“It wasn’t only wine,” Ella scoffed. “There was brandy, liquors and all sorts of alcohol most of which wasn’t for consumption. Investments, Tempe would call them. I cleared the whole thing out. I had to extend the wine closet in the penthouse. When I first moved into the penthouse, I had my own apartment which was attached. It had a kitchen, den and a guestroom. Now, it’s just a bedroom. Behind that is the most valuable collection of spirits in the country. I’ve sold some off over the years. Also, I’ve drank some of the more expensive bottles. Tempe’s birthday, anniversary of her death or the anniversary of our meeting. Have you have tasted champagne that had been bottled prior to World War I?”
“Can’t say that I have.”
“Pure nirvana.”
“This is fascinating,” Delia interjected once again. “Is the any chance that the bowl is in the wine cellar?”
“She did put talisman up on the doors.” Ella explained as Faith reached into her bad.
“Like this?” She held up the icon Shawn had given her earlier.
“Yes. She always said that someday they’d end up back where they belonged. Back when she went on digs, government officials were all too eager to accept bribes. Allowing antiquities to be carted off to God knows where.”
“Where is Ro?” Shawn finally inquired as she watched Temperance tense.
“Down at the boathouse,” Delia explained. “She’s trying to convince Kirby to come back and get us.”
“Speak of the devil,” Faith smirked as Ro stumbled inside. “Something chase you?”
“Goats,” she stammered. “I just kept reminding myself they’re not real and ran like hell.”
“Where is Katherine?” Ella nervously questioned.
“She made it back to shore with the plane. She’s very upset that you’re here. Kirby said that there is no way to come out here until the storm breaks.”
“It’s far too nasty to go climbing around an old wine cellar.” Faith pointed out. “The only question is do we huddle in here where there’s no electricity or head over to Ro’s?”
“Maybe, your friend will turn the power back on like she did earlier?” Ro suggested. “Are you up for a walk Miss Westbrook?”
“A walk and a drink perhaps?”
“Do you like whiskey?”
CHAPTER 46
It was a long night in cramped quarters. Delia had been on edge until Ella sat her down and explained that she would gladly cover the cost of all of the ferry’s back and forth. “Just calm down, I will cover all of the overages. If you and your friends are correct then we can face this thing together. Personally, I would love to see that hunk of junk smashed to bits.”
“If we can keep your girlfriend from interfering.” Faith cautioned.
“I think we’ll be okay,” Shawn patted her on the arm. “She hasn’t left Ella’s side.”
“You haven’t moved the bench overlooking the ocean have you?” Ella questioned Delia.
“No, I haven’t. I thought it would be nice place for the staff or students to relax.”
“Daniel and Nora were married in that spot. I know with everything you’ve experienced you kids might find it hard to believe that this place was a haven for us. So many wonderful memories. I still can’t understand why Helena would send those men here?”
‘Helena? Now, that explains a great deal. That bitch got me killed didn’t she?’
“I think so.” Shawn responded earning her curious looks from the others.
As the night wore on Ella decided to rest in the one arm chair while the others found spots they could stretch out in. Shawn was curled up in Faith’s arms when she spied a mist looming before her.
‘You can do this Baby girl. The help you’ve called and you’re strength should be enough to send this bastard back to hell.’
Just as her mother finished offering her advice the house shook and the sound of a wolf howling echoed around them.
“That’s new.” Ro snorted wearily.
“Good thing, wolves don’t bother you.” Faith laughed. “What is it about goats?”
“They’re creepy, fast and wiry.”
“You’re fast and wiry.”
“Thank you. Still no signal?” She directed towards Delia.
“No, that last time must have been a fluke.”
‘Telephones. I’m learning so much.’ Temperance gloated. ‘You have people you think will help arriving?’ Shawn simply nodded yes. ‘I’ll do what I can.’
“It’s time,” she whispered hoping that Temperance understood she no longer had to fight alone.
CHAPTER 47
Muraille Island
September 26, 2017
The following morning the skies had cleared. The first one of the boat was Katherine who stormed up the hill. The moment she passed over to what was considered the island she felt a sharp pain as if someone had punched her in the stomach.
“Katherine?” Ella called out hurrying as quickly as she could to reach her niece. Ro and Faith managed to reach her first.
“Are you okay?”
“Something hit me.”
‘Don’t look at me.’ Temperance protested for Shawn’s benefit. ‘You said she’s Daniel’s granddaughter. I wouldn’t harm her.’
“Just tell me the truth,” Shawn demanded. “Is it in the wine cellar?”
‘Yes. With Peruvian charms protecting the doorways. I had to move them to get it in there. Now it’s trapped.’
“Yet, the evil has managed to seep through to the surface.”
‘Fear. Without that it would be nothing. Since you and your friends arrived it has only grown stronger.’
“My dear Katherine,” Ella fussed once she caught up.
“I’m fine,” she gasped. “Who are all these people, Aunty?”
“Didn’t you chat on the ride over?” Ella seemed to be scolding the woman.
“No, I was focused on the fact that you were trapped on this island all night.”
