McCann's Manor (38 page)

Liz closed the panel to the antechamber of the pyramid, turned the garnet again in her hand, watched the light play on its facets, put it in her pocket. It was morning.

"John called at four o'clock to say he's bringing a surprise guest to the party and that they are coming early,” Kim announced to Liz as Liz entered with the last of the decorations in tow.

"Surprise guest?
Who
?” Liz asked.

"Don't know,” Kim said with a shrug. “He said someone had just arrived from the West coast and he had invited her to come with him. Said he didn't dare miss the occasion, since the reason we agreed to have this party in the first place was because he goaded us into it. Besides, who would play McCann if he stayed away?"

Liz stared at Kim, fingered the garnet in her pocket nervously. “
Her
? Her who?” she asked.

Kim frowned at Liz. “What's the matter? You jealous? Weren't you the one telling me over and over he's just your friend?"

Liz opened her mouth to protest, shut it without comment. “How
early
are they coming?” she finally asked.

"Probably about five or five-thirty, why?” Kim asked.

Liz looked at the clock, sighed. “It's already five-fifteen. Why didn't you tell me at four when he called?"

Kim put her hand on her hip, took the beaded spider web out of Liz's hand. “You said you didn't want to be disturbed until you finished your project, remember?"

"Yeah, but I'm a mess—certainly in no condition to meet his friend. I don't want her to think I'm a slob, do I?” Liz sputtered.

Kim laughed. “No one will think you're a slob. Relax!” she said. “Why don't you go up, take your shower and
primp
a little. If they get here before you make it back, I'll entertain them until you put in your appearance. Everything is ready except for this lovely cobweb and I can put it up."

"Well, if you're sure—” Liz said hesitantly.

"Go, go! I'll be fine and you need a few minutes to unwind anyway,” Kim assured her.

"All right,” Liz sighed. “I'll be back as soon as I can. I know you still have to get ready, too."

"The other guests won't start arriving for a couple of hours, so I have plenty of time. John's been almost a permanent fixture here for the last few weeks, so why the sudden fuss? Just because he's bringing a friend with him doesn't change
that
much, does it?” Kim asked. “He can play host around here as easily as you or I can play hostess."

"Oh, I guess you're right. It just threw me that he was bringing someone at the last minute,” Liz complained.

"Hey, if she just arrived at his door, what else was he supposed to do; leave her at his house and go off without her?” Kim asked. “I've never known him to be that rude before and I can't see him starting now just so he won't throw any surprises your way. What is it with you, anyway?"

"Oh, I don't know. I guess I need the sleep I missed last night. I'm going upstairs now,” Liz said. “I'll try to come back with a better attitude."

"Honey, you've got to face it; John is a gorgeous, famous actor. There are going to be women who descend on him from time to time. Isn't it only natural?"

"I am
not
jealous, Kimberly Dawn!” Liz insisted.

Kim nodded, pursed her lips. “I know what you're saying, but face it; your actions don't match your words,” she teased.

Liz stalked out of the room. “I'm not even going to dignify that remark with an answer!” she called back over her shoulder.

"Right!” Kim said with a sideways smile.

Upstairs, Liz laid out her clothes before a heading for the bathroom to clean up. She decided she would take the extra time and run a bath instead of taking a shower. She'd had a night full of surprises; now she was drained and in need of replenishment. A bath would do the trick much better than a shower. A nice soak in the tub would work wonders.

Kim hung the huge cobweb constructed of nearly invisible nylon, with its accents of pearly gossamer iridescent beads, prominently in the hall for each visitor's inspection on arrival. Onto it, she placed the large beaded black widow spider Liz had finished only a few minutes before. Kim had to admit Liz had outdone herself with this beaded adornment sure to become an heirloom Halloween decoration. Kim smiled at the thought of Liz's grandchildren and great-grandchildren for generations to come marveling at the intricate mesh their grandmother had created. What fun they'd have studying its lacy transparent network and the huge gleaming spider, a detailed and greatly enlarged image of a real black widow.

