“How did he do that?” I sat on the edge of her unmade bed and clutched the wooden bedpost.
“I asked Max to help Jonatan get to know Memphis; to help him through his awkwardness with her. To teach him how to treat a lady properly,” she said in a daydreamy voice.
“Tell me,” I pleaded quietly.
“I had no idea Max would foist himself upon Memphis. I should never have trusted him with Jonatan’s future. Max was not family, but he loved your brother, or at least I believed he did. Memphis endured it; she agreed to Max’s price and gave herself up. I asked myself why…why would she do that? And then it came to me, she endured it not because she loved my Jonatan but because she wanted this house. This is all she wanted, or else she would not have behaved in such a lowly manner.” I didn’t agree with her, but I didn’t interrupt her. I had to hear more. “And then Max had another price. It wasn’t enough that he had treated Jonatan’s future wife roughly. He wanted you, and he believed I would deliver you to him.”
“Me? What do you mean?” I tightened my hand around the bedpost.
“Max wanted you, Lafonda—as if your father or I would have ever given him permission to court you. We had no idea he was already married to this Maggie person, but even if he hadn’t been, he never would have been a suitable match for you.” The room felt chilly even though it was late in the morning. It was so quiet now, it felt as if someone else were here, listening. Waiting. “Max laughed in my face, Lafonda. He challenged me and said things no man should say to a woman. I do not remember what happened next until I saw that he was dead. Lettie found me, burned my clothes and helped me change.”
I was horrified at both Max’s threat and Mama’s response.
Should I be grateful that she murdered Max? What did she expect me to do?
“I am sorry for what happened to you, Mama, but we have to tell the attorney or Deputy Barnum or the judge. They have to know that it wasn’t Jonatan. They will kill him if we do not. Just tell them what you told me. You were only defending yourself.”
“Who will believe me, Lafonda?”
She was right, of course. We were just the upstart foreigners living at Seven Sisters. “What if Memphis told them what happened, that Max Davenport forced himself upon her?”
“And bring shame on your brother? On us all?”
“Shame? A little shame will not kill Jonatan, but the hangman’s noose certainly will!” I rose furiously and faced her. If she slapped me, so be it!
“I will not! Jonatan will not hang, Lafonda! You make too much of this.” I clutched my bruised neck, scarcely believing what I heard. How could she think this way?
Before we could argue further, a strange thing happened. Mama’s vanity mirror, the oblong one with the shiny black frame, cracked. And not from a change in temperature or age. It looked like someone had smashed a fist against it. We watched in horror as the mirror began to fracture slowly and a hundred fragments fell onto the vanity table.
I stifled a scream and ran to the door. “Jonatan is right. There are ghosts here, Mama.”
“Don’t be a fool, girl. Go find Lettie and tell her to clean this mess up.”
“But what about…”
“No more talk of this. You are doing nothing but upsetting me.” As if he heard us, Jonatan began to wail. His voice echoed down the long hallway. “Go see to your brother.”
And that was that. She left me alone in her room. And now I knew the truth. Mama had murdered Max, and somehow this Maggie woman knew it.
Now I knew it too.
And so did the ghost.
Chapter Fourteen—Carrie Jo
“Carrie Jo, Detra Ann is here. Get moving, babe. You don’t want to miss your play date.”
I made a face at him. I loved hanging out with AJ, Detra Ann and Baby Chloe, but I really wanted to dive into my dream. I wanted to talk about it, examine it and get some answers.
“It’ll probably do you some good to get out of here for a few hours. The past is the past, Carrie Jo. It will be waiting for you when you get back.”
I stuck my tongue out at him, but I knew he was right. Besides, Detra Ann and I were taking the kids to the pond at Mobile Memorial Gardens. I needed to visit Momma and spend some time with her. It was really sweet of my friend to suggest it.
