BLACK VELVET ROSES

by Marianne Spitzer

  “Oh, no. He gave you a shot to help fight the infection.” Kellie shook her head.

  “Yup, I felt as if I was six again. I couldn’t believe it. That man loves shots.”

  “Do you remember when we were kids and he was the only doctor that made house calls. Every single time I ended up with a shot.” Kellie shuddered.

  “What made it worse was our moms would bake a pie and give him pie and coffee after we got injected. It was cruel. Remember?”

  “Yes, I do. I remember the time we were both sick. He stopped by your house. You got a shot. He came to mine and I got one. Mom fed him pie and coffee and he went back to your house for a slice of your mom’s pie. That was doubly cruel.”

  Both young women were laughing at the memories. “My boss saw the trouble I was having in the wrist braces and when I asked for a long lunch to go see the doc, he told me to take the rest of the week off. I’ll be home as soon as my script is filled.”

  “Your boss has a crush on you,” Kellie said. “Isn’t Hunter jealous?”

  “Mr. Halker is old enough to be my grandfather. They called my name. I’ll see ya soon.”

  “I’ll put on the tea kettle.” Kellie stood and Rufus jumped up next to her.

  “Okay, I’ll grab a couple of cheesecake slices from the bakery next door.”

  “Yum, see ya soon.” Kellie clicked off and slid the phone in her pocket.

  She looked at Rufus, “Taylor’s coming over. We have to make tea.”

  Rufus jumped and spun in the air. Kellie was convinced he knew what she said or maybe he understood the word Taylor. “I wish you could talk. I would love to know exactly what happened earlier.”

  ########

  The shadow stood on the deck and watched Kellie. She was beautiful. He wished he had known her when he was alive. That chance had been taken away by her grandfather’s greed. It may have been a bullet from his father’s gun, but it was her grandfather’s evil that pulled the trigger. If his bloodline had to end so does hers. The fact that his sister survived didn’t matter. His revenge was centered on the Malone family.

  ########

  When Taylor arrived at Kellie’s, the young women discussed the tragic events at the Gotz Manor. “Do you think the spirits that are still there killed them?” Taylor asked.

  “No, I spoke to the remaining spirits except the little girl in the photo, Constance, and Simon. The spirits didn’t say any of the others were evil except Thomas and he’s gone. Claudia called and said our biggest enemy is the house itself.”

  Taylor dropped her fork. “Darn it, I’m taking this brace off.” She looked at Kellie, “How can a house be an enemy. It isn’t alive. Can it be possessed the way the dead become evil spirits?”

  “I wish I knew. If we’re going back into that house, I’m going to do research on houses that have been proven to be haunted. There may not be any, but we need to know. Claudia said she’d do whatever she can to help.” Kellie took another bite of cheesecake.

  “Do you know when you want to go back?” Taylor pulled the second brace off.

  “Beth Devenly told me they’re investigating the deaths and the manor house is closed for tours. I think we’re going to have to wait until the tours begin again. We don’t want to break more laws by illegally entering a crime scene. It might be a couple of weeks which is okay since I would prefer that your wrists are healed before we go.” She reached out and laid her hand on Taylor’s bandaged wrist. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be fine. After all, I was given Doc Wilber’s cure all shot remember.” They both laughed.

  ########

  Randy arrived at Kellie’s late. Taylor had insisted she come over and have dinner with Hunter and her. She also fed Randy when he arrived. The four sat and discussed ways to keep Kellie safe from the shadow.

  “Claudia said he won’t come near me when I’m with a friend. Since Taylor has the week off we can spend most of the week shopping or doing things together,” Kellie said.

  “You can’t leave Rufus home alone,” Randy added. “We’re working outside all week and the weather’s nice. I can take him with me in the morning. I’ll bring him back each evening after work.”

  “You’re going to go out of your way twice a day just to pick up and drop off Rufus?” Rufus began to bark at the sound of his name. “Are you sure you want to do that?” Kellie asked.

