“Hey, sorry to call so early. It’s just now 7:00, but I’ll be in Philly all day and didn’t want to forget to tell you what I found last night.”
Lanie yawned. “What’s that?”
“Jason had a housekeeper—Addy Fairfax. Apparently she was his mother’s maid and helped look after him after he went to live with his Aunt Celia. They were close.”
How odd, I was dreaming about Addy. “So what did you find out about Addy Fairfax?”
“Here, let me read you this. ‘By all accounts it appeared Doctor Bowen’s housekeeper, Addy Marie Fairfax, left in the middle of the night and took a good portion of the silver service with her.’ Sheriff John Burke, a long time friend of the good doctor, is quoted as saying, ‘This is utter nonsense. I know Addy. She’s devoted to that family, has been for more than thirty years. And I know for a fact the good woman did not draw a penny of salary the whole time Jackson Bowen was at war. That she’d steal is ludicrous.’ Dr. Bowen’s maiden aunt, Celia Pemberly, was also quoted as saying ‘This is outrageous. Why Addy Fairfax doesn’t possesses a dishonest bone in her entire body. If anyone were to ask me, I’d say they might look closer to home. I won’t say more than that. But mark my words, there is something afoul there.’ Do you see what I’m seeing? They bumped off the housekeeper, too!”
“You’re thinking Cathy and her new husband Richard got rid of the housekeeper?”
“Yeah, maybe Addy caught them in the act of murdering Jason.”
The mention of his name had Lanie suddenly remembering she’d met Jason in the flesh last night, well maybe not in the flesh but certainly the essence of him. “Wow. Thanks, Lexie. Great detective work.”
“I’ll have more, I’m sure. There’s more than half a box to sort through yet. Well, I gotta run. Love you, sweetie.”
“Love you, too.” Lanie set the phone down. She sat up and swung her feet over the edge of the bed.
“You’re here, aren’t you?” she asked the silent room.
Jason sat nearby, but his mind was elsewhere. Did they murder Addy, too? His gut told him yes. What had she seen? Had she overheard their plot? Had she witnessed his murder? Poor Addy. He wondered then if somehow he was meant to relive it all through Lanie’s dreams. To what end, though? He was dead, and so was Addy.
The ghost of Jason Bowen didn’t appear and there was a moment when Lanie thought she might have actually been dreaming their entire meeting and conversation of the night before. After all she was also dreaming about him in his time in the 1880s. The whole thing was strange. She remembered the phrase tipping the velvet, a phrase she’d never in her life heard before, and she wondered if her mind made that up.
Recalling the dream—Jason’s explanation made her feel lightheaded. In this life the only sexual experience she possessed was kissing and a little fondling. She’d never had oral sex before. Dreamed it, yes, but experienced it, no. The dream image of a body sliding over hers on her bed brought on a throb between her legs. In that particular dream the man treated her to such incredible sensations with his hands and mouth she was more than ready for anything that would follow.
Her playground tormentors all those years before had contributed to her avoiding the usual boy-girl relationships all through high school, college, and med school. She didn’t look at herself as skittish. She just had a very clear idea of what she didn’t want. There had been dating, but her college boyfriends got tired of having a girlfriend who wouldn’t go all the way. She’d liked them all, but she didn’t love them, so that was fine by her. By the time she got to med school there was no free time for relationships. Her internship took up all the time she had. The simple fact was, no one caught her eye. Then too she had to admit her dream man was a hard act to follow, especially now when her dreams had finally allowed them to interact with one another.
Chapter 16
Closing the cellar door behind her, Lanie put her hands on her lower spine and arched backward with a groan. The day had been a virtual whirlwind of activity.
The concrete was scheduled for Monday, and Zack’s crew had spent the day readying the ground for the clinic’s foundation while his brothers, nephews, and brothers-in-law tackled the cellar. They had no idea the cellar would take so many days to empty, and they were now racing the clock. Lanie heard from more than one man today how they were glad the task began days ago instead of trying to tackle it all in one day. Because the cement truck would have nowhere to park once the clinic’s parking slab went in, Zack planned on pouring the cellar floor at the same time they did the sidewalk, the handicap ramp, and the clinic’s foundation. It was an ambitious plan to say the least.
