Chapter Ten
Dr. Rosenbaum hoisted her bag and left, leaving Ethan to stand, stunned, in the entryway. How could Tessa possibly hurt her own child? It didn’t make any sense. Yes, she couldn’t remember finding Faith’s lifeless body, but that didn’t mean that she had been the one to take her child’s life. No matter what Dr. Rosenbaum thought, Ethan didn’t believe it. Tessa was too gentle a soul to ever hurt a child, especially her own.
But as much as Ethan didn’t want to believe it, a dark shadow crept into his mind. Sometimes, rational people did irrational things. There were terrible stories of women with postpartum depression committing horrible acts against their children. Could that have been Tessa? Had motherhood so exhausted her that she’d killed her own daughter? A violent death would explain why the spirits were so riled up. Still, Tessa as a murderess? Ethan couldn’t see it. The very idea made his blood run cold.
Despite what the doctor had just told him, Ethan still wanted out of the house. The place seemed to be growing more and more unfriendly by the minute. He went in search of David. He needed a ride into town, and unfortunately, David was the only one who could give him one. But where was he? Ethan searched the music room, the dining room, and the kitchen. It seemed that David had disappeared.
Giving up on the first floor, Ethan went upstairs. The hallway ended at the library. It was the one room in the manor that appeared cozy and not browbeaten. The furniture was old and the books in the shelves worn, but that only made the place look well loved. A fire in the cold hearth, a glass of warm brandy, and the soft glow of lamplight would have made the place homey.
A table in the middle of the room held a stack of papers that Ethan assumed were the documents Jeremy wanted him to sign. He shuffled through them, trying to decipher the legalese. Impossible. He set them back down again. He wasn't about to sign anything until he knew exactly what it said. He didn't trust Grant Muir at all. Or his lawyer.
As he habitually did, Ethan scanned the room for otherworldly activity. As far as spirits went, the place was empty. It was almost a relief because it turned the library into a sanctuary. The spirits' ambushes were exhausting. Not to mention confusing. So far, all he'd received were vague warnings of death and the smell of roses. Nothing that could be connected to anything concrete. Why did the spirits always have to be so cryptic?
Ethan picked one of the leather-bound volumes from a shelf. The collected works of Walt Whitman. Not his typical reading material as he went for mysteries. He placed the book back on the shelf and noticed an enormous, black-clad book sitting on a wooden pedestal. A dictionary? Curious, he took a peek.
No, not a dictionary. A Bible. Very old from the way the fragile pages felt between his fingers. They were as delicate as the petals of a dried flower. He turned to the front to see the copyright and noticed that the frontispiece had been covered with names. Births, marriages and deaths has all been recorded since the time the Bible had been presented to Samuel Muir on his sixteenth birthday in 1837.
Fascinated, Ethan scanned the names, turning page after page of history. Only when he reached a crossed-out entry did he pause. The name, Meredith Muir, had a birth date listed as 1912 but no death date. The name hadn't been crossed out so much as scribbled out making it difficult, but not impossible to see the date beside it. Underneath her name, in smaller letters, was the name Rose Muir, also crossed out. The child had lived only one day.
Ethan's head snapped up. Those were the same dates marking the graves from the beyond the fence of the cemetery! Mother and daughter together in death as they had been so very briefly in life. But what had left them ostracized?
Ethan read the entry again. Meredith Muir. He flipped back a page to Meredith's birth date. There, her name was listed as Meredith Anne Muir. The baby was listed as Rose Muir. Ethan had been right before. Meredith hadn't been married and her daughter had been illegitimate. Still, was that enough to get the young mother shunned?
Ethan's heart hurt when he thought of that poor, young girl all alone with her child. Rose. His mind flitted to back to the cemetery. It was what he'd smelled there. One had pricked him as well. Roses.
So what of the dire warning that the ghost had uttered in his bathroom earlier? More death? Or had it been 'mere death'? His mouth dropped as he realized the obvious. The ghost hadn't been making a pronouncement. She'd been speaking her name - Meredith. So the mother, Meredith, was the drowned woman
Suddenly, the pieces fell into place. Meredith had been the young, unmarried girl who had given birth to Rose. When her child had died, she'd been so grief stricken that she'd taken her own life. Which was probably why she and her baby had been buried off on their own without names to mark their headstones.
