18
By the time all the officers left the house and I’d shared the news with Crystal over the phone, I was beat. The sun slumped lower in the sky and just after Danny, Ron, Bridgette and I finished a meal of rice and chicken in silence the officers called to inform us they’d found a body in the spot where I knew Karina would be. Part of me wished I could be there to witness the discovery, but I could hardly keep my eyes open walking from room to room.
Still, it seemed unfair to not show Karina some support or ... friendship? Strange that I would feel such attachment to the same ghost that scared me near to death just days ago and seemed bent on doing me bodily harm. Regardless of their past actions, they had grown on me. They became real people, people who need help and understanding.
If it had not been for my fatigue, I might have searched the castle to see if the ghosts were still there. Or at least try to communicate in some shape or form. Alas, my pillow was calling to me.
Danny wiped his hands on a dish towel after rinsing off a few dirty dishes then turned to me. “Let’s get you to bed before you fall over.”
“I feel like I’ve only gotten an hour of sleep. Maybe two,” I said and let him slip his arm around my waist and guide me to the stairs. Each step up seemed higher than the last and made of quicksand. Danny said something I could not process and kissed my forehead at my door. I mumbled a goodnight and dragged my feet into my room. The pajamas I brought from home still sat on the bathroom floor, covered in dirt. Too tired to care, I slipped into the old nightgown behind my bathroom door for extra privacy.
Thump. Swoosh. Bang. Crash.
I paused with the toothbrush in my mouth, eyes wide. Someone was on the other side of the bathroom door in my room, and by the sound of it they were having a fit. Fabric tore, things thumped to the floor. I spit into the sink and stood still to listen. An inhuman screech caused me to jump back and nearly fall into the shower.
My throat closed and I clung to the shower curtain.
Bang!This time the sound had to be someone banging on the outer door going from my room to the hall. “Jessica!” Danny banged on the door. The door handle rattled. “Jessica, are you all right?”
I fumbled to the bathroom door and jerked on the handle, but the door didn’t budge. I was locked in.
Another screeching sound came from within the room.
“Danny!”
“Jessica! What’s happening?”
“Danny! I can’t get out!” Logically it didn’t make sense that the door had locked from the outside, but after the last couple of days, anything was possible. And now, the thought of the impossible, terrified me.
The next shrill call ended so intensely loud I had to slap my hands over my ears. The second it ended I reached for the door and tried again. It opened with ease. Both Danny and I rushed into the room with panicked eyes.
Danny crossed the room to me while glancing at the mess that lay before us. The contents of my suitcase were flung from one side of the room to the other, and upon closer inspection each article of clothing was torn. The mattress and sheets had been ripped open. The drawers to the furniture were in shambles. A fire poker that once sat beside the fireplace now stuck from the middle of the shattered mirror.
Danny ran his hands up and down my back and blew out a heavy breath.
“What ... I swear, I didn’t do this—I was in the bathroom for only a couple minutes to brush my teeth—how could this have happened so fast?”
“Shh. I know it wasn’t you, Jessy.” He still held me, looking at the damage.
My knees weakened. “Danny ... I feel funny.”
He lifted me into his arms and carried me from the room. “You’re not l—l—leaving my sight tonight. I hope you don’t mind.” He sat me on his bed and locked eyes with me as if to check my pupils. “I p—p—promise to k—keep my hands to myself tonight—but I don’t dare leave you alone.”
“Thanks,” I said, still feeling lightheaded, but comforted by his words. “But what about the room?”
“It can wait until morning. Lie down.”
Danny tucked me into his blankets then laid next to me on top of the covers. It comforted me that he would go through so much trouble to set me at ease. I snuggled into his pillow, breathing in his scent. It didn’t take long for me to fall asleep with him holding my hand.
Dan
My eyes shot open at the unexpected pain in my jaw. It took me a moment to shake the sleep from my mind to understand why I’d felt the mild pain. Jessica’s arm rested on my face, most likely moments after slapping me. Why would she slap me? I lifted my head. Her arm dropped from my face and rested limp on the bed beside me. Her chest rose and fell in perfect rhythm. Her eyelids fluttered as if deep in dreamland.
That’s the first.I laughed inwardly at her unconscious violence. I might have to tease her about it when she woke. My attention drifted down her form to see her nice bare leg stretching out of her nightgown and resting beside mine. My heartbeat increased and I carefully but with great speed got off the bed. No matter how incredibly gorgeous she might look in that seductive gown, I cannot act on my animal impulses. Hoping she would stay put and keep safe while I showered, I closed the door separating her from the water closet.
I rushed through my morning ritual and jerked the door open with thoughts of her not being there when I exited. Her eyes flashed open at the sound.
“S—Sorry.”
