“I don’t think so.” She sat at the desk now and flipped the lamp on. She had clearly found her favorite spot in the house.
“Why would you say that? Because I’m old?”
“No. You aren’t old.” After a few minutes of wandering around the room, she returned to the desk and opened the drawer that held a meager supply of paper and pens. “May I use these?”
“Yes, of course. And this desk has a secret drawer. Want to see it?”
“Yes.” She smiled for the first time today. The sight of it melted my heart.
“It’s been a while since I opened it. If I remember correctly, it’s on this side.” I hopped up and rubbed my hand along the side of the desk until I felt the groove. I gave it a push, and the hinge opened up to reveal a hidden cubbyhole.
“Wow,” Lily said as she poked her hand inside, “I can hide things in here.”
I smiled and said, “Yes, you can, but you don’t have to hide anything from me, Lily. I promise you don’t.” She flashed a dimple, pulled a piece of paper out of the drawer and put it on the desk in front of her.
“I wish with all my heart that you would trust me. Please tell me who you are talking about. Who is the girl with the dark hair? Can you tell me what she looks like?”
With a sigh, Lily said in a soft voice, “I followed her to this room. She came upstairs but was gone when I got in here. I really wanted to talk to her. I like her ribbon.”
“Can you tell me what she looked like?”
“She had dark hair, and it was really long and pretty. Her dress was long too, and it was purple.” Lily wrinkled her freckled nose as she recalled the details of the visitor.
Lafonda! Lily can see Lafonda, and she’s not dreaming!
“Could you see her face? Did she say anything to you?”
“She had a pretty face, but she didn’t talk to me. I think she was worried about something. She looked worried, like Mommy does sometimes.”
“I see.” I patted her hand and opened the drawer that held a small roll of golden stickers. I couldn’t remember where I’d found these, but I’d been keeping them in here for some reason. “I’d like to talk with your mommy sometime. Do you know her telephone number?”
She slumped in the chair now. “Daddy isn’t coming back, is he?”
“I’m sure he will come back,” I lied to her. “Sometimes mommies and daddies need time away, but they always come back.” God, I’m terrible at this. “You’ll see him again.” There wasn’t any use in pressing her further for information. “Let’s go downstairs and thank Detra Ann for the clothes, and then we can come back and get your room ready. Okay? I bet I have a bunch more pens in my office. Colored ones, too. But no writing on the desk. It’s really old. Way older than you and me.”
“Okay, Carrie Jo, but what about that other lady? I don’t like her at all. She stares at me and makes ugly faces. She hurt me too.”
“What do you mean she hurt you?”
She clutched her stomach and whispered, “She scratched me real hard. It kind of burns.”
“Let me see?” Stay calm, CJ. Put your game face on because if you are afraid, this child will be afraid too. She pulled up her shirt and showed me her stomach, which clearly had three scratch marks on it. They appeared to redden and deepen before my eyes. “Does it hurt? I have some medicine we could use to numb it.”
“I’m okay. But this is my room, right? And that lady won’t be able to come in here, will she?”
I squatted down in front of Lily and said, “We will do our best to keep her out. I know it’s hard to understand, but I believe you. I see things too, and I dream about things.” Lily’s pretty green eyes widened, and she clutched my hand. “And so does Uncle Ashland. And even Baby Boy.”
“You mean everyone here has superpowers?”
I couldn’t help myself; I hugged her with all my might, forgetting for a moment that she had scratches on her stomach. She hugged me back but whimpered, and I let go of her as I fought back tears. “Yes, Lily. Everyone here has superpowers, including you. I want you to trust me. I want you to believe me. Just like I will believe you. Deal?” I held out my hand to her with a smile.
“Deal,” she said as she shook my hand. We left the room, and she was an altogether different child. Whatever misgivings she’d had about me had been erased, and I felt good about that.
I didn’t feel good about her getting scratched. But who had done it? Clearly, Ashland and I had some investigating to do after the children went to bed. No way was I going to let Lily get hurt in my own house.
No way at all.
