OLD MAN MALONE RETURNS

by Marianne Spitzer

  “Mother?” Kellie said her voice soft and caring. Her eyes filled with love for the misty figure in the room.

  The spirit turned to face Kellie. She smiled at her, and then faded into the air.

  Andrea rushed to Cole’s side. Hunter ran to get a towel to try and slow the bleeding. Kellie called 911. The paramedics arrived quickly and took over. Drew tried to calm Andrea. Taylor stood against the wall trembling. Memories flooded back of her encounter with the figure in black. Rufus pressed up against her nudging her hand with his head. She dropped to the floor and hugged his neck while she watched the paramedics help Cole. Hunter sat at her side.

  One of the paramedics asked, “What caused this injury?”

  Austern, always helpful, offered, “A 1700 era ‘Royal Company of Archers Sword.’”

  The paramedic raised an eyebrow and asked, “How did this injury occur?”

  Drew twisting his lip said, “It fell off the wall.”

  “Tell it to the cops. He’s stable now, and we have to move him.” They carried Cole to the paramedic van, and Hunter drove Andrea to the hospital.

  Drew said, “Really Austern, a 1700 era sword?”

  Austern standing tall and proud said, “Well, the man asked, and they’ll figure it out in the ER anyway. They might as well have all the info now to help Cole. I know about all the antiques in the mansion.” He stared straight at Drew unsmiling.

  Two officers walked in. The friends knew this was going to be difficult to explain. Cole was attacked by Kellie’s dead grandfather and saved by her dead mother. They might end up sharing a cell before the night was over or being committed.

  Officers Edgar Perkett and Grady Watkins were looking at the opulence of the foyer when Grady whispered, “I can’t believe we’re dealing with the Malone family again.”

  “Shut up you fool, they’ll hear you.”

  Austern walked up to them and asked, “May I help you officers?”

  “Yup, we’re here to investigate a sword attack and speak to the owner of this umm place umm house or whatever.”

  “Right this way, officers.”

  They followed Austern to the library where Drew and Kellie waited. Taylor was huddled in a chair in the music room with Rufus.

  Officer Perkett asked, “Who owns this place?”

  “I do officer,” answered Kellie.

  “Your name please.”

  “Kellie Adamson.”

  “You a Malone?” Officer Perkett furrowing his brow at her.

  “Yes, my mother was Alexis Malone.”

  He glanced at her over his glasses as he took notes, “OD’d didn’t she?”

  “What has that got to do with this?” Kellie’s eyes flashed with anger.

  “I’ll ask the questions. Who tried to kill the Cole kid?”

  “No one, it was an accident, sir,” Drew said feeling his heart rate increase.

  “Okay, explain to me how a sword accidentally comes off the wall, and slices a man’s arm open.” He popped a piece of gum into his mouth while he waited for an answer.

  Taylor burst into tears.

  “Who’s that?”

  “She lives here. Cole’s her friend. She’s a bit upset.”

  “Was she involved?” Officer Perkett took a step closer to Taylor and scanned her for blood.

  “No, she was in the parlor with Kellie and Andrea, Cole’s wife,” Drew added.

  “Were you in here with Cole?”

  “Yeah, we were horsing around. Air boxing etc. and I accidentally pushed Cole into the wall. The sword fell and cut his arm.” Drew tried to smile at the officer, but felt like a criminal. He frowned instead.

  “Hmm, how’d he end up out here in the middle of the room?” He was jotting notes and glancing at Drew.

  Drew fighting panic searched for words, “Well, he hit the wall, pushed back to jump at me, the sword fell, and he got cut as he lurched forward.”

  “Sure kid, that sounds plausible. Now tell me what really happened.” He fanned his notebook in front of him as he glared at Drew.

  Austern stepped forward after admitting Detective Stellion into the mansion. “I was here officer. It happened the way Drew said. It was the strangest thing I’ve ever seen, but it’s true.”

  “Okay.”

  Officer Watkins said, “Detective Stellion, nice to see you, sir.”

  “Nice to see you, too, Grady. What’s going on, Edgar?”

