“Ella, my dear, it’s good to see you. How’s the arm?”
“The swelling has finally gone down but the itching is driving me bonkers,” she admitted, pulling an unsharpened pencil from the cast. “Pencils just aren’t long enough but the eraser feels great when you get the right spot.”
Marlin laughed. “I remember. When I was a kid I fell out of a tree and broke my leg. I was cramming all kinds of things in the cast to itch my leg. My mother was constantly yelling at me. What worked for me was a bent up wire hanger.”
“Good advice,” Ella said.
“Denise, will you hold my calls while I have a little catch up with Ella?”
“Sure thing, Mr. Howard,” the secretary said.
Marlin ushered Ella into his office. Like one would expect, it was full of books and had a huge desk. Marlin had an affinity for collecting old ship items. He had an old ship’s compass on his desk in amazing condition for its age, an old clock that rang a large brass bell every half-hour, a shiny brass diving helmet that weighed a ton, and the biggest ship’s wheel she had ever seen hanging on the wall. He had an amazing picture of a lighthouse about to be engulfed by what looked like a tsunami and he often had sounds of the ocean playing from a CD low in the background. He told Ella it helped him de-stress.
He sat down and said, “I’m so glad you called. You must have been reading my mind, because I quite literally was about to pick up the phone and call you.”
“Really? Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine. No. I got you a little something.” He handed her what looked like a watch case. “Well, actually it’s from me and Meme. She insisted. Now if you don’t like it or want another color, or model, don’t hesitate to trade it in for what you want.”
“What is it?”
“Well, open it and find out, silly girl.”
She smiled and opened the box. Inside she found a key; at least she thought it was a key. It had a button for lock, unlock, trunk open, and the word Volvo on it.
“You bought me a car?” she asked with surprise.
“Yep. But not just a car—an SUV—the safest one we could find. It has more technology and safety stuff in it than I’ve ever seen, plus it has all wheel drive for going up and down the hill. Meme had the most fun time picking out all the features.”
“You didn’t have to do that. I have money to buy my own car; I just hadn’t gotten around to it.”
“I told you, Meme insisted. You are the closest thing she and I have to a daughter of our own, and well, we were both just so scared when you went off the road. We really wanted to do this. Meme thought with all you’ve been through that this was something she could do for you— something you needed—but mostly to let you know you still have people who love and care about you. We may not be family but we think of you as one of our own.”
She jumped out of her chair and came around the desk, tears in her eyes, and hugged and kissed him. “Thank you so much and Meme too. I can’t believe it; a new car.”
“You’re very welcome, Sweetheart. We love you very much you know.”
“I do.”
“And again, if you don’t like the color or would like to see what the other models are like, I’ve made arrangements with the dealer and they will accommodate you. So, do you want to go see it? Or was there something else we needed to talk about?”
“Actually, I’m dying to see it, but I would like to ask you for a favor first. Although, you just gave me a car, so I feel a little weird about asking.”
“Not at all. The car was a necessity. What is it you need? Is Jeremy behaving himself?”
“Oh, he is a Godsend. I really thank you for sending him my way and yes, he’s a perfect gentleman. He’s got almost all the plumbing done in the house converted over to copper, whatever that means. He works so hard and it is so nice to have someone there. It took him a while to warm up, but under that thick skin, he’s a real angel.
“What I wanted to talk to you about is, well, it’s going to sound a little out there, so you need to keep an open mind.”
“That is probably the scariest thing a father, at least a stand-in one, could hear from his little girl.”
“Sorry—hear me out. Since I moved into the house I have been having these visions.”
Marlin’s brow rose.
“In the first one, Grandma came to warn me about some impending danger.”
Marlin rubbed his chin.
“In the second, I saw a woman running from a mob of faceless people only to be caught and strung up in a tree. The eerie thing was she looked just like me.”
Marlin leaned back in his chair and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand.
“The latest one showed me the grave of the woman who had been hung.”
Marlin ran both hands through what hair he had and looked absolutely unraveled.
“These visions came to me through that big gaudy mirror in the hallway.”
Marlin now had his thumb and forefinger pinching the bridge of his nose as if trying to squelch an oncoming headache.
“When I asked Jeremy to put the mirror away in storage because it was creeping me out, he found a portrait of a woman in the attic that looks just like me. So Jeremy and I thought she must be related and I think she is the one in my visions from the mirror.
“What I’d like you to do is dig up whatever you can about a woman named Willow Owens. I went through a bunch of trunks in the attic and the only reference I could find relating to the Owens family was a small painting of three children—Zachary, Anna and…”
“Peter,” Marlin said with his elbows on the desk and his hand holding his head.
“How did you know that?”
“It’s an old legend around here, at least among the old timers. I’m surprised you haven’t heard of it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Willow Owens is a legend around here. She’s said to haunt the woods up where you live on the other side of the Cauldron Lake.”
