Spirits In the Trees

by Morgan Hannah MacDonald

  “Oh, honey, I didn’t want to worry you. You’ve had a bad enough year as it is.”

  Maddy’s anger receded quickly and turned to guilt. “I’m sorry you felt you had to hide this from me, but I understand. I guess I should just be grateful you finally called.”

  “Actually, I’m calling because money has been a bit tight. I went to her bank last week, but they wouldn’t let me cash the check she’d given me. They said the signature didn’t match the one they had on file.”

  “You aren’t on her account?” Maddy cringed at her reproachful tone. Way to go, Mads, there’s nothing like accusing your grandmother of being stupid.

  “Well, no, it just hadn’t occurred to either one of us,” her grandmother explained.

  Maddy dialed down her voice a few decibels. “Okay, when I get to town I’ll hire a lawyer who can arrange a power of attorney for us. We’ll probably just need a note from her doctor regarding the diagnosis. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything.” Maddy’s heart broke at the realization of what her grandmother had been going through all alone. She wished she’d felt she could come to her sooner, but Maddy had been too involved in her own pity party.

  Her grandmother sighed. “Thank you, honey. I knew I could count on you.”

  “Always. I’ll see you soon. Love you.”

  Maddy called the airlines first. Next she called Gisele to borrow some luggage and beg a ride to the airport. Her anxiety mounted with each delay.

  Within three hours, Maddy was sitting on a plane heading for Seattle, Washington, waiting for take-off. Her head fell back against the seat and she took a deep breath. Engines rumbled to life and her body lurched as they began to move. She turned toward the window and watched the ground speed by below her. After the nose of the giant bird lifted toward the sky, she closed her eyes and reminisced about her Great-Aunt Madeline for whom she was named.

  Madeline was the older of the two sisters. Nowadays she would be considered a free spirit. She wore bright red nail polish and low-cut dresses. Grams scowled her disapproval, calling her a gadabout because she stayed out dancing all hours of the night.

  One day, after yet another of Grams’ famous lectures, her aunt took her aside and whispered in her ear “As one who is already half-way through the play, I can tell you, don’t waste a minute. There may not be a second act.” Her aunt practiced what she preached; she lived every day as if it could be her last.

  Aunt Madeline had taken Maddy on more adventures than she could count. On one of the more memorable ones, they had borrowed a rowboat without exactly asking, and took it out on the water for a picnic lunch. The boat sank right in the middle of the lake. They laughed so hard, they nearly drowned as they feebly swam back to shore.

  They snuck in the house through the back door in an effort to avoid her grandmother. Instead they ran right into her, messing up her clean floors in the process. Her grandmother chased their dripping bodies throughout the house with the end of her mop.

  When Maddy thought back to her childhood, it was always with fond memories. The antics of her crazy aunt attributed to that in a lot of ways.

  Then one day Aunt Madeline married a wonderful man named Earl. They spent most of their time traveling the globe. Maddy thought her aunt the luckiest woman alive. They were so much in love that it broke her aunt’s heart when her husband died. Her health had been on the decline ever since. Sadness enveloped Maddy as she thought about her aunt’s spark forever extinguished.

  * * *

  Maddy awoke in the bed she grew up in, and the smell of bacon wafted up from the kitchen. She hopped out of bed, jumped into her slippers and bounded down the stairs, pulling her robe on as she went.

  “Grams, are you fixing what I think you're fixing?”

  “I’m just cooking bacon. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out.” Her grandmother’s eyes twinkled.

  “Wait, I think I see biscuits baking in the oven. You’re making biscuits and gravy!” Maddy hugged and kissed her.

  “Well, someone has to fatten you up. You’re a bag of bones.” Her grandmother smiled and placed her hands on Maddy’s cheeks. “Your hair has grown. I like this length on you.”

  “Momma, I hurt myself.” The voice had a childlike quality.

  Maddy jumped and spun around. Her grandmother gasped.

  Aunt Madeline stood there holding her hand up as blood dripped onto the floor.

  Maddy froze.

