by C. F. Fowler
Catherine laughed. “I’m dead. You need not worry about my soul.”
Marion knew this wouldn’t be easy. “You haven’t forgotten your Sunday school lessons, have you?” She looked at Walter for a sign as to whether Catherine had any such lessons.
Walter rubbed the whiskers on his face. He had a pretty good day’s growth there. He said, “Catherine attended Sunday school every week since the family started bringing her to church. You can’t tell me she could forget her religious upbringing! She was a good girl and Addy and Bill did their best to make her that way.”
“So if you are still here, I assume you haven’t yet been judged. Catherine, don’t do anything to negatively affect your eternal life. Let me help put that man away. Let me help your mother. Walter and I are eager to help your children’s situation.” She turned to Walter and raised her eyebrows to encourage his input here.
“Yes, Cathy. I’ve always been here for you and Addy. I’ve been looking after your girls too.” His voice drifted off as if unsure he was speaking to anyone. He felt foolish talking to the air.
Catherine faded but not entirely. Marion thought they were losing the argument. Miraculously, Adele stood and said, “Cathy, you will let this woman help you. Your father and I did not have a family to lose you to this despicable cause.” She started to cry but continued, “I want to live my eternal life with your father AND you and the girls. Please baby girl, listen to Marion.” She collapsed on the sofa, sobbing uncontrollably.
Catherine moved toward her mother and stood silently. Marion prayed Catherine would see reason in her mother’s words. She heard sniffling behind her and turned to see Walter blowing his nose and wiping his eyes with tissue. Slowly Catherine faded away.
Chapter 6
Walter approached Marion, hesitated as though he wanted to say something, but continued over to Adele.
“Addy,” he said quietly, “let’s call Helen.” Adele managed a smile and nodded. Walter left the room and Adele appeared to collect herself. She took a tissue from a box on the table and wiped her eyes, then blew her nose.
Adele turned to Marion and said, “Let’s go in and explain things to the girls.” Marion nodded and followed Adele to a bedroom at the far end of the hallway. They entered the bedroom to find the two girls sitting on the floor playing Chinese checkers. They both had their mother’s blonde hair and fair skin.
Adele called them to sit with her on a rose-colored padded bench seat on the side of the room. It appeared to be a playroom as there were no beds or dressers. The bench seat where Adele now sat had a twin on the other side of the room. A folding card table with two folding chairs sat near the far wall, while shelves containing books, games, and videos lined the wall opposite the card table. This floor was the same hardwood found in the living room.
The girls, Katy and Beth, six and eight years old respectively, sat on either side of their grandmother. Adele did her best to put a genuine smile on her face, but Marion could see it was forced.
“Girls, I’m sorry we didn’t talk to you about Hazel before we gave her away.” She looked to Marion for help.
Marion crouched down in front of Adele and said to the girls, “Yes. We could have done that better, I’m sorry. Hazel was unhappy. Dogs need attention. You have to spend time playing with them and take them on long walks twice a day.” Marion hesitated to give the girls a chance to digest the information and respond. The girls looked down at the floor and said nothing. She suspected they knew Hazel was unhappy.
“You can visit Hazel whenever you want. She’s living with Morey Feinbaum and his grandchildren. Do you know who that is?”
They nodded and Katy said, “But we promised Golda we would look after Hazel! Mom and Dad always told us to keep our promises.”
Marion smiled and said, “Yes, you should always keep your promises. But in giving Hazel to Morey you have done exactly that. He and his many grandchildren can take better care of Hazel. There’s power in numbers. And it takes a number of people, especially children, to care for Hazel. You two have school and other activities that take priority in your life right now.”
Beth said, “I think Morey is a nice man. He will take good care of Hazel. Golda said he was mensch.”
Adele laughed and hugged the girls. “Okay, now for the hard part. Aunt Helen is going to take care of you for a week or two. I’m not feeling well and have to go to a spa to get better.”
Marion liked the spa idea. No use worrying the girls any more than needed. Both girls hugged their grandmother tightly and pleaded with her not to go. Walter entered the room and announced that Helen was on her way. Adele hugged the girls, then got up and left the room. Walter followed Adele leaving Marion alone with the girls.
“My name is Marion,” she said just to break the silence.
Katy smiled and said, “I’m Katy and that’s Beth. Are you a friend of Grandma’s?”
“No, not exactly. I was a friend of your mom’s. That’s why I came to visit your Grandma.” Marion tried to keep her voice light with a smile planted on her face. “I stopped in while visiting New York. I noticed Hazel out in the backyard and she seemed very sad. I know she misses Golda and we thought it best to take her to Morey’s for a visit. She had such fun with his grandson; we couldn’t bear to bring her back here. Can you understand that?”
They both nodded and Beth said, “This is a sad house.”
Marion felt like a knife pierced her heart. “Oh honey, it won’t always be that way. Life is what you make it. Your Mommy and Daddy have gone but your Grandma is here. Take the gifts God has given you and make the most of them.”
