Ethel slowly bent down to pour the tea. Maddy thought she should offer to help the woman and leaned forward. It looked as if the simple weight of the teapot was more than she could handle. The only thing stopping her was the fact that the woman had carried the enormous tray out there all by herself. That put her mind at ease and she sat back.
She offered tea to Maddy and Mrs. Winston, then went on to make them each a plate. She handed Maddy a plate with two finger sandwiches, a blueberry scone with some clotted cream and a napkin.
“Thank you, Ethel.” Maddy said.
“My pleasure, ma’am,” Ethel answered obediently.
Maddy wondered if Ethel was being formal simply because they had a guest, or did she always stand on ceremony?
“Thank you, Ethel. You may go.” Mrs. Winston dismissed the woman.
“Yes, ma’am.” The maid nodded her head.
After Ethel left the room, the women were silent, sipping their tea and nibbling their fare.
Maddy was chewing her last bite of scone when a loud rumble of thunder rattled the windows. She looked up in time to see a bolt of lightening hit the sea and light up the horizon.
“Oh, how wonderful!” Mrs. Winston clapped her hands together.
“Looks like we won’t be disappointed with this storm,” Maddy added.
With that, a torrential downpour hit the surface of black waves, their whitecaps reached up and kissed the rain. A ship on the horizon tossed about like a toy in a child’s bath.
When Maddy was finally able to tear her eyes away, she glanced back at her hostess and urged her on, “So what happened after that?”
Startled out of her thoughts, Mrs. Winston glanced at Maddy as if she’d forgotten she was there. “Oh my. Now where was I?”
“Ray started drinking and womanizing after his father’s death,” Maddy answered.
“Oh, yes. Well, it looks like I’ve gotten ahead of myself again. Actually, Ray’s father didn’t die until after Madeline came to live on the island. Now that was quite a surprise let me tell you.
“He had the entire town talking that day. Here Raymond Heller had never had a date in his life, then the next thing you know, he’s bringing home a beautiful new bride. There he was, a twenty-five year-old man with a sixteen year-old wife!” Mrs. Winston dramatically placed a hand on her bosom.
“Did it cause a scandal?” Maddy found herself so engrossed in the tale she was literally sitting on the edge of her seat.
“I wouldn’t call it a scandal per se,” The woman leaned closer to Maddy as if she had a secret. “But it did set the tongues to wagging.” Mrs. Winston sat back in her chair, a twinkle in her eye.
“My grandmother told me her parents weren’t happy with their daughter’s decision to quit school and marry so young, but I guess it wasn’t so rare back then as it would be today,” Maddy stated.
“True, it did happen, but it was not the norm.”
“Did you know my great-aunt?” Maddy asked hopefully.
“Know her? Not really. I saw her at church and nodded hello, but no one really knew her. In the beginning she was an adorable bubbly little creature, but that was before the incident.”
“The incident?”
“Yes. It’s said that a few months after Madeline had come to the island, she was in the grocery innocently talking to Marcus Bent while he bagged her items. He was just asking innocuous questions like ‘How did she like living on the island?’ ‘Where did she live before?’ Nothing at all improper, mind you.
“Then Ray appeared carrying a bag from the hardware store, stomped directly to Madeline, grabbed her arm and yanked her out the door. Once they made it to the car, he shoved her into the car and yelled, ‘No wife of mine is going to act like a whore flirting with every Tom, Dick and Harry!’
“He returned to the store and marched straight up to fifteen year-old Marcus Bent and shoved him so hard that he fell right on his bum. Then he yelled ‘Stay away from my wife or you’ll be sorry!”
“He snatched up the groceries and marched back out. Poor little Madeline sat in the car covering her face as she cried.
“Everyone on the street that day was shocked as they watched the car speed off. After that she was never again seen in town. When they attended church, Madeline clung to Ray’s arm and kept her head down. She spoke to no one, and no one dared speak to her.
