Read Online Lasting Fury (Hexing House Book 2) by Jen Rasmussen - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jen Rasmussen
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to talk about this.”
“You’ve made that pretty obvious.”
Laurel took her own advice and ignored her husband as she sat down on the couch beside Thea. “Now, where would you like to start?”
Thea opened her mouth, then remembered she was supposed to be a reporter, and paused to take out a tablet she’d borrowed from Cora. “Do you mind if I record? I can just type notes instead, whatever you’re more comfortable with.”
“Record away,” said Laurel.
“Thank you. If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask about Talbott.” Thea held up a hand to ward off Marshal’s disapproving look. “Not about where he is or anything. Although I’d love to hear how he’s doing. I’m very sorry for what he’s gone through.”
“He’s being well cared for,” Marshal said tightly. Laurel only stared at her hands.
Thea nodded. “That’s good to hear. What I wanted to ask is, someone at Hemlock Heights told me that Talbott had been talking about monsters. Do you think that has anything to do with this picture that’s been going around? Of whoever rescued him from the house?”
“I don’t know what to say about that picture,” Laurel said with a shake of her head. “It’s the first thing everyone asks about, of course, but I don’t know any more than you do.”
Actually, you know a great deal less than I do.
“We’ve heard the same rumors you have,” Marshal added. “It’s an alien. It’s a demon. The president of the Hemlock Heights HOA called to tell us that these creatures live in some sort of commune and sell curses. And that one of those curses is what happened to their neighborhood.”
Did he, now? Who else has he been calling, I wonder?
Not that Thea was surprised Caulfield was pushing his agenda wherever he could. He and his Concerned Citizens wouldn’t be happy until Hexing House was out of business.
Or until they’ve left a dead bat on every pillow, at least.
“But you don’t believe any of that?” she asked.
“Oh, I might believe in a curse,” Laurel said. “The rest is just hysteria, I would think.”
“What makes you say that?” asked Thea. “About the curse, I mean?”
“Because I know my brother. And that wasn’t him.”
Marshal shot an uneasy glance at his wife, then said to Thea, “Don’t worry, she doesn’t mean she thinks he was replaced by an alien or something.”
“No, I’m not blaming pod people,” Laurel agreed. “But something happened to him. When Talbott talked about monsters, he was talking about Boyd . He kept saying Boyd turned into a monster.”
Daddy’s monster.
Not a visiting monster, then, but a monster inside Daddy? And Mommy and Miss Wanda, too?
Thea took a sip of coffee and considered this. A little kid seeing an adult manifesting hex-level sins might certainly think that person had turned into a monster.
“What do you think Talbott meant by that?” she asked.
“I can tell you exactly what he meant,” Laurel said. “Talbott was scared, and not just of his father.” She raised her chin, and quite obviously avoided Marshal’s eye as he let out an exasperated sigh and muttered something under his breath.
“Hemlock Heights was… something was going on there,” Laurel said.
“What do you mean?” asked Thea.
“We were at a party of Boyd and Cindy’s, a couple of months or so ago,” Laurel said. “A little after the new year. Almost all of their neighbors were there. They were pretty close on that street, you know. They were really lucky because so many of the kids were the same age. And almost all of the adults got along.”
Thea nodded. That matched what she’d seen on Megaira’s television just before the test. It was clear that the mothers were good friends. “Sounds like an ideal situation.”
“It was,” Laurel agreed. “And they hung out together all the time.”
“So what happened at this party?” Thea prompted.
“Nothing happened , exactly, at least not that I saw, but Marshal and I both agreed that
“You’ve made that pretty obvious.”
Laurel took her own advice and ignored her husband as she sat down on the couch beside Thea. “Now, where would you like to start?”
Thea opened her mouth, then remembered she was supposed to be a reporter, and paused to take out a tablet she’d borrowed from Cora. “Do you mind if I record? I can just type notes instead, whatever you’re more comfortable with.”
“Record away,” said Laurel.
“Thank you. If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask about Talbott.” Thea held up a hand to ward off Marshal’s disapproving look. “Not about where he is or anything. Although I’d love to hear how he’s doing. I’m very sorry for what he’s gone through.”
“He’s being well cared for,” Marshal said tightly. Laurel only stared at her hands.
Thea nodded. “That’s good to hear. What I wanted to ask is, someone at Hemlock Heights told me that Talbott had been talking about monsters. Do you think that has anything to do with this picture that’s been going around? Of whoever rescued him from the house?”
“I don’t know what to say about that picture,” Laurel said with a shake of her head. “It’s the first thing everyone asks about, of course, but I don’t know any more than you do.”
Actually, you know a great deal less than I do.
“We’ve heard the same rumors you have,” Marshal added. “It’s an alien. It’s a demon. The president of the Hemlock Heights HOA called to tell us that these creatures live in some sort of commune and sell curses. And that one of those curses is what happened to their neighborhood.”
Did he, now? Who else has he been calling, I wonder?
Not that Thea was surprised Caulfield was pushing his agenda wherever he could. He and his Concerned Citizens wouldn’t be happy until Hexing House was out of business.
Or until they’ve left a dead bat on every pillow, at least.
“But you don’t believe any of that?” she asked.
“Oh, I might believe in a curse,” Laurel said. “The rest is just hysteria, I would think.”
“What makes you say that?” asked Thea. “About the curse, I mean?”
“Because I know my brother. And that wasn’t him.”
Marshal shot an uneasy glance at his wife, then said to Thea, “Don’t worry, she doesn’t mean she thinks he was replaced by an alien or something.”
“No, I’m not blaming pod people,” Laurel agreed. “But something happened to him. When Talbott talked about monsters, he was talking about Boyd . He kept saying Boyd turned into a monster.”
Daddy’s monster.
Not a visiting monster, then, but a monster inside Daddy? And Mommy and Miss Wanda, too?
Thea took a sip of coffee and considered this. A little kid seeing an adult manifesting hex-level sins might certainly think that person had turned into a monster.
“What do you think Talbott meant by that?” she asked.
“I can tell you exactly what he meant,” Laurel said. “Talbott was scared, and not just of his father.” She raised her chin, and quite obviously avoided Marshal’s eye as he let out an exasperated sigh and muttered something under his breath.
“Hemlock Heights was… something was going on there,” Laurel said.
“What do you mean?” asked Thea.
“We were at a party of Boyd and Cindy’s, a couple of months or so ago,” Laurel said. “A little after the new year. Almost all of their neighbors were there. They were pretty close on that street, you know. They were really lucky because so many of the kids were the same age. And almost all of the adults got along.”
Thea nodded. That matched what she’d seen on Megaira’s television just before the test. It was clear that the mothers were good friends. “Sounds like an ideal situation.”
“It was,” Laurel agreed. “And they hung out together all the time.”
“So what happened at this party?” Thea prompted.
“Nothing happened , exactly, at least not that I saw, but Marshal and I both agreed that
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