“Why do you want your father to die?”
“I hate him,” Alicen said plainly. Under a spell, there was no emotion in her voice. “He called me a liar.”
“It isn’t his time to die, you little fool!” the vision cried.
Alicen jerked away as if stunned by her mother’s angry words.
“I’m not ready yet for him,” the apparition said. “There are things that must be done first. Melanie is still alive—but not for long. They’ll all go, one by one. They’ll all die!”
“Mommy, why do they have to die?” Alicen asked. “I don’t under—”
The loud ringing of the doorbell downstairs shattered the spell like a sledgehammer through glass. Alicen was alone again. She sat up, feeling as if she had just wakened from a deep sleep. She rubbed her eyes and went to her door, opening it. Voices from the downstairs hallway were carried up to her room.
“Hi, Liza,” her father was saying. “Come on in.”
Alicen heard kissing noises, and her stomach turned.
“How’re you, darling?” Liza asked. “Where are the children?”
Alicen closed her door and missed the rest of the conversation. She prayed her father wouldn’t make her come downstairs. But a moment later she heard his voice calling her. Alicen thought of ignoring him but remembered his anger and left her room. She walked slowly.
“What’s wrong with you?” Derek asked. “Get a move on!”
“Derek, let her be,” Liza said quietly.
Alicen stopped at the bottom step and rested a hand on the post. She stared at Liza without speaking. In the soft light, she could see that this woman wasn’t at all like her mother. Unlike Elaine, she had dark hair and eyes. And she was much taller than Alicen remembered her mother being. How could her father like a woman who was so different?
“Hi, Alicen,” Liza said then.
“Hi,” Alicen said perfunctorily.
“Looks like a lot has happened in this house,” Liza said, making conversation. “Poor Mrs. VanBuren had an accident, and your daddy fell. Would you like to tell me about that?”
“No,” Alicen said plainly, staring at her.
Liza shrugged. “Okay. Then how about taking me around this house? It sure is pretty from the outside, with those towers and the big porch in front. And look at all those doors! What’s behind them?”
“I don’t know,” Alicen said. She turned her eyes to her father. “I have homework to do.”
Derek sighed and put his arm around Liza’s shoulder. Alicen’s eyes narrowed. Her father was doing this to spite her. Without waiting for permission, she turned and ran up the stairs. Derek let her go, leading Liza into the kitchen.
“Derek, I hate to say this,” Liza commented, “but if looks could kill . . .”
“Alicen was very rude to you,” Derek said. “She’ll hear about that.”
“Oh, Derek, let it go,” Liza said. “I expected her to act that way. Any normal child would! She probably thinks I’m trying to take her mother’s place.”
“That doesn’t give her an excuse to be impolite,” Derek answered, filling the teapot. He set it on the stove, then turned around to Liza. “It isn’t just that, anyway. Alicen’s being punished for stealing, and she’s angry about it.”
“What did she steal?”
“A ring,” Derek said. He proceeded to explain everything to her, glad he had someone he could trust with his terrible secret.
“Oh, Derek,” Liza said when he was finished. She reached across the table and took his hand. “Maybe Alicen really doesn’t remember taking the ring. Maybe she’s upset about something. Have you considered that?”
“There’s nothing wrong with her,” Derek insisted.
Something in his eyes told Liza he didn’t wish to discuss Alicen any further. So, to get his mind off his troubles, she went to him and sat on his lap. Running her fingers through his thick hair, she bent and kissed him passionately.
“I love you, Derek,” she said.
“And I love you, Liza,” Derek answered.
The phone began to ring.
“Ignore it,” Liza said.
“I can’t,” Derek replied. “It might be Gary.” He stood up. “I’ll be right back.”
He walked through the dining room and out into the hallway, where the phone sat on its little stand. “Hello?”
“Get rid of her!” someone shouted, the voice high-pitched. “I know you have that woman with you!”
Derek pulled the phone away from his ear, grimacing.
