4 The Ghosts in the Attic

by SUE FINEMAN

  Donovan turned to his son. “What did Vinnie tell you?”

  “That Monique was a prostitute. ‘One of the best,’ he said.”

  Hannah checked the roast. “I didn’t know she was a prostitute when I was growing up. I just knew we moved all the time and she jumped from one man to another.”

  “Did she die before I was born?”

  “No, but she’s dead now.” Hannah turned to face him. “Monique and her men made my childhood a living hell, but I had to put up with it because she was my mother. We moved so often I didn’t feel like I belonged anywhere, except here in this house. The only real home I’ve ever had was here, with my father and grandparents. I stayed with them every summer and every Christmas vacation, but after my father was killed, Monique wouldn’t let me come back to visit my grandparents. When I was fourteen, she tried to push me into having sex with one of her men, and I was so upset I tried to run away. I was going to come here, but she told me my grandparents had died.”

  “She lied,” said Donovan. “Pop and I took care of her grandparents until they died several years later.”

  Hannah leaned back against the counter. “After I moved back here, Monique forged my signature on a power of attorney and tried to sell the house. For me, that ended it. I wasn’t about to give her my home. I told her I never wanted to see her or speak with her again.”

  Donovan continued. “Monique was arrested for trying to pull a scam on an old couple, then sent to Oregon to answer charges there. She was convicted of attempted murder and sent to prison. She died when you were in Iraq.”

  Charlie sank into a chair. “Vinnie said he thought you were going into the business like Monique. He was talking about prostitution, not the other crimes. He said he made a mistake in believing his cousin.”

  “Damn right he made a mistake,” said Donovan. “Arrogant bastard knew she wasn’t like Monique, but he didn’t care. He should have served more time.”

  “That’s not what he says.”

  “I don’t give a shit what he says. He’s a sleazebag like Cordelli.”

  Hannah rubbed his arm. “It’s over now, Donovan. The two families share a child, and for Taylor’s sake, we have to find a way to get along. In spite of Monique, we gave our children a normal life, and there’s no reason why Charlie and Alex can’t give Taylor a normal life, too.”

  <>

  Alex was surprised to see Charlie at the hospital that evening.

  “I brought you some clothes.”

  “You could have brought them in the morning.”

  “Yeah, well, I needed a breather.”

  “From Taylor?”

  “No. Family secrets, things my parents hid from me. Ancestors who weren’t who I thought they were.”

  “Worse than my family?”

  He shrugged. “I guess everyone has skeletons in the family closets. My father sent yours to jail way back when.”

  She gasped. “You’re kidding!”

  “Nope.” He hung the clothes he’d brought in the tiny closet. “Someone in your family kidnapped my mother and took her to a brothel, where your father was supposedly going to rape her. Vinnie said he thought she was going into the business like her mother – my grandmother was a prostitute, among other things – but he didn’t touch her. My father was livid that anyone would believe my mother was a prostitute. If it had been up to him, he would have jailed your whole family. Anyway, the judge sent the other guy to prison and Vinnie plea bargained down to a few months in jail.”

  She groaned. “No wonder they hate each other. Papa thought he was jailed unfairly and your father thought he got off easy.”

  Charlie paced from the door to the window and back to the bed. “So, are you coming home with me tomorrow or going back to Vinnie’s house?”

  She sighed deeply, torn between Charlie and Papa. “My mother was here earlier. Papa asked her for a divorce. They’re fighting all the time, and I don’t want to get in the middle of it. She’s been seeing another man, and for a man with Papa’s ego, that’s unforgiveable.”

  “From what I’ve heard, he’s done his share of cheating.”

  “Of course he has, but he seems to think it’s okay for a man to cheat, but not a woman. I’d never stay with a man who cheats on me. If a man doesn’t love me enough to stay faithful, I don’t want him in my life.”

  “Is that why you dumped me? Did you think I cheated on you? Or did you find another man you liked better?”

