Alex leaned down; his eyes were half-closed, but I could see the desire there. I felt the same way. How long had I been feeling this way about him? I’d been a faithful wife to Glenn, but all that was over now. Here I was, single and apparently ready to mingle. No, it wouldn’t be like that with Alex. We weren’t people who played games with our emotions. At least I wasn’t. Did I really want to do this? All of these thoughts and questions flooded my mind even as our lips met. And as we kissed, I had no answers and no need for any.
The kiss was brief but just what I needed. Okay, he didn’t actually admit that there were ghosts here at Morgan’s Rock, but at least he was a good kisser. Then we turned our attention back to the kitchen and began to attempt to debunk what had occurred but with no success. We took lots of pictures, but without the original images it would be very unimpressive in a book. Still, it had added to the mystery of this place. Alex excused himself after about an hour, but we promised to meet later for dinner at a restaurant up on the cliff. It wasn’t too far from here, about a half-mile, and I looked forward to an evening walk. He offered to pick me up, but I politely declined. We settled on a time, and I watched him drive away. Thankfully, when I walked back into the kitchen nothing was out of place, but Aimee hadn’t returned either. Oh well. I could manage to make my own lunch. I was a big girl. I heated up a can of soup, grabbed a glass of water and retired to my bedroom to jot down some notes and ideas. Then I got so sleepy that I decided to lie down for a little while and get some rest. I shut the door to my room and turned on some soft instrumental music, and soon I’d fallen into one of those deep, restful sleeps that refreshed your mind and healed your body. When I woke up, I didn’t want to even open my eyes to look at the clock. Sweet sleep was hard to find, and I didn’t want this to end. But it did and too quickly.
Joanna! Wake up!
Paden Kincaid was calling me, and I had to go to him.
Chapter Nineteen
Present Day
Paden’s insistent whispering caused me to open my eyes. I didn’t see him, but I heard the door click and now it stood open. He clearly wanted me to follow him, but to where? And what if it wasn’t him? I couldn’t be sure in this place where nothing was as it appeared. I paused at my dresser and opened the jewelry box. My eyes fell on the shiny gold and blue scarab, and I reached for it and the gold chain. I linked it around my neck and followed the sounds of footsteps. Why was I doing this? What did I hope to accomplish? I could answer neither of those questions, but I continued on my mission.
“Paden? Where are you?”
Joanna…
“Paden?” In my previous visitation with Joanna, I had sensed her confusion. One minute, she believed that Paden was her rescuer and that he loved her; the next, she thought of him as her captor and was convinced that Emma was his lover. I wasn’t sure what I believed, but I was certainly curious and felt compelled to find out. It was too late to help Joanna in any real way, but maybe by uncovering the answers of what was happening here at Morgan’s Rock, I might be able to bring some peace to her. I wanted to do that above everything else. I felt connected to her, and not just because I’d seen her life through her own eyes. There was something else about her, something that resonated with me. I went up the next set of stairs and past the hallway and stood in front of the door that led to the clock tower. The door was usually locked, but I was surprised to find it standing open now. I walked inside and saw no one, yet I knew somehow that I was not alone. I didn’t hear the telltale breathing or even footsteps, but I was not in this space by myself. It was dusty in here, and there were boards lying on the floor and a ladder against a far wall. Immediately I walked to the clock face. I swallowed a sob remembering what Joanna had experienced here. I put my hands on the rim of the broken clock that no longer ticked or measured time. I closed my eyes and recalled the feelings that she had experienced. One minute, she was on top of the world; the next, her heart was racing, her fingers were tingling, and her mind became confused.
And then the seizure had struck her, and Dan had been there.
“Joanna…”
I froze, listening to the creaking of the boards. Did I dare turn around and face whoever stood just a few feet behind me?
“Joanna. Please, come with me.”
And as I spun around, I realized I was no longer wearing my comfortable blue jeans and my oversized t-shirt. I was wearing the Vivaldi gown, the one with the peacocks sewn on the hem. My feet were in heels, and my arms were bare.
Where was my wrap? Where was I?
“Paden? Is that really you?”
