The Haunting of Emily Stone Read Online Free PDF Page A

prize earlier.”
    Heading over to the desk, Doug set down a tape recorder. He seemed worried, as if something was on his mind.
    “It's all so surreal,” Robert continued. “My biggest concern right now is keeping Emily safe. Her mother seems to be keen on getting her story into one of the big national papers. I know they're dangling big financial offers in her face, but she needs to focus less on the bright lights of showbiz and more on the scientific rigor we need in order to -”
    “Did you listen to the tapes?”
    “The tapes of Emily?” Robert paused. “Only about a thousand times. Why?”
    “To the very end?”
    “Sure.” He waited for Doug to continue. “What's wrong?”
    “What about the off-cuts? The sections of tape that were supposed to be empty?”
    Robert stared at him for a moment. “Out with it.”
    “At the end of the tape from January 5 th ,” Doug replied, “after the vomit and after Emily had been calmed down, her mother took her up to her room. That was when you phoned me, remember?”
    “I remember.”
    “And Mrs. Stone talked to Emily while they were up there.”
    “And?”
    “And the microphone picked up a faint trace of what they were talking about, once they thought no-one could overhear them.”
    Robert set his glass of wine down. He was starting to worry about where the conversation was headed, but at the same time he knew that Douglas tended to be overly cautious. “And?”
    “And I had that trace examined by a friend of mine who specializes in forensic acoustic analysis. He was able to enhance the recording so that we can hear exactly what was being said. Every word.”
    Robert glanced down at the tape recorder.
    “Robert, I hate to be the one who does this, but...” Pausing for a moment, Douglas hit a button on the machine, and the tape began to play.
    “Doug -” Robert began.
    “Just listen.”
    “If you're -”
    “Just listen!”
    “Are you sure I did okay?” Emily could be heard saying, her voice barely audible over the hiss from the player. “I said everything right, didn't I?”
    “You did really well,” Joyce replied. “When he's gone, we'll take some more photos, and then we need to start running through your story for when the papers come knocking, okay? We've got a hell of a payday coming. You're gonna be the most famous little girl in the whole of England.”
    “But...” There was a pause. “Isn't it wrong to lie?” Emily asked finally.
    “You weren't lying, you were exaggerating.”
    “My throat hurts,” Emily continued. “I don't like having to make that voice. Do I have to practice again?”
    “Don't be a baby,” Joyce told her. “I'll get you some ice cream to soothe the soreness.”
    “I don't have to do it again, do I?”
    “Come on, Emily, we've talked about this.” There was a brief ruffling sound. “The nice man believed you, and that's what's important. Everyone's gonna want a piece of you, sweetheart. We need to be careful, though. Don't want people snooping too much, do we?”
    “Okay,” Robert said with a sigh, “sure, but -”
    “There's more,” Douglas told him.
    The tape continued, with no voices for a moment but still a faint crackling sound.
    “The contact lenses hurt,” Emily could be heard saying finally. “They make my eyes sore.”
    “Oh, relax,” Joyce replied. “You only have to have 'em in for a few minutes.”
    “And the thing in my mouth got loose again. I almost swallowed it, I had to -”
    “Enough.” Reaching out, Robert hit a button on the front of the recorder, stopping the tape. He stood in silence for a moment, staring down at the machine, before turning and heading over to his desk. For a moment, he felt strangely numb, as if all the thoughts had been chased out of his mind, but slowly he realized there was anger growing in his chest.
    “You should listen to the rest,” Douglas told him. “It's quite an eye-opener, actually. Joyce Stone really knows how to get that little girl to play