Depart the Darkness Read online

  While Miles pressed the button to call the elevator, I saw one of our bellhops on his way back to the check-in area.

  “Hi Troy,” I greeted him. “How’s it going?”

  “It’s going great,” Troy smiled back. “How are the puppies?”

  “Growing so fast, you can practically sit and watch them do it,” I replied.

  “It’s hard to believe they’re seven weeks old already,” Miles said.

  “It’s even harder to think of them going to their new homes in another week,” I added. “I’m so glad we get to keep Fidget.”

  “Yeah, I guess with two big dogs already, it’d be too much if you kept all twelve,” Troy reasoned.

  And that’s why we were only keeping Fidget. It had nothing to do with Trixie designating a different destination for each of the others.

  “We’re really going to miss them,” Miles said. “It won’t be nearly as exciting with only one puppy in the suite. Especially one as gentle and mild-mannered as Fidget.”

  “Yeah…” Troy said. “Ever since Elizabeth quit popping in and out, it hasn’t been near as exciting at the Lodge, either.”

  “You don’t think so?” Miles replied, and Troy laughed.

  “No! You think there’ll be any more like Elizabeth, when word gets around that you set her free?”

  “How would word get around, Troy?” I wondered.

  “They won’t hear it from Elizabeth,” Miles pointed out. “She’s resting in peace now.”

  Or in physical therapy. She might be having lunch. But, she could possibly be resting. Her parents, the O’Neills, said that’s what she did whenever she wasn’t talking. In other words, the only time she didn’t talk was when she was asleep! After missing their daughter’s voice for so long while she was in a coma, they loved it, and loved teasing her about it. So did her boyfriend, Spence.

  “I don’t know,” Troy said with a shrug. “But I wonder. Vickie said she has a family ghost. The last time she was home, she went through all the rooms and said out loud that you could help it. So… I don’t know.”

  We both looked at him in surprise.

  I had no reply.

  “Okay then,” said Miles, as our elevator arrived. “Nice talking to you, Troy. Have a good afternoon.”

  “Yeah, you too, Mr. and Mrs. Bannerman!” Troy said, and continued his cheerful way down the hall.

  Miles snapped out of it faster than I did, and caught the door before it closed again. He ushered me inside, and pressed the button for the floor we wanted.

  “How thoughtful of Vickie,” I commented, then we both laughed a little.

  “No kidding,” Miles said. “But in spite of my previous circumstances, I’m not a believer in the paranormal in general. If a soul doesn’t depart, there’s a good reason for that, and a purpose for that soul to fulfill. I’m inclined to believe stories of hauntings are made up, or the invention of a particular kind of darkness.”

  “Yeah, I’m going with that too,” I said.

  “I never saw a sign of another soul at the estate the entire time I was semi-transparent. A lot of people lived and died there over the years before that. Not all of them were the result of natural causes. If unfinished business resulted in ghosts, the estate would’ve had several. Outside of that, I don’t have much experience. I didn’t do a lot of traveling away from home unless I thought my family needed protection.”

  “Like in the case of your brother and sister,” I said.

  “Right.”

  “It’s a good thing you went along. Your poor mother, she already lost two sons. I can’t imagine if she lost her other two children! And with your father gone, too.”

  “My thoughts exactly. Besides, I loved my brother and sister. James was cautious, but Cynthia was fearless. So I went along, and it all turned out right.”

  “Kind of weird to think that your younger brother and sister were older at the time, than you are now,” I commented.

  “They grew even older than that,” he replied. “Back to the point though, I never saw another semi-transparent soul during the many years that I was semi-transparent myself.”

  “That’s comforting,” I said.

  “I think so too,” he agreed. “For so many reasons.”

  The elevator opened, and we stepped out into the quiet stillness of the creepy hallway.

  Only today, one of our cleaning staff was vacuuming, while another dusted.

  “So much for my internal dialog,” I said, cupping my hand around Miles’ ear and raising my voice, so he could hear me over the loud hum of the vacuum.

