Spirits In the Trees

by Morgan Hannah MacDonald

  “No, of course not,” Doug answered. “Who are these friends?”

  “Tim Reese and Jane Spencer, we met in college. They’re both professors now, so they’re off for the summer. They travel a lot, but I was lucky to catch up with them. They just arrived home from Europe a couple of days ago, so their gear is still packed and ready to fly.”

  “What gear?” Doug raised his eyebrows. “How are they going to help?”

  Maddy was pouring the spaghetti into a colander in the sink. The steam rose up into her face and she turned away.

  “They have a small paranormal group. I don’t remember the name. When they first told me about their little hobby a few years ago, I must admit, I really wasn’t paying much attention. I think that’s why it didn’t occur to me to call them until now.”

  “I’m sorry, Maddy, but I still don’t get what you’re driving at. What is their hobby?” Doug asked.

  Maddy laughed. “Oh, sorry. They spend their free time hunting ghosts.” She rushed on before he could interrupt.

  “As it happens, they’re compiling information for a new book they’re writing, hence the trip to Europe. I’m lucky they were free. They’ve finished their traveling for the summer and were planning on taking the rest of the summer to coordinate their findings.” She gasped for air when she was done and looked up.

  “When will they be arriving?” Was all Doug had to say and she was relieved.

  “Oh, they should be here between nine and ten. Jane’s really excited. She called Tim and he was available, but their tech guy won’t be able to make it. She said it’s not a problem. They’ve worked without him before.” Maddy placed the salad and a huge plate of spaghetti on the table.

  “I don’t get it.”

  Maddy came back across the kitchen with the garlic bread and set it in front of him.”

  “Don’t get what?” she asked, then started filling his plate with salad.

  “Well, we already know the house has ghosts. Why do we need a couple of ghost busters riding in here to tell us something we already know? I thought you were just going to put the house on the market and be done with it.”

  “Think about it, how many people are going to want to buy a haunted house?”

  Maddy started heaping sauce-soaked pasta onto his plate. “I’m hoping my friends will be able to get rid of them.”

  “Stop! That’s more than enough.” Doug eyes were wide as he held her hand mid-air. Noodles were slipping and sliding all over his plate.

  “You haven’t eaten all day, you must be starving.” She fixed herself a plate and sat down.

  “It’s going to be difficult enough trying to eat this with my left hand.” Doug tried spinning noodles onto his fork.

  “Then why on earth did you fix pasta?” Maddy shook her head and took a bite.

  “It was the only thing I had in the house. I’ve been at the station and haven’t done the shopping for the week,” he said.

  Maddy finished chewing before she spoke again.

  “There’s something else I think I should do.”

  “What’s that?” Doug was concentrating on keeping the noodles on his fork.

  “I found some old diaries of Aunt Madeline’s. They may shed some light on the history of that house.”

  “Really?” All of Doug’s pasta fell off his fork before he could get it into his mouth. He looked up exasperated.

  Maddy laughed. “Here, let me help you with that.” She scooted her chair over so they sat side-by-side and she took the fork out of his hand.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  “Are you guys sure you don’t want to come back to the house and get a good night’s sleep first? You can start your investigation tomorrow. Besides, I was hoping we’d get a chance to catch up. It’s been too long since we’ve seen one another.” Maddy was disappointed.

  “I know, and we will. But you’ve got to understand how excited we are about this. We’ve been investigating paranormal activity for almost five years now. You have no idea how rare an actual haunting is!” Jane explained.

  “Exactly,” Tim chimed in. “We’ve just spent six weeks traveling the UK and all we have to show for it are some darting orbs, glimpses of shadow people and a few good EVP’s from Castle MacLeod. And that place was supposed to be the greatest point of activity for the entire trip. All in all it sucked, big time. What a waste of money.” He scowled.

  “And then we come home to this! This just might be the greatest discovery of our entire careers, right here in our own backyard!” Jane said.

  “That is, of course, if everything you say is true.” Tim stared at Maddy and waited for her answer.

