Haunted

by Melanie Jackson

  “If you’re saying you greet Randy this way, I’ll put you over my knee.”

  “Promises, promises.”

  We continued our back and forth banter until we arrived at the front door of the residence. There we rearranged our suits. I straightened Alex’s tie and tried to get the dog hair off my skirt. Alex rang the bell.

  “Yes?” Nurse Hailey said when she opened the door.

  Clearly she recognized me, yet she did not invite us in.

  “Nurse Hailey, this is my boss, and husband, Alex Lincoln. He’s come to help me conduct a search of the property.”

  “I’ve been told nothing about a search of the property.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t call ahead, but I assumed that I would be allowed to inspect the property since it doesn’t mean having me intrude by entering your home.”

  “I’ve been told nothing about a search of the property.”

  “Well, maybe you should ask Miss Cartwright if it would be alright,” I suggested.

  “Wait here,” Nurse Hailey instructed before closing the door in our faces.

  “Friendly type, isn’t she?” Alex noted.

  “A regular Mrs. Danvers.”

  Our wait probably wasn’t as long as it felt, it was just that I was anxious to get to work. Within a few minutes Nurse Hailey returned with instructions from Miss Cartwright that I was to be allowed access to anything I needed, either inside or outside of the house.

  I led Alex back to my car and let him carry the metal detector as we cut around the house to the back of the property. The gardens in the front could best be described as unkempt. What we found in the back could best be described as a jungle. I wished I’d brought my machete or at least my garden weasel.

  I stuck close to the house and made my way to the kitchen door, winding my way around the denser growths. Speaking of dense growth, it didn’t take long, tracing the line from the back door of the house to the far lawn where we ran into an expansive gathering of bushes. Alex complained about his clothes, but I insisted that we push straight ahead through them.

  In my mind, I tried to place myself in the night in 1929 when a fragile young gentleman walked this same route. Back then, the gardens would have been well tended. There would have been less difficulty in making one’s way to the center of the property on the way to the far side.

  Possibly due to my daydreaming, I almost fell into the deep, dark hole for which I was searching. Thanks to Alex’s quick reflexes, I dangled at the edge rather than plunging to the bottom.

  You see, in my way of thinking, this was the very abandoned well into which my ghost fell on June 30, 1929. And if I wasn’t mistaken, he had a valuable necklace in his hand at the time. I was so near the last piece of the puzzle I could nearly taste it.

  After righting myself, I accepted the metal detector from Alex and began to set it up. As I did so, I explained to Alex what I now knew happened that night so many years ago. I continued to explain as I started to sweep the ground and bushes around the abandoned well with the metal detector and listening for the signal being pulsed through the headphones.

  “So, you think you’re going to find a priceless necklace lying here in these bushes?”

  “That’s what I’m hoping.”

  “Then that means that there’s a body at the bottom of that hole.”

  Gulp.

  “I’m afraid so.”

  Alex pulled away from the hole without even consciously knowing he was doing it. I’d forgotten that he was a little squeamish around dead things— bugs, rodents, the occasional dead squirrel, and certainly dead bodies.

  I continued scanning over the earth and between the bushes. I got excited the first time the detector went off. I’d found an old bottle cap. My heart again skipped a beat when I next found a quarter from 1962. The metal detector was beginning to get heavy when I once more picked up the clicks for which I was listening. Laying the detector aside, I knelt on the ground and began sifting through the soil with my hands.

  Looping my finger through the chain, I pulled the necklace from the loose soil only a few feet away from the lip of the abandoned well. As I’d suspected, my young ghost had dropped the gold chained gem as he fell into the well. Now that I’d found it, my investigation was over— or was it?

  “So, that’s it?”

  “Yep, that’s what this whole case has been about.”

  “Now what?”

  “Lamaze class.”

  “Lamaze class?” He sounded blank.

  “Lamaze class.”

  * * *

  I showed up at Althea’s Lamaze class eager and ready to get started. But first, the instructor pulled Althea and me aside to have a little talk with me.

