The first rays of sun slipped through the trees and threatened to burn off the mist that lay above the water. In the distance, a large pelican swooped down, scooped up a fish, sat on the water to swallow it, then ran across the top before it flew off. He spotted an elk on the far shore emerging from the forest. This was his favorite time of day.
“You make much better coffee than I do.”
“Shit!” Doug’s body jerked and he almost dropped his cup. He swung around to see Maddy standing behind him, mug in both hands, a blanket draped around her shoulders like a shawl.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” She laughed.
He smiled at the sight of her. “I guess I’m just not awake yet.”
Maddy sat next to him and started swinging her legs like a kid.
“How are you feeling?” Doug moved a strand of hair out of her face.
“Like I was hit by a Mac truck. My ankles are killing me.” She swung her legs forward and they both focused on the fresh black and blue anklets circling her legs. They’d swollen up almost twice their size.
“How the hell did that happen?” Doug set his coffee aside and lifted Maddy’s foot to inspect the area better.
“He was pulling me down by my ankles,” she answered calmly.
“Who?” A chill ran up his spine.
“I don’t know.” Her words were so quiet he had to strain to hear her.
Doug released her foot. “Maddy, how did you get out here last night?”
“I don’t know, I guess I was sleepwalking. I woke up to someone pulling me into the water. I tried to resist, but he was too strong.”
“Who was too strong?” Although he asked the question, he was afraid of the answer.
“I don’t know who he was, but I do know it was the same man who attacked me before.”
Now we’re getting somewhere. Doug sat up straighter.
“Describe him to me.”
“I can’t.” Maddy looked at her feet. A tear escaped her eye.
“What do you mean, you can’t!” Dammit. He’d been waiting too long for this and now she was being evasive.
“I couldn’t see him!” Fear radiated from her eyes as she stared at him imploringly.
Doug admitted defeat as he pulled her into his arms and sighed. He stroked her hair as tears stained his shirt. Poor thing had been through so much. All he wanted to do was to keep her safe. But how could he protect her from someone he couldn’t see?
“Shh, you’re all right now,” he whispered, then kissed the top of her head.
After some time, she pulled away and gazed up at him. He brushed the tears from her cheeks.
“If you couldn’t see him, how do you know it was the same guy?” Doug finally asked.
She looked out at the water before she answered.
“His voice, his smell.”
“His smell?” Doug scratched his chin.
“He smelled like whiskey and cigarettes.”
Doug didn’t like this one bit, but he tried to keep his voice calm for Maddy’s sake. “What did he say?”
Her head hung down, her chin almost resting on her chest. After a long silence she said, “You can never leave me, Madeline. I’d rather see you dead, than with another man.”
“That’s it, we’re out of here!” The voice came from behind them.
They swung around in unison to find Gisele standing in the open doorway.
“Come on Maddy, get your things together. You’re not staying in this house another minute. I’m taking you home with me!”
“I agree she shouldn’t stay in this house, but I don’t see why she must go home with you!” Doug got to his feet and faced her.
Awkwardly, Maddy got up and stood next to Doug. They now faced Gisele in silence. Doug suddenly felt territorial and hooked an arm around Maddy’s shoulders pulling her close to his side.
“Well, wherever I end up going, I’ll need to pack. So if you two will excuse me?” Maddy slid out from under Doug’s arm, slipped around Gisele and disappeared into the house.
Silence ensued as they watched her go. Then Gisele glared at him a moment before she spoke. “I told you her mental state has been fragile. She spent a long time trying to get back on her feet, so I don’t think it’s healthy for her to be here right now. Especially after almost being killed! I would feel much better having Dr. Hill sign her out into my care until I can get her back to Sacramento to see her regular doctor.”
“Look, Gisele, we need to talk,” Doug said, sternly. “Let’s go in and sit down.”
She stared at Doug without moving.
Finally she spun around and stomped inside. She poured herself a cup of coffee before she plopped down in a chair opposite Doug at the kitchen table. Her eyes shot daggers at him as if daring him to change her mind.
Doug hesitated a beat. He didn’t know exactly where to start. How to explain things. Hell, he didn’t even know if he believed the whole story himself. Angie did seem to color things a bit. But after talking to Maddy this morning, he was certain there was something going on here, and that something just might be supernatural.
Whatever happened, he wasn’t about to let this woman take Maddy home. Maybe have her locked up in some mental institution. Of course, that wasn’t entirely the truth. The truth was, he couldn’t stand the prospect of never seeing her again. He’d already come close to losing her twice, that was two times too many. “First of all, Gisele, I’m in love with Maddy.”
Gisele’s eyebrows rose as she stared at him a moment before speaking. “Look, Doug, that’s really sweet, but you couldn’t possibly be in love with her. You don’t even know her!”
“Yeah, I know it seems impossible. But what you’ve got to understand is that although I’ve only known her a short time, it feels like I’ve known her all my life. We fit, don’t you see?” Explaining his feelings to a total stranger, made him cringe inside.
