Spirits 04-Spirits of Seacliff Manor
Page 21
Jane gasped as her hand flew to her hair.
“I think it’s kind of sexy,” Jake said.
Jane stared at the thick white streak running through her hair. “But how?”
“Could be shock, fright, or both. You’ve been through a terrible ordeal.” Jake hugged her to him. “You have no idea how grateful I am that you’re all right.”
“I guess I could dye it back,” Jane said.
Jake turned her toward him. “Don’t you dare. It’s your own personal medal of valor. You should wear it with pride.”
Jane looked back at the mirror, turning her head each way. “I guess I could get used to it.”
Jake lifted Jane off her feet and she giggled. “What are you doing?”
He carried her over to the high-backed chair by the window and settled her on his lap. “We need to talk.”
That got Jane’s attention. In her experience, nothing good came from a conversation that started with the words ‘we need to talk’.
Jake gazed at her intently. “I want you to know this was the most difficult exorcism I’ve ever had to perform.”
“Why? I mean, I just figured they were all the same. What made this one so hard?”
“Two things: you and Ba’al. He’s not just any demon. His name translates to Lord or King. He’s considered the highest ranked figure of the seventy-two demons in the Lesser Key of Solomon. That means he is second in power only to Satan himself. He is also known as the King of Demons.”
“And you conquered him. You should be so proud.”
Jake stroked her cheek with his knuckle. “I didn’t, the Archangel Michael did.”
“Yes, but you had the strength to summon him,” Jane encouraged.
“I have no idea where it came from. It was as if I was channeling a higher power. After the demon took you, I forgot everything I’d ever learned. I went into a blind rage.”
Jane saw such pain on his face, she stroked his head, trying to comfort him.
“If Sara hadn’t talked some sense into me, I don’t know what would have happened.” Jake grabbed her hand sitting in her lap.
“But you were able to succeed. Everyone’s fine.”
Jake shook his head. “This is coming out all wrong.”
“I’m sorry, I’ll shut up.”
Jake glanced up and grinned. “Look, my wife Natalie died four years ago. Since then I haven’t had feelings for another woman. But today I realized that’s changed. I believe somehow you gave me the strength I needed. I can’t explain it any better than that. Anyway, am I right in thinking that you may care about me as well?”
Jane held her thumb and forefinger up showing an inch of space between. “A little bit.”
He laughed. “Well, there you go. What do you say we see where this thing between us is going?”
Jane kissed him. “Deal.”
*
July 4th, one year later…
The grounds of Seacliff Manor were decked out in red, white, and blue, from the tablecloths on the picnic tables to the lanterns hanging in the trees. Brandon manned the giant barbecue. Alyssa carried a platter of cooked meat to the table, which was filled with condiments, salads, desserts and corn on the cob.
Jake picked up a paper plate. “Want me to fix yours, darlin’?”
Jane pulled the plate out of his hands. “I do not. You don’t know the meaning of the word stop. You pile on so much food one would think you were feeding an army.”
“I don’t want my son to starve.” Jake rubbed her baby bump.
“Don’t worry, your daughter eats just fine.” Jane picked up a hamburger and a cob of corn.
Jake scrunched up his face. “Who eats corn with their burger?”
“Your daughter does, that’s who,” Jane said.
Courtney and Danny came over, holding hands.
“You know the sex of the baby?” Courtney asked.
“No, we want to be surprised,” Jane answered.
“Didn’t you just say something about a daughter?” Courtney said.
“I was kidding. He’s so sure we’re having a boy,” Jane said.
Jake laid his hand on her tiny tummy. “Jane forgets who she’s dealing with.” He wiggled his brows.
“So you actually know?” Danny asked. “How cool is that?”
Jane caught Jake from the corner of her eye shaking his head at Danny.
Later everyone sat around the table: Tim and Stephan, Brandon and Alyssa, Courtney and Danny, Sara and her husband Ben, Jake and Jane.
Alyssa raised her glass of wine. “I want to thank all of you for coming to our grand opening. Without you, this would never have been possible.”
Everyone clinked glasses.
“You’ve done a lovely job with the place,” Jane said.
“Yeah, it’s amazeballs,” Danny said.
“Thanks, it was a labor of love.” Alyssa leaned into Brandon, who kissed the top of her head.
“So, as of today, you’re open for business?” Jake asked.
“We’re her first guests,” Sara said.
“And we’re already starting to get bookings, thanks to Danny,” Alyssa said.
“What does Danny have to do with it?” Jane asked.
“He built the website and signed us up to some hotel search engines,” Brandon added.
