The Lodge at Whispering Pines

by Melissa R. L. Simonin

  Our friends looked from us to each other. Jenny and Xander talked quietly, and so did John and Annette, mulling over our offer. They all sounded enthusiastic, but I had icing to put on this cake.

  “Oh, and by the way, the Lodge is haunted by the spirit of a girl named Elizabeth.”

  Four sets of eyes fastened on Miles and I.

  “Uh—say what?” said Xander.

  “That’s pretty much it in a melodramatic nutshell,” said Miles. “The previous owner made up a story about a girl named Elizabeth. He claimed she died at the Lodge, named the Lodge’s restaurant after her, and said that her spirit was still there. It was a marketing strategy gone badly awry.”

  “Yeah, the last person he ever wanted or expected, responded to his marketing campaign,” I said.

  Xander laughed at that.

  “Several employees have seen her,” said Miles. “We lost the head chef, manager, and cleaning crew today as a result of that. What staff we have left, we know we can count on.”

  “How?” asked John.

  “Probably because they said so, and Anika knew they were telling the truth,” said Annette.

  I nodded.

  “That’s also how we know those who’ve seen Elizabeth aren’t imagining it, or making it up.”

  “What do you know about this—Elizabeth?” asked Jenny. She looked worried.

  “Not much,” said Miles. “Trix knows nothing about her, so we’ve no access to information there.”

  “One of our firsthand witnesses said she’s completely transparent, colorless except for her eyes.” I didn’t bother to mention the glowing part. “When the guy saw her he yelled, and she clutched her ears, screamed, and vanished.”

  “Other things he said lead us to believe she’s confused and uncertain,” said Miles. “We haven’t spoken with her ourselves, yet. Anika and I intend to find out why she’s still here in spirit form and either find a way to free her, or encourage her to move on. With my abilities I’m certain I’ll be able to contain her if necessary, although we have no reason to consider her a threat at this time. I’m even stronger now than when I was semi-transparent, and honestly… I can’t imagine anything on earth I couldn’t control, if necessary.”

  “You’re telling the truth,” I said.

  “Thank you, dear. I’d really hate to sound arrogant. I don’t say this out of pride, but rather to reassure each of you,” said Miles.

  Jenny looked reassured. Xander looked like he couldn’t wait to get to the Lodge. John and Annette, too.

  “I informed the staff that if they see Elizabeth they should tell her I want to talk to her,” said Miles. “That’s what I’d like all of you to do, also.”

  “I can imagine you feel strongly about helping this girl after your own experiences,” said Annette sympathetically.

  “Yes, I do,” said Miles. “I’m so thankful to Anika for everything she did for me. It overwhelms me sometimes, remembering how it felt after all those years to have her able to see and hear me, and believe in me, and to be so determined to do whatever it took to free me.”

  Miles had that melting look in his eyes, and it just about derailed our conversation.

  “Ahem,” said Xander. “You were saying?”

  “Yes, right,” said Miles, the spell broken. I had to settle for a kiss on the cheek, and then he continued. “I believe that together, Anika and I can make a difference for this girl. If she’ll accept our help. If she won’t, then… I’ll deal with that. I’m capable of dealing with that.”

  “So, are you all-in?” I asked. “Lodging is provided, unless you want to drive back and forth every day. Meals are also provided. Chef Antonio will be arriving soon, so we do have a Chef again. With your help Jenny, along with the staff that remains, we’ll be set in that department. Molly is coming with some of her girls, too. So that’s taken care of.”

  “We’re in,” said John, and Annette nodded. “You can count on us.”

  “Great, I’ll take care of the paperwork for your internship, John,” said Miles.

  “This is perfect, because I had no idea what I was going to do this semester!” said Annette enthusiastically. “I’ve been in agony trying to decide.”

  “I’m in, do you even need to ask?” said Xander.

  He looked at Jenny, and she nodded.

  “Yes. I’m in. I’m nervous about having a ghost, or spirit, or whatever you call it hanging out there… but I trust that you guys will take care of it, so yes. I’m in.”