  She straightened the sheet. “Papa found out I was seeing you and threw a tantrum you wouldn’t believe. You’d think I was dating Hitler. Then he found out I was pregnant and it was like World War III in the house. I didn’t have the energy to fight back. I was so sick those first few months, all I did was sleep and throw up.”

  He pulled the chair up close and gazed into her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me, Alex?”

  “I wanted to wait until I felt better. Mother tried to push me into having an abortion – which I refused to do – and Papa threatened to have me declared an unfit mother and take the baby away from me. My brothers got involved – the whole family got involved – so I thought I’d wait until things calmed down to tell you. By then you were seeing someone else. I thought you’d moved on.”

  “What about after Taylor was born?”

  “My only act of defiance was to name her after you. Taylor Hope Kane. Papa threw another fit, but once he held Taylor, he didn’t seem to care what I’d named her. He loved her the first time he saw her.”

  “So did I,” Charlie said softly. “But I missed so many years with her – rocking her to sleep, her first steps—”

  “Teething, potty training, earaches—”

  “I missed it all. That’s why I can’t let you take her away from me now. I need to get to know her. Read her bedtime stories, make her breakfast, play catch. Hold her and love her.”

  “If you’re asking me to give up my daughter…” Alex shook her head. “She’s only six, Charlie. She needs her mother.”

  “I’m afraid if you take her back to Vinnie’s house, I’ll never see her again.”

  When he talked about Taylor, she saw the same vulnerability she’d seen in him after he returned from Iraq. “I don’t want to take her back home now, but—”

  “I’ll come here after I take Taylor to school in the morning. My parents’ house may not be a mansion like Vinnie’s house, but it’s got six bedrooms and a big attic playroom, enough space for all of us for now. After I get my house renovated, you and Taylor can live there with me if you want.”

  She slowly shook her head. Alex had decided years ago that she wouldn’t live with a man without love. And Charlie didn’t love her.

  “Alex, I don’t want to have to fight you for Taylor, but I will if I have to.”

  Her eyes filled with tears and spilled over. Charlie grabbed a handful of tissues and dabbed at her face. “Don’t cry, honey. Please don’t cry. We’ll work it out.”

  He sat on the bed beside her and held her gently, and it only made her cry harder. She looked like a monster, her parents were getting divorced, her job was gone, and now Charlie wanted to take Taylor. If she went to live with his parents like he wanted, she could lose Papa. She could lose her whole family.

  “If you want to go home to Vinnie’s house, I’ll take you there, and you can come to see Taylor whenever you want.”

  “No… I need… to be… with Taylor,” she said between sobs. “Papa… won’t… understand.”

  “Yes, he will. He won’t like it, but he’ll understand.”

  <>

  Charlie walked into the Stevens School with Taylor the next morning. “Where’s your classroom?”

  Taylor pointed and pulled Charlie’s hand. “There’s my teacher, Miss Bolton.”

  The woman turned toward him and Charlie recognized an old friend, one he’d dated in college before he joined the Marines. “Colleen Bolton.” He kissed her on the lips. “So you’re my daughter’s teacher.”

  “Hel
lo, Charlie.” She leaned over. “Taylor, how are you feeling?”

  “Okay. This is my daddy.”

  “I know. How is your mommy? Is she all better?”

  Charlie nodded. “She’s being released from the hospital today. How long have you been teaching?”

  “This is my third year, my first year with first grade. I love it. These kids are like little sponges.”

  “You’re the one who tracked me down when Taylor got hurt?”

  “Yes. I hope I didn’t do something out of line.”

  “You did something right.” Because of her, he’d found his daughter. “I’ll pick Taylor up this afternoon. Does she need lunch money or something?”

  “Lunch is covered in the tuition.”

  “Okay. One other thing. I don’t want anyone from the Porcini family picking her up from school without my permission. They hid her from me for six years, and if Vinnie gets his hands on her again—”

  She put her hand on his arm. “I understand.”

  A bell rang and little kids streamed down the hallway and through their classroom doors. Colleen walked inside her classroom with her students, and Charlie walked back out to his car. Colleen Bolton. In college, she studied education, but he couldn’t see beyond her long blond hair, dark blue eyes, and shapely figure. She was pretty back then, gorgeous now.

