by Rachel James
“We’ve got to chance it, Adrian. The Grisombs need us.”
Adrian nodded, tapping into the same sense of foreboding that she did. It was payback time and Lisette’s murderer had summoned all the dominions of evil to her side. Survival was now the name of the game. Janice’s fingers slipped into his palm in a gesture of encouragement and Adrian took heart from it. She didn’t hate him, at least not totally. His gaze found hers.
“We go on three. Ready? One … two … three!”
Adrian took off, charging into the billowing smoke with Janice tightly in tow. To his amazement, the walls around them stayed intact, making their race through the scrim of smoke seem almost ludicrous. That is, until they reached the gallery doorway and the walls behind them blew out in a series of popping explosions.
Looking back at the showering plaster, Adrian realized nothing had been left to chance. They had been allowed to pass unharmed on purpose. And now, the gathering forces meant to box them in further. Force them into the gallery room to accept whatever fate awaited them.
Straightening his shoulders, Adrian took a deep breath. Beside him, Janice did the same. Together, they dove into the room. Adrian ducked immediately, barely dodging the flying debris soaring in the air above him. Across the way, he could hear the gutted strings of a harp as the catgut was rapaciously torn from its frame. Anger! Sheer, white, hot anger. An anger so consuming it was burning away the very room around them.
Adrian cast a glance to his left, searching for the cause of the angry tirade. His gaze settled on the swirl of dark lights. Like a tornado straight from the bowels of hell, the mass of darkness hooted and bawled. The shrieks above their head shot in to the cloud core, releasing a fetid stench that reached Adrian’s nostrils and had him drawing back from the festering mass. His eyes scanned the space around the cloud.
He spotted Lloyd and Jasper at once, both dodging a hurled candelabra. Adrian grasped the situation immediately. Both men had obviously tried to oppose the dark cloud and their insolence was being neatly rewarded. But where was Muriel?
His mind connected with hers at once. From inside the avenging cloud she called to his mind. Save Janice. It wants Janice. Beside Adrian, a portrait skidded across the floor wreathed in flames. He side-stepped its path with a lumbering hop. Before his eyes, the dark swirl of lights turned opaque, revealing Muriel’s dainty features and plump body.
Adrian heard a gasp from beside him and barely managed to hold onto Janice as she made to rush past him. She had every intention of helping Muriel and he couldn’t let her. To do so meant instant death for her.
“Let me go,” she hissed, struggling against his stranglehold. “I can save her. I know who holds her prisoner.”
“You can’t save her,” Adrian growled, “she’s beyond help.”
“Not yet. I know who holds her and what she wants.” To Adrian’s amazement, Janice called out to the swirling transparency. “I’m here, Simone. It’s me, Izzy.”
Beside Adrian, another fiery portrait careened and skidded. Another harp string twanged from its confine. The dark cloud mushroomed outward and moved forward, bringing Muriel’s captive form with it. It swirled toward Janice, and Adrian pitched himself in front of her. A reedy laugh burst from the central core of the cloud. Muriel’s lips began to twitch.
“And still the man thinks to protect the woman from me. You cannot. She will sacrifice herself for the woman I hold prisoner. Do you not see that?”
Adrian did see that. He also saw clearly that Janice’s sacrifice would be useless. If Muriel was not already dead, she was nearing it. Her body was nothing more than a puppet for the dark mass to threaten them with. Adrian scoffed openly.
“What I see is a spirit so cowardly, it preys on old women because it does not have the courage to drain the life from strong ones.” He spoke contemptuously, hoping to gall the spirit’s vanity. The spirit he was facing down had once been a beautiful woman consumed with jealousy. She had desired the baron for her own and Lisette had gotten in the way. Adrian felt a sudden spasm of relief wash over him at the knowledge. If, after all these years, she still clung to that jealousy, he could bring her down. Her vanity was the key.
