The Lodge at Whispering Pines

by Melissa R. L. Simonin

  I laughed, and kissed the most gorgeous guy that ever lived.

  “Yes. I’m very worried about that. Let’s go claim our food!”

  Miles laughed, and we left our room to join my sister.

  She was sitting at the table eating a chicken strip and looking at her iPad.

  “I hope you’re doing something more prone to healthy digestion than reading about murder,” I commented, as Miles pulled out a chair for me, and I sat.

  “Hm?” she said, her mouth full. She looked confused, then looked back at the iPad and pointed.

  “Oh. Missing persons. Because that’s sooo much better,” I said. “You do realize our mother is never letting you stay with us again.”

  “Oh, lighten up,” she managed to say around a mouthful of chicken. “I’ll tell her you fed me twice, I slept a couple of hours… omit absolutely everything else. It’ll be fine.”

  I rolled my eyes. Miles smiled, passed me the soup, and handed me a spoon.

  I took a bite.

  “Oh my goodness, this is so good,” I said, feeling my energy level replenishing as I ate. “I may order seconds.”

  “Living here is awesome,” said Doreen.

  “It is pretty great,” I agreed.

  “Do you like this better than the apartment?” asked Miles.

  “Hm. I don’t know,” I said. “I like it better than being on campus and running into darkness every couple of feet.”

  Doreen tore her attention away from her iPad, and focused it on me. She looked concerned.

  “It wasn’t quite that bad,” I reassured her.

  “More like every four feet,” said Miles, then he looked over at me. “It began to feel that way, anyway.”

  “Yeah it did. In spite of being crazy busy ever since we stepped through the doors, this is so much better.”

  “Good,” Miles said, leaning over and kissing my cheek. “I prefer it too.”

  “So…there’s lots of murderers at your school?” Doreen asked.

  “Well… there was the visiting professor,” I said. “Then there was the guy that… never mind.”

  I started eating again. I forgot for just a second that she was only eleven, and should be watching the latest Disney Princess movie, not talking about murder.

  Doreen sighed in frustration, then went back to her chicken strips and her iPad.

  Miles glanced at his watch.

  “We should plan on getting to bed early tonight,” he said.

  Doreen giggled, then looked up at him.

  “Kind of showing your age, aren’t you?”

  “Watch it you little whippersnapper,” he said, looking stern. “Two can play at this game. What do you think, Anika. To be on the safe side, let’s introduce her as your ten year old baby sister, from now on.”

  “I’m not ten!” she said, wadding a napkin and throwing it.

  Miles stopped it in midair, and it fell to the table.

  “You and your sister are so alike, it’s spooky. And if you’re not ten, you’re not eleven either. I could say you’re five, and still be correct.”

  She rolled her eyes, and he smiled.

  I laughed.

  “Watch it sis, or he’ll throw in that you still take naps.”

  “Oh my gosh, you’re awful!” she declared, but she laughed too.

  We ate in silence for several minutes.

  “Elizabeth said she was murdered. She needs to find out who murdered her. Right?” asked Miles.

  “Yeah, that’s what she said,” Doreen replied.

  “I don’t understand the differences between the two of you,” I commented. “She could take off her costume, for one thing. What about you, Miles? When you were semi-transparent you were wearing a dark vest and pants, and a white shirt with no collar. You looked really sharp, by the way. Is that what you were wearing when you died?”

  “Thank you, and I had a coat too, a collar and cuffs. I saw no reason to be so formal after it was just me and Trix. So I lost those. And I do mean I lost them, I’ve no idea where they are.”

  “Okay, so then that’s a way in which you were the same as Elizabeth. There are more differences than similarities, though. She feels pain, she sleeps, her wound is visible, there’s the confusion…”

  “Well… she is confused,” said Doreen absentmindedly, as she focused on the screen of her iPad.

  I watched her for a second as I thought that over.

  “She is confused. She’s been wrong about things before…”

  Miles and I looked at each other.

