by Jana DeLeon
“What happened, exactly?” he asked, trying to get his focus back on track.
“I woke up...and the room was dark. I’d fallen asleep with the lamp on, so I figured the power was out. I turned on the flashlight so that I could see to light the lantern and that’s when I saw him.”
“Did you recognize him?”
She shook her head. “He was wearing a black mask. When I screamed, he vaulted over the railing.”
“Was he trying to get in the room?”
Her eyes widened. “I don’t know. I guess that makes sense, right?”
“But you didn’t hear anything?”
“No. I think that’s why it was such a shock when I saw him. Is it important that I didn’t hear anything?”
He shrugged. “I’m just trying to figure out what woke you up at three a.m. and bothered you enough that you wanted to turn on the lantern.”
“I...I don’t know. I’d fallen asleep with the lamp on, but when I woke up, it was so dark...” She rubbed the towel across her already dry face and looked down at the floor.
“Yeah, that’s what you said.” Tyler would bet anything he had that she was lying. But why? What did she have to gain from keeping things from him when his only objective was to protect her?
“Are you sure that’s all?” Tyler asked. “Because you don’t strike me as the kind of woman who is afraid of the dark.”
She looked back up at him and he could see the hesitation in her eyes.
“I can’t do my job effectively,” he said, “if I don’t have all the facts.”
She shook her head. “You’ll think I’m crazy.”
“Trust me, after everything my dad’s told me, I will not think you’re crazy. There’s an explanation for everything happening in this house. We just have to find it.”
He hadn’t convinced her completely, which made him even more curious as to what she was hiding. She pulled at the bottom of her T-shirt for a couple of seconds, then finally sighed.
“I’ll tell you, but can we make some coffee and change clothes first? I’m not going to be able to go back to sleep and I want to make sure my head is straight before I try to explain it to you.”
“Sure,” he said. “You go ahead and change. I’ll put the coffee on.”
He watched her as she trailed out of the kitchen, wondering if whatever had awakened her tonight was the same thing that had scared her in the hallway the night before. Either way, he planned on pushing that issue, as well.
Now was not the time for secrets.
* * *
JOELLE SNAGGED A dry shirt and a sports bra and hurried back to the bathroom. She’d pulled her long hair back in a ponytail before she’d headed to bed, but she released it now so that the thin sheen of rain that covered it would dry more quickly. As she reached for the hem of her T-shirt, she glanced in the mirror and groaned. The thin white cotton was just damp enough to be completely sheer. She may as well have been standing shirtless in the kitchen.
This is what you get for taking off the sports bra.
She tugged off the damp garment and wiped her body with the towel to remove any remaining moisture. It wasn’t enough that she had to go downstairs and tell Tyler she’d seen a ghost—who’d talked to her, no less. But she had to do so with the knowledge that he’d seen half of her practically naked.
Pulling her bra and dry shirt over her head, she marveled at his self-control. He’d never given any indication that she was essentially half-clad. Not a single flicker, wide eye or half smile. He either had the self-control of an android or he wasn’t interested in what he’d seen.
She took another critical look at herself. Considering she was being stalked and haunted and had just learned her mother’s body was missing from her grave, she thought she looked pretty good. Her body was a combination of Alaina and Danae. She’d gotten Alaina’s height and Danae’s curves. It was a good combination and one she knew attracted male attention. And although she didn’t have her mother’s fine bone structure like Alaina, her face was nice. Her hair—thanks to a genius hairstylist—was stellar.
Definitely android.
And completely unfair. She’d practically drooled at his bare chest the night before and he hadn’t returned the favor. Okay, rude and unfair.
She ran her fingers through her hair to fluff it out some, then tossed the towel over the shower rod and headed downstairs, unable to think of a good reason to delay the conversation she had no desire to have.
Tyler hadn’t changed clothes, but then his T-shirt was black, not see-through, and even if it had been, those rules didn’t apply to men. He poured two cups of coffee when he saw her enter the kitchen.
“How do you take it?”
“Normally with lots of sugar and cream, but I think I’ll go with black.”
“Black it is,” he said and carried the mugs to the breakfast table.
She dropped into a chair and took a sip of the hot, steamy liquid. The bitter taste gave her a momentary shock, but she figured it would also keep her sharp. Her story wasn’t going to go over well with Tyler. He was a no-nonsense sort of guy, and what she was about to say was definitely nonsense. At least, that’s what she’d think if she hadn’t seen it herself.
“So,” he said. “You were going to tell me what woke you up?”
“I’ll tell you, but you’re not going to like it.”
“I didn’t figure I would, but that doesn’t eliminate the need for hearing it.”
“Fine.” She took a deep breath and then proceeded to explain her awakening to the light—how it changed form to become her mother—how it spoke to her.
She had to give him credit. He listened intently, never interrupting and without so much as a raised eyebrow. If roles had been reversed, she’d have been looking for a psych referral form a long time ago.
“And then the light just faded away,” she finished.
