As I walked into the kitchen, she smiled sweetly at me and said, “Good morning, Harper Louise. I made y’all some scrambled eggs this morning. Would you like some toast with your eggs?”
I stared at her, not believing what I was hearing and seeing. Momma never made us breakfast. She rarely cooked dinner, and for her to be up and ready to take us to school was just too much of a coincidence. I attributed her change of behavior to my grandfather’s visit last night.
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll go see if Addison and Loxley are ready yet.”
“You do that. I’ll get that toast going.” I stared at her as she sliced hunks of bread from the stale loaf and placed them on a baking sheet. We didn’t have a toaster, so we had to make toast the old-fashioned way in our house. She smiled up at me and said, “Don’t dawdle, Harper. Get going. I don’t want you girls to be late. And don’t forget to put on pantyhose. You’re too old to go around with bare legs.”
“Yes, Momma.” I hated wearing pantyhose. In fact, not many girls wore hose anymore except for formal occasions. Bobby socks were all the fashion, but I didn’t have any of them or any saddle shoes. Maybe one day, if I was smart enough to find a job, I would have my own money and could buy the clothes that I dreamed of, like the ones in the magazines. What girl wouldn’t want the latest styles? One day, I would own a whole collection of floral scarves to wear around my neck and hair.
Addison felt ill, but she usually did before any kind of social activity. It was her nerves, I reminded her, and I coached her through her many worries. Loxley dressed quickly and hurried off to the kitchen to enjoy her breakfast. Addison had another spell of retching, but I helped her clean up. When I walked into the kitchen with her, I was surprised to see my grandfather sitting at the table as if he intended to take breakfast along with us Belle girls. I didn’t like that he was sitting in Daddy’s chair, but nobody else seemed to mind so I kept silent.
Momma should say something! She should ask him to move! I glanced at my mother’s face and could hardly believe the transformation in her. But no matter how hard she tried, I would never trust her again. The memory of my mother striking me and picking me up by my hair was still fresh in my mind, even though it had happened weeks ago. I wondered what my grandfather would think about her behavior.
“Good morning, girls,” he said politely to us as he opened his newspaper and placed it beside his plate.
In unison we replied, “Good morning.” He smiled at us all but winked at me. Momma saw it but didn’t say a word. She kept her eyes on her plate and didn’t eat anything at all.
“Eat your food, ladies. You need a good breakfast to do well in school. I hear you’ll be graduating in a few years, Harper Louise. Tell me, what are your plans for when you graduate? Are you going off to college?”
I scooped up a forkful of eggs and said nervously, “I would like to, but I don’t know if we can afford that, Grandfather.” I popped the eggs in my mouth as my Momma’s eyes widened. She drew in a sharp breath and sat up straight in her chair staring at her father and me. Addison and Loxley eyeballed me but kept eating. None of us girls were allowed to call him Grandfather, none except Jeopardy, but now I had that privilege. I instantly regretted using the term.
“You leave that to me, dear girl. If you want to go to college, I’ll make sure that you do.” He reached for my hand and squeezed it. His hand felt clammy and cold, and I wasn’t used to being touched. There weren’t many hugs administered in this house, not since Daddy died. Once upon a time, Jeopardy had been one to hug you, to show affection in sudden and wonderful ways, but before she disappeared, those spontaneous hugs had become as rare as Momma’s.
“Girls, let’s go now. It’s time we were off to school.” Momma still hadn’t eaten a bite but sipped her coffee quickly and stood, straightening her dress.
“Oh no, dear. You can’t go out looking like that. Just look at your hair, Ann.” He clucked his tongue as Momma’s hands flew to her unbrushed locks.
“I’ll wear a scarf, Father.”
“I don’t think a scarf will help. I’ll take these girls to school and come back when I’m done. I think it would be good for us to have a chat about Harper’s future. Don’t you?”
