Death By Fright

by McCarthy, G. L.

  The pair wasn’t at all hungry as they were still full from the fabulous brunch prepared for them by Pablo and decided to share a cup of egg nog as it was way too much alcohol for either of them to consume.

  As the couple sat and watched the kids rip into their presents, it was fun to see their faces and hear the screams of joy when the right present had been received. The tears rolling down Jessie’s cheeks were a sure sign that she loved her gift and a big hug from Dawson reinforced the sentiment. Alex had already made it clear that their stay at the ranch was enough of a present as she knew they would never give them a bill for their stay. Andy wasn’t expecting a present, but was thrilled with the ones he received. Sam told him it was something they wanted to do and didn’t want him to feel obligated in any way to return the gesture. He was totally fine with that idea and showed his appreciation by giving both women a big hug and kiss. Pablo was going to take his and his mother’s present home to be opened on Christmas morning and promised to call Alex with a report on how they liked their gifts. Alex also wanted to talk to Connie about finding someone to help in dealing with Robert Monroe.

  When all the presents had been opened and calm had been restored to the dining hall, every guest was given a plate with a cookie and a large glass of milk to leave out for Santa for a job well done. All the kids knew there was no Santa, but took the treat just in case they got hungry later.

  Alex and Sam had wanted to be by themselves in their casita when they opened their gifts. For Alex it was because she knew she would get emotional and would want to show her thanks immediately and Sam because she just wanted to be alone with Alex on this special night.

  Saying their good nights and Merry Christmas to everyone they headed back to the casita for their own special gift opening time.

  Alex went first and opened the small perfectly wrapped box. Inside was a heart shaped necklace which had an inscription across the front ‘To My Lover Forever Alex’. As the tears began to fill her eyes she took it out of the box and found that it separated into two pieces. The heart had the exact same inscription on the back side, so that half of the heart would read ‘To My Lover’ and the back side would say ‘Forever Sam or Forever Alex’.

  “I hope you like it?” Sam looked at Alex and could tell that it was exactly the right gift.

  Alex was speechless and pulled Sam into a hug and very long kiss as the tears continued to run down her cheeks.

  “It’s so perfect. I can’t begin to tell you how much I love it.” Alex could hardly wait to show it to Jessie. “Put mine on, please and I’ll do the same for you.”

  “I’m so glad you like it. I’ve never put so much thought into anything like this before. I wanted it to be romantic, but not too mushy.” Sam was quite proud of herself.

  “It’s absolutely wonderful.” Alex got up and retrieved a small velvet bag and a manila envelope. “I knew we were of the same mind about how we felt about each other and so I had my lawyer draw up these papers.”

  “Papers! Is something wrong?” Sam felt a sick feeling come over her.

  “No, no. I’m fine. But if anything were to happen to me I want you to get everything and not my mother.” Alex handed the envelope to Sam, which contained a will, power of attorney for medical and financial decisions and a signed copy of a quick claim deed to her grandfather’s house, which he had left her and was being managed by a real estate company.

  Sam opened the envelope and looked at each document in complete silence. Holding back her emotions until she had looked at each and every item, she then broke down at what it all meant. Pulling Alex towards her, she let the tears flow as none of her other girlfriends would have ever done this for her. Giving her a few minutes, Alex still had her gift in the small velvet bag to reveal.

  “Now this is my gift. The other one was just some-thing I planned to do since I left the hospital.” Alex opened the little tie string to the bag and emptied the contents.

  Two silver Claddagh bands dropped from the bag and clinked, sounding like a little bell, as they fell into Sam’s open hand. Taking the rings Alex looked inside at the inscription and then slipped it onto Sam’s middle finger on her left hand. Sam did the same with the remaining band for Alex.

  “I thought we might as well show the rest of the world how we feel about each other.” Alex and Sam had talked about which finger lesbians should use as their ring finger and both thought the middle one was so apropos for how everyone felt about not being able to marry legally.

  “What do they say?” Sam figured initials or the date.

  “Our initials and today’s date. I thought it’s a date we will never forget.” Alex knew she never would.

  “Perfect. Are you up for a short walk before we turn in?” Sam was so excited she was ready to jump out of her skin.

  “I’d love too.” Alex felt invigorated and grabbed their jackets as they headed out into the beautiful New Mexico night.

  The sky was clear and full of stars. They decided to walk out to their spot just outside the main gate and star gaze for a while. The ranch was quieting down for the evening and they didn’t intend to stay out long. They wanted to get back to their nice warm bed for an extra special night together under the covers.

  Chapter 20

  Both women slept in on Christmas morning as the past evening’s under the covers activities went well into the early hours and had exhausted them both. Snuggling close to each other, Sam suddenly remembered the fantastic breakfast that was to come. Everything had been prepared the day before and the only thing needed was a short minute in the microwave. Since the staff was given the morning off, every casita had a special breakfast that could be picked up in the dining hall and taken back to their rooms to eat or be eaten there. The choices were amazing. Sam and Alex had decided on stuffed French toast with cream cheese and blueberries and on the side, a cup of fresh fruit and their usual coffee. Sam jumped out of bed and threw on her clothes so she could get it before the dining hall was too crowded to choose which kind of muffin or bagel to go along with their order.

