Twisted Echoes Page 17

  Jeremy and Merry would be on their way back to Spokane first thing in the morning, leaving her alone in the house except for Clancy. They were getting some much needed rest before beginning the long drive across the mountains. After they left tomorrow, it was going to be terribly quiet with shadows looming in every corner.

  Even now, the looming vacancy made the house feel lonely. She should go to bed. Get some sleep instead of rattling around in the quiet feeling alone. The best thing she could do right now was grab some rest before she took a drive into the city tomorrow to check on her girls.

  She laughed thinking how natural it felt to call Renee and Jolene her girls. Aunt Bea must have had some kind of psychic ability herself. She’d gifted this home to Lorna seemingly knowing that she needed something in her life to ground her. As it turned out, this place was exactly what she’d needed.

  The only tiny little problem with Aunt Bea’s plan: the ghosts. Lorna’s laugh this time was even heartier, and it made Clancy raise his head from his paws to stare at her.

  “Not to worry, buddy, I’m not going wacko. Exactly.” Clancy continued to stare for a moment longer and then put his black head back down on his paws. Apparently, he decided she wasn’t as crazy as she sounded.

  As much as she loved this house, and that love grew more and more each day, some lingering malevolence refused to give up its hold. Or would it be more accurate to say, give up his hold? The talk with Alden Swan clicked with her at a spiritual level. On the surface, any rational person would say bullshit. Rational zipped right past her a couple of visions ago.

  Alden seemed like a pretty together guy. He was educated and successful, and yet at the same time held on to his spiritual beliefs in a way that all made sense. His official opinion was that unfinished business rested within this house, and at this point, she had no problem whatsoever buying in.

  Now all she had to do was figure out how to complete the unfinished business put on her plate. To complete whatever had been started way back in John McCafferty’s day. For the life of her, Lorna couldn’t understand what made her so unique that she’d have the kind of ability needed to pull that off. Why would anyone, alive or dead, be waiting for her? She was far from special, as Anna pointed out to her rather brutally the last night they were together. In fact, according to Anna, she was a nobody.

  In reality, maybe that wasn’t very fair. In the heat of the moment, they both said things they regretted. For her part, if she could, she’d take back pretty much everything she’d spewed like hot lava that horrible night. It didn’t matter whether Anna felt the same way or would say those terrible things all over again. Even before now, Lorna realized she didn’t want to be that kind of woman. Just because Anna had hurt her, didn’t give her a pass to be cruel. Her parents would not be proud, and even though they were gone, she wanted to be the kind of person who honored them.

  That was not to say she wanted to hang out with Anna ever again. On the contrary, if she never saw her again it would be too soon. Her heart was forever broken, and that wasn’t going to change. Renee’s presence was beginning to make her believe that perhaps she could experience passion again, but love? Not gonna happen. That died the day Anna crushed her soul.

  In her room, she changed into comfy sweats and a pair of old slippers. She didn’t even look at the bed. No way was she going to be able to sleep. Instead, she looked over at the whalebone necklace and then with a big breath, picked it up, fully expecting to drop into a vision. It didn’t happen.

  “Huh.” As she rolled the beads between her fingers, she stared at the lovely piece of jewelry. “Got nothing for me tonight? You get to pick and choose when we meet?”

  She was stilling carrying the necklace as she went into the living room. Since it didn’t seem to want to play tonight, she set it aside on the end table. She stoked the fire she’d built earlier. As it always did, the fire filled the room with a lovely aroma of tamarack. The fire crackled and sparked, rolling out warmth to every corner. She put the fireplace poker down on the hearth and lowered herself to the floor. With her back against the sofa, she stretched her legs out and let the warm air wash over her.

  “Clancy,” she said loudly. “Come sit with me.”

  He was still resting in front of his window, his head on his paws. He hadn’t moved far from that window all night. She didn’t think he was going to either, and then she heard the click, click, click of his nails on the hardwood floor. Much to her surprise, he came in, settled beside her on the rug, and put his head back down on his paws. His black eyes stared at the fire for a moment before closing. Soon, his chest rose and fell with easy rhythm. She gently rubbed the top of his head and realized how glad she was to have him here.

  Her gaze traveled up to the table where she’d laid the necklace and curiosity took hold again. She reached over to snag the necklace. For whatever reason, it seemed to draw her attention like a moth to a flame. It was pretty and it was interesting, but it was more than either of those things. In the back of her mind it was like a siren’s song played, and she was compelled to pick it up. Unlike earlier when she’d touched it, now electricity shot up her arms the moment her fingertips touched the whalebone. Her gasp made Clancy jump and whine.

  “We must hurry,” Tiana said as she dragged Catherine along by her hand. “He must not catch us.”

  Catherine giggled as she ran beside Tiana. “He will not catch us, for we run like the wind.”

  Tiana smiled in spite of her fear. How was it that whenever Catherine was at her side, the weight of the world disappeared and she felt as light as a feather? Even so, she carried in her heart a mighty worry that he was watching. Dear God, he was always watching, his face a dark mask of disapproval and, she feared, hatred. Most thought him a kind and generous family man who did much for his community. He threw lavish parties where he paraded her out like a precious doll. She always smiled and did exactly as he told her. Little did they know the terror he instilled in his only child.

