Demon's Well Read online

  “Okay, okay, very funny. Let’s get out of here,” conceded Jax.

  Back at the car, Remy leaned against the hood to catch his breath. “Ow! What the hell?”

  “What now, Rem?” asked Jax.

  “The engine is still hot on this thing. How can the hood still be this hot?”

  “Who cares? Let’s just get out of here,” complained Skyla.

  On the road, the mood settled to quiet relief. “I’ve been thinking,” said Jax, “I’m not sure that was a cop back there.”

  “How good a look did you get?” asked Skyla.

  “Only a glimpse and it was bad fireplace light, but there was something about the guy that didn’t look right.”

  “A cop made a fire in the fireplace?” asked Skyla. “Since when do the police build fires in somebody’s fireplace?”

  “They would if they were there to watch the place for a whole shift or something,” said Remy.

  “Why would the police station somebody at Demon House?” said Skyla sarcastically.

  “How about if there was a crime committed there?” countered Remy.

  “Okay, you’ve got me there. And after all, we are detectives investigating mysterious happenings,” commented Skyla.

  “Is that what this is all about?” asked Jax. “Are you playing amateur sleuth or something? Trying to solve the mystery of Demon House?”

  “It’s an idea,” she replied.

  “But there’d be crime scene tape around the place, if that was the case,” countered Remy. “The cop you saw, was he wearing a PC helmet? You know, the kind that’s rounded at the top?”

  “No. He didn’t have any hat at all. He did have a leather strap running down his back though.”

  “Cop, definitely” said Remy.

  “Oh yeah, he had black leather boots that came up to the knee.”

  “Oh man. Speed cop. He must have been on a motorcycle. That’s why we didn’t see any cars outside, and that’s why no hat. He left it on his bike.”

  “We made a clean get-away, my fellow sleuths. There’s nothing to worry about,” said Skyla confidently.

  “So did we satisfy your insatiable curiosity then? Are you over it?” asked Jax.

  “Are you kidding? We didn’t checkout any of the northern rooms and I must see the basement,” said Skyla.

  “Oh boy, here we go. Welcome to my nightmare.” mumbled Remy.

  “Besides, I still have these.” Skyla held up the keys they had found and jingled them.

  Jax stared silently ahead trying to get his mind around another trespass. He did his best to sound indifferent. “When would you want to make another trip?”

  “Tomorrow. This time I want to go during daylight. You miss too much using just flashlights. And I need to take some photos. I can’t do that well enough at night.”

  It was not the answer Jax was hoping for. “Aren’t you afraid they’ll be waiting for us after what happened tonight?”

  “And I got news for you, Missy. You’ll need flashlights in there even in the day. The place is like a tomb.”

  “We’ll be sly. We’ll make sure no one’s there and we’ll have a preplanned escape route,” said Skyla.

  “But why so soon?” asked Jax.

  “Time is of the essence,” she answered. “Haven’t you ever heard that?”

  “How about curiosity killed the cat, Sky? Ever hear that?” asked Remy.

  Chapter 2

  He stretched out on his bed and clicked away on his mobile phone. Only seven people had won the Diamond Maze game. He was number 3 on the list. The most important trick was remembering where you had already been. Jax’s photographic memory was serving him well. The only interruption now was thoughts of the day gone by. He had been bumping up against her almost continuously during the exploration and she had not complained. That closeness gave him warm feeling bordering on erotic arousal. Returning to Demon House tomorrow would be an unwise and risky venture. Jax couldn’t wait.

  He paused to check his wrist watch: 6:50 P.M. He had promised to pick up his Mom at 8:00, so there was plenty of time. The familiar pang of guilt arose in him. She was working late again. He hated the fact she was supporting him. Lately jobs had not been easy to find around Southend-on-Sea. The best he could do was part time work here and there, usually manual labour. With school now behind him, there was no chance at higher education. No way to finance that. His grades were fair to good, but even if he could enroll somewhere it would mean moving away and leaving his mother on her own. That thought was unacceptable. Her health was slowly becoming a more and more of a problem. Sooner or later he would become the sole provider.

