Trace of Evil, page 18
Frieda sat there for a moment, eyes wide and mouth open. “Fritzy. He was saying Fritzy. That was Daddy’s nickname for me.”
The sound of indrawn breaths filled the room, and I experienced chills. Serena spoke for another ten minutes, giving Frieda various names and words imparted to her. A few had meaning; others didn’t. There was one other “Aha!” moment for Frieda, when Serena described a tall man with a decided limp and a special cane.
“That’s him! My father.” Frieda beamed at the rest of us. “Daddy always used a shillelagh carved by his grandfather.” She told Serena how accurate some of her messages were and thanked her.
We took a few minutes to regroup and give Frieda the notes we’d taken.
Ted was next. He frowned in disappointment when Serena didn’t hit him as well as she had Frieda. He’d given her a ring that belonged to his mother. However, at the end, Serena said, “I’m going to say this because it’s what I keep hearing. Okay?”
He nodded. Again, she said, “This is what I hear— ‘Kisses and hugs, Teddy boy.’”
Ted almost fell off his chair. His face was a perfect picture of surprise, complete with open mouth.
“That’s what she always said to me. That was my mother.” Tears formed in his eyes, and he dug around for a tissue while repeating, “That was my mother.”
She was amazing. What a gift. I wished I’d brought a treasured object from my grandmother to give her instead of this stupid diary. I’d love to hear from Grams. Maybe Serena would come again.
Sam’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. I whispered, “Well?”
“I’m surprised how good she is. I could almost become a believer.”
Traci also seemed less skeptical than before. Serena was the real deal.
She moved on to Heather, who had a beautiful gold locket. Serena smiled. “I sense pulses of love. I hear a woman. She’s telling me she’s there for you, and she’s not alone.” She paused and closed her eyes. “The man beside her is throwing a kiss with his fingers.” Her forehead wrinkled, and she paused before adding, “Something about a kitten.”
Tears dampened Heather’s cheeks. She wiped them away with her sleeve and managed a snuffling, “Granddaddy’s big joke. He called me ‘Kitten,’ from his favorite TV show, Father Knows Best.”
There were quite a few names Heather recognized, and she appeared pleased with the results. Before moving on to Traci, Serena looked at Heather, tilted her head, and said, “You’ve had trouble here.”
Heather blinked, and her voice became a little breathless. “Yeah, I have.”
“Take care.” Heather’s eyes widened, and I caught her nervous stare. I glanced at Sam, who’d straightened in his chair. What she said sounded ominous.
Traci, who was next, passed Serena a picture of a man who might be in his thirties. Serena held the photo and seemed to be concentrating. After a minute, she said, “I’m sensing he’s still in this world.”
Traci’s voice rose in surprise. “That’s right.”
Serena said she was picking up something about long distances. She described a kind of uniform .
Traci’s sharp inhale told us Serena hit the mark. “He’s a pilot.”
Serena nodded as if she’d already guessed that. Her whole countenance projected calm and reassurance. I wondered how anyone was able to stay sane with ghosts speaking to them. Yeesh!
“He misses you when he’s away. Is there an important subject you need to discuss?”
Traci blushed and studied her hands. “Yes.”
There were a couple more hits. A few misses. When she presented the big stuff, though, Serena was dead on. Oops, I’m glad I didn’t say that out loud.
The next person was Sam, who explained to Serena he was there for moral support and took my hand. I sent a satisfied glance to Traci; he was mine. With a lift of her shoulders and a questioning look, Serena invited me to speak. My chest tightened. Maybe I shouldn’t do this. The others had given her a special object from someone they loved. I had nothing in common with Elias. I despised him.
Before I turned the diary over to Serena, it warmed in my hands. Odd. “This isn’t mine. Will it still work?”
“That’s all right,” but she hesitated before she touched it. “I’m sensing anger.” She took the diary. Eyes closed, she held the book on her lap. Then she made a keening noise Her head moved from side to side as if she disagreed with someone. She mumbled unintelligible words.
