Upstairs, only the door to the master bedroom was open.
The broom was lying on the floor with the handle disappearing under the bed skirt. Alan knelt next to the broom and snatched it back, almost expecting something under the bed to offer resistance. He lifted the skirt and saw nothing. With a gesture, he asked Liz to close the door and turned his attention to the bathroom. Alan didn’t take any chances. He checked all the cabinets and slid open the glass door to look in the tub. Joe was focused on the door that led to the walk-in closet. Alan closed the door to the bathroom.
“Attic?” Alan whispered.
Liz nodded. Alan felt his heart pounding in his chest as he opened the door to the closet. The hanging garments looked like they could all be crouching evildoers, ready to pounce. Alan stood, waiting for movement with the broom in one hand and the hammer in his other. Liz reached forward and pulled the chain to light the room.
Joe gasped.
Alan and Liz looked at their son.
Joe shrugged. “Sorry. I thought I saw something.”
A smile touched the corner of Liz’s mouth.
Alan pulled the panel from the small door to the attic.
“Let me go first,” Liz said.
Alan shook his head.
“If there’s really someone in the house, they’re not going to know about this door to the attic,” Liz said. “They would be coming from behind us. I’ll go first and you’ll come last, in case there really is someone.”
Alan took a breath and considered her logic.
She’s right, he thought. Except… He didn’t allow his mind to complete the thought.
“Okay,” Alan said.
Liz pushed back her hair and crouched in front of the little door.
“Wait,” Alan said. “Hand me that extension cord.”
Liz reached in and came back with the thick orange cable. She gave it to Alan and he stretched it out to reach the outlet. When he plugged it in, Joe jumped. Upstairs, the compressor for the nail gun buzzed to life. When it finished recharging its canister, the compressor shut off and they heard the distant static from the radio. It was barely audible over the sound of rain thumping against the metal roof.
Liz nodded at Alan and pulled herself through the hatch. After her feet moved, Joe followed. Alan watched his son’s feet turn towards the stairs and then wait. They heard the radio click off.
From above, Liz said, “Oh, no.”
“What?” Alan asked. “Joe, move. Move!”
He pulled himself through and rushed Joe up the narrow steps.
“What is it?” Alan called. His head rose above the level of the floor and he saw Liz standing over near the front window—the rocking-chair window. “What?”
“There’s a little leak,” Liz said.
“Oh,” Alan said. “You scared the shit out of me.”
“I like what you’ve done up here. It’s starting to look nice,” Liz said. “Really cleans…” She stopped because of the noise. They all heard it. It sounded like a muffled conversation at the bottom of the attic stairs.
Alan waved his family together. “This room is empty—everyone agree?”
Liz and Joe nodded.
“Okay. Let’s work our way down. I’m first,” Alan said.
He led them down the stairs. The murmuring voices seemed to keep their distance as the family traveled down the stairs. They never seemed to get any closer. When the three got to the closet, the voices faded away. Alan re-checked the closet and then the bathroom. The master bedroom was empty as well, and the door was still shut. Alan ushered everyone back in the hall. He turned off the lights in the bedroom. The rain beat at the bay window. Alan shut the door. He positioned Joe’s back to the door.
“You yell if you see or hear anything, okay?” Alan asked.
Joe nodded.
“We’re just going to check out this room,” Alan said. He pointed at the guest room.
Aside from the furniture, the guest room was the mirror of Joe’s. It had enough space for two single beds, dressers, and a closet that held a bigger bureau. Alan checked it quickly while Liz stood in the doorway. They exchanged a nod and then turned out the lights and shut that door.
“Okay, this side is clear,” Alan said. “Liz, I want you to guard the top of the steps while Joe and I check his room and the guest bath.”
When they returned, Liz circled her thumb and index finger—everything was okay. The family stood at the top of the steps.
“Keep going?” Liz asked.
Alan nodded. “They must be downstairs.”
Alan gave the broom to Liz and they all joined hands. Alan went first, Joe was in the middle, and Liz brought up the rear. Alan held the hammer out in front of them to ward off whatever they might face. They made quick work of checking the den and TV room, shutting the all the doors behind themselves. Outside, the rain came in bursts and spatters. The wind picked up and whistled and rumbled against the side of the house.
They were halfway down the hall next to the stairs when the front door flew open. It banged against its stop. Alan whirled and put his arms back, protecting his family. The storm door was bent back on its hinges and the heavy wooden door rattled with each gust. The noise of the generator added to the din of the storm.
“What is that?” Liz yelled over the shriek of the wind. She was pointing at the knocker. From it was hung the bear carcass that Alan had found on the porch. Alan pulled away from Liz’s grip. He leaned into the wind and gripped the heavy door. He slammed it shut against another burst of wind.
“Alan, what was that thing?” Liz asked.
“Come help me, Liz,” he said.
The latch on the door wasn’t catching right. Alan pressed his back against the wood to hold it shut. The wood floor was slick with rain. Liz ran over and added her weight to the door.
“Joe, give me a hand,” Alan said. He opened the door to the den and led his son through. Together, they lifted a small filing cabinet and walked it back into the hall. “Move, babe,” Alan said to Liz. He turned the cabinet sideways, wedging it between the door and stairs. It held the big door shut.
“Come on,” Alan said. He led his family through the rest of the first floor at a frantic pace. They checked every closet and behind the furniture. They ended their sweep of the first floor at the door.
“See?” Liz asked. “It was either a ghost or they got away when we weren’t looking.”
“They couldn’t have gone through this door,” Alan said. “You have to unlock it to open it, even from the inside.”
“Then through the front door,” Liz said. “Maybe that’s why it blew open.”
Joe looked hopeful at Liz’s suggestion.
“You can hear that door close all over the house, Liz,” Alan said. “It would be easier to sneak out by crashing through a window.”
“So it was a ghost, or the wind,” Liz said. “Whatever it was, the house is empty. We just checked.”
Alan considered this for a moment.
“The cellar,” he said. “What if we just locked the intruder in the cellar.”
“Then let him rot there,” Liz said.
“The gas lines go through there. The oil tanks are down there. Electrical, phone, cable, everything goes through that space. We’ll be at his mercy if he decides to mess with any of it.”
Liz sighed. She pulled Alan a few feet away from their son and whispered to him.
“Alan, I don’t like going down in that cellar. We’ve got it locked. Isn’t that enough?” Liz asked.