  “Chloe, it’s so nice to see you back again. I guess that you have decided to commit to becoming Althea’s birthing partner,” said Anne Harwood, our Coach Anne, with a broad grin on her face.

  That’s what I liked about this woman, I thought. She’s always so upbeat and friendly.

  “You bet. I’m onboard. When do we get started?” I asked, maybe a little too enthusiastically.

  Meanwhile, Althea had lumbered out of earshot to have a seat on a nearby chair. In fact, many of the pregnant women in the room were sitting, at least all those who were far along in their pregnancies.

  “Actually, there’s something I wanted to talk with you about, Chloe. Before class starts,” Anne continued.

  “What is it?”

  “I was wondering if maybe you could stick to one role tonight.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You should perform the birthing partner exercises only, and assist Althea in her performance of the birthing mother exercises.”

  “I don’t get it. Why?”

  “For one thing, you’re exhausting the mother by setting too fast a pace.”

  Actually, I’d been too excited to notice whether the instructor was right or wrong. Could it be that I’d been endangering my cousin’s pregnancy through my exuberance for the subject matter?

  “I’m sorry. Of course, I’ll do as you say.”

  “Good.” Anne concluded, grabbing my hand in hers and giving it a shake.

  I smiled. Somehow, the woman had asked me to back off and made me feel good about it.

  “Alright class, let’s grab our mats and gather up here at the front of the classroom,” Anne called.

  “She’s right, you know,” Althea said, rising and waddling up front.

  “You heard that conversation?”

  “Every word. I have 20/20 hearing.”

  “I’ll just bet you do. What’s she right about?”

  I laid down the mat and spread several pillows on the floor. I then helped Althea to the floor into a relaxing position. I stayed out of her shadow. If she fell on me I’d be squished.

  “Tonight’s class is all about relaxation. This evening, we’re going to learn different techniques for relaxing your birthing mother,” Anne announced.

  “I could certainly use that tonight,” Althea quipped once she’d assumed a comfortable position. “Not that you’ll be any great help in relaxing me.”

  I ignored the remark hoping that Anne’s calming words would smother my growing anger.

  “We’ll begin by gently massaging the hands. Partners,” Anne said, while looking directly at me, “grab one of your birthing mother’s hands in yours.”

  “Besides, it’s absurd to think of you as a mother. You’d be terrible.”

  “And begin to gently massage between the fingers.”

  So far Anne’s calming words hadn’t helped to calm me. In fact, I found it increasingly difficult to bite my tongue the longer Althea talked. I took her hand in mine and started to massage.

  “Yes, I’m afraid you’d be a lousy mother, Chloe; even if you and Alex did manage to conceive.”

  I started to massage Althea’s hand harder and faster.

  “Ouch! You’re hurting me,” Althea exclaimed.

  “Not half as much as y
ou’re going to be hurting when that baby’s head comes out,” I hissed back.

  “Hey, wait a second,” Althea protested. “This isn’t relaxing. Help! She isn’t relaxing me.”

  “Chloe, what do you think you’re doing?” Anne called.

  I stopped what I was doing, aghast at the fact that I was about to give Althea an Indian rope burn on her arm. I realized at that point that I needed more relaxation than Couch Anne was able or willing to offer, at least to a lowly birthing partner like myself. I chose to try for a graceful exit.

  “I’m sorry, Althea, for massaging you too roughly.”

  “You assaulted me,” Althea charged.

  “I’m sorry, Coach Anne, for interrupting your class.”

  “Take a breath, Chloe,” Anne suggested. She looked exasperated when she glanced at Althea. “Would you like to lie down on one of the mats and do a few breathing exercises?”

  “There she goes again, pretending to be me,” Althea mooed.

  “I’m leaving now.”

  I turned and walked away.

  “Is she still my birthing partner?” I heard Althea ask no one in particular as I left the room.