  He wanted, no demanded, unquestioned obedience from her. She was more like his property than his child. He’d never held her in his lap and read her a story. He’d never kissed her cheek and wished her a wonderful day. He’d never looked upon her with the kind of pride that she saw in the faces of other fathers. For her, it was always unreadable dark eyes and a twisted expectation that sent ice into her veins. Though he’d never said it, she was certain the only feeling he had for her was loathing.

  How she longed to be free and to no longer exist within the walls of her stunning prison. The house her father had built was the talk of the Pacific Northwest, and scores of important people thought it an honor to stay in one of its glorious rooms. Her own room was no less magnificent. He might hate her, but he would never make his true feelings obvious to those he admired. He didn’t have the room built for her. No, he built it so others would think he did it for her.

  Tonight was the last night she intended to sleep in the soft bed with the fresh-smelling sheets and feather pillows. The silk spread brought from China would never again be pulled back by the maids. Neither would she light the Tiffany lamp on the bedside table. She didn’t care if she ever spent a night in such luxury again as long as she was free.

  The full moon illuminated the long expanse of grass carefully landscaped by an army of men who came each day and in whose eyes she saw pity. Unlike the guests who came to stay in the lovely rooms, he did not bother to temper his treatment toward her when in front of mere workers. In his world, they did not matter, just as she did not matter.

  Tonight, she continued to hold Catherine’s hand as they briskly crossed the lawn before anyone might catch a glimpse of them racing through the night. The air smelled of ocean and the life that lived within the cold waters. The mist upon her lips brought the light taste of salt and sea.

  This she would miss. Despite her lifelong imprisonment within the beautiful home, here where the stars filled the sky and the ocean waves broke against the rocks and sandy shores, her heart felt f
ull. For it was on the shores of the ever-flowing ocean that she first glimpsed her love. Though she didn’t realize it until she gazed upon Catherine’s face, her soul had been waiting for the one who could make her complete.

  It wasn’t any within the parade of men, both young and old, that her father brought to their table in his quest to secure for her the perfect husband that made her feel alive and open to love. Unable to even feign attraction, she turned away from every one of them, not fully realizing why she felt nothing at their touch. Each time she spurned their attentions, his fury grew until now it was a beacon that filled her with dread. The day she gazed upon Catherine’s face for the first time, she understood and her world became whole for the first time in her life.

  In the end, he had come to discover the truth as well, and with it the anger that had before only simmered now flared into a fire so hot it could burn the noonday sun. If there was a way to please her father, surely she would have taken it in both hands and done whatever it took to earn even a tiny bit of affection. She did not want to be the disappointment to him that she had turned out to be. Perhaps she never really had a chance. She was, after all, a mere woman. He’d wanted a son, and Mother had given him one for ten full days. Then her precious little brother had been taken by death, a mere infant who never had a chance to make his place in the world.

  It broke her heart the day her brother died. Had he lived, her life would have been so much different. Her mother might not have withdrawn from the world, and the attention her father focused so intently on her would have gone to another. She might have been free to love this beautiful woman outside the circle of his disapproval.

  Or perhaps not. He did not understand that Catherine was the one, the only one, who made her feel alive and complete. But it was not the way of the world they lived in. Their love had to be secret, and only in the dark corners and shadows could she hold her in her arms and kiss her sweet lips. It wasn’t just her father. Few understood the depth and need of their love. Expectations were laid out for her on the day she was born and nothing could or would change them. A prominent marriage was expected. Children were demanded. Success in society an absolute mandate. She’d disappointed him on every front.

  She didn’t care. As she held tightly to Catherine’s hand and scurried across the damp grass, all she could think of was that from tonight on they would be together. Forever.

  And then she saw him.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “How’s Clancy doing?” With the phone pressed to her ear with one hand, Renee was in the hospital waiting room, staring out the window and running her other hand through her unruly hair. She missed her dog and was anxious to get back to see him. Well, him and Lorna, if she were being honest.

  She could hear the smile in Lorna’s words. “He’s great. You probably know this already. He’s awesome company. Since you’ve been in Seattle, he’s gone for a couple of runs with me, and after the first night watching out the front window for hours, has even slept on the bed with me.”

  “Oh, Lorna, you’re spoiling him.” Inside, she was delighted that she was bonding with her dog even if it didn’t really make sense. What did it matter if she liked Clancy? It wasn’t like they’d be staying there forever. Ultimately, they’d go back to Seattle and get back to the business of rebuilding. That’s where her life was, after all.

  “Naw, we’re pals. The problem you really have to worry about is whether I’m gonna let you take him back. I may just have to hide him when you decide you have to leave.”

  This time, Renee laughed and it felt good after the last week of uncertainty and fear. “We can always hammer out a custody and visitation agreement.”

