BLACK VELVET ROSES

by Marianne Spitzer

  “That figures. Drew’s a jerk. I hate to be the one to tell you, but you have the best or should I say worst black eye I have ever seen. I was hoping you’d only have a small bruise.”

  Kellie rushed into the bathroom and from the sound she made he knew she wasn’t happy.

  “Look at me. I can’t cover this with makeup. I can’t go out in public. How long will it take to heal?” She held her hand over her left eye.

  “It’s a bruise. You must bruise easily. It’ll take as long as other bad bruises you’ve had.”

  “What. I’ll look like this for weeks.” She strode back to the bed and sat on the edge. “I need to know how Rufus is. The doc said he’s bruised, too.”

  He rolled onto his back as Kellie called the vet’s office.

  “Hi, it’s Kellie Conley I’m calling about Rufus. Thanks.”

  She looked at Randy, “They’re transferring me. Hi, yes, how’s Rufus?”

  Kellie listened, frowned and bit her lip. “Yes, I understand. Call me if there is anything I can do. Thanks.”

  “What’s wrong,” Randy said now fully awake.

  “Nothing really. Rufus slept well with a sedative. Everyone knows how rambunctious he is and he’s already fighting the cast. They want to keep him at least one more night because they’re still giving him sedatives. They suggested that if I visited he would get too excited so I should stay home, but I can call anytime. Also, the vet’s assistant will call me later and I can see Rufus on our camera phones. I know they’re taking good care of him, but I’m worried.” She dropped onto her pillow.

  ########

  Randy talked to her until she calmed down. A few kisses and roaming hands helped to take her mind off her problems. An hour later both were drifting back to sleep when Kellie’s cell rang again.

  She looked at the Caller ID this time and said, “It’s Taylor. I’ll have to tell her about Drew and Rufus. She’ll hear it in my voice and I don’t know how she’ll keep it from Hunter.”

  “Hi Taylor, how are you and Hunter this morning. Yeah, I’m fine just tired. All right, but you tell me about you and Hunter first.” She listened and then shared her news from the previous day.

  “Hunter’s in P.T. I’m not going to tell him about this right now. Is that okay? They’re going to keep him at least one more day for P.T. and then he can come in for outpatient therapy.”

  “That’s fine, but tell him I’m spending the day with Aunt Rita or something. I can’t come to visit. I have a huge, nasty black eye,” Kellie said.

  “Oh no. Okay, I’ll make your excuses. Cole and Andrea can visit longer since we hardly saw them when they were here. Take care of you. Love you, bye.”

  ########

  The shadow had success digging holes about one foot across, but when it was close to two feet deep, the hole would begin to collapse. He decided to dig a second hole next to the first. He was able to dig both holes deeper. He added a third hole and found it was close to four feet deep and the hole hadn’t collapsed. Deciding he needed a hole at least six feet deep to keep Kellie from escaping, he continued to dig.

  At the five foot level, he felt the earth shift and drop out below him. He had dug his way into a cave. It was the perfect place to trap Kellie. He could keep her there for as long as he wished. Spinning and pulling brush with each turn covered the hole. Now, all he needed to do was wait for her to come home with the dog.

  ########

  Hunter and Rufus were released on the same day. Kellie insisted on taking Rufus home where he would feel comfortable. “I know the shadow may be there,” she grimaced, “but I fought off the spirit when I was trapped in that trunk and I can handle the shadow. Hunter and Taylor will be next door. It’s close enough to connect to them with the two-way radios and I’m strong enough.” She looked directly at Randy.

  Randy threw up his hands. “I know when I’ve lost the battle. Will you still let me visit after work?”

  “Of course. Besides, Taylor is going to need some help and I’ll be with them most of the day. She can’t do much in a cast and Hunter has enough to do just trying to move around. All I have is a black eye.” She smiled and pulled her shirt over her head. “I should get Rufus. Cole is picking up Hunter and Taylor.”

  “What about their parents? Won’t they want to help?” Randy tried to convince her to stay.

  “Not if Taylor and Hunter can avoid it. Would you want your mom here all day hovering?” She began to laugh at the thought of Mrs. Jensen wrapping a warm blanket around Randy as he lay on the sofa.

