Spirits In the Trees

by Morgan Hannah MacDonald

  Maddy hadn’t really thought about how bad the condition of the house would be. The anticipation of her new adventure had controlled her thoughts.

  When he was finished, he shoved the extra money back into his pants and looked up. “Hey, why don’t I come over tomorrow and help you assess the damage? Those windows will have to be your first order of business if you intend to stay in that house.”

  Maddy smiled and looked down at her tea before he could read her mind. She played with her straw. “That’s awfully kind of you, thanks.”

  “Don’t mention it. I’m happy to do it.” He started to leave, then turned back. “You know, you might want to stay in town tonight. It gets pretty cold when you’re living on the water, especially after the sun goes down and without windows …”

  “I’m sure I’ll be fine. At least now I know to pick up some firewood before heading over.” Maddy was stunned. Hot guys didn’t just offer up their services to her everyday, in fact make that never. “Thanks again, I guess this is my lucky day. Imagine me sitting right next to you.” Crap! Open mouth, insert foot. “I mean, you being my neighbor and offering me your expertise and all.” Just shut up already! She twisted her hands in her lap.

  “It was nice meeting you too, Maddy Anderson. Till tomorrow then.” A slow easy smile spread across his face. It was a good thing she was seated, or she may have ended up on the floor. He shook her hand once more before turning around.

  Maddy watched him walk away. He had a strong, confident gait, and she liked the way he filled out his jeans. Shelly waited for him at the cash register. Is it my imagination, or is she giving me the evil eye? Maddy shrugged it off and started on her salad. She wished the young waitress would refill her iced tea, but for some reason was afraid to ask.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  After loading the trunk with groceries and firewood, Maddy headed out of town. Almost thirty minutes later she reached the west side of the island. How long it would take to find the house was anyone’s guess. She squinted at the numbers on the mailboxes as she drove up and down Hyacinth Lane. The houses were obscured from view by all the trees.

  “Okay, there’s 584, 586 should be next.” She didn’t come to another mailbox for quite some time and when she did it read 588.

  “Where the hell is this house!” Slamming on the brakes, she hit the steering wheel with her open palms. While sitting in front of the neighbor’s driveway she wondered if it was Doug’s before turning the car around, yet again.

  Maddy inched her way back down the lane. When she spotted a break in the brush, she stopped the car and got out to investigate. A mailbox lay half-buried in the bushes and weeds. The numbers on its side were barely readable. She bent down and brushed some of the dirt off the side. She could just make out a six, the rest was too faded.

  “Bingo!”

  With a triumphant smile, she jumped back in the car, backed up, then slowly plowed over waist-high weeds in an attempt to save the paint job. At last she was rewarded when a two-story Craftsman style home came into view.

  Her smile quickly faded.

  The place looked worse than her darkest nightmare. The word dilapidated rushed to mind. Now she understood why the kids on the island called it a haunted house, it had all the earmarks. The once brown paint curled off the exterior in strips. Boston Ivy had run amuck and all but swallowed the house whole.

  Jagged shards of glass were all that remained of the front windows. One of the banisters alongside the steps leading to the porch had fallen down and now laid prisoner to the thorny branches of a climbing rose bush.

  Maddy bet the place was pretty creepy by the light of a full moon. It had been a long time since she’d read To Kill A Mockingbird, but this was exactly how she’d imagined Boo

  Radley’s house would have looked.

  She let out a long groan. It might be better to just torch the place and be done with it. Too bad there wasn’t any insurance money to collect. She opened the car door and was instantly greeted by a deafening cacophony. Too stunned to move, she stared up into the sky, her mouth agape.

  Crows. Hundreds of them.

  Huge black crows circled overhead. Some landed in the surrounding trees, some covered the roof of the house and now the porch itself was littered with them. They called back and forth as if warning each other of the stranger in their midst.

  A murder of crows.

  An old Sting song came to mind and with it a sudden chill. It was like a scene straight out of Hitchcock’s movie, The Birds. All she needed now was for them to attack.

