Brenna buttoned her coat and pulled her hood over her blonde hair. “The coming storm is going to be a good one. Look over there.” Brenna leaned toward the window on the front door and pointed at the gathering clouds over the west end of Granite Lake.
Elise moved in closer to the window and peered outside. Above the treetops, on the horizon, a volatile sky loomed with apocalyptic proportions. She really needed to stop reading doomsday novels, she thought. It was only a thunderstorm heading their way, not the end of the world.
On the rare occasion when the sky resembled something similar in Mesa, she would burrow into her house, steer clear of the windows, and pray nothing flooded, like her house or her street. There wasn’t much risk of flooding in the mountains compared to the desert, but she still didn’t like the look of the sky.
“Has the lake ever risen high enough to flood the town?” she asked.
“No. There’s a spillway for overflow. Sometimes in the spring before all the ice melts, the water line rises, but it’s never even reached the businesses on the other side of the street. We’re definitely okay on this side. High winds are more dangerous than anything else.”
“Good to know.”
“But there’s not much wind right now. Look how slowly that storm is building. I just love thunder and lightning,” she said and reached for the doorknob. “Have a good night, Elise. I’ll see you next week.”
Elise shook herself and looked away from the oncoming storm. “Okay. You, too.”
She locked up and went to see what Colton was doing. She found him at the kid’s table in the children’s section playing with the marble run.
“Are you hungry?”
He shook his head. She wasn’t hungry yet, either, but she wanted to go upstairs and take a break from the store.
“Clean up time,” she said and signed.
A few minutes later while she poured two cups of juice, the power went out. Sunset wouldn’t be for a couple more hours, but with the heavy dark clouds, the light in the apartment was dim. Elise didn’t panic as she waited for the power to be restored. When the lights didn’t come on after thirty minutes, she called the power company. The recording informed her that they were aware of the outage and were working on it. Colton asked for something to eat, but without electricity, dinner plans drastically changed. She made a plate of cheese, crackers, and grapes. Colton was satisfied, but Elise had planned on making sopitos, which sounded a lot better than appetizers.
The wind picked up and beat against the building with undulating assaults. Something metallic like the rain gutters or the old fire escape rattled against the wall and shook the windowpanes. Then the rain arrived as they munched on snacks. Colton couldn’t hear the booms of thunder, but his eyes grew huge when lightning flashes lit up the apartment. He laughed when she jumped from the claps of thunder. After eating their makeshift dinner, they snuggled beneath a blanket on the couch and watched cartoons on Elise’s phone.
The apartment grew darker until the screen on her phone was almost too bright. A gust of wind stronger than the earlier bursts caused a loud creaking sound that ended with a snap and a small crashing from the front of the building. Her first thought was that the new sign had come loose or had been ripped from its brackets. Concern for her business and her home moved her from the couch to the front windows. She peered down, but the new sign was still in place.
Elise watched the sky, then stared at the other businesses up and down the main avenue. Darkened windows and closed signs announced that no one had power. A couple of vehicles pushed through the rain gathering on the roadways. She peered skyward again, looking for any relief from the deluge, but the nearly black clouds didn’t look promising.
The rain pouring down the windowpanes to my right was new, she thought. Had the wind shifted, causing the sudden waterfall against her front window? Elise backed up, but kept staring at the window. There was definitely a lot more water coming down from the roof and across the glass than there had been before. While she watched, the water started leaking around the window frame and running down the wall.
“Oh, no!”
Elise hurried to grab towels from the closet. By the time she returned to the leak, a new stream of rain flowed over the inside of the glass and was pooling in the windowsill. She stuffed the towel against the wall to try to absorb the water and inspected the window for the source of the leak. It became clear that the old seal around the frame couldn’t handle the current weather and there wasn’t anything she could do about it. But why had the water suddenly started pouring down the front of the building? She couldn’t dismiss the sounds she’d heard of something breaking.
“Colton, I’ll be right back. I have to check on something outside. You stay here on the couch.”
He blinked at her with sleepy eyes. His attention had been on the cartoon and he dropped his gaze back to the screen, then back to her.
She touched his knee to get his attention again. “Promise me you’ll stay on the couch.”
He nodded. She trusted him, but she went to get his bed pillow. “You can sleep here if you get tired.”
Colton nodded again. He knew how to keep the videos playing on the phone and would be content to watch them for as long as she would allow. Elise grabbed her hooded sweatshirt and found a flashlight. If she was going to see what the problem was, she needed to do it before the final minutes of daylight were gone.
Elise stood on the sidewalk staring at the roof. The rain gutter on the top corner of the building had broken and come apart. Instead of draining down the side of the building, it was pouring like a hose over her front window.
“Why now?” she asked the sky. “Is a little mercy on me too much to ask?”
Elise had seen the internet and satellite T.V. installers using the roof access ladder, but she really didn’t relish the idea of climbing up there herself. But it was either go up and try to redirect the water or let her apartment get water damage. With the rate of rain coming inside, the water could easily seep down the walls and cause damage in the bookstore. She needed to act fast if she was going to do anything helpful.
