Cluttered Attic Secrets (4 page)

Hank raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t turn around. “What’s she look like?”

“Thin, too thin, blonde. Maybe late thirties, early forties, at least ten years older than we are, could be more. I can’t tell how tall she is since she’s sitting down. She’s hardly taken her eyes off of you since we got here.”

“Okay, I’m going to go get some more cocktail sauce. Sit tight.”

Tina watched him stand up, turn toward the corner, and after a sight pause, head to the table with the blonde instead of the counter. Maybe she shouldn’t have said anything.

When Hank reached the woman’s table, she stood up, and they hugged. Who was she? After they chatted a few minutes, the two of them headed her way.

“Tina, this is Nichole Highsmith. Nicole, Tina Shaw.”

Tina shook Nichole’s bony hand and tried to smile. “Nice to meet you. Won’t you join us?”

Nichole and Hank sat down. “Nichole and I were working together in New York,” Hank said. “They sent her to Newport for some follow-up.”

“Oh. What a coincidence that you saw Hank here.”

“No. I followed him.”

Hank grinned. Tina clamped her lips together so she wouldn’t sit there open-mouthed. Then she opened them to say, “Why would you do that?”

“Practice.” At Tina’s look of incredibility, Nichole said, “Seriously, I saw him driving in that Jaguar on East Main Road and wanted to talk to him, so I followed him. But I didn’t want to interrupt your dinner.”

Tina didn’t know whether to believe her or not. Everything to do with Hank was mysterious. Part of his charm. Sometimes. This was not one of those times.

Tina turned to Hank. “So, you’re still on the same case?”

Hank shifted in his seat. “Sort of.”

Tina felt the heat rising from her neck to her face.

Hank took her hand. “Don’t be angry. I’m not secretive because I want to be. It’s part of the job.”

Tina wouldn’t look at Nichole, but she could feel the woman’s eyes on her, appraising eyes. She made herself calm down. Pushed her plate away and refused to say anything more.

“Nichole,” Hank said, “I’ll catch you later. Where are you staying?”

“The Seaview. Room 202.”

Hank stood up and threw a few bills on the table. “Let’s go.”

Tina hesitated, then put on her coat, grabbed her purse, and followed Hank. She said good-bye to Nichole over her shoulder. “Nice to meet you,” she lied.

In the parking lot, Hank held the Jaguar’s door for her, and she sank into its plush leather seat with a sigh. After he drove out of the parking lot, Tina asked, “Where are we going?”

“My place. Where we can talk in private.”

Tina glanced at him. He looked determined. But he often looked determined. What were they going to do at his place? He hadn’t taken her there for months, not since they had a discussion about their relationship that didn’t turn out too well. She hoped this wouldn’t go the same way, but she had a bad feeling. They didn’t say anything more on the drive.

He pulled into the attached garage to his sleek ranch house and turned off the engine. Tina got out of the car without his help and stood waiting for him. He opened the door into the house, and with a sweeping gesture of his arm, invited her in. “Have a seat in the living room. I’ll get us something to drink.”

She walked through the kitchen, past the breakfast room and chose a chair in the living room. Hank came in quickly with two brandy snifters and handed her one. “Drambuie.”

“Thank you.”

He sat down opposite her with a sigh. She never heard him sigh. “I want you to know Nichole and I do not have a romantic relationship, whatever she may have implied. So, you can relax around her.”

“I’m just supposed to take your word for that.”

Hank frowned. “I wouldn’t lie to you about anything personal.”

“But you would about anything work-related. And Nichole is work-related, right?”

“No. Wrong. I don’t lie about work, either. I just don’t tell you all about it. For both our sake’s.”

“Do you know how that makes me feel? Well, I’ll tell you. Shut out. Cut off. Sometimes inconsequential, in second place.” Until that moment, she hadn’t realized herself how seriously his work was impacting their relationship.

They sat staring at each other. Hank shook his head. “I don’t know what to do with that information. I thought I’ve made it clear how I feel about you. I love you. You know that, right?”

