2 The Ghosts Upstairs

by SUE FINEMAN

  The officer removed the handcuffs from her bloody wrists. She must have fought like hell.

  “Paramedics are on the way,” said the officer, “and the fire department. If that fire gets out of control…” He shook his head.

  A gunshot sounded nearby and then two more. The officer ran off to help his partner while Billy and Kayla ducked behind the police car.

  Another police car arrived, followed by the paramedics and a fire truck. The paramedics took charge of Kayla, and Billy stood there, feeling numb. As a police officer and detective, his father had dealt with situations like this for most of his life. This one time was more than enough for Billy.

  Flames climbed the tree Kayla had been tied to, lighting up the darkening sky, and Billy knew they’d gotten to her just in time. He glanced over to see her staring at the tree, tears streaming down her face. The paramedic treating her turned her face back to him and peered into her eyes with a light.

  Someone shouted in the dark woods, and Billy looked over to see the officer who’d driven them out here walking toward them. Blood ran from his shoulder and dripped off his fingers. “He shot me.”

  “Where’s Tremont?” an officer asked.

  “In the woods. Dead. I shot him.”

  The paramedics took charge of the wounded officer and another police car pulled up behind the fire engine. Billy expected to see reporters here soon, and he wanted to get Kayla away from here before that happened. She’d been through enough without having microphones shoved in her face.

  After a discussion with the officer in charge, one of the officers drove Kayla and Billy to the motel. Billy was relieved things turned out the way they had. Tremont was dead, the other officer’s shoulder wound wasn’t serious, and Kayla had escaped a horrifying death. Her physical wounds would heal, but Billy didn’t expect the emotional wounds to go away anytime soon. He’d never forget the look of terror in her eyes when she was tied to that tree with the fire creeping closer.

  At least she wouldn’t have to testify against Tremont.

  After a phone call home to warn his parents and Georgia before they saw something on the news, Billy hung the DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door and crawled into bed with Kayla.

  He pulled her close. “I didn’t think it was possible for one person to send thoughts to another person like you did tonight. Have you ever done that before?”

  “Once, when I was a little girl, I got lost in a big department store in Memphis. I sent thoughts to Granny to tell her where I was, and she came and got me.”

  They talked for several minutes before she calmed down enough to fall asleep. She was in his arms, right where she belonged, and Billy intended to keep her there forever. He’d nearly lost her tonight, but he wouldn’t lose her again.

  He’d have to figure out a way to convince her to marry him.

  <>

  Billy and Kayla stayed another day in Memphis, then drove back to Ohio.

  Buford met them at the door, howling in glee and wagging his tail at having Kayla home at last. She dropped to the floor to pet him, and he slurped her across the face. Billy laughed. Even though he didn’t want to live in this monstrosity of a house, it felt good to be home and even better to have Kayla here with him.

  A woman with bright red hair walked down the hallway toward them. Kayla looked up and whispered, “Mama?”

  “You got a hug for your mama or you gonna sit on the floor with that ole hound dog all day?”

  Kayla jumped up and hugged her mother. “I’m so glad to see you, Mama. This is Billy Kane. Billy, this is my mama, Louise Ainsworth.”

  She shook Billy’s hand. “They call me Lulu, Billy. Nice to meet you. I hope you don’t mind me inviting myself for a visit. I was gonna come around Christmas, but after I saw the piece on CNN about what happened in Memphis, I didn’t want to wait.”

  Lulu held Kayla’s arms out and looked her up and down. “Are you okay?”

  “I am now. When did you get here?”

  “About an hour ago. Billy’s daddy picked me up from the airport and carried in my suitcases. He said you’d tell me which room to stay in. Georgia showed me around. I’ve seen plenty of big houses, but none this size. It’s as big as a hotel.”

  Kayla turned to Billy. “She can stay in the rooms downstairs and I’ll move upstairs with you. Okay?”

  He smiled. “Better than okay.”

  Georgia came downstairs carrying Jonny.

