Samantha- The Haunting

by A A Bavar

Ray raised his eyebrows. “Coincidence or not, that merits looking into,” he said with a frown. “And by the way, I’m not a believer in coincidences.”

  Okay, man, keep your calm… you need to buy Ray time, thought Paul, as he climbed the steps to the landing leading to Wendy’s bedroom, his pace determined. He walked past his room, the only light in the hall coming from Wendy’s open door, took a deep breath, and entered only to stop short in surprise. Standing barefoot at the foot of the bed, holding a glass of wine in each hand, and wearing a see-through negligee with nothing underneath except for the Hope Diamond, was Samantha in Wendy’s image.

  “Like what you see?” asked Samantha, licking her lips seductively. “I almost gave up on you, but I had a feeling you’d show up.” She walked to Paul, each step deliberate, her hips moving from side to side, showing off her toned body and perfectly formed breasts. “This is for you,” she said, and held out one of the glasses. “Well, the rest is, too,” she added with a laugh.

  Paul took the wine without thinking, forced his eyes up, and took a sip. “Somehow I didn’t think you’d be in a very good mood. I mean… well, you know.” He took another sip.

  “Why wouldn’t I be? It wasn’t your fault,” said Samantha, turning and walking back to a small table set with a plate of crackers, cheese, and a bottle of wine. “As I see it, after tonight there shouldn’t be any more undesirable interruptions. You want to be with me… and you know what will happen if… well, let’s not ruin the moment. But now, she also knows the truth, so I doubt she’ll want you.”

  Paul took a couple of steps forward and stopped, his eyes falling on his cell phone conveniently positioned on the table by the wine bottle.

  “She was texting you, so I paid her a visit to set things straight. Nothing scandalous, although lucky her she had company,” said Samantha, her look momentarily menacing. “To comfort her, of course,” she added with a fake smile. “But how did you know?”

  Paul shrugged and walked to the table. “I didn’t. She called and left me a nasty message at work,” he lied, took the glass of wine from Samantha, put them on the table, and placed his hands around her waist, pulling her close. “But why did you say you were Samantha?”

  “Just having fun… she’s the crazy one, after all, and going to someone’s house unannounced for a reason like that, well not something a normal person would do. Right?” said Samantha, and kissed Paul gently on the lips. “Where were you this afternoon?”

  Paul pressed Samantha against himself, fixing his eyes on hers. “Strangely enough, with Samantha. I hadn’t seen her in over a year, but had this crazy, nagging urge… honestly, it was really weird and definitely not a memorable experience. She seemed a lot better than I remembered, but also different from what I remembered. I don’t know, something was odd… maybe all the meds,” he said, and leaned in for another kiss. “But let’s not talk about that.” His lips covered hers as his hand slid up her back, untying the lace around her neck.

  Ray sat low in his black Ford Crown Victoria, his eyes on the black and gold trimmed WJ crest centered on the wrought iron gates guarding the driveway of the mansion roughly a hundred feet away. For the umpteenth time he wondered how much the mansion cost, and how much the upkeep was per month. “Who gives a shit, man,” he muttered. “You’ll never see the inside of a place like this, let alone own one… unless you decide to rob a freaking bank,” he said, and glanced at the clock on the dash. It was almost 12 p.m., and there had been no movement since Paul’s Veneno pulled out nearly three hours earlier. Ray took a deep breath and tried to stretch, his six foot four frame cramped even in the Ford. “It’s not a stereotype,” he grumbled to himself. “When I can, I’ll get a limo with a driver… or a goddamned F-150.” Out of habit, he pulled at the bill of his Patriot’s cap, adjusted the back, and pushed his Ray-Bans up against the bridge of his nose. It was an overcast day, so the sunglasses weren’t necessary, but he wouldn’t leave the house without them, not since his early days at the academy. There was something about them that gave him confidence, a sense of invisibility. He yawned and folded his arms across his chest just as the gates to the driveway started to open, the W and J slowly moving away from each other. He took out his phone and started snapping photos in rapid succession as a blue Porsche pulled out. “Bingo!” he said, and turned the ignition, bringing the Ford’s 4.6 liter V8 engine to life with a powerful rumble. He didn’t know what Wendy looked like, but a stylishly beautiful brunette with long hair and a nice tan fit the bill. Plus the fact that Paul had told him that they were the only people in the house at the moment.

