OLD MAN MALONE RETURNS

by Marianne Spitzer

  Kellie said, “You need sleep. We can figure out what to do about the old man tomorrow. You won’t be alone.”

  “You need stitches, I think.”

  Kellie looked at the bandage on her arm and it was soaked in blood. “I might need stitches.”

  Drew found the carrier, placed the calm cat into it. He carried it to the garage. When he returned, he said, “It didn’t even whine. It’ll be okay tonight.”

  He checked Kellie’s arm and said, “We’re going to the E.R.”

  Kellie didn’t argue. “I was afraid I’d need stitches.”

  Taylor’s breathing returned to normal as Hunter held her. They fell asleep on the parlor sofa waiting for Drew and Kellie to return. Rufus slept on the floor between the sofa and the fireplace.

  Kellie and Drew arrived home about two hours later and walked into the parlor. Rufus jumped up, sniffed her arm, pressed against her side, and wouldn’t leave her side.

  “You two are awake? You should have gone to bed,” Kellie said

  “Of course, we waited for you. How are you?”

  “It was really deep. Four stitches.” She wrinkled her nose and added, “Plus a tetanus shot.”

  She glanced up at her mother’s portrait and said, “Oh no, what happened to the portrait?”

  Three slashes were cut in the canvas across the face and eyes. They were about four inches long.

  “I don’t know.” Hunter said. “It was okay when we fell asleep. We were admiring it. Taylor commented that her eyes looked sad, more sad than usual. I told her that paintings don’t change. She insisted it had. Now I wonder if she wasn’t right.”

  “I know it did. Her eyes looked heart broken. I’ll bet the old man did it,” Taylor said burying her face into Hunter’s chest.

  “We’ll never know now. Let’s get some sleep,” Drew suggested. He yawned and stretched.

  Kellie looked at her bed and asked, “How am I supposed to sleep? My arm hurts and something mysteriously scratched my mother’s eyes out. Not to mention the figure in black tried to attack Taylor. Maybe she’s right, and she and Hunter should move.”

  “Let’s talk about it in the morning. I’ll sing to you until you fall asleep. I might even let Rufus sleep on the bed.”

  “No, please don’t sing.” She smiled, and he helped her find a comfy position for her arm. Rufus settled at her feet.

  Early the next morning, Drew and Hunter walked to the garage to take the cat to the shelter. The garage was locked. The cat carrier was locked. The cat was gone. They looked, but couldn’t find it.

  “Damn,” Hunter said, “Maybe Taylor was right.”

  “Maybe she was,” Drew agreed “But what do we do now? We might have a possessed cat roaming around.”

  “No, if it’s possessed, it won’t come back as a cat. We’d recognize it. We’ll have to be careful of any animal or anything out of the ordinary. For all we know, it’s the figure in black, and he changes shapes. I’ve heard of shape shifters.”

  “Yeah, in horror stories.”

  “I’m beginning to believe we might be living in the midst of one now.” Hunter glanced around the garage for the cat.

  Drew nodded. “What do we tell the girls?”

  Hunter took a deep breath and blew it out. “The truth.

  ########

  “I thought you were going to the shelter,” Kellie said as she sipped her morning coffee.

  “Umm, the cat’s gone.” Drew looked down at his feet.

  “Gone?” Her eyes opened wide. “How can it be gone?”

  “Yeah, the garage and carrier were locked, but the cat’s gone.”

  “I knew it,” Taylor said. “The cat’s evil. It’s possessed by the old man’s spirit. How can we find it and destroy it?” She ran from window to window checking for the cat. Nearly knocking a vase off a table, she slowed long enough to right it and continued her search for the elusive cat.

  “I don’t think we’ll find it. I told Drew that I think the cat won’t come back, at least not as a cat. If the old man changes into an animal or anything else, we might never know when he’s here,” Hunter said.

  Taylor walking in tight circles said, “Then we could be anywhere doing anything, and he could be there. It’s like being in hell and not knowing it. Kellie, you have to find out what he wants. He has to be back because of you. I’ll help you, but we have to know.” She spoke so quickly she had to catch her breath.