  Lulu brushed the baby’s cheek with the back of her finger. “Such a pretty baby. I was only sixteen when I had Kayla. I don’t know what I would have done without my mama’s help. I married Kayla’s daddy, but he wasn’t around much and he wasn’t no help at all with the baby. Then he went off and got himself killed in some stupid accident.”

  Billy wondered why she didn’t hang around and take care of her baby, but he didn’t want to ask and embarrass Kayla. This was her mother, and although they had a strange relationship at best, the woman was still her mother.

  After Billy carried Kayla’s things upstairs to his room, he went out to buy Chinese food for dinner. After their long drive, Kayla was too tired to cook and so was he. When he returned to the house with their dinner, Georgia had the table set in the breakfast room, and Jonny was sleeping in his infant seat.

  As they ate, Lulu asked, “What kind of work do you do, Billy?”

  “I’m a teacher, but in the next few months, I’m going to be busy getting the River Valley Academy straightened out.” He gazed into Kayla’s eyes. “I bought Elizabeth Banning’s share of the academy. What would you think about having boarding students living here after the first of the year?”

  She shook her head. “Billy, I can’t stay.”

  “Why not? I need your help, honey. I can’t handle that many kids on my own, and somebody has to furnish the bedrooms. I don’t know anyone who could do a better job. Lulu can help you pick out furniture.”

  “Sure. Sounds like fun,” said Lulu.

  An uncomfortable silence settled over the table, and then Georgia cleared her throat. “I was going to wait until tomorrow to tell you. My parents invited me to move back home while I go to college. Mom said she’d baby-sit while I’m in class, and Dad said if I came home, they’d give my car back.” She smiled a little. “He doesn’t think the van is safe enough for me and the baby.”

  Billy’s fork stopped halfway to his mouth. “What did you tell them?”

  “I said I would. They’re feeling bad about throwing me out.”

  “You’d better bring that baby by real often,” said Kayla. “We’re gonna miss you so much.”

  Jonny started fussing, and Georgia pushed a pacifier into his mouth. “Thanks for everything you’ve done for me and Jonny. I don’t know what I would have done without you. I’ll never forget your kindness.”

  Billy knew she’d leave one of these days, and he was glad she’d reconciled with her parents. On prom night and for days after, he didn’t want her here, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask her to leave. Now he was glad he’d let her stay. “You know you’re welcome here any time.”

  “I know. I love you guys.”

  Kayla’s eyes filled with tears. “We love you, too, Georgia.”

  Kayla’s mother sat right here at the table, but Billy knew she felt closer to this young girl she didn’t even know until a few months ago.

  “When are you leaving?” Billy asked.

  “My dad is having some work done on the house, expanding the attic rooms and adding a bathroom so I can live up there with Jonny. The work won’t be finished for another month. Is it all right if I stay until then?”

  Billy nodded. “Of course you can stay.”

  Kayla picked up a fussy baby. “Come to Aunt Kayla, sweetie.”

  Seeing her with the baby, Billy wanted more than anything to give her children of her own to love.

  Somehow, he’d find a family for Kayla.

  <>

  Billy reviewed the minutes of the past few meetings of the River Va
lley Academy Board of Directors. As the biggest investor, Elizabeth Banning had complete control over all the board’s decisions. The others on the board voted against her time after time, but she always prevailed because she owned more of the academy than the other board members. She had essentially run the school her way for the past four years, and enrollment had decreased every one of those years.

  He called a meeting of the board of directors at his home. Mr. Stanton and Mr. Daly gave him hearty handshakes and warm smiles.

  The new principal, Marcus Wilmot, had a Ph.D. in education, but he had a hard edge to him.

  The three men sat in the study with Billy, discussing the changes he wanted to make. “The first item on my agenda is to add Human Sexuality to the curriculum. Any objections?”

  “Not from me,” said Mr. Stanton.

  “Or from me,” Mr. Daly added. “Although I do think there are still some parents who are opposed. What would you think about getting parents’ permission?”

