by Susan Conley
“I’ll sit with him,” Janice offered.
“No, you go and sit with Adrian. He needs cheering up.”
Janice cast a glance over her shoulder to the doorway where Adrian lounged. He certainly didn’t seem as if he needed cheering up. He was watching the proceedings with his usual disinterested expression.
Reluctantly, Janice crossed the carpet. As she passed Adrian, she had the uncanny feeling she was going to be the one to need cheering up. By the look on his face, the next few minutes would not be pleasant. At least not for her. Behind her, she heard movement and knew he had hoisted himself from the doorframe. She quickened her steps.
Heading for the ottoman by the sofa, Janice reminded herself she could be very persistent when she chose and she had no intention of letting Adrian browbeat her into submission. She sank to the ottoman only to find her wrist snatched roughly and her body propelled back up and pushed toward the outside hallway.
“We can talk out in the hall,” Adrian stated.
They were out the door in seconds with Janice barely remembering how they got there. He was being polite, she noted, extremely polite. Intuitively, she sensed Adrian was at his deadliest when being extremely polite. What was she in for?
Stepping onto the corridor landing, Janice heard the door slam closed behind them. Deep inside, she heard a similar slam, as if the door to her heart had suddenly shut, too. She began shoring up her reasoning for the battle to come. What argument could she offer Adrian to make him see the sense in separating from the others?
Studiously, Janice looked out over the banister to the floor three stories below. The distance between hers and Adrian’s hearts was as far from where she stood to the ground floor below. How could she ever hope to win Adrian over when he so plainly refused to like her?
Beside her, Janice heard a cough and knew Adrian’s patience was wearing thin. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him begin to pace the corridor. He strode away, past pewter candlesticks and back again. He repeated the pattern a second time, his rapid pacing that of a caged animal, anxious for release. Yes, he resembled an animal ready to pounce while she was a coiled spring ready to snap. She withdrew her gaze from Adrian and searched the ceiling overhead again.
“Where do you suppose the mist will strike from next?” she asked, finally breaking the silence. Adrian halted his stride and gave her a dismissive shrug.
“It won’t for a while. We aren’t stressed enough yet. It’ll give us plenty of time to imagine the worst. It wants us to anticipate our downfall.”
“I understand the cloud’s behavior,” Janice stated. “As you say, the longer it stays away, the more effective its power over us. But what holds Lisette at bay? She knows I’m willing to help her.”
Adrian stopped pacing and perched his bottom on the banister rail. He hooked one leg around a brass pole to hold his balance. His countenance turned thoughtful before he announced brusquely:
“Fear.”
“Of her soul being snatched from her?” Janice saw Adrian’s nod. “No, I can’t buy that. It’s against all the principles I know to be true about the other side. Something else keeps her away.”
“Release of her soul is a pretty powerful hunger. Don’t underestimate it or her. In her own way, she’s as dangerous as the sparkling lights. It would be a good idea for you to remember that.”
Janice swung about, reflecting on Adrian’s remark. Lisette did have a powerful motive, she wasn’t denying that. So why lay back? What was Lisette really waiting for? Approval! The word flashed into Janice’s mind and her heart leapt in surprise. Yes, that was it. She was waiting for approval. Not hers but Adrian’s approval. She wondered why she hadn’t thought of it before. Swinging back to Adrian, Janice couldn’t keep the eagerness from her tone.
“She’s waiting for you, Adrian. She knows you’re reluctant to help me. Until you agree, she’ll stay away.”
“She’ll have a long wait,” Adrian stated. “I have no intention of making love to you to get us out of here.”
Two hours ago, Adrian’s pronouncement would have thrilled her, but at the moment she found it disconcerting. Quite suddenly, she wondered what she had done to make Adrian change his mind. Muriel had been so sure that Adrian was attracted to her, she had let herself believe it too. Had Muriel been mistaken?