I saw Momma’s hands clench by her sides in tight fists, and she wobbled in her shoes. Would she faint? Her face reddened, and she did something I had never seen before—she defied Mr. Daughdrill. “I’ll take my girls to school, Father, and I’ll be right back. Hurry up, girls. Let’s go.”
Loxley whined about not finishing her breakfast, but she grabbed her toast and followed behind Momma. I cast an eye behind me to my grandfather’s face. He was clearly furious, but it was the silent kind of fury, the kind I’d seen on Momma’s face so frequently. And then he called out to us, “I will be picking you girls up. Look for my car after school.” Momma didn’t argue back but took me by the hand and led us out of the house and to her car.
I expected her to say something to us, something about the weirdness of our grandfather being at our kitchen table this morning. Perhaps an apology or some declaration of how things would change and how she would try harder to be a better mother to us all, but she said nothing. She clutched the steering wheel so hard her hands were white, and I noticed she wore no gloves. Momma always wears gloves when she drives the car. She pulled up in front of the school, and even though we were thirty minutes early, we got out of the car and watched her pull away. Momma looked at me with an expression I could not interpret and then left us behind. She was gone by the time I thought to ask her for lunch money, but luckily for my sisters, I had fifty cents in my purse.
We waited on the bench outside the front door of the school until the principal arrived and unlocked the door. He was polite and made a sweet comment about us being anxious for classes to start. Other teachers arrived a few minutes later, but none of the adults said a word to us about Jeopardy. I could tell they were curious—or perhaps they felt sorry for us. I wasn’t sure.
The day did not go as planned. My hose kept falling down, and I had to retreat into the ladies’ restroom to pull them back up more than once. I finally gave up about halfway through the day and went into a bathroom stall and removed them completely, shoving them in my purse. My bare legs felt cool, and the strange defiance of going without hose thrilled me slightly. I would never be as defiant as Jeopardy, but I was learning in my own way how to show the same kind of bravery she did.
How I miss you, Jeopardy Belle!
Thinking about being at school without her was too much. I didn’t return to class that period but stayed in the stall and cried until the bell rang. I ate lunch with Addison, but Loxley was in the other building. The elementary kids were kept separate from the rest of us. They played separately, learned separately and ate separately. Knowing Loxley, she was having a fine old time. She was never one to go without a friend for too long, and I suspected that the smaller children were not as curious about Jeopardy’s disappearance as were my own schoolmates. It was so strange that nobody mentioned her name. Actually, no one spoke to me much at all. It wasn’t until after lunch that Arnette Loper came walking beside me. Jeopardy used to call her frog-face behind her back. She never cared for Arnette too much.
“I’ve been meaning to tell you for weeks, I’m so happy for you that you got voted into the Harvest Queen Court. And you looked real pretty at the dance, too. Of course, I’m sorry I didn’t make it on the Court, but maybe next year. Older girls have a better chance, they say. I can’t wait.” Arnette ran on and on and then finally saw the sadness in my face as I remembered the night my sister disappeared. She said, “I’m real sorry about your sister. Jeopardy was…”
I stopped in the hallway, ignoring the impatient crowd behind me. They could walk around. “You mean Jeopardy is, Arnette. She’s not dead. She’s just missing.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean to imply that she was dead. Sorry, Harper.” She clutched her notebook to her chest and looked up at me. I was a full three inches taller than Ar
nette; I was probably the tallest girl in the ninth grade.
Her voice dropped to a whisper, “Is it true that she ran off with a carnie? You know, the good-looking one who looked like Dean Martin. What was his name?”
“What are you talking about, Arnette? Jeopardy didn’t run off with anyone. She’s just missing.” We started to move toward our biology class. The bell would ring soon, and I was glad because I really wanted to get away from Arnette.
“Well, Harper, she can’t just be missing. She’s got to be missing on purpose. I mean, someone would have to be taking care of her, right? It makes sense that she went off to get married, and that would be so like Jeopardy Belle. She was nothing if not romantic.”
