The Gardener

by Michelle DePaepe

  “Actually...I did. So, I’m here to stay. I’m going to keep Daniel on to do a little work around the house for me this winter and fix it up. Who knows? Maybe we’ll renovate the place and make a little B & B out of it.”

  “This is awfully sudden. I think Grammie’s death is still too fresh to do anything so dramatic. Maybe you should just think about selling it and get your own—“

  “I’m going to hang up on you if you say that one more time. So...how are the kids?”

  “Not in trouble at the moment. Jarrod’s in the garage scrounging up some bolts for his Frankenstein costume, and I’m working on Clarissa’s princess dress. And Stevie...who knows where that delinquent is.”

  “How are things at the beauty parlor?”

  “Fine. Another perm...another cut. What’s to tell?”

  Georgia knew she was lying. Had she been fired? Walked out? It wouldn’t be the first time that her temper got her in a hot spot.

  Marsha deftly changed the subject. “Hey...Clarissa’s been nagging me about that mangy old cat. Is he still around?”

  “I haven’t seen him yet. But, Daniel’s been taking care of him. The poor man is as sick as a dog.”

  Marsha paused as she mumbled something with a hand over the phone.

  Clarissa came on the line. “Aunt Gorgie! Mama says you moved back?”

  “That’s right, sweetie. We’ll get to see each other all the time.”

  “Yea! Will you come to the Halloween carnival? It’s on Saturday.”

  “Of course. I wouldn’t miss it.”

  Marsha’s acerbic tongue returned. “I’m sure you’ve heard about the murders?”

  Georgia sighed. “Yeah. Hard to believe.”

  “There was a body found in the dumpster behind County General! Can you imagine someone dumping a corpse there? It was some rancher who ran a herd of cattle up north. Police say he must have been ambushed coming out of the store at night. A clerk went out to dump some stale doughnuts the next morning and found the body. They say there was blood everywhere, and his ribs were sticking out like someone had filleted him like a fish!”

  Georgia didn’t hear her last words as a movement outside the back window caught her eye. “Hey...sorry, sis. But, I gotta go.”

  She hung up as she watched Daniel standing in the falling slush staring towards the gardens.

  At the back door, she yelled into the howling wind, “What are you doing? Get in here before you catch pneumonia!”

  He obeyed, marching towards her with his head hung low. Then, he stepped inside and stood on the doormat. He had put on a long-sleeved flannel shirt before going out, but it and his jeans were heavy and wet, and his long dark hair dripped, forming puddles on the wood floor.

  “I’m sorry for sounding rude, but with your cold...what were you thinking? It’s freezing out there.”

  He stood there trembling in silence, only forced to move by an involuntary cough. Then, he straightened and seemed to find a wisp of dignity.

  “Geez...take off that shirt. You’re soaked to the bones.”

  With a glare, he took it off...and she found herself staring at his naked chest again, at the mysterious scar, and the watery abyss of his green eyes. She rushed to find a blanket from the parlor to cover him.

  As she wrapped it around him, she was surprised at her tenderness towards this man that she barely knew.

  “Signora...” he whispered as she stood a few inches in front of him.

  She pulled away as she felt as strange electricity in the air from the nearness of his body. “Come sit at the table. I’ll make you some hot chocolate.”

  A few minutes later, they sat over steaming mugs. Seeing him wounded and yet prideful, she felt like she was witnessing a new side of him.

  “What is it about you, Daniel? There’s something too quiet about you, like you have secrets or some dark past that you’re hiding from. You haven’t always been a gardener, have you?”

  He took a sip and locked into her eyes. “And you have not always been this tight-lipped oyster. There’s a soft pearl under that mortar, eh? What has changed about you since you were a little girl, and called this house your home?”

  “I asked you first.” She laughed, a little annoyed. “What’s wrong with you men? Always turning things around and—”

  “Shhh...” he said as he leaned across the table and placed a finger to her lips.

  She froze as he traced her mouth with his fingertip.

