OLD MAN MALONE RETURNS

by Marianne Spitzer

  “When the glue dries, we’ll tie them on our wrists. Its winter and we can wear long sleeves. No one will know they are there. The guys can hide theirs.

  When the glue dried, the girls took turns tying them to each other’s wrists. The guys pushed theirs into their pants pockets.

  “We’re all connected now,” Kellie said.

  Drew looked up at the clock across the room, “It’s almost midnight. We can see the fireworks from the park through the library windows.”

  Hurrying to the library, they cuddled together and waited for midnight. The grandfather clock struck twelve. After bringing in the New Year with a kiss, they watched the fireworks. Kellie hoped Drew would feel how much she loved him.

  The figure in black groaned in pain. He doubled over and dropped to his cot. Their love made him ill. He screamed, but all they heard was rattling in the walls. He shook his fists and let out another groan.

  Hearing the walls rattle again, Kellie, pushed to her limits, screamed into the air as she had before. “Old man, I don’t care what you try and do, we’ll defeat you. You’ll be gone from my home forever. Do you hear that? My home, not yours. My home.”

  A screech echoed in the walls. Drew’s anger got the better of him, and he tossed a wooden box at the wall, “Shut up old man.”

  His aim was off. Drew hit the large bookcase knocking several books off the shelf.

  “Nice going,” remarked Hunter. He walked over to pick up the books.

  “Hey, look at this.”

  They hurried over to find the box hadn’t only knocked over the books, but hit the wall behind the books. The wall had moved a fraction of an inch. It was enough to see there was a false wall. Hunter and Drew removed a few more books. Drew pushed the false wall to the side and it slid revealing a small door with an oddly shaped keyhole.

  “Open it,” Kellie urged.

  “It’s locked. I don’t have a key. Maybe Austern can open it when he gets home.”

  “I’m not waiting for Austern. We don’t need a key. Get a locksmith.”

  “It’s New Year’s Eve. Lots of people locked out of their cars.”

  “It’s my house. We don’t need a locksmith. Get a screwdriver, a hammer, a drill, or an ax-anything. I want to know what’s in there.”

  “Okay, relax, I’ll be right back.”

  Drew returned with a screwdriver and hammer. He pushed the screwdriver into the lock and hammered it until it loosened. The lock popped away from the wood and Drew pried the door open. Inside he found a leather-bound journal. He handed it to Kellie.

  She shook her head. “If anything is written in it, you read it.”

  The six settled in the library. Drew leaned back in the recliner and opened the journal.

  “There’s no date, just writing.”

  “That’s okay read it anyway. Maybe we’ll learn something,” Kellie said.

  “I think this belonged to the old man. The writing is similar to what we’ve seen before, only a bit shaky. Here goes. I hate reading his stuff.”

  “I can’t believe he sent a letter to the house. He always sent them to the office.”

  “Office?” Cole asked.

  Kellie answered. “Yes, he had a small office downtown. After he died, what few papers he had there were moved here. I’ve gone through them. There was nothing of importance. I think the office might have been a sham. His illegal businesses probably took place elsewhere.”

  Drew continued.

  “He wants more money. The $25,000 I sent to his wife wasn’t enough. He said he will be out of prison soon and he needs money, or he will tell them that I arranged to have Robert, Jr. killed. He said the man who killed Robert, Jr. told him all the details. It must be true. He knows too much. I must get away, but how?”

  Drew said, “The next entry is on the following page, but no date.”

  “I convinced my doctor and the house staff that the arthritis in my spine and hips is bad enough to warrant my use of the wheel chair at all times. Already having the elevator makes it easier to maneuver in the damn thing. I’m glad I had it built when I first needed the chair on and off. Now, I must think of a way to leave town and never return. I am not going to prison for that man’s death. He never should have been born. Life for all would have been better.”

  Drew looked up. “End of page two.”

  “Keep reading, we may find answers to what happened,” urged Kellie.