My breathing faltered. Panic clawed at my chest. Serena said she wouldn’t go into a trance. If this wasn’t a trance, it came darn close to one. Her voice grew louder, and she swayed. We all looked at one another in alarm. The temperature in the room dropped. I grasped Sam’s hands. He put his arm around me.
Serena’s shout terrified me. “Begone!” Moments later, her tone intensified, and her words became sharp and clipped. “Go. Away.” By now, the room was freezing. Her hands shook, and her whole body twitched. “Leave. I command you. Depart.” She shook her head, then she screamed, “No!”
When the book flew away from her and crashed to the floor, I leaned into Sam. Serena sank back in her chair, deflating like a leaky balloon. Heather moved to her side to help her. I froze in Sam’s arms. The diary lay on the floor, open to the pages with Rebecca’s name, the ones my blood had touched.
A liquid-like warmth settled around me. I was so tired. Whispers echoed in my head—whispers and laughter. “It’s done. You’re mine.”
I sensed confusion in the room, but I didn’t care. He’d found me. No! I fought the urge to give in; I didn’t want to go with him. “Please leave me alone!” His voice faded. Loud, sharp noises battered my senses.
“Dani! Snap out of it.” The voice was familiar. “Come on, honey. Wake up.”
I forced my eyelids open. Sam peered at me, his face pale, his expression wild. What was he upset about? A persuasive force pulled me away. I relaxed into it, until frantic barking jarred me awake. As if from a distance, I came back to the room.
My mouth and brain worked in tandem. “Sam?” His arms tightened around me. I looked up at him. “Don’t let him get me.”
“Jesus.” He crushed me into him.
Everyone clustered around Serena who fought to stand by herself. She’d changed. Her staunch personality faded to a pale replica. Dark eyes in a bloodless face stared into my own. For a moment, she held my gaze, then twisted away from concerned hands and grabbed her shawl. “I have to leave. Please let me go. I can’t stay. I have to leave.”
She rushed to the front door. In her hurry to get to her car, she’d forgotten her purse.
I needed to talk to her. My head cleared a bit. I slipped out of Sam’s embrace. “I’m okay.” I snatched Serena’s purse and darted off to return it.
“Wait.” He chased after me.
The wind drove spikes of rain into my face. Serena slid into her car. I was still kind of woozy, and it took all my strength to twist away from Sam to get to her. When I knocked on the window, she jumped and leaned away from me.
I yelled against the shrieking wind. “You forgot your purse.” I showed it to her.
She blinked and rolled down the window. In a coarse whisper, she said, “It’s you. He wants you. Get out while you can!”
She seized her purse then sped off into the storm.
Sam covered me with Heather’s coat before leading me back to her apartment. The scene was chaotic, everyone talking at once. What happened? What did it mean?
Heather was a mess. Her party had been a success one minute, shot to hell the next. She glared at me. “The book.”
“I…I’m sorry.”
Sam tucked me under his arm, thanked Heather for the use of her coat, then steered me toward the door. “Wait a minute. An odd compulsion seized me. I scooped up the diary. Sam mumbled something like “nothing but trouble” as he ushered me out.
In my kitchen, he placed his hands on either side of my face and whispered, “You need a hot shower. You’re soaked and shivering.”
He was right, but I was so tired. He asked me if I wanted him to stay the night.
I shook my head. “All I want is to warm up and go to sleep.”
My answer wasn’t what he wanted, but he didn’t push. “I have a job in the morning. I won’t be finished until late afternoon. If you have any problems at all, call my cell. I’ll be in Salem. I can get here in five minutes.”
I promised I’d call if I needed him. His goodnight kiss left me unaffected. No heart palpitations. No ache for more. I hated the disappointment on his face. My indifference to this gorgeous man confused me. Earlier I’d planned to skate out of Heather’s as soon as possible for a repeat of last night on the sofa bed.
