“And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is:”

Revelation 2:12-13

“The devil lives in caves. Anybody hereabouts will tell you that.”

Trixie Belden and the Mystery at Bob-White Cave

March, 2004

Wilhelmina James grew up in a small town in the Missouri Ozarks, in a small town that time seemed to have forgotten. It wasn’t quite as rustic as the nearby community in which mule wagons were commonly used for transportation even into the 1970s, but it was rustic enough that she had experienced culture shock after leaving for college. Modernity had eventually crept in and after her parents retired to Florida she seldom found reason to visit.

Her current destination, however, was not her hometown in the Ozarks, but a similar small town named Pergamos situated deep in the Blue Ridge range of the Appalachians. As in the Ozarks, belief in the supernatural was widespread, and often based on local folklore that may or may not have had its roots in reality. It was her usually her job to determine if there truly was a supernatural phenomenon present and, if so, to persuade it to leave the present world. Constant exposure and the fact that most of her jobs were relatively safe had somewhat jaded her and she rarely felt actual fear or dread when beginning a new job. Ghostly manifestations were just another day at the office.

This case, however, frightened her as no other ever had and she would have given anything to have been able to hand it over to someone else. Her companion, sitting in the passenger seat of her Malibu, was even unhappier than she was. After an experience in an airport that he would neither forgive nor forget, he refused to ever set foot on another airplane. This meant that after his insistence on joining her, they had been forced into a long day’s drive that had given them time to discuss and argue the case – time in which he persisted in trying to convince her to turn it down, even though she had been unable to do so when initially asked.

The name “Pergamos” had hung over their heads for years, ever since first learning of it when they had both worked for the Institute for Phenomenological Research. A desperate resident from the small, insular community had asked the Institute for help with the dark secrets the town ordinarily kept carefully hidden from outsiders.

Despite the “open-mindedness” required of researchers at the Institute, the prevailing unspoken aim at that point had been to prove that any phenomena researched had its origins firmly in the human realm. A story of a town with a mountain that no one would climb, disappearances that were never solved, and a cave that was said to contain the very throne of the devil himself should have been easy enough to prove false and would have been an easy case to add to their list of debunked cases.

Instead, the earnest plea had been denied swiftly enough to prick Wilhelmina’s interest. She quietly and unofficially added it to her own personal list of future projects, but her own life had taken a rather abrupt left turn and she had been forced to forge her own career path away from the Institute.

Ghosts were now more than mere legends and stories to her. She still had no evidence that could prove to a scientist that they existed. She had no photographs or recordings of her conversations with them. Yet, they were a part of her daily life, and while she was skeptical of any demonic influence, she knew that any phenomenon that could cause that many disappearances was stronger than any she had yet encountered.

A call from the sheriff of Pergamos asking her personally for her help had convinced her that she had to at least try. The disappearances had not stopped after the case was dismissed by the Institute, and the latest was a teenage girl who should have still had her entire life stretched out before her. Wilhelmina’s feelings of guilt and unease that she might have been able to prevent it had she followed through with her plans years ago went unspoken as she agreed to take the case.

“You don’t have to do this,” David told her yet again. He agreed with her opinion that it should be investigated, but vehemently insisted that it should be done by someone else.

“Yes, I do,” Wilhelmina repeated. “There is no one else, David. It has to be me.”

“You have contacts all over the country,” he reminded her. “Atlanta. Nashville. Even Raleigh.”

“I have regular PIs all over the country,” she clarified. “There’s only one firm that actually manages to work directly with the spiritual realm, and they’re in New York.”

“Fly them down. Let them handle it.”

She shook her head. “I’m not drawing them into this one. It’s too dangerous, and one of them has a four month old baby.”

“Better them than you.”

“And potentially leave that baby and her nine-year old sister without a mother? Not happening. Besides, David, I gave my word that I would look into this. You know I always keep my word.”

He reacted as though she had slapped him and turned away to stare out the window. He retreated into silence.

The air grew heavy as the miles flew by and she eventually sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“That was a low blow, Willie. It’s been over ten years now. How many times have I apologized? What is it going to take for you to forgive me?”

She glanced over with sad eyes. “I forgave you a long time ago. Right now, I’m scared, and I’m not exactly myself.”

He started to say something, then obviously thought better of it. After a brief pause, he said gently, “Why don’t you call in that New York firm? At least the one without the baby may be able to help.”

She spotted a sign that proclaimed “Scenic Viewing Area” and pulled off the road onto the graveled wayside. The mountains that surrounded the road were shrouded in the haze that had inspired the Great Smoky Mountains moniker. She usually found it beautiful. This time, it just felt suffocating.

She turned the car off and rested her head against the steering wheel. “I can’t call them. Not on this one. They’ve done great, David. Better than I expected when I first started working with them. I intended to only use them for the human side of my cases, like I do with other firms, but at this point, I suspect I’ll eventually be able to just refer entire cases to them. But they’re not ready for this. I’M not ready for this, but I have to do it.”

“Why does it have to be you?”

“Who else is there?” she asked. “You know that there aren’t exactly a ton of supernatural researchers out there, at least, not honest ones.” She looked soberly at him. “What if we had looked into this when we were first asked? Or what if I had followed through and done it on my own? This girl would probably still be alive.”

“You can’t know that for sure. This was never meant to be your responsibility. But for what it’s worth, at least I’ll be with you. I’ll help you if I can. I won’t let you down again.”

She smiled sadly. “I know, David. And I don’t tell you enough how much I appreciate you.”

He smiled his first true smile since the specter of Pergamos had again intruded into their existence. Slightly cheered by the now rare sight of the smile she had once swooned over, she started the car and drove on.

It was late afternoon when they reached the small town that was their destination. Roadwork just a few miles from the city limits had slowed them down, and Wilhelmina decided her gas gauge was uncomfortably low. She pulled into a convenience store that stood just past the faded “Welcome to Pergamos” sign.

She eyed the aged gasoline pumps with distrust, but she had no real choice. The brightly lit modern chain gas stations that she preferred had been few and far between on this last leg of their trip, and she knew she did not have enough gas to get to Asheville and their hotel room for the night if she didn’t fill up while she had the chance.

After pumping her gas, she went inside and detoured to the restroom, happy to find it working and reasonably clean. She then chose a glass bottle of Cheerwine from the cooler before making her way to the counter. “This, and $20 in gas outside.”

The creaky old man standing behind a vintage cash register looked at her curiously as he rang up her purchases. “Don’t think we’ve met before. Just passing through?”

It was the kind of question she despised in rural areas. Almost any information at all was bound to violate client confidentiality, and her clients usually preferred to keep quiet about her involvement in their situations. This particular case was already too public and it was even more vital to her to remain silent and let her client choose on his own terms whether or not he wished it known. Instead of answering, she forced a smile as she reached into her wallet to pay for the soft drink and gas. The “No credit cards. No out-of-town checks” sign behind the register made her grateful she had long ago learned to cover enough cash for daily expenses on her trips. “Any chance you have an opener for this?”

“Right in front of ya,” he grinned. He motioned over the counter to the cast iron antique mounted on the wooden cabinet right beside a faded poster advertising Black Jack chewing gum. “Older than I am, but still works just fine. Just like me.”

Her smile became slightly more real as she opened her cola and took a sip before taking the change he handed to her. “Thanks.”

“Be careful out there,” he told her. “And whatever you do, stay off the mountains. It’s mighty pretty up there, but they’re not all safe. The views aren’t worth it.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

She silently agreed with him as she got back into her car and started it back up. The views really weren’t worth it. It was just too bad she didn’t have a choice.

“Good job sidestepping his questions,” David told her, settling back into his seat while she took a few sips of her drink.

“I’ve had enough practice,” she muttered. “At least I found Cheerwine. Thankfully his stock was recent even if his decor was fifty years out of date. It’s been a while since I’ve found any.”

He smirked. “Too bad it doesn’t actually cheer you up.”

“Or that it’s not actual wine,” she retorted. It was a long-standing routine between the two of them that usually gave her comfort, but this time she felt an inexplicable sense of loss that did nothing to improve her mood.

She had yet to shake the feeling of foreboding when she parked in the lot in front of the sheriff’s office just a few minutes later. She turned the car off and rummaged through her purse for a tissue to wipe away the tears she couldn’t quite manage to hold back.

David looked at her sadly. “Go in and tell them you’ve changed your mind. Please!” The words formed a command, but his voice was more of a plea.

She took a deep breath. “I can’t. I wish I could, but I can’t. You know why.” She got out of the car and walked into the sheriff’s office without a backwards glance.

The main entrance led directly into the office that took up the majority of the small brick building. Two closed doors bore signs signifying restrooms, and an open door led into a break room that she could see contained a refrigerator, microwave, and a half-full coffee pot that wafted its aroma through the building.

Beige metal filing cabinets and wooden bookshelves lined the entirety of one wall. Two desks that matched the filing cabinets were situated in each corner of the opposite wall. Translucent red iMacs on each desk were one of the few hints of color and looked jarringly out of place in the drab office that looked like it had last been decorated only a few years after the gas station.