Ethan reverently closed the Bible and said a quiet prayer under his breath. How tragic in all accounts. No wonder there was so much unrest in this house. It was filled with loneliness and grief.
He had to tell David what he'd discovered. Or, better yet, he would find Tessa first. If she knew the story, maybe she could identify the voices. That would give her the peace of mind that she needed. Then all he would have to do was find a way to put the ghosts to rest.
Jeremy came through the library door. “There you are! I’d thought we’d lost you again.” He took a seat at the library table.
Ethan had Jeremy pegged as a Harvard or Yale man. Someone who had attended an Ivy League school somewhere out east. A Sigma Chi brother who had his father pay for his education. He was too brawny to be considered bookish, and too heartily friendly to be called aloof. The thing that made him so unlikeable was the fact that he was immensely likeable. From his perfectly coiffed hair, to his large, white teeth, to his polished shoes, he represented everything that Ethan was not. He was a cruel reminder that Ethan had not been able to achieve his own goal of becoming an attorney.
“Did you have a good talk with Tessa?” Jeremy asked lightly. His eyes seemed to bore holes into Ethan’s skull.
“I wasn’t able to help her remember that night if that’s what you mean,” Ethan said. Dr. Rosenbaum’s words echoed in his mind. Was it possible that Tessa didn’t want to remember that night? That she had done something so horrible that she’d blocked it out entirely? No, Ethan told himself firmly. That was impossible. Tessa would never do such a thing.
“She won’t have any peace until she accepts her daughter’s death,” Jeremy said. “That might sound harsh, but it’s true.”
“You don’t believe that her daughter’s spirit is still here?” Ethan asked.
Jeremy pressed his lips together. “I didn’t say that.”
“So, you do believe.”
“I’m not paid to give opinions on the supernatural,” Jeremy said. “I’m only here to have you sign some documents.”
Ethan took a seat across the table from him. “Tell me again what I’m signing.”
Jeremy flashed a hearty smile. “It’s a few different things, actually. A release form that says you won’t sue my client if you’re injured on his property.”
This was about the chandelier incident. The ghost was more dangerous than Ethan had suspected. He was going to have to be more careful. He initialed and signed the paper that Jeremy pushed at him.
“This one,” Jeremy said, brandishing another paper, “Is a non-disclosure agreement. Which means – ”
“I know what it means,” Ethan interrupted. He wasn’t a fool. Nor was Grant Muir, he was beginning to see. Whatever went on in the house would remain in the house. Ethan would sign the paper, but it was unnecessary. He wasn’t going to the press with what he witnessed there. He’d had enough publicity to last him a lifetime.
There was one paper left. Jeremy pushed it towards Ethan. “This last one deals with the conversation you and Grant had earlier. About what you will and will not tell Tessa.”
“And if I don’t hold to it?”
“Then Grant won’t pay you. It’s very simple.”
Jeremy continued to smile in that ‘you and I are best
friends’ kind of way that grated on Ethan’s nerves. In spite of Jeremy’s hundred-watt smile, Ethan hung firm. “I won’t sign it.” More and more, Ethan was convinced that the spirit world was involved in Tessa’s problems, and he was going to let her know. He wouldn’t lie to her.
Jeremy’s smile tensed, almost turning into a grimace. “I’m afraid it’s a deal breaker. If you don’t sign, then you don’t stay.”
Ethan shook his head. “No.”
Jeremy’s eyes darted to the library door as if he expected to be overheard. “You’re really convinced that Tessa’s hearing ghostly voices?”
“I can’t be a hundred percent sure, but it wouldn’t surprise me.”
“If ever there was a haunted house, then this place is it. Although, like I said, I’m not here to give an opinion.”
“But you do have one,” Ethan prodded.
Jeremy tapped his pen against the table. “It’s been a while since I’ve been in the manor. In fact, I try to avoid this place. Every time I’m here, I feel a presence,” he said reluctantly.
“If you tell me what you’ve felt, it could help Tessa,” Ethan said. Any information would help his cause.
