Death By Fright

by McCarthy, G. L.

  “Hi, Alex. What are you doing?” Bart was hoping he could join her for a while.

  “Just talking to a good friend that’s past away. What are you doing?” Alex knew she would have a shadow if he didn’t have something planned.

  “Waiting to go on the trail ride, but it’s not supposed to leave for another hour.” Bart gave Alex a pitiful look that made her smile at his dilemma.

  “An hour you say. So do you want to hang out with me until then?” Alex pretty much knew he would jump on that invitation.

  “Sure. Where’s Sam?” Bart liked Alex enough, but thought Sam was even cooler now that she was into ghost stories.

  “She’s out researching an old house. So now that you know she’s not around, do you still want to hang with me?” Alex really hoped he wouldn’t.

  “Yes. What are we going to do?” Bart looked around the room like they were going to stay there.

  “Follow me.” Alex didn’t want to go see Jessie with her little friend in tow so she decided to see if Andy needed any help.

  When they got to the corrals no one was in sight. They were either too early and the guys were off doing other chores, or more likely they were inside the barn taking care of their mounts. As Alex walked in her assumption was right. All hands were grooming their own horses before they went out to the corral to bring in the ones the guests would be riding.

  “Hi guys. Need any help? My friend Bart and I are available.” Alex smiled at Andy as he gave her a look when he saw who she had with her.

  “We’re good. But we appreciate the offer. Are you going out with us again, Bart?” Knowing he probably was, Andy could only hope that maybe he would stay here and hang with Alex.

  “Uh huh. I like riding Quincy. He’s a good horse.” Bart thought he looked cool riding the big chestnut.

  “Well you’ve got the best horse on the place so you better treat him right.” Andy cringed at the way the greenhorns pulled on his stock’s mouths. All they had to say was ‘ho’ and they would stop even if they were at a dead gallop.

  “I will. When are we leaving?” Bart wanted to do something and soon.

  “Not for another forty-five minutes or so. If you two really do want to help you can go see how many horses we need to saddle up. The sign-up sheet is on the board by the office.” Andy smiled at Alex as he knew that would take about a whopping five minutes tops if they walked slowly.

  “We can do that. Come on, Bart; let’s go see who else besides you and your family are going on this ride.” Alex winked at Andy thinking she would try to get Bart another chore to do so he would leave the guys alone.

  “Okay, but it’s only my mom and me. My dad and brothers just want to watch TV all day.”

  Walking towards the office, Alex spotted Jessie making some changes to the activities board that Andy had mentioned. She had never paid much attention to it as she had Jessie or Sam to tell her what was going on and when it would happen. When they walked in Jessie smiled at Alex as she saw Bart bring up the rear. Once again Alex was too understanding to send a child away who wanted someone to play with.

  “Good mornin’, Darlin’. How are you, Bart?” Jessie stayed at the counter and waited to hear his response.

  “Fine. We came to find out how many people signed up for the trail ride so we can get their horses ready.”

  Jessie looked at Alex for confirmation of this request.

  “We’re getting a head count for Andy. Just trying to be of help since Bart’s too young to help tack up the stock.” Alex put her hand on Bart’s head and gave it a gentle rub.

  “I see. Well, I put the latest count on the board. It looks like you’ll have about six other guests besides you and your mom. So they need to tack up eight horses.” Jessie looked directly at Bart and hoped he would run that info back to Andy.

  “Okay, I’ll tell them. Alex, you wait here and I’ll be right back.” Bart turned to run out the door but Alex requested he walk so he wouldn’t trip and get hurt before he had a chance to go on the ride. Bart complied all the way back to the barn.

  “I see nothing ever changes with you and kids. What are you up to today?” Jessie wondered where Sam was and hoped there was nothing wrong.

  “Sam is checking out the possible haunted house story and I was wondering if you had any time to spend with an old friend today?” Alex batted her eyes at Jessie while waiting for a response.

