“Won’t start.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
While they spoke, Katie, for the life of her, could not. She tried, many times over in an effort to get their attention. Yet she just couldn’t gather enough air to make a sound. Finally, with what sounded like some sort of pitiful squeak, she pointed toward the side of the pickup.
There—just in front of the back passenger window—stood the glowing form of Quinn Jameson. He pinned the intensity of his gaze solely to hers as he beckoned her with a wave of his hand.
****
With a hand on his shoulder, William knelt at the young soldier’s side. The kid covered his eyes with his hands as he sobbed. He could feel the intensity of his pain as if it were his own. “Hey, it’s all right. Everything is going to be just fine, Shawn.”
He shook his head. Anguish and despair radiated from his entire being. “No. No, it isn’t, sir. Nothing will ever be fine again. Not ever.”
William stood up, offered him his hand, and smiled. “Come on, Shawn, let’s go for a walk and we’ll talk about that, all right?”
Private Shawn Abernathy rose to his feet and saluted. “Yes, sir.”
For a time, they walked in silence. William knew Shawn needed no more than that right now. All throughout the walk, the kid took a keen interest in his surroundings. “What is this place?”
William folded his arms against his chest as he halted their walk. He turned and gazed into his eyes. “What do you think it is?”
Shawn settled his gaze on the bountiful trees, lush vegetation, and the clear, resplendent river off to the right of their path. “I don’t know. This isn’t what I expected Hell to look like.”
“Is that where you thought you’d find yourself after that ill-conceived stunt you pulled a short while ago?”
He firmed his jaw. “It’s where I deserve to be.”
“Why?”
“Because like the coward I am, I left my platoon and hid from enemy fire. I thought only of myself. My preservation. I didn’t care a whit about theirs. In the meantime, they all died as they honorably and heroically carried out the mission our commanding officer entrusted to us. I should’ve died with them that day.”
“Every soldier in the field of battle gets scared, Shawn. There’s no shame in that—it happens to the best of us. What does matter is that from that day until your honorable release from the army, you served courageously.”
Shawn finally turned and looked him in the eye. “You don’t get it, do you? I should’ve died while I was in Afghanistan! I wanted to die. I did everything in my power to make it happen. Now if you call that courage—”
“What possible good would such a thing have accomplished?”
Shawn dropped his head and closed his eyes. “My death would’ve righted a wrong.”
“And now?”
His head snapped up. “What do you mean?”
“You said you wanted to die in the service. You didn’t. Under the current circumstances, do you feel you’ve accomplished your objective?”
The thought, it seemed, hadn’t yet occurred to him. Given time, it would. While Shawn mulled it over, William waited.
At last the young soldier shook his head. “No, I suppose I didn’t. Nonetheless, please understand—I couldn’t take the pain or the horrendous images in my head any longer. Every day, every night, I could see the faces of each man in my platoon. In those dreams I could hear their screams…see their suffering. Those images haunted me. They wouldn’t let me sleep.”
William nodded. “I can understand those reasons. But tell me, have any of those things lessened now that you find yourself here, in this place?”
“No, I guess not.”
“I didn’t think so.”
“Not much I can do about that now. What’s done is done. I’ll live with it, I guess.”
William didn’t answer. Instead, he escorted him all the way down to the end of a long path that forked off in two opposite directions. “I’ll let you in a little secret, Shawn. You didn’t die during your service in the army because you were watched over and protected every minute of every day. That protection would’ve been in full force even if you had remained with your platoon on that fateful day you spoke of. You were meant to survive.”
Shawn’s mouth dropped as he stared into his eyes. “Why?”
“Because you had some important things you still needed to accomplish.”
“Me?” He shook his head. “Like what?”
“Like a wife—now a devastated woman contemplating what widowhood might look like for her—to love, protect, and cherish throughout all the days of her life. A son and future children that need the unique guidance of their dad as they maneuver through the difficult years ahead of them. Trust me, they will be difficult. There are people—veterans like yourself—that only you have the power to reach and to help in the years ahead. All this, because of your experiences in the army, not in spite of them.”
