Restless Spirits

by Michelle Scott

  Wanting to talk to Cara once again, Ethan went down to the drawing room so that he could get a signal on his cellphone. As he headed down the hall, he caught up with Jessica who was dragging a suitcase up the stairs. Immediately, his back went up. After all, she was the other woman. Still, it was pointless to be angry with her since she’d done nothing wrong. If anything, he should feel sorry for her since she was the one to whom David was lying.

  “Let me help you with that,” he offered and took the suitcase from her.

  “Thanks.” She smiled. “You wouldn’t happen to know where my room is, would you? There was an electrical emergency or something in Grant’s office, and David had to go fix it. I told him that I could find my way to the bedroom, but now I’m not so sure.”

  “I thought you’d be staying with him,” Ethan said as casually as he could.

  A blush crept into her cheeks. “We don’t actually – I mean, we’ve agreed to sleep apart for now. David’s kind of old fashioned that way. I suppose I should think that’s sweet.”

  So they hadn’t officially consummated their relationship. Hope fluttered in Ethan’s chest. Maybe things between David and Jessica weren’t so solid after all. Then again, he and David had never known each other in that way, either. They’d kissed and held hands. They’d even engaged in some awkward fondling. But David had always put the brakes on going further.

  “Do you know which room is supposed to be yours?” Ethan asked.

  “It’s the one next to the nursery. David said it was towards the end of the north hallway.” Jessica tilted her head. “Do you have any idea which way is north?”

  “None.” They both laughed. “But I think I can find the nursery.” He vaguely remembered coming back from that room the night before. “I believe it’s this way.”

  They opened a few doors along the hallway. Most entered onto empty rooms, and one was a closet. Finally, Ethan found the nursery and, next to it, a bedroom. The bed had been made up with a threadbare, chenille bedspread and matching curtains that had gone gray after so many years of use. A threadbare carpet covered most of the hardwood floor.

  “This room is certainly old,” Jessica. She sniffed then sneezed. “Not to mention dusty.” She went to the window. “And the view is, well, interesting. Is that a cemetery?”

  Ethan joined her. “Yes, that is a cemetery.” He glanced at the gravestones. No red roses anywhere in sight. “And see that little cottage? That’s where David lives.”

  “It’s adorable!” she exclaimed. “He promised me a tour of it later.”

  “He might not want to give you that tour right away. It’s kind of a mess.”

  She laughed. “That doesn’t surprise me. Let me guess, there’s laundry everywhere? And a few crumb-filled plates and glasses half-filled with water.”

  So she knew David pretty well. The revelation hurt. “He also has his drawings scattered around,” Ethan said. “I’m surprised he can find his pencils, though.”

  Jessica frowned. “His drawings? What drawings?”

  “You know. Of the children’s books he wants to illustrate.”

  Jessica shook her head, puzzled. “I had no idea that he wanted to draw children’s books! Why didn’t he tell me that?”

  Ethan couldn’t help but gape. David hadn’t shared his artwork with his girlfriend? Was it too personal? Too private? Then why had he shown it to Ethan? Did he trust Ethan more than Jessica? “Maybe he hasn’t gotten around to it yet,” Ethan said, struggling to hide his surprise. “I’m sure he will.”

  Jessica plopped onto the bed. “I’m not surprised. He’s a very private person. We’ve been together for seven months, but he still hasn’t introduced me to his family. That’s odd, don’t you think?”

  “A little I guess.”

  “He’s met my family, of course, and they all adore him. With them, he’s very friendly and open. But with me, he can be so distant.” The color returned to her cheeks. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be dumping personal information on you. We’ve only just met. It’s just that David is so cagy about his past, and you’ve been his friend for so long. I guess I was hoping that you fill in some of the blanks. What was he like in college?”

  Ethan perched on the edge of the bed next to Jessica. “Like you said, he can be distant. And shy. Plus, he didn’t have the best home life.”

  “I heard that his parents were very strict.”

  Ethan nodded. “I only met them once, so don’t feel bad. I think that’s why he’s so protective of his sister. She’s the one family member who really loved him.”