She paused to gauge how the girls would take that little nugget of advice. They nodded, but Beth said, “It’s not right to be happy when Mom and Dad are gone.”
“Oh honey, of course it is. They would want nothing else for you but for you to be happy.” Marion took a breath and wished Catherine was there. “Don’t feel guilty about being happy. That is what every parent wants for their children most of all.”
Marion felt the tightness of the muscles in her legs and fell back on her backside, folding her legs in front of her. She decided to continue talking about the changes to gauge the girls’ attitude.
“Your Grandma is tired and not feeling well. We thought it best she try to get better now so she doesn’t get any worse. Do you like Aunt Helen?”
Katie looked up and a smile spread across her face. “Oh yes! Aunt Helen is fun! She takes us to ride horses, and swimming, and hiking. She says it’s good to be active.”
Beth giggled and nodded in agreement.
“Well, that’s great! You can have a lot of fun while your Grandma gets better!” Marion was relieved to find that Aunt Helen was a great alternative. She stood up and suggested the girls finish their game. As they resumed playing she left the room and went to the living room. Walter was sitting in the Queen Anne chair again, waiting.
“She’ll be out in a few minutes. She’s packing.”
Adele entered the room with an overnight bag in her right hand and her purse over her left shoulder. “I think I have enough for a few days. How are the girls?”
“They’re good,” Marion replied, “looking forward to a visit from Aunt Helen.”
Adele smiled. “She’s always been the spoiler. But I suppose they could use some spoiling right now.”
Walter had stood up when Adele entered the room. He moved forward to take the overnight bag. “Marion, would you stay with the girls until Helen gets here? I want to get Addy settled.”
“Of course, and I’ll leave a business card by the phone in case you should need to reach me.”
Addy looked a little concerned as she checked the hallway to see if the girls were still out of earshot. “What will you do now?”
“I have a job to d
o in the morning and then I’ll be flying home. Hopefully Catherine will contact me. One way or another we’ll have to shut down that pedophile.”
“Well, we wish you luck,” Walter said as he moved Adele toward the door.
“Take care,” Adele said as she was ushered out. Marion felt Walter was still uncomfortable with the subject of Catherine. Oh well, Marion thought, some people will always resist the idea of spirits.
She sat on the sofa and pulled out her cell phone. She made her airline reservations and sent the itinerary to Josh via email. She called Gordon to check on Jergins. Gordon seemed happy to hear she would be home tomorrow. He told her what hotel he was at and the address. She didn’t tell Gordon she was flying directly into San Diego. She hoped it would be a nice surprise.
As she was finishing her tasks, Beth and Katie came out and asked if they could have a snack. Marion stood and wondered how best to determine whether this was okay or not when the doorbell rang. Katie squealed and ran to the door.
She opened it to find a woman about her age with a suitcase in hand. Her brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail; she stood about 5’6” and wore a New York Football Giants t-shirt and blue jeans.
“There are my girls!” Aunt Helen said happily.
Both girls embraced her. Marion thought how great it was to turn a bad situation into a good one.
Marion walked to the door and put her hand out, “Hello, I’m Marion. I assume you are the famous Aunt Helen?”
Helen smiled and shook her hand. “Absolutely! Addy said you would be here. I was hoping to have a few words.” She hugged the girls again and suggested they go to the playroom and she would bring them a snack.
As they sat on the sofa Marion said, “You must have been reading their minds, they just asked me if they could have something to eat.”
Helen smiled, “With kids you can always count on them wanting something to eat. No supernatural gift here. But I hear very differently about you.”
Marion smiled but said nothing.
“Have you really been communicating with Catherine as Addy says?”
“Yes.”
“And what does my sister-in-law have to say?”
Marion was startled. She was unsure as to Helen’s relationship to the family, but it was now clear she was Peter’s sister. “She is obsessed with a man in San Diego. Someone she feels is harming children.” She was intentionally vague.
“A pedophile? Like my brother?”
Marion was startled. She was unsure on how much to say. “Yes.”
Helen shook her head. “Peter condemned her to this. Damn him to hell!”
Marion felt uneasy about this conversation. She felt ill-equipped to discuss pedophiles with family members. All she could muster for a response was, “I’m sorry’”
Helen smiled and apologized. She explained that she only found out about her brother after Catherine had died. She had stopped by the house to check on the family and found Peter completely blitzed and babbling about Catherine’s accusations. She packed up the girls and took them to her house for a few days. When she returned to check on her brother, he had no idea what she was talking about. He said he wanted the girls returned to him immediately. Evidently Helen was no pushover. She told him to send the police to take them from her. The next day, Addy came by and told her Peter was relinquishing custody to her. She was happy to let Addy take the girls. The next week her brother was dead.
“Fell down the stairs. Blood alcohol level was 30%!” Helen stood and walked toward the fireplace. She turned toward Marion and said, “I hope he burns in hell!”
Marion stood and said. “I have an early appointment in the morning in New Rochelle.”
As she turned to leave, Helen asked, “Could you bring Catherine here? Now?”
