ShadowsintheMist (32 page)

“You should’ve worn that dress at our wedding, Suzie,” Grant
said, taking the cushion next to mine.

“A bit too elegant for signing a short-term partnership
agreement, don’t you think? And it’s Suzanna.”

He smiled and his teeth were very white in the flickering
candlelight. “Better watch what you say. These guns are real, you know.”

“Be careful not to shoot your foot off then—although that’d
probably be difficult, considering it’s usually in your mouth.”

“Are we all ready?” Valenia asked.

Alicia squirmed into her place between Colin and me and
nodded.

“We must join hands to form an unbroken chain. It’s easier
for the other world to speak through us if we present a strong channel. Please
take the hand of the persons on either side of you and don’t let go for any
reason or the channel will be broken.”

I took Alicia’s hand. It was clammy and cold and my
misgivings returned. Despite her seemingly happy-go-lucky attitude, she was
nervous. Grant’s hand was warm and strong and I felt comforted.

“We must be silent. We must concentrate. Watch the candle.
Open your minds. Allow the other world to speak.” Valenia sat very straight and
still. I could see the flame dance in her eyes. The other faces around the
circle were cast in ghoulish shadow. I shivered. Grant’s hand squeezed mine.

The room was hushed except for quiet breathing. There was
the dull thrum of the music from the other side of the house but it only seemed
to accentuate the silence in the room. I stared at the candle flame, letting my
thoughts drift, fascinated by the dance and flicker of the yellow glow and the
thin line of smoke rising from its point.

Valenia began to speak even more softly than before, a dull
monotone, soothing to the ear. “We are open to you. We are here. Come to us.
Speak to us. We are open.”

Her voice lulled me. The candlelight drew me. I felt my
breathing slow. Alicia’s hand was relaxed in mine.

“I feel a great warmth.” Valenia’s voice didn’t change its
pitch. “Is there someone there? Speak to us. We are open.”

My eyes were feeling heavy. The candle flame blurred.
Valenia’s voice droned on. I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. I shut them
and felt myself float free and drift away into blessed darkness.

* * * * *

“Suzanna, wake up!”

I groaned and opened my eyes to a blinding glare. I raised a
hand to shield my eyes. Faces were grouped above me. The chandelier bored light
into my brain making my head throb.

“Give her some water, someone. Suzanna, are you all right?”

“Yes…yes, I think so. What happened?”

I struggled to sit up, placing a hand to my throbbing
temples. Someone shoved a glass of water under my nose and I took it, my hands
trembling.

Alicia squatted in front of me, her eyes as big as saucers. “You
said, ‘Don’t let them get away with it,’ Suzanna. What did you mean?”

“She’s been under a lot of stress.” This was Grant’s voice.

“But her voice! It was so deep—like a man’s!” Jonathan
Hutchins was obviously awestruck.

“Suzanna.” I looked at Grant. His eyes were wary. “Do you
remember anything?”

I frowned. “No, not really. I remember the candle and
Valenia’s voice. Then I remember feeling very, very tired and I closed my eyes
and…and then I woke up.”

“It isn’t uncommon for the other world to choose its own
channel.” Valenia seemed unconcerned. “You’ll be all right in a moment. Drink
the water.”

I did as she said, realizing my throat was parched.

“I felt a presence in this house the moment I came,” she
said. “Perhaps more than one. I also felt a strong frustration. There is a
great need here. Does the message mean anything to any of you?”

There was a great deal of low muttering but no one seemed to
want to suggest anything. It was Alicia who said what was in everyone’s minds. “Perhaps
it was Giles—or Leo,” she said, her voice shaking. “Perhaps he’s telling us he
was murdered!” The last word came out a bit too high-pitched—strained.

Grant turned to Colin and murmured something. Colin nodded,
dazed and went to Alicia, coaxing her to her feet and escorting her from the
room. She was sobbing and leaned heavily on his arm.

Valenia extended a hand to me and I stood up. I felt better
and my head was clear. She smiled. “You’ve missed your calling,” she said, then
turned to the others. “We’re finished. Thank you all for your cooperation. I
too, am feeling a bit tired. I will go to my room.”