Tyler stared at her for a long time, slightly frowning.
“I told you that you’d think I was crazy,” she said, unable to keep the frustration out of her voice.
“I don’t think you’re crazy,” he said quietly.
“No, you probably think I dreamed it or imagined it due to stress or something.”
“I think you saw exactly what you say you saw.”
Her jaw dropped a bit and she stared at him, looking for any indication that he was humoring her, but his expression was completely serious.
“I just want to be clear. You believe the ghost of my mother came to visit me and spoke?”
He nodded. “You seem surprised.”
“Surprised is the understatement of the decade. I’m completely blown away. Do you know what I would tell anyone who tried to pass off a story like that to me?”
He smiled. “That they were crazy?”
“For starters. Should I even ask why this doesn’t freak you out?”
He shrugged. “I’ve seen a lot of things I couldn’t explain. There’s a lot of myth and legend buried in Mystere Parish swamps. Some people believe the swamp itself is a living, breathing entity and that it sometimes comes alive if things are out of balance.”
“People believe in a swamp god?”
“No, people believe the swamp is a force of nature that will act to change things it doesn’t like.”
“Who believes this?”
“My dad, for starters. Me, Carter, Carter’s mom...truth be known, probably everyone who’s lived near the swamp their whole lives believes it, even though some wouldn’t admit it.”
Joelle leaned back in her chair and stared at him. “I can’t believe it. Here I am all worried about what you think, and you’re telling me straight out that I saw a ghost.”
“You’re not the first to see her.”
She sat straight up again
, jostling her coffee. “What?”
“Alaina and Danae have both seen her, and Danae’s fiancé, Zach.”
She sucked in a breath, her mind racing with this new bit of information. “Why didn’t they tell me last night?”
“Maybe because you would have thought they were crazy? I’m just guessing that it’s not the kind of conversation sisters want to lead off with after a twenty-five-year separation. I’m sure they were planning on telling you soon—might have today—but the exhumation kind of put a kink in things.”
“Hmm.” She couldn’t come up with any viable comment.
“Did you see her that first night?” he asked. “Right before you heard the intruder?”
“No,” she said quickly.
“Then what did you see, and don’t tell me nothing. You had that same look then as you did when you let me in your bedroom tonight. Something spooked you.”
She clenched her hands and stared down at them, not wanting to share such a horrible memory. Not wanting to repeat it out loud. “I remembered something from my childhood. No ghosts—just the recollection of a child.”
“Why did it scare you?”
“I was standing on the balcony. I was supposed to be asleep, but I was peeking through the banisters and looking downstairs at my mom and Purcell. They were arguing. He...he was an evil man. I felt it long before I knew any of the things he did.”
She looked up at him. “I don’t like remembering my stepfather. It’s almost like he’s right there with me all over again. He always scared me.”
She watched him closely. His expression softened and she relaxed a bit. He’d bought her story. Not that it wasn’t true—Purcell had always frightened her—but she hadn’t told him everything. Hadn’t told him that she was sure Purcell had physically abused her mother their entire relationship. How could she share such a personal thing that didn’t matter to anyone any longer, except her? Joelle knew how normal people viewed abused women. Most blamed the victim for the abuse, not bothering to try to understand the dynamics in play. William said everyone in Calais had loved Ophelia. Joelle wasn’t about to do anything to change that.
Tyler sighed. “I would say he can’t hurt you now, but that’s not exactly true. I wish I could say something that made it better. I guess the only thing I’ve got is that you can be certain Purcell didn’t win. He didn’t get the money. He had to remain hidden in this house for the last third of his miserable life, hustling family heirlooms to pay people for silence. I guarantee you, that’s not what he planned.”
Joelle gave him a small smile. “That does make me feel a tiny bit better. Do you think that’s why my mother’s ghost haunts the house—because Purcell killed her?”
“It would be as good a reason as any.”
“You said Alaina and Danae saw her. Did she talk to them, too?”
“I heard it all thirdhand through my dad, but according to him, she didn’t speak to Alaina but she did to Danae.”
“What did she say?”
“She kept repeating ‘so close.’”
Joelle frowned. “So close? What does that mean?”
Tyler shook his head. “No one knows. It could be a lot of things.”
“Or it could be nothing.”
“What do you mean?”
Joelle took a minute to think of a good way to explain what she’d felt during her interaction. “She seemed confused...like she wasn’t sure how she got here, and she also said she’s weak. Maybe she’s not strong enough to appear and manage coherent thought.”
He blew out a breath. “I suppose anything’s possible. If it requires a lot of effort for her to appear, she may be using all her energy and focus just on that.”
Another thought flashed through Joelle’s mind and she crossed her arms and shivered. “Or maybe she’s lost in limbo somewhere...because her body is lost.”
Tyler placed his hand on her arm. “She’s not lost. She’s just not readily visible. We’re going to figure all this out.”
“I know you believe that, and I want to, but it all happened so long ago. What if it’s not possible to unravel it all?”
