His Lovely Garden Read online

  Would they be angry

  If I thought of joining you?

  Gloomy Sunday

  “Daddy? Why are Sundays gloomy?” he asked as they walked out the door.

  Suddenly, Daddy was on his knees in front of Arnold Lee. “What do you mean? Are you talking about the song? Is the lady singing, Arnold Lee? Can you hear her?”

  He was reluctant to answer because whenever he told the truth about her, it never ended well. Never.

  “Maybe,” he said without looking into his father’s brown eyes. He could not lie to him. “Yes, sir. She’s singing about Sundays being gloomy and all. And shadows. The shadows are around.”

  Lucas smiled at him, but it wasn’t the kind of smile that went all the way to his eyes. He was worried about Arnold Lee. Not angry, just worried. “Sing me the song, son. Can you do that?” Arnold Lee tried to breathe, and he felt sad now. He should have kept this to himself. Why had he ruined this very pleasant day here at Sugar Hill? They could have gone fishing or something fun like that. Arnold Lee’s skin crawled up and down. He had what his grandfather would call the willies.

  “Please try, son.”

  Gloomy is Sunday.

  With shadows I spend it all.

  My heart and I

  Have decided to end it all.

  Soon there’ll be candles

  And prayers that are said, I know.

  Let them not weep.

  Let them know that I’m glad to go.

  Death is no dream,

  For in death I’m caressin’ you.

  With the last breath of my soul,

  I’ll be blessin’ you.

  Arnold Lee did as he was told and sang the words the lady sang to him. He was surprised to hear Daddy singing along with him. “You hear her too, Daddy?”

  “Sometimes, but not like you, Arnold Lee.”

  “What does it mean? Why is she singing this song? I don’t like it very much.” He shivered in the purple shadows of the mansion. They’d forgotten all about their walk by the pond.

  “Let’s go back inside. I think I know what to do. You hungry?”

  “Yes, sir. I’m very hungry.”

  He took Daddy’s hand, and together they walked back in the house. The back door stood open, as if the house wanted them to return. Yep, he believed that. It was like this house had a heart and a soul. But what kind?

  Then he saw her. It wasn’t Jessie but a woman in a long blue dress, the old-fashioned kind. She had a plain face, and her hair was curly, real curly. And right by her side was a little boy. As quickly as he saw the two of them, they disappeared in a flash of light. Were they stuck here too? Arnold Lee caught his breath and looked up at Daddy.

  Nope. Daddy didn’t see them. But Arnold Lee did.

  And he knew he would see them again.

  Chapter Nine – Avery

  Since Danforth’s paranormal powers relied on handling items, I decided to check out the room where Jessica last stayed in hopes of finding something he could use to make contact with her. Maybe a hair tie or a toothbrush, any forgotten item. I couldn’t believe some of the stories Reed told me about Danforth’s past performances. Why did I not know about this? Our family was so secretive, and since I was not raised as part of the family, this was all new to me. Reed said that since Danforth’s wife’s death, he had clammed up about his abilities. Or powers. How did Danforth refer to them? I guessed I’d find out later.

  Wobbling around on crutches was not my idea of a good time, but my wheelchair was still in the elevator. Teach me to fall asleep without my husband around. By the time I made it inside the guest room, my arms were burning. I was more out of shape than I realized. I rummaged through a few empty drawers and checked out the closet but didn’t find anything that belonged to Jessica. All her personal effects had been claimed by her family, so those items were out of reach, and the police had confiscated her strange video recording. I sat on the bed and tapped my finger on my lips thoughtfully as I scanned the floor for any item Robin might have missed. There was nothing to see.

  “Shoot,” I said to myself. I should have asked Reed to help me before he left for Thorn Hill. He had gone to pack a few things for us and set the house in order while we were gone for the weekend. Where else might Jessica have visited? From what Summer told me, the garden, the ballroom and the attic. But there was no question that I wasn’t going to make it to any of those places, not by myself. Not with these crutches and certainly not with a wheelchair.

  But maybe someone else could.

