by Judith Post
His face looked like an angry thunderstorm as he listened. “I don’t believe you can stop me. I believe it’s my right, not my privilege, to see my son on the weekends.”
He listened a little more and snapped his cell phone shut without another word. He looked at Thea. “I’d like my son.”
“Not without Cynthia’s okay.”
His eyes blazed, and he pushed Thea aside to march to the house. She half-ran to reach the steps before he did. She stood in his path, blocking the door.
“If you step inside without an invitation, I’m calling Mike.”
The mention of the town’s deputy sheriff stopped him. “This is none of your business,” he said between clenched teeth.
“It’s my house. It’s my business.”
“He’s my son.”
“You missed your visitation. You’ll have to make new arrangements.”
For one instant, Thea thought he was going to lose his temper and hit her. He certainly looked as if he’d like to. But then he wheeled around and started for his car. “You’ll hear about this,” he tossed over his shoulder.
Thea didn’t reply. What good would it do?
Randall slammed the door of his Hummer and raced down the driveway without a backward glance.
Chapter 51
Cynthia was coming for supper before she took Toby home that night. Thea was glad that Randall had come and had his little hissy fit when Cynthia wasn’t there.
The kids wanted hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill, so Thea decided to make German potato salad and strawberry shortcake to round out the meal.
“You two are going to be my cheap, kitchen help,” she told Toby and Hannah, “so take quick showers and get dressed. I’m starting the potatoes and bacon. Be ready to work when you get back up here.”
She wondered about her wisdom when she saw them cleaning and slicing strawberries. As many went into their mouths as went into the bowl, and their faces were a red, sticky mess. Maybe she should have had them shower after kitchen duty. Then she shrugged. You have to get messy to appreciate some of the good things in life.
As she mixed the batter for the short cakes, she said, “I didn’t know your dad had such a temper.”
Toby looked at her, surprised. “You must not be around him much.”
“Hardly ever.”
“Does he get mad at you a lot?” Hannah asked.
Toby shook his head. “He’s okay with me, but he always yells at mom. He hit her once.”
“Hit her?” Cynthia had never told Thea about that. Probably too ashamed. Cynthia took everything personally. She’d blame herself for not handling the situation right.
“He smacked her in the face.” Toby’s lips tightened. “Mom said if dad ever touches me, he’ll never see me again. But he doesn’t get mad at me. Just Mom.”
“He never gets mad at you?” Hannah blinked. “He’s a grown-up, and you’re a kid.” She made it sound like that made getting in trouble inevitable.
“Mom tells me to always have perfect manners around Dad. She says he works a lot, and he’s under tons of pressure, so he blows easy.”
“That sucks,” Hannah said.
Toby shrugged. “It’s not too hard. Dad doesn’t come to get me very much. When he does, I’m not around him most the time. He put a plasma TV in my bedroom with a Playstation 2, GameCube, and Xbox hooked up to it.”
“All three?” Hannah stared.
“Which is your dad’s favorite?” Thea asked, sliding the short cakes into the oven.
“Dad never plays,” Toby said. “But he takes me to the club with him, and I get to swim while he plays golf.”
“I wish I had a rich dad,” Hannah said.
“No you don’t.” Toby licked strawberry off his fingers. “You have Gabe. He loves you.”
“He’s dead.”
“But at least he talks to you. And he listens. My dad never listens.”
Thea had to turn away and rinse some things in the sink. Tears misted her eyes, and she didn’t want Toby to see them.
“I wish my mom would meet someone nice,” Toby said. “Someone who’d like her and me, someone fun.”
“That’s not so easy to do,” Thea said.
“You didn’t want someone else,” Hannah told her. “You were still in love with Gabe.”
“Is that right, little Miss Know-it-all?”
Hannah grinned up at her. “You get mad at us, but you never stay mad.”
“My mom says that she never wants to love another man,” Toby said. “She says that dad ruined her on that.”
Hannah sliced the last strawberry and tossed it in the bowl. “Your mom and Thea aren’t that old. She could still meet somebody.”
