The Ghosts of Oakleigh House (Gulf Coast Paranormal Book 13)

by M. L. Bullock

  “You won’t be the first silly girl he’s toyed with,” Agnes sniffed and wiped her nose with a dingy handkerchief. She had a chronic runny nose the entire time I’d known her. She hated Mobile, complained frequently about the moss that hung from the live oak trees around Oakleigh. She was convinced that the moss was making her sick and she hated the constant smell of cattle. The Levert family didn’t grow cotton; cattle was their mainstay, their chief source of income and cattle work provided for a great many people around here and Agnes despised it. And she despised me. After she finished rubbing her nose she said again, “Silly girl.”

  “I’m no girl,” I answered stupidly, the blood draining from my face and hands from embarrassment.

  Agnes narrowed her eyes at me and smiled coldly, “More's the pity for you then. Jamie likes young triumphs. Perhaps I needn’t worry about his reputation after all. You are too plain and unintelligent to interest my brother. No doubt I have it all wrong. Even Jamie has his standards and he would never take up with a housemaid. Excuse me, Minnie. I will leave you to your task.” She cast those same narrow eyes in the baby’s direction.

  Feeling out of sorts I tried to be friendly. It seemed like the thing to do. “Wouldn’t you like to hold him before you leave? I am sure he would like that, Miss Agnes.” With a snort of derision, she vacated the nursery and stomped down the backstairs. I could not understand her lack of love for her own blood kin, but Elevated People were different. Swanzy's words had never been truer. Her words shook me to the core, but I would never believe that there was any truth to her words. Yes, Elevated People could be cruel, to say the least, but that did not stop me from dreaming about a different future, one with Jamie. Of becoming one of them.

  You’re a fool, Minnie Lee.

  That’s what I told myself as I sang to the baby. He’d grown bored with his lamb, and though his eyes were droopy, he did not want to surrender.

  “Go to sleep, Siggy. Off to dreamland, little one.” In a softer, soothing tone I sang Mary Had a Little Lamb which was really one of the only songs I knew. Soon the baby’s eyes were closed and he gave up his struggle. I breathed a sigh of relief and allowed the bassinet to cease rocking slowly.

  “You can tame a lion, Minnie.” I tried not to smile too big at Jamie who lingered in the doorway, his dark cloak hanging behind him. He appeared to have been caught in the rain at some point for his dark hair was wet and his white shirt nearly see-through. His black boots were shiny and slick looking.

  Funny, I hadn’t noticed it raining at all. How had he gotten so wet?

  I rose from the stool and put my finger to my lips to caution him to be quiet. Following him outside I replied, “You should not be here, Mr. Everett. This is no place for a grown man.”

  “What happened to Jamie? No one knows I am here. Come with me, Minnie. I have to talk to you. I have to tell you a secret. It’s very important that I have your trust.”

  “What secret? I can’t leave the baby,” I whispered even as I reached for the door and quietly closed it. Jamie had already disappeared down the narrow stairs. I hurried after him, my shoes making too much noise on the staircase. “Jamie?” As soon as I turned the first corner I felt panicked. Had he left?

  But then he was there again. So close, so very close. I thought he would kiss me but he watched me like he wasn’t sure quite what he wanted to do with me. I couldn’t meet his gaze for very long. I heard his soft chuckle, he was amused by me and that worried me.

  “What’s the secret?” I asked shyly.

  “I will tell you soon but first, let’s play a game, Minnie. You like games, don’t you?”

  Denying such a notion I replied, “I cannot leave the baby alone. What if Agnes returns and I am gone? Or your stepmother? She’ll not be happy with me.”

  He stroked my cheek with his thumb and I looked up at him again. His skin was so cold as if he’d been in the ice house. There was no hint of a joke, not that Jamie was one for joking much although he was often jolly and also sometimes moody and dark. But here was my opportunity to befriend him in a deeper way. I could feel that. Agnes’ warning passed through my mind but only momentarily. Jamie would never toy with me, as she put it, and neither would I allow such a thing. I was a respectable girl; I wanted to move up and become an Elevated Person like the Leverts and the Everetts, but even I had my pride. I was not such a fool to surrender my one possession, my chastity.

