"You need to do something to atone for your sin."
The voice was softer now, and more insistent. "Am I forgiven, Father?"
"Yes," Father Damien replied slowly. "You are forgiven."
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Spence drew in a deep breath of fresh air as he exited the courthouse. The jail had been foul, and he needed a shower. He and Meg walked down the steps to her car.
"Spence," she said, as she leaned against the SUV, "did you know about the inheritance you'd get? I mean if anything happened to your parents?"
His look was grim as he stared off into the distance. "No. Found out when I was eighteen. My brother Mark explained that it was held in trust for me by my parents with him as executor. I had no idea they were wealthy. They lived so simply."
Meg nodded. "When is the preliminary hearing?"
"Not sure. Simon will let me know. A few days from now. I'll have to thank Jake for bailing me out. He must have pulled some strings for that speedy arraignment."
But just then, Ellison and Smith walked out of the courthouse and approached Meg and Spence.
Spence was silent, with a muscle twitching in his jaw. Meg said, "Ding-a-ling and douche bag?"
"Cute," Ellison said, mopping his brow with a handkerchief. "So," he looked at Spence, "rich guy. Think you'll be able to buy yourself out of this one?"
Spence said nothing, just gazed at a spot above the man's head.
"He can't talk to you," Meg said, "you should know better."
Smith said, "He'll be singing loud, with a life sentence in jail or a needle in his arm."
Meg frowned. "I don't know who you guys are trying to impress but it's just not working around here. He's innocent. Chew on that for a while."
Spence and Meg drove away, leaving the two detectives standing on the hot sidewalk.
"So," Ellison said to Smith, "did you tell Martinez yet?"
"Yeah. Thought he'd have an orgasm over the phone."
Ellison laughed. "Anything to keep the boss happy. It's amazing to me what can be turned up with old financial records."
*****
Maria stood in the kitchen, stirring her beans. She started cutting onions, then remembered the other time when they were scattered on the floor by some unseen force.
She was deeply troubled, and she'd asked God for guidance.
Meg and Spence came in.
"Mija," she told Meg, "and Senor Spence. Sit. I will get you lemonade."
Maria knew Senor Spence had been arrested that morning. And she hated to add to his burden. But God told her to get help, and that's what she would do.
They all sat and sipped the refreshing lemonade. "Little one," she began, "there is something here. Something in the house. Last night..."
Meg looked at her sharply. "What happened Maria?"
So, Maria told her all about the sideboard movement and the spilled liquor.
"Spence," Meg said, "what's happening here? What could it be?"
He rose from his chair and came back with a phone book. After two calls, and numerous transfers, he had someone from the university on the phone. After briefly explaining their situation, he set up a meeting for that evening.
"Her name is Renee Lassiter from the Paranormal Psych department. She sounds really interested in the house."
Maria said gratefully, "Thank you Senor Spence."
Lila came in then with Harv. Helping them both to lemonade, she said, "Who is Renee Lassiter?"
Spence explained, but afterwards Lila shook her head. "The church forbids it."
"What?" Meg asked.
"The conjuring up of spirits and the like."
Harv added, "Seen plenty of spirits in my time."
"Sweetie," Lila touched his arm, "that was from the spirits."
"Yeah, I guess so."
"Mother," Meg said patiently, "we just want to look into it. Things fall and break, heavy furniture moves on its own, I saw the ghost light and this house is freezing at times. It's not right."
But Lila shook her head. "Once you open that door, there's no turning back. The spirits tempt us with deception. You think they're one thing, when in reality they're something else."
"What if it's Chad?" Meg asked.
Lila smiled. "He's a bright, happy spirit bringing us hope and love. We can't call him up. He's here already."
"In judgment Purgatory?" Meg asked.
"I don't know," Lila said softly.
Renee Lassiter came to Big Jake's house promptly at seven o'clock that evening. Spence, with his hair still wet from the shower, thought idly that she was a nice looking woman. Her blonde hair was mostly messy bangs and shorn short in back. She wore a tank top, running shorts and Reeboks. She carried a tape recorder and a yellow pad. Her smile was sunny and friendly.
