Depart the Darkness Read online

  “He’s a Server Infrastructure Engineer,” Miles replied. “The position requires the same skills John has, in addition to those he’s learning right now.”

  “That’s interesting,” I said. “And way over my head.”

  “No, it’s not,” Miles disagreed. “But, it holds no interest for you. There’s no need for you to torture yourself learning it, when it would be of no use to you anyway.”

  “That’s right, that’s why we have John,” I said. “And you. Maybe you don’t know it all, but you know enough.”

  “That’s what makes us and our friends such a great team. We each have our own skills and abilities. Together we’re capable of more than we are on our own.”

  “You’re telling the truth,” I said. “And now, prepare for a change of subject.”

  “Okay,” he smiled. “I’m prepared. I think. I suppose it depends on what you have to say.”

  “Nothing shocking,” I smiled too. “Unless emptying the tower room is shocking.”

  “It was when Xander tried last night,” Miles reminded me, and I laughed. “Are you saying you’d like to get everything out so it can be cleaned, papered, the floor done, lighting installed…”

  “Yes, I’d really like to do that,” I said.

  “Then let’s do,” he replied, and both cats floated off of our laps, and onto the bed. Miles grabbed my hands and pulled me to my feet, before our cats completed their mad dash to pile on top of us again. I laughed.

  “They’re getting faster, but still not as fast as you,” I commented, and Miles smiled.

  “Sorry, kids. We’ve got a tower to clean out. Let’s get a dolly from the storage room on our way, and by that I don’t mean one with teeth. We might as well make it appear as though we’re doing things the old-fashioned way, just in case someone’s looking.”

  “Any idea when Grandma Polly is coming to visit?” I wondered, as we left our suite behind and boarded the elevator.

  “Either the end of this week, or the next,” he replied. “I’m anxious to see her again. It’s been over a month.”

  “We used to go back to the estate to visit her almost every weekend when we were engaged,” I remembered. “Well… not the second semester. None of us wanted to be there, then.”

  “True. If I had my abilities at the time—” he stopped talking suddenly and made a face, then looked at me. “It’s probably just as well I didn’t, not while I was in the hospital, anyway.”

  “Oh my goodness! That’s right! You tried to use the force, Mr. Star Wars fanatic. Imagine if it worked!”

  “How much more complicated life would be even now,” he said, shaking his head a little.

  The elevator doors swished open, and we stepped out into the silent hallway. The sound of our footsteps was absorbed by the plush carpet beneath our feet. It was chilly here compared to other parts of the Lodge, and time felt frozen.

  “Creeping yourself out again?” Miles asked softly, and I laughed a little.

  “Why do you think that?”

  “It’s what you do every time we walk down this hall.”

  “You know me so well,” I said, and he smiled.

  We reached the stair landing. Down was the lobby, and up was the tower. On the other side stretched another hall, identical to the one we just came from, except that it also held the storage room we sought. We crossed the landing and stepped through the arched doorway, then stopped in front of a locked door.

  Miles didn’t bother with a key. With a click it unlocked for us, and we stepped inside.

  A conglomeration of broken furniture and other items, which probably needed to be tossed out, cluttered the room. With a glance from Miles, the contents moved to one side, making space for what we would soon bring down from the tower.

  “You are so cool,” I said, and he smiled.

  “I never get tired of hearing you say it,” he said.

  “Good. Because it’s the truth, and I don’t intend to stop. That’s the truth too,” I replied, and he smiled again as I kissed his cheek.

  We left the storage room and climbed the stairs, first to the large square landing surrounded on two sides by windows, then to the staircase that gently spiraled to the tower room above.

  The door politely unlocked and swung open for us, thanks to Miles, and we walked inside. The dolly easily followed along.

  “I’d say Xander made a mess…” Miles said. “But the truth is, he rearranged the mess that was already here.”

  “That is the truth,” I confirmed.

  Miles put his arms around me and gave the contents of the room a speculative look, then rapidly the various items became organized. What wasn’t already boxed, filled in the spaces between the items that were, then the box flaps folded and the boxes stacked along one wall. The pieces of furniture lined up, and arranged themselves in readiness for their trip down the stairs to the storage room.

  “It’s been a long time since I did the dusting,” Miles said. The windows opened, the dust lifted, and out it went, then the windows closed once more.

  I shivered.

  “Cold?” Miles asked, tightening his arms around me. “I thought I kept all the outside air, out.”

  “You did,” I said. “It’s just so cool how you do that. I was remembering the first time you demonstrated. That feels like such a long time ago, because of everything that’s happened in the two and a half years since.”

  “It feels like another lifetime ago,” he said, as the largest piece of furniture, a chest of drawers, stationed itself on the dolly. “It was a different lifetime, or something, for me. I’m not sure what to call it. A different state of existence, anyway.”

  “I love living in the same state,” I said. Miles wasn’t moving furniture now, so distracting him wouldn’t result in catastrophe. I turned around so I could hug him hard, then kissed him.

  “You love it no more than I do,” he smiled.

  We walked to the doorway, and I latched onto the handles of the dolly. Miles raised an eyebrow at me.

  “Aw, come on,” I said. “I want to pretend to be strong.”