With Valenia’s departure, the rest of the company began to
disperse with curious backward glances in my direction. I took my empty glass
over to the table, still confused and more than a little concerned. Why couldn’t
I remember? And what was it about the message that rang a bell?

“That was an excellent performance, Suzie.” Grant stood at
my elbow, his mouth twisted in wry amusement.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, come now! Are you going to say you and Madam Valenia
didn’t put this whole concoction together this afternoon?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He shrugged. “Right. Well, suit yourself. But I think it was
a pretty insensitive thing to do to Alicia.”

I was too astounded to do anything but gape at him.

“Grant, I could really use a drink. How about you?” Darla
beckoned from the doorway.

“Yeah, a double—on the rocks,” he said and left before I
could gather my wits.

His accusation hurt. And worst of all, there was no way I
could prove him wrong. I wondered if Grant was alone in his belief, or if
everyone suspected I staged the episode. This was too much!

The news would spread quickly throughout the rest of the
party and I’d be a laughingstock. I needed to get away from them all. I needed
to talk to David.

* * * * *

The night was cool and I regretted not grabbing a jacket. I
stood on the sandy bluff at the top of the beach steps, staring out across the
inky expanse. The wind was strong, moaning morosely, setting the reeds and
grasses shivering. The house behind me was lit like a birthday cake. The sound
of music and laughter, the clink of glasses and the gabble of voices drifted
out, muted by distance. I wrapped my arms around myself and searched the beach.
David must be out here somewhere, unless he went back in during the séance and
was hiding out upstairs.

I was just about to turn and go when a light caught my eye.
I stared through the dark and saw it again—just a flash, then gone. I frowned.
It was coming from the room at the top of the lighthouse. No one should be up
there. The entrance was boarded up long ago, the structure itself deemed
unsafe. Leo would’ve had it pulled down years ago, if not for the local
historical association who were trying to raise enough revenue to restore it.
If one of the guests had decided to do some exploring, they could very well end
up hurt.

I wondered briefly where the security guards were as I
hurried down the steps and across the beach, making my way to the rocky spit. I
could hear the waves breaking against the outer rocks. I stood on the rocks and
peered up the sheer walls to the small walkway with a balustrade that ringed
the top. There was a window just below it and I could make out a dull glow
coming from within.

I had to feel my way across the rocks. I wished I had a
flashlight but I reasoned if I went back for one, whoever was in there might be
in trouble before I could warn them. My dress hindered my progress. I pulled
the white skirt as high as possible and tied it up on one side to keep it from
encumbering my movements. I was glad I wore flat shoes.

The entrance appeared untouched. All the boards were in
place. I pulled at them. One whole side was loosened and came away easily
leaving a good-sized gap to squeeze through.

Don’t let them get away with it! The message replayed in my
mind. Where had it come from? Why had I said it?

And why now, of all times, did it suddenly fill my head? Then
I remembered. It was Rudy Coleman who said those same words—words spoken by my
father in a ghastly dream. Coincidence? I shivered and reached a hand out in
the dark interior to touch a heavy spider web. I must concentrate on what I was
doing. There’d be time later to ponder that incident.

The moonlight fell across the stone floor through the gap
where I entered, barely illuminating the winding staircase. The steps were
stone, set against the wall, circling up into the blackness above. I started
up, one hand on the wall, the other on a banister that felt none too secure. I
heard a faint scuffling coming from above. I should call out—there was no need
for me to go up at all. But something kept me mute. Some inner voice bade me to
go slowly, carefully and most of all, quietly.

I crept on, feeling with each step, keeping as close to the
wall as possible. I soon stopped holding the railing. It was very loose and
there were huge sections missing altogether. The darkness was all-consuming,
stifling—like the air, which was stale and musty, heavy with mildew and mold.
The wall under my hand was damp and furred, fissured with cracks that attested
to the deterioration of the foundation.