  They had stopped at the mouth of the driveway that led up to 586 Hyacinth Lane. Her friends had been jabbering away at her all the way over. Maddy was having a hard time keeping up with the conversation between her two excited friends.

  Tim and Jane had arrived at the Lindstrom house around nine-thirty p.m. For the next hour and a half, Doug and Maddy had been filling them in on the paranormal activity that they had encountered at what was known on the island as The Old Heller House. Their excitement grew steadily, until finally they jumped from their chairs and raced to the front door with Doug and Maddy trailing behind.

  Now Maddy stood in the dark, staring down the long drive to the house that she’d promised Gisele she’d never enter again. She didn’t want to get any closer and didn’t want Doug to either. The words of that malevolent being resounded in her head, I’d rather see you dead than with another man! She feared for Doug’s life more than her own.

  “I don’t think you will be disappointed,” she finally answered.

  “Great. Then let’s get started!” Tim said.

  Jane walked down the driveway, while Tim followed with the van they had rented at the airport. Doug and Maddy stayed put.

  Jane stopped and turned around. “Aren’t you coming?”

  “No, thanks. I think we’ve had enough excitement to last a lifetime. We’ll just let you guys do your thing. The door’s unlocked. I’m sure you won’t have a problem finding the ‘point of origin’ as you call it. Call us if you need anything,” Maddy answered.

  “Suit yourselves,” Tim said, shaking his head.

  “Come by in the morning for breakfast. You can tell us all about your night then,” Doug added.

  Maddy and Doug turned and headed back to his house hand-in-hand.

  They were standing in front of the bedroom that Maddy was to occupy for the night.

  “Look, if you need anything, I’m just down the hall.” Doug pointed. “Don’t hesitate. Wake me up if you have to.”

  Maddy yawned. “Thank you.” She stared up into his steel gray eyes, a lump caught in her throat. “I really mean it, Doug, thanks for everything. I realize that if it weren’t for you, I might not be alive today.” She reached up on her tiptoes, kissed him gently on the lips, then retreated. “Anyone else would probably have headed for the hills, but you—“

  Doug interrupted her with a kiss of his own. He pulled back quickly and looked into her eyes. What was it he saw there? Lust? Confusion? Whatever it was brought his lips back down to hers where they stayed. He kissed her with all the passion that had built since that day in the kitchen. He pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. Her body molded to him like a perfect fit. He didn’t want it to end.

  He was getting dangerously close to the point of no return. After the last time they’d nearly made love, Maddy had avoided him the rest of the day. He didn’t want to take the chance that she would run away again, so he decided to wait for her to let him know when she was ready.

  Begrudgingly he ended the kiss and pressed his forehead against hers; he wasn’t quite ready to break all contact with her just yet. “I guess I should say goodnight.” His breathing was labored. Silently he prayed she’d invite him into her room.

  “Oh!” Dazed and confused, Maddy stepped back and bumped into the wall. Embarrassed he didn’t want her, she cast her eyes down for fear he
might read her thoughts.

  “Goodnight,” she mumbled and spun around. She heard a soft click, and turned back to see an empty hall. Doug’s door was shut.

  Maddy escaped inside the room and leaned back against the door. Her heart still raced. She was panting like a thirsty dog. What was wrong with her! When he’d pulled her close, she felt his arousal against her stomach and heard him moan. A tingling sensation started in her lower body.

  She responded to his kiss in ways she never had with her husband, Bob. She’d felt excited and guilty all at the same time. She’d wished he would never stop kissing her, but he did. What did she do wrong? Why did he leave?

  Maddy flopped on the bed that had once belonged to Doug’s sister. A nightlight from the adjoining bathroom softly cast the room in blue. She found herself staring up at the light fixture on the ceiling as if it were the most interesting piece of art she had ever seen. She could not get Doug Lindstrom out of her head. His scent still lingered.

  She thought back to the night before when he’d carried her into the house in those big strong arms of his. It was just like a scene out of one of her books. Hell, it was a scene out of each and every one of her books. It was one of her favorite fantasies, for God’s sake.

