“Yes, they did,” said Miles, putting the cat carriers in one of the closets, along with the empty suitcase. “So did all of the Bannermans who came after.”
“Would you care to take a walk in the garden while we wait for Pastor Gary to arrive?” I asked, as Miles closed the closet door, and joined me where I was once again looking out the window.
“I’d love that,” he smiled.
We joined the dogs in the garden, and held hands as we slowly followed the meandering paths, enjoying the heavily rose-scented air.
“I’m nervous about talking to Pastor Gary,” I admitted. “Jenny said he’d be more likely to believe us than not, but I’m still nervous.”
“I can understand that,” said Miles. “If I didn’t trust him I wouldn’t want either of us talking to him, but I do… what we’re dealing with is spiritual somehow. The darkness may be the evil that’s been committed, and sometimes the evil that’s intended, as in the case of George Frank, when we encountered him. It would be good to have Pastor Gary’s input on this.”
“Well, here’s what I know,” I said, stopping to hug Miles. “I trust you. Completely. So since you think this is a good idea, then I’m just going to go with it and quit worrying.”
“I appreciate the faith you have in me,” said Miles softly. “I promise I’ll never let you down.”
“I know you won’t,” I smiled.
There was nothing on earth I was more certain of than that.
The slam of a car door broke in on our conversation. We looked in the direction of the driveway, and saw Pastor Gary’s car. He opened the passenger door for Annie.
The more the merrier, I guess! I will not feel nervous. I will not.
We waved, they waved back, and we walked over to join them.
“Pastor Gary, it’s good to see you,” said Miles. “Annie, it’s great to see you, too.”
“We’re so glad you could make it,” I said as Annie hugged me, and Miles and Pastor Gary shook hands.
“It’s wonderful to see you both,” said Annie, giving me a look that felt searching, and—I will not feel nervous! No, I will not!
“Why don’t we go inside,” said Miles. “We can talk more comfortably there.”
It was hard to imagine this talk being comfortable, no matter where we had it. But I trust Miles. I will not feel nervous.
Miles led the way through the arched doorway into the front parlor. I sat beside Miles in one loveseat, and Pastor Gary and Annie sat facing us in the other. I held Miles’ hand tightly.
“We appreciate you meeting with us today,” said Miles, getting straight to business. “We’ve… had some run-ins with dangerous people, as you know, on more than one occasion.”
Pastor Gary and Annie both nodded, their faces serious as they focused on what Miles had to say.
“We discovered right before our wedding that Anika has the ability to see something the rest of us can’t. There’s a darkness that she senses, and sometimes sees, around certain people.”
“It swirls like a cloud,” I said. “It’s dark, and it feels dark. The commonality amongst the people who are surrounded by this darkness seems to be that they’ve committed murder. In the case of George Frank, it grew darker as he anticipated murdering Miles and me.”
Pastor Gary and Annie listened intently without interruption, so I continued.
“There’s a visiting professor at the college we attend in Glen Haven. The darkness surrounding him is extreme.”
“This professor is very open about having an interest in Anika. This disturbs us both for all the usual reasons, but the fact that he has this cloud of darkness adds another level of concern,” said Miles.
“This guy saw me earlier this week when Miles wasn’t with me. I was sitting at a table with Trixie, Miles’ dog. This guy sat down at the table and started talking to me. Sometimes when he spoke, in response, I’d…” I glanced at Miles quickly, and held his hand with both of mine. “I sometimes heard voices in my head. It was like one voice, split into slices. I couldn’t understand what it said, but I know it didn’t say the same thing each time. When I heard it I felt dizzy, and right before Miles got there, I almost blacked out. This only happened part of the time, and I don’t know why, or what it means. What am I supposed to do with this?”
I was feeling more intense as I continued to talk, wanting someone to give me answers.
“I believe I have—abilities of some kind that I’m supposed to use, maybe to solve murders and prevent new ones. I feel so strongly about this, as strong as I did when I knew I was meant to prove Miles was innocent of murdering his brother, and set him free.”
“Yes…” said Annie, giving me that searching look again. She waited, and so did I, as it dawned on me what I said. I gripped Miles’ hand tighter, and his arm too.
If I had a pin, and dropped it, we would have all heard it.
Miles rubbed his forehead and looked at me. I knew what he was thinking. I was thinking the same thing, which I never would have expected. But if we wanted Pastor Gary to help us… how could we expect him to understand, if we kept some very important details of my abilities and our story from him?
“Will you excuse us for just a moment?” Miles said to our guests, as we stood.
“Of course,” said Annie, and I had a feeling she already knew… something.
Miles and I went to one of the small sitting rooms down the hall, and closed the door.
“What do you think, dear?” asked Miles.
“What do you think, dear? I can easily burst into tears you know, and cry all night too,” I said, and a smile flickered across his face.
“I don’t want you in danger if anyone finds out about my abilities,” said Miles.
“But, this is a pastor we’re talking about, and one we both trust. You especially do. Anything we say has to be held in confidence.”
“So are you saying then, that you feel comfortable with this?” asked Miles, his eyes serious.
I quickly nodded.