He pondered that for a time. “I guess I screwed things up again, didn’t I.”
“Not unless you choose to stay here—in this place.”
His eyes narrowed. “I can go back?”
“If you have the courage.” William placed a hand on his shoulder. “The doctors haven’t given up. They’re still working on you even now when all seems lost. I must warn you though, the road ahead will not be an easy one. Your recovery will be difficult. In spite of all that, what do you say?”
Shawn took in the vast panorama that surrounded him. “This place sure is beautiful.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Peaceful, too.”
“Very.”
“But it isn’t Heaven, is it?”
William shook his head. “No, it isn’t.”
He nodded. “I guess I can figure it all out later—at the proper time. So if it’s all the same to you, sir, I’d like to go back and try it again.”
“Admirable choice.” He turned down the path that veered off to the right. In the same moment that William revealed the crystal portal to Shawn’s view, Richard appeared at his side. “Shawn has elected to carry out the remainder of his mission, Private Barnett. Would you escort him back to where he belongs at the present time, please? Make sure he’s all right before you leave.”
A huge grin broke out on Richard’s face as he gazed at Shawn. “I’d be honored, Sergeant Griffin. Shawn? You and I are going to step right through that portal. You’ll see a brilliant light and feel a bit of a rush as we are transported back to the hospital. Once there you’ll re-enter your body. Don’t worry about the sudden heaviness of it when you do. The weight is normal and to be expected. Any questions?”
“You’ll be with me all the way?” asked Shawn.
“All the way. I promise I won’t leave until you’re safely with your family once again.”
Shawn turned toward William. “I don’t suppose I’ll remember any of this when I wake up, will I?”
William chuckled. “You’ll remember all of it—down to the smallest detail.”
“Good, I don’t want to forget anything. Not ever. Thank you so much, sir.” He gazed at Richard. “Okay, I’m ready to go if you are.”
Shawn and Richard entered the portal and disappeared. His current duty ended, William placed his concentration on Katie. Her terror resonated within him as easily as did Shawn’s pain. Something had happened.
At once he headed toward her light. He didn’t expect to find her in Texas, alongside her cousins. The three of them had just entered one of the biggest barns he’d ever seen on earth. The why of it escaped him, but not for long. He appeared right in front of her and blocked the next step in her path.
Katie gasped as she stopped short. “William! What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
Jared turned around and searched her face. “William? Who in the Sam Hill is William? Did some other unholy entity follow us in here?”
She looked at her cousin and tsked.
“No, I—uh—don’t pay me any mind. I’m just a bit frazzled, that’s all.”
William noticed him then. The young spirit that stood off to the side of the stairs turned and gazed into his eyes. He took a single step toward him as he communicated his intentions.
In the mere blink of an eye William understood Quinn Jameson’s purpose. “It’s all right, Katie. I see him now. Go ahead and follow. Don’t be afraid. He just wants to share a memory with you, okay? Consider it a movie clip from his past.”
Katie answered with a subtle dip of her head.
“I think we’re all a little unsettled,” Justin said as he turned his attention back to Quinn. “Let’s see what he wants, get this done, and get out of here.”
Katie and her cousins followed Quinn up the rough wooden steps leading to the loft. Once they were assembled on top, William took hold of her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
The sudden thud of heavy footsteps drew the trio’s attention toward the stairs they had just climbed. Another image of Quinn Jameson breathed heavily as he took hold of the railing and pulled himself up and onto the landing. Katie and the twins looked back and forth between the ghostly Quinn who led them here, and the one that seemed real enough to touch.
Katie put a hand on Justin’s arm. “Another movie.”
“Yeah, I sort of figured that,” the twins said simultaneously.
