2 The Ghosts Upstairs

by SUE FINEMAN

“I know. She’s one of my best students, but she’s been preoccupied lately. Now I know why.”

  Several of the parents had come with the kids, which more than made up for the fact that most of the chaperones last night had given up about one in the morning. He thanked them all for coming and asked them to help him maintain control. The kids were a lot more wild today than they were last night.

  At five-thirty, Billy ordered a bunch of pizzas. He had to raid the stash in the safe to pay for it, but it was a one-time deal. He didn’t make enough to do this every year.

  When the pizzas came, Billy said, “Eat up and then go home and do your homework. Prom night is officially over, and you have school tomorrow.”

  The kids groaned and ate their way through more pizzas than Billy had ever seen in one place before. Box after box of pizza disappeared, along with all the soft drinks the kids hadn’t devoured last night.

  An hour later, he and Kayla were left alone with a mess to clean up. Georgia had gone off with Dustin.

  Maybe she wouldn’t come back.

  <>

  Monday morning, after Billy and Georgia went to school, Kayla walked through the house and surveyed the damage. The bathrooms on the main floor were all a mess, especially the one in Georgia’s room. She’d returned last night, in tears because Dustin couldn’t, or wouldn’t, give her the support she so desperately needed.

  Kayla moved all her things to the guest suite upstairs, and then cleaned all the bathrooms except Georgia’s. If the girl was staying here, she’d have to clean up after herself.

  The rental company picked up the tables and chairs that morning, and Kayla hosed the spilled pop off the patio in back. They had four trash cans filled with pizza boxes and other trash from the party, and it had to be taken to the dump, along with the lumpy mattress in the garage. The garbage men might take the trash cans, but they wouldn’t take the mattress.

  It took her most of the day to put the house in order. By the time Billy got home from work, it looked pretty good. “Where’s Georgia?” she asked Billy.

  “She went by her parents’ house to get the rest of her clothes, although from the looks of her, they won’t fit for long. She wanted to go while her father was still at work.”

  “So she’s planning to stay here?”

  “I could send her to my apartment, but I’d rather have her here than over there. Her emotions are so out of control, she shouldn’t be alone right now. Dad and Hannah might take her, but she doesn’t set a very good example for Ginny. That’s probably one reason her parents didn’t want to keep her at home. She has two impressionable younger sisters.”

  “Seems to me it’s a good time for a talk about sex and consequences. But what do I know? I’m an only child and I grew up with my grandmother. I had sex education in school, which answered a lot of questions I would have been embarrassed to ask anyone. Granny mostly talked to me about protecting myself, both my body and my emotions, from boys who didn’t want anything more than to get inside my panties.”

  “Dad talked to me before I started high school, and watching him with Hannah, I knew whatever they had between them was based on love. He loved Maggie at one time, but I doubt he ever loved her as much as he loved Hannah. She puts as much into the relationship as Dad does. Maybe more.”

  Kayla cocked her head. “Did you have sex education in school?”

  “Yes, I did. These kids at the academy should have had it before they became sexually active. Some of the board members and parents believe if kids don’t hear about sex, they won’t do it, but they’re wrong. Whether these kids have the facts or not, they still have the urges, and given the right circumstances, they’ll act on those urges.”

  “You’re preaching to the choir, Billy.”

  The front door opened and closed, and their conversation was over. Georgia was home.

  “Hi, Georgia,” said Kayla. “How was your day?”

  “Fine, until I went home. My mother ragged at me the whole time I was there. She said she was going to fix it so I couldn’t get to my trust fund until I was thirty instead of eighteen.”

  “You have a trust fund?”

  “My aunt set it up for me, so I’d have money for college. My dad doesn’t think a woman needs a college education, but my aunt had a Ph.D. in English. She taught at Purdue until she died last year.”

  “You need legal advice,” said Billy. “When will you be eighteen?”

  “Next month.”

  He gave her Thornton Clapp’s phone number. “Tell them you’re a friend of mine and you need to speak with him right away. He’ll make sure you get your trust fund.”