  The Porsche turned left and immediately sped away. There was nothing calm or patient in the way the driver was handling the little sports car. “Damn!” remarked Ray, as he put the Ford in gear and pulled out with a screech. “That woman’s got a heavy foot. Let’s see how you manage, baby,” he said and patted the dashboard of the Ford as it tore forward.

  Thirty-five minutes later, Samantha pulled into the parking lot of the Sierra Vista Palm Psychiatric Hospital. Ray followed, parked in a space a few rows behind her, pulled out his cell phone, and got ready to snap more pictures. He needed at least one reasonably clear photo for the FBI’s Universal Face Workstation’s facial recognition software to work. Ray smirked. Having worked with the FBI had its perks, especially since they never deactivated his access to the software.

  The driver’s side door of the Porsche opened and the brunette got out, stopped, and with the door still open slowly turned to face his direction. For a moment, it looked like she was smiling at Ray, almost posing for the pictures. “Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Wendy Jewett,” said Ray, and pressed the continuous rapid shot icon on his phone. Samantha stood there for a moment, her smile turning into a thoughtful frown as her left hand rubbed the Hope Diamond necklace around her neck. Then, decision reached, with a small nod of her head she swung the door of the Porsche shut and walked to the entrance of the hospital.

  Ray waited a few minutes, grabbed a small, black box lying on the passenger seat, and got out of the car. He wanted to make sure Wendy hadn’t forgotten anything or wasn’t coming back unexpectedly for any reason. Casually, he walked to the passenger side of the Porsche, dropped his keys, and as he bent down to pick them up, unobtrusively placed the black box underneath the car behind the front wheel. With an imperceptible click, the magnet on the box snapped it tightly in place. Ray got up, put his keys in his pocket, and continued towards the hospital entrance. The doors slid open and he headed for the reception table.

  “Hi,” he said with a smile to the receptionist sitting behind the desk. “I’m here for Ms. Samantha DesJardins.

  The receptionist returned his smile. “Oh, sure, but you’ll have to wait, unfortunately. She has someone visiting with her right now and we only allow one visitor at a time. If you’d like, you can wait in our waiting room,” she said, and pointed towards a room with sofas and a wide-screen TV to her left. “There’s complimentary water, coffee, and snacks, and please feel free to change the channel if you’d like.”

  Ray glanced at the room and rubbed his chin. “Thanks, but you know what, I think I’ll go for a bite and come back later,” he said, smiled again, and turned to leave. “Thanks anyway.”

  Samantha closely followed Nurse Brown, practically stepping on her heels. “I’m sorry, did you say she’s going to be allowed to go back to her room in a couple of days?” she asked as they turned the corner, trying to keep the anxiety from her voice. Samantha glanced ahead. The solid, white door she knew all too well and despised with all her being was only a few steps away to their left. She felt a shiver go through her, but the rage she felt was even stronger.

  “Yes! Yes! Isn’t that wonderful news?” said Nurse Brown, and stopped behind the door. “She’s been making wonderful progress. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was ready to leave in a couple of months,” she added, inserting a key card into the lock, and partially opening the door. “Today, she ate her lunch by herself with my supervi
sion, but with no help. I think it was the first time since she was admitted. Unfortunately, I just started with Ms. DesJardins, so I don’t know all the details. I wish Nurse Jane was here to see,” she said, her voice trailing off.

  Samantha’s eyes momentarily flashed red and she clenched her jaw at the mention of Jane. “So she’s not restrained anymore? Is that safe?” she asked in a whisper.

  Nurse Brown smiled reassuringly. “Oh, she’s fine. Quite a dear, actually,” she said, and pushed the door open. “Samantha, honey, you have a visitor.”

  Wendy groaned softly. She looked exhausted, the rings under her eyes dark and pronounced. Slowly, she opened her eyes, looked towards the door, and gasped in recognition.

