The Lodge at Whispering Pines

by Melissa R. L. Simonin

  The Lodge at Whispering Pines

  The House of Bannerman, book 4

  by Melissa R. L. Simonin

  © 2015

  The Lodge at Whispering Pines

  The House of Bannerman, book 4

  written by Melissa R. L. Simonin

  copyright 2015 by Melissa R. L. Simonin

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval system, in whole or in part in any manner or in any form without the written permission of the author.

  Dedicated to…

  Mom, who listens every day as I read over what I’ve written and work through plot twists. Your listening ears and insight are invaluable, and your proofreading skills are top-notch.

  My sister Becky Clements and dear friend Paula Pavletich. Your encouragement and the time you spend proofreading is so very much appreciated!

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 1

  “Did you have fun tonight?” asked Miles, as we returned to our suite at Stonecastle Inn and he closed the door behind us.

  “Yes! It was so much fun. I think I loved the dancing the most,” I said.

  Miles took my hand and I twirled, the full skirt of my crimson rose dress swirling around me. Then he spun me into his arms, as I laughed.

  “I enjoyed the dancing too,” he smiled. “Kissing you at midnight to ring in the New Year was my favorite part, though.”

  “You’ve got me there,” I smiled, putting my arms around Miles’ neck and kissing him again.

  “I’m not ready for the holidays to be over,” said Miles.

  “Me either,” I agreed. “Last semester wore me out.”

  I felt tired just thinking about it.

  “How did you do tonight?” Miles asked. “I hope since you didn’t mention seeing darkness, that means there wasn’t any.”

  “I did great, and there was no darkness. There weren’t that many lies being told either, and the ones that were, were as harmless as lies can be. Husbands telling their wives they were the most beautiful women there, things like that. It was kind of sweet, actually.”

  “I’m telling the truth when I say that you were the most beautiful woman at the party tonight,” said Miles, giving me one of his melting looks.

  “I’m glad that’s the way you feel. That’s why you’re telling the truth,” I smiled. “You were definitely the most gorgeous guy there.”

  Miles laughed, then kissed me again before letting me go.

  “Last semester was exhausting. It wore me out too, though probably not as much as it did you,” Miles said, as he took off his jacket and loosened his tie. “If it wasn’t in the middle of being built, I’d suggest we take next semester off and go to our tropical island fortress for a few months, for an extended vacation.”

  “I’d vote for that suggestion if our fortress was ready. I might just vote that we move there permanently,” I said, a wave of exhaustion washing over me.

  I looked up from slipping off my shoes to see Miles watching me, his eyes filled with concern.

  “I’m fine,” I quickly assured him. “Maybe I won’t encounter any darkness this semester. How many murderers can one girl run into, anyway?”

  “I don’t know,” said Miles seriously. “I wouldn’t have thought even half as many as you already have, actually.”

  “Yeah… me either,” I said. I sat at the vanity and thought about that as I removed my earrings, necklace, and bracelet, and put them back in my jewelry case. “It did make for a grueling semester, and I have no idea how I managed to pass all of my classes…”

  “What you accomplished with your abilities last semester is amazing,” said Miles. “On top of all that, you didn’t just pass your classes. You excelled at them. Your GPA is impressive.”

  “That’s quite a compliment, coming from the guy who’s going to be valedictorian in a couple of years,” I smiled.

  Miles smiled back, but his eyes were filled more with concern than laughter.

  I turned back to the vanity so Miles couldn’t look into my eyes and see how drained I really was. I began to brush my hair, even though I knew that was just going to fill it with static, and make it stick out all over the place. I hated to make Miles worry, and it gave me something to do and a reason to look the other way.

  Wow, I really am tired I thought, as I looked up. Facing a mirror to keep Miles from looking into my eyes, wasn’t the brightest thing I’d ever done. Certainly not the most successful. I needed to distract him if I could.

  “Would you like to have breakfast served in our room, or go to Katharine’s in the morning?” I asked. It was all I could think to say.

  “Let’s decide after we wake up,” said Miles, hanging up his jacket as he tried to appear as though he wasn’t watching me with concern. “Considering the time, we’re probably going to miss breakfast.”

  “You’re probably right,” I said, setting my brush aside. I’d done enough damage with that. If my hair was white instead of brown, I could just about pass for Einstein. I rummaged in my makeup bag for a hair band, and pulled my shoulder length hair back in a ponytail. Much better. I looked around for the overnight bag, but couldn’t see it.

  “Have you… thought about doing something different this semester?” asked Miles.

  “Like what?” I asked, wondering what he meant.

  “An internship.”

  “I like that idea, but where? And how? We’re so close to school starting, and what about you? I wouldn’t want to go anywhere without you, so never mind. I don’t like that idea at all.”

  Remembering that the overnight bag was on the bathroom counter, I got up and headed in that direction, kissing Miles’ cheek as I passed him on my way there. He caught my hand and held on.