  Alex loved having a lover that was able to give or take when the occasion arose. Today was a day she’d let Sam do the giving, if that was her choice. Being served breakfast in bed was one way of spending more time together, but tended to make it a very lazy day afterwards. As Alex lay in bed she ran through the list of things she would like to do today. She wanted to show off her necklace to Jessie and spend a little time with her. Then she had to decide when would be a good time to drive out and see Connie. She would need to play it by ear with her as she felt hesitant about intruding on her family holiday. She was thought of as one of the family, but maybe they had plans for today. As she looked at the clock she saw it was seven-thirty and wondered if they got up earlier than usual on Christmas. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of voices outside the door as it opened and Jessie appeared helping Sam carry in breakfast.

  “Merry Christmas, Darlin’.” Jessie had been up for several hours.

  “Merry Christmas, Jess. You look very festive this morning.” Alex smiled at her friend who was wearing a boa made out of three kinds of tinsel in red, green and blue and gave her a big hug and kiss on the cheek.

  “Of course, I’ve been greeting guests picking up their breakfasts since six. You two were the last so I thought I’d come watch you eat yours.” Jessie had let Dawson sleep in and she and Andy had handled all the morning chores. Andy was planning on making an appearance later.

  “Jess, look what Sam gave me.” Alex picked her necklace up so Jessie could take a look.

  “That’s lovely and I see she has the other half around her neck. Good job, cousin. I knew you were a romantic at heart.” Jessie had been on the phone more than once talking to Sam as she ran by ideas about what to get and then what to write.

  “Oh, Jess, I forgot to show you what Alex gave me.” Sam walked around Alex and they both held out their left hand to show off their bands.

  “Wedding rings?” Jessie looked at th
em both for a reply.

  “Yep, and check this out.” Sam handed Jessie the manila envelope. “A ring and this too.”

  Jessie opened the envelope and looked over the documents knowing by the legal nature that Alex had left everything to Sam. Alex could see the look on Jessie’s face and knew she had one question to ask.

  “Sam gets everything except the F-1. It goes back to you, per our deal.” Alex had promised her when she bought the truck that she would get it back someday.

  “Darlin’ I hope that day never comes.” Jessie was relieved that Alex had remembered and even though she loved her very much, that truck was just as precious to her too.

  “Well, you know what they say, if you plan ahead it won’t happen at least not for a long time.” Alex had put on her robe when she heard them coming through the door and was now setting up their little table for a delicious breakfast. “This looks so good.”

  Sam gave Alex the first one out of the microwave and set the timer for hers. Alex took a big gulp of her coffee as she took a seat. Jess sat on the bed and shared what she got and gave to Dawson. She’d given him a new radio for his truck and a year’s subscription for satellite radio. Her gift from him was cash which she was going to save for her trip to Hawaii. She knew it wasn’t romantic, but also knew that Dawson had no idea what to buy her and it was just better if he gave her the money to do as she pleased.

  “You two know each other so well. You get him cool stuff and he gives you money.” Sam wondered if she would end up giving Alex money someday because she couldn’t think of anything to buy.

  “Well, I like to make it easy for him. He would rack his brain and buy me something like jewelry and you know how much I hate jewelry.” Jessie had her wedding ring and a cross given to her by her father and that was it. “So, money was perfect and he was fine with it.”

  “I know Alex will never give me money. She comes up with the coolest ideas for gifts. The stuff she bought for everyone back in Hastings was amazing: Each gift perfect for the receiver. Me – I can see myself giving her cash in a few years when all my brilliant ideas are used up.” Sam figured she may as well prepare Alex for that realization now.

  “All you have to do, Lover, is put a bow around your neck every year and that’s the perfect gift for me.” Alex winked at Sam and was dead serious.

  Taking her breakfast out of the microwave, Sam kissed Alex on top of the head and tried to hold back the tears from such an endearing sentiment.

  “She also knows exactly what to say and when to say it.” Jessie knew Sam was unable to speak at the moment and wanted to give her a few seconds to recover.

  “Ah, shucks. You say the nicest things too, Jess.” Alex could appreciate the fact that Jessie was aware of Sam’s emotional state.

  “Sam, did I ever tell you about the time Alex gave me a piece of coal for Christmas?” Jessie had really pissed Alex off a week before. “Of course, she gave me a real gift after she got over being mad at me – but a genuine piece of Kentucky coal.”

  “No. I don’t think you ever did. You really must have screwed up big time.” Sam would never assume that Alex was in the wrong.

  “Well, we had to agree to disagree about who was wrong. I think we both blew it out of proportion and I think my half was a lot bigger than hers but it was our first and only fight in all our years of friendship.” Jessie could get really stubborn at times and Alex usually gave in as it wasn’t that important who won or worth losing a friend over.

