by Mya O'Malley
Now wasn’t the time to inquire about his past, though. Maggie slipped her hands into her light sweatshirt, wondering if it was time they should be heading back.
“It’s getting late. What do you say we head back?”
It was as if a switch had been flipped. There was no other way to describe it. As suddenly as his mood had become dark and brooding, he was now light and charming once more.
“What? And miss out on sharing this spectacular day with you?” He leaned over and kissed her. Hard.
It was a bit uncomfortable, standing there in the middle of the path, in plain view, being kissed with such intensity.
“Come.” He led her off the path and into the thick of the woods. She had no choice but to follow.
He chuckled as he led her to a large boulder. “Here.”
He scooped her up and placed her on top of the large rock. Following suit, he climbed up the slight incline and joined Maggie. Kissing her again, he cupped her head in his hands. Moments later, his hands smoothed over her body.
Maggie stiffened, pulling away. He sat back, eyes wide. “What is it, Maggie? What the hell is the problem now?”
“I’m just not ready.”
Placing his head in his hands, he sighed dramatically. “You’re not ready.” His laugh was sharp.
“Why not? Didn’t I just tell you I love you?” His tone rose in agitation.
Was that why he had declared his love for her? Her face must have given away her thoughts.
“Are you kidding me? You think that’s why I shared my feelings with you?” He stood and paced on the boulder. “Let’s go. Time to go.”
What had just happened here? How had everything deteriorated in a matter of mere minutes? And how much of it was her fault?
“No. Don’t. Sit down. Please.” Her eyes looked up at his height, pleading for him to stay.
“I don’t get you, Maggie. I have to be honest here with you. You’re kind of driving me crazy. Pushing my limits, you know?” His face flushed red as he paced.
How was she pushing him? “Sit, please just come back and sit beside me.” Maggie patted the spot beside her, her lip trembling. She didn’t know why he was so upset, only that she wanted things to return to how they were prior to this walk by the river.
“Fine.” He plopped himself beside her, leaving at least a foot between them.
Maggie reached over for him, taking his hand in hers. He didn’t move closer but didn’t pull away either.
“Maggie. You’re killing me. I love you. I freaking love you, and I feel you not returning my feelings.”
“I…”
“Let me finish. I open up to you, try to show you how much I love you and I’m met with a slam of the door.” His hands moved dramatically. Maggie leaned back so that he wouldn’t swipe her as he spoke.
“No response from you, telling me that you love me back, and now I can’t even show you how I feel.” He was upon her, grabbing her face, his eyes intense.
It was true. She hadn’t said she loved him back. She hadn’t been ready. What she definitely wasn’t ready for was showing him. The words slipped out of her mouth before she could think. “I love you, too.”
Tears sprang from his eyes as he kissed her face over and over. “Oh Maggie, you have no idea how happy you have made me.”
Maggie’s shoulders slumped. Uneasiness washed through her. It was almost as if she had been bullied into saying the words. Then again, she had always had the tendency to overanalyze her thoughts and actions. Maggie bit her lip and kissed him.
Chapter Nine
Naomi
TURNS OUT THAT searching the Internet is more productive than conducting research at the library and police station combined. The library’s information was outdated and the police basically informed Naomi and Ryan that they would do best minding their business and leaving the investigating to the police.
“But that’s just it. With all due respect, it seems that you guys just closed the case. No suspects, no leads, nothing.”
Ryan grabbed at Naomi’s jacket, mumbling under his breath. She brushed herself free from him. “No, Ryan. It’s the truth.”
“Ma’am, are you telling me that we’re not doing our job?” The officer crossed his arms over his puffed-out chest.
Somewhere from the back of Naomi’s mind came a memory. A memory of a brief conversation with Nick. He had an uncle on the police force and was telling Naomi that the cops would do anything to protect their hides.
“Okay, let me ask you a question. If Maggie Field was your relative, your daughter, say, would you just close the case?”
Officer Frank fidgeted in his seat and avoided making eye contact. Two sure signs that he was about to fib, in her opinion.
“Yes, in this case I would. You want to know why? Because it’s an open and shut case. Maggie Field drowned that day in the river. Yes, it was unfortunate, but it is a fact. Now if you don’t mind?” He turned his back to them.
Naomi’s mouth opened wide as Ryan suddenly stepped forward. “But what about the fact that nobody knows where the boat is or who owned the boat? Have you guys even inquired as to whether or not she had a friend who had a boat?”
Ryan’s words sparked with energy. Officer Frank slowly spun around in his swivel chair and faced them.
“I said: case closed.” And he faced his computer, shutting them out once more.
“Okay, now you’re being rude. I want to speak with the officer assigned to this case.” Naomi stepped forward with her finger jabbing the air.
“The case was mine. I think we’re done here.”
Naomi opened her mouth to speak but words didn’t come. Ryan shook his head in disbelief.
“I don’t think we’re anywhere close to being finished with this case, Officer Frank,” Naomi exclaimed.
Officer Frank spun around one final time, and this time his eyes bore into Naomi’s. “I’m going to give you both a piece of advice. Let it go.” His words were slow and deliberate.
“And if we don’t?” Naomi challenged.
