Tymber Dalton (27 page)

Pog followed Matt as far as the guest-room door and growled again, this time his attention on the stairs.

Another creak, from the stairs.

Matt debated going down. He remembered the oppressive, nauseous feeling from before.

“It’s the house settling, Pog.” The dog looked at him dubiously. Even Matt realized he didn’t believe it. “Go back to bed.”

The dog jumped on Sam’s bed. Matt returned to his room.

He didn’t think he would sleep again when a noise woke him about three o’clock. It was definitely the sound of footsteps, only this time in the attic overhead. They moved across his ceiling, toward the front of the house and the turret over Sam’s room.

She appeared in his doorway, her face a terrified mask.

He nodded. “I hear it, sweetie.”

“We need to check it out!”

He shook his head. “You know we won’t find anything.”

The noise stopped. They both stared expectantly at the ceiling. The noise didn’t start again.

He slid over and pulled back the covers, patting the mattress next to him. “Come here.” Romance was the last thing on his mind, but she looked like she was seconds from a nervous breakdown.

She cuddled close, her back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, his mind drifting back to many nights they’d fallen asleep together, just like this.

After making love.

Once he felt her breathing slow and deepen, he allowed himself to drift. Pog was protectively curled on the end of the bed at their feet.

* * * *

The next morning, Sami awoke alone in Matt’s bed. She pulled on his robe and drifted downstairs. “Is that bacon I smell?”

He smiled. “I know how to get you out of bed.” Matt had cooked a full breakfast. Pog expectantly sat by the stove, hoping something got dropped his way.

“How’d you get him into the kitchen?”

“I walked him and brought him in through the kitchen door. He still won’t go through the doorway.”

She wrapped her arms around Matt, relishing the familiar feel of his body. “How did I end up in your bed?”

He looked at her. “You’re kidding, right?”

She shook her head, taking a slice of toast.

“You don’t remember hearing the footsteps in the attic?”

Her face turned green. She bolted for the sink, retching. He put an arm around her and held her hair out of her face while she bent over the sink.

“Oh, God. I thought it was just a bad dream.”

He handed her a paper towel when she finished. “If it was, we both had it. Pog woke me earlier in the night, and I thought I heard creaks on the stairs and on the second floor. He growled at something. You slept through that one.”

She sat. He handed her a cup of coffee, prepared exactly the way she liked it.

“I don’t know what to do anymore,” she said. “I told him I’d give him one more chance before we came down here.” She shook her head. “I don’t want to do this anymore.”

“Do you want my opinion?” he asked. She nodded. “I say we get to the bottom of this. If you leave now, you’re always going to feel guilty and ask yourself if you did the right thing. You’ll feel bad you left Steve when he needs you.”

Was he really saying this? He wanted to tell her he’d personally pack her things and drive them back to Ohio right that minute, if she’d go with him.

He continued. “You’ve never been a quitter. I think if you leave this hanging, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
That
he believed. He wanted her back, but knew if she gave up without a fight it wouldn’t matter if she divorced Steve because she wouldn’t be able to let go of her guilt for not helping him.

She reached for the toast and tried again. “You’re right,” she said quietly. “I know how this is going to play out, but I need to see it through.”

“That’s settled.” He put a plate before her. “Eat. It’s after eight. We need to visit Boy Genius.”

* * * *

Steve had devoured a bowl of grits. He was watching
The Today Show
. While he still had the IV, there was only one medicine pump instead of two, in addition to the morphine pump.

“Matt!” He grinned. “Hey, I’m sorry I was so out of it yesterday.” Matt leaned in for a one-armed hug, Steve clapping him on the back with his good hand.

He saw Sami, and his face clouded. Remorse, maybe? His eyes looked clear. “Hi, Sami.”

She let him kiss her, and he squeezed her good hand. He gently took her right hand in his and touched the bandage on her wrist, his eyes wet. “Babe, I’m so sorry—”

“Shh, it’s okay. It was the fever, it wasn’t you.” How much did he remember? Matt said Steve appeared coherent. Maybe he was wrong.

“No, it’s not okay. I can’t believe I did that. It’s like someone else was calling the shots.” Matt and Sami exchanged looks over the top of Steve’s head. “I’m wondering if I need to talk to Dr. Raymond about admitting me.”

“What’s this? Is my most famous patient self-diagnosing?” Dr. Raymond walked over to Steve. “Dr. Smith told me what happened.” He glanced at Sami’s arm, then to Matt.

Steve introduced Matt. “This is our friend and agent, Matt Barry, the man who makes the magic numbers appear in my bank account every month.”

“Hey, you do all the work, even if you are goldbricking.”

“I can stop by later—”

“No, that’s okay,” Sami said. “Please, I think Steve needs to talk to you. I’ll take Matt on a tour of the town square.” She leaned over and kissed Steve. “We’ll be back in about an hour.”

“What was that all about?” Matt asked as they left the hospital.

“Steve is obviously in a lot of distress right now. Whether he’s drinking or possessed or going through a midlife crisis, I don’t care. Anything he can do to get himself stabilized is good.” She led the way to the different stores, and they ended up in front of Many Blessings.

“Well, it’s colorful,” Matt snarked as he stared at the sign.

Julie was alone in the store. Sami introduced Matt.

Julie took his hand, looking deep into his eyes while Sami fought a brief wave of jealousy. “My friend and agent, Matthew Barry.”

Julie smiled, still maintaining eye contact with Matt. “You may be her agent, but the two of you are much more than friends.”

Matt and Sami both blushed. Julie laughed. “Guys, the energy flowing between you two—I don’t even read auras, but you’d have to be blind to miss it. Your physical relationship might be in the past, but you still love each other very deeply.” She paused. “Your paths are merging again.”