When Marlin got no reaction from Ella indicating she remembered any such story, he continued, “Willow was a young widow with three children living up on the hill all by herself. It’s said that a wealthy gentleman named Byron Morton, from the town nearby, had seen her when she came into town to buy some supplies. Byron became obsessed with her beauty and pursued her. He propositioned her and she refused. He was so enraged with her refusal he threatened her life. Still she dismissed him so he went back to town claiming she had bewitched him with her devil magic.
“Willow heard rumors that the townspeople had gathered and formed a mob to hang her as a witch. Scared for the safety of her children, she sent Peter, Zachary, and Anna away with all the money she had stashed away.
“The mob caught up with her and strung her up as a witch. She was buried right there under the tree she’d hung from. When they couldn’t find her children they burned her house down so the children would have no place to return.
“Later, Byron Morton came in and bought up all the land up on the hill and formed his own town around it. He used fear and his money to keep the townsfolk under his thumb, even going so far as to name the town Hanging Willow to remind people that he was not above killing to get what he wanted.”
“Is Byron Morton any relation to Harold Morton?”
“Yes. Byron is an ancestor of Harold’s.”
“But if Byron bought up all the property around here, how did the Greys acquire Grey Manor; and what about the Owens? Didn’t Willow and her family have a deed? That property should have gone to the children, shouldn’t it have?”
“In a perfect world, yes, but in her haste Willow forgot to tell Peter where the deed was hidden; that’s why I think Morton burned down the house in hopes that it would never be found or disputed.”
“What happened to the kids?”
“I’m not sure. Stories have been told that the children all died; others say that Peter survived and moved down south. It’s very odd, though, that you foun
d those portraits. I’m not sure why your family would have them.
“As for the Greys, seems the Morton family overextended themselves in some deal that went awry. The Mortons found themselves in debt to the Grey family. The Greys made a deal with him for the property that Grey Manor was built on. The Mortons have been trying to get it back ever since.”
“Well, that explains creepy Mr. Morton stalking me. Would you be willing to do a little digging on the children to see if the stories are true?”
“Sure, if you think it’s important, but what do you mean when you say ‘stalking’?”
“Well, he scared me to death creeping up on me in the dark when I went into town one night, and just the other day he snuck up on me in the woods.”
“He shouldn’t have been up there on your property,” Marlin said.
“Actually, I was looking for Boo and found what I think must have been Willow’s house, or at least the ruins. I was walking back from there, so I may have been on that property, which I guess he owns, since there was no deed to be found, right?”
“Right. What was it Mr. Morton wanted when he snuck up on you?” Marlin asked.
“He keeps asking me to sell him Grey Manor,” she answered.
“Well, if he gets too pushy let me know.”
“Sure, and thanks for everything. Let’s go see the car now.”
“Let’s!” he said excitedly.
*****
After Ella jumped up and down like a little girl, oohed and awed, and sat in the SUV enjoying the new car smell combined with leather, she hugged Marlin again who was sitting in the passenger seat.
“I just love it. Tell Meme she has excellent taste,” Ella said.
“I tell her that all the time; after all, she did pick me to be her husband,” he said proudly, straightening his tie.
“Aw. Well, she’s pretty lucky she found you too. Speaking of finding one another, I’ve been dating this guy.”
“Oh? Who?”
“He’s not from around here. I guess his family is from up north. His name is Matt Geier. He’s very handsome, a little full of himself, but sweet.”
“How did you meet him?”
“Actually, he backed into me at the hardware store.”
“So he’s a crappy driver; keep him away from your new car.”
Ella laughed.
“When do we get to meet him?” Marlin asked.
“Soon, I hope. He dropped me off at your office today, but he had some work to take care of, so he didn’t have time for introductions.”
“What does this busy guy do?”
“He’s some kind of investor. Sounded like he owned the company or his family owns it. He was a little vague, not that I would have understood all the lingo anyway.”
“Sounds like he’s from money.”
“Yes. I believe so.”
“Well, as long as he treats you well and you are happy, I’m happy,” he said as his watch beeped.
“Oops…been playing too long, must get back to work.” He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek and a long hug.
“Be safe. Enjoy the car and I’ll let you know if I find out anything about Peter Owens or his siblings,” he said as he got out of the car.
“I will and thank you—love you!” Ella waved.
“Love you too, Sweetie. Bye.”
Chapter 16
Ella started the car, and listened to its quiet purr. She smiled from ear to ear. She acquainted herself with where all the pertinent buttons, knobs, and levers were located including lights, wipers, and of course the radio volume. The dashboard lit up like the console of an airplane. It even talked to her, which had her wondering if she could turn off that feature, thinking that it might get a little annoying. When she felt comfortable with where everything was, she put it into drive and headed home.
The SUV climbed the hill without any groaning or effort; even the bumps and potholes didn’t seem as bad as they had in her old car. She felt like she was riding in a leather-seated cloud, when she realized even her butt was getting warm…heated seats too. This car has everything.
