Hunting Witches Page 6

  Nika wiped her mouth and stood up. “You know, I’m ashamed to admit this, but it’s a bit of a turn-on when your patriarchal side comes out.” She trotted down the hallway to get dressed.

  “Hey, Mr. Pendleton!” Tommy yelled through the broken window. “Think we’ve got you figured out.”

  Mark opened the front door. “Come on in,” he said. “Would you like some coffee?”

  “If it’s not any trouble,” Tommy said.

  “Nah,” Mark said. “It’s already made. No trouble at all.”

  He held the door open and the two men entered. They followed Mark into the kitchen. “How do you take your coffee, gentlemen?” Mark asked.

  “Just black is fine,” Tommy said. Rafferty held his hand up and shook his head, saying nothing.

  “He don’t drink coffee,” Tommy said.

  The men were discussing measurements and materials when Nika walked into the kitchen. Mark didn’t notice her at first, but Rafferty did. He raised his eyes without moving his head, making his eye sockets look like dark canyons.

  Nika could feel the stranger’s gaze on her, like a tick on bare skin. She instinctively covered her breasts with her arms, but the man’s intense staring didn’t feel sexual. Predatory, yes, but in a different way. She was a cricket and he was a wolf spider.

  “Oh!” Mark said. “Hey, babe!” Mark had seen her on the kitchen perimeter and was waving her in to the table. Keeping her chest protected, she walked in.

  Tommy quickly offered his hand without waiting to be introduced. “Tommy Clark, Tommy’s Glass.” Nika lightly shook his hand and told him her name. Tommy pointed over his shoulder. “That there’s Rafferty. He don’t talk much.” Rafferty nodded once. Nika waved politely.

  “Well, the good news is this is not going to cost nearly as much as I thought it was going to,” Mark said. “Tommy says the glass that was…”

  “See, the glass what was in there,” Tommy interjected, “was just some cheap single pane glass. Something could have flown up while you were mowing the lawn and chipped that window. We can get you some good reinforced glass, double pane, for about the same as some Bell Plains shyster would charge you for the same shit you had in there. Excuse the language. I ain’t sayin’ it could withstand a brick, but it might.”

  “Well, that’s great,” Nika said.

  “Sounds like a ‘yes’ from the wife,” Tommy said.

  “How long will it take you to get it replaced?” Nika asked.

  “We leave now,” Tommy said, “come back, have it done by four in the afternoon.”

  Mark clapped his hands. “Gentlemen, you are so charged to fix our window.”

  “Huh?”

  “Um… git ‘er done.”

  Tommy smiled. “All right, then! We’ll be back in a bit!” The men shook Mark’s hand vigorously as they left, like a preacher after a particularly short sermon.

  When they had left, Mark laughed. “That Rafferty is an affable character, isn’t he?”

  Nika waggled the fingers on both her hands. “Creepy.”

  “While we’re waiting for them to get back,” Mark said, “Bo gave me the name of the security company who installed the alarm system in the office.”

  “Oh, honey,” Nika said. “It’s so much money.”

  “We got an ‘old boy’s network’ discount because of Bo. It won’t be that expensive and we obviously need it.”

  Before Nika could protest any more, the phone was in Mark’s hand. That was settled, then. Mark was in alpha male mode. It was better just to let him handle it.

  When Tommy Clark came back, Mark wandered outside with them to shoot the shit. Nika went into the backyard. She had gotten her fill of macho bullshit for the day and chose not to listen to them yammer on about power tools.

  Late fall afternoons in Elders Keep felt like mid-summer other places. The sun was out and the birds and insects were having a shouting match, trying to drown each other out. Humidity was beginning to thicken the air, and Nika was covered by a fine sheen of sweat before she knew it. She put her hand against one the standing stones. It was cool against her palm. What to do with this section of the yard? She pondered planting different flowers around the base of each of the three monoliths. Perhaps a seasonal plan, like planting mums around one for fall, begonias around one for summer, tulips for spring. Nothing for winter, of course, the season of death. Leave the ground fallow. Let it rest.