  “You two are spending the day apart. Is everything okay or have you just settled in like an old married couple?” Jessie was impressed if they had.

  “Old married couple isn’t quite right yet. We still can’t keep our hands off each other when we’re in the same space, but we have plenty of time for that stuff after the sun sets and rises again.” Alex hoped that would always be the case in their relationship.

  “Well, I would love to spend time with an old friend. Does this old friend have any ideas about what she would like to do?” Jessie would love to just hang around the ranch to talk frankly with Alex about how she and Sam were doing back in Hastings.

  “I miss our conversations about everything and anything going on in our lives. We can get some coffee and find a nice quiet spot to spill our guts.” Smiling, Alex knew Jessie wanted a candid progress report about how it was all going on the home front.

  “That sounds like a great idea, although I’m going to assume you are tied up until the trail ride leaves. Am I right?” Jessie would be shocked if she was wrong.

  “You’re right. My little buddy, Bart, is actually walking back this way as we speak.” Alex could see him kicking up the dirt as he moseyed back to the office.

  “Then we’ll plan to meet back here when he’s left the property and it’s safe to talk.”

  “Right you are. I guess I should meet him half way. See you later, Jess.” Alex walked out and wondered what they could do for the remaining time.

  Suggesting they get some hot chocolate before Bart headed out for a chilly ride, Alex ledthe way to the dining hall and found a table close to the window so they could watch for the guys to appear with the horses. Alex then spent the next thirty minutes hearing about Bart what he wanted to be when he grew up, his family life, and friends that were back home. It seemed like a very long half hour, but at the sight of Little Ramon leading horses out of the barn they were up and out and made their way back to the barn. Leaving Bart in Andy’s capable hands, Alex headed back to the office to spend some quality time with Jessie.

  Chapter 8

  Jess was ready to go when Alex walked in. Leaving by way of the back door was one way to avoid any of the guests who wanted a few minutes to talk about the weather or ask what was for lunch. They went over to the rear entrance of the kitchen/dining hall where the smell of chili simmering filled the air and, not wanting to have food on her mind,Alex suggested they grab their coffee and return to her casita for their chat. Jessie agreed. A lack of distractions was definitely in order as she wanted Alex’s undivided attention for the next couple of hours or at least until the lunch bell rang.

  As they entered her warm casita, Alex took off her jacket and took a seat at the little table while Jessie used the bathroom. When she came out she found Alex staring at her cup, deep in thought, wondering what topics they were going to discuss.

  “Okay, Darlin’, it’s just you and me so let’s hear the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” Jessie sat down and waited for her response.

  “Jess, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my entire life and yet scared to death at the same time. I know it’s my own paranoia about losing Sam or that she’ll change into some other person. I can’t believe that my luck has changed and I could be this happy for the rest of my life. We’ve talked about this and I’ve told her to relax, but I can’t do the same. I’m a complete wreck at times and then I’m totally fine. It’s crazy, I know. I’m trying really hard to just go with the flow, but the happier I am the more I look for problems, you know? Like there’s the age difference, her job as a sheriff, and living
in Hastings instead of here. I drive myself crazy with these stupid thoughts but they won’t go away. I know that if I talk to Sam about them she’ll say what I want to hear but I won’t believe it because down deep inside I guess I don’t feel like I deserve to be this happy. Does that make any sense?” Alex loved talking to Jess because for whatever reason she was always able to verbalize to her what she was really thinking.

  “Total sense. But why do you think you don’t deserve to be happy?” Jessie had a good idea, but wanted Alex to say it out loud so she could hear how silly it sounded.

  “Because Dez isn’t. I know her happiness isn’t my responsibility but I can’t help but feel a little responsible for it.” Alex hadn’t really talked to Dez about their breakup since her auto accident caused by Richard Greenway. Besides, Alex had her own healing to do at his hands.

  “Dez’s happiness is her job. Your job is to make sure you’re as happy as you can possibly be. That means you’re not responsible for Sam’s happiness either, got it? You need to stop worrying about everyone else and concentrate on Alex.” Jessie knew this was going to be an uphill battle for her since she couldn’t even stand to see a kid unhappy for a few minutes.