  Her grandmother rushed to Madeline’s side, “Oh my God, come here.” She guided her sister to the sink. “Maddy, quick. Get me something to clean and bandage her hand!”

  Maddy shook herself back to reality and raced to the downstairs bathroom. She was back in time to catch the rest of the conversation.

  “Madeline, what were you trying to do?” Great concern colored her words.

  “Momma, I can’t find my make-up and I have a date with Raymond tonight.”

  Her grandmother flinched noticeably at the mention of Raymond Heller.

  Her aunt’s whiny voice grated on Maddy.

  After bandaging her sister’s hand, her grandmother led her back to her room. When she returned, Maddy was waiting in the kitchen. She hugged her grandmother as she wiped tears from her own eyes. Her grandmother’s slumped shoulders and clenched hands made her forget her own upset. She rubbed her grandmother's back while she spoke. "I'm so sorry. You need to hire a nurse 24/7. She's just too much for any one person to handle."

  “I really do want to keep her at home as long as possible. If you could just help me get her finances in order, we should be fine between her income and mine.”

  Maddy kissed her cheek. “No problem. Do you know where Aunt Madeline might keep all her important papers?”

  “She has a steamer trunk in her old room upstairs. I’m sure that’s where we’ll find them.”

  After breakfast, they put Aunt Madeline down for a nap, setting the baby monitor on the nightstand before going upstairs. Maddy dragged the old steamer trunk over to the bed and her grandmother pushed up the lid, then removed the tray that lay across the top which was filled with pictures.

  Maddy selected an old photo of her aunt wearing a fitted suit and hat, her hands clasped in front, her expression dour. The image bore little resemblance to the woman she knew.

  “Would you look at that, you take after her more and more each day.” Her grandmother stared at the old photograph.

  “Why isn’t she smiling?” Maddy asked.

  “That was taken when she was married to Raymond Heller.” She stated as if that was explanation enough. She went back to sifting through the contents. Then added, “She really didn’t have a whole lot to smile about back then.”

  Maddy stared at her grandmother’s profile with curiosity. She had never heard a derogatory word from her about anyone before. What was it about this Raymond Heller that elicited one now?

  Oblivious to her granddaughter’s attention she said, “Here we go, these look important.” She pulled out a big stack of papers and spread them across the bed.

  For the next couple of hours they put all the documents in order by stacks. Maddy stopped to stare at one paper in particular.

  “Grams, this looks like a deed to a house.”

  “What? Let me see that.” Her grandmother reached out her hand. “She told me she had gotten rid of that house years ago. Why on earth would she have held onto it?” she said more to herself.

  “Have you ever been there?” Maddy asked.

  “No,” her grandmother’s gruff voice answered without a lift of her head.

  Stunned by her tone, Maddy waited a beat for an explanation, but none came. “Okaaaay. Well, I guess I’m going to need to drive up the coast to Isabelle Island and put the place on the market. Before I leave, I want to make sure you’re taken care of so I’ll deposit some money into your account.” Maddy wondered if her grandmother had heard a word she was saying.

  “Why don’t you call the nursing registry while I’m in town and
see if you can get someone to start right away?” Maddy eyed her grandmother curiously as she stared a hole in the document as if it could talk.

  Something about her behavior unnerved Maddy.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Billowy white clouds flitted above the giant redwoods flanking Highway 101. The morning sun rested in a sky of bright azure blue. Maddy felt almost giddy as she drank in the beauty of the day. The gloom of the past year had melted away.

  Her life again had purpose.

  A parking space opened up next to the ferry and she zipped right in. She barely had enough time to buy a ticket and a map of the island before the foghorn blew announcing it was time to board. Once on board, she locked the car and headed topside to get some fresh air.

  Finding a spot in the front of the boat, she deeply inhaled the fragrant ocean air. The wind caressed her face and disheveled her hair. She buttoned her coat against the chill and slipped her hands into the pockets as she snuggled down. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so happy and free.