“As time went by, her years in the Heller household took their toll. She resembled her mother-in-law in more ways than one. Gone was that beautiful smile that had once adorned her cherubic face. She covered herself head to toe in drab matronly dresses, even in the middle of summer. People speculated whether that was to hide her bruises, or as an act of piety for her husband’s sake.”
“Poor Aunt Madeline.”
“No one really knows exactly what went on in that house. No one dared visit or get involved. I went over once and vowed never to go back. They had just arrived on the island and I brought them a cake to wish them congratulations. Ray answered the door and took the cake. I was never asked in. He practically slammed the door in my face!” Mrs. Winston exclaimed.
“Whatever happened to Ruth?” Maddy asked.
“The story was that she fell down the cement stairs that led from the back door and broke her neck. She was sixty-six years-old, but looked more like eighty. She’d had a hard life, God bless her soul.” Mrs. Winston looked sadly down at her folded hands in her lap.
“How did Ray die?”
“Ray died?” Mrs. Winston looked up with her brows raised.
“Yes. That’s why my aunt left years ago,” Maddy answered.
“Why I have no idea, dear. He must have been on the mainland on one of his business trips because I know he did not die on this island. As best as I can tell you, they were here one day and gone the next. It was quite the mystery. No one even saw them leave,” Mrs. Winston stated matter-of-fact.
“Grams said Aunt Madeline wouldn’t tell her what happened. She just showed up one night on her doorstep. Grams assumed he’d run off with another woman.” Maddy searched the other woman’s face for an explanation.
“That’s highly likely. That boy took after his daddy in every way. That could be why she never sold the property. If he were still alive, then it wasn’t hers to sell,” Mrs. Winston added.
“But wouldn’t he have come back? I mean, it is his family’s home. He doesn’t sound like the kind of man who would give anything away for free.”
“Truer words were never spoken. Maybe he is dead after all, but he didn’t die on this island. Of that I am certain. Dr. Martin would have let me know. He always informed me of all the births and deaths on this island. He did it as a courtesy out of loyalty to my family. That was of course until his passing fifteen years ago,” Mrs. Winston finished.
“I’m sure he’s dead. Why else would my aunt have the deed to the house?” Maddy said now with confidence.
“Very good point, my dear. Madeline would not have dared take it otherwise. She knew the wrath of Raymond Heller better than anyone.”
Maddy looked at her watch, it was getting late. “I’ve had a wonderful time, but I should get back.” She stood.
Mrs. Winston removed the napkin from her lap and set it on the table before she joined her. “My, dear, this was such a lovely surprise. You must come see me again real soon.”
The elderly woman linked arms with Maddy once more as she walked her to the front of the house. Once she opened the heavy mahogany door, they noticed the rain coming down in sheets. Mrs. Winston reached into a caddy on the right and pulled out an umbrella. “Take this so you don’t get soaked. We can’t have you catching your death now, can we? You can return it the next time you visit.”
“Thank you.” Maddy reached out and took the offered umbrella, then wrapped her arms gently around the tiny woman and gave her a hug. When she stepped back, a warm smile graced Mrs. Winston’s face. “And, thank you again for tea.”
“You’re quite welcome, my dear. It’s always a p
leasure to have such wonderful company.”
Maddy stepped out onto the stoop and opened the umbrella.
“Good-bye, dear.”
Maddy ran to her car and jumped in. She turned toward the woman standing in the open doorway and waved before taking off.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Maddy caught the first ferry to the mainland the following morning. There had to be some record of Raymond Heller’s death, and she was determined to find it. After coming up short at the hospital, she found herself in the local library searching the microfiche in hopes of finding an obituary, or some other sort of proof that the man indeed was dead.
After several hours sitting in front of the screen, her shoulders ached and her head pounded. She rubbed her weary eyes. No mention of Raymond Heller could be found for the entire year that Aunt Madeline had come home.