Too tired to let it bother me, I decided against the shower and fell into bed. I was asleep in minutes. A while later, I awoke aching for Sam. I searched for him, but he was gone. Where was he? He’d just had his hands all over me. As I floated into sleep, a whisper followed me. “Ah, Rebecca, my love. Soon.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
I ducked under the covers, then shoved the pillow over my head. No matter what I did, the blaring noise continued to echo through my mind. Sleep. I needed sleep. When the noise ended, I relaxed and started to drift off. The clamor started again. I leaped up and grabbed the hated phone. My hand squeezed, wanting to send the disruptive device flying, but I needed it for work.
I answered it. “What?”
Heather’s voice, taut with fear, seized my attention. “Something awful has happened.”
“Huh?” I was so comfortable. I hated to be awakened. “What time is it?”
“10:00 AM. Are you still in bed?”
“Ten? It can’t be. I never sleep that late. Wait a minute.”
I forced myself to sit up and confirm the time. Oh, my God. How could I have slept so long? What was wrong?
“Dani, are you listening?”
I hadn’t been paying attention. “Sorry. What did you say?”
“Serena was in an accident last night. She’s at the hospital in serious condition.”
“Serena?” I had a vague memory of the evening’s events. We’d been at Heather’s. Serena was awesome. I remembered her speaking to me. What was it she said?
Heather was talking again; I’d have to concentrate. I wondered if I was getting sick.
“What’s the matter with you? Are you okay?”
“I think I might have picked up a bug or a cold.”
“I’ll be right there. We have to talk.”
“Let me get dressed, and I’ll put the coffee on,” I told her.
“Right. I’ll be there in ten.”
“Make it twenty.”
After a quick shower, my mind was less fuzzy. In case I might have a bug, I took two Tylenol. It couldn’t hurt; I’d gotten soaked last night. I’d better not get pneumonia. Fischer would have a fit if I missed work. I snagged a pair of jeans and a T-shirt while I searched my memory for the sequence of last night’s events. I was having a good time until I’d handed Serena the diary.
I remembered her scream. The rest was a little hazy. Sam’s arms comforted me. Oh, right. I gave Serena her purse. That’s how I got soaked. What did she say to me? I lost the thread when Heather arrived.
She started talking before I closed the door. “I can’t believe the insanity I witnessed in my living room: Serena in a trance, her crazy commands, and throwing the diary.” Heather shook her head. “I wish she’d waited to recover before driving in the storm.”
We sat at the table with our coffee. “Why was she upset?”
For a minute, Heather was speechless. When she found her voice, it sounded like a growl. “The diary! The minute Serena touched it, everything went crazy. You have to get rid of it.”
“Come on. It’s just a book. There must have been another reason.”
She shook her head. “No.” Her voice rose. The problem is the diary. It sent Serena into a trance, and she lost it.”
“What about her accident?”
“Oh, God. She missed the turn on Paradise Road. Around the curve by the river. The car crashed into the guard rail, flipped over, and landed in the water. Thank God the tide was low, otherwise she’d have drowned.”
“That’s terrible. How bad are her injuries?”
“A friend of mine at the hospital said she’s still in the ICU, either in a coma or they induced one. I guess she has a bunch of broken bones. They’ll have more information later.”
“I hope she’ll be okay.”
“Me too. Did she speak to you when you gave her the purse?”
“Yeah. She acted strange. Almost like she was afraid of me. She said something like, ‘He wants you.’”
“You mean Sam?”
I shrugged. “Beats me.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty clear he wants you.”
“Is it?”
“Give me a break. The two of you are so obvious. Anyway, the diary started the trouble. Serena went nutso after she held it.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” I said. “Why would the journal upset her?”
She lowered her voice to say, “Maybe it’s the ghost? He might be part of the diary.” She twisted her ponytail around her finger and bit her bottom lip. “Frieda and Ted told me they sensed evil in the room last night.”
I couldn’t help myself. I laughed. After a couple of seconds, she chuckled. I poured us another cup of coffee. “They’re into this weird stuff, aren’t they?”
“They were thrilled with the evening. They wanted to bring a Ouija board into my apartment before they left last night. I told them no way. I didn’t want one of those in my house.”