  “Who said it’ll be out of my way?” Randy said. “You don’t think I’m going to let you alone every night do you?”

  “You don’t have to do that. I could sleep in Taylor’s guest room.” Kellie’s cheeks began to redden.

  “It’s your choice, but either way I have to take Rufus with me. I could always sleep in your guest room.” He winked at Kellie.

  Kellie dropped her head on the table and tried to cool her cheeks. She felt them getting hotter.

  Hunter laughed, “Yeah, like that’s going to work.”

  Taylor began giggling. Kellie shot her a look and Taylor’s giggle turned to laughter. She hit the table with her hand. “Okay, it’s settled. Randy is staying with Kellie. He’ll take Rufus every morning. Kellie will come here and spend the day with me. We’ll find things to do. The shadow can wallow in self-pity.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” said Randy.

  “Don’t I get a say,” Kellie asked.

  “Nope,” Hunter added with a grin.

  ########

  Kellie gave in and Randy spent the rest of the week with her. She and Taylor spent the days planning for the holidays even if they were two months away. The stores had begun to put up holiday decorations before Halloween. Trick or Treating was scheduled for Sunday afternoon and they stocked up on candy. Taylor left hers at Kellie’s or Hunter would have eaten most, if not all, before the weekend.

  Rufus came home exhausted every evening. Kellie knew he had the run of the work place outside and enjoyed it. Randy enjoyed the home cooked meals. Kellie was amazed at how much he could eat.

  The antibiotics worked wonders for Taylor. Her wrists were healing fast. A few more days and she could soak in a bath again. She didn’t mind the showers since Hunter always joined her, but she still missed her soaks in the whirlpool tub.

  ########

  Friday arrived and Drew was released from rehab. His father picked him up and gave him a stern lecture on the way home. “Listen son, I know you’ve tried to quit drinking. This time, if you want to stay with us, you can’t have one drop. We don’t have as much as one beer in the house so don’t bother looking.”

  “I won’t, I promise.” Drew said. His thoughts were racing with ways to escape his parents and Malone Springs.

  He spent the afternoon organizing his room. When his mom asked what he was doing, he replied, “There’s so much stuff from years ago that I should get rid of and make it homier since I’m going to stay here for a while.”

  His mom smiled. “You sound like the old Drew again.” She kissed his cheek and left his room to start dinner.

  Drew sat on his bed and honed his plan. Several months prior he had helped his parents organize their finances. He showed them how to use on-line bill pay and banking. He told them to pick good, strong passwords, but his mom was worried she would forget them. She had written them down and he knew where she stored the address book she used for the information. It would make it easy for him to move money from their savings to checking, forge his mom’s signature, and hit the road on Monday.

  He lay back on his bed and smiled. “They’ll never know I took five-thousand from them until I’m half way to the west coast,” Drew muttered. “It’s a good place to get lost and I’ll never return to Malone Springs.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Hunter began complaining as soon as Taylor dumped the bags of candy into a large orange plastic bowl. “Hey, you didn’t buy my favorites. How am I supposed to enjoy Halloween?”

  “I bought this for the kids, not you. If you are looking for those gooey chocolate peanut covered bars, go bu
y your own. You have money. I don’t want all the kids to be covered with melted chocolate before they get home.” She laughed at Hunter as he tried his best to frown and act hurt.

  Kellie had filled a large plastic pumpkin with candy and Randy was digging through it pulling out several of his favorites. She raised her eyebrows.

  He grinned and said, “I can’t help it if you bought candy I like.”

  Kellie picked up the pumpkin and said, “Let’s sit on the front porch. It’s nice outside today. We can leave the front door open and Rufus can stay in the house. The shadow won’t bother him with us on the porch.” The door chimes rung and Rufus barked.

  “Here we go,” said Randy. “The kids are invading.”

  When they walked out to settle on the porch, they saw Hunter and Taylor settling down on theirs. The street was filling with friendly ghosts and goblins. They were the kind Kellie liked. She knew she was going to be facing real ghosts soon. Kellie shuddered. Three kids ran up the sidewalk and she smiled pushing away her fears.

