by Wilson, Maer
Another exchanged look. One that said we empathized and hoped we never truly understood. We often said that we doubted one of us would survive long without the other. We certainly did not want that put to the test. I moved beside Thulu, and he put an arm around me as he continued to read.
“I must confess that I am glad we did not have children. It would be too cruel for them to lose their mother. I will say here what I dare not say to any living soul. I used the treasure cup to give Polly water. I had been told it was an ancient, magic cup. The old man in Shanghai insisted it was so. I did not believe him, but his price was small enough. His desperation must have been great indeed, as I think it is solid gold and not gold-plated, as he seemed to think.
“When Polly took such a sudden turn for the worse, I brought out the treasure cup and showed her. Her eyes lit up for a few moments, and she was able to drink a few drops of pure water. She was amused at the story and smiled at me. When she fell asleep, she was still smiling. I did not know that she would never wake up.
“Did I kill my beloved wife, or did the cup ease her passing? These are questions that will haunt me the rest of my life. Numerous friends made their condolence visits and helped with much of the arrangements. John proved to be an even better friend than I knew and sat with me for hours.
“Little Sophie followed me around. She sat looking at me so sadly, whining for Polly. I could satisfy neither the small dog, nor myself. Now and again, she went in to the parlor door, but she seemed averse to being in the room where Polly's body was on view. I believe she knew that our real Polly was no longer in that flesh. Sophie refused to eat or drink, and this morning I found her cold and tiny body beside my bed. I buried her beneath the roses she so liked to shred in spring. Polly would have wanted it so.
“John says I should return to sea, but my heart is not in that. Nor are my years as young as they should be. I felt a chill last night, in spite of the heat. One that went to the bone. I feel as though my years have tripled since my Polly has gone. I am old. I am used up. I will put up the ship to sell and will stay home. The treasure cup will remain here, hidden safely away.”
I had tears in my eyes as Thulu looked up.
“That's the end of the journal.” Thulu was moved too and his voice was thick with emotion. We kept silent for a long time. I could hear traffic from the street and a small dog barking outside for a few moments, but it stopped. We stayed that way a long time. Even Robin was very still.
The barking started again.
“That dog annoys me,” Robin said. “It barks and I go out to yell at it and it's never there. I don't know which neighbor it belongs to.”
I looked at him questioningly.
“I've been trying to find the treasure, so I spend time here.”
I nodded. Something about the barking, though.
“Hey!” I started across the room and down the stairs. “That dog is inside the house.” I could hear a peculiar echo.
“Fi?” Thulu followed after me, carrying the journal. Robin was close behind.
“Downstairs.”
I moved quickly down stairwells and hallways, following the barking dog. I traced it to the back of the house and the kitchen. Pushing the swinging door to the kitchen ever so slightly, I peeked in, ready to run if it looked like the dog would attack. It might sound small, but teeth were teeth and didn't belong in my skin – above or below the ankle. The barking stopped as I made eye contact with dark eyes in a small bundle of fur. I eased the door shut, and the barking turned to whining.
I gave Thulu a rather sheepish smile, shook my head slightly and shrugged my shoulders before opening the door wide. No need to worry about teeth, after all.
A tiny ball of fur immediately ran toward us, skidded to a halt, sat down quickly and looked up at us expectantly. It jumped up and ran to the back door, fluffy tail wagging.
Thulu grinned and bent down. “Ah, now I see. Hi there, Sophie, girl. You've been here a long time, haven't you?”
Her answer was a quick bark. She was a beautiful cream colored Pomeranian. Polly's “silly little dog.” Now that she finally had people who could see and hear her, she seemed excited and full of life. I know, Sophie had been dead over one hundred and fifty years, but try telling her that.
“I know where the cup is,” Thulu said with a grin. I caught on right away.
“Oh yeah, I bet you're right.”
Robin looked between the two of us and the dog. “I don't know where it is.”
“Robin, does Jane have a shovel?”
“Sure, it's in the cellar.” Robin pointed to a door on our left. Thulu handed me the journal, opened the door and went down the stairs.