  “Your husband was a fool to give up such a beautiful woman. And now...you are wounded...but like Venus...a goddess who does not know her power.”

  He leaned in closer until their eyes were almost close enough for their lashes to touch. He parted his lips, and she felt a burning heat emanating from deep within him. Was it the rain that amplified his musky, earthy scent? She found herself drowning in his fragrance of damp wood, fresh-turned earth, and verdant grasses all mingled with the sweetness of rose petals as he paused so close.

  “Daniel...” she said in a breathless whisper, not sure what to do about the fluttering inside her. “Daniel...I...”

  Unexpectedly, he pulled back and reclined in his chair. But, as he took another sip of the warm chocolate, he didn’t take his eyes off of her.

  For a moment, she couldn’t speak. Her head felt light and dizzy. She felt as if he had just assaulted her in some way. But, it was an emotional attack, and one that was far from unpleasant. How long had it been, since she felt such passion in her numb heart? She hadn’t even known that part of her was still alive. Until now, she had admired Daniel’s good looks like she appreciated a beautiful painting or sculpture, but never thought of him any less superficially.

  He drained the last of his mug. Then, he rose up, coiling the blanket tighter around him. “Thank you, mio dolce donna. But, now I will do some reading and turn in early to rest.” He swept a hand in a wide arc in front of him. “The house is yours for the evening. Buona notte.”

  She stuttered a ‘goodnight’ in response and watched as he dripped his way towards the staircase.

  *****

  Later that night, Georgia’s mind spun like a top. Calathia. She was back in Calathia. There was anxiety about her relationship with Marsha and how she’d adjust back into the small town life. Then, of course, there was the interesting moment earlier with Daniel.

  Had he been about to kiss her? What would she have done? There was still a light-as-air sensation in her heart every time she thought about him. She couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that this amazing man was sleeping just a few feet down the hall from her as she slipped into her nightgown. It was comforting to have him in the house as she thought of all the talk of a serial killer on the loose.

  With her maelstrom of anxiety, she didn’t hesitate to take one of the Yellow Bricks after she brushed her teeth. Then, she checked all of the doors to make sure they were locked before going to bed.

  It didn’t take long for the pill to do its duty. Within minutes of tucking herself into her twin-sized bed, she found herself swimming in the nebulous waters of sleep. As she descended deeper into slumber, the awful dream returned.

  This time, it was different.

  It was a blindingly bright day as she strolled down the path towards the gardens with surreal puffs from the cottonwoods floating in the air like lazy snowflakes.

  She knew that she was still ill and should be in bed as she stepped through the black iron gated arbor covered with blood-red roses, but the garden seemed to beckon her today.

  She strolled along in a white gown with a laced bodice and tilted her parasol behind her, allowing the sun’s golden rays to warm her face. The sultry heat magnified the scent of the flowers, and she breathed in the heavy perfume of the roses, the candy sweet petunias, and the intoxicating clove-like dianthus.

  Her eyes delighted in the colorful eclectic displays of coleus, cockscombs, and elephant’s ears. And, she admired the freshly planted checkerboard of begonias and geraniums placed in a circle around
the new fountain. Oh...dear Alphonso...your whimsy leans towards the absurd.

  She couldn’t fathom how her heart would mend if he didn’t come back to see her. What did old fathers know of young love? Had the man who had begotten her forgotten what it was like to be in love? She didn’t know if she could ever forgive him for firing Alphonso. Her bitterness oozed green and caustic like a poisonous absinthe through her veins.

  She paused on the edge of the fountain as a ray of sunshine, like a beam from Heaven, filtered through the burgundy leaves of the cannas, illuminating them like ruby flames. The crickets played a soft lullaby, pulsing with a rhythm that would have made her dance if she was not sick, and her heart wasn’t so full of sorrow.

  She was thinking of gaining some relief from the heat in the dappled shade deeper in the rose garden when a noise from behind startled her. She turned and saw a most curious sight. A man stood under the arbor, dressed in a long tailcoat with matching trousers, a cravat, and a dapper top hat. He looked incredibly handsome. “Alphonso!”