  Over the next hour, her excitement grew. By the time they’d docked at the island, butterflies had taken up permanent residency in her belly. As she drove off the boat, she took in her surroundings. The quaint little town reminded her of a New England fishing village. She noticed a sign that read Hazel’s Café. Instantly her stomach grumbled as if on cue.

  I’d better eat something before hitting the grocery store. Lord only knows how long it will take to get to Aunt Madeline’s house from here.

  When she entered the café, all the tables were occupied so she made a beeline for the counter and snagged the last seat. A girl materialized almost immediately to give her a menu and take her drink order.

  The young waitress appeared to be in her early twenties. She wore her blonde hair twisted up in the back, and the ends sprouted from the top of her head like a firecracker.

  Because of the massive amount of jewelry weighing the girl down, Maddy couldn’t understand why the girl didn’t just topple over face first. Her low-cut blouse left little to the imagination, but probably made her a lot of tips.

  After Maddy ordered an iced tea, the girl took off. The scent of vanilla occupied the air long after she’d departed. Maddy scanned the menu and decided on the chopped Cobb Salad. To pass the time while waiting for the girl to return, she watched the waitress buzz around the room with a pot of coffee refilling cups and talking to customers. Her bangle bracelets rang out like the bell around a cat’s neck. No need to wonder where she was, you always heard her coming.

  The waitress obviously knew everyone. Just then Maddy remembered what it was like to live in a small town and yearned for the familiarity. The girl appeared in front of her with her iced tea.

  “Do you know what you want?” she asked, with a wide, toothy grin.

  Her name-tag read Shelly; Maddy decided the name suited the bubbly blonde. She placed her order, then watched the girl flit away. Before she knew it, Shelly was beside her, clutching a pot of coffee.

  “Would you like me to freshen up your coffee, Doug?” she asked, flirting shamelessly with the man sitting on Maddy’s left. She bent down so far her breasts almost fell onto his plate. To the guy’s credit, he kept his eyes on her face the whole time.

  “Thanks, Hon, that’d be great,” he answered while pushing his cup forward.

  For the first time Maddy noticed the man next to her. He had broad shoulders and a strong chiseled jaw lined with a couple days growth of beard. The dark stubble, combined with his bronzed skin brought out his incredible steel-gray eyes.

  His hair was a light brown with sun-kissed curls that tossed about on his head without any direction in mind. He probably just shook his hair with his hands as a way of styling. She loved that devil-may-care attitude in a man. Bob had spent more time on his hair than she did which didn’t seem natural.

  The man turned abruptly and caught her staring. Heat rushed to her cheeks. Busted. Then again, this guy is probably used to women gawking at him all the time.

  “Hi, my name’s Doug Lindstrom.” He set his hamburger down, wiped his hands on a napkin and shoved his right hand forward.

  “Maddy Anderson.” She clasped his hand as he gave her a nice firm shake. His hands were rough; he was no stranger to hard work.

  “Are you here on vacation?” A genuinely warm smile enveloped his face. It jolted her all the way to her toes.

  Talk about charisma.

  “Yes, I mean, no.” She stammered. “I mean, I’ll just be staying on the island for a short time while I ready my great-aunt’s place to sell.” After spitting out the words, she groaned to herself. She sounded like a complete idiot.

  His smile showed patience. “What’s her name, maybe I know her?”

  “I don’t think so.” Maddy laughed. “She moved away before you and I were even born.”

  His eyebrows rose. “Really? And she’s just now getting around to selling the place?”

  “Yeah, I know, seems incredible doesn’t it?” She glanced down at her iced tea, pretending the man had no effect on her. She removed the lemon and set it aside. “I’m here to see what needs patching and to put it on the market.”

  “Will your husband be joining you?”

  Her brows creased and she met his gaze. “My husband?” she asked, confused.

  He pointed to the ring on her left hand.

  Maddy followed his gaze. “Oh, no, I’m alone.” She forgot she still had it on, it had become like a second skin to her. She fingered the ring. “I’m a widow. I guess I should take it off. It just hadn’t occurred to me.” The image of Bob filled her thoughts.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, softly.

