You Are Always on My Mind

by Sable Hunter

  ‘Their room’, the thought made her smile. Since she’d given him the invitation to join her, there had been no thought of withdrawing it. Quickly she changed clothes, dressing in a pair of jeans and a button up shirt. Taking a look at herself in the mirror, she applied a light coating of makeup and some mascara, finishing off with a bit of lip gloss. To tell the truth, she was a bit embarrassed how she’d acted in front of Revel’s friend T-Rex and she wanted to give him a better impression of her.

  When she was through, she started back downstairs. When she got out into the hall, a noise behind her made her jump. Turning, she tried to determine what she’d heard. It had been a bumping noise, maybe a door shutting. Determined to be brave, she started down the hall to the room she’d seen Revel emerge from the night before. When she was standing outside of it, she ran her hand over the smooth wood, putting off opening the door for another couple of seconds. Feeling or hearing nothing unusual, she opened it and went in. All seemed normal. The bed was made. The room was neat. A rocking chair sat near the bed. Harper smiled to herself. If that chair started rocking, she’d be halfway down the Teche in about half a second, walking on the water. As she padded around the room, it hit her oddly when she realized she’d never been in this room but once or twice. She remembered now that her grandmother always kept it locked.

  Letting her eyes rove around, she noticed how old-fashioned everything seemed to be. There was a lace doily on the dressing table, an antique hairbrush and a glass perfume bottle sat as if waiting for their owner to return and use them. The furniture was dark and heavy. A highboy chest-of-drawers sat against one wall and Harper saw two framed photographs sitting on the top. They were a little higher than her head, so she pulled a stool from the dressing table over so she could climb on top of it to get a better view.

  When she did, Harper placed her hands on the top and bent closer. What met her eyes made her jerk back so hard, the stool teetered and slipped and Harper found herself falling backward.

  Down below, Revel hung up the phone. He’d made progress. Lucas had an opening and T-Rex was on his way over. Glancing up, he wondered if Harper was about ready. Maybe he should go check, he might catch her in the buff. Grinning to himself, he started out of the kitchen. He hadn’t taken but one or two steps when he heard the most godawful clatter followed by a very feminine moan. “Harper!”

  Sprinting up the stairs, he started calling her name. “Harper?” He first went to their room, but it was empty.

  “Revel?”

  Back out in the hall, he listened again and then he heard movement in the very room he’d been in the night before. Hurrying, he opened the door and found Harper straightening the stool. “What happened, honey?”

  She looked up at him sheepishly. “I fell.” He rushed to her and started feeling her up, from top to bottom, which made her giggle. “You guys, any excuse.”

  Revel wasn’t as lighthearted. “Were you standing on the stool? What for? You’re going to hurt yourself.”

  “I’m good.” She patted his arm. “Don’t worry. I have a really hard head.”

  “You hit your head?” He sounded even more alarmed.

  To hush him up, Harper kissed him. “Stop. I’m fine.” She took him by the hand. “Look. I want to show you something. Get that photo down for me, that’s what I was climbing on the stool to see.”

  Revel reached up and picked up the photo, handing it to her. Harper gazed at the image, shivers of apprehension dancing over her skin. “I haven’t been in this room in years, and I don’t ever remember seeing this photograph before. But the woman in the picture, the one with the long dark hair. She was the woman in my dream crying for her baby.”

  Standing by her, Revel joined her in staring at the picture. He saw a thin young woman who appeared to be in her early twenties. The photo was faded and seemed to be from the late forties or early fifties from her hairstyle and her dress. “Do you know who she is?”

  “No, I don’t know anything about her.” She handed the photo back to him.

  “Maybe you should read more of Clotille’s diary and I still need to get you those books I found in the attic.”

  “Yes,” she agreed to do that. “When I saw her face, I stepped backward and turned the dang stool over.”

  Revel pulled her close. “I’m glad you weren’t hurt.” He looked around. “You made the bed, you should have waited on me. That mattress and box springs are too heavy for you to move by yourself.”

  Harper frowned, looking up into his face. “I didn’t make the bed. This is the way I found everything.”