  She went off to make a phone call, and Kayla hugged Billy. “You’re such a good man, Billy Kane.”

  “That kid needs to go to college, baby or no baby, and I intend to see that she gets there.”

  <>

  Billy’s father brought the dog over that evening. “Ginny fed him tonight. She wants to keep him longer, but I don’t want her to get too attached or we might end up with him for good.”

  Billy smiled. “What? You don’t want a hound?”

  “Not especially, although this one is pretty mellow. Ginny sang to him tonight, and he sang back. I had visions of Mrs. Koontz next door calling 911 to report someone was being murdered at the Kane house.”

  They walked outside by the fountain. “So, how did you survive the party?”

  “Two parties. The kids came back yesterday afternoon for a pool and pizza party. We survived, although we ended up with one of my students here.”

  “Why?”

  “Her parents threw her out because she wouldn’t have an abortion. I don’t know what else to do with her except let her stay here, at least through graduation.”

  “That’s a tough one.” They walked around a little while Buford sniffed out all the new smells in the yard. “Billy, I found John.”

  “Alive?”

  “No. He died two weeks before William died. John is buried in the unmarked grave beside William.”

  “Is that why William killed himself?”

  “I’m not sure he did kill himself. The ME found heroin in his body, enough to kill three men his size, and they assumed he did it to himself. But in looking over the report, there were no other needle marks on him except the one in his arm.”

  “What aren’t you telling me, Dad?”

  “He’d taken sleeping pills a few hours earlier, enough to knock him out. The ME figured he didn’t take enough to kill himself, woke up, and shot the heroin.”

  Billy cocked his head. “Do you buy that?”

  “No. The ME should have sent the report to homicide, because it was clearly murder.”

  Stunned by the news, it took Billy a few seconds to respond. “Eleanor?”

  “I wouldn’t put it past her, but we’ll never know now. They’re all dead.”

  “Did they find the needle?”

  “It was in the trash can. Eleanor claimed the maid had cleaned that morning, while William was sleeping.”

  “He died here in the house?”

  “Apparently he never moved out.”

  Scrubbing his hand over his face, Billy asked, “How did John die?”

  “In an accident at the institution. He fell down a flight of cement stairs.”

  Billy regretted never having a chance to meet his uncle. Knowing how William died brought other feelings, mostly anger. Billy felt cheated he didn’t get to spend more time with him. Eleanor cheated him out of a mother, and then she killed his grandfather.

  He walked back up to the house with his father. Before they went inside, Dad said, “Don’t draw any conclusions, son. We don’t have enough evidence to know if Eleanor killed him.”

  “Don’t we? He probably wanted to bring John home, but you and Maggie were having problems around then, and Maggie was here more than she was at home with us.”

  “True, but that doesn’t mean—”

  “Eleanor didn’t want Maggie to know about John. Hell, she d
idn’t want anyone to know. She was probably relieved when John died. Problem solved. Not that she’d been any kind of mother to him anyway.”

  Dad put his hand on Billy’s shoulder. “Is her ghost still here?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t heard anything out of her in the past few days. Maggie is here. She dressed up for the party Saturday night.”

  “Blue dress with a full skirt?”

  “Yeah.”

  “That’s what she wore to our engagement party. That was the last party she had here before we were married.”

  They walked into the study and sat down together before Dad said, “There’s something else I need to tell you about the family.”

  “Something I don’t want to hear?”

  “Maybe. Do you remember when we moved in with Hannah?”

  “Yeah. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven, living in that big house with a woman who called me her favorite kid.”

  “You remember that?”

  “Yeah, I remember.”

  Dad stood and started to pace, something he did when he was worried about something.

  “What is it, Dad?”

  “Remember Monique?”

  “Hannah’s mother? Yeah, I remember her.”

  “She was also Maggie’s natural mother, but we didn’t know that until the day you turned ten. I was in love with Hannah by then, and after everything I’d been through with Maggie, it almost tore me and Hannah apart.”