  Jax glanced at the photo of his Dad on the dresser, a man he had never met. Strangely, somehow it felt as though he knew him. Such tragic irony. A top test pilot risking his life on a daily basis, killed by a fuel tank mistakenly left empty. Steve Eaton had been taken a short time after Jax’s birth. The toll on his Mom had been catastrophic. She had avoided all romantic contact afterward, choosing to devote her life to her son, all she had left of the man she’d so loved. Jax drifted off into a light, dreamless sleep.

  The sound of the mobile phone brought Jax back to reality. He fumbled to answer.

  “Jax, you’re going to come get me right?” his Mom asked.

  Jax sat up, jerked his hand up and looked at his watch. “Yeah, Mom. I thought you said 8:00. It’s only 7:30.”

  “It’s 8:30, Jax. I’m ready to come home.”

  Jax looked over at the clock radio by his bed. It glared 8:30. “Mom, I’m sorry. My watch must’ve stopped. I’m on my way.”

  “That’s okay sweetie. Don’t rush now. Please be careful. I’m okay.”

  Jax tore down the steps and squealed his tires pulling out onto the road. He used every shortcut available to reach his tired parent.

  “I’m really sorry, Mom,” he said as she climbed into the car.

  “It’s alright dear. I know how easy it is to lose track of time.”

  “No, it was my watch, Mom. Somehow the thing was an hour slow, but I can’t find a thing wrong with it. It must have stopped for some reason.”

  “I didn’t mind waiting. How was your day?”

  “It was okay. I hung out with Remy.”

  “How is Remington? Has he decided on a school or a job yet?”

  “He’s probably going with Drax Industries. He can continue his education while he works for them. The guy’s such a computer genius anybody would take him.”

  “And how about you? I know it’s only been a week since graduation, but have you thought any more about what you’d like to do?”

  “I’m staying around here for the time being, Mom. I’ll get something pretty soon. Until then, I can make some money with odd jobs here and there.”

  “That’s fine, dear. I’ll be glad to have you around. I’m sure things will work out. You’re so talented and so smart about so many things. You know your father had the same uncanny memory that you have. You inherited that from him.”

  “I know, Mom.”

  “And there’s no rush for you to hurry off to college. Many people wait these days.”

  “Actually there’s a job advert for a caddy up at the Golf Club. I thought I might talk to them.”

  “Oh, that’s a great idea, but what do you know about such things?”

  “It’s easy, Mom. Each golf club has a distance range. I don’t need to know that much. I’ll just skim over all the brands and their characteristics.”

  “You can do anything you set your mind to. I’ve seen it time and time again.”

  “Thanks, Mom. I love you.”

  Cynthia Eaton looked over at her son with adoring eyes. She leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

  Jax smiled back at her and struggled to put away his secret misgivings about the future.

  Jax awoke to the irritating buzz of his date-time clock, just as he had most mornings of his life. He squinted against the morning light and for a moment considered
blindly slapping the snooze button. The clock’s green light flashed insistently. He turned his head and strained to focus on the date and time: July 02 2007, 08:30 A.M. Something felt different this time. A new kind of depression suddenly began to well up inside him. Senior school was finished. Most of his friends were getting ready to leave for college somewhere. For Jax that was not an option.

  He looked again at the glaring date: July 06 2007, 08:31. Time was moving ahead. It would not wait for anyone. There was no turning it back. How had he come to be at such a dead end time and place? Who was he supposed to be now? Where was he supposed to go? It was as though time had dropped him off on the side of the road and abandoned him there.

  The mobile phone gave off its special Skyla ring tone. Jax jumped, nearly cut himself with the razor, fumbled placing it on the soapy dish, and had to struggle to stop it from falling to the floor. He quickly wiped his wet hands on his jeans and hurried not to miss her call.

  “Hey Ace, ready for another adventure?” Skyla’s voice was teasing and seductive.

  Jax tried to sound aloof. “You sure about this?”

  “You kidding? I’ve already got Remington. I had to buy him tea to get him going.”

