by Lisa Coots
With one last raspy scream, the house vibrated and shuddered. The lights flickered wildly as Richie completely dissolved.
Serena held on to Mason, waiting for it to pass. The house finally fell silent and she was plunged into darkness again.
“Mason,” she whispered shaking his shoulder gently. “Can you hear me?”
Her hands caressed his face in the darkness. His skin was ice cold.
The front door opened letting in a dim stream of light. A deep voice inquired hesitantly, “Hello?”
“Call 911,” Serena pleaded.
“Rena is that you?”
Recognizing the voice as Mason’s brother’s she sighed with relief. “Gabe, Mason’s hurt. Please call for help.”
A light shone on her, and she shielded her eyes against it.
“He’s here.” Motioning towards Mason, she squinted against the light. Her gaze followed the beam of light until it found Mason.
Serena let out a gasp, Mason’s face was extremely pale and his lips had a strange blue tinge.
“Oh, Mason.”
CHAPTER 27
By the time Serena heard the wailing of the ambulance, she had covered Mason to warm him up and dressed herself. Gabe had retrieved a flashlight from his truck and quietly wandered around the darkened house. Sitting next to Mason on the floor, she held his hand.
Evan showed up just as the EMT’s were unloading the gurney. His dark eyes rounded in shock, then narrowed on Serena. “Serena, what happened?”
“Evan, don’t look at me like that.” Tired of suspicious looks, Serena dropped her shoulders and tried to explain. No one would believe he battled a ghost and won. “He fell down the stairs. I don’t know. The lights were flickering and he fell.”
“Who are you?” Noticing Gabe, Evan flashed the stream of light in his direction.
“Mason’s brother, Gabriel Del Toro. Who are you?” Gabe pointed his own light in Evan’s direction.
“Deputy Bertrand. Were you here?” Evan’s tone took an authoritative timbre.
“No, I didn’t see him fall, but the lights were flashing when I drove up.” Leaning against the wall, Gabe remained relaxed and unintimidated.
“Excuse me, ma’am. You need to let us get to him.” The young EMT intent on his business motioned for Serena to move away from Mason.
Reluctantly, Serena let go of Mason’s hand and stood back to give them room.
“Ok, you two stay here. I’ll go check the breaker.” Evan pointed his flashlight in the direction of the kitchen. “Anybody else here?”
“No, it’s just us.” The house felt empty and cold. Serena worried over the significance of that as the EMT knelt next to Mason moving the blanket aside.
He felt for a pulse on Mason’s throat, while his other hand gently slid under his neck to support it. Looking back at his partner, he shook his head.
“No. It’s there.” Serena moved to reach Mason again.
“Ma’am please. Just give us a minute.” The older EMT gently moved Serena toward the door then kneeling next to Mason he checked again.
“He’s alive. I felt his heartbeat,” Serena maintained. She could feel him from where she stood.
“Yeah, maybe so.” The senior EMT gave Serena a curt nod, then added, “Real faint, but it’s there.”
“He’s alive,” she repeated.
“Let's get him collared and on a board.” The older man motioned to his partner.
“You don’t leave here without me,” Serena said firmly.
“Hey, your breaker box is a mess. You’re probably going to have to replace the whole thing.” Evan entered the foyer, his flashlight bouncing a ray of light along the floor. When it hit the gurney, it stopped. “Is he ok?”
“He’s not responding. From the blue around his lips, it’s looking like a possible electric shock. We need to get his spine secured then put him on a heart monitor. Then we’ll roll to the ER.”
Evan blinked at the news, then frowned in Serena’s direction. They watched as the first responders secured Mason’s neck with some kind of plastic collar, gently rolled him onto a board and strapped him down. Then they drew the gurney up and quickly lifted him onto it with sure, practiced hands.
Serena followed the EMT’s out to the porch. Knowing Evan, he probably had more questions, but she wasn’t letting Mason out of her sight until she knew he’d be ok. Another cruiser pulled up and out popped Eva like a demented jack in the box.