Jeremy considered this. “Well, even before Tessa’s baby died, I could sense it. It’s like someone is always looking over your shoulder.” Jeremy leaned in towards Ethan and lowered his voice. “Grant would never admit it, but I think he feels it, too.”
“Have you ever seen anything strange?” Ethan asked eagerly.
“Not seen. But the last time I was hear I heard water dripping.”
“Where was this?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Was it in the library?” Ethan pressed. “Or maybe in the kitchen?”
Jeremy wouldn’t meet his eyes. “I really don’t know. But what I do know is that Tessa has never acted this way before. She’s a very levelheaded woman. Not the kind of person who would hear voices.” Once again, Jeremy nervously tapped his pen against the table. “Something’s bothering her. Something that can’t be explained by Dr. Rosenbaum.”
“Or Grant,” Ethan said.
Jeremy’s face darkened, and his fingers tightened on the pen. “Especially not Grant. He’s too blinded by his own ego to admit that he doesn’t know what’s wrong with his wife. He wants to put her into a box and forget about her. It’s why he brought her up to this miserable place to begin with.” Jeremy’s face reddened. “If Tessa was my wife, you can be damn sure that I –” He suddenly broke off.
“That you what?” Ethan prompted.
Jeremy seemed to give himself a mental shake. “I just meant to say I wouldn’t treat someone I loved that way. Not that it’s any of my business,” he muttered.
If it was obvious to Grant that Ethan was in love with David, then it was obvious to Ethan that Jeremy had feelings for Tessa. But who was Ethan to judge? He couldn’t even get a grip on his own emotions. “So you believe me about the ghosts?”
Jeremy shrugged. “I wouldn’t to discount it.”
“What should I do about that paper then?” Ethan asked. “I can’t sign it.”
“I’ll talk to Grant and see what I can do. I’m not promising anything, though.” Jeremy slipped the papers into his leather briefcase. “Until then, keep up with the ghost hunting.”
A flutter of drapes caught Ethan’s attention. His scalp prickled, and the palms of his hands began to sweat. There was someone else in the room.
“Is something wrong?” Jeremy asked.
The overhead light flickered, but remained on. Water began to drip from the ceiling. “Meredith?” Ethan asked. A soft, yet unmistakable, sound like the whisper of silk drifted on the air. The temperature in the library fell a few degrees. The pages of the enormous Bible fluttered.
“What’s happening?” Jeremy demanded. “Where’s that water coming from?”
Ethan ignored him. “Meredith, can you hear me?” His heart drummed in his chest as he searched the room for a glimpse of the ghost. The room had grown so cold that Ethan’s breath clouded. His fingers were nearly numb.
In back of Jeremy, a swirling mist rose from the ground. Threads of vapor wound tendrils of gray around the attorney whose brow furrowed even more. Ethan’s head began to swim. Dizzy, he gripped the edges of the table to keep himself steady. Fragments of music, a dozen different dissonant songs played on different instruments, began to play. Somewhere, a baby began to cry. Ethan squeezed his eyes shut to keep everything at bay. He felt like a shipwrecked sailor adrift on a wave of discord.
“Do you hear that?” Jeremey asked. “I swear there’s music playing.”
Ethan opened his eyes. Behind Jeremy, the mist was coalescing into a solid shape. A pair of hands slid out of the fog. Then a face appeared. Once again, it was Meredith. Her eyes were mournful; her mouth pleading. The water that had been dripping from the ceiling became a trickle. It pooled in the center of the table and ran off onto the floor.
“What do you want?” Ethan asked. His fingers gripped the table so tightly that his muscles cramped. With great resolve, he forced his fingers to relax. “Tell me what you need to cross over to the other side.” A bit of advice his grandmother had given him popped into his head. Be understanding, but firm, she’d told him. The spirits need to know that you’re in control. “Tell me what you need.”
Meredith was now fully formed. She wore the same Victorian nightgown that she had in the bathroom, and her hair was still tangled with seaweed. One of her fingers caressed the back of the attorney’s neck, making him jump. Jeremy spun in his chair. “What was that?”
