I shrugged. “If there is a demon then it’s probably the demon’s influence, but if Lucy isn’t possessed, they just are done with each other. Keep in mind though that demons cause discord and stress in the people closest to them. It gives them strength. So, I might as well take note of it and wait and see if it is connected to Lucy.”
Tabby rubbed the back of her neck. “So, when are you contacting the church? I don’t think this can go on much longer.”
We walked over to a garden bench and sat down. It was cold, too cold, but neither of us wanted to brave the house to get our coats. “It isn’t that simple,” I said. “We need to meet their criteria. Guess how many of the criteria we have met so far?”
“I don’t know,” Tabby said.
“None. They won’t even consider a thing until she proves the speaking of a language she couldn’t possibly know.”
“What about your note this morning?” she asked.
I chuckled sadly. “Well, that would have been great if it hadn’t disappeared in thin air. I need to get her speaking on tape.”
“Thus the security camera.”
“Exactly. Imagine how much of a case we would have if she spoke to herself in a different language.”
“I don’t know, Jimmy,” Tabby said. She stood up and started walking around. She was getting too cold, I could tell. “I don’t think video cameras are on Will’s mind right now.”
I stood up and walked over to her. “Worse comes to worse, one of us could buy a video camera. That just means we’ll be spending a Hell of a lot more time with Lucy.”
She smiled. “Which we need to do anyway.”
“True, very true.”
We stood there, stamping our feet and looking at the snow. Soon, Will came out of the house. “I’m sorry,” he said.
I shivered. “It’s okay. It gave Tabby and I some time to figure out a few things.”
“Like what?” he asked.
“Well, we need Lucy on tape speaking. The sooner the better. I’m starting to think that if the church isn’t involved soon, this family is going to completely self destruct.”
Will scratched his head. “So, they sell security cameras at Costco?” Will asked Tabby.
“Well, they did at one time,” she said. “So, it’s probably worth a shot.”
Will nodded. “Tor has an appointment this afternoon for Lucy. Costco is about two hours from here. Could the both of you help Tor get Lucy to the doctor?”
I nodded.
“Of course,” Tabby said.
Will walked back towards the house.
“This is going to be interesting,” I said.
“You think?” Tabby said. “I’m the one who has to begin cleaning the crap out of my car!”
I laughed. I couldn’t help myself.
Chapter Twenty
Medicine
Getting Lucy into the car was no easy feat. First, all of Lucy’s IV’s and her feeding tube had to be unhooked. Then, Tor changed her nightgown and even before we took her downstairs, Tabby had to be ready near the front door with the back door of her car open.
“Why the back seat?” I asked Tor as she carried Lucy downstairs.
“Because,” she said. “If Lucy’s upfront, she’ll grab the wheel.”
I nodded. “What about a car seat?”
Tor chuckled sadly. “We stopped trying to get her in one. I’ll deal with it if we get pulled over.”
Lucy was strangely silent. I don’t know if she wanted to go for a car ride or if she wanted to see the doctor, but she said nothing. Then I heard my cell phone beep. I pulled the phone out of my pocket and looked at the screen. Tabby had sent me a text—she was ready for us.
We got downstairs. Tor held back while I opened the front door for her and Lucy. They left the house and I closed and locked the door behind me with the keys I’d been given.
I watched Tabby help Tor get into the car with Lucy. As soon as they looked settled, I got in on the passenger’s side. Tabby drove.
During the drive, everything seemed normal, that is until we passed a church.
“Malenki Bog,” Lucy said.
I turned around in the front seat to look at her. Tor looked at me, her eyes wide.
“What did you say, Lucy?” I asked.
“Yevo Nyet.”
It was just my luck. It figured, Lucy started speaking in different languages when I had no way to document her. I wished I knew what she was saying. It sounded like Russian.
Then Lucy laughed, her head laying against her mother’s chest. “Mnye ploho.”