A vase hurled itself from the side bar at Adrian’s head. He and Janice both ducked, the porcelain whizzing past their heads and crashing to the floor with a huge splatter. It was clear by the misdirected impact the cloud was confused by his verbal attack. His mind connected again with Muriel’s. Though barely alive, she was mixing his thoughts with the cloud’s, infusing it with the disturbing, erotic image Adrian had seen once before across the rim of a shattered glass. Now, Adrian saw it in full, understood it in full. Legs intertwined, Janice’s body vibrated with liquid fire under his steady thrusts of possession. With each deepening thrust, Lisette’s soul was being set free. Adrian pulled his mind from the image, determined to show no sign of relenting.
“I wanted the woman and I took her,” Adrian stated. “You are too late.”
At his words, a keening wail spiraled from the cloud.
“You lie! The woman hates you. She would never submit to you.”
“She had no choice. I forced her.” Adrian swung about, seeking Janice’s wrist. He prayed God would forgive him for what he was about to do. Grabbing her swollen arm, he held it up to the shimmering spirit, ignoring Janice’s tortured outcry. “See for yourself. Her wrist broke in the struggle.”
A mewling wail whimpered and Adrian knew the spirit was confused by the swollen proof.
“I will hear it from the woman’s own lips.”
Adrian stepped into Janice at once. He knew she was angry with him. He could sense the fury behind her tears of pain as she opened her mouth to seal his doom with the cloud. He edged closer, lowering his voice.
“You tell her the truth and you will have killed Muriel as surely as if you took a knife and plunged it through her heart.”
His threat stung and Adrian saw Janice’s mouth snap shut. Her gaze scoured his face.
“You’ve touched minds with her and the cloud. I can sense it.” A frown saturated her brow. “Muriel’s dying, isn’t she?”
The question was frank and Adrian answered with a ring of finality.
“Yes, I think so.”
“You arrogant sod,” Janice stated simply.
The air around their heads crackled and a last fiery portrait sledded by their toes, startling them both. Janice whirled, studying the transparent cloud. Adrian didn’t think he would ever forget a single detail of her face as she cloaked her feelings and challenged the spirit with deceptive calm.
“I resisted. He broke my wrist and then he took me. You are too late. Lisette’s soul is free.”
A terrible, keening moan sprang from the cloud and Muriel’s lips. Beneath their feet, the floor shook with the cloud’s fury. Turning dark again, the cloud shielded Muriel from their sight.
Willfully, it began to spin once more, whirling like a tornado and sending an intense level of noise from its central core. Hateful words were hurled at the group, bouncing off the gallery walls and sounding like the desecration of a temple. Next to him, Janice covered her ears in self-defense.
Soon, the voice became many, hideous in pitch and suddenly there was only a single laugh and the laugh became a soft ghost thing in the distance. The swirling lights gave one last flash and then vanished abruptly, leaving Muriel to crumple like a tossed away rag doll.
The men dashed across the space in an attempt to catch her up. Jasper was there first, lowering her into the cradle of his arms. Janice fell to her knees, placing her good hand lightly on her chest.
“Muriel!” The call was urgent and Adrian felt his heart skip a beat as Muriel’s eyelids flickered open at the call.
“Out of danger?” she asked, breathlessly. Her eyes transferred from Janice to Jasper. “Out of danger?”
&nb
sp; Before he could respond, her eyelids flickered down again and Adrian knew she was fighting with her very last breath to stay alive long enough to hear his answer. Jasper reached out and stroked her cheek.
“Out of danger, Muree,” he answered.
Her nod was barely discernible and Adrian swallowed a rising lump in his throat.
“Fight, Muriel,” Janice pleaded, tapping her chest. “Fight to stay with us.”
Muriel’s eyes flickered open again and settled on Janice’s face.
“It’s no use, my dear,” she murmured. “My lungs … are gone, and I feel … a great pull. There is somewhere … I must go.”
Janice shook her head vigorously, refusing to let her give up.
“I know you can fight through it if you just try. Please try!”
