Chapter 2
Chapter Two
A J Hymas reached up and grabbed the bar above the window as the RideShare driver navigated the winding road leading to The Starlight Manor. The afternoon sun kept getting covered by thick clouds, and she peered out the window just as the world brightened again.
In the toddler carseat AJ had brought from Diamond Island, her three-year-old son clutched a stuffed dinosaur in his chubby fingers. Asher squealed as he threw his arms out and babbled, “Rawr, mom-mom, raaaawr .”
She smiled at her tow-headed little boy. “We’re almost there, buddy.” She reached over and smoothed his hair back off his forehead, and he looked at her with big, bright eyes.
As the SUV rounded the final bend, The Starlight Manor came into view, and AJ’s breath caught at the top of her lungs. The house rose out of the dark cliffs, a perfectly manicured lawn with trees, shrubs, bushes, and flowers surrounding it.
An oasis on the rock.
They continued to go up and up to the mansion, and AJ couldn’t wait to see the backdrop of the ocean against the beautiful greens, golds, and whites of the grounds and the house. A large turret rose on the left side, with the wrap-around porch extending from there, past the front door and all the way around the corner on the right end.
Mystery and wealth emanated from the house, and Christmas lights adorned the eaves, already twinkling softly in the cloudy day.
“Wow,” AJ said to herself, the sound of her voice barely reaching her ears. Something made her skin prickle, and the driver turned into the circle driveway.
“Here you are,” he said, and AJ bent to retrieve the diaper bag she took everywhere with her since Asher had been born.
“Thank you,” AJ said, holding her phone to the payment console. It beeped, meaning she’d paid for her ride, and then she started the process of getting herself and Asher out. She told herself that she was staying here for the next few weeks, and she wouldn’t have to do this every day.
She unbuckled her son and gathered him into her arms. “Momma’s going to put you on the grass, and you need to stay there.”
“Okay,” Asher said, though AJ wasn’t convinced that he even knew what she’d said.
She set him down and bent to be at eye-level with him. “Stay right here while I get out the bags, okay, baby?” She smiled at him and returned to the SUV to get the carseat. With that on the driveway, and the driver helping with her two suitcases, AJ had her things sooner than she’d anticipated.
She took an extra moment to take stock of everything, then stepped over to close the back door. “Thank you,” she told the driver again, and he smiled at her as he rounded the trunk of the SUV, closed it, and then got behind the wheel.
AJ smoothed back her hair and tightened her ponytail. The familiar gesture grounded her, reminding her of the countless times she’d done the same before stepping in front of a camera during her sports journalism days.
“All right, Asher.” She smiled at him, shouldered his bag, and reached for his hand. “Let’s go find our room.” She towed one of the suitcases behind her, willing to leave the other and come back and get it once she had Asher more contained.
Before she reached the bottom step which led up to the porch, the front door of the manor swung open, and Kristen Shields stepped outside. “AvaJane,” she said, her tone maternal and warm and welcome.
AJ grinned at her and bent to Asher. “Go get Grammy Kristen, baby.”
Asher squealed again and started up the steps, being careful to take one at a time with both feet. Kristen met him at the top, her silver hair glinting in the weak sunlight. “Well, hello there, my baby boy.” She giggled as she pulled Asher into a hug, and AJ turned to get her other suitcase.
Matt would be here for the weekend later tonight, but he had to work at the golf course he owned and operated at least a few days each week. Because of that, AJ had asked for a suite with room enough for all three of them, so Asher wouldn’t have to be on his own in the house somewhere.
Eloise had assigned her to a ground-floor room with the biggest master closet AJ had ever seen on a floor plan, and her plan was to put Asher’s bed in there while she and Matt used the bed in the suite.
“You are so big,” Kristen said, turning to go into the house. AJ pulled one suitcase up the few steps, then returned for the other, and she pulled them both into the house. She’d planned to arrive right at the time they could get into the house, but she was still figuring out how to get everything ready to go on time, even now, three years after Asher had been born.
Inside, the grand foyer boasted a massive crystal chandelier overhead, and AJ tilted her head back to admire it. As she did, the lights flickered ever so slightly. A buzz. A shake. Flicker, flicker, and then the bulbs burned properly.
“I wouldn’t want to be the one to change those light bulbs,” she said to herself, a quick smile following the statement. She pulled her suitcases across the pale pink tiles on the floor, taking in the beauty of the art—all oceanic-themed among the astrological decor above. Seagulls flying above the azure ocean, a gorgeous painting that seemed to move the way waves did. A small table sat underneath the painting, and a long tray waited there, with labeled compartments.