He shrugged and laid cold eyes upon Naomi. “Well then I won’t say you haven’t been warned. Keep your nose out of other people’s business.”
His tone was ominous. Naomi was sure he knew something he wasn’t sharing.
But what?
“If that’s some kind of threat, I have a witness here.” Naomi glanced at Ryan, who nodded his head in agreement.
With a smirk set on his thin lips, Officer Frank kept his eyes on Naomi.
“Good day.”
“GOOD DAY?” NAOMI repeated the officer’s words, hours later, back at her house. Ryan held his head in his hands.
“I know, Naomi. It looks bad. I agree something is amiss, but Officer Frank might be right about one thing. Maybe we should mind our business.”
She couldn’t believe her ears. “Are you serious?” Naomi grabbed Ryan’s shoulders, shaking him slightly.
“This is our biggest clue yet. The very fact that Officer Frank is being so unhelpful and rude speaks volumes.” Her eyes were wide. “There’s something up here, I can practically taste it!”
“Maybe. Or perhaps it’s just a matter of pride. He could feel as if we don’t think he did his job thoroughly enough.”
“Because he didn’t!” Naomi raked her hands through her messy hair.
“Or, if something is up, if, let’s just say, Officer Frank is hiding something? We could be in danger. Either way, I say we drop it.”
Where the heck was his sense of adventure? What happened to serving justice for a dead woman?
“I can’t believe you’re saying this. I thought we were in this together.”
“We are. We were. Just think about letting it go, Naomi.”
“Fine. You want out? Done. But if you think for one moment that I’m dropping this, you don’t know me at all.”
Ryan stood, then met Naomi’s gaze head on. “Don’t. Just write your story. What was that phrase you use all the time? Creative lic
ense? Use your creative license and let the crime aspect go.”
“Creative license?” Naomi practically laughed in his face. “I’m in this until I find answers. Do you see that poor woman’s grave out there in the cemetery?” Naomi paused, walking over to the window. She opened the curtains to expose the bleak darkness outside. Maggie’s soul was all alone, in the cold night.
Ryan put his head down, defeated.
“Do you see what I see? Feel what I feel?”
Ryan’s head came up, eyes pried on the cold darkness. “I see it, dammit. I see it.”
“So are you in or out?” Naomi’s hands were planted firmly on her hips.
“In or out?”
Ryan’s gaze met hers.
He sighed deeply. “I’m in, Naomi. Of course I’m in.”
“Ryan. There’s something else.” It was time.
“What? What is it, Naomi?”
“Do you believe in ghosts?”
Ryan’s jaw dropped slightly. “Um. I’m not sure. Why?”
“There’s something going on in this house.” She gestured toward the window once more. “And out there.”
“Wait a minute. What are you talking about?” He drew closer to Naomi. “You’re freaking me out here.”
“Yeah, welcome to the club. Hang around here a bit more and you’ll see what I mean. I see flashes of shadows, books falling off my shelves. Zelda senses it too.”
“Come on, Naomi. I think your writer’s imagination is getting to you.”
“No, I’m sure about this. I feel it in the air.”
Ryan’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t believe her. It didn’t matter.
“Naomi…”
She cut him off. “No, Ryan. It’s fine. Like I said, stay around here long enough and you’ll see for yourself.”
“Okay, so humor me then. Who do you think this spirit is? Maggie?”
It was odd, but she had never actually considered the fact that the spirit could very well be Maggie. Or it could be a hundred other people in a state of unrest outside her very window.
“I don’t know, Ryan. I just don’t know.”
Ryan meandered over to the window and parted the curtain. He bit down on his lip as he studied the dark graveyard beyond Naomi’s property.
IT SHOULDN’T HAVE been that hard. Ryan was supposed to have just as much passion for solving this mystery as she did. They were kindred spirits, or so she thought. If anyone in the world was up for this task, she was sure it would have been Ryan. Bottom line, he had acquiesced. But it had taken some doing.
And the fact that he wasn’t buying into her resident spirit had disappointed her as well. A thought struck her as she recalled his solemn expression when he had peered out into the night. Perhaps he did believe her, did believe in ghosts. It could be that the very thought was too much for him to handle.
Sleep wasn’t exactly beckoning her that evening. Glancing at the bedside alarm clock, Naomi sighed. It was no use. She wouldn’t be sleeping anytime soon. The faint shadow of Zelda appeared at the bottom of the staircase. The cat spied Naomi and let out a sharp-pitched shriek.
“I can’t…” This was becoming ridiculous. Now she could really forget about getting any sleep. Zelda howled relentlessly.
She was spooked. She could admit it to herself. This time felt different.—there was tension in the air.
“Zelda?” Naomi reached the bottom of the steps and searched for the cat’s black figure.
“Zelda? Where are you?” She flipped the light switch on, but darkness remained. How odd. “Darn. Zelda? Where are you, you insane cat?”
It wasn’t like Zelda to hide, but it appeared she was doing just that.
“Fine.”
Naomi sucked in her breath as she felt her scalp prickle. The flash of a vision appeared so quickly, it was gone before Naomi’s mind could register what she had seen.
