Fowl of the House of Usher by J R Ripley

Author:J R Ripley [Ripley, J R]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781516106189
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2018-04-23T21:55:54+00:00

13

“Hey!” Kim dropped a dish on the floor and it shattered. “What’s going on?”

The whole house had gone black.

Jackson cursed. “The generator must have gone out.”

I navigated toward the blue flame of the stove with my arms extended. The sounds of commotion came from the direction of the dining room and upstairs as everybody stumbled about in the dark, wondering aloud what was going on.

“Ouch!” That was Jackson.

“Sorry, Jackson.” I had poked him in the chest. I bumped against the counter and slid over to the window. It was pitch black both outside and in.

“No problem. There are some candles around here someplace.”

I heard the sound of a drawer opening and the rattle of hands searching.

“Got one.” Footsteps shuffled across the kitchen floor. Jackson lit the candle using the burner’s flame. “That’s better.”

“I can barely see,” complained Kim. “Have you got any more of those?”

“Let’s take a look.” Jackson carried the candle to the drawer and shuffled more utensils around. He came up with two additional long, tapered candles and a packet of twelve previously used, multicolored birthday cake candles.

“What’s this about a generator, Jackson?” He handed me a candle, and I held the wick to the flame until it caught.

Craig bounded into the room carrying my flashlight. “What the heck is going on now?”

I set my candle inside a tall glass. “Jackson was just about to explain.”

“Oh. Hi, Jackson.” Craig aimed the beam of the light at Jackson’s face. Jackson squinted and threw up his hands. “Good to see you.”

“Give me that thing before you blind somebody.” I took the flashlight from Craig and switched it off. It was mine, after all.

“Tell us about the generator,” Kim urged.

“There’s not much to tell. We aren’t exactly hooked up to the power grid up here. The Usher House is too remote. There’s a propane tank on the side of the house.”

“I’ve seen it,” I said. “There’s a big silver tank on concrete blocks and a smaller one next to it.”

“That’s right. The big one supplies power to the generator that produces the electricity—”

“So, what happened?” interrupted Craig. “Something broke? Can you fix it?”

“You want Jackson to go out and work on the generator in this weather, Craig?” I said. “Jackson, you stay right where you are.”

“Listen, Amy.” Craig’s voice rose. “I’m the one paying the bills here and—”

“It wouldn’t matter if I did go out,” Jackson interrupted in his turn. “I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with the generator.”

“There isn’t?” Kim said.

“Nope. My guess is that the tank is empty.”

Craig groaned. “Empty?”

“Then how come the stove is still working?” I pointed to the gentle flame coming from the burner.

“The secondary propane tank works the stove and the water heater.” He made a clicking noise. “That’s about it.”

I was afraid to ask the next question, but it escaped my lips against my better judgment. “What about the heat for the house?”

“I’m afraid not.”

Craig groaned, louder this time. “Are you telling me there’s no heat? It’s freezing outside.”

Jackson held his hands open over the pot on the burner.

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