  “Excellent!” I said, and Miles smiled.

  “Then I’ll take care of the paperwork for your internships also,” said Miles.

  “So get packing, people,” I said as Miles and I stood and prepared to leave. “We need to do the same, and we’ve got to hurry if we’re going to beat Chef, Molly, and the girls there. You know where the place is, so when you’re ready, go. Chances are we’ll already be on our way.”

  Miles and I said goodbye, then went down the hall to our own apartment. Night and Pandora met us at the door, and we waded through gray fur to get inside.

  “Did you miss us?” I asked, picking up Night. He purred loudly and rubbed his cheeks all over my shoulder and neck. Miles held Pandora. She was nestled against his chest, her purr as loud as Night’s.

  “I’d say they did,” said Miles, rubbing behind Pandora’s ears. “You kids are coming with us this time. No more being left behind.”

  Night meowed silently, and Pandora rubbed her cheeks hard against Miles’ hand.

  “He’s actually mine, Miss Pandora,” I said, rubbing my cheek on Miles’ shoulder, which made him laugh.

  “Good grief, don’t tell me you’re jealous of the cat!” he said.

  “No, not as long as I get most of your attention,” I said.

  “You do. You will.” Miles leaned over and kissed me. “Right now though, you know what our attention needs to be focused on.”

  “Right,” I said. “You pack up the cats and their things, I’ll start on clothes and shoes.”

  “I’ll be there soon to help you with that,” Miles said, as the entryway closet opened, and the two cat carriers floated out and came to rest on the entryway floor. Night was ready to bolt, but instead he floated inside his carrier, and the door latched behind him.

  “I’d be bleeding from multiple stab wounds by now if I had to do that,” I said as I walked through the living room to our bedroom.

  “I know. Not for the first time, I am so glad I have these abilities again. They’re very useful when it comes to wrangling cats.”

  I laughed, and began to lay out clothes on the bed. Shortly after, Miles joined me. Packing went much faster after that. He had the suitcases out, clothes neatly folded and placed inside, along with everything else we could possibly need while we were away, in a matter of minutes. I stood with my arms around him and stayed out of the way of all the objects that flew rapidly through the air, then came to rest in their designated locations.

  “Done,” said Miles.

  “You are so amazing,” I said, no less impressed than the first time he did the packing.

  “So are you,” he smiled, and kissed me. “Now let’s go.”

  We loaded in our SUV, and were on our way.

  Twenty minutes later, Miles parked under the covered awning of our Lodge. He handed the keys to Victor, and told him not to move our vehicle until it was unloaded. I can imagine that Victor was grateful to know he wouldn’t have to drive it with both cats squalling in his ears. Then we went inside.

  “Everything okay, Troy?” asked Miles.

  “Yes sir,” said Troy, from his position behind the check-in counter. He looked at his watch. “I can’t say I’m disappointed to see you back before check-in time, though.”

  Miles and I both smiled, but didn’t laugh.

  “Thank you for your willingness to fill in this gap for us,” Miles said. “We have a replacement for the daytime position arriving shortly. In the meantime, Anika and I will handle check-in, and you
can get back to your usual responsibilities.”

  “Yes sir,” Troy said, relieved.

  “The first thing we need you to do is bring in our cats, and the luggage that’s in our vehicle,” I said.

  “Yes ma’am,” said Troy. He grabbed a rolling cart, and out the door he went.

  “Somebody has to be here, and somebody has to be upstairs to get the cats’ food, water, and litter box set up,” I said.

  Miles frowned as he gave that a split-second’s worth of thought.

  “I don’t believe Elizabeth is a threat. However, I am not for one second leaving you alone, and you know it.”

  “Well what are we going to do then?” I asked.

  “We’ll both go upstairs, and let Annette man the counter,” said Miles, as he looked up and smiled. “Hi guys, it’s great to see you! Welcome to our Lodge.”

  I turned, and smiled too.

  “This is a great place,” said John, looking around.

  “I love it!” said Annette, also looking around.

  “Good,” I said. “We do too!”