  Then again, the stones were almost the same height. She could put a canopy across the top, something natural looking, organic. She walked backwards away from the stones, trying to gauge how tall and how far apart they were. She didn’t want to put anything up that would look like she was growing pot and trying to hide it from the cops. She had seen that in movies.

  The thought of iced tea ran through her mind, and it seemed like the best idea in the world. Nika turned to go back into the house and bumped off of Rafferty’s chest. She stumbled backwards. Rafferty scowled down at her. Nika stifled a scream. He was looking at her that way again, and she was sure something terrible was going to happen to her in her own backyard. A monster had gotten in, and she was powerless against it.

  “What do you want?” she whispered.

  Rafferty said nothing, but pointed towards the house. He kept eye contact with her, never blinking. She glanced at the back of the house, but saw nothing.

  “What about the house?” she asked.

  “Nika! Come on around!” Mark was calling her from the front of the house. “Glass is in!”

  Rafferty nodded.

  Was that it? Had he come around to get her? “Thank you,” she stammered, and she ran for the back door. She almost slipped on the linoleum dashing through the kitchen, and when she hit the carpet of the living room, she practically tumbled head over heels. That would have been silly; she could have flipped over hard and gone through the front window. That would have buggered the whole day.

  Mark and Tommy were standing outside, waving at her through the new living room window, like children on an amusement park ride. Plastic tarp littered the front lawn in shreds.

  Mark knocked on the glass, like he was trying to get a fish’s attention at an aquarium. “See?” he yelled. “Strong!”

  Nika smiled and nodded. “Looks good,” she said distinctly, before walking outside to join her husband.

  Admiring a recently finished piece of work never made sense to Nika. You do something, check it once and if it’s good, it’s good. Move on. Men didn’t function that way. The way Mark and Tommy stood in front of the recently installed piece of glass, arms crossed, nodding, as if it were a newborn baby, only proved this fact.

  “How’s it look?” Mark asked her.

  “Well, it’s certainly clear,” she said. “And much better than the plastic.”

  “We went old school and glazed it in,” Tommy said. “I think it’s the best way, personally. It will take about twenty-four hours for it to cure up, but that sucker’s in there, and in there good.”

  “Looks good!” Mark exclaimed.

  “Looks good,” Tommy echoed. “Yes, sir.”

  “Yep,” said Nika. She put her hands into her front pockets and rocked back and forth on her heels. “Sure does look mighty fine.” Mark caught on to what she was doing and shot her a bemused look.

  “Well, sir,” Tommy said, “I guess me and Rafferty will be heading out. I’ve got your information, and the girl at the office will bill your insurance company. One less hassle for you folks to take care of.”

  “We appreciate it, Tommy,” Mark said, and then there were handshakes all around. As Tommy and Rafferty pulled away, Mark and Nika stood outside waving until the work truck was out of sight.

  “Good Lord, Mark,” Nika said. “What did you stick this thing in there with, pure testosterone? Smells like the monkey house out here.”

  Mark slipped an arm around her shoulder. “Honey, someday you’ll understand that’s just how men do business.”

  She laughed and pulled a
way from him. “So fucking weird,” she mumbled.

  “Let’s get some iced tea, shall we?” Mark said.

  “Sounds good! I was thinking that myself.” As they walked into the house, Nika asked, “Say, did you send that Rafferty guy around to the backyard to get me?”

  “What?” Mark sounded surprised. “No. Why would I do that? You already said he was creepy.”

  “I didn’t think you would,” she said.

  “Come on, kid,” he said, squeezing her hand. “Let’s get some tea. I thirst.”

  ***

  The security people called and set an appointment for the next day. “I’ll be at work,” Mark said, “but the guy said whoever shows up to install the system will be wearing a uniform and have an ID badge to show you before you let him in.”

  “Good,” Nika said. “I appreciate that.”

  “He should be here around ten in the morning. Is that cool?”

  Nika fanned her face with her hand. “Well, lawzy, I suppose I’ll have to break my rigorous routine of pedicures and eating ice cream bon-bons, but I’m fairly sure I can haul my ass out of bed and get dressed by ten.”

