The Spirits of Brady Hall

by M. L. Bullock

  This lady’s sorrow ran deep. Far too deep for me but I was entranced by her.

  I had to know more about what the ghost wanted from Sierra. This woman didn’t want me to know her secret but I hummed away her worries.

  No worries, no worries. Your secrets are safe with me.

  Strangely enough, she seemed to trust me. She stepped aside and let me see.

  This girl. She hates me. She holds me here. She is always stealing the spotlight. Can’t you see her?

  “Tell me more,” I whispered to the ghost in my mind.

  Oh yes. Lynette. Yes, she’s an upstart. Lynette always reaches for what is not hers. Can’t you see that? Can you see what she has done? She took everything!

  But you’ll never have Adeo. Not in any true sense. And my Rebecca will always be mine...

  Chapter Nine--Elizabeth

  Clutching the wrinkled paper in my ink-stained fingers I paced the carpet replaying the scene in my mind again and again. Adeo believed that Ode to Rebecca was perfect as it was but I did not agree. There was nothing good about it without this scene. It lacked the depths of sorrow that I knew should be there.

  “Wife, we cannot afford the additional set, not to mention the wardrobe required to fulfill such an endeavor. A water scene would be remarkably difficult to present to the audience,” his posture stiffened, just as my resolve stiffened.

  “Surely not, Adeo. We are artists, are we not? Anything is possible on the stage. I believe we can do this. We have always been a step ahead of the competition and the Red Velvet Room is luring far too much of our audience away. We must make these changes, not only for me but for our future. People already love the play--we know that, but when they hear of this added scene they will flock again to Brady Hall to see it for themselves! Printing the playbills costs nearly nothing and it will take no time. This makes sense, artistically and financially. You must see that.”

  Adeo sat in his favorite cushioned chair. I had yet to win him over but I was determined. How could I explain to him how important this was to me? I could not; I would not. But I saw this scene in my dream and I know it belonged here. It would explain everything! It wasn’t me! I did not do this. How could I have committed such a crime? A crime against my own daughter? Surely, I would recall it if I had done it.

  My dream provided the answer and it had to be in the play. For Rebecca! It had to have been inspired by a Higher Power, one that wanted me to know the truth about the day I could not remember. When the world went red and when I finally came to my senses I found my daughter gone?

  But what about the time before, Elizabeth. What about Little George?

  “I do not wish to cast aspersions, dearest, but this changes the play completely. For me, and many fans of Ode to Rebecca we have always believed that Lucrezia killed her daughter. Am I wrong?” My heart sunk in my chest. Oh, I have been too transparent. I have told you too much! Did the entire world believe that I was a killer? No! They did not. Adeo had no idea that I had ever had a child, or that I had lost her so cruelly. “Besides, Lynette is too far behind on her sewing already. If we were to add this scene, it would mean bringing on another seamstress. Perhaps two.”

  I fell to my knees and laid my head in his lap. I had won this battle; I could hear it in his words.

  If we were to...

  That always meant my wish would be granted. This meant that Adeo believed in my vision, believed in me. And in a strange way, I interpreted that to mean that he believed in my innocence.

  No, Elizabeth! How can he believe that you are innocent? He knows nothing!

  “Adeo,” I whispered into his jacket. “Thank you.” I was tempted to weep but other emotions arose, ones I did not expect. I wanted Adeo, in the way a wife should want her husband. Yes, despite everything I knew, I wanted him still. Our couplings were not regular; I had a deep and abiding fear of pregnancy. Not again. I would never get pregnant again. But just this once. Only once, to ignite my muse and fulfill the longing of my heart and body. To give Adeo what he needed from me. How could I not love him, despite his shortcomings? How could I not love him knowing my own sins? I could never hold his against him.

  “Will you always love me, Adeo? Only me?” I tilted my face up to him and begged him to lie to me. I knew whatever he said would be a lie. Adeo kissed me passionately.

  “Who else could I trust with my heart, my darling? Of course, only you ever, Elizabeth.” I took his promises of fidelity to heart but only for the moment. As all things were with Adeo. I sensed his body tense with desire beneath my touch. Strangely enough, as my passion rose so did my jealousy. I felt great temptation to confront Adeo about his affections for Lynette Farris.

