PART THREE
Evelyn was silent as the old woman carefully looked over Mattie. After she had regained her sense, she had known exactly where she needed to take the boy, to keep him safe.
"It is a bad thing." The woman spoke softly as she carefully picked up the child and set him in her lap. "Very bad."
"Grand-mere, what can I do?" Evelyn could feel tears forming in her eyes as she watched her child being caressed by wizen fingers. "I thought it was a nightmare until..."
"You could not have stopped this thing. It is the work of a dark spirit. One who hides in the shadows and darkness as a coward." She hugged the boy then again softly spoke. "Mattie, we must speak as adults. Go into the other room and play for a while."
"Yes Grand-mere." Mattie jumped off the old woman's lap and skipped to Evelyn where he hugged her tightly. "I love you Mommy." Smiling he waved at the older woman and went into the room she had indicated.
"What do I do?" Evelyn could still feel Mattie's arms around her. "She threatened to kill Mattie."
"Why? What have you done to make this spirit want to cause you harm?" Grandmother waited as Evelyn thought. "Well?"
"She said I was too suspicious." Evelyn thought hard, trying to remember every word that had come from Magdalene's lips. "I think she is afraid that I will try to find out who she is and..."
"And you must." Grandmother simply rested her hands across her belly. 'Evelyn, this is a very evil spirit. She will not only try to destroy the child, but she will try to take the soul of another who is close to you. You must stop her before..."
"How? She threatened my son!" Evelyn couldn't stop her tears as she suddenly found herself moving to kneel at her Grandmother's feet.
"Evelyn, do you care for this man?" Grandmother stroked the young woman's hair as she spoke. "Do you want to see his soul waste away?"
"Of course not, but Mattie..."
"Mattie will be safe. He will remain with me here, until this spirit has been destroyed." She lifted Evelyn's chin so that they were looking into each other's eyes. "She feeds off the intimacy she creates with this man. She will use this intimacy to drain his soul. Do you understand?"
"Yes. But how do I destroy her?" Evelyn could feel the strength of this wise woman begin to fill her body. "I don't know how Grand-mere."
"You do. You just do not remember yet." Grandmother simply smiled. "You must do this quickly. Already he is under her spell. If she lays with him, it will be harder to destroy her."
"I don't understand..." Evelyn sat back on her feet, trying to comprehend what her Grandmother was saying. "Wait..." Her eyes grew wide. "She uses intimacy and if he lays with her.... she's a succubus? Grand-mere, is that what she is, a succubus?"
"That is one of the names the spirit goes by." Grandmother smiled softly. "You understand, yes?"
"Yes." Evelyn nodded as she stood, wiping the tears from her face.
"Go, I will take care of your son." Grandmother watched as Evelyn looked longingly at the room where Mattie had disappeared. "Go now, I will tell him you will return for him as soon as you can. There is not time to be wasted."
"Thank you Grand-mere." Evelyn kissed the woman on the cheeks, looked once more toward where Mattie played, then left without another word.
#####
"Where is she Alva?" Evelyn stormed into the office just as Alva was pouring coffee. "Where the hell is she?"
"Evie, what's wrong?" Alva looked at her tears in confusion. "Evie?" He tried to grab her as she passed him, heading toward the stares in a rage. "Evie, stop! Talk to me!"
"Talk to you?" Evelyn suddenly became still. She stared at him with the eyes of a tigress. "You want me to stop and talk to you?" Frantically she began fishing through her pockets. "After what you did to my baby, you just want me to stop and talk?"
"What are you talking about? What's wrong with Mattie? Is he hurt?" Genuine concern filled Alva's voice as he neared the woman who finally pulled something out of her pocket, shoving it toward Alva. "What's this?"
"It's a picture of what you let that monster do to my baby." She shrieked as Alva took the picture and stared at it in horror. "How could you let her do that? Mattie loves you Alva." She began to cry. "What do I tell him?"
"Evie, I don't..." Alva looked at the wounds in the picture. "Where is he now?"
"You honestly think I would tell you?" She looked at him unbelievingly. "Do you honestly think I would let you know where my baby is after she threatened to kill him?"
"Who Evie, who?" Alva stammered, feeling the heat of hate flow from Evelyn. "Evelyn, I love that boy. I would never hurt him or let him be hurt if there was anything I could do." He reached out and touched her shoulder. "Please, come over here and sit down, talk to me."
"You really don't understand, do you? She's already gotten to you." Evelyn sat sadly, not pulling away as Alva sat next to her, touching her hand softly. "It's already happening."
"What's happening Evelyn? I want to help you but if you don't tell me what is going on, how..."
"Have you slept with her?" Evelyn blurted out before she could stop herself.
