BLACK VELVET ROSES

by Marianne Spitzer

  Kellie slightly out of breath ran into their garage. “What’s wrong?” asked Taylor.

  “Come with me, there is something you have to see.” Taylor and Hunter followed Kellie back through her garage into her house. They stopped when they saw the patio door. Taylor caught her breath when she saw what was written on the doors.

  DEATH

  The word was printed and written in black. Hunter walked through the kitchen to investigate it closer. He touched one of the letters, and some of the writing flaked off. He said, “This smells odd. Like a combination of burned wood and charcoal from a barbeque.”

  “It’s the spirit or ghost, whatever is stalking me.” Kellie said as she rubbed her temples and sat at the kitchen table.

  Hunter grabbed the window cleaner and paper towels. The black sooty letters smeared and it took Hunter a few minutes, but he cleaned the window.

  “Is that better?” He smiled at Kellie.

  “I think so, but I’m afraid of what might be in the other rooms.”

  “Stay put,” Hunter said. “Let me check the house for you.” He returned a few minutes later with a frown on his face.

  “What’s wrong? What did you find?” Kellie rubbed her hands together and looked at Hunter.

  “The word ‘death’ is written on every glass surface in the house except the front windows where it could be seen from the street. It’s on every mirror. Stay here with Taylor and I’ll clean it up.” Hunter picked up the glass cleaner again and more paper towels. Rufus followed Hunter from room to room.

  The shadow watched from the field behind the house and laughed. “Welcome home, Kellie. We will be meeting soon. As soon as I can get rid of that dog, you’ll pay for what your grandfather did.”

  ########

  Kellie tried to convince Taylor and Hunter she would be all right and they should go home. “You’re only a few feet away. I can get to you in moments.”

  Hunter stood and pushed his hands into his pockets. “Not quickly enough. Taylor stay with Kellie. I’m going to the electronics store and buy some high quality two-way radios. You leave it on when you go to sleep, and we’ll know if you need help. You might be too tired to run or get away from whatever is stalking you. Keep Rufus with you. He’ll just have to live without me for a while. If he goes outside, sit on the deck until he’s ready to come back. Claudia said he’d keep you safe.”

  “Yes, sir,” Kellie flashed a smile at Hunter and he smiled back. “I’m serious, Kellie. You can see the dead. What if you see him or if he talks to you. Keep Rufus close, please.” He kissed Taylor on the top of the head. “I’ll be back soon.”

  “I think Rufus needs to go outside and I’d like to call Claudia. Do you want to go sit on the deck with me?” Kellie stood and called Rufus.

  Taylor tried to open the sliding door. “Darn braces are going to drive me crazy. Work should be interesting. I hope the cuts don’t leave scars.” Kellie pushed the door open for Taylor.

  “If they do, I’m sure a little plastic surgery will remove the scars,” Kellie said. Taylor looked at Kellie and shrugged.

  Rufus bounded out into the back yard. He ran to the rear of the yard and barked. The shadow moved further into the field.

  “Claudia said the shadow stays outside when Rufus is in the house. Maybe Rufus chased him into the field. We need to talk to Claudia.” Kellie reached for her cell.

  “Hi, if you hadn’t called me I would have called you this evening. How’s Taylor?”

  “She’s fine. You should be able to sense that,” Kellie said smiling and shaking her head.

  “I do, I was just being polite.”

  “Have you found out anything else about my shadow stalker?”

  “A little. He’s new to the spirit world. Hatred holds him here, and it is hatred for your grandfather. I also feel he holds hatred for his own father.”

  Kellie’s foot was tapping, and she felt a lump in her throat. She understood the shadow somewhat since she also hated her grandfather, but why did the shadow hate her?”

  “Can you sense a name so I can do some research?”

  “No, I just know he died a violent death and other loved ones died with him. I do sense he lived a great distance from here. Perhaps the East coast.”

  “Researching multiple deaths somewhere on the East coast won’t help much. I’m sure there will be several.” Kellie blew out a breath and asked, “Any suggestions?”

  “There can’t be that many multiple deaths that could be related to your grandfather. You do computer research on this side, and I’ll see if any of my contacts on the other side know something.”

