Wraiths of Winter (The Haunting Ruby Series Book 3)

by Joy Elbel

  Son of a…. I never meant to let that part slip! Rachel knew nothing of my encounter with Garnet and I wanted to keep it that way. But it was too late now. The ghost cat was out of the bag, so to speak.

  “There’s something I haven’t told you, Rachel, but I guess now I kind of have to.” Rachel parked her car and forbid me to get out of it. “You’re not going anywhere until you tell me what you’re hiding from me.” Oddly enough, her eyes seemed to lighten the madder she got, too.

  With the least amount of details possible, I explained the events of the last three months. When I was finished, she looked at me with the same look Zach gave me the night he broke up with me. It was a mixture of hate and betrayal and something I never wanted to see on her face, either.

  “Ruby! How could you do this to me! I thought we were friends—best friends!” Rachel thrust the photo of Crimson in my face. “You could have been helping her— helping Drake—all along but you haven’t! How could you be so selfish?”

  While I knew she would be mad, it was much worse than I expected. But calling me selfish made me angry, too. “Selfish? I almost died—twice in the last six months! Not to mention that your brother’s life was in danger, too! Garnet pushed him down the damn stairs because of me! Forgive me for not wanting to die or see Zach get hurt again.”

  Rachel and I both slumped back in our seats and stared silently out the windows for what seemed an eternity. Having her mad at me was almost as bad as having Zach mad at me. After several minutes, I couldn’t take it any more so I broke the ice.

  “I know you think I can just go talk to that girl who died five years ago and ask her who killed her but it doesn’t exactly work that way.” I took a look at the photo of Crimson and was overcome with guilt. “I don’t really have control over who haunts me and who doesn’t.”

  “I get that—really I do. But couldn’t you at least try? For me? For Crimson? If the same person who killed Allison Cornell has her now too, she really needs your help! There’s a chance that she’s still alive, Ruby, locked up somewhere being tortured night after night.”

  Rachel’s desperate pleading finally got to me. “Okay, I’ll see what I can do but I can’t guarantee anything.” “Thank you, soo much, Ruby!” she said giving me a hug. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you and I won’t let you get hurt again. I swear!”

  I knew she meant every word she said but there was no way she would be able to back those words up if the time came. If I put myself in danger again, there might not be any way for her or anyone else to save me—Zach included. Maybe I would get lucky and not actually make a connection with Allison. In that case, I could walk away knowing that I did what I could but without actually putting myself in any danger.

  “So, I don’t know anything about Allison. Where do I even start looking for her?” I asked as we stepped inside the post office lobby and approached the copy machine.

  Rachel plunked a handful of coins into the slot and pressed the copy button. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of that. Drake flew back with his parents after Thanksgiving. I’ll get ahold of him and find out where she used to hang out and stuff.” Rachel pulled the first copy out of the machine and held it up for my approval.

  “Looks good,” I said, rubbing at the sore spot on my behind from where I fell on the ice. Rachel set the machine to make fifty more copies then leaned back against the wall. “So, what was Zach really doing at your house yesterday? He told Mom and Dad he was working.”

  “Nothing special—we just spent the day together.” Nothing special? I tried hard not give anything away but I knew I failed miserably at it. Sex or no sex, the morning we spent together walking in the snow was magical in and of itself.

  Rachel pointed at my pants. “Careful there, Ruby. If you tell any more lies they may spontaneously ignite.” Since I was already busted, I broke down and told her everything. “He went to so much trouble to make things perfect, Rachel. If Lucas didn’t knock on the door, we totally would have slept together!”

  “Seriously, you guys still haven’t done it yet? After what I saw at the Halloween party, I thought you’d have taken care of that by now.”

  “Trust me, we tried. But now that Lucas is in the picture, Zach wants to wait a little longer.” I stared off into space thinking about the naughty dream I had about Lucas. Would I ever look at chocolate the same way again? “He wants to make sure I have Lee completely out of my system before we go any further.”

