Hidden Voices (Tess Schafer-Medium)

by Deborah Hughes

  “Don’t laugh, you never know. Maybe we all speak a universal language when we die.”

  “Maybe.” It was an interesting thought. Kade's observations were sometimes a pleasant surprise to me. I wondered if Sheila would enlighten me on the matter if I was to ask. I made a mental note to bring the question up in a future communication with her and returned my focus to the discussion at hand. “I'm not sure yet why I had to meet Mary unless it was to help her in some way, though how I’m to accomplish that I don’t know. She did seem to feel a little better after we talked though.”

  “Well there you go. I know I feel better after talking to you.”

  Smiling, I turned onto my stomach and buried my face into the pillow. If only he was here beside me. “Come early on Wednesday.”

  He gave a soft laugh that made my breath hitch then said in that deep purr of his I so loved. “Bet on it.”

  I laughed softly in response, glad he was feeling as eager as me to be together again. Before I could think of something to say, I heard noises down in the reception area and figured Ted Kendall must have arrived. Since I wanted to be sure and meet him, I figured it best to get off the phone. Besides, if I stayed on any longer, I might say something I wasn’t ready to voice out loud. “I think the other guest just came in. I hear him talking to Barbara. I don’t want to miss meeting him and worming that invitation to see the Tenney house. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

  “Okay, Tess. Have a good night.”

  “I will. Tell Nancy and Jack I said hi and fill them in on what I’ve got so far. Okay?”

  “Will do. Bye, Tess.”

  “Bye, Kade.” I tossed my cell phone on the nightstand then lay there on the bed for a few seconds to gather my thoughts. The distance between Kade and I seemed so far and yet I knew that it wasn’t. It helped to know we were in the same state, less than a two hour drive apart. But I couldn’t wait for Wednesday. Losing Mike so suddenly made me realize how precious our time is. Now that I had met Kade, I didn’t want to waste any time getting to know him better. Maybe it wouldn’t work out between us, but something told me it would. We did have the issue of our current living arrangements to work out, though. He lived in Maine and I lived in New York. I was willing to move but was that too big a step to take at this point? We met a mere month ago. Not long at all. Strangely enough, it felt as if I’d known him forever.

  A bit more commotion sounded from downstairs and then I heard a dog’s excited yapping and knew Max was home. I pushed off the bed and hurried to the door. If Mr. Kendall didn’t like dogs and decided to head for his room, I’d miss my chance to meet him. Tomorrow was his last full day here in Bucksport so if I didn’t get the chance to tour the Tenney house by then, I probably wouldn't see it at all.

  That thought had me rushing down the stairs.

  I found Barbara cooing to a black schnauzer who was literally lapping up the compliments, showering her face with appreciative licks. “Max, you look so handsome. Yes you do. Just look at you. What a pretty boy.”

  I smiled at the picture they made but thought secretly that having a dog bathe my face was not something I’d enjoy. Tootsie was never a licker. She had been a nose nudger.

  Barbara looked up at my approach and stood to greet me. Max took note of my approach about the same time and ran to me for a quick investigation of my foot, my shin and then my other foot. He then sat down on his hind legs and gave me a greeting by way of a tongue-hanging yap. I was at once charmed. I thought at first he might jump all over me as many dogs do, but he was well behaved and that pretty much won my heart. Next thing I know, I am cooing in a silly voice just as Barbara had done and mimicking similar words. “What a cute little dog you are! Yes you are. So handsome.” I knelt down to scratch him behind the ears and Max’s stubby tail began to thump enthusiastically on the hardwood floor.

  “I’ve had Max for almost five years now. Got him a couple years or so before my husband died. He’s been such a comfort to me.” Barbara watched our exchange with a fond smile. She was proud of her baby and showed it.

  The stab of pain that rushed through me took me a little by surprise and my eyes filled with tears in response. Losing Tootsie still saddened me. I haven't allowed myself to get close to any other animals since. I wasn’t sure if I could ever allow myself to become that vulnerable again. And thinking that made me think of Kade. What if I fell madly in love with him and then he died? How could I deal with that again? I couldn’t. The sudden depression that thought spun me into was swift and merciless. Oh God.

