeling she couldn’t seem to shake, there was also the fact that Scott was feeling sick. Scott hardly ever got sick. And, as far as she knew, he never had headaches. So what was going on? For the time being she said nothing more. But she would keep a careful eye on him.
Once inside, things went pretty much as expected. After the initial goofing off — grabbing and scaring each other — they settled down to exploring the ground floor.
First there was the kitchen. It was massive: double ovens, pantry, lots of counter space, cupboards.
Mom would go nuts
here,
Becka thought.
Next came the dining room, then the music room, then the glass-enclosed conservatory, and finally the giant entry hall.
“Wow,” Philip exclaimed as they shone their lights on the rich mahogany paneling, the towering gilded mirrors, and a floor that was completely covered by thick gray slate.
Everyone was impressed. Everyone but Scott. He was standing off to the side, hunched over and holding his head.
“Hey, Scotty,” Ryan asked, “what’s wrong?” Scott lowered his hands and tried to smile, but it was more of a grimace. “I don’t know. My head … it’s like a herd of elephants tap-dancing inside.”
Becka and Ryan exchanged looks.
Krissi was shivering. “I’m cold. Couldn’t someone turn up the heat?”
“Uh, I don’t think so,” Philip chuckled.
“Look at this.” Julie was slightly ahead of the group, shining her light up at a giant crystal chandelier. It was directly over her head and breathtakingly beautiful. But it wasn’t the beauty she was referring to. It was the movement of the crystals. They had started to gently clink against each other.
“Must be wind,” Ryan offered, but he didn’t sound too convinced. He turned back to Scott and Becka. “You were the last ones in. Did you guys shut the door?”
“Yeah,” Becka answered softly, “we shut it.” The clinking grew louder as the chandelier started to sway almost imperceptibly.
“Well, now.” Julie tried to sound glib. “I think maybe we should be moving on. Don’t you?”
The group voiced agreement and continued forward, keeping a wary eye on the chandelier and going out of their way to avoid walking directly under it.