“This book contains instructions for those in the priesthood on how to perform an exorcism.”
Toots’s face turned chalk white. “That is horrible!”
Sophie nodded her agreement. “I know, but I don’t believe Ida’s at that stage now. She’s acting weird, yes, but I don’t think there’s a full-fledged possession taking place. Remember that dream I had about the woman?”
Toots nodded.
“I believe it has something to do with her and what I saw happen in that house. I know this doesn’t make any sense right now, but I need someone to confide in other than Goebel because I don’t want to move Ida right now. I think it’s best if she stays here where you can keep an eye on her while I figure out what the hell I need to do.”
“I agree. Though I have to be honest, this scares the living daylights out of me. I don’t want Abby and the kids around while this . . . crap is going on.”
“I don’t either, but you’ll have to make that your mission. Keep her and those babies away from your place and mine for now. It might be a good time to suggest she and Jamie take the kids to the beach for a few days. Isn’t Chris out of town this week?”
“He’s at the same conference Daniel is attending. I don’t know if I can convince her to leave. She told me the other day that she wanted to get more involved with her Dogs Displaced by Disaster program, and asked me to keep the kids while she worked. I know how important that is to her. Hell, it’s important to all of us. If Abby and Chris hadn’t started the organization after those horribly destructive forest fires in Colorado, who knows what would’ve happened to all those animals? I think of little Frankie and how much I love him.” Suddenly, Toots stopped and cleared her throat. “I’m babbling again, aren’t I? Sophie, stop me when I do that. I’m beginning to sound like a senile old lady.”
“Well, you’re at least half-right since you are an old lady. In point of fact, we’re both old ladies. We are all in our seventies now, including you, my dearest friend,” Sophie had to remind her.
“How could I forget? I just hate it that we all turned seventy last year, but then I think of the alternative, and it sounds wonderful. You have to admit none of us act—or, thanks to Ida—look our age.”
“Right now, looking our age is unimportant. I need you to watch Ida while I go back to my place.”
“Do you think it’s a good idea for you to do this alone? I know you said not to mention the clergy in any way, but wouldn’t it be best to leave this to the pros? A priest or someone who’s experienced in this?”
Sophie peered through the bedroom door again. Ida still appeared to be asleep. “I don’t think it’s needed at this point. Don’t ask me how I know that when I don’t know much of anything else right now, but I’m positive we’re not dealing with the kind of demons that you think. This isn’t a . . . satanic possession.” She crossed her fingers. She was 99 percent sure. Thoughts and images whirled around in her head. She just knew that she had to get back to her house as soon as possible.
“I trust you,” Toots said. “Go on then. I’ll keep an eye on her,” and she motioned to the bedroom. “Do what you need to, so we can put this behind us.” Toots paused. “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but I’m going to anyway. While you were up here with Ida, Bernice and Robert told Goebel and me what their big secret is.”
“They’re getting married,” Sophie said.
Toots looked at her and grinned. “Is this the psychic in you? Or were you eavesdropping while we were downstairs?”
“Neither. I’ve seen how they are with one another. It’s a natural progression that they would tie the knot. Look at me. Did you ever think I’d marry Goebel that day he first walked into your house?”
Toots gave a quiet laugh. “No, I honestly didn’t give it a thought.”
“I thought you suspected there was something going on between us. Doesn’t matter now. Though I’ll make sure to offer up my congratulations to Bernice and Robert, I’ll do it later. I’ll let them tell me,” Sophie added.
“That’s a good idea. Now, go on and do whatever it is you’re planning. I’ll keep watch over Ida, and I’ll call Abby and suggest that trip. Now, go.”
“Okay. You’ll call me if Ida acts out of the ordinary in any way?”
“Cross my heart,” Toots said as she placed her right hand over her heart.
“Good. Remember, call my cell phone if you think you need to,” Sophie instructed as she headed downstairs.
