Page 100 of Eldritch

Get over it. Get over it. Her mother’s voice echoed in her mind.

Shut up, mother.

Wind battered the house again, and everyone looked toward the windows.

Sybil said, “Still, we are very sorry. But we can’t continue with the strange things going on.”

Clarice cleared her throat. “I understand. How much did you have left to finish?”

Letisha outlined what they hadn’t finished, which included the attic and cellar. “We won’t leave this hanging forever. We can come back soon and finish. But we also need to take care of the Taggert problem.”

Sybil launched into an explanation of what had occurred with him and then asked Clarice, “You didn’t see a truck out there anywhere, did you?”

Clarice’s eyebrows rose. “No, I didn’t see another vehicle. Perhaps no one else is as demented as I am coming out in this weather.” She eased to a standing position. “Ladies, please don’t worry about any of this. Especially with this horrible Taggert man. I can see why you want to leave.”

A huge weight dropped off of Sybil’s shoulders. “Thank you.”

“But you can’t go out now.” Clarice gestured toward the windows. “The weather is even worse than when I arrived a short time ago. We have the security system and locked doors and windows. You must reconsider.”

Sybil explained about the plan to head over to Doug’s. “He’ll be expecting us.”

“What if he comes over here? Surely we’ll all be safe with that young man here,” Clarice said with a smile. “If the weather eases in the morning, you could leave then. I think you’ll be fine for one more night.”

“That might make sense,” Pauline said. “We could keep doing a bit more work today, and if Doug was here…” She shrugged. “I’d feel very safe.”

Sybil knew she would, too, but didn’t plan to echo it. “All right. I’ll try and message him now.”

“Good. I think I need a lie down after all of this.” Clarice turned to Maria. “Dear would you be a dear and help me bring my suitcase in? It’s out in the car.”

Maria agreed and off they went into the snow.

After they’d left earshot, Pauline turned to Letisha and Sybil.

“Her showing up like that…maybe she thought she’d catch us doing something wrong? An inspection?” Pauline asked.

Sybil typed out a text to Doug which looked like it was going through. “I don’t want to think that, but it could be.”

“She seems too mild mannered for that,” Letisha said. “It’s a bit weird she needed Maria to lug her suitcase, though. How did she get it in her car if it was too heavy for her to start with?”

“Good question,” Sybil said. “Maybe she’s just tired after the drive.”

“I think we should try and convince her to go with us to Doug’s,” Letisha said.

“Yeah and if we can’t get a note out to him we should put Clarice in the van and head over to Doug’s place,” Sybil said.

“I don’t know about too mild mannered, but maybe she’s tired after the drive,” Sybil said. “Damn it. The text to Doug didn’t go through.”

Maria returned with Clarice’s small suitcase and Clarice close behind her. Sybil crossed into the octagon room and locked the front door.

“Is something wrong, dear?” Clarice said.

“Just thinking about Taggert in case he’s nearby,” Sybil said, hoping he was long gone from the area. “I really think you should go with us to Doug’s rather than stay here.”

“Do you think this Taggert fellow is that dangerous?” Clarice asked.

“Yeah. Taggert is a misogynist. He thinks women should be barefoot and pregnant and cooking his dinner,” Sybil said.

“Oh, my.” Clarice gestured to the fireplace and the couches. “Please, do you have a few moments to sit down and tell me what we’re up against?” She glanced at the other women. “Is it all right if they’re here?”

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