"Thank you so much for coming." " Another woman disappeared, you said?" "Yes." "Many more spirits in this place, Miss Ellen." "Many more." "I am inside." "Women, pain... anger." "Sit down." ""Sin is where it started" ""Atonement at the top" ""Build me to the heavens and life never stops"" "Join me." ""Build me to the heavens and life never stops"" "Really, this is quite enough." "Stop it, I say." " Life without death." "Sin is where it started." "Atonement from the top." "Life without death." "Life without fear." "There will be no more sin in this house." "Enough, I say!" "Thank you, Rose Red." "I'll be damned if I have to put up with this in my own house." "You're damned already, sir." "Your damnations feed her." "I will never stop building you." ""Build me t0 the heavens and life never stops"" "You've changed." "Did you bring them?" "Thank you." " No." "I gave you that charade." "You're my wife and I want to come in." "Not tonight." "No." " I have work to do." "Work?" " A wife's work." "Yes, you do." "I will scream, John." "I will scream and bring the entire staff to this room." " Is that what you want?" "You know what I want." "You owe me." "I urge you to consider this very carefully." "Not tonight." "We'll see." "I write now out of desperation." "I fee!" "danger everywhere around Sukeena and me." "Now I understand what I couldn't know seven years ago." "What I wasn't ready to know." "There's another world here in Rose Red." "A spirit world, and it's dangerous." "Well?" "If that dress doesn't do it, I don't know what will." "You're irresistible." "John Rimbauer has resisted marriage for how many years?" "Not you." "Not this time." "Thank you for being here." "For being such a dear friend." "You're more like an aunt to me." "In a way, I wish Doug wasn't John's partner... for if this doesn't work out, I'd hate to lose you." "You will never lose me, my dear girl." "You mustn't allow that to influence your feeling towards John." "Ellen, John is not like other men, he..." "He what?" "Never mind." "Let's go downstairs." "What I didn't realize then... was that my relationship was not to be with a man whom I dearly loved... but instead with a house." "A grand house." "Wish me luck." "A house that would soon come to own me." "Indeed, would came ta awn us all." "I don't know, Daniel." "You could find yourself out of a job." " She's a real beauty." " Yes." "She is at that." "Connie." "Ellen, I'd like you to meet Daniel, my driver and all-around accomplice." " My pleasure." " What an unusual day for a drive." " Yes, unless you'd like to reconsider?" "I wouldn't dream of it." "Good." " Have fun, you two." "Thank you." "Have you ever ridden in a motorcar before?" " There's a first time for everything." "Indeed there is." "Well, hold on." "This may prove to be a bumpy ride." "What kind of surprise?" "It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, would it?" " You're incorrigible." "Guilty." "You're a tease and a flirt." ""How poor are they that have not patience!" ""What wound did ever heal but by degrees?"" "Indeed." "But would even Othello have patience... for a man who fails to state his true intentions?" "A woman who knows her Shakespeare... and yet knows little of a man's true intentions." "Could we get past the kissing if we were engaged?" "Are you proposing, John Rimbauer?" "And if I were?" "I thought only mystics and mediums answer a question with another question." "Mysticism, you?" "Another question." "I can see I have my work cut out for me." "Close your eyes." "Now open them." "Shipped all the way from England, brick by brick." "I told you I had a surprise." "Excuse me." " Good morning, John." "Doug." "Campbell won't unload again today." "Ellen, so good to see you." "You look ravishing, as always." "Thank you." "I just left your dear wife." "Did you?" "And how is she?" "Ellen, this is Jack Finney, my contractor." "Jack, this is my dear friend, Ellen Guildcrist." "Pleased to meet you." "Seems there's a little dispute over some shipping charges." "Nothing serious, but I do have to deal with it." "Excuse me." " May I show you the grounds?" "All right." "Sign for this." "I don't care who John Rimbauer is!" "I was told" "Fine with me, 'cause you're fired." "So, what brings you out here?" "Certainly not the oil business." " Hardly." "Didn't you know?" "Mr. Posey is to oversee the completion of the project while you two..." "While we two what?" "Another surprise?" "Shotgun!" "This is to be our home, Ellen." "That is, if you'll have me." "What was that, John?" "They shot O'Riley!" "Not to worry, John." "We'll look into it." "What timing." "Is it a sign?" "Am I to take it as a sign?" "Now, it's nothing." "Just an arguing pair of drunks, that's all." " They're