The Cabin on Grey Lake, page 11
“We’ll see. He’s pretty mad.” Nicole walked out the door.
Randy sat and watched Nicole get into her car and drive away. He sighed and pulled his cell phone from his pocket and went through his contacts. When he found the one he wanted, he dialed.
“Doctor Faber’s office.”
“This is Randy Henderson. My daughter Tessa is a patient there.”
“Yes, Mr. Henderson. How may we help you?”
“Tessa just had her annual checkup, but I’m a bit worried about her.”
“Does she seem ill?”
“Not at the moment. May I schedule an appointment to talk with the doctor?”
“Certainly, Mr. Henderson. We have an opening Thursday afternoon. How is two-forty-five?”
“I’ll take it.”
***
Nicole pulled into the drive and got out of her car. As she walked up onto the porch, Ben met her at the door.
“I’ve been worried sick about you,” Ben said as he held his arms out to Nicole. “If you needed some time alone, you should have mentioned it to me. I would have understood.”
“It’s a little more complicated than that, Ben. I don’t know if I was panicked because we got married so soon after I divorced Randy, or what. I do love you and I’m sorry. Please, don’t be angry.”
“I’m not angry, Nikki. Just a little confused. I thought you trusted me.”
“Of course I trust you. I should have said something, but I was afraid. It won’t happen again. I think I have a handle on it.”
Ben led Nicole into the house and to the kitchen table. He sat in front of the cup of coffee he had poured for himself earlier and pointed out the half-full pot to Nicole. Nicole poured herself a cup, removed her coat and joined Ben at the table.
“Did you find what you were looking for at the lake?” Ben asked.
“I can’t say I found anything. I think I feel a greater appreciation for what I have than I did when I left. That is, if you aren’t having second thoughts about marrying me.”
“Not in the least. Just don’t run off anymore. If you want your space, tell me so. This is a large house and I have a big-assed workshop out back. I don’t mind getting out of your way on occasion.”
“If I ever feel the need to be alone, I’ll tell you. I can’t say solitude is the reason I wanted to go to the lake. I was just drawn there. It was as if there was something I needed to do, or see. I know that sounds strange. I can’t explain it. I just needed to go there and it had to be that day.”
“If you ever need to go again, please tell me. I might even go with you.”
“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea, Ben. Randy is upset I took the keys without telling him. He’s changing the locks and everything. I really screwed up.”
“Maybe we’ll find our own place to visit. It won’t be exactly the same—”
“Why are you so damned understanding?” Nicole asked. “You should be yelling at me right now. I ran off without telling you where I was going. With my past, you had to be thinking the worst.”
“Maybe I was,” Ben replied, “but when Randy told me where he believed you’d gone, I started thinking.” Ben reached inside Nicole’s handbag and pulled out her copy of Mack’s book. “I noticed you’ve been spending a lot of time reading and rereading this lately.”
“This man believes he knows what’s bothering Beka,” Nicole said.
“Is it possible what’s in here goes a long way toward explaining some of your issues?” Ben took Nicole’s hand. “Please come with me.”
Ben led Nicole to the double sliding doors of his home office and library. He pushed the doors to the side and beckoned her to follow him in. He guided her toward the bookshelves and pointed out a single shelf. “This is my collection. There are books here I’ve kept since I was a child.”
Nicole looked at the shelf in astonishment. It was populated by books about unidentified flying objects, ancient astronauts and other paranormal phenomena.
“I was fascinated by UFOs and the ancient astronaut theory as a young boy,” Ben said. “Maybe not so much now, but back then…”
Nicole’s eyes were drawn to two volumes. One was titled The Interrupted Journey and the other, Communion. “Doctor Johnson mentions these two in his book,” she said.
“They’re probably the two most widely read volumes on the subject,” Ben replied. “There are a few books that are more definitive, though. I can recommend a favorite if you would like to read it. I wouldn’t recommend reading it late at night, or alone.”
Nicole smiled and tried not to cry. “I don’t know what to say.”
“I want to share something with you I don’t normally talk about with other people,” Ben said. “Maybe it’ll help.”
“Go ahead.”
“I’ve always been interested in this subject, but as a kid,” Ben said, “I could never get enough. For each book on this shelf, I’ve probably read an additional ten. These are just the books I thought were worth keeping. I’ve never seen a damned thing in the sky, or on the ground, I couldn’t identify. It’s strange, too; because both of my parents and my paternal grandmother told me they’d seen lights in the sky they knew weren’t planes or helicopters. A bunch of my cousins have, too.”
“I don’t know if I should be upset or grateful for that,” Ben continued. “I’m constantly looking at the sky; at night, anyway. I sometimes think I look too hard, or maybe in the wrong places.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Then let me tell you about one of the earliest memories I have as a child,” Ben explained, “Not too long after my third birthday, my mother hired a woman to come and clean our house. My younger sister was due in less than six weeks and Mom couldn’t do it herself.”