  “I agree. There’s only one thing left to do. Since the séance, we’ve all been sure he’s here as a spirit. Who talks to spirits? A Medium, that’s what we need. Maybe a Medium could also contact my mother.”

  “Sure,” said Drew. “Where are you going to find one? Under ‘spirits’ in the yellow pages?” He and Hunter slapped each other on the back as their nerves turned into laughter.

  “No! I’ll check on-line, smart aleck”

  Within minutes Kellie had pulled up a few sites that sounded interesting. “I found one that sounds promising. She’s been doing this for years. Her name is Claudia Smythe, and she lives here in Malone Springs.”

  “What kind of name for a Medium is ‘Claudia Smythe’?”

  “Drew, you’re an idiot. Being a Medium is a gift, you don’t get the gift of sight from your name.”

  Drew stopped laughing as Kellie dialed the phone.

  Chapter Thirteen

  After speaking with Claudia, they arranged a meeting for that evening.

  “What did she say?” asked Taylor.

  “She wondered why it took me so long to call. She’s been waiting since the old man’s grave was opened. She knows there’s evil in town, but it moves and she couldn’t pin it down.”

  “Right,” Drew said wiggling his eyebrows up and down. “That sounds like a run-around to me. Of course she’d say evil is moving around town since the old man’s grave was robbed. Even I could do that.”

  He raised his voice, “There are no spirits or ghosts!”

  The walls shook and rattled. One small picture fell onto the floor. Others swung back and forth.

  “That’s not a ghost. It has to be air in the pipes. I’m calling a plumber.”

  Taylor asked, “If it’s air, why does it only act up when we say something the old man wouldn’t like? Does air generally knock pictures off walls?” She stared at Drew.

  Drew raised his hands in front of him, shook his head and backed out of the room.

  Kellie sighed. “They can’t handle our questions. Wait until they meet Claudia.”

  ########

  It was a few days before New Year’s. Taylor and Kellie decided to take advantage of the after holiday sales. They were giggling on their way to the garage.

  Drew and Hunter waited for the plumber. Mr. Carlyle, from the museum, arrived before the plumber. Austern introduced Mr. Carlyle to everyone. He was an expert and would repair the portrait of Kellie’s mother. Mr. Carlyle was a slight man with deeply graying hair.

  Drew offered to carry his case, but he smiled and said, “I’ve been carrying this case all my life, young man. Thank you, I’ll be fine.” Drew saw the plumber’s truck arrive.

  After two hours of checking the pipes, connections, water pressure, and other misc. gauges on the boiler and valves throughout the house, the plumber said the pipes were in good shape. There shouldn’t be any problem with air in the pipes, at least not enough for the family to notice and certainly not enough to rattle walls. Drew wrote him a check and he left.

  Drew sat down to enjoy a cup of coffee. He was at a loss. He was sure it had to be the plumbing. If it wasn’t air in the pipes, it must be the ghost. If it’s a ghost in the walls then the figure in black must be a ghost. He didn’t believe in ghosts, at least until recently. He held out hope he was wrong. Believing went against everything he was taught.

  Hunter grabbed a cup of coffee and sat across the table from him. “You look like I feel.”

  “What do we do now? I thought for sure the plumber would have answers.”

&nb
sp; “Wait for the Medium.”

  “Not funny. It she says we have ghosts, the girls will be completely convinced.”

  “Aren’t you? I wasn’t until the cat incident and the slashed portrait. I doubt Austern did that while Taylor and I were asleep?”

  “I’m ninety-nine percent convinced. I was raised not to believe in ghosts, everything in my classes proved spirits don’t exist. What if one of my patients believes they are bothered by ghosts and find out I believe in them? I’ll never be able to convince them they need therapy.”

  “Maybe they don’t. Do we need therapy?” Hunter asked.

  “Not at the moment, but we might before this is over.” Drew placed his left elbow on the table and leaned his head on his hand.

  “Are you ready for the Medium?”

  “Not at all.” Drew slammed his empty coffee cup onto the table.

  Meanwhile, Mr. Carlyle had been carefully repairing the cuts in the portrait. Standing back, he admired his work.