  “You’re saying Hannah is my aunt?”

  “That’s right. Hannah and Maggie were half-sisters.”

  “So, what happened to Monique?”

  “Last I heard she was back in prison.”

  “For what?”

  “Attempted murder, same as last time. She’s in her mid-sixties, so I doubt she’ll ever get out. Hannah won’t see her anyway.”

  Dad stopped pacing and faced Billy. “I don’t know how Monique knew William, but she was only fifteen when she had Maggie. Her name was Monica back then. According to Monique, she lived here in the house during her pregnancy. After the baby was born, Eleanor left the hospital with the baby, and Monique left with ten thousand dollars. Eleanor bought Maggie for ten thousand dollars.”

  “Did Monique know I was her grandson?”

  “Not until after she went to prison. Hannah wrote her off after Monique tried to sell the house. She didn’t go to prison for that because another state wanted her for attempted murder for a scam gone bad. The kids don’t know about her, so—”

  “I won’t say anything. From what I remember about Monique, she isn’t the kind of person I’d want the kids to associate with.”

  Dad paced to the door and back. “Hannah didn’t want me to tell you. She’s afraid you’ll hate her like you hate Maggie.”

  “I don’t hate Hannah. I’m not even sure I hate Maggie. Eleanor brainwashed her into being the way she was.”

  “That’s a good way to put it.”

  Kayla came in. “Do y’all want something to drink?”

  “No thanks,” said Dad. “I left Buford out back.”

  She smiled. “I know. He came begging for a treat and a scratch behind the ears.”

  Kayla disappeared, and Billy tried to digest everything his father had told him. John died in an accident, Eleanor murdered William, and his natural grandmother was a woman he couldn’t stand to be around. It was a lot to absorb in one evening.

  “I didn’t mean to dump that on you all at once.”

  “It’s okay, Dad. I know William didn’t kill himself, and I’m sorry about John. He deserved better from his mother.”

  “Yes, he did, and you deserved better from Maggie.”

  “She couldn’t help being like she was, Dad. Eleanor took an innocent baby and molded her into the kind of person she wanted her to be.”

  “As parents, we all do that.”

  “Maybe, but good parents teach their kids the skills they need to become independent people. They show them how to love and encourage them to be what they want to be. Hannah didn’t have that kind of mother, but in spite of the way she grew up, she turned out to be a good person. She’s nothing like Monique or Maggie.”

  “Hannah had her father and grandparents when she was a young girl, so she had a good foundation. Maggie didn’t. William worked and traveled a lot back then. Eleanor was the only parent at home. She controlled Maggie’s life.”

  Billy nodded. Knowing this didn’t make him feel any different about Hannah. It didn’t matter who she was related to, she was a gentle, loving mother who helped guide him in the right direction in life. And Dad had always been there for him. “Thanks, Dad.”

  “For what?”

  “For being who you are, and for marrying Hannah.”

  Dad hugged him and left.

  Billy felt drained. He didn’t expect John to be alive, but hearing about how William died had left an ache that wouldn’t go away until he learned the truth. Had William put his affairs in order because he intended to kill himself or because he knew Eleanor would kill him?

  Chapter Fifteen

  The next morning, Kayla bought paint, light cotton curtains, and a new comforter for the rooms she and Billy were sharing upstairs. As soon as she got home, she changed into her painting clothes and went to work. The paint was a soft, neutral, brownish color called mushroom. As she rolled it on the wall, the details of the white woodwork popped out and the room was transformed with a richness and depth it didn’t have before.

  She hurried to finish painting the bedroom before Billy got home. The sitting room and bathroom would have to wait until tomorrow. She wanted the paint to dry and the room to air out before they went to bed tonight.

  She’d just finished painting the bedroom and putting the lid on the paint can when Billy called from downstairs. “Kayla, where are you?”

  “In the bedroom. I’ll be right down.” She glanced at the clock beside the bed and realized it was five o’clock already. After giving the room a last look, she washed up and went downstairs.