  “Really, Anika? You think I’d suggest we be apart even for a day, much less all semester?” His eyes held amusement at the thought.

  “No,” I laughed. “Of course you wouldn’t. But that’s what an internship would mean.”

  “Not necessarily. Would you want to intern if it meant we could still be together, maybe even see each other more?”

  “Is my name Anika Bannerman?” I replied.

  “Yes,” he smiled.

  “Then there’s your answer.”

  I smiled back and squeezed his hand, then let go and continued to the bathroom of our suite.

  I changed out of my dress and returned it to its padded hanger, then brushed my teeth and began taking off my makeup.

  I was doing really well in some ways. I’d had plenty of opportunities to practice my ability to know if people were lying, and what the truth was when they were. I could be in large crowds now without being driven nearly crazy, because I’d learned how to tune out all of the random truths that used to fill my head to the point of being unbearable. I could focus in on specific people too, even from a distance, and tune everyone else out. The truths that I did hear, continued to lock away once their usefulness was over, instead of becoming part of my own memories. I’d had no nightmares as a result, and didn’t feel depressed or anxious as I would
if they were to randomly surface in my thoughts like memories tend to do.

  The darkness I see in some people is a very effective warning to stay away from them and not ask questions until Miles is with me. Truths obtained from such people contain darkness. When those truths are revealed, I learned from experience that unless Miles is there to ground me, I become very dizzy and I nearly blacked out a few times.

  The problem is that last semester there were so many incidents in which I ran into darkness. That meant investigating, and looking for opportunities when Miles was with me to talk to those people who were surrounded by it, and ask questions in an effort to gain truth that would lead us to the crimes they committed and the evidence to prove it. We have a PI, and he’s great, but he doesn’t have the ability that I do. Without it, the cases Miles and I encountered so far would have never been solved.

  I was run nearly ragged. The last case wrapped up on December 23rd. I was thankful to be able to enjoy Christmas with Miles, Grandma Polly, and my family, without having that still hanging over me, but going to school and investigating amounted to at least two full-time jobs.

  At any moment I could run into someone with this darkness hovering all around them, and that would mean no matter what else was going on in my life, I absolutely must make investigating that person top priority.

  The very thought made me tired.

  I finished applying moisturizer to my face, and wondered what Miles was doing.

  I walked back into the bedroom as he said goodbye to someone. He’d been on the phone?

  “My goodness, who were you talking to at this time of night?” I asked.

  “Our accountant,” said Miles, kissing my forehead on his way past me. I watched him go through the doorway I just came out of and wondered why he was talking to the accountant at two o’ clock in the morning. Moments later I heard water running in the sink, and the sound of Miles brushing his teeth.

  I was too tired to wonder any more tonight. I’d ask in the morning. I crawled into bed, deeply appreciating the soft mattress and softer feather pillows.

  Our friends Morgan and Sarah had a wonderful Inn. The kind of place I used to want to manage someday, about two and a half years ago when I first met Miles. Interning at a place like this would be fun, and if it meant seeing Miles more instead of less, I’d jump if the chance was offered. I couldn’t see that happening any time soon, though. Classes start this week, and… the thought brought another wave of dread and exhaustion with it. I barely registered the lamps as they went out one by one, and Miles joined me.

  ~***~

  The light was soft, and the view of the mountains outside the large picture window was mostly obscured by gently falling snowflakes.

  Miles was awake. Behind me, I heard the keys of his laptop as he typed.

  “Maybe we’ll be snowed in,” I said.

  “You sound hopeful,” Miles replied.

  “I wouldn’t mind if we were,” I said. “What’s there to mind? Stuck in a room at the Inn with my favorite person, and room service…”

  “Then let it snow,” said Miles. “We’ll just assume that we’re stuck here, and not bother finding out for certain.”

  I laughed.

  “Have you been up all night?” I asked, rolling over.

  “Most of it, same as you,” he said, then smiled. “I did get some sleep, though.”

  “What are you working on?” I asked, trying to get a look at his screen. There were too many pages open and the writing was too small in the brief glimpse I had to figure out details. It was business though. He was working.

  “I’ll tell you when I’m done,” said Miles mysteriously. “Are you ready for breakfast? It isn’t too late after all, Katharine’s is serving all day today.”

  “I am kind of hungry,” I said, then noticed Miles was already showered and dressed. “How long have you been awake?”

  “About three hours,” said Miles, looking at his watch.

  “Are you starving, then?”

  “I wanted to wait for you,” he said. “I wouldn’t mind ordering now that you’re awake, though.”

  “Then you do that, and I’ll see if I can get out of the shower before it arrives!” I said, and without further ado, I was on my way.

  There was a knock at the door of the suite as I zipped my crimson rose velour jacket, which matched my crimson velour pants. I brushed back my freshly washed and dried hair with my fingers, then joined Miles in the suite’s dining area.

  He closed the door behind the restaurant’s delivery guy, then turned, and smiled when he saw me.

