Deception (Absent Shadows Trilogy Book 3)

by S. M. Spencer

  When I looked up, Crystal was glaring at me, and I felt my cheeks grow hot from being caught in the act.

  ‘Come, ladies, before I pass out from malnutrition,’ she said, and started off toward the car.

  ‘We’re coming,’ I said, following right behind her. But as I passed Angelica I noticed her eyes had narrowed, and I could have sworn she was whispering something under her breath.

  ~~***~~

  After Claire left, I sat at the kitchen table just staring at my hands. Debs wasn’t in, and probably wouldn’t be home until late afternoon.

  So, Angelica had a skin condition; something that required special creams, from a strange little shop in the Dandenongs. Why didn’t that make sense to me? Could it be because it simply didn’t make any sense? I mean, her hands looked fine; and her face did too. And she’d worn low cut dresses a time or two when we were at Mladen’s and I never noticed anything then either. And even if she did have a skin condition, why go all the way up to the Dandenongs to get some cream for it? Surely, there would be somewhere closer—like a chemist. It was just so odd.

  It probably wouldn’t have bothered me, in fact I probably wouldn’t have thought twice about it, if it wasn’t for the fact that she, herself, seemed so odd. And not just to me. Tom said she gave him the creeps. And today Claire had mentioned it too.

  So, this woman, this dhampira, rocks up unannounced and knocks on Crystal’s door, eager to meet her. Then, just a few months later everyone suddenly has to move, together, into the same house. What was that about? Could Angelica have had something to do with that? After all, Sam said he never felt like he’d been watched. It was Crystal who had told him. Had Angelica planted that idea somehow? The timing all made sense.

  I shook my head, and slapped my wrist. ‘Stop it, McIntyre,’ I swore at myself. ‘You’re jealous of her relationship with Crystal and trying to justify your wicked feelings towards her. Isn’t it obvious?’

  I flicked on the television to watch the evening news. The newsreader was standing in front of the backpacker hotel where that teenager, Darcy Brown, had last been seen. I quickly turned up the volume.

  ‘And now for a happy ending to what we’d feared might be a tragedy. Young backpacker Darcy Brown was rather embarrassed, and her sister was quite relieved, when Darcy returned to Melbourne yesterday. Seems she’d gone up to Queensland for a few days with a group of friends, and had left a message for her sister here, at the hotel, but the message had gone astray. It does seem odd, in this day when text messages and mobile phones are such an everyday part of life, that a young person would rely on a handwritten note for such an important message. Indeed, how did we survive before the invention of the mobile phone?’

  The newsreader laughed at this last bit. I mean it was sort of ironic, wasn’t it. Well, in any case, it was a relief; Darcy hadn’t been a victim of vampires after all. I sighed deeply, amazed at the weight that seemed to have been lifted from my shoulders. I watched the rest of the news, but there was nothing much else of any interest, and when it got to the sports update I flicked it off.

  I grabbed my phone and rang Sam.

  ‘She’s been found. Darcy Brown, that teenager I’d been worried about.’

  ‘Oh, that’s good; just off having fun somewhere, was she?’

  ‘Yeah, she’d gone to Queensland and the message she’d left for her sister got misplaced.’

  ‘Well, there you go—nothing to have worried about after all. So, how was your day at the Dandenongs?’

  ‘Yeah, good. I bought some jewellery for Raye’s birthday, and some incense. That’s about all. But we had a nice lunch—Devonshire Tea.’

  ‘That’s good. I’m glad you enjoyed the day. Crystal really missed you when you left, you know. Of course, Angelica filled the void when she turned up.’

  ‘Yeah … about that … didn’t it seem, I don’t know, sort of odd, this dhampira just turning up at their doorstep, unannounced?’

  ‘Huh? I don’t know. Ask Crystal. I mean, I don’t recall her saying she thought it was unusual or anything. Why?’

  ‘Oh, I don’t know. Angelica just seems … different … weird. Have you ever noticed anything strange about her?’

  ‘Hmm, not really, but then I haven’t exactly spent a lot of time around her,’ he replied, his voice sounding almost dismissive of the topic.

  ‘Well, Tom doesn’t seem to think much of her,’ I said, instantly regretting the smart-alecky tone of my voice.