“And what about you, Courtney? Danny mentioned you two were living together. No plans to return to Kansas?” Jane asked.
Courtney gazed into Danny’s eyes before looking back at Jane. “Nope. I’m going to cosmetology school and helping with the B&B.”
“And you, Tim? Have you continued with the paranormal research?” Sara asked.
Tim eyed his partner before answering. “Actually, I’ve been taking a break while Jane and I write our second book. After that, who knows?”
“And speaking of Jane. We were thrilled to hear about your pregnancy. When’s the wedding?” Alyssa asked.
“After I lose the baby fat. I also want to be able to drink champagne on my special day,” Jane said.
Jake, who had his arm around her shoulder, squeezed her. “If it were up to me, we’d go down to the courthouse today.”
Sara, who was sitting to his left, punched him in the arm.
“Ow.” Jake gave her a dirty look.
“You will give her the wedding she’s always dreamed of,” Sara said.
Jake shrugged. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t.”
“Where will you live?” Courtney asked.
“I’m at twenty-four weeks now, so I’ll continue working at the college until winter break and finish the book with Tim. Then I’ll take a year-long sabbatical and join Jake on the ranch. I haven’t decided yet if I’ll return to teaching. Right now I’m just looking forward to meeting our child,” Jane said.
“Me too.” Jake kissed her cheek. “She’ll be as beautiful as you.”
“She?” Jane stared at him.
“If it’s a she that is.” Jake smiled.
“What about you, Jake?” Alyssa asked.
“I’ll be spending my time here with Jane. My brothers are capable of running the ranch, and if I’m needed, it’s just a short flight away.”
“Alyssa, have you guys heard anything about the investigation into the bodies buried on your property?” Tim said.
“I called a couple of months ago and the detective said he had nothing new. I should call again,” Brandon said.
“I spoke with Detective Shelly this week,” Jake said. “There was a ton of evidence to sift through, including DNA. He’s working with the FBI and they said this case was unlike any in their experience.
“With the invention of all those crime scene shows on TV, criminals have become smarter than ever at covering their tracks. But even up to the last murder, it was as if the killer was completely ignorant or just didn’t care to hide their identity.”
“If that was true, the bodies wouldn’t have been buried. They’d have been left out in the open to be found,” Tim said.
“Dude, ninety-eight people were murdered without anyone ever knowing there was a serial killer,” Danny said.
“I still think Ba’al was behind it all. He made sure his servants buried the bodies and cleaned up after themselves, but it wasn’t as if he cared about any one of them.
“If one person was caught, he’d just find another to take their place. Detective Shelly did say they were able to close a lot of missing persons cases. That gave the families the long awaited closure they needed.”
“That’s great news,” Alyssa said.
“So with all this supposed evidence, has he closed the case or not?” Brandon asked.
“He was able to conclude that the last victims, thirty in all, were killed by Vera MacDougall. He was able to compare her DNA to get an exact match. But as far as the rest of the DNA found, all he could say is that there’s a familial match,” Jake said.
“She was the last of that line to live in the house, so the other murderers are dead?” Brandon said.
“Exactly,” Jake answered.
“So the case is closed?” Danny said.
“As much as it ever will be. It will probably be boxed up and sent to a warehouse somewhere and that will be the end of that.”
“Why so glum?” Jane asked. “Isn’t that the outcome you predicted?”
“Yes, but there were so many victims.” Jake’s brows knit. “Not just those murdered, but their families, and the people Ba’al used to do the killing.”
“Has this case affected reservations at the B&B?” Sara asked.
“The news coverage was strong when the story broke last year, but so far no one has mentioned it,” Alyssa said.
“Hopefully it will stay that way,” Jane said.
“Have you had any more paranormal activity since we left?” Jake asked.
Alyssa glanced at Brandon, who gave her a slight dip of his head. She looked back at Jake. “Bess is still here. We weren’t planning on telling you because we didn’t want you to feel like you failed in any way. I think she stayed to protect us. She simply walks the halls. Sometimes you can see her in the window of the center tower where she can overlook the entire property.
To find the rest of The Spirits Trilogy along with Morgan’s other books, please visit:
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Morgan Hannah MacDonald writes Romantic Thrillers that are NOT for the faint of heart. Two of her books are semi-finalist in the 2016 KINDLE BOOK AWARDS. She’s held many positions including a teller where her hands and feet were bound while armed robbers took over the bank. Years later she discovered she’d dated a serial killer. That’s when she knew her destiny was in writing, because strange things do happen to real people. She belongs to Romance Writers of America and International Thriller Writers. She resides in San Diego, California, where she’s busy working on her next novel. She loves to hear from readers.
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