Suddenly, Meredith changed. Her Victorian nightgown became a moldering robe. Her eyes transformed into hollow sockets. Her face distorted, becoming that of a monster. The features ran like warm taffy, pulling long. Ethan shoved his chair backwards just in time to avoid a gush of water from the ceiling. The water on the table muddied, then turned red. Blood. The baby’s wail increased.
“Ethan!” Jeremy cried. “What the hell’s going on?” He started out of his chair, but the monstrosity behind him put its gray hands on either side of his head, pinning him down. The lawyer let out a whoop of terror. His body jittered as if having a seizure, and his eyes rolled back in their sockets. He slumped forward, banging his forehead on the table in front of him.
Ethan jumped to his feet. “Let him go! He didn’t hurt you!” It was no longer a ghost he was facing down; it was a ghoul. But how to fight it? Holy water? A crucifix? He didn’t have either one. “Meredith! Listen to me! I can help you!”
The specter persisted, keeping its hands on the lawyer’s head. The temperature in the room dropped even further. White frost bloomed on the metal window mullions. Ethan shook both from cold and from fear. He’d never had a ghost turn ugly on him before. His grandmother’s instructions hadn’t prepared him for this. “Let me know how I can help you! Tell me who hurt you!”
The ghost let go of Jeremy’s head. The attorney rolled to the side and fell onto the floor. As Ethan dove to help Jeremy, the ghoul howled with a shriek that blocked out the hellish music and the baby’s cries. Its jaw dropped all the way to the floor, revealing a black maw. Ethan was sure that she meant to swallow him up.
Ethan ducked as she flew at him. He expected the impact to knock him over, but she passed through him. When she touched his skin, a cold, sickly wind blew through his body. His head spun, and his stomach heaved. His heart lurched. For a moment, he thought it stopped beating.
Then, like a whisper, she was gone.
He got to his feet and stumbled over to the attorney. “Jeremy!” he cried. He shook the other man’s shoulder. “Jeremy!”
Jeremy didn’t move.
Ethan darted towards the door. He needed to find Dr. Rosenbaum. Before he made it to the hallway, however, Jeremy groaned and slowly sat up. To Ethan’s relief, he appeared dazed but otherwise fine. “What happened?” Jeremy asked.
The temperature in the room had returned to normal. The frost flowers on the windows had a
lready begun to melt, and drops of water dripped down the leaded glass. The pool of blood on the table had disappeared as did the stain on the ceiling.
“There was a spirit here,” Ethan said. His hands were trembling. He’d never experienced a visitation like that. Meredith was not only in the house, she was very, very upset. He shuddered to think of what might have happened to Jeremy if the ghost hadn’t left the room.
Jeremy blinked. “A spirit? You mean a ghost?”
“Yes. Her name is Meredith.” Ethan’s heart had stopped pounding, but he was still keyed up. Meredith had just shown him that the place wasn’t safe. “Someone who used to live in this house.”
“I thought I felt something, too,” the attorney said, “but I’m not sure. It got cold in here. Like a window was open. Then I felt something touch the back of my neck. The next thing I remember is you calling my name.” He rubbed his forehead. “I think maybe I passed out. I haven’t eaten yet today, and maybe my blood sugar was low.”
Ethan pressed his lips into a tight line. Jeremy was doing what so many people did when they encountered an otherworldly presence. They explained away the experience, trying to place rational limits on the event. Even people who claimed to believe in the otherworld did this. It was as if their minds couldn’t deal with the trauma. Ethan had seen it happen over and over again. Even to people like Cara who were open to the idea of a spirit world. He wanted to argue with Jeremy, but he knew from experience that it would do him no good. In the end, Jeremy would believe what he wanted to believe.
Still, Ethan had an obligation to warn him about the danger. Meredith was getting more and more upset. She’d already tried to hurt Dr. Rosenbaum and had attacked Jeremy. Who knew what other kind of damage she could do? “You need to leave this house,” Ethan said. “It isn’t safe to be here.”
Jeremy stood up and put his hand on the table to steady himself. “Do you think Tessa’s in danger?”
“I don’t think anyone should be here.” Ethan shuddered at the memory of that gaping maw. That cold, sick feeling he’d had when the ghost had passed through him still plagued him. Meredith hadn’t outright attacked, but it was only a matter of time.
Restless Spirits Page 11