  ‘No? He hasn’t said anything to me. I do think he was quite unimpressed with the quick move however … maybe he thinks that was something to do with her.’

  ‘Yeah, maybe … but I got the impression it was more than that.’

  ‘Did you? Well, I’ll try to take more notice of her, now that you’ve mentioned it.’

  ‘Okay … thanks. So, how’s everything looking tonight?’ I asked, finally giving up on Angelica. He obviously didn’t share my feeling that she was odd.

  ‘Quiet, so far.’

  ‘Wanna come over for a while … watch television … or something? Claire’s gone home, Debs hasn’t come in yet, and I’m just sitting here … all alone.’

  There was nothing but silence on the phone for what seemed to be ages. When he finally spoke, his voice was soft and low.

  ‘Lili, I’m sorry … I wish I could explain it, but I just can’t be with you right now.’

  ‘Okay, Sam.’ I said swallowing hard, trying to hide my disappointment.

  ‘Please don’t be sad. It won’t be like this forever.’

  It was impossible not to be sad, and frustrated, and yet there was some hope in his voice. He’d said it wouldn’t be like this forever, so that meant he had to think things would get better, right?

  ‘So, you still want me to find us a house though, right?’

  ‘Yes, of course.’

  ‘And when we have our own place, do you think things will go back to how they were with us before?’

  ‘Yes … well, I believe so anyway. I wish I could explain.’

  I could see no point in pressing him now. In some ways, he seemed almost as perplexed by his behaviour as I was. All I could do was try to find us a house, and make it a home—our home. If things didn’t improve, perhaps I’d have to accept that they never would. But I wasn’t going to give up just yet.

  ‘It’s okay, Sam, you don’t have to explain. I’ll see you tomorrow,’ I said, forcing myself to smile, making an effort to hide my sadness and frustration.

  And somehow, the smile went right though me, and the sadness began to lift. And as it did, determination took its place. I’d make things work for us. I had to.

  ~ Chapter Seventeen ~

  On Thursday afternoon, just when I was about to give up hope, I found a house that looked really promising; five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a large family room, separate formal living and dining rooms, a study and a good sized back yard. Although perhaps a bit bigger than we really needed, it looked perfect in the photos on the internet.

  I rang Sam the minute I spotted it.

  ‘I think I found us a house,’ I said, unable to contain my excitement.

  ‘Great. Do you want me to have a look at it with you tomorrow?’ he asked, his voice giving nothing away.

  ‘Saturday morning. It’s open at eleven. It’s not cheap—but it looks perfect.’

  ‘So long as you like it, I’m sure I’ll love it,’ he said, sounding like he meant it.

  ‘It’s in Milton Street, can you believe it? Right around the corner from where Michael and Crystal used to live. And I wouldn’t be surprised if we could see the top of your tree from the upstairs bedroom.’

  ‘Really? Well, that sounds great,’ he replied, sounding more interested now that he knew where it was.

  ‘Oh, I hope so. If we like this one, maybe we can settle in thirty days. Then we’d have plenty of time to get it furnished and looking like a real home before Ceylona and the boys arrive for Christmas.’

  There was silenc
e on the line for a moment, and I wondered if he was regretting having Ben, Henry and Ceylona with us for Christmas. He had seemed pleased enough when I’d told him Mladen had approved, but maybe he wasn’t so sure now. My mind started spinning with doubt, but then he spoke and his tone was light.

  ‘Crystal has asked us to come for dinner tomorrow night. Its Angelica’s birthday and she wants us there to help celebrate. Well, she wants you there, but I’m allowed to come as your escort.’ He laughed slightly as he said the last bit.

  I let out a huge sigh of relief. He hadn’t been worried about Christmas. His hesitation wasn’t anything to do with Christmas.

  ‘Angelica’s birthday … hmmm … should I bring a gift?’

  ‘You don’t have to. But I’m sure Crystal would be pleased if you did. It’s not like Angelica has a lot of friends or anything.’

  ‘No, I suppose not,’ I said, thinking that really she’d made no effort to be particularly friendly toward me, and although I hadn’t come up with any real evidence to suggest she wasn’t who she said she was, I still had my suspicions about her.

