Finally, he found his voice. Trembling, he asked, “What do you want?”
For a moment, the woman stood motionless. Then her mouth worked, trying to form words around her swollen tongue. Ethan leaned forward, not quite daring to enter the bathroom, but not wanting to miss what she had to say.
“Mmm. Mare. Death.” Her voice was the rattle of a funeral drum.
Ethan swallowed. He couldn’t drag his eyes away from the hollow pits that formed the ghost’s eyes. “I don’t understand.”
The woman lifted her hand and pointed one, long finger at him. “Mare. Death.”
The first part of that made no sense, but the word ‘death’ stood out starkly. “Tell me about the death,” he whispered.
A sharp knock at the bedroom door jolted him like an electrical goad. Knees weak, he cleared his throat and said, “Yes?”
David’s voice came through the door. “Breakfast is served.”
Ethan turned back to the bathroom. The ghost was gone. The only thing remaining was a puddle of water on the floor. But no, Ethan realized after a closer look. The water had come from the sink where a pipe was leaking. The faucet continued to drip.
He raced into the hallway. “David! I need you.” He ran back into the suite and over to the bathroom.
David quickly followed him. “What’s going on?” His brows were drawn down in concern. “You okay? You look like you’ve seen a –” His eyes popped wide. “You did, didn’t you? You saw a ghost.”
Ethan’s heart continued to hammer; although, the bathroom was empty now. “She was standing right here. She was soaking wet. Look, there’s water all over the floor.”
David knelt by the puddle and scanned the bathroom. “Looks like your sink is leaking.” He pointed to where water pearled up on the surface of the pipe below the sink. A moment later, the drop released with a plopping noise. David grabbed the small wastebasket by the door and stuck it under the leak. “I’ll fix it for you after breakfast.”
Ethan searched the tiny room, looking for any clues that proved the woman had been there. He inhaled deeply, trying to discover the lavender scent, but all he picked up was his own aftershave. His reflection, pale with fright, met him in the mirror. “You must think I’m crazy,” he muttered.
David stood and laid a hand on Ethan’s shoulder. “Not at all. I’ve seen what you can do, remember? If you said you saw a ghost, then I believe you.”
Grateful for the support, Ethan managed a weak smile. David’s hand was a comforting presence, one he’d missed over the years. “The drowned woman was so real! It was beyond anything I’ve ever experienced before.” He could still hear the raspy voice in his ear. “She said something, too. It sounded like ‘mare death’.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t ‘more death’?”
Ethan had thought the same thing, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak it aloud. Like David had said the night before, the house was oppressive. Even now, Ethan swore it was drawing itself closer to listen to their conversation.
David squeezed his shoulder. “You going to be okay? You want me to give you a different room?”
“No.” Ethan took a deep breath. He needed to be there in case she returned with another message. “I’d like to speak with Tessa, though. I want to know whose voices she’d been hearing.”
David dropped his hand from Ethan’s shoulder and scratched the back of his neck. “Unfortunately, that’s going to have to wait. Grant won’t let you near her right now. She was too upset last night, and is staying in bed this morning.”
Ethan burned with impatience, but he had to respect Tessa’s privacy. And her health. “As soon as possible, though. The quicker I talk to her, the quicker I may be able to help her.”
“I understand. But right now, I’ve got to go help with breakfast. Come down when you’re ready.” David scooted out the door.
Ethan was about to follow him when he noticed his Scrabble tiles had been upended. The bag was crumpled in a corner, and the tiles had been spread from one end of the room to the other. Five letters, however, spelled out a phrase that sent chills down his spine.
“I know.”
Ethan’s heart was still beating in double time when he reached the dining room. Grant presided at the head of the long, mahogany table, his face hidden by the newspaper he held. Dr. Rosenbaum sat to his left, cracking open a hard-boiled egg in a china egg cup. She’d traded in her caftan for a yellow, rayon pantsuit. There were shadows under her eyes.
“See any ghosts last night?” Grant asked snidely from behind the newspaper.
Ethan took a deep breath to calm himself. “As a matter of fact –”
“Spare us,” Dr. Rosenbaum said. “Neither Grant nor myself give credence to your mystic mumbo jumbo.”