He returned less than a minute later with a shovel. We all went out the back door, through a small enclosed porch and outside. Sophie followed close behind. The yard was tiny, and it was only about twelve feet to the back fence. There weren't going to be a lot of choices.
Thulu paused for a few moments, and then he headed to a grassy spot near the back fence. He carefully removed a layer of the grass and started digging. I sat on the back step. Sophie ran to the spot and growled at it in what I assumed was her fierce manner. She ran back to me and hid behind my back, peeking out at Thulu.
I couldn't help it, I was charmed. I had seen ghost animals before, but they were rare. Usually, they would be with someone, their owner or loved one from when they were alive. Sometimes I even knew what they wanted, but not always and not often. My translating ability was unreliable with the animal kingdom. Supernatural Dr. Doolittle? Not me.
I wanted to reach over and pet her, but I knew my hand would go right through her tiny body. Whenever we made eye contact her tail would wag. She made me smile.
The ground was soft, and Thulu made fairly quick work of getting down to almost three feet. I offered to take a turn, but he said he had it under control. We heard a definite “thunk.” Thulu widened the hole carefully, and it wasn't long before he brought up an oblong shape wrapped in what appeared to be cloth treated with something that was cracked and flaking off.
Thulu set the box aside and quickly filled in the hole and replaced the grass piece back over it. We all traipsed back into the house, where Thulu quickly returned the shovel to the cellar. Sitting at the kitchen table, he unwound the heavy cloth from the box. It had been wrapped in many layers of what I assumed was waterproof cloth of some kind. The inner layers were in better shape and had a rubbery texture. The box was plain teak, heavily lacquered, which had also helped preserve it.
Thulu held his hand out. I handed him the book with the key still attached. He carefully slid the key into the keyhole. It was a perfect fit.
Thulu looked at me. We could both feel something in the air. Now that we were inside and the wrappings removed, we felt a sense of power coming from the box. I got goose bumps and put my hand over Thulu's. I wasn't sure I wanted to open that box. The name “Pandora” crossed my mind.
Thulu smiled and brought my hand to his lips for a small kiss. He gently laid my hand back on the table, giving it a reassuring pat.
Thulu returned his attention to the box and turned the key. The key met some resistance before we heard a rusty click. He lifted the lid to reveal layers of rotting silk and the gleam of gold. I could have sworn there was a flash of light and leaned back. Thulu hesitated only a brief moment. He lifted the cup from where it had been hidden away for over a century and a half.
“Can you feel that?” Thulu asked me. There was a sense of wonder in his voice. He set the cup on the table.
In style, it looked much like the plate. If they'd been side by side, I would have called them a matched set. They had the same beaten gold finish and the same embossed dragon. The cup stood about five inches high. Its beauty called out to me, but that was probably the dragon. I could feel power emanating from it in pulses. I'd never felt anything quite like it before. The power was neither positive nor negative. It simply waited for whoever would use it. I found its neutrality unsettling
.
“Wow!” said Robin, whose eyes were big. “Just – wow!” His mouth hung slightly open. “You guys really are good at what you do.”
I smiled at Robin, and we both thanked him. Sophie gave a quick bark from the floor.
“Now what?” I asked Thulu. We stared at each other.
“Now we go home and think about what we want to do.”
Thulu removed the ragged silk from the box, found a paper bag and dumped it into that. He took a soft white dishtowel from a drawer, wrapped the cup and returned it to the box. The journal and box went into the paper bag as well.
We checked the house and made sure everything was locked up tight. Thulu carried the bag, while I locked the front door behind us.
I turned to Robin. “Thanks, you helped a lot. Your Gran would be proud.” Okay, so it was an exaggeration, but the smile that lit up his face made it totally worth it. I can be nice sometimes.
I turned to look for Sophie, but didn't see her anywhere. Maybe she had finally moved on. Dogs have different values than humans. I think she had wanted the cup found, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out why that should be.