Spence drank his first tequila and followed it with a lemon. Lila shooed Jake and Willie onto the back porch, so Meg and Spence sat down with the woman.
She turned on the tape recorder and began firing questions at them as she wrote notes furiously on the yellow pad. How long had the situation been going on? What had happened, and where? Which room? Did any noises occur? Banging? Knocking? Were the rooms unusually hot or cold?
Her questions kept coming for at least half an hour. Spence drank his second tequila, without the lemon.
Finally, Meg said, "You should probably know about some other things. I don't know if there is a connection or not." She explained to Renee about Spence's arrest. She also told her about the nightmares.
Renee watched her carefully. "The dreams...are they very real?"
Meg nodded. "Like I can reach out and touch dead people." She shivered and Spence put his arm around her shoulders.
Renee sat back and thought for a moment. "Do you ever write down your dreams?"
"No. But I tell them to Maria."
"And Maria is..."
"Well, technically our housekeeper. More like a surrogate mother actually."
"Can I speak with her?"
Spence and Renee chatted while Meg looked for Maria.
They came back a few minutes later, with Maria wiping her hands on her apron. "Si, senorita, buenos dios," she said to Renee.
Renee sat still with her mouth open. Then she smiled broadly. "Holy shit," she breathed softly.
"What is it?" Meg asked.
Renee took Maria's hand in both of hers, and seemed oblivious to the question. "Her aura," she said finally, "she's got the most beautiful aura I've ever seen. It's absolutely angelic." Maria, who didn't understand, just smiled and sat next to her.
Spence said, "I've heard of that. Certain people can see an aura around other people's heads."
Meg noticed he was slurring his words now and she frowned. She remembered, even as early as high school, sometimes he would keep a bottle in his locker. But, it seemed to be mainly when he was under pressure, like finals or a big game of football. He quarter-backed with precision, even when half-way drunk.
But when Meg looked over at Maria and Renee, they seemed to be communicating without speaking.
"What a trip," Renee said, "I can almost tell what she's thinking."
"Noooo," Maria said, drawing her hand back.
"Don't fight it," Renee said firmly, "if you do, you'll always be in limbo, part way here and part way there."
Maria shook her head.
"So," Renee continued, "tell me about the dreams, Maria. Do you dream?"
"No, senorita. No dreams."
"Hmmm, interesting." Renee tapped the top of her pencil on her legal pad.
"And you said," she turned to Meg, "although you had some bad dreams before, that is was primarily after your brother passed on."
"Yes." Meg answered.
"And you felt like Maria was the only one you could relate to? About the dreams?"
Meg frowned again as Spence poured himself another drink. "Yes," she replied.
"And you said when you had the breakdown and took the pills, you went out of body?"
"Yes
."
"Maria," Renee took Maria's hand again, "what happened that night?"
The woman looked uncomfortable with the question, moved a bit then said quietly, "Si. I was in the kitchen finishing dishes. Senora Lila was there. And...and I had a feeling deep here," she pointed to her heart, "about the upstairs. Something was not right in the upstairs. So I went." her voice broke and a tear slid down her cheek.
Meg began sobbing and Spence comforted her.
"I went," Maria continued, "and I found little one and the pills. I called and Senor Chad came, and Senora Lila. They came but that's when--" she hung her head. "Ai, I can't say it."
"Yes, you can Maria." Renee urged. "Go ahead."
Maria wiped her tears away. "In the corner, above her bed, it was little one. In a glow." She sniffed. "Then the men came with the ambulancia. They took Mija." Turning to Meg, she said tearfully, "But she came back. To the house."
"Thank you, Maria," Meg cried, as she buried her face in her hands, "you saved me."
Renee waited for them to calm. Letting Maria's hand go, she said, "Tell me about the voices, Meg." She patiently waited while Spence wiped away Meg's tears, and murmured quietly to her.
