He pressed the heel of his hand against his eyebrow. "I'm fine. You know how head wounds bleed. Sorry about your shirt."
Kerry glanced down at the ancient sweatshirt. "Don't worry about it." She looked toward the door at the sound of voices from the stairs.
Dolores trotted up the steps, a bottle of rubbing alcohol and several washcloths in hand.
As Aura Lee came into view, she was brandishing a vial of iodine in one hand, a box of Band-Aids in the other. "I told you, Rose, we should cleanse the attic before you started working in it, but you didn't pay any attention. None of you ever listens to what I say."
She stepped on the hem of her green caftan as she reached the top step and impatiently swept the fabric out of the way. "With that lightning bolt, who knows what kinds of energy were released. It wouldn't have taken any time at all to run a sage smudge around the corners for protection, but no one listened. Now see what's happened!"
"I'm the one to blame for the fall." Neal's smile was crooked. "I got careless."
Aura Lee's gaze went from the hole in the ceiling to the blood on his forehead. "There's a disturbance at Wisdom Court."
Kerry pushed herself up from the floor, clutching the candy box like treasure. "A weather disturbance."
Aura Lee was ready for an argument but Neal cut her off. "Aren't you going to staunch my wound?" He lifted a brow. "Ouch. Dammit, that's going to cramp my style."
Rose got to her feet and rubbed at the muscles in the small of her back. "What style is that?"
"You poor boy." Aura Lee made her way past the branches and dropped down beside him. "Did you break anything?" Under green shadow, her eyes shone with sympathy.
"Only my winning streak." His smile was rueful. "You know you're losing it when you don't make sure your ladder's stable." Aura Lee snatched a washcloth from Dolores's hand and applied it vigorously to Neal's forehead. "Ow! What is that, steel wool?"
Aura Lee pressed the cloth onto the cut now bleeding freely over his eyebrow. "It would serve you right. All of you waltzing up here as if nothing serious had happened."
"I'd call a hole in the roof serious." Kerry stepped over the branches, the candy box grasped tightly. "I'm going to take this downstairs for a quick look. I'll be back."
Aura Lee turned toward Rose, curiosity flaring in her eyes. "What's she got?"
Rose told her about the box they'd found in the hidden recess and sighed at her dawning excitement.
"Do you know what this means?" The words nearly burst from Aura Lee's lips. Neal was forgotten. She didn't notice when he took the cloth from her hand to press it to his head. "Perhaps you've found a Revealing Document." She frowned at Dolores's giggle. "It could be the secret history of a restless shade here at Wisdom Court."
Rose caught the quizzical glance from Neal and tried to smile. "You make it sound as though we've got a regular haunted house. Since when do we have 'restless shades?'"
A shadow darkened Aura Lee's eyes. "I told you about Cottie, Rose. I think I can feel others as well. Maybe this diary is involved somehow with the disturbances."
"We'll see. Kerry will let us know if it has anything to do with Caldicott."
Aura Lee's forehead wrinkled with worry. "Do you know last night was three months to the day since Cottie's death? And there was a full moon." When no one responded, she appealed to Rose. "Can't you see? That lightning strike was no coincidence. We should hold the séance here in the attic, soon."
"We'll talk about it tonight, all of us." When Aura Lee opened her mouth to respond, Rose added, "I promise. We'll make a decision tonight."
From downstairs came an outraged shriek, then a bellow. "Aura Lee!"
Chapter 7
Andrea dropped her handbag onto the foyer table and rubbed the back of her neck in irritation. She hadn't minded giving Elizabeth a ride to the bus depot for her trip to Denver, but Saturday traffic in Boulder was like bumper cars in a construction zone.
What was next on the agenda? All she wanted to do was paint, to lose herself in colors, but that probably wasn't going to happen until the roof was dealt with. She hadn't even had the chance to check the studio windows for damage.
The air was split with a screech from the kitchen. "Aura Lee!"
Andrea ran down the hall, dimly aware of muffled barking. As she reached the doorway between the parlor and the kitchen, Noreen snapped, "Watch out!" She was across the room beside the sink, where water dripped from the counter onto the floor.