  “Tess? Are you okay, dear?” Barbara’s worried voice penetrated my spinning thoughts and I looked at her as if she was my lifeline back to sanity.

  “When my husband died, I lost my dog Tootsie as well. She was with him when it happened.”

  Barbara’s face scrunched in sympathy. “Oh my dear, I’m so sorry. Bad enough to lose your husband but then not to even have the love of your dog to help ease the pain…” Her voice drifted off and she looked at Max with an expression of heartfelt gratitude. I knew she was thinking how lucky she was to have him. “Max is a comfort to me. He pulled me through the dark days.”

  A man stepped forward at this point and tapped Barbara's shoulder in sympathy. “Well, I for one am glad you had such a good dog to help you through that, Barbara." He then looked at me and offered a smile. "I’m sorry, though, that you did not.” He offered me his hand and I took it without hesitation. He had good energy swirling around him. “My name is Ted. I’m staying here as well. You must be Tess?”

  Ted was a tall thin man who looked to be in his early thirties. He wore a well-cut dark gray suit that fit him perfectly and not a wrinkle in sight. His dark hair was slicked back with a touch of gel, just enough to do its job but not cause an unnatural shine. He had a nicely trimmed goatee that covered his narrow jaw line and met a mustache that was also nicely trimmed. Some mustaches were bushy and for the most part, I didn't like them but Ted’s was as neat as his goatee. He was a handsome man. And he had a gold ring on his left hand. Good. Married. I offered him a smile as we shook hands. “I am Tess. Tess Schafer.”

  Ted pulled his hand away and motioned toward Max. “He’s a very well behaved dog. Last night he sat obediently at my feet the whole time I chatted with Barbara. I felt quite welcomed.” As if on cue and knowing he was being spoken of so favorably, Max barked once and started prancing back in forth in place. Ted laughed and reached down to scratch his ears. “He’s a shameless beggar of scratches as well.”

  “I didn’t see the new collar anywhere, Mom.” A woman came out of a room behind me and I turned to smile a greeting. She was short, plump, somewhere in her mid-forties and well on her way to looking just like her mother. “Hi, I’m Nellie.” She shook my hand and nodded to Ted. “Hi again, Ted. How go the purchasing talks?”

  “Nellie, that isn’t any of your business.” Barbara gave Ted an apologetic look. “Sorry. Nellie has always been the nosey one.”

  Ted laughed as Nellie drew in her breath with an exaggerated flair and splayed her hand over her ample chest. “Well really, Mother. How can you say that?”

  Barbara smiled at the theatrics and turned for the sitting room behind her. “I need to sit down. My hip is acting up today. Must be all the rain from this morning that did it.” She dropped into her usual chair with a satisfied sigh and motioned for the rest of us to join her. “Come on in and sit a spell. Nellie, are you going to stay for a bit? Don’t worry about the collar, I’ll find it later.”

  Nellie shook her head, her blond bob bouncing about her shoulders as she did so. “Can’t, sorry. Dix has a swimming lesson in about an hour and I haven’t pulled anything from the freezer to thaw for dinner.” She waved at me as she headed for the door. “Nice to meet you! Enjoy your stay in Bucksport. Bye, Ted. I still expect an update before you leave. Just fill mom in on the details and she can pass it on to me.” And not giving any of us a chance to reply, she was gone.

  Once again Barbara gave Ted an apologetic
glance. “Sorry about that, Ted. She’s always made it a habit to know everyone else’s business. No amount of talking to her is going to change that.”

  Ted waved away the apology. “No worries, Barbara. I imagine she’s only expressing an interest that everyone else is curious about as well.” He stretched out in the recliner he chose to sit in and sighed with appreciation. “It feels so good to sit down. I’ve been on the go all day.” After a few seconds of silence, Ted looked at me. “So what brings you to Bucksport?”

  Here was the opening I needed. “The witch’s cursed tombstone.”

  Ted’s hazel eyes widened and the thought passed through my mind that they were similar in color to George’s. Thinking of George, Sea Willow Haven’s talented chef, put a damper on my emotions for it made me think about everything that happened there. With determination, I pushed the memories away. On to new adventures. I was not going to get caught up in the past again. No.

