I paced up, leaving Amy behind, and trotted to the end of the trail. In the Manor garden, a black pickup truck idled behind Amy's car, and Mike was coming to meet the man stepping out of the passenger seat. I only got to see he was tall, all clad in black baggy clothes. I came out of the trail to the garden and waved my hand high.
"It's okay, Mike! I got it!"
Mike stopped halfway but lingered there, like making sure I was fine, or safe, or whatever. Brandon Price looked back and started around the vehicle towards me. I was about to approach the truck when Amy grabbed my arm from behind to stop me.
"Keep your distance, Fran. This man carries at least half a dozen parasite demons attached to him," she warned, her eyes fixed on him.
"Joseph will protect me," I replied, freeing my arm.
Brandon Price waited for me by his car. As usual, his face was half-hidden behind his glasses and under his stubble and baseball cap. He stood there with his feet apart and his hands deep in his pockets, his chin pointing up, like a gangbanger looking for a brawl. Or a rockstar, like back in his young good days.
I approached him with a mild frown, wondering what on earth was he doing here, without even texting me in advance. Right before I got to him, I noticed my heart was beating faster than it should. One thing was talking to him over the phone. He looked intimidating in the flesh. Behind me, Amy took a detour to reach the Manor, keeping a hundred feet between her and the pickup truck.
"Mr. Price?" was my greeting.
Mike heard I knew the outlander's name and headed back to his house. He didn't walk in, though, and stayed at the doorway, hands on his hips, like ready to run to my rescue.
"Miss Garner," Price replied with a curt nod. "Do you have a minute?"
Oh, yes, he was definitely intimidating, but I'd be damned if I let it show.
"Sure, but I'm afraid I cannot invite you in."
The front door slammed shut, giving him a start. His wingman stuck his bold head out the driver's window.
"Dude! Did you see that?" he cried, pointing at the door.
Jeez, he was loud even when the cameras were off. Price nodded, observing Amy at the last step of the stairs. Did he think she'd done it? He turned to me again, meeting my eyes for a heartbeat before looking past me, then all around. Mike still observed us from his front door. Amy did from the porch. His wingman from the truck.
"Is there any place where we can talk alone?" he asked, lowering his voice.
I wasn't about to explain to him that I wouldn't go anywhere with him without Joseph as my bodyguard, because he was brimming with demonic parasites that could try to change plates and make me their snack at any moment. So I nodded and motioned for him to walk with me down the trail.
"I'm sorry I didn't let you know I was coming," he said as soon as the thickets hid us from the garden. "We're shooting in Worcester, so I thought I could pay you a visit."
He sounded grave, serious, like his voice-off narration in his episodes. And he looked down, like still avoiding eye contact with me.
"What you showed me the other night was very upsetting, Miss Garner."
"It's Fran."
He didn't seem to register my interruption and went on. "I've tried to reach the psychic who helped me, but I've been informed she passed a couple of years ago."
"Was she a psychic or a witch?" I asked, as gently as the question itself allowed me to.
My words threw him off. He stopped under an old black birch tree to face me, tilting his head with a questioning frown. I explained what Amy had told me about the kind of ritual performed in the basement. Which seemed to throw him off even further.
"Occultist ritual? You mean black magic?" he whispered, like afraid of the sound of his own words.
"I don't know," I replied, sighing. "I'm sorry, that's all the medium told me." I left out that the woman there with me was the medium I'd just mentioned, because he would've asked to talk with her directly and it was plain to see Amy didn't want to be anywhere near him and his host of parasites.
He grunted under his breath, looking away. Before I could ask what he recalled of the ritual, his face pursed in a grimace and he sank his head between his shoulders, taking both hands to his temples.
"You okay?" I asked, concerned because he seemed to be in some kind of pain.
He shook his head, eyes tightly shut. "It's this fucking migraine. It's fucking killing me and I forgot my meds back at the hotel." He forced one of his hands down and into his pocket. "This is why I came," he said, handing me something.
I saw it was a small round pendant. "Is this—?" I whispered.
He managed a nod, always pressing his temple. "Yeah. She gave it to me. Maybe this can help you." He was able to open his eyes a little to look toward the Manor. "I'm sorry, but I gotta go."
I accepted the pendant, but something happened when I touched his hand, partially covered by a fingerless glovelette. All of a sudden, it felt just like dealing with Kujo. I didn't stop to think before closing my hand around his, as if I was about to shake it. Now he did open his eyes fully again, taken completely aback. I flashed a tight smile.
"Thank you, Mr. Price," I said, forcing myself to let go of his hand.
"Never mind," he grunted, spun around and hurried down the trail back to the garden.
By the time I reached it, his pickup truck was already driving out the gates and onto Greenwich Road.
Mike waved at me and walked into his house. Amy seemed to be having a spirited conversation on the porch, no pun intended. But she dropped it to walk up to me, shaking her head with a motherly frown that made me smile.