  “Always a smart-ass remark with you,” Mark sighed.

  “You knew what you were getting into before you married me,” Nika said curtly.

  “Yes, I did,” he said. “And don’t ever change. Couldn’t stand a serious girl for a wife.”

  “Me either,” Nika said.

  ***

  “That is all so fucked up, dude. Unbelievably fucked up. Are you sure you don’t want to take tomorrow off, too?”

  Over the phone, Bo’s voice was so loud Nika could hear it across the room. Mark had to hold it away from his ear so he didn’t go deaf.

  “Nah, it’s cool,” Mark said. “The security system guys are coming tomorrow morning.”

  “What are you gonna do tonight?”

  “Eat dinner. Go to sleep. I mean, the window is fixed. Last night was just an isolated incident. We need to get back to normal.”

  “You got a gun?” Bo asked.

  “No,” Mark scoffed.

  “You want one?”

  “A gun? Are you serious?”

  Nika shook her head at Mark, mouthing the word “no.”

  “Fuck, dude,” Bo said. “I’ll give you a gun. I got plenty of ‘em. Don’t need ‘em all. They ain’t all exactly registered either, if you get my drift.”

  “Jesus, Bo. Why do you have unregistered weaponry in your possession?”

  “Because this is Tennessee, motherfucker, and sometimes the New South still thinks it’s the Old South. God, guns and guts, my friend. It’s what made this country great.”

  Mark shook his head. “Thanks, but no thanks. Nika won’t have that kind of action in the house.”

  “Suit yourself, bro,” Bo conceded. “But you watch your ass out there in the Keep. I tried to tell you. Bell Plains is the tracks. Elders Keep is the wrong side of them.”

  “Yeah, I hear you,” Mark said. “Look. I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”

  “All right, man. Keep it sleazy.” Mark disconnected the call.

  “It still cracks me up that you ended up working for Dude Bro Dot Com,” Nika said. “You’re so not like that.”

  “It’s kind of refreshing,” Mark said. “There’s lots of grunting and farting in the office and they’ve banned herbal tea. It’s like a locker room built in a cave.”

  “Sounds delightful,” Nika said.

  “Excuse me while I scratch my balls.”

  ***

  Dinner was simple: soup and sandwiches. Nika had turned on the classic rock station, and the soothing sounds of Mötley Crüe drifted through the house. They held hands while they ate. Mark caught Nika glancing at the new front window every once in a while, like she was making sure it was still there. He understood that.

  She would feel better once the alarm system was installed. He would, too, honestly. He was no longer secure in the thought of leaving Nika by herself during the day. Rationally, he knew they were safe. It would be stupid to come right back. They would wait a while. Let normalcy return. Then, they would come back when least expected. That’s how bullies operated.

  And the Pendletons would be ready.

  Mark had already decided to take Bo up on his offer. He had even figured out where to hide the gun so Nika wouldn’t find it.

  Like it or not, they would be ready.

  ***

  They hadn’t bought any outdoor furniture yet. Winter was coming soon, and that’s when all the good deals came down. So they slipped on some jackets, pulled a couple of the kitchen chairs out into the backyard to watch the sun go down.

  “It really is nice here,” Mark said, “regardless of what happened.”

  “I just want to forget what happened,” Nika said, rubbing her hands together. “Just forget it and move on.”

  “Me too, baby,” he said. “Me too.”

  The sky was a violent purple, with some bright orange streaks bleeding through. The chill in the air was becoming more pronounced. Mark pointed towards the standing stones.

  “We should build a fire pit in the middle of those,” he said. “That would be awesome.’

  Nika slapped his hand. “No! I’m putting flowers there!”

  “Oh, come on! We could build it up with river rocks, put a cooking grate over it, it would be great. It would be like roasting weenies at Stonehenge.”

  Nika shook her head. “You don’t get control of the yard, Paleface. That’s mine. You do whatever you want with windows and shit, but the yard is mine.”

