DEADLY WISHES

by Marianne Spitzer

  Kellie scowled, “Yes, he is, and he had the nerve to tell me to leave it alone and go home to take care of the girls. They were in school. I think he should have been born two-hundred years ago when men ruled.”

  Max’s mouth dropped open, and he took a step backward, “What, we don’t rule?”

  “Not in this house,” Kellie laughed. “Would you help the girls set the table? Dinner is almost ready.”

  ~ * ~

  Kellie walked back downstairs after settling the girls into bed. “I think they’re down for the night. It’s been a long day.”

  “Would you like a glass of wine,” Max asked from the kitchen.

  “That would be lovely, thanks.”

  Max brought her a glass of wine and sat next to her on the sofa. “Was your day hectic?”

  “I did see the police take Mrs. Donahue away and then I had a discussion with my Uncle Mike about her and the fact that whatever happened she must be innocent. I accidentally heard about the severed head. She has no clue how it got there.”

  “I know she’s a sweet old lady, but can you be sure? She might have allowed someone to hide it there. I don’t see her chopping off heads, but sometimes people do favors for others, and she might not have known what it was.

  Kellie shook her head. “Her daughter stopped by today to thank me for taking Sweets and said her mom had no idea it was there. I doubt she would have advertised to sell the freezer if she knew what was in it. Can you imagine what she felt when the lady who stopped by to look at the freezer ran out of the basement screaming? She must have been terrified especially when the police arrived.”

  Max nodded, “On the way to the hospital, she asked me why they took her to the police station. I told her I didn’t know but not to worry. She calmed down after that. She must have believed me because she closed her eyes and began humming an old show tune.”

  Kellie smiled, “She is a dear person. Her daughter told me she hadn't been down in the basement since she hurt her back and hip. Her nephew takes care of the freezer for her. I wonder if he put it in there.”

  Max leaned back and slipped his arm around her shoulders, “Who knows. I think the police will figure it out.”

  “Uncle Mike wouldn’t tell me much, but I accidentally overheard an officer say they needed dental records to identify the head. That’s when I found out it was in the freezer. Who does that? Why not bury it? If there’s a head, there must be a body somewhere.” Kellie involuntarily shuddered.

  “Don’t think about it. Let your uncle do what he does best.”

  “Agreed,” Kellie sighed. “But there’s something else.”

  Max turned his head slightly and looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “Do I want to know what the ‘something else’ is?”

  “I’m not sure. When Vivian stopped by, she brought me white roses from her mother’s garden.”

  He turned to look at her fully. “Roses? You don’t think after all these years they still mean trouble. We haven’t dealt with a rose problem since the accident.”

  “They were a warning then and maybe they’re a warning now. White roses stand for purity. It could be an omen for something good, I hope. Time will tell.”

  Max pulled her close. “Promise me you’ll watch out and be careful. If they are a warning, I need you prepared.”

  “I promise.”

  Chapter Two

  The grandfather clock downstairs struck three and Kellie and Max were sound asleep. A moment later they were awakened by the sound of two voices crying in unison, “Mommy, Daddy, Mommy, Daddy,” and the sound of four small feet running down the hall.

  The bedroom door burst open and Faith and Hope, holding hands, leaped onto their parent’s bed. They were still holding hands and sat down at the foot of the bed. Rufus paced back and forth near the girls and Sweets whimpered.

  “What’s going on,” Max asked. “Is someone in the house?”

  “No, Daddy, but we saw him,” Hope explained.

  “Yes, he was standing in Mrs. Donahue’s front yard staring at her house,” Faith continued.

  Hope’s head bobbed up and down, “Yeah, and he looked up and right at us watching him from our window. Then he ran away.”

  “Are you sure it was a man?” Kellie asked. “Are you sure he looked at you?”

  “Oh yes, Mommy,” Faith said reaching for Kellie’s hand with her free one. She still gripped Hope’s hand tightly.

  “I know he saw us. I felt him look at us,” Hope took over the story.

  “Felt?” Max asked looking at Kellie with a furrowed brow.

  “Yes, Daddy, we felt him, and he wore a funny bathrobe.”

  “Bathrobe?” Max mumbled.