“When the cleaning woman showed up at the door, Mom invited her in and another, much older woman walked in behind her. My mother showed the cleaning lady around the house and while they were busy, the older woman sat on the sofa. She had white hair and she wore a long coat and a blue scarf over her head.”
“I introduced myself and asked her name. She just smiled and didn’t say anything. Not a minute later, Mom and the cleaning lady came back into the front room. I was about to speak to the old woman once more, but she held her finger up in front of her lips to shush me.”
Ben laughed out loud. “That day after the cleaning lady left and took the old woman with her, I asked my mother who the old lady was. All she said was, ‘What old lady?’ So, I described the old woman and mentioned how she came in and sat on the sofa to wait while Mom and the cleaning lady went about their business.”
Ben grabbed Nicole’s hand and gave it a loving squeeze. “Mom must have felt somebody there too, because she didn’t tell me I imagined it. She called a different cleaning lady the next week.”
“I’m not sure how that applies to my situation,” Nicole said.
“I don’t know exactly how it does either,” Ben replied. “But, it has to make you feel a little better to know you aren’t the only one strange things have happened to.”
Chapter 29
Burt picked up the phone from his desk without looking to see who was calling. “Riley County Sheriff’s Office. This is Sheriff Nance.”
“Hello, Burt. Randy Henderson here. Have a minute or two?”
“It’s good to hear from you, Randy. Did Nicole make it back home in one piece?”
“Yes she did, Burt,” Randy replied. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“I see. What can I do for you?”
“I just wanted to let you know I’m coming down there to change the locks and reset the code on the alarm. I only have two days to get down and back, so I wanted to be sure there won’t be any snags getting your guy to come out and do the inspection before I take down the dialer. I’d hate to disconnect it and find I couldn’t get it re-hooked to the county dispatcher on the same day. I can’t afford to be there more than two days.”
“Just let me know which days and I’ll make it a point to have the inspector looking for you. I can even have him come out on Saturday if you need him to.”
“Thanks, Burt, but that won’t be necessary. I’ll be down there next Monday and Tuesday.”
“I’m penciling you in for those days on my calendar, now,” Burt said. “After all the commotion out there, we’ll be happy to get you fixed up as soon as possible.”
“Commotion?” Randy asked. “What commotion?”
“Didn’t Nicole tell you about the trail of footprints we found from the Mission Ridge substation to your cabin?”
“No,” Randy said. “She never mentioned it.”
“I don’t want to speak out of turn, but I found it uncomfortably strange Nicole would show up alone on the very night the substation was vandalized without anyone knowing she was coming.”
“I don’t know why Nicole came down there, Burt. That’s why I’m changing the locks and resetting the alarm. I want to be sure you and I both know if she ever heads in that direction again.”
There was a pause in the conversation.
“Okay, Randy. I understand. We’ll be looking for you on Monday then.”
Chapter 30
Randy was having a cup of coffee when Burt and the alarm tech showed up.
“I hope we didn’t keep you waiting too long, Randy,” Burt said.
“No problem,” Randy said as he let the technician through the front door and pointed toward the alarm panel. “I’ve had plenty to keep me busy. I didn’t think you’d be coming too, Burt.”
“I had something I needed to discuss with you.”
“That doesn’t sound good. What’s up?”
“Once Danny is through inspecting your alarm hookup, I was wondering if you’d take a little ride with me.”
“Sure. Where to?”
“I wanted to show you something up on Mission Ridge we can’t figure out.”
“What makes you think I’ll be able to help you with it?”
“You probably can’t, but I want you to look at it anyway.”
The alarm technician emerged from the front door of the cabin and headed for his truck. “You’re ready to go, Mr. Henderson. Your dialer wiring is good.”
“Thanks, Danny,” Randy replied.
Randy and Burt watched the truck travel down the snowy gravel road toward the highway.
“I guess you’ve already seen the trail in the snow leading away from your place.”
“The new snow’s covered it a bit, but I could still make it out. Nothing around the property has been disturbed.”
Burt motioned for Randy to climb into his cruiser. “I want you to see what’s at the other end of that trail.”
***
Burt and Randy exited the cruiser in front of the Mission Ridge substation. Burt led Randy along the fence and around to the rear. The round patch of burnt grass and weeds still sat, snow-free, even though an inch of new snow had fallen the previous evening.
“What does this look like to you?” Burt asked as he pointed out the burnt pine needles in some of the trees around the clearing. “We thought our copper thieves had melted the snow with a camp fire. That was before we found the topsoil had been thawed and burnt as well.”
“Burnt?” Randy asked. “Don’t you mean it had some charcoal or ashes mixed in?”
“No. I mean burnt. Down to about an inch. See for yourself.”
Randy knelt down and ran his fingers through the soil. It was dry and powdery. “That is strange. With the snow last night it should be like mud. I have no idea what happened here, Burt. I don’t know what can do this to soil. Maybe the high tension cable caused this when it broke and fell.”
“We thought about that. The section of cable over this area was practically vaporized. We found a piece hanging from the tower about halfway to the ground, but nothing hit the ground here.”