“I’ve been in worst situations and Miss Graskey had whiskey.”
“Of course, what was I worrying about?”
“Ladies, this is Farrah, Sue, Amber, John Little Feather, Father Mackenzie, Sister Lillian and Raven Pure Blood. They are here to help.” Shawn explained.
Each of them were loaded down with the tools they would need. Shawn instructed, Faith, Delia and Ro to help Kirby wheel what appeared to be a small cast iron stove up the hill.
“First things first, Miss Westbrook, can you show us the entrance to the wine cellar?”
“There’s a wine cellar?” Katherine blurted out.
“Temperance made a great many improvements after she took over.” Ella boasted waving her cane towards the barn.
“Which is why the original plans were useless.” Delia conceded. “Back then she did what she wanted, no permits needed.”
Shawn explained the situation as everyone kept pace. “There is some bad mojo happening here.” John offered as they made their way closer to the barn. “I’ve been out here before. I can’t say that I’m happy to be back.”
“Really?” Raven snarled swiping something away from her. “Pompous, coward that thrives on fear. Can’t wait to take you down. Makes me sick that this one was one of my ancestors.”
Faith smiled. She always liked the Wiccan priestess with magenta hair and an attitude that defied people to try and screw with her.
“She’s fun.” Ro commented as they entered the barn.
“Over there where the Black Swan was. Just underneath is a door.”
“Okay, now what?” Delia nervously questioned. “The last time I did something like this with the two of you, we dug up a couple of bodies.”
“This is going to be a lot more fun,” Raven encouraged.
“Delia, I noticed that when you took the gate down you know your way around a welding torch.”
“Yes. All part of buildings.”
“Good, because once we find this thing you, Raven and John are going to melt it down. While you d
o that Father Mackenzie and Sister Lillian are going to be dousing it with holy water. Raven and John are also going to be praying over it. So, you’ll need to keep the fire going and keep melting that sucker down. Sue, Amber, Farrah and I are going to be hunting down its toady and pushing him to the other side. The rest of you are going to wait down at the dock.”
Faith and Ro immediately objected.
“Other than helping move this big old furnace down into the cellar you can’t help us.” Shawn tenderly tried to explain. “In fact you’ll only help it. The moment one of you feels any sense of fear you’ll be feeding it.”
“I don’t like this,” Faith objected.
“I know,” she acknowledged. “I need you to keep the others safe. If I screw this up-“
“You won’t.” Faith cut her off.
‘Ella’s necklace. It will help bind it.’
“We’ll get the door,” John offered with a slight twitch.
“Miss Westbrook, I need to ask for your necklace?”
“I see.” She reached up and removed it without question.
“Aunty?”
“Katherine, sometimes you need to just trust. It’s time that I finally allow love to conquer my fears.”
“Ro,” John spoke up. “Before we head down there I’m going to need you to help me haul the firewood up here.”
Ro and John set about hauling the stacks of wood from the dock up to the barn while the others began to clear away decades of debris. Once it was clear Faith, John and Ro opened the door. The musky smell hit them immediately.
“We need to get to work,” Shawn offered before giving a Faith a quick kiss. “I’ll see you soon.”
“You better.”
“Dr. Williams,” Ella stopped her with a gentle touch on her arm. She thrust a small package into Shawn’s hand. “After all of this is over, you’ll know what to do with this.”
Confused Shawn thrust it into the pocket of her coat. Feeling confident that the others were safely heading towards the dock, the group descended the rickety staircase. Instantly, they lit up flash lights.
The space was filled with nothing but cobwebs. “This place is huge,” Raven commented as they made their way around in the darkness.
“How much wine did they store?” Sister Lillian jested.
“Apparently, a great deal.” Shawn commented. Her skin prickling as they approached a door with an ancient statue placed in front of it. She laid the talisman they had discovered days before down in front of the door.
She took a cleansing breath before forcing the door open. There sitting in the middle of the room amongst the empty shelves was a large silver bowl tarnished from years of sitting.
“I’ll start the fire,” John offered as Shawn and the others lit bundles of sage. Father Mackenzie began to sprinkle holy water as he began to pray.
A loud scream echoed throughout the darkness. Encouraging Father Mackenzie to step up his efforts. “I will not.” He shouted answering a voice only he could hear.
“Shawn,” Farrah, nudged her. “We need to find his friend.”
Reluctant to leave the others she finally followed her and the others back up. The screaming grew louder as they searched the island. Burning more and more sage they followed the heavy mist that had formed.
“Come out, come out wherever you are,” Sue taunted the beast. “Son of –“She cried out when the horned creature appeared before her.
Briefly stunned they failed to move when it knocked Sue to the ground. Farrah and Shawn circled it lighting more bundles until they had it trapped.
“You’re weak.” Shawn bated it using all of her energy to fight against it. “That’s why your master told you to kill yourself.”
It rose up and slapped her across her face. She stumbled backward before facing it once again. “You’re weak. You’re a coward.”