  “I know. It’s easier said than done but I’ll give it my all. I just hate being selfish. I know I’m not that way, but when I don’t do something for someone else it feels that way to me. I need to get over it and just try to be more normal like everyone else.” Alex had always been over the top in this area and needed to ease back about fifty percent or more.

  “Normal would be good, but like right now you’re here with me instead of spending time with Sam because you think I’m going to feel neglected. I know you, Alex. I want you to spend time with me because you want to and not because you feel you have to - got it?” Jessie knew this was going to be a hard one for her.

  “I love spending time with you, Jess. I just need to feel more secure with Sam and that she’s really okay with me spending time away from her. I know she is, it’s just my paranoia again that makes me feel like I’m neglecting her. Maybe after a year of driving myself crazy I will calm down a bit.” Alex knew Jessie understood what she was going through as she smiled back at her. “I always wondered about those lesbians that disappeared off the map when they found a girlfriend - it’s one way to make sure you don’t lose them.”

  “Darlin’, after all you two have been through the last couple of months you should know that Sam is yours for life. You just need to relax and enjoy yourself and that’s an order.” Jessie was serious and wanted her to start living her life like she did when they first met.

  “You’re right. As of this second I’m going to have faith in myself and let the fear go.” Alex let out a big sigh and felt a whole lot better.

  As she smiled at Jessie, feeling closer to her than she had in a long time, her cell phone rang. It was Sam. She told her she was about to leave, hoped to be there in time for lunch, but if she wasn’t to go ahead without her. Thinking about the chili in sourdough bowls, Alex suggested they have lunch in the casita. She could hardly wait for her to get back and told her she would be waiting patiently there to eat with her.

  “So you’re good now?” Jessie smiled as she watched Alex light up at the sound of Sam’s voice.

  “We’re good to go. So tell me about your life, Mrs. Black. All good on the home front?” Alex didn’t want to monopolize the conversation.

  “We’re good too.” Jessie then spent the remainder of their time together telling Alex of the changes Dawson had made as far as the quality time they spent together she loved it all.

  Chapter 9

  As Sam drove back to the ranch she thought about the nice stack of photos and articles about the Monroe family and could hardly wait to share all she had found out about the life and death of Robert Monroe. Looking at the clock, she figured her timing was going to be perfect as Alex should have their lunch cooling when she arrived. They could eat and then go over the info.

  She pulled into the parking lot, grabbed everything, ran to the casita, and then slowly walked in. There Sam found a hot lunch waiting on the little table as well as a big hug and an “I’ve missed you” kiss from Alex. Hearing that she had just returned with lunch and that they needed to let it cool a few minutes longer, Sam knew what that meant. Trying not to smile too much, she knew the articles were the last thing on Alex’s mind at this moment. Kissing was first, then lunch, and coming in a distant third came reading about some old dead guy.

  “You taste a little spicy, which suggests you were sampling while you waited for me?” Sam could also see a little chili stain on the corner of Alex’s mouth.

  “Just checking the temperature. I wouldn’t want you to burn your tongue and be out of commission now, would I?” Alex thought that sounded better than that she couldn’t wait because it smelled so good.

  “Absolutely not. That could really cramp our extra-curricular activities.” Sam felt a calmer, more playful Alex in her arms. “What have you been doing while I was gone?”

  “Entertaining Bart and talking to Jessie about stuff.”

  “Any stuff I should be concerned about?” Sam could see a twinkle in her eyes and wondered exactly what they had talked about.

  “No worries, lover. You’re stuck with me and all my little foibles. I just needed to have Jessie be the voice of reason as always.” Alex hoped she would be satisfied with that answer.

  “Sounds good to me and I love being stuck with you.” Pulling her into another kiss, Sam knew Jessie would let her know if there was anything to worry about.