“You’re absolutely, completely, one-hundred percent sure?” he asked.
“Are you?”
Miles slowly nodded.
“Then me too,” I said.
“Okay then,” Miles said. He kissed me softly, then put his arm around me, and we walked back to the parlor and sat down.
Pastor Gary and Annie waited for us to speak.
We each took a deep breath, and took turns telling them the truth. The whole truth.
They believed us.
~*~
After dinner we sat in Mission Control in front of the fireplace, enjoying the small fire that was perfect for this early fall evening.
“That’s Miles when he was little,” I said, showing Annie the old family album while he and Pastor Gary talked about other things besides baby pictures. “Wasn’t he cute?”
“Very,” said Annie. “And I completely understand now, why you didn’t want a slideshow playing at your wedding reception. And why you were firm about omitting your middle names from your vows.”
“Yeah, that would have just been wrong to have photos of me alongside Second-Miles at our wedding, and since he and my Miles have different middle names…”
“I admit I knew there was something unusual about your relationship, but it wasn’t what I thought,” said Annie.
“What did you think?” I was curious to know.
“I thought that perhaps while Second-Miles was in the coma, his soul was here at the estate, and that’s how you came to know each other. This, is even more amazing.”
“I can’t believe that you both believe us, because it is so unbelievable,” I said. “I was afraid for anyone to know, because I thought they’d decide we were crazy.”
“Well… let’s just say that your story rings true for me. Do you ever have that experience? You know when something is true?”
I thought about that.
“I guess so… I never thought that much about it.”
“Maybe you should.�
�� She was giving me that searching look again, but it didn’t make me nervous anymore.
“Miles and I don’t want anyone else to know,” I said. “He’s concerned that because of his abilities, I would be in danger from people who wanted to find a way to control him.”
“Miles is right,” said Annie thoughtfully.
“So… what do we do? We hate not telling the truth to people.”
“Refuse to speak about it, that’s one option,” said Annie. “You know there are all sorts of things in life that are private, and which we choose not to tell others.”
“That’s right,” said Pastor Gary, as he and Miles rejoined our conversation. “Just because someone has a question or wants to know something, doesn’t mean you have to tell them.”
“Do not lie, though,” said Annie firmly. “Your ability will be weakened by that, because your ability is truth.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I’m not sure,” said Annie thoughtfully. “But I know that’s right. So… do what the dog said, and pay attention. You’ll figure it out.”
“Okay,” I nodded. “I will.”
“The Truth has always been the enemy of darkness,” said Pastor Gary thoughtfully. “The Truth I’m referring to, is Jesus. But if your ability is literally truth, then it makes sense you’d fight this darkness that you see and feel, with truth.”
“Both of you have gifts, and they’re intended to help people. Miles, one of the ways you can do that, is by protecting Anika.”
“When Miles is with me, that dizziness I’ve felt when I’m around the darkness and hear the splintered voice, goes away,” I said.
“That’s true, and that brings up a concern,” said Miles. “Since being near this guy sometimes causes Anika to become so dizzy that at one point she nearly blacked out, and I can’t be in the class with her, do you have suggestions for how to combat that?”
Pastor Gary gave it some thought.
“Pray about it. Before class, and also have people praying for Anika during class. Let us know the days and times, and Annie and I will join in on that.”
“Thank you, Pastor Gary. We will do that.”
~***~
“We’ll need to turn up the thermostat if it doesn’t warm up soon,” I said, slipping on a warm sweater before continuing to help Miles make the bed in our room.
“It’s a lot colder this morning than it has been,” agreed Miles. “We can turn up the heat if you want. I have a feeling by afternoon it’ll be nice and warm outside, though. That’s the forecast, anyway.”
Miles caught the pillow I tossed him, set it in place, and we walked downstairs to breakfast.
“I love that when we’re here, the dogs can just go outside. No walking required,” I said.
“I do too. There’s not much sleeping-in no matter what day of the week it is when we’re living at the apartment. Maybe we should consider buying a house.”
“I think we’d miss our friends though,” I said, thinking about that.
“True, it will be different if we aren’t all living in the same building. However, it’ll be different next year anyway. Our friends will also be married. We’ll all have to work a lot harder to make time for each other.”
“I guess so,” I said, as we reached the first floor and walked toward the sun room where we would have breakfast this morning. “As much as they tease us now about only being interested in each other, they’ll be the same way next year.”
“Xander’s thinking about buying a house once he and Jenny are married,” said Miles. “It isn’t likely that they’ll be living in the building next year.”
“Well, then maybe we should buy a house. I wouldn’t mind sleeping late in the mornings and having you sleep late with me,” I said, as Miles pulled out my chair for me, and I sat down. I noticed that the sun had broken through the clouds. It now looked warm and bright, a beautiful sunny day. The roses were exquisite.
“I’m glad to walk the dogs, but I’d rather do that,” agreed Miles.
One of the servers came in bearing breakfast, as I poured coffee for Miles and me. As usual, everything smelled wonderful, and tasted even better. Living at the estate was like living at a fine hotel.