“Just give me a minute,” I called to him as he left the room. Nothing like running behind as soon as your feet hit the floor. That was the downside of dream catching—you didn’t always wake up with a clear head. As a matter of fact, the first thing I planned to do when I got downstairs was put a cup of coffee in my hands. I wrestled with my hair a few more minutes before I decided to slap it up in a messy bun. Not very polished, but hey, Detra Ann had that covered for the both of us. Even the day she had her daughter, she looked like a million bucks. Not me. I was swollen from head to toe and didn’t wear makeup for two weeks. I slid my flats on and hustled downstairs to greet my friend and Baby Chloe.
“Morning, you two. Where’s Baby Boy? Oh, never mind. Here he is with every toy he can carry.” With my hands on my hips, I said in a stern voice, “Son, you cannot take all those toys with us. We are going to the park, remember? Pick two of your favorites and leave the rest here.” He gave me a look that Detra Ann had dubbed the “stink eye,” but I wasn’t budging on this one.
“I’m not kidding, AJ.” To show me he was not particularly thrilled with me, my son unceremoniously dumped the entire contents of his backpack on the foyer floor. I glanced at Ashland, who was no help at all. He was giving the baby raspberries on her belly, and she loved every minute of it. “And those go in your toy box in the Blue Room. Take them back, Mr. Stuart.” With another look, he did as I asked, and Detra Ann laughed.
“I guess I know what I have to look forward to.”
I smiled back at her. “I hear girls are worse than boys.”
“I believe it. Chloe already has an attitude, and she absolutely refuses to wear shoes of any kind. Or socks. And unfortunately for her, she has her Daddy’s square feet.”
I laughed at her descriptive imagery. “Don’t all babies have square feet?”
She hugged me and said, “Are you ready for this visit?”
“I haven’t packed my bag yet or his, but I’m getting there. Just need some coffee.” I smiled even though I wasn’t feeling it.
“Okay, Carrie Jo Stuart, what’s going on? I’m getting one of my feelings like you aren’t telling me something. Is it a ghostly problem?”
I twisted my lip nervously. “Why, um, yes, it is. But Henri didn’t want you to know about it.”
“That was very sweet of him, and he’s right. I love you to the moon and back, but I don’t want to know about it. Whatever is going on, keep me out of it. Look, it’s not like before, y’all. I have Chloe to think about. I can’t do this anymore. I think I’m done with the paranormal stuff, Carrie Jo, Ashland. I’m out of it.”
“And that’s okay, Detra Ann. I understand the desire to be rid of it, rid of the unexpected paranormal activity, but unfortunately for both Ashland and me, it does not quit. It’s not like we go looking for ghosts or cross our fingers and hope for dreams. I don’t. Really. It just happens. I wish I knew how to turn it off, but I don’t.”
Detra Ann scooped up Baby Chloe and put her up on her shoulder so she could look around. Ashland had a sad expression on his face as he said, “It’s this house, guys. I really believe it is this house. Seven Sisters is a special place, that’s for sure, but it comes with some spiritual baggage.”
“Rachel mentioned that to me recently, said that the Brotherhood considers this place a portal. I am not sure what all that means, but it is possible that all the sadness—all the betrayals, the murders and the heartache—all that energy created a doorway to the past. I have to admit it is easier to ‘dream catch’ here than anywhere else I’ve been.”
The only sound for a few minutes was the baby hiccuping.
“What about your son, Carrie Jo? Maybe you should move because of your
son. Should he be raised with ghosts?”
“Christine is harmless,” I said sincerely.
“See? You know that’s not normal. It’s not! Sorry, Ashland, but things have changed now. We’re parents.”
“What do you want me to do, Detra Ann? How do I turn it off? How do I turn it off for AJ?” Ashland rubbed his temples as if he were getting a headache, which always made me worry. At least he didn’t need his walking stick today.
“Please, just take care of yourselves. We love you, all three of us. We love you.” She hugged us both and wiped a wayward tear from her eye. Even when she cried, she was pretty. “I have an idea. Carrie Jo, you stay with Ashland. No, listen. You two stay here and figure out whatever it is you need to figure out. Baby Boy can come spend the night with us. Baby Chloe would love that—it will be her first sleepover. Harry would love it. Please, let me at least do this.”