  “Makes sense,” Jessica said. “He talks about her all the time. Almost as much as he talks about you. I’m glad we finally got to meet.” She smiled. “It sounded like the two of you had quite a few adventures in college.”

  Just how much had David told her? Looking at her fresh, eager face, Ethan doubted that David had confessed much of importance. If he had, Jessica would have probably left him. “We used to get into trouble. Nothing serious. Just college stuff.”

  “You’ll have to tell me all about it.”

  Ethan hadn’t wanted to like her. Hell, he was prepared to hate her. But he couldn’t. She seemed to be a genuinely innocent soul. Good natured and good humored. It was easy to understand what David saw in her. Ethan only hoped that when the truth about David came out – and it would come out eventually, he was sure of it – that Jessica wouldn’t be too hurt.

  “I was about to make a phone call,” Ethan said, rising. “The only cell reception is downstairs in the drawing room.”

  “Good to know,” Jessica said. She was about to say something else when a scream from the next room cut her off.

  Chapter Nine

  Ethan was out of the door before Jessica. He tore down the hallway and into the nursery. Tessa lay on the floor. She’d curled into a ball, wrapping her arms tightly around her knees. Her body shook.

  Ethan dropped to the ground next to her. “Tessa! Theresa, can you hear me?” He gently shook her shoulder.

  Tessa popped up, threw her arms around his shoulders, and buried her head in his chest. “She was here! I saw her!”

  Jessica stood uncertainly in the doorway. “Who did you see?”

  David appeared behind Jessica and gently eased around her into the nursery. “Tessa! What happened?”

  Tessa let go of Ethan and went to her brother. “Faith was here! I saw her in the bassinet. She was crying.” Her words came in jagged streaks. “I heard her. Oh David, she needs me!”

  David wrapped his arms around his sister and hushed her while she cried. A moment late, Grant shoved his way into the room. “What’s going on?” he demanded. “Tessa! What’s wrong?”

  “She thought she saw the baby,” David said.

  “What are you doing in the nursery?” Grant asked his wife. “You know this place upsets you.” He drew Tessa into his arms. “Darling, I wish you’d let me get you out of this house. This isn’t good for you.” He looked over his shoulder. “Where the devil is Maude? She needs to be here.”

  Tessa pulled out of her husband’s arms. “No! I don’t want her here. I’ll be fine.”

  Grant eased his wife into the rocking chair by the window. “The doctor can help you. You just need to let her.”

  “Should I get her a glass of water?” Jessica asked, wringing her hands.

  Grant gave her a sharp look. “Who the hell are you?”

  “That’s my girlfriend,” David said stiffly. “Be polite, Grant.”

  Grant looked startled. “You have a girlfriend?” His eyes went to Ethan. “Never mind. Yes, someone get Tessa a glass of water.”

  Jeremy poked his head into the room. “Everything okay? I was in the library and thought I heard screaming.” His eyes widened when he caught sight of Tessa’s pale face. “Are you alright?”

  “She’s fine,” Grant said evenly. “Go find the doctor.”

  “No!” Tessa stood. Her eyes blazed. “I won’t be medicated. Not anymore.”

 
; “But the voices –” Grant started to argue.

  “They happen whether I’m on the pills or not. It’s just that when I’m on them, I can’t understand what they’re saying.” She threw a pleading look at her brother. “I don’t want to take them.”

  David put his arm around his sister’s shoulders. “You don’t have to.”

  “You don’t have a say in this!” Grant’s eyes flashed.

  Ethan’s eyes traveled from David to Grant and back again. The family politics was a tug of war that no one seemed able to win. Both Grant and David had Tessa’s best interests at heart, but neither was able to back down. “Tessa’s an adult,” Ethan said quietly. “She should make her own decisions.”

  Grant stormed over to Ethan and shook his finger in his face. “Stay out of this!”

  Ethan stood firm. “If she doesn’t think the pills are helping her, she shouldn’t have to take them. I’ve been in her situation, and I know what I’m talking about.”

