Page 95 of Eldritch

Sybil’s phone rang, and she started. “Awesome, the phone is working!” She grabbed her phone off the table. “It’s Doug.”

“Doug,” Sybil said into the phone. “Thank goodness the phones are finally working. Was your cell phone working last night?”

Around her Sybil noted the other women were using their phones.

“Yep,” he said. “But that’s not unusual around here. Service can be sporadic. I’m not sure if the weather could influence anything.”

She sagged a little. Maybe the phone situation wasn’t paranormal in nature after all. “Okay. I’m glad it wasn’t just us.”

When she paused a little, he said, “Everything okay? The weather out there is still shitty. I was worried about you guys.”

“We’re fine., but we need to leave this house.”

“What?”

She gave him the details, the sleepwalking incidents and dreams…everything including Taggert showing up while she wasn’t there.

“Okay. This is crazy stuff. Any luck reaching Clarice?” he asked.

“Not last night or earlier, but maybe we can reach her now.”

“Nope,” Letisha said in the background. “The text won’t go anywhere.”

“I heard that,” Doug said.

For a moment Sybil wondered if this would be the moment Doug would check out. Where he’d decide all of them had gone insane.

“Any sign of Taggert on the security cameras?” came Doug’s question.

“No,” Sybil said.

Doug nodded, satisfaction in his expression. “Good. He’s probably left the area if he isn’t in a snowbank somewhere freezing his ass off.”

“Maybe he’s not in the area anymore. I called because I wanted to check on you and also because Clinton called a few minutes ago, and it isn’t good news. They found Deputy Annapolis dead.”

Sybil’s throat tightened, her mind going into a tailspin of disbelief. She sank into a chair. “What?”

Sybil noted the other women had stopped messing with their phones and now stared at her.

“Clinton wanted me to tell you all of this because the police venture to the mansion soon to question everyone there,” he said.

Sybil’s stomach rolled. “Why?”

“Annapolis’s car was found in the woods southeast of the mansion.”

She rubbed her forehead. “Get out.”

“It’s true.”

“I’m trying to visualize where that’s at.”

“Remember the dirt road that heads south just before the lane that you turn on from the highway?”

“I remember.”

“There’s only about two houses on that road, and they’re built on the east side of the road. After that, the road turns into rough forest service dirt track. She took her cruiser there and then found a big enough opening in the forest to drive into it over two miles east, back toward the mansion.”

She still couldn’t imagine what the woman was thinking. “Okay.”

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