I hadn’t thought about that before, and it certainly was a possibility, but a carnival worker? No way. If Jeopardy was gonna run off with anyone, it would’ve been with Troy Harvester. And where was Troy? His brother Tony held court in front of his locker before last period, but I hadn’t seen Troy in a while. It was like he’d disappeared too.
“Anyway, I’m real sorry.” She walked away and found a seat at the front of the class while I chose one at the back. Last year, I would’ve been right up front with Arnette, but not this year. I wanted to be as far from the spotlight as possible, plus she’d given me a lot to think about. What if it was true? What if Jeopardy did leave me behind? Would she have done that? I shook my head as I opened my notebook and prepared for the long boring biology speech I was sure Mr. Dempsey was about to give us. Mr. Dempsey might be dreamy, according to Arnette, but he loved nothing better than to talk on and on about nuclei and cells and other boring things. As he talked, I pretended people weren’t looking back and staring at me like they’d done for weeks. I avoided their eyes and wrote Jeopardy’s name about a hundred times before the class ended. I’d never been so glad to be out of school before, but every day without Jeopardy was just awful.
Arnette caught me in the classroom doorway. “Hey, why don’t you ride with us? We’re going to Lucedale to the soda shop.”
“Hey, Harper,” a boy with a shiny round face and cropped blond hair said with a nervous smile. I’d seen him before but couldn’t recall ever speaking to him. He didn’t say anything to Arnette, who merely stared at him with her bulging green eyes. The boy didn’t shuffle away but stood with us as if he’d been a part of the conversation from the beginning.
“Um, hello. Benjamin, right?”
“Only Dempsey calls me that. I’m Ben or Benny. Hartley.” He was sweating pretty good but extended his hand to Arnette. She shook it.
“Benny, I was just telling Harper that some of us were going for a soda after school. You game?”
“Sure,” he said with a grin as he pulled his book strap up on his shoulder. “I’ve got a car. I’ll be glad to drive you, Harper. And you…”
“Arnette,” she said with an amused smile.
I shook my head. “No, thank you. I appreciate the offer, but I’d better go home. I think my grandfather is picking me up.” Arnette smiled good-naturedly, and I instantly liked her again. I know she didn’t mean to hurt my feelings or insinuate that Jeopardy was some kind of fast girl. Arnette was just being Arnette. Benny looked disappointed, but I gave him a polite finger wave and he perked back up.
“Goodbye, Harper.”
“Ciao,” Arnette called after him. That was her new thing. She’d seen it in some movie with Ava Gardner or some glamorous star like that. When was the last time I had been to the movies? I glanced back one more time at Benny. Nope. Still didn’t recall him.
Addison waited for me at the front door, and together we walked out into the sunshine.
“Who was that boy?” she asked between sneezes.
“Just a friend.” I handed her my one and only handkerchief. I dreaded the ride home. I didn’t like my grandfather at all, and it seemed strange to me that he would want to be a part of our lives now that Daddy and Jeopardy were gone. We stood outside, and Loxley ran toward us holding up a piece of paper. In class today, she got to glue macaroni onto paper. Before I had the opportunity to compliment her on her artwork, a horn honked. To my sheer joy, I saw Aunt Dot sitting in her convertible. She waved at us and called my name.
We all ran toward her. Maybe today wouldn’t be so bad after all. Maybe it would end with some laughter and happiness. Aunt Dot always brought sunshine with her. We hopped in the car as she drove away, and I pretended that I didn’t see my grandfather’s Master DeLuxe just four cars back. He honked at us, but none of us paid attention. Addison finally looked back and tapped me on the shoulder, but I touched my finger to my lips to encourage her to keep quiet. She nodded back with wide eyes. Loxley had taken the front seat today, but Addison and I didn’t complain.
For the first time in a long time, I felt joy. Real joy. It wouldn’t last long.