  But I resisted.

  Another time. I had this small victory now and I would have this moment. As I helped Adeo slip out of his jacket he asked in a husky voice, “Tell me, Elizabeth. How do you see the scene? Is there a part for me?”

  I tossed his jacket on the chair behind him and I kissed him into silence. He fumbled with the buttons of my dress and I laughed with delight. “Always, Adeo. You are the star. Of course, there is a part for you.”

  I heard the footsteps of one of the staff tip-toeing away. Would we make love right here in the parlor? I began leading Adeo from the open room and my body burned for him. I needed this moment. I must have this moment!

  “What about Ronald and Lynette, dearest? Our understudies have been patiently waiting for some small part to play. Don't you think we should include them in this addition? I can tell you it would make Lynette very happy. I worry that she will leave us, and such a great talent she is, Elizabeth.”

  “Worry? Why should you worry over Lynette, Adeo?”

  I savagely released his hand. How dare he try to coerce me into rewarding his latest conquest with a part in my play? How dare he ask me such a thing at this moment? It was beyond the pale! Adeo’s expression revealed so much. He knew that I knew. He was an intelligent man. Too intelligent to challenge me. I would never give Lynette more than what she already had. She would not have my husband!

  "You dare ask me to make room for your lover? Even as we are about to make love?" I spit out angrily.

  "Elizabeth! Do not say something you will regret. You are my wife. You are speaking like a little fool.”

  We said nothing but stared at one another. Who would flinch first? Of course, it would be me. I looked away to brush away an unexpected tear.

  “Sweet Elizabeth. Let us behave as a married couple should. I love only you, only you ever, Elizabeth. It is the truth.” With shaking fingers I began buttoning up my dress. I snorted at his pleas.

  "Before you accuse me of being mistaken or hysterical, let me reveal this to you, husband. I am not crazy. I know all about you and your sordid affairs in the closets and in the icehouse and wherever else you decide to make a conquest! Do you understand how you humiliate me? Each time you parade around with these women? I know all about the things that you've done with Lynette and so many others. I kept my silence because I believed that you loved me, Adeo. I believed that you cared about us. Despite your fleshly weaknesses, I believed you cared for me but how wrong I have been! You care only about yourself!”

  “No, Elizabeth. That is not true. I have loved only you. Ever!”

  “You will end this affair, Adeo or I will leave you. And I will take Rebecca—she’s my daughter-- and I will leave you!”

  Adeo smiled and it unsettled me. “You will take Rebecca? You mean the play, don’t you?”

  I stuttered my response. I cannot tell him that. “The play, I mean the play! Do you think you have it all, Adeo? All my money? All my talent? Nothing could be further from the truth, my love. I am rich beyond your wildest imaginations.” I smiled at my own statement. It made me more confident. “I have more of everything. You will never find it. Never in a million years. Let her go or I will let you go," I snarled at him as I jutted out my chin to emphasize the seriousness of the matter.

  Adeo’s face was aflame with ang
er, but as I had learned in the past he would not challenge me when money was at stake. Never. And I was telling the truth. I did have much more, thanks to my first husband’s generous estate. And the second’s.

  And my poor Rebecca’s death.

  Dangerous things happened when I became enraged. The image of Rebecca floating in the water face first, purple bruises around her neck appeared in my mind but I pushed them away. I would not allow my guilt to be a distraction. No, my own sins would not rule me when Adeo’s sins were much worse.

  But he wasn’t backing down. He wasn’t giving way. He snarled at me and his mischievous smile grew wider by the second.

  “Let me tell you then what I know, Elizabeth. Let me tell you what I know.”

  Adeo nudged me into the bedroom and closed the door behind him. His voice dropped to a lower octave, it was soft but careful. Measured. He tilted his head down but his eyes were fastened on me.

  “Let me tell you what I know…”

  Chapter Ten--Sierra

  By the time I determined the source of the foam beads I had found all over the house, my bean bag chair was utterly and completely destroyed. Neither Bozo or Sherman wanted to confess to their crimes but I had no doubt these two were the reason for the destruction.