  Billy nodded. “I’ll go along with that. If parents would teach it at home, we wouldn’t have a reason to teach it at the academy, but most don’t. I learned that last summer when a bunch of the younger boys came to the house and asked me to teach them about sex.” Billy smiled, remembering their questions. “I’d like to give the kids reasons to say no to sex and the tools to protect themselves if they decide to do it anyway. And most will.”

  “That’s nonsense,” said Dr. Wilmot. “We need to teach abstinence, like the nuns do in Catholic school.”

  Billy looked him in the eye. “What if they have sex anyway? What if she gets pregnant because they don’t know enough to use a condom their first time, like one of my students did last year? Or what if one of our boys sleeps with a neighborhood girl and picks up an STD and passes it to one of our girls? And they pass it on other students. Who’s to blame?”

  “Parents. It’s their job to teach these things to their kids, not ours.”

  “I disagree,” said Mr. Daly. “Teenage pregnancy is a serious problem, and some of the STD’s can kill them. We need to teach our kids how to protect themselves.”

  They took a vote and agreed to offer the class to those students who wanted to take it. The class would replace gym class one day every other week.

  “The second item on my agenda is the boarding students. How many do we have this year?”

  “Six,” said Mr. Stanton. “We had eight last year, but we couldn’t find accommodations for more than six this year.”

  “I can handle up to a couple dozen here in my home, assuming we can find people to help. I’ve offered Kayla the position as housemother, but we’ll need someone to cook and clean. Kayla can’t do everything herself. I want her to be there for the kids, not working all the time.”

  Dr. Wilmot’s eyes narrowed. “Is this the woman from the topless club in Memphis?”

  “This is the woman I love and intend to marry.”

  “Mrs. Banning told me about her.”

  Billy stared him in the eye. “Did Mrs. Banning also tell you her brother-in-law was the one who ripped Kayla’s clothes open to expose her breasts? Did she tell you this same brother-in-law broke into my house and tried to steal the pictures of him being arrested in Memphis?”

  “You’re lying.” Dr. Wilmot stood. “I’ll have no part of this.”

  “Then the board will accept your letter of resignation.”

  Seconds later, Billy heard the front door slam. “If he quits, I won’t have to fire him.”

  Mr. Daly shook his head. “I don’t know where Elizabeth found him, but we don’t need a principal like that at the academy. The kids hate him.”

  “I agree,” said Mr. Stanton.

  “What would you think about inviting Mrs. Packard to come back?” Billy asked. “She understands the kids, and they love her.”

  They both nodded. “If not for Elizabeth, Kathleen would still be principal.” Mr. Stanton said, “We’re glad to have you on the board, Mr. Kane.”

  “Yes, we are,” said Mr. Daly. “Perhaps we should send letters to the parents of our students and inform them of the changes. The families of the boarding students would no doubt like to visit the house.”

  Billy held up his hand. “Whoa. The painting is finished, but we have to buy furniture. I thought we’d put the boys in the attic and the girls in the suites on the second floor. And we’ll need to draw up some rules, like no boys in the girls’ rooms and no girls in the boys’ rooms.”

  They spent several minutes talking about the current boarding students and the students they’d turned down because they had no place to board them. One was from Columbus, another from Springfield, and two others from Dayton.

  Kayla walked in with a tray of cookies and cups of hot chocolate. “I don’t want to interrupt your meeting, but I thought y’all might like a little snack.”

  “Kayla, you’re going to make a wonderful housemother,” said Mr. Stanton.

  Mr. Daly nodded. “She sure is.”

  Billy smiled. She’d make a great wife, too.

  <>

  Two days later, Kayla drove her mother to the airport in Dayton. They sat in the car in front of the terminal, talking.

  “You gonna invite me to the wedding?”

  “I’m not sure I’m going to marry him, Mama.”

  “Why not? Anyone can see he’s crazy in love with you, and I know you love him back.”

  “He wants babies, children of his own, and I can’t—”

  “Nonsense. With all the things they can do nowadays, who’s to say you can’t carry a baby? Besides, there’s lots of kids out there waiting for someone to adopt them. They may not be babies, but they still need someone to love them.”