  He didn’t speak. He came to her and began to kiss her hand with soft kisses like dove’s wings whispering over her skin. She allowed him to continue, causing a shudder to come over her as his lips floated up her arm until they rested on her neck.

  “Mi amore, dear Margaret” he whispered as his lips burned into her flesh. “Come away with me! We can be wed tonight and never have to be apart again.”

  Her body rippled with pleasure as he pressed against her and she felt herself trapped between the stone edge and his encompassing arms. So...it was a groomsman’s attire that he wore. The pain in her heart felt like a sharp stone from the field had lodged inside, causing it to skip beats and throb with an excruciating sensation as she took each breath.

  His lips found her ear, pulsing warmth inside with each word, “Answer me, my love. We must go now before your family returns.”

  She paused and inhaled deeply. “I want to be with you so much.” She cried into the stubble on his cheek. “But, as cruel as my father has been, I can’t leave him and my mother and sister.”

  He stayed his pose for several minutes as their hearts beat against each other, and the heat caused their sweat to run together in single streams. Then, he slowly rose and pulled himself away.

  “So...I can’t have you…” he said as he shook his head and water filled his eyes “…and I could never bear to release you to another man’s arms.”

  The next seconds ticked off like hours as he stood apart from her and lowered his head to his chest. His body seemed to swallow the sunlight around him as if he was made of shadow.

  She could see the pointed tips of the cannas amongst the roses behind him. It seemed to be a magic trick of the light as they took on an unnatural red color, bleeding up through the pale roses on either side. As the sun illuminated them, they glowed like the flames of hell.

  A wicked laugh escaped from his lips. He raised his head up and she gasped as his face changed from tenderness to something dark and unrecognizable. No longer the man she loved, he became a grimacing ugly creature with a furrowed brow and a ferocity in his green eyes like that of a wolf.

  She froze against the edge of the fountain. “Alphonso?” she whimpered.

  But, he said nothing more.

  There was no time to react as his hands shot out and forced her head down into the water of the fountain. She struggled, clawing into the fountain edge and kicking her feet to no avail. Though her lungs ached for air, she feared that her heart might give way first. In her panic, it beat so hard that it seemed likely to burst from her chest.

  With the full weight of his body pinning her and her face smashed down sideways under the few inches of warm water, she found herself beginning to lose strength. Too weak to struggle any longer, she said goodbye to all that she had known and loved in this world and felt herself sink to the stone below as the water flooded into her mouth and nose. Tiny bubbles of oxygen—the last essence of her being—escaped from her screams and drifted upwards towards Heaven’s rays.

  *****

  Georgia awoke as she died in the dream. Realizing that she was alive, and it was just another version of her perennial nightmare, she hit the pillow between her arms with a fist. She struggled several times to find a comfortable position and tried to go back to sleep, but found herself staring at the lacy pattern on the ceiling coming from the moonlight streaming through the curtains.

  After a few more minutes, she gave up and got out of bed. The house was dark, but she saw a faint light down the hall coming from Daniel’s room and found herself tiptoeing towards it. The door was ajar, so she peaked in.

  The white porcelain lamp was on next to Marsha’s old twin bed. The quilt lay askew, and there was a book face down near the foot, but she did not see him.

  “Daniel?” she whispered. “Are you still up?”

  There was no answer, so she pushed open the door. The book he’d been reading was from an early survey course in her undergraduate studies in Fine Art.

  She pursed her mouth as she noticed the blue ruffled curtains swaying in the breeze. The window was wide open and letting in a damp chill.

  She pushed it shut, then walked back down the hall and stood at the top of the staircase, listening to the grandfather clock in the parlor below ticking a steady beat.

  Where was he?

  With her head still fuzzy from the medication, she went back to her bed, concerned that he’d taken a walk in the freezing weather.