Sami could tell from the look on Matt’s face that Julie had struck so close to the mark that it nearly freaked him out. She felt his body tense, as if fighting the urge to bolt from the store. “Um, I wanted to ask you about the secret room you said you sensed in Sam’s basement.”

Julie was instantly all business. “I’m sure it’s there, but I don’t know how to get into it.”

“Would you be willing to come back to the house today to try again?”

Sami wondered what he was up to.

“Would I? Are you kidding? I’d love to! What time?”

They agreed on a time and Sami tried to pay for the house blessing. Julie waved her off. “Not on your life. Your money’s no good if it involves that house. I’m just grateful for the chance to check it out.”

“Then will you at least let me pay for two cappuccinos?”

She grinned. “That I’ll let you do.”

* * * *

“What was that about?” Sami whispered so a passing couple couldn’t overhear.

He sipped his cappuccino. “You have to admit, we found a secret room.”

“Not in the basement.”

“I know. I want to see how good she is.”

“I’d say she was pretty damn good.”

He smiled. “One of my sister’s friends ran a fortune-teller booth for a Halloween carnival back in college. Her dad was a bunko detective. He taught her how to do cold readings, and it really spooked people. She showed me how she did it, and when you know how it’s done, it makes a lot of sense. It’s easier to fool people than you’d think.”

“So you don’t think she’s legit?”

He shook his head. “I didn’t say that. I think she’s dead-on.” He met Sami’s gaze. “I’m saying there’s more than one explanation sometimes, and it’s possible for all those explanations to be at least partially right.”

Dr. Raymond was finishing his session with Steve when they returned. “Mrs. Corey, can I speak to you for a few minutes? Alone.”

She nodded. Dr. Raymond found a vacant consultation room near the pastoral office and closed the door.

“Steve’s in a very fragile emotional state right now.”

“That sounds like something you’d hear in a movie.”

“I know it does, and I hate clichés as much as anyone. He’s convinced he’s losing his mind.”

“Is he?”

“I don’t think so. I think he knows he’s made some bad decisions, and I think he needs to get back on track with his recovery, but I don’t think he’s crazy.”

Sami resisted the urge to tell him the full story, knowing the doctor wouldn’t believe her. Instead, “He told me last night he doesn’t want to have kids.”

Raymond nodded. “He said I could tell you what we talked about this morning. It’s something he’s struggled with, what caused him to act the way he has the past several months. He’s worried he’ll lose you.”

“He’s got that right. I don’t like being lied to. He was all for having kids when we first got married.”

“Is that important to you?”

Sami considered it. Honestly, she didn’t know anymore, not after all that had happened. “What’s important is I need a husband who’s completely honest, who I don’t have to worry whether he’s having a bad day or he’s been out drinking. Is that too much to ask?”

“Why are you concerned he might be drinking again?”

Sami hesitated. “Last night, Matt and I found a hidden stash of whiskey at the house.” Okay, not the whole truth, but not a lie either.

Raymond sat back. “Oh.”

“Yes, oh. I think it’s possible the second round of blood tests were the wrong ones, and that he
was
drunk the other day.” Okay, she didn’t believe that, but the shrink didn’t have to know.

Yeah, try to explain that.
Hey, Doc, you’ll love this. I think a drunk, psychotic ghost has possessed my husband.
Riiiiight.

The doctor was quiet for a moment. “This puts a whole new spin on it.”

“Yes. I know you’re his doctor, but I’m his wife. I don’t want you telling him what I said, either. I want to give him a chance to come clean and be honest with me. If he can do that”—she hesitated—“maybe I can learn to trust him again.”

“If he’s drinking again, it would explain a lot.”

She nodded. “I don’t think he needs inpatient treatment. Not yet, at least. I think he needs to learn to quit running and confront his problems head-on. If he’s lying to you about not drinking, he hasn’t hit bottom yet.”

Yes, those years of Al-anon meetings paid off. She remembered the catchphrases. She wanted Steve at home, not in a psych ward. Whatever was going on, there was nothing the doctors could do for him that she couldn’t do at the house. She still didn’t believe he was drinking, but if she could convince the shrink, it would buy some time for her to help Steve. Probably not in time to save their marriage, but she might be able to save his life.

She realized she was finally admitting there was something supernatural at the root of all of this.

Dr. Raymond walked her back to Steve’s room. Matt and Steve were engaged in quiet discussion when they returned.

“Steve,” Dr. Raymond said, “I’ve talked things over with your wife, and we’re in agreement. She wants you home, and then the two of you can decide what happens. You’ve had several harsh days, and no real time to relax and enjoy your new home. We’ll continue our sessions at my office. It would probably be a good idea for you to attend meetings.”

Steve wiped his eyes and reached for Sami’s hand. “Okay. Thank you.”

Dr. Raymond left, and Steve regained his composure. “Sami, why don’t you take Matt to Tampa? Get him a rental. It’s the least we can do.”

“We just got here.” And Julie was due at the house at four.

“I know, but I’m stuck here until at least tomorrow. There’s no reason for both of us to go stir-crazy in this place.”

This was unexpected. “But I’ve got an…exterminator coming at four. I have to be there.” Okay, so Julie sort of was an exterminator, but not the normal kind.

“You can make it back by then. Drop Matt off and go home.”

She shot Matt a puzzled look, and he shrugged. What the hell was going on? She knew she wouldn’t win. “It’s not how I planned the day, but okay.”

They stayed with Steve for a little longer until he started dozing from the medicine. “Don’t worry about coming back tonight. I’ll be okay. Just call me.”