“I’m a CE, not a double-E, Burt. I can’t help you.” Randy stood back up and brushed the soil from his hands. As powdery as it was, it didn’t cling to his fingers. He was about to ask if there was anything else when he saw the frown on Burt’s face.
“What would Nicole be doing up here after midnight in the dead of winter, Randy?”
“What are you talking about? How do you know she was here?”
“When Roy and I followed this trail to your cabin, we found the floors and throw rugs soaking wet. Her house shoes were soaked, too. I can’t prove for certain she was up here, but it looks to me like that’s the case.”
“What are you saying, Burt?”
“I know you two are split up, now,” Burt said. “Is there anything Nicole is involved in that might not be considered on the up and up? Is that the reason you divorced?”
Randy laughed. “I don’t know how to answer that. She certainly hasn’t been involved in anything illegal.”
“If you’re sure.”
“I am, Burt. I’d swear to it.”
“Has she ever walked in her sleep?”
“Never.”
Burt turned to walk back to the cruiser. “Just so you know, the tracks run from here right to your front door. They don’t diverge at all.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, Burt.”
Chapter 31
Mack met Randy at his waiting room door and immediately invited him into his office to talk.
“I’m really sorry to show up on such short notice, Mack, but I didn’t know who else to talk to about this.”
“I don’t know if I can help you,” Mack said, “or if we should even talk. What exactly is this about?”
“Nicole broke into my home and stole the keys to my cabin at Grey Lake. She went down there without letting anyone know. I just came from down there and Burt Nance showed me some really weird stuff.”
“Like what?” Mack asked.
“A circle of dirt with every piece of vegetation burned out of it and an inch of topsoil that feels like dust and won’t mix with water.”
Mack looked uncomfortable. “If this doesn’t directly involve Beka, I should stay out of it.”
“I think your theory about abduction being the cause of Beka’s problems is correct. But, I think it affects Nicole, Summer and Tessa, as well.”
“That may be, but I’m not treating Nicole, Summer or Tessa.”
“That isn’t what I’m here about. I’ve read some of the warning signs in your book and I see a large number of them applying to almost every member of my family. You yourself told me the phenomenon is usually multi-generational.”
“That’s true, Randy, but you need to slow down here and not get carried away. What specifically do you want from me?”
“That circle was burnt into the ground in a hidden area. The pines around the area were burnt in a few places, too. It happened the very night Nicole was there. There was a trail in the snow between that circle and the front door of my cabin. Burt found the floors of the cabin soaking wet from the snow and Nicole’s house shoes were wet, too.”
Mack looked at Randy intently before answering. “I can’t tell you what happened that night, Randy. I don’t know. Have you asked your ex-wife about it?”
“Not yet.”
“You probably should. I can’t get involved. I’m not an expert on the paranormal. I only deal with stress disorders. I’ve found the abduction phenomenon creates them in people. That’s my only connection.”
“Is there someone who can explain what is happening to my family, Mack? Someone who might know for certain why Nicole felt compelled to go to the cabin in the first place and what might have happened there?”
“You’ll have to get Nicole to talk to you about it first,” Mack said. He looked as if something he dreaded had just manifested itself. “If she’s willing to discuss it, I might know somebody who can help you investigate it further. I don’t completely agree with this person on the possible causes of the phenomenon, and her methods are a bit unorthodox, but she’s had some success with a few of the folks I haven’t been able to reach. I just have one request.”
Randy nodded his head, excitedly. “Anything, Mack.”
“Please don’t drag, Beka into it. I haven’t really told her what I think caused her trauma. She’s seen you and Nicole with my book, but so far, I’ve been telling her it’s because that book is the one that most closely outlines my suggested therapeutic approach. I haven’t mentioned suppressed memories, nightmares or the like in any of her sessions, even though I’m sure she’s had some nightmares she can’t remember.”
“I promise not to mention this to Beka at all,” Randy said. “But, I have a question. What kind of nightmares are you talking about? What do they have to do with what I’m asking?”
“The reason they call it the ‘abduction’ phenomenon is simple,” Mack said. “The victims generally believe alien beings come into their homes at night and take them to who knows where against their will. Before the flying saucer age was upon us, people called them trolls, gnomes or even leprechauns, so the phenomenon isn’t something new. I can’t say for sure what happens to abductees, but the root of the stress disorder is usually something that frightens the victim so much their subconscious suppresses it from their waking memory. If you choose to explore this further, that’s where the colleague I’ll be referring you to will want to begin.”
“Are you saying you believe the cause of Beka’s problems may be nightmares about aliens that frightened her so much, she doesn’t want to remember them?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Mack replied. “I’m going on the assumption she dreamt she was abducted when she was very young and impressionable and that started the ball rolling. If you or Nicole say something to make her remember that nightmare before she’s ready to, you could undo all the progress I’ve made with her.”
“Summer has nightmares about aliens, too. Could she end up like Beka?”
“If she remembers the nightmares, they haven’t scarred her psyche like they have Beka’s.”
“Why would both of them be having nightmares, Mack?”