Once Thulu and I were home and inside, we set the alarm. I followed as he went downstairs to our wall safe in the basement. We had a tiny wine cellar, which we kept locked. The safe was inside, hidden behind a moving wine case. I entered the digital code, while he pulled the box with its treasure and the journal from the paper bag and placed them inside. I shut the door, making sure I heard the click of the lock. The safe was pretty high tech, and this wasn't the first time we'd used it for a client.
We were just closing the door and locking the wine cellar, when I heard a high pitched shriek from upstairs. It sounded as if it had come from the family room.
“Jenna,” I told Thulu as I bolted up the stairs, wondering what had happened.
Jenna looked up at me as I came in.
“O-M-G, O-M-G, you got me a puppy! I always wanted a puppy. Thank you! Oh, thank you, thank you!” Jenna shrieked again in joy as Sophie licked her smiling face. I stood in stunned amazement.
“You guys are the best ever!” She put one small hand on a hip and waggled a finger at us. “You surprised me!” This called for another shriek and another hug for Sophie.
Parker floated nearby, arms folded, a goofy grin on his face. Thulu had come in right behind me, laughing at the sight of the child and little dog dancing around her.
Sophie started circling the room in a mad dash that made me thankful she was incorporeal. She made a heavy panting noise. I later found out that that supposedly meant the dog was laughing. I wasn't, though.
I stood there impassively watching the ecstatic child and dog. Charming at Jane's house didn't necessarily translate to charming in my house. Thulu leaned his cheek on the top of my head, arms coming around me.
“Apparently she followed us home.”
“You think?”
Sophie had stopped her dash to jump up at Parker. Parker reached out and drew her into his arms, where she snuggled. Her tail curved up and over her back and wagged at light speed.
Jenna had floated up next to Sophie and was petting the soft fur on her back. That calmness didn't last long though. Sophie launched herself once more to dash around the room.
Jenna had moved away and was calling, “Here boy, come here. I'm Jenna. Park, look how fast he goes!”
I sighed. “She's a girl. Her name is Sophie.”
Jenna looked at me, turned to Parker, threw her arms in the air and yelled, “O-M-G! Park! She's a girl! Here, Sophie, here, girl.” More shrieking as Sophie immediately went to Jenna and gave her a quick lick on the nose.
I wasn't sure why this was grounds for celebration. I was torn between having a headache or having lunch. I was not going to fall into the trap that was before me. Something sunk in and distracted me for a moment. Jenna's lisp was gone.
I looked at Parker. “No lisp?”
He shrugged. “Usually only when she's scared or nervous or unhappy.”
I nodded. Interesting.
“Well, at least we won't have to feed Sophie or clean up messes. Or get her shots,” said Thulu, the practical.
I was still watching Jenna and Sophie's antics. The dog appeared to have an abundance of energy. Pink bunnies and drums crossed my mind. I sighed. I wasn't going to win this one – no how, no way. “And Jenna is happy. How often are dead kids happy?”
“I'm happy,” Parker said as he scratched the dog's ears.
And he was. I don't think I'd ever seen him smile as much as he had since Jenna had appeared. With Sophie, he was grinning ear to ear.
“I wonder how that dog lasted this long. A century and a half is a long time,” Thulu said.
“Except time can be weird for the dead. Maybe that's what happened.” I leaned back into him and felt him shrug.
“Maybe so.”
“I'm hungry,” I said, a major decision made.
The phone sang. It was Jones. My day was complete.
Chapter 16
“You got the cup. Excellent work!” Jones smooth voice sounded pleased. I put him on speaker so Thulu could hear, but walked to our study. I didn't want Jenna to hear him, in case she recognized his voice. Thulu kept pace with me, listening intently.
“I am going to put protection on your house, until we decide where to keep these artifacts. I do not think either of our houses are the best choice. Not even mine. It's too obvious.”
“I have a lot of questions for you, Jones.”
“Your place or mine?” Jones quipped. I could hear the smile. I rolled my eyes at Thulu as we shut the door to our study.