  Maddy closed her eyes, but when she opened them again the crows were still there. A moment passed before she noticed the cool ocean breeze with its intoxicating scent. She turned and grabbed a bundle of wood out of the trunk of the car.

  As she approached the stairs leading up to the house, Maddy actually had to swing her purse at the birds to get them to move. Once she made it to the door, she set the wood down and fished through her purse for the keys her grandmother had given her. She tried each one until finally finding the one that fit, but the lock wouldn’t turn. She dropped her purse and struggled with the key and door knob with both hands. No success.

  “Great, the damn thing must be rusted shut.”

  The cawing from the crows was reaching record proportions and her irritation along with it. She followed the wrap-around porch to the back of the house and stopped. The view was breathtaking. Fir trees surrounded the water on all sides of the cove. A pelican dove down and scooped up its dinner with its enormous beak. The beach itself was slight, but it could be high tide. Fortunately the forest blocked the other houses from sight.

  Maddy spotted some kids on the far shore yelling as they jumped off a rock into the ocean. She smiled. They were having so much fun. Oh to be a kid again.

  The waves caught her attention. She watched as the water crept up the shore. The slow steady rhythm was almost hypnotic.

  Snapping out of her daze, she remembered what she was doing and turned back toward the house. She slid the key into the lock and this time it turned, but the door wouldn’t budge. “Dammit!” She hit the wood with the side of her fist. “It must be warped.”

  Not one to admit defeat, she backed up, leaned with her right shoulder and rushed the door…click. She landed on the kitchen floor with a thud and an “Ooof!” The door had popped open on its own.

  What just happened here?

  She sat up, rubbing her arm. Someone called her name. The ghostly voice from far away sent a chill down her spine.

  Maddy

  She held her breath and listened.

  Maddy

  It had a dream-like quality to it.

  Maddy

  Closer.

  Frozen in place, her heartbeat ratcheted up. She stared at the kitchen door waiting for the voice to claim her. At last it swung open so fast it hit the wall behind it with a loud slam.

  Maddy jumped, then screamed.

  “There you are.” Doug looked down at her with concern on his face. “Did I startle you?”

  “Ya think?”

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to. What are you doing down there?” He barely hid his grin as he offered her his hand.

  “I, uh…never mind.” She let him help her up. While brushing herself off she looked up. “How’d you get in?”

  “The front door was open. I had just finished unloading my truck when it occurred to me you might have a problem getting in.” He leaned against the counter, crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a devilish grin. “But it looks like you have everything under control.”

  Maddy stared. “Right.” She strutted past him toward the front of the house and saw for herself. The front door was standing wide open. “What the hell?” She planted her hands on her hips.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “That door.” She pointed. “I couldn’t get it open. That’s why I came in through the back.” Her eyes never left the door as she spoke.

  “Maybe you loosened it and the wind b
lew it open?”

  She rolled her eyes at him. “No. I mean the lock wouldn’t even turn.” Her voice sounded angry even to her own ears.

  “Oh,” Doug responded simply.

  “Yeah.” She stared back at him.

  “Okay, well it seems to be fixed now.” Doug walked through the open door. “Since I’m here I might as well help you unload the car.” He reached into the open trunk for the bundle of wood. “Are you still planning on staying in this old wreck tonight?” With the question came a bit of sarcasm.

  “I’ve got enough wood. I should be fine,” she said as she came up alongside him.

  Maddy could feel his eyes and turned. He looked surprised, then he shook his head.

  She hefted a couple bags of groceries in her arms and followed him into the house. He grabbed the other bundle of wood off the porch on his way in and deposited both on the hearth. She continued on to the kitchen.

  “I’ll finish unloading the trunk for you,” Doug yelled.

  “Thanks,” Maddy returned over her shoulder as she passed through the door. She set the bags on the counter and for the first time paid attention to the kitchen.