  “Remy’s there? How did you manage that? Even I can’t get him going in the morning.”

  “I know. I was afraid he’d cop-out, so I went to his home and his Aunt let me in his bedroom. I took his covers. Just lucky he wears pajamas. But, did you know they have little turtles all over them? Now his Aunt thinks I’m one of his love interests. LOL.”

  “Okay, I may be dreaming but if I’m not, where are you guys?”

  “At the café. You coming?”

  “On my way.”

  “Do you have a camera?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Digital?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Bring it, please?”

  Jax made the café in record time. Inside he quickly found his two companions and as he approached, Skyla surprised him by scooting over so he could sit beside her. He did his best to act nonchalant, but inside a silent celebration took place.

  Remy was attacking his fried bread, sausages, bacon, beans, and eggs ferociously. Skyla smiled at Jax, one elbow on the table, her chin resting in her palm. Before either could speak, a waiter appeared. Jax’s stomach was growling with hunger, but he dared not spend the little money he had on something as frivolous as breakfast.

  “Just tea for me,” said Jax.

  Skyla intervened. “Bring him the same thing my friend has. Make this one bill and I’ll take it. If either of these two try to pay, don’t let them, okay?”

  The waiter nodded and dashed off.

  “Why are you buying me breakfast?”

  “You’re helping me aren’t you? It’s the least I can do.”

  Jax began to wonder if his silent celebration had been premature. Perhaps he was only a hired hand.

  Remy raised one finger to offer a comment but his mouth was too full.

  “That’s how you get him out of bed and willing to come along,” said Skyla with a muffled laugh.

  Remy frowned but kept eating.

  “So you have a plan for today?” asked Jax

  “Yes. Foolproof, too. We’ll drive out there and if anyone’s around or if we pass anyone near the place we’ll just joyride awhile and leave, then go back later. When the coast is clear, we’ll park out of sight in the same place, sneak through the woods to the clearing and watch the house. If nobody’s there, we’ll go in the same way. One of us will keep an eye out the windows at all times while the other two finish the search. The basement will be last. If anyone shows up, we’ll hide out until they leave. When we’re done, we exit the same way we did yesterday. Did you bring the camera?”

  “It’s in the car. That sounds like a nice plan that could go wrong at any time.”

  “It won’t.”

  Remy mumbled something with his mouth still full. It was unintelligible yet clearly disapproving.

  Skyla smirked at him. “Just eat your fried bread, Remington.”

  Remy frowned once more but kept eating.

  “Rem, I see you brought your backpack. Whatcha got, more food?” asked Jax.

  Remy paused from chewing and sneered at his friend. “It’s me laptop, Mate. I can be finishing up some valuable code work while you two crazies are wasting your time.”

  Skyla wrinkled her brow and looked at Jax. “I think we may have just been insulted.”

  The road to Demon House was clear. They made the cut in the adjacent forest and parked the car well out of sight within a small clearing. Cutting through the woods, with Remy complaining about snakes, they reached the edge of the woodland and appraised the weathered architecture of Demon House. There was no sign of life. The noon day sun was shining brightly overhead.

  “Let me dash over there and check to be sure nobody’s parked around the side,” said Jax. “Then you guys meet me on the porch.”

  There were no complaints. Jax sprinted across the open lawn and stayed close to the house as he made his way around. There was no one. He hastily climbed the steps to the porch and waved his friends on.

  By the time Skyla and Remy arrived, he was standing at the side door with screwdriver in hand, looking puzzled. “Look at this,” he said, and he pointed to the door handle. “Somebody’s already repaired the door where I cracked the wood yesterday. It looks like we were never here. That’s weird.”

  His two friends looked on in puzzlement but said nothing.

  “Well, guess I’m going to crack it again. Maybe I can be more careful this time,” said Jax.

  Skyla perked up. “Wait!” She dug in her jacket pocket and pulled out the keys she had found the day before. Jax stepped aside.

  The second key did not seem to belong to the original set, but it worked. The lock clicked and the door opened.