  They stared at one another. “The plot thickens,” Revel whispered.

  “Let’s go downstairs.” Harper grabbed his hand and started for the door. “You’re sleeping on the couch tonight—and I’m sleeping with you.”

  Despite the oddness of the situation, Revel laughed. “I love you, Harper Summers. Even if you are a scaredy-cat.”

  Once they were downstairs, he made them both a cup of coffee, bringing it to her where she sat in a corner of the couch with her grandmother’s diary in her hand. “Do you think I’ll find something in here or in the books you found?”

  “I don’t know. Wait here and let me get you the others before I forget.” He started off, but she stopped him.

  “Don’t leave me down here!” she protested, trying to put her coffee cup down and get up at the same time.

  “I’m not.” He chuckled. “I brought the box down a while back, it’s in the hall closet.” That satisfied Harper and she waited, sipping her coffee, while he retrieved the well-worn pasteboard container. When he returned, he sat it on the floor beside her. “There, you can peruse them to your heart’s content.”

  Harper got on the floor with the box, marveling at what she found. “Wow, I had no idea she kept a journal.” She picked one up and began to leaf through it. What she found intrigued her. “This isn’t exactly a diary, there are recipes and lists in here.” Harper read more, holding the book tightly. “Oh, my goodness. I spoke too soon, these aren’t recipes.” She looked up at Revel in surprise. “I think they’re spells!”

  Revel threw his head back and laughed. “I always knew she was a—” He stopped when Harper whacked him with a sofa pillow. “Then what Nana Fontenot said made sense. She alluded to the fact that she and Clotille shared some interests.”

  “That’s why Grandmother went over there all the time. Getting plant clippings, my foot!” They both smiled. “Well, you never know. I’ll have to read this closely and see if I can find a love spell to cast on you.”

  Revel sobered. “Oh, baby, I’m already under your spell.” He watched her blush, then he thought to inform her of his calls. “I phoned Lucas, he can see you at three.”

  Harper hugged herself. “I’m nervous.”

  Revel sat down beside her. “You have no need. Lucas is a good man, he’s kind and gifted. And I’ll be right outside the door.”

  “Okay.” Even though she wanted to back out, the hopeful look on his face stole away those thoughts.

  Knock! Knock!

  “Someone’s here,” Harper said, glancing toward the front hall.

  “T-Rex, we’re going to check the grounds.” He held out his hand. “You said you wanted to come, didn’t you?”

  “Yes.” She rose and followed him to the door. Once it was opened, she stepped out on the porch. “Hey, T. I’m glad you came.”

  He nodded, holding his baseball cap in his hand. “Glad to help, Miss Summers.”

  “Please, don’t be so formal,” Harper said. “I want to apologize for my behavior the last time we were together. The identity of my family is no secret and what happened was tragic but—”

  “You don’t have to explain anything.” T-Rex put his hand on her shoulder. “I was just rattling and put my size 16 shoe in my mouth.”

  “And that’s a big shoe.” Revel snorted, glad that his friend and his love were getting along. “Now, let’s see what we can find.”

  Harper
hung back and let the other two lead. First they scoped along by the road and drive. “I don’t see a dang thing,” T-Rex muttered. “Although as much as it rained, it’s possible the tracks could’ve been washed away.”

  “Maybe. But not up under the eaves of the house, if they came in a window.” Revel explained. “I doubt that it’s possible a prowler could have come in through one of the doors. I’m pretty faithful about keeping them locked and the alarm set.”

  “Let’s check around the whole house, just to be sure,” T said as he led the way.

  Harper followed closely, giving them just enough room to work. It wasn’t that she was nervous, she just wanted to be in on the search. Wildwood was big and spread out, with a central building and two wings. Parts of the house were four stories tall including the playroom below and the attic above the second floor. Still, it didn’t take but a few minutes to make the circuit.

  “I don’t see any disturbance at all,” Revel remarked, seeming to be a bit disappointed.