Elise ran inside, opened the utility closet, and found the tool kit. She grabbed a hammer and a large screwdriver and stuffed them into the large pocket on the front of her sweatshirt. Then she ran up the stairs to check on Colton. He looked like he hadn’t moved an inch since she told him to stay put.
“I’ll be right back,” she said and waited for him to give an acknowledging sign.
He gave her a thumbs up and leaned sideways to rest his head on the pillow, eyes drooping but still glued to his favorite cartoon. Elise hurried to the tiny fire escape/balcony outside the window of her bedroom where the roof access ladder was located. If she hadn’t watched the utility men using the old metal steps, she never would have done so herself. She hesitated, but with her apartment and bookstore flooding, she put aside all thoughts of being struck by lightning, gripped the safety rail, and scurried up without looking down.
Rain soaked through her clothes, but she ignored the discomfort as she skirted across the flat roof to the corner where the rain gutter was located. Flat roofs aren’t perfectly flat. There’s a slight grade to allow water to drain. The roof of her building was much like the others of its era and had the false front that rose higher on the front facing than the sides. It crossed her mind that she was once more on the roof of a building doing something unpredictable, but she didn’t have time to dwell on the fluke. Unfortunately, it also became obvious that she was not going to be able to reach the broken gutter. The drain spout was located well below the high false front of the building.
She noticed a drain in the corner, but there was still no way she could make a difference in the flow of rainwater. Her defeat came swift and unapologetic. Not one to give up easily, her brain started working out other possible solutions to her problem. If the blasted rain would just quit, that would take care of the worst of it. She moved with careful attention as she went over the edge of th
e ladder and back down to her mini balcony. When she stepped onto the landing in front of her bedroom window, she realized her glaring and horrible error.
She couldn’t get back inside.
Fourteen
ROB RETURNED TO GRANITE LAKE after a long day of driving to the city and back. He’d met with Delaney’s father and her attorney to go over the will and testament. Mr. Allison didn’t appear to be handling his daughter’s passing well and Rob felt for the man. Since the funeral, he looked like his health had declined. His pale countenance, frail hands, and thin voice reminded Rob of someone who had the will to live taken from them.
They powered through the important documents. Delaney had had her life under control. The way she dressed, wore her hair and makeup, decorated her condo, and her preparedness for life and the end of it were in perfect order. But Delaney missed one important aspect of her afterlife. She didn’t make provisions or name a guardian for her unborn child. Michaela claimed otherwise, but the attorney didn’t receive the information prior to their meeting.
Delaney also had a substantial 401K with an accidental death life insurance policy. Since Allison was officially her heir, the infant and her guardian would inherit the bulk of the insurance money. Rob didn’t need or want the funds and Delaney’s father wasn’t exactly well off. Unfortunately, Mr. Allison was as stubborn as they come and refused to take any money away from his only grandchild.
Rob never mentioned the supposed custody dispute set in motion by Delaney’s cousin, Michaela. Why upset the elderly man with more bad news? If nothing came of it, as Rob hoped, then distressing Mr. Allison further would be for nothing. Michaela and her husband seemed of a similar mindset. They refrained from bringing up Delaney’s wish for Michaela to raise her child if something happened to her in front of Mr. Allison. But Rob knew Michaela and Ashton paid close attention to everything said at the meeting.
But the worst part of the day came after saying goodbye to Mr. Allison. Michaela asked to speak to him alone. She’d cornered him at the funeral and Rob should have expected the new bomb she dropped on him. Michaela asked her husband to speak to Delaney’s attorney then wait for her outside while she had a private word with Rob.
Michaela handed him some paperwork.
“This is her updated will. I found it in her laptop. She didn’t have the chance to give it to her lawyer and make it official. Ashton’s doing that now.”
Rob glanced at the papers. “This means nothing to me. If this were a real document, then why didn’t you take care of this before today? What kind of twisted game are you playing?”
As if she didn’t hear Rob, she continued. “I meant to give it to him before today, but I was waiting for my lawyer’s advice. He hasn’t been very responsive. But I have been in contact with the Department of Child Services and they believe me. I’m so honored and grateful to Delaney for choosing me to raise her child since I can’t have children of my own.” She began crying while explaining her side of the story. “I miss my cousin so much. And you didn’t even bring Maisie here today so we could spend time with her.” She sniffled and pulled a tissue out of her bag to wipe her eyes.
Rob’s skin prickled. The nerve of her to stand here and tell him she wanted to raise his daughter baffled him beyond comprehension. Then she made things exponentially worse.
“Why would you go against Delaney’s wishes? She told me she purposely didn’t tell you about the pregnancy because she didn’t want you involved in the baby’s life. She knew you didn’t want to have kids. You have to respect her decision.”
Rob stood there not responding on purpose. What was he supposed to say? He couldn’t remember one instance where he told Delaney he didn’t want kids. What was Michaela talking about? One thing was for certain. He wasn’t about to hand over his daughter to some emotional train wreck whose hearsay didn’t carry any weight. He listened closely and catalogued the important parts of her speech. Rob couldn’t believe she spoke to him without her attorney present. Whoever they hired wasn’t doing their job, but Rob wouldn’t inform Michaela of that. Ashton should know better. He wasn’t an attorney, but he had left Rob’s old firm for undisclosed reasons. Maybe they didn’t actually have an attorney and she made it up along with her other crazy babble.