Chapter Five—Jerica
I woke up feeling groggy, but then again, I’d stayed up much later than I normally would. Since leaving the third shift at the Sunrise Retirement Home behind, I’d gotten used to going to bed at a decent hour. Despite last evening’s frightening beginnings, my date with Jesse went well. Instead of going to the new steakhouse, we drove through the Sonic, ordered a bunch of junk food and went back to his place. Nothing intimate happened beyond some handholding on his front porch swing, but it had been a nice evening, especially after the terror we experienced at Summerleigh. For the first time in a long time, my first thought of the morning was not imagining the arms of my daughter around my neck or the sound of her footsteps running to my bed. I felt a tad guilty about that but whispered, “Good morning, Marisol,” as I always did. I listened quietly for a response, knowing that there would be none. The only sound I heard was a bird fussing in the live oak outside my window.
As I waited for the fog to lift, I recalled with perfect clarity the strange little boy Jesse and I saw standing in the hallway of Summerleigh last night. We had talked for hours about it but were no closer to understanding what forces were at work. The little boy was clearly not a Belle; we assumed he was a member of the McIntyre family, but since that was so long ago, we had no real way of identifying him. One thing was for sure, though—whoever or whatever he was did not like the repairs and improvements we were making. I rolled over and stared at the clock. It was already eight, and Hannah was scheduled to be here at nine. The hard work of the past week left me feeling tired and sore, but it felt good. I’d forgotten how much I loved working with my hands and the pure exhaustion that came with intense physical labor. I used to save lives, and now I saved houses.
Or at least I was trying to save the house. I wondered if I should have so readily ignored Ben Hartley’s warning. Maybe I shouldn’t stay. But how could I just leave? This place felt like home, and Marisol had followed me here. What if I left and she didn’t come with me?
Maybe I’ll call Ben today and insist that he tell me what he knows. Maybe he’s seen the boy too. Yeah, that’s what I’ll do, I promised myself.
The hour flew by, and Hannah knocked on my door promptly at nine. “Good morning. Come in,” I greeted her with a smile.
Hannah was tall, taller than most, and she seemed really self-conscious about that. As always, she clutched her purse close to her like a life vest. She didn’t appear nervous or frightened as she had been when she called last night.
“Would you like something to drink? Maybe a cup of coffee?” I asked as I led her into the kitchen.
She politely declined and took a seat at the table. “You went to Summerleigh, didn’t you?”
I finished pouring my own cup of coffee and took a seat across from her. I smoothed out the tablecloth and shrugged. “I had no intention of going over there, but after you called, I—I mean, we—saw a light in the attic. Jesse was here. And since we had equipment and materials in the house, we couldn’t ignore it. How did you know that there would be activity?”
Still clutching her purse, Hannah tilted her head and looked past me thoughtfully as if trying to figure out
how to best answer my question. “Ever since I visited Summerleigh, the energy there has kind of stayed with me. It’s like I have this weird connection with it now. That happens sometimes; it’s a risk that psychics take, and it usually doesn’t amount to anything, but this time was different. I’m always careful, but I left Summerleigh with a heaviness, an attachment for lack of a better word. I’m positive it originated from something in that house. My alarm bells went off, and I couldn’t stop thinking about Summerleigh. When I saw your daughter, it kind of clicked. I think she came to warn me.”
“Marisol? You saw my daughter?”
“Yes. She was worried about you, Jerica. I think she’s trying to protect you.”
Tears filled my eyes, but I blinked them back. Hannah offered me a tissue from her purse. I dabbed at my face as she continued, “I’m not like a lot of psychic mediums, meaning that I don’t commune with spirits the way some psychics do. I sense energy more than anything, not usually ghosts directly, so that’s why it surprised me to see Marisol and get those impressions about the house. I can sense when energy builds and dissipates. Right now, I know energy is building. The spirit world is stirred up, and there are many eyes concentrated on this place. How about you? Are you feeling anything unusual? You have a rare sensitivity, Jerica. I think that’s why Harper picked you.”
“I’ve had a few things happen, but I didn’t think much of them because Jeopardy Belle has been found. We recovered her remains.”
The Ghosts of Summerleigh Collection Page 17