A hand covered hers rapidly and Adrian heard a smothered sob escape Janice’s lips.
“No tears,” Muriel urged. She lost her breath and then gathered it again. “I anticipate … it will be a great adventure where I’m going.” Her gaze drifted left, found Jasper’s bright stare. Taking a deep breath, she gathered the last of her energy. “I love you … Jasper. Have I told you that … today?”
He took hold of her hand and squeezed it firmly.
“It was said in every glance you gave me, Muree.”
“I’ll wait for you … Jasper.”
“I’ll find you,” he stated earnestly. Bending his head, he planted a light kiss on her lips. A light wheeze trickled from between her lips.
“Your kiss always could … take my … breath away.” Her lids slipped down over her eyes and, giving a small pleasant sigh, she stopped breathing. In his mind, Adrian felt a brief piercing and knew Muriel’s spirit was wishing them all a last farewell. Beside him, Janice broke down sobbing. Lloyd’s arm came around her, sharing her pain and offering her comfort.
Feeling her anguish, Adrian felt his own gaze cloud with tears. Swiftly, he forced himself to look away, too moved by Jasper’s careful gathering of the still figure into his arms.
Searching the balcony window across the way, Adrian saw that the red, dazzling glow had fled. In its place, a dark cowl of blackness again. He gave a choked, nearly hysterical laugh as he caught sight of the rounded moon. It seemed bent on scurrying from one dark cloud to another. The darkness pressed down on him and he gave another desperate laugh. History did indeed repeat itself. A life for a life. Lisette was free and so were they, but at what cost?
Adrian closed his eyes, listening to Janice’s soft weeping and knew that cost. In each of their chests, there was a hole where their hearts used to be. And as always, as in the past, death had come to surround him. He would have to be moving on again. It was a bitter pillow to swallow and he didn’t know how he was going to make it go down.
A hand descended on his shoulder, cutting into his dour thoughts. Glancing up, he found Lloyd feebly gesturing. Turning to the window, Adrian spotted Janice’s slender figure perched on the window sill, her gaze studying the night skyline.
Adrian clambered to his feet, responding to Lloyd’s unspoken request at once. Six steps later, he was at the window, leaning against the opposite frame and studying the tiny black streaks of mascara staining Janice’s cheeks. She ignored him purposely for a moment and then her gaze drifted to his face.
“Stay together, isn’t that what you said, Adrian? Stay together and we’ll all get out alive? Well, you were right all along. We should’ve stayed together rather than opening the door on a lot of old, black memories that should’ve stay buried.”
Adrian folded his arms across his chest, his gaze sweeping her face.
“We can’t go back and do it differently. So why agonize over it?”
She shot him a withering glance.
“Why? Because there were other options. Other choices!”
“None that mattered.”
“God! I hate when you do that! You argue out of spite. I say black, you say white! Well, do me a favor, get out of my face! I can’t stand the sight of you!”
Her gaze swiveled back to the skyline beyond the window and with deliberate coolness, she ignored him again. Chilled by her hostility, Adrian hoisted himself from the frame, drawing a step nearer.
“If it’s any comfort to you, I can’t stand the sight of myself either.”
Turning on his heel, he strode away, sidestepping the mangled scraps of debris littering the gallery floor. Hearing his name, he ignored the summons and continued his trek to the door. Escaping into the hollowed-out corridor, he bent and began the arduous task of digging a pathway through the pile of rubble.
Chapter 28
SATURDAY — 11:00 AM
Ignoring the noise and bustle of the milling work hands, Janice stood at the edge of the pier studying the gray, green gloom of water slapping against the wood pilings of the loading dock. Just beneath the rim of the surface, she could see a school of minnows darting to and fro, scooping up nourishing bits of algae hanging from the barnacles littering the posts. Watching their frenetic swish, she gave a sigh. She was as hungry for food as they seemed to be. However, she knew her stomach would balk if she put anything in it. Eating in her present mood was useless, as impossible as growing wings on her back and flying home to Aspen.
