Skellyman

by Rie Sheridan Rose

  It was just enough to let her fingertips brush the kitten’s soft fur. It wasn’t enough to let her get hold of the tiny animal.

  “Come to me, sweetie. Just a little closer.”

  The kitten put out that tentative paw again, but drew it back.

  Why didn’t I tell Daisy to get Papa?

  Because she was a stubborn chip off that old block and wanted to make her own way, beholden to no one. She wasn’t ready to admit defeat yet. She was determined to solve all her own problems.

  Elise Fairbanks was trying to break her of that mindset, but so far, it hadn’t worked.

  “Mask, you’ve got to help me, baby,” she scolded.

  Easing up onto her tiptoes, Brenda strained to reach the frightened kitten. She let go of the branch she had been holding and stretched just a little further. Almost there. She could almost—

  Suddenly, she was falling. The chair had jerked backward. She was sure of it.

  It wasn’t tipping from overbalancing; it had been pulled backward. She would swear it.

  Arms flailing, she grabbed for the branch she had foolishly let go. Her fingertips grazed it, but she couldn’t get a grip.

  Brenda screamed as the ground rushed up to meet her. Her head connected with the edge of the chair, and the world went black.

  Chapter 19

  “Mom!” Robbie shouted—automatically diving forward to try and catch Brenda as she fell. Who was that man, and why did he look familiar? More importantly, why had he pulled the chair out from under Mom, and then sprinted away?

  Robbie winced as Brenda’s head contacted solidly with the ground.

  “Mom!” He went down on his knees beside her, focusing so hard on his mother that he was, momentarily at least, corporeal. He shook her arm.

  “Wake up,” he pleaded. “You have to wake up.”

  He wished there was something he could do for her. He’d never felt so helpless.

  Why didn’t Daisy come back? Shouldn’t someone in the house have realized it didn’t take this long to rescue a kitten from a tree?

  Times like this he really wished he wasn’t dead.

  Chapter 20

  “Why won’t she wake up?” Daisy’s voice buzzed in her ear like an insistent insect, and she reached up to brush it away.

  “She’s waking up! She’s waking up! Mama, can you hear me?” Hot breath against her cheek, and the feel of a soft hand patting her face.

  Brenda blinked her eyes open. And immediately shut them again. The glare hurt clear through to the back of her skull. “What happened?” she asked.

  “You tell us, Sunshine.” Her father’s voice was full of concern. “We heard you scream, and came running to find you out cold. You’re going straight to the hospital to get checked out.”

  She sat up slowly, cradling her head in her right hand so that it wouldn’t fall off. Her left arm seemed not to be itself today.

  “I’ll be fine,” she protested. “I don’t need to go to the hospital.”

  Can’t afford it now that Ethan’s insurance is almost gone…she thought. Need to see what I can do about that. What if…who am I kidding?

  She gulped back a wave of nausea. “Okay. I’ll go.”

  Her father put a strong hand behind her back and helped her to her feet. “What happened, Brenda?”

  “The chair—something jerked the chair out from under me. I fell.”

  “You mean you knocked the chair over?”

  He gave it a puzzled glance. The chair was upright, about two feet behind where she had been standing on it.

  “No. It was pulled out from under me.”

  “Maybe the dog bumped it?”

  She started to shake her head then thought better of it. “It was pulled. I felt it slide.”

  “We were all in the house, Sunshine. Who could’ve pulled it?”

  “I-I don’t know.”

  She felt tears welling in her throat. No one was going to believe her. Why should they? It seemed perfectly ridiculous when she said it out loud.

  “Let’s get you to the Emergency Room,” George said softly. He slipped his arm around her shoulders, accidentally bumping her left arm.

  Brenda cried out in pain.

  “Let me see your wrist.”

  She tried to obey him, but couldn’t. Her arm hurt to even move. Lifting her left hand in her right, she could see that the wrist was swollen.

  “Can you wiggle your fingers?”

  She tried, but the movement sent a shock of electric pain through her that almost made her pass out again. The world went dark gray around the edges.

