What's a Ghoul to Do? (29 page)

"Annalise, we need to talk," Steven said. "Can we come in?"

Annalise looked a bit taken aback by Steven's tone, but she opened the door wide and we trooped on in. As we entered I felt a familiar knocking sensation on my energy that caught me off guard. It was coming from the end of a hallway located off her living room, and while Steven made the introductions I allowed myself to open up to the energy from the hallway.

I sensed a little boy, full of mischief, with the name Samuel. His energy was so noisy and intrusive that I had no choice but to acknowledge him. "It's nice to meet you, M.J.," Annalise was saying to me.

"Likewise. Uh, I'm sorry to throw this at you, but who is Samuel?"

Annalise blinked at me as her perky mouth turned into an O. "Excuse me?"

"Samuel. He says he plays with your daughter."

Annalise gave Steven a look that questioned my sanity. "She's a medium," Steven explained. "She talks to dead people."

Annalise gasped as she turned back to me. "Oh, my goodness!" she said. "Shanah has been talking about this little boy named Sam who plays with her! I thought it was some child from her school, but every once in a while I'll catch her talking to someone who's not in the room, and she's been claiming it's this little boy."

I nodded. "He says that he used to live down the street. He says that he knew you before, when you were with John?"

Annalise gave another little gasp. "That was my high school boyfriend! And there was a little boy about a block away who was hit by a car, and I think his name was Sam!"

I nodded. "He says his mother is still close by, and she won't let go. He says she blames herself, and it wasn't her fault."

Annalise nodded. "Mrs. Trenton. She lives alone in that house and hardly ever comes outside. I heard that she'd gone inside to answer the phone while Sam was in the front yard, and a moment later he was hit by a car."

"Sam says it's really important that you let her know he was here today and told her to let go of her guilt. He says that he's been staying with Bill or Billy … and Liz or Elizabeth. He says they are taking good care of him, and she shouldn't worry."

"I'll tell her," Annalise said.

"Has this little boy crossed over?" Steven asked.

I smiled that he was becoming so familiar with my lingo. "Yes, he's safely on the other side, but he's worried about his mother, and that keeps him coming back here to check on her. He also likes playing with your daughter, Annalise."

"I have goose bumps," Annalise said, her big blue eyes wide and unblinking as they stared at me. "Is there anything else, M.J.?"

Sam was fading fast from my energy now that I'd gotten the message out. "No. That's all he had to say. He'll be back later to play with Shanah."

At that moment a petite little girl with large eyes behind giant round glasses came down the hallway on tiptoe. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" she said. I watched her as she peeked into a room off the hallway and came forward. I smiled at her, knowing she had a very special playmate.

Seeing us, Shanah stopped for a moment, then moved over to hide behind her mother's legs. "Shanah," Annalise said. "You remember Steven."

Shanah looked up at Steven, then hid her face again behind her mother. "And this is his friend M.J. She just talked to Sam."

Shanah peeked up curiously at me and said, "We're playing hide-and-seek."

I squatted down to be at eye level with her. "I know. He said he had to go home for a bit, but he'd be back later to finish the game."

Shanah nodded and then bolted away from her mother, skipping back down the hallway to her room. We all watched her until she'd disappeared; then Steven asked, "How's her breathing been?"

"Better since the other night. And thank you again for coming over. I know I should have just taken her to the emergency room, but it's twenty-five miles away, and knowing you were close by was a hard thing to pass up."

"Think nothing of it, Anna," Steven said gently. "Now, what was my father doing here this morning?"

Annalise looked taken aback, but recovered quickly. "Honestly, where are my manners?" she said as a diversion. "Come, come. Into the kitchen. I've got fresh coffee." With that she darted past us.

We followed her through an archway and into a tiny kitchen with a small table and three chairs set up against one wall. Annalise busied herself pulling down three cups from the cupboard as she said over her shoulder, "Please have a seat while I pour you a fresh cup."

Steven and I sat and waited while she served us the warm brew. I took a sip; it was delicious. "You make a good cup of coffee," I said.

Annalise took her seat, fully composed again as she replied, "Thank you. I pay a little bit extra for it, but everyone needs an indulgence, right?"

