Matt telephones Ben at four a.m. and asks him to come over immediately—and to bring a crucifix or a Saint Christopher’s medal. Ben arrives at Matt’s house armed with a silver crucifix borrowed from his property owner. Matt tells Ben about Mike Ryerson upstairs, dead, in the spare room. Only he may not be dead at all. He called Ben because after their conversation about Danny Glick dying of pernicious anemia, he thinks Ben might be the only person in town who would believe his story about the voices and the sucking sounds.

They go upstairs together. Mike looks like he is sleeping peacefully. Matt points to the open window. He knows it was closed and locked before he left the room that night. Ben shakes the body, but Mike does not stir. He does not have a pulse. The scratch that looked like twin puncture wounds has disappeared.

Matt and Ben discuss what to do. They cannot stake the body; it would be impossible to explain to a coroner. They cannot tell anyone what Matt witnessed or heard; people would think he was crazy. Ben is sure that Matt is not crazy. He once had an inexplicable experience in

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