“Get rid of her, or she’ll be next.”
“Look, I’m getting damned sick of your threats,” Derek said angrily. “What are you doing now, following my guests around? How’d you know she was going to be here?”
“I know everything you do, Derek Miller. Just get her out of there!”
“You go to hell,” Derek said quietly, hanging up the phone.
He shook his head in exasperation and headed back into the kitchen. Liza had already poured the tea and was setting the cups down on the table. She sat and looked up at him quizzically. Derek realized there was still a look of anger on his face, and he tried to erase it. But Liza’s concerned expression didn’t fade.
“Is something wrong?”
“No, Liza,” Derek said. “Wrong number. I—uh—hate wrong numbers.”
Liza could tell that he was lying, but she knew that he’d tell her what had happened if he wanted to do so. She poured a little milk in her tea and began to stir it. Derek, usually strong and self-assured, looked so pitiful right now with his swollen eyes and cut lip that Liza wanted to throw her arms around him. But something made her keep still.
The room was silent, except for the clanking of teaspoons against china cups. Then suddenly Derek blurted out, “Everything’s wrong!”
“Derek?” There was encouragement in Liza’s voice.
“It isn’t just the fact that Alicen stole that ring,” Derek said. “Liza, something else happened today. I—I don’t think Melanie is in that hospital by accident!”
“What do you mean?”
“I got a phone call this morning. From some crazed woman who apparently hates the VanBurens. She told me Melanie would be in an accident today.”
“Derek!”
“Well, not exactly that,” Derek corrected himself, “but she made indirect threats toward the family and said, ‘Melanie goes first.’ Next thing I know, Saint Joan’s Hospital in Manhattan was calling me.”
“And then you called the police?”
“No. I was going to,” Derek said, “then I thought that there was no way I could prove that the woman ever called. I don’t know where to find her, or if she even meant what she said about Melanie. Maybe she’s just trying to get me upset.”
“Why?” Liza asked. “And who is she, anyway?”
“She told me her name is Janice,” Derek said. “And that’s another reason I don’t want to mention this to the VanBurens. Melanie had a best friend named Janice who died violently last year. The similarity in names—”
“I remember you mentioning her at lunch the other day,” Liza interrupted. “But surely they wouldn’t connect the two! There are a lot of Janices in the world.”
“After that story they told me about ghosts the other night,” Derek said, “I’m inclined to believe the VanBurens will think anything. This woman is just plain nuts. I met her a few weeks ago, just after I had moved in. She was hitchhiking on Houston Street, and she looked lost and lonely. Like an idiot, I gave her a lift. She’s been bothering me ever since.”
He searched Liza’s almond eyes and found sympathy and deep interest there.
“I should have driven by her,” he went on. “But I didn’t, and now I’m stuck with her. One night she even hid in my car. It seems she has some sort of crush on me. But, by God, she’s the most hideous woman I’ve ever seen!”
Liza took a sip of tea, then set the cup down again. Her thick lashes seemed to fan out as her eyes widened. She’s so b
eautiful, Derek thought as he reached across the table to take her hand and kiss it.
“What does she look like?”
“I might sound like I’m exaggerating,” Derek warned. “Her skin looked like a coroner’s mistake, it was so pale. You could see her veins right through it And her eyes—there was no life in them, not even when she was angry. Not to mention hair that probably never saw a comb and the fact that she always wears the same winter clothes.”
“She sounds insane,” Liza said. “Who would let themselves look like that?”
“Who would threaten to kill off an entire family?”
“Derek, I really think you should go to the police.”
“No,” Derek insisted. “No police. The VanBurens have enough to worry about”
“But shouldn’t they be warned?”
“I don’t think this woman was serious,” Derek said. “You know crank callers—all talk. The accident today was pure coincidence.”
“I find that hard to swallow,” Liza said quietly, her mouth turning down a little. She sighed. “But you do what you think is right. And remember I’m here if you need someone to talk to.”