“Oh my god, what happened?” Eva shrieked at the sight of Mason on the gurney.
“Whoa.” Walking to meet the car, Evan held out a hand. “What are you doing here?”
“Evan, remove her from my property. She’s trespassing and I’ve already warned her.” Serena could feel the anger building like a tidal wave.
“She’s filed a complaint. I thought I’d take her down here and see if they can work it out.” The large deputy that exited the car spoke directly to Evan.
“Hersh,” Evan sighed heavily. “She doesn’t belong here.”
“She did this. I want to see Mason,” Eva demanded.
“Are you a relative?” The older EMT asked cautiously, looking to Evan for direction.
“Yes.” Lifting her pointy nose in the air, Eva straightened her back confidently.
“No, Eva, you are not.” Making his presence known, Gabe moved off the porch to stand next to Serena. “You don’t belong here. I had a long talk with Mason and Ben today. You have no business here.”
“Well, she’s not family either.” The red head pointed a finger in Serena’s direction.
“Eva, let the deputy take you back to where it is you came from and we’ll discuss this tomorrow.” Hands in his pockets, Gabe remained unflustered.
“No, she’s not what she says she is. You can’t believe her,” Eva tried to speak around the deputy that now blocked her view.
“Ma'am, please. Get back in the car.”
Serena stood next to the gurney and took Mason’s hand. “He’s my husband.”
“That’s a lie!” Eva shouted, red splotches growing on her face.
Losing patience, Gabe walked toward Eva with a menacing gaze. “You know, Eva. I’d love to hear how you got your hands on our private files. I’m sure these fine deputies would be interested in that story as well. Serena will be filing her own complaint. This is harassment.”
“No, someone pushed me down the stairs.”
“There were three witnesses that say you were the only one on the stairs, and you were trespassing on private property,” Gabe reminded her.
“Miss Tremaine, you never said you were here without permission.”
“Whha… Umm... No.” Frazzled now, Eva stomped her foot in aggravation.
“Please return to the car ma'am and I'll take you back to the station.” Hersh frowned at her disapprovingly.
“Mrs. Del Toro, we need to get him to the hospital to see if there’s any internal damage.” The younger EMT held the gurney ready to lift it into the ambulance.
“Yes, of course.” She looked down at Mason’s hand in hers. It was already a little warmer.
“Don’t worry. I’ll follow the ambulance.” Patting her shoulder, Gabe handed over the keys she had been so desperate to get her hands on earlier. “Found them on the floor.”
“If you want to ride up front, it may be more comfortable.” The older EMT suggested as the younger one slid into the driver’s seat.
“No, I’d rather stay with him.”
“Ok, if you want, but if there’s complications I’ll need you to stay out of the way.”
Serena nodded her head and climbed in to sit next to the gurney immediately reaching for Mason’s hand again. Definitely warmer.
“Hey, look at that.” The EMT pointed to the monitor smiling broadly. “You brought his heart rate up, just like magic.”
“Yes, it’s magic,” Serena whispered to herself closing her eyes against the tears. Tomorrow she knew there would be more questions than she was comfortable a
nswering. If Mason knew about Graham, then so did everyone else. Gabriel hadn’t mentioned it, but she had felt him watching her. From the look on Evan’s face, he was probably questioning the similarities to the night Richie died. Eva was bound and determined to cause trouble, and now she had electrical problems. As bad as all of that sounded, her main concern lay unresponsive on the gurney next to her. She could feel his heartbeat strengthening. She didn’t need a monitor to tell her that. The memory haunted her. If it were real… No, she couldn’t think about that right now. Now all she could do was be grateful for their magic and the knowledge that he would be fine.
Far off voices drifted around Mason. The feeling in his body was only a tingle. His body felt like something foreign, a weight holding him down. Unable to move, he rested and listened to the voices.
“Tell me what happened.” The deep voice sounded so familiar, but he couldn’t place it.