The man sitting behind the desk farthest from the door appeared to be in his early forties and much younger than the scene that surrounded him. He wore the khaki button up shirt and darker brown pants that comprised the sheriff’s uniform. An older man wearing a green polo with black pants sat behind the other desk, although somewhat pushed back from it.

“Ms. James?” the sheriff greeted her. At her nod, he continued, “I’m Jack Simmons. We spoke on the phone. This is Tony Autry, mayor of Pergamos for the last five years.”

Mayor Autry nodded. “On behalf of all of us, thank you for coming.” He rolled the desk chair he had been sitting in around to the front of the desk, gesturing for her to take it. He then moved a few papers out of the way and perched on the edge of the desk.

“It’s not often I get called in by law enforcement or public officials,” she admitted, taking the proffered chair. “You mentioned a missing teenager in your call. I know some departments have unofficially called in psychics to help find missing people, but I’m a paranormal investigator, not a psychic. I’m sorry, but I don’t have visions or an ability to just magically tell you where they are.”

“That’s not what we need,” Sheriff Simmons explained. “I’ll start from the beginning, but can I get you anything first? Coffee or a coke?”

The majority of her Cheerwine was growing warm in her car and it was too warm in the office for coffee to be appealing. “A coke sounds good.”

He stood. “What kind? Coke, Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper?”

She smiled despite herself. “Coke is fine. Thanks.”

“I’ll take a Dr. Pepper,” the mayor added.

He was soon back and passed out the requested soft drinks before going to refill his coffee mug.

Mayor Autry grinned. “Smart to pass on the coffee. Last time I was that desperate, it could have walked out of here.”

The sheriff shrugged. “What can I say? It keeps me going.” He sat down, then took a long drink from his mug. “So. I said I’d start at the beginning, but I don’t even know what the beginning is. Although I will say we do know exactly what it is that you do, or at least, we have an idea. My wife ran across your book a few years ago, and well, that’s what we need right now.”

“Does anyone else know you’ve called me in?”

“It’s public knowledge that we’ve called in an outside investigator. That’s not going to be a secret. However, only a few know exactly what you investigate.” He took a deep breath. “I’m going to be totally honest here. We have a town and county to worry about, and while we want this resolved, there may very well be an ‘official’ story that doesn’t quite cover everything. The last thing we want is for a scandal or sensationalist story to hit the media. With that said, though, you can use your discretion when it comes to our local people. Honestly, there’s no way around it. The minute anyone sees your car, it will be all over town that you’re here. Gossip is a fact of life in a community this small.

“Despite the rampant gossip, or maybe because of it, we’re a close-knit town. Most of us have been here for generations. Kids go off to college. Some come back, some don’t. Some who do return bring spouses they met at college with them, but it’s rare for someone with no connection to the community to move in. We’re barely even on the map, but that’s changing. We’re not all happy about it, and that’s why it’s important that we avoid a scandal. Something like what I could see happening would destroy this town and the way of life we have here.

“At any rate, one of our older residents died a couple of years ago. All of his kids had moved away, and they wound up selling his property. Took a while, but they finally found a buyer. The Taylors moved in about a year ago. The husband honestly isn’t around that much. Commutes into Asheville every day. His wife is a homemaker, and they have two teenagers at the local school. Their son, Ryan, is a senior, and their daughter, Megan, is a sophomore, just like my own daughter. They became good friends, so I feel like I got to know her pretty well. Two weeks ago, she vanished.”

Wilhelmina’s stomach clenched and she set down the soft drink can. “What happened?”

The mayor sighed. “I’m sure you saw the mountain when you came into town. If you stopped anywhere, you were probably warned to stay off of it.”

She nodded. “I stopped for gas on the way in. The proprietor did warn me to avoid it, but didn’t really say why.”

“There’s something evil up there,” he explained. “We don’t know what it is, but it’s there. And as far as we can tell, someone, or something, convinced Megan to go up on that mountain. Whatever it is that’s up there got her. Sadly, she’s not the first, but we’re really praying she’ll be the last.”

Sheriff Simmons set his cup down with a thud. “She’s already not the last, Tony. You know that as well as I do that. Ray didn’t just suddenly leave town, no matter how much Vicky insists he did. You know as well as I do that he went up there looking for her and never came back down. This town is just about torn apart right now, Ms. James, and it’s getting ugly. Her parents don’t believe there’s anything supernatural up there, but those of us who were raised here know there is. Like Tony said, she’s not the first one.”

“Back up,” she requested. “Who is Ray?”

“Ray Carroll. My deputy. He’s also my nephew. He knew better than to go up there looking for her! I don’t even know what to do anymore. We’re all devastated. My sister is inconsolable. My daughter lost both her cousin and her close friend, and I know it just as easily have been Amy. I’d like to think she knows better than to go up there, but so did Ray. And now there are rumors that Megan was lured up there, although no one seems to have any idea why. Some of them accuse her boyfriend, but he denies everything and claims he didn’t even know she was going up there. He certainly wasn’t on the mountain the day she disappeared. He and Amy both stayed after school for band practice, and his dad and I talked for a few minutes when we were waiting to pick them up. We got the call that she was missing right after Amy and I got home.”

“There are two separate issues here,” Mayor Autry said. “Aside from a few crackpots trying to cause trouble, no one seriously thinks Jason Brown killed her. But did someone lure her up there? I mean, it’s possible we have a serial killer using the mountain as a cover, but this has been going on for longer than I’ve been alive. If you believe the oldest stories, it’s been at least a couple of hundred years. If we truly believed it was a human doing this, we would have called in the experts. State SWAT or maybe even the feds. We know that’s not what you do. The big picture is that we want these disappearances to stop, and we believe that you’re the one who can make that happen.”

“What do you believe is doing it? Are there any credible rumors? Stories? Any folklore?”

He shrugged helplessly. “We’ve all been taught from birth up to avoid it. When I was a kid, there was an overgrown path that led up to a house that burned before I was born. You could see the chimney where the house used to be, but even that eventually fell and the remnants of the path have disappeared. If that was the source, I’d have expected the disappearances to end once the house was gone.”

He took a long drink of his Dr. Pepper, then continued. “There’s also a creek that runs most of the way up the mountain. You can see that from the overlook on another mountain near here. You can also see the cave partway up that plays a part in most of the rumors. And trust me – there are all sorts of rumors, and they’re not all consistent. Some say there were two families who once lived up on the mountain and killed each other in a feud, like the Hatfields and McCoys. Those claim the ghosts ensnare anyone who dares approach into their eternal vendetta. Others say that moonshiners hid in the cave during Prohibition and died while trying to kill the revenue agents who discovered them. Now they kill everyone who gets close because they think they’re the revenuers catching up with them.”

“What’s your own theory?”

“I think it’s more serious than that,” he admitted. “If it really was moonshiners, or even an old feud, our oldest residents would remember it, and the oldest stories go back way before Prohibition. I remember my great grandmother telling me to stay away from it. I can’t tell you much more, but it’s something evil. I have no doubt of that.”

“The cave,” Sheriff Simmons said quietly. “My grandmother believed there was something evil in that cave and that it has the throne of Satan himself. Some of the old-timers say he will claim it when he’s loosed on earth after the millennial reign. Others say he already has.”

“Has anyone ever seen it?”

“Not in my lifetime. At least, no one who has lived to tell the tale. But one thing I know. Whether it’s the devil himself there or one of his minions, there’s something evil on that mountain.”

She was unable to repress the shudder that ran through her at his pronouncement, and she closed her eyes for a moment. “Is there anything else I need to know? I’m assuming there’s a way to get up to the cave?”

The sheriff sighed. “The woods aren’t that dense on the mountain, and you can still see the path that Ray took. From the valley, it seems to run parallel to the creek, which has mostly rocks on one of its banks. The cave appears to be only a few yards from the creek. Other than that, I can’t think of anything else. Day or night doesn’t seem to matter. Megan was last seen late afternoon, and Ray disappeared the next morning.”

“I’d honestly suggest getting a good meal and a good night’s sleep before heading up there,” Mayor Autry added. “Of course, that’s up to you. Just let us know what you need from us at this point. Do you have a place to stay tonight? If not, we don’t have any hotels in town, but my wife and I would certainly be willing to have you stay in our guest room.”

She managed a smile. “Thanks, but I have reservations for a room in Asheville.”

He nodded. “If you manage to get this resolved, we just may be able to have an actual hotel here someday. I hate to admit it, but we don’t exactly encourage tourism with that mountain looming over us.”

The sheriff handed her a business card on which he had scrawled his personal telephone numbers. “I keep my cell phone on me at all times, but just in case, here’s my home number as well. Call me if you need anything at all.”

“I’ll call if I can think of anything,” she assured him. “I’ll at least touch base at some point tomorrow. As it is, I’ll plan to head up at some point early to mid-morning. You also have my cell phone if anything comes up here that I need to know about.”

After a little more conversation, she left the sheriff’s office intending to head straight to the hotel. She wanted room service and a quiet evening to talk the case over with David now that they had more specifics. Instead, he was fuming as they got back into the car.