  ########

  The shadow walked around the back yard and peered in the back sliding doors. The dog was in the house alone, but Kellie was too close and she wasn’t alone. It wouldn’t be any fun to cover the dog with soot again. He tried that once. Kellie saved it. He would get them both while she slept. The shadow could smother them with enough soot to kill them. He needed them to be alone. The shadow knew he would need to attack Kellie while her own defenses were low. The last thing he needed was for her to be alert enough to summon that bright light. Perhaps in her sleep would be best.

  ########

  Drew spent Halloween finishing organizing his room. His mom was proud of how neat and clean it looked. Little did she know that he had everything planned out so he could pack his things in minutes, transfer the funds, forge a check, and leave while his dad took her to her dental appointment.

  It would only take him a few minutes and when his mom was walking into the dental office, he would be cashing the check. He’d be well out of town before they arrived home and found his goodbye note.

  ########

  Rufus dropped onto his dog bed and fell asleep as soon as Randy and Kellie walked into the bedroom. Randy sat on the edge of the bed and pulled his shirt off over his head. Kellie stood and watched how his muscles rippled on his arms. He was only a few inches taller than her but much stronger. Construction work had been good for his body. She knew if he turned and she saw his bare chest it would make her knees weak. She spun and headed for the bathroom hoping he would be under the covers by the time she returned.

  She returned wearing a short, silky plum robe and Randy whistled. He wasn’t in bed; he was lying on top of the quilt. On his back with his hands behind his head only made him look more desirable. Randy had removed his jeans and Kellie wasn’t sure she could walk to the bed. She felt like running. Randy was sexy. He was good to look at dressed. Seeing him lying on her bed, Kellie couldn’t imagine resisting him.

  Taking a deep breath, she sat on the edge of the bed. “I know you’re here to keep me safe from the shadow, but if you stay over a few more nights, my neighbors are going to think you moved in.”

  He rolled on his side and pushed up on his elbow. “Would that be so bad? Rufus has accepted me. You know how I feel about you.”

  Kellie’s eyes dropped. She was feeling the same, but it was too fast. “I think we need to slow down. I know how you feel and I’m beginning to feel the same, but I don’t want to rush and one of us gets hurt.”

  “I would never hurt you.” He reached out and touched her arm.

  “I wouldn’t hurt you either, but things happen. I never thought Drew …”

  “I’m not Drew. If you feel that way, I can sleep in the guest room until we deal with the spirit. You can’t be alone. I could go home and you could go to Taylor’s. I don’t want to ruin something good.” He pushed himself into a sitting position.

  “I didn’t mean to compare you to Drew. I’m sorry. I was thinking about relationships in general. I trust your feelings for me more than I trust mine for you. What if, after all I’ve been through, I can’t take that final step. My life has been upside down for a while. The blood that flows through my veins came from a man who killed his own child and tried to kill me. What if I turn out to be like my grandfather?” She gripped the quilt with her fists and fought the tears she felt in the corners of her eyes.

  “What if the world ends tomorrow?” She turned and looked at him. “I’m serious. No one knows what tomorrow holds. We both know what can happen. If we live for today and enjoy it for all its worth, when tomorrow comes we’ll have the strength to face it. If it means we go our separate ways at some point, I would like it to be for a better reason than fear.” He reached for her.

  She nodded. “You’re right.” When he kissed her, she responded and they gave in to their passion. Morning’s light found them wrapped in each other’s arms.

  ########

  Kellie was sleeping when Randy woke. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. She didn’t move. He kissed her eyelids and she still didn’t move. He tried the tip of her nose and she continued to lie there. He needed to get ready for work and shower, but he couldn’t resist one last kiss and he kissed her lips. Her arms shot up and embraced him. She pulled him close returning his kiss with passion. “You little minx,” he smiled and kissed her again.

  An hour later they finished their shower and sat at the breakfast table. “What are your plans for today? I’ll keep Rufus with me,” Randy said.