“I know that,” Derek said. “And I love you for it.”
He stood up and walked around the table to put his arms over Liza’s shoulders. Her lips felt warm and full against his, and he wanted to take her upstairs with him. But with four children in the house, he knew that was impossible.
“I wish we were alone,” he whispered.
“So do I,” Liza said. “But there will be other times.”
Other times. Across the room, an unseen woman resisted the urge to throw something at Liza. Other times? There would be no other times! The next time Derek made love to a woman, it would be with her, not with this Liza!
She would get rid of that beautiful bitch, she vowed, when Derek was least expecting trouble. . . .
17
“Melanie?” Gary kissed his wife’s hand. “Honey, come on. Open your eyes. It’s morning.”
Melanie stirred a little bit, her lashes fluttering. “Gary, where am I?” she asked weakly. The sheets on her bed felt cool beneath her fingers.
“In the hospital,” Gary said. “You had a little accident, but you’re going to be okay. How do you feel?”
“My head hurts.” She breathed deeply as if to fall asleep again. Then she opened her eyes and blinked at the glow of the track lights overhead. She turned to look at Gary.
“What do I look like?” she asked, her voice only slightly clearer.
“You always look beautiful to me,” Gary answered.
“You’re evading my question,” Melanie said, raising a hand to touch the bandage on her forehead. It was a small one, yet she couldn’t be sure there was nothing more wrong with her. Or else, why would she be in this room with an i.v. in her arm and all sorts of unfamiliar machinery near her bed?
“Trust me,” Gary said. “It’s just a small cut. The worse thing is that you’ve had a concussion. Your head is going to ache quite a bit for a few days.”
“Right now,” Melanie said, “it feels as if someone’s using it for target practice. How long am I going to be in here, anyway?”
“Just a few days,” Gary said. “You need to rest, and they want to run some more tests.”
He lifted her hand again and kissed it. “I wish someone had seen the accident. Two dozen people, and not one of them could tell the police anything about the car that hit you.”
“You called the police?”
“Warren did,” Gary said. “But I doubt it did any good.”
Melanie thought for a moment, trying to remember something that had been in her mind before the car was hit. But it evaded her, and Gary was talking again.
“You’ll be home before you know it,” he said.
Melanie nodded slightly. She stared up into the light, squeezing Gary’s hand. What was it she was trying to remember?
“Oh, my God, Gary!”
It had come to her, and now she looked up at her husband with panic widening her eyes.
“Gary, the car stalled,” she said frantically. “The car stalled, and I didn’t even have the brakes on. And we just had that engine overhauled last month.”
“It’s an old car,” Gary reminded her. “I told you I wanted to buy you a new one, and that’s just what I’m going to do when we go home.”
“N-no,” Melanie stammered. “No, it isn’t as simple as that. Gary, that car shouldn’t have stalled. There was no reason. Someone must have tampered with it. Somebody wanted to kill me!”
“Nobody wanted to kill you,” Gary said. “Why would you think such a thing?”
Melanie was crying loudly now. “Those dreams. That woman trying to warn me. She tried to tell me to get out of the house, but I didn’t listen to her. Oh, Gary, something’s wrong at the house again. I know it. It’s Sarah’s death and the bottle that broke in my hand, and now this! And the bus accident and—”
“Melanie, please calm down,” Gary ordered. “Nothing is going on in Belle Bay. It’s just coincidences.”
“Coincidences?” Melanie said. “Oh, Gary! After what happened last year? How can you stand there, crippled by something no one would believe in, and not see that it’s starting all over again?”
“Melanie, for God’s sake,” Gary said. “Jacob Armand is gone. He got his Lydia, didn’t he? What the hell would he want to come back for? Now, please quiet down.”
“I can’t quiet down!” Melanie screamed.
Just then, a nurse came into the room, alerted by Melanie’s cries. Seeing that Melanie was hysterical, she called in a doctor to administer a shot. Gary was then asked to leave the room. Having had no food since the previous morning, he decided he’d better have breakfast to keep his strength up.