  With renewed determination, I clumsily returned to the master bedroom and flopped into the chair by the door. I pressed the button on the intercom and asked Robin to find Dolly Jane for me. She had to be here somewhere. The good-natured young woman did as I asked, but I noticed she didn’t query me further. After being involved with previous supernatural goings-on, I think Robin was a bit gun-shy of getting involved in this family’s paranormal tendencies. And that was okay. A few years ago, I would never have dreamed I would be involved in such things either.

  About a half-hour later, Dolly Jane tapped on my door and I invited her to the mini living room in my bedroom suite.

  “How is your mom, Dolly Jane? Is she okay with staying a little longer?”

  “Of course. Anything we can do to help our family and our matrone.” Dolly Jane had changed her clothes since I’d seen her earlier. She now wore an oversized t-shirt with rolled-up sleeves, dark blue tights and ballet flats. I wasn’t familiar with the band logo emblazoned on her shirt, but then again, I wasn’t too hip with the music scene. Not since my ill-fated romance with Jonah Blight.

  “I need your help. These blasted crutches have slowed me down. There are places I need to go but can’t get to, like the attic, and I really believe we need to find something that belongs to Jessica. Something Danforth can touch. From what Reed tells me, that’s how he operates. By touching an item, he can connect with whoever it belonged to. All of Jessica’s personal items are gone, but there might be something up there.”

  “You really love her, don’t you?” she asked, her light eyes piercing mine.

  “Yes. She’s like the little sister I never had.”

  “I can understand that. I always wanted a sister. I used to pretend that Aunt Summer was my big sister. Kind of silly, huh?” She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Had she been crying?

  “Not silly at all. You favor her. You could pass as her little sister.”

  “You think so?”

  “Yes, I do,” I said with a smile. I was telling the honest-to-God truth. She did look like a younger Summer, especially when she cocked her eyebrow.

  “I wonder why she hasn’t called me back. I keep trying.”

  “She will, I promise. I tell you what, I’ll call her again. We’ll just harass her until she answers us. Knowing Summer, she’s rock climbing or doing something even crazier. That girl is an adventurer at heart.”

  “If you do talk to her, tell her she has to call me. It’s really important.” Dolly Jane chewed her lip and stared out the window for a few seconds. Whatever was on her mind, she wasn’t going to tell me about it, and I wasn’t going to pry. “What would you like me to do, Avery?”

  “Like I said, Jessica spent some time in the attic before she disappeared. I think it’s possible that she left something up there. Would you go have a look around? If you see anything unusual, anything that doesn’t belong, bring it to me.”

  “Sure, I can do that.”

  “Thank you. By the way, what would you like for dinner?”

  “Uh, pizza?”

  “Pizza sounds good. Invite your mom too.”

  “She’s not here, so it’s just me.”

  “Reed will probably be back by then, and Arnold Lee and Lucas are on the way, if they aren’t already here.” Dolly Jane hopped up, eager to take on her task. “Hey, be careful up there,” I added. She smiled and gave me a thumbs-up before she left me alone.

  She was gone awhile, but I
was determined to stay awake. This pain medication is kicking my behind. About twenty minutes later, I heard a light tapping on my door. “Come in,” I said, setting my Starlight Foundation paperwork to the side. I really didn’t have the mindset for these decisions today, but it felt good to pretend.

  Dolly Jane proudly smiled. “Hey. I’ve got something, I think.”

  “Really?” I said hopefully. “What is it?”

  My younger cousin placed a tarnished pocket watch in front of me. “That looks old.”

  I picked it up and turned it over in my hands. I didn’t see anything that would indicate Jessica had handled this antique. “I don’t understand, Dolly Jane. How could this help us?”

  “Open it up,” she said as she sat on the couch. I tinkered with the clasp until it opened. Inside was a tiny painting. Even though it was small, the colors were as bright as if this treasure had been painted yesterday.

  I gasped at seeing Jessica’s face smiling back at me. “How can this be?”

  “She made it back, Avery. Check out the engraving. Jessica made it back. She’s not lost, she’s just in another time.”