  The copier spit out the last sheet of paper and Rachel plucked the stack from the tray. “You are a like a magnet for bad luck, girlfriend. You need to hurry up and get the answers you need from Lucas so you and Zach can get on with your life.”

  Wasn’t that the truth! “I know that, Rachel. That’s why Lucas is coming over to Rosewood tonight—so we can talk about Lee. I’m hoping Lucas will want to search for their biological parents, too.”

  We stepped out onto the sidewalk just as it started to snow again and walked down the street, stopping in every store to ask if they would post a flyer for us. Not a single store said no.

  We walked the full length of Main Street until we reached the far end. looming ominously

  The street turned into a dead end and in front of us was a large, two story building with a gothic looking tower. I’d never been this close to it but I knew what it was—the Bantam Theater.

  The theater was creepy looking in a cool sort of way. It was the kind of place where I could imagine a masked phantom hunched over an organ immersed in his musical endeavors. Buildings like that held secrets—maybe even ghosts. The brick façade was old and worn like it had been abandoned and neglected for decades but the twinkle of multiple lights in the window told a different story.

  “Look, someone reopened the Bantam Theater!” exclaimed Rachel. “That place has been closed for as long as I can remember. They started renovating it a few years ago but they never finished it. I remember being afraid of it when I was little and crying every time we drove past it. Mom and Dad always told me there wasn’t anything to be afraid of in there, but I never really believed them. I guess that’s where they went on their first date years ago.” Rachel gave a shudder and headed back toward her car. “You couldn’t pay me to go in there.”

  I agreed with her wholeheartedly. With one last look at the Bantam Theater, I spun around to follow her. But before my back was turned, I thought I saw a shadowy figure peering out from the uppermost window of the tower. When I blinked my eyes, it was gone.

  Rachel and I talked about Lucas and my current predicament on the walk back to her car. “Please be careful around him, Ruby,” Rachel said as we trudged down the snowy walk. “I don’t like the way he looked at you earlier—like you were a piece of meat or something.”

  Really, was there anyone who didn’t think he was dangerous? He was cocky and self-assured but so was Zach when I first met him. Okay, maybe not exactly in the same way but close enough. Would I have to defend him to everyone like this? She was overreacting just like Zach. Lucas was different in the same way Lee was—misunderstood.

  Her dire warnings were unnecessary but I decided to placate her anyway. “I’ll be fine, Rachel. I’ve handled far worse than Lucas could ever dish out,” I said as I climbed into her Volkswagen Beetle. “I won’t even be alone with him— what’s the worst that could happen?”

  6. If I Could Just See the Picture on the Box…

  I booted my dad out of the Man Cave exactly fifteen minutes before seven just in case Lucas decided to show up early. Distractedly, I shot a few balls around on the table to try to take my mind off of everything. It didn’t work.

  Ever since I moved to Charlotte’s Grove, it felt like my life had been broken down into a jigsaw puzzle—a puzzle that I didn’t feel like I was meant to solve. Pieces that used to fit didn’t, pieces that never fit before seemed to magically make sense. As soon as the picture started to become clear, someone would dump pieces from another puzzle into the mix so that I wasn’t even sure what belonged and w
hat didn’t any more.

  Lucas was one of those pieces. How did I really feel about him? There were moments when he was arrogant and I wished I’d never met him. Then there were the times when I could see the same warmth in his eyes that I remembered seeing in Lee’s. It was like he was two different people. Is this how Lee would have ended up if he hadn’t had so much pain and sorrow in his life?

  As I was pondering the sheer confusion of it all, there came a knock at the door. In order to avoid the strange looks from Dad or Shelly, I ran to answer it first. For a split second after I opened the door, I would have sworn it was Lee on the porch and not Lucas. Until he spoke.

  “So I bet you have one hell of a bruise from that fall you took today. You should probably have someone look at it, you know, just in case you need medical attention.” He took off his jacket and hung it up. “I’d be happy to volunteer,” he said leering at my backside, “since it doesn’t seem like that boyfriend of yours is helping you out much in that department.”