  “Young guy got cut with a sword that sort of fell off the wall by itself, and the kid ended up in the middle of the room with the sword. That’s it lying right there.”

  Drew said, “It sort of stuck in his arm when he stumbled into the middle of the room. He fell and it came out and he began to bleed all over. Hunter and I tried to stop the bleeding.”

  “You have their statements Edgar. I’ll take it from here. You and Grady can get back on patrol.”

  “Okay,” mumbled Edgar as he slapped his hat back on his head and strode toward the door. Grady followed calling, “night everyone.”

  When the door closed, Detective Mike looked at them and said, “Okay, what really happened?”

  Kellie said, “You’re not going to believe this, but my grandfather tried to kill Cole, and my mother stopped him.”

  Detective Mike sat down and rubbed his head. “How am I supposed to put that in a report?”

  “That’s why I told the officer what I did,” said Drew.

  “It’s illegal to make a false police report.”

  “I told the officer the same story,” Austern said.

  “Wonderful,” grumbled Mike. “This is a real mess.”

  Drew sat down, “We could have lied to you, too. We thought you’d want to know what Kellie has been going through.”

  “We’ll work it out. Please pray Cole survives. If he dies, this’ll be much worse. There’ll be an in depth investigation.”

  “Die, he can’t die, Uncle Mike,” Taylor burst into tears. “We should be at the hospital.”

  “We’ll all go. Can we, Uncle Mike?” Kellie asked.

  “Yes, I’ll know where you are.”

  Taylor and Kellie hugged Mike. Drew said he’d drive.

  ########

  Drew dropped the girls at the emergency room doors. After asking about Cole, they waited for Cole’s mom or Andrea. Cole’s mom walked through the automatic door leading out of the E.R.

  “I’m glad you’re here. Maybe you can talk some sense into that friend of yours, Andrea,” said Mrs. Burnett.

  What’s wrong?” Kellie asked. Drew joined them at that moment.

  “She’s crazy and arguing with my husband about Cole’s care. She won’t leave. I want you to take her out of here.”

  Drew scrunched his face and shrugged, “We’ll do what we can.”

  Walking back to the trauma room, they could see Mr. Burnett and Andrea in a heated discussion with a doctor. Hunter was doing his best to keep Andrea from collapsing.

  Andrea saw Drew. She rushed up and grabbed his arm. “Let’s ask him. He knows Cole best. Drew, there are two medical options. One Cole loses his arm, and the second is there’s a complicated surgery that might be able to save his arm. It’s tricky and dangerous. He could die, but I know he would choose to try and save his arm rather than lose it. He’s right handed, he needs that arm. We discussed this when he had a client that had been in an accident and lost a limb. He always said he would do anything not to lose one, if he were ever in an accident.”

  Drew looked at Mr. Burnett apologetically, “Umm, I think Andrea’s right. I know how Cole would feel.”

  “I don’t care what you think. My wife and I are going to have his arm amputated, save his life, and he can get a prosthetic arm. Get that girl out of here.”

  “Doctor, please,” Andrea said. “Won’t you listen to me?”

  Drew and Hunter each took one of Andrea’s arms and tried to guide her toward the door when the doctor said, “I’m sorry. I have to listen to the Burnetts. They are Cole’s closest legal
relatives and have the right to make the decision.”

  “No, wait!” Andrea pulled away from Hunter and Drew. She rushed up to the doctor while searching in her purse. She pulled out a piece of paper. “Cole and I are married. Here’s the proof. I’m his legal relative. Please save his arm.”

  The doctor looked at the marriage certificate and said, “This changes everything.” He smiled at Andrea. “I’ll have him prepped for the surgery.” He looked at the Burnetts and shook his head, “I’m sorry, but she has the right to make his medical decisions.” He hurried down the hall to make the arrangements.

  Mr. Burnett grabbed the paper from Andrea and read it. He threw it back at her. “You may be his wife, but you’ll never be our daughter. As far as I’m concerned, my son is single.” Taking his wife’s arm, he pulled her down the hall. Mrs. Burnett tried to pull away to talk to Andrea, but her husband was too strong. She followed him out of the E.R.