"The voices," Meg said, "before I go to sleep. At first a voice was quite clear. A man's voice telling me, 'You go.'" She paused and took a deep breath. "Then there were soft women's voices, like when you go to a party and the women are all talking together. But, after Chad's death, there were thousands of voices. Just thousands upon thousands, all talking at once."
Renee nodded. "It must be very scary for you."
"Yes. It is. I just wish I could get an explanation. Who they are. What they want with me."
Spence rose and said to Renee, "Meg is exhausted. How about we finish up tomorrow?"
The woman looked disappointed, but said, "Sure," and she packed up her items. "How about tomorrow, same time? I'd like to bring a colleague if you wouldn't mind."
"No problem," Spence smiled.
"Maria, Meg, Spence. See you tomorrow then." And she walked out the door.
Renee arrived back at the university at nine o'clock. Noticing a light coming from her second floor office, she ran up the stairs, and burst in the room.
"Lex!" she cried, "Lex! Are you here?"
Hearing a muffled sound from the next room, she threw her briefcase on her desk and went to find him.
His startling blue eyes appraised her in his usual careful way. His jet-black hair was neat, not a hair out of place, and his long-sleeved shirt and Docker pants wrinkle free, carefully pressed at the dry cleaner. He spun back in his chair now and observed her. "What?"
"You are not," she slammed a hand on the computer in front of him, "I repeat, not going to believe this."
"Hey, easy on the computer. I've got half my new book on that thing."
"Sorry." She sat on an office chair beside his desk. She never sat close to him because he used a citrus aftershave and she liked it a bit too much.
"So, continue."
He sat there, toying with his pen, and she thought he must be the most handsome, rugged individual she'd ever met. He just had this way about him and a sensual look that elevated him above other men.
Momentarily clueless, she said, "Uh...yeah! The Cowell place. Tomorrow at seven again. You're not going to believe this. It's a book unto itself. Clairaudience, OBE, poltergeist, telepathy and a little suspected mind control telepathy."
"Wow. So I'm invited, eh?"
"Yay, doggies. You are. Did I do good or what?"
He laughed. "Didn't they call you?"
"Yeah, but I'm the one who squeezed all the info out of them. The housekeeper in that place is outstanding."
"How so?"
Renee got up and paced the room. "Wow, Lex, she came in the room and, pow! I saw this extreme aura extending way above her head. Like golden, with white on the very edges."
"Interesting. She brought out the best in you then. How cooperative is she?"
"Not very," Renee said ruefully, leaning a hip on his desk now. "I think she's scared. Scared shitless of the whole deal."
"Yeah," he said, "that's pretty typical. Yeah, really typical." He looked her over. "Any ideas how to bring her around?"
"Well, if I could get her here for testing, I could tell more of what we're dealing with. Actually, I'd like to bring them both in, Meg the clairaudience, OBE one, and Maria the housekeeper."
He nodded. "How long have they had problems over there?"
"Since the son died. The OBE's brother."
"Think it's a gateway thing?"
"Don't know. It was so intense that after an hour or so, they were exhausted. Couldn't get as far as I wanted with it."
He laughed. "You have a pretty gung-ho personality, Renee."
"I don't know if that's a compliment or not, so I won't ask. Maybe I do wear people out sometimes, I don't know. Are we on for tomorrow then? You have to go in the house, Lex, and feel the atmosphere. It's heavy in there and thick with promise for us, I'll tell you that much."
"Great. Okay, count me in. And thanks for the good job."
Maria went back in the kitchen and Meg and Spence were left alone in the living room.
He finished his fourth tequila and sucked on a previously used lemon. "So," he said, still slurring a bit, "will we make the cover of ESP magazine or what?"
Meg smiled. "I think it helped Maria."
"Think I'll go to jail?" he said suddenly.
She nestled closer to him, pulled his hand across her shoulder and kissed it. "No. You didn't do it. We all know that, along with Pap and Davey. They're working to find the killer, Spence."
