“I know, but that’s it. I’ve got no other leads. Mitch did tell me that he saw that same man with the monster truck at the sight where I found her. So, he is connected.”
“I wonder…” Isaac stops and rubs his chin. His forehead crinkles, and he stares off past me. “Well, you might not like the idea.”
“What?”
“Do you think you could talk to Barbara?”
My eyes widen. “You mean the dead girl? Are you serious?”
“That dead girl’s been pursuing you. Maybe she would have some concrete answers.” Isaac shrugs.
“A ghost?” I repeat. “A ghost would have concrete answers?”
“It was just a suggestion.”
Before I respond, the door bangs open, and Cassie enters in a hurry. “I’ve got it!” she says. “You need to visit Barbara Blackstone. She’ll have answers. I just know it!”
I look away from her excited expression to Isaac’s expression of I-told-you-so, and accuse, “Did you two talk before coming in to see me?”
“No,” they say simultaneously.
“Well, I’m not doing it. One time was creepy enough. I’m not going to go and actually pursue a ghost. That would be absurd.”
Cassie and Isaac simply look at me.
“I’m not doing it…No…Stop looking at me…” Then I simply sigh and say, “Fine, but I’m not going alone.”
29
The party vibrates the walls as I lay in the dark bedroom. The noise of conversation mixed with the music of Dad’s favorite 80’s bands rise pleasantly through the floorboards. I should be down there. But I’m not.
For starters, I was downstairs, but I had to sneak out once it got going. The music and noise make my head throb. Everyone acts overly concerned, which means I have to lie and say I’m quite all right, thank you. But I’m not.
It doesn’t help that I have yet to get Dad a birthday present. It’s embarrassing to see the stacks of gifts and know that not one of them comes from his only daughter. I could have gone to the store last night, or even this afternoon. But I didn’t.
None of these reasons are the entire picture though. I am mostly up in my dark bedroom because, in a few hours, I am going to go look for a ghost. I’m going to try to communicate with her. I have already made contact with her, and I’m still here, so that should mean something. This shouldn’t freak me out, right? But it does.
There’s a gentle knock at the door. It can’t be Cassie; she’d just plow in. “Come in,” I say, but stay lying on the bed.
The door shuts, but the light doesn’t turn on. Someone walks closer to me. Now I sit up to see who it is. “Dad?”
The person sits on my bed beside me, and I see through the faint moonlight that it’s Gran. I quickly exhale the breath I’d been holding. “I was just headed downstairs,” I say, knowing she came in to scold me for not helping in the kitchen.
She shakes her head and looks down at her hands. “No, no, you stay here and rest.”
Still, I sit up and hug my knees. “I’m sorry I never got those items you needed. I didn’t even get a present for Dad.”
Gran laughs softly. “Silly girl. You being alive and well is gift enough for us.”
It’s not often that Gran is so sentimental, so I stay quiet.
“Ginnie, I came in here to tell you something.” Gran pauses, glances out at the window, and turns back to me. She squeezes her eyes shut, then adds, “I haven’t been honest with you. Or your father.”
The admission hits me like a rock to the stomach. Even though I suspected, I never expected this.
“I swore on my life that I would take the secret with me to the grave.”
I can barely breathe for want of hearing the truth. Gran’s eyes bore into mine. I whisper the word that hangs over us. “Barbara.”
Gran presses her lips together, closes her eyes again, and slowly nods. “She begged me to tell no one. She was in danger and so was her baby. Your grandfather and I couldn’t leave the poor girl destitute. Sam was born right here. In this very room.”
A chill shoots up my spine. “Why haven’t you told us?”
Gran seems hesitant to answer. “I don’t know. From what she told me years ago, if word got out that her baby was born, she would be hated and ridiculed. She wanted to go into hiding for a while, have the baby, give the baby over to us, then show up at her home like she had run away and decided to come back. We worked with Father Roy and Catholic Human Services to make the adoption legal, but even that was very secretive.”
