Return to Seven Sisters

by M. L. Bullock

  Leave here…go…now…

  I waited no longer. The wind began snarling along with the weeping ghost, and together the two created a frightening cacophony that reached into my soul. I felt despair, such despair. If she touched me, if she reached me, I believed it would be the end of me. Uncaring who heard me, I screamed and ran back to Seven Sisters. The house loomed like a gray mausoleum in the darkness.

  Why would I run here? She walked these halls too! What would prevent her?

  As I scrambled up the steps crying, I fell, scraping my hands on the concrete. I whimpered, but hands were on me. Living hands helped me to my feet and then scooped me up and carried me indoors, presumably to safety.

  When I opened my eyes, I was looking into the face of Max Davenport. Without a word, he set me gently on the settee in the Blue Room and wrapped me up in Mama’s shawl that she’d left in her favorite chair. He didn’t question me as I shivered, my teeth chattering from the supernatural cold that settled on me. I thought I heard Christine once more, but no further evidence of her presence materialized. I cast a nervous eye at the door but then relaxed while Max built up the fire in the fireplace. I began to feel human again, reasonable. A piece of wood crackled and popped in the fire as Max poked at it.

  “I’ve seen her too,” he said as he gazed into the fire.

  I stared at Max’s profile, my mouth open, my hands clutching the damp shawl. “What does she want?”

  He shrugged and cocked his head toward me. “I don’t know. How can we know? My Aunt Ruth used to tell us stories about the Lady in White. If she came to visit you, it meant death was close. I never really believed in those types of things, until I came here. Now I’m not so sure.”

  I sobbed as I flung the shawl off my legs and sat up. “You think this is a joke, Max Davenport? Did you and my brother come up with this?”

  “What are you talking about?” He was on his feet now right along with me.

  I clamped my lips shut for a minute, unable to express the fear and anger I felt. I had no idea how anyone could pull off a prank like this. It didn’t make sense, but there was really no other explanation.

  “This is about Brian, isn’t it? Why can’t you leave me alone? You know that I don’t love you, that I don’t want you.” My voice escalated and another sob escaped, only my teeth were chattering now. I was freezing—why was it so cold in here?

  “I happened to be in here and saw you out the window. You were running from something, and it wasn’t me. Unless you think I can be in two places at once. And I know quite well how you feel about me. You’ve made that very plain.” He was hurt, but I was freezing to death. I wanted to get dry and warm…and away from Max. For some reason, I had to blame him for this.

  “Good night, Max.”

  With that I left him alone in the Blue Room with his fire and his cheery tale of death angels.

  Sometime around dawn I fell asleep and woke as sick as I’d ever been.

  Perhaps Max was right. Death was right around the corner.

  With my blazing fever and achy throat, it sure felt like it.

  Chapter Eight—Carrie Jo

  “Going to see Dr. Patterson. I have to do something about these headaches. Want to meet at Seven Sisters, or should I come back here first?”

  I could hardly believe my ears. Ashland was acting as if yesterday hadn’t happened at all. That he hadn’t practically called me out as a cheater. I held our struggling son on my hip and stared at my husband. “You don’t have anything to say to me?”

  “I love you?” He looked puzzled and shoved his car keys in the pocket of his blue jeans.

  “Is that a question or a statement?” I surrendered to AJ and let him down to play. I guessed breakfast could wait because he had playing on his mind. And I had a bone to pick with Mr. Ashland Stuart.

  “Carrie Jo, I have such a bad headache I can barely think straight. If I’ve been cranky toward you, I apologize. I do love you. You know that.”

  I twisted my lips and peered at him but decided now wasn’t the time to fight over yesterday’s misunderstanding.

  “Why don’t you come back here after your doctor’s visit? We can sit down and come up with a game plan for the house. I’m glad it’s ours, but I’m not quite sure what we should do next. I think we’d agree that we need an electrician to come out and check the flickering lights, but beyond that, what are we doing?”

  “I agree. I guess I should have talked to you first before I bought it back. I don’t know what I was thinking.” He rubbed his forehead, clearly in pain. I felt sorry for him. He was a little naïve at times but so sweet. And he was mine.

