“Fine.”
We led the group of ghost hunters inside and gathered in the dining room. One of the housekeepers busily made coffee and poured iced sodas. Robin brought in warm towels and politely asked Reed if she needed to make up rooms for our guests.
I answered for him, “That would be lovely, Robin. Please do that, just in case someone wants to stay. It’s raining cats and dogs, and we might be chatting a while. Summer and Jamie will need rooms for sure. Is Dinah here?”
“Last I saw her, she was upstairs…doing something. Most everyone else left, you know, to give the crew some space. Do you want me to go look for her?”
“No, that’s not necessary. Thank you for staying and helping, Robin.” She smiled and got back to handing out towels. I didn’t know any of these people. Where was Jessica? I walked into the parlor and found her sitting on the floor with a soggy blanket wrapped around her. She stared out the window and didn’t even appear to notice I was in the room.
“Jessica? There you are. Mind if I sit with you?” I waited, but she didn’t move and barely blinked. “Jessica?” I wondered if it had been a mistake not to insist she go to the hospital for a checkup. She was calm and quiet. “May I sit with you?”
“Sure.”
“Are you up to talking?” I sat on the floor next to her. This was strange, sitting on the floor of my own living room. I touched her shoulder reassuringly. “What did you see downstairs? You can talk to me, Jessica. I’ve seen things too.”
She glanced over my shoulder at the boisterous gathering in the other room where Reed and Mike were still bickering. Jamie lurked nearby, but I didn’t invite him closer. I didn’t even look at him.
“Pay no attention to them. Tell me what you saw, Jessica.”
Her blue eyes reflected her discomfort. “I felt a pain in my side before I saw anything. That has happened before, but not to this degree. It started as mild pain in my right side and steadily worsened. I could feel the blood pouring out of my body.” She shivered uncontrollably as she spoke, so I pulled the gray blanket closer around her. Her eyes had dark circles under them; I’d seen those eyes before, during my tenure as an anchor at WBTV in Atlanta. They were eyes that had seen something horrible, like a house fire or the death of a loved one. I couldn’t be absolutely positive, but I was confident that she believed what she was telling me was true.
“It was where he shot her, Avery.” She sobbed, and I held her hand. “Her father shot her. Her name, her name…is Regina. I can hear her calling for help. She’s calling her mother and screaming at her father. Then I hear pounding on the wall. Like she wasn’t quite dead after all.”
“What else did you see, Jessica? What did this woman look like?”
“She was young, younger than us. She had long brown hair, and her dress was bloody. I can still hear the banging. Can’t you hear it? The pounding on the walls, like a boom, boom, boom. The pounding. The crying. I hear the scratching—no! They aren’t dead. And they scratch! They scratch to get out.” Then she zoned out. She sat staring off into space like I wasn’t even there.
“Jessica, can you listen to me?”
“Yes.” She talked like someone who was in a trance or maybe in shock. Her voice sounded dreamy and soft, softer than normal, and she didn’t move a muscle now. Had she hypnotized herself? A memory of a long-forgotten interview with a medium rattled around in my mind. Yes, if I remembered correctly, these psychics sometimes self-hypnotized in order to get a “better” signal. It almost seemed like she’d done that. What if she was stuck? Too bad Jamie’s ex-wife wasn’t here to give us a diagnosis, I thought sourly.
I’d interviewed a hypnotist once and even sat through a demonstration of his abilities. Maybe I could use that experience now.
“Jessica, I know you want to help her, but it’s time to shut it off. You can’t stay tuned into that other world like that. It’s not good for anyone. Let’s try this. I am going to count backwards from three, and when I get to one, you are going to feel like yourself again. You won’t be afraid anymore.” I added quickly, “But you will remember everything. Ready?”
She whimpered as she held the cup of tea, her eyes open. “Yes, I am ready.”
“Three, two, one. Now wake up.” I snapped my fingers, and she brightened instantly.
“Avery?” She smiled at me all silly, like she had a bit of a buzz.
“Hi, girl. How are you feeling?”