Irish, Ellen." "Nothing?" "Can we be so sure?" "Would you be my wife, Ellen?" "It is what you want, isn't it?" "Mrs. John Rimbauer." "Yes, of course." "She'll be fine." "The luckiest girl in all Seattle." " She'll need all the luck she can find." "What was that, Fanny?" "A woman makes her luck." "You'll be fine." "That name, Rose Red." "Your choice or John's, Ellen?" "Ellen's, of course." "John has already accepted that the house is hers." "I'd be careful... making assumptions where John's concerned." "Get it off your chest, Fanny." "It's just us girls." "Admit it, you're envious." "You had your chance with John and now..." "Ladies, it's all right." "John and I have discussed everything... including his past." "It's just that and nothing more." "You know what they say about the past." "It does have a habit of repeating itself." "Only for those who fail to heed its warning." "Yes, well... if only one could see around corners." "There's a woman I know, a Spiritualist." "Take my word." "She can see into the past and the future." "Perhaps we should pay her a visit." " A medium?" "A conjurer?" "A mystic?" "Is it so out of the question to have the ability to see into the beyond?" "No, thank you." "I have all the beyond I can handle:" "a wedding, a honeymoon." "John and I are to tour the world till the house is completed." "I understand, even appreciate your concern." "And I accept that each of us may know John differently." "As for me, I love him with all my heart." "But it's his heart you must contend with." "I'll pretend I didn't hear that, Fanny." "We're bound for Africa." "Or perhaps... based on my husband's appetites and strange frenzies... for hell its elf." "He is never cool... never satisfied, never quite sane." "Not even enough is enough." "He's changing me, too." "Perhaps not for the better." "You." "I'm called Sukeena." "Maybe next time I try to help you, you'll listen." "He's on safari, ma'am." "It'll be a few days yet." "Am I dying?" "No." "It's an unmentionable disease carried by men and suffered by women." "It shall pass, for you." "For him the man, not so easy." " Come, drink this." "Will it heal me?" "No." "Only the power heals us." "You do believe in the power, don't you?" " I see it in you, ma'am." "You do?" "A welcome sight it is." "Damn John Rimbauer." "I'll never forgive him." "Of course you will." "It's a wife's way to learn forgiveness." "Even for men like him." "I'll help you." "He's here." "Come on!" "Welcome to Rose Red, dear." "Our new home." "Do you like it?" "It's big." "If you like big, it's all right." "That's all?" "Just big?" "It's an oil tycoon's house, certainly." "But it's not the house that makes the home, John... but the people who are in it." "We had some fun, didn't we?" "Our exploring?" "It wasn't all bad, was it?" " Not all bad, no." "You see?" "One must always keep an open mind." "Allow oneself to enjoy life." "I don't want to feel alone here, John." "I didn't marry to feel so alone." "I don't want to fee!" "alone here, John." "I didn't marry to feel so alone." "Sir, a moment, please." "The luggage has arrived." "Excuse me." "Well, what do you think of her?" "She's more than just a house, ma'am." "She is, isn't she?" "But not yet a home." "A home is made of hearts... not wood and glass." "I say we celebrate our return." "A party?" "Why not!" "It'll be the grandest, most glamorous party Seattle has ever seen." "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome." "I raise my glass to you." "Would you please raise your glasses on this, her inaugural ball... to Rose Red?" " Hear, hear." "And, of course... not forgetting my beautiful bride, Ellen Rimbauer." "Please, enjoy yourselves." " Lovely, isn't she?" "Thank you." "Cheers." "Finally, my two dearest friends meet." "Sukeena coming with us was, I believe... the first concession I ever won from my husband." "And it won't be the last." "Hold your ground with him, Ellen." "I've heard nothing but praise." "Ellen, would it be terribly gauche of me to inquire if I might peek around upstairs?" "I could get her started, ma'am." "I'll show her around." "But of course." "Be my guest." "My dear, if you must turn around, do it slowly." "Careful." "Well, I never." "And in front of everyone, no less." "Most people think us mad for being true to our husbands and living these lies." "But they're not all lies." "Surely you and Doug..." "Someday I'll tell you all of our dirty little secrets." "You and I, we're birds of a feather." "Aren't we, dear?" "We understand the virtue of a place in high society." "The power, the luxury." "It's not the king, but the woman behind the throne. isn't it, dear?" "Sometimes it feels as if I've traded my soul." " Did you hear that?" "Hear what?" "The music?" "Yes, it's