Josslyn entered the master bedroom and approached Maddie’s crib while the baby gurgled and cooed. Her arms and legs wriggled about.
“I see you’re awake,” Josslyn signed. “Did you have a nice nap? Are you hungry, sweetie? Want some lunch? What do you feel like having?” She picked up the baby and planted a kiss on Maddie’s cheek. “Mommy loves you. Yes, Mommy loves you.” She held the baby close.
As Josslyn turned to leave the bedroom, she glanced above the door and noticed the cross was not there. She knew she had hung it up there more than a month and a half ago.
Oh, great, she thought. I’ll just have to look for them. If I don’t find them, I can always buy more. After all, they’re not that expensive. It’d even be cheaper to go to an arts and crafts store, get some pieces, put them together, and paint them myself.
As she took a step toward the threshold between the bedroom and the hall, the door closed by itself. She drew back with a start, her nerves jittery as she took a few slow, deep breaths to calm herself.
No sense freaking out and scaring the baby, she thought.
She stood there and gazed at the door for a moment. With determination, she took a few steps toward the door and pulled it open without a hitch.
She went downstairs to the living room. Sure enough, the cross was not on the wall where she had hung it. She went into the dining room, kitchen, and den. No crosses there, either. She decided she wasn’t going to make an effort to search the whole house for the crosses. She figured either they’d show up some time or not at all. If she couldn’t find them, no big deal.
Let the demon—or whatever it is—play games and have its fun, she thought.