Toby looked at Thea and considered. “I guess you’re right.”
Thea laughed. “Before you two have me drooling and chugging along with a walker, get out of here! Wash your hands and go play before Cynthia gets here.”
They didn’t need to be told twice. They glanced at the mushrooms and onions that needed to be sliced before Thea sautéed and caramelized them.
“See you later!” Hannah said as they scooted out of the house.
Chapter 52
Both kids hated the German potato salad. That didn’t surprise Thea. She’d carried a bag of potato chips out on the patio as back-up. She and Cynthia watched Hannah eat two hot dogs and Toby hurry through his hamburger so that they’d have a little more time to play before they had to part.
“He’s had a good time,” Cynthia said, smiling. “Thanks.”
“It was fun for Hannah, too. She’s lonely since Josh and Rachel left.”
“Have you heard from Josh?”
“Nothing since the phone call. He’s still mad at me.”
“That’s a good thing, right?” Cynthia asked.
“Supposedly. The two kids helped me keep my mind off Josh this week. And the bookmarks.”
Cynthia finished her hamburger, piled high with onions and mushrooms. “That was probably a week’s worth of calories. I need a break before dessert. I’m stuffed.”
“Good, we can talk. I didn’t want to bring it up during the meal while the kids were around, but Randall wasn’t very happy when he left here today.”
“So what’s new?”
Thea told Cynthia about Randall’s brief visit. “I thought he’d leave here and confront you. Maybe come back again for Toby.”
Cynthia shook her head. “He knew better. I’m not in the mood.”
“Didn’t he think it might make you mad if you came to pick up Toby and he’d already taken him?”
“That wouldn’t bother him. He wouldn’t have to deal with me. He’d block my phone calls and let me fume until Sunday night. Then he’d walk in, all smiles, and hope I wouldn’t go off on him in front of Toby.”
“Why wouldn’t you?”
Cynthia sighed. “If Randall had knocked himself out, and Toby was all smiles, he knows I wouldn’t want to ruin it. Toby has a hard enough time with his dad.”
Thea reached for a potato chip. “Toby wants you to meet someone new, to find a new dad for him.”
“That’s all I need.” Cynthia shook her head. “Randall doesn’t want me or Toby, but if I started seeing someone else, he’d go rabid.”
“Why?”
“Ego. He doesn’t want someone else picking up his trash.”
Thea blinked. “But you’ve been divorced four years.”
“You know the people who put their stuff out on the curb for the garbage men, then get mad when someone drives by and puts it in their car? That’s Randall.”
Thea thought for a minute. “I always thought he’d remarry, hook up with someone glamorous and sophisticated to hostess his dinners and business outings.”
Cynthia grunted. “She’d have to be very forgiving.”
“He wouldn’t be easy to live with, but some women don’t mind that if the price is right.”
“Randall doesn’t share his money,” Cynthia said. “He makes you earn it.”
“I’ve seen women settle for almost any kind of man,” Thea said.
“Doesn’t say much for our sex, does it?”
“We’re getting better at being alone.” Thea shrugged. “I don’t think either sex has a premium on assholes. I mean, let’s face it. For every Randall, there’s a Melissa.”
Cynthia laughed. “Guess you’re right.”
“Now those two would be perfect for each other, don’t you think?”
“I think Randall likes his freedom,” Cynthia said. “He was never satisfied with just one woman. Not before me, not with me, not after me.”
“But gossip flies faster than a speeding bullet in a town our size,” Thea said. “I’ve never heard any whispers about Randall and his women.”
“That’s because he never plays in his own backyard. Randall doesn’t like scandal. He wouldn’t pick a woman from Emerald Hills. He has his fun when he’s on business trips, and he’s very discreet.”
“It must have been hell for you.”
Cynthia’s voice turned to steel. “I loved his business trips. I didn’t care if he slept with a harem. When he was gone, I was happy.”
The kids wandered out of the woods, ready for shortcakes, and the conversation ended.