  Samantha waved hello and stepped in, blocking Nurse Brown’s view. “Hi sweetie!” she said with a grin, and turned to Nurse Brown, a practiced smile on her face. “Thank you. I don’t think I’ll be more than half an hour or so. I wish I could stay longer, but I have to meet someone in town.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad. Company does a world of good for her. Since Mr. Blast visited— do you know Mr. Blast?” asked Nurse Brown.

  “Um… oh, yes. He’s actually my… a close friend,” replied Samantha, trying to suppress her surprise.

  “Oh, that’s nice,” said Nurse Brown with a wink. “Anyway, since his visit yesterday, Samantha’s been like a new person. High spirits and all. A world of good, I say!”

  “I’m sure it did,” said Samantha with a thoughtful nod, and placed her hand on the door, slowly pushing it shut. “I’ll definitely come back in a couple of days. Maybe when she’s already in her room, and we can spend the whole day together… reading, watching shows, eating ice cream! Wen— Samantha loves strawberry ice cream.”

  “Well, I’ll let you two catch up. If you need anything, just ring the bell,” she said, pointed at the button beside the door, and left, pulling the door shut behind her.

  Samantha turned and faced Wendy, her eyes burning bright red. “Hello, Wendy. I see you’ve been quite busy,” she said with a sneer, and walked towards the bed. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. Maybe I should’ve kept Jane around a bit longer. She definitely kept me on a tight leash. But what’s done is done, and I can’t say it wasn’t a fun night out. How about we have some fun of our own?”

  Wendy sat up and held her hands out, her eyes pleading. “Samantha, you don’t have to do this. Please!”

  “Oh, but I do,” said Samantha, standing beside the bed on Wendy’s left, and looking down. “With you around, I have to keep this charade going, and honestly I really prefer being me.”

  Wendy cowered to the right. “But like Nurse Brown said, in a couple of months I’ll be out and… and we can be ourselves again. You can be you, and I’ll just go… disappear. You’ll never see me again. I swear!”

  Samantha paused for an instant then shook her head. “Nah, that won’t work. I’ll never feel safe. Not with you out there. Not with what you did to me. You’re weak now, vulnerable,” she said, leaned over, and gently touched Wendy’s cheek with the back of her hand. “I know what it’s like to feel like that, to be hopeless. But once you recover, when you’re strong and in control again, you’ll change your mind, your perspective will change and you’ll come for me again. The righteous will always be righteous in the end, right?” She tilted her head to the side, her burning eyes finding Wendy’s. “You broke my heart, Wendy. Betrayed me in the worst way.”

  Wendy cleared her throat and tried to hold Samantha’s hand, but she pulled it away. “It’s not true, Samantha. I didn’t do it to hurt you. I… Dr. Yurka and I… we were trying to help you. That day in the woods, the dream you kept having, remember? It wasn’t a dream. It really happened and it was supposed to be wonderful.” Wendy sat up and reached for Samantha, holding her arm. “We were eighteen… it was our initiation ceremony, and the elders chose you to lead, but we didn’t know what that really meant. What the ritual involved. When I saw what was happening, what the elders were doing… their horrid, twisted plan, I tried to stop them, but they were too strong. I couldn’t get through their shield, so I tried to connect with you, to stop you from finishing the chant. I was the blonde woman in your dream, don’t you see?” she said, her eyes unwavering, searching for the slightest hint of understanding.

  Samantha didn’t respond, her eyes still burning red, her stare full of disdain.

  “Samantha, it was the only way I could think of… but I failed. Please try to understand, you were already in their control and too strong for me. I couldn’t beat them and you. I tried everything, but they took you. I lost you to them,” said Wendy, her eyes welling with tears. “The elder magic overwhelmed you, consumed you… changed who you were!” Wendy wiped the tears with the back of her hand and looked up at Samantha.

  Samantha was staring straight ahead, lost in thought. Her eyes were softening, slowly regaining their natural color.

  “Please, let me help you come back,” whispered Wendy.

  Samantha closed her eyes, and when she reopened them, said in a soft voice, “Of course I will, Gwen.”

  “You remember!” exclaimed Wendy. “Then you must know that—”

  “We’re sisters?” interrupted Samantha. “Yes, I had a vision… a realization of sorts. The elders were channeling me, or more accurately, pleading with me not to do what I know I must do.”