All three of them fixed their gaze on the unfolding scene. Quinn staggered toward the enormous tool box at the edge of the loft. Once he settled his back against the steel frame, he put his full weight behind it and pushed the box aside. He dropped to his knees and took in several deep breaths. After a short rest, he stuck his finger in a large knothole of a newly revealed floorboard and lifted it away from the frame.
Quinn squeezed his eyes shut and grimaced as he retrieved a leather pouch from within the hollow. While clutching the bag, he extracted the wallet from his back pocket and opened it. He withdrew a wrinkled piece of paper and shoved it deep inside the pouch. The task complete, he replaced both pouch and floorboard. He inched himself into a standing position, leaned into the tool box, and as he returned it to its proper place, he moaned. Then in a swirling mist, Quinn’s distant memory dissipated from view.
Katie’s hand trembled as she covered her mouth. Her eyes filled with sadness as she gazed at Quinn. In turn, he gave her a little smile and shook his head.
Only the secret he carried concerned him, not the manner of his death. William knew that. Quinn put a hand on top of the tool box.
“I think he wants us to move it,” Jared said.
Justin nodded at the ghost. “Yep, so let’s get it done, shall we?”
The cousins wrestled the heavy steel box away from the wall, just as Quinn showed them.
Katie stooped down and removed the floorboard. She set it aside and lifted the leather pouch from its nest. She spared William a glance, and then gazed at Quinn. “May I see what’s inside?”
Quinn broadened his grin and nodded.
She untied the strings and opened the bag as William knelt beside her. With the greatest of care she removed the stack of musty letters from inside and looked them over, one by one. Each one had been addressed to Rachel. The sender? PFC Donald R. Martin. None of them had ever been opened.
While Katie examined the letters, Quinn told William he died before he could give them to Rachel. He said the greatest sorrow he carried—even in death—was that his beloved sister didn’t know they existed.
Chapter Thirteen
Katie put the letters in order by date and then wiped the tears from her cheeks. She gazed at Quinn. “Are you the one that opened the front door and let us into your home?”
Quinn nodded.
“That’s good. I would hate to think that for some twisted reason, it was your father.” For a moment, she dropped her gaze to the stack of mail on her lap. “These letters should never have been here in the barn, Quinn. A valid reason for it escapes me. I can only assume that for the memories they stirred, Rachel didn’t want them. Maybe they didn’t arrive until after Don’s death and you wanted to protect her from the pain. Still, you must’ve kept them all of these years for a reason. From what we just saw upstairs in the hallway, it’s possible you never had the chance to give them to her yourself. If that’s true, then perhaps you intended to give them to her before—well, before the events of that night prevented it. Am I even close to the truth of the matter?”
A small smile accompanied the side to side nod of his head.
He looked so young, and so very sad. Katie’s heart went out to him.”I promise you—I absolutely promise you—Rachel will get every single one of them if that’s what you want. Is it?”
Quinn nodded.
“The thing is, I had hoped to find her here. Obviously, she’s not. Do you have any idea where she is living now?”
He shook his head, shifted his gaze toward William, and kept it there for a time.
“Well if he doesn’t know where she is, how does he expect us to find her?” Jared groused.
“I don’t have a clue. If we’re lucky, Gina might’ve found out something that’ll help us,” Justin replied. “Maybe the phones will work now we have the letters.”
“Let’s hope the truck will too. If not, we better start walking.”
Just as Jared made the comment, the ghost of Quinn Jameson turned toward her and gave her a smile. He placed a hand against his heart, dipped his head, and faded away from sight.
Jared huffed out a breath. “I guess that—as they say—is that.”
“Yep. Looks like we’re on our own from here on out. At least I hope we are. I’m already sick and tired of ghosts, residual haunting, and any kind of haunting in general.” Justin offered her his hand. “Come on, cousin. We’ve overstayed our welcome. Let’s get out of here.”