“Why did you believe her?”
“The fear in her eyes. She was afraid of something. Or someone.”
“How’d you know?”
Gran takes a deep breath. “Well, I first met Barbara—I knew her parents, of course—when I was hiking around the lake. Taking pictures, talking to God. That’s when I stumbled upon her. She was sitting on that tree ledge near where you found her. Later on, she told me she always went there to think and get away from everything. But that day, she had her arms wrapped around herself and was sobbing. I heard her before I saw her. That encounter started our friendship. I’d worked with her at the school, but nothing serious. Still, I invited her to the house where I served her some tea and homemade soup. Eventually, she opened up and started talking. It became routine. Every Friday after school. Sometimes she skipped school and showed up early. Sometimes she showed up on days other than Friday. Didn’t matter.”
“So, she acted afraid?”
“She seemed jittery a lot, that’s for sure. But she didn’t talk much about any of that. She did mention her betrothed, and how happy she was, but that happiness didn’t seem to last long. Eventually, I picked up on the fact she was pregnant. The way she ate! Holy cow, that girl could put it back! Her clothes became baggy, and she wore this long jacket that just hung on her. When I came out and asked her, that’s when I saw the fear.”
“Why?”
“She said no one could know. Begged me to keep it a secret. Said her parents would kill the baby if they found out. I said I wouldn’t tell anyone, but that she would have to one day. About a month later, she shows up on the doorstep late in the night, all banged up. Her nose was bleeding and everything. Asked if she could hide for a while.”
“You let her?”
“What was I supposed to do? I took one look at her and knew that she would be safer with me than with whoever was doing that to her.”
“But her parents…”
“I know, I know. She vowed to go back once she healed. They didn’t have a phone in the home back then. I had her at least write a letter to her parents and inform them that she was okay. I delivered it myself. I knocked on their door for some time. When no one answered, I left the letter stuck between the screen door and frame. I planned to send her home within a day or two. A week later, she went into labor.”
I feel the chill go up my spine again. “Dad?”
“We made a promise that night to each other. She promised to let me raise Sam with no interference, and I promised that I would take her secret to the grave. But desperate times call for desperate measures.”
“But you lied…to Dad, to me.”
“I’m sorry, Ginnie. I never expected anyone to find out. Truth is there are secrets in these woods that are best left untouched. Look at what happens when you go messing with secrets. But I blame myself. If I would have told you when you asked, or had taken care of Henry when he first showed up, the accident might not have happened.”
“Henry?”
“Yes, he’s the only one who knows about Barbara staying here. He followed her to report back to her sister. It was horrible. He still feels tremendous guilt to this day. Yet, he blames me for the death. He thinks I had something to do with it. Your grandfather and I have tried for years to be patient with him, giving him money here and there to make sure he didn’t do something rash. But he went after my grandchildren. There’s no excuse.” Gran seems angry and shaken.
“You don’t have to li
e to us anymore. Barbara Blackstone is dead, and she wants me to find the truth.”
“And what if the truth is dangerous, Ginnie?” Gran asks in a low voice. “What if the truth will cost you your life? Or your father’s life? That Mitchell Hunt…” she stops herself and presses her lips together as if to keep the words in.
“You know him?”
“I used to. He used to be horrible to Barbara. He and Bonnie. Just torturous. He was livid that he had to marry her.”
“Right. He told me that. Said he fell in love with Barbara. Bonnie was jealous because he ended it with her.”
Gran acts confused. “No. He didn’t love either one of them. Barbara saw through him and ignored him, which is why he was so horrible to her. Bonnie was madly in love with him. He used her. They both deserved each other though. Mean, mean people.”
“How can you stand being in the same town as Bonnie? Are you suspicious of her?”
Gran quickly stands up and distractedly kisses my forehead. “That’s enough conversation for now. I only wanted to apologize for not being open with you. I will find a way to tell your father, too.” She walks to the door and opens it. “But Ginnie?”
