“I’m saying I’d never sleep under a skylight,” I said to Charles Zimmer. “But that’s just me.”
—
I set aside the spools of film I’d get developed tomorrow. I reorganized my notes. I could do this in the morning, but I was awake now, and I had nothing else to do. The investigations for VUFOS were my job, though it didn’t pay. One of the worst things about me was that because of my trust fund, I didn’t need money.
I sorted through the report I’d requested from VUFOS of other encounters they’d documented in the Sacramento area, looking for similarities to what Zimmer had told me. There were other encounters in the area, but the details didn’t match Zimmer’s, and none that moved from house to house. These entities were interested in Zimmer specifically and tracked him from place to place, a phenomenon that wasn’t unknown in UFO research.
Another option, of course, was that Zimmer had some type of psychosis. That was always possible in these cases.
Several hours later, I noticed the blinking light on the answering machine again. I put my empty milk glass in the sink and reluctantly pressed the button.
There was only one message, and it was Violet’s voice, though she didn’t identify herself. “Vail, call me.” She recited her number. “It’s about Ben.”
The message ended with a beep, and I stood in the dark. I could feel my hands opening and closing, opening and closing into fists.
After a minute, I picked up the phone and called Violet, using the number she’d left. I never had a need to write numbers down. I had no idea what time it was in Long Island, and I didn’t care. Violet would answer.
“Vail?” my sister said when she picked up the phone. She sounded like she’d been drinking. “Is that you?”
“If you lied to get me to call you, I’ll never speak to you again,” I said, my voice thick. “Never.”
“You think I’d lie about that? About Ben?”
That name, spoken out loud, was like a blow to my gut. I only ever heard it in the silence of my own head. I hadn’t heard it spoken in years.
“I wouldn’t lie about Ben,” Violet said, making me flinch again. She had definitely been drinking.
“What happened?” I asked.
“The landscapers quit. They got spooked off the grounds. He’s there, Vail. He’s saying, ‘Come home.’ ”
The breath hissed out of me, hot agony leaving my lungs. There was no question of believing. No one would lie about this, least of all Violet.
“Can you leave?” my sister asked me. “I’m in the middle of a job. I’d bail on it, but I owe her. The woman who owned the house, I mean. I want to finish the job, talk to my boss. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“I can leave,” I said. “I’ll get on a plane.”
“Okay. I’ll be two days, three at most. I have to talk to Lisette—”
I would be in Fell in twelve hours, tops. “It’s fine. I’ll come.”
“Call Dodie,” Violet said.
“You haven’t called her?”
“No. I can’t.” Violet’s voice cracked, only partly because she was drinking. “You do it, Vail. Please.Youdo it. You’re our brother.Dosomething.”
I sucked a breath in deep and stared at the ceiling. Ben, my little brother who had disappeared when I was fourteen. Ben, who was still in the house where I grew up, where I hadn’t been for two decades, where I’d had those dreams. Ben, who I thought might have been taken by aliens. Ben, who wanted me to come home.
Violet was still talking. “She never answers the phone. Will Dodie even come?”
“Dodie will come,” I said.
Her laugh was bitter. “You’re so sure. Then I guess I’ll see you both soon.”
We hung up. I stood in the dark, recalling the last phone number I had for my younger sister. I hadn’t called it in months.
Where did you go, little brother?The question that had dogged me for years.Where did you go?
