"You've probably seen a lot of people come through these doors, heard a lot of tales over the years," she remarked.
"Mind my own business, do my work and go home," the man said. It was obvious he did not want to discuss any of the guests with her.
"Have a good day," Cassie said as she pulled Hannah away.
"What are you doing?" the blonde girl asked.
"Getting you out of there before you made him angry," Cassie said.
They walked up to the porch and sat down in two of the rockers with some of the other guests.
"I think you should leave that old man alone," Cassie said. "He gives me the creeps."
"That harmless old man gives you the creeps?" Hannah asked.
"You don't know how harmless he is. There is something about him I don't like."
"Really?" Hannah asked. "Maybe we need to do some research on him."
"You are crazy. Can't you just leave it alone?" Cassie asked. "Come on. I want to go into Bettendorf for lunch. I've had about enough of this town for the morning."
Hannah agreed. After all, she wanted her friend to enjoy the trip, and if she spent every waking hour searching for information on the legend, it wasn't really fair to Cassie. She sighed as she stood up and followed her friend inside.
They went back up to their rooms to freshen up before the afternoon jaunt. Hannah saw that the housekeeper had cleaned her room, and nothing seemed out of place. She changed into white Capri pants with a pink top and grabbed her purse before locking the door behind her and joining Cassie. They drove to the casino in Bettendorf and enjoyed a buffet lunch before trying their luck at the slots. It was an enjoyable afternoon, and both girls walked out with extra cash in their pockets. It had done the trick. Hannah and Cassie had both been able to put ghosts and murders out of their minds for a few hours.
"Chad and Alan should be here soon," Cassie said as they got in the car.
"Where do you want to have dinner?" Hannah asked as they drove out of the parking garage.
"Anyplace but the inn," Cassie replied. "Don't get me wrong, the food is fantastic there, just as Steven said it would be, but I'm all about getting away from there for a while longer."
"We do have to go back to see if the guys are there. After they arrive, we'll find a place to have dinner," Hannah reminded her.
When they pulled up and parked the car, Cassie spotted Alan's Honda. "Look, there's Alan's car. They're here!" she said as she jumped out of the car, almost before Hannah put it in park.
"I didn't realize you were so anxious to see him," Hannah teased as she joined her to walk into the inn.
"Let's just say, I feel safer now that they are here," her red-haired friend replied.
Steven greeted them with, "The rest of your party has arrived. I gave keys to them, hope that was okay."
"Oh, yes, perfectly all right. After all, I did leave word that they were to arrive today. Thank you, Steven," Hannah said as she flashed him a smile.
The girls walked quickly to their rooms. "Meet us in the lobby in thirty, okay?" Hannah said as she put her key card in the lock.
"Sounds good, see you soon," Cassie replied as she did the same.
Hannah entered the room and found Chad sitting on the bed looking over a menu.
"There you are. What did you girls find to do this afternoon?" he asked as he stood up and walked to meet her.
"We drove over to one of the casinos for lunch. We tried our luck at the slots and then came back to see if you guys were here before going to dinner. How was your drive?"
"Long, but worth it now that you are in my arms," he said as he embraced her and lowered his face for a kiss.
As usual, his kiss excited her. She met Chad her sophomore year at a party on campus. They hit it off from the start, he was older, in med school, and they had been a couple ever since. He had hinted a few times at a more permanent arrangement, once she graduated, and Hannah was looking forward to it.
"Mmm," he said as he released her. "Even a few days away from you is too many, as far as I am concerned. I'm just happy I was able to arrange to join you for at least a few days this summer."
"And for all three trips, which is a miracle in itself," she added happily. She stood on her tiptoes and tipped her face up, indicating she was ready for another of his sweet, dangerous kisses.
He finally ended the kiss, saying in a husky voice, "We really need to stop this if we are supposed to meet Cassie and Alan for dinner. We will definitely pick up where we left off, later."
"You're right, as usual. I told her to meet us in the lobby, so I'd better freshen up," she said reluctantly as she left the security of his arms and headed for the bathroom.
"You were right about one thing," he called after her.
"What's that?" she asked as she squirted toothpaste onto her toothbrush.
"Blackhawk Manor is a romantic, peaceful place."
She decided to wait until they were at dinner with the others before telling him it was not always so peaceful.
A few minutes later, they met Cassie and Alan and walked out to Alan's car together. As he drove around, looking for a suitable place to eat, the girls filled them in on the things they had done so far, conveniently leaving out the part about the supposed ghost. It was as if both of them knew their significant others would not be pleased to hear that piece of information.
"There's an Italian place, do you want to stop there?" Hannah asked when she spotted a restaurant ahead.
"Sounds great, let's check it out," Cassie said.
As the foursome enjoyed a wonderful, authentic Italian dinner, Hannah gingerly brought up the subject of the ghost. "We did have a little excitement the past few nights or, at least, I did," she said as she took a sip of wine.
"Oh, how's that?" Chad asked, suddenly all ears.
"You know the legend, the one about the ghost at the inn?" she asked.
"You mean the one about the guy who was murdered on his honeymoon?" Alan asked with a chuckle.