  Billy was unpacking grocery bags in the kitchen, and a big bouquet of pink roses sat on the counter. “Oh, what beautiful flowers.”

  He dipped his head and kissed her. “For my prom date.” He’d bought some for Hannah, too. Her card read For my favorite mom. Love, Billy. He wanted Hannah to know it didn’t matter if she was Maggie’s sister. He loved her anyway.

  He wiped at Kayla’s cheek. “How did you get mud on your cheek?”

  “It’s paint, and I hope it doesn’t look like mud.”

  “Which room?”

  “Our bedroom upstairs.”

  Pulling off his tie, Billy took the stairs two at a time. He thought that color would be ugly on the walls, but it looked good. The breeze from the open windows fluttered the new white curtains. She’d rearranged the furniture, too, and where did she get the oriental rugs? Were they the ones from the living room?

  Downstairs, he helped Kayla put the groceries away, and while she made dinner, he carried his clothes and personal items up from the study. No sense sleeping down there when Kayla was upstairs. He’d grown accustomed to snuggling up to her warm body at night and burying himself inside her in the coolness of early morning. He loved the way her hair smelled and the way it brushed his shoulder when they made love. He loved nearly everything about her.

  He’d always pictured himself with a professional woman and at least four kids, but Kayla didn’t have a college degree, and she couldn’t have his babies. Seeing Georgia’s swollen belly reminded him of that. It probably reminded Kayla, too. Her ex-husband would soon be a father, her best friend was expecting, and Georgia would have a baby before long. Kayla acted like it didn’t matter, but he knew it did matter to her. It mattered to him, too. He was falling hard, but he couldn’t have the life he’d planned with this woman. If they married, they couldn’t have a little girl with curly red hair and brown eyes or a little boy who looked like him.

  She wouldn’t stay with him anyway. No woman stayed
with him for long, and Kayla had plans to return to Memphis as soon as she got her inheritance. She should have it soon.

  What would he do without her?

  As they sat down to eat, Billy turned to Georgia. “Did you see Thornton Clapp today?”

  “Yeah. He said I shouldn’t have a problem getting to my trust fund. My parents didn’t set it up, my aunt did, so my parents won’t have any control over the money.”

  “They’re not trustees of the fund, or whatever they call it?” said Kayla.

  “No, my aunt’s attorney has control. I think my aunt set it up that way on purpose. She’s never liked my dad, and I don’t think she trusted him or my mother.”

  Billy silently thanked God for giving him a great family. Dad and Pop had always encouraged him to pursue his dreams, and when Hannah came along, she did, too. He wasn’t sure what Georgia’s parents expected of their oldest daughter, but in spite of the pregnancy, they should be extremely proud of her. She was a great kid, and she’d be a good doctor someday.

  After dinner, while Georgia cleaned up the kitchen and studied for final exams, Billy and Kayla sat in the secret room watching William’s videotapes. There were several tapes labeled Eleanor, and they started with the oldest one.

  The first tape had no sound, and the quality was so poor it was hard to watch. Billy fast forwarded through most of it. The second was much the same, and it included pictures of their honeymoon. She looked young and happy and carefree. Toward the end of the tape, she was pregnant and glowing.

  “It’s hard to picture her this way,” said Billy. “I’ve only seen the narrow-minded, thin-lipped, angry woman.”

  “She didn’t start out that way.”

  “Apparently not, or William wouldn’t have married her.”

  In the third tape, Eleanor’s entire demeanor had changed. Her smile was gone, and she was no longer pregnant. Eleanor looked sad, and she didn’t seem to care that the camera was on her. Her happiness had disappeared with the birth of her son.

  Kayla tucked a leg under her. “I wonder if that’s all disappointment, or if she had post-partum depression. She seems like a different person.”

  “Disappointment I can understand. I can even understand depression. What I can’t understand is why she shunned one child and smothered the other one. Didn’t she understand they both needed her?”