I agreed with Heather. Ouija boards were freaky. “Some people call them witch boards.”
Heather lowered her cup. “Those two may be a bit intense, but you’ve got to admit last night was super weird.”
“Yeah. Serena sounded like she was casting out the devil.”
“Don’t forget the room got wicked cold, and you were way out there.”
I took a sip. It tasted good. “I was surprised to see Serena in full-blown psychic mode. Is that her shtick?”
“No. The word is she’s the real deal. I guess because she’s a witch.”
I ran different scenarios through my head to explain what happened. Not much came to mind. “Maybe, she wasn’t expecting whatever she found. You heard her yelling. With the strain I’ve been under, her actions might have sent me over the edge. Like mass hysteria?”
“Damn, Dani. It’s the diary. All the trouble happened when you gave it to Serena.”
“All I can think of is that she conjured the ghost. I hope she’ll be okay.”
“I hear you.” She leaned back in her chair, crinkled her eyes, and grinned. “You and Sam are, like, super tight. He had a fit last night when you zoned out. You were saying crazy things, yourself.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Like what?”
“You told Sam not to let him get you. I was at a loss. Serena fainted, and you were talking ragtime. It got pretty intense for a while. Which reminds me, are you still having nightmares?”
“Not for a few nights now. I do remember a sexy dream about Sam last night, though.”
“Yeah, I love those. Whoops. Look at the time. I’ve got to take JoJo for a walk. The rain’s stopped. Want to go with us?”
“No, thanks. I want to get some housework done. Sam’s coming later.”
She pointed at me, winked, and said, “Lucky you,” before she closed the door.
The bedroom was a mess. I walked in and glared at the diary on my nightstand. Was Heather right? Had that book caused all the trouble?
I sat on the bed and leaned my head in my hands. Part of last night was hazy. I was finding it more and more difficult to distinguish dreams from reality.
~ * ~
Sam arrived a little after five. His presence no longer spiked my blood pressure or my libido. I was tired and told him so. He ignored my complaints, overruled my excuses, and insisted I go out with him, carrying on about the benefits of fresh air. Humbug!
By the time we reached the stairs, all I wanted to do was sit. “Let me rest for a minute.” I was furious when he wouldn’t let me. He had to help me to the truck. When my foot wouldn’t reach, his gentle hands guided me. Our first stop was the sandwich shop. From there we were headed to the beach.
Although I wasn’t tired any more, I didn’t like him treating me like a child. Pouting like a two-year-old, I said, “It’s too cold to sit on the beach.” After the storm, the temperature had dropped.
He kissed me and ruffled my hair. “Stop whining. I’ve got this.”
While he drove, I grumbled about him ruining my hair.
At the beach, he took two chaise lounges, two blankets, and a radio from the back of the truck. He placed the chairs on the sand and settled me into one. As he put the blanket around me, my body reacted, humming with desire. I remembered how talented those strong hands were. When he grinned, I wanted to seize his face and devour those fresh lips. Why hadn’t I reacted like that earlier, though?
He turned the radio to a classical station, gave me a sandwich and soda, then sat next to me. Not too many people had braved the cool September day. We had the beach pretty much to ourselves. The last rays of the sun still provided some warmth. I sucked in a deep breath of invigorating salty air. The storm had aroused the ocean’s fury, and the explosion of massive waves delighted me. Our biggest problems came from the thieving seagulls. Before long he had me laughing.
After we’d finished our sandwiches, he brought up the previous night’s fiasco. “I’m worried about you. For a few minutes at Heather’s, I couldn’t get through to you at all. Then afterward and today, you didn’t even want to be with me. It made me wonder if you’d found another guy.”
“No. Don’t say that,” I cried. “You make me happy. It would break my heart if you weren’t around.”
He squeezed my hand, one of the few parts not covered by a blanket. “I’d be devastated without you, too, but you’ve been so distant since the scene at Heather’s. The lassitude is worse at your place. I can’t figure it out. I’m halfway convinced there’s a gas leak affecting you. Last night, you had to fight to keep your eyes open.”