Hell, he hadn’t even told Maddy how he felt about her yet, which seemed somehow like a betrayal. But he was desperate. He had to get this woman to understand that she couldn’t take away the best thing that had ever happened to him.
“Doug, I don’t see how—“
“Hear me out,” he interrupted.
Gisele shut her mouth and gazed at him wide-eyed while he brought her up to date on the strange happenings around the place. He added Angie’s story and ended with that fateful day that he had found Maddy upstairs in the master bedroom.
When he’d finished, Gisele seemed to be struck dumb. When she finally found her words, they were not the ones that he wanted to hear.
“I’m sorry, Doug, but if this is true, which by the way I have a hard time swallowing, then that’s even more of a reason for her to come home with me.”
“She’ll be safe with me. You know I would never let anything happen to her. I can’t lose her, Gisele. Please.” Doug was ready to get down on his knees and beg if he had to.
Gisele was silent as if weighing the pros and cons.
“Fine, I’ll keep my mouth shut and we’ll let Maddy decide.”
“Thank you.” Doug released a pent-up breath.
They got up from the table and headed toward the front of the house. As they entered the foyer, they noticed the front door standing wide open.
“What the hell?” Gisele remarked.
“What did I tell you about this house?” Doug smirked.
“Who’s that talking to Maddy?” Gisele asked.
Doug came up and stood beside her. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen him before.”
Maddy was talking to a man that looked to be in his mid- fifties. He wore a brown suit, white button-up shirt with cufflinks, and a wide striped tie. He looked like he had just stepped off the set of that popular TV show Mad Men. He was holding Maddy’s wrist. She stood away from then, so they couldn’t see her face, but she kept shaking her head as the man talked.
Something about the man’s stance brought the hackles up in Doug. The man’s gait was threatening. He
couldn’t help but wonder what he was doing here, or where he came from. Doug looked up the drive, there was no car in sight. He knew everyone on this side of the island, but he’d never seen this man before. A queasy feeling hit him in the gut and goose bumps enveloped his body.
“Doug, where are you going?” Gisele asked.
“Something’s not right here,” he muttered without turning around.
As he approached them, the man looked toward Doug, then disappeared through the hedge.
“Maddy?” Doug called out to her, but she didn’t turn around. The unease mounted and he picked up his pace. She should have heard him, he was only ten feet away. Once he reached her, he put his hand on her shoulder. She jumped. Her head spun toward him, a look of surprise etched her features.
“What was that all about?” he asked.
“What?” She looked at him inquisitively.
“Who was that man?”
She did a 360, her eyes ending on Doug. “What man?” She looked up at him as if he were nuts.
Doug walked through the oleander hedge, and looked around, but no one was there.
“Where’d he go?” Doug ran his hand through his hair.
“Where did who go? What am I doing out here?”
Doug took her by the shoulders and forced her to look at him. “Maddy, what’s the last thing you remember?”
She looked down at the ground and seemed to be concentrating really hard. By the time she looked up, Gisele was standing next to Doug.
“Um. I was upstairs standing over the bed, packing my bag.”
“Get her out of here. Now! Doesn’t she have an appointment with Dr. Hill?” Doug snapped.
“Not until three this afternoon,” Gisele answered, confused.
Doug looked at his watch, it was just after seven.
“Okay, take her out to breakfast on the mainland. Maybe do a little shopping to pass the time. I’ll grab the bags and meet you at my house this afternoon. It’s the next one down the lane.” He pointed with his right hand.
“I need my purse, my keys,” Gisele added looking a little stunned.
“I’ll get them, just get in the car.” With that, Doug headed back into the house. Alone.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Doug stepped across the threshold and heard the door slam behind him. “What the--”
He spun around and tried to open the door, but the handle wouldn’t turn. He grabbed onto it with both hands and twisted with all his strength, his hands only slid around the surface. The sound of doors and windows slamming echoed throughout the house. He whipped around and backed against the door. The room instantly became frigid, he could see his breath.
“Shit!”
He raced toward the back of the house. The telephone table toppled in front of him, he leapt over it without breaking stride. Down the hall and to the left into the kitchen, a pot crashed against the wall in front of him and he stopped. Pots and pans started flinging toward his head. He ducked and jumped from side to side. He felt as if he were in the middle of a video game. He got down on his hands and knees and crawled toward the back door. He grabbed the knob quickly and felt the skin on his hand sizzle before he could pull it away.
He jumped up and sprinted toward the sink. Canisters flew through the air. Again he found himself bobbing and weaving. The sound of glass smashing against the wall was deafening. So far unscathed, he reached his destination and turned the faucet on cold. A moment of peace ensued while the water ran over his blistered hand.
He grabbed the linen towel hanging from a peg above the sink, then filled it with as many ice cubes as it could hold before he wrapped it around his hand. Now it was time to escape. He ran out of the kitchen clutching the injured hand to his stomach. Furniture slid across the floor at lightning speed.
The dining room chairs skated one by one into his path. He zigzagged around them only to have a living room chair fly at him so fast he couldn’t get out of the way in time. It hit him full force in the stomach, his body folded over the back knocking the wind out of him with an oomph! He pushed the chair away, gasped for air.