Feet skidding, Andrea clutched at the doorframe to steady herself. In front of her a sheet of water extended across the ceramic tile to the other wall.
"Did a pipe burst?"
"What's going on?" Dolores said at her shoulder. Rose was right behind her.
Before Andrea could answer, Aura Lee bumped into Rose. "By the Goddess!"
"Careful," Noreen growled as Aura Lee started gingerly toward the sink. "I almost fell getting here to turn off the water."
"What water?" Neal brushed past Andrea into the room. "Where from? The faucet or the valve?"
"The faucet. Whoever left it on also left strawberry hulls and a plate of scones in the sink. They clogged the drain." Noreen scowled at Aura Lee. "You said you'd get the rest of the tea ready while I checked for mail. What were you thinking?"
"Don't blame this on me." Aura Lee frowned back at her. "When Dolores ran in here to get first-aid for Neal, I turned off the water and went upstairs with her. And the strawberries were on the counter, along with the scones."
Noreen swung toward Neal in concern. "First-aid for what?"
"I'm fine," Neal assured her. "I just fell off the ladder, no big deal."
Aura Lee tiptoed across the wet floor to the counter. Rose followed her, stopping for paper towels from the storage closet.
A gloppy mess of berries, leaves, and pastry filled the strainer Aura Lee plucked out of the sink. "I didn't put any leaves in the sink. I saved them in the colander for the compost bin, just like always."
Kerry came through the dining room doorway. "What's up?" She pushed past Dolores, gaze moving over the indoor lake. Her face was smudged, her sweatshirt cobwebby. "Wow, a flood. Did we piss off God or what?"
"Kerry!" Dolores clapped one palm over her mouth. Her brown eyes danced as she lowered her hand. "Don't be sacrilegious. It's bad luck."
Kerry shrugged. "So how would that change anything around here? Day before yesterday it was a fire, last night the roof caved in, and today we need blueprints for an ark. We're on a roll."
"I gotta say, as a group you people defy the odds." Neal turned toward Rose, giving Andrea a good view of his face. The Band-Aid across his eyebrow didn't hide the scrape on his forehead, and the scratches on his cheek were beginning to develop bruises of their own. Blood had dripped on his shirt.
"Are you sure you're all right?"
Neal raised a brow at the note in Andrea's voice. "Ow." He smoothed the Band-Aid over his eye. "I screwed up and didn't follow my own safety rules." He glanced at the wet floor. "Lot of that going around these days."
Rose sighed. "Things have been out of balance lately."
Noreen nodded gravely. "Positively Elizabethan, my dear. The very solar system is off kilter and won't spin normally until things are brought right." At their amazed silence she added, "Well, I did teach English before becoming a headmistress."
"There's more to it than that," Aura Lee said in a thin voice. "If I didn't leave the faucet on, and you were getting the mail, how do you explain the water all over the floor?"
Rose dropped a sopping wad of paper towels in the sink. "You're sure you turned it off? You were concerned about Neal. It would've been easy to forget, and think you had."
Aura Lee set down the strainer. "I'm positive I turned off the water. It's hard to believe that Cottie would try something as clumsy as this, but Goddess only knows what entered the house with that thunderbolt. We could have all kinds of spirits in here trying to get through to us." She lifted her chin stubbornly. "We must have a s
éance. We didn't talk about it last night, but we're all here now. Except for Elizabeth, and she won't mind. I know this awful feeling I have could be put to rest if Cottie had her say."
"It would mean that all of us participate," Rose warned the others.
Kerry shook her head in defeat. "I give up. Let's do the damned thing and then we can get serious about figuring out what the hell is going on around here."
Aura Lee ignored her. "Caldicott met a medium not long before she died. She was interested in holding a séance," she added pointedly, "but we didn't have time. I'll call the woman for an appointment. The ambience in the attic would be perfect for receiving messages."
"Why did she want to have a séance?" Neal asked. "I never heard her even mention such a thing."
"She'd felt some things here, she said." Aura Lee looked at him uncertainly. "She didn't talk much about it."
"Caldicott had a very open mind," Noreen pointed out. "I don't have a problem with an attempt."