In the kitchen, Bernice, Robert, and Goebel were still gathered around the kitchen table, each with a steaming mug of coffee in front of them. A plate of cookies, probably from the Sweetest Things, sat in the center of the table.
Bernice was the first to speak. “I called you for lunch. You didn’t answer, so you’re shit out of luck, unless you want an oatmeal-raisin cookie.”
“That’s okay. I’m not hungry,” Sophie answered, then turned to her husband. “I need to go back to the house for a while.”
He jumped up, almost knocking his cup over. “Then let’s go.”
“No, I mean just me. I need you to stay here with Toots. Just in case.” She gave him the look, which she knew he would understand.
He sat back down. “You’re sure?”
“One hundred percent. I’ll have my cell turned on, so don’t worry. Just sit tight while I’m gone. I’ll be back in time to go to dinner with that Dabney man,” Sophie said before practically running out the back door. Seeing their car parked so close was an added bonus. She slid inside and cranked the engine, not bothering to look back.
Ten minutes later, she pulled into her driveway. She took the keys out, remembering that Goebel had locked the front door. Normally, they parked in the back of their long drive and entered the house through the back door just like they’d done at Toots’s place.
Her hand trembled as she inserted the key into the lock. Why she felt so nervous was understandable, but it was so unlike her. She felt rushed, as though she needed to hurry and find out exactly what was going on in this house and with Ida. A sense of urgency coursed through her like a jolt of electricity.
Inside, the house seemed empty and dark. Lost, as though all the life once living inside had been extinguished like a flame. She stuffed the keys in her pocket, checked to make sure she had her cell phone, then headed upstairs.
As soon as she reached the top of the stairs a cold gust of air greeted her. She looked up, but there was no air-conditioning vent above her. Taking a deep breath, she proceeded to walk to the room that she called her séance room.
The door was closed, and that was unusual. Sophie always kept this door open because the room always smelled like mothballs to her. Goebel had tried to open the window once so she could air the room out, but the window would not budge. As far as they could tell, there was no reason for that either. Goebel had suggested breaking the glass, but Sophie wouldn’t allow him to. The window was original, and though its beveled glass made her a bit disoriented when she looked at it, she liked the added charm it gave the room.
Sophie reached for the doorknob but stopped. She felt a slight movement. She whirled around, but no one was there. Her heart rate increased, and she felt a bead of sweat forming above her mouth. “Who’s there?” She stared down the long hallway, hoping to catch a glimpse of something, anything that would explain the movement she’d felt, but there was nothing. Taking another deep breath, she put her hand on the doorknob and turned it. The door creaked open without any push from her. Weird, she thought as she stepped inside the room.
The odor of mothballs was thick, but there was something else. She inhaled, trying to pick up a scent the way a bloodhound would. Something familiar—a floral scent that she couldn’t name exactly could be sensed through the mothballs. It didn’t matter. She walked over to the chair she’d used when she held the séance the other night. Sitting down, she carefully placed her hands on the old wooden table, then closed her eyes.
Relax, she thought. I need to relax, to let
go of the fear. Inhaling, then slowly exhaling to try to calm her pounding heart, Sophie spoke, her words soft and still. Her séance voice.
She closed her eyes. “I can do this. I don’t know who you are, and I don’t know what happened to you.” She paused, allowing herself a few minutes to gather her thoughts. Remembering that Madam Butterfly always told her that when in doubt, she needed to be positive, she spoke again. “I’m here to help you. I mean you no harm.” The words she always used when trying to contact the other side.
Opening her eyes, Sophie searched the room around her. Nothing seemed out of place. The room was as it should be. Other than the door being shut and the cold air, she had not picked up any psychic vibes at all. Highly unusual for her. Again, she closed her eyes, thinking that this spirit, whatever it was, needed calm and quiet. She remained still for a few more minutes. Nothing.
Rubbing her hands across the old wooden table in hopes it would act as a conduit, as she believed, she began to speak. “Someone hurt you a very long time ago. You don’t know where you are. You are”—she paused—“caught.” Knowing she was on the right track encouraged her. “You’re stuck between worlds. There is no need to be afraid. When you enter the bright side, you will be whole again.”
