Part 38 (1/2)
”Not quite,” Gia said, pointing over Jack's shoulder. ”What about those?”
Jack saw them too. Halfway up the pecan paneling... oddly shaped blotches, evenly s.p.a.ced around the room. They reminded him of- ”Crosses!” Charlie cried. ”Praise G.o.d, my prayers have been answered! He's driven the evil from this house!”
Jack wasn't so sure about that.
He watched the current slow and stop as the sucking center of the maelstrom stretched and lengthened into a line. An orange concrete floor slowly appeared as the blood rushed down through the large crack in its center.
”I'll be d.a.m.ned,” Jack said. ”It split the floor wide open.”
”No,” Charlie said. ”That already there. It cracked in the Friday night quake.”
Jack saw Lyle uncoil his blood-soaked body from its exhausted slump into a sitting position.
”The floor wasn't there a couple of minutes ago. I swear, the floor was gone gone when I was in there.” when I was in there.”
”We believe you,” Jack said.
The remaining blood seemed to evaporate, leaving the concrete dry and unstained.
Lyle moved down a couple of steps and poked the toe of his shoe against the orange floor. Apparently satisfied with its solidity, he stepped onto the concrete and walked around in a tight circle that did not cross the large crack.
”What happened here?” he said to no one in particular. ”Why? What does it mean? mean?”
Jack thought he had an answer, one he didn't like. If he was right, he wanted Gia far, far away from here.
”We'll try to figure it out later, Lyle,” he said, then turned to Gia. ”Let's get out of here.”
”No, wait,” Gia said, rising and moving past him down the stairs. ”I want to see those crosses.”
”Gia, please. This isn't a healthy place, if you know what I mean.”
She gave him one of her smiles. ”I know what you mean, but this involves me.”
”No, it doesn't. It-”
”Yes, it does,” Lyle said.
Jack gave him a hard look. ”Would you mind staying out of this, Lyle?”
”I can't. I'm in it up to my neck. And Gia's in it too. She's the only one who's seen the little girl. Doesn't that say something?”
”It says she should get the h.e.l.l out of here.”
Gia stepped out onto the floor. ”I just want to look at these crosses, okay?”
”No,” Jack muttered, rising and following her. ”Not okay. But I don't seem to have much say in the matter.”
Jack joined her where she'd stopped before one of the glistening red cross-shaped stains on the cheap paneling. The upright part ran about two inches wide and maybe ten inches high; the eight-inch crosspiece flared upward at each end and was set high, almost at the top of the upright. Jack counted eleven of them ringing the cellar wall, maybe six feet apart and about five feet off the floor.
”What a strange kind of cross,” Gia said. ”And they're the only things in the room still wet.”
”Not the only thing,” Lyle said. His clothes and dreads were still drenched in thick red blood. ”I've got to go change and take a shower.” He started to turn away, then swiveled back to them. ”That's known as a tau tau cross, by the way. Named because it looks like the cross, by the way. Named because it looks like the T T in the Greek alphabet; it's also the last letter in the Hebrew alphabet.” in the Greek alphabet; it's also the last letter in the Hebrew alphabet.”
Jack stared at him. How did he know all this stuff?
”Tau...” Charlie said. ”I remember reading in the prophet Ezekiel how the faithful of G.o.d would all be signed on the forehead with the letter tau” tau” He looked around, nodding. ”Yes, this definitely shows that we were saved by the hand of the Lord.” He looked around, nodding. ”Yes, this definitely shows that we were saved by the hand of the Lord.”
Jack took a closer look. ”But the cross piece doesn't quite make it all the way up.” Each showed a little nubbin of the upright on top. ”Not quite a capital T T.”
As if on cue, all the b.l.o.o.d.y crosses faded away.
”Look!” Lyle cried, holding out his arms. His clothes were clean and dry, and not a trace of red on his skin or hair. ”The blood! It's gone! As if it never happened!”
”Oh, it happened,” Jack said, pointing to the banister railing on the floor. ”And now it's time to go.”
”No, you can't,” Lyle said. ”We need to talk about this. Everything that's been happening here since the earthquake-”
”'Everything'?” Jack said. ”You mean there's more?”
”Yes. Lots more. And I believe it's all connected to Gia. Maybe even the earthquake.”
Jack glanced at Gia and saw her startled look. He turned back to Lyle. ”Look, I know you just had a bad experience, so-”
”Listen to me. It's all starting to fall into place. We've been living here almost a year now and in all that time we've experienced not one strange thing.” He looked at his brother. ”Am I right, Charlie?”
Charlie nodded. ”True that. But since Friday night it been one thing top another.”
”Right. All the weirdness started Friday night when Gia stepped into this house. The instant she crossed the threshold we had an earthquake, for Christ sake!”
”I crossed with her. We entered together, if you remember. Maybe it's me.”
Jack knew knew it was him, but didn't want to go into that now. He wanted Gia out of here. it was him, but didn't want to go into that now. He wanted Gia out of here.
”But you're not the one who's seen the little girl. On any other day in my life I'd say Gia's arrival with the earthquake was pure coincidence, but not today. Not after what I just went through. And she's the only only one who's seen this little girl. I'm telling you, I feel it in my gut: that child is connected to what's been going on, and Gia's connected to the child. I want to know how.” one who's seen this little girl. I'm telling you, I feel it in my gut: that child is connected to what's been going on, and Gia's connected to the child. I want to know how.”
”So do I,” Gia said. ”I mean, that is, if it's true. Because I saw a hand sticking out of that pool. It was right in front of you three but none of you could see it. So either I'm crazy or I'm connected. Either way, I want some answers too.”
”Okay, fine,” Jack said. He knew Lyle was wrong, but could see from the way this conversation was going that he wasn't going to get Gia home any time soon. ”We'll discuss it. But not here. I don't think this house is a healthy place for Gia. There's got to be a restaurant or someplace where we can get a booth and hash this out.”
Charlie turned to Lyle. ”How about Hasan's up on Ditmars?”
Lyle nodded. ”That'll do. On a Tuesday night we can have our pick of the tables. But first I want to take a shower.”
”Why?” Jack said. ”You look perfectly clean.”
”Maybe, but I don't feel feel clean. You three go ahead. It's a easy walk. I'll catch up with you.” clean. You three go ahead. It's a easy walk. I'll catch up with you.”