  I snapped. “Zach! His name is Zach! And again, what makes you so sure he’s not?” Only minutes ago I was thinking about how much he reminded me of Lee. Now, I took that all back. I led him to the Man Cave and plopped down into one of the reclining chairs. When he didn’t immediately respond, I took it one step further. “What? Suddenly you don’t have anything to say?”

  Lucas chuckled as he set up the balls on the table. “That—that right there. That’s how I know. If he was giving you the attention you needed, you wouldn’t get so defensive when I said he wasn’t.”

  “Zach gives me plenty of attention!” I countered angrily.

  “Maybe…but maybe just not the right kind. Not the kind you need.” He struck a nerve and he knew it. “So you only met me yesterday but today you know exactly who I am and what I need, huh? Don’t be so full of yourself.”

  Lucas put the cue stick down on the table and walked over to me. He sat on the arm of the chair and leaned in close, so close that I could feel the warmth of his breath on my face. “Just admit it Ru—you’re hot for me. It’s written all over your face. And your boyfriend senses it too, doesn’t he? Let me guess—Mr. Sensitive won’t touch you now because he’s afraid of getting his heart broken. But just in case you’re interested, I’m not afraid.”

  I wanted to argue with him, to prove him wrong. But that was impossible because he was dead-on right. He was so close, close enough for me to kiss him. And that was exactly what he was hoping I would do. He wanted me to lose control. He wanted me to get caught up in the moment and ask from him what Zach wouldn’t give me. What he wanted most, though, was me—all of me. I’ll admit it—I was tempted, tempted to see what I missed out on with Lee.

  But he wasn’t Lee. With my hands on his chest, I shoved him away and he nearly fell on the floor. “I invited you here to talk about Lee—not to try to get into my pants! So if that’s the only reason you’re here, it’s time for you to leave.”

  Just like before, I caught a glimpse of something unrecognizable in his eyes. It lingered for a moment and then was gone. What was that? Anger? The bitterness of rejection? I just couldn’t put a name to it.

  “Sorry, I’ll back off on one condition—I want you to admit that I’m right. Admit that you’re attracted to me.” No smile, no cocky attitude—he was straight up serious.

  Okay, so how I was I supposed to answer that? In some ways, yes. In some ways, no. He looked exactly like someone I used to date, someone who I used to think was the cutest boy ever. Until I met Zach. Zach changed everything— even the way I felt about Lee. But in some ways, Lucas was so irritating that he became completely unattractive to me. That was the feeling I needed to go with.

  “Look, Lucas, this isn’t a contest—I love Zach and he loves me. You and I are strictly friends—nothing more, and honestly, barely even that,” I replied, intentionally ignoring his question. “So do you want to know more about your brother or not? If not, there’s the door,” I said pointing to the hallway.

  “Of course I do, Ru! Is it my fault that I find you

  irresistible?” Lucas relaxed a little and lined up for the break. After the balls came to rest he handed me the stick. “I want to know more about my brother than just the fact that he had excellent taste in women.”

  Quick—somebody hand me the pesticide! Swallowing a gallon of the stuff was about the only way I could see to get rid of the fluttering in my stomach once and for all. “Seriously, Lucas—enough!” I managed to say in spite of all the beating wings working their way through me. “What do you want to know about Lee?”

  “Everything you want to tell me and even some of what you don’t. Please, don’t hold anything back.” So I started at the beginning, as far back as I could remember, even telling him some things that I’d only heard from my father. We took turns shooting the ball around the table until we eventually sunk the last ball and then we did it again. Lucas listened quietly but became visibly excited when I told him what a good artist Lee was.

  “Really? I’ve always liked to draw, too!” he proclaimed. Then his excitement spiraled down into insecurity. “But I’m not that good at it—I’m sure Lee was better.”

  For the first time, I saw what felt like the real Lucas— the one that hid beneath all of that bravado. Death had a funny way of making people perfect. It must be tough comparing yourself to someone who didn’t seem to have any flaws. I put Lee on a pedestal not realizing how it might make Lucas feel.