As he ate the bland eggs and toast he felt sorry for Melanie. It was no wonder she was having such fears, considering all that had occurred in the last weeks. But like he said, they weren’t connected at all. Didn’t every other family on earth have its share of problems?
“She’s just sentitive to this sort of thing,” he reasoned. “She’ll be okay as soon as she gets home.”
Derek came in from walking the dog later that afternoon to find Alicen on the phone. Didn’t being grounded include use of the telephone? And then Liza’s name caught his attention. As he unhooked Lad’s leash, he pretended not to be listening.
“Sure, Liza, you can come for dinner,” Alicen was saying. “You can help my dad out like you did last night.”
A pause.
“I guess about six?”
Alicen looked down the hall at her father. Derek nodded without emotion. “Six is fine, Liza. See you then!”
She hung up and smiled down the hall at her father. Derek approached her, eyeing her warily. Why this sudden friendliness toward Liza? Especially now, when she and Derek were having differences? It didn’t make sense that she should invite his girlfriend for dinner. Unless—
“This isn’t going to change anything, Alicen,” he said. “You’re still grounded.”
“I know that,” Alicen said, smiling. “Can’t I invite a guest for dinner?”
“I didn’t think you liked her.”
“I never said that,” Alicen replied. “I only just met her.” She shifted a little. “Dad, I have homework to do—”
“Go ahead,” Derek said, wondering what Alicen’s game was. No matter. He liked the idea that Liza was coming for dinner.
As promised, she arrived at six on the dot, bearing four giant cookies, one for each child. Alicen was all smiles and thank-yous, which sharpened Derek’s suspicions. She ran to her room to put the cookie away for safekeeping.
“Is that the girl who shot daggers at me last night?” Liza asked with disbelief.
“She’s up to something, I’m sure,” Derek said. “I wonder why she called you? I can’t believe she wants to be friends.”
“Give the kid a chance, Derek,” Liza said as they entered the kitchen. “May
be she really does want to make amends. Did she tell you anything about the ring?”
“Of course not,” Derek said.
At dinner that night Alicen surprised everyone by talking to Liza as if they were good friends. Derek knew he should be happy about that, but there was something in the glistening of Alicen’s eyes that made him uneasy. Her words were polite enough, but there was an underlying sharpness to them that set him on edge. Not quite sure what to make of it all, Derek ate in silence and listened.
“Do you like the beach?” Alicen asked.
“Sure, I love it,” Liza answered.
“Well, why don’t you ask my father to take you down there after dinner?” Alicen suggested. “It sure is pretty when the sun goes down.”
“Alicen, it looks like rain out there,” Derek said. Why would his daughter want him out of the house?
“It’s a beautiful night,” Alicen insisted.
“Oh, let’s go down!” Liza cried eagerly. “It probably won’t rain for a few hours.”
“There are umbrellas in the hall closet if it does,” Gina said. “Want me to get two for you, Derek?”
“That’s okay,” Derek said. He smiled at Liza. “If Liza really wants to go, I don’t think we’ll mind getting wet.”
“You’ll like the beach at night,” Alicen drawled. “It’s so pretty.”
An hour later Liza and Derek were headed toward the bay. They walked hand in hand, forgetting the events of the past few days. Impulsively, Derek swung Liza around and kissed her.
“You know I love you?”
“Yes,” Liza said. “And I love you, Derek.”
He kissed her again.
“I was going to wait,” he said, “but I can’t. All this nature is turning me into some kind of romantic. Liza, will you marry me?”
A beautiful smile spread across Liza’s face. Leave it to Derek to be this abrupt! She nodded enthusiastically, letting him pull her close. “Of course I’ll marry you,” she said.
They held each other tightly, then Liza said, “Derek, let’s spend a long time on the beach. I don’t care if it is raining.”
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