  Mark laughed. “Fine. I concede. Shall we sign a treaty?”

  She put her hand on his thigh. “I think I know a way to seal the deal.”

  “Does it involve nudity?”

  She smiled. “Nudity, adult language and adult situations.”

  “I really like all of those things,” Mark said.

  “We should go inside,” Nika whispered.

  “Twist my arm,” Mark replied.

  “Leave the chairs,” Nika said. “I’ll get them in the morning.”

  Mark took Nika’s hand and helped out of her chair, like a gentleman. She giggled, and they walked into the house together.

  Inside the kitchen, barely concealed by the shadows, were three people, standing stock still, wearing black clothes, ski masks and work gloves. The Pendletons were surprised, and in that moment of hesitation, two of the strangers grabbed them, pulling their arms behind their backs.

  The remaining person stepped forward, spread his arms and gazed down at the terrified couple.

  “Children,” he said. “Let the cleansing begin.”

  It was then that Nika screamed, knowing that it would do no good. The neighborhood was empty. They had no neighbors. There was no protection, no safety. The new window hadn’t mattered. Nothing did. None of their hopes or dreams had made the slightest dent in the universe. Their silent hopes that everything would be okay were hollow, a bad mantra, like frightened pioneers, praying to their gods that the fire won’t die out, that the wolves don’t show up in the middle of the night. Not this time. Not tonight.

  But the wolves are there, always, even when they can’t be seen. They exist just outside the light of the campfire, waiting for darkness to descend, so they can feed.

  Part Two

  History Lessons

  It was almost three in the morning, and Sheriff Graham Strahan was scratching the palm of his left hand. It shouldn’t have still been itchy. After all, it had been almost a year since former Sheriff Will Brackins had held him at gunpoint and carved strange, arcane symbols into Graham’s flesh with a hunting knife before shooting himself. It was also the night Will Brackins murdered his wife by shooting her while she sat in her favorite chair in the living room.

  Time heals all wounds, but it doesn’t do shit for the scars.

  It had been a strange and difficult night, and to say it had left Strahan unaffected would be a lie. Take this moment, for examp
le. It was almost three in the morning and Sheriff Graham Strahan was digging at his ravaged hand while sitting in his cruiser outside the former home of the deceased Brackins family. Even though it was no longer officially a crime scene, it was never put on the market. It sat in the middle of the street like an abscess, a brightly dark place, doomed to be known as haunted by generations of Elders Keep children to come.

  “You did just fine, Deputy,” Strahan said. “You did what I told you to do at their house, right?”

  Moon nodded. “Oh, yes, sir,” he said. “I hung that mirror up in front of whatever it was Sheriff Brackins drew on the wall. Even if the news wants to take pictures through the front window, they’ll never see it. I never saw anything like that before, Sheriff. What do you think it means?”

  “Well, Deputy,” Strahan said, “I don’t know. I reckon I’ll have to do some police work and figure it out.”

  Strahan had never done that work. There were dozens of crime scene photo Deputy Moon had taken. He had never looked at them. Strahan had also never worked up the balls to break through the faded crime scene tape, break through the front door and go back into that copper and carbide smelling living room and look behind that mirror.

  Strahan hated to sleep. In his dreams, he relived that scene with Brackins, trapped in a meeting room at the Highlander Lodge, handcuffed and powerless. There were no answers then. There were few answers now. Even the Book of Shadows Brackins had left, sort of an instruction manual for being the sheriff of a town like Elders Keep, wasn’t much help.

  And that was the problem with the Keep; it wasn’t like other places. Good and evil had set up their own little mosh pit in his little town. Surrounded by the mountains and the forest, the Keep was the perfect stage for age-old powers to duke it out. Brackins had grasped this, but it had driven him mad. Graham had only a dim understanding of how the Keep worked, what it was. Strange things happened in the Keep all the time, isolated incidents of brutality and high weirdness. It made it difficult to enforce the law with any absoluteness. Graham found himself the keeper of secrets, frequently having to cover things up in order to preserve the public peace.