“You need to leave.” Amber pressed as they formed a circle around it. Encouraged as it howled seeming smaller with each cry. Just as they thought they were winning it rose up, seemingly stronger. Shawn tossed the necklace at it. She watched in amazement as it burned its flesh forcing it to the ground. It curled up before whimpering like a dying animal.
They pressed harder, demanding it depart until the ground began to shake. Fire rose from the ground it released one last scream as thousands of claws reached up and pulled it into the earth. The ground closed up dragging it to the lower depths.
They remained in a circle condemning it to hell before they returned to the barn.
The furnace was blazing, John’s face was marred with a deep cut. Raven looked as if she had been in a battle still she fed pieces of the cauldron into the flames. With each piece that melted away the air seemed lighter.
They joined in breaking down the molten remains into tiny pieces before cooling them with holy water. It took hours, the beast screaming, the room shaking until it turned into barely a whimper.
They were covered with soot and sweat as they loaded every last bit into buckets. All that was left were thousands of small pellets. The energy that had claimed the silver faded away.
“How far out do you think we need to sail?” John who was in tears questioned.
“Alaska sounds good.”
“We’ll need to drop them in small amounts,” Raven asserted. “Then we cleanse the island one last time.”
In the end it took days to fully disperse the silver pellets. After which they cleansed the island several more times.
After it was finally complete, Delia went back to work. Ro, left for another part of the country and everyone else went home.
EPILOGUE
New York, NY.
September 30, 2017
Shawn wandered around her apartment feeling slightly on edge. She had finally unpacked from the journey. She was hanging up her jacket when the small package Ella had given her fell out. She had forgotten about it until that moment. Picking it up, she eagerly unwrapped it, curious as to what the elderly woman had given her.
The paper gave way to a smooth ring box. Her heart stopped when she snapped it open.
“Holy, crap.” She gasped when she gazed down at the flawless two carat diamond. “Willie will you look at this?”
She snapped it shut when Willie failed to answer.
Ever since they had returned from Maine, Willie seemed to be avoiding her. It didn’t help her mood, that Faith was out on some kind of errand and she had gotten into an argument with Althea. Shawn couldn’t deny it any longer, her health wasn’t going to improve until she cut back on investigations.
“Willie what are you doing?” Shawn asked when she noticed him lingering in the corner.
‘I have to say goodbye.’
“What are you talking about?” She panicked when she spied Lilly standing behind him. “Is this your doing?”
‘Yes. You gave up on trying to help him. It’s time for him to move on.’
‘Shawn, I don’t want to leave you. But you won’t be lonely now that Faith is here. Lilly said she’ll come with me so I won’t be scared.’
“You’re crossing over as well?” She asked suddenly filled with a sense of loss.
‘I did what I needed to do,’ she offered with a smile. ‘This was the one time in your life when I could help you. Now, I’m going to help this little guy.’ She added ruffling Willie’s hair. ‘He had a difficult life. Passed around from stranger to stranger. Sent to work in the factories. They took his money and beat him. Simply because they could. When he was lucky, they’d toss him a few scraps of food. He died hiding in the cupboard. They never noticed he was gone. Or the smell, which in itself speaks volumes. I know you are going to miss him, but you’ll never move on if he’s tethered to you. He’ll be back, just not as Willie.’
‘Goodbye, Shawn. I love you. Tell Faith I love her too.’
“I love you too, little man,” she choked as she watch him step into the bright light that was waiting for him and Lilly.
“I don’t know about you but I could sleep
for a week,” Faith announced as she entered the apartment and flopped down on the sofa. “What’s wrong?” She blurted out seeing that Shawn was crying. Instinctively she wrapped her arms around her lover.
“Willie is gone.”
“What do you mean, Willie is gone?”
“Lilly helped him cross over. He’s gone. He told me to tell you that he loved you.”
“Gone, gone? I know I joke about him but he can’t have left us.”
“He’s in a better place,” Shawn sniffed leaning into Faith’s body. “Still, I’m going to miss him.”
“I’m sorry, I know the little guy meant a lot to you.”
“It’s for the best,” she sniffed again. “Tell me about this meeting you had? I could use a distraction.”
“You remember my old pal Marcel?”
“Yes, nice guy.”
“He and I have been talking lately about what’s going on with news and I mentioned that a lot of the stories we come across are interesting. Paranormal aspects aside we come across some interesting stories. Like Temperance Muraille. I doubt people know what a truly amazing woman she was. Also, there cases like the murders in Montana.
“Where is this going?”
“I like doing the research and I’m fascinated by some of the stories we’ve stumbled across and I thought if I could sidestep the paranormal then maybe I could tell some of those stories. Marcel agrees that it is something he would like to pursue as well.”
“You mean like documentaries?” Shawn excitedly questioned.
“Exactly. What do you think?”
“I think you’ll be brilliant.”
“Thank you. I know it’s sudden but maybe it’s time for the both of us to chart a new course. I’m worried about your health.”
“You’ll be happy to know, that while you were out I told Althea that I won’t be on call twenty four seven.”
“Think she listened?”
“I don’t care. I need a break. I also need to move forward.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll let you know after I have a little chat with Ella.”
Central Park West
Muraille Island Page 29