  “No,” he said sternly, but there was laughter in his eyes. “No way am I going to have anyone think I sit back and do nothing, while you cart furniture out of the tower. What kind of husband do you think I am, anyway?”

  “The best kind,” I smiled.

  “So go stand watch for me,” he said, taking over the dolly.

  I descended the stairs, and watched. This time of day in the hours between check-out and check-in, there wasn’t a lot of traffic in the halls. Considering it was also Monday, there was even less than at other times. In no time at all, the contents of the tower descended to the square landing, then to the third floor landing, then to the storage room.

  We stood in the almost empty tower, and looked around.

  “Don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind and want your wife to carry something,” I said, looking at the doll, which still sat in the rocking chair.

  “Don’t tell me you want your husband to be seen carrying a doll,” he said. “You get the doll, I’ll get the chair.”

  I gave him a narrow-eyed look. He smiled.

  Then he kissed my forehead,, and picked up both.

  “I’ve got this,” he said. “I’m done teasing. I know that on a surface level, not even remotely deep down, you’re absolutely terrified of this thing. So I’ve got it. And, you’re welcome.”

  I laughed.

  “I love you too,” I said, and he smiled. “And you’re right! I don’t know why it affects me so much. All old toys do, actually.”

  Miles thought about that as he carried the rocking chair and the doll down the stairs.

  “Maybe it’s because the children who played with them, grew up long ago. They grew up, and grew old, and… they’re gone, and those old toys are a reminder that the children who once played with them, are no longer living.”

  “Yeah… I think you’re right,” I said.

  “At the sa
me time though, this doll is just plain creepy,” said Miles, setting the rocker and the doll in the storage room. “Who in the world thought giving a doll teeth, was a good idea? Especially teeth like that.”

  I laughed, and shook my head. I couldn’t imagine.

  “Did your sister have a doll like this?” I asked.

  “I have no idea,” he said, trying to remember. “I certainly hope not! If she did, it’s probably still at the estate somewhere.”

  “How about you?” I wondered. “What toys did you play with?”

  “Hm. I seem to recall having some wooden building blocks.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Well… it’s all I remember. Things were different back then. I did have a sled, I remember that. And a horse of my own, eventually.”

  “Wow, how cool!” I said.

  “Would you like to have horses?” he asked.

  “What girl wouldn’t?” I replied.

  “We can have the stable at the estate rebuilt if you want,” he said, as we stepped out into the hall and the door to the storage room locked behind us.

  “Oh, wow,” I said. I didn’t have to find a mirror to know my eyes were starry, at the thought. “But what about when we’re here, or at our apartment? I’d never want to leave the estate!”

  “Then here’s a thought. We can have a stable put in at the Lodge, too. In addition to our own horses, we’ll have several others, and offer horseback riding during the summers.”

  “Oh my goodness,” I said faintly. “I would love that.”

  “Then we’ll do it,” he smiled, as we reached the elevator.

  I looked around in surprise as the doors swished open.

  “You got me so distracted, I forgot to do my internal dialog about the creepy hallway!”

  Miles laughed, and we boarded the elevator.

  “So what other cool alternative to toys did you have?” I asked.

  “Well… you’ve heard about the skunk.”

  I laughed, remembering.

  “Yes! I still can’t believe you did that.”

  “I didn’t,” Miles was quick to point out. “That was all Delevan. Not that I was spared punishment, as an accessory.”

  His expression made me wonder what that punishment was.

  “What happened?” I asked apprehensively.

  Miles sighed and rubbed his forehead.

  “Things were different back then,” he said. “Punishments were much harsher. Honestly, what was considered normal when I was a kid, is now considered abuse.”

  “Miles!” I said in alarm. “What did they do to you?”

  Then my eyes narrowed, because he couldn’t keep the laughter completely out of his.

  “I was sent to bed without dessert.”

  I sighed with relief, and laughed too.

  “You poor thing,” I said.

  “Yeah. I got off easy,” he admitted. “I was the youngest at the time, so less was expected of me. I also had a strong tendency to obey my mother and father, which was taken into account. Not that they ever specifically said not to bring a skunk in the house…”

  “Did they need to?” I laughed.

  “You wouldn’t think so, would you,” he smiled. “Delevan might have got off easier if he didn’t point out that lack of instruction on our Mother’s part, but… he did. He wasn’t one to follow rules, either. He wasn’t setting a good example for his baby brother, and he was the one who brought the skunk in the house. My crime was solely observational. So my punishment was light.

  “And what about your brother?”

  Miles made a face.

  “He didn’t get off so easy. Let’s leave it at that.”

  This time he was serious, so I didn’t ask him to elaborate.

  The elevator opened on the ground floor, and we walked around the corner on our way to the office.

  “Hi, Annette,” I smiled.

  “Hi,” she smiled back at Miles and I.

  “Is John still laughing?” I wanted to know, as we walked through the gate in the counter.

  “Probably,” she laughed. “We watched the video over and over last night.”

  “Did you have any idea what a talented actor your husband is?” I asked her.

  “No!” she exclaimed.

  “He did a great job,” Miles agreed. “Last night’s success was due to his talent, as much as my abilities.”