  “Okay, girls, calm down. You said you saw a stranger in Mrs. Donahue’s front yard wearing a bathrobe. Maybe it was a neighbor checking her house.”

  “No, Mommy,” Hope insisted. “He looked at us, and his eyes were scary.”

  “How could you see his eyes from our house,” Max asked.

  Both girls shrugged.

  “Dunno, Daddy, but they were scary, and he wore a scary bathrobe,” Faith insisted.

  “What kind of scary bathrobe?” Max asked.

  Hope sighed, “Remember last Halloween when Caleb Bowers wore that black bathrobe and he told everyone he was death. He tried to scare Faith and me, but we knew he was lying. The man wore the same bathrobe, and we could only see his eyes because he had that thing covering his head like Caleb did.”

  “A hood?” Max asked again not wanting to hear the answer.

  Both girls nodded in agreement.

  “He was dressed in a hooded robe,” Kellie murmured. “I don’t like that.”

  Max climbed out of bed, “I’m going to check out the girl’s window and then let Rufus run around the yard. Come on boy.”

  Max hurried out the door, and the girls snuggled with Kellie.

  Hope looked at Kellie, “Mommy, Faith and I think he’s a bad man. He wants something from Mrs. Donahue’s house, but it isn’t there anymore. He’s angry. We’re scared he’ll hurt her.”

  Kellie pulled her girls tight. She worried this day might come, but she thought it wouldn’t happen until their teens. Her girls felt something. They felt evil although they couldn’t explain it. To them, it was in the form of a bad man in a hooded robe. She agreed with them that it wasn’t the same as Caleb Bowers’ costume. It wasn’t death standing in front of Mrs. Donahue’s house. It was something far worse, and her girls could see and feel it. She said a silent prayer asking God to protect them.

  Max returned, “I didn’t see anyone out of any of the windows and Rufus ran around the front and back but never barked. Whoever was there is gone.”

  “Do you want to sleep in here? Are you afraid?” Kellie asked the girls.

  They shook their heads back and forth. They hopped off the bed and Hope said, “We’ll be okay, Mommy. Miss Annabelle will make sure no one hurts us.”

  “Miss Annabelle?”

  “Yes, Mommy, she’s beautiful and sits by our window. She wears a pretty bathrobe, too but hers is white, and it sparkles. No one can see her. She’s our special guardian.”

  The girls skipped down the hall toward their bedroom.

  Max’s eyes flew open wide, and he looked at Kellie. “Miss Anabelle is their special guardian, and she wears a sparkling robe. What the hell is going on Kellie? Who was that man outside Mrs. Donahue’s house?”

  “I don’t know but whoever it was is evil. I know that much. When I held the girls, I felt what they did, and they don’t know what evil feels like, but I do. The person outside of Mrs. Donahue’s wanted the severed head. I don’t know why.” Kellie dropped back against her pillow.

  “I’m checking on the girls Max announced and left the room. He returned a few minutes later. “They’re already asleep. I didn’t see anyone else, but I spoke to her just in case and asked her to watch over the girls. Do you think they saw an angel and if they did, how did they?” He sat next to her
on the bed, and his eyes pleaded with her for an explanation.

  “I don’t think it’s an angel, but I believe it is a guardian spirit sent here to keep them safe. For some reason, whatever is happening has woken the powers I thought the girls might acquire someday. I didn’t expect it would be this soon.”

  “Powers!” Max yelled, and Kellie shushed him. “Okay,” he said lowering his voice. “How can they have powers? They’re only six. You didn’t discover yours until you were in your twenties. I don’t want my daughters fighting evil spirits, Kellie. I think they should stay at my parent’s farm until this mess with Mrs. Donahue is cleared up.”

  “No, they need to be here in town. They are protected here at home. I believe the white roses were a warning. They mean purity and innocence just like the girls. Since they are innocents, they’re safe, but we’ve been warned that something is aware of their powers. Whatever it was that stood in front of Mrs. Donahue’s house saw them and knows they saw him. I can protect them here. Claudia can help. Whatever it is, they need protection which is why Miss Annabelle is here. I don’t know who or what she is, but she’s here to keep them safe. While the evil can’t harm them physically, it can try and frighten them.” Kellie sat and pulled her knees up to her chest.