  “No regrets. I’m glad Seven Sisters is ours again. Go see the doctor, and we can talk when you get back. Love you, babe.” I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. Baby Boy came running in and clung to Ashland’s leg. He started crying and asking his Daddy to take him bye-bye.

  Ashland wanted to reason with him, but I knew that would never work. You didn’t reason with strong-willed two-year-olds. “Daddy will be back. Let’s go find Peppa on TV. Want to watch Peppa? Or Bob Bob?”

  Bob Bob was the clear winner. He took off to the living room, quickly forgetting that he’d been ditched by his dad. “Hey, you two lock the doors while I’m gone. I won’t be gone long.”

  “Okay,” I agreed. “We will be fine, Ash. Off you go, and come back soon. Call me if you need me.” I couldn’t help but have some anxiety. It wasn’t like Ashland to be sick. And with the loss of Momma, I kept thinking another horrible, tragic shoe might drop at any moment. God forbid that would involve Ashland.

  The house phone began ringing, and Ashland waved goodbye as he left. I picked up the phone and watched him drive away. More than likely this was just another sales call. We’d been getting a lot of those lately.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Carrie Jo. It’s me, Rachel.”

  I spun away from the window and gasped in surprise. “Rachel? Oh, thank God! I’ve been so worried about you.” I held back on the countless questions I had for her, like why would you leave without telling me and why haven’t you called me? Before I could even get the conversation going, Baby Boy began shouting about Bob Bob. I scrambled into the living room, stepping all over a stack of painful plastic blocks.

  “Hold on a second.” I flicked on the television and quickly clicked on a Bob Bob video for my demanding son, who decided now would be a good time for some breakfast too. “Just a minute, AJ. I’ll get you some cereal.”

  Unlike the old Rachel, she didn’t bother to ask about her favorite toddler. Her silence spoke volumes. Clearly, something was wrong. Big time. I said, “Okay, I think he’s all set now. It’s so good to hear from you.”

  “Yeah, I know I suck. I should have called, but I kind of got in over my head. I’m sorry about that.”

  “All that matters is that you’re okay. Are you home, Rachel?”

  “Yes, I got home a few days ago.” Her voice was wooden, with no trace of her usual peppy personality.

  My worry deepened. I wanted to say, A few days ago? What the heck, Rach? But of course I didn’t.

  “Well, I’m sure Jan and Bree are glad to have you home. Are you home for good?”

  “I’m not really sure.” There was silence for about half a minute. I didn’t know what else to say, so I just waited for her to continue. “I know I owe you an explanation. Not every employer would be as kind as you were. I do appreciate you sending me my paychecks. I feel like I should return them. It’s not like I earned the last few.”

  “No, we wanted you to have them.” My heart sank at hearing her describe me as an employer. She was so much more than an employee to Ashland and me.

  “I went after the wrong guy, Carrie Jo,” she said flatly. “I thought Angus was my Ashland—you know, a good guy—but he’s a lying bastard.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. We all liked Angus.”

  “You never trusted him. I know you didn’t. You can’t lie to me, Carrie Jo.
”

  “I’m not lying, Rachel. I had no idea he was a…” I dropped my voice to a whisper so Baby Boy wouldn’t hear me. “…a lying bastard. Do you need to talk about it? Why don’t you come have lunch with Baby Boy and me? Or breakfast? Ashland is out this morning, so we’d be alone.”

  She sighed and paused for a few seconds. “I don’t think so. I’m not much good for company right now. Mom was telling me that you guys have Seven Sisters again. You sure that’s a good idea? I mean, after everything that happened there before and then at Idlewood? You two must be gluttons for punishment.”

  I didn’t like hearing this at all. Where was my optimistic friend? “We aren’t sure what we’re doing with it yet, but yes, we do own Seven Sisters. I guess it doesn’t take long for word to get around.”

  “Oh, Detra Ann called Mom and invited her to come to the welcome home party. She had to work, though. Gran wanted to come, but she can’t drive now. And like I said, I wasn’t up to company.”

