The Lodge at Whispering Pines

by Melissa R. L. Simonin

  “Thanks,” she said. She jumped up and hugged me. I thought she’d let go right away, but she didn’t. “I miss you.”

  Her voice cracked.

  “Well I—miss you too,” I said, kind of taken off-guard by the sudden show of emotion.

  “I’ve been remembering what it was like before I was sick, and you still lived at home.”

  “Yeah, I remember that too,” I said. “It feels like a long time ago.”

  “I remember how much fun it was when we’d hang out.”

  “I do too.”

  “Really?” she asked.

  “Yes, and when did you get taller than me!” I exclaimed, and she laughed. “When I saw you at Christmas, I distinctly remember we were the same height. Who told you it was okay to get bigger than your big sister? Now I’m going to have to introduce you as my big sister.”

  Doreen laughed again.

  “I don’t know, I can’t help it, I just keep growing.”

  “Must be nice. I just stopped!” I said. I knew that would make her laugh, and it did.

  “I hate to have to leave so soon, but we need to get to our lodge and check it out. The sale just went through, and there’s a lot we need to do. But check with Mom, okay? Then plan on coming to visit us there.”

  “Okay,” she nodded.

  “Oh, here… before I forget…” I opened my bright pink purse and took out a small box, and a larger one. “This is for you. The Inn we stayed at has the best fudge. That’s what’s in this box, and you can open the smaller one and see for yourself what it is.”

  Doreen smiled and took the boxes, and opened the smaller one.

  “It’s beautiful,” she said, taking out the necklace it contained. “I love it!”

  “Good,” I said, helping her fasten it. “It looks beautiful on you.”

  “I love it,” she said again, admiring the small cross made of opals, set in white gold.

  “Good,” I said, taking another box out of my purse. “Here are the earrings.”

  She laughed, and put them on, too.

  I hugged her goodbye, she hugged Trixie goodbye, and then Trix and I went downstairs. Miles, Chip, and Mom were waiting by the front door for us.

  “Bye Mom, love you,” I said, hugging her quickly, then I took a large box of fudge out of my purse, and a small gift bag. I love having a big purse that holds all sorts of things! Even though Miles does tease me sometimes that he’s going to get me a pack mule to cart it around, it gets so heavy. “Before I forget… this is fudge from the Inn. It’s really, really good. Doree has a box, and this one is for you, Dad, and Tryon. I already gave Doreen her gift, and Tryon’s gift is in this bag.”

  “I’ll be sure he gets it, and I can’t wait to try this fudge! It smells delicious.”

  “It is!” I said.

  I took the leashes so Miles could manage the dog food, dishes, dog beds, and keys to our SUV.

  “Bye honey, love you,” said Mom. She managed to hug Miles one more time, even though he was loaded down with dog paraphernalia. “Love you too, Miles.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” he smiled. “I love you.”

  Mom and I waved goodbye, then Miles and the dogs and I loaded up the vehicle, and were on our way.

  “I really do love your family,” he said. He reached for my hand and held it with his right, while he steered with his left.

  “They love you too,” I said. “Did Dad have a hard time convincing Tryon it was time for you and Chip to go?”

  “Poor guy was disappointed our stay was so short,” said Miles. “I hate that’s how it was this time, but…”

  “I totally understand, we have to get to our lodge. We do live in town, too. And we just saw everyone during Christmas. He’d feel the same way if we lived next door.”

  “You’re probably right,” he said.

  “Doreen got kind of emotional. She was remembering what it was like before Dad lost his job, and I was still living with them. I said she should check with Mom, and when we get settled in at the Lodge she should come visit on a weekend.”

  “That sounds great,” said Miles. “She should do that. I can imagine that she does miss you a lot. I’m thankful your brother and sister don’t blame me for taking you away from them.”

  “Me too,” I said. “They don’t, though. Plus… I left a long time ago, before they had any idea we knew each other. They have no idea, none of them do, that I moved into the guest house at the estate instead of moving to Glen Haven with them, so that I could stay with you.”