Tabby pulled the car into the parking lot at the doctor’s office. It was in a small shopping center. The building was red brick with white wooden accents. The sign had federal style swirls on the top and bottom. Wilbur Sine, M.D. it said.
Tabby got us parked.
“Just wait here,” Tor said. “It will be easier. If I need anything, I’ll call.”
Tabby got out of the car and crossed around, opening Tor’s car door. Tor passed Lucy to Tabby while she climbed out of the car. In this light, Lucy looked like nothing scary, just a little girl way too sick for her age. Her skin was pale, yet slightly yellow. There were deep scratches around her face, most of which had healed. Her face looked practically branded with lines of scars. Tor headed towards the entrance to the doctor’s office. Tabby closed the car door, walked around to the other side of the car, and got back in.
“Well, what do you think of that?” Tabby asked.
I sighed. “I’m pissed cause we had nothing to record her with, but I don’t know if it would have been proof anyway.”
“How come?”
I tapped my fingers on the dashboard. “Will’s mother is Russian. She could have taught Lucy some words.”
Tabby shook her head. “I don’t know, Jimmy. Her accent was too good. It was like a native speaker. I mean, I took Russian in college. I know what Russian is supposed to sound like, and she had it down cold. Didn’t you say on the video you watched that Lucy sounded like a normal six-year-old?”
“Yeah.”
“So,” Tabby said. “How in the Hell is a kid whose main language is English, whose parents only speak English around her, able to deal with consonant clusters?”
I sighed. “It doesn’t matter anyway. We didn’t get it on tape. It is no proof.”
Tabby was quiet then. There was nothing I could do. I knew the church wouldn’t see it as proof. Lucy had to do something like speak biblical Greek for them to take the case seriously. Russian, would have been great, that is if Lucy didn’t have a Russian grandmother.
It was disappointing. It wasn’t that I thought I knew better, but it seemed like every time I got an idea, something was laughing at me; seriously wanting me to fail. If I knew what Lucy had said, it might have given me some clue as to where to turn, but I had no idea what she’d said. I really wished I spoke Russian.
###
About an hour later, Tor came out carrying Lucy. Lucy appeared to be sedated by the way she hung limply in Tor’s arms. I helped Tor get in the car and put Lucy on her lap.
“What did the doctor say?” Tabby asked.
Tor sighed. “That he would send in the paperwork for her to have another CAT scan. It if happens again, I’m supposed to take her to the emergency room. Thank God for good health insurance.”
I was quiet. I felt that it was better if I kept my mouth shut. Tabby seemed pissed at me. I guessed because, even though we’d heard it, Lucy’s language skills didn’t matter, but it wasn’t my fault that the church was so thorough. If the world was perfect, we wouldn’t even be here. How was any of this my fault?
There was no need for me to try to explain to her. When Tabby was mad, it was best to just let her calm down.
When we get back to the house, I helped Tor get Lucy into the house while Tabby parked her car around back. Hopefully, she’d calm down soon. I was going to need her help.
###
Later, we were back in the kitchen. Tor be
gan making lunch.
“Hey, Tor?” I asked, sitting down at the table.
“Yes, Jimmy?”
“Did Lucy’s grandmother teach her any Russian?”
Tor turned around. “Honestly, Will’s mother hasn’t spoken Russian in so long, she’s probably rusty. I’m almost positive that she’s taught Lucy nothing.”
I nodded. “Just making sure.”
She leaned her back against the counter. “What do you think, Jimmy, really?”
I’d been waiting for this question. I just wasn’t sure if I had the answer she wanted. “The truth is, I do think that there is a spirit haunting Lucy. Now, whether it is a full bore possession, I don’t know. But then, I wasn’t supposed to know. When I was a priest, I was just a regular parish priest, nothing special.”
Tor walked over and placed her hand on my arm. “Well, Jimmy, the church might have not thought of you as anything special, but I sure do. I can’t thank you enough for everything that you are trying to do for Lucy.”