  “Maybe you’ll get your chance on the way back,” he smiled. “That reminds me, though. Sometime we need to go through the storage room and sort it out.”

  “We’ll get Xander to do it,” I smiled, and Miles laughed. “Think he will?”

  “Only if we get the museum to pick up the doll first. Or, we could take the doll to them. You wouldn’t mind it riding in the backseat, would you?”

  “I would mind very much!” I exclaimed, and shuddered.

  “Pick up it is, then,” he smiled.

  We reached the end of the hall, and climbed the stairs to the large landing which now held several small tables, chairs, and the dessert counter. It would open for business in an hour, but there was no need for us to wait. The gate in the counter unlocked politely, and so did the refrigerated case. I placed our desserts of choice on two plates, while Miles fixed our drinks. Then, we made our way up the spiral staircase to the tower. The door swung open when we reached it, then latched behind us.

  “Much better,” Miles smiled, nodding toward the male counterpart of the chair he pulled out for me.

  “I’m glad you approve,” I said, as he had a seat. “I want to get a few more hours of truth behind me before lunch.”

  “You’re pushing yourself pretty hard,” Miles said, frowning a little as he stirred his coffee.

  “I just want it over with,” I replied. “Compared to what I’ve gone through in the past week, another twelve hours is nothing. And so far, nothing is all I’ve got to show for it.”

  “I’m sorry, I know that’s agonizing,” Miles said sympathetically. “I wish I could do something to help.”

  “You do,” I assured him. “You tell me it’s not my fault if the truth doesn’t lead to proof of Dillon’s guilt and the exoneration of Aaron and Phillip. You’re always there, ready to cheer me up when I get back from searching. But I want to get this over with. I need to get this over with.”

  “Alright,” he resigned himself.

  “Tell me more about Aaron,” I said. “I missed most of that conversation.”

  “He and his family are hanging in there,” Miles replied. “They’re still waiting to be assigned a hearing date.”

  “Why does everything take so long?” I wondered.

  “I don’t know. If the DOD really believes he’s a threat to national security, you’d think they’d act faster,” Miles said.

  “He still has his clearance, too,” I remembered. “We know he’s not guilty. But they don’t. None of that makes sense.”

  “No, it doesn’t. From what Aaron’s lawyer tells us, we should expect to have to wait several months after the hearing is over, before a verdict is reached.”

  “I feel inclined to exclaim ‘you’re kidding!’ even though I know you’re telling the truth,” I said, shaking my head. “Why the wait? What’s the justification?”

  “There wasn’t one given,” he answered.

  “That’s got to be agonizing for them. Even though we’ve removed the financial burden this placed on them.”

  “They no longer have legal fees to worry about,” Miles agreed. “They also know he’ll have a job if he loses his clearance.”

  “Knowing that hearing is coming, though. Knowing he’ll have to sit and listen to Intersect security falsely accuse and malign him… how awful.”

  “It’s hard for me to grasp that there is no evidence to be found,” Miles said. �
��I didn’t believe there was evidence to support my innocence, yet there was. As impossible as it seemed, after all that time, there was. But this… it’s present day. Yet the truth tells us there’s nothing.”

  “The letter that cleared you wasn’t accessible for a hundred and forty-four years,” I pointed out. “And that letter didn’t exist until several days after you were wrongfully accused.”

  “True,” Miles acknowledged. “Once the guy behind this has another phone delivered… it may change everything, and give us the evidence to convict both him, and Dillon.”

  “Here’s hoping,” I said, and we clinked mugs.

  After finishing our dessert, we scooted our chairs close together, and I paid another visit to the truth. I put away six excruciating hours this time. Afterward, I had nothing to show for it but the beginnings of a headache, brought on by severe boredom.