Janice quieted her racing thoughts. Who cared what Adrian thought? You do, her pride nagged stubbornly. Her marriage to Jimmy taught her that men never refused an offer of free sex, so why was Adrian turning her down?
When no satisfying answer came, Janice let the small of her back rest gently against the banister. She began to chew on her lower lip. She stole a peek at him out of the corner of her eye. Like her moments earlier, he was studying the ground floor below showing the same thoughtful intensity. She looked away. Why didn’t Adrian want to make love to her anymore?
“Janice?” He snapped his fingers to catch her eye. She picked up the threads of conversation instantly.
“I don’t know why I’m surprised. Muriel did warn me you would refuse.”
“How could you think I’d agree?” Adrian asked. He shifted his torso as if to relieve a knotted kink.
“I guess I thought you of all people would see the sense of it,” Janice replied.
“Sense! Where’s the sense of putting our minds purposely in danger?” As if shot from a cannon, Adrian hopped from the banister, sliding past Janice to an alcove surmounted with a huge Georgian shell. He fingered the shell absently. “If you were so eager for me to put my life in danger, why couldn’t you ask me first instead of going to Muriel? You’ve worried her unnecessarily.”
“I knew you wouldn’t agree if I asked you myself,” Janice argued. Foolishly, she found herself staring at the edges of the brass rail instead of Adrian. She began to finger it. “You’ve been as nasty as you can be to me. And all because of an image in your head. Though I didn’t put it there, you blame me for it. I went to Muriel because I thought she could accomplish what I never would. You seem so genuinely fond of her.”
“I am. And because I am, I don’t upset her needlessly.”
Janice flushed, hearing the censure in Adrian’s remark. Blast it! Why did he have to be right? She had been extremely inconsiderate of Muriel but it was just as rude of him to point it out. What did they do now? She stopped fingering the banister, coloring even more fiercely. She lifted her gaze and caught Adrian’s eye.
“I was wrong. I see it now. I’m sorry, Adrian. Fool that I am, I believed that you wanted this nightmare to end, too.”
“I do want it to end. Apparently more than you do.”
“How can you say that? I have a child waiting for me at home and the thought of never seeing her again hurts so much that I am willing to risk my sanity to get home to her.” Janice pushed her point. “If we separate from the others, you know the ghosts will follow, Adrian.”
“You’re damn right they will and so will our murderous friend. What’s to keep it from possessing one of us?”
“Lisette will.”
Intense astonishment stained Adrian’s face and Janice knew her words had floored him. Not to her surprise, he stopped fingering the shell and riffled his hair in exasperation.
“How can you stand there and tell me you’re putting your faith in a ghost who not more than a few hours ago displaced your mind and abused your body?”
“I don’t know but I am.”
Adrian’s fingers trailed down his temple.
“You’re nuts, you know that? As crazy as Marks in there.”
“Why? Because I’m willing to end this madness right now and you aren’t?”
“No. Because you’re willing to end it by giving yourself over to Lisette and the baron without a fight. And you expect me to do the same.”
“I don’t expect you to go willingly, Adrian.”
“That’s a relief. You’re not a total airhead!”
Janice shot up from the banister with an annoyed hiss. Why had Adrian’s jaded wit chosen this moment to resurface?
“You can’t fight off the baron, Adrian,” she snapped.
“I won’t know until I try. And neither will you.” He advanced a few steps toward her and Janice saw his hands arc through the air in emphasis. “We have the ship’s log and Lisette’s diary. They contain all we need to get out of here.”
Janice’s disdain turned quickly to exasperation. Was she the only one with any brains left between the two of them? Couldn’t he see they wouldn’t have time to decipher the logs? She took a deep breath, hoping to disguise her irritation long enough to reason sensibly with him.