Get your keys here , a sign read, and AJ paused there to read the signs for each set of keys.
The top row were for common areas of the house— main house keys, library, home theater, indoor pool and hot tub, game room, kitchen pantry, basement kitchen pantry, sunroom, gym, backyard shed.
The bottom row of compartments on the tray held the keys to each of the bedrooms in The Starlight Manor— Andromeda Suite, Orion Suite, Aurora Borealis Suite, Cassiopeia Suite, North Star Suite, Gemini Suite.
Other room names sat there too, and while AJ had looked with interest at the floor plan Eloise had sent out, she hadn’t memorized it. She’d requested a suite for her, Matt, and Asher, and she’d been assigned the Orion Suite.
She plucked the keys from the section of the tray, and the lights above her went out completely. She startled and looked up, something cold running down her arms.
This place is old , she told herself.
“Jean’s upstairs getting Heidi settled for a nap,” Kristen said as she came into the foyer with Asher in her arms. The little boy now had teddy-bear-shaped cookies in his hands, and no wonder Kristen was his favorite. “Did you get your keys?” She glanced over to the tray.
AJ held them up. “Yep, got ‘em.”
Kristen smiled and said, “I’ve been here about twenty minutes, so I can show you where it is.”
“Where are you staying?”
“The Nebula Room,” she said. “It’s on this level too.”
AJ didn’t say she was glad Kristen didn’t have to navigate steps, though she was. “How many bedrooms are on this level?”
“Three,” Kristen said. “The main suite, and two smaller bedrooms.”
“Who’s in the other one?”
“Julia,” Kristen said. “Since Liam can only come over Christmas.”
AJ nodded at Kristen’s back but didn’t say anything. She took in the rich carpet on the floor in the living room, noted the plush couches that looked like she could sink all the way to the floor, and the TV that shone like black oil above a piece of wood furniture that probably held board games, books, and DVDs behind the closed doors.
She couldn’t even imagine the amount of money it had taken to put together just the family room, and AJ only had a moment to glance into the kitchen as she went by. She told herself she had plenty of time to examine every single thing in the house, from the rugs to the dishware to the brand of toilet paper they’d stocked in the bathrooms.
Kristen led her down a hallway with a full bath on the right, and they passed another door labeled Comet Room . Beside the bathroom sat the Nebula Room, and at the end of the hall, Kristen paused and nodded to the Orion Suite.
AJ smiled at her, trying to calm some of her nerves. She wasn’t even sure why she felt anxious at all. She’d have plenty of help with Asher over the coming weeks, as she wasn’t the only one coming for the duration of the rental agreement.
Eloise would be here, as would Robin, Kristen, and Jean. Their loved ones would come and go, though they’d all be here by tomorrow night’s opening dinner, and El had said everyone had confirmed for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day too.
Sometimes AJ really enjoyed being in a big group setting, and other times, she simply wanted the peace and quiet she got at her bungalow on Diamond Island. But as she entered the Orion Suite, she realized she’d be able to get away from anyone and everything that bothered her while here at The Starlight Manor, simply by walking down the hall and entering this room.
And the door locked.
“I’ll let you get settled,” Kristen said. “When Robin gets here, she’s going to want to dive right into the decorations.”
“Sure,” AJ said, manhandling the bags into the room behind her. The space opened up into bright whites and soft grays, sky blues, seafoam greens, and the hint of golden sand. The tightness in AJ’s chest expanded out, as she loved the beach. It calmed her, knowing that something bigger and stronger than her was in charge, so when she felt weak and small, it became okay.
“This is so nice,” she said, drinking in the king-sized bed, the window seat that overlooked a flower garden, and the soft light coming from the lamps flanking the bed. She had a nightstand on either side of the bed too, and the bathroom opened up on her left, past the sitting area, which housed a full-sized couch and a recliner.
“Mom,” Asher said behind her, and AJ turned to find him toddling toward her. “Rawr, rawr.” He no longer carried his dinosaur, and AJ scooped him into her arms.
“We’ll find your Roar,” she told him, turning toward the closet. “Let’s see where you’re going to sleep.” She smiled at her son, knowing full-well that the three-year-old would end up on Matt’s side of the bed when her husband wasn’t there. Sometimes when he was.
As she entered the closet, she paused as the sound of whispers met her ears. Her pulse rioted, making it hard to listen, to try to catch the words. The sound stopped a moment later anyway, and AJ looked from corner to corner of the closet.