  The problem was, when Dillon lied about what he’d do if approached by someone wanting to exploit his current place of business… I got every last shred of the truth. That amounted to a lot of phone calls. A lot of classified information exposed. A lot of audit log changes, insider trading, shares bought and sold, on and on, practically to infinity. That’s how it felt, anyway. The memories were all so similar. So similarly useless, in proving Dillon’s guilt.

  After a while, it felt like being forced to sit and watch a professor chew bubble gum in front of the class. Maybe someday he’d actually say something. If he did, it might be important. It might make the difference been pass and fail. And so, as unlikely as it was, I had to stay. Watching, listening, waiting, wanting something that wasn’t there, and wasn’t likely to be.

  For my own sanity, I needed to unlock the rest of the truth and be done with it. I needed to do that today. For Miles’ peace of mind, I decided to wait and talk to him about it after lunch.

  We descended the spiral staircase, then placed our dishes in the tray behind the dessert counter. Lucy arrived just as we were leaving, so we spoke with her for a moment, before proceeding down the creepy hall to the elevator.

  Lucy was a perfect fit for the dessert counter and tearoom. Not that she wasn’t great with check-in and check-out. But she loved this, and it put her on the day schedule, which was better for her. I’d have to remember to talk to Miles about putting Steve on the day shift, too.

  “What thought are you lost in?” Miles wondered, as the elevator doors swished shut behind us.

  “Steve can’t very well take Lucy out on a date, if they work opposite hours,” I said.

  Miles looked mildly surprised.

  “I had no idea they knew each other.”

  “They don’t,” I replied. “Yet. But they should.”

  “I thought we agreed it would be an abuse of power to set people up,” he said. His expression was one of concern, but his eyes held laughter.

  “That’s in the case of framing someone for a crime they didn’t commit, or putting forth the temptation to commit one,” I reminded him. “This is completely different. And don’t forget… we were set up. Sort of. And look how well that worked out.”

  “Yes… although technically, Trix kind of dropped the ball on that. It was just as well, too. Imagine if you saw me standing behind you in the gallery, the day you first visited the estate. I’m afraid rather than throbbing, your heart would’ve had an attack.”

  “You underestimate your good looks, and that’s hardly a parallel example,” I replied, managing not to laugh. “Besides, I can see in your eyes that you don’t intend to try and stop me.”

  “I trust your judgement,” he said, and I smiled and hugged him.

  The elevator reached the ground floor. We walked into the corridor and through the arched doorway into the lobby, on our way to Elizabeth’s.

  The lobby managed somehow to be both spacious, and cozy. The windows offered satisfying views of the mountains and gently falling snow. Inside the fireplace, flames crackled cheerfully, casting their flickering light across the hearth, and the two guests who sat there. Others utilized the comfortable chairs and couches, enjoying coffee and conversation.

  It was impossible to know everyone’s names, considering this was a lodge rather than an apartment building. Besides, people came here to relax and chat with each other, not to be interrupted. So Miles and I smiled as we passed by, our guests smiled in return, and we all got back to what we were doing.

  In the case of the couple sitting by the fire, that was conversation. I couldn’t hear what they said, but… I did hear the truth. That, their expressions, and body language, gave me a pretty good idea what was going on.

  I slowed down, and so did Miles. He followed my gaze, then waited patiently for me to elaborate.

  “There’s a case of serious miscommunication over there,” I told him quietly. “I’ll talk to her, you talk to him.”

  “And say what?” Miles wondered. “We have different gifts, remember? I don’t have any idea what it is you know.”

  “Right, of course,” I said, thinking rapidly as I watched the two. “Her birthday is coming up. She thinks he forgot, he hasn’t said a word. He hasn’t forgotten, he’s arranging a big surprise party. He’s even arranged for all of her siblings to be here, and she has a lot. They’re spread all over the country. She knows he’s been secretive lately, on the phone a lot, and he quickly ends his calls when she comes in the room. He reserved the banquet hall here at the Lodge. She saw the charge for the deposit on their credit card statement, and misunderstood what it was for.”