Feeling the fatigue of the others, Lanie finally said enough was enough. Ben argued the point, saying they could get the whole thing done by nine that night, eleven o’clock at the latest. But Lanie insisted. It was Friday and everyone needed to go home. Despite her insistence, he wasn’t budging. In the end she came up with an idea. Pulling her cell phone from her pocket she dialed Lexie. “Hey, Lex.”
“Hey, sweetie, what’s up?”
“I’m stuck, Lexie, and I wouldn’t ask but…”
Lexie cut in, “Of course.”
Lanie laughed. “You don’t know what I was going to ask.”
Lexie could hear her friend’s smile when she replied, “Do I have to? You need help in the cellar. I looked down the stairs, remember?”
Ten minutes later Lexie and Pete had arranged to help Lanie on the weekend, and Ben was satisfied enough to let the guys go home.
“Okay, kiddo, I’m leaving. But listen, be careful. Don’t be lifting heavy things. Just work around them, and the guys will haul them out early on Monday before the cement comes. We have to rake down there anyway, so Zack will be sending them over early.”
“How early?”
He smiled at her. “Figure the cement will get here between nine and ten o’clock.”
“Okay, early then. I’ll be up.”
“Right, we’ll be here at first light.” At her wide eyes, he laughed. “Okay, seven.”
“First light.” Lanie punched him in the arm. She heard him laughing all the way up the stairs.
A short time later, Lanie sat on the cellar stairs, attempting to eat a turkey sandwich for dinner. Arm muscles aching, she could barely lift it to her mouth. From her perch on the stairs she could see the far side of the cellar still had a small mass of tangled wooden chairs, a broken table, old bedsprings and who knew what else. It was hard to imagine the Masons being packrats, but the mountain of stuff…sheesh. For the past two days, a bucket brigade of manpower passed crate and chair and twisted trash hand to hand to clear it out. After calling the scrap man, she arranged for them to take the mountainous stacks of recyclable metal. All usable furniture was picked over by the guys, and surprisingly there was very little left that wasn’t total garbage. The pile of burnables grew to the point where she asked Ben to build her a fire ring of brick and fieldstone in the back yard. She planned to invite the whole Danowski clan over for a bonfire and weenie roast when the work was finally done.
With Lexie and Pete’s help through the weekend, they’d finish. What a wonderful bunch of friends she had. Hoisting her weary self off the top step, she wondered about her other friend the ghost. He hadn’t reappeared since their conversation about Max, and it had her wondering again. Was it possible she was delusional and dreamed the whole thing to begin with?
* * * *
At the top of the mansion’s breezy cupola, Jason absently looked out at the orange-tagged stakes and string that delineated a large rectangle alongside his carriage house and another twice as large painted in blue along the ground beside it. Though he didn’t know what they were about, he didn’t give a second thought. Instead his mind ran through new details and those long forgotten. Used to time having little meaning, he hadn’t realized two days had passed while he pondered his own death and his housekeeper’s mysterious disappearance. There was much to think about. Lexie had turned up so many d
etails, large and small, and some he hadn’t known before. He felt more certain than ever that he was supposed to put the pieces together.
That Addy went missing disturbed him more than his murder, for he’d loved that old woman dearly. He could scarcely believe Cathy condemned this loving and kind woman as a thief. A thief! What a preposterous thought. Addy Fairfax was as honest as the day was long. Had Addy witnessed his death as Lexie suggested? Raking his fingers through his hair, he tried to remember how it was they’d murdered him, but no matter what angle he came to his death from, he still had no clear recollection of their deed.
This inability to recall had been gnawing at him for more than a century. It hit him then. It was no coincidence that Lanie had been dreaming about him for years. Through her dreams he could venture back to his time and solve this riddle. He came aware. My god, Lanie. Lost in thought, he hadn’t seen her for who knew how long.
