Death By Fright

by McCarthy, G. L.

  “Knock, knock. What are you doing up?” Sam found Alex leaning against the wall with her eyes closed not quite awake yet.

  “Hmm, I thought I’d tag along. Only I think I need to wait for the coffee to kick in.” Alex turned to face Sam who now had all her clothes off.

  “We’ll see how you feel after the shower.” Sam didn’t want to rile her up just yet in case the coffee had no affect.

  Sam was glad she had plenty of time to get ready as having Alex this subdued led to some extremely slow and erotic kissing. Which meant that after she got Alex all dried off and hopefully back to bed she would need to take a cold shower herself.

  Chapter 28

  Luckily for Sam, when she finally emerged from her second shower Alex had fallen asleep which meant no argu-ing about her going along. Sam put in a call to Jessie to let her know she was leaving and that sleeping beauty was fast asleep once again.

  The time calculation on the directions was dead on and Sam arrived fifteen minutes early to the Sunset Villas Assisted Living Condominiums. It looked like a very nice place and was spread out over a large area which was not that close to town. So these old folks had it nice and quiet out there in the desert.

  Sam figured she may as well go in just in case Mrs. Finnegan was waiting for her near the entrance. Upon entering, several staff members were busy pushing residents in their wheelchairs and Sam headed for the reception desk.

  “Hi. I have a three o’clock meeting with Mrs. Rachel Finnegan.” Sam could tell not just anyone was allowed to roam this facility.

  “Your name? I’ll need to call her room for author-ization to let you have access.”

  “Alexandria Whitney was supposed to meet with Mrs. Finnegan, but she’s taken ill and is under doctor’s orders to stay in bed. My name is Samantha Pierce, her assistant.” Sam could see that she’d just given the receptionist way too much information as she just told the person who answered the phone that Ms. Whitney was waiting in the lobby.

  After a few minutes a young woman arrived to escort Sam to Rachel’s room and upon entering was surprised to find not only Rachel Finnegan, but several other people.

  Sam needed to tell the truth about why she was there as one old woman getting a story wrong about why someone was asking questions was one thing, but this group would want to know names and publishing dates of this article.

  “Mrs. Finnegan, Alexandria Whitney is under doctor’s orders and confined to bed so I’ll be asking you a few questions about your late husband Peter and his business associate Robert Monroe. My name is Samantha Pierce and I am Ms. Whitney’s assistant.” Sam could see a question coming from one of the group and knew it wasn’t going to be about Alex’s health.

  “Ms. Pierce why do you want to know this infor-mation?” The woman standing behind Rachel Finnegan asked.

  “I’m sorry, you are?” Sam could be just as prying as this little group.

  “Oh yes, I’m Molly Finnegan Sloan. This is my mother Rachel and my son Brandon.”

  “I’m here trying to find out as much as I can about Robert Monroe and his life before Victoria Chalmers became his fiancé. You see I’m not sure if you know the history of the murder/suicide but I’ve been hired by the current owners of the Monroe house to try and get the ghost of Robert Monroe to leave.” Sam knew they were sure to have her put out.

  “A ghost. As in a haunted house type of ghost?” Molly was expecting a question like who was sleeping with whom and not one about a haunted house.

  “Do you recall a story about a woman finding the bodies of a murderer and his victim up near Thunder Mountain the day after Halloween?” Sam was hoping this would help prove that this was a legitimate investigation.

  “Yes, I remember reading the story. You mean you were the one who found the bodies?” Brandon Sloan had wondered how true the story was as the details were vague.

  “I was there that day, but Alex found the bodies. You see she has a connection to the other side and right now Robert Monroe has no intentions of leaving his house. The people that bought it have sunk their life savings into that property and they’d like to live there ghost free.” Sam could see the expressions and knew she had a believer in Rachel Finnegan.

  “Your associate, Ms. Whitney, can talk to the dead?” Rachel finally decided to speak.

  “I would say more like they talk to her; through dreams and sometimes taking possession of her. It depends on the particular spirit.” Sam didn’t want them to think Alex could turn this ability on at will.