  “Why didn’t you come, Rachel? I hope, I mean, I can’t help but feel like you’re mad at me about something. I hope you know I’m your friend. Always have been. No matter what.”

  There was another pregnant pause. “I know that. I’m just feeling sorry for myself. I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at myself, Carrie Jo. You’ll never believe this, but Angus, well, he’s married. He’s married and asked me to go to Scotland with him knowing he was married. I was thinking he was going to whisk me away to propose, but…” She laughed dryly. “Come to find out, he already had a wife. A very angry wife. She found us at the Keep, the bed-and-breakfast where we were staying, and he left with her. He left me high and dry in Aberdeen. He came back a few days later and apologized. Said he wanted to make it work with her.”

  “Good God, Rachel. I’m sorry.”

  “No, I’m the one who’s sorry. God, Deidre. I can’t believe she’s gone. Are you all right?”

  I sat on the couch with my feet tucked under me. Baby Boy was bouncing up and down like a ball to Bob Bob’s theme song. “I still can’t believe it. Everything went crazy, and all of a sudden she was in the water. I can’t imagine what she was thinking.”

  “Have you seen her, in your dreams?”

  I didn’t want to talk about this. “No, I haven’t been able to see her. I’ve tried.”

  “Carrie Jo, I hope you guys know what you’re doing with Seven Sisters. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  “I’m sure we’ll be all right, Rachel. Are you okay? You sound like you’re really shaken up, my friend. Do I need to load up Detra Ann and the three of us make a trip to Aberdeen?”

  “He’s not worth it. I refuse to waste another moment on him.”

  I tapped my lip and felt hopeful. “Why don’t you come help us? We’re working on a game plan for the house now. Austin—I mean Ashland—and I are going to have a chat this afternoon about what we’re doing. There was another family, the Delarosa family, who lived at Seven Sisters in the 1880s. I think there’s something we’ve missed. I’d like to do more research on them, see what we can come up with.”

  “Did you just call Ashland Austin?” She laughed, and it was an ugly sound. “That’s a hell of a mistake to make, Carrie Jo. You sure there isn’t something I should know about?”

  And all my good feelings toward her diminished. What the hell is she insinuating? “Rachel, what’s going on? You’re not acting like yourself.”

  “Well, if you don’t want to talk about it, we don’t have to. I left a few things at the office. Would you mind boxing them up for me? I’d like to swing by and pick them up later.”

  First Mia, and now Rachel? I wasn’t having the best of luck choosing or keeping friends.

  “So, what’s the deal, Rachel? You completely done with me? I mean, one minute we were running strong and the next you’re gone. I don’t think you even miss me at all. It’s hard not to take that personally.”

  “Gosh, CJ. Way to make me feel guilty. I know I’m a horrible friend—Chip tells me that all the time—but I’d like to leave the past in the past. I know that’s something you dream catchers have a hard time doing. I have stuff in my desk that I need. I know it’s selfish to ask, but I would appreciate getting it back. I don’t plan on hiding out forever, but for now I need some space.”

  Fine. That’s the way you want it. Fine by me. “Sure, I’ll go by the office and box up what you left. I plan on going to Seven Sisters this afternoon. You can come by and pick it up there.”

  “Great. Thanks so much. I’ll talk to you later.”

  She hung up the phone and left me wondering what the heck just happened. I was tempted to call Jan and pry her with questions, but I was kind of miffed at her too. Why didn’t she or Bree tell me Rachel was back? Baby Boy came to cuddle with me, and we played for a while. I ran behind him in the living room picking up toys, and he quickly pulled them back out.

  “What are you doing, bad boy?”

  “Bad boy! Bad boy! Momma, bad boy!”

  Feeling instantly horrible that I said it or that he would repeat it, I scooped him up and kissed his sweet cheek. He hugged me back, and I smooched him up as long as he would let me. Which wasn’t very long.

  While he settled down for round two of his morning playtime, I grabbed my laptop. Might as well do some research and see what I could uncover about the Delarosa family while I waited for Ashland to call. As usual, the research was a challenge. I typed in the names of the family and only grabbed a few search engine hits. They were mostly census results, but at least that was something. I mean, I knew they’d lived in Mobile, but to see their name on a government document was pretty amazing.