“Delaney listed me as the father when she went to the emergency room,” he said.
Tear-filled eyes stared back at him as Michaela processed his response. “I think she must have panicked or she wasn’t thinking straight because of going into labor early. I don’t know, but I do know she wanted me to be Maisie’s guardian.”
“Why are you calling my daughter Maisie?” Rob asked.
“What do you mean? That’s her name. Maisie is the name Delaney wanted. You should know these things, which proves my point. You aren’t the father Delaney wanted for her daughter. She chose me and Ashton.”
“Your word against a DNA test is not going to get you very far. We’re done here,” Rob said and walked away.
“We’re not done. You’ll be hearing from Child Services soon.”
He suffered with runaway thoughts and a heavy heart as he drove to the babysitter’s house to pick up Allison. Bethany was exactly what Rob needed. She loved Allison from the first day they met and helped Rob more than he could have ever wished for. His mother also helped with the baby, but she was firm in her stance about not being a full-time caregiver to his newborn. His mother would take her once a week, but she insisted Rob learn to be a father and that grandparents weren’t parents for a reason.
The thunderstorm delayed his return to Granite Lake by more than two hours. Traffic crawled along the interstate and after he turned onto Highway 11, visibility was nonexistent. Through a bad cell phone connection, Bethany said the baby was doing just fine and it was more important that Rob stay safe than to rush to pick her up. He would pay Bethany double for the extra hours and she was worth every penny.
With the high winds and driving rain, Rob wanted to check on his brewery before picking up the baby. Most of the wood siding had been taken off but the new siding had not been installed. His building was being hammered with the worst storm of the summer and the walls were exposed. He wanted to see if the rain was getting inside and check for damage. Another remodeling delay was exactly what his business didn’t need.
Rob turned up the collar of his jacket and prepared himself to get wet. He remembered the ball cap on the back seat of his truck and reached for it. He’d worn business attire for the appointment, but the hat would help keep him dry. With a flashlight in hand, Rob popped the door open, ready to embrace the weather and make sure his building was okay.
Wind whipped his hat off and he caught it just before losing it to the storm. He threw it back inside the truck and squinted against the pelting rain. With head down, he hurried toward the basement door, but a cry for help stopped him in his tracks.
He glanced around, wondering if he’d really heard the sound of someone calling out, but there was not a single person or any cars in sight. Then he noticed that the entire town was dark. The power is down, he thought and peered harder through the rain. The wind let up enough to give him a moment of relief and he strained to listen.
“Help!”
The voice raised the hairs on the back of his neck. In that moment, he realized the incidents with the ghost stories and the hidden stone on his roof would never leave him entirely. He stared up to the roof of his brewery, afraid of what he might see, but the sound was coming from farther away.
“Over here! Please, help!”
Rob moved closer to the street. “Hello! Where are you?”
“The bookstore!” he heard through the gusty winds.
He hurried onto the sidewalk and caught a glimpse of someone on the fire escape of the bookshop. “Elise?” Rob ran through the rain, across the street, and to the side of the building. “What are you doing?”
“I’m stuck. Come open the window!”
Rob jogged to the door and thankfully found it unlocke
d. He rushed upstairs to her bedroom and slid the large, heavy window open.
Elise climbed inside, bringing a shower of rainwater with her. Rob eased the window closed behind her and peered at the landing where she had been standing. “Where’s your emergency ladder?” he asked, but Elise had already hurried out of the bedroom. Rob followed behind asking another question while shining his flashlight across the dark apartment.
“How did you get locked outside?”
Elise bent over Colton, who slept on the couch. She tucked the blanket around his shoulders then turned to Rob.
With a lowered voice she said, “I forgot to leave the window propped open. I’m so stupid.” She pressed the heel of her palm to her forehead. “I knew the window needed a brace. I was distracted and forgot. What a mess.”
Was lowering their voices necessary? Colton couldn’t hear them, but he followed her example. “And where’s the rest of the fire escape? There’s usually a safe way to get to the ground. That’s a code violation. You should—”
She interrupted. “I never noticed until tonight that anything was missing. I could have died out there and Colton was inside all alone—” She hugged herself, her entire body trembling.
He gathered her in his arms to help ease the shaking. Something hard jabbed into his family jewels. Rob pulled his hips back and reached for her sweatshirt.
“What are you packing in that thing?”
Confusion creased her brow. He reached inside her pocket and pulled out the screwdriver and hammer. He lowered the tools to the floor and glanced from her drenched and shivering body to the large panes of glass.
“First, I dropped my flashlight, then I forgot about the tools. I could have broken the stupid window,” she said with utter disbelief. “What is the matter with my brain?”
He pulled her in tight and squeezed. “You were probably too cold to think clearly. Jeez, you’re half frozen.” She already felt like a block of ice, but her back stiffened. “You would have figured it out before you froze to death,” he said.
Divining Elise Page 12