  He said, “Austern it will appear normal when the patches dry. I’ll return to touch up the paint on the front.” Mr. Carlyle suggested the paining be left on the easel he had set up in the library.

  “Minimal movement will allow the patching to adhere properly. I’ll return tomorrow to touch up the paint. Fortunately, it was cut and not torn. There are no ragged edges. Once the slits in the canvas are painted over, it will appear new.”

  Austern thrilled at the news, shook his friend’s hand, and walked him to the front door.

  “I’ll be here tomorrow when you return. Have a nice evening.”

  The man in black moaned. Someone always destroyed his plans, or repaired what he had damaged. They would not win. He wouldn’t allow it. He lay on his cot in his dark place and schemed.

  ########

  Kellie and Taylor arrived home before dinner with bags of bargains. They had purchased new clothing, decorations for the following Christmas, a few items to use for their New Year’s Eve celebration, and some surprises for Drew and Hunter. They were famished after an afternoon of shopping and sat down to a wonderful dinner.

  Kellie asked, “What did the plumber say?”

  “There’s nothing wrong with the pipes,” Drew mumbled as he ate.

  “I thought so. It’s a good thing the Medium will be here shortly.”

  Hunter groaned.

  “It can’t be worse than the séance or a disappearing cat. She may have answers,” Kellie added.

  Drew said, “I have my doubts.”

  “That old man is evil. Claudia may be able to help us. Look at what he caused that cat to do to my arm, and he took my baby. How much worse does it need to get before we stop him. Do we have to lose one of us?” She bounced her closed hands on the table.

  Drew silently looked at his plate, and picked at the raisons in his apple pie.

  “I’m not angry with you, Drew. I hate the old man and what he’s done. We have to eliminate him.”

  The wall behind her groaned.

  She screamed, “Shut up, I’m alive and stronger than you. I’ll get you old man if it’s the last thing I do.”

  The friends sat and discussed anything happy and carefree to keep from dealing with the horror around them.

  The doorbell rang at seven.

  ########

  Kellie told Austern she’d get the door. Claudia was standing on the porch, but she wasn’t what Kellie expected. She was in her mid-forties, with long wavy dark hair. Her makeup was tastefully done, and she was dressed in black slacks and a soft pink cashmere sweater.

  “Please come in, Claudia.”

  “Shhh…”

  Claudia lifted her hands and crossed them in front of her face as if she was feeling the air. She took a step in and turned completely around.

  “Evil has been here.”

  “We know.” Kellie slowly nodded.

  “I’m sorry. I felt the evil before entering and needed to tell you,” she said as she walked into the house. Her soft voice put Kellie at ease.

  Kellie made introductions and Claudia shook everyone’s hands. “The men are unbelievers, but that doesn’t matter. I already feel what is here.”

  “What would you like to do first?”

  “I would like to walk around the house. I went to the cemetery this afternoon and felt his evil had been there at some point. It’s not there now. It may be here or it may have left knowing I was coming, but there will be traces.” She handed her coat to Drew as she walked past him.

  Claudia glanced at Taylor.

  “You have seen his evil in another form.” Her lips pursed and her brow furrowed and she spoke to Taylor.

  Looking at Kellie, she said, “You have suffered most. I’m sorry for your loss.”

  Kellie stared directly at Drew. He raised his eyebrows wondering what to make of Claudia.

  “May I explore the house alone? It will help me feel the energy.” Kellie nodded. Claudia walked up the stairs to the second level, then the third, and finally the attic. When she returned to the foyer she stated, “Evil has been in all places up stairs. It’s not there now, but it will be back.”

  “What do you mean, be back? When, how, what will happen?” Taylor was frightened, her voice squeaked.

  “I have no idea. Time will tell.”

  “The cat was evil. It hurt Kellie, and tore her mother’s portrait. Beware if it returns.”

  “Returns?” Kellie asked.

  “Yes, I feel it may be back.”

  Claudia walked through the foyer into the music room and library. As she approached the hall to the kitchen and the double doors to Hunter and Taylor’s apartment, she spun and headed toward the front door. She clutched her purse to her chest, and her eyes were wide open.