  Suddenly, as if slapped across the face, Samantha whipped her head to the side, her eyes roving, boring into Wendy’s. “It’s amusing, and very disappointing, that after all these years you still don’t get it. Always the loveable, trusting Gwen,” she hissed, her eyes stretching into slits. “The elders. Yes, they were the force behind my change, but not in the way you want to believe. I took them… stripped them of their magic and took it for myself, not the other way around. But what I hadn’t realized until now was that they had chosen you to lead, and as long as you’re alive I’ll never be rid of them or fully in control. They’re connected to your life source, see? So…”

  “Samantha, no!” shouted Wendy. “You can’t! I’m your sister…”

  Samantha held her right hand in front of her and grinned venomously. Slowly, she flexed her fingers as her eyes turned red again. “Sorry, sis… but life’s a bitch” she said, removing the Hope Diamond from around her neck, immediately transforming back. “That’s better. It would be really weird doing this with you looking like me.”

  Wendy looked up, she looked sad, but not pleading. “I’m sorry you feel you need to do this,” she said, her eyes momentarily glowing blue.

  Samantha smirked. “Don’t even think about it,” she warned. “If you try, you’ll lose and it’ll just make things a lot worse for you. I promise, it’ll be quick and painless, just like falling asleep.”

  “Wait!” exclaimed Wendy. “At least let me be myself. Even if it’s for a few minutes. Please!”

  Samantha crossed her arms and nodded. “Okay, sis.”

  Wendy mumbled something under her breath and suddenly her body started to tremble, subtle waves of energy spreading through her, causing her skin to roll back and forth in waves. Slowly, she began to emanate a blue glow which surrounded her, engulfing her completely, gradually concentrating on her face and chest. Then, as the blue light dissipated, she transformed and Gwen appeared.

  “Not sure what you’re up to, little sis, but it’s time to get things going,” said Samantha, and held her hand a couple of inches over Gwen’s face. Almost immediately, a red mist started to form, covering Gwen’s face. Gwen looked up, her eyes wide, frightened, as tears swelled up and streaked down the side of her face.

  “Please… Sam…” whispered Gwen, her words barely audible, her breathing more and more shallow as she breathed in the cloud.

  Samantha bit her lower lip, hard. “I’m sorry, sis, it’s the only way,” she said, a drop of blood appearing in the corner of her mouth. “I promise, you won’t feel a thing,” she said softly, and licked her lips, her arms dropping to her side.

 
; Gwen blinked slowly and closed her eyes.

  Samantha remained motionless for a few seconds, her eyes heavy, almost closing, looking away from Gwen at the padded wall behind the bed. After a slight nod, resolution reached, she exhaled deeply and shook her head vehemently, expelling the cobwebs of sadness and remorse that had tangled her mind. Almost immediately, her eyes were once more hard and determined.

  “Sacrifice is part of getting what you want. Don’t forget it!” she said to herself, put the Hope Diamond necklace around her neck, and watched Gwen’s image transform back into Wendy and then into Samantha. “In a couple of days, when you leave this world for good, I will finally be free.”

  Ray chucked his half eaten roast beef sandwich on the passenger seat, his attention suddenly pulled away by Samantha’s slender figure exiting the hospital. He glanced at the dash, it was 1:54 p.m., grabbed his phone, and zoomed the camera in on his prey as she made her way towards the Porsche. “That’s a big ass rock you got there, little lady,” he said to himself, looked up from the phone screen, and squinted in concentration. “I’ve seen that thing before…” He looked back at the camera screen and snapped away.

  The rest of the afternoon was eventless. Samantha was the perfect stereotype of a wealthy woman. She stopped at the club for a late lunch, went to the salon for a manicure, and finally ended up at a private art gallery in downtown. Ray passed the entrance to the gallery, drove fifty yards down the road, and parked under a tree in between two nondescript sedans. It was a one way street, so he wasn’t worried. Samantha had to drive her blue Porsche right past him. Lazily, almost mechanically, he adjusted the side view mirror of his car so he could keep an eye on the entrance to the gallery and settled in his seat. This was the boring part of the job, the one thing movies and T.V. shows glossed over, but which in real life accounted for almost eighty percent of detective work.