An instant later he materialized in their bedroom to find her just leaving her bath. Coming upon the stunning sight left him thunderstruck. Glistening beads of water sparkled all over her body, and her wet hair, obviously just fluffed with her towel, hung in thick, ebony ringlets. Completely missing the fact he wasn’t invisible, he whispered in awe, “If I had breath, you’d take it away.”
Startled, she whirled around at the sound of his voice, and her large blue eyes met his. The light blush started at her cheeks and ended just above her pale pink nipples. She looked to the bed and back at him, resisting the urge to dive under the sheets and hide herself.
Jason instantly felt remorse, realizing his error too late. . “I apologize for frightening you.”
She assured him quickly, “I wasn’t frightened, only startled. I thought you’d gone.” No, she wasn’t frightened. She was however, keenly aware of standing naked before this ghost of a man. A drop of water fell unnoticed from her wet hair to trace a wet path down the center of her breast. Feeling a chill, she crossed her arms in front of her.
“No, I’m always here,” he said softly, his eyes momentarily drawn to a sparkling droplet that hung like a jewel from her chill-hardened nipple before she covered her breasts. He swallowed. The sight made his mouth water. “I sense I make you nervous. I’d never hurt you, you know. Please believe that.”
“I believe that. Jason, I–I’m not dressed.”
“And I am a mere shadow of a man. Please don’t be shy in front of me, Lanie. I’m a ghost. Some would say I’m not even here,” he teased.
Those silly but true words helped her to relax.
“If I may, I’d like to talk to you.” Ignoring her uncomfortable nakedness, he took her by the hand and sat her beside him on the bed. The sensation was light and transparent but very real. He was there all right. And her shyness returned. She attempted to pull from his hand. “Really, I should put on some clothes…”
He chuckled but didn’t let go. “As I see it, you and I are both physicians. Medical training aside, in our profession we’ve seen the ins and outs of human anatomy. Don’t be self-conscious around me, Dr. O’Keefe. I repeat, I’m a ghost.”
Another droplet fell from the ends of her raven hair. This one dropped on her lap and disappeared between her thighs. Poised to do so since he entered the room, his cock sprung to life as though he were flesh and blood again. Mastering the urge to pull her to him, he eventually said, “I’ve been thinking…”
It was hard to miss the fact Jason’s ethereal form didn’t leave an impression on her bedding. It was also hard to miss Jason Bowen. He was undeniably the most handsome man Lanie had ever set eyes on. His eyes with their unusual color were fringed with dark lashes, his mouth was full-lipped and kind and a single lock of his dark brown hair lay a bit lower on his forehead than the rest. He looked exactly as he did in her dream. Another thought came to her at his close proximity, a recollection of the dream she’d had with an unseen lover treating her to exquisite oral sex. The unbidden imagery swiftly tied him to the deed. Her imagination making her light-headed, she parroted mechanically, “You’ve been thinking?”
Noting how her eyes suddenly dilated, and her pulse throbbed at her porcelain throat, it took effort for Jason to find his thoughts. “Yes, I caught a piece of your conversation with Lexie in the kitchen. I appreciate your wanting details of my disappearance. I have none myself, you see.” He didn’t want to cloud the investigation through her dreams so left out the fact he’d been murdered. Another droplet rolled over her collarbone, and he unconsciously pulled out his handkerchief to dab it away.
She gasped softly.
The sound was his undoing. He pulled her into his arms for a kiss before he realized he’d done it. Her mouth was warm and sweet, and his tongue twined with hers as he crushed her to him with every particle of his essence. Feeling her sensual surrender as her arms wrapped around him to deepen the kiss, he stopped to chastise himself. There is no future in this, you stupid fool. Taking her arms from him, he said, “I’ll leave you to your sleep. Perhaps we can talk more tomorrow.” With that, he disappeared.
Lanie looked at the spot where he’d been only an instant before, the kiss leaving her breathless.