Rose pulled a mop and cleaning rags from the broom closet near the basement stairs. "Let's clean up this mess, and then I, for one, could do with some lunch."
"I have an idea," said Dolores. "My show is next month and I'd like your reactions to what I've finished so far. I was going to ask you all to the studio in a few days, but we could do it today. Order pizza, have some wine—sort of a late lunch, early dinner. What d'you think?"
There was a murmur of agreement. "That invitation includes you, Neal." Dolores held out a cloth to him. "I'd love to get a male's perspective on my latest sculptures."
Neal handed the rag back to her. "Can I get a rain check? I need to get that hole in the roof covered before it storms again. Sorry I can't stay to help."
"I bet." Dolores grinned at him. "Let me know when you want to see the work."
Noreen was directing Aura Lee and Kerry in getting the stools out of the way. "I'll get the area under here," she told Kerry, "if you'll take the section in front of the sink. Dolores, by the refrigerator?"
The landline rang, and Rose picked up the receiver.
"Can we talk for a minute?" Neal cupped Andrea's elbow and steered her toward the hallway.
"Sure."
Neal smiled at her and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. At her reflex step back, his hand dropped to his side. "I wanted to ask how you're doing. You were upset yesterday, and I thought maybe I'd said something to bother you."
"No, not at all." Andrea had a mental image of his expression if she told him about sketching pictures while she was asleep. "I'm fine. I can't imagine what made me act that way, maybe the altitude or something."
"I was afraid I might've pushed you to climb too far. I guess this isn't the best time to ask if you'd like to go hiking again." His smile returned. "We could have dinner together some night instead."
Andrea felt color rise in her cheeks. He wanted to go out with her after yesterday? His collar was open and she kept her gaze on the shirt button at the base of his neck. Just above it she could see his pulse beating. Hers was pounding.
Neal broke the lengthening silence. "Just a thought, Andrea. No big deal."
Her glance flew to his face. "Sorry, it's just that it's been—"
Kerry hurried past them toward the basement in search of more supplies. "Neal," she called over her shoulder, "Rose wants to talk to you before you go. In her office."
The warmth had faded from Neal's eyes. "Don't look so worried. Dating board members isn't required at Wisdom Court."
Andrea reached for his arm. "Neal, let me—"
He patted her hand and turned away. "No problem, Andrea." He walked toward Rose's office.
Behind her Dolores called, "Hey, catch!" Again her reflexes were too slow. A clean rag hit her in the face.
"Well, shit," Andrea muttered.
The floor was dealt with, and they grabbed snacks to tide them over as they scattered to get ready for the art show. Kerry's thoughts flew to the candy box they'd found in the attic. She'd emptied it before the kitchen disaster, and had opened the diary to the first page. Running her finger over the copperplate "J" and "A" and "C" as well as the bold strokes of the year, 1908, had given her an odd, melancholy feeling. The journal had no apparent connection to Caldicott Wyntham, but it was a voice from the past.
Kerry rushed to the library and settled into a chair at the long table where she'd left the box. She lifted out the book and when she opened it the spine cracked. With care she turned past the frontispiece:
Mister Stanley Thornton, my employer, gave this Diary to me as a Remembrance of my birthday. It will be the account of my new life in Boulder. In these pages I shall set down my progress as I make my way in the world. I pray for the souls of my mother and father, and trust in the protection of our Heavenly Father. Jessamine A. Cunningham. May 14, 1908.
She didn't have time to read any more now. Kerry closed the journal and put it beside the black net scarf, smoothing down the blue ribbon along the edge. The smaller box was dark green and inside it a necklace lay on yellowed satin. Smiling in delight, she pulled out the ornament, running the tarnished chain over her fingers. The silver pendant had lines etched from its center point, and a triangle of metal lay flat on the disk. When she touched it, the triangle shifted and she lifted it up with her fingernail. It was a miniature sundial, the triangle the gnomon meant to cast a shadow that told the hour. Tiny chips were arranged on the radiating lines. Diamonds? At the end of each line was an engraved numeral.