all the candy, isn't it?" "I wonder..." "Don't tell me you're buying into all that rubbish, too?" "What kind of rubbish is that?" "You know what they're saying:" "Indian workers, some curse... sacred grounds, all that nonsense." "The shooting, that's where it all started." "Dear friend, it's all right." "Everything's all right." "Calm down." "I know." "It's only a little too much celebration." "Let's give her a little privacy, shall we?" "You said I could come look." "You said..." "What happened?" "What was it?" "I don't want to feel alone here." "I don't want to feel alone." "I know." "Please, John, not tonight." "I'm exhausted." "That woman, what she said." "That old lush?" "Don't be silly." "The party was a great success." "And I have something so exciting planned." "You'll see." "You're drunk." "Please, no." "I've had a fright." "The party's over." "No." "That's the idea." "I'd rather not, really." "But I have a surprise for you." "I've come to apologize." "For Africa." "For all my past mistakes." "For all your suffering." "I beg of you, please forgive me." "We can start afresh." "Tonight can be our baptism." "Say the words." "Say the words." "I forgive you." "You're gonna like this." "Thank you." "You do love the unexpected, don't you?" "I found myself with child following the night of the inaugural ball." "I'm sure it was then... because afterward, John's passions finally cooled." "At least, toward me." "I apologize if you feel you've been tricked." "Tricked?" "However could I feel tricked?" "Admittedly, I had expected a fashionable hotel downtown." "But the Rimbauers' Rose Red for tea?" "Imagine my surprise." "You're up to no good, Connie." "And no good can come of it." " Watch your step, ma'am." "We mustn't keep Ellen waiting." "And the fevers, the headaches?" "You're sweet to ask." "Better, I think." "Pity they've kept you in bed as long as they have." "Yes, well... that's why you're here, isn't it?" "I wanted to thank you, Fanny, personally... for having entertained John as you have these many months." "I'm clearly indebted to you." " Anything for a friend." " Yes." "You're service in that regard was more than any friend could ask of another." "Now that I'm well, and the baby's nearly here..." "John will be spending more time with his family from now on." "Will he?" "Just like that?" "How marvelous." "I thought it better if something worked out... between those of us of the fairer sex." "Men can be so unreasonable." "Don't ask a man to choose which mare to ride, Ellen." "He'll always surprise you." "Are you threatening me?" "What could possibly make you think that?" "More tea, anyone?" "Did you hear that?" "Hear what?" "John, come quickly." "Preston." "Sukeena." "You sent?" "Sukeena, check the powder room for Miss Fauxmanteur, please." "Preston, you take the game room and the dining room." "Round up the staff." " Yes ma'am." "John, there you are." "She's missing, Fanny." "One minute there, then..." "Don't be silly, it's nothing." "Fanny's full of all these jokes." "I'll organize a thorough search." "But there's nothing to worry about." "You sit and rest." "I'll handle this." "It's high time we visited that spiritualist I told you about." " Madame Lu, she's called." "No, John will never hear of it." "A Rimbauer consult a spiritualist?" "He'd sooner lock me up." "A girl can go shopping, can't she?" "You are welcome here again, Miss Connie." "You bring a friend with child." " No greater blessing to my home." "it is for my friend that I come, great lady." "Indeed." "What question do you ask of me?" " How many questions am I allowed?" " I am not a genie." " Speak your mind, child." "Very well." "A woman went missing from our house." "Right before our eyes." "Is Fanny Fauxmanteur alive or dead?" " This is all?" "Unharmed or in danger?" "Can we help her?" "Does she need our help?" "Can you help her?" "Many forms to life." "Isn't that right?" "This lady's spirit lives." "Madame Lu deals in spirit, yes?" "Maybe does not live as you think of living." "And you, my friend." "What say you?" "The house, Madame." "I believe it feels that Miss Ellen needs her." "Her help, her protection." "I do not know." "But there's a great presence there, Madame." "Untapped powers." "I should like to meet this house." "It is happening." " Oh, God." "Did we lose the child?" "There's no choice now." " You're just going to leave her?" "She asked the African to remain with her." "The baby's breech, buttocks forward." "She's not delivering that child without a scalpel." "I need a few minutes." "And a drink." "Can the child be saved?" "If it's a matter of choosing between them." " But it's not." "But if it were?" "But it's not." "Where's that drink?" "It's not possible." "It's a boy." "A