  “I think you broke it, kitten.”

  Fighting back the tears, she nodded. “I think you’re right, Papa.”

  “At least it’s your left one; shouldn’t cause you too much bother. Now, what were you doing on that chair in the first place?”

  “Mask! The kitten, Papa. She was up in the top of the tree, and she couldn’t get down.”

  “Well, why didn’t you use the ladder, Brenda? You could’ve saved yourself a lot of grief.”

  “I couldn’t find the ladder, Papa.”

  Daisy pointed to the porch, where a folding stepladder leaned against the wall in plain sight. “There it is, Mama.”

  Brenda stared at the ladder and shivered. “It wasn’t there, Papa.”

  “Of course, it was, honey. That old ladder stays right there when I’m not using it, and I was inside eating breakfast till you screamed.”

  Brenda opened her mouth to protest then closed it again. What was the point? Maybe she didn’t believe it herself.

  “Papa, you can’t leave the kitten up there. Please, get her down for me.”

  “Honey, we’ve wasted enough time as it is. You need a doctor.”

  “She’s so little, Papa…”

  The tears broke her control, and she felt like a child again. She tried to get herself in hand, but the sobs grew in intensity.

  “All right, Brenda. If it means that much to you, sit down in this chair a minute.”

  George seated her in the wayward chair and went over to fetch the ladder.

  Brenda gingerly perched on the edge of the seat. She didn’t trust it. Yeah, it was silly…but her wrist hurt like hell, and the chair had a lot to do with that.

  George set the ladder firmly at the base of the tree, and climbed up it to cup Mask in one big hand and lift her off the branch she clung to. Crooning to the kitten, he climbed back down the ladder and placed the trembling animal in the crook of Brenda’s good arm.

  “Safe and sound.”

  Brenda buried her face in the kitten’s soft fur. It smelled of sunshine and winter.

  “I was worried about you, baby,” she whispered. “Don’t let that old dog scare you. You scare him right back.”

  “Now, let’s get you to the hospital, young lady. Daisy can stay here with your mother and watch the kitten for you. The ER is no place for a child who isn’t in need of it.”

  Brenda nodded and handed the kitten to a wide-eyed Daisy. “Will you watch her for me, Daisy?”

  “Sure, Mama.” The child nodded vigorously. “I’ll take good care of her.”

  Brenda allowed herself to be led to George’s truck and helped into the cab. “We’ll be back as soon as we can, sweetheart,” she called to Daisy.

  Daisy held up Mask’s paw so the kitten could wave goodbye.

  As they pulled out of the driveway, Brenda leaned her head on the back of the seat and closed her eyes. What the hell had happened?

  “Don’t fall asleep on me, baby girl!” George ordered with a voice sharp with alarm. “Not till the doctor has made sure you don’t have a concussion.”

  “Not sleeping, Papa. Just shutting my eyes. The sun hurts my head.”

  “I don’t know what’s going on here, Brenda Elaine, but whatever it is, we’ll see it through.”

  She smiled despite herself. Papa always made things right. “I know, Papa. I know.”

  Brenda blocked as much of the next
two hours out of her memory as possible. The break was clean, and easily set, which was a relief.

  How she was going to get around for the next six weeks was another problem altogether, but the painkillers the doctor gave her made that recede on her list of worries. At least she didn’t have a concussion. Some good news for the day, she thought as George pulled the truck back into the Fullerton driveway.

  “Now, you and Daisy should just stay right here for the rest of the weekend. I’ll take her to school Monday morning, and then you and I’ll go see about your haunted video game.”

  He always could put things into perspective for her. She felt much better.

  She had overreacted to some mechanical glitch. Phillip would say there was just nothing to go on—oh, Lord! Phillip.

  He was coming to dinner in just a few hours. How could she get hold of him to let him know there’d been a change of plans?

  Did she want to get hold of him? Just as she accepted that she’d finally made the transition from Sanchez to Phillip for good in her mind, she found she really wanted to see him tonight. Sure, Papa always made her feel safe, but there were times when your daddy wasn’t the man you wanted…or needed.

