Page 96 of Eldritch

“Here’s the thing. She then walked in blizzard conditions toward the mansion. At least the deputy told Clinton that, based on where they found her body, Annapolis made it within two miles of the mansion. She did it at night, they think.”

Sybil’s mind whirled with questions. “That’s insane. Did she freeze to death? And when did they realize she was missing?”

“She wasn’t missing until yesterday evening. She left her cruiser, dressed like she was going hiking into inclement winter weather, and got two miles away from the mansion.” His voice held an unusual urgency. “She didn’t die of hypothermia. Clinton’s cop friend told him she had crush injuries. Like something had squeezed her to death.”

She couldn’t wrap her mind around that. “Squeezed her?”

He continued with, “Clinton said to take that with a grain of salt since an autopsy report hasn’t been done yet. She left a journal in the police cruiser. Her ramblings were in a language they didn’t understand. They believe it is a language, at the very least.”

Stunned, she took a moment to form a thought or answer to what he’d just told her. The other women’s faces betrayed concern and curiosity.

“It’s a lot to take in,” Doug said when she didn’t comment.

“That’s an understatement. I wonder if Clarice knows anything about this?” Something flashed into Sybil’s memory, a thought that niggled at her only in this moment. “Hold on.”

Without giving any indication of what she planned, Sybil walked out of the kitchen, through part of the Great Hall, and into the octagonal-shaped entrance. She turned to look at the woman in the portrait that she’d spotted the first day she’d entered the house and hadn’t thought about again until this moment.

“Wow,” she whispered.

“What?” Doug said.

“This is crazy as hell. I’m standing in the octagonal entryway. You know those portraits of people hanging on the walls? Did you take a look at them while you were in here?”

“A passing glance.”

“There’s a portrait of a blonde woman. She looks exactly like Deputy Annapolis. Exactly.”

“You’re kidding. Do you think she’s related to Clarice’s family?”

“What else it could be? I’m not talking about a family resemblance that is vague. She looks like this portrait one hundred percent. Down to every feature.”

He sighed. “I planned on calling Clarice about Deputy Annapolis being found dead so close to her property. When I talk to her, I’ll ask about the portrait and Annapolis. She might know if there’s a relation.”

Sybil turned to one window next to the front doors and noted the snow coming down in heavy flakes again. “I wonder if Annapolis knew she was related to the family when she came into the house? If she even saw the portrait. If she didn’t know or she hadn’t seen the portrait, you’d think she would’ve at least commented on it.” She heaved a sigh. “Look, whatever is going on, I think we need to leave the mansion. With what happened to the deputy and Taggert being in the area, I don’t think it’s safe.”

“Right. With the weather, though, it could be extremely dangerous.”

“What other choice do we have?”

“If you have to leave the mansion, you could all come to my place. You wouldn’t have to drive all the way into Estes Park. Weather says the blizzard is going to stop and start for at least a day or two more.”

She groaned. “Damn. Okay, let me talk with the ladies and see what we want to do. I’ll try and call Clarice, too.”

“Good. Call me when you’ve decided the plan. And Sybil…”

“Yeah?”

“Stay safe, all right? Anything looks or feels wrong, please call me, okay?”

Appreciation slid through Sybil, and she caught herself smiling. “Thanks, Doug. One other thing before you go. Have you looked at the security tapes lately?”

“No. Why?” His voice turned concerned again.

“It looks like all of us in the house have been sleepwalking.”

“What?”

“I know. It’s creepy as hell. Just look at the recordings. All of us have admitted to having these dreams, including me...until we realized it’s not a dream.” She sighed. “Okay...we’re having a unique experience in our heads when we do the sleepwalking. But...oh my God, it’s so complicated.”

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