DOY" "What?" "Adam?" "Peaceful and quiet in his room, Miss Ellen." "You had the fevers again." "The noises are from the hallway." "For his birthday, ma'am." "Do you like it?" " Perhaps we should search the grounds." "Are you sure?" " What is the meaning of this?" "it's Laura, ma'am." "She's disappeared." "What?" "We've got to get me dressed, quickly." "it's happened again." "I don't want anyone jumping to conclusions." "This is a big house and people don't just disappear." "Laura will be found." "But if not, I'm confident we'll find an explanation." "If anyone has any information, please say so now." "There will be no repercussions." "Very well, then." "You all have your assignments." "We'll reassemble here... in 30 minutes." "Well, go." "Gail, isn't it?" "Come with me." "A moment of your time, please." "You can speak to me about Laura." "Miss Ellen keeps her word, Gail." "If she says Mr. John will not hear of it, he will not hear of it." "Cook Bellinger sent me to check on the partridge." "Last night, this was, late." "Wanted to set it to stew." "I saw Laura enter the butcher's room." "With my own eyes, ma'am." "I entered not 20 paces behind her... and yet she weren't there." "Weren't in that butcher's room at all." "I didn't sleep a wink, ma'am." "Not me." "Not one wink." "I saw her." "You've done fine, Gail." "Not a word of this to anyone." "The butcher's room." "Should we go?" "Not now." "No, ma'am." "Go, yes... but not with everyone milling about." "Later tonight, when the house is quiet." "What on earth was that?" "Not of this earth." "No, ma'am." "I've seen enough." "Gail was mistaken. it's nothing." "Gail saw what she saw, ma'am." "She wasn't lying." "You take the wall." "There's more to this place than meets the eye." "I found something." "This wasn't on the house plans." "But why?" "So that people can come and go unseen." "Women." "His women." "This man's the devil." "It feels so much older down here." "Old as old gets here, Miss Ellen." "We don't know where it leads." " She needs us." "Laura." "And Rose Red, ma'am." "We're all in this together." "Oh, my God." "The matches." "Help me." "Who did this to her?" "Damn." "Very nice." "We've lost a fuse." "Fix it, would you?" " She'll go with you, then?" "Yes." "Wait." "Since when did you take up smoking, Daniel?" "What are you talking about?" "In the car, now." "Get her out of here." "I'll deal with this." "Men." "I will never..." "He disgusts me!" " We have to hurry, Miss Ellen." "He did that to her, didn't he?" "Did you see the girl that Daniel was bringing him?" "A common street girl!" "The house took Laura to spare her any more pain. it's for the best." "I don't believe that." "I don't believe any of this!" "Yes, you do, Miss Ellen." "I've known." "I've known from the first time I saw you." "You are a believer." "We must learn to accept what others would call the unexplained." "It is our gift." "Yes?" " Been playing with matches, Ellen?" "What's that?" " Where have you been?" "When?" "Now?" "Here, writing in my diary." "Same as every evening." "Right here, writing in your diary?" "How delightfully innocent of you." "Care to show me what you've just written?" "Have a little excerpt you'd like to share?" "John, what is wrong with you?" "I heard the car." "Was that you?" "Daniel." "I had to send him to town to pick up something." " Business." "You do work late, husband." "Are you going to turn your back on a woman?" "A woman in need." "Since when?" "it's been months!" "Seasons change." "Women, too." "We could play a game." "How about this?" "Let me whisper in your ear." " You, little Miss Prim and Proper." "I think not." "My little tart." "Look at you." "You wanted it all along." "Lower." " You must." "No." "You must thank Rose Red." "If the lights hadn't failed, he would have seen us." "It's preposterous." "No, I cannot." "But she's helping us." "You must accept that." "Accept her, Rose Red." "The China woman, Madame Lu." "She can help." " She said she wanted to meet the house." "Do you think?" "Adam is crying." "I can't think when he's like this." " Sukeena, would you mind?" "Yes, ma'am." "Stay." "There's something we need to discuss." "Something we both must do." "Now?" "Again')" " Shall I lock the door?" "Don't." "I'm going to find out what happened to Fanny and Laura." " A séance." "Don't be ridiculous." "You're a Rimbauer now." "We have standing in this town." " Here, in Rose Red." "Absolutely not!" "The staff will talk, and if something like this gets out... we'll be the laughing stock of Seattle." "I'll make the arrangements." "Tonight, if possible." "Connie tells me we need at least two others present." "So I thought she and Doug." "Did they put you up to this?" "The Poseys?" "How dare they interfere in