"Are you crazy? You touched him? Thank God Joseph was with you! Else, you would have one or two parasites now!" she chided me. "What were you thinking, Fran!"
I showed her the pendant with a little smirk. She forgot about scolding me to face me in disbelief.
"Is that—?"
"It is. That's why he came."
Amy reached out and retracted her hand right away. "No way I'm touching it before I cleanse it in holy water."
"Be my guest," I replied and motioned for her to lead the way into the Manor.
We headed back to the kitchen and Amy filled a glass with holy water to dip the whole pendant in. She left the glass on the counter, and from the table, while having tea, we watched the water bubble up like boiling for thirty minutes straight. We lingered there until it was time for the Blotters early dinner. Amy said goodnight to them and blushed, nodding with one of her bright grins.
"Goodnight, Fran," said Edward.
"Don't stay late," said Ann.
"I won't, ma'am. Night, guys, if we're lucky."
"Fingers crossed," said Lizzie.
I felt the fleeting cool touch of her goodnight kiss on my forehead and huffed, my eyes welling at the speed of light while Amy giggled. "Please! We have guests!" I protested.
When the cat ball on the table stopped flashing and we heard a faint shuffle behind the kitchen door, we decided to get our own dinner started. We talked for hours, while cooking, while eating, while having more tea after dinner.
Amy was shocked by what she'd seen around Price and his wingman. She explained to me that all of us have an energy node in the back of our necks that's very appealing to parasites, because it sort of manages the ego energy: what defines our personality and allows us to evolve and grow up, psychologically and emotionally. She said it's one of the most active nodes in our bodies, and parasites always try to attach themselves to it.
"It's like a free buffet twenty-four/seven, offering most of the best quality energy we have," she said.
"And what does it look like, Price and his parasites?"
"Dr. Octopus, but with a bunch of two-foot-long black smoky tentacles coming out from the back of his neck instead of his waist." I loved that she would quote a literature classic and a Marvel comic just as easily. "And his friend didn't look any better. They're a dreadful sight to behold."
I recalled his sudden migraine and Amy confirmed that was the parasites, causing him health issues to feed on his pain and on his dependency on meds.
"How come? He doesn't cleanse himself or what?"
Amy shrugged. "I'd heard he has some kind of personal psychic in charge of keeping him clean, but I'm getting to think it's a scam to con him out of his money."
We fell silent, until Amy rolled her eyes, huffing.
"I know what you're thinking, Fran. Forget it."
"You say we need him," I replied. "D'you think the Blotters will let him in like this?"
She huffed again. "You're right. But only when the time comes. No use in trying anything too early, 'cause he's gonna leave and come back just as filthy as he is now."
"Fair enough."
It was the best weekend I'd had since Mom was diagnosed. I totally loved Amy. The Blotters were happy to have her with us, and she was beaming. I let her have long chats with Ann and Edward without the nuisance of the apps, while I went for my jogs with the twins and to the basement with Joseph.
Down there, Kujo moved me to tears. After I told him Price had brought the pendant he'd used, giving Amy a good chance to find what kind of ritual they'd performed to chain him, he said, "Thank. You."
"Oh, c'mon! You too?" I grumbled, feeling so touched I would've hugged the ugly demonic thing. "We'll make it work, Kujo. It may take Amy a couple of weeks to figure it out, and I have no idea how long the process itself may take. But you will be free again." I smiled. "Now don't speak. You know what to do: rest, save your energy."
"Step back, Fran," said Joseph. "Trying to touch."
"Is he trying to feed on me or attach himself to me?"
Joseph took a moment to reply, "Don't think so."
"Kujo, if you as much as try to feed or attach, I'm walling up the basement door and you will rot away down here, okay?"
"It's nodding. I don't feel any threat."
I breathed deep and reached out past the LED beam. My eyes opened like grapefruits when I saw my own hand darken and blur like I'd stuck it in black smoke. The air felt hot and tingly against my skin.
"Fran. Trust."
"Hell yeah. Now I know I can trust you," I replied, moving my hand gently back to my lap. It still felt tingly and hot. "Thank you, Kujo. Goodnight."
I straightened up and turn around, to find Amy frozen in shock at the end of the stairs. She looked at the central pillar with a quick nod, surely to something Joseph had just said to her. I shook my head, smiling.
"I'm fine, Amy," I said, walking up to her.
She looked past me, straight at the corner, and pointed an accusatory finger, scowling. "You cunning thing!" she chided Kujo. "You better promise you won't try to touch her ever again. That is, if you still want us to help you."
"Goodbye."
Amy threw up her hands, rolling her eyes. "Of course you'd wanna hug her goodbye once we set you free! And bet she's dying to hug you back!"
I glanced back from over my shoulder and winked at the corner. Amy waved for me to go up the stairs ahead of her and I did, giggling under my breath.
On Sunday morning, I walked Amy up to her flashy red car. We parted with a tight hug. She promised to keep me up and left me homework.
"You better think of a way to get Price to cooperate." She saw my frown and chuckled. "I trust you'll think of something."