Read Online Cades Cove 01 - Cades Cove: A Novel of Terror by Aiden James - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Aiden James
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David. “Let’s hear what you’ve got to add to this.”
“ Well, Dad, first let me point out that me and Chris spent the afternoon down here in the living room. But Jill accused us of knocking on her door.” He paused to look over at Jillian and his mom, and then over at Janice. “She accused us of doing it twice. We stayed downstairs, like I said. We never heard any knocks, and we certainly didn’t hear the ‘big bang’ she claims shook her wall. God knows we would’ve heard it in the living room if something really happened.”
Jillian began to weep again, and Miriam pulled her closer to her.
“ All right, son,” said David, unsure what to believe. “How about you, Chris? Is that also your version of what happened this afternoon?”
“ Yeah.” His uneasy glance flitted from Tyler to Jillian, obviously torn by his allegiance to both.
“ Are you sure?” David asked him again.
“ Yes, Daddy.” This time he looked down at his feet and wouldn’t raise his eyes.
If not for the fact he already knew something strange was going on, David would’ve pursued this further with him. Instead, he turned his attention to Janice.
“ Did you see or hear anything unusual, Jan?”
“ No, I didn’t,” she said. “The excitement was over by the time I got here, other than Jill being so upset. Miriam was already home, checking every room in the house with Ty. Maybe it’s just a plumbing problem or the house settling.”
She added an optimistic smile, though her eyes looked worried. Miriam nodded to confirm she agreed with Janice’s suggestion.
“ Tell you what, Jill,” he said, returning his attention to her. “Why don’t we eat dinner, and then Daddy will go upstairs and take a look. I promise to get rid of whatever’s up there, sweetie. What do you say to that?”
She looked up into his face, her expression hopeful. He knew she firmly believed in his ability to fix everything. She smiled and stood up, hugging him tight.
David smiled as well, wishing he could enjoy the moment as her hero. But he now had a tall order to fulfill, since fixing the problem meant he had to truly understand it first, which he didn’t. Even so, he confidently looked around the living room at everyone else while he held his daughter close, unable to push away the nagging worry that things could soon get worse.
***
Once dinner ended he picked up a flashlight and rubber hammer from the garage. As an afterthought, he added a handful of small mousetraps left over from last spring, when Christopher stumbled onto a mouse nest in one corner of the garage. He then strolled past his family on the way upstairs. He wanted his younger kids to notice him, so they’d sleep well tonight…. Hell, he couldn’t afford another sleepless night himself. If the kids or Miriam couldn’t sleep tonight, he’d be screwed tomorrow.
Everything upstairs seemed to be in good working order. But that’s what he expected to find. He hoped the charade of setting up mousetraps in each bedroom would at least ease his daughter’s worries until he could come up with a better plan. He added a few traps in the guestrooms and master bedroom for good measure.
As he stepped into his and Miriam’s darkened bedroom, he heard a rustling sound on the far side of the bed, near the headboard next to his nightstand. He turned on the overhead light and the noise ceased. He lifted the bedspread and peered beneath the bed, shining his flashlight. Except for a few loose papers and one of his socks, the area was clear. A quick search by his nightstand revealed nothing amiss either.
Thinking there might be a field mice problem after all, he set the last mousetrap behind the television set. Unlike the other traps, he added a small cheese bit from the bait container he brought with him. The trap ready, he checked the faucet and commode in the master bathroom, to ensure nothing else could explain Jillian’s experience.
When he moved back into the bedroom, a
“ Well, Dad, first let me point out that me and Chris spent the afternoon down here in the living room. But Jill accused us of knocking on her door.” He paused to look over at Jillian and his mom, and then over at Janice. “She accused us of doing it twice. We stayed downstairs, like I said. We never heard any knocks, and we certainly didn’t hear the ‘big bang’ she claims shook her wall. God knows we would’ve heard it in the living room if something really happened.”
Jillian began to weep again, and Miriam pulled her closer to her.
“ All right, son,” said David, unsure what to believe. “How about you, Chris? Is that also your version of what happened this afternoon?”
“ Yeah.” His uneasy glance flitted from Tyler to Jillian, obviously torn by his allegiance to both.
“ Are you sure?” David asked him again.
“ Yes, Daddy.” This time he looked down at his feet and wouldn’t raise his eyes.
If not for the fact he already knew something strange was going on, David would’ve pursued this further with him. Instead, he turned his attention to Janice.
“ Did you see or hear anything unusual, Jan?”
“ No, I didn’t,” she said. “The excitement was over by the time I got here, other than Jill being so upset. Miriam was already home, checking every room in the house with Ty. Maybe it’s just a plumbing problem or the house settling.”
She added an optimistic smile, though her eyes looked worried. Miriam nodded to confirm she agreed with Janice’s suggestion.
“ Tell you what, Jill,” he said, returning his attention to her. “Why don’t we eat dinner, and then Daddy will go upstairs and take a look. I promise to get rid of whatever’s up there, sweetie. What do you say to that?”
She looked up into his face, her expression hopeful. He knew she firmly believed in his ability to fix everything. She smiled and stood up, hugging him tight.
David smiled as well, wishing he could enjoy the moment as her hero. But he now had a tall order to fulfill, since fixing the problem meant he had to truly understand it first, which he didn’t. Even so, he confidently looked around the living room at everyone else while he held his daughter close, unable to push away the nagging worry that things could soon get worse.
***
Once dinner ended he picked up a flashlight and rubber hammer from the garage. As an afterthought, he added a handful of small mousetraps left over from last spring, when Christopher stumbled onto a mouse nest in one corner of the garage. He then strolled past his family on the way upstairs. He wanted his younger kids to notice him, so they’d sleep well tonight…. Hell, he couldn’t afford another sleepless night himself. If the kids or Miriam couldn’t sleep tonight, he’d be screwed tomorrow.
Everything upstairs seemed to be in good working order. But that’s what he expected to find. He hoped the charade of setting up mousetraps in each bedroom would at least ease his daughter’s worries until he could come up with a better plan. He added a few traps in the guestrooms and master bedroom for good measure.
As he stepped into his and Miriam’s darkened bedroom, he heard a rustling sound on the far side of the bed, near the headboard next to his nightstand. He turned on the overhead light and the noise ceased. He lifted the bedspread and peered beneath the bed, shining his flashlight. Except for a few loose papers and one of his socks, the area was clear. A quick search by his nightstand revealed nothing amiss either.
Thinking there might be a field mice problem after all, he set the last mousetrap behind the television set. Unlike the other traps, he added a small cheese bit from the bait container he brought with him. The trap ready, he checked the faucet and commode in the master bathroom, to ensure nothing else could explain Jillian’s experience.
When he moved back into the bedroom, a
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