The Restoration Page 10

  Dallas patted her arm. “It’ll still be our summer, Mom. Don’t worry.”

  How she wished it were that easy. “If Miss Vandermere or anyone who works for her comes to the house, they can’t know about Gertrude. Okay? The fact that she’s staying here has to be our secret.”

  “Niles told me. He said that Henrietta hates her and has done everything she could to keep Gertrude away from Glenvale.”

  Now that was interesting. “Did he say why?”

  Her daughter nodded. “He says that Gertrude never worked for his sister. That, from the first day she arrived, she’s been working for him.”

  * * *

  Any hope that Terri had of Gertrude keeping to herself and doing her own thing was quickly dashed. When dinnertime rolled around, and Terri took a break from removing the peeling paint from the upstairs doorframes (she had to admit, it had been a lot more peaceful working up there than she’d expected), Gertrude was in the kitchen. She looked up and smiled when Terri entered. One would have never believed they’d come close to blows that morning.

  “Hungry?” She stirred something on the stove, and as much as Terri resented her presence, it smelled delicious. Her stomach growled, and she realized she’d missed lunch with all the drama taking place in the house. She was starving.

  “You didn’t have to make dinner for us.”

  “Oh, don’t be silly.” Gertrude waved the comment away. “I love to cook, and this is a nice change from making food for myself. I’m happy to do all the cooking while I’m here. That way, you can focus on your work and you won’t have to worry about the meals.”

  “But you have your own work to do. I don’t want to keep you from that.”

  “Honestly, it’s no bother. I enjoy doing it, and if it makes things easier on you, that’s great.” She gave whatever was in the pot another stir, and then held a spoonful out to Terri. “Want to taste?”

  Her curiosity and hunger getting the better of her, Terri accepted the wooden spoon. On it was broth and a bit of shrimp. The flavors exploded in her mouth, and she was surprised by the complexity. It was rich and buttery, with a sharp tang of tomato, accented by a taste of the sea. She’d never tasted anything quite like it. This was a far cry from boxed mac n’ cheese. “That’s incredible. What is it?”

  “Cioppino. It’s an Italian-American seafood stew. My mother used to make it all the time, and I thought it would be just the thing to warm us up a bit. Do you think Dallas will like it?”

  “I can’t see how she wouldn’t. It’s fantastic. Is your family Italian, then?”

  Gertrude laughed. “No, English. We just like the food.”

  Terri’s stomach rumbled louder, and though she felt as if she was giving up something too easily, her misgivings about Gertrude taking over the meals faded. “I can see why. But that tastes like such a complicated dish. You didn’t find the ingredients for this in the fridge.” Terri was embarrassed to think of what the woman had found in the fridge: some cheese slices, a loaf of Wonder Bread, a jar of peanut butter, and few sad-looking apples. “Where did they come from?”

  Gertrude’s face flushed. “I brought them with me.”

  “You brought all that…with you?”

  “I had a feeling we’d come to an understanding, and that you’d let me stay.”

  Terri sank into a chair. “That was a huge assumption.”

  “I was right, wasn’t I? I don’t want to get in your way. I’d like to be your friend, and Dallas’s too, if she’ll let me. When it’s time to work, you’ll do your thing, and I’ll do mine. Maybe if I get bored or need to think, I can help you out a little. Remember, we’re on the same team. We want the same thing.”

  “Do we?” Terri was shaken by the thought of Gertrude lugging shrimp, tomatoes, and who knows what else to the house in her purse, confident everything would turn out exactly the way she wanted. It gave her the creeps. The woman was too overconfident for her liking.

  “Of course we do. We both want Niles to leave you alone, for starters.”

  A long, low moan came from the speaking tube on the wall, and Terri flinched, her hand flying up to touch her cheek. The scratches were healing, but they were still tender to the touch.

  “You behave, Niles,” Gertrude said, not bothering to use the tube. “No one is talking to you right now.”