  “I’ll be fine, Papa—but I’d appreciate it if Daisy could stay for a few days. If you will take me home, I’ll send back some clothes for her.”

  “You shouldn’t be alone right now, Brenda.”

  She took a deep breath. “I won’t be, Papa. I have a friend coming for dinner. I’m sure he’ll be happy to sleep on the couch tonight and help me out for a few days.”

  George’s jaw tightened. “A man friend?”

  “Yes, Papa.”

  “But Ethan—”

  “Papa, Ethan’s been dead for almost a year.”

  The rasping voice on the phone tried to intrude on her consciousness, and she pushed it back down where it belonged.

  “I think it’s time I moved on with my life.”

  “Who is this friend? Do I know him?”

  “No, Papa. It’s a policeman I met.”

  She felt a reluctance to explain where and improvised. “He’s the brother of Daisy’s teacher. He went with us on a field trip for Daisy’s school.”

  “She was telling us about that at breakfast. That field trip was yesterday. Don’t you think that’s slight acquaintance to ask the man to spend the night?”

  “It wasn’t the first time we met, Papa. Good lord, what kind of woman do you think I am?”

  “I’m hoping you’re the one I raised, and you’ll do the right thing. I trust you Brenda Elaine, but don’t tell your mother you’re having a male houseguest sleepover. She’ll throw a hissy fit.”

  Brenda groaned. “You’re telling me.”

  “And take the kitten home with you. Your mama’s allergies really are bad this time of year.”

  “Sure, Papa. Can the puppy stay with Daisy?”

  “Since he’s fine in the backyard, I don’t see why not. Let’s go in and explain what’s what.”

  Brenda followed George into the house.

  “Mama, mama!” Daisy chanted, running over to give her a hug. “We missed you, Mama.”

  Brenda bent and kissed the top of the golden head. As she straightened, she glimpsed a wistfulness on Mary’s face that made her breath catch in her throat. “Can you put up with her for a few days, Mom?” she asked aloud, her good arm draped across Daisy’s shoulders.

  “I’d be happy to,” Mary replied. “Looks like you’ll be a mite hampered for a while.”

  Now, her expression was clearly disapproving. Brenda wondered if she had imagined the fleeting sorrow.

  Brenda knelt beside Daisy. “So, baby, you want to stay here with Grammy and Papa a few days?”

  “But what about that policeman? Is he still coming for dinner?”

  “You’re having company, Brenda? Tonight?” Mary’s voice was incredulous.

  So much for keeping a low profile on Phillip’s visit.

  “Yes, Mom. I don’t see how I can back out now.”

  “Can’t you phone this man and tell him you were in an accident this morning? Surely, he wouldn’t expect you to cook for him with a broken arm. If he’s a true friend—”

  Brenda felt her face grow hot. “I don’t have a number where I can reach him, Mom. I’ll be fine.”

  Mary sniffed. Her disapproval radiated from her in palpable waves.

  Brenda’s heart sank. Can we ever see eye-to-eye?

  Chapter 21

  George drove Brenda home in silence. She carried the kitten on her lap, absently stroking its soft fur with her good hand. The next six weeks were going to be problematic at best. The station wagon was a standard, and Daisy had to get to school…

  It hurt to think. Her head hurt, her arm hurt—she just wanted to curl up in bed and sleep. That wasn’t going to happen though.

  She had a dinner date. And she was supposed to cook. Damn.

  She’d call it off if she knew how to reach Phillip, but he’d said he was coming straight from his shift, and, somehow, she didn’t think calling into the station with a message would win either of them brownie points.

  As the truck pulled up in front of the house, she took hold of the kitten with her good hand and blew the hair out of her face. “Thanks for the ride home, Papa. I’ll figure out how to get the station wagon tomorrow.”

  “I’ll get your mother to drive it home for you in the morning. We’ll drop it off on the way to church. Better make sure to give me something nice for Daisy to wear to the service.”