“You do realize that as far as they’re concerned, they’re basically sending you to your death? And you’re going like a lamb to your slaughter?”

She didn’t answer. On a hunch, she drove towards the mountain.

“Asheville is the opposite direction,” he reminded her after a moment.

“I know.” A sob wrenched from her throat. “This is what I do, David! Two people are likely dead, and who knows how many more. You heard them in there. They might not have said it, but they’re scared, and they’re not prepared for this. We both know I’m not, either, but at least I do have a chance. It’s more than they have. How many more people will die if I don’t do this?”

She pulled off onto the shoulder of the road across from the looming mountain, thankful for the metal guardrail.

“Like it or not, I have no choice. YOU set me on this path. YOU knew the book I was working on was going to be submitted under an alias. YOU stole the manuscript. YOU edited it and submitted it under my real name. If you hadn’t, I’d still be researching for the Institute. Instead, I’ve built up a business helping ghosts resolve whatever issues they have that are binding them here so that they can move on. I’ve just been lucky that so far they’ve all been about as dangerous to me as Casper. We both knew that wouldn’t last.”

“I wanted it to,” he whispered. “You have no idea how sorry I am, Willie.”

“I know,” she said, her voice surprisingly gentle despite her tumultuous emotions. “I’m sorry, too. It’s been ten years now, and I really thought I was past all of it, but I’ve brought it up more today than I have in years. I’m not trying to rub salt in the wound, but every time you try to talk me out of it, you’re only making this case harder.”

“I know, and I’m sorry. I’m scared, too,” he admitted softly.

Before she could do more than give him a sympathetic look, a red pickup truck pulled in behind her. She groaned as she watched in her rearview mirror as the driver got out and approached her car.

“Are you alright, ma’am?” the driver asked as she rolled down her window. He was tall and thin, wearing jeans and a plain blue t-shirt, with a baseball cap advertising a local construction firm.

Wilhelmina nodded. “Thanks, but I’m okay. Just stopped to take in the view.”

“Have to say there are better, and safer, views around town that this.”

“This does seem to be a lovely town,” she managed to say.

He hesitated briefly, and she expected him to walk back towards his truck. Instead, after a nervous glance over his shoulder at the mountain, he said, “I saw your out-of-state plate. This may sound crazy, but any chance you’re the outside investigator Sheriff Simmons called in?”

“I am. I didn’t realize it was common knowledge.”

He smiled sadly. “It’s not. It’s just personal for me, Ms….”

“James. Wilhelmina James. What can you tell me about this? To be honest, the more I can find out, the better.”

“Tell you what. This really isn’t the safest place to park. Not much traffic, but what there is tends to fly by since people want to get away as fast as they can. There’s a pull-off about a quarter of a mile further on. At least we’d be off the road.”

She nodded. “You go ahead and I’ll follow.”

“You don’t know him from Adam!” David exploded once the man had walked away. “What if he’s dangerous? What if he’s connected to whatever’s up there? He’s already said it’s personal!”

“I need information,” she told him. “I have my cell phone, and I thought I had you.” She looked at him sadly. “Don’t I?”

His anger deflated. “Yes, you do.”

The pull-off turned out to be at the base of an adjacent mountain and had a picnic table with benches so that they were able to sit down.

“So you know who I am,” Wilhelmina said to the driver. “Who are you?”

He pulled a business card from his wallet and handed it to her. “Joe Brown. My son was dating Megan.”

She swallowed as she looked at the card. “You’re a pastor?”

“I know I don’t exactly look like it today, but yes. It’s a small church, and we barely keep the lights on, so I work for my brother’s construction firm, too.”

She nodded, glad she had permission to use her discretion with what she revealed. Given his position, she would have felt like she was deceiving him by omitting her own profession in order to gain his help. “Reverend Brown, did Sheriff Simmons tell you just what it is that I do?”

He shook his head. “Just that you’re an expert. I assumed some sort of detective. Private investigator, maybe. Am I wrong?”

“I’m a paranormal investigator. Some of my clients call me a medium, but I’m not. I typically investigate hauntings and try to help ghosts cross over to the other side. I’m often accused of dabbling in the occult or devil-worship. I don’t, but that doesn’t stop the accusations.”

His eyes widened, but then he quirked his lips into a wry smile. “I pastor a church that believes in signs-following. That means we speak in tongues and handle snakes. I’m often accused of the same thing, and I suspect by some of the same people. That’s part of the problem right now. Half the town believes Satan lives on that mountain. Probably half of those are convinced Jason dragged her up there and sacrificed her in some pagan ritual. People don’t like what they don’t understand, and they don’t try to understand what they don’t like.”

“No, they don’t,” she agreed with a sigh. “Sheriff Simmons called me in to try to determine just what it is that’s up there and to try to get rid of it. Like I said, I usually work with ghosts who need to move on. Some were good people who need resolution. Some weren’t and refuse to move on. This is outside my realm of expertise, but I promised to try. Are you still willing to help me?”

“As much as I can,” he told her. “You know, King Saul had a woman call Samuel back from the dead and talked to his spirit. He was punished for it, but if God let that happen, I don’t see why He wouldn’t allow some spirits to stay for a time. It doesn’t sound like you actually call them back from Heaven or hell.”

“No, I don’t. None of the ones I’ve encountered have actually crossed over and come back. They also talk to me, not through me. It’s why I say I’m not a medium. It may sound like semantics, but I do make a distinction there.”

“Do you think there are any poor souls stuck up there unable to move on?”

“I have no idea,” she admitted. “I just got into town this afternoon, and I’ve only heard the sheriff and the mayor’s accounts. As much as I hope there aren’t, for their sakes, it would really help me if there is one willing to talk to me. In the meantime, what can you tell me?”

“Have to say I really hope poor Megan’s not stuck there. She was a sweet girl, and even though they were still way too young, I could have seen her being my daughter-in-law further on down the road. She didn’t have our background, of course, but once they started dating, she came to church with him pretty regularly. Everyone who knew her loved her.”

“Any idea why she would have come up here?”

“None at all. I just know it wasn’t Jason. He’s always been just as scared of that mountain as everyone else.”

“I hate to ask this, but is it possible that they might have gone up to be alone?”

“No.” He sighed. “I know I’m expected to say that as a parent, but no. I’m not naive enough to believe that they’ve never wanted to be alone together, even if it was just to talk without anyone else listening in. I got the impression that Megan’s brother was rather overprotective of her, and well, Jason has a six-year-old sister who doesn’t understand the concept of privacy. We have an old barn on our property. He has no idea we knew, but Liz, my wife, spotted them heading there one afternoon. She’d peek in on them, and they were always just talking, or maybe holding hands. It was easy to get to, especially since neither of them have a car yet.”

“Did anyone check it after she disappeared? Just in case she left clues?”

“First place we checked. Couldn’t find anything at all. I asked Jack to come take a look, too, just to make sure we didn’t miss anything. He looked over our whole property – barn, garage, everything. I honestly don’t think there’s a single shed or building in this town that hasn’t been checked.”

“Why does everyone just assume it was the mountain?”

“There were tracks leading up the morning after she vanished,” he explained. “More of bent and disturbed underbrush than identifiable tracks, but that combined with no evidence otherwise, well, it’s the only thing that makes sense, even if it doesn’t make sense.”

“So what do you think is up there? What do you think happened?”

“I really don’t believe it’s the entrance to hell or anything like that. And Scripture says that right now Satan walks the earth as a roaming lion, so I don’t believe he spends more time there than he does anywhere else. I’ve never been in the cave that allegedly has his so-called throne, but enough people here believe it that it most likely has the attention of at least a few evil spirits or demons. Something evil, at any rate.”

“I don’t want to go up there,” she admitted softly. “But I have to. If Megan truly is dead, it won’t bring her back, but at least we need to know what it is that’s there. Evil spirits and demons are so far out of my realm of expertise.”

He looked at her sadly. “You have no idea how much it bothers me that we’ve let this fester this long. Casting out demons IS supposed to be within my realm of expertise. We’ve given in to fear, and we shouldn’t have. When are you planning to go up there?”

“Tomorrow morning,” she said after a moment’s hesitation. “I’ve driven most of today, and I want to at least try to sleep for a few hours before heading up.”

“Tell you what. My wife and I will be here at nine in the morning. I don’t want to interfere or be in your way, but we’ll at least be close by if you need or want reinforcements.”

His unexpected support surprised her, and she nodded. “You know, I’d really appreciate that.”

When she returned to the car a few minutes later, David was uncharacteristically silent, and he remained so during the drive to Asheville. Wilhelmina tried to set it out of her mind as she checked in and they found their room. She spent a few minutes settling in and ordering room service, then flopped back on the bed as she waited for it to arrive. Without meaning to, she dozed off, only to be woken by the knock on the door some minutes later.

The continuing silence, though, unnerved her as she ate, and she was almost relieved as she set the tray in the hallway. After she closed the door, she looked at him sadly and sat down on the edge of the bed facing where he sat in the chair by the window. “No matter how upset you’ve been, you’ve never given me the silent treatment.”