I stood up. This wasn’t good. Tor seemed to be getting a little too friendly. The last thing I needed was for her to try to turn me into a rebound. Uggh. I gave Tor her hand back. “Tor, the only thing I can promise is that I’ll do my best to get this thing away from Lucy. Even if I have to do it myself.”
Her eyes teared up. She nodded, wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, and then walked back to the counter. I sat down at the table. There was no sense in doing anything else. I’d done all I could for Tor, now I just had to do my best for Lucy. Was it possible I would have to do the exorcism myself? Yes, but I would only do it if Will and Tor asked me to.
No matter what, I was trying the church first, and if Tabby couldn’t handle the church’s rules, I would just have to keep her out of it. I didn’t know anything else to do.
Tabby came in through the back door. She closed the door quietly behind her, ignoring me completely. She peered into the pot Tor was stirring.
“Whatcha making?” Tabby asked Tor.
Tor smiled. “Cabbage soup. I thought that with it as cold as it is, we could use something to warm us up.”
Tabby leaned over and smelled the pot. “Tor, you keep it up and you’ll become one of my favorite people.”
Tor laughed. “Go sit down, you silly thing. I can’t concentrate with you standing there.”
Tabby turned her sights on me. She pointed her finger in my direction. “And you mister, if you don’t start behaving yourself I might be forced to hurt you.”
Lucy’s laugh suddenly echoed across the ceiling.
“This is so weird,” Tabby said.
“Nah, weird is something not normal. This has been going on too long to be weird. What would be weird now would be to have Lucy appear in a flapper dress doing the old soft shoe.”
Tabby rolled her eyes.
Tor added ground beef to the pot and covered it with a lid. “You know, it wasn’t ever this bad until Will started talking about exorcism.”
This was news to me. It could mean something. “Really?” I asked.
Tor left the pot, walked over to the table and sat down. “Yeah. I mean things were escalating, but nothing like how it is now. I don’t know what’s going on.”
“Well, maybe I can help get you some answers. After Will fixes up the camera, we should be able to get the evidence we need for the church to get involved.”
She nodded. “I know it seems like we keep going over the same things, but I can’t help it. I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have Lucy.”
Tabby got up and put her hand on Tor’s shoulder. “Don’t think about that right now. It won’t do anything but upset you, and the more upset you are, the more you won’t be able to help Lucy.”
Tor patted Tabby’s hand and ushered her back down in her seat. “If I don’t get this,” she pointed at the stove,” finished now, it won’t be ready for when Will gets here.” She got up, walked over to the stove and began stirring the pot once again.
“So, Jimmy,” Tabby said. “What’s your big plan?”
“For what?”
Tabby smiled. “Life. I mean, prior to this it had been about three years?”
I nodded. “Yeah, three years since we broke up. What are you getting at?”
Tabby narrowed her eyes. “What are you doing with yourself?”
I paused. “Oh is this one of those talks?”
Tabby pursed her mouth on one side. “One of those what talks?”
I laughed. “One of those strange talks females feel males need to have.”
Tabby slapped the table a little too hard. The flower centerpiece almost toppled over. “Oh,” she said. “There we go with the chauvinistic crap huh? It gets a little uncomfortable, and you have to practice your avoidance capabilities.”
Tor sat back down at the table. “She’s right, you know.”
“Right about what?” I asked.
Tor smiled. “Men and their tendency to avoid talking about their feelings.”
I took several breaths, willing myself not to get hot-headed. “This is what I don’t get. One day, a woman wants a guy who is sensitive and in touch with his feelings— that’s what they think they want. Then, they are in a relationship with one and all they want is the bad guy.”
Tabby smirked. “No, we want a guy who will take care of us, but if need be can kick someone’s ass if we need them to.”
“Oh, is that it,” I asked.
“Yep,” she said.
“Alright then.”
“So back to the original question, what’s up with you?” Tabby asked.