  Located near the tube, an ornate wooden box was installed above the pantry door. Each of the home’s most important rooms had its own carefully labeled circular cutout with a small, red flag contained within. Terri’s eyes were drawn to one of the bedrooms, where the flag waved furiously. Gertrude followed her gaze.

  “Emma’s room. Either your daughter has figured out how to use the call box, or Niles wants our attention.”

  As she said the words, all of the flags began to wave, faster and faster. Gertrude returned to the stove, but Terri couldn’t stop staring at the call box. The movement of the flags was hypnotic. “What does he want?”

  “Justice, I think. The poor thing was so young when he died. Or maybe attention. Niles has always been lonely. Dallas is the first child who’s stayed here in decades. Remember, he was ill for most of his youth, so he was practically a shut-in. He missed a lot of his childhood.”

  Terri felt a twinge of sympathy until she remembered they were talking about the creature that had clawed her the night before. “That’s sad,” she managed, because Gertrude appeared to expect her to say something.

  “I get that you haven’t had the best experience with Niles, but a lot of that stems from his frustration. He has a sweet side too. I thought I’d help you get to know him better after dinner, if you like.”

  The intense prickling sensation returned to the back of her neck, and Terri shook it off. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Aren’t we encouraging him if we keep talking to him? If we ignore him, he might go away.”

  “Niles’s spirit has been here since before we were born. He’s not going anywhere,” Gertrude said, taking a small foil-wrapped loaf of bread from her purse and sliding it into the oven. “Do you and Dallas like garlic?”

  “Yes.” She thought Dallas liked garlic. There was so much about her daughter’s tastes she didn’t know, and the processed foods she relied upon when feeding her child hadn’t helped with that particular fact-finding mission.

  “I make my own garlic bread. It’s so much better than the store-bought stuff. Not so salty.” Gertrude made a face. “Anyway, I get that it’s difficult, but when it comes to Niles, try to think of him as a kid.” She lowered her voice, glancing at the speaking tube. “That’s what he is, a teenage boy who was murdered by his own father.”

  “He didn’t seem like much of a kid when he attacked me last night. I hadn’t done a thing to him, and he scarred my face.”

  “What happened to you was very unfortunate. I’ve spoken to him, and it won’t happen again.”

  “Well, that’s a relief.” Terri recognized her sarcasm sounded harsh, but she didn’t care. After what had happened to her, she was in no mood for this Niles-was-such-a-good-boy talk.

  “I apologize for his behavior. I get that it will be difficult for you to forgive him, but I hope you can. It may sound strange, but over time, I developed a relationship with Niles – a friendship, I’d like to think. He got used to me being here most days, and when Henrietta fired me, it made him frustrated and furious. Probably lonely too. Now he had no one to talk to again. And then your daughter came. When she rejected him yesterday, it sent him over the edge. I’ve never seen him do anything like that before.”

  “Don’t you dare blame Dallas for this,” Terri snapped. “She has every right not to talk to him, and she was trying to get some sleep. She doesn’t owe him anything.”

  Gertrude raised a hand in surrender. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. What happened wasn’t Dallas’s fault at all. The blame lies with Niles. I
was just trying to explain why he acted so out of character.

  “He got to like me, I think, and maybe look forward to me showing up every day. At first, there were subtle things. I’d see movement out of the corner of my eye, or things on my desk would be moved overnight.” Gertrude sampled the stew and added a bit of freshly ground pepper from a pepper mill she pulled from her purse. Terri was beginning to think the woman’s purse was an enchanted bag with no bottom. How on earth had she fit everything in there? “I thought the volunteers were playing a prank on me, but they all swore they had nothing to do with it. One of them finally said, ‘Maybe it’s Niles.’ Everyone laughed, like it was some terrific joke, but it got me thinking – maybe it was Niles.