“Very funny. You should go on tour.” I looked at Thulu. “We have Jenna here. I don't want her upset.” Thulu nodded in agreement.
There was a small pause. When next he spoke, Jones's voice had lost some of its buoyancy. His attempt to stay light fell a bit flat. “Fine, my place it is. I'll send the car for you.”
“That won't –” He had hung up. I shrugged at Thulu. Okay, we'd wait for the car.
We went to the family room and watched from the sofa as chaos ran around us. The kids were still playing with Sophie. They had materialized a ball and were playing fetch – in mid-air, of course. That was starting to be a thing in this house. I resisted the urge to tell them to not break anything. While I doubted Jenna or Sophie could actually have an impact on the real world, I knew Parker could at times. I wasn't going to insult him by saying so, though.
He saw me cringe when the ball flew through an antique lamp. He took it from Sophie when she brought it back to him, watching me thoughtfully. He floated about a foot off the floor, throwing the ball in the air and catching it. The motion was driving Sophie so crazy, she was almost bouncing to the ceiling. After a moment of pure devilish delight, Parker finally took pity on me.
“Hey Jenna, let's go to the park and see how far Sophie can fetch.” He held a leash in his hands. I looked at it skeptically. He fastened the leash to Sophie's collar. His grin was decidedly impish as he shrugged at me. “Come on, Jen.”
“Okay.” She turned to me and Thulu. “Bye. I love my puppy.”
It was very, very quiet after they left. I told myself I enjoyed the silence. I almost believed me, too.
For Thulu, it was much like watching a silent film. He didn't get the full effect as I did, but he did feel the energy that surrounded the dead – and there had been a lot of energy from the three who had just left.
Not knowing exactly how much time we had, I grabbed sodas from the kitchen and decided to watch TV. Thulu flipped through channels until we found a rerun of the second Harry Potter movie. I'd continued the love affair I’d had with the books and films as a child and had carried it into adulthood. Thulu liked them, too. We were comfortable in that world, and it was all too soon that the door chimed.
I gathered up my purse. It still held my tablet and gun. Not that I thought the latter was much good in this case, but it still gave me a feeling of s
ecurity.
The ride to Jones's house was relaxing. We chatted with the driver on the way. He was the same one who had driven us around the city the day before. His name was Stuart, and he'd been driving for Jones for over ten years. He said he liked the job.
I wondered if he had helped Jones bury the bodies. I opened my mouth to ask, but thought better of it. That was probably one of those questions that, if he answered, he'd have to kill me. I decided looking out the window was a better use of my time. I listened idly as Thulu and Stuart continued to talk, but mostly I let it go over my head.
I had to admit that Jones's place was not at all what I'd expected. It had been much farther away than I'd thought, too. For some reason, I'd assumed he lived in town, on his “turf.” However, Jones lived far outside the city on an estate that had the ocean on one side. I also wasn't expecting the gracious home behind a tall stone fence and wrought iron gates. This wasn't the gang leader “crib” I'd imagined. The last of my own preconceived ideas about Jones crumbled away. I was going to have to give the devil his due, even if he was only a daemon.
The gates swung open smoothly when we pulled in the drive. They closed behind us. The driveway was about fifty yards long and made a circle around a stone sculptured fountain.
From the fountain to the garage to the house itself, style and elegance were in abundance. I wasn't exactly sure when this had been built, but it definitely wasn't one of the older mansions I'd seen in the neighborhood.
The fountain was beautiful, with three leaping dolphins made of a smooth stone. There were no spouts coming out of fish mouths on this fountain. These dolphins were wise, proud and playful. Little jets rimmed the outer circle and made arcs into the center. Sculpted columns of stone wavelets among the dolphins contained other jets that arced water in several directions.
A fine spray from the fountain misted my cheek as we got out of the car. It felt welcoming. I smiled, enjoying the moment, and then I remembered where we were and why we were here. I was annoyed with myself.
The house and garage were sleek and contemporary. The drive continued a short way to a garage that had to have at least seven doors. A covered walkway connected it to the house itself.
