Stolen Dreams (20 page)

“How nice of you to visit me again, Mary.”

The voice surrounded her.
 
She stepped back and tried to feel for a light switch.

“Are you afraid of the dark, Mary?” the voice chuckled.

“I’m not afraid of you,” she said, trying to calm the beating
of her heart.

“You should be, Mary,” it replied in a tone that was no
longer taunting, but instead threatening. “You should be very afraid.”

The kitchen door slammed shut behind her and she jumped.
“Perhaps you’re not afraid for yourself, but what about those you love?”

“What do you mean?” she asked, fear building in her gut.

“It can be very dangerous in an old basement,” it said, the
taunting returning to its voice. “All kinds of things can happen down there.
One spark and the gas valve that was inadvertently turned on could be lit. Then…boom.
But don’t worry. If the explosion doesn’t kill them, the fire will.”

“You don’t want to kill people, you want to recruit them,”
she countered, tamping down her fear.
 
“If Bradley and Ian die, they’ll be lost to you forever.”

 
“If I can’t enroll a
few more souls that I probably would never have had in the first place,” it
answered, “at least I can further darken a soul that is already mine.”

Sol
, she thought.

“Sol,” it whispered. “If you can’t use the house as a haunted
house, you could burn it down and collect the insurance. He was easily
persuaded.”

“But, he was still in the house,” Mary replied. “He wouldn’t
have turned on the gas until he was ready to leave.”

A soft, evil chuckle echoed throughout the room. “He is very
easily manipulated,” it said. “Do it now, so you don’t forget.”

“What do you want?” Mary asked.

“Oh, you’re very smart, Mary,” it hissed softly. “Cut to the
chase.
Very smart indeed.
Let’s just say that we
aren’t happy with the things you’ve been doing and we’d like you to stop.”

She took a deep breath and sent up a quick, silent prayer.
Suddenly, she felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders and her
body had been energized with power.

“Yeah, that pretty much pisses you off, doesn’t it?” she
replied, taking a deep, cleansing breath. “My whole bringing spirits to the
light thing.
Messes up your numbers down here on earth.”

“Do not think you can mock me or treat me lightly,” it hissed.
“I will not be taunted.”

Mary started slowly rocking on her feet and whispering the
first lines of a favorite song. “I got sunshine,” she began singing,
incorporating the motions with the song.

“What do you think you are doing?” it hissed.

She continued singing, ignoring its threats.

“I will kill you. I will kill the ones you love,” it
threatened.

She dipped into a move, placed one foot behind the other and
swirled around in a turn. Throwing her arm out to complete the move, she caught
the light switch and flooded the room with illumination.

“Gas is turned off, Mary,” Mike said, suddenly standing next
to her. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll take out the trash.”

Suddenly Mike’s image was filled with a light so bright that
it seemed to fill the room and made it hard for her to see. His form seemed
larger, more powerful, and as he stepped forward. Mary thought she saw the
glint of a sword in his hand.
 

“Go for it,” Mary whispered.

“This will not be the end of us,” it hissed, though its
voice was less threatening and more rushed. “There will be others after
me.
 
We will not let you rest.”

The light seemed to expand even more and then the voice was
no more.

A moment later, the regular Mike was at her side. “Thanks
for coming,” she said.

He smiled at her. “No problem,” he replied and then he
rotated his shoulders. “Felt good to be able to use a little muscle again.”

Footsteps sounded on the stairs behind her and she quickly
turned and opened the door to the basement.
 
She stepped back as the sheriff led a bruised and bloodied Sol out of
the basement and into the kitchen.

“You go wandering around in a dark basement and you’re going
to run into stuff,” the sheriff said.

Sol just hung his head and didn’t say a word.

From the living room window, they watched the sheriff put
Sol in the back seat of his cruiser and drive away.
 

“What happened up here?” Bradley asked.

“I had another encounter with the occupant of the dining
room,” Mary admitted without pause. “But Mike took care of him and I think he’s
gone for good.”

Bradley stepped forward and enfolded Mary in his arms. “I am
so sorry,” he said. “I was so caught up in getting to Sol…”

“No, really, that’s okay,” she insisted. “I needed to do
this.
 
I needed to end this the way I
did.” She shivered thinking about the alternative ending the demon had in mind.
“It worked out just fine in the end.”