  She fell asleep, worrying about him out on the town with a murderer on the loose.

  Chapter 61

  Opal didn’t wanted to work a tarot card table at the carnival, but since she’d cancelled so many appointments with clients over the last few months, she really needed the money.

  As she set up her props, the night air was crisp with a sprinkle of stars across the jet-black sky. And, the moon was appropriately fat with iridescent orange and violet scars dotting its face. Throngs of monsters, fairies, and superheroes raced past her to crowd around the games and try their luck at prizes.

  She settled in and waited for a brave soul to let her read their cards. The first customers were giggling teenage girls who laughed at everything she said as if she were some ridiculous fraud just there for their amusement. They were followed by a couple of young adults who took her more seriously and were thankful enough to leave her a nice tip.

  It was an hour into the evening when she found herself face to face with GeorgiaMcKenna. At first, neither of them seemed to recognize the other. Opal’s hair was twisted into silvery black braids and glitter dotted her cheeks. Georgia’s short hair was dolled up in a romantic up-do with a dried ivory rose above her ear, and she wore a dress with an old-fashioned peasant-style bodice and hoop skirt.

  Opal was so terrified...for a moment she didn’t speak. “What are you doing here? I heard you went back to New York.”

  Georgia folded her arms. “Not that it’s any of your business...but I moved back here to my grandmother’s house.”

  Opal clutched her cross necklace. “Dear Lord. You can’t stay there. Thank God you’re still alive!”

  Georgia rolled her eyes and said, “Spare me...” as her cohort tugged at her dress.

  “Aunt Gorgie! Aren’t you going to have your fortune told?”

  Opal fidgeted with her rings as Georgia looked down at her black tarot cards, embossed with gold moons & stars, laid out in a fan shape.

  “I don’t think...”

  Just then, Jarrod came by. “Hey sis, want to ride the carousel?”

  Clarissa nodded with a smile. “Come on, Aunt Gorgie...let’s go!”

  Before Georgia could reply, a voice taunted from behind. “Awww...you’re not chickening out on getting a reading are you?”

  Georgia and Opal gasped “Karl!” He was dressed in civilian attire—a leather jacket with tight jeans, cowboy boots, and a hat.

  He turned towards Opal and smiled then put a hand on Georgia’s shoulder. “Are you going to ge
t your fortune read by this charming lady?”

  Georgia scowled. “Her? Not likely. She’s crazy.”

  “Crazy as a loon,” he said as he winked in Opal’s direction. “I’ve tried to run her out of town many times, but she just keeps flying back on her broom. She tells a good story, though.” He slapped a handful of tickets down on the table. “Come on...let her do her thing.”

  Opal registered the lingering eye contact between Karl and Georgia.

  “Fine. Let’s get it over with.”

  She shuffled the cards and laid them out again in a fan shape. “Choose three,” she said, challenging Georgia’s skeptical eyes.

  Georgia tapped the cards with a fingernail.

  Opal turned the first card over—a family gazing at a rainbow filled with golden cups in the sky. “The Ten of Cups. Your recent past—a happy time as you returned to your Grandmother’s house. Coming to live in her house brought you closer to her, even though she’s passed on. You’ve found harmony and look forward to the future.”

  Karl shrugged. “Doesn’t sound very spooky.”

  Georgia laughed. “Better than the gloom and doom I was expecting.”

  Opal turned over the center card. “The Devil.”

  “Here it comes...” Georgia said as she saw the horned red beast with a man and a woman chained to his throne.

  “This is your present,” Opal continued. “It doesn’t literally represent the Devil. It means that you are bound by a negative force that seeks to control you. Has anything strange happened in the house? Has an unusual man come into your life? What has he told you about himself? Do you really know him?”

  Georgia rolled her eyes and nudged Karl. “Maybe, she’s talking about you. What do I really know about you, Deputy KarlBauer?”

  “I’m easy to know...tall, dark, mysterious...and full of devilish tendencies like drinking a beer now and then and giving out speeding tickets.”