“I don’t know. I saw him fall, but the lights were going nuts. There was this awful humming sound.” Mi Amor. He would know her anywhere. She sounded upset. He tried to move again.
“What are you doing here Gabe? I mean, not here, but in Cypress Point. Did Mason tell you everything?” Her voice sounded almost frightened.
“He gave me the files on your house. He was extremely upset about Eva getting a hold of them. I figured I’d come to help and make sure he didn’t lose his head.” His brother, Gabriel, always taking charge.
“That awful woman.” A bit of fire in her voice now reassured him.
Gabe’s chuckle was heartfelt. “Don't worry about her. I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you. So you read the files?”
“Yes, I did. I tried calling Mason. He didn’t answer. So I called Ben to clarify a few things. Interesting stuff.”
“I know you don’t believe.” Her soft touch stroked Mason’s hand then held it tightly.
“No I don’t, but if things are that out of hand, why on earth didn’t someone call me?” Just like Gabe to think he had all the answers.
“Because you don’t believe,” Serena answered simply, then added, “And what could you do?”
“I can’t explain everything, but I think you have some sort of electrical problem with the wiring. It’s an old house. I’ll call someone out to check on it.” His brother’s voice moved around the room as he spoke. Mason knew he was pacing.
“Ben will want pictures.”
“He's coming back as soon as the shoot is done.” Gabe’s voice came from the far side of the room.
“He knows?” Her hand tightened on his and Mason heard her gulp.
“I called him to chew him out earlier about keeping me in the dark. He was planning to come back anyway when I told him how upset Mason was. Then I called again a few minutes ago. He wanted to come straight away, but I told him the doctor said he should be fine.”
“Yes, he’s going to be fine.”
“He will,” Gabe agreed his voice closer now. “The tests are just to be sure there was no internal damage.”
Mason fought to open his eyes. He couldn’t quite manage more than a slit but the fuzzy shapes before him didn’t move. He tried to squeeze Serena’s hand, willing his fingers to curl around hers. After what seemed like an eternity, his hand gripped hers gently.
“Mason?” Serena moved closer to him. Her golden light warming him.
He wanted to speak, to tell her he was fine, but all he could manage was a slight part in his dry lips. His mouth felt like it was filled with sand as he tried again. “Re...Re...”
“Wait, hun. Here, try some water first.” The fuzzy shape moved away from the bed then came nearer again pressing a straw to his lips. “Take a sip. Just go slow.”
Water never tasted so good to him. It cooled his mouth and soothed his dry throat. After the first sip he tried again, this time taking a longer pull. His body seemed to be soaking it in as fast as he could drink.
“Mace, not too fast,” Gabe warned.
The more he drank the more movement he could feel in his jaw.
“Better?” Serena’s face came into focus slowly.
He needed to see her face and to know she wasn’t frightened of him. She had to know he never meant to hurt her. Feeling with his fingers, he tried to find her hand again. “Rena.”
“I’m right here, hun.” Her soft hand slipped into his.
“I’m so sorry.” His voice no more than a raspy whisper, Mason clung to her hand tightly.
“Mason.” Her face came into view as she leaned closer to him. “Stop, Mace. Everything's going to be fine.”
“Hey, Mace.” Gabe’s voice came even closer to the bed. Mason’s eyes were able to focus enough to see the concern on his brother’s face.
“Gabriel, don’t call Mom,” he croaked out.
“No, I didn’t. The doctor just wants to run some tests but you'll be fine in a few days. I knew you wouldn’t want to worry her.”
“No.”
“Here take another sip.” Serena offered him the straw again.
“Mason do you remember what happened?” Leaning over the bed, Gabe watched him intently.
Flashes of Serena running from him up the stairs ran through his mind. The fear on her face made him wince. Then he remembered Richie appearing before him.
“Richie. He’s gone. He won’t bother you anymore,” he spoke to Serena to reassure her.
“I saw.” She smiled at him sadly. “Thank you.”