Slower now, he fled toward the front of the house. The china cabinet crashed behind him, missing him by a hair. He didn’t waver, instead he kept his goal in sight. Books started flinging from the shelves, one after another, a book landed right in the middle of his forehead and he went down.
* * *
Gisele was getting antsy. Doug should have been out of the house by now. Annoyed, she said, “What the hell is taking him so long?”
Maddy didn’t answer, just gave her a quizzical look.
“I’m going to get my purse myself,” Gisele grumbled. She slammed the car door and stomped off toward the house.
When Gisele approached the front door, it popped open and yawned wide enough for her to enter. Taken aback, she cautiously stepped inside, then immediately checked behind it.
No one was there.
A shiver ran the length of her spine.
When she lifted her head to the room, a lump formed in her throat. In the five minutes she sat in the car, the house had been completely destroyed. “Doug?” The single word came out croak.
No answer.
She continued further into the house, stepping over debris and moving furniture out of her way. She made her way into the living room and looked around, stunned. What on earth happened here? All at once Doug’s words echoed in her head. In that instant, she became a believer.
“Doug!”
Nothing.
Panicked, Gisele ran through the house calling his name.
* * *
Maddy had no idea how long she’d been waiting in the car, but she’d had enough. Doug and Gisele are probably fighting again. She slammed the car door and headed toward the house. The moment she entered, she stopped. No, not again!
The thought screamed in her head.
“Gisele! Doug!” Adrenaline kicked her heart into overdrive.
“Over here!” Gisele shouted.
Maddy picked her way through the debris toward the voice, and found Gisele squatting on the other side of the couch flinging books in all directions. Confused, she simply watched until she recognized a piece of fabric that was Doug’s shirt.
“Doug!” Maddy ran toward the lump at the bottom of the books. She fell to her knees and heaved books until his body was completely uncovered. She grabbed onto his shoulders and shook him.
“Doug, wake up!” No, no, no, not him!
Gisele ran out of the room. Before Maddy knew what was happening, water flew into Doug’s face. She turned around and glared at her friend who now held an empty pan in her right hand.
“Well, it works in all the movies,” Gisele said with a shrug.
Doug started to cough, his eyes opened.
“Oh, thank God.” Maddy leaned down and cupped his face in her hands.
“See, it worked!” Triumphantly, Gisele stood holding the pot in the air.
Maddy rolled her eyes. “Just help me.”
* * *
“Yes, Gisele, I’m sure. Look, you need to be taking it easy, it’s a miracle the baby’s still okay. I’ve got some loose ends to tie up with the house, it shouldn’t take but a couple of days then I’m out of here. With Aunt Madeline in the hospital, Grams needs me right now.” Maddy strolled down the porch steps of Doug’s house with her arm linked through her best friends.
“You’re not going back in that house are you?” Gisele’s voice trembled.
“I don’t think I’ll have to. I’m going to call a real estate agent to handle the sale of the house. And I’ll see about hiring a crew to go in and finish with the renovations. But to tell you the truth, between full disclosure and the market the way it is, I’m not sure we’ll be able to give the thing away.” Maddy opened the driver’s side door on the rental car.
“Just be careful. Remember, Dr. Hill said to take it easy yourself. You’re supposed to stay away from stress right now.” Gisele tossed her purse across the front se
at.
“Don’t worry, I’m not planning on anything more exciting than making a call or two. Thank you so much for everything. I love you.” Maddy hugged her friend.
“I love you, too.” Gisele kissed her cheek before she slid into the car. “Keep in touch.”
“You too.” Maddy shut the car door. “Take good care of that baby.”
Gisele looked down at her tummy and rubbed it. “I will.” Then she looked up at Doug who stood up on the porch with his hands in his pockets. “And you take good care of our girl.”
He smiled. “You bet I will.”
Maddy joined Doug and slipped her hand through his as she watched her friend back out of the drive. Doug excused himself and disappeared into the house.
A cloud of sadness enveloped her. She missed her already. She reasoned she’d see Gisele again soon, but between the house and her aunt, Maddy couldn’t imagine when that would be. She stood there awhile, staring at the abandoned road. Slapping a mosquito on her arm, she decided it was time to go in.
Entering the kitchen, she found Doug fumbling around trying to fix dinner. He kept reaching out with his right hand, then recoiling once it made contact with the handle on the pot.
“Let me do that, you’ve got to be careful with that hand.” Maddy pushed him aside.
“You don’t know where anything is,” he answered in frustration.
“So sit down and tell me. I think I can handle a pot of spaghetti. I actually do know how to cook. Making coffee in a percolator just isn’t my strong suit.” She smiled.
Maddy took over cutting up the vegetables for the salad, while stirring the sauce and noodles as they cooked. She placed the garlic bread in the oven.
“So what’s your next plan of action?” Doug asked.
“While we were at the ER waiting for you, I made some calls. I have a couple of friends coming up from San Diego to help. They’ll be in tonight. Do you mind if they stay here?”
Spirits In the Trees Page 16
