“Okay, but if you need anything…”
“I’ll call. Thanks, Steve.”
Both men shook hands and a deafening screech could be heard coming from the pines.
Steve said, “I think I believe you.”
* * *
Annamarie waved to Steve and Deb when they left and walked back to where Sam was burying the last of the fish. She had brought a bottle of holy water with her, which she kept in the house.
“Do you think sprinkling it will help?”
“It should ward off evil and Daniel is evil.”
Annamarie sprinkled the entire concrete slab and sprinkled each mound of dirt where Sam had buried the fish.
“It should keep Daniel from digging up the fish and throwing more fish from the river or anything else onto the slab.” She poured more into the indentation left on the slab. “This should also keep Garret away and once you fill it in, I think they’ll leave the slab alone and we can ignore it. If I could remove this entire area from the property, I would.” She folded her arms, surveying the frightening scene.
“Even if it doesn’t help, Daniel knows he has a battle on his hands and you’re not going to go away quietly.”
“No way. This is my home. If he wants a battle, I’m ready to face him. I’m not afraid.”
Chapter Seventeen – Alliances
The following morning, George stopped to visit Lena at Paula’s.
“Gampa, Gampa,” said Lena. She looked out the window. “Where’s Gamma?”
“She couldn’t come today. She’ll see you soon.”
“Okay.” Lena went back to arranging furniture in her dollhouse.
George said, “Paula, I wish Annamarie and Maureen could come to some sort of arrangement. Maureen has truly changed and I doubt she’ll ever try to take Lena away again. The black spot on her brain has shrunk smaller than it has ever been. She feels wonderful and is convinced it’s because she’s staying away from Lena. For some reason, she’s afraid of Annamarie.”
“That’s nonsense. Why would she be afraid of Annamarie? The last time they saw each other was when she and Lena visited Maureen. I thought Maureen was doing well. Where are my manners, would you like a cup of coffee?”
“I’d love one, thanks. Yes, she was in high spirits after their visit. She said she was well and would stay well as long as she didn’t upset Annamarie. I blamed the medication she was taking, but she still feels the same way.”
“Hmm.” Paula put her cup down. “I can put an end to this nonsense right now.”
She picked up the phone to call Annamarie.
“Hi, yes, Lena is fine, but George is here. He said Maureen would love to see Lena, but Maureen’s afraid of you. She thinks she’ll get sick again. This has to stop. Lena was looking for Maureen this morning. I would like to invite her to lunch. Would you object? You don’t need to be here.”
Annamarie thought for a minute and decided an alliance with Maureen might be a good thing.
“Okay, you can invite her to lunch. I was thinking we need to put the past behind us. I won’t mind and maybe we can work up to Lena staying with them for a weekend, but if she ever tries to take Lena again, I’ll get a restraining order. I swear I will.”
“Wonderful,” said Paula, ignoring the remark about a restraining order. “I’ll call Maureen and invite her for lunch today. George is here; they can both stay.”
“Okay, Mom. I trust you on this. Love you.””
Annamarie hung up the phone and leaned back in the leather desk chair. “Maybe,” she muttered softly, “with Maureen on my side, Daniel will stay away. If Maureen tries anything else, she knows what’ll happen.”
She smiled and walked to the kitchen to find Elaine and have some tea.
* * *
Paula called later in the afternoon and said everything went well with Maureen’s visit. She brought Lena a bear nearly as tall as she was and Lena is calling him “Taddy Bear.” Not a word was said about Lena being with Maureen. Maureen didn’t ask to take her home for a visit. Her only request was if she could visit Lena at Paula’s again.
“She loves Lena with all her heart and soul and Lena loves her. You can’t keep them apart.”
“I won’t,” Annamarie sighed. “I don’t fully trust Maureen, but I want Lena to be happy.”
“Wonderful. I invited Maureen back for lunch on Friday and I want you to be here. You need to be a united family for Lena.”
Annamarie rolled her eyes and shook her head, but agreed.