  Chapter 7

  “Chloe, I’ve got to tell you, I’ve been sitting here, patiently listening to your plan, twice now, and it still makes me nervous. Are you sure that this is the only way to end this thing?”

  “Alex, I think that if we don’t end it in this way that Catherine Cartwright could be in great danger.”

  Alex considered this for a moment, and then nodded his head in agreement.

  “I’ve got a client I need to see this morning, but I can meet you at the Cartwright home early this afternoon.”

  “Right. And, Alex,” I paused to wrap my arms around his neck and give him a peck on the cheek, “thanks.”

  While Alex grabbed his briefcase and headed out the door I poured myself a second cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table to browse the paper. It seemed as if there was nothing but bad news. I soon lost interest. Calling Blue, I opted to go for one of those extended walks I’d been anticipating.

  It was the end of our Indian summer and the weather was fine. Blue and I walked through our neighborhood in the direction of the public rose gardens. Along the way, we stopped and visited with Mrs. Brown, an elderly neighbor who lives alone, and checked on how her vegetable garden was faring amongst the grazing deer. She reported that the deer fences were holding losses to a minimum and that the smell of her own urine, which she collected in mayonnaise jars and spread liberally around the border of her garden, seemed to repel the vermin. Blue got a scratch behind the ears while we talked and in the end Mrs. Brown ran inside to get her a piece of ginger cookie— Blue’s favorite.

  We could smell the fragrance of rose blossoms before we made it to the gardens. The sun was warm, a gentle breeze blew, the smell of flowers was in the air, and I was with my dog. And still I felt incomplete.

  So many issues had tumbled at me, over me, and around me lately that my nerves were becoming frayed. Why did I almost quit my job? What was I doing working this job? Why this sudden interest in children? What was I going to do about Althea? And amidst it all, I had to try to save a woman from a potential madman.

  I shivered at the thought of it. This made Blue whine. I smiled and mussed the hair on her head. Picking up the pace I led the way into the gardens where I stopped and smelled the roses along the way. It didn’t really help.

  An hour later and we were back home where I showered and dressed for the afternoon’s activity. I chose to wear my black mourning dress. I drove Blue to my dad’s place and dropped her off for the day before stopping by our local department store for supplies. Votive candles and a small, black table cloth were all I needed. I placed these things in my briefcase along with the diary and the necklace.

  I spent yet another lazy drive listening to KOMA radio and eventually arrived at the Cartwright home in Thorny Springs. I was disappointed to find that Alex’s car wasn’t waiting for me by the curb. Assuming that he would be along soon, I grabbed my briefcase out of the backseat and walked to the front door.

  This time, a single knock was all it took to send the door flying open.

  “Yes, what is it this time?” Nurse Hailey demanded.

  And I couldn’t keep myself from asking.

  “Look, is there something about me that you don’t like?”

  Nurse Hailey was fully prepared to answer that question.

  “I don’t like the fact that you’re taking Miss Cartwright’s money to carry on with this silly investigation of yours. This ghost stuff is all a lot of falderal. You should end this foolishness before somebody gets hurt.”

  “On that last point, I fully agree,” I said, pushing past her. “I’ll be setting up in the parlor, Nurse Hailey. I’d like you to bring Miss Cartwright to the parlor only when I call for her.”

  At this point I had arrived at the entrance to the parlor with Nurse Hailey fast on my heels. I turned and grabbed the handles on the French doors.

  “I’ll be closing these,” I explained. “I don’t want them opened by anyone but me or my partner, Alex, when he arrives. Do you understand?”

  “Yes,” Nurse Hailey hissed in my face.

  I closed the doors in her snarling face, shutting her out. I then turned to arranging the room to my liking. Naturally, I found Thomas waiting for me at the fireplace.

  “Good afternoon, Ms. Boston,” he said, bowing. “I like the way that you handled Nurse Hailey. She is an unpleasant creature, but very devoted to Kate.”

  For this afternoon’s gathering, Thomas had chosen to wear a lovely, velvet smoking jacket with black slacks, a white shirt, and a red cravat. He looked quite dashing leaning a hand against the hearth.