She was on her last roll of microfiche when something caught her eye, Isabelle Island. Quickly she scrolled back and stopped. There was a school picture of an attractive teen-aged girl, the caption read:
Seaside Strangler Claims Sixth Victim
Thursday morning the body of fifteen year-old Lacy Shaw was found raped and brutally murdered on the shore of Isabelle Island. Local authorities have no doubt this is the work of the Seaside Strangler who has already claimed the lives of five other victims in the last year. Still no suspects to date. Lacy Shaw resided at 584 Hyacinth Lane, Isabelle Island. She is survived by her mother Ellen Shaw, a homemaker, her father Desmond Shaw, a machinist, and a younger sister Marie six years-old.
Oh my God, she was Aunt Madeline’s neighbor! Stunned, she immediately hit the print button, then scanned the newspapers again in search of the other victims. After printing them out, she stacked her findings in a pile, then started on the microfiche for the following year to see if more victims were found. Better yet, if they had ever captured the man responsible. She came up empty. Exhausted, she called it a day.
It was after three in the afternoon when she walked out of the library, and her stomach growled. She scanned the street for a coffee shop or some place where she could grab a sandwich and think. She had no idea what her research proved, but there was something gnawing at the back of her mind that said what she’d found was important.
Maddy was halfway through her patty melt when it dawned on her she hadn’t called her grandmother today. She ransacked her purse looking for her cell phone, then realized she must have left in on the charger back at Doug’s. She glanced at her watch and quickly calculated. If she hurried, she might be able to catch her before she went back to the hospital.
Summoning the waitress, she paid her bill and asked for the nearest pay phone. With two dollars worth of quarters in her pocket, Maddy dashed out the door and ran across the street to the gas station. After depositing her coins, she anxiously waited while the phone rang endlessly. About to give up, the phone was answered. She expected to hear the answering machine when her grandmother voice came on instead.
“Hello?” Her grandmother was out of breath.
“Grams, it’s me. Are you all right?”
“You just caught me stepping out the door. I rushed back in when I heard the telephone ring. Are you all right? You know I get so worried when I don’t at least have a message waiting for me when I return. I do wish you would come home.”
“I know, Grams, I’m sorry. Just a few more days. How’s Aunt Madeline?”
“She seems better today. She’s breathing easier. The doctor thinks the new medication is working.”
“Thank God. Grams, I went to the hospital today to find a death certificate for Raymond Heller, but they didn’t have one.”
“Maybe they just misplaced it,” she said without missing a beat.
“That’s not logical, Grams. Then I went to the library in search of an obituary, I couldn’t find one of those either.”
“Madeline didn’t put one in the paper.”
“No one even remembers a funeral.”
“Maybe she had him cremated and flushed his ashes down the toilet. Lord knows that’s what I would have done if I were in her shoes,” her grandmother said indignantly.
“Grams!” Maddy laughed.
“What? You would have had to know the man to understand, Maddy.”
“Grams, there’s something else. Did Aunt Madeline ever mention anything about the death of Lacy Shaw?”
“Who?” Her grandmother’s voice was unnaturally high.
“The Shaw family, they lived next door to Aunt Madeline. They had a fifteen year-old daughter who was murdered around the same time Aunt Madeline came to live with you.”
There was silence on the other end of the phone and Maddy thought they might have been disconnected. “Grams, are you still there?”
“Maddy, I’ve got to go. I don’t have time to chat with you all day.”
The phone went dead.
Maddy stared at the receiver in her hand. “That was odd.”
* * *
Maddy picked up a dinner of fried chicken with all the sides from Hazel’s Café on her way back to Doug’s. Everyone else had almost finished eating before she had taken even one bite. She was anxious to tell them everything she had uncovered and get their take on things.
“Tell me where the rest of the journals are. I can’t wait to get my hands on those puppies,” Jane said, rubbing her hands together.
Maddy’s mouth was full, so she only nodded. The fried chicken was great, even though it was now cold.
“I have felt a malevolent being in that house. It’s as if he’s watching, waiting. It’s quite possible that it is this Raymond Heller. But that’s not the only ghost. I feel there are several souls trapped in that house,” Jane said.