  Kellie agreed and slipped her phone in her pocket. She had been watching Rufus while she spoke on the phone. “Have you been watching Rufus, Taylor?”

  “Yes, he is pacing along your lot line near the field. Do you suppose he knows the shadow is out there?” Taylor tried to cross her arms, but the wrist braces made it difficult. Kellie heard the Velcro as Taylor pulled off one of the braces. “I can take them off at home. They are driving me crazy. I’ll be careful not to open the wounds.”

  “You told us what happened, but if you ever need to talk I’m here. I know you can’t talk to Hunter about Thomas possessing his body. Since what happened to you was done by Hunter’s physical being, he’s wracked with guilt.” She took Taylor’s hand.

  “I think I’m okay, but we’ll talk if something bothers me. Knowing Thomas is gone forever helps. I’m more worried about Hunter’s feelings.” She tried to smile at Kellie. They heard Kellie’s garage door open, and Hunter’s voice call out.

  ########

  Hunter walked onto the deck and placed a bag on the patio table. He could hear Rufus barking and running at top speed toward him. He sat down knowing Rufus would try and get to him, but had been trained not to jump on people. Rufus skidded to a stop and began to lick Hunter’s arm. He ruffled Rufus’ fur and said, “I was only gone a little while, but I missed you, too.” Rufus barked. “Does he understand me?”

  “There are times I wonder about that, too,” Kellie smiled as she watched Rufus try and push between the table and Hunter.

  Hunter pulled out a large box he had bought at the electronics store. “These are the best two-way radios they sold. They have an outdoor range of up to thirty miles for hunters and hikers. For inside, they will easily travel through both houses from the far end of one to the far end of the other with crystal clear sound. Let’s try them out. You two go in Kellie’s kitchen, and I’ll go home and check out every room.” He stood and headed across the yard toward his house before Kellie or Taylor could say a word.

  “Let’s go in,” Kellie said. “This has a light and siren on it.”

  “Leave it to Hunter to get all the bells and whistles. If the shadow turns off the lights, you might need it.”

  “True.”

  “I’m in our kitchen, can you hear me?” Hunter’s voice came through as if he was a foot away.

  “Yes,” said Kellie.

  The conversations continued for about twenty minutes until Hunter was convinced they were connected no matter where they were. He even walked the perimeter of the property. Taylor was giggling by the time he returned to Kellie’s kitchen. “What’s so funny?”

  “You,” Taylor said. “Earth to Hunter, can you hear us. You must have been fun as a kid.” She doubled over in laughter letting a lot of the stress she endured in the manor house free and finding something to make her happy.

  Rufus began to jump and bark. Taylor laughed harder, and Rufus tried to lick her face as she bent over. Hunter spoke in the radio, “Knock it off, Rufus.” Rufus began to howl as if someone had stood on his tail. Then he began to growl at the radio in Hunter’s hand.

  Hunter shook his head and said, “I think these are going to work just fine and Rufus will be a backup.”

  Kellie added, “We could use these when we go back to the manor house in case we get separated.”

  “Let’s worry about that next week or the
week after.” Hunter said. “Ready to go home, Taylor?”

  Taylor and Kellie hugged. Kellie locked the door behind Hunter and Taylor and closed the drapes.

  ########

  Rufus was lying quietly on the floor, and Kellie knew the shadow must be far away from the house at the moment. She breathed a sigh of relief and sat down in her living room to relax. Soft music filled the room, and Kellie closed her eyes. They flew open, and she nearly jumped off her chair when Hunter’s voice boomed through the two-way radio sitting on the table next to her. “Testing one, two, and three. You hear me, Kellie?”

  She grabbed the radio. “Half the town can hear you. Where’s the volume control?” Kellie turned the dial until she could hear Hunter at an acceptable level.

  Kellie was beginning to think this might have been a mistake. She picked up the radio again. “I don’t want you to listen to me at all times, so I am turning this off.”

  Hunter’s voice responded, “No leave it. It isn’t only meant for when you’re asleep just in case. You might need us when you’re awake.”