“Never better.” She smoothed her hair and glanced around the room. I could tell she was trying to put two and two together. That wasn’t a good sign. I had hoped she would recall our conversation. But then again, I really didn’t know what the heck I was doing.
“I can’t be sure, but I think you were in a trance of some sort. You feel okay now?”
“Just great. I am hungry, though.”
“Good! We will get you something to munch on. But first tell me what you saw.”
“When?” She sipped her tea now and stared at me with wide eyes. The smudges under them had vanished.
“In the basement.”
“Yes, that place is weird.” She screwed up her face trying to remember what she saw, when someone brought in a tray of sandwiches and offered her one. “Oh look, there are some sandwiches.”
Well, this hadn’t gone exactly as planned. “Enjoy your snack; I’m going to talk with Reed for a minute. I’ll come back to check on you.”
“All right.” Jessica ate her food with zeal, and I could hardly believe the change in her.
I didn’t realize that Reed had been watching all this. When I turned around, he was behind me. “Reed, they can’t keep investigating here. It is far too dangerous. They need to go.”
“Yes, but they have a signed contract, so they have a right to be here. Remember? I didn’t call them out here.”
“What about the bodies? Are there bodies in the basement?”
“Not as far as I know, but I have a friend from the local university who works in the anthropology department. I told him what happened here, and he is going to help us. He also thinks the whole thing is ridiculous, that the chances of skeletons being hidden in the walls are slim to none. But he has a machine that can detect anomalies in houses and caves and whatnot. He’s promised to come out tomorrow and wave his ‘magic wand’ in our basement. If there are bones in there we will know it, but I think it’s plain that this has all come from the imagination of a very disturbed young lady.”
“I’m not so sure. I have seen Grandmother Margaret’s videos. So much has happened in this house. So much death and loss. And what about the fact that Jessica called the girl Regina. That was Chase Dufresne’s sister! She and her mother died while he was in New Orleans. Maybe they died here.”
“Whoa, Avery!” He glanced around at the eyes that were watching us now. “I think you are getting way ahead of yourself on this.” I felt my exasperation rising, but I let him go on. “Avery, you were an investigative reporter. Would you even report on this with this kind of evidence?” Robin popped back in and offered us coffee. We both refused, and Reed walked into the second parlor room and waved for me to follow him.
Yeah, he’s right. There wasn’t much to go on except feelings and a paranormal investigator who didn’t seem to have it all together.
“Avery, I promise, if we find anything there, we will do what’s right. But for now, let’s calm the situation. I think it’s best that we keep them out of the house. At least temporarily. Having this investigation appear on television would be bad for all of us.”
“I want to be here when the search is done. I want to know.”
“Okay, but let’s keep this between us. If the board heard, they would flip out for sure! They’d replace me and if they could they would replace you too. For now, let’s keep this as quiet as possible. Tell your boyfriend to keep quiet too.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” I said nervously, “and I think something is wrong with him.”
“Really? What do you mean?” I pretended that
I didn’t see the smirk on his face.
“This place, it affects everyone, doesn’t it? What’s going on here, Reed?” I could tell that struck a nerve. “You know what’s going on and you aren’t telling me. And Thorn Hill—it’s the same way. It’s like the past isn’t really in the past.”
Reed shoved his hands in his pockets and walked to the window. He looked through the curtains as if he were worried someone would hear us. “Is the past ever really in the past? There are experiences that transcend time, Avery. Promises that must be kept. Surely you feel that. You understand that.”
“I don’t know that I do. I want so badly to figure it all out, but I haven’t. Not yet.”
Reed grabbed my hands and pulled me close. “You will. One day you will wake up and it will all make sense. I promise.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. I wasn’t sure that I believed him, but it felt good to hear him say it. Then to my complete surprise he kissed me. And I didn’t resist. I didn’t want to. His lips were strong and warm. I breathed him in as we pulled away, only a few inches apart. He smelled like fresh rain and sandalwood. He touched my face and stepped back. Unsure what the heck to do, I decided I had to get away.
Away from everyone.