“No, Joanna. This is my time, not yours,” I whispered as I closed my eyes, but she would not be denied. She wanted this moment, and in a few seconds I relinquished myself to her. I was still here watching, observing and waiting. What else could I do?
“We have to go, Joanna. We have to leave Morgan’s Rock forever. I’ve waited for you; please say you’ll leave with me now. If we leave, we will be together forever.”
My heart said one thing, but my lips said another. “Yes, Paden. I want to go with you now. We dare not tarry.” And then I was kissing him—no, Joanna was. He grabbed her hand, and they ran out of the clock tower and into the elevator. They kissed again, and the more they kissed, the weaker I became. I was dying, and Joanna was living.
No! This isn’t right. But I wanted this for them. I wanted them to be happy. Maybe this would be over soon. If they left, I would be left behind to spend my life with Alex here at Morgan’s Rock. That’s what would happen, isn’t it?
And then we were in the car. A shiny black car—an old-fashioned vehicle—and Paden was driving.
No. We can’t leave, I pleaded with Joanna, but she didn’t answer me. All her thoughts were on Paden. The rain began to fall as the car rolled down the driveway and onto the curvy road that would lead down the cliff to the town below, and beyond that the highway. They were making their escape, and I was their unintended guest.
What would happen to me? Joanna, please…
I caught a glimpse of her sad eyes in the mirror and could feel her agony. She wanted to leave with him so badly, yet she knew what this would mean for me. This would surely be something bad. And then I noticed that I wasn’t in the backseat by myself. Dan was beside me, staring at the back of Paden’s head. And he was horrible and dead, and he smelled like rotting flesh. I screamed, but Joanna and Paden didn’t seem to hear me. Not until it was too late.
Dan’s dead hands wrapped around Paden’s neck, and he began to choke him. Paden struggled with the wheel, trying to keep the vehicle on the curvy road.
What do I do now? Someone help me!
That’s when I noticed the figure in the road. A man, a tall man dressed in black. It was Joanna’s father! She saw him too, because I heard her scream. I felt the scarab around my neck warm as if some kind of heat had been applied to it. As the car approached the late Mr. Storm, his eyes were clamped on mine. He expected me to do this. I had to—I wanted to save myself and perhaps even Joanna. I only had one move to make. One thing to do. I snatched the scarab off my neck and held it up screaming, “Stop it! Stop it now!”
Suddenly I was no longer in the vehicle but standing outside of it and watching it fly to the edge of the cliff. It was going over the side. I didn’t see Joanna. She vanished, but Paden remained in the car with Dan’s hands wrapped around his throat. I screamed again as the two men went over the side of the cliff.
Chapter Twenty
Present Day
“Paden! No!” I watched the dust settle, and then the sky shifted color. It was a slight shift but one that let me know for sure that I was back in my time. And in my own clothing. “Joanna, I’m sorry,” I whispered as I heard her softly crying, and then the spirit vanished.
I got up off the ground and made my way back into the house. It was my turn to leave now, and I did. I knew what happened to Paden Kincaid, and I knew who had caused it. Dan Petit had finally gotten his revenge. Joanna never left this plac
e—she was still here waiting for Paden to rescue her. How would I get through to her to let her know that he’s not coming back? As I walked into the kitchen, I saw a shadow pass the doorway. To my surprise, Aimee stood there watching me. I hadn’t noticed that her van was in the driveway, but then again, I’d been pretty preoccupied with my own thoughts. What was I going to tell Alex?
“Aimee, how are you feeling?” I smiled hopefully at her, determined to keep my most recent paranormal experience to myself. Aimee didn’t look herself, and she stayed outside and watched me from the open door. It was all too strange. “I didn’t see you pull up. Did you walk back?”
“I’ve come a very long way to see you. May I come in?”
My first inclination was to say, “Of course. What are you waiting for?” But I felt the scarab warm in my hand, and I didn’t immediately give her permission. Yeah, something wasn’t right. I stepped closer to the open door but not too close.