Marion turned and said, “No, I see spirits. I don’t call them. Catherine goes where she wants, when she wants. That’s why I came here. I had hoped to be able to talk to her without her prey present. He’s a squirrelly little man that can’t sit still for more than a few minutes.”
Helen nodded. “I just wanted her to know that I never knew. I would have done something, said something if I had even the slightest inkling he was … what he was.” Her voice trailed off. She seemed to be living with the guilt despite the fact she had no part in Peter’s monstrous activities.
“The next time I get the opportunity to talk to her, I’ll mention that. She’s not always rational. She exists on her anger, it drives her, motivates her. It’s not easy having a casual conversation with her.”
Helen thanked her, and Marion headed back to her hotel. It was hard to relax that night with all that transpired. Thoughts of Catherine’s children, Adele, Helen, even Hazel, kept her mind working and delayed slumber. When she finally drifted off, she dreamed of Catherine and her family.
Chapter 7
The alarm sounded at 4:30 a.m. and as she staggered into the shower she wondered how much sleep she actually got. A check of the weather from her smartphone told her she would need to dress warmly as the morning was unseasonably cool. She packed her bag and checked out of the hotel.
The GPS got her to New Rochelle early, so she stopped at an all-night coffee shop for some coffee. Caffeine and a power bar from her purse helped her gather her wits. She pulled up to the address Josh had given her to find a woman sitting in a car in front of the house. The home was a modest two-story building, not new but not really old, either.
Marion stepped out of the SUV and met the woman as she exited her car, her hand extended.
“Marion? I’m Phyllis.”
“Yes, nice to meet you. How can I help you this morning?”
“Well, it’s not my house, it’s a neighbor’s.” She looked a little uncomfortable but steadied herself and continued. “I live down the street and just think something needs to be done before the property values start to tank.”
Now it was Marion’s turn to feel uncomfortable. “The homeowner will have to give me permission, there’s no way around that.”
“Oh, she will. I spoke with Ramona before I called your agency. She said if it didn’t cost her anything she would be grateful for the assistance. All hell breaks loose in that house, mostly during the day but a few times at night; scares the life out of anyone within earshot.”
Marion looked at the house and didn’t see anything unusual about it.
“Your agency did a background check on the property.” Phyllis pulled some folded papers from her pocket and handed them to Marion, who went to the SUV to use the interior light to read the documents. The house wasn’t built on a graveyard or property where an incident would have caused a spirit to remain to haunt the inhabitants. The property history seemed quite boring.
“Okay, let’s talk to the homeowner.”
Phyllis replied, “She’s an early bird. That’s why I needed you here so early.”
They approached the front door and before they got close enough to knock, the door opened and a dark-haired woman greeted them with what appeared to be a forced smile. She was at most 5’5” with a slim build in her mid-forties.
Phyllis introduced Marion to Ramona Fisher, who invited them in. Phyllis begged off, saying she needed to get the family up and ready for church. Marion entered the house and waited for Ramona to offer details.
Ramona led her to the kitchen where coffee was waiting. After pouring a cup for Marion, Ramona picked up her cup and sat across the kitchen table from her. They sat in silence as they sipped their coffee. After five minutes, Marion asked if Ramona needed any help. Ramona sat back in her chair, took a deep breath, and told Marion about the house.
The home had belonged to her mother-in-law, Roberta Fisher. Ramona married Richard Fisher in 1985. They were young, right out of high school, but they were each other’s firs
t love. They lived in a small apartment in White Plains. Richard enlisted in the Marine Corps right out of high school. He was proud to serve and she was proud of him. She gave birth to his son, Richard Jr., nicknamed Ritchie, in 1988. Life was good. Then Richard was deployed to Desert Storm. He died on February 14, 1991. Ramona was devastated. Ritchie didn’t get nearly the attention a child should get from his mother, so Roberta stepped in. She moved them into her house in New Rochelle and cared for them both — maybe out of need to share the grief of losing her only son with the two people that could understand the loss.
Roberta saved them from despair and gave them as normal a life as she could hope for, considering the circumstances. The day after Ritchie graduated from high school, Roberta passed away from breast cancer.
Ramona found out later that Ritchie had planned to enlist in the Marine Corp, but couldn’t leave his mother while she was grieving for Roberta. A year later, he enlisted much to his mother’s disapproval. She wasn’t against it as much as she dreaded what could happen to her boy. And happen it did. Ritchie died in 2011 in Afghanistan.
It was a year before the house started erupting. Papers would swirl around her, chasing her from the house. At times the house would start blaring music, TV, any electronic device with a volume control. That’s what got the neighbors complaining.
“I don’t who it is. If it’s my Ritchie, and I hope it’s my boy, I’m happy to have him here in whatever way he wants to be.”
Marion smiled and said, “Let me walk around a bit and see what I can find. I don’t expel spirits. They go where they want when they want. I just try to reason with them so the living are not disturbed. But first thing’s first. Why don’t you sit here and enjoy your morning coffee and I’ll walk around and see what’s what.”
Ramona smiled and went back to reading the morning paper. Marion stood and left the kitchen.