  Those arms made her feel so safe. Had she ever really felt that way with Bob? She closed her eyes tight and tried to remember. When she came up empty, her eyes popped open and she felt that guilt creep up again, like she was cheating on her dead husband’s memory. How could she even compare the two men? They were like apples and oranges.

  Bob was fanatical about his looks. In fact, the more she thought about it, image meant everything to him. She knew that’s why he insisted on buying that big old house. It didn’t matter that it was falling apart inside, the outside was impressive and that’s what mattered to him most.

  He bathed himself in after-shave; one could smell him coming a mile away. He was also very particular about his attire, never straying from his three-piece suits and oxfords. His idea of exercise was a game of indoor racquetball on his lunch hour; his skin never saw the light of day.

  On the other hand, Doug didn’t seem the least bit concerned about his appearance. He probably never even glanced in a mirror all day after he’d shaved in the morning. Old blue jeans were like his second skin. His large hands were calloused from working with them daily. That scent she smelled had to be his soap, maybe deodorant. It was just a hint of fragrance you had to be very close to catch. Very subtle.

  His physique was matched only by Michelangelo’s David. Well, maybe that was going a bit too far, but his body was hot. Hell, he saved lives for a living. There was nothing sexier than that!

  The electricity she’d felt around Doug was entirely foreign to her. Had she ever really loved Bob, or was he just the only man that had ever loved her so she was willing to compromise?

  “Oh, hell!” She rolled over and smashed the pillow over her head.

  Maddy lay that way awhile before deciding to give up on sleep. She rolled over, flicked on the lamp, then jumped out of bed. After rummaging around in her suitcase, she found what she was looking for. The bookmark had slipped from its place, so she had to skim the pages of Madeline’s journal to find where she had left off.

  Dear Diary,

  It’s been a month now since I’ve written in you. I’ve spent the last week at home in bed and the week before that in the hospital. I was so excited when I found out I was pregnant that I couldn’t wait to tell Ray.

  I knew he was coming home, so I lay in our bed wide awake waiting. My spirit so exuberant, I couldn’t sleep if I wanted to. Finally, around one a.m., I heard his footsteps on the stairs. I ran out of our room and stood on the landing.

  He climbed the stairs, his eyes on me while a smile graced his lips. I practically danced around him, then grabbed at his neck to pull him down for a kiss. I told him I had some wonderful news and he laughed. He said, ‘Tell me little one, what has gotten you so excited that you stayed up so late?’ I’m pregnant! I announced. But I didn’t get the reaction I expected.

  He didn’t say anything at first, he just stared at me. I thought he would be so pleased I was taken aback. He asked if I was certain? I told him I had been to the doctor that morning, it was confirmed. The smile left his face, his expression turned ugly.

  Suddenly he slapped me! Shocked, I stumbled back. He called me all sorts of vile names that I dare not repeat even to you. He accused me of being unfaithful. I told him I didn’t know what he was talking about. He slapped me again, called me a liar.

  I tried to get away, but he pulled me back by my hair and yanked me up close to his face. The veins in his neck bulged, his face was scarlet, his eyes turned black. Through clenched teeth he told me that he’d had the mumps as a child and could not father children.

  I couldn’t believe my ears. How could he have held this information from me? He knew before we married I had planned on having a large family. I voiced this and paid dearly for my mistake. He hauled of and hit me one last time. I lost my footing. My body tumbled down the stairs only to land in a heap at the bottom.

  I lay on the floor like a broken doll, pain screaming throughout my body. I watched as he descended the stairs slowly, deliberately, until he stood over me. Then he yelled, ‘Who is the father?’ I shook my head, he kicked me in the stomach. I groaned and held my belly. My poor unborn child.

  He kicked me again. ‘Who have you been screwing, dammit!’ After the third kick I yelled, ‘Your father!’ He stopped mid- kick. Then I told him his father had raped me. He called me a liar, but didn’t hit me again. He backed away, staring at me, then stormed out of the house.

