Ghost Not Forgotten

XVI: Now

*hilarious banner by Takestututango (Livejournal)

And he told me what he saw.

"That's it?" I said flatly. "That's all you saw? Some papers and boxes? An old desk and chairs? So what?"

"That's what I thought," he said with a shrug. "I didn't think anythin' of it. I was only more disappointed that's all there was. I thought it was a little strange, having notes and diagrams of brains all over the walls, but Stanley's a doctor. That stuff is normal."

"Right," I said, thinking about that. "But why would he have it in some underground room all secret-like?"

Bennet grinned at me. "Exactly."

I shifted my weight, a little dazed from his story-telling so far and yet knowing there was so much more to it than this. His grin told me that much.

"So what'd you do?" I said. "When you saw the stuff?"

He gave a sigh. "Not much. I looked at a few papers, but didn't understand any of the jargon. I didn't have much of a chance to go further. The next thing I knew, he was standin' right behind me."

My eyes widened. "Stanley was?"

"Yep."

"But, his knees," I said, so confused. "He's not good with stairs, he hasn't been for years, they hurt his knees. That's why he stopped using the cellar."

"Or so he said," Bennet said and it stopped me short.

My head cocked. I knew I probably looked like a dog like that, but I didn't care.

"Are you sayin' he lied about it?" I said, not understanding the look on Bennet's face. "Why would Stanley lie about that?"

Bennet gave a Nose Laugh, but it wasn't the amused kind.

"I don't know, Natty, but let's just say that I probably I woke him up when I was movin' the drum around, because somehow – bad knees or not – he came down and found me." His voice got low and quiet as he spoke. A bad feeling came on and I couldn't understand it. So what if Stanley caught him? Yeah he would have been a little ticked but it's not as if Bennet wouldn't have somehow charmed his way out of it, even with Stanley. Stanley would have laughed it off come morning time.

"Well, what'd he say?" I said.

Bennet scratched his chin and kept turning his head, his face twisting in all sorts of expressions. He stood and turned his back to me, running his hand through his hair. I didn't like his response.

"Not much," he finally said, without turning to me. "He just told me I better get out of town before morning came and I better never come back if I knew what was best. So I did."

I stared at his back, letting his words seep into my brain. When they did, the red thing began hissing.

"That's it?" I cried. "A little old man tells you to skip town and you do it? Without tellin' anyone? Without a fight? Without nothin'?"

"You don't understand, Natty," he said quietly, looking over at me. "You don't understand the dark side that man has."

I let out a weird noise, halfway between a snort and a gasp. "Stanley Pike?" I said, holding up my hand to just above my head to show Stanley's height. "We talkin' about the same Stanley Pike?" I moved my hands in a big circle around my torso to mimic Stanley's Santa belly.

He kept his gaze on me. It was dead serious. "Yes."

It gave me a little chill. Something was wrong, backward, misunderstood. Somehow something wasn't right.