Ethan’s shoulders tensed. He understood how some people might not believe in the spirit world. What was intolerable was their refusal to even consider the possibility. “You don’t understand. I really did see a ghost this morning.”
“It was just a dream,” Dr. Rosenbaum said cheerfully. “Pour yourself some coffee and forget about it. The kitchen will make whatever you like for breakfast.”
Ethan was about to make a curt retort when David came through the butler’s pantry with a plate of pancakes and set them in front of Grant. He threw Ethan a smile and a wink that warmed up the room. Ethan smiled in return, grateful for the friendly face.
“You’re the kitchen?” Ethan asked.
“I’m not the cook, but I help out. What can I get you? Wait, let me guess. Gatorade and a bottle of aspirin.”
Ethan grinned. “Those days are over. Now, I stick to cold cereal and orange juice.”
“Clean living. I like it. One bachelor’s breakfast coming up.” David purposely bumped Ethan’s shoulder on his way out the door.
Dr. Rosenbaum’s shrewd eyes narrowed. “You two are close, aren’t you?”
David poured himself a cup of coffee from the silver coffee pot that sat on the sideboard next to an arrangement of fresh flowers. He added cream and took a seat at the table. “We went to school together. We were fraternity brothers.”
“He has a lot of confidence in your, shall we say, talents,” Dr. Rosenbaum said. She scooped out a portion of her egg and salted it. “As I said, I’m not a believer, but maybe if you give me a demonstration later, you can change my mind.”
She was mocking him. Ethan’s spine stiffened. He wasn’t about to back down from her challenge, however. Let her get a glimpse of the spirit world. It would certainly wipe the smug smile from her face.
Grant folded his paper and set it aside. He offered Ethan a cool, appraising look. “I’m not a believer, either.”
“But Tessa is,” Ethan said.
“My wife is very confused woman right now. Her judgment can’t be trusted.”
“You must think I can help her, though,” Ethan argued. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have let me come here.”
“David thinks you can help Tessa,” Grant said firmly, “and he’s the one who brought you here. I had nothing to do with it. As far as I’m concerned, Tessa’s voices are simply delusions. She’s been having a very rough year.”
“Because you lost a child,” Ethan said.
Grant picked up his fork. “Yes. Our daughter died five days after she was born. It was difficult for both of us, but Tessa took it especially hard.”
“I’m sorry.” Ethan couldn’t imagine the pain Grant and Tessa must have felt. He hated to pry, but the more he knew, the easier his job would be. “You don’t think the house had anything to do with your daughter’s death?”
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous!” Dr. Rosenbaum burst out. “You’re trying to swing this to your advantage, aren’t you?”
Heat flooded Ethan’s cheeks. “Of course not. I just need to know.”
“The baby asphyxiated,” Dr. Rosenbaum said. There was color in her cheeks. “It was a terrible tragedy, but an accidental death. It had nothing to do with ghosts or this house, so don’t y
ou dare stir up Tessa about any of this.”
“I don’t plan to,” Ethan said. He’d never add to Tessa’s burden. He only wanted to ease her mind. He would only offer her the truth, and then only if David approved.
“There’s nothing wrong with this house,” Grant agreed, “and I’ll thank you not to put those ideas in my wife’s head.”
Once again, Ethan was tempted to divulge that morning’s visitation of the ghost in the bathroom, but Dr. Rosenbaum and Grant were both looking at him keenly, as if ready to pounce. Until he had proof, it was best to keep his mouth shut.
“The house has been in my family for generations,” Grant continued, “but Tessa and I only recently moved up here. I couldn’t take the noise of the city any longer.” He chewed a bite. “The place had laid vacant for nearly thirty years before we came up. It needs a lot of remodeling.”
David pushed his way through the swinging door and set a bowl of Cornflakes and a glass of orange juice in front of Ethan. “I keep telling you that the electrical is the first thing you should be updating. We’re lucky that you didn’t lose power last night.” He sounded both angry and resigned, as if he already knew where the argument was headed.
“There’s a generator,” Grant said.