Having finished the exacting placement of the work of art, Kim stood back to admire her handiwork. Though it was less artistic than Liz's, Kim was satisfied she had displayed the web to its best advantage and that everyone would be duly impressed by the fantastic woven design Liz had conceived and Kim had so strikingly displayed against the backdrop of rich cherry wood paneling and the ancient grandfather clock in the hallway. It fairly gleamed under the recessed light that accented the elaborate clock which now had a decorous beaded spider web partially adorning its elegant, carved cabinet.

She had just put the ladder into the closet when the doorbell rang. Kim went to the door, was greeted by John, Mark and a beautiful young woman hanging on John's arm. “Well, hello! Come in, come in. Welcome to McCann Manor and happy Halloween!” she greeted.

"Kim, this is my daughter, Sondra, and look who I found lurking outside; the prodigal Dr. ‘Hyde’ Adams returns to the scene of his crime!” John said as he entered the room.

Kim smiled warmly at her guests, invited them in. “Your daughter! John, you didn't tell us you had a daughter! I'm so pleased to meet you, Sondra. And Mark, I'm glad you reconsidered and came after all."

Sondra hugged her hostess and smiled brightly. “I'm so happy to meet you, Kim. Dad has told me so much about you and Liz, I feel I know you already,” she said.

Mark smiled at Kim in greeting. “I didn't
change my mind
, Kim. Didn't you get my message? My receptionist was supposed to have called you. I was thrilled to be invited to your Halloween bash and told Gladys to give you a call, but I was out of town until yesterday on some family business,” he said.

"Well, we didn't get the call, but our answering machine seems to be having problems, Mark. Maybe she
did
call and the machine didn't record it. Liz will be thrilled you could come. She has been worried you were angry with her for not taking her medication,” Kim said.

"Nonsense,” Mark retorted. “I know I was a bit distant that day, but I had a few other things pressing on my mind. I never meant for her to feel I was angry with her. Quite the contrary!"

Kim smiled. “She'll be glad to hear that, Mark."

"Where is our Liz, anyway?” John asked.

"We had a bit of an
episode
late last night with Benjamin and she is upstairs recuperating a bit. Neither of us got a wink of sleep. She'll be down shortly, I'm sure,” Kim said. “Come on in, won't you?” Kim ushered her guests through the hall to the living room.

"The place looks great,” Mark said. “You two really know how to decorate."

"Why, thank you, Mark,” Kim said. “We had a good time getting things ready."

"I hope it's all right that I showed up so early,” Mark said. “I misplaced my invitation and couldn't remember what time the festivities were supposed to start, so I decided it would be better to show up early than late, in case you had any last minute preparations I might be able to help with."

"That is really very considerate of you, Mark, but I think we have everything under control,” Kim said. “Actually, it's good you came early because it will give us a bit of a chance to get better acquainted."

"The caterer should be here in about another thirty minutes or so,” John added, “and it looks like all the decorations are already in place. Sondra and I thought we might be able to help, too, but it doesn't look like there's anything left to do."

"Only a few adjustments to the hostesses themselves,” Kim said, indicating her state of dress. “Have you ever been to the house before, Sondra?"

"No, I haven't, Kim,” Sondra said. “Not inside, anyway. I've seen it from outside several times, but Dad was always too cautious to let me inside. It's a beautiful place, isn't it? It looks rather unfriendly on the outside, but I find it quite charming in here."

Kim smiled warmly at John's daughter. “Well,
we
think it's lovely,” Kim agreed. “The views are spectacular overlooking the river. John, why don't you give Sondra a quick tour so she'll know where everything is? I hate to be rude, but I really should do something about getting myself ready for the party. We actually just finished our decorations moments before you arrived and I wasn't expecting Mark to be arriving early, so I didn't plan accordingly."

"Well, don't worry about me,” Mark said. “I know my way around and I can watch for the caterers to arrive in case John and Sondra are too far away to hear them."

"Oh, thanks for being so understanding,” Kim said. “I promise I'll be the model hostess just as soon as I'm dressed for the part. I'll be only a few minutes, and I'm sure Liz will be down shortly."