Tina shook her head. “Not for sure. You never said.” She ached for him to hold her, but he sat, swirling his Drambuie, not looking at her now. Where was take-charge Hank? Suddenly it hit her. “Did something go wrong in New York?”

He looked up at her then. “You know me too well. Let’s put it this way. Things didn’t go completely right.”

“Who is Nichole Highsmith, really?”

Hank took a sip of his Drambuie. “She a federal agent. Since she’s here, I assume it’s to keep a watch on me.”

Tina swallowed hard. “What did you do? How much trouble are you in?”

He didn’t answer.

“Hank?”

His expression turned bleak. “I didn’t realize how much this would affect you. You never really spelled it out before.”

“I didn’t know myself.”

He nodded. “I’d better take you home. I can’t tell you anymore right now. You’ll have to decide if you can live with that or not. Maybe when this is all over, I can talk about it. But maybe not. Again, you’ll have to learn to live with it.”

Tina took the last, long sip of her Drambuie. It burned all the way down, and she chocked back a sob. “I’m used to living with secrets. My mother’s full of them, and Uncle Bob seems to have a few, as well.” She stood up. “But I was hoping I wouldn’t have any with the man I loved. You’re right, I need to go home to think.” She set her glass down gently on the coffee table and headed for the back door.

Hank drove her home without speaking, and she was too upset to say anything. Within five minutes, they were there. She jumped out of the car and ran up the front steps. He followed her easily, and before she could get the key in the lock, grabbed her, holding her tight against him. “I love you,” he murmured in her ear.

She melted, clinging to him. She wanted him. Needed him. But part of that need was to know everything about him. Every secret.

She pulled away and unlocked the door. Then she turned to him. “I love you, too. I always will, no matter what happens.”

He nodded, his gray eyes sad. She watched him walk away, shoulders slumped, and then went inside.

She heard voices in the living room. Her mother and Uncle Bob. And Brandon. What was he doing there?

She hung up her coat in the hall closet. Took several deep breaths. And another one as she entered the living room. She hoped her face didn’t give away too much.

Uncle Bob and Laura looked surprised to see her. “You’re home awfully early.” Laura studied her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She sank down onto the couch. Princess came over to be petted. She hardly ever did that because she was always so intent on working for Uncle Bob. Tina figured Princess knew something was up. Her and her mother’s instincts were about equally good. Tina stroked the dog’s golden fur over and over again, taking some comfort from the gentle animal.

She looked up to see Brandon studying her. Her mother and Uncle Bob also watched her intently. “Okay,” she said, leaning back against the couch cushion. “Hank and I had a slight disagreement. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“All right,” Laura didn’t sound happy.

No one said anything for a few moments. Tina continued to pet Princess. She’d like to know why Brandon had come over, but figured she shouldn’t ask.

Finally, he said, “I wanted to see you. I’m worried about Leslie.”

Tina sat up straight again and stopped petting Princess. Princess went back to sit beside Uncle Bob. “What happened?”

“That’s the problem. I don’t know. I went by at dinnertime to bring her a small bookcase she wanted from Mom and Dad’s attic. She was acting strange. Jumpy. I asked her what was wrong, and she blew me off. I figured you might know.”

So he came by the Shaw’s on a Saturday night to talk to her. Brandon never dropped in anywhere. Tina suspected his seeing her that morning had driven him to come. Why, why couldn’t she love Brandon as she did Hank? Brandon didn’t have secrets. Brandon wouldn’t leave for two months without telling her the reason. Brandon was a rock. Well, Hank was a rock, too. But a much rougher one than Brandon. “I don’t think it’s my place to tell you something that Leslie wouldn’t share with you on her own.”

“So, you know what it is.” That stubborn look Brandon had appeared on his face.

She almost said,
It’s a secret
. And got an inkling about how Hank felt when he couldn’t tell her something. Confused, she stood up. “Sorry, Brandon. I have something to do.” She left the living room and dashed upstairs to her bedroom. After kicking off her shoes, she climbed onto her bed. Laying on her back, she stared at the ceiling.