our affairs!" "I repeat, put this out of your thoughts, Ellen." "It is not going to happen." "I gave you a son." "An heir." "You will give me this séance, and you will attend!" " Or else?" "Or... my door will be locked to you." "And Adam will be our first and last." "Gail has asked for us to meet her downstairs, ma'am." " In the basement?" "No, downstairs in the butler's hallway." "She's found something she thinks you should see." "Just popped open, ma'am." "All of its own." "I weren't looking for it or nothing." " You saw something?" "Something awful, ma'am." "Right above the table, it is." "You'll see." " It's John's study." "Ma'am?" "Surprising, yes, but hardly awful." "Tell us what you saw, Gail." "It weren't like nothing I've even seen." "Oil on water, it was." "Like heat rising from a fire." "It moved like a shadow, but nothing was there." "Very well." "You may go now, Gail." "Thank you." "You did right." "Yes, ma'am." "Thank you, ma'am." "John's study." "No wonder why the oil business is doing so well." "He's been spying on his associates." "Them and who else, Miss Ellen?" "That girl Gail saw something, someone." "Rose Red, she wanted us to find this." "Why?" "It's time we know." "Join hands, please." "Great house that now surrounds us... open your door." "I am inside." "Women, pain... anger." "You are not alone, my child." "I am here with you." "Sit down." ""Sin is where it started" ""Atonement at the top" ""Build me to the heavens and life never stops"" "Build the house?" "Is that it?" "Actually, the house is quite complete, thank you." ""Build me to the heavens and life never stops"" "Join me." "Really, this is quite enough." "Stop it, I say." "There will be no more sin in this house." "Enough, I say!" "Thank you, Rose Red." "I'll be damned if I have to put up with this in my own house." "You're damned already, sir." "Your damnations feed her." "I will never stop building you." " Good evening, Gail." "Good evening, sir." " Yes?" "it's Gail, sir." ""Gail"?" "Is that supposed to mean something to me?" "We're taking breakfast, Mrs. Abernathy." " What about Gail?" "She's gone missing, ma' am." "No one's seen her since late last night." "Should I have Preston telephone the police, ma'am?" "Leave us, please, Mrs. Abernathy." "How many more go missing before we involve the police, John?" "The question you have to ask yourself is:" "Who's going to pay for this construction of yours?" "You can't do it without me." "We both need each other." "You never get them for a second time." "The house won't give you that." "You could have prevented this last night." "The choice was clearly yours." " So it's my fault?" "This is your house now, Ellen, not mine." "That is, if you have me to pay for it, of course." "My house." "It is, isn't it?" "You're right about that." "I'd tread lightly if I were you, John." "One never knows who's next." "Is that supposed to scare me?" "The house is going to snatch me up?" "You do try so very hard, don't you?" " Preston." "Ma'am?" "Round up the servants." "We'll conduct a search." "No need to involve the police." "Our daughter, April, has come." "Her birth was easier than Adam's, but her arm..." "Her poor arm." "I blame John." "My husband has a great deal to answer for." "Adam says his friends won't come over because my arm scares them." " Do not." "Do, too." "Mother, it's not true." "You are God's special creature." "Don't think otherwise." "There's enough cruelty in this world without bringing it upon each other." "Be good to your sister." "Now, off and ready for bed." "Adam, give that back. it's mine." "The boy is starting to think like his father." " He'll be ignoring her, too, pretty soon." "I'll not have it." "One John Rimbauer in the family is enough." "Sometimes, the construction continues far into the night." "I find the sound soothing." " Connie?" "We must talk." "The worst has happened." "I once cautioned you that Douglas and I had our secrets, as well." "The time has come for me to share them." " That is, if time has not already run out." "I've never seen you so distraught." "If only I could be a fly on the wall of that discussion." "Truly?" "Perhaps I can help." "Sign it." "Can't a man make a mistake?" "He can, and you have." "Though what kind of a man you are, I really can't say." "It won't happen again." "A clerk in the filing room." "You disgust me." "The sailors at the dock at night." "As repugnant as I found that, I could overlook it." "But in the company offices, with an employee?" "You leave me no choice." "Sign it." "A second chance is all." "A posting in Europe perhaps." "The North Pole, for God's sake." "Please." " I need this." "You should have thought of that." "Of the position you put me in." "The company cannot entertain