  Brenda nodded absently. She didn’t go to church anymore. She wasn’t sure how she felt about God these days…but she knew her parents never missed a Sunday, and Daisy had been with them often enough to know the routine.

  “Let me get that door for you, baby girl.” George stepped out of the truck and came around to open her door. Always looking out for her. That was her Papa.

  Cradling Mask to her chest, Brenda let him help her out of the vehicle, and gave him her keys to open the front door.

  Even though they had only been gone overnight, the house had a sour smell to it. She’d need to open a few windows and light some candles before Phillip arrived.

  “Let’s get Daisy’s things together as quick as possible, Brenda. Your mother’s expecting me home.” He seemed a bit short with her.

  Brenda wondered what was wrong. “Have I done something you disapprove of, Papa?”

  George shrugged. “Who am I to say, Brenda Elaine? You’re a big girl now. It’s not my place to tell you your business anymore.”

  “You don’t think I should be having a man to dinner.”

  “Well, it seems a mite…unseemly to me, to be honest.”

  “Papa, Phillip’s just a friend. He was very nice to me the other day when I called the station—”

  As soon as the words were out of her mouth she wanted to retract them. Damn. I’ve been trying to keep that whole mess a secret.

  “What did you have to call the police about, Brenda?”

  “Oh, it was nothing. I just had a bit of a scare. Overreacted to something Daisy imagined she saw. There was nothing to it. Honestly.”

  Except two footprints in my enclosed backyard. Two footprints directly outside my four-year-old’s window. And a phone that is delivering messages from the dead…

  She busied herself with pulling things from Daisy’s closet. George let her get away with the avoidance—much to her relief.

  “While I’m here, might as well take a look at that video console,” George said. “Is it still in the playroom?”

  “Yes,” she answered, shivering at the thought of the previous night’s terror.

  “I’ll just give it a glance.” He patted her shoulder. “Don’t you worry none, Brenda. It’s going to be okay.”

  She smiled up at him weakly. “I know, Papa.”

  She listened to the sound of his footsteps retreating into the back of the house. What would he find there? Anything to support what she’d seen, or me
rely proof that she was losing it?

  Awkwardly stuffing underwear and play clothes that could double as school wear in a pinch into Daisy’s overnight bag, she cocked her head, studying the dresses hanging on the rod. What is appropriate for church?

  “I always liked the blue one. It matches her eyes.”

  Brenda spun around with a squeak of dismay, the hair at the back of her neck standing on end. The voice had been as clear as a bell. It sounded as if the speaker was in the room with her. But there was no one there.

  It had been Robbie’s voice.

  She felt her breath hitching in her throat, her heart thudding in her chest. What is happening? Why am I seeing and hearing these things?

  “Brenda? You okay in there?”

  “Fine, Papa,” she managed to force out.

  She grabbed a dress at random and flung it over her cast, scooping up the bag in her good hand. She had to get out of this room.

  Hurrying to the playroom, she pasted a smile on her face. “Got her things together, Papa.”

  George was kneeling on the floor beside the silent cocktail cabinet. “There isn’t anything unusual here as far as I can see, honey. Just a piece of high-tech gimmickry. If you want me to take it to the house, I will. That way you don’t have to decide about whether or not you want to get rid of it just yet.”

  “Maybe you’re right. I shouldn’t be hasty. Daisy loves that old thing. If you could take it home with you, though, that would be great.”

  She tried to make her smile believable.

  George looked down at the machine. “Bet that’s a heavy sucker. You got a dolly?”

  “In the garage. Can you handle it all by yourself, Papa?”

  “I’m old, but I ain’t dead, Brenda. I have it in hand.”

  He got the dolly out of the garage and maneuvered it under the edge of the cabinet. With a grunt, he got it moving toward the front of the house.

  “At least let me get the door for you.”

  She hurried ahead of him, dropping Daisy’s overnight bag to the floor so she could open the front door. “You sure you’ve got that?”