  Hunter held Andrea as she sobbed. A nurse said they were taking Cole to the operating room. Andrea rushed in and kissed his forehead and whispered, “I love you always.”

  They watched Cole’s gurney rolled down the hall and onto an elevator. The nurse told them where to find the surgical waiting room. It would be a long surgery.

  ########

  The four friends found the waiting area and were advised the surgery could take twelve hours. Hunter returned to the mansion to get Taylor. Drew left to find the cafeteria. Bringing Andrea some herbal tea and a turkey breast sandwich, he hoped her favorite comfort foods would help calm her. Not only was she worried about Cole, but Mr. Burnett’s words crushed her. The three watched the minutes tick by slowly.

  A few hours later, a traumatized Taylor arrived at the E.R. with Hunter. Terror apparent on her face, she needed to be with her friends and close to Cole.

  Every couple of hours, someone would apprise them that Cole was doing as well as can be expected. Seven hours into the surgery, Andrea noticed Mrs. Burnett standing at the opposite end of the waiting area. She was a bit apprehensive, but she approached Cole’s mom whose eyes were filled with tears. Mrs. Burnett held her purse handle tight in her hands. She stood watching Cole’s friends.

  “Mrs. Burnett,” Andrea said softly.

  “I’m so sorry, my dear. My husband can be very stubborn. May I please wait with you?” asked Mrs. Burnett.

  “Yes, I would like that.”

  The two women sat together.

  “I was surprised when you pulled out a marriage certificate. Cole never said a word. I think my husband was in shock.” Mrs. Burnett sunk into the old waiting room chair making her petite figure appear almost childlike. Her beautiful white hair and silver trimmed glasses showed her true age, but the bright green dress she wore made her appear much younger.

  “We planned on keeping it a secret. We’re getting married again as planned. No one will know except you, Mr. Burnett, our close friends, and the pastor at church.”

  “But why?”

  “Cole wanted to be sure we would never be parted. Maybe he had a premonition. He said we’d be safer together.”

  Mrs. Burnett took Andrea’s hand, and they waited with the rest of Cole’s friends. Three hours later, Mr. Burnett arrived. He stood near the entrance to the waiting room staring at his wife and Cole’s friends as he shook his head.

  Mr. Burnett looked directly at his wife and said, “When I woke and couldn’t find you, I knew you’d be here.” He glared at her, and then he sat across the room from Andrea and her friends.

  Mrs. Burnett said, “Andrea dear, I should sit with him. None of us should be alone right now.”

  Andrea smiled and nodded. She gently squeezed Mrs. Burnett’s hand.

  Three long hours later the doctor came to find Andrea.

  Andrea jumped to her feet. She hurried toward the doctor, “Is Cole okay?”

  “He’s doing as well as we can expect right now. He has good blood flow into his hand. Now, we’ll have to wait for him to wake. We’ll know then if the muscles and tendons work properly, the nerve grafts took, and he has feeling in his arm.”

  “Thank you so much, doctor. When can I see him?” Andrea asked.

  “He’ll be in recovery for a while. Get something to eat and rest. You won’t be able to visit if you get sick.” The doctor patted her arm before leaving.

  Andrea sat and cried. Mr. Burnett walked up to her and asked, “When Cole is awake may we see him?”

  “I would never keep you from Cole. Please visit him as often and as long as you wish. He loves you both dearly. Let me know when you’re coming, and I’ll go home and sleep or something.”

  “No, I was wrong.” He interlocked his fingers in front of him and his eyes dropped. “We’re a family, and we’ll visit together.” He hugged Andrea.

  Kellie spoke to the nurse, “You have my cell number and Andrea’s. Feel call either if there is a change.”

  After speaking with the nurse, Kellie turned to Andrea. “You’re coming home with us. You need sleep and you can’t be alone. One of us will be with you when you sleep. Nothing will happen to you.” Andrea agreed and hugged Kellie. Drew drove them home.

