by Wendy Webb
I heard Jeff say, “It’s Brynn,” as scuffling sounds came through the line.
“Brynn,” my dad said, his voice bringing tears to my eyes. “How are you, sweetie?”
“Great, Dad,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “Are you having a good time?”
“Wonderful! I wish you were with us!”
“So do I,” I said. “You’ll have to tell me all about it when you get back. I won’t keep you long, Dad. I’m just calling with a quick question for Jeff.”
“Oh, Jeff?” my dad asked. “Your sister has a question for you.” More scuffling.
“What’s up, sis?”
“This is going to sound weird, but I’m just wondering if you know anything about the history of the cottage you’re renting. The Widow’s Cottage.”
“Not really,” he said. “But I can ask the owner. Why?”
“The picture looked familiar,” I said. “Like I’d seen it before. I’m curious.”
“Sure, not a problem. I’m here digging up history anyway. I’ll see what I can find out for you.”
I thanked him, but truthfully, I wasn’t fully sure I wanted to know.
Back on the main street, I watched the hustle and bustle near the ferry dock, people lined up on foot or in their cars, waiting to hop on the boat for a trip over to Colette. Everyone was happy, anticipating a wonderful day. The aura of it, the energy they all gave off, hummed and swirled in the air, touching everyone with droplets of joy. Maybe that was part of the mystique of Wharton, the magic that seemed to permeate everything here. Tangible happiness.
It was just what I needed to melt the ice that had frozen in my veins when I saw that photograph.
I stopped for a moment as an enormous bald eagle flew overhead, so close that I could see his talons and the fierce expression on his face. Eagles were common sights in Wharton, but seeing them never got old, never became mundane, even for residents. Everyone on the street stopped what they were doing to watch in reverence. The magnificent bird soared in slow circles, round and round without once flapping his wings, above the unusually calm surface of the lake.
All at once, he dove down like a bomber, stretching out his muscled legs and talons when he reached the water to snatch a fish, who was undoubtedly surprised by this unwelcome turn of events. Applause broke out along with oohs and aahs as the raptor flew away with his breakfast.
I made my way up the street to LuAnn’s and found Dominic talking to the lady herself on the front lawn of the house. She was wearing hot-pink leggings, a long, black shirt tied at her hip, and a jangle of silver beaded chains around her neck. Her glasses were cat-eyed and studded with silver balls. I couldn’t help but smile.
“There she is!” Dominic said, grinning at me. “How’s your morning?”
“I just saw an eagle take a fish out of the lake,” I reported.
“Did you?” LuAnn opened her eyes wide. “That’s a sign of good luck, you know.”
I wasn’t sure about that, but I could use all the luck I could get.
“We were just talking about you,” she went on.
“Uh-oh,” I said, wincing. “All good, I hope.”
“Oh, honey, don’t be silly,” LuAnn said. “You know my motto: if you don’t have anything nice to say, come sit by me. But we weren’t gossiping. This hunk of man was telling me you want to see number five.”
I exchanged a glance with Dominic and scowled. Here in the bright light of day, it seemed foolish. Unnecessary. But he just shrugged at me. “I told you. We’re getting in there today.”
“So, what’s it all about? He said you’re having nightmares?” LuAnn wanted to know, crossing her arms. I noticed her fingernails were the same neon color as her leggings. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Well, I—”
“‘Well, I’ my ass,” LuAnn broke in. “Brynn, this place is as haunted as a graveyard on Halloween. Hell, all of Wharton is. If you’re upset by anything strange that happens in my place, I want to know about it,” she said. “Dreams qualify. Nobody’s going to think you’re crazy or making things up.”
“Okay,” I said.
“And I’m not snooping into your business, if that’s what you’re thinking,” she went on. “I want to keep a handle on what’s going on around here. You know? If there are spirits causing trouble in my house, I’m going to do something about it.”
I smiled at her. A month ago, I would have thought this a totally ridiculous conversation. Now I was comforted by it. I liked the idea of any spirit bedeviling me having hell to pay, courtesy of this lady in the hot-pink leggings and cat-eyed glasses.