Sophie felt a disturbance in the air. A shift. “Are you with me now?”
Unsure of what she expected, she closed her eyes again. Waiting for a sign, a movement, anything to let her know she wasn’t losing the spirit, she leaned back in the chair and relaxed. Maybe she was too uptight, trying too hard to focus. Maybe it just wasn’t the right time.
Ready to call it quits for the moment, Sophie stopped dead in her tracks when the door to the room slammed shut.
Chapter Thirteen
“You should have called first,” Toots said as she took Amy from
Abby. Her daughter adjusted Jonathan on her hip with one hand and slung the diaper bag over her shoulder with the other as she walked to the kitchen. “Mother, are you serious? I’ve never had to before. Why now?”
Toots chose not to answer Abby just yet. “Bernice, help me get the high chairs set up. The babies are here,” she called out. Bernice and Robert were on the veranda trying to decide on a wedding date. Goebel had wandered outside to check out her dying magnolia tree. For now, Toots, Abby, and the twins had the kitchen to themselves. Toots hoped that Sophie wouldn’t show up. She didn’t want to have to explain why Sophie had been in a house that was supposed to be poisoned with carbon monoxide. Hopefully, Abby wouldn’t ask where the godmother who was supposed to be living at Toots’s for a while was.
Holding hands like two teenagers in love, Bernice and Robert returned to the kitchen and set up the high chairs. Toots prayed they wouldn’t mention that Ida was upstairs. If Abby thought she was ill, she would want to check on her. And Toots could not let Abby upstairs. If anything, she needed to do something to get her out of the house. Sophie had warned her to keep the twins away from this . . . evil, and she would. She just had to figure out a way to get them out of the house without raising Abby’s suspicion. Abby’s reporter instincts were always there, just waiting to pounce on anything fishy. It was hard to pull anything over on her daughter, but she remembered she had kept her in the dark when she’d purchased the Informer. Unfortunately, motherhood had only increased Abby’s intuitive feel for what was happening around her.
“Mom?” Abby said. “Are you all right? Is there something going on that I should know about?”
Amy started crying, and Toots was thankful for small favors. “Ah, now look at Gramma.” Toots peered inside Amy’s mouth. “Oh goodness, Abby, have you seen this?”
“What?” Abby practically leapt across the kitchen.
“Amy has teeth, or at least she’s getting them,” Toots said.
“You scared me. For a minute I thought something was wrong. And to answer your question, of course I’ve seen her teeth. It’s what happens when they’re a year old. She is my daughter. Jonathan has them, too. Just not as many. See?” Abby held Jonathan’s mouth open for Toots to look at and admire his new teeth.
“This makes me sad, Abby. Very sad.”
“Mom! What is it with you today? You’re not acting like yourself at all. I think you’re up to something.”
Toots adjusted the high chair, placed Amy in the chair, then buckled her in. She took the matching high chair and placed it next to the other. “Bring Jonathan here.” Toots held her arms out for her adorable grandson. She kissed his soft little neck, and he giggled. “This one is going to be a lady-killer for sure.” After she finished securing Jonathan in the seat, Toots asked Abby, “Can I give them a treat?”
Abby plopped down in a chair. “Sure, as long as it’s not laced with sugar. What do you have?”
“I have some of those baby things they chew on. They look like dog bones. I hope they taste better than they look. Let me get them.” Toots hurried to the pantry in search of the baby bones. That’s what she was going to call them. “These.” She held out the box for Abby’s inspection.
“Those are fine, we have them at home. They’re very messy though,” she added.
“I don’t care, as long as they enjoy them.”
Toots positioned her chair so she could watch the twins and keep an eye on the stairs. If Ida decided to make a trip downstairs, she would be there to guide her right back up. She’d worry about an explanation when and if. For now, though, she really did want to admire her beautiful grandchildren.