scandal." "If not for me, then for Connie." "For God's sake, John." "A month or two, and we're destitute." "Not my problem." "I want you out of this house." "You're not to visit." "And you are never to see my son again." "How dare you imply such a thing!" " You monster!" "Me?" "You have ruined everything." "And for what?" "A few moments of selfish pleasure." "As easily said into a mirror, John Rimbauer." "Sign it and leave it on my desk." "Or everyone will know." "May you rot in hell." "Don't fool yourself, Posey." "You'll be there long before I am." " You must intervene on my behalf." "Are the accusations true?" "A marriage of convenience." "I told you as much." " But, Connie, Doug and" "Are you to cast the first stone?" "No, of course not." "You're right." "Something must be done." "Doug has squandered his earnings trying to maintain a lifestyle... to which he thinks I've grown accustomed." "He's right." "A month or two, three at the most." "The debts are enormous." "You must speak to John." "Charm him?" " Did you see him?" "Doug?" "No, John. it's begun... the descent into madness." "It's the disease, you see." "It cures in women but it festers in men." "It festers and eats the mind." "You must speak to him." "I beg you." "We should console Doug." "What a state he must be in." "He needs a minute to compose himself." "After that, he'll look for the children to say goodbye." "He loves them so." "What John said, it was so hurtful." " Daddy?" "it's Uncle Doug." "Children... what are you doing awake?" "It is past your bedtime." "But we want to play with you, Uncle Doug." "Please?" "Okay" "Here's what we're going to do." "We are going to play a game of hide-and-seek, okay?" "Now, I will count to 10... and you two run and hide." "But first, you got to give me a big hug, okay?" "Okay, go hide." "Quick." "Come on, Adam, let's go hide." "One... two... three..." " Ten days, you said?" "Not one word spoken." "Other than when she's asleep." "I keep hoping, but nothing." "She talks in her sleep?" " Please explain." "Just his name, "Uncle Doug."" "Over and over." "The house, is anything different?" "Have you heard voices, doors shut, wind?" "The house is much colder since the hanging." " Your son?" "Fine, you said?" "His father sent him away to school." "Just like that." "I will see her now." "So, this is April." "Pretty child." "Pretty mother." "Come, April." "Sit with Mama Lu." "You saw a man take his own life?" "You have not spoken since then." "Mama Lu thinks you are a smart girl, little April." "You do not speak... because your question is not yet answered." "Is Mama Lu right?" "What question?" "I've tried to explain it to her in a dozen ways." "The question is this:" "If he can hear you without you talking... why can't they?" "You think maybe they love you less." "Nothing could be further from the truth." "Maybe they do not listen as hard... do not listen the right way." "Maybe something's wrong with them if they don't hear him." "You are not suggesting..." "You see?" "She would never believe me." "She would, if you only told her." "Dark lady believes." "Mama Lu believes, too." "Go on... tell her." "Uncle Doug and I, we talk in our heads." "You mean, you play with each other, as well?" "He loves it here." "He built Rose Red." "Did he tell you that, too?" "She said you built her, Mama." " Did she?" "She says she loves Mama." "As much as I do, maybe more." "Thank you, great lady." "Mother will stay with child." "Dark lady will show old friend to taxi." " I didn't want her to hear us." "April?" "No, the house." "I do not want the house to hear us." " She grows stronger." "Yes." "I felt this, too." " What she said about the house and Ellen" "When love goes bad, it goes very bad." "Miss Ellen has spent too much time with her daughter of late." "I think the house is jealous or angry." "Using Uncle Doug to influence the little one." "You need to leave, all three of you." "Is it safe to leave?" "She will use the child to reach mother." "Very bad for mother." "Bad sign." "You leave tomorrow." "Next day, the latest." " Do not tell Ellen." "But I must" "The house hears Ellen's every thought." "If the house finds out she plans to leave..." "You must not tell her." "Come." "The house hears Ellen's every thought." "I've finally discovered something more important than Rose Red." "April means everything to me." "How could I have become so focused on the house?" "No!" "No." "She was right there, playing." "She..." " What's this?" "There she is." " Release her." "It's only a formality." " So ask your questions." "Downtown." "She most certainly will not go downtown." "This is all your doing." "You never liked her." " Ellen." "Ask him about the others." " Others?" "Do your job." "She did