I walked quickly out of the room and up the stairs. I thought I heard Summer call me, but I didn’t answer. I sped to my room and locked the door like a guilty teenager. Fortunately, nobody came knocking. Feeling that one room wasn’t enough to separate me from the world, I went into the bathroom, turned on the faucets and quickly shed my clothes. I slipped into the water, which made my skin tingle as the blood began to flow again. I hadn’t realized I’d gotten so cold. I soaked for a long time and stared out the big picture window. The water slid down the panes in rivulets, and watching it calmed me.
I noticed my hands were beginning to prune, so I quickly dried off, changed into my pajamas and lit the fireplace. After a while, I stopped thinking about the kiss. I became drowsy and managed to climb into bed. My phone rang a few times, but I didn’t answer it. I didn’t even look to see who called.
I slipped off into a dream where Reed showered me with tender kisses and I melted in his arms like warmed honey. Then it wasn’t Reed I kissed—it was Jamie. Not the crazy Jamie but the confident detective I had fallen for in Atlanta. I practically cried with relief.
Yes, he was the one I should be with! We kissed more fervently, more passionately. Our hands were all over one another.
And then it wasn’t Jamie anymore—it was Ambrose.
Ambrose with his dark eyes and his spicy scent. Ambrose with his rough hands and his lips that warmed my skin and set my senses alight. He stirred something dormant in me, made me want more of him.
This was a dream, wasn’t it? Who would see me? Who would know that I kissed him back? I kissed him with all my might. I whispered his name, uncaring who heard me.
I surrendered myself to him and fell back on the bed; I wasn’t naked, but the feeling of silk surrounded me. Then the man I kissed was no longer Ambrose but Chase. Chase kissed me and pulled at my clothes. He held me in his arms, kissed my neck and tenderly kissed my body. I wasn’t wearing my pinstriped pajamas now but a blue silk gown that he quickly unlaced. I was so confused, I could not fight him.
Suddenly, he was inside me. Chase was making love to me, and pleasure washed over me. Yes, all I wanted was Chase.
Chase, my love! Chase, my own darling! Chase, I want to lose myself in you!
My hands flew into his hair, and I kissed his lips and looked into those bright eyes. And then he was Chase no longer but Ambrose again. Dark and demanding. He gave no pleasure but only took his. And strangely, there was pleasure in that too.
“Stop, Ambrose! No! I don’t want you! I want Chase!”
Then someone was shaking me. Shaking me hard, straddling me and forcing my hands down above my head. I looked up into the face of Susanna and began to cry.
“What…just…happened…to me, Susanna? I think I am going…crazy. Please help me. I have to leave this place.”
“We cannot leave. We can never leave. We are his now. The ring is the proof. You are his soul mate.”
“No!” I screamed and twisted my body to get away. Then Susanna vanished and I became aware that I was only dreaming. I shook myself awake and sobbed in the darkness. I pulled the covers tighter around me and realized that I was not alone.
Jamie was sleeping beside me, naked and sweating. And we must have made love, for I was also naked and covered in sweat.
But I had not made love to Jamie. I made love to Chase—or was it Ambrose? Hadn’t I locked the door before I went to bed?
What was happening?
Chapter Twelve – Jessica
Mike looked tired. We all did. This ghost hunt had really been a letdown. Or more specifically, I had been a letdown. I’d let the team down with my “antics,” Megan said.
Maybe I’d had a panic attack or something? The team watched the video together, and it was like I was watching a stranger. It was my voice, my face, yet I didn’t remember any of it after coming down the stairs. It wasn’t like me to act like a rookie. I’d been working in the paranormal field for four years, and before that I was seeing ghosts in my parents’ old barn. As far back as I could remember, I’d been seeing ghosts, feeling them. Many of those experiences had been downright frightening, like the man with the hatchet in his forehead and the gray girl who kept rising from the pond behind our old home. No one could compel me to swim in the water after seeing that.