  On a hunch, I typed in “Jonatan Delarosa.” I was curious about him, the beautiful brother who wasn’t what everyone thought. His family, except perhaps Lafonda, had worked so hard to pretend he was “normal.” The search results made me want to cry.

  Jonatan Delarosa was born near Valladolid, Spain, on April 3, 1862. He died on June 4, 1880, in the Administration Building of the Mobile Docks, at the office of his father, Nobel Delarosa. His death was accidental; he apparently fell from a great height, causing a severe injury to his head and upper body. Mr. Delarosa was the only son of Nobel and Jacinta Delarosa, new residents of Seven Sisters. Mr. Delarosa was engaged to the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Eustis Overstreet, Memphis Overstreet. Their wedding was planned for August 1880. Jonatan Delarosa is survived by his parents and one sister, Lafonda Delarosa. Services for Mr. Delarosa were held at Seven Sisters, and his body was interred on the property.

  With a great deal of sadness, I printed the article and closed the laptop. So that explained a lot. Jonatan was going to die. But how? Was that why Christine haunted Lafonda? And why did Max see her too?

  I heard a knock at the front door and was surprised to find Bree Kowalski standing on my doorstep. I’d spoken to her a few times before and she’d come with Jan once or twice, mostly to talk about ghosts and houses. I was a bit surprised to see her here.

  “Hi, Bree. Nice to see you. Please come in.” She didn’t hesitate and walked on through the foyer and waited for me.

  Her dark brown hair was pulled back in a barrette at the back of her head, and she wore a soft blue skirt with a modest hemline and a short-sleeved fitted shirt with a scoop neck. In some ways, she reminded me of Momma with her understated beauty and ageless face.

  I wondered what in the world was the reason for her visit. She wasn’t naturally talkative, that much I gathered from our few meetings, and for her to show up here today could only mean she had something important to say. Or ask. Either way, I was listening. I peeked in on Baby Boy, who was currently lounging on a pile of couch pillows he’d relocated to the floor. Bob Bob was on full blast now, thanks to Mr. Magic Fingers. Honestly, that kid could work a remote like nobody’s business.

  “Why don’t we step into the kitchen? Much quieter in there, and we can have some coffee.”

  “Just water for me, please.” She rubbed her hand
s together nervously and took a seat at the bar. “I have enough coffee at the diner.”

  “No problem. I have some bottled water in the fridge. Our tap water isn’t that tasty these days. I’m glad you came by; I’ve been meaning to call you and Jan to see about Rachel. I heard from her, you know.”

  “That’s great. Rachel has a great deal of respect for you. Her leaving us is really unlike her, but that’s not what I came to talk about.”

  “Really?” If she wasn’t here to talk about Rachel, I was at a loss as to what she wanted.

  Bree popped open her water bottle and took a big swig from it. “I’m having dreams, Carrie Jo. Dreams like I’ve never had before. Not like normal dreams.”

  I paused pouring my coffee and listened. “You mean, you’re dreaming like me? About the past?”

  Twisting her earring stud nervously, she half laughed and said, “I’m not sure what to call it.”

  I sat beside her with my coffee cup. “Well, tell me what you do know.”

  “The Kowalski family has no shortage of ‘special’ people. You’ve met my mother, and you know Rachel. They are much more comfortable dabbling in the supernatural than I’ll ever be. In fact, I kind of swore off all that stuff after Rachel was born. I was never much of a dreamer, but I did ‘feel’ things. It was like what we call intuition but much stronger than that. I knew when something ominous was on the horizon for my family and me, although I didn’t always get it right. Sometimes I was completely wrong. Like the day my dad died.”

  My heart sank for Bree. The loss of a parent was unbelievably hard to deal with. “I’m sorry, Bree.”

  “It was a long time ago, before Rachel was born. I guess I should be over it by now.”

  “I’ve heard that children who lose parents never get over the loss. You’re never too old to be an orphan, are you?”