  “What so funny?” His eyes narrowed as he tried not to smile.

  “Nothing,” she laughed harder. “I have to go.” She kissed Randy and hurried out the back door.

  ########

  Kellie pulled down her street and saw three cars in Taylor’s driveway. She knew one was Cole’s and the other two belonged to Hunter and Tayor’s parents. “Well, Rufus, it looks as if we’ll be staying home today. I think we can handle that.” He barked twice.

  Kellie breathed a sigh of relief that he was as responsive as he was before his injury. She watched him climb out of the SUV, make it up the two stairs, and enter the house using only three legs.

  She mumbled, “The vet was right. He learned how to walk on three legs without much effort.” The vet’s assistant told her she couldn’t bathe him because of his cast. They cleaned his fur with waterless shampoo and he smelled wonderful. A dog grooming shop could do the same if needed. She laughed when one of the groomers tried to put a bow in Rufus’ hair. Another tied a blue kerchief around his neck and Rufus was happy. “So tell me boy, how do you know you’re a boy and don’t wear bows?”

  He looked at her, walked to his empty food bowl, and hit the bowl with his nose. It rattled and moved across the floor. “Okay, I guess you want real dog food. Hospital food isn’t good anywhere.” He barked.

  ########

  Kellie let Taylor know she was home in case she or Hunter needed anything.

  “Hunter’s dad brought a twin size bed from their house and set it up in the den. Hunter can’t climb stairs yet. You can’t stay alone. You can pick any room upstairs and stay here. Rufus could keep Hunter company,” Taylor said.

  Kellie declined the offer. “I’m close by and I’ll use the two-way radio. Randy will be here tonight.” She hugged Taylor and returned home.

  Rufus hobbled alongside Kellie on their walk back home. He would normally run to the end of the yard, but he stayed close to the house. He could walk fairly well on three legs, but running wasn’t as fun. He followed Kellie back into the house.

  He didn’t bark at the empty field which reassured Kellie. “What do you think, Rufus? Did the shadow get tired of waiting for us and left?” Rufus barked at her. “I thought you’d agree.”

  ########

  The shadow watched Kellie and the dog. He fumed when he saw the dog was injured. There was no way he could coax him into the field. Without the dog falling into the hole, Kellie would never try to rescue him. He’d have to wait for the dog to heal before he could trap Kellie in the hole. The shadow hovered in the field. He would be patient. All of eternity waited before him. What was a few more weeks?

  If he stayed hidden in the field, the dog would stop barking at him. Kellie would believe he had left. Once she was complacent, he would coax the dog to the hole and Kellie would be his.

  ########

  Six weeks had passed and the town and Kellie’s house were decorated for Christmas. The weather had turned cold, but it hadn’t snowed except for an occasional flurry. Kellie, not wanting to leave Rufus alone, had done most of her shopping on-line and piles of gifts sat under her tree.

  It was the night of the Christmas Ball and Kellie had taken all her things to Randy’s house. Rufus’ cast would be off the following week, but she didn’t want to leave him at the kennel while she attended the ball. All her friends were going and Rufus would be safe at Randy’s.

  Kellie began to walk down Randy’s staircase and saw him
waiting in his tux. He looked incredibly handsome and he hadn’t turned around. When he did, Kellie took his breath away.

  She was dressed in a floor length, strapless red gown. One side was slit up beyond her knee. It clung to her in all the right places. The crystals on the gown made her appear to shimmer as she walked down the last few stairs. Her hair was perfectly braided and twisted up showing off her shoulders. Her silver heels made her appear more like a princess than the girl he saw run up the stairs earlier.

  “Wow!” It was the only thing he could think of to say.

  Her eyes sparkled at his comment. “I take it that means you approve.”

  “Oh, yeah. You look perfect. I’m afraid to get close. I’ll mess something up.”

  “Okay, you can stand there and tell me how great I look all night. I’ll enjoy that and if you’re lucky, I’ll let you dance with me later.” She winked at him.