  Harper didn’t feel that way. To her, the idea of a human coming into their home while she slept was much scarier than the spirit world…although, that wasn’t the most pleasant thing to experience either. “I guess we’ll have to call Savannah.”

  T-Rex jerked around, his eyes surprised. “You got ghosts?”

  “Maybe. I think she even does a bit of housework.” She smiled, glad she could at least see the humor in the situation. “Would you like to come to a séance?” As far as she knew, they had no such plans for a séance. Harper just said it to get a rise out of the big man since she saw his shock. “Surely you would be interested. After all, you hunt werewolves.”

  To her amazement, his face changed completely. “Hell, yes. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’ll bring the popcorn.”

  Revel held his hands up. “You two are full of it. We haven’t even called Savannah and I have never heard of her having a séance. I don’t think she works like that.”

  “Are you thirsty?” she asked their guest, relieved that his visit didn’t turn up any home invaders.

  “Well, I can sit for a bit. Some of us have to work, you know.” He slapped Revel on the back.

  Harper felt guilty. “You know, I’m all right. You can go back to work if you need to.”

  Revel didn’t blink an eye. “My work can wait. I’ve spoken to Patrick several times and he’s going to send me everything I need to see to keep things going. I’m working on a proposed route for the pipeline as well as funneling evidence to the legal team that’s going up against big oil and the other defendants in the lawsuit.”

  “Hey, I wasn’t complaining.” T-Rex held up his hands. “You know what you’re doing and you have mighty-fine reason to stay home.”

  Harper realized he was talking about her again and she blushed anew. “Come on, you two.” She led the way to the porch but this time Revel decided to play host.

  “You two rest, I’ll make coffee.” He knew Harper was still a little leery of being in the house on her own.

  “So, tell me what’s going on?” T-Rex asked as he settled into the largest rocker. “Ghost-wise, I mean.”

  Harper sat by him, rocking a bit, her feet on the bottom rail of the chair, her toes barely touching the floor. “I’ve been hearing a baby cry. Last night I had a bad dream and I saw a woman, the baby’s mother, I guess. She was begging for me to help her find her child.”

  “A lutin.” T-Rex nodded solemnly.

  “A what?” Harper didn’t understand.

  “A lutin.” T-Rex repeated. “The spirit of a child who died before it could be baptized.”

  Revel reappeared at that moment, bearing a tray. “You told him about the crying,” he observed and Harper nodded. “Did you tell him about the room the crying was coming from?”

  “No, I didn’t—yet,” Harper started, but Revel was excited and began talking.

  “After Harper’s dream, I followed the sound and found it coming from one of the smaller bedrooms. When I went in, the air and darkness in the room was darker, thicker. The crying was coming from under the bed, but there was nothing there. I even took the bed apart—absolutely nothing.”

  “Yea, and this morning while he was on the phone with you,” Harper spoke up, “I went down there and found an old photo of the same woman I dreamed about. And,” Harper paused, as if for effect, “the bed that Revel had unmade and taken apart was completely back together.”

  “Ah, that’s the housekeeping you were referring to.” T-Rex folded his hands and rocked. “I guess you do need to talk to Savannah. Let her see if she can connect with these spirits or read the situation. I’m no expert, but usually ghosts want something or want to pass along information.”

  “You sound like an expert.” Revel observed, leaning forward with his arms on his knees. A gentle breeze was blowing, moving the wind chimes hanging from the roof of the porch.

  “Nah, I’ve just lived in Louisiana all my life.” T-Rex laughed.

  Revel noticed Harper was quiet. “What are you thinking about?” He reached over and pulled on her foot gently.

  She gave him a smile, then glanced at his friend. “I’ve spent most of my time away from Loreauville and the years I did spend here I was either too young or sheltered.” Seeing both men watching her, she just blurted the rest of it out. “Tell me what you know about the Duhons. I know next to nothing about my father and his family.”

  Both men were taken aback by her inquiry.

  “I need to know. I never understood Remy, my father. I loved him until he…”

  “Remy hurt Harper.” Revel explained quietly.

  T-Rex’s countenance hardened. “Fuck.”