She opened the nearest door, expecting to find something there. What, she had no idea. A leftover tape recorder playing spooky Halloween sounds? Something.
She found nothing.
By the time she finished checking every drawer and opening every door, Asher fussed to get down. She set him on his feet and told him, “Stay in the bedroom, bud.” She turned in a slow circle one more time, trying to decide what, if anything, to do.
If she told Kristen or Jean or Robin she’d seen lights flicker and closets whisper, they’d think she’d gone crazy.
“Momma,” Asher said. “Spy-er. Spy-er.” He held something up in his hand, and AJ’s stomach plummeted to her shoes.
“Is that a spider, buddy?” AJ dashed out of the closet and into the bathroom. She grabbed some of that luxury toilet paper and returned to her son. “Let me have it, sweetheart.” She didn’t want to touch a spider, dead or alive, but she couldn’t let her three-year-old proudly present it to everyone who arrived at the manor.
She managed to squeeze the spider out of his chubby fingers, and she folded the tissue over again before she grinned at him. “We don’t touch the spiders,” she said. “You tell Mommy, okay?”
“Okay,” Asher said, and he went with her to flush the spider. “Potty, Mommy.”
“Yep,” she said. “Let’s go.” She helped him up onto the toilet, and he was such a good boy, he’d been pretty easy to potty-train. Once he finished, and she washed his hands—and hers—she set him on his feet and said, “Let’s go find Auntie Jean.”
She could unpack later, as AJ was still pretty used to living out of a suitcase.
As she followed Asher out of the room, she caught sight of the constellations painted up the wall and onto the ceiling. She noted the star-covered pillows on the bed and couch that she hadn’t before, and she appreciated the light fixture on the ceiling—a big, six-sided star that was only one among a whole belt of them painted into the ceiling.
The Starlight Manor really didn’t leave a single detail untouched.
Out in the family room, she found Jean sitting on the couch with Kristen on the other end, Asher on her lap. “Hey,” AJ said brightly. “How are you?” She leaned over and hugged Jean, who patted her on the back.
“Good,” Jean said. “Real good.”
“This place is incredible ,” AJ said as she sank onto another matching couch.
“Isn’t it?” Kristen asked. “Eloise really outdid herself finding this place.”
“Is she here yet?”
“She and Aaron and the girls were going to lunch and a movie before catching the ferry,” Kristen said. “Then, they were going to stop at that little store and get a few groceries.”
“Oh.” AJ sat up and pulled her phone out of her pocket. “I found out you can order online and they’ll deliver anywhere on Rocky Ridge.”
“Out here?” Jean asked.
“They said anywhere.” AJ tapped to get to the tab she’d saved. Something comforted her about being surrounded by friends, even if Matt’s steady presence was noticeably absent. She missed him then, and she navigated away from the store’s website and to her text string.
Miss you, baby. Can’t wait until you get here tomorrow.
“All right,” Robin called from the foyer of the house. “I’m here!” Her voice seemed to echo through the whole house—all four stories—and all three of them in the family room turned to greet her as she made her way to them.
She carried a pale pink overnight bag over her shoulder, and she dropped it as she entered the room.
“We made it.” Joy poured from her, and AJ couldn’t help smiling as she got up to hug Robin hello. Jean and Kristen did the same, and then Robin said, “Okay, let’s get this place spruced up.”
“I help,” Asher said. He walked over to Robin and looked up at her with his big eyes wide open. “I help.” He reached up and tugged on her shirt, and Robin finally crouched down in front of him.
“Of course you can help, my tiny friend. Come on.” She took his hand and led him over to the card table in the corner. “You can help me by bringing over things to hang on the tree.”
First, they had to move the table and position the tree in the corner where it had been. Then Robin put a box of white Christmas balls in front of Asher and showed him how to check for the hooks. Thankfully, all the balls AJ could see had them already, and honestly, she expected nothing less from this place.
The tree came prelit, so all they had to do was listen to Robin tell them where to put each ornament, and since AJ didn’t want to be in charge, she didn’t mind having someone tell her what to do.
She hung the garland along the mantel the way Robin said, and she took the red bows from Asher after placing a kiss on his nose that made him giggle. She loved her boy, and they’d just finished with the garland that went up the railing on the steps leading to the second floor when Robin and Jean cried out nearly in unison.
She went down the few steps quickly. “What is it?”
They both stood by the Christmas tree, which now had no lights winking from the boughs. “The lights just went zap,” Jean said.
“Oh, no,” Robin said. “We can’t have a tree with no lights.” She planted her hands on her hips, like her will alone could relight the tree. “I’ll call Duke and tell him to bring some strings from our house.”