“I’ll see you early on Friday. Lena and I can have some time together before Maureen arrives,” said Annamarie.
“Wonderful,” said Paula and hung up the phone.
Annamarie nearly threw the phone onto the cradle, but took a deep breath and decided she needed to try for Lena’s sake.
* * *
Friday morning arrived quickly and after Annamarie kissed Sam goodbye, she reluctantly dressed for her day, which included lunch with Maureen.
She had a delightful morning with Lena and her mom, but her heart sank when she heard the doorbell ring. She would have to work hard at hiding her feelings for Maureen.
Maureen entered carrying a plate of chocolate cupcakes—Lena’s favorite—a doll with curly brown hair, and a bouquet of flowers. She handed the flowers to Annamarie.
“I hope we can begin to mend our relationship.”
“I’ll try,” Annamarie said. “Thanks for the flowers.” She went to the kitchen to find a vase.
Lena was busily playing with her new doll and Maureen followed Paula into the kitchen. Annamarie’s and Maureen’s conversation was strained and Paula did her best to keep it friendly. They enjoyed lunch. It was hard to disagree watching and listening to Lena babble about everything and consume a chocolate cupcake in record time, leaving most in her hair and on her cheeks. Maureen and Annamarie found themselves laughing together.
Maureen began to wash the excess chocolate from Lena’s face when Lena’s face turned serious.
“What’s wrong? Do you feel ill?”
“No, Gamma, you have an owie.” She touched Maureen’s forehead.
“Yes, I do, but it’s getting better.”
Lena clapped her hands and said, “No, Gamma, it’s all gone now.”
Annamarie looked at Paula and shrugged.
“What a sweet child you are.” Maureen kissed and hugged Lena.
Maureen enjoyed a cup of coffee and said she had to be going. Lena hugged her and Annamarie forced herself to hug her even though she dreaded the moment.
After she left, Paula asked Annamarie if she thought Lena could heal Maureen. She still had her doubts about Delores.
“I’m as confused as you are about this, Mom. I think time will tell. If Maureen gets sick again, we’ll know.”
“You’re probably right,” Paula said while she cleaned the lunch dishes and wiped the counters.
“I should be going, Mom. I have some errands to do. Lena seems to be doing well here and I think we’ll take her home Sunday after church. If things get bad, I may bring her back or give up the house and move. Let the city have it. Lena is my most important concern.”
“Will you be able to afford it?”
“Remember, Mom, I have the bond money. Sam makes a good living and we could buy another house. We need to be safe and happy. We can live in a smaller house. Having each other is what’s important.”
“You’re right. Have a nice day, dear, and we’ll see you at church on Sunday.”
“Bye, Mom, bye, Lena. Do I get a hug?”
Lena ran across the room and leaped into her mother’s arms. They hugged tightly and when Annamarie set her down, Lena ran back to her dollhouse. Annamarie waved at Paula.
“Keep the flowers, Mom.”
Paula nodded and laughed. She was happy Annamarie accepted the flowers. She had doubted she’d take them home.
* * *
Sam arrived home a little early and surprised Annamarie and Elaine in the kitchen.
> “It’s Friday night, so I thought we’d go out. If you don’t want to there’s a casserole in the freezer we can heat up,” said Annamarie.
“After this week, I think we can use some quiet time out.” He left to change. Annamarie told Elaine she could have the weekend off.
“Sam is off tomorrow and we’re spending most of the day at my parents on Sunday. You can come back Monday morning.”
Elaine was excited about a weekend off. “I think I’ll visit my sister in Oaklin. It’ll be a fun visit.”
Annamarie locked the door behind Elaine and then ran up the stairs to find Sam. He was coming out of the shower.
Annamarie threw her hand in front of her eyes.
“What, my wife shy? You’ve seen me naked.”
“I know. That’s what worries me. If I look, we might not make it to supper.”
He dropped the towel, grabbed her in a bear hug, lifting her off the floor, kissed her, set her down, smiled, and turned to get dressed.
“I’ll get you for this.”