  “But when I was younger, I thought he hung the moon,” Harper whispered. “My mother loved him, but she looked down on his family.” Meeting T’s eyes, she begged. “So, please, tell me anything you might know or have heard that would give me some idea what kind of people they are.”

  T-Rex let out a long breath. “The Duhons are native to the area, they’ve lived in the Atchafalaya for generations. They trap and fish for a living. After your father passed, I think they went down near Grand Isle for a while, but they moved back a few years ago.”

  “While the Devereauxs lived in the big house,” Revel murmured.

  Harper heard the underlying tone the instant he said it. She might have her insecurities but she wasn’t the only one. “Every family has its issues. Obviously.” Later, she’d tend to him later, Harper promised herself. “What else do you know about them?”

  Looking a bit embarrassed, T-Rex shifted in his seat. “The Duhons have a reputation for being rough. There’s a rumor they’ve been involved in the drug business, but I can’t substantiate that.”

  Great, Harper thought, another thing to be proud of. “When we were at your house, why did you associate them with the rougaroux?”

  T-Rex shook his head. “I was just spouting off. Harlow stays in trouble. He’d broken into a few houses, stealing everything from TVs to chickens. He sneaks around at night, traveling through the bayous in a pirogue.” Looking apologetic, he went on to explain. “Some folks who caught a glimpse of him skulking around said that, it was supposed to be a joke.”

  “Harlow threatened Harper a few years back, and she thought she saw him following us a couple of days ago. Is he dangerous?” Revel asked, a serious expression on his face.

  Nodding, T-Rex took his Saints cap off his head and laid it on his knee. “I hate to say it, being Harper’s kinfolk and all, but I wouldn’t trust him. He manages to stay out of jail, but that’s only because the law doesn’t like to go that deep in the swamp. I’m afraid he’s been high too often to have good sense. A man will do a lot to support his habit.”

  “Thanks for the information, T.” Harper gave him a grateful smile. “I guess we can’t help where we came from, only where we’re going.”

  T-Rex stood. “You’re right about that, we all have relatives we wish we didn’t.” He placed his hand on Revel’s
shoulder. “They say you can pick your friends, but not your family. I say sometimes we need to get a chain saw and cut a few branches off our family tree.”

  His remark made Harper and Revel both laugh. They said their goodbyes and Harper waited as Revel strolled with T-Rex to his truck, seeing him off. When he returned, he gazed at her face as if trying to gauge her reaction to what his friend had told them. “I wasn’t surprised,” she admitted. “I was too young to know the details, but I knew my mother considered the Duhons persona non grata.”

  “Just forget them. They’re not a part of your life now,” Revel said, glancing at his phone. “We’ll have to start for Baton Rouge soon. If you want, we can get lunch on the road.”

  Harper rose. “I need to get ready.” She shivered a little at the thought.

  “Okay, I’m going to call Patrick while you change.” Unable to stay away, he stepped near and feathered a kiss to her cheek.

  “Good. Maybe Savannah can help us.”

  As Harper headed inside, he asked. “Do you want me to come with you?”

  “No,” she smiled. “Whatever is in Wildwood has been here all of my life. Why it’s more active now, I don’t understand. I’ll admit it startles me, but I’m not really afraid.”

  “I agree. This is your home. They may belong here, but so do you.”

  Harper nodded. She didn’t argue, but Harper knew better. She didn’t really have a home. This was temporary. One day soon Revel would realize he was wrong.

  * * *

  “Don’t be nervous.” Revel was holding her hand and he could feel the almost imperceptible tremors.

  “I’m okay,” she assured him. “The shrimp po-boy made me feel better. I was just a bit light-headed.”

  They’d been on the road for over an hour. Harper had been quiet, almost too quiet. He didn’t like it. “Patrick and Savannah are coming over tomorrow, if that’s okay with you.”

  “Sure. Perfect.” Harper assured him. “I hope when she does arrive the spirits don’t do a disappearing act.” When she’d gone upstairs to change clothes earlier, the whole atmosphere had been like a blank slate. Empty.