Chapter 53
Hannah wanted to sleep in Thea’s room again that night. Toby was gone, and the house was too quiet.
“Why not? Help me with the air mattress.”
It didn’t take Hannah long to fall asleep once they got settled. She’d had a big week, and she was more tired than she realized.
Thea was restless, though. She went out on the deck and sipped a glass of wine. Usually, Gabe would join her, but neither of them felt safe anymore when he left the studio. Thea forced herself to relax and listened to the vibes on the air. There was a buzz, like manic static, that was building in intensity. All was not right with the world, and she didn’t know what to do about it.
Gravel crunched under her feet as she walked to the barn. The air felt heavy and ominous. Nothing stirred.
She climbed the steps to the studio and saw Gabe, standing in front of the long window, frowning at the world below. “I’m glad you came. Something’s wrong. I can feel it.”
Thea stared at him in surprise. She could see his energy pulse and surge. “No matter what happens tonight, don’t leave the studio,” she told him. “There are strange vibes in the air. They scare me.”
“It’s Lacey,” he said. “She’s lost control. I’m getting more of a handle on this energy thing, and I understand her more. She’s so scattered, it feels like hysteria.”
“She can’t get in the barn again,” Thea said. “Can you keep her out if she tries to force her way in?”
“Damned right, I can. She got past me once, and Les is dead. It’s not going to happen again.” His energy surged and peaked, dark and dangerous. Thea hadn’t seen Gabe angry very often, but he looked like a force to be reckoned with tonight.
She started to go to him, but Gabe shook his head. “You need to stay with Hannah. This could be a bad night.”
Thea hurried back to the house and went straight to her room. She couldn’t sleep, so she plumped up her pillows and settled back to read.
She felt Lacey before she saw her.
“I have to get in the studio,” Lacey wailed.
Hannah sat up straight, her eyes huge, sleep forgotten in a hurry.
Lacey’s thin form flickered by the door before she materialized fully. Darts of red and black energy leapt in a drunken halo around her. “You have to let me in the studio.”
“No.” Thea stood to face her. “No more murders. You’re killing people, Lacey. I’ll try to help you, to free you, but I won’t let you hurt anyone else.”
Lacey keened, and the hairs rose on Thea’s arms. The girl’s suffering wrenched her heart.
“He’s so mad at me!” Lacey cried. Lights whirled and exploded inside her diaphanous form. “He’ll hurt her.”
“We’ll go to the winery. We’ll protect Lindsay. Just work with us.”
“Lindsay!” The energy that surrounded Lacey burned crimson red. “No one can stop him! I’m going in your studio. Don’t make me hurt someone I don’t have to.”
Thea recognized the anger and met it with her own. “Too late. You’ve already done that. Gabe’s dead. You murdered him. Sheila Grayson and Les Smith are dead too.”
“No!!”
“Yes. You’re not just pulling threads, Lacey. You’re killing people.”
Sobs ripped the air. “Make him leave. I have to go in.”
“I’ve offered to help you. Gabe would help you, so would Aggie. None of us want to hurt you. But you have to be stopped.”
Lacey threw her hands over her ears and wailed. “You can’t help me! Don’t you understand? I’m past help. Make him leave.”
“You won’t get past him.”
“Yes, I will!” And Lacey disappeared in a fireworks of light.
Once she was gone, Thea realized how cold the room was. Her teeth chattered, and goosebumps prickled her flesh. Hannah cowered under her blankets.
Thea went to Hannah and hugged her close.
Hannah huddled into her. “You should go warn Gabe.”
Thea could hear the fear. “I already went to see him. Gabe knows. He’s ready.”
“But she’s freaky. She might hurt him.”
Thea thought about Lacey’s wild energy and Gabe’s cold determination. “Gabe will be all right.”
Hannah leaned back and looked at Thea’s face. “You’re not scared?”
“Gabe’s more than a match for her.” But they both went upstairs and looked out the windows toward the barn. They stood, side by side, for nearly an hour.
“Can we go see?” Hannah finally said.