"What? Don't you think that is rather a personal question?" Alva pulled away, shock showing deep in his eyes.
"You know what, it was a mistake coming here." Evelyn stood suddenly. "I'm sorry Alva."
"Sorry about what?" Alva stood and reached out for her only to find her pulling away sharply. "Evelyn I think you owe me an explanation."
"No I don't." She began to move toward the exit.
"Evie?" Alva was shocked at the sudden change in the woman. "Where are you going?"
"Don't worry Alva. I'll be back." She turned and stared hard at him. "Just as soon as I find a way to stop her, you can bet your soul I'll be back." She left the office, not waiting for him to respond.
"She doesn't like me." The small sad voice floated down from the stairwell.
"Her child was hurt last night." Alva looked up and smiled warmly as Magdalene carefully walked down the stairs. "She's not thinking clearly at the moment. She'll come around."
"I heard her. She says I did it." She took Alva's hand as she stepped off the last step. "How could I hurt a child?" Her dark eyes filled with tears. "I could never lay a hand on a child."
"I know Magdalene." Alva hugged her tightly as she wept. "She's just scared."
"She's jealous Alva." Magdalene pulled away from him and turned, hiding the small smile on her lips. "She's had you to herself for so long, I threaten her."
"What?" Alva grinned at the thought. "Jealous? Evelyn?" Shaking his head in unbelief, he began to near the woman. "That's impossible."
"Is it?" Swinging around suddenly. "Is it so impossible?"
"Yes, it is." He tried to make her understand. "Look, Evelyn works for me. She is a friend, just as Paul is a friend."
"Paul? Who is Paul?" She took a step back as Alva reached for her. "Is someone else coming? Did you call the police?"
"Magdalene, calm down. I didn't call anyone. Paul works for me too. He's on assignment, out of state." He embraced her tightly, kissing her lightly on the top of the head. "I don't expect him back for another week." He tightened his hold on her, as he smelled her hair. "You don't have anything to worry about."
"Are you sure?" She let her hands roam over his back, feeling his body begin to respond to her touches. "Alva?"
"What." He murmured gutturally.
"Don't let me go." Magdalene's lips moved suggestively over the sweater covering his chest. "I don't think I could live without you." She smiled to herself as she felt his hands began to move over her buttocks and across her back.
"I won't let you go." His voice became huskier as he inhaled some invisible scent coming from her. "I can't let you go."
Evelyn was silent as the old woman carefully looked over Mattie. After she had regained her sense, she had known exactly where she needed to take the boy, to keep him safe.
"It is a bad thing." The woman spoke softly as she carefully picked up the child and set him in her lap. "Very bad."
"Grand-mere, what can I do?" Evelyn could feel tears forming in her eyes as she watched her child being caressed by wizen fingers. "I thought it was a nightmare until..."
"You could not have stopped this thing. It is the work of a dark spirit. One who hides in the shadows and darkness as a coward." She hugged the boy then again softly spoke. "Mattie, we must speak as adults. Go into the other room and play for a while."
"Yes Grand-mere." Mattie jumped off the old woman's lap and skipped to Evelyn where he hugged her tightly. "I love you Mommy." Smiling he waved at the older woman and went into the room she had indicated.
"What do I do?" Evelyn could still feel Mattie's arms around her. "She threatened to kill Mattie."
"Why? What have you done to make this spirit want to cause you harm?" Grandmother waited as Evelyn thought. "Well?"
"She said I was too suspicious." Evelyn thought hard, trying to remember every word that had come from Magdalene's lips. "I think she is afraid that I will try to find out who she is and..."
"And you must." Grandmother simply rested her hands across her belly. 'Evelyn, this is a very evil spirit. She will not only try to destroy the child, but she will try to take the soul of another who is close to you. You must stop her before..."
"How? She threatened my son!" Evelyn couldn't stop her tears as she suddenly found herself moving to kneel at her Grandmother's feet.
"Evelyn, do you care for this man?" Grandmother stroked the young woman's hair as she spoke. "Do you want to see his soul waste away?"
"Of course not, but Mattie..."
"Mattie will be safe. He will remain with me here, until this spirit has been destroyed." She lifted Evelyn's chin so that they were looking into each other's eyes. "She feeds off the intimacy she creates with this man. She will use this intimacy to drain his soul. Do you understand?"
"Yes. But how do I destroy her?" Evelyn could feel the strength of this wise woman begin to fill her body. "I don't know how Grand-mere."
"You do. You just do not remember yet." Grandmother simply smiled. "You must do this quickly. Already he is under her spell. If she lays with him, it will be harder to destroy her."