  “John, if you and Annette wouldn’t mind stepping behind the counter, I’d like to acclimate you to the check-in system here. I know very little about it myself, so… it could get interesting. Just do the best you can. As long as everyone with a reservation gets a room, I’ll be satisfied.”

  “Sure, Miles. Together Annette and I can probably figure this out,” said John.

  “We’ll take care of it, you can count on us,” said Annette.

  “You’re telling the truth,” I said. Miles already had his arm around me, and he squeezed. “What? They’re our friends! No one else is around.”

  “Sorry honey, reflex,” said Miles, and I rolled my eyes while John and Annette laughed.

  Miles showed them what he knew about the system, which… wasn’t a whole lot. Troy was back with our luggage and our irate cats, by the time he was through. The cats quickly stopped their squalling as they neared us.

  “That’s totally amazing the calming influence you have on your cats!” said Troy, impressed.

  It’s Miles that has the influence. He learned last year to create a sound-proof force field as a matter of self-preservation. He uses it when taking the cats with us back and forth from the estate to our apartment, the vet, and anywhere else we have to transport them. Who could listen to that racket for long, and keep their sanity!

  “We’ll be back soon,” Miles told our friends, and we went with Troy to deposit the contents of the rolling cart in our suite as quickly as we could, then hurried back downstairs.

  The elevator doors slid open just in time to see Chef Antonio, Molly, and four of her girls walk through the front entrance.

  “Oh my goodness, I am so glad to see all of you!” I said. I hurried to meet them, pulling Miles along with me.

  I hugged Molly, and Chef.

  “You’ve no idea what lifesavers you are,” I said.

  “Thank you for your willingness to assist us. Anika’s… telling the truth,” he said, and almost laughed when I tightened the arm I had around him, and gave him a good squeeze. “You really are lifesavers.”

  “We’re just happy to do it,” said Molly, and the girls nodded. “It’s an adventure!”

  She has no idea. I really do need to inform her of the kind of adventure she might be in store for.

  “I am glad to be of service,” said Chef Antonio. “However, time is of the essence. I understand dinner is at six o’ clock. If we are to pull this off…”

  “Absolutely,” said Miles. “Follow us. John, Annette, figure out the rooms, and get Molly and the girls checked in.”

  “We’ll talk soon, Molly,” I said, as we raced off to Elizabeth’s.

  I could see in Chef’s eyes he was concerned. Why wouldn’t he be! Tossed into a strange kitchen, with new dishes to prepare…

  “You’ll do great, Chef,” I said.

  “Yes, I shall do my best.”

  “You’ll succeed brilliantly, and I want to hear you say it,” I said.

  “Very well then, I shall succeed brilliantly.”

  “You’re telling the truth,” I said, fully satisfied. I squeezed Miles before he could squeeze me, and he almost laughed. “It’s going to be amazing. Everyone’s going to be saying ‘chef who?’ about the other guy, after tonight.”

  “Yes, Mrs. Bannerman. I shall do my best to ensure your reputation as a prophet.”

  I laughed.

  “We have full confidence in you,” said Miles, as we reached the door to Elizabeth’s and went inside. “Anika, did you tell Chef Antonio why so many of the staff chose to leave?”

  “Hm, no, I kind of forgot, I was so worried about how we were going to get by if Chef and Molly and our friends weren’t able to help us.”

  “Okay,” Miles said, squeezing my hand twice. I tried to pinch him for that, I was not lying! I really forgot! But he foiled me with a force field. Miles smiled, I glared, and Chef looked confused. Miles got back to the conversation. “This is going to be hard to believe, but the employees have been seeing the spirit of a girl we believe to be named Elizabeth.”

  Chef nodded to the kitchen staff who had probably been wondering how they could possibly manage dinner on their own, then began to look over the menu. He didn’t act like he heard a word Miles said.

  Chef looked up.

  “It is not so difficult to believe. Surely you yourselves have seen and heard things which cannot be explained while living at the estate.”

  We both looked at him in surprise.

  He smiled.