  “I’m going to visit Kyle, Becky, and the baby. I haven’t seen them in a while and I need to warn them about the shadow. Claudia said he wants me dead because he thinks I’m the last of the Malone line. If he finds out about Kyle and the baby, he’ll go after them. I’m hoping he doesn’t know.” She stood and placed her dishes in the dishwasher.

  “That’s a good idea. Call me when you leave their house. I can always come back here early or do you want to stay with Taylor?” He walked up behind her and slid his arms around her waist.

  She turned and said, “You can stay with me. If I hide from life I’ll never have one. I’ll have an existence. She reached up and kissed him.

  They left the house together.

  ########

  The shadow had no idea about Kyle and had no interest in following Kellie. She took the dog with her. He hated the dog. It would give him time to rest before they came home. Perhaps he would find a way to get Kellie alone. If he could trap her and smother her before the dog or her friends found her he would have enacted his revenge. He would find a way to get her alone.

  ########

  Kellie pulled into Kyle and Becky’s drive just as they were coming out their back door. She rolled down her window. “I’m sorry I didn’t call first, but this is important. I was hoping you were home.”

  “We do have a pediatrician’s appointment, but were going to stop at the store first. We can go after. We have a few minutes. Can we sit in your car? I don’t want to unbundle the baby,” Becky said shifting her son in her arms.

  “Yes, Please.” Kellie unlocked the doors. Kyle slid into the passenger seat while Becky and the baby sat in the back.

  “I have to tell you about a spirit that has been stalking me and coming into my house when Rufus is outside. It did come in one day and attacked Rufus, but I got home in time.” She looked into Kyle’s eyes. “I don’t believe it will come after you. It’s not aware you exist. I’ll do my best to keep it that way.”

  “Why? Is this another thing the old man caused?” Kyle’s eyes showed his anger remembering the horror he went through with the old man.

  “Yes, but the old man died before this happened. He was the cause of a businessman losing a fortune. The man shot and killed his wife and son. He then set fire to their home. The spirit of the son is after me. He wants to eliminate the entire Malone bloodline. I have not mentioned your last name at home for that reason. If he knew you existed, he would have been here already.
His name was Gordon Otto. I wanted you to be aware if anything abnormal happens. If it does, call me.”

  “Are you going to be safe?” Becky asked.

  “Yes, Claudia is looking into ways we can get rid of it. The best it can do is throw soot around. I could be smothered by the soot, but Randy is making sure I’m not alone. Rufus is warning me when it’s near.”

  Becky smiled. “I’ll bet Randy is keeping you safe and more.”

  Kellie glanced over her shoulder to smile at Becky feeling her cheeks warm. “I just want you to stay safe, Becky.”

  “I know,” Becky flashed a smile back.

  Kyle said, “Thanks for telling us.” He reached for the door handle. “We have to leave. When the spirit is gone, we’ll come for a longer visit.”

  “Anytime.” Kellie waved at them as she backed out of the drive.

  ########

  Kellie had time on her hands and she was tired of walking through the mall. She was nearing the Chevrolet car lot and decided to look at new SUVs. She didn’t need one. Her SUV was only a few years old, but she could look.

  A salesman met her as she parked her car. “Hi, I’m just looking and I know what I want.”

  “I’m sure I can help you, what are you looking for?” asked the nice gentleman in the brown suit.

  “What I have now except brand new,” Kellie smiled as she walked into the showroom.

  “Let me show you what I have.” He led the way to a brand new Chevrolet Equinox.

  Kellie loved the SUV. “I don’t want black. I was thinking blue this time.”

  The salesman showed her the Atlantis Blue Metallic it came in and Kellie was sold.

  “I’m sorry we don’t have one here. I can get you one in less than a week.” He took out a note pad to write down her name and number.

  “You have my info on file. It’ll be a cash sale so be sure to come up with a solid trade-in for my SUV. We’ll talk,” she waved as she left the dealership.