  He wondered if she had a special man in her life.

  <>

  Alex showered and washed her hair gently, like the nurse showed her, so she didn’t pull her stitches loose. The warm water streaming over her sore body felt good, but the shower exhausted her. She’d lost so much blood she had no energy.

  Her hair wasn’t more than two or three inches long on any part of her head, shorter on the left side, where they’d put in so many stitches. He must have hit her over and over again after he knocked her out, because she only remembered three punches. What she remembered the most was the fear and Taylor screaming. She heard that scream in her nightmares.

  Thank God Scott didn’t touch Taylor.

  Mario strolled into her room and announced, “Papa sent me to bring you home.”

  “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  “You’ll do as you’re told. Get dressed while I check you out.”

  Alex saw a movement beside the door and glanced over to see Charlie standing there. She shook her head slightly, then told Mario, “I won’t be ready for another hour. Why don’t you go downstairs to the cafeteria and get yourself some breakfast?”

  “Yeah, okay.”

  As soon as Mario left the room, Charlie came in. “Your brother?”

  She nodded. “Papa sent Mario to bring me home. Would you check with the nurse and see if they have my paperwork ready?”

  Alex felt lightheaded, but she managed to get her jeans on and her bra fastened before Charlie came in.

  “Need some help?”

  “Shoes. Every time I lean over, I get dizzy.”

  He helped her on with her shirt, then pulled on her socks and shoes. “I did this with Taylor this morning.”

  The nurse came with the paperwork to sign, then someone brought a wheelchair to take her downstairs. Charlie left to bring his car around to the front door. And then Mario appeared. He had powdered sugar on his shirt.

  “You ready to go?”

  “I’m ready.” She prayed Charlie would get his car brought around first, so she didn’t have to fight with Mario.

  Mario left to get his car, and she rode the wheelchair down to the front door. Charlie pulled up, she slid inside and fastened the seatbelt, and he pulled away.

  Alex let out a big sigh of relief.

  Charlie glanced in the rearview mirror and grinned. “He just pulled into the loop.”

  “I don’t care if he sits there all day. Every time I look in the mirror, I’m reminded that my own brother set me up with that psychopathic creep.”

  Charlie squeezed her hand. “Will he come after you?”

  “No, Mario’s too much of a wuss to risk a confrontation.” But Papa would be furious.

  Chapter Six

  After he got Alex settled in Mom’s guest room, Charlie drove out to the farm and worked in the garden. The more time he spent with Alex, the more the old feelings for her came flooding back. Those old feelings mixed with his anger over her keeping Taylor from him. She’d betrayed him not with another man, but with deception, choosing her family over him.

  Andy was working in his home office at the farm. His fraternal twin brother had always been his best friend, but since Andy married Julie a couple years ago, they didn’t spend as much time together.

  “So what’s happening with Alex?” Andy asked. “Is she with Mom now?”

  Charlie nodded. “She wasn’t happy about coming there, but I refused to let her take Taylor back to Vinnie’s house. The old man is a manipulator and I didn’t want him hiding Taylor from me again.”

  “That was Alex, Charlie.”

  “That was Vinnie controlling Alex. I won’t let it happen again.” He glanced at his watch. “I need to go get Taylor from school.”

  Charlie drove to the school and parked in the loop behind a big Lincoln with tinted windows. The kids came streaming out the door at precisely three o’clock. Charlie waved to Taylor, but another man walked toward her.

  Mario Porcini called, “Come on, Taylor. I’ll take you home.”

  Before Mario could get to the kid, Charlie grabbed him by the shirt collar and squeezed until the man’s face turned red. Charlie was angry enough to do some serious damage, but he held back because of all the kids watching them. Leaning into the man’s pudgy face, Charlie said, “Unless you want your face smashed in, you’ll stay away from Alex and Taylor.”

  Mario gulped and stepped back. Charlie moved toward him, and Mario hurried to the Lincoln. Without Taylor.

  Still steaming, Charlie drove Taylor home. She chattered about making a picture for Mommy and then asked, “Are we going to my house now?”