  “I’m so glad you did,” Miles said, kissing the back of my hand. “I felt guilty at just how glad I was at the time. I consoled myself that you’d find the evidence to free me, and then you’d go live a full life.”

  “That’s exactly what happened, too,” I said, holding his hand with both of mine.

  Traffic wasn’t bad this time of morning, and before long we were on our way up the mountain to our new lodge.

  “I wonder what the employees are thinking right now,” I commented.

  “We’ll know soon,” said Miles, as the Lodge at Whispering Pines came into view.

  Once a beautiful mansion nestled in the side of the mountain amongst the trees, it was converted at some point into a lodge. Fresh snow dusted the pine trees, and covered the grounds. It was a scene worthy of a greeting card.

  “I can’t believe this is ours,” I said softly.

  “Believe it,” Miles smiled, and I smiled back.

  Miles parked under the covered awning, then opened my door and helped me out. He handed the keys of our vehicle to the valet, as a bellhop came with a cart to load our suitcases.

  They both looked distracted, and a little concerned.

  “I take it you’ve heard that the Lodge was sold,” said Miles.

  “Yeah,” said the valet. “That’s what we were told yesterday.”

  “I’m Miles Bannerman, and this is my wife Anika. We’re the new owners.”

  “It’s nice you meet you,” said the bellhop.

  Miles glanced at their nametags.

  “It’s great to meet you, Troy, and Victor,” said Miles, and I smiled as he shook hands with him and the valet.

  “Yeah, you too,” said Victor.

  Miles opened the back of the SUV, and Chip and Trixie hopped out. Troy’s eyes grew larger momentarily, but then he seemed to process that it doesn’t matter what the manager ordinarily has to say about pets on the premises. These are our dogs, and… we own the place.

  Miles and I walked through the front doors of the Lodge at Whispering Pines, Chip and Trixie beside us. Troy followed behind with the loaded cart.

  Velvety plush carpet in alternating diamonds of burgundy, forest green, deep blue, and gold, covered the floor of the main entrance. Above the chair rail and dark paneling, the walls were textured plaster in a rich wine color. Paintings, all forest and mountain landscapes, were scattered about the walls along with a large mirror in an ornate gold frame. An antique mahogany check-in counter with marble top stood to one side, guarding the door to the manager’s office.

  I recognized the manager, Gregory Stevenson, from the week we spent here after we were married. He had a worried look in his eyes, and a sheen of moisture on his forehead. I felt sorry for the guy.

  Mr. Stevenson looked over and surprise fought to take the place of worry when he saw the dogs. Miles spoke before the manager had a chance to collect his thoughts.

  “Good morning. I’m Miles Bannerman, and this is my wife Anika,” he said, as he smiled and shook hands with Mr. Stevenson. “We spoke on the phone earlier.

  “Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Bannerman, I’m very glad to see you,” the manager said, reaching for a key and handing it to Miles. He no longer looked surprised. Just worried. “Your suite is ready for you.”

  “Very good,” said Miles. “We’ll get settled in and meet you back here at eleven o’ clock.”

  “Yes sir,” said Mr. Stevenson.

  He looked very worried. If he was afraid of los
ing his job, Miles would put his mind at ease soon.

  The main entrance opened up onto a large lobby. A massive fireplace graced the opposite wall, and a fire burned brightly, filling the room with the scent of juniper. Comfortable leather couches surrounded it, and large windows filled the walls all the way to the high ceiling, allowing soft light to fill the room. Several corridors branched off of the lobby, leading to guest rooms, the Lodge’s restaurant, gift shop and boutique, and the elevator. That’s where we were headed.

  We turned to the left, and Troy pressed the elevator button. It opened immediately, revealing wood paneled sides, a pressed tin ceiling, carpeted floor, and a gold handrail. We stepped inside.

  “So what’s the deal, Troy,” I said once the elevator doors closed behind Miles and I, Chip and Trixie, Troy and our luggage. “Everyone seems awfully tense. Is this concern over job stability, or something else?”

  Troy thought before answering.