  “What kind of game?” I asked suspiciously as I slipped out from under his grip and walked quietly down the stairs. The house was quiet tonight, most everyone had gathered outside on the patio. There was a party going on, one of the Everett girl’s birthday celebrations. There were only a few guests tonight, besides the Everett family, but inside the house was eerily quiet.

  “Let’s play Hide and Seek,” he said as he walked behind me into the small room off the first landing. It was merely a storage area so there were no beds or chairs inside. Only boxes, again, mostly the Everett family’s property.

  “We are not children, Jamie. Tell me the secret.”

  He ignored my question as his cold thumb rubbed my lips. “Aren’t we children? What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of me?”

  “No,” I lied.

  I am afraid of myself. Afraid that Agnes is correct.

  Suddenly his hand was gone and he was staring down at me. “I will do the hiding and you do the seeking. Do not be afraid of me, Minnie. I would hate it if you were afraid of me.”

  I felt frustrated, “I am not afraid, but I cannot leave the baby to play hide and seek. What do you want from me, Jamie? What do you really want? If you’re trying to amuse yourself with me you are wasting your time. I’m not going to be your toy, Jamie Everett.”

  Jamie’s dark eyes betrayed his hurt, “I had no thought of doing such a thing, Minnie. I can see you’ve been listening to my sister. She really doesn’t like you, but I like you very much.”

  “Very much?” I asked as he stepped back. I felt desperate suddenly. I had to know more and he was threatening to leave. Did he really care?

  “If you can find me, I’ll show you how much I care. Come on, Minnie. Be a good sport.”

  “I can’t leave Sigmund.”

  Suddenly he was back, so close I could feel the chill on his skin again. Jamie kissed me, softly. Sweetly. Hopefully. He whispered in my ear, “Find me, Minnie.”

  His kiss took my breath away. I had never been kissed before. I had dreamed of this moment, hoped for it and now it was here. He was not there long. I opened my eyes to find he’d slipped out of the room. I meant it when I said I could not leave the baby but I went in search of Jamie but I would stay close to the nursery. I would search the top floor only. Jamie had come up here for sure, at least I think so. I’d kept my eyes closed when he exited the room and surprisingly enough his normally heavy footfalls were silent.

  I climbed back up the stairs and wandered down the hall hoping that I would not run into Agnes again. I needn’t have worried, there was a party going on downstairs. A loud, musical party and there were more guests arriving. The baby would wake up soon; the noise would cause him to stir. He was a light sleeper, that one. I had become a light sleeper too, mostly because I could not allow the baby to cry for very long without getting smacked by Altima. To think, a woman my age had a baby had no thought for it. And if the rumors were true, she was expecting another one.

  But maybe Jamie and I…You are a fool to think so, Minnie. Such a fool.

  I whispered his name a few times, but Jamie did not appear. All the doors were closed and I didn’t dare open any of them. Opal, another housemaid appeared in the hallway with a wad of dirty sheets in her hands.

  “What do you want?” she asked coldly. Opal was one of those who hadn’t been pleased by my coming up. Not pleased at all.

  “I am looking for Jamie. Have you seen him?”

  “Jamie? Do you mean Mr. Everett? I think you should go back to your charge, Minnie Lee. You have no business poking around the family
rooms. Go back where you belong—the nursery. You haven’t risen this high.”

  “Ja—Mr. Everett asked me to come up here. Have you seen him?”

  Opal’s squinty eyes blinked at me, she clutched the sheets tighter. Was that blood? What was I looking at? “Move out of my way, Minnie,” she said as she pushed past me. I watched her disappear down the hall, take a right turn toward the nursery and stomp down the servants’ staircase. I continued to search for Jamie, but he wasn’t anywhere to be found.

  Hide and seek. What a fool I am to play games with Jamie Everett. I couldn’t imagine what was on Jamie’s mind, or why he would want to do this. Perhaps I should look in on Siggy.

  It was getting loud downstairs and Siggy would certainly wake up soon. I hurried back down the hall to listen at the nursery door, but the door was already open.

  I went inside and tiptoed to the bassinet, but even from the doorway, I could tell something was wrong. The baby’s blanket was hanging off the side of the small crib, and that gave me an unsettled feeling.