John smiled at Kim. “Don't worry about us,” he assured her. “We'll be fine; take your time."

"Thanks, guys. Make yourselves at home,” Kim said as she made her exit.

Upstairs, Liz was lounging in the over-sized bathtub. She had almost forgotten how good it could feel just to luxuriate in a hot tub full of bubble bath. The past few weeks had been demanding and draining for her and while she knew their spiritual visitations were far from over, she felt much more certain how things would turn out after their encounter with Benjamin the night before. Maybe she was being overly optimistic, but she felt sure when the time came they would not only be able to draw on Ben's vast knowledge and energy, but on Benjamin himself to help them.

She gazed at the faceted garnet she had placed on the side of the bathtub. Maybe it was naive of her, but she felt she should keep it close to her for protection. Its smooth, red-black gleaming facets made her feel secure, more reassurance than she had felt in weeks. She knew in reality the stone was merely a focal point for her to concentrate on in order to better protect her mind from attack, but keeping the stone near her had a calm, grounding effect she found invaluable right now. It was Benjamin's command of immense powers that really had provided a protection for her and the sharing of his knowledge that gave her the confidence she was feeling right now—Benjamin, and the presence of her angels, a force she felt now more strongly than ever before. The stone was merely a tangible reminder of the protective network she knew was in force to guide Kim and her through the days ahead.

She leaned back, closed her eyes and relaxed, breathing deeply and visualizing the golden-white light pouring into the top of her head. She should be getting ready; she had guests downstairs, but she would take this few moments to ground and center. Just a few minutes more, then she would spring into action. She could smell the lavender oil she had poured into her bath, its fragrant vapor swirling up on the steam from the water, taking her into a deep state of repose. She was drifting, almost floating, on soft white clouds. It felt so good to close her eyes and allow all the tension to drain out of her body to be washed away with the bubbles in her bath. Everything was good here, and soft, so soft...?

Missy sat in the gazebo staring at her hands. Funny, she hardly recognized them anymore. Yesterday, they had been
her
hands, but now they were
demon
hands, hands that had replaced hers somehow. Hands that
did things
to people—horrible, despicable, unthinkable things. Whose hands were they anyway, and how had they supervened upon her own? She needed to talk to someone, but who would listen? Her mother was under sedation and her father...?

"Dear God, Father!” she cried out to the river. “What happened? Why?"

The river had nothing to say. She listened to the breeze, the birds and the noises of the approaching evening. None of them had any answers for her and she was alone—so alone. She had never felt so isolated in her life. What had she done? Why couldn't she remember all of what had happened? All she could see were flashes—small snatches of sounds, color and a gun firing. Blood! So much blood and it was on these demon hands that had once been hers. They were covered in her father's blood and he—he was dead.

She had tried to make him stop bleeding, to coax him into speaking to her, but all he did was stare past her with that fixed, glazed look in his eyes; his beautiful, lifeless blue eyes. These demon hands—she saw
them
holding that gun, saw them fire it at her beloved father. But these were not
her
hands; they belonged to someone else. She loved him too much to have allowed her own hands to do such a thing. Yet
these
hands had wiped the gun, replaced it in her father's hand. That was so wrong, almost as wrong as the shooting itself.

They would say he had killed himself and that was
wrong
! These demon
hands
killed him. What she couldn't reconcile was how these murderous hands had become attached to
her
wrists. What evil sorcery was this that could replace her hands with these hideous
monster hands
? She should tell everyone she had killed her father, because it was the hands at the ends of her very own arms which were to blame, but that
wasn't true
, was it?
She
wasn't the one who killed him, but
these
hands pulled the trigger.

She wanted to cut them off and throw them in the river, put them as far from her as she possibly could. But she knew even if she could manage it, nothing would change. Her father would still be dead; she would still see his face and the look in his eyes. She would still remember these hands until the day she died; remember how they had grabbed the gun from her father and shot him. She wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn't come. She wanted to throw herself off the ledge into the river, but she couldn't move, no matter how hard she tried. She wanted her father back, but she knew nothing would bring him back now. She wanted to run away, but there was no escaping these hands.