Spirit [New Crescent 2] (BookStrand Publishing Romance)

by Mary Lou George

  Chase guided her to a section of mahogany wainscoting and told her to knock hard on it. She did as he asked. It didn’t sound hollow to her and she looked up at Chase and said, “So?”

  “Now, knock here.” He pointed to a section about three feet away. She tapped her knuckles on the wall. “Notice the difference?” He smiled expectantly.

  “There’s something behind this panel,” she said, the excitement evident in her voice.

  The force hit fast and hard. It knocked the wind out of her lungs leaving her gasping for air. When she took deep gulps of air, she wanted to gag. The air was almost gray with that horrible stink. She held a hand out to Chase.

  Chapter 26

  Chase got a good grip on Reggie’s hand and pulled her towards him. Their touch helped to restore her strength. She took a breath and grimaced. Chase nodded, understanding immediately why she made such a face. His upper lip curled in response and Reggie laughed with genuine amusement.

  “Good Elvis impression, Poindexter,” she said as she regained her center of gravity.

  He smiled back at her fighting the overwhelming odor. “Thanks, but I have to admit it isn’t intentional. It’s not something I could recreate on command.”

  They were both struggling to breathe through the strange air that filled the room. Reggie looked outside and saw Constance. She was still focused and had a determined look on her face, but Reggie could feel her strength waning. Chase followed her glance but couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

  Reggie held fast to his hand and headed in the direction of the windows. “Come on, Chase, let’s let more air in here. We could take down a few more boards.” Together, they fought their way through the heavy air. It was like pushing her way through quick sand and it depleted her strength. By the time they made it to the windows, the room was filled with a grayish mist. Its atmosphere looked like something out of a bad horror film and Reggie tried to think of it that way. It made it feel less threatening.

  Prying another board off, they stuck their heads outside and breathed in the clean air. Reggie spoke to Constance. “Are you okay?”

  Constance nodded but didn’t look Reggie’s way. She was concentrating on something even Reggie couldn’t see. Reggie realized that breaking her focus even for a split second may unleash Vincent’s power. Once those floodgates were open, she feared what he’d be able to do. She popped her head back inside.

  “I can’t see her, Reg. Is she okay?”

  Reggie nodded. “She’s just playing with him. Everything is under control. We can do this.” She turned her face up for his kiss. When his lips touched hers, she felt the butterflies in her stomach take flight. Her giggle was genuine and Chase looked down at her with bemusement. “Shall we take down another board?”

  “Sure thing. Let’s get some help from Mother Nature herself. Out with the unnatural, in with the natural.” Laughing, she made sweeping gestures with her arms. Chase just smiled at her.

  Without warning, the mist disappeared. All was still and quiet in the room. Reggie and Chase looked at each other in wordless anticipation. Something was coming. This couldn’t possibly be the end. Could it?

  Reggie took a breath and began to speak. She didn’t get the words out. A massive force threw her against the wall. She hit solid mahogany like a fly hitting a windshield. Sinking helplessly to the floor, Reggie winced at the pain in her shoulder. Her left arm hung at an impossible angle. She knew it was dislocated and she bit down hard to keep from crying out. The same force that had sent her flying had also thrown Chase. He sat against the opposite wall, his legs in front of him. He must have hit his head because he opened and closed his eyes and shook his head as if trying to clear his vision.

  Chase didn’t much waste time. On his feet, he ran to Reggie and helped her to stand. He kept his hands off the side with the dislocated shoulder and put his arm around her helping to prop her up.

  Forcing the stammer from her speech, in a steady voice she said, “That was exciting. He’ll have to do better than that.” She gathered her strength, calling upon that unused reserve she had stored somewhere deep in her belly. She pushed back with force. They heard a deafening bang, the house shuddered in its wake. The air cleared again. They could move easily, and ignoring her throbbing shoulder, Reggie walked back to the east wall. Chase joined her. There was something behind that wall. They just had to find the way to access the opening. They tried everything they could think of and still it wouldn’t budge. Reggie looked outside and saw Constance. She was still concentrating on some invisible foe, but she made an almost imperceptible gesture with her hand and Reggie understood.