Okay, was she going to allow her compulsion to know everything get in the way of her relationship with Hank? Realistically, it already had. She loved Hank for so many reasons, the main one being that he respected her. He also didn’t tell her what to do or think, which Brandon tended to do. She felt safer with Brandon in some respects, the main one being his openness. But she knew she loved Hank more deeply, more viscerally.

Exhausted, she fell into a fitful sleep. Her cell woke her. She looked at the time. Midnight. And it was Leslie again.

Alarmed, Tina answered. “What’s going on? You okay?”

“You didn’t call and come over with Hank.”

Stricken, Tina said, “I’m so sorry. I did get totally distracted. Actually, we had a sort of an argument.”

“Oh, no. Oh, Tina. What on earth about?”

“You know how secretive he is. Well, it really got to me tonight. And he won’t budge about it.”

“I don’t know what to say, what advice to give you.”

“That’s all right. I don’t know what advice to give myself.” Tina’s laugh sounded shaky.

“Well, I know you’ll figure it out. I heard some more noises. Can you come over again? Spend the night?”

“Of course, if you’re spooked. You’re not in the attic again?”

“Great choice of words, Tina.” Leslie’s laugh sounded as shaky as Tina’s. “No, of course I’m not in the attic. Banging overhead. I’m in my bedroom.”

“Oh, okay. Go downstairs. I’m throw a few things in a suitcase and come right away.”

“Thanks, Tina. What was that?”

“What?”

“I heard something again. Hurry.” Leslie hung up.

Tina threw a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved top, pajamas, and toiletries into an overnight bag and ran down the stairs. She was glad to see no one was in the living room. She did stop to write a quick note to her mother, then dashed out to her car without a coat. Before leaving the driveway, she called Leslie’s number, but after six rings, it went to voice mail. She threw the phone onto the passenger seat and concentrated on driving to Leslie’s house.

When she pulled into the driveway, she hesitated about taking her gun out of her purse to have it ready. The side door opened, and Leslie stood, waiting. She appeared to be okay, so Tina didn’t get the gun, just grabbed her purse and overnight bag. As she approached the door, Leslie stepped back to allow Tina to enter. Tina closed and bolted the door behind her.

“You hear anything else? You okay?”

“A little shaky. Once I got downstairs, I didn’t notice any more noises.”

Tina set her bag down. “What exactly did you hear? And why didn’t you answer your phone?”

“Oh, I left it on the bed and came down here to wait for you. Sorry. I heard that tapping again. You think the ghost is hanging pictures?” Leslie’s laugh sounded nervous, but Tina was glad to hear it.

“Could be.” She hugged Leslie. “Let’s sit down and talk.”

“Okay. I didn’t even make coffee this time.”

“That’s all right. I don’t need any.”

Leslie led the way to the living room. “Might as well be comfortable.”

After they plopped into a couple overstuffed chairs, Leslie asked, “What do you want to talk about?”

“I did some research on ghosts at home. There seems to be quite a bit of what they call “paranormal activity” here in Newport, especially in the older houses. Mainly the mansions. They have investigators. Maybe you’ve seen the show on TV?”

“No. I had no idea.”

“I was thinking you might want to call one of the companies. They don’t charge anything, but do take donations. I don’t know how reliable they are, of course, or whether it’s a total scam. I also am not clear about what they do if they find anything. An exorcism?”

Leslie shivered. “I’m not sure I want strangers poking around, looking for ghosts or other monsters. This is really creepy, Tina.”

“I know. Look, I’m positive there is some logical explanation for what you’re hearing. This is an old, old house. They’re always creaking and groaning.”

“You live in a house about as old. You ever hear or experience anything like we did last night?”

Tina frowned. “No.”

“Same with my parents’ house. Nothing like rhythmic knocking on doors unlocking on their own. Or ghostly shapes in a corner.”