  “Okay, Kellie over and out.” She turned down the radio a little more and sat back in her chair. Taking a deep breath, she tried to relax again when the phone rang. Rufus began barking.

  “Yes, Rufus, I know.” She answered, ‘Hello, oh hi Randy. I’ve been home for just a little while. I’m too tired to go out anywhere. Sure, bring the pizza. I have soda and beer. Okay, see ya at six.”

  She noticed it was half past four. “Come on, Rufus. I better shower, and you’re coming with me.” She grabbed the two-way radio, and they ran upstairs. Rufus won. Kellie laughed. She closed the door making sure Rufus would stay in the bathroom with her. He dropped to the floor, and Kellie showered. She set the radio on the counter and mumbled, “I hope Hunter enjoys hearing the shower.”

  Stepping out of the shower, she wrapped a towel around her, grabbed the radio, and hurried to her room to get dressed. Rufus followed right behind her.

  ########

  Rufus barked at the door chimes again making Kellie laugh. “What is it with you? Do they hurt your ears, are you excited someone is at the door, or do you think I can’t hear them?” She thought they couldn’t be hurting his ears because his tail wagged each time someone rang the chimes.

  Randy stood on the porch holding a large pizza from the Pizza Pub. He winked, “Best pizza in town and no onions.”

  She smiled back and opened the door fully to be sure he didn’t drop their dinner.

  They sat at the kitchen table and ate, laughed, and Kellie told him about their adventures at the manor house. As Randy listened, he was grateful she hadn’t been hurt. He also hoped he’d be spending the night.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Ted had the same idea when Nicki opened the back door of the manor house leading to the kitchen. She said, “There’s enough daylight left that we can stay for a while. I love this house.”

  He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close, “I love you. Let’s spend the night here. There are so many bedrooms. We could try a few of them.”

  She pulled back, “Are you crazy? We can’t stay here all night long. We can’t use the lights in case someone drives past. We’d have to rely on candles.”

  “Candles work for me. Where else can we go anyway? Your roommate is a prude, she blasts music if I stay late and mine is having friends over to watch the game. Do you want them to stare at you as we walk to my room?”

  “No,” her cheeks blushed red.

  “Then we’ll stay here. It’ll be fun. C’mon, Nicki. Be a sport.” He nibbled on her neck.

  “Okay, we’ll stay, but you have to promise that if anything gets messed up you’ll help me clean, and we have to be out before nine in the morning.”

  “I promise,” he pulled her by the hand through the kitchen and into the parlor and stopped at the bottom of the staircase. “Should we start downstairs or find a nice comfy bed upstairs?”

  “Not sure how comfy they’ll be. Most are the original beds, and even the feathers have flattened over the years.” She turned and looked at him. “Can you handle that?”

  “Yeah, beats the back seat of my car.”

  She punched him in the arm. “Ted, we never did that and I never will.”

  “I know,” he grinned. “I was just giving you an option.”

  She took his hand, and they ran up the stairs.

  They meandered from room to room until they came to the master suite. “Wow, that’s the biggest bed I’ve ever seen,” Ted said. Let’s start here.” He picked Nicki up and carried her to the bed. She sank into the feather filled quilt and mattress.

  “Wait, it’ll be dark soon and we won’t be able to see. There’s a small candelabra on the table by the window. “Will you light the candles?”

  Nicki slipped under the heavy feather quilt. After lighting the candles, Ted stripped off his clothes. He climbed into bed with her and Nicki giggled until Ted’s lips quieted them.

  ########

  Kellie let Rufus out for his evening romp through the back yard while she and Randy sat on the deck’s glider. She explained that she also was being stalked by a shadow.

  “I can’t see it. Rufus might not be able to see the shape, but he at least senses it because I have seen him bark at the windows when nothing’s there. Claudia told me it won’t come in the house when Rufus is inside and when Rufus romps in the yards it hides in the back field.” She laid her head on his shoulder.

  “You’re telling me there is a spirit in that field and it won’t come closer because of Rufus.” He ran his fingers along her cheek.

  “That’s about it,” she snuggled a little closer.

  “How can an invisible shadow be afraid of a dog?”

