Unbound Spirits

by Christine Pope

  That was most likely true. Still, she’d hoped to make love with Michael, then sleep the sleep of the just afterward. She was so tired that she’d probably pass out the second her head hit the pillow, but it wasn’t the same.

  “All right,” she said, glad that she’d bought a University of Arizona T-shirt from the clearance pile at the Walgreens where she’d gotten all her other odds and ends. She’d seen it while she was waiting in line to pay for the toiletries she’d picked up there, thinking that it couldn’t hurt to have a spare shirt for sleeping or lounging or whatever. Now she could wear it while Michael slept next to her, and maybe it would help that she had something on that was so baggy and unappealing.

  Wishful thinking, probably, but she knew they had to behave themselves while they were here. Once they were back in California, though….

  Michael looked relieved that she hadn’t offered any objections to his plan. “Let me get a few things together, and then we’ll head over to your room.”

  She nodded, and he went into the bathroom. A few minutes later, he came out with a black leather toiletry bag in one hand and a T-shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants in the other. “All right — let’s go.”

  They closed the door to his room, then quickly made their way along the path that led to Audrey’s half of what used to be the guesthouse. The other room was unoccupied, so there was no one around to see them slip into her room and lock the door behind them.

  “Sorry about the mess,” Audrey said, hurrying over to the bed so she could pick up the pieces of discarded clothing she’d left there — outfits she’d decided wouldn’t really work for that afternoon’s quickie shoot — and hang them back up in the closet. “I was sort of in a rush, since I knew you and Colin were waiting for me.”

  “It’s fine,” Michael said. Already he seemed more relaxed, as if he could tell that this room was far less affected by the demons than the one he’d occupied. And while it was decorated in the same sort of subdued Southwestern style as the other rooms in the B&B, there weren’t any crosses here, only mirrors framed in talavera tile and canvases of pueblos and outdoor scenes that looked like they were from the Grand Canyon. “I know you weren’t expecting company.”

  No, she wasn’t. Whatever half-baked fantasies might have flitted through her mind about her and Michael getting back together, none of them had taken place here, as if they’d both thought of his room as the obvious place for a hook-up.

  And there won’t be any of that here, either, she thought, both frustrated and angry at the delay. Well, with any luck, they could wrap this up tomorrow and be on their way back to Southern California. This time, she looked forward to the thought of spending all those hours on the road with Michael. Maybe on Yelp she could find some fun, out-of-the-way places where they could stop to eat. After all, what was a road trip without some crazy diner food?

  “I still should have put everything away,” she said. “Especially since these aren’t really my clothes.”

  “It’s all right.” He was still holding the items he’d brought over, but now he set the toiletry bag down on the dresser and draped the T-shirt and sweat pants over the arm of one of the chairs. “I was going to tell Colin to let you keep them.”

  “Really?” Audrey asked, absurdly pleased. Since finances had been tight for a while, she really hadn’t allowed herself to do much clothes shopping. The thought of being able to add the pieces Kathleen, their wardrobe person, had carefully picked out to her meager wardrobe was exciting.

  “Yes, really.” Now Michael grinned, and the worry and strain in his face seemed to disappear. She was glad to see that, not just because he looked so handsome when he smiled, but because she didn’t want him to feel so stressed all the time.

  At least he doesn’t have to hide who he is from me, she thought. That must be a relief, even if he still has to conceal his identity from the rest of the world.

  “Well, thank you,” Audrey said, and went to him and gave him a quick hug, not really much more than a squeeze. She didn’t dare do anything beyond that, because even feeling him press up against her for a second or two was enough to remind her body of what it wanted.

  Honestly, she knew she didn’t used to be this horny. Amazing what the right person could do to you.

  He still looked pleased, as if he knew he’d made her happy with the promise of the clothes. And it wasn’t all that extravagant, really — four or five jackets, designer jeans, boots and T-shirts and a few blouses. Not much she could use for work, but even her casual wardrobe could use the boost.

  After that, they focused on getting ready for bed, taking turns in the bathroom to brush their teeth and wash their faces. When they climbed into bed, both of them chastely covered enough for a high school sleepover, Audrey almost wanted to laugh. Funny how just an hour earlier they’d been practically tearing each other’s clothes off.

  Or maybe not so funny. Having Michael make love to her would have helped to erase some of the fear and anxiety of the past twenty-four hours, but she had been denied that relief. Now she had to lie here next to him in the dark, and do her best not to move or brush up against him in case by doing so she set events in motion that they were trying to avoid.

  She let out a sigh and told herself, It’s all going to be better soon.

  She just wasn’t sure whether she believed that or not.

  Chapter 11

  Michael woke before Audrey, then allowed himself a minute or so to admire her beauty, the way her thick brown hair spread across the pillow, the fine, graceful outline of her profile as she lay there next to him. Even the tiny little snort she made as she rolled over on her side was too adorable to be called a snore.

  His body wanted to respond to her presence, but he knew that wasn’t a good idea. The night had been still and quiet, with no sign of any demonic intervention. He’d even woken up at three o’clock, wary that some kind of attack might be mounted then at the devil’s hour, but the time had come and gone, and nothing had happened.