  “We’re going to Grandpa and Grandma’s house. Mommy is waiting there for you.”

  “Okay. Mommy doesn’t like Uncle Mario.”

  “No, she doesn’t. He’s not allowed to pick you up from school. Mommy wants you to stay with her, so if he comes for you again, don’t go with him.”

  “Okay.”

  They’d have to keep a close eye on Taylor from now on.

  <>

  After wandering through the old house and getting her bearings, Alex toed off her shoes and stretched out on the bed in Hannah’s guest room. She didn’t belong here, yet Charlie and Hannah had made her feel welcome and wanted. If not for Taylor, she’d be in her apartment in Papa’s house, trying to stay out of her parents’ marital problems and listening to Papa’s lectures on why she shouldn’t see Charlie Kane.

  Alex didn’t want to stay away from Charlie. She wanted him to love her like he had before Papa got involved. Before she made the wrong choices. But he hated her now.

  Hannah walked through the open door with a soft blanket. She smiled and gently draped the blanket over Alex’s body. “Sleep while it’s quiet.”

  “Thank you. For everything.”

  “You’re welcome. Andy has an office downstairs, and he has a client coming this afternoon. He usually works at his house on the farm, but he meets clients here. And Ginny is coming for dinner tonight.”

  “Sounds like a busy place.”

  “It is, but I don’t mind. I love having my family here.”

  Hannah closed the blinds and pulled the door shut, leaving Alex alone with her thoughts. Hannah was a warm and loving woman, and she didn’t seem to mind watching over Taylor. Mother would never dream of spending her morning making cookies with a six-year-old.

  She dozed off and woke to the sound of dogs barking and Taylor squealing happily. Alex turned over and saw Charlie standing in the doorway.

  “Sorry about the racket.” He motioned toward the stairway. “Andy brought his dog, and Taylor is in heaven. Didn’t she ever h
ave a dog of her own?”

  “No, Mother doesn’t like dogs, especially in the house.” She sat on the side of the bed. “I should help your mother.”

  “No, you should rest and get better.” He sat beside her. “You lost a lot of blood, and it’ll take time to get your strength back.”

  “Is that why they cut off my hair?”

  “Head wounds are messy. There’s no way they could have washed all that blood out of your long hair and gotten the cuts stitched up. Ginny said Taylor had blood on her, too. She gave her a bath before bringing her to the hospital.”

  Alex drew in a deep breath and blew it out. “Poor baby must have been scared to death.”

  He squeezed her hand. “Taylor called 911. She was scared, but she called for help.”

  “I remember her screaming and that creep hitting me, and the next thing I remember is you telling me I was safe and Taylor was all right. I was so afraid he’d kill me and then hurt her. Taylor didn’t want to go to the motel. I should have listened to her. If I hadn’t left Papa’s house—”

  “No second-guessing, Alex. What’s done is done. Pop used to say it’s ‘like unpopping corn.’ It’s impossible to undo what’s already done.”

  She leaned into him and sighed. “I feel so worthless.”

  Taylor squealed, “Daddy!”

  Alex pushed herself to her feet. “You’re being paged.”

  He gave her a long, smoky look and left the room. He’d loved her once, but he acted like he couldn’t stand to be close to her now.

  Minutes later, Alex walked downstairs and found Charlie and Taylor on the floor with two beautiful collies. One was Charlie’s, although she wasn’t sure which one was his.

  Andy walked over and gave her a gentle hug. “Nice to see you again, Alex.”

  “I look better in the dark these days.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I’ve seen worse bruises after one of Charlie’s bar fights, and he’s just as ugly now as he was before the fight.”

  “Hey! Quit picking on me.”

  Taylor giggled and Andy continued. “Julie cut her hair short last year and I love it. Once your hair grows a little, you can get it styled. In the meantime, Julie and Kayla – my wife and Billy’s wife – sent a box of hats. Kayla said the only wig she could find in the house was part of a costume Michael wore last Halloween. It’s purple and green. She didn’t think you’d want it.”