His shook his head sadly. “I wasn’t trying to. It’s just we’ve been at each other’s throats all day. You were exhausted, and I wanted to let you at least have a peaceful meal.”

“It has been a long day,” she admitted. “The last two days feel like they’ve lasted a month.”

“It’s not just this case,” he said gently. “I don’t really know how to say this, and I’ve tried to hide it, but I’m tired, Willie. I don’t know how much longer I can keep fighting it. I’m not even sure I should.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, her heart sinking.

“I’ve had ten years with you. A decade that I wasn’t supposed to have. I’ve been steadily growing weaker over the last few months, and I’m scared. I haven’t been this scared since the day that blasted aneurysm ruptured.” He averted his gaze from the tears that were starting to stream down her cheeks.

“We never defined our relationship, Willie, but I had just decided it was time to man up and make a commitment to you when the doctors found it. They talked about surgery, but my dad died from a ruptured aneurysm, and I knew it was basically a death sentence. I couldn’t ask you to tie yourself to me at that point, but I loved you and wanted to make sure you were taken care of since I wouldn’t be around to do it. That’s why I took your manuscript. I knew you’d never publish it on your own and the Institute was holding you back from fulfilling your potential. You have a real gift for this, and they were squelching it. I’ve never figured out if I did the right thing or not. It should have been your decision, and I am sorry I took that from you. My intentions were good, but right now I’m petrified about what they say is paved with good intentions.”

“David, the thing is I know your intentions were good. I meant it when I said I forgave you long ago.” She grabbed a tissue from the box on the dresser and wiped her eyes. “They told me about the aneurysm at the hospital. I’ve always worried that I caused it to rupture when I threw you out.”

He shook his head. “No. It was inevitable, Willie, and I knew it. I just wish I had had more time to sort things out with you before it happened. I was honestly surprised you even bothered to come to the hospital.”

“I was beyond angry and betrayed, but I still loved you. There was no way I could stay away.”

“It might have been better for you if you had. You’d have been free a long time ago.” He hesitated, then added, “Promise me something? Once I’m gone, you’ll be able to truly move on. Promise me that you will. Don’t waste any more time mourning me. Live, Willie. Enjoy life. Find your joy again.”

“I’ll try,” she whispered tearfully. “Assuming I survive tomorrow, anyway.”

“You will.”

He sounded so certain of himself and she was surprised by his sudden change of heart. Then she saw the haunted look of resignation in his eyes and understood his unspoken message: “I won’t.”

“No, David. Don’t sacrifice yourself for me.”

He looked startled, but he shook his head. “I can’t explain it, but somehow, I feel like I have a part to play in whatever happens up there. There’s also a good chance it’s going to take all my remaining strength. I hope not, but if it does, and I know that you’re safe, it will be worth it.”

Tears streamed down her face. “I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

He moved to sit beside her on the bed. Hands she couldn’t feel stroked her hair.

“You know what I want you to do once this is all over? Go to New York. Go hug that baby and find a way to focus on life, not death. But for now, tell me about her. Do you think she’s as cute in person as in the pictures you showed me?”

“You’re trying to distract me,” she sniffled.

“Yes. But I also just want to talk. One thing I always loved was our long conversations about everything and nothing. I know you need to get to sleep soon, but until then, let’s talk.”

They talked until Wilhelmina fell asleep, once again in one accord.

By the time they made it back to Pergamos the next morning, the small pull-off parking lot near the base of the mountain was almost full, and she was actually grateful to find that they had left a spot open for her. In addition to the pastor, who had brought his wife and half a dozen of his congregation, the mayor and sheriff were also there, standing among a small, somber crowd of residents.

A young man walked up to her as she stepped out of her car and quietly introduced himself as Jason Brown. “Whatever happens up there, thank you,” he said. “Thank you for trying.” His voice broke as he added, “We’ll be right here praying for you.”

She thanked him and the other well-wishers that followed, then turned to Sheriff Simmons. “I should get started.”

“You have your phone?” he asked.

“I do, and I’ll try to check in periodically. Manifestations have been known to interfere with cell coverage and GPS data, so don’t panic if you can’t get in touch with me. I have no idea just what I’ll find or how long I’ll be. It could be an hour or it could be all day. I do have food and water to last through tomorrow if I need it.”

“I’ll make sure someone stays here until you’re back.”

“Give me twenty-four hours,” she said softly. “If I’m not back within twenty-four hours, go home. Don’t come looking for me. You’ve lost too many already. Don’t lose anyone else on my account.”

He nodded reluctantly. “We’ll pray it doesn’t come to that.”

“So what exactly is the best way to get to this cave?”

“The creek bank is probably the easiest way. I can drive you around to where it starts at the base of the mountain. People tend to speed around this mountain, so your car is probably safer here in the lot than parked on the side of the road.”

Her eyes flickered to David, who nodded. She replied, “Just let me get my things.”

She took a large black backpack and a cedar hiking stick from her trunk, and the sheriff grinned as they got in his pickup. “Not quite the elaborate candelabra and crystal ball I would have expected before we talked.”

“More like bug repellent, a compass, and food and water. I try to find out as much about a case as I can ahead of time so I can be prepared.” She sighed as she looked down at the hardhat she had attached to the backpack via a bungee cord and the long sleeved t-shirt, heavy jeans, and hiking boots that were so different from the standard black outfits she typically wore while working. “Didn’t think I’d need my candelabra on this trip.”

“You have them?”

“Some of my clients want traditional seances. I may not be a medium in the traditional sense, but sometimes the appearance helps. I had one client a couple of years ago ask for a seance, because it was what she was used to thinking about in terms of contacting ghosts. It turned out the manifestation was a young girl who died in a house fire. The lit candles actually frightened her into appearing to us.”

He shuddered. “What happened?”

“She was able to cross over to the other side and hopefully find rest and peace.”

“Have you ever seen what’s on the other side?” he asked softly.

“No. I know it’s cliche to talk about seeing a bright light, but I’ve heard so many mention it that I often tell them to go towards it. Sometimes they hear loved ones calling to them. But I’ve never seen that light or heard voices from the other side. It’s like they’re caught between two realms of existence and interacting with both, but I only see and hear ours. I wish sometimes that I did know just what they face once they cross over, but I don’t. Pretty sure I can say that death isn’t the end, though.”

“I just pray that Ray and Megan have found peace. It’s bad enough knowing Ray is most likely gone, but thinking his soul may be trapped like some of the rumors say…. I don’t even have words to describe it.”

“If it’s any consolation, I’ve never seen any spirit trapped on this plane by another,” she offered. “It’s usually some unfinished business of their own, and they’ve all been able to cross over when they’re ready. I will be extremely surprised if this one is somehow managing that, no matter how powerful it may be.”

“You have no idea what a huge relief that would be.”

It felt like only seconds before he came to a stop at the bottom of the mountain. She took her things and reassured him that she would let him know when she came back down. Once they were alone, David followed her to the bank of the creek.

“No matter what happens up there, I’m thankful for the time we’ve had together,” she told him. “I just wish I did have those answers he was asking for. I’m not ready for you to go, but I want to know that you’ll be okay when you do.”

“I spent a long time thinking last night, Willie, after you finally went to sleep. Thinking, and praying, I suppose. I was given a second chance not many people get. I had more time with you, and I got to try to make things right between us. I’m content with that, and I’m ready to face whatever awaits me.” He looked up the mountain and shuddered. “I know this, too. If this is it. If I don’t come down off this mountain. I’m taking whatever is up there with me.”

“Do you feel it?” she asked.

“I feel something malevolent. Something evil. I still don’t want you up there, but at least I’ll be with you as long as I can.”

She took a step onto the mountain, then another. She kept forcing herself forward, fighting a heaviness that seemed to come from the atmosphere itself. After a few minutes, she whispered, “Whoever said the first step is the hardest was wrong.”

David nodded. “For me, too, but you can do this. One step at a time.”

“Keep watching your surroundings,” he reminded her some time later as she focused on watching the ground.

“I don’t want to,” she sighed. “Even with this hiking stick, it’s hard enough just watching where I put my feet.”

“I know, Willie,” he said soothingly. “I’m trying to watch as best I can, too, but we both need to be on high alert. We don’t even know for sure that the missing people made it to the cave.”

Ten minutes later, they heard dead leaves rustling behind them, and Wilhelmina turned to see a large diamond-shaped head emerge from a fallen tree trunk they had just passed. The rest of the brown and black snake soon followed, and she was horrified to see the rattles on the end of the black tail. She held her breath as it started slithering up the path towards them.

“Keep going,” David reminded her. “He’s more scared of you than you are of him. Rattlers don’t attack unless they’re provoked.”

The terrain was too treacherous to run, but she moved as quickly as she could away from the snake. She eventually reached a relatively thinned out area and walked a few feet into the woods, hoping it would stay close to the creek bank. Instead, it followed behind her, and she lost valuable time as it closed the distance.

Its rattles began to shake in a rhythmic pattern and she was horrified to see another snake join the first, then another.

“Get back on the bank!” David called out to her.