"Are you going to answer my question?" Steven cut in.

Annalise fiddled with the hem of her blouse. "He showed up last night, Steven. What was I supposed to do?"

"Tell him to go to hell," he said bluntly.

Annalise gave him a dark look. "He said he wanted to see Shanah. He said he'd heard she'd been having some health issues lately. Which he probably heard through Andy at the pharmacy running his mouth again, but he wanted to make sure she was okay."

"Why would he care, Annalise?" Steven said meanly.

I watched the two of them in silence, wondering about the history here. It was obvious that there was more to the Annalise and Steven Senior story than I was privy to. "He's changed, Steven."

"Bullshit."

"He says that he wants to be a part of her life. He's willing to step up to the plate and take care of us."

Steven studied her for a long, tense moment, his mouth a thin line of anger mixed with frustration. Then, very quietly, he said, "Annalise, please. Be wise about this man. He will say these things, and then he will leave—just the way he left me and my mother. You will be hurting yourself and Shanah by trusting him."

It was Annalise's turn to get angry. "That's enough," she snapped. "This is none of your business, anyway. I appreciate all you've done for us, Steven, but you're letting your own feelings of resentment for your father color your opinion. I'll decide what's best for Shanah and me."

Steven held her gaze until she was finished. "I just have one question for you," he said quietly. "How can you be sure he's really changed? That this time will be different?"

"I looked into his eyes, Steven; he wasn't lying. He told me it was time he stepped up and took responsibility for Shanah. He's even willing to take a paternity test."

Steven's face darkened, and I found myself a little frightened by the look he was giving the tabletop. After an awkward silence he said, "Come, M.J. It's time to go."

I gave Annalise an apologetic shrug of my shoulders and got up as well. "Thank you for the coffee," I said as I followed him through the kitchen.

"Don't mention it," she said, not turning around.

We made it back to the B and B without further comment. Steven's mood seemed dangerous, and I didn't want to poke the bear, so I let it go. When we got inside I hurried up the stairs to shower, then came down with Doc on my shoulder.

Gilley was seated at the dining room table, sipping coffee, the big pillow he'd used on the couch firmly tucked under him on the chair at the table. "Hey, girlfriend," he said happily.

"Doc wants a berry!" my bird squawked.

"Hey, Gil," I said as I took my seat, and set Doc on the table to nibble at the bowl of blueberries that Helen had set out.

"Where's Dr. Delicious?" Gil asked.

"I don't know," I said, looking around. "Probably upstairs being gloomy."

"Did you shut him out last night?" Gil asked with a grin.

My cheeks flushed as I reached for the plate of pancakes in the middle of the table. "Noooo," I said, stretching the word out. "I saw his father's car parked in front of that waitress's house this morning on my jog, and when I told him about it he insisted on going over there."

"He confronted his father?"

I forked a bit of pancake into my mouth before answering. "No, his father had gone by then. But he did confront the waitress."

"What's the connection?" Gil wanted to know.

"It appears that Steven Senior may have fathered another child."

"The
waitress!"

"The waitress's daughter. The poor little girl is mentally handicapped and suffering from a few other health issues."

"Does she look like Steven Senior?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Mostly she looks like her mom, but there might be a resemblance. You'd have to do a blood test to be sure, but it was pretty clear to me from the conversation that Senior is headed in that direction."

Gilley thought about that for a bit before saying, "So, this would be an heir he could control, someone who would never challenge him. Someone he could lock away in some institution if he wanted to …"

Gilley's voice trailed off, and I paused with the fork halfway to my mouth as I realized Steven Senior could— and probably would—do just that. "Awww, man," I said as I set the fork down. "I hadn't thought of that. You're right. He's got enough money that he could probably get custody of her from her mother. Then he could lock her away for the rest of her life and not worry about her growing up and becoming a pain in the ass."

"Which leaves one little sticking point left," Gilley said.

"Steven Junior."

"Bingo."

I sighed and pushed my plate away. "Which still begs the question of why is this neck of the woods so important to Senior? It's undeveloped forest. What's the attraction?"