Hannah nodded. "Well, it's true. There was also another death at the inn, it seems. A well-known actor died in his sleep there, several years ago."
"So, there may be two ghosts?" Alan asked, still amused.
"We don't know about that, but Hannah had some late night visits from one of them," Cassie supplied.
"What?" Chad asked as he looked across the table at his girlfriend. "Why didn't you tell me sooner, when I called, or when I first arrived?"
Nervously wringing her hands in her lap, Hannah proceeded to tell the two young men about her experiences the past few nights.
The men looked at her as if she was crazy. "It had to be your overactive imagination running away with you," Alan surmised.
"Well, if the bastard tries to come back tonight, he is in for a big surprise," Chad said, half joking.
"Do you think the ghost will be back tonight?" Cassie asked. She flipped her long red hair out of her face.
"I think he hasn't missed a night yet, so he most likely will show up again," Hannah replied.
"It doesn't spook you?" the other girl asked.
"It did the first night. I sort of look forward to it now, and I am still considering my idea about trying to strike up a conversation with him."
"Wow, you've got spunk, I'll give you that."
Hannah laughed. "Curiosity is a better word, I think."
Both men shook their heads.
"It's getting late, and I'm bushed after the long drive. What do you say we head back, and we'll plan to get out and do something fun tomorrow? I've heard enough about ghosts for one night," Alan said.
They spoke to the girl at the desk and went on to their rooms. They didn't see any of the other guests lounging on the porch or in the lobby that evening.
"I'm looking forward to the trip the four of us will take together to the beach later in the summer," Cassie said wistfully as they walked to their rooms.
"Yes, I am too. Maybe, there won't be any ghosts there. Well, goodnight, you tw
o, we'll see you in the morning. We can decide at breakfast how we want to spend our day," Chad said as they reached their respective rooms.
Hannah entered the room, half expecting to see steam messages or some other signs of a ghostly visit. She was disappointed because the room was just as they had left it. There was no sign of Robert's spirit having been in the room during her absence. She told Chad she was going to take a bath in the Jacuzzi tub, and when she was finished and ready for bed, she settled in with a book while she waited for Chad to join her.
He walked out of the bathroom, a serious look on his face. "Hon, I am concerned about this fascination you have with this so-called ghost. You can't really think he was here."
"I know what I saw and what I felt. I do believe it," she said as she set the book aside and waited for him to join her.
She smiled as she felt his weight on the mattress. He turned to her and said, "Well, if he shows up tonight, he's going to get quite a show. Come here." He held his arms out to her, and she gladly snuggled against him.
The kiss that followed was deep as their tongues danced to a tune that played only for them. Hannah felt the heat begin, her limbs becoming limp, her desire building.
Chad's hands began to explore her body, until she was at a fevered pitch, willing him to continue as she sought release from the tension that filled her body.
Not one to rush their lovemaking, he slowly made his way down her body with his lips next, stopping to savor each breast before moving lower. His tongue teased the swollen bud between her legs until she could barely stand it another minute.
"Chad…" she moaned.
He ignored her plea, continuing to tease her for several minutes before he finally moved his body up and positioned himself above her. In one firm, hard thrust, he gave her what she needed. She came almost immediately, thrusting her hips forward, taking the full length of his hardness inside the warm, wet opening as she wrapped her legs securely around his waist. He joined her soon after with his own release. They lay together, quiet for several minutes before he rolled off her and pulled her close. They talked for a while, until he fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. His life as a resident was not easy, and Hannah was used to him falling asleep soon after they made love. He promised her it would not always be that way, and sometimes, it wasn't. He more than made up for it when he could, and she was content with their relationship, for now.
When she could no longer keep her eyes open, she turned out the light and attempted to fall asleep. She was just about to drift off when she felt the sinking of the mattress at the foot of the bed. He was here!
"Robert, is that you?" she asked timidly.
"Pamela Sue," a deep voice answered in the stillness of the night.
"No, I'm not Pamela. Pamela left a long time ago. She isn't coming back."
"She wouldn't leave me," the voice replied sadly. "You're lying. What have you done with her?"
Within seconds, Hannah felt cold, clammy hands on her neck. "You're with him, aren't you? What have you done with my wife?" the voice demanded.
"No, no, I'm not. Please, you have to believe me."
Slowly, the clammy hold on her throat faded away. She heard sobbing.
"Robert, perhaps we can find her."
"What day is it?" the voice asked.
"Uh…it's June third, two-thousand fifteen. Why do you ask?" she replied.
"We were married on June first, nineteen fifty-four. I've returned every year, hoping to find my Pamela. I've roamed the earth looking for her. Where could she be? The man…he must have her."
"No, no, that's not the way it happened. After…after you died, the man ran away. I don't think they ever found him. Pamela returned to your home. After the funeral, no one, except maybe her family, knows what happened to her. She would be very old by now, Robert. I don't think she's going to come back here."
"She is, you don't know. We made a pledge to each other that we would return here. She will be here."
"She isn't here tonight, Robert."
"I'm sorry. I'll leave, but I shall return. My Pamela will be here. She promised."