  “That’s terrible,” Miles said, his eyebrows knitting with concern. “He’s trying to do something special for her because he loves her, but she thinks he’s seeing someone else.”

  “Yes,” I confirmed. “She’s making herself sick, and he’s too excited about surprising his wife, to realize.”

  “Why are they here today?”

  “Lunch, because he knows she loves the Lodge and Elizabeth’s.”

  “Probably not so much, now that she believes he’s been here with someone else,” Miles pointed out sympathetically.

  “Exactly,” I said, as the guy spoke to his wife, then stood. The anxiety in her eyes deepened as he walked away. “He’s on the way to the check-in counter to finalize arrangements for the party.”

  “That’s my cue,” Miles said.

  “His name is Kevin,” I hurried to say.

  “Back in a minute,” Miles replied. He kissed the side of my face, then crossed the large room to intercept the guy.

  I lost no time in joining Lara on the hearth.

  “Hi Lara, I’m Anika. My husband and I own the Lodge,” I decided to open with.

  “Hi,” she said distractedly. It didn’t seem to register that I knew her name. Probably because she was focused on Miles and Kevin, who were talking a distance away.

  “I can see you’re worried and anxious,” I continued. “I understand why you would be. But what looks like evidence that you’re losing your husband’s affection, isn’t.”

  “What?” she asked in surprise. She kept one eye on her husband, but the other was now on me.

  “He’s not seeing someone else. He’s never been here at the Lodge with anyone but you. He hasn’t forgotten your birthday. I don’t want to say any more and ruin anything for either of you. But I will, if that’s what it takes to alleviate your insecurity. It’s making you vulnerable, and putting your relationship at risk. Have faith in your husband. Tell him what you’re afraid of, tell him why, and don’t make the mistake of responding to that old boyfriend who’s been trying to contact you on Facebook.”

  She gasped, and her eyes widened even more. I had her full attention now.

  “How do you know about that?”

  “I didn’t,” I replied, kind of surprised myself. “I had no idea. But that does seem to happen to an awful lot of people.”

  “I wasn’t going to write back,” she hurried to say.

  “I’m glad to hear that,” I replied. I was also glad to know she was telling the tru
th.

  “But how—who are you, again?” she wondered.

  “I’m Anika. My husband and I own the Lodge.”

  “Oh,” she said. She tried, and somehow managed to accept that this explained it all.

  I glanced over at Miles and Kevin.

  “I can see our husbands are through talking. Mine’s ready to go to lunch. Enjoy your visit here at the Lodge, and don’t forget what I said.”

  As if she could!

  Lara’s eyes were locked on Kevin as he approached. I left her there and joined Miles on the other side of the seating area. When I reached him, I turned to look over my shoulder.

  The anxiety in Lara’s eyes was rapidly dissolving. There were no lies, so no truth was fed to me. But it was easy to figure out the gist of what was being said.

  Whatever he told her, relieved her mind. She laughed a little and rolled her eyes at herself, trying to make light of her previous concerns, as she told him what she’d thought. He was dismayed and hugged her, which almost brought her to tears. He couldn’t imagine how she could ever think that, and was sorry she did. He reassured her that she was the only one for him. She smiled, they both did, and I felt satisfaction.

  “Excellent job,” Miles said quietly, as we continued on our way to Elizabeth’s.

  “The same to you,” I replied. “What did you say to him?”

  “I started by introducing myself, then finalized the banquet hall reservation and other arrangements for him. He mentioned how he looked forward to surprising her. I convinced him it will enhance rather than ruin the surprise, if he hints just enough so that she knows there’s something to look forward to. I also referred to it as insurance. Wives are smart, and observant. Should she pick up on any hint of secrecy, or discover a charge for the Lodge on a credit card statement, as long as she has reason to believe it’s part of a surprise he’s planning for her, then she won’t suspect the worst and make herself sick over it.”

  “Perfect,” I smiled. “He still gets to surprise her, and now she’s free to anticipate. In a good way.”