She used her hiking stick to help steady herself – and her nerves – as she sidled back to the bank. The snakes slithered along behind her, actually dropping back a few feet. As she kept going, she found that as long as she continued to move towards the cave, they matched her speed, but if she veered to either side, they quickly closed the distance and rattled until she got back on track.

Horrified, she gasped, “They’re herding me!”

He nodded slowly. “It looks like they’re guiding us to the cave. Can we go in prepared? I don’t think they’ll let us stop to get your flashlight.”

“I… I’ll try.”

She didn’t dare set down her walking pole, afraid that she wouldn’t be able to pick it back up without one of the snakes striking out. It took some maneuvering and time, but she managed to get the backpack around to her front and detached the hat to which she had previously affixed a caving headlamp. By this time the cave was in sight, so she flipped the switch to turn it on before plopping it on her head and returning the backpack to its normal position.

Her initial plans had included taking a moment to just breathe before heading into the cave. A moment to relax and mentally prepare for crossing the threshold. Instead, pursued by the snakes, she didn’t even break stride as she walked into the cave. The snakes, however, did stop by the door, their rattles sounding an eerie chorus as they barred her escape.

As she looked around, she realized that instead of the huge room she had expected, she was in an arched passageway that led further into the cave and she had no choice but to go forward. The passage sloped slightly downward and curved to the right, then to the left, and it was soon impossible for her to remember just how far they had gone or how long they had been walking.

Eventually the passage opened into the cavernous room she had expected to see earlier. However, nothing had prepared her for the actual sight of it, and she felt her stomach lurch. It wasn’t just a cave. It was a tomb.

The bodies of those who had vanished without a trace were scattered around the room. Untouched by decomposition, they still wore the clothes in which they had climbed the mountain. Among them, a young woman clad in bell-bottoms and a tank top lay near the entrance, while a man a few feet away wore a butternut Confederate uniform. An old man wore a tattered button-up shirt with overalls. No matter the era of their clothing, their faces were contorted with pain and fear.

Stalactites of various lengths dotted the ceiling and she had to duck as she carefully maneuvered through the maze of corpses to the far side of the room where a massive throne was carved from the flowstone that lined the wall.

Before the throne, however, rocks had been piled around stalagmites to form a low table that she realized was meant to be an altar. A young man in a police uniform was stretched out on top of it. The crumpled form of a teenaged girl in blue jeans and a hoodie lay nearby. “We found them,” she said softly.

“Grab his gun,” David advised in a whisper. “Is it loaded?”

She cringed at the thought of taking anything from a dead body, but set her stick on the ground and carefully slid the gun out of the holster on his waist and followed his instructions as he told her how to see if it was loaded or not.

“Yes.”

“Good. That may help you get past those snakes. They’re not bullet-proof.”

She wasn’t as convinced of that as he was, but she nodded. “I think I should look around a little more. See if I can find any clue as to why or how. Then if I can get outside to at least text the sheriff what’s here. He needs…,” she swallowed hard. “He needs to at least know about this. Then I can come back and try to make contact.”

“If Megan has a cell phone or camera on her, that might help,” he pointed out.

She slipped the gun into her pocket and hesitantly turned Megan over to see a bulge in her hoodie pocket. She carefully lifted the fabric enough to see a flip phone and a small camera that she retrieved and tucked into her backpack. “Thanks. That was a good idea.”

A dark shape appeared in front of the throne that now shimmered faintly red. Wilhelmina’s light went out, and the shape began to emit a faint light of its own as it coalesced into a woman’s figure. A flowing black cloak concealed everything but her hands and the pale white face that stood out starkly from the thick waves of dark red hair that fell unrestrained to her knees.

Water began to drip from the stalactites around the cave, and Wilhelmina heard the echo the drops made on her hardhat. The stalactites then began to glow with the same light as the throne, and she screamed as she realized it wasn’t water. Blood red drops coursed down the sharp spikes before falling to the ground.

“Soon the blood will be yours,” the specter whispered. “My little pets will make this as painful as possible….”

Her heart in her throat, she couldn’t make herself move as she saw the snakes that now curled around the woman’s feet. The woman lifted her hands and pointed at Ray’s body, which began to raise into the air and away from the altar, eventually landing near the throne.

Wilhelmina felt a pressure began to build and realized it wasn’t her own fright that kept her immobile as she felt herself lifted into the air. She was several inches off the ground when another form began to glow to her right. However, unlike the woman’s faint light that seemed to draw the darkness of the cave into it, this one seemed to repel the darkness. She watched as David’s features materialized as he appeared to someone or something other than herself for the first time since his death.

“Touch one hair on her head, and I will send you straight to hell,” David hissed. “Who are you?”

Inky black eyes full of malice turned towards him. “I am the Priestess. The one who will bring his coming. You have no power over me!”

“I bring light to your darkness. You will kill no more.”

The woman pointed at her again and Wilhelmina screamed soundlessly. She struggled in vain to fight against the power that flew her through the cave and laid her on the altar that had so recently held Ray’s corpse. The snakes began to slither towards her, and tears streamed down her face. She no longer wondered why the others looked as they did.

The snakes scaled the rocks that made up most of the outside of the altar, but before they could strike, they fell back to the ground, dead.

The pale face contorted with rage and raised her hands toward David. She hissed, “You will repent of that, eternally, where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. Never ending will be the anguish that cometh upon you.”

“Don’t you understand? Your worms, your serpents, are dead. Your time here is over.”

“My time here has just begun,” she seethed. “I fled Salem in fear. I was drawn here. I found the throne. I shaped it. I perfected it. I built the altar. I protected it with my life, and now my soul. I have sacrificed many to him! I will never fear nor flee again, and once all is ready, he will come. He will reign forever, and I will be by his side!”

“He will be bound and cast into outer darkness. This world will not be his. This place is not yours.” David said. He turned to Wilhelmina. “Break the altar.”

The woman cackled. “She cannot move unless I release her. She cannot break it!”

“She has no power over you, Willie. The snakes are gone. Her power is gone.”

She found that the force that bound her had indeed been broken and she was now able to move. She quickly scrambled off the altar. The woman screeched.

Wilhelmina grabbed her hiking stick and walked back to the altar. Revulsion filled her and she used the stick to break the stalactites holding the stones in place. Soon it was a crumbled heap, except for an iron cauldron that stood in the center of the rubble.

“Now the throne, Willie.”

“You cannot!”

“She can,” David proclaimed calmly. “She will.”

Wilhelmina advanced to the throne and raised her stick. She had no idea how hard flowstone was or if it was harder than the stalagmites that had so easily crumbled, but she vaguely remembered a long ago Sunday school lesson that said cedar had been used to build Solomon’s temple. She hoped it could somehow destroy this mockery of one.

The red glow flickered, and the woman screamed in anguish. With the first hit of the stick on the seat, a long crack formed. The woman’s scream grew louder. With the second, more cracks branched out. With the third, it shattered into pieces. The woman’s scream faded into silence.

Wilhelmina’s headlamp blinked back on and she realized the woman was gone. The stalactites no longer glowed nor dripped with blood. A stench hit her, and she realized the bodies were no longer preserved. She was now surrounded by badly decomposing corpses and skeletons.

“David, we’ve got to get out of here,” she managed. Her stick fell to the floor forgotten as her hands flew up to cover her nose and mouth.

He shook his head. “I can’t, Willie. That took more strength than I had. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t even all mine.”

“You saved me,” she choked out. “You purged Pergamos.”

“Good always wins over evil. Remember that, Willie. Keep fighting for the good.”

“I will. Will you be at peace now?”

“I think so. I don’t think I would have been used to do that if I was about to follow her. And even if I do, I’ll know that at least your life was saved. Promise me you won’t let that go to waste. Keep fighting for good, but live. Find your own happiness. Enjoy living.” He closed his eyes. “Find someone to love, Willie. Someone who loves you as much as I do.”

“I’ve always loved you, too. Had things been different. Had you lived. I would have married you.”

“I know,” he whispered. “Nothing would have made me happier. But since that couldn’t be, find it with someone else. You’ve spent your time mourning for me. Don’t waste any more. Don’t miss out on life because of a memory. I see the light, Willie. I’ve avoided it for ten years, but I have to follow it now.”

“Follow the light,” she managed to say. “Find peace, David. Rest in peace.”

He blew her a kiss, then he was gone.

The odor grew stronger, and Wilhelmina turned and hurried back into the tunnel. She didn’t stop until she was once again breathing fresh air, and then only long enough to send a quick text to the sheriff that she was headed back down. She also took time to take the gun out of her pocket. She wasn’t quite comfortable leaving it there, even with the safety on, and while the snakes that had herded them up the mountain were dead, she knew that didn’t mean that there weren’t others still around.

She tried desperately to focus on putting one foot in front of another to shut out the thoughts that plagued her mind and the stench that still lingered in her nostrils. The ghost was gone, but she wouldn’t feel truly safe until she was back on level ground. Somehow, she had to hold herself together until then.