“I’m serious,” she said. “I have a business to run. I can’t have the odd spirit or two scaring people off. So, tell me about these dreams. Or whatever you’ve been having.”
I glanced at Dominic.
He nodded. “It’s okay,” he said.
“I don’t know quite how to describe it. A couple of times, I’ve found myself in number five with an older lady. Last night it was a dream for sure because I woke up screaming. The other night, though, I could have sworn it really happened. I was wide awake. Or, I think I was. I heard somebody call my name in the hallway. Then I saw a light on in number five.” I didn’t tell her about Alice.
LuAnn exhaled. “Okay. So, something about that room is calling out to you. That’s pretty clear.”
Dominic nodded. “That’s why I want you to open it up. Let’s get her in there. Let her see what it is. Maybe the mystery is playing with her imagination.”
“Imagination? Oh, honey, you’ve got it all wrong. Brynn is not imagining this. If I have learned anything in all my years living in this haunted house, it’s to believe people when they tell you something.”
“Do we have any leads on who this woman was?” I asked. “Maybe knowing that would make this stop.”
“Not a one,” LuAnn said. “And, truthfully, I don’t expect to find out. Nick can police this thing all he wants, but we all know there is more in this world than can be CSI’d at a crime scene.”
“You’re saying you think this was something paranormal?” Dominic asked her.
“No idea. But, honey, it happened here, and it ain’t got no reasonable explanation. I’m not surprised.”
I squinted at her. “LuAnn, what is this place? I mean, really.”
She threw her head back and laughed. “If I knew that, I’d be selling tickets.”
“Can we get into the room?” Dominic pressed.
LuAnn scowled at him. “You know I wanted it shut up for the season. Out of respect for whoever that woman was.”
“Yep,” Dominic said. “I know that. But now it’s affecting Brynn. You know it, and I know it. I’m not saying open it up to guests. Just to us.”
“Oh, all right,” LuAnn huffed, stalking off toward the inn. “Let’s go.” We followed her inside.
She grabbed a key from behind the counter, and we went upstairs. When we started down the hallway and got closer to number five, my stomach seized up. All at once, I felt like I needed to get to a bathroom.
Without a word, I ran down the hall to my room, unlocked my door, and rushed into my bathroom just in time to vomit into the toilet. And then again. And again. Dominic was right behind me, mortifyingly enough.
He grabbed a washcloth off the towel bar and ran cool water over it, squeezing it out before handing it to me. I rubbed it over my face. The coolness was soothing, calming.
“I haven’t thrown up since college,” I said, my voice shredded from the violence of the act. “It’s been two decades.”
“Streak, broken,” he said. He led me out of the bathroom into my room. “Do you want to lie down?”
I saw LuAnn hovering in the doorway, a look of concern on her face.
“No,” I said. “I want to see what’s in number five.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
LuAnn slid the key into the lock on number five, turned the knob, and pushed the door open. I stood in the hallway, my back
to the wall, holding my breath and nearly closing my eyes. My sense of fight or flight was flashing code red, my heart beating so hard in my chest that I was sure the others could hear it. Everything inside of me was screaming Run!
But there was Dominic, holding his hand out to me. And LuAnn, already inside the room.
“C’mon, honey,” LuAnn called to me. “Nothing in here’s going to bite you.”
I exhaled and took another deep breath. Maybe Dominic was right. Maybe seeing this room in the light of day would break whatever hold it had on me.
Dread wrapped itself around me like a shroud, but I shrugged it off. It’s just a room like any other, I told myself. Not a horror chamber. I took Dominic’s hand, and we stepped over the threshold together.
And there it was. The wooden headboard and footboard, carved with an intricate pattern of leaves, just like I had seen in my dream. The rose-colored floral quilt and a cozy nest of throw pillows. The lamp with the delicate light-green globes painted with purple and blue flowers. The stone fireplace with the rocking chair in front of it. Everything was just as I had dreamed it.
But unlike my dream, the room felt devoid of any life. It was as cold as the grave. The fireplace was dark. The rocking chair, empty.