  “I guess people could be worried about their jobs, I don’t know. No one knew the Lodge was even for sale until yesterday.”

  “Okay, so what’s going on then?” I asked. “We’ve heard some rumors about paranormal activity. Is it Elizabeth?”

  Troy grew pale. Miles and I looked at each other, wondering.

  Troy swallowed, and nodded. Then he looked back and forth between me and Miles.

  “Yes. She’s… got everybody freaked out.”

  “You’re telling the truth,” I exclaimed. Oh my goodness! Miles put his arm around me and squeezed. I stopped talking.

  “You sound as though you’ve witnessed signs of Elizabeth firsthand,” said Miles.

  Troy nodded.

  “Yeah, I… I saw her.”

  Miles looked at me, and I nodded slightly.

  “When was this?” asked Miles.

  “Yesterday,” Troy said, his voice shaking.

  “Where were you when this happened?” asked Miles.

  “Elizabeth’s. The restaurant,” he said. “It was after hours, I went through the halls and picked up room service trays, and returned them to the kitchen for cleaning.”

  “What did you see?” I asked.

  “The same thing as other people,” he said.

  “And what is that?” asked Miles.

  Troy looked uncomfortable.

  “I’m not the only one who’s seen something. Lots of other people have too!”

  “When Anika says someone’s telling the truth, I’m inclined to believe what they have to say,” said Miles. “You needn’t worry that we’ll doubt your sanity or your integrity, by telling us what you’ve seen.”

  “He’s telling the truth,” I said, and Miles squeezed me again. He’d prefer that I stop sharing that out loud with others, but I forget!

  Troy kind of laughed, he thought I was trying to be funny. At least now he looked a little more relaxed.

  “Okay,” he said.

  The elevator rose to the top floor, and came to a stop. Miles swiped the card attached to our key, and the doors opened. I knew now where we were going. I can’t say I was surprised. I smiled at Miles and he smiled back. We walked the few steps across the small space between the elevator doors and the door to the executive suite. This was where we spent our honeymoon almost eight months ago.

  Miles unlocked the door and we went inside.

  Troy removed our belongings from the cart, as Miles and I took the leashes off of Trixie and Chip. They eagerly set about investigating our new home.

  Thick ivory carpet with a gold swirl pattern covered the floor of the sitting room. The walls above the chair rail were painted a warm wine color, and on one side of the room a large fireplace was centered between two picture windows. Outside, snowflakes were falling, reminding me of the extended weekend we spent at the Inn. A beautiful painting of a mountain sunset hung above the carved mantle. Comfortable chairs, a couch, and loveseat faced the fireplace, where logs were waiting to be lit.

  A table and chairs were positioned near an arched doorway that revealed the full kitchen. Through another arch was the family room, its huge wall mounted television surrounded by several chairs and couches. The open double doors of yet another arched doorway led to the master bedroom. The suite also contained an office and an additional bedroom, but we’d hardly done more than glance inside those rooms the last time we were here. The office would come in handy now though, since we were here on business!

  “Go ahead and have a seat,” Miles said to Troy, waving to a chair, and he and I sat on the couch facing him.

  Troy sat, and took a deep breath.

  “So what happened?” I asked.

  “Well, I was unloading trays of dishes off the cart.” He rubbed his face with his hands and looked stressed. “I sort of felt something, like I was being watched. Elizabeth’s can be kind of, I don’t know, creepy after hours anyway, it’s not real well lit. Have you been there?”

  Miles and I nodded, and waited for him to continue.

  “So I felt kind of anxious, and looked around. I didn’t believe the stories, I thought they were made up. I thought it was a joke.”

  Troy’s hands were shaking, and he rubbed his face again.

  “I turned around, and… she was standing right behind me.”

  Oh my goodness, he’s telling the truth.

  To indicate truth, I squeezed Miles’ hand once. My own hands were shaking now, and Miles squeezed back. I could only imagine what he was feeling right now.

  “That must have scared you nearly to death,” I said. “What did you do then?”

  “Well, I—I sort of jumped, and yelled,” he said.

  “And what did Elizabeth do?” asked Miles.

