by Clay, Verna
After scolding herself for being such a coward, she sat on the side of the bed, stretched, and glanced at her costume lying over the back of a chair. She was going dressed as a Victorian woman. No big surprise there. When she'd approached Vicky about possibly wearing one of her Victorian dresses, her new friend had been overjoyed to help out. And after displaying all of her dresses appropriate to the late 1800s and early 1900s, Sunny had chosen what Vicky described as an Edwardian Corduroy Suit. It was rust colored and the long sleeve jacket, accented by brass buttons, flared over a matching A-line skirt. Beneath the jacket she wore a white cotton blouse with a high, band collar that was the picture of propriety. The outfit was lovely and warm enough for a cold Halloween night. Vicky had asked if she wanted to try on brown and white "spat" boots from that era, but Sunny had laughed and opted for her new tennis shoes.
She glanced at the clock again and then hastened to dress for the day. Because the workers at the B & B were required to dress for Halloween, Sunny had chosen a less cumbersome costume from Gabby's selection. She moved her gaze to another chair where a black and white maid's costume lay. It was cute, comfortable, and perfect for her job as, well, a maid in a Victorian manor.
The day actually turned out to be quite fun with all the employees and even some of the guests wearing costumes. The cooks, J and J, dressed as Frankenstein and his bride; Gabby was a lady of nobility; and Mabel, the lead housekeeper, was a peasant woman. The part-time workers, Sadie and Sam, both dressed as zombies.
Meals were appropriately ghoulish with mummy wrapped sausages, pumpkin pancakes, spider deviled eggs, cream cheese nut-stuffed roach dates, eyeball soup, witch's finger cookies, strawberry Jell-O worms, pizza fingers, and other creative dishes.
After dinner Sunny hurried to her room to prepare for the haunted house, and when Noah arrived, she was nervously pacing the library ostensibly studying the backs of the zillion books, and trying to keep her stomach from roiling.
Noah, dressed as a wealthy Victorian businessman wearing a ridiculous top hat, was very generous in his praise. "Sunny, you're beautiful!"
To hide being flustered she shot back, "As compared to my jeans and T-shirts?"
Not to be deterred, he responded, "As compared to any woman, no matter what you're wearing."
Sunny grabbed her cloak and ducked her head. He had shocked her speechless.
Noah drove to the Big Brothers and Sisters Haunted House being held at the community center. During the short drive of maybe five minutes he brought up Christmas prom again. "Maybe after tonight, seeing as how much fun we'll have, you'll reconsider and go to the prom with me?"
Sunny rounded on him. "What is it with you and this prom? I'm sure there's a lineup of girls waiting for you to ask them, so why me?"
Noah pulled the car into a parking space a block from the event because of its popularity. "This is about as close as we can get." He shut off the ignition and turned to face her. "Christmas is a special time and I have a feeling it's not been special for you."
She choked. "You're asking me to the prom because you feel sorry for me!"
Noah leaned toward her. "Hell, no! I'm asking you because I adore you!" He exited the car before she could respond.
Sunny was so shocked that she remained seated until Noah opened her door and held out his hand. She stared at his hand, ignored it, and gathered her skirt together. Exiting the car proved to be somewhat troublesome when she got her foot caught in the hem. She started to topple but Noah caught her. They were so close she could hear and feel his breathing. He placed his mouth against her ear. "You should stop fighting your attraction to me."
Jerking backward, Sunny stared angrily into his eyes. "You are delusional. Let's get this night over with."
Noah held her gaze, smiled slightly, and shook his head. "Someday you're going to trust me, Sunshine." He stepped back and walked to the sidewalk, waiting for her to join him.
At the entrance to the haunted house they had to wait in line because of the throng of young and old turning out for the annual event. Sunny refused to look at Noah, not only because his audacity had angered her, but because she was having difficulty steadying her breathing. I can do this. I can do this. I can overcome the past.