  “I know.”

  “I never told you this, but after I had you, I had myself fixed so I couldn’t have any more babies. I didn’t want a family; I wanted a career. A few years later, I was struggling to make ends meet when I met the nicest man. We were planning to get married, but he decided he didn’t want me because I didn’t want to be a mother. Billy is different. He loves you and wants to marry you whether you can give him a family or not. You’d be a fool to throw away that kind of love. I wasn’t any kind of a mother, but you are. I’ve seen you with Georgia’s baby, and I’ve watched you give that girl all the love and encouragement she needs to make a good life for herself and her child. In my book, that makes you a special person, someone I could never be. A good mother.”

  “I’m not a mother.”

  “Oh, yes you are. Whether you have kids or not, you were born with the mothering gene, and any kid who comes your way is likely to get a dose of love. Like your Granny and the kids she used to take in. I ’spect you got it from her. I wish I could have been a better mother. I really do. But that gene skipped my generation. In spite of that, I love you bunches, Kayla. I always have.”

  Kayla hugged her. “Thank you, Mama. I love you, too.”

  “Now go on back to your fella and plan a wedding. And don’t forget to invite your mama.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  On a blustery day in late October, Billy drove Kayla to the office of an adoption attorney, Leroy Spellman. Billy wanted to speak with him about the possibility of adopting a baby. He hoped this meeting would help convince Kayla to marry him.

  Mr. Spellman was a small man with a hooked nose that was too big for his narrow face. He greeted them with a warm smile and a handshake and asked them to sit at the round table in his office with him. “What can I do for you today?”

  Billy glanced at Kayla. “We’d like to know if there’s any possibility of us adopting a baby.”

  “How long have you been married?”

  Kayla smiled at Billy. “We’re not married yet, but we will be soon.”

  Momentarily stunned, it took Billy a few seconds to realize what she was saying. She’d not only agreed to marry him, she wanted to do it soon. He wanted to kiss her, but that would have to wait until they left the attorney’s office.

&n
bsp; Kayla turned back to the attorney. “You see, my first husband gave me an STD that caused a lot of scarring and I can’t give Billy the children he wants the old fashioned way.”

  Without so much as blinking, the attorney asked, “You want a baby that looks like you?”

  She glanced at Billy. “Not necessarily, unless that’s what Billy wants.”

  Billy shrugged. Jonny didn’t look like him or Kayla, yet they loved him. “No, the baby doesn’t have to look like us.”

  “Are you limiting yourselves to a baby?”

  “No,” said Billy. “I’m willing to adopt older children. Kayla? What about you?”

  “Sure, I’d take older kids. They need parents just as much as a baby does.”

  The attorney handed them each a questionnaire. “These are to help me know you better.” He asked Billy, “You’re related to the police chief?”

  “Yes, sir. He’s my father. I understand my mother does charity work with your wife. That’s how I got your name.”

  Kayla squirmed in her chair. “Billy was teacher of the year at the River Valley Academy last year, and now he’s on their board of directors. The students there love him.”

  “I know. My nephew is a student at the academy.” He smiled. “He and his friends came to you for sex education last summer. My sister was delighted with the way you taught him what he needed to know without making it sound tawdry or scientific.”

  “That’s good to hear.”

  “About adoption. I prefer to work with married couples who have exhausted every other means of having their own children. Would you be willing to go to a fertility specialist for a complete exam?”

  Kayla and Billy both nodded. “Of course,” she said.

  “See the specialist and then fill out those questionnaires and bring them with you to your next visit. If the specialist can’t help you, I’ll do everything I can to find you a child or children to adopt.”

  Kayla gazed into Billy’s eyes and smiled. “Well, then, I guess we’ll call the specialist and then plan a wedding.”

  Billy shook the attorney’s hand and walked Kayla out to the car. He couldn’t stop grinning. Kayla loved him enough to marry him. He stood by the car, gazing at her pretty face. “When do you want to get married?”