“Okay,” I responded with as much positivity as possible. Ten minutes later we were loading up the car with my son, his overnight bag, his play bag and a lunch pail full of string cheese, apple juice and fruit gummies, all his favorites.
“You sure you’re okay with spending the night with Aunt Detra Ann?” I asked him as Detra Ann and Ashland talked outside the car.
“No, Mommy. I come with you. I see Gwandma.” How heartbreaking that he did not understand she was gone forever.
I tapped his forehead playfully. “How about I tell Grandma where you are and when you’ll be back? That way, she won’t be worried.”
“Okay, Mommy.”
“And I promise if we get done early, I will come and get you. But be good for Aunt Detra Ann and help her with Baby Chloe.”
“Okay, Mommy. Bye now!” He was ready for me to leave now. I tried not to let that hurt my feelings. I closed the car door and waved at him as Detra Ann drove away.
I breathed a sigh of relief. AJ would be gone at least overnight, which meant we could take the gloves off. We were going to investigate Seven Sisters from top to bottom. Ashland held my hand, and together we walked back inside Seven Sisters. The tall white columns practically glowed in the morning sun. It was a hot day, I realized. I hoped Detra Ann had packed sunscreen. AJ would need it if he played in the sun too long.
“You ready for this?”
“Yeah,” I answered with a sigh. “It’s kind of what we do, isn’t it? We investigate the past and hope for a better future.”
“That’s exactly what we do. Now tell me all about your dream again.” His sensitive blue eyes were latched on mine, and I could see the concern in them.
“You first, babe. Did I hear you tell Detra Ann you’ve been seeing ghosts again?”
“Yes, that’s right. I saw her.”
“What? Who? Who did you see?”
“Lafonda. She called me by a name I wasn’t familiar with. She called me Philip…she thought I was someone named Philip Beaumont.”
“She thought you were Philip? Curious.”
“Curious is right. Who is he, exactly? A relative of mine?”
“Could be. Rachel is checking him out. She’s researching even as we speak, but it might be awhile. Why should we wait? Want to find out now?”
“How, babe?” He put his arm around my shoulders as we walked into the kitchen.
“Why don’t you take a walk with me, Ashland?”
“Me?” he asked nervously. “I’m barely seeing ghosts since the surgery, and it’s changed. I don’t think I could master dream walking.”
“Sounds to me like you did already. But I understand your concern. I can lead you into the dream, but you have to stay with me. You can’t interact with anyone, period. Stay quiet and don’t move around much. Then they can’t see or hear you. I made that mistake, remember?”
Ashland grinned big. “I have to admit, I’m excited about this. Do you really think it will work? Can you bring me through like that?”
“Ashland Stuart, as soon as I have some breakfast, we will find out. How about that?”
“Sounds like a plan.” We worked on a small breakfast as if it were the most normal thing ever. Neither of us talked about dream walking, ghosts or anything heavy. When breakfast was over and the dishes were washed, Ashland watched me expectantly.
Man, he’s excited about this. Come to think of it, I do hope this works.
“How do we do this? Is it like when you and Austin left together? Should I hold you?”
“Just follow my lead. Let’s go upstairs, to Jonatan’s room. Let’s look and see what we see.”
“Let’s do it, babe.”
We climbed the steps, and I tried not to notice that he moved slower today. The house was quiet. The grandfather clock downstairs struck ten, and there were no other sounds except the air conditioning kicking on. I heard some odd scratching, as if a dog were walking on the floor downstairs, but we did not have a dog. The hallway was painted a soft green, and someone had been kind enough to open the French doors that led to the balcony.
“There, that’s where we should go first.” We walked to the porch, and I expected to see something, something paranormal, but there was nothing. It was almost as if someone had been here but had just left the room. There was nobody here. I caught a whiff of rose perfume and whispered, “Christine, if that’s you, AJ is not here today, but he will be back tomorrow. He wanted you to know.” I heard nothing back except the softest of sighs. Yes, she had heard me. It had been Christine’s sighs after all!
Ashland watched her sail down the hall. He didn’t say anything, but I knew he saw her. He had the same expression on his face whenever he saw a ghost. It was a cross between wonder and fear and sadness.
