The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires - Grady Hendrix Page 0,117

far away and muffled by the walls, it still made her jump.

The sound had been the phone ringing. She heard footsteps running downstairs, she heard the front door open and slam, then silence.

She sat, heart pounding, teeth chattering. Then her skin crawled: someone was scratching at the other side of the trapdoor. He was coming up again, finding the eyelet, pulling the trapdoor down. She was too tired, too cold, she couldn’t move, she couldn’t hide. Then came a noise like the end of the world as the trapdoor cracked, the springs screamed, and James Harris came up the ladder.

CHAPTER 31

“Patricia?” Kitty whispered.

Patricia couldn’t understand what Kitty was doing with James Harris.

“Patricia?” Kitty called louder.

Patricia pushed herself up on her elbows, then onto her hands, and looked over the top of the boxes. Kitty stood halfway inside the attic. Alone.

“Kitty?” Patricia said, her dry tongue sticking to the syllables.

“Oh, thank God,” Kitty said. “You scared me half to death. Come on.”

“Where is he?” Patricia asked, thoughts coming thick and slow.

“He left,” Kitty said. “Now mush. We need to be gone before he comes back.”

Patricia pushed herself up off the floor and reeled toward Kitty, knees popping, spine cracking, feet screaming with pins and needles as the blood poured back into them.

“How?” Patricia asked.

“Gracious Cay caught on fire,” Kitty said. “Mrs. Greene called and told me I needed to come get you out.”

“Where is she?” Patricia slurred, reaching the trap door.

Kitty grabbed Patricia’s waist and held her steady.

“First thing I did was take Blue and Korey out to Seewee,” she said, helping Patricia place her foot on the top step. “We told them you had to visit a sick cousin upstate. They’ve been crabbing all day with Honey and we rented a stack of movies. I’ve got beds made up for them. They’re having a high old time.”

She got both Patricia’s feet onto the top step, then helped her turn around and come down the stairs. Halfway down, Patricia’s head emerged into the hallway and it smelled so clean she wanted to weep.

“How is Gracious Cay on fire?” she asked, clinging to the ladder as the room spun slowly around her. “Where’s Mrs. Greene?”

“Same answer to both questions,” Kitty said. “I think it’s the first time she’s ever broken the law. Keep moving.”

“No,” Patricia said. “You have to see this.”

She made herself climb back up the ladder.

“I’ve seen attics before,” Kitty called up after her. “Patricia! We don’t have time.”

Patricia knelt on the attic floor and faced Kitty through the hatch.

“If you don’t see this, it’s all for nothing,” she said. “You’ll all say I’m crazy again.”

“No one thinks you’re crazy,” Kitty said.

Patricia disappeared into the darkness. After a minute, she heard the stairs creaking and Kitty emerged from the trap door.

“It’s pitch-black,” Kitty said.

Patricia pulled the penlight from her pocket and used it to light Kitty’s way to the chimney where she heaved out the Samsonite bag and laid it on one side.

“I’ve seen luggage before,” Kitty said.

“Hold this.” Patricia handed her the penlight. “Point here and squeeze.”

Kitty held the light as Patricia twisted the locks open. She opened the suitcase and pulled back the black plastic. Francine’s wide-open eyes and exposed teeth didn’t scare her this time, they just made her sad. She’d been alone up here for a long time.

“Ah!” Kitty screamed in surprise and the penlight went dark. Patricia heard her dry heave once, twice, and then Kitty burped something thick and meaty. After a moment, the light came back on and played over the contents of the suitcase.

“It’s Francine,” Patricia said. “Help me get her down.”

She closed the lid and locked it again.

“We can’t move evidence,” Kitty said, and immediately Patricia felt stupid. Of course. The police needed to find Francine here.

“But you saw her, right?” Patricia asked.

“I saw her,” Kitty said. “I most definitely