“Should we take all the ornaments off?” Jean asked.
AJ simply took in the tree, which stood twelve feet tall. They’d stood on a chair to decorate the top, and there was something off about a Christmas tree that was supposed to be lit up but wasn’t. A shiver ran down AJ’s arms, jumped to her back, and then squirreled up her spine.
“El is almost here,” Robin said, her attention on her phone. “She has pizza.” She sighed as she lowered her device and stuck it in her back pocket. “We’re basically done here.”
“Too bad about the lights,” AJ said as she joined the others around the tree. “I saw the chandelier lights in the lobby flicker when I got here.”
“Maybe this place hasn’t been used in a while,” Jean said.
“Maybe the Christmas tree is just old,” Kristen said.
“Maybe,” was all Robin said.
“Momma, cracker,” Asher said, and AJ picked him up, grateful for the distraction. Thankfully, no one had disbelieved her about the chandelier lights.
She took her son into the kitchen and easily found the bag of teddy bear cookies Kristen had given Asher earlier. She’d clearly brought her favorites, as a bag of coffee grounds, a small bunch of bananas, and a box of protein bars sat against the wall with the cookies.
Gratitude filled her, because surely Kristen hadn’t brought those for herself. No, she’d thought of Asher and brought his favorite snack.
“I should get some things from that little store,” she said to Jean as she joined her in the kitchen. “Did you get anything? We could put in an order together.”
“I brought a few of Heidi’s things,” Jean said. “But not enough for very long.” She smiled and took a few of the teddy bear cookies too. “So yes, let’s go get some things in the morning.”
“Or put in an order,” AJ said.
“Or that.”
“Pizza,” someone called, and it had to be Aaron, as he was the only man in the last group set to arrive today. Sure enough, he came around the corner with a stack of pizza boxes in his hands, and his girls followed with drinks and smaller boxes.
Billie, in all her nearly silver-white-haired glory, put a case of lime-essenced soda water on the counter and said, “Mom said she’d make citrus coolers. Virgin, of course.”
“Of course.” AJ stepped into her and hugged her. “How are you, Billie? Did you have a good day of playing hooky?”
“The best.” Billie grinned as she pulled back. Then she moved out of the way as Grace put the smaller boxes on the counter.
“These are dessert pizzas,” she said. “Dad got cookies and cream, peach pie, and cinnamon sugar.”
“Sounds amazing,” Jean said.
Eloise finally entered the kitchen, and she carried a big, lidded, plastic tote. “There’s more in the car, you guys. Go on and get it.”
“I can help,” AJ said, and she went with Billie and Grace to get the groceries El and Aaron had stopped for. That done, the RideShare driver left, and when AJ returned to the kitchen, she found someone had strapped Asher into a booster seat at the kitchen table and given him a piece of pizza cut up into smaller chunks.
“Thanks for feeding Asher,” she said to the whole room, and surprise jumped through her when Aaron answered with, “You bet.”
She should know better than to put anything past the Chief of Police, and she gladly took the citrus cooler from El. “Which flavor is this?”
“Grapefruit-lime,” El said.
AJ took a sip of the ice cold beverage, the fizziness combining with the sour grapefruit and making her whole mouth tingle and rejoice. “Mm, this is so good.”
El grinned and proceeded to make another drink, this one orange-peach. She gave it to Grace when she came to get seconds of the sausage and potato pizza and her first round of dessert.
“What are you having?” El asked.
AJ took in the array of pizzas. “I think that supreme is calling my name.” She smiled at El, who peeled a paper plate off the stack.
“It’s the green peppers and olives,” El said. “I know what you like.” She put two slices on the plate and handed it to AJ.
“It’s so good to see you, El.” AJ rounded the end of the island and leaned in to hug her friend. “Thank you for all the work you put into this.”
“I hope it goes okay,” El said, and AJ heard the undercurrent of worry in her tone.
She stepped back and tried to look as casual as possible. She certainly didn’t want El to know she’d just switched into reporter mode. “Why wouldn’t it go okay?”
“Oh, you know,” El muttered as she popped the tab on another can of soda. “With all of us in one place?” She threw AJ a side-eyed look. “It’s not like we all agree about everything right now.”
“True,” AJ said, because it was true. “But it’s the holidays. Everyone will be on their best behavior.”
“Sure,” El said, but she sounded like she believed AJ not at all. “Now, tell me what happened with the chandelier? Kristen said you saw it flicker, and I’m sending an email to the host about any initial problems we’ve noticed.”