“I’m sorry too, Mary,” Ian said. “I should have remembered…”

“Why would you have remembered, when I didn’t even
remember?” she asked with a smile.
“Now, enough about me.
What did you find down there?”

“Sol was lying on the floor, covered with the junk he’d
covered Marty’s grave with,” Bradley said. “He was a bit bruised up, and Marty had
scared the crap out of him. But physically he’ll be fine.”

Marty appeared next to them in the hallway. “I’m sorry I got
angry,” he said. “But when he told me he was going to marry my wife, I just
kind of lost it.”

“I totally understand,” Mary said.

“Actually, it turned out to be a good thing,” Ian added.
“Sol was so distraught that he confessed to Marty’s murder and told the sheriff
where he could find the body.
 
A team
will be back tomorrow to take care of exhuming the gravesite, and Marty’s
family will finally know the truth.”

“Thanks for all you’ve done,” Marty said, walking over to
Mary. “I…I…” Suddenly he yawned widely. “I don’t know why I’m suddenly so
tired.”

Mary smiled at him. “Look around you, Marty.
 
Can you see a bright light anywhere?”

Marty turned around slowly and looked. Then he turned back
to Mary. “Yeah, it’s there,” he replied. “That’s the way home?”

She nodded. “Yes, that’s the way home.”

“Thanks again,” he said.
“Thanks to all of
you.”

He turned and started walking up the staircase and slowly
faded from view.

“Rosie, are you sure you want to do this?” Mary asked as
they drove toward the assisted living center. “This is not going to be a happy
ending.”

“I can handle it,” Rosie said, reaching over and giving
Mary’s arm a squeeze. “You did your best.”

“But my best wasn’t good enough,” Mary replied.

They turned into the parking lot and found a spot close to
the door. “See, it’s a good sign,” Rosie said. “We got a good spot.”

Mary smiled at her. “I’ll take any positive sign I can get,”
she admitted.

They exited the car, and Mary took a moment to take a deep
breath before going into the center.
 
It
was a perfectly clear, crisp, fall day and she could smell the tangy scent of
burning wood on the breeze. The last vestiges of leaves had fallen gently from
their original homes in the boughs of the trees and drifted down to be part of
the blanket of color covering the lawns and sidewalks. “It’s really lovely
today,” she said.

“Why don’t we take a walk around the center before we go in?”
Rosie suggested. “And then you can tell me what you are going to say to
Alison.”

Mary shrugged. “Sure, it can’t hurt,” she replied.

Rosie slipped her arm through Mary’s and they walked away
from the center and the parking lot towards the small arboretum on the
grounds.
 
An ornamental, white gazebo
stood in the center of the area with a small, patio table and several brightly
colored chairs next to it.

“That looks like a great place to contemplate life,” Rosie
said. “Shall we go over to it?”

They started down the narrow path that led to the gazebo when
Mary realized it was occupied, but they were too far away to see who it was.
“Oh,” she said. “Someone’s in there.”

Rosie stared for a moment and then nodded. “How strange,”
she said. “You’re right. I see her, too.
 
I swear she wasn’t there a moment ago.”

Mary looked around. It would look odd for them to turn
around on the path and go the other way. “Why don’t we continue up this path,
then circle around the gazebo and head over to the building?” Mary suggested.
“I don’t think we’ll be interfering with anyone’s privacy if we do that.”

“Good idea,” Rosie said. “I’m sure she’s just enjoying this
beautiful day.”

They walked slowly, enjoying the scent of autumn all around
them. “I have two Halloween costumes for you to pick from,” Rosie said. “One is
a little bit sexier than the other.”

Mary smiled and looked down at her bulging tummy. “I don’t
know why,” she said sarcastically, “but when I look at myself in the mirror,
sexy is the last thing that comes to mind.”

Rosie shook her head. “But Mary, being pregnant is the
ultimate stage of sexiness,” she insisted. “All of the physical things men find
attractive in women have to do with an instinctive desire to choose a fertile
woman. And what’s more fertile than being pregnant?”

Mary shook her head. “I have a feeling once the deed is
done, the desire is lessened,” she replied.

“No, you’re wrong,” Rosie said. “There have been studies
about men finding pregnant women extremely attractive.”