  She looked up at him. “I’m not sure if it’s afraid, but Rufus warns me when it’s near.”

  “I knew Rufus was a good dog.” His train of thought was lost in her blue eyes, and he kissed her. She kissed him back, and he wrapped his arms around her.

  Before their kiss lasted a minute, Rufus bounded up on the deck and did his best to nuzzle his way between them.

  “None of that lay down,” Kellie said.

  Rufus dropped at her feet.

  Kellie kissed Randy again, and Rufus began to whine.

  “What is wrong with you?” Rufus jumped to his feet and bolted across the yard stopping at the back fence. He howled loud enough to bring Hunter and Taylor out of their house.

  Hunter asked, “What’s wrong with Rufus?”

  “I’m not sure. He tried to nuzzle me and then bolted across the yard. He stopped at the fence and howled.” She walked across the yard toward Taylor.

  “I bet he’s howling at the shadow. I don’t think you should be alone tonight,” Taylor said.

  “She won’t be,” Randy said and smiled.

  Kellie was grateful the sun had set, and no one could see her blush.

  “I see you’re in good hands. Call if you need us,” Hunter waved as he walked toward his house.

  Taylor hugged Kellie and whispered, “Have fun.” She turned and hurried after Hunter.

  Rufus ran up to the deck and followed Kellie and Randy back into the house.

  Soft music was playing, and Randy pulled Kellie into his arms. “Dance with me.”

  ########

  Ted pushed off Nicki breathing hard, “I need a break before we check out another room. I like this one. The bed is soft, but the house is cold.”

  Nicki smiled at him. She could barely see his face in the candlelight. “The heat isn’t on yet and when it is, they keep it just warm enough during the week, so the pipes don’t freeze in winter. When it feels chilly, all the fireplaces are lit giving the tourists the idea of what life was like in the eighteen and nineteen hundreds. This house is never warm”

  He didn’t answer. Ted’s soft snoring let Nicki know he had fallen asleep. “Might as well get cleaned up,” she mumbled as she grabbed her bag and headed for the bathroom. She glanced at the claw
foot tub, but knew the plumbing in the manor house could act up at any time. She opted for cleaning up in the sink. After doing her best to take a quick bath in the sink, she glanced in the mirror.

  She laughed when she saw how her makeup had run. “Better wash my face, too” she mumbled. After washing, she began to splash clean water on her face. She opened her eyes and noticed the water was beginning to turn brown.

  “I knew this would happen. The water around here is always turning rusty.” Noticing some soap on her face she decided a little rusty water wouldn’t hurt her. She bent over the sink and splashed more water on her face. Opening her eyes again she noticed the water had turned black.

  “This is awful.” She tried to turn off the water, but the faucet handle wouldn’t move. The sink was filling with black water. “I’ll get fired if this gets on the floor.” She reached in the sink and tried to remove what might be clogging it. A hand reached out of the water, grabbed her wrist, and pulled Nicki forward. Bumping her head on the sink caused her to feel a bit dizzy, and the hand clutched her hair pulling her face into the sink water. Her face was completely submerged, and she did her best to loosen the grip of whatever was holding her. Yanking the disembodied hand with both if hers it continued to hold her hair tight. She kicked her legs and tried to push herself upright. It didn’t take long for her strength to wane from lack of oxygen and Nicki dropped to her knees. Her body weight pulled her head out of the water, and she collapsed onto the floor with a thud.

  A noise Ted couldn’t place woke him. The room was black as pitch. He reached for Nicki, but she wasn’t there. Sitting up, he saw a faint glow coming from under the bathroom door. “Nicki, are you in the bathroom? You took the candelabra, and I can’t see much.”

  He listened, but didn’t hear a sound coming from the bathroom. He made his way toward the bathroom careful not to bump a knee or toe on furniture he couldn’t see. When he opened the bathroom door, he saw Nicki lying on the floor. The candlelight cast shadows on the walls, and Ted spun from side to side making sure no one else was there that might have hurt Nicki. He knelt next to her noticing her hair was soaking wet, and she was barely breathing. “Hang on, Nicki. I’m going to call 911.”