  Trying to lull him into a false sense of security?

  Possibly, but he didn’t think so. Although they hadn’t yet been able to determine exactly what was infesting the Thunderbird Bed and Breakfast, Michael had the feeling that they were dealing with low-level demons here, the type of entities that liked to cause chaos but weren’t really capable of the sort of high-level planning that the Whitcomb-demon had demonstrated.

  Just thinking of the spirit that had taken over Jeffrey Whitcomb’s body made Michael want to frown, but just as he had pushed away his desire for Audrey a moment earlier, he pushed aside his worries and suspicions for later. Most likely, the demon wouldn’t attempt anything while they were all together like this — he’d gone after Audrey because she was alone, and vulnerable. Besides, Fred Peñasco was on the case, and Michael knew his friend would be in contact as soon as he found anything. In the meantime, best to focus on what was happening here at the B&B and hope they’d get some decent footage today, then get this thing wrapped up so he and Audrey could get some much-needed downtime together at his house in Pasadena.

  Because of course they’d have to go there. He still wasn’t sure whether her house was safe, while his was warded and guarded six ways from Sunday. Nothing would get in there; he’d made sure of it.

  Since Audrey was still sound asleep, he carefully slid out from under the covers and went into the bathroom, figuring he would shower and get dressed, and then wander out to see how everyone had survived the night. But no one had come in search of him, and the only noises he’d heard were from the traffic on the street just past the B&B’s grounds, which meant that the rest of the crew had probably also passed a peaceful night.

  As he turned on the shower, Michael hoped that Colin and Daniela wouldn’t look too obviously morning after-ish. That would just be salt on the wound after he and Audrey had been denied that sort of comfort the night before.

  Goddamn demons.

  He was used to being quick about his showers, so he was
in and out and dressed in less than ten minutes. After giving his hair a quick blot with a towel, he went back out into the room, only to see Audrey sitting up in bed and rubbing at her temple.

  “Headache?” he asked, concerned. They weren’t uncommon in houses that had been infested with demons, but she had seemed fine the night before, had been sleeping peacefully, not restless at all.

  “No,” she replied at once. “I had a strange dream. Or at least, I think I had one. I can’t remember much of it. There were a lot of trees…but bare…and a stream. It was gray and cold.” She shivered. “I’m glad I woke up.”

  Michael came and sat down on the bed next to her. The description she’d given him could have been one of any number of places, but something about it made an odd little shiver run down his spine. “You don’t remember anything else?”

  For a second, she didn’t reply, as though she was straining to see if she could recall more details of her dream. Then her shoulders lifted. “That’s all. I’m sure it was just a dream and didn’t mean anything. Maybe I was flashing back to the house in Colorado, but I didn’t see any snow. Just all those bare trees.”

  Which didn’t sound much like the forest around the Colorado mansion, since it had been mainly composed of ponderosa pine. But he didn’t bother to point that out, mostly because it seemed clear that Audrey couldn’t remember any more of the dream right now and he didn’t want to press her on the subject. Maybe some more details would surface at a later date, or maybe they wouldn’t. Just because the dream had felt odd to her didn’t mean there was necessarily anything significant about it.

  As Freud had been known to say, sometimes a cigar was just a cigar.

  “Well, don’t worry about it,” Michael said. “You should probably get in the shower, though — it’s almost eight, and we still need to have breakfast and get prepped before we can start filming anything.”

  “A shower sounds good.” She began to push back the covers, so he got up and out of her way, taking a seat in the room’s one armchair. After sending him a quick smile, she gathered up some clothes and disappeared into the bathroom…but not before he got a good look at her long legs under the oversized University of Arizona T-shirt she was wearing.

  Damn. She really was beautiful, even rumpled and still a little sleepy.

  He made himself focus on something else — in this case, the phone he pulled out of his jacket pocket. It was probably way too soon for Fred to have found anything, but Michael found himself hoping anyway. Not because they could use any of that information for the show — he knew in his bones that Whitcomb was connected to something bigger than the random hauntings and infestations that would be showcased on Project Demon Hunters — but because he wanted to know what that demon was up to.

  Nothing good, he assumed.

  But there was nothing from Fred. However, he had a text from Rosemary, letting him know that she was back in Glendora safe and sound, and to let Audrey know as well. I left her a voicemail, the text said, but I just wanted to make sure she got it. Let me know if you need any support from over here.

  He sent a quick reply to tell her he’d pass her message along to Audrey, and also that they’d all survived the night without any disturbances. That was about all he had time for, because Audrey came out of the bathroom not too long after that, scrubbed and glowing, hair damp.

  “I need to go back in and blow-dry it,” she said. “But that actually takes less time if I let it air dry a little first.”

  “That’s fine,” he replied. The shower seemed to have done her a lot of good, because she looked much more relaxed than she had when she’d first woken up. Even if she couldn’t remember much of it, that dream seemed to have affected her negatively. “I had a text from Rosemary. She’s fine and safely back home.”

  That information seemed to relax Audrey even more. She sent him a grateful smile and said, “Oh, good. I suppose it was kind of silly of me to have worried, but….”