I asked Mike to play the tape again and again, hoping to trigger some memory of what happened. I desperately wanted to get back into that basement, but it wasn’t going to happen, all thanks to me. Even if I could persuade Avery to let me revisit the place, Reed Dufresne wasn’t having any of it. And he warned us politely but sternly about reporting on what I had seen and heard. Who could blame him?
Megan shot me another dirty look, as if I hadn’t understood the first dozen or so she’d already lobbed my way. Oh, Megan. My on-screen fake friend. If only the world knew what a real hater you were. Even though Mike had no interest in me romantically or I him, she couldn’t stand the fact that someone else might garner any of his attention. Mike was crazy about Megan, although I wasn’t sure why, but she was too blind to see it. Maybe if she spent less time swiping on makeup and spray-tanning herself she’d have better perception. But instead of dealing with her own issues, she chose to blame me for her problems.
Whatever! I’ll get to the bottom of this myself.
Mike turned off the tape and gave the cameraman the signal that we were about ready to film our team meeting. Obediently, we leaned in around the table and listened intently as our leader officially filled us in on the next leg of our assignment.
“I met with Reed Dufresne this morning. He has invited us to hunt some of their other properties, and that’s exciting. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, guys.” Mike’s cheerful attitude was infectious, and we followed his lead.
“That’s excellent. Tell us what’s up!” Megan piped in.
“Let me preface this by saying we have a real opportunity here to firmly show the world that the Gulf Coast is truly a hotbed of paranormal activity. Of course, anyone from the South would tell you they knew this already.” We laughed along, and he smiled as if this were the best news ever. I noticed he carefully didn’t mention my meltdown or the possibility of skeletons in the basement walls of Sugar Hill. I guessed Reed had had a few words with the Paranormal Channel too. “We’ll finish our investigation at Sugar Hill before we leave, but for now let’s take a look at some of these other locations.” He spread a map on the table, and we all oohed and aahed over it.
“Some say a few of these hot spots are too dangerous for ghost hunting, but I know you guys aren’t ones to run away from anything paranormal.”
Becker interjected, “Hardly. They should know all that does is make us want to look at it harder.”
Again we all chuckled, including Jam
es, who was sometimes scared out of his mind during assignments. “This is Thorn Hill. It’s basically a replica of Sugar Hill, built by the same architect and around the same time.”
“That’s weird. Why would they want two of the same house?” I asked.
“It wasn’t unusual in those days for a gentleman to keep two households.”
“What?” Megan asked as she leaned back in her chair.
“It’s true. It was legal at the time to have two wives. Not unlike other men, Mr. Dufresne kept one wife in one location and the other in another.”
“The nerve of that guy. He’d never get away with that today,” Megan said. Mike didn’t take the bait. He kept his presentation professional and moved along quickly.
“And we have the home of the late Anne Dufresne—that’s the Rose Cottage—and there is a wooded area just here called the Ramparts. That’s where I’m leaning because there is so much history in that compact area. It hasn’t been explored much because it is pretty treacherous. There’s a short climb up the bluff—the road is basically washed out and goes out only so far. It’s near the waterfront, close to where the slave ships unloaded. It began as a shanty town, but fortunes were made there and the place developed quite a reputation for having shops for just about anything you could imagine. Until someone burned it down.”
“Burned it down? Who? Why?” Megan leaned forward a bit to give the audience a peek at her cleavage. Yes, she was one to make sure the camera stayed on her. I didn’t care. I wanted to get on with the investigation and prove I wasn’t a complete fruitcake.
“There are two main stories about that event. One story says that Susanna Dufresne, the cast-off wife of Chase Dufresne, lit the Ramparts on fire as an act of revenge against her unfaithful lover. The second rumor, and this one might have some truth to it, says Chase Dufresne’s second wife, Athena, set the Ramparts ablaze herself in retaliation for Chase’s murder. Athena blamed Susanna for his demise, and it was a well-known fact that she and Susanna were constantly at war with one another. Athena had tried for years to get Chase to divorce Susanna, and she greatly resented that her husband not only had another woman but was legally married to her.”
Fire on the Ramparts (Sugar Hill Book 2) Page 9