Devil Music - Joseph Mulak

Devil Music by Joseph Mulak

Book excerpt

After driving for most of the day, anticipating what promised to be an exceptional experience, all Andy could do was stare at the eyesore in front of him with a feeling of disappointment. Shane stood beside him, looking at the same monstrosity of a house, and Andy could see the huge grin through his thick, dark beard.

Whoever owned the place hadn’t bothered to have any maintenance done over the past few decades. Vines crawled up the exterior almost to the roof and at this point were part of the structure itself. The forest that surrounded the house on three sides, unhappy about being cut back to make room for the edifice, was taking its property back, inch by inch. It even invaded the half-mile-long driveway, making the last leg of their journey much rougher than expected. Especially for those who sat on the floor in the back of the cargo van with their equipment. Before long, the woods would engulf the entire property.

The one thing Shane hadn’t exaggerated was the size of the house. Imposing and unwelcoming, made even more so by the shadows from the trees that darkened most of the house, including the front door.

He smelled burning leaves and as he turned, he saw Kurt and Simone still standing beside the van, waiting. Kurt took the occasional puff from a joint. The man’s long grey hair and beard made him look like Jesus, had he lived past the age of fifty, though the perpetual grin snatched away the illusion. Simone was much younger. She had the typical Scottish look but a French last name, which made her heritage a bit of a mystery, even to her.

Andy heard the familiar sound of branches and gravel crunching under tires several seconds before the car came into view. Andy hoped it was the house’s owner upon whom they waited to let them inside, but once he saw the car, he recognized it right away and his disappointment grew. Once it came to a stop behind the cargo van, three people exited the vehicle. Andy shook his head when he saw Don. Despite being in the middle of nowhere, he still wore his suit. The same one he wore every time Andy saw him, which Don thought made him look like a high-rolling business executive, but Andy thought he looked more like a disgruntled accountant.

The other two people Andy recognized as Tanya and Emma, Shane’s wife and ten-year-old daughter. He knew Don was going to be staying at the house with them, but Andy was never told Shane invited his family. Of course, Shane never told them anything. He just did as he pleased, regardless of how the others might feel about it.

Emma ran to her dad and jumped. He caught her in mid-air and hugged her. As Tanya walked up to them, Andy noticed there was no kiss or any sort of greeting between them.

Seeing Shane side by side with his wife always amused Andy. At 6’2”, he towered over her and the two of them together looked more like father and daughter than husband and wife.

Another car pulled up, this time a Mercedes. The woman who got out wore a black pantsuit and not a single strand of her dark, shoulder-length hair was out of place. She was much better at the successful businessperson appearance than Don.

Though Andy had not met her yet, he assumed this was Laura Dempsey, the owner of the house. He saw Shane walking over to the Mercedes, his hand outstretched to shake hers. As he got there, she was opening the back door to let a girl, a few years younger than Emma, out of the backseat.

“Mister Sonoroka.”

By the time she noticed him, Shane had lowered his hand, embarrassed. “Shane.”

“Nice to see you again, Shane.”

Andy noticed the absence of amiability in her tone. The woman was all business. He walked to the back of the van. Now that Laura had arrived, they could start unloading and moving their gear into the house. Laura walked to the front door, keys in hand, while everyone else grabbed their luggage and the cases that held their equipment and started unloading.

Laura returned to her car. At first, Andy thought she was leaving right away, but she opened the trunk and pulled out two suitcases. This was a turn of events Andy hadn’t expected and he guessed Shane hadn’t either.

“Will you be staying here with us?”

“Of course.” She offered no explanation, and Shane was not brave enough or too surprised to question her any further.