Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Nigel scanned the seance room one last time.
Everyone had a canister of salt beneath their chair, and Oscar wore a static discharge strap on each wrist, the ends with the alligator clips dangling free.
If worse came to worst and he was possessed, it was Nigel’s job to attach the clips to the iron ladder and ground them.
That should drain off enough of the spirit’s energy for Oscar to eject it.
Assuming Nigel was fast enough.
No, this was just a precaution. They’d all learned a lot since the disastrous seance in the Matthews house.
Also by way of precaution, Chris had liberated the fire extinguisher from the trailer.
Open flame in an old house could be a recipe for disaster.
They’d removed the melted candles from the candelabra and replaced them with fresh ones—white in this case, though according to Dr. Lawrence and his own research, the color didn’t actually make any difference.
As Nigel settled into a chair beside Oscar, Ethan went around shutting the remaining windows, to keep the steady breeze from blowing out the candles. With the sun down, the room shouldn’t heat up too badly in the time it would take to conduct the seance.
Tina sat on Oscar’s other side, followed by Chris, then Ethan, followed by Ms. Montague and Dr. Lawrence. Ethan hadn’t found the ledger, and neither Montague nor Lawson had touched it since it had been put away.
According to the first interview with the Vanderwalls, the ghostly manifestations began with items being moved, then turning up elsewhere.
And in the second, Andy said Gloria had played in the woods with him, which suggested she could leave the house.
She’d thrown the ledger; maybe it had some significance to her and she’d moved it back into the house.
Either way, Dr. Lawson said she’d laid down a line of salt at the trailer door, as well as the windows. If Gloria did turn out to be dangerous, that would at least keep them safely out of her reach.
A night vision camera and a thermal cam were both set up and recording. Oscar picked up the grill lighter from their seance kit and lit the candles. The small flames flickered a bit; the old house was far from airtight.
“Is everyone ready?” Oscar asked, glancing around the table. “Okay, turn off your head lamps and join hands.”
The room plunged into near total darkness, illuminated only by the candles.
Nigel joined hands with Oscar and Dr. Lawrence, and immediately wished his palms were less sweaty.
Dr. Lawrence’s fingers were dry and thin in his, the bones fragile as a bird’s.
She trembled slightly; neither woman had said much since coming into this room, but both had stared for a long time at the boarded-up window.
“Everyone take three deep breaths. Really focus on them,” Oscar instructed. Nigel did his best to concentrate on his breathing, not the nerves that were trying to creep in now that the seance was actually underway.
The candlelight illuminated Oscar’s features with its warm glow. “We are here tonight to speak with the spirit of Gloria Ullman,” he said. “Gloria, you’re welcome to join us. Robin Sawyer, you are also welcome. No other spirits may enter this space.”
A long pause. Then he went on, “Draw on the energy of the circle if you need to do so. Gloria, Robin, if you’re here, let us know with a knock.”
A loud rap immediately sounded from just behind Nigel.
Nigel’s fingers twitched and his breath hitched. The close air of the room began to cool, as if the seasons were racing by and autumn setting in.
“Gloria has joined us.” Oscar’s throat worked as he swallowed. “Gloria Ullman, if your intent be peaceful, you may speak through me. You may not take over my body, only use it to communicate.”
He closed his eyes. A slight tremor went through the hand wrapped around Nigel’s.
Then his eyes flew open, revealing only blank, white orbs.
Even though he’d expected it, the reality almost made Nigel jerk away and break the circle.
Oscar’s face had gone as blank as his eyes, and when he spoke in a soft voice in a higher register than usual, it made all the hair on the back of Nigel’s neck stand up.
As if his boyfriend had been replaced by an imposter badly playing a part.
“Hello,” Gloria said through Oscar. “I’m glad you’re here.”
His heart thudded, but Nigel forced himself to speak. “Why is that, Gloria?”
“Because I like to talk to people.” Her white gaze fixed on Dr. Lawrence. “I talked to you before. But you didn’t listen.”
Dr. Lawrence licked her lips. “Gloria…did you kill my friend? Did you kill Robin?”
“Yes.”