Adrenaline and fear kept her going until she was within sight of the bottom and she saw Sheriff Simmons and Mayor Autry sitting on the lowered tailgate of the sheriff’s truck. They looked to be deep in conversation, but both men jumped up and ran towards her as soon as they spotted her. She quickly handed the deputy’s gun to the sheriff, and as the realization that she was safe hit her, she sank to the ground and vomited on the mayor’s shoes.

He knelt beside her after cleaning his shoes off the best he could on the grass. “Are you all right? I mean, do you need medical attention?”

She shook her head no. She looked up. “The mountain should be safe now, but Megan, and Ray….” She silently added David to the list in her thoughts, and tears finally began to fall. “Their bodies…. The cave is a tomb. There was an altar… I had to break it and the throne, but the phenomenon is gone. I don’t know if all the snakes are gone, but the ones she trained are. I kept the gun in case there were more.”

The mayor gently put his hand on her shoulder, and the sheriff joined them on the ground. They both sat with her as she cried.

After her sobs settled into soft tears, Sheriff Simmons looked at Mayor Autry. “We need to get up there. See if we can retrieve them.”

“Do you need me?” Wilhelmina asked in a small voice.

The two men shared a glance, and Sheriff Simmons shook his head. “You’ve done enough for now. We’ll get the rest of the story from you later, but we need to go to the cave?”

She nodded. “There’s a long tunnel from the entrance to the room where they are. You’ll smell it… you’ll smell it before you get there. I still smell it….”

“This is going to sound old-fashioned and chauvinistic, but I’m worried about you driving to Asheville by yourself right now,” Mayor Autry told her. “What would you say to spending the rest of the afternoon with my wife? She’s a sweet lady, I promise. If you really want to get back to your hotel room, would you at least let her follow you there so we know you’re okay?”

She wasn’t entirely sure about being coddled, let alone by someone she had never met, but she also really didn’t want to go back to the empty hotel room where she had spent her last night with David. She fought back more tears as she half-heartedly protested, “I need a shower.”

“We have a shower. My wife even has flowery body wash and shampoo. I think you’re about her size, too, so clothing shouldn’t be an issue.”

“I always keep a set of spare clothes in my car. Are you sure she won’t mind?”

Sheriff Simmons said, “It will be fine. Suellen Autry is just about the kindest woman you’ll ever meet, second only to my own wife. She’d mind more if he didn’t offer.”

“If you’re sure…”

Mayor Autry nodded firmly. “I’m sure. I’ll give her a call and drive you back to your car. Do you feel up to driving to our house, or should I have her meet us?”

“I need directions, but I can drive,” she assured him. “Is the parking lot still full of people, or did they finally go home?”

He winced. “It was still full when we left to come here after your text. If you don’t want to see them, one of us can go get your car and bring it back here for you. No. Hold on. New plan. I’ll sneak you back to our house, introduce you to my wife, then go reassure the crowd that you’re alive and that they should go home. Either Jack or I will bring your car to you before we head up on the mountain.”

“I like that plan.” She suddenly remembered the phone and camera she had taken from Megan and took them from her backpack, handing them to the sheriff. “I found these before the manifestation appeared. I wasn’t sure anyone would make it back up there and thought they might be helpful.”

“They will definitely help. Thank you.”

While the mayor placed a quick call to his wife to give her a heads up, Wilhelmina gave the sheriff a quick rundown of what had happened on the mountain, carefully omitting any mention of David or the role he had played. For now, that knowledge would remain hers alone.

It was only a few minutes after that that the mayor did drive her to his home and introduce her to Suellen, who kept up a gentle stream of aimless chatter obviously intended to distract her while she waited for the mayor to bring her car. Once he had, and she had retrieved the duffel bag with her spare clothes from the trunk, she was finally able to take a very hot, very cathartic shower.

When she emerged, she found that Suellen had a pot of chicken noodle soup bubbling on the stove. Soup and mindless sitcoms kept her distracted for a while, but she eventually excused herself to her guest room and fell into an uneasy sleep.

It was after midnight when Mayor Autry finally returned home. Wilhelmina, having slept for several hours by that point, woke up at the sound of the front door, but was still too tired to actually move. She lay quietly as she heard Suellen greet him and ask if he wanted supper. He declined, and she soon heard a shower running on the second floor. Before she could fall back to sleep, she heard him come back downstairs, and Suellen asking, “What happened up there?”

“It was bad,” he said quietly. “How’s Ms. James?”

“She’s beyond exhausted. I can’t even imagine what she’s been through today.”

“She’s made of sterner stuff than I am.”

“So what was up there?”

“Are you sure you want to hear this?”

“I’d rather know than always wonder,” Suellen said.

“I’m going to have nightmares about it for a long time. There was only rubble when we got there, but I can too easily picture the throne and the altar that she said were there. She said she had to break them to get rid of the spirit, but had she not, I think Jack would have out of sheer grief and anger once he saw Ray and Megan’s bodies. The temperature in the cave may have helped slow decomposition, but it was still pretty bad, and there were other bodies that go back for who knows how long. Some were nothing more than skeletons. I’m seriously tempted to pray for some kind of calamity to simply seal up the cave and entomb them there, because it’s not going to be pleasant trying to move them.”

“Do you know just what happened to them? What killed them?”

“There were several large timber rattlers dead in the cave,” he said softly. “Megan’s jeans have puncture marks that look like multiple bites. Hon, I’m really worried. I really don’t believe the Browns have anything to do with it, but it doesn’t look good. Everyone knows they have rattlers in their church, and if anyone else hears about that part, it’s not going to be pretty. You know as well as I do some people in town are wanting to blame them just because of the case in Alabama a few years back. And what do I tell the Taylors? They’re not from around here. Are they going to accept that a ghost or demon killed their daughter?”

“There are rattlers everywhere around here,” Suellen reminded him softly. “That doesn’t prove anything. And skeletons there, I’m sure there’s some kind of test that could date them. Remember the disappearances date back way before Joe was even born, let alone Jason.” She sighed. “And yeah, I know they’re bringing up that case. And yeah, I know how many murderers have family and friends who would have never suspected anything. But in this case, I just can’t believe it.”

Wilhelmina finally got out of bed and pulled on the soft robe that Suellen had lent her, then padded into the living room.

“I’m sorry,” Mayor Autry apologized. “We didn’t mean to wake you.”

She shook her head. “I think I’ve been asleep all evening. And I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but if my word means anything, I really don’t think the Browns were involved. Obviously, I have no way to prove it, but she called the snakes her pets, and they were under her control. They basically herded me up the mountain and into that room in the cave where she was. I’m not exactly trained in herpetology, but I don’t think there’s any way someone human trained them to do that.”

“Do you feel up to talking about just what did happen up there?” he asked.

She hesitated, but nodded. “I’m sorry I kind of lost it when I came down. I’ve dealt with quite a few phenomena over the years, but this was the first time I’ve actually found remains. When I first got there, the bodies all seemed perfectly preserved, but I think it was just an illusion to make me think so. They decomposed the second she vanished.”

“At least it allowed you to take the cell phone and camera. Had you not, I think they would have been ruined.”

“I just hope they help somehow. I’d planned to look around once I got them, then go back outside the cave to text Sheriff Simmons that I’d found Megan and Ray. I wanted him to know since I had no idea if I’d even make it back down. But before I could, the phenomenon appeared.”

She repeated the version of the story she had given the sheriff, then finished by adding, “I’m sorry I couldn’t figure out just who she was. She mentioned fleeing Salem, and I’m assuming it was during the witch trials, but I don’t know for certain.”

“We’ve got a good chance at finding out,” he told her. “I don’t know if you noticed the iron cauldron in the middle of the rubble. The lid had rusted closed, but once we got it off, we found her diary inside. I was honestly relieved it wasn’t something much worse, since my imagination had gone into overdrive by that point. It’s still holding together and mostly legible.”

“Some advice? Have every page photographed as soon as you can,” she suggested. “It may have been the cauldron protecting it and it will be fine, but since so much else decayed or started to decay once she crossed over, it would be better not to risk it.”

He nodded. “I’ll see that it’s done as soon as I can. What are your plans at this point? I’d appreciate it if you could talk to Jack in the morning for an official debriefing, but other than that, you’ve succeeded in what we hired you to do. You’re welcome to stay with us until you feel up to traveling. I know I’d need a day or two after what you went through today, but I suspect you’re anxious to put this town in your rear-view mirror.”

“I really should check out of the hotel in Asheville at some point in the morning and pick up my luggage, but I’ll work that around whatever time he’s available.”

“If it’s easier for you, we won’t complain about paying for an extra night there,” he assured her. “It’s a valid expense, and certainly understandable given that we need you here for part of tomorrow.”

She nodded. “Thank you. I’ll see how tomorrow morning goes, but that might be a good idea.”

They spoke for a few more minutes before she returned to the guest room. This time, sleep was long in coming as she realized she did need to determine her next steps. In some ways, David had been a walking and talking memory, and she knew she needed to take time to process his absence before wading into any of the cases she had pending.

She had a standing invitation to visit her college roommate and she would at some point, but not yet. A visit to her parents sounded even less appealing, and she somehow knew she wasn’t ready yet to return home to her own house, the one that she had inherited in David’s will.