“Yes?”
“Do your old grandmother a favor and leave the woods alone, okay? Let the secrets stay uncovered. Sometimes that’s for the best.”
I nod and watch her leave the light from the hallway leaving with her as the door closes.
So, Barbara Blackstone is my grandmother.
Gran had known all along, yet I completely understand why she had to keep it a secret. Gran made a promise to the young girl. It would have been fine if I had left everything alone. I shake my head and get up from the bed. “No, she found me. I wasn’t looking for her.”
My mind wanders to Mitchell Hunt. Is there a side of him that I refuse to see? Could he have been lying to me, too? He had commented that his brother was the one with the monster truck. Who else knew where we were at?
I sit back onto my bed and hold my head.
The bedroom door opens.
“There you are!” Cassie says. “We’re getting ready to sing, ‘Happy Birthday.’ I thought you might want to come downstairs.”
“I didn’t get him a present.”
Cassie gives me a look that says you’ve-got-to-be-kidding. “I’m sure your Dad isn’t worried about a present.”
“You’re right. Let’s go.” I leave the room and wait for her. I want to tell her about my conversation with Gran, but hold my tongue. I’m not sure how Cassie will take it when she finds out Gran has been lying to us. “I’m not sure about tonight.”
“It’ll be fine,” she says with a wave of her hand. “We’re all going to be there. Even Mitch, who’s here, by the way.”
“Is Bonnie?”
“No, I don’t think so, but that George Hodgens guy is.”
“There she is!” Dad calls out as I approach. He wraps his arms around me and lifts me up. When he sets me down, he says to the guests, who have piled into the large living room area, “For those of you who haven’t met her, this is Virginia, my daughter. I’m so lucky to have her.”
Everyone claps or cheers, which embarrasses me, especially since I still have a large gash on my forehead. Cassie brushed my hair and tried to cover the gash as best she could, but it still probably sticks out like a beacon in the night.
Aunt Sue and Uncle Doug bring out the cake—they arrived late last night while I was still in the hospital—and we begin singing “Happy Birthday.”
Laura stands in the crowd, but I see her watching Dad. Her smile seems genuine, her glances almost shy. I can’t deny the feelings that are evident on her face. I look at Dad, and although he’s smiling at everyone, I notice him make eye contact with her. He blows her a kiss.
I swallow back the raw emotion I feel inside of me because I know what I need to do. Something that will make a great birthday present. I wait for Dad to blow out the candles, then slip out and run back upstairs. Once there, I search for an envelope or box and a piece of paper. I find the small box the beetle was in. “This’ll work,” I mutter, snatching it up. Finding some pretty paper in Cassie’s things, I write out,
I may not have been able to buy you something tangible, but I still have something to give. My blessing.
I want you to be happy. If Laura makes you happy, then you have my blessing.
It’s not much, but it’s all I have. Happy Birthday to the best father a girl could ask for.
Love,
Virginia
XOXO
Once the paper is folded, I place it in the box. I write To Dad on the outside. Once in Dad’s room, I place it on the end table next to his pillow. Since his bedroom is on the other end of the house, the window overlooks the road. I pause. I step back from the window to take a closer look without being seen. A truck sits at the cross street, its headlights on, with a person still sitting in the driver’s seat. Their face is not visible.
My anger grows as I think of the accident. Could the culprit be in that truck watching the party? Ready to make his move?
Without a second thought, I decide to see for myself. It doesn’t occur to me to bring someone with, my only forethought is to bring a flashlight. I have to head out the front door, which is risky but I don’t want to talk to twenty people at the party on my way to the kitchen’s back door. Still, after I creep out of the front door, I walk around to the side of the house, and in the darkness, turn course and head toward the road.