Chapter Seven—Lafonda
If I had not seen Jonatan with my own two eyes, if I did not believe deep in my soul that he wanted to speak to me, I would never have consented to joining Mama and Serena in this strange activity. I had heard of séances but had never actually attended one and was shocked to hear that Mama confessed openly to having participated in several without my knowledge.
Ever since Serena’s arrival at Seven Sisters, it felt as if the dark clouds over us had thickened—they hung so heavily that I could hardly breathe. To make matters bleaker, it rained for days on end, and it had been many days since I had seen even a ray of sunshine. From the Blue Room, I could see the remnants of my beloved garden rotting away. Although I knew all about seed dormancy and the changing of the seasons, I began to believe that nothing would ever grow here again, that everything at Seven Sisters was destined to die. I clutched my stomach as Mama whispered to me, “Lafonda, come away from the window. You’ll catch your death. Come join us at the table.”
It was only seven o’clock, but the room was dark except for one candle that glowed dully on the small side table that Mama had arranged in the center of the room. Apparently, it would be only the three of us; my father would never consent to participating in a séance, and it had been days since he’d been well enough to leave his room. Mama had cut short my visit with him two nights ago, concerned that I was making him sicker. Too weak to argue with her, Papa dismissed me, and I went without a fight. I worried about him—worried that the darkness and oppression of the house would seep into his very soul. It was like the air was poisoned here. And I worried that he would slip away from me and leave me alone with mad Mama. I vowed to go see him tonight even if that meant entering his room without announcement. He would surely forgive me for intruding. As all his other friends had abandoned him, he must be lonely.
All thanks to Mama! This is all her fault!
Taking a seat at the table, I raised my head in surprise as the door to the Blue Room creaked open and Philip’s handsome face appeared. I had taken a ride to the overseer’s cottage earlier during a brief reprieve in the rain to let him know what I intended to do. He had been staying there for weeks at my insistence, but I had never ventured there to visit him until today. I liked having him nearby and said as much when he had inquired about the property. Philip advised me to send this Madam Serena home, but I couldn’t now, not with Jonatan lingering nearby. I had to hear her out. I had told him, “I am sure she must be a charlatan, but what if there is a chance that I will see and speak to my brother? You must understand.” Once he realized that he would not dissuade me, Philip relented and promised to attend, if for no other reason than to observe this Madam Serena and make sure no trickery was involved.
Clearly, Mama did not approve of Philip’s attendance tonight, but I was beyond reasoning with her. Before she could make a scene or say something rude to my guest, I hurried to him and held my hands out, greeting him like an old friend. “I am so glad you could come, Mr. Beaumont. I would like to introduce you to our guest. This is Madam Serena, the spiritualist I told you about. She has come to help us connect with Jonatan. And you know Mama.”
To my surprise, Mama was not rude, but neither did she speak except to say, “Good evening, Mr. Beaumont.” Like an arrow shot from a bow, Serena hurried to us with a wide smile on her lips as she extended her slender hand to Philip.
�
�Very nice to meet you, Mr. Beaumont. It is always good to have more participants. I believe it gives the spirits more power, more energy to connect with us. Tell me,” she said smoothly, “have you ever attended a séance?”
“Oh, I think you are mistaken, ma’am. I am not here to participate, only to observe. I must confess that I am very curious to see how one conducts a séance.”
Serena’s pale hand went to her throat. “I am afraid that will not do, Mr. Beaumont. If you are to be present, you must participate. Merely watching will disrupt the flow of energies, and I am sure you would not want to let Lafonda or Mrs. Delarosa down, would you? I am convinced we can reach their loved one.”
“Please, Philip,” I whispered, forgetting that Mama had no idea I was so familiar with him. Well, she would know now. With some obvious misgivings, Philip agreed to join us, and I clutched his hand under the table and squeezed it once before we were instructed to place our hands on the tablecloth. Serena gave a brief speech on how everything would work and invited us to ask questions, but I had no questions to ask. Neither did anyone else. She rocked back and forth for a few seconds and then began to hum, and the three of us stared at her. What should we do now? Should we hum too?