“Let me in, Joanna.” Something was different about Aimee’s voice. And why was she calling me Joanna? That’s when I noticed that her eyes were different too. This wasn’t Aimee! I slammed the door in her face and stepped back, waiting for her to leave. She didn’t. Standing on the top step of the back porch, she waited and watched. Without moving her hand, she somehow made the doorknob move. It twisted slowly at first and then faster, and then the whole door shook but she couldn’t open it. What was keeping her out? What was keeping Vivian at bay? Yes, I knew this wasn’t Aimee but Vivian!
I clutched the scarab and held it up so she could see it. That was a big mistake because she growled at the sight of it.
“Mine! Give it to me!”
“It was never yours—you stole it from Joanna, and she gave it to me!” Aimee’s pretty face twisted into a dark shadow, and suddenly the door swung open with such force it knocked me backwards.
“You can’t be here! I don’t give you permission to be here! Get out!” But Vivian was coming nonetheless. I crawled away from her and finally got to my feet about halfway through the hallway. My brain said run, and I didn’t question that advice. The full force of this Vivian-thing was coming after me. A blast of wind chased me—leaves, bits of papers and dust slapped me in the face. But the worst was to come, for Vivian was stomping in my direction. Whatever resemblance she had to Aimee had completely disappeared. No, this thing was an apparition, and she was hell-bent on my destruction. She wanted her scarab. Alex was right—this pendant was a power object; why else would it now be scalding my hand? I glanced back one more time as I ran up the stairs.
Oh my God! What was wrong with her face? The beautiful face of Vivian Kemal was more shadow than human. On her skin I could see painted symbols, magic symbols. She wore a black, sleeveless gown that looked more like a death shroud than a dress. Her arms were also painted with symbols. Her dark eyes had no pupils but were all black. Whatever Vivian had dabbled with in her life, she still held to it in death—or it held her. She was certainly committed to retrieving this amulet, but I couldn’t let her have it. That would give her power over Joanna again—and maybe me!
“Get back!” I screamed as I waved the necklace at her. I was at the top of the stairs now. My protestation pleased Vivian. She smiled that snakelike smile and kept walking. She lifted the hem of her dress so she wouldn’t trip, but I could see that she had no feet. She wasn’t even walking, just gliding faster and faster. I had to move! I ran through the Great Room, but there was no one there. No one could help me. I ran down the hall and headed to the clock tower.
The door stood open still, and it looked much the same as it had earlier. Why had I come in here? This was a horrible room. I hated this room, and there was nowhere to run. How I wanted to run! There was only one way to get out of here besides the door, and that was through the clock face.
Yes, you should go that way. You should stand by the wall and look at the view. Oh yes, it is a wonderful view…
“Get out of my head, Vivian! I’m not going to kill myself. I’m not that weak! You may have influenced Joanna, but you won’t influence me! You pretended to be Joanna, didn’t you? That’s the truth! You tricked Paden into taking you out of here. He thought it was you, and so did I. You are one clever ghost, but I see what you did! You killed him! You killed Paden!”
She laughed at my tears. I don’t think I was figuring all these things out; she was confessing. She was telling me all that she’d done. She hadn’t killed Mr. Storm—he had taken his own life—but that event had inspired her. Yes, she had been an inspired woman, but then Danny had to screw it all up. Idiot!
“You are so sad, Vivian. You could have had a good life, but instead you spent your life destroying others. You are such a sad person. I feel sorry for you,” I said as I stepped away from her grasp. Her apparition was fading in and out now, like a nightlight that someone switched on and off.
You don’t know me or what I’m capable of. Then she was in my face, so close that if there had been breath left in her body, I would have felt it on my skin. But there was nothing but cold hatred. Deep, cold hatred. You are mine now, Joanna. My plaything. For all eternity. I paid the price, and your soul is mine.
“I’m not Joanna! And you aren’t going to win, Vivian. You’re dead. Do you hear me? You won’t win!”
I have already won, Joanna. I took Danny with me, remember? I know you loved him. And I took Paden. He will never return to you. It’s just you and me here at Morgan’s Rock. Forever bound together…by this!
Next thing I knew, Vivian’s cold hand snatched the pendant from my hand. At the same time, the clock window swung open and a pair of invisible hands grabbed my neck. I was being lifted off the floor and moved ever so slightly toward the open window. Was she going to choke me to death or throw me out the clock window? I was small enough to fit, and the fall would certainly kill me.