  “I don’t know. Do you want to find out?” I asked as I tore a sheet out of my dad’s notebook and found a pencil to go with it. “Here,” I said handing it to him, “Draw something.”

  He took the paper and pencil with a grin. “Okay, I want to draw you. Pose for me.” In all the time we were together, Lee never asked me to pose for him. All he wanted to draw was the cemetery where his dad was buried—headstones, mausoleums, the crows in the trees. I wasn’t exactly sure how to pose so Lucas just had me relax back in the recliner and then he positioned my arms and legs how he wanted them.

  I was surprised at how quickly he finished with the drawing. “There. What do you think? Who’s better—me or Lee?”

  When I caught a glimpse of his work, I gasped. “Lucas! That’s amazing! How did you do that so fast? You’re definitely the better artist—by far!” The sketch he did of me was perfect. It looked just like me except I was pretty sure that my penciled likeness’s bra size was a full cup size larger than my own. I decided to overlook that one minor detail.

  “Really? Do you think so?” he asked excitedly. “You can tell me the truth, you know.”

  “That is the truth, Lucas. Lee was good, but you’re definitely better.” Obviously overcome with pride, Lucas returned to the pool table and took his shot. “Tell me more about him. I want to know everything.”

  We continued our game as I related every detail of Lee’s life that I could think of until I got to the day of his death. This was going to be the hard part especially since I still partially blamed myself for what happened that day. But I couldn’t hold anything back because Lucas deserved to know the truth about how Lee died—the whole truth.

  When I was finished explaining my role in what happened that night, Lucas had an odd reaction. He started to laugh.

  “What’s so funny? I just told you that Lee would have turned that car around if I hadn’t turned into a succubus! If I hadn’t seduced him, your brother would still be alive!”

  “He didn’t die because you promised him something that night. If you weren’t so uptight, you would have already given him what he wanted long before that. Then it wouldn’t have been such a big deal to him that he risked getting into trouble to get it.”

  What exactly was he trying to say here? That Lee died because I didn’t sleep with him? That wasn’t true, was it? True or false it left me speechless.

  “Everyone tries to say that sex is a big deal, Ru, but it’s not.” Lucas hung my dad’s cue stick back on the wall where it belonged and sank down into one of
the chairs. Game over, apparently.

  I sat down in the other chair and remained silent. Was he right? I had no way of knowing. Desperate to change the subject, I looked around the room for something to talk about other than sex. My eyes landed on the clock. Ten o’clock was only minutes away. How did three hours go by so fast without me noticing?

  “Oh, wow, look at the time! My curfew on school nights is ten and that applies to having friends over, too. You have to leave before my dad comes in here and boots you out.” Thank goodness I found a viable excuse to end the conversation.

  “Saved by the bell this time, Ru,” Lucas said as he pulled on his jacket and opened the front door. “But sooner or later you’re gonna have to face your feelings for me.” And with that, he was gone.

  I went upstairs to get ready for bed. Checking my phone, I found that I had several texts from Zach wanting to know how things went with Lucas. If I hadn’t found them, I would have totally forgotten to call Zach like I promised. He would be so pissed at me if I forgot about him again. Tired from the events of the day, I changed into my pjs and climbed into bed. I hit Zach’s number on my speed dial and waited for him to answer. He picked up before the sound of the first ring died out.

  “Ruby! I texted you about a million times. You forgot to call me again, didn’t you?” Zach sounded both sad and angry at the same time.

  “No, I didn’t forget to call you. Lucas just left a few minutes ago.” I thought that knowing I didn’t forget about him would cheer him up. Once again, I was wrong.

  The other end of the conversation sat silent. “Zach, are you still there?” I checked my phone to see if we were still connected. Nope, the problem had nothing to do with our phones and everything to do with our conversation.

  “Three hours? He was at your house for three hours?” The hurt and anger grew exponentially with each word he spoke. “So, did you find out anything about his family? Does he know where he was adopted from?”