Page 66 of Eldritch

“Yeah. I’m starving and thought I’d make pizza if you guys are good with that,” Pauline said.

“Sounds good to me,” Sybil said.

“Sounds great,” Letisha echoed.

“I’ll get started,” Pauline left.

Letisha rubbed the side of her face. “I need some caffeine. We can talk about this later.”

Letisha exited, and Sybil took a moment regretting the secrets she’d revealed to Maria. True, she hadn’t told her everything, and part of her regretted it. The other didn’t. She glanced at her watch. Time to call Clarice and tell her the security install had gone well.

She reached Clarice on the first ring.

“Excellent, my dear,” Clarice’s voice sounded gravely, as if she had a head cold. She sneezed. “Just a moment. Let me grab a tissue.”

Sybil paced the library as she waited for Clarice to return. She stopped in the middle of the room, and although she’d been part of cleaning it, they still had a few more books to dust before they could call this room clean. She sat in a cozy chair near the window and looked out at the fading sunlight. Not much longer and it would be dark, and she could escape this house for a little fun and a few hours to not think about the place.

She glanced around some more, marveling at how beautiful the room was, and listening to the steady ticktock of the grandfather clock against the wall near the door. The door was closed, and she felt cozy in this place, surrounded by literature and non-fiction.

“So sorry,” Clarice’s voice returned to the phone. “Now, back to what you were telling me. Sounds like the security installation went well?”

“Very. It was quicker than we expected. We have the whole place covered.”

“Good. I just got photos of the lizard prints in the cellar from Doug. Fascinating.”

“If that’s even what they are. I don’t know how any reptile that large could be in here.”

“I don’t either. It doesn’t make the least bit of sense. But if someone is playing tricks on you all, we’ll find it with those security cameras. So I have access to the files...the film from the cameras through the computer system.”

“That’s right. Any time you want.”

“Well, I feel weird about having the cameras all around, but I guess it can’t be helped.”

“Not if we want to understand what’s happening.” Sybil didn’t say, though she wanted to, that if the ghosts were causing problems, it may not show up on cameras.

“There are so many things to understand about that house,” Clarice said.

Sybil hesitated, then found her voice. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing my dear. An old woman talking.”

Sybil rubbed the back of her neck as tension built in her entire body.

“You are one of the sharpest ladies I know. I don’t believe you’re just an old woman talking. I’d better go. There’s a place I have to be soon.”

“All right, dear. You take care and we’ll talk again soon.”

Guilt hit Sybil as they ended the call. She’d rushed out of the conversation. Yet she’d become impatient with people, tired of the complications of this job even though they hadn’t been here that long. She looked forward to having a good evening with Doug.

Chapter Eleven

Doug arrived on time to pick up Sybil, and when she climbed in his truck a short time later, she felt a wave of relief to be out of the house.

As the sun dipped behind the mountains, Doug turned on the headlights. Sybil sighed. The surrounding trees crowded the road. Bigger. Begging her to stay.

No. No. I’m not staying.

“You okay?” Doug asked.

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