  “Thank you.” Maddy couldn’t bear the sympathy she saw in the stranger’s eyes and looked down before she embarrassed herself by crying.

  “That’s tough. I remember when my father passed. It takes a long time to get over the loss of a loved one.”

  “I don’t believe the wound will ever heal.” Maddy stared out the window over his shoulder avoiding his gaze. “I lost my daughter at the same time. Somehow that’s worse. I miss my husband, of course, but Emma Rose was so young. She had her whole life ahead of her.” Her eyes started to mist. She wiped the tears away and looked back at Doug.

  Maddy couldn’t believe she was telling this man personal details about her life. Then their eyes met and she instantly calmed. His kindness overwhelmed her. Mentally she shook her head. “I’m not usually like this. I mean, baring my soul to a perfect stranger.”

  “It’s quite all right, don’t apologize. I’m sorry for your pain.” He stroked her arm with a gentle touch. The comforting gesture ended too soon.

  The waitress shoved the coffeepot between them. “More coffee, Doug?” Shelley said through clenched teeth. Her eyes bore a hole through Maddy.

  Doug straightened up and looked at the waitress. “No thanks, Shelly. I’m fine.” When his gaze returned to Maddy, he cleared his throat. “So where is this house?”

  Grateful for the change of subject Maddy smiled. “From looking at the map, it’s on the other side of the island. She lived on Hyacinth Lane.”

  Doug set his coffee cup down with a thump. “Not 586 Hyacinth Lane?”

  “Yes! You know the place?” Her words rushed out with excitement.

  Shelly, who lingered nearby, blurted out, “Shut the front door. That place is haunted!”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Shelly.” Doug shook his head.

  “It’s true. Just ask anybody! Tommy Bell lives on that side of the island. He’s told me all sorts of stories. You couldn’t pay me enough to stay even one night in that place!” Her eyes widened as her expression exaggerated her point with high drama.

  “You forget I live next door. If that place was haunted, don’t you think I would know it?” Doug scowled at the waitress.

  “You do?” Maddy jumped into the conversation.

  He turned toward Maddy and his expression softened. “Yes, I do. It looks like we’r
e going to be neighbors for a little while. So if you need anything, don’t hesitate to call or come by.”

  Maddy caught Shelly out of the corner of her eye, when she turned toward her she noticed the waitress didn’t look too happy.

  “Order up!” The cook barked.

  The waitress swung around, snatched the salad off the ledge and slammed it on the counter in front of Maddy with a loud clank before she stormed off toward the back.

  “Thanks!” Maddy yelled after her, a bit confused.

  “I guess she didn’t like me contradicting her about the old Heller place.” Doug laughed.

  “I guess not.” Maddy frowned.

  “Look, don’t mind her, she’s just a kid. You know how they are, big imaginations. An old empty house immediately becomes haunted. They’re bored living on this island. There’s not much to do, so they need to invent ways to entertain themselves.”

  “I know. I grew up in a small town.”

  “Really? I pegged you for a city girl.”

  “Nope, I grew up in Aberdeen, right here in Washington. I went to Cal State Berkeley where I met my husband. After we married we moved to his hometown of Sacramento.”

  “Ah, that explains it, a California girl.” His eyes twinkled.

  Her face scrunched up. “Nuh uh!”

  He laughed. “Like I said, I live next door. So if you need anything just give me a holler.” Doug grabbed his check and stood. “You know, I’m pretty handy with a hammer and nails. In fact, I’m on my way to the hardware store right now. I’m replacing some weathered planks on my deck. Between all the rain and the moisture from the ocean, I’m constantly repairing something on that old house. I don’t envy you. Your place probably needs a complete overhaul.” He reached into a front pocket and retrieved a wad of crumpled bills. “I do know you’re going to have to replace some windows. The kids go out there and make a game out of throwing rocks to see how many they can obliterate. I doubt there’s any left. Sometimes I catch them on my evening walks and chase them away.” He straightened the bills and counted them out.