  “I see and you need information about my Peter - why?” Rachel hated Robert Monroe and had hoped he was burning in hell.

  “Because at one time in his life Robert Monroe must have been a good person or so we hope. It’s that person we’d like to appeal to so he’ll move on. I was hoping that you could share some stories that would help Robert remember how he used to be.” Sam was getting the feeling she wasn’t going to get any positive information from this family.

  “Robert Monroe was a controlling, selfish, alcoholic who tried to pervert my late husband. The fact that he killed that poor woman doesn’t surprise me in the least, but the fact that he took his own life when he took such pleasure in making other people miserable was quite surprising as well as gratifying to learn. And now you say his spirit is terrorizing some poor family – that doesn’t surprise me one bit.” Rachel was not one to mince words.

  “I see. Did you know Robert Monroe before he and your husband went to college?” Sam could only hope she would soften a little and give her some information.

  “No. I met Peter and his family before he was in college and starting dating him the summer before his senior year. But I can tell you that I never liked Robert from the minute I met him. He was always manipulating Peter so he would spend time with him and not me. If it hadn’t been for his parents putting their foot down I don’t think he would have ever married me. Robert would have eventually ruined Peter’s life. If he hadn’t been working late that night he’d still be alive or at least would have lived a longer life.” Rachel was beginning to get angry and Sam now knew why her family was there – to calm her down.

  “Okay. I’m sorry to have wasted your time. I’ll need to find someone who knew him earlier than college. Thank you.” Sam stood up but was hoping that Rachel would continue to rant because now she was trying to leave.

  “Trust me, anyone who says that Robert Monroe was a good, kind man is lying. He may have fooled a lot of people but he didn’t fool me. He would smile and tell people what they wanted to hear, but all the time he was thinking of ways to use them for his own benefit.” Rachel was moving her wheelchair in Sam’s direction before Molly grabbed it.

  “I believe you, Mrs. Finnegan. I’ll take whatever in-formation I get and heed your advice. Thank you.” Sam slowly backed away and could tell that her family was glad this conversation was over.

  Sam decided to visit Janet, and since Alex wasn’t with her it meant Victoria would have to be good. Maybe Janet had some information since she did work for the man all those years. Sam just hoped she was at home and was willing to talk about this subject.

  When Sam arrived she was glad to see Janet sitting on her front porch. She appeared to be napping as her head was bent to the side.

  “Knock, knock.” Sam said softly to gently wake Janet.

  “Oh, hello. I must have dozed off. I seem to do that more and more these days.” Janet stood and adjusted her shawl.

  “I’m sorry; I hope I didn’t interrupt a good dream.” Sam thought it was a bit chilly to be sitting on the porch.

  “No, don’t be silly. You didn’t interrupt anything. I love the fresh air and I’m always hot so I sit out here to pass the time. I must doze off four or five times a day. I guess I’m getting old and need more sleep than I used to.” Janet went into the house, as Sam followed.

  “Janet, I’d like to ask you a few questions about Robert Monroe and what he was like. How long did you know him?” Sam sat on the sofa as Janet
sat in her rocking chair.

  “Well, not that long. I took over when his old book-keeper retired. He was pleasant enough to me, but then I did my job and minded my own business. He did seem to hate his family though. It didn’t matter what they did, it was wrong and he let them know it in no uncertain terms. I felt sorry for them. It was like he held a grudge and would never let it go. Vicky would tell me he was totally different with her, kind and thoughtful. Not your typical man.” Janet looked at Sam but it was apparent she had more to say.

  “What are you thinking? Was there something else?” Sam could only hope.

  “The last time you were here we talked about his friendship with Peter and I began to think about that. I asked Vicky in one of my dreams if she knew what type of friendship it was and she didn’t know, but that Robert continued to carry a picture of Peter in his wallet after his death. I’ve thought about it a lot and I’ve known several gay men in my life. This is only my opinion, but I think Robert was gay. I didn’t know Peter so I can’t say if he was or not, but just the way Robert was around Vicky and I it just seems to fit. Now it could explain why he hated his family, maybe they knew and didn’t approve so the only way he could get back was to be angry all the time. I don’t know, it’s just a thought.” Janet looked at Sam and shook her head.