“It was bought back in the eighties. There’s no guarantee it will still work. Let me call a friend of mine in town. He can start work next week.”
“Give me the number. I’ll make the call,” Grant grumbled.
David caught Ethan’s eye and rolled his eyes skyward. Ethan suppressed a smile as he drank his orange juice.
Dr. Rosenbaum had finished her egg. “I’m going to check on Tessa now. David, make her a breakfast plate. Dry toast and a boiled egg. No salt.”
“You’re going to starve her,” David said angrily.
Dr. Rosenbaum met his challenge with an upward thrust of her chin. “No. I want to keep her diet bland so as not to excite her. In her current condition, the less stimulation she has, the better. You do want your sister to get well, don’t you?”
They locked stares. David finally looked away. “Of course I want her better.”
“Good. Then do as I say. And you –” Dr. Rosenbaum looked at Ethan. “Stay away unless I give you permission to talk to her. Right now, she’s up in her room resting, and I won’t have her disturbed.”
“Nor will I,” Grant said. He stood and grabbed his newspaper, tucking it under his arm. “David, I’ll be up in my office working. I don’t want to be disturbed, either.”
David nodded. “I’ll go get Tessa’s breakfast.” He left by the side entrance.
Dr. Rosenbaum looked at Ethan from over the tops of her glasses. “You’re here only because David has his sister convinced that these voices of hers are real. You are not to upset her. She believes you’re a psychic. So your job is to convince her that the voices are not real, and that she needs to keep taking her medicine. Understand?”
Ethan seethed as he ate his cereal. Just like his parents and all of the psychiatrists he’d seen, Dr. Rosenbaum believed that the surest way to deal with a problem was to medicate it.
After Dr. Rosenbaum and Grant left, Ethan gathered his dirty dishes and slipped into the kitchen after David. “Why don’t you let me take Tessa’s breakfast tray up to her? That way we can chat.”
David considered this as he dunked Ethan’s dirty dishes into a sink full of hot, soapy water. “I suppose you could. Once Grant is in his study working, nothing disturbs him. Dr. Rosenbaum will probably be playing the piano.” He plunged his arms into the water, scrubbed the bowl, and rinsed it. “Promise you won’t upset her?”
“You could be there, too. If you think she’s getting distressed, you can let me know.”
David nodded. “Okay. It might be the only chance you get for a while. Dr. Rosenbaum is very old school, and a firm believer in bed rest as a curative. I think she became a doctor somewhere around 1850.”
Ethan laughed. He grabbed a dish towel that had been hanging on the oven door. “Let me help you with the dishes.” He took the wet bowl from David.
David began scrubbing a frying pan. He stood so close to Ethan that their shoulders brushed. Keenly aware of their nearness, Ethan savored the warmth of David’s body. Ethan had felt that heat before. In college, they’d laid entwined in each other’s arms, skin touching skin, as they shared feverish kisses. David’s religious guilt had prevented the two of them from becoming truly intimate, but night after night, passion had ignited them both.
If Ethan wasn’t careful, their closeness would go to his head and overcome his common sense. And right now, common sense was screaming for him to back away. He couldn’t risk falling in love. Not when David was once again playing at having a girlfriend. Ethan sighed. David had broken his heart once. It couldn’t happen a second time.
David handed Ethan the soapy pan, and his fingers brushed the back of Ethan’s hand. Ethan suppressed another sigh. This was his friend. Friend. Nothing more.
“You really don’t fit in with this crowd, you know that?” David picked up another pan. “They wouldn’t even clear their own dishes.”
Ethan smiled at the compliment. “Like I said, I work at a coffee shop. This is like being back in my own element.”
“Back in Chicago.” David dried his hands on the apron tied around his waist. He took two eggs from the refrigerator and added them to a pan of water sitting on the stove. “What else do you have going on in Chicago?”
Ethan shrugged.
“What? Nothing?” David teased. He put bread into the toaster. “You’re going to remain shrouded in mystery then?”
“You can Google me,” Ethan said, hoping he wouldn’t.
David nudged his shoulder. “It’s okay. I like a little mystery.”