  “Another letter arrived today demanding money. I must leave and have come up with a plan. I have found a spa out west which claims to help arthritics with pain and movement. Lots of treatments from the earth, massages, and the like. I have made a reservation in my name, but I am not going. I have hired someone to take my place. He has arthritis, too and is all too happy to have a free vacation. Little does he know it will be a short vacation. He will meet with a sad accident, and embalmed by the local undertaker since his body will not be found for several days. The body will be returned with a warning to Walker’s not to open the casket due to the horrid condition of the body, and it’ll be buried in the family plot. Goodbye Frederick Malone. Ha! I will then remove my money from the bank in the Caribbean, and live forever under an assumed name on an island free from the arm of the law.”

  “He was completely crazy. He had some poor unsuspecting elderly man killed so he could run away. We’ll never know who the man was or be able to prove this. Even his body is gone now.” Taylor threw her hands over her face.

  Hunter said, “I’m sure whoever took it did it under the advisement of the old man, and it’s long gone. Burned or dumped in a vat of lye, who knows what he could come up with? The body snatcher may have even been the elderly man’s killer. He’d be happy to get rid of evidence.”

  Kellie shook her head. “Something isn’t right here. If he didn’t die, then he has been around since I inherited the money. He may have gone to the Caribbean, but he has eyes in town. Something brought him back. Maybe the fact that Sandra is getting a bit better. Or someone else knows about his death scheme, wants more money, and the old man came back. I truly think he’s dead now, and he’s the figure in black. One of those so called trusted people who helped him wanted something, he said no, and they killed him. We need to ask my Uncle Mike if any unidentified bodies have been found in the last couple of months within maybe 50 miles of here. There are lots of cabins and country to hide in.”

  “Great idea, but I think it is something more than Sandra. Even if she regained her speech, it has been over ten years. Any half-way decent defense attorney would get the old man off. If someone killed him, I think it had to do with the dead body. Whoever it was that took his body most likely killed him later,” Drew offered.

  “I agree,” said Hunter. “Let’s say a family member found out about the connection with the old man or better yet, the actual killer. What would draw the old man back from the Caribbean faster than his plot broken into and his supposed body stolen? If DNA can’t be used after embalming, they could use x-rays or dental records. The old man and the arthritic man must have differences. Their x-rays could hold the truth. The killer may have stolen the body; black mailed the old man, and killed him, too.”

  Kellie said, “That’s a very plausible scenario. I can’t bug Uncle Mike on the holiday, but I will the day after. We have a mystery, and we’re going to solve it. It’s late. We should call it a night.”

  “I agree,” mumbled Taylor. “I can barely keep my eyes open.”

  Andrea spent the night with Cole in his old room. They had all consumed too much wine during Drew’s reading to be driving. Happiness that they were all together filled the air in the house. Rufus took a liking to Cole and followed him to his bedroom.

  Drew mumbled, “We have a night without the jealous dog to deal with, come on, Kel.” He took her hand and climbed in bed. She smiled and turned out the light as her longing intensified. She reached for him, but he was fast asleep.

  ########

  The figure in black groaned in his secret
place. He hated happiness. He hated joy. What he hated most of all was the white light that surrounded Kellie and her friends. Whenever he saw them in a group, they were covered in a soft, white haze. He knew he couldn’t destroy it. Deflecting it was the answer, but that would be difficult. How could the spirit of a silly young woman hold so much power? He hated love.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Awake before the girls on New Year’s Day, the guys decided to surprise them with a homemade breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs, and pancakes. After nearly an hour preparing everything they needed mixed with laughter and horsing around, Taylor and Andrea wandered into the kitchen. They joined the laughter. The girls poured orange juice to enjoy while watching the guys try and cook.

  Kellie was asleep. The figure in black smiled. She was at her weakest. Not only was she alone, but sleep dulled her senses.

  “The food is nearly ready. I should wake Kellie,” Drew said.

  Drew suddenly felt the urge to get to Kellie. Bounding up the stairs to their room, he found Kellie in the throes of a nightmare. She had her face buried in her pillow and was flailing her arms and legs. Drew didn’t think he should wake someone when sleeping, but this was different. He pulled her off the pillow into a sitting position. Kellie was gasping for air, her eyes were red from tears, and the fabric folds from the pillow case were pressed into her face.

