Soul Inheritance (8 page)

There was a Claremont Inn not far from the exit. It would have to do for the night. She pulled into the shelter at the front, went inside and inquired about a room.

It was like most hotel rooms, small and to the point. It was clean with a neutral smell and a white bathroom. A multicolored blanket adorned the bed. Generic paintings were screwed into the walls on all sides so they could not be taken in case some wayward guest decided it would look great hanging on the wall at home. Katherine was exhausted; ready for nothing more than a hot shower to wash the road from her and a soft bed. She sat her bags on the table and proceeded to remove her night clothes. She also took out a bottle of water, though it was now warm.

“
Damn I should have brought a cooler. I’ll have to pick one up tomorrow,” she mumbled to herself, taking out a granola bar and a banana.

After a long, hot shower she dressed, turned on the TV and ate the snacks while watching the news. Her travels would be clear at least. Until she reached Maine, anyway. There was rain in the forecast there for the next few days. It would be welcome enough though. Any water was welcome since the drought had come and gone two years ago.

Katherine had kept the pills the doctor at the hospital gave her and she used one of them now. Sleep came quick and ran deep. No dreams, no thoughts, and no cares.

The next morning she woke, rested and aware. She dressed in jeans, the white sandals and a rich blue wrap around top that flowed about her upper arms. After putting her hair back in a braid she went to the desk to turn in her room card.

“
Is there a Wal-Mart nearby?”

“
Yes Ma’am, you go right out of the parking lot and then left at the third stop light. Can’t miss it.”

“
Thank you.”

The Jeep hummed to life. Wal-Mart was exactly as the desk clerk had said. Hard to miss. She gathered the cooler, ice, sunglasses, bottled water, more bananas and granola bars, and checked out. It was rush hour, so the interstate was slow and crowded. She made her way along carefully and patiently. No point in hurrying, she told herself. If the lake had waited on her all these years it could wait a little longer.

Katherine squirmed in her seat. What had made her think that? Was it really ‘waiting on her?’ She knew it was and wanted to get on with the introductions. She just hoped she was ready for whatever lay ahead.

The cell phone sang its eerie little song. Her father had always said it was an old tune from some very old suspense movies. “Dun Dun, Dun, Dun, Dunnn…” it sang. The thought of her father teasing about the phone made her smile as she picked it up and answered.

“
Katherine, where’re you? I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” It was Nigel, being uncharacteristically caring.

“
I’m on a trip. What do you want?”

“
I was just calling to see if you were okay, if you needed any help or some company. I’m sorry I missed the funeral; I was taking care of getting the apartment signed over and all that. Where’re you?” The persistence in his voice was disturbing. A desire to show him she wasn’t ever coming back boiled to the surface. After all, she was states away and he couldn’t possibly interfere now.

“
I’m on my way to check on some property Dad left me and I don’t need anything from you,” she added the last with a sharp recourse.

Obviously the news had gotten out that she had not only inherited the business, with its fair sized holdings, but also an entire lake and all of the surrounding real estate.  What they had failed to mention, or did not know, was that it was a run down old place where no one had set foot in decades. She smiled at the thought of Nigel kicking himself for failing to take into account the finances when he had so carelessly started to show his true side before getting a solid hold on the money. He’d never considered marrying her, though she was sure he’d been skimming money for a while he wasn’t smart enough to put any of it away.

“
I could come up and help you out. Hell, maybe it would bring a good price to some developer or something. I know a lot of people who could help you find the right buyer.”

Katherine felt her face burning, anger rising to the brink. “Who says I’m in the market to sell. Hell, I may open a resort. Or maybe I’ll just retire there on my inheritance. As far as help from you, No thanks! Where I’m concerned I never, ever want to see you again.” From a place beyond anything she understood something began to seep. The world around her went dark as if storm clouds were blocking the sun. “As far as I’m concerned I wish you were…” It boiled over from that dark place and she felt it as it tried to infiltrate, waiting for that final word, waiting to make it happen. At the moment it overflowed she realized its existence, the evil it truly was, capped it before it could escape, triggered by the word that lay on the edge of verbalization.

Though she didn’t know where it came from she understood that it was there, that it was her’s and that she had power over this thing, over this ability to conceptualize a desire and make it be.  The seed of comprehension was planted as she got a glimpse of what this thing was after. What Greystone sought.

“
You’re just upset, Kathy. You really need someone there to protect your interests.”

The momentary fear that came with the realization of what she was capable of dissipated as quickly as it had come.

“
Don’t you dare call me that! Only my father calls me Kathy and you have no right! You stay away from me you horse’s ass, I mean it!” She pushed the end button.

The phone went flying across the car. It bounced around until it finally settled in the floorboard. The tears gathered, but she refused to let them get the best of her, refused to let him get the best of her. Taking a deep breath she concentrated on the road ahead.

Katherine passed though Maryland, took I-83 to York, Pennsylvania, thru the edge of New York and I-84 into Hartford, Connecticut with only brief stops for gas and once for a real meal. It was nearly midnight before she stopped at some out of the way motel for the night halfway between Hartford and Boston, Massachusetts.

The neon light attracted her attention long before she came to it. The Jeep glided in, the gravels crunching under the tires as she pulled up in front of the office. She stepped through the screen door, letting it clack behind her. The old man at the counter jolted awake.

“
Uh, huh? Oh, pardon me Miss. Didn’t hear you drive up.” He got up groggily, shoved the sign-in book in front of her, took the money and gave her a key. He pointed her toward the end of the little row of Motels, grunted “Sleep good, see ya in the morning.” and went back to his chair, a small TV flickering in the dim light.