  ‘Will I see you in the gardens in the morning?’ he asked, tentatively.

  ‘Yeah, I’ll run early, and afterwards I’ll go up to Melbourne Central before class to see if I can find a gift—maybe a bottle of perfume or something.’

  I’d started a photography course at the local adult education centre. It went for an hour over lunchtime on Tuesdays and Fridays. It was just something to occupy my time really, to keep me from going completely stir-crazy. I was still spending Monday’s with Debs at the museum, but that wasn’t something I wanted to do more than the one day. In fact, if it weren’t for Debs, I’d have given it up after the first day.

  ‘I’m sure that would be appreciated. So, how’s the class going? Are you learning anything new?’

  ‘Yeah, well, no, not really. It’s mostly for beginners, but that’s okay—it’s fun.’

  I was looking for ways to occupy my time since I didn’t need to work. Over the time that I’d been away, Henry had proceeded to give all the rest of his gold to Sam. We would never be short of money.

  ‘Why don’t you look into volunteering somewhere, I mean, somewhere besides the museum. There are heaps of organisations that would love your help. Or go to school full-time; real school, not this adult education place.’

  ‘Yeah, I looked into some psychology classes again, but nothing starts until January or February. Debs suggested I could volunteer at something called Riding for the Disabled … some friend of hers does it, and really enjoys it.’

  ‘Riding, as in horses? I’ve never heard you say anything about horses. Do you ride?’

  ‘No, not at all. But Debs said you don’t have to know much about horses, just be willing to learn, and like being outdoors. It’s mostly about the kids so it could be fun. I suppose I should look into it.’

  ‘Yeah? Why don’t you? Fresh air, exercise; that sounds like you.’

  ‘Or there’s golf. Debs would love to teach me, but hitting a ball around and trying to get it into a tiny little hole … sounds awfully frustrating to me!’

  He laughed at this, and just the sound of it made me smile. When he spoke his voice warmed me to my very soul. ‘Yeah, somehow I can’t quite see you on a golf course. Anyway, it’s late—you must be going off to bed soon?’

  ‘Yeah, I was just having another look at houses, and then I was going to write to Ceylona, then off to bed.’

  ‘You’ll say hello from me, won’t you? To Ceylona, I mean.’

  ‘Of course I will. She’s really looking forward to seeing you at Christmas.’

  ‘I feel the same way. I know you find it hard to understand … me not even having gone to Mladen’s and all. But you know how awkward it is for me there.’

  ‘Yeah, it’s alright, I know. So, be safe tonight, won’t you?’

  ‘Always, my love.’

  ‘Goodnight, Sam. I love you.’

  ~~***~~

  Sam wasn’t at his tree when I arrived at the gardens in the morning. I’d said I’d be early, but perhaps he hadn’t realised just how early.

  I started off at a slow steady pace feeling rather awkward trying to run with my backpack on, so I decided just to do a powerwalk instead. As I passed Elizabeth’s bench the third time, I spotted her and Cassie so I stopped, did some stretches, and then sat between them on the bench.

  ‘You’re looking well this morning, Lili,’ said Elizabeth, and Cassie nodded in agreement. ‘Do you have some good news for us?’

  ‘Maybe; I think I’ve found us a house. Sam and I will look at it tomorrow morning. It’s huge; five bedrooms. Ceylona could have her own room. And Tom would be able to stay with us too. And the boys of course, whenever they like for as long as they like. I’m so excited. I hope it’s as good in reality as it looks in the photos.’

  ‘No wonder you look so happy. It’s the excitement. I wish I could come with you.’

  ‘You know, you just might be able to, Elizabeth. It’s not far from here—Milton Street. I mean, really, it’s closer to the market than Sam’s last house.’

  ‘Oh, Lili, do you think? Oh, that would be so … I mean … if I could visit. I promise I wouldn’t intrude or anything.’

  ‘It wouldn’t be an intrusion. You could stay whenever you like. Sam and I will have a look tomorrow morning, at eleven. Why don’t you try to come with us?’

  ‘Okay, it’s a date. Cassie, you might be able to come too … I mean, you don’t seem to have any trouble going anywhere really so perhaps you can get to this house too.’