The weight lifted from the bed, and the room was eerily silent. She looked over to see Chad still sleeping soundly. Slipping her feet into her flip-flops, she bolted for the door. She unlatched the lock and ran next door to Cassie's room. She knocked on the door, and Cassie answered.
"I haven't slept a wink. He came back, didn't he?" Cassie asked as she pulled Hannah into her room. Hannah glanced over to the bed and saw that Alan, too, was sound asleep.
"Yes, he did. I spoke to him. He believes Pamela is going to come back here. He says they made a pledge to each other. He comes back every year on the anniversary of their honeymoon to search for her. Oh my God, Cassie, the legend is true!"
"I just can't wrap my head around this," her friend said. "Did Chad see and hear all this?"
"No, he slept through it all. Robert thought I was working with the kidnapper and that we had her."
"What?" Cassie screamed.
"He did. It was very frightening. He asked what day it is. I told him, and he said they were married on June first. He said he comes back every year for her, but she is never here."
"He died on the fourth day, which is tomorrow."
"I tried to explain to him no one knows where Pamela went after the funeral. I told him she would be very old by now, and that it's unlikely she'll be back here. He insisted she would come."
"Wow, that's incredible," Cassie said as she sat down in one of the chairs in her room. "I need a cup of tea. Do you want one?" she asked as she went to the small coffeepot in the room and filled it with water.
"Yes, please," Hannah answered. "I really need something stronger, but I'll settle for tea since it's nearly dawn."
Cassie put teabags into two cups, filled them with the hot water and handed one to Hannah. "Do you want to leave?" she asked.
"No, I want to do some more research," Hannah said as she added sugar to the hot drink and stirred it.
"How in the world are you going to do that?"
"I don't know, but surely the family of Pamela Thorndale knows what happened to her. We need to find out where they were from."
"After all these years, do you think you can dig that information up?" Cassie asked.
"I'm damn sure going to try. If that poor man has been roaming the earth for all these years searching for his wife, waiting for her to return here on the anniversary of their honeymoon, he needs closure. He needs to rest in peace."
Chapter Four
The two girls drank their tea and watched the sunrise from Cassie's window. Hannah thanked her friend for the tea and the chat and quietly went back to her own room. She climbed into bed with Chad, who was still sleeping, and waited until it was time to get up.
Finally, it was time to dress and go down for breakfast. Following Hannah's lead, Cassie didn't mention her early morning visit. Hannah simply suggested they do some research, and the two men humored them, unaware of the events after they fell asleep the night before. After a hurried meal, they found the business office that was available for the guests and turned on the computer. Searching the internet for anything she could find about Robert and Pamela Thorndale, Hannah pulled up several leads. Scouring through the lists of possibilities, she pulled up two newspaper articles, one was an account of their wedding in the society pages, and the other was Robert's obituary.
"Here it is, Cassie." She grabbed a notepad and pen and began scribbling down information.
"What did you find?" Cassie asked excitedly. Again, the two men chuckled together as they watched the girls' excitement.
"They were married in a little town about twenty-five miles from here. How would you like to take a nice afternoon drive, my friend?"
"You're not going to let it rest, are you?"
"Not on your life. We're going to solve the mystery of Pamela Sue Thorndale."
Minutes later, Hannah unlocked her car, and Chad got behind the wheel. She hand
ed the paper she'd scribbled on to Cassie. "Here's the address listed in the article. It's the home of Pamela's parents."
"Honey, I hate to break it to you, but her parents are surely dead and buried by now. For all we know, so is Pamela," Chad said as she gave him the address.
"It's a lead," Hannah told him through clenched teeth.
"This is by far the craziest stunt you've pulled to date. And there have been several of them in the past three years, I might add," Cassie added.
Hannah ignored them, oblivious to the doubts of her friends. They rolled into the town listed in the article, and she set her GPS to the address mentioned. When they pulled up in front of the old white clapboard house, children were playing in the yard.
"Come on," Hannah said as Chad put the car in park.
"I have no idea what you hope to accomplish here," he said.
"Stay in the car if you like, Cassie and I will go to the door," she said as she opened the passenger door and got out.
Chad and Alan chose to stay behind, and Cassie followed her with a shake of her head. "I can't believe we're doing this," she muttered as they made their way up the sidewalk leading to the house.
Hannah rang the doorbell. Within a few minutes, a woman of about thirty answered. "May I help you?"
"Good afternoon. Please, I know this is going to sound crazy, but my friend and I are doing some research about the people who used to live here. Do you know anything about the Ross family?"
"My mother was a Ross. In fact, she inherited this house when her parents passed away. She is getting on in years, and my husband and I moved our family in so we could care for her, allowing her to spend her last days at home. Why are you doing research on my family?" the woman asked curiously.
"Your mother wouldn't happen to be Pamela, would she?" Cassie asked.
The woman took a deep breath. "Why are you asking about my Aunt Pam?"
"Pamela Sue Ross Thorndale is your aunt?" Hannah asked. Finally, they were getting somewhere.
"Pamela is my mother's older sister. We have not seen or heard from her for many years."
Hannah's Horror: A Romantic Mystery Page 3