  “But after what happened to you, I can see why you’d be wary.” Michael returned his phone to his pocket. “Still, it didn’t have anything to do with Susan. The demon just…borrowed…her image.”

  “I know.” A quick glance around, and she frowned. “Doesn’t look like there’s a coffeemaker in here. I guess we’re supposed to get coffee with our breakfast.”

  He’d noticed that lack as well, but he hadn’t worried about it. Although he liked to have coffee in the morning, he’d also trained himself to do without if necessary. “Well, we’ll head over as soon as you’re ready.”

  “I’m on it.”

  She went back into the bathroom, and almost immediately afterward he heard the sound of the blow dryer, raucous and high-pitched. Since they were both dressed now, he figured it was safe to open the blinds a bit and take a look at the day outside. It would have been nice if it were dark and gloomy, like their first couple of days shooting in Glendora, but since this was Tucson, he wasn’t going to hold his breath.

  When he cracked open the blinds, he couldn’t help taking a step backward. Standing right outside the room was a woman he’d never seen before, shining black hair in an exuberant pompadour, wearing a white, high-necked gown of the style popular around the turn of the twentieth century. For a second, her big dark eyes met his, and then she vanished.

  “Holy shit,” he breathed, and Audrey stuck her head out of the bathroom, expression concerned.

  “What’s the matter?”

  He turned toward her. It looked as though she was done drying her hair, because she was in the process of wrapping the cord around the blow dryer.

  “I think I just saw the Thunderbird Bed and Breakfast’s resident ghost.”

  Jackie and Edgar Samuels exchanged a mystified glance. “I know I’ve never seen her,” Jackie said. “Have you, Edgar?”

  “No,” he answered. His fingers tapped against the coffee mug he held, and he looked more puzzled than worried. “I mean, we’d heard stories about the place being haunted, but we didn’t pay much attention to them. Almost any house as old as this one is supposed to have its own ghost. It’s actually kind of a selling point.”

  “I can imagine,” Michael said.

  Audrey wished she’d seen the apparition, if only because she seemed a lot friendlier than the demons who’d decided to play havoc with her sex life the night before. She was also glad that she and Michael had caught the B&B’s owners alone in the breakfast room before the rest of the crew made their appearance. Colin would probably want to try to capture this new spirit on film, even though their focus was supposed to be the demons and helping to get rid of them. After what had happened last night, she wanted to make sure those little bastards were sent straight to hell ASAP, and it would go a lot faster if Colin didn’t get distracted by something new and shiny.

  “No one ever reported seeing her, either,” Jackie said. “We’ve had a lot of people come and go in this place, as you might imagine. Not one of them ever mentioned anything out of the ordinary…at least not until we started have having our problems last fall.”

  “Which were demonic in origin, I know.” Michael rubbed the scruff on his chin, brows pulling together. He didn’t appear angry or worried, though, but merely focused on the problem at hand. “This apparition looked very human, though. She was solid. It was only the way she disappeared that made me realize she wasn’t a real person. If any of your guests saw her, they probably wouldn’t have even realized she wasn’t alive. They might have thought she was a historical reenactor or something, because of the way she was dressed, but….”

  “But it probably wasn’t strange enough for anyone to mention it,” Jackie said. “Especially since we’ve had living history groups here to take photos from time to time, that sort of thing. If anyone had seen her, they would have thought she was with one of those groups, since we mention it in the brochure we put in all the rooms.”

  Audrey guessed she wouldn’t have mentioned such a sighting, either, especially if the B&B’s literature wen
t out of its way to mention that reenactment groups sometimes took publicity photos here. “Why do you think she appeared now?” she asked. “I mean, it seems fairly obvious that she wanted to be seen if she was standing right in front of our — I mean, my — window.”

  Even as she spoke, she wanted to wince at the slip-up. When he’d recounted the details of the ghost sighting to Jackie and Edgar, he’d made it sound as though he’d seen the apparition as he was coming to meet Audrey for breakfast, and not because he was actually inside the room with her.

  Luckily, neither of the B&B’s owners seemed to have noticed her gaffe, and instead appeared to be more focused on the answer to the question she’d just posed. “I have no idea,” Jackie said, then reached for her mug of coffee so she could take a sip from it. “Maybe she’s trying to communicate somehow?”

  “I think that’s exactly it,” Michael said. “My guess is that the woman I saw is also the blob of light that hangs around the storage shed. She takes on different forms as necessary. Probably the glowing light is easier to maintain for an extended period of time.”

  “So she was guiding us to the Ouija board?” Audrey asked.

  “That seems the most logical explanation.”

  His eyes met hers for just a second, but that was enough to send a little thrill through her. Her heightened responses to Michael might have had a lot to do with being cock-blocked the night before, and yet Audrey knew she needed to try to play it cool. While she’d told herself that she didn’t care whether Colin and Daniela and Susan found out that she and Michael were becoming something of an item, she also knew that it would be easier to keep things somewhat under wraps until they were done filming. His mouth lifted at the corners, a ghost of a smile that seemed to acknowledge her presence while not giving too much away.