  “All right, I won’t insist, but what can we do?” Max moved closer to Kellie and held her.

  “Tomorrow is Saturday. They’ll be home with me all day. I’ll talk to Claudia or visit her. We’ll figure this out. It’s quiet now; we need to sleep. Don’t you have the early shift in the morning?” Kellie asked and lay back on her pillow.

  “Yeah, I do, and I need to be up in less than three hours,” he mumbled while he snuggled next to Kellie and drifted off to sleep. Kellie lay awake for quite some time staring at the ceiling. Was it all starting again?

  ~ * ~

  Kellie heard the garage door close and hoped she’d get a bit more sleep. She rolled over and hugged her pillow. An hour later she heard the bedroom door burst open, and two sweet voices say, “Morning, Mommy.” The girls leaped onto the bed followed by an excited Rufus. Sweets remained on the floor whining.

  Hope giggled, “Rufus get down and play with Sweets.” Rufus obeyed, and Sweets stopped whining.

  “Good morning my little ladies. Who’s hungry?”

  Both answered yes, and Kellie suggested veggie omelets or pancakes.

  “Pancakes, pancakes,” Hope and Faith continued to insist until Kellie climbed out of bed.

  “Okay, get dressed, and if you do it without fighting over what to wear, I might let you mix the pancake batter.” She smiled as the girls raced out of the room. She hurried to dress knowing her daughters might start without her, and they had the ability to create a mess without trying.

  By the time Kellie let the dogs out and turned on the coffee maker, the girls had spilled milk each blaming the other. She shook her head and mixed the batter while the girls attempted to clean the spill.

  Kellie finished cleaning up the spill while the pancakes cooked and settled the girls at the table. She placed a plate of pancakes in the middle of the table and took the bottle of syrup away from Hope. “I’ll pour the syrup.” Both girls pouted.

  It didn’t take long before giggles overtook pouts as they enjoyed their breakfast. Kellie cleaned off the table while the girls washed their hands and started the daily hunt for their shoes.

  A knock on the patio door drew Kellie’s attention to Taylor’s smiling face on the other side of the door. She pulled the door open and ushered her best friend inside. Taylor moved baby Kayla from one hip to the other.

  “We needed to visit with you for a while. Kayla spit oatmeal in Ethan’s hair and Hunter is fighting with him about washing his hair. Why do little boys have an aversion to water unless it’s a summer mud puddle?”

  Kellie shrugged. She held her arms out, and Kayla pushed away from Taylor to get to Kellie. “Good morning, princess. Did you spit oatmeal on your brother?” One-year-old Kayla answered in baby talk.

  Hope and Faith bounded back into the kitchen. “Kayla’s here,” Faith said.

  Hope looked at Taylor and said, “Auntie Taylor, we saw a scary man in a bathrobe in Mrs. Donahue’s yard last night. Mommy can tell you all about it. Can we play with Kayla?”

  Taylor looked at Kellie and frowned, “Scary man? Bathrobe?”

  “I’ll tell you about it in a minute,” Kellie answered. She walked into the living room and placed Kayla in the baby seat she kept for her. “You girls entertain Kayla while I talk to your Auntie Taylor, okay?”

  Hope and Faith nodded.

  Kellie found Taylor sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee. Kellie poured herself another cup and explained about the strange incident from the previous night.

  “That’s weird, but do you think it’s more dangerous than just an odd person gawking at her house?” Taylor asked and sipped her coffee.

  “I think if it weren't for the fact the girls say they can ‘feel’ he’s a bad man, and Miss Annabelle is here to protect them I’d say maybe it has something to do with the severed head in the freezer. Maybe he’s the killer of whoever’s head it is or a friend of the nephew who had access to the freezer. I believe the girls have some powers. The severed head and the man in the robe mean evil has decided to visit again,” Kellie explained and rubbed her temples with her fingers.

  “Because of the roses?” Taylor asked.

  “Yes, to some extent. I plan to visit Claudia today and ask her why this is happening.”