“Tell me, what’s making you sad?” Abby asked.
“Oh, I meant the babies and their teeth. It’s just another sign they’re growing up. Before you know it, they’ll be in school, then they’ll want to drive. I’m sure they’ll both be highly pursued by members of the opposite sex. It’s only natural—just look at them. I do believe they are the most perfect babies I’ve ever seen. Except for you, Abby. I spent days and weeks after giving birth to you looking for something, anything that marred what your father and I knew was complete perfection. To this very day I am happy to announce I still haven’t found a thing.” Toots smiled at her daughter. Abby was almost perfect. At least to her.
“Aw, that is so sweet of you to say. Why do I think you’re trying to butter me up? Are you keeping secrets again?” Abby went to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water. Bernice came up behind her, having left Robert out by himself on the veranda. “Darn! You scared me,” Abby said, then gave Bernice a hug.
“How’ve you been?” Abby asked. “Mom said you were here. Sit.” She pointed to the two chairs across from her.
“Not until I give this little king and queen a kiss.” Bernice kissed both babies on the top of their heads. “They’re growing like weeds, Abby. Before you know it, they’ll be in college and having babies of their own. Time is moving too fast these days.”
“I hope they do it in a different order. Maybe college, then marriage, then babies”—Abby laughed—“but if they choose to do it the other way, Chris and I would be okay with that, too,” she added.
“Have you put their names on any of the lists for private schools? Some parents do that even before they have their children.”
“Mom! I think you’re losing it. To answer your question, no. I haven’t even thought about sending them to private school or public school. I want to enjoy them every minute I can. Like you said, they’re growing up so fast. They’ll be on their own, and I will be the saddest mom in the world.”
“Don’t think you’ve got the take on sadness. The day you left for college, it took me exactly three weeks to stop crying. I even cried in my sleep—right, Bernice?” Toots asked.
Bernice rolled her eyes. “I do recall you bawling a lot, but I don’t think it was three weeks. I can almost guarantee that I would’ve strangled you by then. Though you were not happy; none of us were. It was so lonely without Abby around.”
“Stop it, you two! This is the happiest time of my life. I want to share it with you. And for the record, I’ve been thinking about hom
eschooling.”
“I thought you said you didn’t want to think about that now. Abby Clay, I do believe you’ve told me a fib.”
“Yeah, right. And you never have, right? What about the Informer?”
Toots went to the sink, grabbed a paper towel, and ran it under lukewarm water. She waited for the twins to finish their bones, then began wiping the mess from their pudgy little hands. “Let’s not talk about that now, okay? Homeschooling, don’t you think that would be a bit hard to do?”
“Yes and no. I thought maybe Chris and I could either take turns, or we could hire a teacher to come to the house. Isn’t that the way they used to do things in the old days, Mom?” Abby teased. “Back when you and my godmothers were growing up?”
“Yes, but not in our old days. We all went to Catholic school—Bishop Verot, as I am sure you remember from all the stories you’ve heard about it.”
Goebel chose that moment to come in through the back door. “That old magnolia tree looks like it’s on its last legs, but I’m certainly no expert. I have a guy I met at the nursery, he calls himself the tree whisperer. Says he can revive any tree. I could give him a call if you’d like.” Goebel washed his hands at the sink, then made his way over to the twins.
“Yes, call him. That tree is as old as this house. I believe it was planted by the original owners. It would be a shame not to try to save it.”
He spent a few minutes making faces and tickling the twins, then seemed to realize what that implied, with Ida upstairs. Toots gave him the don’t-say-a-word look.
“I’ll call him now. I saved his number in my cell phone. Better yet, I’ll take a picture and send it to him so he’ll have an idea what I’m talking about. Good seeing you, Abby, and those two little stinkers.”
“Later,” Abby said, and waved goodbye.
For some reason seeing their mother wave her hand in the air made the twins giggle. “Oh, you two are little rascals, you know that?” Abby took a package of baby wipes from the diaper bag and wiped their faces.
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