  A moment later, Doug came up behind her. “Wow, your aunt was quite the housekeeper, huh?”

  “Looks like it.” Maddy’s gaze circled the room. There were dishes encrusted with food in the sink. A pot with something dried on the outside left on the stove along with a ladle. Half a loaf of petrified bread was thrown to the far corner of the room. At least, that’s what she thought it was.

  A lone chair lay on its side. And last but not least, the entire contents of the table were strewn all over the floor; a salt shaker, broken bowl, smashed plate, a fork, a cloth napkin, an empty bottle of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, and Tabasco. It looked as if someone were trying the old tablecloth trick and failed miserably.

  Maddy broke the silence, “What do you think happened here?”

  “Maybe someone didn’t like the cuisine?” His brows rose on the last word.

  “Ha ha,” she said, blandly, as she walked across the room and righted the chair. “How does someone just leave a mess like this?”

  “You got me there.” His voice sounded husky. Maddy’s head whipped toward him. He was staring at her. His eyes dipped quickly and looked at the floor, but in that instant she could have sworn what she saw was heat. He leaned against the counter, put his hands in his pockets, then met her gaze head on. Whatever she thought she’d seen, it was gone now. Could I have imagined it?

  He was talking again, but she hadn’t been paying attention. She snapped her thoughts back to the here and now. “…going to need more than a couple of bundles of wood to keep you warm tonight.” He rocked back on his heels.

  “Look, you’re more than welcome to stay at my house. I’ve got plenty of room. Then I’ll fix your windows tomorrow and you’ll be good to go.”

  She sighed. Either this guy was too good to be true or he was creepy-stalker-guy. She was pretty sure it was the first, but said, “You’re very kind to offer, but I’ll be fine. Really.” She walked him to the door.

  “Okay, have it your way. But if you change your mind, I’m right next door, 588.” He pointed through the wall.

  “Thanks. I really do appreciate all your help.” Then as an afterthought she said, “By the way, what’s with all the crows?”

  His brows scrunched together and he frowned. “Don’t you have crows in California?”

  “Of course we have crows, but not in such abundance. I could see being invaded by seagulls since we’re on the water, but crows?” They had reached the front door, but when she peered out she didn’t see them anymore. In fact, now that she thought about it, they hadn’t been there a moment ago.

  Maddy walked out to the middle of the driveway and tilted her head up. “Where’d they go?”

  He followed her gaze and pointed to a lone crow at the top of a pine tree. “There’s one.”

  “No, there were hundreds of them.” She waved her arms indicating the whole sky. “Didn’t you see them when you drove up?” She looked at him for his reaction.

  “Well, no, but then again I wasn’t looking. They could have been there.” He sounded like he was giving her the old 'yes dear'.

  “Believe me, they were hard to miss. The noise alone was deafening,” Maddy said.

  He looked at her like she was crazy.

  “They were probably after some dead animal in the woods. It’s nothing to be alarmed about. They won’t hurt you.”

  Now he was patronizing her. She decided to leave well enough alone. She didn’t want to scare this guy off with her bizarre talk of vanishing crows. “So I’ll see you tomorrow?” It was more of a question than a statement at this point.

  “Yeah, till tomorrow then.” He smiled before he turned and walked down the long gravel driveway toward the street.

  Maddy watched him until he was out of sight, then turned back to the house. The front door closed and locked easily. She stared at it a moment, then grumbled, “Whatever.” Then headed back toward the kitchen.

  After passing through the swinging door she stopped. It already annoyed her and she’d only been through it a few times. She searched for something to prop it open with and settled on a canister marked Sugar.

  When she opened the refrigerator, a foul odor escaped. She slammed the door shut. Wait, I forgot to have the electricity turned on. Maybe Grams did it for me. I’ll have to remember to thank her. After the arduous task of scrubbing the inside, she put her groceries away.