She remembered his words about going to finally meet Trixie’s baby. A trip to Sleepyside actually sounded promising. It was one of the few places she had never taken David, and it would be easy to pass it off as needing a sudden vacation after a rough case. With tentative plans swirling through her mind, she eventually fell asleep.

The next morning, she gave a heartfelt thank you to Suellen not long after breakfast and followed the mayor to the sheriff’s office where Sheriff Simmons was waiting for them. He looked like he had yet to sleep, and the large cup of coffee on his desk was likely all that kept him awake.

“Have you even been home?” Mayor Autry asked.

“Long enough to shower and assure Sharon that I’m alive, but that’s it. Visited the Taylors to let them know we found Megan. They’re going to make arrangements, and then I’ll need to figure out how to get her body to the funeral home. Ray’s, too. I had to tell both the Taylors and Vicky that they really do not want to view the bodies.” He turned green as he stood up and walked away from his desk.

Wilhelmina and Mayor Autry looked at each other as they heard him getting sick. She shrugged apologetically. “I’m sorry about your shoes yesterday.”

“You weren’t the only one to get sick up there yesterday. I think I’m going to burn everything I had on when I walked up that mountain.”

Sheriff Simmons eventually rejoined them and continued, “At any rate, I spent two hours with Vicky after finally leaving the Taylors’ house. Sharon’s with her now and is going to help her with Ray’s funeral arrangements. But after that, I came back here and started working on paperwork, but eventually stopped and read that infernal book. I can’t decide if we should call in someone to restore and preserve it, or if we should have a bonfire with it. It could join Tony’s clothes from yesterday.”

“What does it say?”

“It’s part diary, part spell book, with a genealogy sketched out in the back. Long story short, the writer was named Anne Grey. Her grandmother fled England early in the 1600s after being accused of witchcraft. She settled in Massachusetts and started a new life. Married and had a daughter, who grew up, got married, and moved to Salem, where Anne was born. She eventually married and had a daughter. The daughter was unfortunately born with a veil over her face. The midwife spread it all over town, and the young girl was only three when she was found drowned in a neighbor’s pond. The neighbor’s son died of an illness the following year, and Anne was accused of casting a spell that killed him in revenge for her own daughter’s death.

“She was terrified, because she really had tried to cast a spell passed down to her from her mother. She hadn’t actually expected it to work, and whether or not it was the spell or just a coincidence, I don’t know. But long story short, she and her husband fled south, as far from the Puritans as they could get. It took several years, but they eventually made their way here and built the house up the mountain. She had been taught that caves were a doorway to hell, so when they found this one and the rough seat-like formation in it, she took it as a sign. She convinced herself that she would perfect it and protect it, once it was good enough, Satan would appear and rule the earth with her as his high priestess and she would have vengeance on all those she felt had wronged her. She honed her spells and somehow came up with one that bound her to the service of the throne.”

“Did the book actually specify the service of the throne?” Wilhelmina asked.

“Yes. Is that significant?”

“Possibly. It’s usually something very personal that keeps a spirit on this plane, and I think she may have managed it by binding herself to a physical object. That would explain why she crossed over once I broke it.”

The sheriff nodded. “The book goes into quite a bit more detail that I’ll spare you, but she eventually took her own life as the first sacrifice on that altar.”

“She had me up there,” Wilhelmina remembered. “I was paralyzed, and she flew me through the air to put me on it. The snakes were just about on me, when somehow I was able to break free. I still don’t know just how I did.” She knew David had played a role, but she still couldn’t explain his sudden influx of power.

“All I can say is that the biggest prayer meeting this town has ever seen was happening in that parking lot while you were up there,” Sheriff Simmons told her. “It wasn’t just the Browns and their church, but people from all over town. Whether or not they knew just what you were investigating, they knew you were in danger and were praying for your safety.”

“Thank you, and if you’re able, thank them for me.”

“I will. And we thank you. I still have some loose ends with Megan, but you did what we were hoping you could do.” He quirked his lips into a smile that was both sad and tired. “I know we couldn’t possibly match what you probably make on a full-time basis, but we do have an opening on the force if you’re interested.”

“At least two openings,” Mayor Autry interjected. “You’ve got to have more back-ups, Jack. Right now, you’re the only officer in the entire county. I may have to do some fast talking with the city council and the board of commissioners, but we’ll get it done. If nothing else, I’ll sic Mary Jane on them.” He turned to Wilhelmina and explained, “Pergamos is a small town and the whole county isn’t much bigger, so we jointly fund the sheriff’s department. Suellen’s sister Mary Jane is married to the head of the county board of commissioners. She’s the one who got the funding for the computers approved last year. Picked them out herself. They may be ugly as sin, but at least they’re a big improvement over the ancient ones they had.”

The door opened and a teenage girl walked inside. “Dad? Do you have a few minutes?” She glanced around the room and flushed. “Sorry. I didn’t realize you had company.”

Sheriff Simmons gave her a small smile. “Not that I’m not always glad to see you, but I thought you were in school. What’s going on?”

“Nobody’s getting any work done today,” she told him. “And even if we were, I couldn’t concentrate. I called Mama and asked her to check me out. I should be with her and Aunt Vicky.”

“Did she drop you off here?”

She shook her head. “No. They’re both waiting outside, but it’s all over school that you told Megan’s parents that Jason would be arrested today for killing Megan and Ray. Please tell me that’s not true! There’s no way Jason did it!”

“What? Who said that?” the sheriff asked in disbelief.

“Ashley told me that Jake told her that Ryan told him on AIM last night, and everyone’s saying that if Ryan said it, it has to be true, especially since Jason’s not at school today. Is it true?”

Sheriff Simmons shook his head and motioned her over for a quick hug. “No, it’s not. Look. We both know that the rumor mill is less reliable than your Aunt Ethel’s hearing, but on the off-chance that this did start with Ryan, can you think of any reason he would have to say that? I mean, obviously his family wants to know why she went up there, but why claim it was Jason?”

She shrugged. “He’s never liked Jason, and Megan told me once that he tried to get their parents to forbid her to see him. She said they just told him that they didn’t have any problems with her dating him.”

“Do you know why he didn’t want them dating?”

“He’s one of the ones who believes the Browns’ church is a cult, but from what Megan said, he thinks all churches are. He even told her that some day, he’d prove it to her. She said she just laughed at him, because seriously, how does one prove either the existence or non-existence of God? Isn’t that the whole concept of faith?”

“Yes, it is, and we’ll talk more about it once I get home tonight. In the meantime, let me know if you hear anything else that I need to know.”

She nodded, but sighed. “I will, but I probably won’t. I’m think I’m going to stay off AIM today.”

The door opened before he could respond and Joe Brown walked in, his face clouded with worry. He forced a half-smile as he nodded at the others in the room, but it was fleeting and barely noticeable. “Sorry to interrupt, but we have a problem.”

“Is Jason okay?” Amy asked.

“He’s okay. I asked him to stay with his mama and sisters this morning, but if you want to call him later, I’m sure he could use a friend.”

“I will,” she promised, sighing in relief. “I’ll get out of your way, Dad. Mama’s waiting on me, anyway.”

“See you tonight,” Sheriff Simmons nodded. Once she left, he turned to the pastor. “What’s going on?”

“Someone broke into our garage overnight. Ransacked it, along with the shed where I keep the lawn mower. Busted the lock on my work truck and rummaged through my tools. It looks like they were looking for something, but the only thing I can find missing is my gas can. It had maybe a gallon of gas left in it.” He sighed heavily. “The stall I walled off was practically destroyed.”

The sheriff’s eyes widened. “Was anything missing from there?”

“No. The glass containers were broken, and their contents were chopped into bits with my own hoe, which was left in the middle of the carnage. That’s the main reason I left Jason to keep an eye on Liz and Abby while I came here. I’d have called, but I didn’t want Abby to overhear. No point in scaring a six-year-old unless I have to, but anyone who could do that….”

“Agreed. I’ll be by there as soon as I can, but I don’t know just how soon it will be. Stay inside once you get home and keep your doors locked. You know we found Megan and Ray yesterday. That was basically public knowledge as soon as we announced that Ms. James made it back down the mountain. I had to tell Megan’s parents last night that regardless of whatever went on up on that mountain, the ultimate cause of death was multiple rattlesnake bites. We found the dead snakes beside the bodies, as well as the puncture wounds on their clothing. I have no idea who the Taylors may have told, but given what happened in your garage, well, I’m hoping and praying that’s all, but until we know for sure, be careful. Let me know if you hear or see anything. No matter what you say in front of the kids, I’ll know any call today means I need to get there immediately.”

His already pale face turned even paler. “Jack, you don’t think…”

The sheriff shook his head. “No, I don’t. I’m afraid that someone else does, though. Once things settle down, we’ll get together and I’ll tell you what I can of what happened up there, but for now, I need you to go make sure your family is okay. I’m serious. Any call from you, and I’ll drop what I’m doing, no matter what it is. You may want to have one of your church members check on the church building, too. I want you to go straight home. I’m worried about Liz and the kids. I’ll try not to be too long.”

