The Spite House(66)

“Can you hear me, Stacy?” Miss Eunice said. “Wherever you are, just stay there. If you have found a place to hide, don’t come out, no matter—”

A man’s voice interrupted her. He was so angry and loud that Stacy couldn’t understand him. Miss Eunice just spoke over him. “Don’t come out for us. Wait for help to get here. I’ve already called—”

The man shouted Miss Eunice down again, and Stacy heard at least one word he said very clearly this time. He used the word “kill.” Stacy whimpered and thought, Why is this happening? I want to go home. Why can’t we just go home? Why?

She asked her dad “why?” the first time he told her that “run” means “run and hide.”

He got very serious with her, used a heavier voice that made him sound a little like Pa-Pa Fred when he was fed up with something, and said, “Stacy, you know better than to question me, don’t you?”

The Pa-Pa Fred voice scared her just a little. Pa-Pa Fred had never talked to her like that. He was always happy and encouraging with her. But she overheard him talk to Dad and Grandpa that way a few times, and it always sounded like Pa-Pa Fred became a different, meaner person when he talked like that. She didn’t like it.

“Yes, sir,” she said. “I know better, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Dad said, sounding like himself again. “Just trust me. I know what’s best.”

She trusted Dad, even though he and Dess sometimes didn’t want to answer her most important questions. Maybe they were as afraid to say the real answer as she was afraid to hear it. Because of you, Stacy. We left home and can’t stay anywhere and can’t see Mom again all because of you.

All of it was her fault. She’d done something that she couldn’t remember doing and made all of this happen. Now, because of something else she was doing—hiding—a man was shouting at Miss Eunice and saying he was going to do something bad to her. The same man scared Miss Lafonda into telling Stacy to run. Miss Eunice said she had called for help, but that might put whoever was coming in danger, too. Who did she call? Miss Dana? Someone else?

“Dess is coming back,” Stacy said, then put her hand over her mouth to prevent another accidental outburst. Still, it was good to hear her own voice—one she could be sure to trust—over all of the others she was having to filter, navigate, and pinpoint. It gave her a small amount of confidence, which saved her from breaking into tears when she heard the man shout again—closer this time—and heard Miss Eunice cry out. She sounded like she was in pain. She heard and felt the thump of something hard hitting the floor. Miss Lafonda cried out next and there was another hard thump that shook the wall beside the basket. They were right outside the room.

“You’re going to make me do something I don’t want to do,” the man said.

“The sheriff’s already on his way,” Miss Eunice said.

“Stop lying!”

“I pushed the button on my bracelet soon as I saw you, you fool. It goes right to the sheriff. I’ve just been waiting for him to arrive. He’s got to be close now. Tell him, Lafonda.”

“She’s right,” Miss Lafonda said.

“Okay, so you’re going to make me shoot it out with him?” the man said. “You think I won’t shoot him if I have to? I already told you I’m not leaving without the girl. This is your last chance to help, or else I’m going to kill you, too. Both of you.”

Hearing this alone might have prompted Stacy to do what she did next, or her concern for Dess coming back to the house to deal with the dangerous stranger. What immediately motivated her to climb out of her hiding place, however, was the vile glee she heard in voices of those she could not see.

Yes!

Kill her!

Do it!

She’s ours.

The last one.

Dead and ours at last.

Stacy could not know why they were saying this, but she knew that what they wanted must be wrong. Just like their attempt to make her remember what she’d forgotten was wrong. Everything about them felt wrong and evil.

They did not return their attentions to Stacy until she was already out of hiding and opening the bedroom door.

Wait!

Don’t!

He’ll hurt you.

Stacy entered the hall and shouted, “Stop! Don’t hurt anyone!”

The three grown-ups in the hall turned and looked at her. The man tried to put on a friendly mask, but all of his madness showed through it. Miss Lafonda looked like she might cry, and also like she couldn’t decide what to do next. Miss Eunice grimaced, clutched at her chest, and dropped to her knees. The face of her wristwatch brightened and turned red. A sound came from it like an alarm. I’m too late, Stacy thought. She’s already hurting, and it’s my fault.

The stranger approached Stacy, putting his gun behind his back and out of her sight after he extended his free hand to her.

“Hey there, Stacy. It’s Stacy, isn’t it? My name is Max. I know I might look like a bad guy, but I’m not. I just need you to come with me to help me with something. It’s about my wife. I think you can help her. Will you come with me to help her, please?”

Stacy willed herself not to tremble, and not to look away or even blink. She stared at him the way she’d stared at the big sharks behind the glass when Mom took her to the National Aquarium. The sharks scared her so bad she wanted to run outside the first time she saw them. But then her mother reminded her that they couldn’t get to her, and she felt possessed by the urge to be bigger than her fear and show the sharks that she had no reason to be afraid. No glass stood between her and this man who wanted to harm two people she liked, however. Which meant she needed to be even braver in front of him.