  "Bad boy, Sherman! Bad boy, Bozo! What did my bean bag chair ever do to you?”

  Sherman whined intuitively while Bozo panted with his bead covered tongue hanging out like nothing was wrong. “Thanks, guys. This is what I needed today, a big old mess to clean up. It’s not like you don’t have toys and plenty of things to wreak havoc on. You're both going to go to timeout."

  Sherman whimpered as I reached for his collar. I hated putting the furry kids in timeout but they needed to understand that this was not acceptable behavior. Sometimes they just got carried away with their nonsense and when that happened things got destroyed. At least they were getting along. Chances were one of the two of them laid claim to my beanbag chair and the other one wasn't having it. I could just imagine in my mind’s eye the tug-of-war that occurred before my bean bag was torn apart.

  I'd barely gotten the two dogs into their kennels when Emily decided to add to the ambiance of my day. She screamed as loudly as she could, which indicated it was lunchtime. My daughter had no idea how to cope with her hunger pains.

  "I'm on the way, Em." I called from the other room pretending to be calm.

  I’m calm. So calm. Breathe in. Breathe out.

  On my way to retrieve the vacuum cleaner, I peeked in on my daughter and she was just fine. Emily was sitting in her playpen with her finger in her mouth screaming at the top of her lungs. Seeing me didn't relieve her any happiness. And now Bozo was howling. It must be nice to get up and leave the house in the morning, Joshua. I muttered to myself as I headed off to the broom closet to retrieve the vacuum cleaner. Emily managed to reach a higher decibel and I reconsidered my plan of action.

  Well, I guess cleaning all this up could wait until after I had Emily down for her nap.

  About that time the doorbell rang and now I wanted to cry. I let out a sigh as I traveled to the front door completely uncaring that this visitor was going to hear my daughter yelling at the top of her lungs.

  Just keeping it real in the McBride household. Just keeping it real.

  "Hey, Helen. What are you doing here?" I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. It wasn’t like I was unhappy to see her but this was not great timing. I peeked around the corner to see if Bruce was with her but she was alone. She was impeccably dressed and carrying an expensive purse. Man, she was always so put together. I was pretty sure I hadn’t brushed my hair yet and forgot to refresh my deodorant when I woke up.

  “As you can tell by the sound it is feeding time at a Casa McBride. Please, come on in and enjoy the fireworks," I slapped a big old smile on my face as I stepped out of the way. Helen politely stepped inside and hung around the foyer for a few seconds. I could tell she wasn’t used to hanging out with screaming children.

  "If you don't mind, Helen, I have to feed Emily. Why don't you come into the kitchen? That’s where the action is happening,” I laughed dryly. “What brings you by today?"

  "I have some information about the investigation at Brady Hall. I guess I could've emailed it to you but I wanted to…um... let me help you with that." And the that she was referring to was my daughter. I picked up Emily’s wriggling behind and put her on my shoulder. But Emily wasn’t willing to be consoled by anyone, much less an almost stranger. It’s food she wanted. No love. No attention. Food.

  “No, it’s fine. I've got her. She can be quite a handful. And loud, in case you missed that part." Helen trailed after me as I stepped into the kitchen. At least the kitchen was clean. Which was remarkable considering I had two dogs, a baby, and Joshua. “Can I get you something? Some water or coffee? I think there’s some coffee left in the pot.”

  "No, thank you, Sierra. I am fine. What can I do to help? I feel like I should do something."

  “Be patient with us. Once I get her settled and manage to shove a few spoons of food in her mouth she'll settle down. She’s got a great vocal range, doesn’t she?"

  Helen smiled prettily, "It's been so long since I've been around a small child. It's not like riding a bicycle, you know. I don’t think I could balance a child on my hip and navigate a kitchen at the same time, but you do it all so effortlessly. I truly admire you, Sierra. You are a rock star."

  "Hardly. Unless rock stars own unruly pets and have diva daughters," I laughed dryly as I secured Emily in her highchair and pulled my chair close to hers.