  Using her right hand and gritting her teeth against the pain in her left side, Reggie traced the shape of the baseboard. She felt triumphant when she found a tiny notch in the smooth wood. Carefully, she mimicked Constance’s subtle hand gesture. The panel popped open. She almost collapsed with relief. Chase pushed the panel aside and they looked inside.

  The nook was just big enough to hold an average sized man. Chase had to bend his head in order to enter. He went first. Reggie leaned her uninjured shoulder against the panel and watched as Chase’s flashlight illuminated the shelves. Books. This secret room held about thirty dusty old books. Chase used a thumb and wiped the greasy grime off a leather spine. The Dark Path Volume I was embossed there. Chase cleaned off a few more books with the same title but different numbered volumes.

  Chase shone the flashlight on the opposite wall. More shelves. There were no books on this side of the secret room. Instead there were hundreds of unlabeled glass bottles of varying sizes, every one filled with unrecognizable, but truly repulsive contents. Reggie dared not speculate on exactly what the bottles contained, but she could have sworn she saw a human toe.

  Through gritted teeth, Reggie said, “Damn it, I was thinking of having toe for lunch today. We were all out.”

  Chase laughed. “We have to get you to the hospital. I can’t clear this thing out in one trip, so I’ll grab what I can for now. We’ll have to save the rest for later.”

  Reggie agreed. She’d been stoic long enough.

  * * * *

  Her shoulder ached without mercy or respite. She had indeed dislocated it and it still hurt like hell now that it was relocated. The emergency room doctor gave her a prescription for pain killers and Reggie waited in the car while Chase had it filled. Maybe she could take a half dosage just to take the edge off the pain but still be clear headed. She needed to discuss this latest discovery with Chase. She longed to open the books Chase had taken from the secret room. Had they found the source of Vincent Bennett’s power? Could it be something in one of those disgusting bottles? The thought of analyzing the contents of each container made Reggie shiver in revulsion. She was glad she wasn’t a scientist. She wasn’t fond of goo.

  She hoped Constance was okay. They’d left the library in such a hurry that she hadn’t had the chance to find out. Pain killers or not, that would be the first thing she did upon returning to Bennett House. Contact Constance. She shook her head and leaned it against the cool smooth passenger side window. She smiled. Months ago, she would have laughed at anyone who told her that one day soon she’d be concerned about the health and welfare of a two-hundred-fifty-year-old stubborn, tragic, and rather endearing ghost. Her life had taken quite a turn.

  Chase returned to the car and handed her the pills and a bottle of water. “Take them now.”

  She shook her head. “No. I’m okay. I’d rather be level-headed when I connect with Constance.”

  His voice had a sharp edge to it. “You’re not connecting with anyone except your bed. The doctor said with the proper treatment there would be no lasting damage, but it must hurt like hell.”

  She smiled wanly. “It does, but I don’t want to lose momentum. I need to make sure Constance made it through and find out whatever she can tell us about her end of what happened today.”

  “That can wait until tomorrow.” Chase was firm.

  Reg
gie wasn’t impressed. She sat up straighter. “No, it can’t wait until tomorrow. Time is running out. I’ll do what I think is best.”

  Chase said nothing. She looked at him with suspicion. Did he do that on purpose? Make her just angry enough to forget about the throbbing pain in her shoulder? Good one.

  Returning to Bennett House, Reggie walked immediately to the little iron gate in the garden. Chase followed close behind.

  “Constance?” She called. “Can I speak with you please?”

  They heard a little laugh. “Aren’t you polite?” She teased.

  Happy to hear the ghostly but snide voice, Reggie smiled. “Yeah, every once in a while I try polite on for size, but it chafes.”

  Constance ignored her. “Did the physician mend you?”