She reached for her cup of coffee, eager to feel the warm cup between her hands. Tyler never answered her, and that pretty much said it all.
Chapter Eleven
It was barely 7:00 a.m. when Tyler dropped Joelle off at Carter’s house to talk with Alaina. He waved from the truck and headed into town, hoping to catch Carter having breakfast at the café. The list of things they needed to discuss was growing by the second, and the steady drizzle was preventing any contact by phone.
Carter was perched on his usual stool at the counter, and looked a bit surprised when Tyler slid onto the seat beside him.
“Morning, Tyler.” The waitress, Sonia, smiled at him as she slid a cup of coffee in front of him. “Saw you on the sidewalk and figured you’d be wanting a cup. You hungry?”
Tyler looked over at Carter. “You eating?”
“Am I breathing?”
Tyler grinned and turned back to Sonia. “I’ll take the special.”
Sonia made a note on her pad and stuck the ticket up next to the grill, then hurried into the café to refill coffee cups.
Johnny, the café owner, turned from the grill and winked at Tyler. “Looks like you lost your boyish charm.”
Tyler laughed. “Apparently so.”
“What do you mean?” Carter asked.
Johnny grinned. “Sonia used to chase after him so hard he stopped coming in here with his daddy for a good month. Heck, I figure he went into the marines as much to get away from Sonia as to have a job.”
Carter smiled. “She was dating a guy in New Orleans—even moved there for a while—but apparently it didn’t work out and she landed back in Calais a month ago.”
“Yep,” Johnny said. “One of them numbers guys—finance, stock...something like that. Never sounded like a good fit to me. Sonia’s a great gal, but she’s more of a Field & Stream type than Wall Street Journal, if you know what I mean.”
Tyler nodded at Johnny’s accurate description.
“Worked out fine for me, though,” Johnny continued, “as Danae gave her notice and claimed her fortune. Anyway, I got some stock to get in the refrigerator before it spoils, then I’ll start your breakfast.”
Johnny paused for a moment, then looked a bit embarrassed. “I don’t usually say things like this, but it’s good to see you two sitting here again.”
“It’s good being here again,” Tyler said.
“Absolutely,” Carter agreed.
Johnny gave them a nod and headed through a door to the back room of the café.
“You’re up and out early,” Carter said, as soon as Johnny was out of hearing distance.
“Been up for hours. The out part is recent.”
Carter’s eyebrows went up. “Any particular reason you’ve been up for hours?”
“More than one, and that’s part of the reason I’m here.” Tyler gave Carter a recount of the night’s events, only leaving out the part about Joelle’s sheer breast display. It had certainly made an impact on Tyler’s night, but it wasn’t relevant to the investigation.
Carter’s scowl told Tyler everything the good sheriff thought about the situation. “You check for tracks off the patio?”
“Yep, but I lost them ten yards in when the ground cover got too thick to leave prints. The storm caused too much damage to the foliage to tell the difference after a while. It was easy to see where he barreled into the swamp, but my guess is that he slowed up when no one pursued him and got more deliberate about his path choice.”
“I’m sure you’re right. So what do you make of this ghost thing?”
Tyler shook his head. “I was going to ask you that question. You know more about it t
han I do, and heard some of it firsthand.”
“You’re sure Joelle saw her mother’s ghost?”
“I don’t think she imagined it. She was wide awake when she let me in the room, and something got her out of bed or she wouldn’t have seen the intruder to begin with.”
“And the ghost told her to leave the house?”
“Yeah. Said it wasn’t safe.”
Carter blew out a breath. “Which we already know, but why now? It wasn’t safe before but she didn’t try to warn off Alaina or Danae.”
Tyler remembered Joelle’s thoughts on the ghost. “Joelle wonders if the spirit is completely aware—like maybe the energy it takes her to appear leaves her confused on other things.”
“If that’s the case, it’s damned inconvenient.”
“No kidding.”
“Any ideas on what to do about it?”
“The ghost? Heck no. The Marine Corps didn’t offer training for that problem. On the security end of things, I got the inside cameras hooked up. With no internet, it’s not as easy to cover a lot of area. Hiding the wiring presents some challenges. I think we’re fine as long as he enters at night, but if he comes in during the day and looks closely, he may pick up on the cameras.”
“Any progress on entry?”
“None, and it’s really bugging me. The house is locked up tight. Every window is nailed shut. The dead bolts are pulled on the patio and laundry room doors, and the front door is equipped with an alarm.”
“But yet, he still got in night before last.”
“The front door didn’t have an alarm then,” Tyler pointed out.
“Yeah, I know, but the front door angle is too simple.” Carter blew out a breath of frustration. “I’ve had this feeling all along that I’m missing something. That it’s right under my nose and I haven’t seen it yet. Do you know what I mean?”
Tyler nodded. He knew exactly what Carter meant because he felt it, too. Like every second he spent in that house was a second where he was at a disadvantage.