Philip’s lips were set in a tight grimace as if he were in pain. When he caught me looking at him, his expression softened, but there was no mistaking how he felt about all of this. I noticed that Serena’s voice changed. It became deeper, almost hypnotic.
“Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Yes, that’s it. Breathe deeply. Breathe together.” I felt like such a fool breathing in and out, but I could feel Philip breathing too. As I focused on breathing, I tried not to notice that the atmosphere was changing with every breath I took. The rain continued to pound against the windows, the clock ticked in the hallway, and the sounds of our unified breathing became almost a living thing.
“That’s it. You are breathing beautifully. Now open your eyes, all of you. Open your eyes and focus on the flame. Watch it as it flickers. Keep breathing. In and out, evenly, smoothly. Watch the flame. See it move…it is alive.”
After a few minutes of breathing and staring and trying not to cough or move, I heard Serena speak again. “We call into the spirit world. Jonatan? Jonatan Delarosa, are you here? We call to you.”
Mama muffled a cry with her handkerchief but did not speak. We waited for what felt like an eternity but heard nothing except the slapping of tree limbs on the windowpanes. Serena continued, “He is here, but he is weak. For some reason, he cannot break through. You must erase all negativity now. Believe and breathe. We must call him together. All of us together. Repeat these words. Say them with me, and we will make him stronger. ‘We call into the spirit world. Jonatan Delarosa, step forward. We call you into this world.’ That’s right. Say it again.”
As the three of us repeated after Serena, the room became noticeably colder. I felt as if any minute my breath would show in front of me. Even the flame began to quiver in the strange chill. A swirl of cold air encircled my feet and eased up my legs, and I stiffened as the draft grew stronger. Nobody else seemed to notice, so I said nothing. But then the wind blew my skirts slightly and I felt the cold air rubbing against my thighs and stomach as if I wore no clothes! I struggled to keep my hands from shaking and worked very hard at controlling my breathing. My arms and hands were absolutely freezing now. Philip glanced at me—was he feeling the devilish cold too?
“Jonatan, we sense you near. We give you permission to touch one of us. Let us know that you are here, dear boy.”
My eyes widened at hearing her request. The cold air became more focused; it was so cold that it almost burned my skin. Do not panic, Lafonda. Remain still. Jonatan is coming! I had to know why Jonatan had visited me. Was he hurt? Was he in danger? Perhaps we were all in danger and he wanted to warn me! No, this isn’t right! And then suddenly I felt arms wrap around me. Large hands rubbed my waist and caressed my breasts, and I leaped to my feet in shock. The chair made a scraping sound on the bare patch of floor.
This was not Jonatan! My brother would never touch me this way!
“What is it, Lafonda? What is it?” Philip’s handsome face was full of concern, but I could not answer him because now the hands were wrapped around my throat. These invisible hands wanted to do me harm!
As if she did not notice, Serena kept mumbling, but now her words were different. She was speaking in a language I did not recognize. She was no longer calling on Jonatan. I couldn’t tell what she was saying, but I could not speak. Terror washed over me. Mama’s eyes were closed, and she continued to call for Jonatan. What was happening to me?
“Stop this at once! Stop it!” Philip shouted at Serena.
My hands flew to my throat as I wrestled with the invisible hands. “Command it to stop now, Serena!” Philip screamed as Mama awoke from her stupor and quickly realized my peril. She called my name and came to my aid, but there was nothing to be done. I was going to die. I was sure of it. But then as quickly as it began, it ended. A few seconds later, I felt the hands vanish. I collapsed on the nearby couch and tried to catch my breath.
“That is enough! Stop it, Maggie!” Philip was shaking now and furiously attempting to light additional candles.
“Maggie?” Mama scowled as she patted my forehead with her handkerchief. It smelled of lavender and sweat. “What did you say?”
“This is Maggie Davenport,” Philip announced weakly as he gave me a desperate glance. His face reddened at his own confession, and I struggled to stand. I could breathe now; the restriction was gone, but I would no doubt be bruised from the encounter.