  “Witch’s curse? What’s this about?” Ted turned to Barbara as if I suddenly wasn’t reliable enough to believe.

  Barbara smiled with a pleased-as-punch expression and spoke proudly of the town’s little supernatural mystery. “Well, it’s not actually a tombstone, it’s a monument but it is in the graveyard so most people think it’s a tombstone. But anyhoo, our town’s founder, Jonathan Buck, is buried in the graveyard down the way a bit and it’s believed he had a woman put to death for witchcraft. Just before her death, she cursed him and his family and her booted foot now appears on his monument.”

  Ted turned to me. Barbara now sounded sillier than I did. “Really? And you are here to do what exactly?”

  His baffled ‘I can’t believe this but am interested anyway’ expression made me smile though I did my best to keep it a small one. I didn’t want to offend him. “It’s an old rumor that the town can’t seem to shake. The image on the stone doesn’t help. I was there this morning and it’s clear as day.”

  “How interesting. So what do you plan to do?”

  I shrugged and spoke in a manner that suggested what I was about to impart was quite normal. “Contact the witch’s spirit if I can and find out the truth. Or maybe contact Jonathan Buck. Whoever is willing to come through and chat.”

  Ted’s mouth compressed thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing as he looked first at me then Barbara. She nodded her head with the air of one who was part of the whole scheme and proud of it. His gaze finally settled back on me. “You are going to contact them? Are you a medium then?”

  A little apprehensive, I decided to be honest. It was a risky move because he could get up and leave the room, deciding to stay as far from me as possible. Of course, such a reaction would probably end any hopes of seeing the Tenney house up close and personal. “Yes. I am.” And since he wasn’t making any move to get up and leave, I decided to put out there what I wanted. “I am hoping to see the Tenney house. If I’m lucky, I might be able to contact Buck’s spirit. Or maybe even the witch’s. If there is a witch, that is.”

  “I see.” Ted’s manner became somewhat guarded. “Okay. Not sure if I’m creeped out by the fact that you want to see if the house I’m trying to secure for my company has anything to do with a witch but, well, I guess we’ll have to just see if that’s the case before I freak out about it.” He offered a smile to show he was okay with my revelation. “We can’t all pick our gifts now can we?”

  I let out a quiet breath in relief, not realizing I was even holding it until that moment. “No we can’t. But I’m not sure I would change it to something else even if I could.”

  Ted leaned forward now as growing interest began to take hold. “So do you actually see dead people?” He gave an exaggerated shiver. “I’m pretty sure I couldn’t handle anything like that.”

  “Well, if I do see them, they aren’t usually in the same state they were in when they died, despite the Hollywood depictions to the contrary.” I gave a small shrug, like what I did was as normal as Barbara’s job, though it wouldn’t surprise me if even she ran across strange situations at times. “Some spirits are a little spookier than others but in the end, they are all people…without bodies certainly, but people just the same.”

  “So how are you going to contact the witch or the other guy, what was his name?”

  “Jonathan Buck.” Barbara supplied, not wanting to be left out of the conversation. She turned to me with an interested stare. “So what are you going to do, Tess?”

  I shrugged. “Not sure. I usually play it by ear. I’ve put my intentions out there, and now I’ll wait for spirits to guide me along.” Hopefully anyway. It might be that the people involved didn’t want the truth coming to light. And if that was the case, well, darn. I wasn’t going to think about that.

  “Are you going to hold a séance or something?” Ted asked.

  Barbara looked slightly alarmed at the suggestion and I spoke quickly to dispel her unease. “No, I don’t think so.” Again I shrugged, “I’m really not sure how I am going to go about it.” I then looked at Ted deliberately and tried to convey my earnestness. “The building you are looking at, the Tenney house, was built around the time that Colonel Buck was still alive. He being the town’s founder and the builder of that house being someone of prominence, I imagine Buck visited there several times. I’d love to go in and check it out. See if I can sense anything.” I waited expectantly for his reply.

  Ted gave it some serious thought. “Well, I could help you out with that but I do have one request.” His expression was firm and I knew I’d have to accept the condition or it was a no-go. “If the place is haunted, I need you to keep it a secret. My boss is very superstitious and he’s terrified of ghosts.”