“No. It’s...” she yawned and stretched. “It’s all right. I was mostly awake.”
“Did you sleep enough?”
“Yeah.” She sat up and pulled the blankets from her form.
My eyes widened at the glimpse of her in the gown. I hurried to my wardrobe and held my robe out to her. “You can use this?”
“Oh. Thanks.” Her cheeks flushed.
The lightweight hugged her soft form far to snug for my blood pressure.
“Y—you can use my shower if you’d like.”
“Thanks, but what do I wear? All my clothes...” she nodded in the direction of the disastrous room.
“I’ll find you something,” I said.
“Oh, yeah, thanks for getting me this gown.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I didn’t get it for you.”
She mimicked my confusion with her head tilted and brows furrowed. “You didn’t? But it was sitting on my bed when I got out of the bath yesterday.”
“It was? I don’t know where that came from, but of course there are many things tucked away that I never see. I looked for my grandma’s gown and didn’t find it.”
She lifted her shoulders. “Who could have left it there?”
“Perhaps Bridgette. I’ll ask her.”
She brushed her hands down her stomach. “It is gorgeous, though. I feel like I’m in the movies—you know, the old black and white ones where the woman faints in the arms of her lover while the man shakes them about, forcefully declaring his love for them.” She placed the back of her hand at her brow and fluttered her eye lashes with her head tilted back.
I chucked. How can she be so adorable?
Jessica lowered her hand and bit her lip. “Thanks for everything. Even though I’m a pain in the butt. I hope you know how much I appreciate this.”
“You’re very welcome to stay here, Jessica. I hope you know I never meant to make you feel unwanted.” I welcomed her into my arms when she stepped closer. Her cheek rested against my collar bone with her nose snuggled into my neck. Her breath moved in between the buttons of my shirt, sending my heart racing. She was a perfect fit. “Can I ask you something?”
“You just did.” Her face moved so slightly I knew she was smiling.
“Why did you come back?”
Her breath stopped for a moment. She loosened her hold on me and pulled back enough to gaze up at me. “I ... I came up with the excuse to go on this ghost hunt, but really I wanted to ... have a chance ... to see ... you.”
I bent my head down to kiss her enticing lips, but she turned her head at the last moment.
“Sorry. Morning breath.”
I chuckled and kissed her silk soft cheek. “Let’s go see what’s left of your things then I’ll let you shower.”
Jessica
The only thing we found out of the mess was my toiletry bag that had been in the bathroom with me, three pair of socks, two pair of underwear, and a bra that was somewhat salvageable. Hopefully, Danny kept a needle and thread so I could sew a few things back together. Before I headed into his restroom to shower, he handed me a pair of his shorts and T-shirt. It smelt so good I used up most of my time in the bathroom with my nose buried in his shirt, breathing in his scent.
When I stepped into his room, I found a pile of clothes sitting on the bed beside him. He lifted his head from his cell phone. “The power is out again.”
“I noticed. The lights over the mirror didn’t work. Do you have reception on that thing?”
“Sometimes I get a bar or two. Right now, I have nothing.” He tossed the phone onto his pillow. “I found some clothes in some of the other rooms. I don’t know if they will fit. Some of them are really old.”
I tossed my toiletry bag onto his bed and picked up the first item. I ran my fingers down the woman’s slacks. The fabric had to be a polyester blend. “It looks like something my grandma would wear.”
“I think it was my grandmother’s.”
“Where did you get this one?” I asked and pulled out a short dress that almost looked to belong to the poodle skirt era.
“My mother used to sew costumes for her friends back when they would attend costume parties. She used it once for the party then changed it a bit to be able to wear every day.” He touched the fabric of a blouse and looked up at me. “I’m sorry. This isn’t much for comfort, but it can get you by. For now.”
“You don’t need to be sorry.” I rested my palm against his cheek, taking the time to enjoy the softness of his beard before I brushed my lips on his. His body responded accordingly, rising and falling with quick breaths. His reaction sent a jolt of attraction through me. He ran his hand up my arm into my wet hair to hold me in place while he kissed me soundly.
Wind tickled my bare neck where my wet hair had just sat and forced a shiver down my spine. I stepped back, finding it hard to separate our lips. “I think we have an audience.” Danny glanced around the room.
“I think it’s one of the ghosts,” I explained.
He nodded once with a look of unease. “Which one do you suppose?”
“One of the nicer ones. I don’t know for sure. I’m not even sure how many ghosts you have here.” I left the clothes on the bed and took Danny’s open hand. We descended the stairs and headed into the kitchen.
“Good morning, Ron,” both Danny and I said in unison.
“Good morning, Jessica.” Ron glanced at our joined hands. For a moment, I worried his hard expression was one of disdain, but he lifted his eyes to me and smiled. “I’d like to show you the roses this morning, Jessica, while Danny prepares breakfast. It should only take a moment or two.”