  “Wow, when you have a nightmare you really get into it. Were you trying to burrow your way out of somewhere?” Drew stood back and furrowed his brow.

  “I wasn’t asleep.” Kellie rubbed her face.

  “Yes, you were, I saw you kicking and moaning.” Drew insisted. “I’m not blind.”

  “I was awake. Someone was pushing my face into the pillow.” Kellie whimpered, tears in her eyes. “I felt a hand on the back of my head and my back. I was being held down and smothered.”

  “There was no one here, Kel.”

  “Then it was the old man,” she yelled.

  “Does he have that kind of power and strength? I don’t think so. He barely touched Taylor’s shoulders and used a cat to scare her. I don’t think he’s physically as strong as us. He’s mostly mist.”

  “Whatever! Something held me down. You found me. Was it you? No one else is here.”

  “Me? Are you crazy? I told you that you were having a nightmare.”

  “If it wasn’t you, it was him,” she screamed. “He wants me dead and you don’t care.”

  “I don’t know what to say. No one was here. I would’ve seen him.”

  She glared at him and scooted off the bed and headed for the bathroom.

  “Kel, stop.”

  “What now? You don’t believe me. I don’t want to talk to you.” She spun and put her hands up to stop him.

  “Please, I’m sorry. Look! You have to see this.” He grabbed her and pulled her over to the full length mirror. “Can you see the back of your nightgown?”

  She turned, looked, and screamed. Kellie saw a black handprint on her nightgown in the center of her back. Her knees buckled.

  Kellie’s scream echoed through the mansion. Her friends were shocked by what they saw and horrified by her story.

  “I think he could do this because she was alone. We were all together in the kitchen, and yet I knew it was time to come up here and get her for breakfast. I think your bracelets are connecting us, Andrea. However, we’re somewhat vulnerable alone. We need to stay together or in crowds of others like at work or school,” said Drew.

  Taylor said, “From now on we stick together as much as possible.” The girls stayed with Kellie while she showered and the guys waited outside the door.

  When Kellie came back into the bedroom wrapped in a robe, she smiled at her friends. “I think I’ll be okay with Drew in here while I dress.”

  Rufus dropped at her feet.

  “Where were you while the old man was here?”

  He looked up at her with big, sad brown eyes, as if he understood.

  Cole said, “We were feeding him eggs in the kitchen. Sorry. We’ll be right out there in the hall, if you need us.”

  She smiled again.

  The figure in black cursed. He was tired of losing. Pacing back and forth in his dark place, he made plans. He chuckled, “Maybe I need to get rid of the men first.”

  ########

  Kellie dressed quickly and opened her bedroom door to find her four friends sitting on the floor outside the door. “I couldn’t ask for better friends.” Tears ran down her cheeks, and Taylor jumped up to hug her followed by Andrea. Cole and Hunter waited their turns. Rufus jumped in circles and barked. The six went down to breakfast together. Drew and the guys finished cooking, and the girls sat at the dining room table holding hands. No one was sure what to say. When all the food was on the table, the guys joined them.

  Kellie said, “We have to talk about something. This is the first day of the year. Mom used to say what you do the first day will last all year. For me, that means while we may have to discuss the old man, we’re also going to laugh and be happy. If we let what happened this morning ruin our day, it’ll affect us all year. I, for one, don’t want to deal with him for that long!”

  They laughed, agreed to try to ignore the old man, and enjoyed breakfast. Andrea leaned her head on Cole’s shoulder, looked up at him, and said, “You did it again, didn’t you?”

  “Did what?” His sly smile gave him away.

  “I taste the touch of cinnamon you put in the eggs.”

  “Is that what I taste?” asked Taylor. “I like it.”

  “Mmmm, me, too” mumbled Drew as he continued eating.

  “Cole loves to experiment with cooking. It usually turns out good, and I don’t have to cook. He really enjoys it.” She smiled at Cole melting his heart.