  “Well I can’t say I didn’t think the same thing. I just met with Peter’s widow, Rachel, and she said that Robert tried to pervert him. So I thought that had to be what she meant. It sounded like maybe Peter wasn’t totally against the relation-ship, but his family stepped in and made him get married.” Sam wanted to ask about Robert’s drinking too.

  “Yes, I do know that Robert disliked her very much, and then one of Peter’s sisters married Robert’s brother which didn’t help any. That poor man never heard the end of it. Robert didn’t have too many nice things to say about the Finnegan clan after Peter’s death. So if they did have something to do with him marrying Rachel I’m sure Robert made their life difficult to say the least.” Janet folded her hands in her lap and started to rock in her chair.

  “Did Robert have a drinking problem?” Sam wonder-ed since she never mentioned it.

  “I know he was in AA. Vicky mentioned something about him drinking socially, according to him, but after Peter’s death he hit the bottle really hard. That is until he met Vicky and she told him he needed help. So he started attending meetings. I guess he was in recovery. I never saw him drunk or even smelled alcohol on his breath.” Janet was beginning to wonder exactly what did Rachel Finnegan say about him.

  “That’s good to know. I mean that he was trying for Vicky’s sake. We’re trying to appeal to the good person he was down deep inside. But it sounds like maybe he hated himself for being gay or letting other people run his life. Then he meets you and Vicky and feels like its okay to be himself. Do you think he had any idea about either of you being gay? I mean Vicky told him about you only after he knew there was someone else, but did he know if either of you were gay before that?” Sam was certain Janet wouldn’t have appeared to be gay back then.

  “I never had that conversation with him, but maybe he could tell. I didn’t exactly flirt with all the men that came to the store. The only person I really had anything to do with besides my dealings with him was Vicky. I guess you could say that if he was aware he could tell we were more familiar with each other than most girl friends. Vicky was more like a tomboy and I always wondered what other people thought about that. It wasn’t until she agreed to marry Robert that she started to act like a lady. So they may have talked about it. I don’t really know for sure. But one other thing I need to mention is that at the time I don’t think we really knew we were lesbians. We just knew we wanted to be together and that was all. It wasn’t until later in my life that I found out there really were other women who loved women.” Janet learned a lot about herself and homosexuality after Vicky’s death.

  “Janet when did you two decide to leave the area, you and Vicky I mean?” Sam wondered if it was planned or spur of the moment.

  “The night she died. Vicky was a free spirit and the thought of being married and tied down seemed to weigh on her mind. Maybe that’s why she told Robert about me, because she wanted him to know why she was leaving and it wasn’t because of him.” Janet wasn’t involved in the decision making process where Vicky was concerned.

  “Okay, so he forbids Vicky from seeing you because he was afraid it would blow his cover if everyone found out she was leaving him for another woman. What a selfish jerk!” Sam could see what Rachel Finnegan meant when it came to Robert getting his way.

  Sam thanked Janet and wished her a good evening. Sam sat in her truck and thought about this new wrinkle. What if Robert thought that Vicky was gay and had made the arrangement thinking she would never meet another woman. So then Vicky changes the agreement when she wanted to leave without getting married? That would put a major wrench in the works and Robert was usedto getting his way. He could have gone into such a rage that he killed her without thinking then himself when he realized he just killed his second best friend.

  Sam noticed it was getting close to five and she still had a twenty minute drive from Janet’s back to the ranch. As she flipped open her cell phone it was clear of any missed calls which meant Alex was still asleep. Sam decided to head for home and call Jessie just to make sure everything was still nice and calm.

  “Hey Jess. How’s it going? No drama I hope.” Sam would have been surprised if there was.