* * * *
Why did he do that? Jason sat on the top stair, holding his head in both hands. Feeling helpless, his curling fingers gripped at his hair. Fool. He had a complete and utter lack of sense where this woman was concerned. He’d already done far too much she was unaware of. He shook his head both in self-recrimination and no little wonderment. When her body yielded, he’d thought his phantom heart would burst. She’d melted without hesitation into his arms, and he felt those warm, moist lips of hers and tasted her when she returned his kiss in shy sweetness. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. But to what end? No, he couldn’t do this to her. He couldn’t offer her anything as he was.
He made up his mind then. He’d only visit her in her dream world. In the waking world there was no future to be had with a phantom without substance. But there in her dreams he didn’t have to worry about her future. He could love her there. Invisible now, he returned to their bedroom to see if she was sleeping. Her muscles were slack, her breathing regular. Carefully sitting beside her, he closed his eyes and whispered, “Take us back to the study, take us back to my time.”
* * * *
“Whadaya mean you’re letting me go?” Mr. Paxton’s voice rose above the steady din of flying shuttles below.
Raising her voice to be heard, Lanie repeated, “I said I will be keeping most of my father’s businesses and have hired another foreman to handle all instead of a different man for each.” She handed him an envelope. “You’ll find your severance not without its compensation. This holds $300 as a thank you for your years of service to my father.”
“What’s going on here, Miss O’Keefe?” he snarled angrily, his soft Southern drawl made sharper by emotion. “I was your father’s right-hand man for seven years. His hand-picked foreman since he bought this place! I hardly think this is a fitting way to treat me after all that time seeing to his success.” He swung his arm wide in illustration.
“The books show you were paid well, sir. You’re no longer needed, Mr. Paxton, so please remove your things and leave now. I have other workers to meet with. Good day to you, sir.” She turned to go.
Like a flash he stood between her and the door. “Don’t walk away from me, lady. We aren’t finished. You’ll lose all these people their work because you don’t know how to run a mill. Just like you don’t know how to deal with a man in a man’s world.”
“We are finished, Mr. Paxton.”
“No we’re not, lady. There’s a wager I must see to. One I mean to win.”
“Wager?”
He reached out and fingered the cloth of her sleeve. “I’ve a mind to pet me a kitty cat. And after the petting, you’ll never want me to leave.”
Just as she opened her mouth to say she didn’t own a cat, a deep voice from behind said, “Apologize to the lady, Paxton.”
“Who the hell are you?”
“I said apologize.”
“Fuck off.”
To Lanie, Jason said, “Please step outside.”
“Jason, I…”
He gave her a look that clearly said, go now.
She left the room but stood just outside the doorway unseen. Below, the workers tried to discover what was happening in the foreman’s office. Several inched closer to hear. She heard a scuffle then jumped back when a body hit the other side of the wall. “You go anywhere near Miss O’Keefe again, you’ll deal with me. Do you understand? Do you?”
The reply was choked and muffled. “Yeah, yeah all right.”
Jason led him from the room with one arm twisted behind his back. “Apologize to the lady.” The arm behind him wrenched higher in emphasis. “Now.”
Paxton winced. “I’m sorry for any disrespect, Miss O’Keefe.”
Lanie nodded at him as they passed.
Jason shoved Paxton to the street where only the passing ragman heard his rage-filled comment. “You’ll get yours soon, sir. Oh yes you will!”
Jason was more than a little angry. What was Lanie thinking that she took such a chance alone? Taking her firmly by her upper arm, he led her back into the foreman’s office and closed the door behind them. “Why didn’t you wait for me? You knew Paxton had little respect for women…he might have hurt you.”
“I believed letting him go would be simple. He’d already made up his mind about his not wanting to work for me. I thought the severance pay would be enough to send him off with.” She shook her head. Aside from his touching her sleeve, he’d really done nothing that would suggest… She looked at Jason and realized that he obviously understood the situation differently or he wouldn’t be angry right now. “Why did you demand an apology a moment ago? Was it for what I overheard him say yesterday?”
Jason clenched his fist, he’d forgotten about that and remembering now he had the urge to find Paxton and beat the man to a pulp. He told her, “No, the apology was for what I heard as I came up the stairs.”
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