“I don’t believe we’ll be allowed the time to decipher the logs. If we piece together the events in their correct sequence, we will have identified Lisette’s murderer. Knowing that, we will have the power to release her soul. The cloud isn’t going to let us get that far. No … ” Janice added, with a slight smile of defiance. “We’ve reached a dead-end here. What’s it going to take to make you see that? When Muriel’s mind is spun around like Lloyd’s? Or Jasper’s? And Ginger … ” Janice broke off, stepping forward. “Change your mind, Adrian, please! How can either of us be so selfish as to leave Ginger like that? Let’s separate from the others and save them. Let’s face the ghosts one on one. If we don’t, the others will be shut down and in the end, we will still face the ghosts one on one.”
She paused to catch her breath and Adrian seized the moment to comment brusquely.
“Suppose we both blackout and only one of us wakes up? Have you ever thought of that?”
Janice disguised her unease. She had thought of that. In fact, she thought the possibility was quite likely. But if she admitted as much to Adrian, he would never agree to help her. Mulishly, she remained silent, withstanding Adrian’s penetrating gaze without dropping her own.
“Has it ever occurred to you that we could both blackout and neither of us wakes up?” Adrian persisted.
Janice swung about, glancing back across the space to the red glow silhouetted in the stained glass panel. Death! At the word, a memory ruffled through her mind like wind on water and Janice deliberately let her mind run backward. A name lingered around the edges of her mind.
“For days after my sister Anna died, I had recurring visions of her standing at the edge of a lake. She was healthy and whole, no sign of the muscular dystrophy that had ravaged her body since birth. She stood waving at me … ” Janice felt the familiar prickle of tears. She swung around to find Adrian’s face a misty blur. “I wonder if you can imagine it. Anna standing. Anna who had never experienced a day without Mama forcing her little legs to try harder. Anna who only saw the world through a bedroom window. She was standing, Adrian. And each night in the vision she waved to me. And each night she was farther away from the edge of the lake and harder for me to see. I may have been only six years old but I suddenly knew what complete happiness was. I understood that in death Anna was free from pain and joyously happy. And she wanted me to know it.”
Janice felt her throat constrict and her gaze miraculously cleared, locking with Adrian’s. “A moment ago you wondered how I could conceive of putting my faith in a ghost. Anna’s the reason why. Anna’s soul was freed from physical torment and it was blissfully free to move on. Lisette seeks that same bliss, nothing more. And I don’t have the courage to deny her that. If our positions were reversed, she’d sacrifice herself willingly for me. I have to do the same. If I don’t, it would be as if I were betraying Anna somehow. Can you understand that?” Janice felt a hot tear slip down her cheek and swiped at it hastily. “Damn! I wish I wouldn’t cry when talking about Anna. It’s such a childish thing to do!” She whirled around, offering Adrian her back. It was bad enough when she cried in front of Bibi, but to cry in front of a man she hardly knew was just plain ridiculous. Quite suddenly, she felt a presence at her back and Adrian’s voice was oddly gentle as he echoed her own longings.
“If I agree to separate from the others, you must promise me that if there is another way out of this nightmare beyond the physical, you’ll take it.”
Janice whirled about, a smile breaking across her mouth.
“I’ll take it,” she promised. “Besides, I can’t imagine you want to make love with me anymore that I want to with you.”
“You underestimate your beauty, Janice. You really do.”
“Beauty?” Janice stuttered in surprise.
“Don’t fish for compliments! I know you own a mirror.” He pushed her toward the closed door. “And right now, your coyness is as scary as changing a flat tire on a congested freeway.”
“And obviously as popular as a tax increase.”
The tip of her shoulder was pushed roughly again.
“You’re giving me a King Kong headache, Miss Kelly. Open the door!”
Janice did as she was ordered, grasping the doorknob and pressing the door with her fingertips. When it refused to open, she jiggled the handle harder.
“It’s stuck.” She smacked the panel.
Strong hands thrust her roughly aside.
“Get out of the way.” Gripping the door handle, Adrian heaved his shoulder against the wood. A seam cracked, but the door remained tightly wedged. “Son of a bitch!”
Above her head, Janice felt the air stir and the hairs on the back of her neck felt the light prickle. Instant panic seized her and she muttered in Adrian’s ear.