  “Nothing, except the last time I checked on Alex she was speaking in tongues while her head rotated three hundred and sixty degrees. That’s been about it.” Jessie wanted to give her cousin a hard time.

  “Sorry, I forgot who I was talking to. I know you have it all under control. I’ll be back in time for dinner. Do you think Alex will wake up soon?” Sam was thinking back to their earlier shower and was hoping for a repeat.

  “That girl hasn’t moved as far as I can tell since you left. I think it would be safe to say she’ll see you in the morning. Dr. Smith said those pills were usually taken one at a time. He gave her two so she’d get some serious sleep.” Jessie was glad that Dr. Smith had listened to her when she told him that his patient could be strong willed, if not down right pig headed.

  “Oh, shoot. I’ve got to go pick up her prescription. I totally forgot. Thanks, Jess. I’ll see you later.” Sam needed to get there before they closed at six.

  What was she thinking? She almost forget to get the pills she needed to make sure Alex took during this whole drama. As she drove,Sam made herself a promise to never let Alex know about any future haunting. She wanted to leave that up to the paid professionalsif there were any. Now she just needed to get to the drugstore and then back to the ranch so she could eat dinner she was starving.

  Chapter 29

  Sam arrived just as the dinner bell was being rung and ran back to the casita to see if Alex was still asleep - which she was. Sam was beginning to wonder when she would wake up. Sam scribed a note to say she’d bring her back something just in case she wasn’t up to getting dressed and walked over to get something herself. She intercepted Jessie coming to check on Alex one more time before she too went to dinner and the two walked over together. Sam brought Jessie and Dawson up to speed on all that she’d learned, while wolfing down her dinner, about Robert and his relationship with Peter Finnegan. Sam really wished Peter was still alive as he was the one who had the best chance of getting Robert Monroe to be reasonable. Then she wondered why Robert hadn’t wanted to crossover and be with Peter if they were so close.

  “Jess, do you believe there’s a Hell? I mean like the one we’ve all heard about. You know fire and brimstone or is it just something to scare people into being good?” Sam had never really given it much thought.

  “What is it that everyone says about no one coming back to confirm or deny it’s existence? I guess if you believe in it then it could exist for that person. I’ve never really believed in it, only be
cause God will forgive us all for our sins so unless you’re completely out of your mind why not ask for forgiveness and live in Heaven?” Jessie wondered what Sam was thinking.

  “My reason for asking is what if Robert Monroe never crossed over because he thought he’d go to Hell and that Peter and Victoria were in Heaven. I mean he could have thought why leave if I’m going to Hell. Then he finds that Victoria is still around and so why leave? Plus, I just thought of this. What if Peter never knew how Robert truly felt about him? Maybe he just thought he liked him a lot. And how would the dead know when other friends and relatives pass on. How does that work?” Sam had just remembered that this all happened in the fifties and being a homosexual wasn’t like it is now. Maybe Robert himself didn’t know what he felt and maybe that’s why he started drinking.

  “You mean he’s still in that house because he thinks he’s going to hell? Well I guess that’s as good a reason as any for staying. But wouldn’t he wonder why Victoria was still there? Maybe you can convince him to talk to Anna and Ramon and have them change his mind.” Jessie wondered if this was possible.

  “Wouldn’t that be great. Gee I wish we could just talk to him. It would be great if it could be that easy. Did Dr. Smith say how long Alex could be out from those pills?” Sam wanted her to try and get a message to Anna and Ramon about what could be the simplest of fixes.

  “No. I told him how strong willed she could be and having her take two pills was probably his way of making sure she got some rest. Why?” Jessie wondered where Sam wanted to go now.

  “I just wanted to run this all by her. You know so she could check out our theory with Anna. Although Janet told me that when she and Victoria were together neither of them knew they were gay. She figured it out years later. So being dead all these years Robert wouldn’t know that there are other men just like him and that he’s not going to hell. This could be information that would really be helpful in getting him to pass over.” Sam wondered if she could just go to the house and tell him herself.