“I can only hope.”
At supper, Sam told Annamarie that Steve stopped by the garage during lunch and they had a good talk. Sam let Steve know what was going on. Steve was concerned about Deb if she visited. Sam assured him that she would be safe, but he did bring up the other things going on.
“Steve told me Daniel always believed in the spirit world and if there is one, he wouldn’t be surprised Daniel’s part of it. He said he would help us any way he could as a deputy and a civilian. If we need help, we should call. We shook hands on it. I feel I can trust Steve and we could have a strong alliance.”
“I’m sure you will. Steve’s true to his word. He always has been even before Daniel died. They were close friends until Steve became a deputy, and Daniel, Bulk, and Garret broke the law whenever they could get away with it.”
“When we have a plan, we have a lot of help. The house and Lena are safe. Magdalena and Josef said they will stop Daniel, Garret, and the madman. Didn’t you ever learn his name? I know there is power in knowing the name of a spirit.”
“Where did you learn that?”
“I don’t know. I woke yesterday morning and I knew. Perhaps I had a dream. I do have quite a lot of them and always learn something, usually from Josef. I think he likes me.”
“He’s my great-grandfather. I wouldn’t want to be you if he didn’t.”
They shared a laugh and Sam told Annamarie he missed her laughter. They needed to bring happiness back in their lives and rid their lives of Daniel and his friends.
Annamarie said, “The sheriff would know his name, but I don’t want to ask him and bring up the past. I’m sure Steve could find out.”
* * *
Maureen was having a wonderful weekend. She woke Saturday morning feeling better than she had in months, maybe years.
“George, dear, I think seeing Lena was the best medicine I could have received. I feel wonderful. I think Annamarie and I may be making strides toward getting close again.”
She never told him about Annamarie’s threats in the hospital. She no longer felt the fear or that Annamarie was a threat. Life was wonderful.
“That’s nice to hear. I hope it continues and perhaps they might come to supper again some Sunday. You could invite Paula and Theo and then perhaps another Sunday Annamarie and Lena might come. I heard Carl and Bonnie will be back from San Diego next week. We could invite them all.”
“It’s a lovely idea. We could host a nice welcome home for them and invite Bonnie’s dad. Annamarie might want to come then and bring Lena. Oh, and Sam, too.”
“Let’s make plans to do it in a few weeks. It’ll give you and Annamarie time to mend feelings and if we invite Paula and Theo first, they may help break the ice.”
“You’re a genius.” She kissed him on the cheek and he pulled her down on his lap.
He kissed her again and whispered, “Let’s go back to bed. I can’t remember the last time we made love on a Saturday morning.”
Maureen smiled and followed George to the bedroom.
* * *
Sam and Annamarie slept late. The house was quiet. Usually Elaine could be heard making breakfast and Lena would be running through the house singing.
He rolled over and kissed her. She responded. Making love seemed to be on the morning menu in Timmus Woods.
Sam and Annamarie were disturbed by a loud knocking at the front door.
“I’ll go,” said Sam.
A few moments later, Sam called upstairs and asked Annamarie to come down. She hurried down to see her mom in the parlor, holding Lena.
“Mom, is something wrong with Lena? She was going to stay with you until tomorrow.”
“Lena’s fine and I’ll take her home again. We’re enjoying her so much, but there’s something you need to see. Show Mommy your present, Lena.” Paula set her down.
Lena ran to Annamarie and said, “Look, Mommy, I have a present from Gamma Lena. It’s so pretty.”
Annamarie looked at the fine link gold necklace around Lena’s neck, with its bright purple stone surrounded by gold filigree. She looked at her mom and asked, “Are you sure she didn’t find it somewhere?”
“Take a close look at it. The chain doesn’t have a clasp and it isn’t big enough to pull over her head. I don’t know how she would have put it on. She was wearing it when she woke up this morning. Feel the stone.”
Annamarie held the stone in her fingers and said, “It’s warm. Warmer than Lena’s skin could make it.”