It appeared once more, and this time the shadow lingered for a few moments longer. Naomi planted her feet firmly on the floor beneath her.
“My God.”
The air surrounding her was instantly colder. As she gasped for air, she could see her cold breath before her.
First the electricity and now the heat.
Zelda’s screech jolted her from her thoughts. The cat was on the windowsill, prancing and wailing.
What was that? Edging closer to the window, Naomi joined her cat. She could just about make out the figure of the back of a woman with flowing blonde hair. She wore a long, white gown. Naomi’s hand went to her chest as she followed the form to the area right near Maggie T. Field’s headstone.
The vision disappeared and all that was left was the memory of the ghostly image.
“Did you see that, Zelda?” She whispered.
Judging from the feline’s pacing and agitation, it was clear she had also witnessed the very same vision.
Chapter Ten
Maggie
I LOVE YOU. Those words held magic. They also held apprehension and fear. It seemed that once those complicated words slipped from one’s lips, relationships were never the same.
You couldn’t take the words back.
It was a fact. For good or bad.
Since she had spoken those three little words weeks ago, he had become more clingy, possessive even. Maggie was having second thoughts before this relationship even had much of a beginning.
She needed to speak with R.J. Easier said than done. Unfortunately, she had continued to neglect her relationship with R.J. Her worries about how her boyfriend would react to a male friend had been easily confirmed.
“R.J.? Why is it that I never heard his name mentioned before?”
“Please, you’ll cause a scene.” Maggie spun her head to see if anyone had noticed his raised voice. Nobody was staring at them. That was a relief. It had been a mistake to bring his name up here. Heck it had been a mistake to bring it up at all. Maggie had slipped. It wasn’t intentional, and now she regretted her loose tongue.
“Maybe because I was worried that this conversation would happen.”
She felt a sharp pinch on her thigh.
“Ouch!”
“Will you be quiet? Look who’s causing a scene now.” His hand came back out from under the table. He had pinched her. Pinched her.
“Don’t you ever…”
“I asked you a question and I’m waiting for an answer. Now don’t be rude. Who is this R.J and why are you still speaking with him?”
How dare he? How dare! “I think we need a break.” She was up from her seat. He pulled her hand with force, this time earning stares from customers close by.
Maggie’s pulse sped up. She didn’t wish to cause a scene. Not here in the town she lived in. Cautiously she lowered herself back to her chair.
“You need to calm down,” Maggie managed, glancing around.
“I need to calm down? I need to calm down?” His voice rose. “And where do you get off telling me we need a break? You don’t get to do that. There’s no break here, honey. Not now.”
“What? What does that mean?” He sounded crazy. His irises sparked wide with emotion.
After glancing around, he lowered his voice to a hiss. “You and I are in this together. You said the words. You love me. I don’t take those words lightly. You don’t tell someone you love them and then take it back.”
Maggie didn’t know how to respond. Her stomach twisted.
“You hear me? It doesn’t work that way. You and I are committed to one another. Couples have disagreements all the time. This is normal.”
“No, I don’t think so.” Maggie didn’t have tons of experience with dating, but her gut told her otherwise. This was far from normal. He was becoming more jealous and irrational with each day that passed.
He scared her.
“Don’t. You. Tell. Me. I said it’s normal. Now what’s not normal is the fact that you have this guy R.J. as a friend. Get rid of him.”
A burst of courage shone through. She had had enough. Enough of the com
ments, the glances, the accusations. Their relationship was deteriorating and here was the last straw.
“I won’t.” Maggie sat back, pushing herself away from the table so that he couldn’t pinch her or pull her again.
He looked around and smashed his fist on the table. Maggie cringed.
“I told you I loved you, dammit!” He pounded his fist once more. “Nobody speaks that way to me. Nobody. Tell you what; you get rid of him or I will.”
Sweat formed on his upper lip. She barely heard the hushed whispers coming from the other diners.
Maggie’s jaw hung open as she watched him walk out of the coffee shop.
“R.J., I NEED to see you.” She had no one else she could really talk to. Maggie’s relationship with her parents was a close one and that was the very reason she didn’t wish to upset them. To worry her parents was unnecessary at this point. If she could avoid the subject altogether with them, even better. Problem was, R.J. wasn’t answering her calls. Jackie had probably sunk her teeth into him by this point. But she knew better. R.J. would at least call her back. She would try once more tomorrow and then let it go for now.
Just as she placed her cell phone down, it vibrated.
“R.J.”
“Hey, Maggie. What’s up?” Cool greeting, but he had at least called back.
“I’m so glad you called.”
“Yeah, yeah. Of course. Sorry I couldn’t call after your first message, but I was kind of busy last night.”
Well.
“No problem. Look, I was wondering if we could meet up for coffee or something.”
“Oh? You do realize that I’m in a relationship?” he teased.
She felt her face heat up. “Oh.”
“I’m joking. Well, I am in a relationship, but I’m kidding. Forget it.”
His nervous laughter put her at ease. That was the way it was between the two of them. Nervous energy.
“Is everything okay?”
How should she respond? “I hope so.”
That seemed to grab his attention. “Maggie. What is it? Talk to me.”