By the time I was halfway up, my heart was beating
uncontrollably and I had to pause, a cold sweat beginning to dampen my palms
and underarms. I knew now why I didn’t call up. The movements above weren’t
reckless. There was no laughter or raucous noise as one would expect from
people who may have left the party for a bit of exploration. Whoever was here,
was here for a purpose and instinct told me he or she wouldn’t welcome
discovery.

For a moment, I hesitated. I should go back and get help. If
I could find David or Grant or Colin—or one of the security guards… But, having
come this far, I was unwilling to retreat. Pure, illogical curiosity kept me
moving upward.

Chapter Fourteen

By these storm-sculptured stones while centuries fled?

The stones remain; their stillness can outlast

The skies of history hurrying overhead.

Jean-Paul Satre,
The Heart’s Journey
, pt 9

It didn’t take long to reach the top, although at the time
it seemed a very slow, painstaking ordeal. The last arc of the stairs was
illuminated by the wash of light coming from the room above. At this point, I
was able to see instead of just feeling my way. The light flickered and danced
on the wall opposite the steps, interrupted intermittently by a huge, distorted
shadow that could barely be identified as human.

When I reached the top, I leaned flat against the wall to
one side of the doorway and tried to calm my breathing. My palms were
perspiring and I wiped them on my hoisted skirt. With thudding heart, I peeped
around the door jamb. There, in the small upper gallery, a man squatted. His
back was to me and a lantern stood on the wooden floor nearby. I couldn’t make
out what he was doing but I recognized who it was instantly and felt a flood of
relief that nearly made my knees buckle.

With a chuckle at my inanity, I stepped through the door. “David!
What are you doing up here?” I asked. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

I obviously took him by surprise. His back stiffened and his
head jerked around and, in that split second, I glimpsed a large briefcase
lying open on the floor in front of him. He slammed it shut and stood up to
face me but I’d already seen what was inside. There was no way I could disguise
my shock.

“Suzanna,” he said gruffly, “You shouldn’t sneak up on a
person like that.” He searched my face, reading the surprise and confusion
there. He took a step toward me. In the dancing lantern flame, his face was
unreadable and threatening and I automatically took a step back.

“What are you doing up here?” I asked again. Something
inside me grew very alert.

David tilted his head to one side and smiled. “You shouldn’t
have come, Suzanna.”

“I saw the light,” I said. “I thought someone might be in
danger. This place isn’t safe, you know.”

He didn’t reply right away, still searching my face. Finally
he sighed, squatted down to the briefcase again and threw the lid open, stepping
back so I could see clearly.

“It’ll bring a bundle of money,” he said with pride.

I stared at the neat bags of white powder, racking my brain
for a logical explanation. Perhaps he found it up here. Perhaps it wasn’t what
I thought it was. But deceiving myself was useless. Like an animal smelling
danger, I smelled corruption and David was its center.

“Where did you get it?” My voice was cold.

“Get it?” he smiled. “Oh, don’t worry, darling, I don’t use
it. I merely pass it on to some friends of mine. They pay me well for my help.”

I frowned. “Who are these friends, David? How could you get
mixed up in this kind of thing?”

He shrugged. “It’s a long story. Come here. I’ll show you
something.”

He moved to the little window in the stone wall. I hesitated
but went to look where he indicated.

“See that light out there?”

I followed his pointing finger, peering into the night
gloom, stiffening when his arm dropped casually around my shoulders. Far out on
the water, I could make out a signal beam.

“Who is it?” I asked.

“I’m meeting them,” he said, his breath tickling my ear. “We’ve
got business to do.”

“David,” I tried to make my voice calm, “what sort of games
are you playing? Does this have anything to do with the marina? Are you in some
sort of financial dilemma?”

“No,” he said. “Not the marina. This is just for me—at least
now, anyway. It was going to be for both of us—you and me—but you turned your
back on me. You see, I knew you wouldn’t want to be married to a pauper.
Especially after all the luxuries you’ve been used to.”

“What do you mean?”

He snorted and his arm tightened around my shoulders. “Oh,
come now, Suzanna—little rich Suzanna! Don’t tell me you’d accept anything less
than what Daddy gave you all these years?”