He breathed in her ear, and whispered, "I'm not afraid. I just don't want to leave you." The faint whisper made her feel warm.
She turned and their lips met briefly.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, "sorry to have brought this on you again." He kissed her then, a brief, fleeting kiss, which grew deeper and deeper.
"Spence--" she tried to push him away a bit.
"Stay with me," he urged, as his hand held the back of her neck, so she couldn't edge away, "come to my room. You won't have nightmares, I promise."
She looked into his eyes as he continued in his softest voice, "I need you. I've held onto the memory of you for . I can't let you go."
They met in Spence's room. She wore a filmy robe of peach silk, and he wore nothing but a pleased expression as she came in.
Standing by the bed, he drew her close to him after he'd run his hands inside her robe. The sash came undone. The robe dropped to the floor.
"You always were so fucking beautiful" he whispered against her neck. He kissed the length of it, and came up to the spot on her ear.
She gasped.
He chuckled. "There it is. I found it."
"What?" she breathed.
"Your pleasure spot." His tongue came out and barely grazed it. She felt the intensity down to her toes.
"Can we--" she began.
He laughed gently, and started kissing her breasts as he weaved a bit. "Not yet."
She was craving to have him in her. His arms slid along her backside and he kissed his way down to her mound. His tongue made a path around it then slid inside.
She gasped.
"Hot damn you taste good," he said softly, "why don't you come for me?"
Her hands grabbed his head.
"Mmmm, come on. Just for me."
She couldn't help herself. Throwing her head back, she gasped and cried out.
He lowered her to the bed and continued on. "And again."
She obliged.
He came up and kissed her hard, pulled her legs up and entered her. Lips against hers, he whispered, "My turn. Tell me you love me."
She groaned as she felt him surging in her. "I do...I do love you, Spence."
He stopped, and leaned on his elbows. Grinning down at her, he said, "Even if I'm drunk on my ass?"
She grinned back. "Even if you're drunk on your ass."
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CHAPTER TWELVE
Spence woke at two o'clock in the morning. His mouth felt furry and his head ached. Moving slowly out of bed, so as not to wake Meg, he stepped into his jeans, and headed downstairs.
Pouring himself a big shot of tequila, he strolled onto the back porch and into the vicious nighttime heat. The temperature, he thought, must be at least a hundred ten. It was pitch black, and he waited for his eyes to adjust. Kicking back on the rocker, with his bare feet on the porch rail, he took a sip of the tequila. It burned going down and he winced. Sweat broke out on his forehead and his chest.
But then he heard the slow creep of a car coming to the side of the house, and headlights illuminated the barn before they were turned off.
Footsteps crunched. He was instantly wary because of the late hour and the trouble he was in. A vision came to his mind of being arrested again by Rushburg detectives.
He breathed a sigh of relief when Tammy came around the corner. She looked good in a sexy, tight leather mini-skirt and a low cut white crop top. Her legs were bare above three inch high black sandals, and she held a leather jacket slung over her shoulder. She came up the stairs and leaned against the porch rail, a big smile on her face.
"My, my," she said softly, looking at him, "you should really take your shirt off more often Spence. Your chest is delicious."
Spence grinned, as she continued her perusal down his body to his bare feet.
"What are you doing out this late?" he asked her. "Isn't your father going to track you down or something?"
She laughed. "Daddy knows better than to interfere with my bar time."
"Went to Red's then?" He took another swig of tequila, which went down smoothly this time. Damn, she was fine, he thought. What a body.
Her eyes narrowed, as if she could read his thoughts. "Yes, I was at Red's. What a pitiful bunch of losers. No one," she looked him up and down again, "could hold a candle to you, Spence."
"So, what brings you out here?"
"On my way home. Saw the light, so to speak."
He laughed at that. "Sorry the evening went so badly for you. There's always tomorrow you know."
A wide smile was on her face now. "You've been at it again, haven't you? With dear little Meg?"
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