“What about his father? He didn’t sound like such a prince himself,” Maddy suggested.
“No, he wasn’t. But if what you say is true, Raymond not only took on his father’s more menacing traits, but added to them as well. He might be a murderer to boot. It sounds as if more than one person suspected him of killing his parents. It’s that type of malignancy that keeps him from moving on, unless…” Jane’s words trailed off.
“Unless what?” Doug prodded.
“Well, the most common reason that spirits don’t move on is that they have unfinished business.”
“What kind of unfinished business could he possibly have?” Doug asked.
“I don’t know, that’s why I want to read Madeline’s journals. She may be able to shed some light on the subject,” Jane answered.
“If you don’t mind, Maddy, I’d like to check out those newspaper articles,” Tim added.
“Sure.” Maddy put her biscuit down and wiped her hands on her napkin before she got up to retrieve the copies from under her purse in the hall.
When she returned, she handed them to Tim across the table. “Do you think the girl in my dreams is this Lacy Shaw?”
“It’s possible. It’s also true that the ones whose lives have been cut short in a violent manner tend to be tied to the place where they died,” Tim answered.
It was late when Doug and Maddy walked their friends to the door.
“If I were you, Maddy, I would go ahead and get the courts started on pronouncing this Raymond Heller as dead. It’s been more than seven years that anyone has seen him alive.”.Tim said.
“That we know about,” Maddy added.
“True,” Tim said.
“Not that she really needs the confirmation. After all, she does hold the deed to the house,” Doug added.
“But it might save her from further complications that could arise in the future. It wouldn’t hurt to talk to an attorney,” Tim replied.
“I’ll look into that tomorrow. Thanks a lot you guys. I appreciate your input.” Maddy hugged her friends as they said their good nights.
The aroma of fried chicken still wafted through the kitchen as Maddy handed Doug the last dish for him to dry. She wiped her hands on a nearby towel and said over her shoulder, “I think I’m go
ing to go up and take a bath.”.
“Okay, you should find everything you need under the sink. If not, give me a holler. I’ll be in the study down here catching up on some bills.”
Together they walked to the bottom of the stairs. Doug took off toward the back of the house while Maddy’s eyes stayed glued to his butt until he was out-of-sight. Damn, but I do like the way that man fills out his jeans. She fanned her face with her hand before she turned to mount the stairs.
The first thing she did was adjust the temperature of the water. As the tub began to fill, she retreated to the adjoining room to strip off her clothes.
Now naked, she scouted around under the sink, hoping to find some bath oils. No such luck. Instead she retrieved a a half-empty bottle of bubble bath in the shape of Elmo from Sesame Street.
With a laugh, Maddy turned back to the tub and stopped. The laugh caught in her throat. Frozen in place, she stared down and watched as a small drop of blood spread from the center of the water to the sides of the tub. The plastic bottle slipped from her hand as a scream echoed through the tiny room. She couldn’t pull her eyes away from the deep scarlet fluid now rushing out of the tap.
* * *
Doug sat at his desk writing out a check to the electric company when he heard a bloodcurdling scream. He jumped up so fast his chair tumbled backward to the floor. “Maddy!” He raced up the stairs two-by-two and burst through her bedroom door. Empty. His head spun in the direction of the bathroom. That’s where he found Maddy, standing naked over the tub. Her eyes transfixed to the faucet, her face as white as a sheet.
The room felt like an icebox.
Doug followed her gaze, but all he saw was the water getting dangerously close to overflowing. He reached down and turned off the tap, then spun around and grabbed her by the shoulders.
“What is it, what’s wrong?”.
Maddy didn’t answer. She wouldn’t even look at him. Her glazed eyes stayed glued to the bathtub.
He reached for her robe from the back of the door and wrapped it around her. She was shivering uncontrollably. He pulled her into his arms, held her close and started rubbing her back vigorously.
Spirits In the Trees Page 19