  “When he showed himself to me the first time, we were alone. It was near Christmas, and I was working late at my desk, finding things to keep me busy.” She looked over her shoulder at Terri. “Since my father died and my mom got sick, the holidays aren’t so fun anymore. So I’d rather stay here. But finally I’d done every bit of work that needed doing, and some that didn’t. I was doing my rounds, turning out the lights, and there he was, this young man standing in the doorway of his father’s study.

  “It scared the bejesus out of me, let me tell you. But then I saw how sad he looked, and the strangest feeling came over me, as if I was going to cry. Which isn’t something I do often. I asked him if he was lost, and he told me he lived here. That’s how I figured out he was Niles.

  “I wasn’t the only person on staff to see him, you see. Other employees and some of the volunteers talked about him too. But with them, it was all ghost stories and trying to scare each other. I wasn’t interested in that. If Niles was here, it meant there was something in his short life that had gone unresolved, but how could that be, if he’d died from natural causes? An illness is one of the most natural ways to die, an open-and-shut case. So I started asking questions.”

  “And he told you his father killed him?” Terri asked, fascinated in spite of herself.

  “Oh no, I started piecing that together on my own. I don’t think he knows how he died, to be honest. Sometimes he refuses to believe he’s dead at all.”

  “It doesn’t make any sense to me.” She wished she could take the words back after she’d said them, or tactfully rephrase them. What right did she have to criticize Gertrude’s theory when she didn’t have one of her own? “Why would Howard murder his son? Niles was the male heir, and from everything I’ve heard, the man was devastated after he died. It ruined him for anything else. If it weren’t for the acumen of his wife and daughters, he could have lost everything.”

  Gertrude opened the oven and checked the bread. “You can tell Dallas dinner is ready, if she’d like to set the table. I don’t think Howard was responsible. Not directly, anyway. His failure was not opening his eyes to what was happening around him.”

  Wait a minute. Was she going crazy, or hadn’t Gertrude repeatedly blamed Howard for his son’s death? She decided to play along, but she could see how Henrietta had lost her patience. “Then you think his wife killed her son?” That made even less sense to Terri. Matricide happened back then, just as it did now, but it was hardly common. And what reason would Elizabeth have had? She’d been a wealthy woman with a gorgeous house, three children, and by all accounts, a happy marriage.

  “I’m not sure yet. That’s why I’m here. I’m determined to find out the truth.”

  Chapter Eleven

  To Terri’s relief, Dallas loved the meal and cleaned her plate, asking for a second helping of the stew. She felt only the slightest twinge when her daughter proclaimed it the best meal she’d ever tasted.

  Gertrude shifted in her chair, looking uncomfortable. “Now, I’m sure that’s not true. Don’t forget all the wonderful meals your mother has made you.”

  Before Dallas could completely embarrass her, Terri jumped in. “To be honest, I’m not much of a cook. Since I started restoration work, the best meals have been the ones that are quick, easy, and don’t use too many dishes. Often the water has been shut off, and I have to haul it in with me. So keeping things simple is key. Macaroni ’n’ cheese is as wonderful a meal as Dallas has gotten from me – mac ’n’ cheese from a box.”

  “And it was delicious, Mom.” Dallas patted her hand, looking guilty.

  “Thanks, but it was nothing like this, let’s be honest. This was a gourmet feast. Thank you, Gertrude.”

  “You’re so welcome. And now that dinner’s over, I can help you get to know my friend Niles, as promised.” Gertrude walked over to her purse, that bag of wonders, and withdrew a small, square board and something that looked like a wooden triangle. She carried them to the table and unfolded the board to reveal an alphabet painted in ornate scrollwork.

  “A Ouija board!” Dallas said, bouncing on her seat. Terri couldn’t help staring. Was this the same girl who was never interested in anything, who responded to everyone with a roll of the eyes and a sigh? “How cool.”

  Though she was thrilled to see her daughter showing some genuine enthusiasm for a change, she had misgivings. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

  “Sure, this is the best way to talk to spirits.” Gertrude put the wooden triangle on the center of the board, and gestured for them to move their chairs closer. “It’s perfectly safe.”