“I know and I thought she’d done something to it. I took a cloth, wet it with cold water, and held it against the stone, thinking it would cool off. I could feel its warmth through the cold cloth. It has remained warm since.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” said Sam.
Lena stood in the parlor with her hands on her hips, looking at them. “Don’t you know it’s magic? Gamma Lena said it’s old magic and now it’s mine for always.”
“Old magic? Mom, what’s going on here?”
Paula said, “I don’t know. That’s why I brought her here. I thought you might know since you dream about Magdalena.”
“I don’t dream often--only if there’s trouble. This doesn’t appear as trouble. It’s more like a protective amulet. I’ve read about them in books.”
“Books? This is my granddaughter we’re talking about. I don’t care about stories in books. Your dad tried to cut it off with his wire cutters and they didn’t leave a mark. It’s on her for good.”
“I know, Mom, but I don’t have any ideas.”
Sam said, “Maybe our book has an answer.”
Sam left to get the book that he and Annamarie had found in the old bookstore while Annamarie explained to her mom about their supper out and the discovery of the book store. Paula looked skeptical.
Sam slowly walked back into the room, thumbing through the book. “Hmmm, there’s a section about the power of magical things. It lists coins, medallions, rings, swords, stones, and other miscellaneous items. Nearly everything could have a magic spell placed on it. Nothing particular about bright purple stones, but each magical item carries its own special powers. Maybe we have to figure it out ourselves.”
Lena said, “It’s mine and now I’m magic, too. Gamma Lena said I can do more than make the sparkles with my fingers. She’s going to show me.”
Annamarie dropped onto the sofa and said, “What do we do? Lena can see and talk to Magdalena. They can talk anytime and if Magdalena’s going to teach Lena what the stone can do, we can’t stop her. I don’t think we should try. She’s keeping Lena safe.”
Paula said, “I’ll take her home and you can come by tomorrow after church for lunch and take her home. Maybe away from the house, she’ll forget about it a bit. I still wish I knew how she got it.”
“Gamma Lena gave it to me. It’s magic and I can wear it always. I told you.” Lena was beginning to sound irritated by the conversation going on around her.
“C’m
on Lena, let’s go. Say bye to Mommy and Sam.”
Lena hugged Annamarie and Sam. Annamarie could feel the warmth of the stone against her neck when Lena snuggled close.
“If it keeps her safe, let it be for now.” She put Lena down and Lena left with Paula.
Sam said, “There’s more about the strength and power of the magic items, but your mom looked a bit nervous. I didn’t want to say anything.”
“Now what?” Annamarie asked.
“Nothing bad, it explains how these magical items are passed from family to family or given as gifts for feats of heroism. When they are stolen, they usually cause the thief problems. I think Magdalena gave it to Lena because it’s a family heirloom of some sort.”
“Most families pass on cameos or tea sets; mine passes on magic amulets. Magdalena and Lena are getting closer. I think this gift is meant to bond them more.”
“It could be, but whatever keeps Lena safe is worth it,” said Sam, setting the book on the chair side table.
Annamarie nodded.
* * *
Maureen was singing and humming while she worked on paperwork in her office. She and George were closer than ever. Her heart still ached for Daniel. She doubted she’d ever get through a day without thinking about him and feeling the empty spot in her heart, but seeing Lena helped. Her hopes were raised that Annamarie would trust her again and their relationship could be mended. Maureen was beginning to find happiness in her life again.
* * *
Annamarie heard the music before she saw the firelight. Magdalena sat on a barrel, swaying to the music. She looked up and saw Annamarie.
“Come, my child, sit. I can tell you are worried.”
“I am. I don’t understand why you gave Lena the necklace.”
“It is a family heirloom, possessing much magic. Lena is the first one in the family with the ability to use and control it, in many centuries. The amulet will remain on her neck forever or as long as she wishes it. The chain will grow with her and no one will be able to remove it without her giving consent.”
“Why Lena? What makes her so special?”
Annamarie and Magdalena (Gypsy Spirits Book 2) Page 24