  Jeremy came into the room and stood by Tessa’s side. He looked like a big, guard dog, ready to chew the head off of anyone who came too close. “I think you all should leave and let Tessa lie down. She’s clearly upset.” He reached out as if to touch her, but then thought better of it and dropped his hand. Grant gave him a narrow look.

  “Yes, everyone should leave,” Tessa said, “but I want Ethan and David to stay.”

  “Why?” Grant said, nonplussed. “What do you want with them?”

  “Please, Grant,” Tessa said. “I want to talk to them alone.”

  Grant huffed, but backed down. “I’m going to find the doctor,” he muttered. As he passed Ethan, his face tightened and he gave him a warning look. A look that was there to remind Ethan of their previous conversation. Jeremy, too, sent him a glare but followed Grant out of the room.

  Tessa sank back down into the rocking chair. “I’m tired of having to throw a fit like a child every time I want something.” She passed her hand over her face. “Grant won’t leave me alone!”

  “He’s worried about you,” David said. “We all are.”

  “Can you tell us what happened?” Ethan asked.

  Tessa closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I came into the nursery to sit. Sometimes, I like to do that. Grant hates coming in here, so it’s the one place in the house where I can go for some privacy. Also, it make me feel closer to Faith.”

  After what he’d experienced the night before, Ethan would never consider the nursery a sanctuary. He swore his nightmare still lingered in the shadows of the room. Still, he understood Tessa’s need to get away. Despite the size of the manor, he was beginning to find it claustrophobic as well. Grant and Dr. Rosenbaum seemed to fill every room to overflowing.

  “I was rocking in this chair,” Tessa continued, “and I thought I heard something. A rustling coming from the crib. Then I heard Faith crying.” Her eyes held a challenge. “I know it was Faith. A mother knows the sound her baby makes.”

  Ethan and David nodded.

  “I went to the crib, and she was lying there. Her face was screwed up and red from her crying. She was wearing the sleeper she had on when she died. I wanted to help her, but I couldn’t! The moment I tried to touch her, she disappeared.” Tessa buried her face in her hands.

  “Do you want to lie down?” David asked.

  She jerked her head up. “No! I want to find out what’s going on.”

  This was the conversation that Grant had warned him against. If Ethan brought up the idea of spirits, Grant would be furious. But one look at Tessa’s broken face, and Ethan knew he couldn’t keep anything from her. Keeping his eyes on David and Tessa, Ethan stretched his senses to the limit, hunting for a trace of supernatural activity. But the room was quiet. “Faith’s spirit isn’t here now,” Ethan said after a lengthy pause. “I’d know if she was.”

  “I think there’s something wrong with her,” Tessa said, anguished. “I think that’s why the voices keep talking to me. They’re trying to tell me something.”

  “Do you have any idea what it is?” David asked.

  Tessa bit her lower lip. The strain from her situation was etched on her features. There were shadows under her eyes, and her cheeks looked hollow. She was suffering deeply. “There’s a mother and another baby,” she said. “Somehow, they’re tied together.”

  “I’ve seen the woman, too,” Ethan said, “but I don’t know anything about her. Other than she drowned.”

  Tessa’s dark eyes widened. Her voice was sharp. “Is that why she’s after me? She wants me to take my life, too?”

  “I don’t know,” Ethan confessed. “I didn’t think she was a malevolent spirit, but earlier today, she nearly dropped a chandelier on Dr. Rosenbaum.”

  Tessa’s hand flew to cover her mouth. “Oh my God!”

  David put a hand on his sister’s shoulder. “We don’t know that for sure,” he said. “It could have been the house. There was a huge crack in the ceiling.”

  Ethan tugged on his earlobe, thinking. “I would like to know what those voices are saying to you. It would help me figure some of this out.”

  “You should stay with me tonight,” Tessa said. “That’s when the voices are the loudest. Most of the time, they’re nothing but murmurs, but occasionally, I can catch a word. Will you stay up with me tonight?”

  “Of course,” he assured her.

  Jessica appeared in the doorway with a glass of water. “Sorry it took me so long. There weren’t any cups in the bathroom, and I got lost on my way to the kitchen.” She handed Tessa the water. “Feeling better?”