  “Wow! One fight in all those years – that’s amazing. I hope to be able to say that we’ve never fought ever for as long as we live.” Sam didn’t count little disagreements which they were sure to have.

  “Well we may have a few fights but it won’t be over the small stuff. I see us fighting over the big stuff, like who gets the last piece of tri-tip or banana cream cheesecake.” Alex wanted to get off this subject as she remembered exactly what she and Jessie had fought about and it was huge. The topic – Alex not giving a gift to her estranged mother. A subject that was never brought up again by either one.

  “Yes, I can see you arguing about that sort of thing. So what plans have you two for today. My guess – spending the day in.” Jessie didn’t have any plans herself, except hang around the ranch while Dawson watched football.

  Sam shook her head and looked at Alex who suddenly got a sly smile on her face and both women knew something was up.

  “Well depending on if I get a call from Pablo, I may go see Connie and see if she has any insight into handling angry spirits and the like.” Alex expected Jessie to explode about how she was going to spend her Christmas day. Sam already knew about her wish to see Connie.

  “I see.” Jessie looked at Sam for some input, good or bad.

  “Jess, you’d want us to be prepared when Alex goes back to confront Robert Monroe, right?” Sam could see the wheels turning behind Jessie’s green eyes and she didn’t look pleased.

  “I was hoping that you were going to leave him and his wife alone. I guess that was wishful thinking on my part.” Jessie was not thrilled.

  “Jess, I really think I can get him to leave, at least I hope so. Plus I’m sure his wife, Victoria, is out of the house now since she knows Janet is still living in the area.” Alex knew that look and Jessie needed some convincing.

  “So you two are still going through with this idea. When were you planning on going back into that house?” Jessie had thought since they weren’t still talking about it that they had given up on trying to get him out.

  “After Christmas. Like, maybe tomorrow or the day after.” Alex said it like she knew Jessie wasn’t going to be pleased with the answer.

  “I see.” Jessie stared at Alex and wanted to lock her in her room for the remainder of her stay – but knew that would never work.

  “Jess, I won’t be going in alone and have you ever heard of a ghost really hurting anyone on purpose. I mean, yes, Pancho died but the coroner hasn’t said how he died. So we can’t blame it on Robert Monroe yet. Anna and Ramon pro-tected me from a madman with a razor so I think they can handle a spirit armed with a cardboard box don’t you?” Alex thought that sounded very convincing and not that terrifying.

  “If you didn’t have Anna and Ramon there is no way I’d be going along with this crazy idea. But you promise you’ll have Sam with you at all times. I won’t be able to take off any-more time this week and I know you two. You’ll be back there as soon as you can.” Jessie knew there was no way she could change their minds so why try?

  As Alex took her last bite of French toast, her phone rang. It was Pablo and Connie who said they would be thrilled to have her and Sam come by. Jessie took the dishes and told them to check in with her when they got back to the ranch. Both gave her a big hug and wished her a glorious day. They could hardly wait to get going and see what help they might get from the spirit world. Finding out more about the spirit world was a present from Anna and Ramon that Alex would cherish forever.

  Chapter 21

  The drive to Connie’s seemed to go by a lot faster on this trip. But then when Pablo was driving his mini van, there were several small children with him as opposed to just Alex and Sam hauling ass in the F-150. A big crowd of kids and adults were out front of the large house tossing around balls and playing with their new toys. Alex could see Connie, in her wheelchair, talking with several other people on the front porch. Family and friends from all over where gathered to bestow best wishes for this special day. The sound of the truck rolling up the gravel road alerted everyone to their approach and everyone was excited to see Alex once again. Carlos and Little Ramon were the first to reach the truck as they opened the doors to help both women get out. Pablo hurriedly reached his mother, Connie, who was trying to stand so she could give her guests a proper hug. Alex rushed to Connie so she could sit back down as quickly as possible. The sight of Alex gave Connie renewed energy as she smiled as they embraced.

  “Welcome back, Alex. Merry Christmas. I’ve been lo
oking forward to this return visit ever since you left last time.” Connie held on tight, not wanting this moment to end.

  “Merry Christmas, Connie. I hope you’ve had a great day so far?” Alex was sure of the reply.

  “It just got a whole lot better now that you’re here. I take it that this beautiful woman with you is your Samantha.” Connie released one arm to extend it to Sam.

  “She certainly is. Sam this is Connie, Pablo’s mother and Anna’s little sister.” Alex knew that Sam was fully aware of who she was but wanted to formally introduce them.

  “It’s a pleasure, Connie. I feel like I already know you.” Sam did feel a familiarity that she’d never felt before on a first meeting.

  “You do, because we’re all family. I know my Anna had picked you for Alex and therefore you are related in someway from our past.” Connie had been reading everything she could about past lives ever since Alex’s first visit and the realization that she was the spirit of Ramon in this life.