Sighing a second time, she let her gaze arc up leisurely, following the blinding dazzle of the sun’s path on the churning sea, across to the web of inland coves. For a moment, she was content to let her mind scale the smooth shoreline, blocking out the distant crashing of waves against the craggy cliffs about her. She was going home and high time. Her nerves were shot.
Forcing herself to relax, she took a deep breath, inhaling the bitter sea air. The icy breeze kicking up was invigorating, chasing away the long hours of imprisonment. All that was left to do now was to board the ferry standing dockside. The sustained whine of idling engines droned through Janice’s consciousness and she spun on her heels.
Hastily, she tuned into the hive of activity before her. The ANNIE B’s departure was only moments away, the raucous laughter forgotten as the engrossed dockhands now struggled through the last stages of hauling in the mammoth towline. Had it been only yesterday she had stepped onto this pier for the first time? Yesterday, she had promised Captain Bowers she wouldn’t spook any ghosts. Well, she had kept her word. She hadn’t spooked them; they had spooked her.
As if pulled by a magnet, Janice found her gaze drifting upward to the roof top turrets barely visible above the surrounding seawall. Witchwood had beckoned her to cross an ocean and solve a three hundred year old mystery. Why had she been chosen? Her gaze slid to the prism of light cascading through the stained glass alongside the turrets. That answer would remain a mystery to her, at least in this lifetime.
Someone sharply called out her name, and Janice swung to see the figure striding the timbers toward her with a brief wave. In seconds, she found herself buried in Jasper’s warm embrace. Laying her head on his chest, she remained silent, content to listen to the steady, strong beat of his heart through his overcoat. How was he able to maintain such a stalwart front with Muriel gone? He was a veritable fortress and she was a total wreck. His embrace became an affectionate bear hug and Janice heard his voice raise a notch to be heard over the din of work hands.
“You mustn’t blame yourself, Janice,” he soothed. “Simone took Muriel within seconds. Even I couldn’t break the meld, though I tried.”
“We should’ve stayed together,” Janice mumbled, swallowing the growing lump in her throat. “Muriel would be alive if we had.”
He pushed her from him and studied her face.
“Are you so vain as to think you were the only one in that house willing to sacrifice yourself for the others?”
Janice detected the subtle censure in his question. A contrite apology quickly formed on her lips.
“Jasper, I
didn’t mean … ”
He cut her off with a tight squeeze.
“We were all faced with choices. You chose your path. Muree chose hers.”
Janice buried her face once more into Jasper’s chest, feeling the sting of tears caressing her lashes. Did he mean there was some good in Muriel’s death?
“One wonderful soul reached out across time to us,” he mused. “That soul asked for nothing more from us than compassion. We answered that summons, each in our own way. We connect so rarely with each other here on this earth, but for one brief instance, when it really mattered, we proved that all who have passed on still live and there is hope in the life beyond, for even the most sinful … little child, big soul,” he finished confidently.
Janice reflected on his words, her throat tightening. The truth was so eloquently simple that she had missed it. Jasper was right. Last night had been horrendous but it had also affirmed life after death. It had been the beginning of a new identity. Giving a warm smile, she patted the front of Jasper’s overcoat.
“Little child, big soul,” she repeated.
“They’re ready for you, Janice,” Lloyd’s voice cut through the space and Janice peered around Jasper’s imposing form. “Your suitcase is on board and Dr. Graves has the hospital on standby for you.”
“You’re not coming with me, Lloyd?”
He shook his head slowly.
“No. The police aren’t finished up at the house yet. Besides, my goodbye would only consist of begging your forgiveness.” His quick look at her bandaged wrist had Janice murmuring softly.
“It’s not anyone’s fault, Lloyd. You know that.”
“Yes, well, that doesn’t make it any easier,” he replied. He cleared his throat and signaled her again. “Captain Bowers doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
Janice nodded and then held her hand out to Jasper.