  Somehow, Demon House was even more eerie during the day than at night. Cobwebs hung from decorative candle holders on a broken fireplace mantel. Peeling wallpaper was visible everywhere. Beams of light from the yellowed windows highlighted dust in the air. The once colorful, well-decorated rooms had a blandness about them. There were occasional strange cracking noises from the heating of the sun on dry wood.

  “I think I liked it better at night,” said Remy sarcastically.

  Skyla charged ahead, carefully inspecting each room, taking pictures along the way. She seemed to keep a respectful attitude, as though the place meant something to her. Jax followed close behind, pausing often to keep watch out the windows.

  “How long have we been here?” asked Remy.

  “Oh no, it’s the are-we-there-yet syndrome. He’ll drive us batty,” replied Skyla.

  “My watch died last night. I‘m just wondering what time it is, if you don’t mind,” said Remy.

  Jax looked back at his friend. “You had trouble with your watch last night?”

  “Blooming thing made me miss my favorite rerun of Elementary. Damn watch was slow. It was the bollocks.”

  Jax briefly considered the trouble he’d had with his own wristwatch the night before, but decided it was coincidence.

  Skyla interrupted. “Look at this! It’s unusual, don’t you think?”

  They gathered behind Skyla as she stood at a small ornate table by a window. She held a small wooden box in her hand. It was so weathered that the markings on the cover had nearly faded away. She slid the box open to reveal a few deteriorated matches.

  “Just an old matchbox,” said Jax.

  “An antique collectable,” added Remy. “Best be careful, it will fall apart in your hands.”

  “I wonder what the story is. The writing’s mostly gone, but there’s still a Z-E-R at the bottom and a W-A-R-E at the top.”

  “Just an antique left here with all this other stuff,” mused Remy.

  “Yes, but there’s something weird about it,” insisted Skyla, and she carefully set the item back down on the table and resumed searching.

  With h
er entourage in tow, Skyla finished her photography of all three floors of Demon House, ending in the large, dusty kitchen.

  “Is that it, then? Can we go?” asked Remy hopefully.

  Skyla scowled, “The basement is the most important of all.” She gave him an annoyed look and went back to fidgeting with the camera.

  “Do we even know where it is?” asked Jax. “I haven’t seen an entrance.”

  “It’s right over there in that utility room,” said Skyla. “Have I filled up the memory on this camera, or something?”

  Jax held out a hand. Skyla’s expression changed to one of affection. She handed it to him. His gaze lingered on her for a moment too long but he quickly caught himself and began dialing though the camera’s display functions.

  “I’m not sure I care to see the basement, you guys” muttered Remy.

  “Just as well, Rem. Somebody needs to stay up here and keep an eye out and let us know if trouble shows,” said Jax.

  “Stay up here alone, you say? Well I’ll not do it in this foul smelling kitchen. I’ll hang out in the dining room, if it’s all the same to you.”

  “You need to yell down to us if anyone shows up, but we can block those double doors open so that shouldn’t be a problem,” suggested Jax.

  “Very good, sir. I’ll see to it at once, sir,” answered Remy in his best butler voice.

  “There. Camera’s all set. You have plenty of memory left and I’ve set the flash.” Jax looked up at Skyla and thought for moment he’d caught just a tinge of affection in her expression again.

  “Why, thank you! You’re good to have around, aren’t you,” she replied with a smirk. She took the camera and looked it over.

  Jax considered the comment with uncertainty. “Let’s go check out your door and see if it really does lead to the basement,” he suggested.

  In the adjacent utility room, the partially hidden door was locked. He looked at Skyla. “It’s just the knob. Should I break in?”

  Skyla smiled, held up the keys she had found and jingled them, but to her dismay none of them fit. Jax pushed in and using the screwdriver forced the ill-fit door open. Together they peered in. Skyla became anxious. For some reason she drew out her mobile phone, looked at it, then pulled out her small flashlight and pointed it inside. Forbidding dirty wooden stairs led down into too deep a darkness for the flashlight’s beam to show the bottom.