“Richie? The picture of the shadow on the stairs? He did this?” Gabe backed away, rolling his eyes in disbelief.
“But he’s gone now.” Mason’s voice grew stronger.
“That’s a relief.” Serena sighed focusing on Mason. “Why don’t you just rest now and we can talk more about that later?”
“That’s a good idea,” Gabe agreed with a nod. “Rena, let me take you home so you can get some rest, too. It’s been a long night for everyone.”
“No, you go ahead. I’ll give you my keys.” Serena seemed reluctant to leave him and that gave him hope.
“No, love, go with Gabe. I’ll be fine.” He squeezed her hand again. “Just promise me you’ll be there when I get out.”
“Of course. It’s my home. I’m not going anywhere.”
CHAPTER 28
Gabriel was quiet on the drive home. Serena watched the sky lighten, waiting for his questions about Graham, the house, and Mason’s injury. She knew he’d be looking for logical explanations for events happening at Coeur du Bayou. She wouldn’t argue with him. Let him find answers that made him feel better. She knew. Mason had confirmed what she had seen with her own eyes. Richie was gone. Claire and Evan could proceed with their wedding plans without fear of Richie making an appearance.
Her sigh of relief made Gabe glance her way as he navigated the long driveway to Coeur du Bayou.
“Glad to be home?”
“Yes, with one less spirit in the house.” Serena smiled at him waiting for the eye roll. Instead she was rewarded with a thoughtful nod.
“It’s going to be hot in there. I’ve got to call someone about the electricity as soon as possible. I’ll open some windows.” She was surprised to see Faith on the porch. Gabe started to say something, but she was out of the truck before he had fully stopped.
“What happened?” Faith’s hand went to her hip. “The electricity is off. I can’t bake.”
“You haven’t talked to Evan?”
“No, why? What’s wrong?”
“Well, the good news… Richie is gone.” Serena stopped on the steps of the porch to let the news sink in. He was gone.
“Wow! Ok, but…” Hands still on her hips, Faith waited for an explanation.
“The bad news. Mason is in the hospital and the electricity is fried.” Before Faith could react Serena added, “I’m going to call and see if I can get someone out here to fix it.”
“Is Mason ok?” Faith asked, her hands falling to her sides.
“Yes, they said he’d be fine in a day or two.” Se
rena tried to reassure her with a smile but she was so exhausted her face felt numb.
“Oh...” Faith finally noticed Gabe as he approached the steps.
“Sorry. Faith, this is Mason’s brother, Gabriel Del Toro.”
“Hi.” Faith smiled uncomfortably.
“Let's go in. I’m sure it’s smothering in there.” Motioning to the door, Serena tried to avoid an awkward silence.
“Not too bad yet.” Faith led the way into the foyer.
“Gabe, I’ll put you in a room upstairs, if you want. I’m sure it’ll be sticky until I can get someone out here.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of it,” he said simply.
“What do you mean?”
“Serena, let me do this for you. I tried to tell you in the truck, but you were anxious to get out. I’ll have someone out here in a few hours and depending on the damage, hopefully we’ll be sleeping in the AC tonight.” Gabe started up the stairs.
“You think you can have someone out here that quick?” Serena had figured the best she could hope for was a few days.
“I know. I’ve already called in a favor. I’ll take pictures if Ben doesn’t make it back in time,” Gabe said over his shoulder as he continued up the stairs.
“Ok.”
“Just get some rest, if you can.” He smirked at her.
“Faith, I’ll call you when it’s back on.” Serena turned to Faith, too exhausted to have a long conversation.
“Yeah. Ok.” Faith was watching Gabe as he made his way to the landing. “Not the yellow one in the front, ok?”
“Not the yellow room, ok.” He nodded curtly to them.
“It’s Anna’s room. You don’t want to go in there.” Faith twisted her hands then rubbed them on her jeans.
“It’s ok, Faith.”
After Gabe disappeared into the only other available room, Faith whispered to Serena, “He was looking at me funny.”