Chapter92 The Trap Door

Sheriff Faulkner, Deputy Hopkins and Martin are breaking up the cellar floor with sledge hammers, while Cindy sits on the steps next to Beth; holding onto her trembling hands. Beth's extremely anxious at this point; eager to get down in the tunnels to find her daughter. Professor Rhyies, who still feels a bit worn out from his brief possession by Tommy, is upstairs lying on the living room couch. Martin stops, blowing heavily out of his mouth as he wipes the sweat from his forehead with his forearm; then, drops the hammer and walks over to Cindy and Beth. He's sits with his back to them, resting his arms on his thighs, watching the sheriff and deputy continue breaking up the floor. Not turning around, he lowers his head, staring down between his legs at the steps, and asks, "Are you sure we're doing the right thing here, Cindy?" Beth snaps, "What do you mean doing the right thing, Martin?! Our daughter's down there for Christ's sake! We have to find her! Why the fuck are you even asking that?" "I'm just saying; how can we be sure Anna's even down there? How do we know we're not being set up by Tommy? I mean; how can we be sure it's safe to…" "Safe?!" Beth's enraged with Martin's hesitation. "You God damn chicken shit! Anna's been taken from us, Martin! There's a possibility she's down there; so, we need to check it out…safe or not!" "But; if we're being set up…" "Martin; it's our daughter…I'll take the risk of it being a set up if there's the slightest, remote chance that's she's down there, and, I can get her back! There shouldn't be any question in your mind about going down there either! God damn you sometimes, Martin!" Cindy tries to diffuse the situation by placing her arm around Beth's shoulder and holding her hand. "Take it easy, Beth; calm down. I'm sure Martin wants to get Anna back just as much you do. I think he's just concerned about our safety as well. It's only natural that he'd have some doubt about Tommy being on the up and up with us after all the lies and tricks he's pulled on us already. But, Martin; you need to relax and trust me…he may be lying about letting her go to give us a chance to find her…but, she's down there. He can't get to her now because Chelsea's protecting her; so, he wants us to find her and bring her back here." "Cindy; if Chelsea's protecting Anna…and, Tommy wants us to bring her back here…then, do you think it's a good idea to bring Anna back here? Isn't she safer where she's at now?" Now, Cindy's irate with Martin's questioning. "Martin, just shut up and get back to work." Insulted by Cindy's orders; Martin responds, "Now, wait a minute Cin…" Beth…still furious…cuts him off, "Just pick up the damn sledge hammer and get back to looking for that door!" She turns to Cindy and tells her, "I'll be back; there's something I have to do." As Beth walks up the stairs, Martin slowly walks back to get his sledge hammer; watching as his upset wife leaves. After she goes through the door, Martin goes back to breaking up the floor. Deputy Hopkins takes a break and walks over to his niece. He sits down next to her and asks, "You have any idea what's going on yet, Kiddo?" "What do you mean, Uncle Mike; we're going to look for Anna." "Not that; I mean why's this happening? Why did he even take her to begin with; what does he want?" "Like I said before; I think…deep down…he wants to be stopped; he wants it to end. He took Anna so Beth would bring Chelsea to him." "See; this is what I don't get. If Chelsea was here before…and, back now…then, why doesn't he just go to her himself? Why does he need to use Beth and Anna?" "Because the evil part of him doesn't want to be stopped…and, it fears Chelsea. It won't allow Tommy to reveal himself to her. When it comes down to it, Uncle Mike; even though he knows that he took Anna…I don't think it was Tommy's idea to abduct her. I'm thinking it was Helene's idea; and, it was that side of Tommy that made him take her. And, as far as Beth and Anna are concerned; Tommy answered that while he possessed the Professor, and called Beth cousin. Beth and Anna are related to Tommy and Chelsea; and, I'm sure now that it was their presence moving into this house that started the whole ordeal. I think Tommy was here all along; but, it wasn't until Beth and Anna moved in that drew Chelsea from the lake to over here. That's when Tommy reached out to Anna; and, Chelsea to Beth." "Then; the real objective was to use Beth and Anna to contact and bring Tommy and Chelsea together to resolve their issues with each other? So; the recreation of September 18th was never part of his plans?" "Well; I think it was…or, is…but, not for the reason that I initially believed." "Okay; so, what do you think now?" "I don't think Tommy's plans were to change that night's events. In fact, I don't even think that was his idea either; again, I think it was Helene's plan." The deputy folds his arms across his chest and sucks on his teeth. "Helene's plan?" "Yes; to force Tommy to face Chelsea." "And; just how's that suppose to work, Kiddo?" "When Tommy was on his killing spree as the Woodland Falls serial killer, he was using his Chelsea persona. I think Helene's having Tommy use Anna so Beth would get Chelsea to try to help her get Anna back. Think about it, Uncle Mike; Tommy's out in the barn looking for Mary that night as Chelsea, when Beth brings the real Chelsea there. With the real Chelsea there, Tommy can't remain in his Chelsea role. Anna's going to be Mary; so, he can't be her. Charles was already dead at that time, and, Helene wasn't there that night; so, neither of them can be an option for him either. The same goes for his Brother Dominguez role. The only persona he'd be able to take in that scenario would be himself; Tommy Steinman. And that, Uncle Mike, is Helene's master plan. That's how she intends to have Tommy and Chelsea confront each other. That's why she had Tommy take Anna; to use her as Mary to recreate that night." "And; Tommy doesn't realize any of this?" "Nope." The deputy looks down at a patch of dirt where the floor use to be, shakes his head, and laughs. "This is crazy. I mean, it's just so unbelievable that you have to be right. But, if they needed Beth and Anna to resolve their issue; why try before with the other families that moved in here? Why did Helene have Tommy kill them all if she knew it wouldn't