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.She'd have had to do that to assume solid form with you.Then the other—her own daughter?—wounds her by taking you to her bed.You, the focus she's chosen to justify.You've been tainted.That has to be punished." He got reflective again."That's crazy.""We're not dealing with sane people.Living or dead.I thought you understood that.""Knowing it and knowing it are two different things.""We have to talk to the troll woman.It would be wise to know the circumstances of those days as well as possible before we take steps.This isn't a feeble haunt."We went back inside.Doom asked Cook, "What reason would General Stantnor have had for doing what he did? From what Mr.Garrett tells me, she was frightened of everything, had almost no will of her own.It would take great evils to animate her to the point where we'd have the situation that exists here now.""I don't tell no stories—""Cook.Can it!" I snapped."We have the General nailed here.He murdered Eleanor, evidently in extremely traumatic fashion.Now she's getting even.That doesn't bother me too much.I kind of like the idea of retribution.But now she's started on Jennifer.I don't like that.So how about you just puke up some straight answers?"Cook looked at Jennifer, who hadn't yet recovered."I kind of hinted at it but I guess not strong enough.The General.Well, he was obsessed with Missus Eleanor.Like I told you.But that never stopped him from rabbiting around hisself, tumbling every wench who'd hold still while he threw her on her back.He wasn't discreet about it, neither.Missus Eleanor, naive as she was, figured it out.I can't tell you what she felt for him.She wasn't never one to talk or show much.But she had to be his wife.She didn't have nowhere to go.Her parents was dead.The king was out to get her."She was hurt bad by the way he done.Real bad.Maybe, because she was the way she was, lots more hurt than a deceived wife ought to be.Anyway, she told him if he didn't straighten up, she'd see if what was good for the gander was good for the goose.She wouldn't never have done it.Not in a million years.She didn't have the nerve.But that didn't make him no never mind.He thought everybody worked inside like he did.He beat her half to death.Maybe would've killed her if I hadn't of got between them.Anyway, he just went crazy after that.Poor child.Only time she ever stood up to him."I wanted to tell her to make the long story short, but it might not be smart to interrupt while she was puking her guts."Well, the poor child was pregnant with Miss Jennifer.She didn't know it yet.Naive child.Once she did figure it out, it was a day too late.I like to pounded his head for him but he wouldn't believe he was its dad.Not till she was gone.Him thinking that poor child was as loose as him! With who? I asked him.Was there anybody around the house? Hell, no.Not but him.And the child never went outdoors.Half the time she didn't even come out of her room.But try to convince a fool with logic."He put her through hell.Pure hell.Tormented her.Tortured her, I think.She had bruises all over.Trying to get her to tell him the name.I done what I could.That wasn't never enough.Only made him worse when I wasn't looking.And it got worse when the old General passed." She looked at me.There were tears in her eyes the size of larks' eggs."I swear, though, I never thought he killed her.I never believed that even when there was some whispers.If I'd of known it then, I'd of plucked off his fingers and toes and arms like plucking feathers off a chicken.How could he of killed her?""I don't know, Cook.But I'm going to ask." I looked at Doctor Doom.He asked, "You intend to confront him?""Oh, yes.I sure do." I grinned like a werewolf."He hired me to unravel his troubles no matter how much he didn't like what he learned.I'm going to give him apoplexy.""Take it easy," Morley said."Don't get so upset you can't think straight."Good advice.I've been known to gallop around like a beheaded chicken when I'm excited, doing more damage to myself than to the bad guys."I've got it under control." I glanced at Jennifer.She'd begun to recover while Cook was talking.She looked a little goofy, still, as she stared at the portrait of her mother.She seemed amazed and puzzled.She mumbled, "That's my mother.That's the woman in the painting in father's bedroom."I looked at Peters."Why didn't you tell me that last night?""I didn't believe it.I guessed, but this painting doesn't look anything like that one.I thought I had to be wrong.That it was just a coincidence.Snake never saw her, anyway."Cook said, "That's not true.""That's right," I said."He came from the estate, didn't he? I should have thought of that.Did he know her at all?"Cook shook her head."He never came in the house even back then.She never went out.But he would of seen her from a distance."Peters just shook his head."I didn't believe it."I recalled him and Kaid arguing after Morley and I left.Now I knew why.They'd been trying to make up their minds."What do we do about the ghost, Doctor?" At the moment I was on her side, despite what she'd done to Jennifer.Not hard to understand.Last night she'd added adultery to the punishments visited upon Stantnor, twenty years after he'd convicted her.Then Jennifer and I had.But why shouldn't she consider Jennifer my victim, the way she'd been Stantnor's? Was there more to it than I knew? I supposed Doom could explain but I couldn't ask.I shrugged.Go try to unravel motives and you'll drive yourself crazy.In my line you're better off dealing with results.That's much more straightforward.Doom said, "She has to be laid to rest.Her staying here and walking the night.That's far more cruel.That's more punishment that's undeserved.She needs peace." He paused, apparently expecting comment.When he got none, he added, "It's not my place to be judgmental.I suspect the man who killed her deserves all he's gotten and more.But my own ethics don't let me let the victimization go on."He was starting to look like a right guy despite his clown show.Most of the time that's the code I follow myself.Most of the time.I've been known to get involved and consequently stumble into some home-grown justice sometimes."I agree.Mostly.What next?"Doom worked his ugly face into a smile."I'm going to work a constraint on the shade that will keep it from draining any more substance off the living.The principal will begin to recover immediately.Once he regains some strength—this is just a suggestion—I'd like to call her up to confront him.A direct confrontation will leave her less reluctant to go to her rest, I think.And I have a feeling that an exorcism against a hostile shade would be very difficult here.""Yeah." I reckoned he knew what he was talking about.And a confrontation sounded good to me."You can't do that," Jennifer protested."That might kill him.He might have a stroke."Nobody else much cared if he did.At the moment there was very little love for Stantnor around that place.Cook looked like she was considering ways she could help him across to the other shore.She'd raised him like her own but she was less than proud of him.She said, "I got to get back to work.Lunch is going to be late as it is." She stomped out."Keep an eye on her, Sarge," I suggested."She's pretty upset.""Right [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]