She parked the car in front of Grey Manor. The house had what Ella could only describe as metal Tinker Toys built around it or some kind of metal and wood skeleton. Boards lay horizontally between metal bars for standing on, near the second story windows, the roofline, and in some areas a third story to get to the tower and the chimney tops. It looked pretty sturdy like Jeremy had said it would. She hopped out of the car, hitting the lock button one too many times, making the car flash its lights and chirp like a bird at her. She had grabbed the owner’s manual from the glove compartment for some reading time with Boo.
Jeremy’s truck was gone; she thought he must have needed something in town. With her arm itching like crazy again, she thought of Marlin’s suggestion of a bent wire hanger. She found an old wire hanger in the front coat closet and tried to bend it. She found this to be a challenge for only one hand, when she remembered Jeremy had a vise on the workbench in the shed.
Out to the shed she went and tightened a portion of the hanger into the vise. Now all I need are some pliers, she thought. She rifled through a nearby toolbox and suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. She slowly pulled out a tiny red cat collar that was trapped under a monkey wrench and a drywall saw. It was Boo’s. Why was it in the tool box? Jeremy surely had nothing to do with Boo’s disappearance, or did he? She puzzled over the thought and a hundred scenarios of what had happened to the tiny kitten for three days flooded all her awful thoughts and emotions. Jeremy loves Boo; it just can’t be.
She slipped the collar over her hand and onto her wrist as she continued to look for a pair of pliers. Finally at the very bottom she found a pair and bent the wire hanger in half so only a rounded edge would go into the cast—no sharp edges.
She loosened the vise and returned the pliers to their toolbox. Still confused by what she had found and with her mind piecing together awful scenarios of what might have happened to Boo, she headed back to the house. She wasn’t paying attention as she walked under the scaffolding and she stepped on a loose rock that tripped her a little, making her bump into the scaffolding that gave way to the back porch. There was a loud metal clang and from above, the sound of moaning metal colliding with wooden boards. She raised her broken arm to shield her eyes from the glaring fog just in time to block a board from hitting her in the head. Like dominoes, boards and metal bars were raining down all around her and the last thing she saw was a board crack open the cast on her arm and then bounce over onto her head.
She didn’t know how long she had been out, but when she became aware of where she was it was Jeremy she saw frantically peeling away the rubble from on top of her. She couldn’t hear what he was saying to her, but the sound of his voice alerted her to the pain that was throbbing in her left arm and her head.
“It’s okay, Ella. You’re going to be all right,” he said in a panic and she wasn’t all that sure that HE believed what he was saying. He picked her up, cradling her in his arms, and kicked the back door open. He raced her to the couch and laid her down as he dialed 911.
He left her only for a moment to get a wet cloth for her head. Minutes later, the front door slammed open and two paramedics ran in, pushing Jeremy out of the way. The police were right behind them and they herded him out of the house bombarding him with questions—who was he, what was his relationship to her, what happened, how did it happen, where was he when it happened, and even why was he always around when an accident happened to her?
He couldn’t answer fast enough and his head swam with worried thoughts about Ella. Was she okay, why wouldn’t they let him go to the hospital with her, why did they seem bent on pinning this on him? Before the questions stopped, he found himself handcuffed, his room torn apart, his tools from the shed confiscated, and he was riding to the police station. Still they would not tell him how Ella was.
His one call was to Marlin Howard, but there was no answer and he knew there woul
dn’t be, because he was probably at the hospital looking after Ella, where he should be. There he sat, in a cold, damp cell that smelled of mold, urine, and bleach. He sat on the cot and put his head in his hands and prayed that Ella would be okay.
*****
Marlin stood by the window of the hospital room staring out at the rain coming down in the triangle shaft of illumination from the streetlight, while Meme held Ella’s right hand.
Ella’s previously broken arm had been broken again and a pin had to be placed in her wrist. The cast was much larger than the previous one and much more restrictive. It now enveloped most of her hand and fingers, angled up and included her upper arm, plus she wore a restricting sling to keep her from moving a torn ligament in her shoulder.
Her head was wrapped up like a mummy and though the concussion was not terrible, having had two in such a short span of time made the doctors more cautious. They insisted she stay in the hospital for a couple of days.
“Meme. Where am I?” Ella slurred.
“You’re in the hospital, dear.”
“What happened?”
“There was an accident with the scaffolding—a bunch of it came down on you. You’re lucky to be alive, sweet-pea.”
“My head.”
“Yes, you’ve got quite a bump on your head. The doctors say you will be fine, but they want you to stay here for a bit so they can make sure there are no internal injuries.”
“Where’s Jeremy?”
“He’s not here, darling. I haven’t seen him. Was he at the house?”
“Yes. He helped me.”
“Well, he’s not here. I don’t know where he is. We haven’t heard from him. Sheriff Beck was the one who called Marlin at the office and we came right down.”
“If you see him, will you ask him to come see me?”
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