  I held out my hand. “Deal.” Ted gave a short laugh and took my hand, this time his shake a little uncertain. “Don’t worry, Ted. You won’t suddenly be haunted with spirits because you touched me. I promise.”

  Laughing at himself, Ted gave a small, sheepish grin. “Am I that obvious or are you psychic too?”

  Smiling, I stood up, deciding it best to leave now before Ted regretted his decision. “No, unfortunately I’m not. Not usually anyway. Sometimes things come through from the Tri-State but not very often.”

  “The tri-state?” Barbara and Ted spoke up at the same time and I stopped my backwards retreat to explain.

  “The place between our physical world and heaven and hell is what I call the Tri-State. When we die, we cross into another state of being but are still connected to…” I shrugged trying to come up with the best word they’d understand. “Earth, I guess you could say. Our spirits can roam freely among our loved ones or wherever. This place where our spirits reside before moving on to other spiritual adventures is what I call the Tri-State. But at some point we must move on…to hell or to heaven or whatever.”

  Ted nodded in acceptance of the explanation though it was one I was sure he’d never heard before. “Well then, when I get to the Tri-State, if I know I’m getting shipped off to hell, I think I’d just hang around there. Maybe that’s what all the ghosts who haunt us are doing? You think?”

  I kept my expression serious though I wanted to smile. It sounded logical and maybe to some extent he was right, but it was all so much more complicated than that. “Well, I don’t think we really have a choice. We must always be moving forward. Some get stuck for a while but eventually we must move on. And if it is to hell, well, I really don’t think it’s for eternity. That just seems so unforgiving to me.”

  Barbara’s face was earnestly serious. “Oh but some people deserve it, Tess!”

  Not wanting to get into this discussion because I knew it would go nowhere, I simply nodded. “That’s true, Barbara. I can’t argue with that.” I waved my hand toward the stairs. “I didn’t get a chance to unpack yet so I’m going to head up and do that.” I turned to go then just as quickly turned back. “Any recommendations for dinner?”

  “There’s a nice restaurant just down the street, about two minutes from here. They serve just about anything
and they are quite reasonable.” Barbara stood and followed me to the stairs. “Breakfast is served at eight but I can arrange for it to be earlier if that’s too late.”

  “No eight is fine, Barbara. I imagine nothing is open until nine so that works.” I glanced at Ted who was standing now as well. “When would be a good time to meet you for a tour of the Tenney house?”

  “We can go right after breakfast if you like.”

  “Sounds perfect. Thanks. See you later.” And I bounded up the stairs with a light step. I was practically walking on air, I was so happy. Things were working out just fine. What kind of luck would have me staying in Bucksport and in the same place as the only guy around who could get me into the Tenney house?

  I pushed the door to my room open and stopped. Someone was behind me and it wasn’t Barbara or Ted, or anyone else of the physical world. Instantly I cast out my psychic feelers to see what I could pick up. I couldn't really get a fix on anyone. It felt more like an observance from the Tri-State than a spirit hoping to make contact. Someone in the spiritual realm was interested in my investigation. A shiver traced along my spine. Oh this was good. I was hoping to attract someone who could help me out and it seemed that I had. Now to bring them into my sphere of awareness. But not now. Maybe tomorrow.

  I walked into my room and turned to shut my door. “Not now. Later. I promise.” It was a welcome relief to feel the presence vanish from my awareness. Satisfied, I closed the door. With so much going on and so much to look forward to, how was I ever going to be patient enough for tomorrow morning? A look at my luggage and I knew I could somehow keep busy until bedtime.

  As I unpacked the rest of my clothes and put them neatly away, I kept glancing at my laptop sitting on the desk. Would another story come to me? Shortly after arriving at Sea Willow Haven, I had the strongest compulsion to write and was soon in the midst of a story. I thought at the time that it was a fictional work from an active imagination, especially as none of the names corresponded with actual people. But the story turned out to be real enough. Somehow or other I’d picked up on the energy of people who had lived (and died!) at Sea Willow Haven and managed to channel their story. Would the same happen here? Something told me it just might.