  “You don’t suppose…” Miles was interrupted by the buzzing of his cell phone.

  “Xander…” Miles said, as he read. “He just finished going over the modifications made to the fitness center.”

  “They must’ve got a lot accomplished,” I commented.

  “Must have,” agreed Miles.

  “Speaking of which, I should check the tower when we have time, and see how that work is progressing.”

  “Tower?” asked Doreen, looking up from her missing persons search.

  “Yeah, it’s really cool,” I said. “Come with us, and you can see for yourself. The space was wasted under the previous management, but we’re going to put in a tearoom. Maybe you can help me pick out wallpaper.”

  That would be so much better than focusing on murder and missing persons, and the wounded apparition in our sitting room.

  “Yeah, I want to come! When are you going?”

  I looked at Miles. He was responding to Xander’s text, but hearing the pause in conversation he looked up.

  “How about after we finish eating?” he asked.

  “But what about Jenny and Xander?” I pointed out.

  “Jenny had to get back to work, and we really should check out the tower before we lose any more daylight. Which brings to mind, we need to bring in an electrician and have adequate lighting installed on the landing and in the tower. The single bulb hanging from the ceiling is hardly adequate.”

  “I’ll make that call tomorrow then,” I said, glancing at Miles’ watch.

  “What do you say we have Jenny and Xander meet us here at our suite, around midnight?” suggested Miles. “Elizabeth tends to wake up about that time.”

  “Yeah, do that!” said Doreen excitedly. “I’ll bet the more people that are talking, the easier it’ll be for her to join in!”

  “Good point,” Miles smiled at me. “So what do you say, dear?”

  “Let’s do that,” I agreed. “Let’s be sure and get some sleep before then. We didn’t come close to making up what we lost last night.”

  “Which church are we going to on Sunday?” Doreen asked, as she dug into her macaroni.

  “Tomorrow’s Saturday,” I said.

  “Yes, I know that, but what church are we going to Sunday?”

  “Do you have youth group?” I asked.

  “Mm-hm,” she managed, as she chewed.

  “Then we’ll go to yours,” said Miles.

  Doreen was pleased. She must have been concerned she’d have to miss.

  My phone vibrated, and I looked at the screen.

  “It’s Mom,” I said. I jumped up and moved to the family room, as I answered. If there was bad news, I didn’t want to hear it in front of Doreen.

  “Hi Mom, is Grandma still okay?”

  “Hi honey, and yes, Grandma’s doing real well. She’s home, actually.”

  “You’re kidding! She just had surgery, and she’s home?”

  “It was laparoscopic. They don’t keep patients overnight unless there are complications, and your Grandma is doing great. So she’s here at home, resting.”

  “Well, good, I’m glad she’s doing so well. I won’t insist you go check her back in, then.”

  Mom laughed.

  “Good! She wouldn’t be very happy if you did, she’s kind of glad to be home. How is everything there?”

  “Fine. Doreen’s eaten a couple of times, and gotten some sleep since she got here yesterday.” />
  Mom laughed. She thought I was joking. I could tell her everything right now, and she’d think I was joking. She’d also think my imagination was overactive, and my sense of humor darker than it used to be.

  “I’m sure she’s having a wonderful time. She won’t want to come home once we get back.”

  “When do you expect that to be?” I asked.

  “Sometime next week. Is that going to be alright?”

  “Sure, Mom,” I said. “It’ll be fine. We’ll make it work.”

  I flopped back on the couch and closed my eyes. What were the odds of keeping Doreen from getting further involved in our investigation and all of the other crazy things that unexpectedly crop up in our life on a sometimes minute by minute basis? Not good! And time didn’t improve them.

  “Thanks, honey. I can’t tell you how thankful we are to have you and Miles. I don’t know what we would’ve done otherwise. I know this is probably terrible timing with you starting your internship, and Miles starting his classes…”

  Oh. Wow. I forgot all about that, did Miles?

  “It’s okay, Mom. This is a good chance for me to get to know Doreen again, too. So… it’s fine. Take your time.”