  “She… she just sort of vanished,” said Troy. “But, she kind of shrieked first and held her ears.”

  Miles glanced at me, and I quickly squeezed his hand so he would know that Troy was telling the truth. That’s exactly what happened.

  “What did she look like?” I asked.

  “Like she wasn’t all there, I could see through her,” said Troy.

  “Sort of semi-transparent?” I asked.

  “No, transparent,” said Troy.

  “What other details did you notice?” asked Miles. “Any indication of which time period she was from?”

  “I don’t know, she had light hair, it was long, and she had on a long dress. I couldn’t tell anything about color except her eyes.”

  He needed a moment to collect his thoughts or his nerves, maybe both.

  “They were blue, bright blue, like, glowing. She—she looked like something was wrong.”

  “Can you elaborate?” asked Miles.

  “She looked sort of vacant, like something was wrong with her. With her mind, I mean. The way she stared, her eyes glowing, and how she tilted her head, it—I’ve never seen anything—it freaked me out so bad.”

  His voice was shaking, and I felt a little freaked out myself just hearing about it. We were all silent as Miles and I tried to process that, and Troy tried to pull himself together.

  I noticed Miles and Trixie looking at each other. Not for the first time, I wished that she could communicate with me the way she does Miles. Did she know something about this? I wanted Troy to tell us more, and I wanted him to leave so Miles could tell me what Trixie said!

  “Who else has seen Elizabeth?” asked Miles.

  “Mr. Stevenson, the head chef, some of the cleaning crew… guests, too. Everyone’s scared. Everyone that works here, anyway. I’ve gotta be honest Mr. Bannerman, I’d leave if I didn’t need this job!”

  “Miles and I will figure this out,” I said, hoping to reassure him.

  “We will,” said Miles firmly. “Whatever is going on here… we’ll find a solution. In the meantime, if you hear or see anything, let me know immediately. If you hear this being discussed by any other staff members, please let them know to do the same.”

  Miles stood, so Troy and I did too.

  “Thanks for your time Troy,” Miles said, as we walked
him to the door. Miles tipped him, even though it’s our Lodge.

  “Thanks, Mr. Bannerman,” said Troy, his smile a little more cheerful and the anxiety a little less evident. “If you or Mrs. Bannerman need anything, let me know.”

  “We’ll do that,” Miles smiled.

  “Thanks Troy,” I said, and Miles closed the door behind him.

  We gave Troy about ten seconds, then turned to each other.

  “Oh my goodness, I cannot believe this!” I exclaimed.

  “I knew there was a chance, I mean obviously we know it isn’t impossible, but I can’t believe the stories are true!” Miles also exclaimed, running his hands through his hair.

  “That’s not the truth, you do believe it, you’re just having a hard time accepting it,” I said, and Miles laughed.

  “Thanks for clearing that up for me, honey.”

  I laughed then.

  “Sorry! It’s so hard not to repeat what the voice in my head says!”

  “And hard not to mention when you don’t hear it, too, I know,” said Miles.

  “I’m sorry, eventually I’ll stop doing that. Well, that’s not completely the truth, sometimes I’ll forget, but mostly I won’t! Eventually!”

  Miles laughed and hugged me. I was glad. I needed hugged after what we just found out about our Lodge being inhabited by Elizabeth! Yikes!

  “It’s okay honey, you’re not the only one who doesn’t always remember to be stealthy about your superpowers,” Miles said.

  “True. Generally it’s matters of life and death, or near death, or in the name of preventing serious injury that you use yours, though.”

  We were quiet for a minute as we thought about—everything.

  “What did Trixie tell you?” I asked suddenly.

  “She doesn’t know anything about it,” said Miles, rubbing my back absent-mindedly. “We’re on our own. I don’t want you out of my sight, by the way. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Are you kidding? That’s going to be the best part of this whole thing!” I hugged him harder.

  “I’m glad you feel that way,” Miles said. “I’d hate to ever make you claustrophobic, but I have a tendency to worry about you as it is. With this paranormal element thrown in…”