“You have a point. I know you’ve been thinking about this. Any ideas?”

Leslie studied Tina’s face. “No. Tell me more about what happened with Hank. I’d still like to get him to look into this.”

Tina shifted in her chair, but couldn’t get comfortable. “Again, I’m sorry I didn’t bring him by like I said I would. After our tiff, everything else flew out of my head.”

“I totally understand. So, tell me.”

“Some woman showed up while we were at Anthony’s. Turns out she’s a federal agent. I don’t know any idea what agency—Hank didn’t say. Apparently she’s keeping tabs on him. Something went wrong in New York. Something he did, I think, but he won’t tell me any more than that.” Tina paused. “I’m very uncomfortable not knowing more about what Hank really does, what he’s involved in. I’m now convinced it’s dangerous. You know how I am about secrets. And Hank is probably the most secretive man in Newport.”

“Oh, Tina.”

“I know. I did tell him about what we saw and heard last night before we started discussing his work. But I never got to ask for his help.”

“You had an actual fight?”

“Not really. I just told him I didn’t know if I could deal with his secrecy anymore, and he brought me home. And when I got there, guess who was waiting to talk to me?”

“I have no idea.”

“Your brother. He’s worried about you. Thinks you’re hiding something from him.”

“Brandon? Brandon went behind my back to talk to you about me?” Leslie’s eyes narrowed. “Oh. It was a great excuse to see you again. He’s not over you, Tina.”

Tina sighed. “I realize that. Look, getting back to your ghost.”

“My ghost. Already he belongs to me. Wonderful.”

Tina laughed. “Well, apparently he comes with the house. You own the house; therefore, you own the ghost.”

“That sure makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Like having a pet.”

Tina grinned. “In my research, I didn’t find that many, if any, ghosts that have harmed people. It’s rather difficult since they’re somewhat unsubstantial. Some people claim it happens, but I don’t think anyone in authority has even proven that a ghost physically hurt someone.”

“That’s reassuring. Kind of. Of course,
my
ghost could be the exception.”

“Doubtful. What I suggest is you talk to Brandon and Hank. Have them come spend the night, or several nights, and see if they can find out what’s making those noises. Set up a place for them to be comfortable in the attic. They’ll scoff, but be amused, and will humor you.”

“Why can’t we do that ourselves?”

“Because you’d become too unnerved. I’d start paying attention to you and stop trying to explore where the sounds are coming from and what might be causing them. Plus, if this is some malevolent being, two guys would probably be better able to handle it than we could, much as I hate to admit that chauvinistic thought.”

Leslie nodded. “You’re right. Will you stay with me, though, until we get this figured out?”

“Of course. What are friends for? I’ll even help in the attic. In the daytime.”

“Good. Thank you, Tina. You’re wonderful.”

Tina smiled. “You’d do the same for me, right?”

“No.”

They both broke into laughter, and the tension eased. “You’re a wuss.” Tina stood up. “Let’s go to bed. It’s past the witching hour.”

“Great.” Leslie stood, too. “Now I can start thinking it’s a witch instead of a ghost. Thanks for putting that in my head.”

“I’m sure it’s neither.” Tina made her voice firm. “Old house noises. But we have to find out how they’re being made so you can live here without fear.”

“Right. Tina, we’re forgetting one thing. I’ve been here a couple of months. And never heard anything until I began working in the attic.”

“So, you think this ghost or whatever is trying to scare you away from being up there?”

“What do you think?”

Tina hesitated. “It’s possible. But I don’t really believe it. Coincidence. It’s gotten warmer since you moved in. Stuff is contracting and expanding. I’m sure that’s all it is.”

“Okay. We’ll go with that for now. But I like your idea of having Brandon and Hank check it out, even if they’ll think I’m a ditsy woman.”

“They don’t think that already?”

Leslie lightly slapped Tina’s upper arm. “Probably. But this will cement their impression.”

Unless,
Tina thought,
there really is a ghost.