  ########

  Andrea fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow on the parlor sofa. It was dark by the time the hospital called her. She had been asleep for six hours and looked as if she needed six more. Cole was awake. He was limited to one visitor at a time. Andrea called the Burnetts. They said they would take her to the hospital.

  The four friends sat and discussed their hopes and fears about Cole’s recovery. Taylor tried to be positive, but her fear of the old man’s evil caused her to cry whenever she tried to speak. Cole was alive, but whether he could use his arm was in question. Drew shook his head each time he mentioned any possible disability. Cole was a very active man.

  Mrs. Decker announced that dinner was ready. They continued their discussion at the table. Hunter, always trying to see the bright side, said, “Cole is a fighter. Don’t count him out yet.” He took a sip of coffee and smiled at his friends. Kellie fighting her own fear with tears in her eyes agreed with Hunter.

  The figure in black groaned in anger that the young man lived, and his own daughter stopped him from taking the man’s life and absorbing his spirit. He needed strength and soon. He felt his strength fading quickly. Chuckling to himself, he honed his plans.

  Detective Stellion called Kellie after dinner.

  “When Cole was beginning to wake, the officer guarding him called me. I was able to talk to him before anyone visited him. He agreed it was an accident. Drew is lucky this time. If Cole had died, it would have been out of my hands. I’m going to stop by tomorrow, and we’re going to discuss this spirit of yours. I’m not sure what I can do, but you may have to leave the mansion before something worse happens.”

  “Thanks, Uncle Mike. We’ll talk about doing that.”

  “What did Uncle Mike want?” asked Taylor.

  “Cole said it was an accident. Drew’s not in trouble, and he thinks we should move out of the mansion for a while.”

  Drew said, “He may not have a bad idea. We’re safe when we’re together and away from here.”

  “Yes, but the operative word in your sentence is ‘together,’ and we can’t always be together. There will be times when we’re alone. We were together last night and he attacked Cole. Look what happened to Andrea. We have to find another way.”

  “How?”

  “I don’t know.”

  The doorbell chimed and Austern answered. “Miss Claudia, it is good to see you again, please come in.” They chatted briefly while he took her coat and asked her to follow him to the dining room where he announced her.

  “Claudia, come in and have some coffee and dessert with us,” Kellie said.

  Claudia sat at the dining room table. Austern brought her a cup of coffee and a slice of blueberry pie. She stirred cream and sugar into her cup. “Blueberry is one of my favorites.”

  “Thank you, Austern.” She smiled
and winked at the handsome butler.

  Austern smiled, turned a bit red, bowed slightly, and returned to the kitchen.

  Claudia said, “I received the shipment today that I was expecting. It contained some rare, exotic seeds that I added to the original mix I gave you. I know it helped Taylor get away from him, and I think this will keep him at bay. If there was a way to encircle him with this mix, he would be trapped, but I know you can’t see him. My next suggestion is for each of you to carry some of this with you and toss it at him if he appears. It may give you time to escape the way Taylor did.”

  Kellie said, “That’s it? The best idea you have is to toss seeds at him and run. We need to rid him from our lives,” as she dropped the package of seeds onto the table. “He could catch any of us. Seeds, are you sure?” She rubbed her temples with her fingertips.

  “I know, but he’s very powerful although he is losing some of his power each day. It’s why he’s trying to kill one of you. He wants your spirit power.”

  “Why us?”

  “You are connected to him by blood, Kellie. Your friends are connected to you through your heart. If he kills them, he gains part of your love and spirit. He becomes stronger. You lose some of your ability to fight him, even though you won’t notice a difference. It isn’t a physical strength.”

  “I think I understand. You said you think he absorbed the strength of the man burned with him.”

  “Yes, he would do the same to your friends. At first he was only angry with you, but now he wants and needs your friends, too. It not only gives him strength, but it hurts and weakens you. You are closest to your mother and have the most protection. When you are alone, he could conquer you.”

  Kellie nearly knocked her chair over when she stood, “Oh no, my baby. Did he take my baby’s spirit? I began to miscarry here at home when I fell down the stairs.” Her tears flowed as if a dam had opened, and she visibly trembled.