  Maddy entered the living room and noticed that, thanks to the perpetual vandals, the hardwood floor was riddled with glass. She hunted down a broom to sweep it up before someone, meaning her, could hurt themselves. She headed back to the kitchen and almost ran head first into the door.

  A frown creased her lips as she pushed it open with both hands and spotted the canister in the middle of the floor. She returned it to the counter and selected a heavier one this time.

  After cleaning up the mess, Maddy was ready to finish her tour of the house. She headed up the stairs to the right of the front door. When she came to the landing she paused to admire the beautiful stained glass window of dark green, red, and blue. At least the kids had enough respect not to touch this window.

  As she turned to mount the second flight of stairs, her foot crunched on something and she stepped back. She bent down and picked it up. After closer inspection she realized it was a piece of red glass. She spun around to inspect the window further, but found it intact. She made a mental note to check again in the morning when the sun was shining directly through it.

  She wandered around upstairs and selected a bedroom for herself. It faced the back of the house where she could take advantage of the ocean view. She pulled back the yellowed lace curtains to reveal a hole the size of her fist at the bottom of the window, but that was okay. A little fresh air always made it easier for her to sleep. The fact that the window was nailed shut did make her pause. She would have to remember to check the rest of the windows throughout the house.

  Maddy came to the conclusion this room must have previously been occupied by the mother-in-law. The queen-sized bed was a four poster with matching night tables, bureau and dressing table. She ambled over to the dressing table and picked up a bottle of perfume and opened it. It smelled like rubbing alcohol. She recapped it and set it down. She unscrewed a bottle of cold crème and found it had no smell at all.

  Her hand glided over the silver brush and comb set, then picked up the beautifully ornate hand mirror and dusted it off on the leg of her jeans. She traced the filigree engraved on the back with her index finger, then set it down.

  Her gaze traversed the room and lit on the nightstand where a well-worn bible lay. It had a sparkly blue beaded rosary sitting on top. The dresser held a statue of the Virgin Mary and above that a large picture of Jesus adorned the wall.

  A number of crucifixes decorated the walls including- one above the bed, one above the door leading in, a
nd one above the door leading to the connected bathroom. Either this woman was extremely religious, or she was trying to keep something evil out.

  Where did that come from?

  Unnerved, she drifted over to the walk-in closet and reached in to pull the chain dangling down from the bare bulb. It exploded and she jumped. A tiny shriek escaped her lips. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust.

  Everything seemed to be left exactly the way it had been when the woman died. She glanced around at all the things she would need to pack-up for Goodwill. The project that was this house was growing by leaps and bounds. She’d be lucky if she got home by Christmas.

  Glancing back, her eyes rested on the bed. She would need to change the sheets. Back out in the hall she found the linen closet. When she opened the door, the smell of mildew accosted her nose. She riffled through the sheets toward the bottom of the stack and found some that weren’t too bad. Already tired, she knew she didn’t have the patience to wait for an entire set of sheets to be washed and dried.

  Maddy took the dirty sheets into the bathroom where she hoped to find a laundry hamper. Entering the room she took note; an old club-foot bathtub, but no shower. The counter held a can of Aqua Net, denture cream and curlers with clips still attached.

  She found a hamper in the corner and lifted the lid. It still contained dirty clothes. After dumping the sheets on top, she carried the basket downstairs to the laundry room. Maddy opened the lid of the washer and saw dried clothes stuck to the sides. Disgruntled, she slammed the lid.

  It was as if someone had just up and walked away from the house and everything in it. She was too tired to ponder the mysteries of the universe any longer. It was time for bed.

  Maddy checked the back door as she went by, then headed to the front of the house turning lights off as she went. When she reached the front door it was unlocked. She stared at it. I know I locked that stupid thing. She shrugged, locked it, then picked up her bags and headed up the stairs.

  * * *

  A loud crash startled Maddy from a deep slumber. Abruptly, she sat up. Her heart hammered in her chest. She listened intently, but nothing more was heard. She slipped from under the covers into her slippers and grabbed her robe off the end the bed.