  Her heart warmed thinking about Lorna’s words. Maybe they were given offhand, but they meant a lot to her. She’d realized over the last few days that she really liked Lorna…as in REALLY liked her. Deep in her heart, she hoped the feeling was mutual, and given their interaction before Mom’s accident, she had reason to be hopeful.

  Still, it had been a full week since they’d discovered her mother at the base of the bluff, and most of that time she’d spent here quietly waiting. It was all she could do. All the hospital and doctors could do. The concussion and skull fracture had to heal themselves. It was simply a case of hurry up and wait. Nothing like spending a week feeling helpless.

  Today, there was good news. Mom was going to be discharged and allowed to return home. She’d be down for a while, and that was fine with Renee because she intended to stick to her Mom like glue until she was certain she was healed up. She hoped it was going to be fine with Lorna too.

  “I’m bringing Mom home, and I plan to stay with her until she’s given a clear bill,” she told Lorna, holding her breath as she waited for a response. Please, please, please let her say okay.

  “What time? It’ll take me a few to get there, but with a little speeding, I can be there before you know it.”

  Renee silently breathed a sigh of relief. Her reaction was more than she expected and what her heart longed to hear. “You don’t need to come all the way into the city. My car is still here, remember?”

  Lorna laughed, the sound wonderful to Renee’s ears. The week had been sorely lacking in lightness. “Oh yeah, forgot that little detail, although I don’t know how. That was a fun night.”

  Fun and precious, but she didn’t say that. “They’re going to discharge her first thing in the morning, and we’ll leave right from here. I’ll take my time so Mom’s as comfortable as possible on the drive home.”

  “Sounds like a plan. We’ll be waiting.”

  Tears welled in her eyes, and she was glad no one was around to see them. “Thank you, Lorna.”

  “For what? Renee, there isn’t a single thing you need to thank me for. This is your mother’s home, always will be, and you’re as welcome as she is. Even if I didn’t already feel that way, you know Aunt Bea would come back from the grave and kick my ass if I said otherwise.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  “Blah, blah, blah, just load up your mama and get your ass back here. I’ve been busy since you’ve been hanging around the hospital drinking coffee and flirting with nurses. Sister, I have some cool stuff to show you.”

  “I will get my ass back there as soon as I can. And, Lorna…”

  “Yeah.”

  “I didn’t flirt with a single nurse.”

  Lorna was laughing when Renee ended the call. She smiled too as she slipped the phone back into her pocket. She could hardly wait to get on the road. Not only was she anxious to get home because she was really tired of the hospital, but Lorna’s news intrigued her. She missed the challenge of trying to uncover the mysteries of the house. They’d had such a great time at the Seattle Library as well as with Alden Swan, and she’d felt like they were on the verge of unraveling something quite curious. She wasn’t exactly sure what, but it was definitely something. Life, in spite of the devastating fire, had become very interesting.

  *

  Jeremy stood on the steps of the apartment building and tossed the keys up and down in the air. As he looked around, he grimaced. He hated to admit it, but Merry and Lorna had been right. Looking at it from their perspective, they had a valid point. This was a sucky neighborhood, and why he had decided to stay here for as long as he had was certainly a topic for conversation with a good shrink.

  No more. It was past time to move on, and that’s what he was about to do in a big way, sans the shrink. After dropping the keys into the manager’s drop box, he crawled behind the wheel of his SUV and pulled away from the curb. The trailer he pulled was only about a third full. He had to go around the block so he could catch Maple Street, a one-way, and head south to Merry’s place.

  The last week had been a long one spent sorting, packing, and discarding. He did way more discarding than Merry, but then again, he needed to do way more discarding than Merry. Some of the crap he’d held on to was, well…crap. Time to clean house had sailed past him quite a while ago.


  Her stuff, on the other hand, was pretty nice. Might have something to do with why he always felt so comfortable when he was at her place. With her roommate already gone, they’d been able to work through her house without interruption. Like his stuff, all of her belongings were now ready to be loaded into the enclosed trailer.

  Once he had her furniture and boxes stacked and secured, they could be on their way. Spokane would be a distant memory in the rearview mirror and the Washington coast their new home. If he gave himself time to think about it, the move was scary even though Lorna was there with the net to catch him and Merry.

  He’d never started over before. Not like this anyway. For that matter, his entire life had been spent inside the Spokane city limits. Relocating never occurred to him before now, let alone finding himself on the verge of getting married and becoming a father. In less than a year, his life would be about a hundred eighty degrees from what it looked like now. Talk about life changes. This was almost too much to take in.

  Scared as he was about all the changes, he was also thrilled. It had taken a good many years and a good many women before he found the one. In the back of his mind, he’d known Merry was the one since the get-go. That’s why the thought that she was pulling away scared the daylights out of him. He’d have been broken forever if she’d left him. He wasn’t being dramatic either. That’s just the way it would have gone done if he’d dumped him.

  Now, it was a bright new world awaiting them both. It was all an unknown world to be sure. At the same time, it was really exciting. Together, they would find their way, and it would be good. How could it not be great? Together, they just worked, and he wasn’t about to second-guess the magic.