  Now if she’d left my busy little brother here… that would be another story!

  “Thank you,” Mom said. She sounded relieved.

  “You’re welcome, Mom. I need to go, we’ve got Lodge business to take care of. We’re going to bed early tonight too, tomorrow’s going to be a busy day. So I’ll talk to you tomorrow afternoon, okay?”

  “Okay, honey. Love you!”

  “Love you too, Mom.”

  I pressed the end button on my phone, took a deep breath, and rejoined Miles and Doreen at the table.

  Neither of them said a word, but both had a concerned look in their eyes.

  “Grandma’s fine,” I quickly reassured them. They visibly relaxed. “She’s home, even. Mom was just checking in.”

  “So how long will they be gone?” asked Doreen.

  “Until sometime next week, anyway.” I sat beside Miles and took a bite of my sandwich.

  “Do you want more soup?” asked Miles.

  “No, it’s cold now,” I said, giving it a speculative look.

  “Not for long.” Miles kissed my cheek, then picked up my bowl and carried it to the kitchen. I heard the microwave start.

  “So Mom doesn’t really know?”

  “She just said sometime next week.”

  I ate another bite of my sandwich.

  “Do you think I have abilities like yours and just don’t know?” She looked at me searchingly, as if she’d find the answer if only she looked deep enough.

  “I’ve no idea,” I said, as Miles returned from the kitchen, and set my now steaming bowl of soup in front of me. “Thank you, dear.”

  “You’re welcome,” he smiled, then looked at Trixie. She was lying in front of the fire, enjoying the warmth. Night and Pandora wanted that warmth too, so both dogs and cats were utilizing the space in front of the fireplace. Chip was asleep, dreaming. His tail twitched, smacking Night in the head. Night didn’t like that, but didn’t want to move either. He twitched his ears, annoyed, but stayed put.

  “Trixie,” Miles called her. She lifted her head to look at him. “Do you know anything about Doreen? Anything you haven’t learned from us?”

  Trixie glanced at Doreen, whose eyes were large with anticipation. Trixie looked back at Miles.

  “Trix doesn’t know. She said Anika and I are her only concern. She doesn’t know about anyone else.”

  “Yeah, she’s said that before,” I remembered. “It was worth a try, though.”

  Doreen slumped in her seat, disappointed.

  “What Trix said is that she doesn’t know,” Miles said, and Doreen looked a little encouraged. “Whether you do or whether you don’t have some unusual ability, you’ve got abilities.”

  “Like what?” she wanted to know.

  “You’re smart, and you’re observant. You can do a lot with that.”

  Doreen considered this as I finished my soup and Miles checked email with his phone.

  “I’ve got to get my shoes, then I’ll be ready to go,” she said, then went to her room.

  Miles turned to me.

  “If she does find that she has abilities, at least she won’t have to navigate them entirely alone.”

  “Thank goodness we don’t either,” I said, as Miles held my hand. “We’ve got each other.”

  Miles kissed me and said, “Always.”

  Chapter 14

  The fire burned brightly, warming the air and filling it with the scent of burning juniper. Its glow, combined with the light cast by the sitting room lamps, created a cozy atmosphere which was at variance with the transparent guest that slept in the nearby chair.

  I sat on the couch near the fire. The two dogs and two cats were lying on the floor near the hearth. They wanted very much to absorb as much heat as possible before the rest escaped, and dissipated throughout the room. In addition to my velour pants and jacket, I was wrapped in a warm sweater. I had no intentions of being awake all night again, but if I was, at least I’d be warm.

  Doreen sat in the chair next to Elizabeth’s, watching for any sign of awareness. She looked a little bit more little-girlish, now that she was wearing her Hello Kitty pajamas and robe. A little bit, anyway.

  “Come in,” I heard Miles say, as he ushered Jenny and Xander through the door of our suite, and into the sitting room.

  Xander’s eyes were huge, and so were Jenny’s. She held tightly to his hand with one of hers, and used the other to grip his bicep.

