Lib Novel Page 100
“If Sonya’s not going to come down here, and she really isn’t,” Trey added, “she should find another place to store these tools.”
“Got some nice ones, and all clean. No dust. This old hand planer’s a beaut.”
“Take it. You know she’d tell you to take it. What the hell’s she going to do with it?”
“Maybe. I don’t like to just…” Frowning, Owen trailed off. “It’s not as cold now, is it?”
“No. You’re right, it’s not. Lights stayed on, and it’s warming up. Looks like she just—”
As it struck him, Trey broke off, stared at Owen.
“Well, shit,” Owen said an instant before it started.
On the other side of the door, all the servants’ bells rang in insistent cacophony. The doorbell bonged, bonged, bonged. Above, the ceiling seemed to sag as if from a great weight.
“Everybody calm down,” Sonya ordered herself as much as the barking dogs and hissing cat. “We’re all staying calm.”
As much as she dreaded it, she thought of Trey and Owen, then reached for the basement door.
The lights went out.
As Sonya dug for her phone and its light, it played “Psychotic Girl.”
“Tell me. Cleo!”
“Here. Right here!” As Cleo’s phone light came on, she let out a scream, rushed forward. Grabbing Sonya’s hand, she dragged her back.
“Behind you. She was behind you.”
The dogs lunged like a unit. As the men burst through the door, the noise stopped; the lights came on.
Dazed, Sonya fought to get her breath back as Trey rushed to her.
“Let’s split up, they say. In every horror movie ever.”
“Are you hurt?” He stroked her face, her arms.
“No.”
“She was behind Sonya. The lights went out, then I saw her behind Sonya.”
“She’s okay.” Because she trembled, Owen put an arm around Cleo’s shoulders. “Everybody’s okay.”
“I could see her face, like I did in the bathroom mirror that day. It was just full of… well, damn it, evil.”
“The dogs went after her.” Steadier now, Sonya crouched down to pet all three. “And Pye, too, I think. Dobbs ran, or whatever her version of retreat is. Such brave boys, such a kick-ass girl,” Sonya crooned.
“She wanted to lure Owen and me down there, so she could go at you and Cleo here.”
“Yeah, but if she wanted to prove some point, we proved a biggerone.” Steady now and defiant with it, Sonya tossed her hair back. “She’s the one who ran.
“Okay?” she asked Cleo.
“Yeah, sorry for the panic. But she was right behind you.”
“So you ran right to me and pulled me away.” Crossing over, she wrapped around Cleo. “And we’re okay. Let’s pick out some serving dishes.”
They sent some up in the dumbwaiter, carted out more to stack in the kitchen.