  ‘Would you mind if I try too?’

  ‘Of course not, Cassie. You and Elizabeth are my family now, you know that don’t you?’

  ‘Thanks, Lili,’ Cassie replied, sniffing back a tear.

  ‘It’s true, you know. You two are like sisters to me. Speaking of sisters … today is my sister’s birthday—Raye. I hope the present I mailed got to her in time. It should have, but I haven’t heard anything from her.’

  ‘She’s probably just busy with the boyfriend you’ve told us about. He sounded nice,’ said Cassie, winking.

  ‘Yeah, you’re probably right. And speaking of birthdays, it’s Angelica’s birthday too. Crystal is having a small party for her, and I need to go find a gift this morning. I was thinking perfume, as I don’t really know her well enough to get anything more personal.’

  ‘Angelica. Now, she’s an odd one, isn’t she?’ asked Elizabeth.

  Both her words and her tone surprised me. ‘Do you think so, Elizabeth? Why do you say that?’ I hadn’t thought to raise the subject with Elizabeth. Perhaps she’d have some interesting observations.

  ‘Well, for starters, she’s one of the few people I’ve come across that I can’t read. Not a skerrick. Usually, I can pick up something … not always as clearly as what I can do with you and Sam, but usually I can read moods or phrases or something if I try to. With her, it’s this blank wall.’

  ‘You’ve obviously tried then?’

  ‘Not that she’d be aware of, but yes I’ve seen her and Crystal walking through the gardens together, and I was curious about her—so I’ve followed them a time or two.’

  ‘Really? So, what were they talking about?’

  ‘Oh, nothing of any consequence really, but like I said, I found it odd that I couldn’t pick up anything from Angelica.’

  ‘Hmmm … that is strange. And you say this doesn’t happen often?’

  ‘Well, no. I mean, I don’t always try to read people’s thoughts. It isn’t polite to eavesdrop,’ she said, looking down at the ground, perhaps embarrassed, ‘but I was trying to understand why they felt they needed to move, you know. I was quite sad that Sam wouldn’t be walking through here to go home, as I knew it could mean I’d see less of him. And sure enough, it has. Now it’s only when he makes a particular effort to come see me, whereas before I saw him every day.’

  ‘Yeah, I know, and I’m sorry about that. But with Angelica,
when you say she’s a blank wall, have you ever had that happen with other people?’

  ‘Yes, well, no probably not exactly the same. But there have been others that I couldn’t read.’

  ‘Hmmm that is interesting. What about you Cassie?’

  ‘Well, I’m kinda new at this thought reading, so I’m not as good as Elizabeth in any case, but no, I can’t read her. Of course, I can’t read Crystal either. In fact, I’m just starting to get better at reading your thoughts now, but I do have to focus pretty hard. Anyway … no, I can’t read her, but that’s not really saying much is it?’

  I smiled at Cassie; she was trying to help.

  Elizabeth sort of cleared her throat to get my attention back. ‘Yes, well it is very frustrating when I can’t read someone that I want to read. But that’s not the only thing that’s odd about her.’

  She had my full attention now. I stared, waiting for her to continue.

  ‘She makes these weird faces sometimes. Her eyes go all narrow, and her nostrils sort of flare. And other times, she laughs really strangely—like there’s some joke that only she understands—or like she’s up to something.’

  ‘Yes! I know exactly what you mean, Elizabeth. I’ve seen her look at me like that too. I thought it was because of Ben … she seemed to have a crush on him when we were at Mladen’s, and I certainly didn’t encourage it. So I thought that narrow eyed look was just for me.’

  ‘No, I’ve seen her do that with Crystal too, and even with strangers walking past.’

  ‘Very strange. Have you seen any other odd behaviour? Like, have you seen her talking with people you don’t know?’

  ‘Not that I can recall. I’ve mostly just seen her with Crystal, here in the gardens. And of course, I’ve seen her at the market a time or two by herself, but I never took any notice if she was talking to anyone in particular.’

  Suddenly I remembered that Cassie was from San Diego, and I knew they spoke a lot of Spanish in Southern California—much more than up north where I was from. I asked if she had any view about Angelica being Spanish.