  It was a good thing there was a microwave in the room as the chili was left to cool a little too long, but neither was sorry and shared a good laugh as they reheated their lunch.

  Sam felt drowsy after eating, so while she dozed on the bed Alex read the articles. She felt sorry for a man who seemed to have everything going for him until he realized the woman he loved didn’t love him back. The interesting thing about looking at several old photos of the couple, alone and in groups, was the look on Victoria’s face. She had a far away look as if she was only there in body but not in spirit. But then being in love with someone else and having to put up a good front for the family and friends of such a powerful man must have been trying. Another interesting item was that in all the group shots, except one, only one other person besides the couple was in every picture. Alex wondered who this attractive young woman could be and what her connection was to the couple. Listening to Sam’s breathing, Alex was becoming a little sleepy herself. She laid the papers down, snuggled close to Sam, and fell sound asleep.

  It wasn’t long before Alex found herself standing in a huge room with a large group of people laughing and having a good time. Looking around, she recognized the scene was from one of the pictures she had just looked at. She walked through the crowd wanting to find the host and hostess and try to pick up the mood of the situation. Not seeing either of them in the large room, she went to check other parts of the house. Climbing the staircase and walking down the hall she strolled past several rooms before she heard loud voices coming from the room at the end of the hall. She placed her hand on the door and suddenly found herself inside the room watching Robert and Victoria having a very loud argument. She felt like a fly on the wall as she walked closer, knowing she was able to witness what no other living person had. The argument was about Victoria wanting to call off the wedding and Robert having none of it. He stated that they would get married as planned and if she knew what was good for her she’d send the other fellow away permanently. With Victoria in tears, Robert walked out to return to his guests.

  Left alone, Victoria made a call. She told the person on the other end of her plan to run away with them. Alex moved closer to try to hear the other person’s voice but couldn’t. Touching the old classic phone, she hoped perhaps she could see who Victoria was talking to. She waited and slowly a figure began to appear to her. She looked harder as the image cleared Alex found herself looking at the you
ng woman from the photos. She then realized why Victoria had to run away. The other man wasn’t a man. Victoria had been in a lesbian relationship, which in that day and age was definitely forbidden. If Robert had found out about it, that would explain his motives for the murder/suicide.

  Suddenly, feeling as if there was an earthquake, Alex awoke. It was only Sam, gently shaking her.

  “Hey, sleepyhead. You won’t be able to sleep tonight if we don’t get up.” Sam had cleaned up their lunch dishes and returned them to the dining room.

  “Oh wow, Sam, I had a dream about Robert and Victoria. If it’s true, I understand why his ghost is so angry.” Alex wondered how she could verify what she just witnessed.

  “What did you see?” Sam sat down next to Alex.

  “I believe the reason Victoria wanted to call off her wedding is because she was in love with another woman. When Robert found out about it he killed her so they couldn’t run away together.” Alex leaned against Sam as she was so grateful she had the freedom to love who she wanted.

  “Wow! That’s amazing, and I completely believe it’s true.” Sam paused for a moment, running her fingers through Alex’s hair, as things started to make sense to her. “As a matter of fact, I think you need to take a little drive with me back to the historical society. I think you might want to meet the other woman.” Sam now realized this could be the reason why Janet became so emotional when she talked about Victoria.

  “Really? You know who she is? She’s still living in this area?” Alex was anxious and stood up, ready to leave.

  “Yes. I think it’s the woman who runs the place. Her name is Janet and she became very emotional when she was talking about Victoria and the whole incident. After what you told me, it all adds up.” Sam grabbed her coat and handed Alex hers. “Let’s go. We can confirm your dream and be back by dinner.”

  As they walked to the truck Alex put a quick call in to Jessie to inform her where they were going and that they would see her at dinner and fill her in. As Sam drove, she told Alex more about Janet and the vibe she had picked up from her during her time there researching. Janet had such love and caring in her voice as she retold a few stories about her time spent with Victoria. Sam thought, at the time, they must have been best friends - but now she completely understood.