  He slipped her wrap over her shoulders and walked her out to her new SUV that she had picked up a few weeks ago. He had it running in the drive and it was warm. Randy thought she was going to freeze, but she was smiling and chatted on about the ball.

  “I’m glad Hunter now has a walking cast and the tailor was able to modify his tux to accommodate the cast. At first he didn’t want to go to the ball. Cole convinced him he had to go because Taylor loves these types of functions.”

  “I suppose they’re going to be decked out as gorgeous as you.” He reached for her and pulled his hand back. “How am I going to touch you without messing you up?”

  “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine and yes, the three of us decided to be jewels tonight. I’m dressed in ruby, Taylor will be in emerald, and Andrea in sapphire.”

  They pulled up in front of the Oakland Country Club. Randy handed the keys to the valet and took Kellie’s arm after a second valet helped escort her out of the SUV.

  He whispered, “They have a red carpet for this event. They go all out.”

  “Yes, they do. It’s the biggest event in the county all year. We begin planning next year’s ball right after New Year’s.” She saw Taylor and Hunter and waved.

  ########

  The six friends shared a table. After several boring speeches, Kellie and her committee members were asked to stand. They received a round of applause for their work on making the ball a success. Cole was surprised that the dinner was delicious. When they finished dinner, the string quartet began to play.

  Kellie leaned close to Randy and whispered, “We can dance now. You can touch me and not worry about messing up anything.”

  He took her in his arms and they floated across the dance floor.

  The country club’s huge clock chimed midnight and the attendees began leaving. Kellie and her friends waited until everyone had left. “Well, that does it for another year.”

  Cole was busy grabbing as many canapés from the buffet table before it was cleared. Andrea kept tugging at his sleeve. He mumbled, “Just one more as he picked up three.”

  Hunter and Taylor moved to the cloakroom to get their coats. Randy and Kellie met them and Andrea was able to get Cole to agree that it was time to go home.

  ########

  Randy and Kellie slept late. Randy needed to show up at work. Kellie decided she was going home over Randy’s objection.

  “It’ll be Christmas soon. I have things to do. No one has seen the shadow in weeks. I think it left. Claudia says she can’t feel him in the house or yard. I’m going home.” She slid a sweatshirt over her head.

  “Okay, but I’ll be there after work and if you need me call.” He kissed her and headed out the door.

  “Ready to go home, Rufus?”

  He barked as Kellie put her things in the SUV. Rufus climbed in the back and settled down. Kellie smiled and she drove towards home.

  ########

  The house was just the way she left it. It was cold and she turned the heat up. Kellie and Rufus walked from room to room. There was no sign of the shadow or any threats written in soot to be found anywhere.

  Kellie busied herself the rest of the week with holiday preparations. Randy would show up every night after work. He was still worried about her. Helping to prepare dinner made up for his excess worry.

  Hunter made sure Kellie checked in on the two way radios the nights Randy wasn’t there. Kellie was beginning to think it was silly, but she knew Hunter was trying to do his best to keep her safe.

  At the end of the week, Rufus had his cast removed. It didn’t take him long to run and jump the way he had before Drew’s attack.

  Kellie drank her coffee thinking life was going well and this would be a fantastic Christmas season.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Kellie glanced out the patio door and thought. The flurries are starting. We might get two or three inches of snow after all. Less than a week before Christmas, it’s about time. She glanced at Rufus. “Do you want to go out?” He jumped and barked. It was the second time in an hour he wanted to go out. His leg was healed and he loved chasing snowflakes. She opened the door. “Go, have fun.” She watched Rufus run around barking at the falling snowflakes.

  She was humming to the music coming from her stereo while cleaning up the kitchen when she realized she didn’t hear Rufus barking. Hmm, what’s he up to now. Hunter’s not home. He can’t be there. She dried her hands and walked to the door. She didn’t see Rufus anywhere. Slipping her jacket and boots on she walked out onto the deck closing the door behind her. Rufus wasn’t in either her yard or Taylor’s. She could hear a weak bark and whine, but where was he?

  Without thinking, she followed his whines to the end of the lot line. It was coming from the field. “Rufus, where are you?” His bark led her into the field. The absence of the shadow in her life let her forget about it while she searched for Rufus. A few feet into the field she saw the brush was cleared and she discovered the hole. Rufus was at the bottom.