Mary stopped and turned to Rosie. “Have you been going to
the barber shop with Stanley?” she asked.

Rosie laughed. “Now that was rude,” she teased. “You should
have a little more respect for your elders.”

Chuckling, Mary turned back towards the gazebo and felt her
heart sink. While she’d been conversing with Rosie, she hadn’t paid attention
to the occupant of the gazebo. Now that they were close, she realized it was
Alison. She started to speak and then stopped.
Shocked.

“Rosie, did you say you could see the person in the gazebo?”
Mary asked.

Rosie glanced up at the gazebo and then back at Mary. “Yes.
Why?”

“Because that’s Alison,” Mary said. “That’s a ghost.”

The arm that was so casually draped through Mary’s stiffened
suddenly. “I’m seeing a ghost? Rosie asked.

Mary nodded, looking back and forth between Rosie and
Alison.

“Why, other than my father, that’s never happened to me
before,” Rosie said, her fear changing to curiosity. “Is it because we’re
touching? Like Bradley?”

Mary shrugged. “Well, maybe it is,” she said, thinking that
was probably the most logical answer.

“Well, I’m glad,” Rosie said firmly. “Now I can really help
you break the news to her.”

They quickened their pace and stood in front of the gazebo a
few moments later.
 
Alison had been looking
in the other direction but turned to face them when they approached.

“Oh, hello dear,” she said, immediately recognizing Mary. “I
was so hoping you would return with news.”

“Well, yes,” Mary began. “About that…”

“And this is?” Alison asked, turning to Rosie.

“This is my dear friend—” Mary began.

“Aubrey Rose!” Alison cried out in delight, coming forward
with tears in her eyes. “You found my daughter.”

“No,” Mary insisted. “No, Rosie just came along to help me.”

Rosie stared at the woman for a moment. “How did you know my
legal name was Aubrey Rose?” she asked. “I didn’t know that until I needed my
birth certificate the first time I got married.”

“Because I gave you that name,” Alison replied. “And they
kept it.”

“Who kept it?” Rosie asked.

“The couple who adopted you,” Alison said.
“The couple who took you away from me.”

Rosie grabbed hold of the side of the gazebo to steady
herself. “I-I would have known,” she stammered as she shook her head in denial.
“I would have known if I were adopted.”

“I don’t know what they said to you,” Alison replied. “But
my heart knows that you are my daughter.”

“But…I don’t understand,” Rosie said. “What do you want from
me?”

Alison glided forward and stood in front of Rosie. “I just
want you to know that I never stopped loving you,” she said. “That I always
searched for you and I held you in my heart, praying for the day we would be
reunited.”

Mary looked at the two women in front of her, saw the likeness
in their faces and realized now why she thought Alison looked familiar. “That’s
why you came to me,” Mary said. “Not because of who I was, but because of my
connection to Rosie.”

“Mary, you think this is possible?” Rosie asked, tears
flowing down her cheeks.

“Yes, I do,” Mary replied, walking over and enfolding Rosie
in a hug. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to cause you any pain.”

“Pain?”
Rosie asked with a slightly
hysterical sob. “To find out that the woman who abandoned me to an abusive
husband when I was just a baby was not my mother?
And to
learn that the woman who was my true mother searched for me and loved me
throughout my whole life?
 
Loved
me so much that she wouldn’t pass on to the next life until she found out for
herself that I was fine?”

She wiped the tears from her cheeks. “It’s an exquisite
pain, Mary,” she said. “And I’m so grateful that you helped me learn the
truth.”

The bell over her office door rang and Mary looked up from
her computer to see Rosie coming in carrying two large boxes. “I have
costumes,” Rosie called in a happy, sing-song voice.

“Oh, cool,” Mary said. “I can’t wait to see them.”

Rosie placed the boxes on the card table that had been used
for the projector. “So, did Ian leave this morning?” she asked.

Mary nodded. “It was really sad to have him leave again,”
she said. “Both Maggie and Clarissa are broken-hearted. But I’m hoping my
family will come out here for Thanksgiving, instead of me riding in. So I hope
we’ll be seeing him soon.”

“It’s all about family,” Rosie said thoughtfully. “Whether
it’s the family we’re born into or the family we create, those are the things
we should cherish.”