  Turning on the lamp, I read the faint engraving. To Dominick with All My Love. “There has to be another explanation.”

  “There isn’t. Are we still having pizza?”

  I sniffed back a tear, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the portrait. What could this mean? Was Dolly Jane right?

  “Yes, at five o’clock. Will you tell the others?”

  “Sure, Aunt Avery.” She’d never called me that before. And despite the tears in my eyes, I couldn’t help but smile.

  “I’ll make that phone call too. I haven’t forgotten.”

  “Thank you.”

  As she headed back out, I called after her, “Dolly Jane? How did you know where to find this? It must have been lost in that attic for at least a century.”

  She smiled cryptically and said, “I just asked. See you for dinner.” She eased the door closed and left me staring after her.

  Chapter Ten – Avery

  Robin made our pizza dinner special by tossing a red and white checkered tablecloth on the informal dining room table and even took the time to add extras like red napkins and candles. The Italian music and white china were a nice touch too. Everyone loved our tasty picnic, especially the younger two of our group, and it felt good to have my family around, laughing, joking and acting like a normal family and not a family of weirdos about to embark on a paranormal experiment. Even Danforth smiled a few times at Arnold Lee’s antics.

  Between bites I announced, “I talked to Summer earlier. I don’t think she’s coming home anytime soon. Apparently, she’s really made a connection with Eric Richards.” I avoided meeting Dolly Jane’s sad eyes.

  Danforth snorted as he dabbed pizza sauce from his chin. “She’s a matrone. She has to come home sooner or later.” It was like because he said so, it had to be true.

  “Be that as it may, I don’t think she’s in a hurry to race back here. And being matrone does not come with the restrictions it did before,” I added. I didn’t get into specifics, not in front of Arnold Lee and Dolly Jane. They didn’t need to know about the Lovely Man and the pact that previous matrones had with him. It hadn’t been the matrones’ fault, and I didn’t even blame Susanna. She was a victim of chance and a poorly cast spell if nothing else. There used to be a time that the ring would draw the wearer back to Sugar Hill, a time when Ambrose claimed the matrone for himself, but that was no more. So why did I feel a sense of loss?

  And if Summer found a bit of joy elsewhere, I wished her nothing but happiness, but I missed her too. Jamie’s death had devastated her. I realized later that she had fallen in love with the troubled police detective, which wasn’t easy for my independent cousin. Summer was the kind of woman that when she set her mind on something, or someone, she was going to have it or him. I hoped that her affection for Eric wasn’t merely an expression of her desire to finish what she started with Jamie. Dolly Jane didn’t look happy—that is, until her phone rang. “It’s Summer!” she announced as she held up the phone and left the room so she could talk privately. I smiled, thankful that my cousin had kept her promise to me.

  Be careful, Avery. The spirits of Sugar Hill aren’t through with us yet. I shivered at the memory of our earlier conversation. She didn’t like what I was doing either, but I didn’t mention that to anyone.

  “I was hoping Patty would join us. I haven’t talked to her in a while. In fact, I haven’t seen her yet. It’s like the woman has turned into a ghost herself,” I joked. But apparently my joke wasn’t appreciated because nobody smiled. It was true, though. I hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Dolly Jane’s mother since my arrival at Sugar Hill. “What?” I asked Reed, who was giving me a look.

  “Patty has been drinking again. She’s gotten so bad that she stays gone half the time. Dolly Jane’s father left a month ago, which doesn’t really sound like a bad thing. There were rumors that he was abusive to Patty.”

  “What the…” I cast an eye at Arnold Lee, who was watching me carefully. “How come I didn’t know about this?”

  “Because we were on our honeymoon and then Jessica disappeared. I figured you had enough to deal with,” Reed said softly.

  I wasn’t going to let him off the hook on this one. This was the kind of thing a matrone should know about, but I didn’t want to hammer that out in front of Danforth or Lucas or Arnold Lee. “When she does come back around, I would like to have a word with her,” I told him in a low voice.

  “I’ll make sure you do.”

  Arnold Lee wiped his face and looked up at his father. “Can I go outside and play?”