  “Have a seat,” said Miles. He motioned toward the loveseat, then joined me on the couch. I tucked my feet underneath me, and he put his arm around me.

  “So… what’s going to happen?” asked Xander in a hushed voice.

  “You don’t have to talk quiet,” said Doreen, in a normal tone. “You’re not going to bother her.”

  “I doubt you could wake her up even if you wanted to,” I said. “That’s why we’re sitting here in the middle of the night, instead of waking her to talk during business hours.”

  “The pressure on the force field may be related to her need to sleep,” Miles said. “It was very strong at times today, but much weaker now.”

  “Why would that be?” Jenny wondered. “Why would that make sense?”

  “We’re beginning to wonder if—” Miles halted abruptly as Elizabeth began to stir.

  “The pressure on the force field is gone,” he said quietly.

  Elizabeth blinked her luminous blue eyes, and Jenny held her hand tightly over her mouth to hold in a gasp. Xander watched in fascination.

  Elizabeth looked around at each of us.

  “Elizabeth, these are our friends Xander and Jenny,” said Miles. “Xander, Jenny, this is Elizabeth.”

  “Hi, Elizabeth,” said Xander. Jenny took her hand off of her mouth and echoed him, then held tightly to his arm again.

  “Hi,” Elizabeth said, then looked back at Miles. “You’re… different.”

  Here we go again.

  “When I was most different, I was still very different than you,” said Miles. “I wonder why that is.”

  “Miles was semi-transparent and had no sign of injury,” I said. “His eyes didn’t glow. He knew he needed to prove he was innocent of a crime in order to be set free. He helped me do that. He didn’t get confused.”

  I hoped this wouldn’t push her over the edge… we weren’t asking questions though.

  Elizabeth concentrated.

  “I’m different. I know how, I don’t know why. I’ve got to find out who killed me, though. I have to!”

  “Okay,” I said, thinking quickly. “Miles, do you remember the Halloween party we went to?”

  “Yes, I do remember. I had a lot of fun with you.”

  “I remember hearing about it,” said Doreen. “I went to a party, too. I went with friends.”

&nbs
p; “We went with friends, Anika,” said Miles. “We went with Xander and Jenny.”

  Miles looked at Xander, and he sat up nervously.

  “Yeah, uh, it was awesome. Jenny helped with the food.”

  “The university had a committee in charge of refreshments,” said Jenny. “I was on the committee, but there were other people, too.”

  “I went to a party. There wasn’t a committee, everyone had to bring food.”

  “Our party was at the Student Center on campus,” I said. “It was a University party.”

  “That’s right,” said Miles. “The University organized the party.”

  “The party I went to was at a house. I went with Spence… but I wasn’t supposed to be there.”

  “Why—ow!” exclaimed Xander, when Jenny pinched him. He got the point though, no direct questions!

  “Yeah, parents like to say no. As if it’s their business what you do!” said Doreen. I shot her a look, and she shot me one back.

  “My parents were okay with it. They like Spence, even though he’s a little older…”

  “I met Miles at his family estate,” I said.

  “I met Anika there, too,” said Miles.

  “I had a class with Spence. I didn’t get to finish it,” she said sadly. “I didn’t get to finish anything.”

  “I know a guy named Spence,” said Xander. “You do too, Miles.”

  “Remind me,” said Miles. “I don’t remember.”

  “Last semester, he was a TA in one of the classes you, John and I had together.”

  “Do you remember Spence’s last name, Xander?” I asked.

  “Ow!” Xander said in response to another pinch from Jenny. It worked though, he didn’t answer.

  “Spence Daniels, he was a TA in my class too,” said Elizabeth.

  The rest of us shot looks at each other.

  “That’s him,” said Xander. “It’s gotta be, it’s the same name.”

  “Miles and I go to college at North Glen Haven,” I said.

  “Xander and I do too,” said Jenny.

  “I took a class there, but didn’t get to finish. I would have gone full-time next year…” Elizabeth looked sad again.