  Taylor said, “Let me know. I should go home. I need to grocery shop and Hunter and Ethan are going to visit his folks. Grandma O’Neil will be there and promised me one of her apple pies. Maybe we can all share dessert tonight.”

  “I’d love that. Call me later.”

  Taylor walked into the living room to pick up Kayla and Kellie told the girls to find their coats because they were leaving.

  Kellie backed out of the driveway and sat for a minute looking at her and Taylor’s homes. She could see the hint of the golden glow that covered and protected both houses. They were safe from evil, but it should have kept all spirits including Miss Annabelle from entering. She needed to ask Claudia what she knew.

  Kellie was mulling it over on the drive to Claudia’s, and before she realized it, she pulled up in front of the candy color painted Victorian. Claudia sat on the porch sipping what Kellie knew was herbal tea and that her friend most likely knew she would arrive soon. Claudia’s psychic ability was well known, and Kellie trusted her completely.

  The girls tried to climb over each other to be the first out of the backseat, but as soon as they reached the sidewalk, they slowed and walked like perfect little ladies.

  “Hi, Aunt Claudia,” they said in unison and walked up the porch steps holding hands.

  “Good morning, little sweethearts,” Claudia answered. “Come inside. I expected you and Shadow and Light are excited to see you. Shadow was Claudia’s black cat, and Light was a pure white cat. Together they often aided Claudia when she spoke to her spirit world.

  Claudia held the door open, and the girls hurried into her front parlor where the two cats waited. Immediately, Hope and Faith settled on the floor each holding a cat. Claudia laughed, “They will be well occupied. Come and sit and talk. I made tea.”

  Kellie sat at the kitchen table and said, “I imagine you know why I’m here.”

  Claudia nodded.

  “I have a question. I believe that the man the girls saw may be involved in why there was a severed head in Mrs. Donahue’s freezer, but what I don’t understand is why Miss Annabelle is in my house. I thought the house is protected from spirits.”

  “It is,” Claudia insisted. “Miss Annabelle can pass through the protection because she is pure love, pure light. I know of her, but this is the first time she has appeared near here. Three hundred years ago, Miss Annabelle was a governess to a wealthy family in England. She was in charge of six-year-old twin girls.”

  Kellie dre
w in a quick gasp of air. “Like mine?”

  Claudia nodded and continued, “There was a lagoon on the property and the girls enjoyed rowboat rides with Miss Annabelle. The girls had an older brother that was a bit of a terror. One afternoon while Miss Annabelle and the girls were in the rowboat the brother rammed it with a canoe. The rowboat began to sink. Miss Annabelle saved one girl and went back for the second. She wouldn’t have made it back to shore if not for the gardener who pulled the second girl to safety. By the time he turned back to aid Miss Annabelle, she was gone. Between the weight of her drenched heavy fabric dress, a restrictive corset, and the boots she wore stuck in the muddy bottom, she drowned.”

  “How sad,” Kellie murmured. “Why is she here?”

  “She felt her duty was to the children and refused to enter the light. Because of her unselfish sacrifice and pure love of children, she appears to twins that may be in danger. She is a powerful protector.”

  “The girls are innocents. I told Max not to worry. The evil won’t harm them,” Kellie said looking to Claudia for help.

  “You are correct. They will not be hurt directly, but frightened or terrorized by their deepest fears is possible. The evil is aware they have powers. It may try to scare them to lessen their abilities. Miss Annabelle will see that they are kept safe.”

  “They are six. What type of deep fear could they have and what could happen to them?” Kellie inquired.

  “All children have fears of losing a parent, friend, or pet. I know the girls are afraid of bees and being stung. Since they woke to see the man outside your neighbor’s home, they felt something evil or dangerous. It could happen again, and while they cannot be touched or encounter a spirit inside your home, they could see one outside. That spirit could take on the form of a vision where they might witness their deepest fear realized. A giant bee perhaps stinging one of them or you. The emotional damage might be overpowering, and the girls may lose their tender view of the world or weaken their abilities.”

  Kellie dropped her head in her hands and rubbed her forehead with her fingertips. “My girls have abilities? What abilities? Why? I don’t understand why my girls should be frightened. Is this a warning of some sort? What can I do?” She lowered her hands and looked at Claudia.