“The door, Adrian! We’ve got to get inside. Hurry!”
Adrian slammed his shoulder against the door more forcefully but even though the seam cracked, adding a second stitch, the door held its placement. Tucking herself into the doorframe, Janice began to pound on the wood.
“Muriel! Jasper! Open the door!”
“Save your breath,” Adrian cautioned, stepping back in a hurry. He captured Janice’s hand and she realized he was experiencing a new stirring. Looking up, they both studied the cathedral ceiling overhead.
“Which one is it?” Janice asked. “Can you tell?” His guess never materialized as above their heads a purple flash ignited. “Oh, shit!”
“Right,” Adrian drawled quickly.
Jerking Janice forward, he bolted for the stairs, ignoring her pained yelp as he accidentally twisted her wrist. Before she knew it, they were barreling down the staircase like frenzied rabbits fleeing a pack of hungry foxes. Tripping onto the second level stairwell landing, Janice had no idea where they were heading. And at the moment, where didn’t matter. They had to find shelter. Lisette’s murderer was coming for them. She could tell by the smell and the ruptured hiss trailing down the staircase behind them.
Chapter 20
SATURDAY — 4:40 AM
Footsteps clattering down first one flight, then a second, Adrian could only hope that Janice was hot on his heels. He didn’t dare take time to look for her over his shoulder. They had to get away as far and as fast as they could from the roaring din swirling about their heads. Myriad garbled sounds, voices, murmurs, and poppings were thrumming like pigeon’s feet on a roof and each second that passed, the din grew louder and closer to them.
As if in a foot race, Adrian increased his pace down the stairs, taking the last two steps to the main floor in one jump. When sure of his footing, he twisted around in search of Janice only to find himself slammed back hard as she barreled into his chest, arms flailing. Thinking fast, he managed to lock his knees and capture her waist, miraculously keeping them both from crashing to the floor.
“Which way?” she gasped, clutching his shirt front with knotted fingers.
Adrian spun her around and shoved her toward the arched columns a few yards ahead of them.
“The back staircase,” he muttered between a labored gasp.
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She whirled back around, eyes wide as saucers. From the look of alarm permeating her face, Adrian knew she hated the thought of thundering down another set of staircases. Her legs probably felt as bad as his, the leg muscles cramping from the sudden, fevered use. Still, he hardened his heart. They had only one option — to keep moving until they could find a safe hiding place.
Snatching her hand, he bolted down the corridor and shot through the columns only to skid to a halt as disjointed sounds and strangled groans began to mewl and wail in the distance ahead. Out of the sounds, Adrian saw the showering sparkle of purple lights.
“Wily bastard,” he snarled. He gave a quick glance left and right, searching for any feasible bypass they could use to outfox the lights. Finding none, he whirled, hauling Janice back through the columns and into the front hall of the house again.
Reaching the southern staircase, the pair began a rapid climb back the way they had come. Hitting the second level, Adrian veered off sharply, racing down a side corridor and into the back part of the chateau. The yammering mewls were muffled from their hearing and Adrian wished he had the breath to waste on a hearty thank you. But he couldn’t. They had to take advantage of their good fortune by continuing to distance themselves from the lower levels.
Once again, Adrian veered off sharply, ducking into yet another side corridor and new staircase. Reaching it, he started up, taking the steps two at a time. For two levels, he felt Janice shadowing him closely and then her foot must have miscalculated a step because he heard her stumble. Stopping dead in his tracks, he whirled, hoping to right her before she crashed into the banister. Miraculously, she regained her footing without his help and flashed past him, on up the staircase to the next level. Adrian overtook her at the top and began to rush them down a corridor back to the front of the house. In tune again, they tore through the second floor corridor, past the solarium into the connecting hallway. Adrian could only hope their erratic dash had confused their tracker. Jesus, forget their tracker. He was confused. He had no earthly idea where they were or where they were headed.