I shook my head. “Absolutely nothing. Before all this,” I motioned with my hand. “I went to work, did a good job on my contracts, then came home and enjoyed my house.”
“Did you ever update that kitchen of yours?” Tabby asked.
“What, you don’t miss the green refrigerator?”
She laughed. “No, not really.”
I got up, walked over to the refrigerator and opened it. I got us all sodas and carried them back to the table, placing cans in front of them. “That kitchen is like me.” I sat down. “It’s old, familiar and simple with a bit of low class charm.”
“Is that what you call it?” Tor asked.
“Jimmy, you never change.” Tabby said.
I smiled. “That’s not true, I left the church for you, didn’t I?”
She was quiet then. I had rendered her speechless, not out of spite, but simply because I told the truth. If Tabby hadn’t come along, I would probably still be a priest. But I had stopped thinking about the past a long time ago.
The thing I knew about thinking about the past was that it did nothing but slow you down. I did my own share of dwelling, I’ll not deny it, but I came out of it stronger once I realized that the dwelling was taking my strength and leaving me with strength for nothing else.
###
Finally, a little after five, Will showed up. He clumped into the house through the back door with bags and boxes. He was completely out of breath.
“What took so long?” Tor asked.
I jumped up from the table and helped Will with some of the packages. After we got the bags and boxes into some sort of cohesive arrangement on the floor, Will threw himself into a kitchen chair.
“Costco didn’t have the camera system. I ended up going to four different stores in order to get everything we need, and made a side trip to an AV repair place and got instructions on how to set up the whole mess.”
“Is it going to be hard?” I asked.
Will shook his head. “It’s not supposed to be, but you know how those things always work out.”
“Well, there are four of us, maybe it really won’t be so bad,” I said.
“I hope not.”
Tor sighed. “Do I even want to know how much all this cost?”
“Probably not,” Will said, an odd look in his eye.
Tor got up, served him a bowl of cabbage soup and sat back down at the table. She
said nothing after that.
Apparently, their distress was coming from more than one direction. I didn’t want to pry, but it was hard hearing all of this. I was too close. Now, I knew about their marital problems, and there was a hint of financial problems. I hoped that the longer I stayed, they would realize that they were letting me know things I shouldn’t know, but somehow that seemed unlikely. Sometimes, I wondered if they forgot Tabby and I were even there.
Will ate in silence, but Tor and Will’s body language spoke for them. Although they sat next to each other, they made sure not to touch. It was strange to watch, and I didn’t want to, but something unwritten compelled me to watch anyway.
###
“Jimmy?” Will asked when Tor started doing the dishes.
“Yeah?”
“Want to help me get this set up?”
I got up from the table. Tabby followed. I figured she finally got tired of trying to help Tor, and being refused.
We dragged the boxes and bags upstairs. Lucy was eerily quiet. There wasn’t a peep of the noises.
Once we got to her door, Will knocked and opened it. “Lucy, honey? We are going to hook up this stuff, and then we’ll let you rest.”
We all stepped into the room. Lucy watched us, her eyes following us around the room. She seemed fascinated.
“Why not say what you mean, father?” Lucy said. “You are putting cameras in here to watch me, to see what I’ll do.”
Will paused. I could tell he was torn between knowing his daughter was only six-years-old and this thing making her speak years older than she was.
“Yes, Lucy,” he said. “We need to watch you.”
“Why, want some kiddy fuckers to see me, daddy?”
Will’s shoulders slumped. “No, Lucy. Why don’t you rest now?”
Lucy laughed, but it was a quiet laugh.
It was bad. Really bad. I just heard more than enough to give me the idea that she really was possessed. Six-year-olds just don’t talk like that.
It took over two hours to get the system running. To be honest, it could have been worse, but it was easily accomplished.
Finally, it was time to place the camera in the bracket and attach the cables. I volunteered to climb the ladder and do it. Will was exhausted from the traveling he’d done all day, and Tabby, well, I didn’t want her to deal with the pain of it.