this to keep you here." "She knows you won't leave now." "Not ever." "Not without April." "Leave me alone!" "You will pay for this." "We'll see." "Ellen, dear." "Good to see you up and about." "Two days, John." "It's been two days." "I miss her, too, dear." "Sukeena, John." "Not April." "Nothing could bring April back." "Not yet." "I want things back to normal." "Yes, well, we all want things back to normal, don't we?" "But that requires certain sacrifices." "For all of us." "Don't you think?" "I want her back." "Where there's a will, there's a way." "Come with me." "Rest easy." "It's my turn to take care of you now." "Long overdue." "Any sign of her?" "Not tonight, John." "We have a deal, you and I." "Not tonight, John." "She'll be stronger in a day or two." "There is another way to do this, of course." "Remember Africa?" "She doesn't even need to get out of bed at all." "Out." " We have a deal." " The deal is over." "I'd like my key back." "She better gain her strength quickly." "In one week, I want her out of this house." "That is absurd!" " You cannot" "Yes, I can!" "She will never set foot in this house again!" "If she's not gone within a week, the construction will stop." "Don't worry, my friend." "He won't remember any of this tomorrow." "Sawdust?" "Don't cry, Mama." "Build the tower." "Yes, ma'am, I heard it, too." "Don't cry." " What does she..." "A tower, Miss Ellen." "She wants you to build her a tower." "Build a tower." "Even though it's unfinished, the Rose Tower whispers April's name." "Sukeena's right." "If she's to be found anywhere, it will be there." "The workers have made record time in its construction." "Jack Finney even said to me:" "it's almost as if Rose Red built it herself." "We'll have it ready for you within days, well ahead of schedule." "Don't you worry." "No, you won't." " I want everybody out." "What?" "All construction is to stop immediately, Jack." "Including the tower." "And I'm locking the attic." "A deal has fallen through." "Okay, men." "Pack it up." " Do not do this to me." "You did this all by yourself." "I want her out of this house." " You can't be serious." "You want Jack back on the job?" "Then do something about it." "Today, John and I are at stalemate." "The most frightening thing is that he's no longer sane." "I have to stop him, but I'm out of ideas." "Miss Ellen?" "I hear it." "The tower." "April dear, are you here?" "I miss you, sweet girl." "Tell her more, ma'am." "She needs to hear it." "I love you." "I love you, Mama." ""Atonement at the top." Do you remember?" "He can not lock me out of here." "It is time." "I write now out of desperation." "I fee!" "danger everywhere around Sukeena and me." "Now I understand what I couldn't know seven years ago." "What I wasn't ready to know." "My mother's heart knows what must be done... while the heart of the woman, the wife, beats in terror." "I'm sorry to trouble you, Mr. John." "What do you want?" "I've come to ask you for a favor, sir." "Not meaning to waste your time." "Well, you are wasting my time." "Get on with it, girl." "Or get out." "I'd hoped..." "Well, you're a businessman, sir, and I'm a practical woman." "When one deal is lost, sometimes another deal can be made." "I'm sorry, sir." "Perhaps I misjudged." "Wait." "Make your point." "Seeing how warm and moist it is this evening... and how my room lacks much of a window..." "Well, I won't be here much longer, will I?" "What are you up to?" "I was thinking about the tower, sir... and how the breeze must blow fine up there on a night like this." "It being locked up and all." "No one's allowed up in the attic, are they?" "We could have it all to ourselves." "Miss Ellen need not know of it." "She need not know anything about this evening, Mr. John." "Take it." "Remember Africa, sir?" "Tonight you'll get what you really deserve." "We can play a game." "How about this?" "Let me whisper in your ear." "Are you ready for this?" "We have a deal." " Daddy?" "April!" "Don't ask a man to choose which mare to ride." "As easily said into a mirror, John Rimbauer." "It's you." "There will be no more sin in this house." "He jumped, of course, while we slept." " Of course." "Driven mad by the drink, I suppose." "I suppose, or the disease." " You'll send for the police?" "My duty as the new head of household." "And send for Adam, too." "It's Mr. Rimbauer." "What happened?" "Will we be taking our breakfast here, Ellen?" "Heavens, no." "The tower." "And then there's the construction to oversee." "Jack Finney will wish he lived here himself by the time I'm through." "I can change anything I want." "Then the tower it is." "Yes." "We have a lot of catching up to do, my daughter and I." ""Build me t0 the heavens and life never stops"" "English"