  “I’ll be all right. How are you?”

  Constance shrugged, “There is no physician who can mend me. I am as I am.”

  Reggie rolled her eyes and looked at Chase. She said, “You know what I mean but hey, I’m glad you have the energy to be difficult.”

  Constance smiled but said nothing.

  Chase said, “Thanks for your help today. We found the hidden room.”

  “I’m glad. It was not pleasant facing my husband again, but I am stronger when I work in concert with you.”

  Reggie smiled. “We make a good team.”

  She gave them both a ghostly frown and said, “Do not think this is the end. We won a battle today. The next will not be so easy.”

  Reggie’s golden eyes widened, “You call that easy? Well you don’t have to breathe to stay alive. We do, and let me tell you that stuff he’s spewing out is toxic.”

  “You both did well today. Go rest.” She made dismissive motions with her arms.

  Chase, of course, couldn’t see her, and he said, “I’m going to stake out the library windows tonight. He’ll need energy, and I’d rather he not get it from a misguided kid.”

  Constance shook her head. “As you wish.” She was gone.

  “She’s gone, isn’t she?”

  “Yeah. Let’s go inside. I could eat something.”

  Chase gave her a measuring look. “Good idea. You shouldn’t take painkillers on an empty stomach.”

  Reggie shook her head. “You know, I don’t think I’ll take those pills.” When he started to object she put a hand up to quiet him. “Gillian told me to abstain from alcohol until this thing is over. I’m sure she’d put pain killers on the restricted list.”

  “I forgot about that.” Chase said.

  “I almost did too. I need to keep my wits about me now more than ever. We’ve got a hold of something Vincent treasures. He didn’t want us to find that room. That makes me think those books and those heebie-jeebie bottles are important.”

  “Agreed. I’ll fix dinner.”

  In a conversational tone, Reggie said, “Yeah, my mom told me that she taught you how to cook.”

  Wary, he said, “And?”

  “Did she show you how to make her macaroni and cheese?” She looked hopeful.

  He laughed. “As a matter of fact…”

  * * * *

  Tempted by the huge bathtub, Reggie showed self-discipline and stepped into the shower instead. She didn’t have time for a long soak. Chase was preparing dinner after he grabbed a quick shower, so she didn’t have much time. If she ran a bath, she might never get out, and at this moment, her most urgent need was food.

  Dressing in comfortable pants and a sweat shirt Reggie looked down at her little dog. Poor Pru. She didn’t understand why she’d had to spend a good portion of the day locked up in the bedroom with Pita. Reggie and Chase didn’t dare let them run loose while they were engaged with Vincent. The little dog and cat were perfect targets for his sport. Emotionally, both Reggie and Chase were bonded with the animals. Although Chase pretended otherwise, Reggie knew he loved that cat and was touched by its loyalty to him. No, they had to keep the animals away from the library and the power it housed. The best way to do that was to shut them up in a bedroom as far away as possible. It was no real hardship so Reggie didn’t have much sympathy for them. She’d finished work in all the bedrooms, but that one was especially beautiful. Not quite as luxurious as the master bedroom, the smaller spare bedroom had character. Painted in periwinkle blue with white trim, the white-washed vintage furniture suite suited the room to a tee. It would make a wonderful little girl’s room.

  Reggie’s stomach growled, and she obeyed. The kitchen smelled glorious. If she were a character in a Looney Tunes cartoon, she’d be floating in the air, bewitched by the aroma. Reggie wasn’t a cartoon, so she just closed her eyes and breathed deeply in appreciation.

  Chase was seasoning a salad when he saw her walk in. He smiled and tossed her a cherry tomato. “How do you feel?”

  “Better, thanks.” She said before she bit down decisively on the round tomato. Its guts sprayed her mouth and she swallowed with satisfaction. “Mmm.” She said and licked her lips. Jealous, Chase bent and kissed those very same lips. She responded eagerly. When the oven timer went off, it startled them both. He smiled down at her a question in his blue eyes. Reggie decided it wasn’t just food she was hungry for.