  “I would have laughed from the start and ruined it,” I said.

  “Me too,” she readily admitted.

  “Hey, guys!” we heard Xander say, as Miles reached for the doorknob to the office.

  “Hi Xander, how are you this afternoon?” Miles smiled.

  “I don’t see any gray hairs…” I said, pretending to squint.

  Xander laughed.

  “Just wait a couple weeks, because that was awesome!”

  “You’re welcome,” Miles smiled, then he started to open the door to our office again.

  “Wait, guys, you’ve got to see the Fitness Center,” Xander urged, and we turned to look at him.

  “The equipment arrived?” Miles asked.

  “This morning,” Xander smiled.

  “Shall we?” Miles asked me.

  “Let’s do,” I said, and we walked back through the gate in the counter. “See you in a few minutes, Annette!”

  She waved, and we followed Xander around the corner and down the hall.

  “This is great,” said Miles approvingly, as we reached the windows looking into the Fitness Center. Inside, the guys who delivered the equipment were efficiently unpacking and setting it up.

  “It’s awesome!” agreed Xander. “I can’t believe how fast you guys get things done.”

  “Well… I’m lacking in patience, and Miles has unlimited resources,” I said.

  “Another way in which we’re a great team,” Miles smiled, then looked back at the work being carried on in our Fitness Center. “Once they get it all set up, I think we owe it to our guests to try it out.”

  “Absolutely,” said Xander. “So you want me to call you?”

  “Sure. I do think we should try out the equipment. I haven’t worked out since we were at the estate last month, either. I need to get back to it.”

  “I’ve only made it to the gym a couple of times myself in the past three weeks,” said Xander. “I can hardly wait!”

  “Neither can I,” Miles agreed. “By the looks of it, we won’t have to wait long.”

  “If we intend to get our work done before then, we better get moving,” I pointed out, and Miles nodded.

  We said goodbye to Xander, and proceeded back to our office.

  Incoming guests were beginning to arrive, and we smiled and nodded to several people on our way there. Light chatter and laughter came from the lobby, and I waved to Troy, one of our bellhops, as he pushed along a cart loaded with suitcases.

  “I love it here,” I commented, as I picked up the stack of mail and sorted through it.

  “Much better than last semester,” Miles agreed. He woke up the computer and checked email, paid bills, and completed whatever else was on his to-do list for this afternoon.

  “Here you go,” I said, setting several invoices on the desk beside him. “A few more bills to pay.”

  “Thanks,” he replied, and added them to one of the organized piles in front of him.

  I made several phone calls and arranged for the tower room renovations we discussed. That took some time. When I finally sat back, work completed, so did Miles. He glanced at his watch.

  “We should be hearing from our PI soon,” he commented.

  “I really hope Phillip Edmonds isn’t seeing someone else,” I replied, feeling a little worried.

  “I do too. We won’t know for certain if he isn’t though, not for a while anyway, unless you come right out and ask him. Which of course you’re not going to do.”

  “If Lorna took the kids and left, I would,” I said.

  “Right. But since she hasn’t, and confront
ing him could push an already volatile guy over the edge, it’s not worth the risk.”

  “And so, we sit twiddling our thumbs waiting for Jackson to call,” I said, twiddling my thumbs for effect.

  “You really are impatient, you know,” Miles smiled.

  “I know,” I smiled back.

  Miles’ phone buzzed, and he took it out of his pocket as I jumped up and joined him on his side of the desk.

  “Hi, Jackson. What do you have?”

  I heard bits and pieces of the conversation, but not enough to satisfy my curiosity. Miles listened for several minutes, mostly in silence.

  “Okay. Absolutely, tail the tail. This should be interesting. I can’t wait to hear what you find out. Use your discretion and get what you can, but… you know my wife is excellent at interrogation. So leave it to us if there’s any resistance or sign of suspicion at all. Thanks, Jackson.”

  Miles tapped the screen of his phone to end their call, then turned to look at me.

  “Someone is already tailing Phillip Edmunds?” I asked.

  “Yes. Watching his house, too.”

  “No way!” I exclaimed. “Oh my goodness! Why?”

  “We’ll find out,” Miles said. “Jackson has a guy tailing Phillip’s other tail. When the one watching the house leaves, he’s leaving with a tail also.”

  “Have we ever had this many PIs working a single case before?” I wondered.

  “Hm… maybe last semester. I’m not sure how many are working this one, but it is a lot since the guys switch throughout the day and night.”

  “Can you imagine sitting and watching the same door for hours and hours?”

  “Not without zoning out or falling asleep,” Miles said. “Plus, if the same guy and the same vehicle is on a residential street for very long, it begins to draw attention. We don’t want that. And here’s the thing, Anika. You haven’t heard this yet. While our people are professionals, the two people who have been observed watching the house and tailing Phillip, are not.”

  “So they’re not successful at being stealthy?”

  “Another possibility is that they’re not attempting to be,” Miles said. “Maybe they want Phillip to know he and his family are being watched. Or… maybe they want someone else to know that.”

  “Wow. So... no matter how we look at this, Phillip is in some sort of trouble.”