Blood pulsed in Ethan’s veins. Was David flirting? He sure as hell better not be. Not if he was playing it straight. He couldn’t have things both ways.
When the eggs finished boiling, David set them on a tray along with the toast. He added a cup of coffee and a rose plucked from the display on the dining room sideboard. “Don’t tell Dr. Rosenbaum about the coffee. She’ll have a fit.”
“My lips are sealed.” Ethan took the tray. “Is it just me, or does that woman scare you, too?”
David grinned. “She’s like Nurse Ratched with a seven-day-a-week period. Grant thinks the world of her, though. He’s convinced that she’s Tessa’s savior.” He led Ethan out of the dining room, up a hidden servant’s staircase, and through a maze of hallways. “Tessa and Grant’s room is at the end of the hall.”
“David!”
Ethan winced at the sound of Grant Muir’s voice. “You haven’t fed my wife her breakfast yet?”
David took the tray from Ethan. “On my way.”
“I want to talk to her, too,” Ethan said. “I have some questions for her.”
Grant frowned. “Not now. I won’t have her disturbed this early in the morning. Besides, I want a word with you. Come into my office.” His tone brooked no dissent. Ethan shook his head in disgust and followed Grant down the hall.
“Good luck,” David muttered as he continued on towards Tessa’s bedroom.
Chapter Five
Drawing a deep breath, Ethan followed Grant into his study. He was met with the smell of cigars and leather. Overcrowded bookshelves flanked either side of the room. The walls were paneled in dark walnut, and tall windows overlooked the stormy gray waters of Lake Superior.
Grant took a seat behind a desk as large as a fishing boat and steepled his fingers under his chin. “I think we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot. I want you to know that you’re welcomed in my house.”
“It didn’t sound that way at breakfast,” Ethan said. He took a seat in a leather chair in front of the desk.
“I wouldn’t have allowed you within twenty miles of this place if I didn’t think you might help Tessa. No matter how slim the chance.”
“I plan to do what I can.”
“What do you think
of this place?” Grant asked.
“It’s definitely full of psychic energy.”
“Really?” Grant sneered. “I thought it was just old. What about me? What do you think of me?”
It was a test, and Ethan swallowed, wondering what he should say. “You’re very confident.”
Grant smiled, pleased. “That I am, but I have reason to be. After all, I built my empire all by myself.”
Ethan frowned as he thought of the newspaper article that David had texted to him. “I thought you had a partner. Rooks, wasn’t it?”
“Michael Rooks,” Grant snorted. “A weak man with weak ideas. I bought him out, and it’s a good thing, too. I never would have risen to the top with him dragging me down. I loathe weak men.” He leaned back in his chair. “Are you weak, Ethan?”
Ethan held his stare. “No.”
Grant nodded as if satisfied. “David speaks very highly of you. However, I judge a person’s character based on the merits I see.”
“What have you seen so far?” Ethan asked. The others in the household might be afraid of Grant, but Ethan wasn’t. He wasn’t even impressed. Grant was a demanding, obtuse man who ran his household like a petty tyrant. How did Tessa and David put up with him?
“You seem to think you’re doing me a favor by being here.” When Ethan began to object, Grant raised his hand to cut him off. “You’re young and desperate. You’re in love with my brother-in-law.”
A flush crept up Ethan’s neck. Was it really that obvious? He’d have to work harder to hide it.
“So you don’t think very much of me,” Ethan said.
“That remains to be seen.” Grant took two cigars from a humidor on his desk and offered one to Ethan.
“Thanks, but I’m trying to quit,” Ethan said.
Grant shrugged and put it back. “Before I allow you to talk to my wife, I want to make a few things clear.” He snipped the end of his cigar with a cutter lying on his desk and lit it. “Tessa is in a delicate state right, and the only reason I allowed you to come here was because she begged me to let you.” He took several puffs on the cigar and leaned back in his chair. “David believes in your abilities; therefore, Tessa does as well. Your job is to convince her that these voices of hers are not supernatural.” He blew out a cloud of smoke. “Do that, and I’ll reward you.”
Restless Spirits Page 4