"Not sure, M.J.," Gilley said. "But I plan to find out."

"You ready?" we heard from the hallway.

I looked up, and Gilley swiveled in his seat to see Steven standing there. "Where're we off to?" I asked.

"Back to the lodge. I want you to try to make contact with my grandfather again. I need to prove that my father killed him so I can keep him from hurting Annalise and Shanah."

Just then Helen rushed in from the kitchen holding the phone. "Steven!" she said, her voice sharp. "It's your house sitter. He says there's been a break-in at your house!"

Steven took the phone, and Gilley and I listened as he talked for a few minutes in short, clipped sentences like, "When?" and, "Where were you at the time?" and finally, "What was taken?" He ended the call shortly after that, and we looked at him expectantly. "Someone broke into my home last night and made a mess of my bathroom."

"What would they want in your bathroom?" I asked.

"Probably drugs. The thief may have known I'm a doctor."

"How come you're just hearing about it?" I asked, wondering why the intern staying at his house hadn't called him earlier.

"My house sitter worked the midnight shift last night, and when he got home he called my cell phone." I cocked my head sideways, wondering where he was going with this. Steven added, "The one I left in the pool."

I looked at Gilley, who was also struggling to follow along. "Why would you go swimming with your cell phone?"

"It's a long story," I said quickly. "Come on, Steven; we need to get a move on." And I got up, giving Doc a kiss on the top of his head. "Call me if you come up with something, Gil," I said as Steven and I headed to the door.

"Gotcha," he said with a grin. "Good luck, you two."

* * * *

As we headed out to the Aston I saw that elusive gray sedan cruise slowly by the B and B. I tried to glance in the window to see who was behind the wheel, but the windows were tinted and I couldn't get a good look. "What?" I heard Steven ask.

I glanced back at Steven. "Nothing," I said with a shrug, but inside I didn't like the ugly feeling I got when I thought about that car.

Steven and I drove back to the Manse in stony silence. His dark mood of earlier hadn't changed, and I was pretty sure hearing that his house had been broken into for a second time wasn't helping to lighten his frame of mind. Rather than try to talk to him, I allowed him to simmer for a bit.

We arrived at the lodge and Steven coasted his car into a slot near the front door. Once he'd put the car into park he turned to me and offered, "I'm sorry I've been irritated. I'm worried about how things are unwrapping."

"Do you want to call the Cambridge police and follow up with them?" I asked.

"Not right now. I don't think I can keep my temper from going kaboom."

I smiled a little as I opened the car door. "Got it, but just remember I'm one of the good guys, okay?"

"I am noting this," he said, following me up the front stairs to the door. We got inside and listened for any noise that might indicate that Andrew or Maureen was afoot. We heard nothing, and Steven looked to me for the next move.

I nodded and closed my eyes, centering my energy, and then opened that conduit in my brain that could hear what others couldn't.
Andrew?
I called out in my mind.
Maureen?
I waited a few heartbeats, then opened my eyes and motioned to Steven. I had felt the smallest of tugs from the third floor.

Steven and I climbed the staircase in silence, pausing every few steps to listen. As we mounted the second-floor landing we both heard a thump from overhead. "What was that?" Steven whispered.

"I think it's Maureen," I said, and continued to climb. "Come on; she might be willing to talk to me."

We made our way to the third floor and quietly walked down the hallway, ears straining for the slightest sound that might indicate a ghost was afoot. As we approached the bedroom where we'd seen Maureen we heard a much louder thump, followed by a dragging noise. Steven jumped and grabbed my shoulder. "I think there's someone in there," he whispered in my ear.

I nodded and whispered back, "It's Maureen. Come on. She won't hurt you."

We moved slowly into the doorway of the bedroom and looked around. Nothing seemed out of place, but the hair on my arms was standing on end. "It's cold in here," Steven said as he rubbed his arms.

He was right; the temperature felt frigid. We moved farther into the room, waiting and watching. Nothing happened. Finally, I decided to call out to Maureen to try to provoke a reaction. "Maureen?" I said. "We need to talk to you. Please let us know if you're here."