  Tessa sipped the water. “Yes.” She smiled at Ethan. “It’s nice to be believed.” She stood and laid her hand on his arm. “Ethan, you have no idea how much I appreciate your help with this. I want my daughter to be at peace, and it kills me that she isn’t. I think I could let go if I knew for certain she was in a better place.”

  “I think we all could,” David said.

  “We’ll find a way to help her,” Ethan said firmly. In his mind, there was no other alternative.

  David helped his sister to her room while Ethan and Jessica stayed in the nursery. Jessica eyed the crib and the tiny bassinet. “Do you really think this place is haunted?”

  “It is haunted,” Ethan said firmly. Once again, he stretched out his inner senses, trying to contact either the drowned woman or the baby, but couldn’t find either one. For now, the house was quiet.

  “David told me that you had ESP or something,” Jessica said. “I never really believed in that stuff, but his sister seemed so positive that she saw something.” She shivered. “This place gives me the heebie jeebies.” She edged closer to Ethan. “Do you think the ghosts will come back?”

  Ethan certainly hoped so, but he didn’t want to wind Jessica up any more than she already was. “I doubt that you’ll notice anything,” he said. “If you don’t have the sight, you won’t see them.” Although, she might notice some of their tricks. Dr. Rosenbaum had certainly seen what the spirits were capable of when the chandelier came crashing down.

  David came back into the room, and Jessica darted to his side. She wrung her hands worriedly as she glanced around the nursery. “I know I’m being a wuss, but I don’t want to stay in this house. Can I come stay with you?”

  David glanced at Ethan. “There’s nothing to be worried about.”

  “Your sister is hearing voices! She says that she’s being haunted.”

  “I’m telling you, everything is fine,” David said. He put an awkward arm around her shoulders, but couldn’t meet Ethan’s eyes when he did it.

  “Isn’t there room in the guest house for me?” Jessica asked.

  “I suppose I could bring in a cot,” David said.

  Jessica pulled out of his awkward embrace. “I wasn’t talking about a cot.”

  David, looking more and more uncomfortable, shifted his weight. “Let’s go downstairs and get you some tea, or maybe some hot chocolate.”

  Jessica huffed angrily, b
ut let him lead her out of the room. Ethan followed. He wanted to check out a few of the other rooms to see if the drowned woman had disappeared to any of them. As the three of them were going down the stairs, Jessica pointed to the space where the chandelier used to be. A few broken wires extended from the hole. “This place could use some new light fixtures.”

  “Among other things,” David said.

  A red-faced Dr. Rosenbaum charged through the music room door. “Where is Tessa?”

  “Upstairs resting,” David said. “She’s fine.”

  “I heard that she was screaming about hearing her baby’s cries. That doesn’t sound find to me.” Dr. Rosenbaum’s rings glittered as she waved her hands. “I want her out of this house. In fact, I want out of this house, too. After what happened with the chandelier, I can’t stay here any longer.”

  Jessica’s eyes widened. “What happened with the chandelier?”

  “Let’s go to the kitchen,” David said and tried to usher her down the hallway.

  “No,” Jessica said stubbornly. “I want to hear about this.”

  Dr. Rosenbaum lifted her eyes towards the ceiling. “That thing came crashing down on us earlier today, and I was nearly killed! This house is a menace.” She lifted her chin and glared at Ethan. “Although, not because of the spirits like you say.”

  Jessica shook off David’s arm and faced Ethan. “Are you saying that ghosts made the chandelier drop to the ground?”

  Ethan tugged his earlobe. He was stuck. He refused to lie about what happened, but he knew that if he admitted the truth, Jessica would become even more upset.

  Jessica must have taken his silence for agreement because she backed away and shook her head. “There’s no way I’m staying here tonight. I’m sleeping with you,” she told David.

  David shrugged helplessly. “It’s just that the guest house is very crowded, and I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.” Then he brightened. “I know! How about if you stay in the guest house, and I’ll stay here. I don’t mind.”