Or was it? I squinted and thought I saw the faintest outline of a form. A human form. Was she there?
All at once, darkness fell, and the fire crackled and sprang to life. The globe lamp on the nightstand flickered and came on, shining with its soft light. The room, which had felt so cold and dead and empty a moment ago, shifted and changed into a warm, inviting place.
And there she was again. The old woman in the rocking chair.
She was wearing the same floral nightgown with the sweater over her shoulders that I had seen before. The same tortoiseshell glasses. But this time, she had a book in her lap and was writing in it. A journal? I looked over her shoulder and saw that her spidery scrawl filled the page. She didn’t seem to know I was there and kept scribbling away, only stopping to dab a tear from her eye.
“Do you see what I’m seeing?” I whispered. No response. The room was dead silent but for the crackling of the fire. I turned around, but both Dominic and LuAnn had disappeared. Unadulterated terror wound around me and squeezed when I saw I was alone in the room with this lady.
I couldn’t move. It was like I was glued to the spot. Or paralyzed.
I watched her, rocking slightly back and forth in her chair, calmly writing in her journal. She had a cup of tea—I hadn’t noticed it before—and she took a sip every now and then. She was humming softly as she wrote.
All at once, I got the feeling I was intruding.
This lady had no idea I was there. I slowly realized, to my horror . . . maybe I wasn’t.
I had been thinking she was the one haunting room number five. But right now, it was me. Maybe I was the ghost.
“Brynn!”
I opened my eyes with a start. I was lying in a heap on the floor. My head ached. Dominic was kneeling over me, holding my hand, a worried look on his face.
I coughed and sat up. “What happened?”
“You fainted,” he said gently. “Or collapsed. Or something. You let out a scream and, boom. You were down. Are you all right? Your head hit the floor pretty hard.”
I rubbed the back of my head and winced as I felt a bump beginning to form.
Gary appeared at the door with a lowball glass. An amber liquid sloshed around with two ice cubes.
“Thanks, babe,” LuAnn said to him as she took the glass. “Will you go whip up some breakfast for her? LuAnn’s special. With the works.”
“You got it,” Gary said, eyeing me. “She’s okay, though, right?”
I smiled at this. “She’s okay,” I said to him.
“Don’t go scaring us like that,” Gary said, his voice gentle and low. “I’m going to make you something to eat. I’ll see you downstairs in a minute.”
As he left the room, LuAnn turned to me and handed me the glass.
I sniffed it. Whiskey? “It’s ten o’clock in the morning,” I said to her.
“Ten thirty, if you please,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. “Anybody who faints in my presence gets a Scotch to settle their nerves, no matter what time it is. It’s my policy, and I’m sticking to it.”
I managed a smile and took a sip. I could feel the sizzle going down my throat and warming me from the inside out. She was right, I had to admit. I did feel a sense of calm, whether it was from the Scotch or the fact that she and Dominic were both by my side.
Dominic held out his hand and pulled me up. “I think it’s time we get out of here,” he said.
“Agreed,” LuAnn said, ushering us out of the room. She closed the door and locked it behind her. “Honey, I don’t want you coming into this room again. I should never have brought you in there, not after you lost your breakfast at the very thought of it. I should have known better. And now this. Whatever’s going on, it’s obvious it’s affecting you in a decidedly negative way. We don’t want that.”
I nodded, finishing the whiskey. I wasn’t eager to go back into number five. Not after what I had just experienced.
“C’mon down to the restaurant,” she continued. “I want to get some food into you and hear about what happened in there. Don’t even think about objecting.”
Dominic and I exchanged a glance before following her down the stairs. My stomach was empty, and although the thought of food wasn’t at all appealing, the thought of opposing LuAnn seemed futile. Plus, I thought she was right. I needed to eat something whether I wanted it or not.
The breakfast crowd had cleared out, and it wasn’t yet time for lunch, so the restaurant was deserted. We took a table by the window. The sun shone happily through the glass, but I sort of wished for gloomy rain. I was shaking from the inside out.