  “How did you get down there? You never come out here.” Before she could reach for her phone to call Randy for some help, she felt something shove her on her back. In an instant, she was in the bottom of the hole with Rufus. “I was pushed. Who would do that?” Panic flooded her mind as the hole began to collapse. “The shadow.” Rufus was barking and pulling on her sleeve. Before the hole filled, Rufus had pulled Kellie into the cave.

  “Rufus where are we? The shadow did this. We’re in trouble.” The small flashlight she kept in her jacket pocket did little to illuminate the area. She used the light on her cell phone long enough to see they were in a cave and there was only one way to go. She turned it off to save battery power although she could tell she didn’t have any signal power wherever they were. The small flashlight would have to be enough.

  The cave was the size of a small bathroom. Kellie prayed it wouldn’t collapse, too. “Rufus, no one is going to find us. Soon the snow will cover the grass and field. They won’t see any footprints and they’ll look elsewhere. We have to help ourselves. We can’t dig out. I guess the tunnel is our only hope.” Rufus pressed up against her and growled. She knew he was as unhappy as she was about their situation.

  Kellie entered the tunnel. She wished she wasn’t quite so tall. She had to stoop over slightly to walk through. She stopped and shined the light over the cave. It didn’t look manmade. It must be part of the caves along the river a few miles away. Could they walk that far to freedom? Possibly if they headed in the right direction, they could find an exit.

  ########

  Randy was pacing back and forth in front of the building under demolition. He took a break and tried to call Kellie. Three calls to her cell that went unanswered and one to the house phone also unanswered caused him great concern. His next call to Taylor added to his worry. She was at work and hadn’t seen Kellie before she left. His call to Andrea didn’t offer him any hope.

  He raced to Kellie’s house. The front door was locked. The patio door was closed, but unlocked. She would never leave it unlocked. “Kellie,” he shouted as he raced up the stairs hopi
ng to find her asleep, but he didn’t hear a sound from Rufus. Why wasn’t Rufus barking? The house was empty. Opening the garage door and seeing her SUV parked in it confirmed his worst fear. He did his best to control his fear and did one last check. Her jogging shoes were in the laundry room closet. Her warm jacket was gone. She went out, but where? Not answering her phone led him to one conclusion and he called Detective Stellion.

  “Yes, sir, the house is empty. The SUV is here and Kellie’s not answering her cell. I tried her cell again and it’s not ringing anywhere in the house. I spoke to both of them. No one has seen her.” He poured a glass of water and drank it while he listened to the detective. “She hasn’t mentioned anyone following her. Is Drew still in jail? Okay, good. Has she told you about the shadow?”

  Randy sat at the kitchen table, took a deep breath, and explained the situation.

  “This can’t be possible. I thought all the ghost garbage ended when her grandfather’s spirit was killed or whatever they did to it.”

  “Everyone else did, too sir, but Claudia has told her she can speak to the dead. I have seen her do it. Now, the angry spirit is after her.” He shifted in the chair.

  “What do you mean you have seen her do it? Who or what is she speaking with?”

  “Well, sir, there was a nasty spirit at the Devenly home where I helped demolish part of the house and although I wasn’t with her for most of it, she connected with spirits at the Gotz Manor house.” Randy blew out a long, slow breath.

  “That place blew up. Did she have something to do with the explosion?”

  “No, it happened after she left. The angry spirit blew it up.” Randy stood and began to walk around the kitchen. He’s going to think I’m crazy, he thought. “Umm, Taylor and Andrea were there. They can explain more.”

  “You bet they will. Stay there, I’m on my way.”

  Randy looked out the patio doors. The only footprints in the snow were his. I can’t tell if they went out into the backyard, but why was the patio door left unlocked? Maybe she saw the shadow and ran outside. No, would she take the time to close the door? Where are you? His thoughts were racing. He checked the closet again. Her scarf was in the closet, but he noticed her boots were not. If she had time to put on boots maybe they’re taking a walk. The thought calmed him for a moment until he saw Rufus’ leash next to the door.