  “It isn’t anything special, a pinch of love in each bite.”

  The figure in black groaned in his dark place.

  Hunter said, “Cole, you’re a sap.”

  “I love it, “added Andrea.

  That’s all Cole needed to hear. He smiled from ear to ear and hugged her.

  Drew groaned that he had eaten too much. Hunter laughed, but agreed. Cole pushed his plate away with food left on it. Kellie laughed, “Looks like we’ve all had enough to eat. Maybe we should talk a little about what happened.”

  “This isn’t something I can tell my Uncle Mike, ask the security guards, or check on the video footage. Even if I could, we don’t have a camera in our bedroom. I put my foot down on that idea. So if we can’t see him, what do we do?”

  Hunter offered, “Every time we’ve seen him, we’ve been together. This morning you were alone, and the attack stopped when Drew came in the room, but a hand print was left behind. His hand on your back might have been the last part of him to leave. He didn’t leave fast enough, and you found his hand print.”

  “You may have something there, “Drew said.

  Kellie shuddered and leaned against Drew. “He’s right.” Tears formed in her eyes. “The old man wants me dead, but I don’t know why.”

  Cole snapped his fingers, “I think I know why. He planned on living his life quietly on some island and possibly find a way to get to the money you inherited, especially the money in European and off shore accounts or funds that are invested. I remember you telling me that Mr. Roylind suggested you leave those accounts untouched. You messed up that plan when you shared your inheritance with Kyle. The accounts were liquidated, and now are in your and Kyle’s names. If you, Drew, Kyle, and Becky die along with Sandra there would be no one to inherit the money. He could come out of hiding long enough to inherit as your and Kyle’s only living relative. He could feign amnesia. He’s sly and crazy enough. Now as a spirit, he’s angry he’s dead. He probably blames everyone, and is after all of us which is why you were attacked, Sandra’s apartment building caught fire, and Kyle’s animals were poisoned.”

  “Of course,” said Kellie, “Only the old man as a spirit could do all of this and know everything. He knew about t
he baby, and that’s why he scared me knowing I would fall, or maybe he turned invisible and pushed me. He killed my baby. I have never hated anyone more than I hate that ugly old man.”

  The figure in black laughed in his dark place. He was getting to them. Even if they knew his plan when he was alive, they had no idea what he planned now. Death gave him the freedom and ability to do as he pleased.

  “What about the security guard that was killed? Who used the Taser on the other two guards? Also, who dug up the grave and killed Ken Spencer?” Taylor asked.

  “Good question,” Drew said, “But I think Cole is right. Whoever dug up the body did it before the old man died. Then I think they argued with the old man and killed him like we thought earlier. There’s a conspiracy going on here. Maybe whoever attacked the guards wanted to break in the house to look for money or valuables? With the old man dead, their income source may have dried up.”

  The guys were watching football, and the girls were sitting in the parlor discussing Andrea’s wedding. Andrea’s mom insisted they would be married in their church. She had also decided on the Floral Hall, in the local museum, for the reception. It was a lovely, large room where each wall was adorned by floral paintings from centuries past. Cole’s mom had readily agreed. Now they needed to tackle the choice of a date that would suit everyone. The girls started a list of what each needed to do to help Andrea with her wedding plans.

  Drew’s cell rang. He answered, said a few short words, and made a promise.

  “C’mon guys, we need to talk to the girls.”

  They followed him into the parlor. “We need to talk,” Drew said emphatically.

  Kellie bit her lip in anticipation of what Drew had to say. Hunter leaned forward, Taylor at his side. Andrea cuddled on the loveseat with Cole.

  “Your Uncle Mike called, Kellie. He checked around for suspicious deaths the way you had asked. About 25 miles north of here, two bodies were found burned beyond recognition. They haven’t been able to identify either body aside from they are both males, one approximately in his forties and the other his eighties. Both were burned at the same time. He said the medical examiner isn’t sure of date of death, but he’s fairly certain it was after the old man’s grave was opened.” Kellie rubbed her hands up and down her arms as she stared at Drew.