  “Sure, but stay close to the house. Don’t go near the pond, Arnold Lee.”

  “I won’t, Daddy.”

  The bright-eyed child bounced out of the room, completely happy and unafraid of whatever might lurk in the gardens of Sugar Hill. But then again, he knew very little about what used to walk in the shadows here. It was gone now, right? I felt a tinge of worry in my stomach but kept a pleasant smile on my face. Once again, I thought of Arnold Lee’s grandfather. I would always remember the first time I met him. “You can call me Handsome.” Little did I know then on that car ride from the airport to Belle Fontaine that Handsome Cheever would play such an important role in my life and in the Dufresnes’ future.

  “What is the plan for this evening, Avery?” Lucas asked, sounding nervous and a bit unsure. He didn’t smile much lately, but I attributed his unhappiness to all the drama with Alice Marie.

  “I thought we would start with this. Dolly Jane did some exploring for me earlier and found this pocket watch.”

  I handed it to Reed, who opened it and had the same reaction I did. “Jessica?”

  “It sure looks like her, and the watch belonged to Dominick.” Reed offered it to Danforth, but he refused to touch it.

  “I’ll wait until we gather in the ballroom if you don’t mind. Wicking takes it out of me nowadays.” Danforth sighed as if just the mere thought of handling the pocket watch wore him out. He looked tired and not well.

  No, he’s not well at all.

  “Tell me about wicking,” I asked, curious to hear more about Danforth’s supernatural skills.

  “That’s what the old-timers call it. Wicking or handling.”

  “I’ve never heard of that before. How does it work?”

  He sipped his tea before answering. “Wickers handle objects like books or personal belongings. We pick up on things, like how the person may have felt or what they were thinking about. My mother had a real knack for it, but my father never approved of the practice. I think he worried that she’d find out about his misdoings if you get my drift.”

  “Misdoings?” Lucas laughed at the description, but Danforth didn’t think it was too funny.

  “Yes. Misdoings.” Was he talking about adultery or something else? I didn’t have the courage to ask.

  “Tell us about your mother, Danfor
th. Did wicking come naturally to you?”

  “It did come naturally. Too naturally at times. In the beginning, my mother would give me small things like empty spools of thread or a bobby pin, things left over from her quilting club. What a competitive group of women that was, I can tell you.” He crunched on some ice before he continued. “She’d say, ‘Tell me if Irma stole my shears, Danny. Tell me the truth now.’ They were silly questions, but I took pride in knowing these things at first. But then, I began to realize her wicking had weakened as mine strengthened. That’s why she was always on me to tell her things. It works that way, I think. Wicking can weaken if there are others around with similar gifts.” As he took his eyes off the remaining ice in his glass, he saw that we were watching him, wide-eyed and anxious to hear more. Danforth usually kept his past to himself, so this was a rare treat. I blamed the loosening of his tongue on the bourbon he’d undoubtedly enjoyed before coming to dinner. “My mother began to depend on me more and more until I had to move away from home. She’d become obsessed with my wicking. It became too much after a while, and wicking can be something of a trap.”

  “What do you mean, Danforth?” Reed asked. “Are there horrible side effects?”

  “Not at all. I mean that it can be a great temptation. So much so that it can cause a person to do stupid things, like taking things that aren’t theirs to take.” He eyed me and the pocket watch. “Sometimes the past is best left alone, Avery.”

  “I’ll be happy to leave the past alone, but I want my friend back!” I snapped back at him, my blood pressure rising quickly.

  “And are you willing to sacrifice us to find this woman, a woman who isn’t even a Dufresne? I can tell you what your Aunt Anne would say. She would have said no way, no how. Just ask our sister—oh, I’m sorry. I forgot about Vertie.” Danforth put his glass down and stared me in the eyes. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

  “I’m not sacrificing anyone.”

  “This was my idea,” Reed said sharply. “Not hers, Danforth.”

  The older man tapped the table thoughtfully but never dropped his eyes. “We’ve been lucky so far, you know. These family ghosts demand a high price, Avery. A high price indeed.”