  Chapter 27

  All appetites satiated, they poured over the books they’d managed to haul from the secret room in the library. What they found defied description. These were English translations of very dark magic. Blood magic, Ernestine would call it. So powerful that only the most committed of servants could wield its forces without destroying himself. Reading the rituals and incantations made Reggie sick. She felt cold and Chase put an arm around her.

  “You don’t have to read anymore, Crash. I think we got the gist of what these books are and what they represent.”

  Reggie rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. “I think we need to get these books and all those gross little bottles to Ernestine as soon as possible. I don’t want to see them ever again. I hope to hell we don’t have to understand all of this before we can defeat the Big Bad. You know, like when Travis was with the FBI and had to get into the mind of a serial killer in order to catch him.”

  Chase ran his thumb down her cheek. “I know what you mean. Let’s hope Ernestine can handle this for us. Let her be the scholar and we’ll be the warriors.”

  He glanced outside and said, “It’s past the dinner hour. I need to set up my stakeout of the library windows. Now they’re not boarded up, who knows how tempting they might appear to a kid who likes to ignore the rules.”

  “That and Vincent has to be tweaking for a fix right about now.”

  Chase nodded.

  Pushing the books away from her, she stood and said, “I need to wash this disgusting spew off my hands. I’ll meet you outside.”

  Chase looked at her, an expression of incredulity on his face. “Are you crazy? You need to get some rest. I can take care of this on my own.”

  Stubborn, she stood her ground. “Sorry Poindexter, we’re in this together. How many times have we been told we’re stronger as two? I’m joining you.”

  “Reggie, let’s think this through logically—”

  “Logically? In order for us to discuss this logically, you’d have to be either a girl or a Vulcan.” She looked him up and down. “I know you’re not a girl, and you can’t possibly be a Vulcan because they mate only once every seven years or so…sorry, Spock, but you’re way over your quota. I’m going on a stakeout.”

  “Vulcans mate only once every four years,” Chase corrected her.

  “Ah huh, geek test!” She walked out of the dining room and went looking for warm clothes and for something to sit on. She didn’t relish the thought of hunkering down in the mud, uncomfortable and miserable.

  She met Chase outside. He’d selected an advantageous location for the stakeout. “Since we’re supposed to do this together, I blocked off every other approach to this side of the building. Don’t worry. It doesn’t look intentional like manipulating a rat in a maze. It’s just that this is now
, the easiest way to get to the library windows. He’ll have to go past us.”

  She smiled at him. She almost laughed when she saw how prepared he was. He’d set up two small folding lawn chairs. There was a blanket on each. He’d brought two thermoses. Reggie assumed they contained coffee. She was delighted.

  He put his hands in his pockets and showed her an assortment of candy bars. She threw her good arm around him and brought his head down to hers so she could land a kiss of gratitude on his lips.

  Despite all Chase’s preparations, the stakeout was excruciatingly boring. They had to stay quiet but alert. Quiet wasn’t Reggie’s forte. She dozed off a few times, her head resting on Chase’s warm chest. At long last, when the sun rose, Chase stood up and stretched until his bones cracked. Reggie winced at the sound.

  “Now you go to bed. I’ll drive the books over to Ernestine and swing by the school to make sure Aidan Spencer is in class. If we know where he is we know he’s not here playing host body to the Big Bad.”

  Reggie shook her head. “I should do that. It’ll be easier for me to recognize Aidan.”

  Chase shook his head. “I know Aidan’s teacher. I’m going to ask her for a favor. She can let us know when or if Aidan disappears.”

  “Convenient that, knowing his teacher thing,” she mumbled as she walked away.

  * * * *

  Chase tied the books up with care. He wanted them out of the house just as much as Reggie did. Touching them made his skin crawl. He wasn’t looking forward to hauling out the rest of them, not to mention those bottles and he knew they’d have to do that soon, maybe even today.