“Okay, back to Plan A. Let’s go back to Jonatan’s room. I think that’s a good place to hide.”
“Ladies first.”
I kissed him my answer and laid my head on his shoulder for a moment. Then I stood and stared at the door like Austin had taught me, fixing my sight on one thing and thinking about nothing else.
What an elegant antique doorknob. Who made that doorknob? I wonder how many times it has been turned. I am turning it now. Ashland, yes, look at the doorknob with me.
I forgot for a moment that he couldn’t hear me, so I whispered, “Look at the doorknob, focus on it.”
And then a strange thing happened. We were moving without moving, but there was a peculiar ringing in my ears, as if we’d tapped into the wrong frequency. Ashland felt it too. He covered his ears, but then it stopped. We slowly walked through the door, and I took Ashland’s hand. He couldn’t see me now, and I couldn’t see him, which was another difference between our dream walk together and the walk I shared with Austin.
We were here. We’d done it. We were with Jonatan! Frail, skinny, dirty Jonatan. He lay on the floor beside his bed and cried and screamed.
Jonatan, what have they done to you?
Chapter Fifteen—Jonatan Delarosa
The bright sun burned through the windows. I had taken all the curtains down this morning because Max liked to hide in the shadows. In a bright room, there are no shadows at all. Yet I could hear him scratching in the walls, scratching and clawing and ready to kill me!
“Father! Help me! He will kill me, Father!”
I waited, but no one came, only Mama, whom I refused to allow in my room. Max was very strong when Mama came around. She made him strong. And I could not understand why, but I saw blood on her hands and on her clothes. Blood frightened me; Max was covered in blood, so much so that I could see the white in his eyes and some of his blond hair. It was the most frightening thing I had ever seen.
No, Mama must stay away. She makes Max even angrier.
“Lafonda,” I whispered. I could not call out her name. No ghosts came with her, but I felt afraid for her. Afraid because I knew she was a ghost, or very close to a ghost. She kind of looked like one. I did not want my sister to be a ghost. Not like bloody Max, who cursed at me and said words that no gentleman should say. He was doing it now, speaking filth, and I shoved my
fingers in my ears and rocked back and forth on the floor in front of the open window. I smelled the gardenias below, felt the hot breeze. Yes, I was still alive.
I was not dead like Max.
Why do I see your ghost? Why?
Then suddenly, Father was in my room. “Father, make them go away. Please, Father. I do not like blood.”
Father sat beside me on the floor. I could see by the look on his face that he wasn’t angry, so I laid my head on his shoulder and he kissed my hair. “You have to take a bath today, Jonatan. You have to bathe and eat. No more talk about ghosts, either. You must come back to your senses, son. Please. I want to help you. Do you understand? We must go to the courthouse, and you must be quiet. Very quiet. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I understand.” I did not understand, but I had learned over the years of practice that when people ask you that question, you should always say, “Yes, I understand.” It makes them feel better to hear it, and maybe I would eventually understand some of it.
“Your sister is bringing some food up soon, and see, there is a bath for you. Take a bath and wait for your sister.”
“Girls cannot be in here, Father. This is my room,” I said as I smiled at him. He should know the rules by now. “But Memphis can be in here. Can Memphis come? Please, Father, can Memphis come see me? She can help me.”
“You will see Memphis soon, but I will tell you nothing else until you bathe.”
Memphis? I would see Memphis? Soon? I began pulling off my boots. I wanted to bathe, even if the water was ice cold, I wanted to be clean, but I was afraid that Max would appear. “She is my wife, Father. Memphis is my wife. Please stay with me, Father. Please.”
“Yes, she is your wife, Jonatan.” He lit a cigar and sat in a chair by my bed smoking, waiting for me to scrub my body and put on fresh clothes. I felt brand new. I even brushed my hair. I put on a new suit and sat on the bed as Father asked me to do.
“Before your sister comes, I must ask you something.”
My stomach hurt now. I could hear Max whispering behind me. He hated Father too but was not brave enough to appear before him, not even in death. “Ask me, Father.”
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