Rose Red Page #8

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I know that sounds crazy, but...!

Be gone!

Oh, Annie, don't touch it.

- Go.|-Annie.

Go ahead.

Go.

Annie, come.

I'd advise none of you|to go wandering tonight.

- You'd agree, wouldn't you, Steve?|- As a matter of fact, I would.

If we're quiet...

...if we listen...

...we can hear houses breathe.

Sometimes, in the depth|of the night...

...you can hear them groan as if|they were having bad dreams.

Can I ask you something?

Of course, Emery.

Will you come to bed with me?

Look, isn't that your mom?

That's not my mother.

That's just an old...|Pam?

- Pam, what are you doing?|- Say cheese. Say cheese, Emmy!

Oh, man!

Five grand wasn't enough, Ma,|not at all.

Twenty wouldn't have been enough.

Wanna get it on?

We've got all night, Emery.

- We've got forever.|- You're not there. Not there!

But I am. I'm your girl.

I'm your dream girl.

Not there, not there,|not there, not there.

Say cheese!

- Who is it?|- Cathy.

Come on, hurry up.

What is it?

Steve found something amazing.|It explains so much.

Explains what?|What are you talking about?

Annie...

...turn your record player off,|Dad'll be pissed.

What is it?

Did you open that?

If you opened it, close it.

I can't sleep with the door open.

I'm afraid of the bogeyman.|Aren't you?

No "ogeyman".

No bogeyman?

"Ogey" lady.

Bogey lady?

- Night-night.|- You are gonna get it now.

Sorry, your call can't be completed.|Pay your bill and kiss my ass.

No luck?

My mom will go crazy. It's not a long|trip for her, even at the best times.

Sorry about that.

Yeah, well, I'm thinking about getting|out of here before she shows up.

I get tired of her, you know,|showing up.

Also, Rimbauer gets on my nerves.|Joyce too.

"On our left, the ghosts of|April Rimbauer and Douglas Posey.

Don't worry, they're perfectly|harmless."

And you know what? Under that|phony tour-guide shtick...

...she's as crazy as the Red Queen.|"Off with their heads."

And that creepy kid with that|creepy doll.

She's nuts too.

Rimbauer's just smart-ass "du jour".

Well, what's this,|your shrink routine?

Just get it off your chest.

A dead cell, isn't that|what Joyce called it?

Wanna know about dead? I had a dead|movie star in bed last night.

- Deanna Petrie?|- Didn't last long, but it was a very...

...physical manifestation. I'm|getting tired of Rose Red's tricks.

Joyce wants some of her 5000 back,|I'll see her in court.

If my mom doesn't hear from me soon,|she's really gonna go nuclear.

I will not try my call again later!

Good morning, Annie.

All right then.

- Good morning, Steve.|- Good morning.

- Is that Annie?|- Annie it is.

Would you like some eggs?|lt'd be a pleasure.

No, thanks.

- Seen Joyce?|- She's fiddling with her equipment...

...Iooking as if she last got a good|sleep circa 1972. I'd tread carefully.

- She's crabby, huh?|- Very. Video's cloudy, audio garbled...

...no recorded telemetry of any use.

- What's that?|- That's the wine cellar.

Isn't it marvelous?|The door was open when I came down.

- Haven't you seen it before?|- No.

Rose Red hasn't just woken up...

...it's "House & Garden's"|version of Frankenstein's monster.

- That's ridiculous.|- Is it?

Listen.

- You heard much of that?|- Enough to worry me.

Bollinger's persistent|nonappearance worries me too.

You would think,|if he was still here and alive...

...we'd run into him, wouldn't you?|- I don't know.

The longer we go without|reporting his disappearance...

...the more peculiar our position is|if he turns up dead, or not at all.

Dom Perignon, 1949. A very good year.

In my experience, they're all|good years.

What goes better with eggs|than champagne?

Pull the cork, Steve.

- Will you wet your whistle?|- It's a little early for me.

- Cheers.|- Cheers.

You know, this place|is feeding off us.

And although I'm sure|it finds us all...

...rather tasty, its primary sources|of nourishment are Annie and you.

- I don't have a telepathic bone in me.|- I don't know what you were before...

...and the house almost ate you,|but now you're a psychic transmitter...

...operating on Rose Red's wavelength.|It almost had you. It wants you back.

It wants Annie too.

- You're crazy.|- Crazy?

Maybe. But I vouch|that Joyce is crazier...

...and she means to have proof|even if someone has to die.

- You're wrong.|- Really?

Let's ask Mr. Bollinger,|if we meet him again.

- What are you doing?|- Making sure Miller sent Bollinger.

- Lf he did, I'll report him missing.|- Joyce won't like that.

According to you, she's|not very happy anyway.

Hey, professor,|what you doing here?

Minding my business, as I|hope you will yours.

Who locked this door?

I imagine you locked it yourself,|professor. It being your office.

You must have the number,|it's your cell phone.

- Will you talk to him if he calls?|- I'd be delighted.

Thanks.

Guess who 's on the cover|of next week's paper?

You have a nice day.

- Damn you!|-Received at 8:42 a.m.

This is Steve again. I need|to talk to you about Kevin Bollinger.

He slit his wrists and wrote your|name in his blood before he died.

Joyce suggests you come|before we call the cops.

Maybe we can|minimize this scandal, but...

... it's imperative you come|the second you get this.

End of message. |You have no more new messages.

Have a nice day, professor.

Morning, Annie.

Good morning, Annie.

Good morning, Annie.

Good morning, Annie.

Good "orning".

Steve. Good morning, Steve.

Good "orning", Steve.

Right.

Knock yourself out.

That's pretty good.

She can also bend spoons, turn on|lights, and set off car alarms.

- I got babies.|- Yes, very nice babies.

I got Adam. I got April.

She never talks to strangers.|I'm impressed.

In fact, I'm stunned.

Well, I've never heard Glenn Miller|playing out of a flower before.

You're Rachel.|That's right, isn't it?

Yeah. Most people call me|Sister or Sissy, for short.

I think I prefer Rachel.

So, this is a very big deal|for Joyce, right?

Yes, because of the|disappearances, Rose Red...

...is a white whale in the field of|psychic research.

Now that Miller got her tenure|revoked, it's more important.

If Joyce gets proof of paranormal|activity, she's okay. If not... .

I had no idea things were|so dire for her.

She's paying me a lot of money.|Paying Annie, I should say.

- I wonder if she can afford it.|- I wonder too.

You really don't know? I thought|you two were closer than that.

In some ways, in others,|we're not in the same neighborhood.

Tell me about her.

She's 15. She's autistic.

She loves "A Summer Place".|She loves big bands.

She's also telepathic and|psychokinetic.

Which are probably the|least important things about her.

- Can I show you something?|- Sure.

Everything was dead at this end|of the room yesterday.

We all feel the house|coming to life.

Maybe, but the house didn't|do this, Annie did.

It's the other side of what she is.|It's not all...

...frozen pipes and falling stones.

When I look at her,|I don't see ruin. I see roses.

When Annie was 5, a dog bit her.

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