Mama was on her feet again, her face the picture of hatred. But she was not coming at Philip and had quickly forgotten me. She now towered over the whispering woman, who revealed a gleeful smile.
“Philip?” I whispered in disbelief. “What do you mean?”
“Yes, Philip. Tell them what you mean.” The woman stood and continued to grin maniacally at Mama. “Explain it all to them.”
Mama began to scream, “Get out of my house! Get out now! All of you!”
“I will leave, but there is nothing you can do to reverse the misery I have released on you. Nothing at all, Jacinta Delarosa. You thought you would never pay for your crimes? How could you believe that? The blood of my husband cries out to me and demands recompense! Reap the whirlwind, Jacinta! Reap it!” In a whirl of green skirts, Maggie spun on her heel and left the Blue Room. To my horror, she paused at the doorway and tilted her head at Philip. “It seems we have worn out our welcome, Philip. Come, it is time to go.”
He waited, but for what I did not know. Did he expect me to now invite him to stay? I certainly would not. How could I when he knew this woman was Maggie Davenport but had said nothing to me!
“Lafonda, if I could talk to you.”
“She has nothing to say to you. Get out of my house or I will return with my husband’s revolver.”
And without another word, Philip Beaumont was gone. The heavy front door slammed as he and Maggie Davenport departed Seven Sisters.
I collapsed on the couch in a heap of misery.
Chapter Eight—Carrie Jo
Rachel’s face screwed up as I relayed to her how Lily came to be in my care. “That’s a load of crap. No offense, but if I see your brother, I’ll probably beat his ass.”
“Take a number. Can you hand me that box? I think that’s the last one. Can’t believe we’re doing this again. Are you sure you’re ready?” I joked as I removed the lid of the cardboard box and quickly realized this was the same stack of junk I’d sifted through just an hour ago.
“Are you? You look like you haven’t slept a wink, CJ. You must be dreaming again,” she said as she wrote “JUNK” on the box with a marker and slid it into the hallway. That last part wasn’t really a question, so I didn’t feel the need to tell her.
“Oh yeah, I’m ready. That’s it. I can’t believe we managed to get two desks in here. It’s going to be cramped, but we�
��ll have to make it work. At least in the beginning. The less overhead, the better.”
Rachel winked at me as her phone played a melancholy ring tone. “I have to take this. Just a sec.” As my assistant and friend eased out into the hallway to take her call, I pulled the curtain back and peeked out the window. Ashland was tossing a whiffle ball to Lily. She whacked it again and jumped up and down with her hands in the air. Baby Boy decided it was his turn, and she good-naturedly handed the plastic bat to him. She’d only been with us for a few days, and I already couldn’t imagine life without her. Lily was a ball of sunshine now that she’d decided to trust us. She had quiet moments, when I was sure she was seeing something, but she never wanted to talk about it.
And I knew she was dreaming because I was dreaming, and it was so different now. The visions were clearer, stronger and more vivid. It was as if Lily’s presence had turbocharged my ability. Or maybe it was just me. Whatever it was, I couldn’t shake last night’s dream. Poor Lafonda. What was it about this house that drew so much tragedy? I rubbed the edge of the curtain under my fingers. That’s not entirely true, Carrie Jo. Seven Sisters drew you to Ashland, didn’t it? Surely you haven’t forgotten that?
“Hey, girl? Did you hear me?”
“I’m sorry. What did you say, Rachel?”
“I said I know where the room is. That was Nathan, from the Brotherhood. He sent me the specs on the Blue Room.” She said it so matter-of-factly that it almost sounded normal. “It’s on my phone, and I’m sending it to the printer right now. Want to go see if we can find it?”
“Why would Nathan do that, and how did he know about it?”
Rachel walked to the printer, removed the document and handed it to me. “Because I told him. I thought you would want to know about it.”
I sat down behind the desk completely blown away by what she was telling me. “I’m not sure I understand, Rachel. I just assumed that everything I tell you is private. Am I wrong about that?”
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