“Okay. I guess stopping to smell the roses early in the morning won’t hurt me,” I said. Danny squeezed my hand before I stepped out into the back of the castle grounds. I checked the sky above, wondering if it would rain at any moment. “It rained last night.”
“Yes. That is why our power is out,” he said, taking my hand and placing it on his arm.
“I slept right through it.”
“Indeed.”
I pointed ahead of us off the side of the gravel walk. “Are those the roses you want to show me?”
“Yes. Here. This one is the best.” He used a pocketknife to cut the stem then held it out to me.
“Well, thank you,” I said with sugar and spice and everything nice. The scent filled my lungs and felt as though it seeped into my skin.
“I notice you’ve grown close to Dan.”
Heat touched my cheeks and ears. “Uh ... yeah.”
“Danny is wrong for you. A woman like you needs someone wiser. Someone intelligent. Someone with—”
My chest burned with fury. I lowered the rose to my side. “I can’t believe you would say that. He’s your friend—you’re almost family! And just because someone stutters, doesn’t mean they are not wise or less intelligent.” I threw the rose at his feet and stomped back to the castle door. Instead of continuing all the way into the kitchen, I stopped in the little mud room trying to calm down.
Perhaps I overreacted, but the emotions and memories of past experiences with my brother overtook me. Countless times I knocked someone to the cafeteria floor or playground dirt for the name-calling they directed toward my brother. Never did I think I’d have to defend someone as an adult. Never did I think I’d have to stand up against someone so close to someone with a stuttering problem—not problem, gift.
I twisted my hair back over my shoulder, took a calming breath and entered to see Danny sitting at the table with two bowls, a box of cold cereal and a carton of milk.
“Hi. Were the roses fragr—what’s wrong?” He took my hand and held it while I sat beside him.
“Nothing. A bee chased me.” Danny can’t know what Ron said.
He studied me a moment and I feared he could read my lie in my eyes. To distract him I leaned in and kissed him. It did the job.
He ran his fingers along my jaw. “Y—you are an amazing woman.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“I keep thinking I’ll wake up and this would have all been a dream.”
I sighed. “Then don’t wake up.”
The outside door opened into the kitchen. I stiffened until I saw Bridgette shuffle into the room.
“Good morning, Bridgette. You look better since last night.”
“So do you. Not that you deserve it.” She opened a drawer to look inside.
“Bridgette.” Danny’s stern voice caught her attention.
She pointed at him. “And you! You’re so clueless as to what she’s doing!”
“What is she doing?” Danny sat back and folded his arms.
“She’s wakening the dead. She’s putting her nose somewhere it doesn’t belong. I’ve not slept well in days because of the unrest I feel.” She patted her chest over her heart.
“J—J—” he paused and started again, “Jessica’s only trying to solve a mystery of why these women died. She’s only trying to help them.”
“It will all come to nothing!” Bridgette slammed the drawer closed then left the kitchen back the way she’d entered.
“I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into her.” He stared at the door and scratched his head. “Both her and Ron are acting so ... odd.”
“Yeah.” I gazed at the door she’d gone through. “I don’t get it.”
“I do agree with her … that you’re causing a disturbance.”
“You think I should leave?” The words were difficult to say and I almost didn’t speak them.
“No and yes. I don’t want you hurt.”
“Stay by my side and I won’t be,” I said and gave him a seductive look.
His eyebrow raised with interest.
The morning flew by. The two of us spent the rainy day searching books to give us any idea what would have happened to the one ghost left we knew little about. The only information we had on Monique Anne-lise Leroy was her death on the day of her wedding. Since the power was out, we couldn’t search the archives on the laptop, nor could I call Crystal to report. By the afternoon we took a break to play a children’s clue game in the library. Being a game for kids we had to solve the mystery of who ate the missing cake. It ended up being the maid in the library with a glass of milk.
Danny used a pan over the fireplace to cook up some bangers and mash. With each passing moment I knew I was falling deeper in love with my meat and potatoes man.
Night came and I wondered where our little stolen kisses throughout the day might lead us. Sleeping beside him last night was necessary and I suppose tonight was too. The difference between last night and the one that hung over us was the fact that I wasn’t dead tired and wouldn’t mind some attention, but I didn’t want to push it too far.
Not wanting to split up we headed up to his room together. He shone the flashlight before our feet and didn’t say a word as we walked hand in hand down the hall. He cleared his throat at his door and opened his mouth to say something, but paused at the sight of his room. A repeat of last night sat before us. The bed, furniture, clothes and décor was scattered and broken around the room. The most disturbing of all the damage was the dummy that had been made out of Danny’s clothes. An ancient sword pinned it to the bed.