Mary gave Rosie a quick hug. “Yes, it is,” she said and stepped
back to meet her friend’s eyes. “How are you doing?”

Rosie’s smile was bittersweet. “We had the most wonderful
chat,” she said. “We sat there talking for a couple of hours and getting to
know each other. I’m sure the people walking by thought I was completely off my
rocker, but I didn’t care.”
 

She smiled at Mary.
 
“Thank you for giving us that time alone,” she added. “It was a
wonderful gift. And it was humbling to be there when she passed on to the
light. She looked so happy.”

“Of course she was,” Mary said. “She found you.”

Rosie wiped a solitary tear away and nodded. “And I found
her.”
 
She shook her head and before her
emotions could overwhelm her, changed the subject. “So, what did you do while
Alison and I were chatting away?”

“Actually, things worked out well,” Mary replied. “Ian and I
went over to the Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office and gave them a copy of the
recording with Sol’s confession, just in case he backs out of the one he gave
down in the basement. And then we stopped over at the County Clerk’s office so
Ian could say hi to Linda.”

“Perfect,” Rosie said. “I never liked that Sol fellow to
begin with.
 
Have you been getting any
more calls?”

Just at that moment, the phone rang again. “Perfect timing,”
Mary laughed. “I’ll let it go to the machine. And yes, I’ve been getting
calls.
 
I can’t wait until this whole
article thing blows over.”

“Do you think it will?” Rosie asked.

Mary nodded. “Oh, sure, something more exciting will replace
me any day now.”

Rosie moved the boxes so they lay side by side. “Okay, now
for the great unveiling,” she said, lifting a lid off the first box. “This is
Demeter, Greek goddess of fertility,” she said, pulling a long, diaphanous gown
with gold-braiding out of the box.

“Rosie, it’s nearly see-through and the neckline…” Mary
paused and examined the gown. “There is no neckline; it’s a belly-button line.”

Rosie chuckled. “It will hit you a little higher than that,”
she explained. “And you have these silky undergarments to wear under it.”

Mary picked up the thin, silky camisole and slip. “This is
not a whole lot of anything,” Mary replied. “It’s as thin as tissue paper.”

“That’s the idea,” Rosie replied as she pulled a few more
items out of the box. “And you get a bow and arrow because she is also the
goddess of the hunt.”

Mary picked up the gown and carried it back to the
bathroom.
 
She stood in front of the
mirror that was hung over the door and held the gown up. The lines and folds of
the material emphasized
her own
curves in a flattering
and sensual way.
 
She couldn’t get over
how sexy she really looked. But it only took her a moment to shake her head. “I
love it, Rosie,” she said. “But it’s not going to work.”

“Well, I thought you might say that,” Rosie replied. “So
come and look at what’s behind box top number two.”

Opening the box, Rosie pulled out a white, one-piece jumpsuit
that was covered in long, narrow strips of white material that crisscrossed
over it entirely. “What is it?” Mary asked.

“It’s big enough that you can step in fully clothed,” Rosie
said. “So come over and try it on.”

Rosie helped Mary step into it, and then she went around
Mary and zipped up the back. “Turn around,” she ordered and Mary did as she
requested.
 

Taking a few more minutes to situate some of the strips of
material, Rosie finally stood back and smiled. Then she shook her head. “Oh, I
almost forgot.”

She pulled a white knit cap, also covered with material
strips, from the box and placed it on Mary’s head. “Just perfect,” she said.
“Go look at yourself in the mirror.”

Glancing at herself in the mirror, Mary laughed out loud at
the image she displayed. The costume looked like a mummy, with one exception.
The spot where Rosie had rearranged the strips allowed the fabric on her belly
to protrude so you could read the words, “Not just anybody’s Mummy.”

“I love it,” Mary called from the bathroom. Then she came
back into the room and gave Rosie a hug. “Thank you,” she said. “It’s just
perfect.”

Rosie grinned. “I’ll help you pack them up and put them in
your car,” she said.

“But I’m only going to use the Mummy for Halloween,” Mary
said.

Rosie smiled and shrugged. “I wonder how Bradley feels about
Greek goddesses,” she mused.

Mary grinned. “You’re right,” she replied. “Maybe it’s time
for a history lesson.”

Rosie laughed. “I have a feeling history is going to be
Bradley’s favorite subject.”