They reached the entrance with ghoulish sounds and screams coming from inside the building and Sunny almost chickened out, but the thought of appearing so weak in front of Noah kept her focused. Noah handed their tickets to Suzy, one of the waitresses at Mama Pink's Diner who was dressed as a punk rocker with purple and blue hair and black lipstick, and said "Have you been through it yet, Suzy?"
"I have, and it's better than last year. We made it longer and added some really scary stuff. I've heard nothing but good things from everyone."
Sunny was so distracted by the moaning and screams that she didn't see Noah step forward. When he turned and held his hand out to her, she clasped it tightly without thinking. He gently tugged her forward. "I'll keep you safe, Sunny."
Blindly, she followed him into a dark hallway lit by black lights that enhanced pictures of monstrous looking people. They entered the first room that had a witch stirring a brew. She cackled and Sunny thought she recognized Harriet's voice, another waitress who worked for Mama. They made it through that room and into the next, a torture chamber. Sunny kept her eyes half shut as she watched someone being pulled apart on a stretching device and another poor soul writhing against chains pinning him to a wall. Other horrendous devices sickened her and she squeezed Noah's hand.
They entered two more rooms just as disgusting, and by now Sunny was clutching Noah's arm and had her body pressed against his. All-in-all, though, she was proud of herself for not losing it. She was going to make it out of this haunted house unscathed and healed of a past trauma.
The next room had ghostly apparitions floating about that she figured was some kind of hologram, and because this room was more elaborate than the others, she decided they had finally reached the finale. Just as she released a sigh of relief, the lights went out and the darkness was so oppressive that it felt like a physical weight, and despite the knowledge that she was safe with Noah, she experienced a full-blown panic attack. And when someone touched her shoulder and said in a scary voice, "Prepare to meet your doom," she screamed and pulled away from Noah. She had to find the exit before she was attacked.
Vaguely she heard Noah calling her name, but nothing mattered except escape. She didn't want to be pushed to the ground and held there. She didn't want her body groped or her costume pulled over her head, suffocating her, while some man tried to violate her.
She felt hands on her body and fought her attacker using her fists, nails, elbows, anything to save herself. She screamed again.
Suddenly, the lights came back on, but she continued fighting her assailant. It wasn't until she heard Noah yelling, "Sunny! Stop it! You're safe! No one is harming you!" that she returned to some semblance of sanity. But when she saw his bleeding face, she almost fainted. She had scratched and pummeled him mercilessly. She sagged against him and whimpered, "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
She heard Noah say something and then several people talking. Then she heard him say, "No, don't touch her. I've got her." Against her ear he whispered, "Breathe in and out slowly." She obeyed his command. Then he said, "We're going outside into the fresh air. Can you walk?"
She understood his question and nodded. He placed one arm around her waist. "Put your arm around my back." She obeyed again.
Finally, she felt the caress of cool air against her hot skin and couldn't stop tears from falling.
"There's a chair behind you. I'll help you sit," said Noah.
She felt the chair against the back of her knees and slumped onto it. Placing her head in her hands she softly wept. After a time, when she felt calmer, she lifted her head to see Noah kneeling in front of her. They were several yards from the building with no one nearby.
"Better?" he asked. Someone had handed him a wet cloth that he held to his cheek
.
"I'm so sorry," Sunny said on a fresh wave of tears.
Noah grinned. "I'm not. I think we're getting to the crux of something important." He hesitated before saying, "You've been sexually attacked, haven't you?"
Sunny couldn't remove her eyes from his, and rather than answer, she nodded.
"Was it at a Halloween event?"
Again she nodded and found her voice. "I-I thought if I could get through tonight, it would help me forget."
Noah reached for her hands. "Sunshine, were you raped?"
She gulped. "No, but a few more seconds and I would have been. He'd ripped my underclothes off, but someone pulled the guy off me before he could…" her voice trailed.
She heard relief in Noah's voice and saw it in his eyes. "Thank God," he breathed.
Before he could ask his next question, she said, "The guy was never prosecuted because he got away before the police arrived, and he wasn't identified because he was wearing a mask." She sniffed. "I was only thirteen."