Chapter five

Nigel looked at the large white wall clock, with its black hands pointing out the time.

“
Flight 614 for Bangor, Maine on schedule. About time I caught a break.” It was a quarter to midnight when he strode toward the departure area.

“
Final call for 614, destination Bangor, Maine now boarding at gate 9. Final call for flight 614, destination Bangor Maine, now boarding at gate 9.” The announcement rang through Charlotte International Airport. Nigel picked up the pace.

Dropping the one carry on bag onto the conveyor, he passed through the metal detector without incident, retrieved his bag on the other side and went to board the plane. He settled into his seat, giving the shapely blonde stewardess a wide, toothy grin. She gave him one very knowing up and down glance and sent the short, sour natured stewardess to tend to his section. He ended up sleeping all the way to Bangor.

The ill natured stewardess was the one who woke him. “Sir, please fasten your belt, we will be landing shortly.”

Nigel sat up, cleared his throat, and fastened his belt. The landing went smoothly enough and he exited in search of the car rental counter. There he found something more to his taste. A slight, shapely young clerk beamed from behind the counter.

“
Um, I’m kind of new ‘round here. I wonder if you could help me out?” He leaned against the counter; let the deep southern drawl build as he gave her a broad grin and appreciative roving glance. “I have inherited a lake further north and I need to find a realtor. You wouldn’t happen to know of a firm that covers the area up around the uh, I think they call it Piscataquis area? Near Shin Pond Village?”

“
My, my. An entire lake.” She drew her words out as she leaned on the counter, pushing her cleavage even further out of the low cut top. “Your family must be quite well to do to have entire lake. Why you sellin’ it?”

“
Well, I’m not from ‘round here and I own a couple of businesses in North Carolina.” He paused for effect. “Though I’d thought maybe I’d build a little private resort there. You know, a place to come play in my free time.” He smiled that deceptively charming smile, teeth large and white, dimples rippling at the curved edges of his mouth. He looked her over. “So, what do you locals do round here in your
leisure
?”

“
Well, one might take off somewhere. Meet new people; stretch out on a boat on a lake, with a new friend. You know, enjoy some extracurricular activities.” She reached slowly across the counter, placed the keys to the rental he never actually asked for into his hand, lingered there. “So where’s this lake?”

“
Like I said, its several miles north, but I might stay in town for a day or so.” He could nearly feel her breath, hot and sensual across the counter.

“
Oh, not far? What they call it?”

“
McKlannen Lake.” He smiled back at her, but she instantly drew away. She looked hard at him, seemed to be waiting.

“
You crazy or something? Don’t you know where it is you’re goin’?”

Nigel still smiled, his brows high, eyes wide. “What’d I say?”

“
Trust me, don’t go there. That place, it just, it ain’t right.”

“
You know the place?”

“
Yea, I do. And I got enough sense not to ever set foot there, and you won’t if you know what’s good for you.” She looked around. “I got to get back to work.” She looked into his bewildered face, paused, smiled. “I get off at eight. That’s only a half hour. If you stick around you can take me to breakfast and I’ll tell you about it.” She smiled, seemed to relax as she came to the realization he really didn’t know. “Maybe we’ll get to know each other a little better. You seem pretty sharp. You’re not kin to the folk what owned that place are you?”

“
No, no ma’am. Like I said, I inherited it from the last owner. He didn’t have no family, so he left me everything. I just want to sell it and be done with it.”

She shared the warm, sensual look with him once more. “There’s a café just around that corner, wait there.”

“
Will do. See you in a few.” He went to the café to wait like a spider patiently poised in the web. The wait was a short one.

The cashier, her tag said she was Gretchen, sat down in the chair directly across from him.

“
So, what do you want?”

Gretchen raised her eyebrows. “Makin’ presumptions eh?”

“
No, I meant for breakfast.” He motioned around him. She laughed.

“
You’ll have to do better than this.” Reaching across the table she took his hand. “Let’s go get your car.”

They found the small white Ford Taurus in the rental lot, loaded his bag in the trunk and got in.

“
So, where to?”

“
Go out of the gates, at the road take a right and head into town.” She fastened her seat belt, crossed her long legs so the short black skirt rode most of the way up her thigh. “There’s a Denny’s down the street. Best breakfast in town.”

Nigel sat patiently across from her as they settled in at the busy restaurant. Quietly he listened to tall tales about how the lake was haunted, or possessed, or it didn’t matter what it was, because people disappeared there and even law enforcement quit going to look for them. It was fenced all around, posted and locked down tight…

Listening intently, he tried not to let on that he didn’t believe a word. He touched her hand, commented on how good she looked, and thanked her for filling him in on such an important thing to know.

“
So why not put it with a realtor and just let it go at that? You could stay here, enjoy a little Bangor hospitality.”

“
So how good is the ‘Bangor’ hospitality’?”

Gretchen straightened, rested her breasts on the table and leaned forward with a giggle. “It’s a bang. Pun intended.” She played with his hand, rubbed his palm with her middle finger. Nigel smiled broadly.

“
Let’s get out of here. I was on a plane all night. I need to get some rest. Know a good hotel?”

“
Well, now. What kind of hospitality would I be offerin’ if I didn’t invite you to crash at my place? It’s just outside of town and besides, I’m headed off to bed myself.” Gretchen led the way to the car and gave directions by shifting his leg to the left or right as she ran her hand further up his thigh with each command. They drove several miles past the edge of town. The houses got further apart and the trees denser until they reached a house sitting by itself on a little country road.