  This was not how I left the infant.

  “Siggy?” I whispered expecting to see the baby lying there wide-eyed and staring at me, but he was not there. He wasn’t in the bassinet at all. I checked the floor beneath the bassinet and all around the room. I smothered a sob, but I could not reason this out. The baby never crawled out of his bassinet before. It was impossible. He was a lazy little thing.

  But the baby was gone.

  Siggy had vanished completely and I was undone.

  Chapter Six--Midas

  “Are you sure you don’t want to go to Urgent Care, Cassidy? I can’t help but be worried about you. If you’re vomiting, that can be dangerous.”

  She answered patiently, “No offense, but I’m too sick to argue Midas. I promise I’ll go to Urgent Care if I think I need to, but I’m sure it’s just a bug. I just need a little time to get over it. I hate that I’m missing tonight. I keep trying to sketch but I can’t get it together, except for what I showed you--the lady in the black dress. You guys stay safe out there, okay?” After a moment she added hurriedly, “You know what I mean. I don’t mean that you won’t be.”

  Cassidy was worried that her comments would remind me of Jocelyn’s death. But she didn’t need to remind me of Jocelyn Graves. I thought about my late friend every day, Cassidy’s comment wasn’t meant to be an accusation. My inner voice warned me that Cassidy was holding back, but I wasn’t one to push her into talking. She’d tell me what she wanted me to know when she wanted me to know it. I understood the need for privacy, although she frequently scolded me for keeping my feelings inside.

  “We will. I’ll keep you posted. Text me if you change your mind and need a ride.”

  “I want you focused on the investigation. Not me, Midas. I’m fine, but I need to go lie down. Talk to you later.”

  She hung up the phone and I pulled into the driveway of Oakleigh house. I’d made the drive by myself; the rest of the team rode in Joshua’s vehicle. Nobody asked why. I assumed they all knew why. I had to get my head together. I needed to get it together. Not think about Jocelyn’s scream as she fell off the roof. Not see her terrified eyes.

  Breathe in, breathe out. The team had assembled on the front lawn and waited for me. Lucy had given me the key to the front door, but it looked like she’d stopped by for moral support too. She was tapping on the SUV window now.

  “Hey, Midas. I am so happy you guys could do this tonight. We’ve got donors coming in a few days. I might have failed to mention that earlier.”

  “No, you told me. We’ll be in and out in a few days. We do most of our investigations at night, which works out since you do day tours here.” I got out of the car and hugged her. Thankfully, I didn’t feel those old twinges of desire.

  My mind went to Cassidy again. She was never sick, but certainly under the weather tonight…I hoped she was being honest with me.

  “Do you mind if I sit in? I won’t be in the way, I promise,” she asked as we joined the rest of the Gulf Coast Paranormal team.

  Sierra clearly wasn’t happy about that request. “If you don’t mind, guys, I’d like to walk the house by myself. The less I know the better. Sometimes I pick up things that help us with the investigation.”

  “Oh, sure. As I said, I don’t want to be in the way. I’m actually not sure I could stay up all night, but I wanted to see if you need anything. I also forgot to tell you that the breaker box is in the closet off the kitchen. Once in a while, the electricity gets sketchy and breakers flip off. I’ve had an electrician check it out, but there’s nothing wrong. They don’t have an explanation for that.” Lucy rubbed her arms like she was cold even though it was quite warm outside. Her nervous smile prompted me to comfort her so I touched her shoulder. Sierra frowned as if I was doing something wrong by touching anyone but Cassidy.

  “I don’t mind if you sit in for a while. I promise we’ll completely disclose whatever we find. Please know that you can trust us to use discretion. And as you can see, we didn’t bring the van and we’ve kept our equipment as minimal as possible.”

  Lucy Bailey’s unusual blue eyes watered, “Honestly, Midas, it’s not that I’m worried about any of that. I don’t care what the neighbors might think. Most everyone knows Oakleigh is haunted. Until recently it wasn’t dangerous. I’m just so afraid I can’t help whoever is here. I believe someone needs help but I’m not a sensitive. Not a paranormal investigator. I am a historian and this is my responsibility. I guess I’m being overly protective, but I do trust you. You know that.”