“Thank you,” he said softly, then slipped out of the office.

Wilhelmina waited until she heard a vehicle door close, then asked, “I may be out of line by asking, but what was in his garage that was destroyed?”

“Something that I have no idea how to write up in my report,” the sheriff sighed. “When he bought that house, Liz was pregnant with Jason. Understandably, neither of them wanted poisonous snakes in their house, especially with a baby on the way. He built a wall to divide garage into two stalls, and they keep their snakes in one. It’s usually locked, but realistically, it’s locked to protect young kids. He was basically saying the tanks were broken and the snakes killed.”

“Why didn’t he just come right out and say it?”

“Same reason I can’t really put it in my report without opening a giant can of worms. I have no idea if he has the permits to keep venomous snakes, and I don’t want to know. Technically, snake handling isn’t exactly legal in this state, but it’s a first amendment issue that no one really wants to fight. Quite frankly, we’ve had much bigger issues than a dozen or so people who occasionally let consenting adults hold a snake during a church service.”

A loud boom startled them. “What was that?”

“No idea,” the sheriff said, darting outside.

The others followed him, and they could see a small cloud of smoke coming from the mountain.

“Tony? Could you call Liz Brown and let her know I’ll be even later getting there?”

“I’ll call on the way. I’m coming with you. Wilhelmina? You’re welcome to stay here, but I don’t want to keep you for who knows how long. I suppose you can leave us your bill and we can finish up on the phone if you don’t want to stick around.”

Her determination had returned as the initial shock of the day before began to fade, and she looked up the mountain at the quickly dissipating smoke and made up her mind. “I’m coming, too.”

The overpowering fear that had consumed both Wilhelmina and David the day before was gone as she once again began a trek up the mountain. Worry and curiosity over what they would find felt all too human in origin. It was still an arduous hike despite their haste, and she regretted leaving her hiking stick in the cave.

The cave was not yet in sight when they began to hear sobs. They picked up their pace, powering through as the stench from deep in the cave reached their nostrils.

A young man sat curled into himself, propped against the cave entrance. He lifted his head at their approach, and it was obvious that his tear-stained face had minor burns. His hair and eyebrows were mostly gone.

The sheriff rushed over and knelt beside him. “Ryan! What happened?”

His voice was hoarse and anguished. “I know you said to stay away, but I had to see my sister one last time. I didn’t know Jason had booby-trapped the cave!”

Wilhelmina slipped past them into the entrance. The smell of gasoline almost penetrated the smell of decomposition, and shards of a broken glass soda bottle littered the ground around the remnants of an old metal gas can.

She rejoined the men and sat down beside the teenager. “What really happened in there?” she asked gently.

“I’ve already told them. My sister’s boyfriend killed her, then rigged the cave to explode. Probably to get rid of any evidence.”

“I’m the one who found her,” she told him. “I saw the evidence, and I found her phone and camera. They’ve already been removed from here.”

A flicker of fear crossed his face, before he said, “Good. They’ll prove he did it.”

There was a brief silence, before she asked simply, “Why?”

“There’s no such thing as ghosts!” he snapped, standing to his feet. “There’s no such thing as a soul, or God, or any of that! Megan was naive and fell for it all. I tried to convince her that it’s all wrong. I tried… we were supposed to meet at the foot of the mountain…”

Something in him broke, and he fell to his knees. “I got detention that day, and I was late. There were snakes blocking the trail when I got here. I’d hoped she had seen them and gone home.”

“I almost did,” a voice whispered on the wind. Megan shimmered into view, and she smiled sadly at her brother. “You meant well, but you were wrong. There was evil here. It almost got her, but she got rid of it,” she nodded her head towards Wilhelmina. “It wasn’t Jason. It was an old witch.”

“Did she keep you here?” Wilhelmina asked, as horror came flooding back.

“No, but she tried.” Megan grinned. “Upset her to no end to see me wandering around the mountain while she was unable to touch me.” The smile faded quickly, though, and she sighed. “I can’t leave the mountain, but I’ve been exploring it. I had hoped and prayed for a chance to say goodbye before I cross over. It’s been hard, especially when I saw Deputy Ray go on. My brother’s an idiot, but at least he gave me this chance. I’m not sure how much longer I could have waited.”

“Meggie?” Ryan stared in disbelief. “I’m so sorry…”

“Jason didn’t kill me, big bro. He had nothing to do with this. It wasn’t your fault, either. I knew better than to come up here, especially without you, but I’m glad you didn’t come. She would have gotten you, too.”

Tears filled his eyes. “I never should have suggested it.”

“Remember me, Ryan, but I want you to live and be happy. Someday, tell my nieces and nephews about me. Tell them about all the fun we had growing up, and that I would have loved and spoiled them to pieces. Tell Jason I wish we’d had more time together. Be nice to him. Tell Mama and Daddy I love them, and that I’m okay.”

“I will,” he promised. “Are you really okay?”

She nodded. “I am. I can’t see what’s waiting for me yet, but I can tell it’s going to be beautiful.”

“I love you, little sister,” he whispered.

She smiled. “I love you, too, big brother,” and she faded from view.

“Did that just happen?” Sheriff Simmons asked after a long moment of stunned silence.

“It better have,” Mayor Autry replied. “Or I need to be checked for hallucinations.”

“It happened,” Wilhelmina confirmed. “And now we know. No one lured Megan up here.”

Ryan started. “But…”

Sheriff Simmons shook his head. “The two of you had talked about it, but you didn’t force her up here. Just stop the rumors about Jason. He’s even more innocent in this than you are. Were you the one who vandalized their property this morning, or do you know who did?”

He hung his head. “I did. I wish I hadn’t. I was so convinced Jason had somehow trained those snakes or at least had something to do with this.”

The sheriff sighed. “I can’t promise, but I may be able to talk them into not pressing charges.”

“I’ll talk to Pastor Brown,” Mayor Autry said. “I’ll let them know Ryan will help them clean it up regardless, if that’s what they want.”

Ryan nodded, but shuddered. “Just please not the snake room! I’ll even help rebuild a new garage, if they want, and tell everyone I was wrong about Jason, but please not that!”

“Fair enough,” Mayor Autry replied. “In the meantime, let’s get your burns looked at.”

Ryan looked at Wilhelmina. “How did you know?”

“Mostly a hunch, but we already knew the gas can had been stolen,” she told him. “And that type of explosive can’t really be set to go off accidentally by someone else. At least, if it can, I don’t know how.”

They began their trip back down the mountain, and Wilhelmina was glad to know that it would be her last. She stopped by the sheriff’s office once more for a final debriefing, then headed to her hotel just long enough to retrieve her luggage and check out, then pointed her car towards Sleepyside.

Two days later, Wilhelmina found herself in quiet conversation over lunch with Madeleine Wheeler in the otherwise deserted dining room at the Glen Road Inn. An invitation to stay at the Manor House had been extended and accepted, and Madeleine tossed out the idea of a small dinner party with Honey and Trixie’s families and possibly a couple of their other friends.

“It’s pretty obvious that something dreadful happened,” Madeleine told her. “Don’t ever feel like you have to talk about it. I love Honey and Trixie both, but they’re relentless at finding out what they want to know. Trixie’s more obvious about it, but that’s what makes Honey dangerous. She hides it under old-fashioned charm school tact, and before you realize it, you’ve fallen into her trap. Don’t feel bad about telling them to mind their own business. But on the other hand, if you do want to talk about it, you’ll find that they will understand, and they keep confidences. And of course, I’m certainly willing to listen, too. Given your line of work, I can’t even imagine how bad something was to have shaken you.”

Wilhelmina gave her the abridged version of the story, and by the time of the dinner that Friday, she was ready to repeat it to the others. Trixie and Wendell Molinson, Honey and Brian Belden, and their friend Dan Mangan were scattered around the Manor House living room with Madeleine and Matthew Wheeler. Erica, who had remained glued to her side during dinner, had been coaxed into the library by Miss Trask after dessert.

With Chloe sleeping on her shoulder, Wilhelmina began her tale, but surprising even herself, she gave the full version, including David’s role. By the time she finished, she looked down at the pale hair on the baby’s downy head, not willing to meet any of their eyes. Honey crossed the room and put her arm around her.

“A lot of people are haunted by their memories,” she said softly. “This was more literal than most, but we’re here for you if you need to talk about it. We’re not going to judge or think less of you. Honestly, hearing about the case, you’re one of the bravest people I’ve ever met.”

“Agreed,” Trixie said.

“There’s just one thing about this that I’m struggling to accept,” Dan said, his expression unreadable.

Wilhelmina looked at him with questioning eyes, and he gave her a gentle smile.

“Do you really not know how to carry or shoot a gun? I know you can’t exactly shoot ghosts, at least not effectively, but you never know what else you may run into. Tell you what. I’m off tomorrow. If you want, we can go to the range and I can at least show you the basics.”

Chloe began to squirm, and as Wilhelmina passed her back to Trixie, she nodded. “If you’re sure you don’t mind giving up a day off, I’d appreciate that.”

“Positive. I’ll pick you up at ten….”