Noah rose onto his knees and placed his arms around her and she laid her head on his shoulder.
24: Zorro
Vicky, who had decided to surprise everyone by not dressing in Victorian garb, and dress as a hobo, was about to enter the haunted house with Baxter and Faith when Suzy, the punk rocker at the door, answered her walkie-talkie when it squawked. The person on the other end said, "Hold the door. We've got a situation of a lady being spooked back here. We just got her outside. I'll call back when we're ready to go again."
"Okay," said Suzy and grinned at Vicky. "It's really spooky this year."
"Hi Suzy. I just heard your mom had her gall bladder removed. How's she doing?" asked Vicky.
"She came home from the hospital yesterday and my dad is having fits trying to keep her down." She shrugged. "But that's Mom. She really hates that she's missing the haunted house because she was going to be one of the prisoners in the torture chamber."
Baxter interjected, "Well, give her our best wishes–"
The walkie-talkie squawked again. "Okay, Suzy, you can send them through again."
"Right-o, Ted." She returned her attention to Baxter. "I'll tell my mom what you said." She waved them forward. "Have a great time!"
Vicky turned around. "Baxter, why don't you go first?"
With a slight bow, he replied, "Anything for my ladies."
Faith, who had dressed as a lady of English nobility in one of Vicky's dresses, grabbed Vicky's hand, and together they followed Baxter, the pirate. Vicky inwardly smiled and wondered if Baxter knew that he was the inspiration for a pirate hero in a romance novel Faith had secretly written titled, Dax and the Duchess. Gabby and Vicky had been allowed to read the story, and loved it so much, that they were encouraging her to submit it to a publisher.
The first room they entered was scary, but each successive one was even more so. The Halloween Committee had gone overboard with this year's haunting. When they reached the third room, a group of teenagers jostled them and Vicky got separated from Faith and Baxter. She thought they were nearby, but when she called out their names, their response seemed far away. She shouted, "Keep going. I'll catch up with you outside." She left that room and followed a hallway toward the next one. The hallway seemed unusually long and inexplicably, all sound ceased. Vicky turned in a circle. She couldn't see the door she had just exited, nor could she see one to enter. Her breathing quickened. Something wasn't right. She started forward again in the dimly lit hallway, but after several steps, she knew something was definitely wrong.
Suddenly, a form appeared several yards in front of her and she sighed with relief. The odd happenings of the past few weeks were making her edgy. She picked up her pace and called out to the woman, "You sure had me scared! This is a great haunted house!"
There was no response and Vicky decided the ghostly figure was staying in character. "I hope I'm getting close to the next room." There was still no response.
She had almost reached the woman when she suddenly jerked to a halt. She recognized the dress as being one of the two in Belinda Hope's armoire at the museum. She lifted her eyes to the face. It was the same face she had seen in pictures for years. It was the face of Belinda Hope.
Vicky couldn't breathe, nor could she move. She watched Belinda smile and heard her say as if from far away, "Soon you will know everything." Then the apparition glanced beyond Vicky and smiled sweetly. "He will find her."
Vicky jerked around and saw a man dressed as Zorro walking toward her, and when she turned again to see the apparition, it was gone. The fact that Belinda Hope, a woman who had been dead for decades had appeared to her, was just too much, and she fainted.
Zorro recognized the woman in front of him as Vicky and slowed his pace. He was the last person she wanted to see. But when she suddenly fell to the ground, he yelled her name and rushed forward.
Going down on his knees he gently lifted her torso into his arms. "Vicky. Vicky. Wake up."
She stirred and opened unfocused eyes. He waited for her to focus on his face, unsure of whether she knew who he was because of his mask.
Finally, she whispered, "Did you see her?"
"See who, honey?"
"The ghost."
Zorro frowned. "This place is full of ghosts."
"No. Not them. The real ghost."
Unsure how to answer, Zorro replied, "They all look real to me."
Vicky seemed to become more alert and tried to sit up.