I didn’t kill Mr. Storm, but he inspired me. His beautiful death inspired me. You shouldn’t blame yourself, Joanna. He was a weak man. He always was.
I’m not Joanna. My name is Megan Pressfield. Let me go!
I kicked as hard as I could, but it availed me nothing. I was going to die at the hands of a cruel and vicious ghost. Yes, I was going to die. Tears streamed down my face, and I gasped for air. It was a horrible wheezing sound. Just horrible.
“Vivian Kemal, put her down.” A bright light flashed and filled the room, and to my surprise she obeyed. I fell on the ground, falling on my left arm so hard that I was sure I had broken it. I moaned but did my best to get away from the angry ghost.
Joanna Storm stepped into the room in a cloud of golden smoke. Beyond her I could see other figures, figures of light. She wasn’t alone; I knew that somehow.
Vivian bent her head down and continued her horrible whispering, but Joanna didn’t appear frightened in the least. She moved closer to Vivian, her hand outstretched as if she would touch her. Vivian screamed in anger and stepped back into the shadows now swirling behind her. Two sides were going to collide, but who would win? Vivian wore the necklace now. The scarab amulet floated in the air and glowed slightly. She was laughing and chanting, and it glowed even brighter.
Joanna winced and stepped back, the light dimming behind her. She gave me a desperate look that said, I wanted to help you, but I cannot. I cannot save you.
“No, don’t leave me,” I begged Joanna as her golden color began to fade. I had to do something before it was too late, before Vivian had captured us all by the power of her amulet. Launching off the ground with a scream of pain, I snatched the necklace off her neck and threw the evil thing out the open window.
Vivian’s chanting stopped, and she screamed at me, her hands raised in two angry claws. She scratched my arm as I fell to the ground again. The pain in my left arm was excruciating now.
But Joanna Storm had returned, and so had the light. It intensified not once but twice, and it was so bright that I had to close my eyes against it for fear that it would blind me. And then she was gone and so was Vivian. They were both g
one, and all was still.
*****
I cried with relief, and it wasn’t long before Alex came running into the room. He helped me up, and we hurried to the hospital. I had a broken arm but besides that and the scratches came away from the afternoon’s events relatively unscathed. And now the curse was broken. Morgan’s Rock felt better. In the days and weeks to come, we would talk about how much it had changed. How light the air was now. It was a happy place…or at least a happy enough place to build a bright future together.
I never saw Aimee again. No one ever asked about her. No one came to find her. It was almost as if she never existed, as if she had never been there, but I had seen her. I had spoken with her, and so had Alex. I was amazed to hear that he had never referred her to me, that he never met her until the day he arrived.
Who had she been? I couldn’t say, and maybe I would never know. Probably a forgotten ghost caught up in the battle between Vivian and Joanna, collateral damage. A woman buried in the past. Maybe she was just a mirage, or Vivian’s device. Whatever the case, I dedicated the book to her. She deserved a little recognition. A little thanks.
For I’d finally come home.
Epilogue
The last thing I expected to find was an unopened letter tucked inside a book—one written on the subject of death and reincarnation, no less. A rare book by an obscure but interesting author. It was a good thing that I decided to check behind Alex’s work. He seemed to appreciate only the latest novels, not tomes from the distant past. No way were we tossing out these old books. Not all of them, anyway.
But you should, Megan. You should leave the past in the past. Leave well enough alone.
I couldn’t do that. There were too many unanswered questions here. Too many loose ends for me to rest. Or for Joanna to rest, for that matter. I could feel her stirring, almost hear her petite footsteps sometimes as I worked about the house. Now that I owned Morgan’s Rock, I wouldn’t rest until I explored every inch of it, including this most recent stack of books. So far, I hadn’t found anything that would help me solve these lingering mysteries, but I had to keep trying. Keep searching. Nowadays the place felt normal, like nothing at all had occurred here. Like maybe my writer’s mind had imagined the whole thing. But that was ridiculous—I still had the Vivaldi dress tucked inside the armoire, and I hadn’t imagined poor Aimee’s disappearance. No, every bit of what happened to me was real.
The Haunting at Morgan's Rock Page 11