A rustling came from the doorway. "Kerry. I thought you'd gone back to your place." Rose had changed into a long khaki skirt topped with a creamy white turtleneck. Her silver-blonde curls were gathered in a clip at the nape of her neck, and gold hoops swung from her earlobes.
"You look really nice," Kerry said.
"Thanks. I decided to treat Dolores's presentation as the opening it is." Her gaze went to the jewelry in Kerry's hand. "What do you have there?"
"The pendant in that box we found." Kerry glanced down at her damp coveralls and noticed the leaf bits on one shoulder. "I hadn't even thought about clothes. Is everybody dressing up, do you think? Should I put on something else?"
Rose smiled as she turned back toward the door. "Up to you, dearie. I'm sure you'll look fine, no matter what you wear. You know Dolores won't care. I'll see you there." She continued down the hall as she spoke, her final words floating back on the air.
"Balls," Kerry muttered. She set the sundial carefully into its case and returned it and the diary to the candy box. Clean, dry clothes would at least show some respect for Dolores's efforts.
* * *
An hour later, Dolores opened the door to her half of the east associate house. Kerry, freshly showered and dressed in tailored slacks and blue silk sweater, spared a grateful thought for Rose. Dolores was radiant in a red and gold Mexican dress, and her long black hair swung in a braid down her back. She took the bag of potato chips from Kerry's hand and motioned her inside. "The pizza just got here. I'm starving, aren't you? Let me get a bowl for these and we can try the dip Elizabeth brought. It looks yummy."
Everyone had gathered in the large space that served as both a lounge and a dining room. The decor was southwestern, with earthen colors and casual furniture. A Navajo blanket had been draped over the leather sofa, and a vase of blue hyacinths was set among votive candles on the stone coffee table. Several low-backed chairs were arranged in favor of conversation.
"Hey, Miz Kerry, you're looking good." Elizabeth wore the long black tee-shirt dress she'd chosen for her television interview earlier that day. It was decorated only with the gold chain at her neck.
"Thanks. You, too. Hi, Noreen." Across the dining table, Noreen was sliding a slice of pizza onto her plate. She nodded at Kerry and bent her attention to the serving dishes. Kerry glanced around the room. "Where's Aura Lee?"
Elizabeth scooped up dip with a celery stick. "On her way, I guess." She focused on a dish. "Mmm, garlic bread. Marinara sauce, too."
"Nice
spread." Andrea took a healthy portion of salad greens. "More than just pizza and wine."
Rose pushed a dish of spiced pecans aside to make room for a platter of crudités. "We can always do better than that."
"Thanks, Rose, those are perfect for the dip. Try it, Andrea." Elizabeth nodded at a square bowl. "Let me know if there's too much rosemary."
Dolores carried a tray of glasses to the table and set them near several wine bottles. "I've got Coronas in the fridge if anybody wants beer." She bent to pick up Andrea's napkin from the floor and handed it to her. "Dios, I can't believe how nervous I am. You guys are the most sympathetic audience I'll ever have. By the time the show opens, I'll be a wreck."
"Has anybody else seen your work?" Andrea tucked the napkin into her blazer pocket.
"No, not this batch. It wasn't ready yet." She shrugged. "The hardest part is sharing what I've done. When it's still just mine, I don't have to worry about the critics."
Andrea nodded. "But you don't get any praise, either. Or money."
"Oh, yeah, money." Dolores grinned. "I vaguely remember money."
"You like the dip?" Elizabeth asked. When they nodded, she relaxed. "My editor wants more pages, and I don't want to have to add anything else about Katrina. I was scramblin' the whole time I was home to get extra recipes I could stick in." At Andrea's questioning look, she added, "I pitched this project as a combination cookbook and memoir about starting over after the hurricane. But that part was hard, both the writing and the remembering. I figure my auntie's dipping sauce and my cherry-wine pudding—and the stories behind 'em—will fill it out a little."
They'd nearly finished eating when Dolores brought in a plate of cookies and a stack of napkins. "Grab one of these and bring your drinks. The coffee will be ready soon."
She led them to the studio where folding screens were set just inside the door. "I'm so excited." The words bubbled from her like Champagne. "The show is called, 'Wrapture,' spelled with a 'w.' I want you to be honest with me, amigas."
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