Now that I’m closer I crouch down. I see that the person is definitely observing Gran’s house. The face still stays hidden in the darkness. I have to risk it. It’s the only way to know. I get up from my crouched position and walk out of the trees. With flashlight in hand, I’m ready to turn it on to see who it is that has to hide in the shadows.
I take a deep breath to strengthen my resolve. The person hasn’t noticed me yet. I walk closer. Before I can lose my nerve, I flip the switch on the flashlight and shine it at the person.
The person turns in surprise and looks right at me. I drop the flashlight. The face staring back at me is Bonnie Blackstone.
30
I back away slowly. If she’s staking out the house, she may want to hurt me. I need to get to safety and then call law enforcement.
She rolls down her window. “Hello, you startled me.”
Do I respond?
“S-Sorry,” I stammer. Why am I apologizing? “I saw the headlights and wondered who it was?”
“I’m waiting for Mitch. He’s supposed to bring me out a house key. I left all my keys locked up in the house.”
I hear footsteps behind me.
“Hey, Ginnie, what are you doing out here? Your Dad’s looking for you.”
I turn to Mitch. “Hi, I just came out to see who was in the truck.”
Stupid, stupid Ginnie! She was waiting for keys! The accident must have shaken me up to the point of idiocy.
“Here,” he says to Bonnie and hands her a key set. “I’m staying here for a while, and then I’ll probably crash at Isaac’s.” He leans in and gives her a quick kiss on the cheek.
“Okay,” she says. “Be careful. Don’t go in the woods. Bye, Ginnie,” she says to me. “My apologies if I frightened you.”
“No,” I say too quickly. “Not at all. Would you like to come in for cake?”
She smiles sadly. “That’s a thoughtful gesture, but I think I will go home. I’m not a big crowd person. Tell your father I said ‘Happy Birthday.’” She starts the engine and drives off.
Mitch watches the truck leave before turning toward me. For a moment, he just stares into me. “Cassie told me everything. It’s not my mother.”
I nod.
“I’m serious, Ginnie.” Mitch seems to have to keep his emotions in check. “Her life hasn’t been an easy one. I’m not saying she’s perfect, but she isn’t a murderer. And last night she was with me at home. We were watching the Late Show when I got the call about the accident.”
&nb
sp; I nod again, blinking back tears.
“It’s not her,” he repeats. We stand silent for a few seconds. He eventually asks, “Do you want me to step back from all of this? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“No! Why are you asking that?”
“Because I don’t want you to feel obligated to hang out with me, especially if you feel my mother might be guilty. That’s going to drive a wedge between us. Maybe I should just back off, and leave you to your own devices.”
I shake my head. “No, don’t go away. I don’t know what to think. Someone tried to kill us last night. It’s been tough. I’m just trying to figure out why and who.”
Mitch steps closer to me and rests his hands on my shoulders. “I’m sorry,” he sighs. “You’ve been through a lot. I shouldn’t have attacked you like that. Its just…Mom won’t even kill spiders. She places a cup over them, then slides a paper under the cup to trap the spider, then releases it outside. She’s harmless.”
“I think Mitchell Hunt might have messed with my mind. He said stuff about how mean Bonnie was as a child, and I don’t know. It got me confused.”
“That doesn’t sound like my Mom at all.” He shakes his head. “So, that guy’s still alive?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll have to ask my Mom what she had said about him. I thought she said he had died, but I’m not too sure now.”
Could Mitch be completely blinded by his love for his mother? Or, is she as innocent as he believes her to be?
“Go with us tonight,” I say. “Hopefully we’ll find out more answers.”
“Still friends?”
“What are you talking about? We’re potentially cousins.”
He smiles. “That’s right. We’re family.”
A Jeep pulls up beside us. “What’s going on here?” Isaac jokes.
I am relieved that Isaac has finally arrived. He had to work at the golf course, but told me he’d come to the party as soon as he showered and changed. I rush over to him and see Ian stepping out of the Jeep, too.
Lake of Secrets Page 24