Gary appeared with a plate that held eggs scrambled with sausage, onions, tomatoes, and broccoli in a nest of crispy hash browns, all covered with cheddar cheese. Salsa and sour cream were on the side, along with several pieces of toast.
“So, this is on the heart-healthy menu, right?” I said. Gary snorted.
“Low carb.” LuAnn sniffed.
I took a bite. “Heaven,” I said to Gary.
He beamed. “Thanks, doll,” he said before disappearing back into the kitchen.
I handed a fork to Dominic, who had already confiscated a piece of my toast. “There’s no way I can finish this on my own,” I said. He dove in.
“Okay,” LuAnn said. “Let’s talk about what happened in there. I know you were shaky going in. But did anything . . . set you off, so to speak?”
I took a couple more bites and considered this. I wasn’t sure what to tell them.
“I’m not sure,” I said finally. “I’ve never fainted before.”
I saw Dominic and LuAnn exchange a charged glance.
“I think I was wrong, pushing you to go into that room,” Dominic said.
I shook my head. “No, you weren’t,” I said. I looked from him to LuAnn and back again. “Something did happen in there, but I’m not really sure what it was.”
“Positive? Negative? A little of both?” LuAnn asked.
“I can’t really say,” I said. “In a way, it was almost as if I was dreaming. It was the strangest thing. What did I do?”
“You were staring at something,” Dominic said. “Your eyes got wider and wider. I said your name, touched your arm, but you didn’t respond.”
LuAnn held my gaze for a long moment. “She was there, wasn’t she? The woman who died in the room.”
“I get the distinct feeling it was her, but I’m not sure,” I said. “Who else would it be?” I looked from one of them to the other. “Did either of you see her?”
“No,” LuAnn said, squinting at me. “I saw nothing. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve seen ghosts in this house. Just not today.”
Dominic shook his head. “I didn’t see anything, either.”
I took a de
ep breath, unsure about telling them any more. It was too strange to say aloud. But LuAnn immediately saw that I was holding something back.
“Out with it,” she said. “Tell us what you saw.”
“This is going to sound really weird,” I said.
“Honey, I live here,” LuAnn said. “We’ve got weird going on every day. Hell, look who I have in the kitchen. Believe me, you are not going to tell me anything I haven’t heard.”
So, I told them how the fire crackled to life, warming the room. How the lamp turned on. And how I saw the old woman sitting in the rocking chair, writing in her journal.
“You didn’t see any of that?” I asked them. “The fire, the lamp? None of it?”
Dominic and LuAnn both shook their heads.
“The woman. What was she wearing?” LuAnn wanted to know.
“A nightgown,” I said.
“With a sweater thrown over her shoulders?”
I nodded.
“It was the lady who passed in that room,” LuAnn said. “No doubt. That’s what she was wearing when I found her. I wonder what she’s doing back here.”
Tears stung at my eyes, and I wasn’t sure why. I took a deep breath to try to keep them at bay. But Dominic noticed and placed his hand on mine.
“It’s okay, Brynn,” he said. “Seeing a ghost . . . it’s not something that happens to most people. It’s upsetting.”
I shook my head. “That’s not it,” I said. “It wasn’t upsetting or frightening. She was just sitting calmly by the fire. She had no idea I was there. I was the one in the room who was invisible, watching her, not the other way around.”
LuAnn squinted at me. “I don’t follow that. What do you mean, honey?”
“She wasn’t haunting the room. I was.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
After I finished eating, I felt like taking a walk alone to clear my head. The incident in room five, whatever it had been, was unsettling me, deep into my bones.
I wandered through town, window-shopping and people watching, letting my mind drift.
My mother floated into my thoughts. How I ached to pick up the phone and call her. I wondered if the white-hot pain of the loss of her would ever go away. She’d make sense of all of this. The image of her in my dream the night before tugged at my heart. It seemed so real, real enough to touch, as if she had actually been there. Had she? Was it just a dream, or did she come to me to say she approved of Dominic? Or was it something else? As I thought of it, I remembered that dream had dissolved into me being alone in room five. It was what had led Dominic to insist we get in there, for real.