Thea wanted to go herself, but she wasn’t sure if it was safe, if mortals could be hurt if they were bystanders in a battle between ghosts. And she wouldn’t put Hannah in jeopardy. Everything should be settled by now, though, one way or another.
“Enough time’s passed. Whatever’s happened should be finished. Let’s go check and see how things turned out.”
Hannah slipped her hand in Thea’s, and they scurried to the studio.
Gabe grinned when he saw them. “Come to rescue me?”
“Did she come?” Hannah asked. She couldn’t keep the tremor out of her voice.
“She came, we bumped forces, and she left.”
“I was worried,” Hannah told him.
“So was I, but I’m a stronger ghost than I knew I was.”
Thea frowned. “How do ghosts fight? You can’t hurt each other, can you?”
“It’s more like a clashing of energy,” Gabe said. “Biggest blast wins.”
“Did you bump her far away?” Hannah asked.
Gabe sighed. “Not far enough. She’ll be back.”
“It’s her own fault!” Hannah cried. “She’s being stupid. She won’t let us help her.”
Gabe wrapped around her, embracing her in his mist. “Baby, sometimes fear makes us stupid. That girl’s so afraid of something, she can’t think.”
His answer didn’t lessen Hannah’s fury. “Then she’s silly.”
“Yes, she is.” He gave Hannah a gentle nudge toward Thea. “But we’re done for tonight, and we should all rest. This isn’t finished, and we might need our sleep for tomorrow night.”
Thea looked at Gabe. His face was tense. This wasn’t over. In fact, it had just begun.
Chapter 54
Hannah was too jumpy to go straight to bed. Thea turned on the TV set and put in a movie. They cuddled on the couch to relax.
Faint sunlight was just seeping into the room when Thea woke. The room was freezing. She and Hannah were smashed together to get warm, but she was still cold. It was early morning, and her arm was cramped under Hannah’s body. She pulled it out and felt the nerves tingle.
Something had wakened her. She blinked and caught a last flash of energy as Lacey drifted
through the wall, out of sight. Thea sniffed. The inside of her nose felt dry. Was it the cold? No, there was something else. Not just the energy. Not just the cold. Another sniff. She grimaced. There was an acrid smell. Smoke?
Thea propped herself on an elbow and looked out the big picture windows at the front of the cabin. She blinked. Something moved out there, writhed up and down. She rubbed the back of her hand across her eyes. They were scratchy from too little sleep. Her mind felt numb. She squinted and looked again. Red and orange flames danced past the glass. Was Lacey waiting for her out there? Was the girl burning brighter than before?
Something crackled. Wood? A tendril of smoke slithered under the front door and spiraled toward the high ceiling. Fear slammed Thea’s chest, stopped her heart. It was fire. Fire licking up the wooden railing of the deck.
“Wake up!” She shook Hannah and rolled herself out from under her. “Get up! Now!” She yanked Hannah to her feet. “The deck’s on fire. Move!”
Hannah became instantly alert. She followed Thea’s gaze past the picture window and stiffened with fright.
“Come on. We have to get out of here.” Thea pulled on Hannah’s hand, went to the front door, felt the wood and the metal knob. Both cool. Cautiously, she cracked the door and peeked outside.
The fire was under the deck, on the far side. It was working its way toward them.
“Take a deep breath and don’t inhale until we’re on the front lawn.” She pulled Hannah across the deck, down the steps, and onto the grass. Hannah fell in a heap, too shocked to do anything. “Run to the barn. Use the phone in Josh’s workshop. Call 911. And tell Gabe we’re safe. Tell him NOT to leave the studio.”
Hannah stared at her for a long moment, too overwhelmed to function.
“Lacey’s trying to make Gabe leave the studio. Tell him to stay put.”
With a quick nod, Hannah was on her feet. Thea watched her young, sturdy legs as they pumped up the hill. Then Thea raced to the garden hose, turned it on, and aimed the water at the deck and house. She soaked every inch of wood that she could until the fire truck pulled in her drive.