As she climbed to her feet, Katie discovered that William had also disappeared.
“Wait a minute. Do you guys smell that?” asked Justin.
For the dread in his voice, Katie stuck her nose in the air and took in a good whiff. Something had caught fire! She turned around and looked at the steps. A thick blanket of black smoke drifted upward toward the loft. Jared cussed up a storm as he grabbed her hand and yanked her toward their one and only exit.
“Try not to breathe in the vapors,” he yelled. “Cover your mouth and nose with your shirt.”
They raced down the steps and toward the open doors at the opposite end of the barn. Katie kept her gaze fastened on her feet as she held her breath. Flames roared and crackled somewhere behind them. For all the smoke, she couldn’t locate the point of origin.
With an unexpected suddenness, Jared halted their escape. “Watch out!”
The heavy barn doors slammed shut with an ease that seemed impossible.
Justin hurled his body against them, but they didn’t budge. Jared grabbed hold of a heavy two-by-four that sat on top of a work bench and used it for a battering ram. All the while the twins coughed, choked, and sputtered, but they didn’t give up.
Katie clutched the precious letters tight against her body and sank to her knees. In that same moment, she saw him from the corner of her eye. She turned her head and faced him head on. Gustavus Jameson settled his repulsive gaze on her. As his gaze drilled into hers, he threw back his head and laughed. The sound of it was both ugly and evil.
Katie couldn’t control the need for air any longer. She sucked in a breath. In so doing, her throat and lungs burned. She coughed, and the more she coughed, the worse it became. Her eyes watered. The heat and smoke affected the twins in the same way. How long would it take before death claimed them all?
Just then, William appeared at her side. He grasped her hand and raised her to her feet. He turned her toward him, cupped her face, and gazed into her eyes.
“None of this is real, Katie. You only think it is. The mind is a powerful thing. If you believe what you see, it can hurt you. This is what Gustavus wants.” He fastened his gaze on the gho
st. “Isn’t that right, Jameson? You’ve had your fun. You can go ahead and slither back to the foul abyss from whence you came. We’ll no longer tolerate your presence here.”
In response to his words, Gustavus shook his fists and bellowed his rage.
“Leave now, or suffer the consequences of your defiance. A consequence that involves an inevitable appointment you and I both know you’re not ready to face.” Even though hatred emanated from his entire being, the ghost of Gustavus Jameson faded into nothingness. Katie blinked several times over. Her vision cleared. The cough disappeared. She no longer saw or smelled the smoke. The fire had also vanished without a trace. She grabbed Justin’s arm. Still caught up in the vision, the twins hammered at the door.
“Justin! Jared! Turn around and look at me. This is only an illusion—just like those we’ve already seen. There isn’t any fire and the doors are not locked. Gustavus just wants you to think that.”
The boys whirled around. They blinked several times as her words sank in. They believed her. A sense of calm replaced the alarm of a moment ago.
Jared took in a deep breath, let it out, and nodded. “The old man ought to get a gig in Vegas. For a minute there, he had me convinced.”
“Yeah—you know what? I’ve enjoyed this place about as much as I can stand. I mean creepy doesn’t even begin to describe it anymore.” Justin flung the two-by-four onto the ground. It landed with a bounce and a clatter.
“I’m with you, bro.” Jared clapped him on the back and took Katie’s hand. “I’ve more than worn out my welcome here.”
In the moment she had after the boys boosted her over the fence, she gazed at William who had awaited her on the other side. “Where did you and Quinn go? Gustavus didn’t do anything awful to him, did he?”
“Who are you talking to this time, Katie?” Justin planted his feet firmly on the ground and looked all about the area. “More spooks?”
“No—I’m thinking out loud again. Don’t worry. I don’t see any nasty ghosts or illusions. I’m just anxious to leave.”
“I think we all are. So if Jared can get his tubby butt over the fence, we’ll do just that.”
Love Letters from Heaven Page 14