  “I have what I need here. This evening will be a success, that is the truth as you say.”

  “Okay, well, we’ll go then,” I said.

  “Thanks, Chef,” said Miles. “If you happen to see Elizabeth, tell her I want to talk to her.”

  “Yes sir, I shall do that.”

  We hurried out, on our way back to the front desk.

  “Miles!” I hissed. “Chef was never at the estate when you were semi-transparent!”

  “I know!” he exclaimed quietly. “What is he talking about?”

  “I don’t know! Could this day get any crazier? And by the way, no using force fields against your wife!”

  “Really? Even if my wife is trying to hurt me?” Miles smiled.

  “I wasn’t trying to hurt you. Much. And what’s with thinking I was lying? I really did forget!”

  “I was teasing you, and you know that’s the truth.”

  “Oh. Well… okay, then,” I said, and stopped there in the lobby so I could hug him. Not because I was sorry for trying to pinch him, but because it had been a long day, and I wanted hugged before we faced the rest of it.

  Miles hugged me back, and kissed me too.

  “Oh good grief, do you people ever give it a rest?” we heard Xander say.

  “Only when we have to,” I responded. “I’m telling the truth!”

  Miles laughed, and we returned to the business of saving the Lodge.

  “Jenny, Chef is already in the kitchen,” I said. “You can go on in.”

  “Okay, great!” she said, her eyes shining with excitement.

  “We’re not likely to get a fitness center up and running tonight,” said Xander. “I’ve waited tables before, do you have enough servers already?”

  “No, we don’t, that would be great! Thank you,” said Miles. “You can go with Jenny, then.”

  “Alright. We’ll catch up with you later,” said Xander, and he and Jenny hurried on their way.

  “It’s all coming together,” smiled Miles, as we continued through the lobby on our way back to the front desk.

  “It is, look, John and Annette seem to be doing fine.”

  They were smiling and chatting with a couple as they checked them in, then handed them a key. Troy stood nearby, their luggage neatly loaded on his handy wheeled cart.

  “It’s going to be fine. It’s even going to be fun,” said Miles.

  “Yeah, it is,�
� I smiled. “You’re telling the truth.”

  Chapter 5

  Night hissed. Or was it Pandora. Maybe both, I was having a hard time waking up.

  “Hush, kids, you’ll wake your dad,” I mumbled.

  Night, it had to be him, hissed louder. What was going on?

  It must be late, considering what time it was when we finally went to bed. The logs in the fireplace were still burning though, casting soft fingers of flickering light over the room and its contents.

  I yawned and stretched a little. Both cats were quiet now. Lulled by the steady beat of Miles’ heart, I drifted back to sleep.

  I heard a low growl, and frowned. What was going on?

  Miles was still sound asleep, his arms around me. I managed to sit up, and looked around to see what had my cat so uptight.

  My eyes widened with a jolt, as my heart struggled to decide whether it wanted to speed up, or stop. Its indecision just about choked me as I sat there, staring at…

  Elizabeth.

  Long blond hair, long white gown with long sleeves, it had to be a nightgown. Luminous blue eyes, wide in a pale oval face. An ornate bracelet on one thin wrist, her hand stretched out toward—

  “Back off!” I shouted fiercely, heart pounding now, as I dove to get between her and Miles and prevent her from touching him. Miles’ arms tightened before I could get very far, nearly squishing me in the process. Night spit, and yowled. The lamp on Miles’ nightstand lit. Trixie was suddenly there blocking Elizabeth, a wary look in her eyes. Chip whined from the other side of the bedroom doors. Elizabeth shrieked and cowered on the floor, shielding her head with her arms. Miles sat up, and tried to shove me behind him.

  There was a minor scuffle. I was determined to get between him and Elizabeth, and he was just as determined that I would not.

  “Trust me to handle this,” he said in that tone of voice no one argues with. “Sit beside me, and be still. Please.”

  I stared at him for a second, and he stared back. Then I remembered, and nodded. He didn’t need me to protect him. We both sat on the edge of the bed.

  “Night, that’s enough,” Miles said calmly.