  “What’s wrong? Where are you going?” Kellie asked.

  “The evil is here, it’s strong, too strong. You’ll need to be as strong as it is. There is no magic involved, no spells to conquer it, beware, beware. Stay close to each other. All the strength you have comes from each other, and I see two others who could add to your strength. Get that strength soon. The evil grows.”

  Rufus slept by the parlor fire while Claudia made her rounds. When she neared the spot where she felt the terror, Rufus howled once.

  Claudia’s face was pale. She grabbed her coat from Drew’s hands, and hurried out the door. The four friends watched her run to her car, turn around in the circle, and speed down the street.

  Rufus resumed his nap in front of the fire only after Claudia had left.

  The figure in black lay in his dark space and laughed. He didn’t have to do anything. All he had to do was be close to scare the Medium from ever coming back. He would soon take care of the four and if the other two were also there, it would be more enjoyable. The dog annoyed him.

  “What the hell happened?” asked Drew his brow furrowed.

  Kellie answered, “I don’t know. Something scared her. Did you see the terror in her eyes?”

  “I’m not sure what she saw, but you’re right. Something scared her. Something near the kitchen hallway.”

  “Or maybe our apartment,” said Hunter.

  “Kellie, can we stay in my old room for a few nights? I’m afraid of the apartment after the cat incident and now the Medium’s reaction. She was also next to our apartment door when she was frightened. We’re not sure where it came from. She never said.” Taylor clung to Hunter’s arm.

  “Of course you can stay wherever you want. I’ll call her tomorrow to see if she’ll tell me exactly where she felt the evil. Being well informed is crucial.”

  “Tomorrow’s New Year’s Eve. Should we tell Cole and Andrea what she said about two more friends that will be helping us?” Hunter asked.

  Drew said, “Let me talk to Cole first. He’ll want to help I’m sure, but he may not want to put Andrea in danger. Andrea might not want to get involved. I wouldn’t blame her.”

  “Me either.”

  Kellie said, “We need to relax a while. Drew why don’t
you put a DVD in, and Taylor and I will make some hot chocolate and find some cookies. It’s time for a snack.”

  Drew tried to smile and nodded.

  ########

  The four slept in late, planning on having enough energy to bring in the New Year properly. After a delicious breakfast, each left for the day. It would give Mr. Carlyle quiet time to finish the painting repair. They could pick up everything they ordered for their feast on their way home.

  Everyone piled into Kellie’s SUV. Pulling out of the drive, she asked, “Where to?”

  Taylor said, “A drive in the country away from here.”

  Kellie turned north on Main Street and headed out of town. As they neared Kyle and Becky’s, she asked the others if they would mind stopping.

  “Come in, come in,” said Becky holding the door open against the cold. “Happy almost New Year.” She laughed.

  They spent an enjoyable hour visiting. Kyle said there hadn’t been any more strange things going on. Becky served coffee and cookies. Kellie and the others aware of Becky’s pregnancy kept the events at the mansion to themselves.

  Kyle sat back. “It’s been peaceful, and mom’s doing better. She’ll be transferred to the special care facility next week. Her nurses have been doing their best to keep her from slipping back. She is trying to speak again.” Joy spread across his face. “We hope the next month in the intensive therapy clinic will make a difference. After that, we’ll bring her here. We’ll be a little crowded, but the new house will be ready in about three months. We’ll be fine.”

  “I’m so happy to hear that, Kyle,” Kellie beamed. “I’ve been worried about your mom’s health.”

  Kyle assured her that he’d let Kellie know of any changes. They finished their coffee and said their goodbyes. Kellie promised to call Kyle and Becky soon.

  The highway turned into Prairie Road, and they entered the town of Timmus Woods. Giant oak trees lined both sides of the road. Small shops could be seen scattered along the winding road between the stands of oaks.

  “Oh, let’s stop at the Candle and Soap Shoppe,” Taylor said.

  “Good idea,” Kellie agreed. “They make my favorite cucumber and melon soap and bath gel.”