  “Why don’t you join us for the first hour? You can sit in the monitoring area and watch—get a feel for what we’re doing. I thought we’d set up in the gift shop since there aren’t too many reports of activity in there. I would not mind having an extra pair of eyes. Do any of you object?”

  Bruce, Helen, and Joshua welcomed Lucy but Sierra held her peace and offered a weak smile. She was focused on whatever was going on inside Oakleigh House. Helen immediately took up with Lucy and they began chatting about Oakleigh and the Dixie House as we headed indoors and settled into the gift shop. Apparently, the two women weren’t strangers, they had an easy friendship which made sense as both women worked at historic Mobile homes.

  After we brought all the equipment inside the gift shop office we closed the front door and locked it up tight before setting up the cameras. Sierra helped a bit, but she was fidgety and ready to communicate with whoever was hanging around, although she refused to give any details. Tugging on the camera connector, I went to power up the computer when a splash of water hit my face. My hand flew to my cheek and sure enough, it was water. Not sweat, it wasn’t hot enough for that. Water? I glanced around but no one had a drink and everyone was too far away to accidentally spit on me. I looked up at the ceiling for evidence of leaks with no better luck. There was nothing to indicate there was a leak.

  That was strange. Okay, note to self. Water splashed on my face at 9:15 PM.

  Sierra was about to begin her walk and I did not want to contaminate her findings by telling her about this. Just to be sure I surveyed the crew again. No one was drinking anything and there were no sinks or water coolers here in the gift shop. No vent above me that might have condensation drip.

  “Okay, we’re good, Sierra. The cameras in both halls are working great.” Joshua put the headphones around his neck and grinned. He was clearly excited about being here as was Bruce; he donned his artifacts, a period hat, and stopwatch.

  I reached for the IR camera. “I’m going with you Sierra, just to have a backup recording. Everyone else please stay put. You lead the way, Little Sister.”

  She shoved her hands in her fitted black jacket and wasted no time climbing up the stairs. Yep, Sierra Kay had picked up the scent of something paranormal upstairs. I hit the record button and followed behind her.

  That’s when I felt a tiny blast of wind push past me and the brush of lips against my right cheek.

  “What the hel
l?” I said as I rubbed my skin.

  First the water and now this? Did someone just kiss me?

  The contact with the spirit left my skin feeling slightly warm and kind of numb, but the sensation only lasted a few seconds.

  Sierra paused on the stairs and said, “What is it?”

  “That’s the second time I’ve had contact. A drop of water earlier and a kiss on my cheek. Do you see anything? Wait, we better go up here first.” Sierra and I stood on the landing and she took the camera from me to record my face.

  “I don’t see anything. Wait, yeah. A red mark, but that might be from you rubbing it. Let me check the other side of your face.” She scanned me but there wasn’t anything else to see. “You’re sure it felt like a kiss.”

  “Yes, I’m sure but we can’t stop now. Go ahead, Sierra. Sorry I interrupted.” She squeezed my hand and gave me the camera back. I shook it off and followed after her.

  It didn’t take long for her to connect with the dead.

  “Now, I’ve got you. I can see you. Why are you running from me?” Sierra asked someone that I couldn’t see. From experience, I knew it didn’t matter if I could see them or not. Sierra was pretty damn accurate, as far as communicating with the dead went. “Hey, wait,” she said as she hurried down the hall. The second floor was essentially a long hallway with a smaller hallway that led off the left side. Sierra’s footsteps stopped at the junction. Her hands were up and her eyes were shifting back and forth as if she didn’t know which way to go.

  “What is it?” My voice broke and I cleared my throat.

  Someone mocked me with a raspy cough of his or her own. What is it? The hair all over my body rose up like I’d been plugged into an electric socket.

  Sierra spun her upper body around and asked, “Echo?”

  “Not a chance, but let’s try to debunk that. Stay right there. Let’s keep the dynamics the same.” I took a breath and then coughed again. No echo at all. Nothing at all except my breathing and Sierra’s jacket scratching around. It wasn’t like her to wear noisy clothes during an investigation.