  “Perfect timing,” he said, and I gave him a hug and he kissed me good… afternoon, I guess. “I love when you wear this, it reminds me of the day we were married.”

  “Me too, even the shirt,” I smiled. I looked down at my t-shirt, which said ‘Bride’ in gold letters. “Although I guess after almost eight months, it doesn’t really apply anymore.”

  “You’ll always be mine,” smiled Miles.

  “Then I’ll wear it with pride,” I smiled back. “Even when we’re both old and gray.”

  “You do that,” laughed Miles, and he pulled out a chair for me.

  He lifted the cover off of my plate of food, and I clapped.

  “This is my favorite! Thank you!”

  “I know, and you’re welcome,” he smiled.

  “Strawberries and whipped cream pancakes will always remind me of the day you came back to the estate, and I realized for the first time that you were alive,” I said.

  “Is that why you like them so well?” asked Miles. “I knew you did, but I had no idea it was because of that.”

  “Yes, that’s exactly why. Grandma Polly was trying to fatten me back up, remember, and that was one of the items on the menu. I remember thinking that nothing ever tasted so good.”

  “As long as you’d gone without eating, no wonder,” said Miles.

  “Strawberries and whipped cream pancakes are my favorite food, and your aftershave is my favorite scent.”

  “I’m not sure what my favorite food is…” said Miles. “But my favorite scent is the rose scented shampoo you use. When I hugged you during the hour you cried all over me the day I came back, your hair smelled just like roses. I remember thinking how appropriate that was.”

  “I started using that shampoo because it reminded me of what you said about me. I didn’t ever want to forget.”

  “I meant every word,” said Miles softly. “I would have said more, but… if I hadn’t been semi-transparent, I would have.”

  “You said enough,” I replied. “You’ve no idea how badly I wished at that moment that you were with me like you are now.”

  “Me too. And now… here we are. I’ve been your husband for just as long as I was your semi-transparent friend.”

  I smiled and squeezed Miles’ hand, then directed part of my attention to my pancakes again.

  “So, did you finish what you were working on? Are you going to tell me about it, or do I have to wait some more?” I asked.

  “I’m not quite finished, but I’ll go ahead and tell you about it,” said Miles, his eyes lighting up. He was excited about something. I watched him in anticipation. “I asked last night if you’d be interested in interning. I had a reason for asking.”

  “Okay, so tell me about your reason.”

  “My thoughts are these. An internship would give you a break from college courses and exams. It would be all about your major, and the most interesting parts of it too. We would have more time together, that’s one of the best things about it. If you did encounter darkness, I’d be nearby and you’d have more freedom to investigate, since you wouldn’t have the aforementioned classes to attend and exams to study for.”

  “Okay…” I thought about that. “But how could this possibly work? I’m only going into my fourth semester. Students don’t typically do internships this early. Classes are about to begin, and I just don’t see how it would be possible. Even though the points you�
�ve just made are appealing.”

  “Remember last semester I told you I looked into buying Stonecastle Inn, until I found out that Morgan was interested in buying the property to save Sarah’s home and job?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “I wanted to buy it for you.”

  “For me? Why? I don’t understand,” I said, surprised.

  “Because you loved managing the estate, not that you can’t still do that, but I thought you might enjoy having an inn to be involved in when you felt like it.”

  “I guess that would be fun. That was sweet of you to want to do that,” I said.

  “Then, I had an even better idea. How would you like to own the Lodge at Whispering Pines?” Miles smiled.

  “Are you serious?” I exclaimed. “Oh my goodness, yes! We had dinner there the day you proposed, and we spent our honeymoon there… yes, I’d love that!”

  “I’m so glad you feel that way,” smiled Miles. “Our accountant is arranging the purchase right now.”

  “I had no idea it was even for sale! Not that I would, I suppose.”

  “Yes. I’ll tell you about that in a little bit. It is for sale though, or was, it’s as good as ours. I’m quite sure with our connections to the college through the Bannerman Foundation, that I can get an internship approved for you for this semester. I’ll probably do online classes, while you’re having fun at the Lodge. What do you think?”

  “I love it!” I said, clapping my hands. “But… you could take regular classes, it isn’t as though the Lodge is very far away.”

  “No way,” said Miles. “I want to spend more time with you, not less. This is what I want to do.”

  I jumped up and threw my arms around Miles. I was so relieved. The thought of not having to juggle college classes and exams while investigating murderers, and finding out who, what, when, where, how, why, and the evidence to prove it, almost brought tears to my eyes. I also had high hopes I’d escape finding darkness-filled people at the Lodge, but even if I did run into any… we own the place! My schedule would be flexible. Oh my goodness, maybe Miles would do all of his classes online from now on, and I could just stay there… I mustn’t get ahead of myself, though. If I had a break this semester, and we spent the summer at our fortress, then maybe after that I’d be ready to take on college courses and investigations again.