We put on hiking boots once we were finished eating, and took the dogs with us for a walk in the forest, outside the grounds of the estate. Miles unlocked the combination lock on the gate to our cave, and then lit the kerosene lantern we kept inside the entrance. We did a little exploring, and soon it was time to return to the estate for lunch. We had just finished eating and were discussing how to spend the time until Morgan and Sarah arrived, when there was a knock at the door.
“Do you suppose they’re early?” I asked, looking at the mantle clock in the parlor which was partially obscured by Night, who was lounging in front of it. His sister was stretched across the back of one of the loveseats, looking every bit the regal little lady that she is.
“It’s possible. They might have left early to be sure and make it on time,” said Miles, as we walked together to the large double front doors.
“Nate, Lizzie! It’s great to see you,” smiled Miles, as he opened the door to reveal our friends.
“Yes, it’s so good to see you!” I said, as Lizzie and I hugged each other, and Miles and Nate shook hands. “Come in!”
“I hope we’re not interrupting anything,” said Nate, as he and Lizzie and her service dog, Samson, followed us into the parlor.
“Not at all,” said Miles. “It’s great to see you.”
“We saw Annie at the grocery store earlier, and she told us you were in town this weekend,” said Lizzie.
“Well I’m so glad you decided to come see us,” I smiled. “That’s the downside of going to college in another town, we miss our friends here.”
Chip and Trixie trotted in, and lay down a respectful distance away from Samson. His vest was on, they knew he was working. They’re more service dog savvy than a lot of people are.
We all sat down in one of the parlor’s seating areas, and caught up. We told Nate and Lizzie some of what had been going on in the brief time we’d been in Glen Haven. We hadn’t even started classes yet, and already there was so much to say!
There was another knock at the door, and Miles excused himself to answer it. Moments later, he returned. I stood and smiled as our guests followed him into the parlor, and Miles put his arm around me.
“This is my wife, Anika,” Miles said proudly, smiling down at me, and I smiled back. “And this is Morgan, and Sarah.”
Morgan had brown hair and eyes, and so did Sarah. I could tell why he and Miles had become such fast friends, it was obvious Morgan had a sense of humor. Sarah was beautiful, and I decided right away she was one of those people who could easily become an old friend in a matter of moments.
“It’s great to meet you both,” I said.
“You too,” said Morgan, and Sarah echoed him.
“And these are our friends Nate and Lizzie Harrison,” said Miles, as they also stood.
“Lizzie?” said Sarah, looking as though she couldn’t believe her eyes.
“Sarah?” Lizzie said, equally stunned. “I can’t believe it’s you!”
Both women moved forward to hug each other, and Nate explained.
“Sarah was a big help to us in planning our wedding reception at the end of the summer last year.” He stepped forward and shook hands with Morgan. “It’s good to meet you.”
“Yeah, you too,” said Morgan.
“What an amazing coincidence that you know each other!” I said. “That is so cool.”
While we girls began to talk, Miles led the guys to one of the parlor’s additional seating areas, where they could carry on their own conversation.
“Sarah, before I forget—would you like to see a family album with pictures of James?” I asked.
“I’d love that!” said Sarah, and I went to get it. The album was on a shelf right next to the chair Miles was sitting in. As I neared them, I c
ould hear their conversation.
“It is,” agreed Nate. “We were best friends, we met when we were in high school.”
“Was that… kind of strange, marrying your best friend?” asked Morgan.
Why would anyone think that?
“No,” said Nate. “Not at all.”
“I can’t imagine marrying someone that wasn’t,” said Miles, putting his arm around me as I sat on the arm of his chair so I could reach the album I wanted. “Anika and I were best friends a long time before we began to date. It’s the best foundation you can have for a marriage.”
“It is,” I agreed, leaning down so I could kiss Miles’ cheek.
“I’m kind of new to that idea, I guess,” said Morgan. “Sarah’s my best friend, but I think—well, I’ve known her so long, she’s sort of like a sister to me.”
I heard the voice again, but it wasn’t splintered. I knew the truth, I knew it as surely as—as surely as I know that I love Miles! And what Morgan just said—was not the truth! I was stunned for a second, then looked at him hard.
“You’re in love with her… and you don’t even know it. How do you not know it?” I asked incredulously. I looked down at Miles and said with certainty, “He’s in love with her, and he has no idea. Talk sense into him, dear.”
I kissed his cheek again, and carried the album back with me to the other girls.
“So Sarah,” said Lizzie, glancing over at the guys. “Who’s the guy?”
“He’s a really old friend of mine,” said Sarah. “My best friend.”
I’ll bet my really old best friend is older than yours, I thought, and smiled.
“He must be an awfully close friend,” I said, “to buy an Inn for you.”
“Yes... he is,” said Sarah.
“He bought an Inn for you?” asked Lizzie, impressed.
“Yes, he bought Stonecastle. My family decided to sell it, and that meant I’d be without a job… I’ve always loved the Inn, too, and I was just sick. He found out about it, and surprise! Ten years after being separated when he went to live with his Dad, suddenly he was back and the owner of the Inn.”
“He’s completely in love with you,” I said.
Sarah looked at me, a mix of hope and doubt in her eyes. Mainly doubt.
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