  “I’ve always wanted to use one of these things.” Dallas paused, frowning. “But why do we need it to talk to Niles? I can’t get Niles to shut up.”

  The woman laughed. “Maybe this will help with that. You never know. But there are other spirits in this house too, spirits who aren’t as chatty as Niles. This board brings them out of their shells, so to speak. Just wait, and you’ll see.”

  Gertrude reached for the triangle, but Terri took hold of her arm. “I’m not sure encouraging more spirits to come forward is the best idea. We’ve already had plenty of problems with the one we’ve met.”

  “This will help, Terri. Please trust me.” Before she could argue further, Gertrude closed her eyes and pressed her fingers to the triangle, moving it in a slow figure eight. “Is there anyone there who would like to talk to us? Don’t be shy, we’re here to listen.”

  The triangle slid to the word ‘Hello’ so suddenly that it made Terri flinch. Dallas smiled at her, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

  “That didn’t take long. Hello to you. What is your name?”

  Gertrude’s hands moved in a predictable pattern. N-I-L-E-S.

  “Hello, Niles. I’m glad you’re here. As you can see, Terri is with me. Is there anything you’d like to communicate to her?”

  Terri was tempted to say that whatever Niles might like to express, she wasn’t interested in hearing it. Teenager or not, murdered or not, the kid’s ghost was an asshole. A violent asshole. She wanted nothing more to do with him. But she held her tongue for Dallas’s sake.

  I AM SORRY, the board spelled.

  “See, Mom? He wants you to forgive him.”

  “That’s nice,” Terri said, unable to keep the sarcasm from her voice.

  Gertrude opened her eyes long enough to give her a look. “You’re not going to do anything like that again, are you?” she asked. The triangle under her hands shot to NO.

  “He better not do anything like that again,” Terri muttered. Could one fight back against a ghost? Probably not, but she would sure like to try.

  “Terri is a good person, and she and Dallas want to help you, like I do. Do you understand?”

  YES.

  “Good,” Gertrude said. “Now, what can you tell us about—”

  “Wait a second. How do we know you’re not moving that thing on your own?” Terri asked.

  “This thing is called a planchette, and you can see for yourself.” Gertrude moved her fingers over to one side of the triangle, making room for Terri’s. “Once you’ve placed your hands on it, don’t take them off until I tell you.
Okay?”

  Terri nodded, squeezing her fingers next to Gertrude’s on the planchette. The wood was warm from the other woman’s touch.

  “Go ahead,” Gertrude urged. “Ask him anything you like.”

  “Why won’t you leave my daughter alone?” Terri asked.

  “Mom!”

  “No, it’s okay. She has the right to ask whatever she wants,” Gertrude said.

  For a moment, the planchette didn’t move, and Terri thought Niles – if it actually was Niles and not some trick Gertrude was playing on them – wasn’t going to answer. But then it did move, slowly at first, but gradually gaining speed.

  FRIENDS.

  Her jaw tightened. The little bastard. The last thing Dallas needed was a friend like him. This was supposed to have been a good summer – their summer – and now this brat had threatened to ruin it. “She doesn’t need friends like you. She wants you to leave her alone.”

  “Mom!”

  “That’s not a question, Terri.” Gertrude raised an eyebrow. The planchette was still.

  “Okay, then. Will you leave us alone?”

  The planchette moved so quickly under their hands that Terri’s nearly slipped off. She leaned forward, struggling to keep her fingers pressed to the wood.

  NO.

  “Great.” She sighed. “This has been very helpful.”

  “You’re not doing it right. You shouldn’t be saying mean things to him and telling him to go away,” Dallas said. “He came here to talk to us.”

  Terri tilted her face so that her wounded cheek pointed up. “Have you forgotten?”

  “I know, Mom, but if you’re not going to take this seriously, what’s the point in doing it?”

  What’s the point, indeed?

  “Niles, I understand this is difficult for you, but can you tell us what it was like when you were sick?” Gertrude asked.