From behind Zorro a young voice said, "Hey, are you guys okay? Should I get someone?"
"No, we're fine," Zorro replied, as he helped Vicky stand. When she wobbled, he placed his arm around her waist and pulled her tightly against his body. Next to her ear, he said, "I'll help you outside."
He looked behind him at the teenage werewolf and asked, "Is there a shortcut out of here?"
The kid said, "Oh, yeah. Follow me."
Still keeping Vicky close, Zorro followed the werewolf. After a few steps the boy reached a door and held it open. When he asked again if he should call someone, it was Vicky who said, "No. I just had a fright. I'm fine, Ted."
The kid said, "Okay, Ms. Patterson, if you say so. If you follow the building this way," he pointed, "it'll take you through the playground to the back parking lot."
Zorro said, "Thanks. I'll take care of her." The kid reentered the house and closed the door as Zorro led Vicky toward the playground. She was walking better now and said, "Let me sit on a swing for a few minutes."
"Okay."
They reached the swing set and she grabbed the chains and sat on the canvas seat. He sat in the swing next to her. After a time he said, "Do you want to tell me what happened?"
"No. You wouldn't believe me."
"Do you know who I am?"
"Of course, Michael. Why are you at our haunted house?"
"Perhaps you've forgotten, but I'm part of the community since I own a home here."
"Hmm. That remains to be seen since you're trying to destroy the community you claim to be a part of."
Michael shook his head. "I'll not argue with you. Instead, I'll tell you what my investigator recently discovered."
25: Report
Gabby finalized her menu for Thanksgiving and rechecked the guest list. The six bedrooms of the B & B were always full on that special day, with some of the guests returning year-after-year. Among them was Millie Peabody, now in her eighties, who lived outside of Bend in central Oregon. Gabby had met the dear woman and her husband a decade earlier when they had spent a week at the B & B during the summer. They'd loved it so much that when they found out Gabby kept the house open during Thanksgiving; they'd immediately booked that day. Mr. Peabody had died a couple of years previous, but Millie continued the tradition of spending Thanksgiving there.
Gabby's cell phone rang and she recognized Mama Pink's number. "Hello Edna.
"Hi hon. I'm on a break and just wanted to check on you since we haven't talked in over a week. Anything going on at your place
?"
"Not much. I've been going over my Thanksgiving menu and decided to add sweet potato pie with cashews this year."
"Is Mrs. Peabody coming."
"Yes. As far as I know, since she hasn't called to cancel her standing reservation. Oh, I forgot, there is a new development. Noah and Sunny seem to have resolved their differences…or rather…she's warmed up to him. They walk on the beach every day and I even saw him kissing her in the parking lot. Thankfully, Sunny didn't see me, because she would have been mortified."
Edna chuckled. "One of the reasons I called was to tell you that they've been getting cozy at the diner." She sighed. "Ah, young love. Makes me wish I was twenty again. If so, I would have married that skinny nerd who was too shy to ask me out. He became a famous writer of erotic romance, and from what I've read, I would have been a very happy woman."
Gabby laughed. "You never told me about him."
"No? Well remind me next time you're over and I'll lend you my collection of his books. Then you'll understand."
The conversation then shifted to the council voting to allow Wainwright Resorts to purchase a section of the private beach for their resort.
"It's not over yet," Gabby proclaimed. Baxter told me that he and Leo have retained an excellent attorney in Portland to try and get an injunction."
Edna said with disdain, "I had a bad feeling about Art Hope getting elected to the council. He's a conniver. Why, have you seen the prices he's charging for the art in his gallery? It's outrageous!" She lowered her voice. "And I heard through the grapevine that Mr. Wainwright purchased all of Vicky's paintings to hang in his resort. He's supposed to be famous for promoting local artists, but my guess is that Vicky's furious, and that's one of the reasons she's so active in protesting against him."
Gabby already knew that to be true, but didn't comment.
Edna changed the subject. "And wait 'til I tell you about Leo."
Gabby's heart thumped and then constricted. "What about him?" she managed to say.