  When I awoke, I was in the hospital, alone. I had a broken leg and ribs. I also lost the baby. They told me there were complications. I would never be able to get pregnant again. I cried myself to sleep. No one came to visit. A week went by before Ray arrived to take me home. He never said a word. He carried me up to our room, tossed me on the bed, then left. I haven’t seen him since.

  His mother brings up my meals. She doesn’t speak, won’t look me in the eye, her face a permanent scowl. I finally got up enough nerve to ask her about Mr. Heller. I feared he would hurt me worse for telling Ray what he had done. With venom in her voice, she said they had buried him while I was away.

  She wouldn’t tell me what happened, how he died. But God help me, I’m not sorry. I know it’s a sin to feel the way I do. I pray for God to have mercy on my soul.

  Oh, how I wish I could get away from here, go home to my mother, my father, and Mary. I miss my family so.

  Maddy closed the book with a frown. She’d never read anything so horrible in her life. What a miserable existence her aunt had. She wondered how she ever got over such a dark past. She turned off the light and tried once again to get some sleep.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  The morning mist still floated above the water as Maddy and Doug sat in awkward silence on the bench swing hanging from the back porch. They drank their coffee while swinging back and forth in rhythm with the waves licking the shore. Their bodies so close they touched. The electricity in the air was almost palpable. Like a moth to a flame, she felt drawn to him. It jumbled her thoughts, made it impossible to think of anything other than the want of him.

  Abruptly her musings were shattered.

  “I didn’t think you guys would still be asleep. Tim here said we should go, but of course I wouldn’t leave without exhausting every possibility,” Jane’s voice rang out as she emerged from around the house.

  “Good morning!” Maddy’s greeting burst forth a little too dramatically. She jumped off the swing as if her backside had burst into flames.

  “Come on in. We’ll get you some coffee.” Doug stood at the top of the stairs and waited for their guests to join them on the porch.

  Maddy rushed forward and hugged Jane. “How was your night?”

  “Quiet,” Jane answered.

  “You’re kidding!” Maddy stood at arms length a
nd checked her friend’s face for a hint of a smile.

  “Unfortunately, no. But we haven’t had a chance to view all the video or go through the EVP’s yet. We expected to see things visible to the naked eye like you guys,” Tim said.

  “Don’t worry, we’re used to this. It takes time to compile all our data,” Jane said.

  “What are EVP’s?” Maddy asked.

  “Electronic Voice Phenomena. We ask questions of the spirits and record their answers. We have to play back the tapes to get their reply,” Tim answered.

  The group filed through the backdoor of the house. Maddy filled their coffee orders while Doug took out the bacon and a pan.

  “Hey, Doug, do you have a VCR? Maybe we can get a jump on checking out the data. I have one of those conversion cases.” Tim said.

  Maddy grabbed the bacon from Doug’s hand. “You go along, I’ll get this.”

  Doug smiled down at her. “Thanks.” He turned toward Tim. “Sure, this way.” Then led Tim out of the kitchen.

  Maddy adjusted the flame on the stove, then started laying strips of bacon in the pan.

  “So, how’ve you been? I was so sorry to hear about Bob and Emma Rose,” Jane’s words hit Maddy like a ton of bricks, she winced.

  “Thanks.” Maddy swallowed hard. “I’m sorry I didn’t quite get around to all the thank-you cards.” Bad form on her part. Then she remembered how hard it was just to get out of bed. Suddenly choked up, she cleared her throat before continuing. “The flowers you sent were beautiful.” She covered the bacon with a spit guard, then swung around to the refrigerator and snagged the eggs.

  “I’m glad. I’m sorry we couldn’t make the funeral. We were halfway around the world lecturing to a group of ghost enthusiasts when we heard.”

  Maddy kept her face away from Jane, she was afraid if she saw sympathy in her eyes she would break down. “That’s all right. I barely remember it myself.” She turned the bacon over and stared down into the pan.