"I don't understand..." Evelyn sat back on her feet, trying to comprehend what her Grandmother was saying. "Wait..." Her eyes grew wide. "She uses intimacy and if he lays with her.... she's a succubus? Grand-mere, is that what she is, a succubus?"
"That is one of the names the spirit goes by." Grandmother smiled softly. "You understand, yes?"
"Yes." Evelyn nodded as she stood, wiping the tears from her face.
"Go, I will take care of your son." Grandmother watched as Evelyn looked longingly at the room where Mattie had disappeared. "Go now, I will tell him you will return for him as soon as you can. There is not time to be wasted."
"Thank you Grand-mere." Evelyn kissed the woman on the cheeks, looked once more toward where Mattie played, then left without another word.
#####
"Where is she Alva?" Evelyn stormed into the office just as Alva was pouring coffee. "Where the hell is she?"
"Evie, what's wrong?" Alva looked at her tears in confusion. "Evie?" He tried to grab her as she passed him, heading toward the stares in a rage. "Evie, stop! Talk to me!"
"Talk to you?" Evelyn suddenly became still. She stared at him with the eyes of a tigress. "You want me to stop and talk to you?" Frantically she began fishing through her pockets. "After what you did to my baby, you just want me to stop and talk?"
"What are you talking about? What's wrong with Mattie? Is he hurt?" Genuine concern filled Alva's voice as he neared the woman who finally pulled something out of her pocket, shoving it toward Alva. "What's this?"
"It's a picture of what you let that monster do to my baby." She shrieked as Alva took the picture and stared at it in horror. "How could you let her do that? Mattie loves you Alva." She began to cry. "What do I tell him?"
"Evie, I don't..." Alva looked at the wounds in the picture. "Where is he now?"
"You honestly think I would tell you?" She looked at him unbelievingly. "Do you honestly think I would let you know where my baby is after she threatened to kill him?"
"Who Evie, who?" Alva stammered, feeling the heat of hate flow from Evelyn. "Evelyn, I love that boy. I would never hurt him or let him be hurt if there was anything I could do." He reached out and touched her shoulder. "Please, come over here and sit down, talk to me."
"You really don't understand, do you? She's already gotten to you." Evelyn sat sadly, not pulling away as Alva sat next to her, touching her hand softly. "It's already happening."
"What's happening Evelyn? I want to help you but if you don't tell me what is going on, how..."
"Have you slept with her?" Evelyn blurted out before she could stop herself.
"What? Don't you think that is rather a personal question?" Alva pulled away, shock showing deep in his eyes.
"You know what, it was a mistake coming here." Evelyn stood suddenly. "I'm sorry Alva."
"Sorry about what?" Alva stood and reached out for her only to find her pulling away sharply. "Evelyn I think you owe me an explanation."
"No I don't." She began to move toward the exit.
"Evie?" Alva was shocked at the sudden change in the woman. "Where are you going?"
"Don't worry Alva. I'll be back." She turned and stared hard at him. "Just as soon as I find a way to stop her, you can bet your soul I'll be back." She left the office, not waiting for him to respond.
"She doesn't like me." The small sad voice floated down from the stairwell.
"Her child was hurt last night." Alva looked up and smiled warmly as Magdalene carefully walked down the stairs. "She's not thinking clearly at the moment. She'll come around."
"I heard her. She says I did it." She took Alva's hand as she stepped off the last step. "How could I hurt a child?" Her dark eyes filled with tears. "I could never lay a hand on a child."
"I know Magdalene." Alva hugged her tightly as she wept. "She's just scared."
"She's jealous Alva." Magdalene pulled away from him and turned, hiding the small smile on her lips. "She's had you to herself for so long, I threaten her."
"What?" Alva grinned at the thought. "Jealous? Evelyn?" Shaking his head in unbelief, he began to near the woman. "That's impossible."
"Is it?" Swinging around suddenly. "Is it so impossible?"
"Yes, it is." He tried to make her understand. "Look, Evelyn works for me. She is a friend, just as Paul is a friend."
"Paul? Who is Paul?" She took a step back as Alva reached for her. "Is someone else coming? Did you call the police?"
"Magdalene, calm down. I didn't call anyone. Paul works for me too. He's on assignment, out of state." He embraced her tightly, kissing her lightly on the top of the head. "I don't expect him back for another week." He tightened his hold on her, as he smelled her hair. "You don't have anything to worry about."
"Are you sure?" She let her hands roam over his back, feeling his body begin to respond to her touches. "Alva?"
"What." He murmured gutturally.
"Don't let me go." Magdalene's lips moved suggestively over the sweater covering his chest. "I don't think I could live without you." She smiled to herself as she felt his hands began to move over her buttocks and across her back.
"I won't let you go." His voice became huskier as he inhaled some invisible scent coming from her. "I can't let you go."