  Helen thought about my comment for a moment and then laughed. “You know, I’ve been watching quite a bit of reality television lately and I think some of them do! Have you watched Hip Hop Harlem?”

  “No, I can’t say I have. Interesting title though. And I can’t believe you watch it.” I snapped open the peaches and green beans and tied a bib around my daughter’s chunky neck as she continued her squall fest.

  "I’m not as square as I look, Sierra.”

  “Square? Who says that?” I smiled as I wiped snot from my child’s runny nose. Yep, she cried so much her nose ran like an open hydrant.

  “I bet she's going to grow up to be an amazing singer. She has quite a pair of lungs on her."

  "You have no idea, Helen. I think she's amped up even more because her teeth are coming in. Can you imagine? My daughter is old enough to have teeth coming in? It blows my mind. How quickly time flies." It was a random comment but an honest appraisal of my life recently. And sure enough, like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat, my daughter magically quieted. I shook my head as she scarfed down her green beans.

  “I swunny! Why anyone would get excited about green beans?” Helen laughed as she dug in her bag. “She is really lovely, Sierra. Like a doll, just like you. Despite her red face and runny nose, she is a pretty little thing. Are you going to put her in preschool or daycare? I guess working with Midas you have a little bit of an advantage. You could always take her to work with you. He's not a bad boss.”

  "Yes, that's true but to be honest with you, work is like a little getaway for me. I probably shouldn’t say that. I'm sure there will be some days that I cannot avoid bringing her with me, but I think getting her started early interacting with other children is the right way to go. I don't know. Joshua and I have been really lucky because my mother-in-law adores Emily. We haven’t had to think about child care much."

  Silence passed between us as I fed my child. "I am going to miss you all when I'm gone. I really have come to think of you all as a family. I know I'm not the easiest person to get along with but I respect you, Sierra McBride. You are a good woman."

  Why was this conversation making me tear up? I wiped at my eye while continuing to shovel food into Emily’s open mouth. My daughter was a bottomless food pit.

  "Thanks, Helen. That means a lot and we're going to miss you too. I am going to miss you. You guys are going to be hard to replace. Who kno
ws? Maybe we will investigate some areas in your new location? I mean--come on. Gettysburg? You're going to be so busy up there."

  "I know. Bruce has lined us out for the next six months, but I am hoping to do something a little different. I like the occasional investigation but I think I would like to try my hand at raising chickens. Try something peaceful and rural like that.”

  "You with chickens? I believe you could do that. So no bed and breakfast?"

  She shook her white head, "Those days are over, thank you. I want a small farm in the country. Just big enough for the two of us and maybe a guest room. A place where we can spend our declining years in comfort."

  "Declining years? Come on, Helen. You're far from declining," I laughed her statement off.

  She chuckled and we both got a kick out of that. "Thanks for saying so even though my body does not agree with you. But that's not why I came by. I wanted to share what I uncovered with you, before the investigation tonight. I found bone-chilling details about the Brady Hall murder."

  "It's true then? There was an actual murder at Brady Hall?" I wiped at Emily's face half-heartedly with a clean kitchen towel as she resisted my efforts to do the job.

  "Absolutely true. The Monterros were the couple involved. They owned the place and kept the original name, Brady Hall. Adeo Monterro was a bit of a playboy, but he was supposedly an intelligent businessman and for a while ran a successful playhouse and production company right from that location. He's the man that was murdered."

  "Okay, I'm curious. What happened?"

  Helen opened her file and read, "Adeo’s wife, Elizabeth Monterro was the suspect. However, after doing a bit of research the local police discovered that there was no Elizabeth Blake Monterro. They could not track down anything about this woman or who she claimed to be. She was a true mystery woman and Elizabeth refused to tell the police anything beyond what they already knew. She claimed she was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida but they checked with the authorities there. There had been no Blake family living in Fort Lauderdale at that time. But she was filthy rich. It was widely believed that it was her fortune that funded Adeo’s vision. She was the money and the talent; he was the brains behind it all. He was a decent actor in his own right but she was supposedly brilliant. People described him as handsome, affable and charismatic and were quite shocked at his murder."