work without drawing Chelsea out here to confront her brother?" Cindy makes sure that no one else's around to hear what she's about to say; then, moves in closer to her uncle, and speaks in a lowered voice, "Listen, Uncle Mike, I'm going to tell you something now; but, don't let the others know this yet. I haven't even discussed this with Professor Rhyies." "Why do I get this feeling I'm not going to like what you're about to tell me, Kiddo. Go on." "I don't think Tommy killed them." The deputy slowly shakes his head from side to side as he nervously laughs, "I knew it…I knew I wouldn't like this. So, if it wasn't Tommy; then, who?" "I think it was the spirits of Brother Francisco Dominguez and the other monks." "You've got to be shitting me, Kiddo. I thought this Dominguez character was one of Tommy's personalities?" "He is; but, he was also a real person who existed on this property. His spirit must have been around from time to time…how else could Tommy have taken on his persona if he himself hadn't encountered it?" "But, when? Where?" "I'm thinking when he was a patient at the asylum. Ruby said that was one of his personalities there; right?" "Right." "Brother Dominguez must have shown himself to Tommy at one point; and, that's when he took on that persona." "And, you think Tommy was visited by his spirit?" "He must have. Look at this area we're in; it's still isolated." "So?" "So…why would they shut down and move a state asylum for the criminally insane from this location? It's still the perfect location for it; the area hasn't changed much. Why leave?" "So; what you're saying is, that you think the asylum was haunted by Dominguez's ghost?" "I had a team of researchers at the Tavistock Foundation look into the asylum's history; and, they obtained some of the case files for some of the patients there at the time. We know that Tommy managed to escape; but, there were other patients and staff members who had mysteriously disappeared without a trace over the years from there. And, there were at least a dozen patients who claimed that they were visited by the ghost of a Spanish monk in their rooms. Their claims were all dismissed by the doctors as being some type of shared paranoid hallucination. One doctor believed it was planted in one of his patient's mind by Tommy; who at that particular time, was also a patient…and exhibiting his Brother Dominguez persona. But, that doesn't explain the other patients who claimed to have seen this ghost when Tommy wasn't there…or, the disappearance of that particular doctor as well." "Great; so, you're telling me we're going to have to deal with the spirits of these sadistic monks, too?" "Not while Chelsea's spirit's around here. It's rare, but, there have been cases when the presence of a spirit can suppress other spirits; even if those spirits were present first. Because Tommy was evil himself, Brother Dominguez wouldn't have a problem haunting this place; even with Tommy's spirit around. But, Chelsea's another story. There must have been something about Chelsea's aura that Tommy feared, causing him to feel compelled to kill her while they were alive; and, hide from her in death. I have a feeling whatever it is about her, is also keeping Brother Dominguez and the other monks away from here. Right now, Chelsea's looking out for Beth and Anna. But, they should definitely consider moving when this is all over; because, I'm pretty sure it was Brother Dominguez and his pack that killed those families here…and, once Chelsea's spirit has moved on, there's no telling what they'll do to anyone living on this property. Especially any descendants of Jebediah Hawthorne." "But; what makes you so sure it was them, and not Tommy." "By the way that those families were killed. It was just like the way the monks were executed; feet down first in the lake. If it was Tommy, he would have mutilated the families like he did when he was on his killing spree. Besides, Tommy's victims were families of the staff at the asylum who abused him; they weren't random targets. He selected his families." "Okay; but, if Bother Dominguez was responsible for those families at the lake…and, he was modeling their deaths after his and the other monks…why were those bodies we found underground in the lake; and, not chained to stones on the bottom?" "I don't know; maybe they just didn't want to take a chance of someone coming across the bodies. It would draw too much attention I guess." "Now; what difference would that make to a bunch of ghosts, Kiddo? I mean, it's not like we'd be able to arrest them. But, why just the families; why not everyone staying in that house?" "How the heck am I supposed to know the reasoning behind their actions, Uncle Mike; I just know it was them, and not Tommy." Beth returns to the cellar; and, Deputy Hopkins rejoins the Sheriff and Martin to continue breaking up the floor. Beth sits beside Cindy, with a noticeable frustrated look on her face. "What's wrong, Beth?" "Anna's doll; I still can't find it. I wanted to bring it to her…she really loves that doll. Where the hell can it be?" "Beth; I think Anna may have Jean-Louise with her already." "How can that be? You think he brought it to her?" "No; definitely not." "Then; how'd she get it." "Chelsea." "You think Chelsea brought Anna her doll?" "Beth; I still think Chelsea's spirit's in that doll. Remember how Anna would talk to her doll; and, then it would talk back to her? I think Chelsea's with Anna; in Jean-Louise Wadell." "Pardon the interruption ladies," Sheriff Faulkner calls to them, "but, I do believe we've found that door over here." Beth runs over; with Cindy following close behind. Beth shoves the men out of her way, bends over, and grabs the rusty handle and starts pulling. "Now, you be careful there, Beth. I reckon you're in a hurry to get down there to look for Ms. Anna; but, that door's been buried for quite some time now, and probably sealed shut tighter than a duck's bottom in water. Let me go find something to pry it…" Before the sheriff could finish…with her adrenaline pumping…Beth manages to muster enough strength to rip the door out of its frame. She flings it across the cellar and charges down the ladder. Cindy immediately follows. Sheriff Faulkner, Deputy Hopkins and Martin turn and look at each other. The Sheriff laughs, "Well I reckon we won't be needing that crowbar after all."