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Cartwright. I thought that I might find you here.”

  “Oh? Why is that?”

  “You have a habit of popping up at the most crucial times.”

  “And what makes this time so crucial?”

  “I’m going to conduct a séance.”

  “Oh, are you now? To free our ghost’s soul to move on, no doubt.”

  “Something like that.”

  “And do you think this bit of mysticism will work?”

  “I think it had better,” I replied, solemnly.

  Thomas also assumed a solemn look and became quiet as I went about my work. Fortunately, the drapes in the tiny parlor were thick. When I unhooked them and pinned them closed, they dimmed the room enough to make dark corners where the single overhead lamp could not reach.

  Next, I pushed back the furniture and moved a round table into the center of the room. I placed three chairs around the table and left an empty spot for Miss Cartwright. I laid the black table cloth out and placed the eight, red votive candles I bought in the center. I lit the candles and turned out the overhead light.

  “Very atmospheric,” Thomas commented from a dark corner.

  The sound of his voice, alone with me in this dark room, made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

  “And am I invited to this séance of yours?” Thomas asked.

  “It wouldn’t be a séance without you,” I replied. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

  Stepping from the room, I closed the French doors at my back and took a deep breath in an attempt to relax myself. Where the heck was Alex? I wondered. Was I really going to have to do this alone? Why hadn’t he called if he was going to be late?

  “Good afternoon, Ms. Boston.”

  Miss Cartwright was waiting for me in the foyer with Nurse Hailey at the helm of her wheelchair.

  “Good afternoon, Miss Cartwright,” I replied. “I’ll take it from here,” I said, stepping to the side of the wheelchair and shooing Nurse Hailey aside.

  She didn’t budge.

  “It’s alright, Nurse Hailey,” Miss Cartwright said. “I’ll be fine. And if I do need anything, I’ll ring my bell.”

  “As you say, Miss Cartwright,” Nurse Ha
iley said, stepping aside and glaring at me.

  “My, but you have rubbed her the wrong way,” Miss Cartwright chortled as I rolled her to the parlor doors.

  “It appears that way,” I agreed, opening the doors and rolling Miss Cartwright inside.

  Once inside, I stopped the wheelchair so that I could turn and close the parlor doors. When I turned back I was momentarily captivated by the sight I’d created. The room was dark. Only in the very center did the candles light the table and chairs. In one of the chairs sat Thomas, patiently waiting.

  “Oh, Ms. Boston, you’ve found something,” Miss Cartwright exclaimed.

  “I have indeed,” I confided as I rolled her to the table.

  “And you plan to have a séance to exorcise the poor soul,” she continued in excitement.

  “I wouldn’t express it that way. I’d say that I plan to have a séance to set a soul at ease so that it can be freed to pass on to its ultimate destination.”

  “Well put, Ms. Boston,” Thomas acknowledged.

  “Good afternoon, Thomas,” Miss Cartwright said and dimpled.

  “My lovely Catherine,” he replied.

  “We’ll wait for my partner to arrive before we begin,” I commented.

  “Why is that, Ms. Boston? Can’t we conduct our business with only the three of us?” Thomas asked.

  “I am feeling tired,” Kate added.

  I looked at the earnest expression on Miss Cartwright’s face and had to look away. Thomas displayed pursed lips and raised eyebrows that he highlighted by shrugging his shoulders, as if to say ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’.

  “Yes, you’re right, Miss Cartwright,” I said, having come to a decision. “I see no reason why we shouldn’t be able to conduct our business just between the three of us. Let’s begin.”

  I pulled out one of many newspaper clippings I had gathered about the family that included a list of family members. This one was an obituary entry from a local paper for Miss Cartwright’s father listing her as the surviving family member.

  “You have no brother, Miss Cartwright, let alone a brother named Thomas.”

  “Yes. That’s true, Ms. Boston,” Miss Cartwright admitted. She was smiling a little.