Coldhearted (9781311888433) (18 page)

Uncle Landon was silent for the longest time,
processing. Finally, he said, “As a writer, this story sounds
fascinating, but as your uncle, this sounds sad and horrible. Sorry
you’ve been going through this. I know I haven’t been
attentive—”

“
It’s okay,” she cut him
off, waving a dismissive hand. “You’re busy writing.”

“
If you ever need to
talk...”

Edie nodded. “Thanks.”

She followed her uncle to the driver’s side
of his BMW, an older model, black with chrome wheels. He didn’t
immediately start the car, instead giving her a concerned look.

“
Don’t stay out too late,
okay?”

“
Okay,” she agreed,
confused. “Why?”

He let a smile slip. “Scary things come out
at night.”

She wasn’t smiling. “They come out in the
day, too.”

He nodded. “That’s true but what I meant was
animals and such, wolves mainly. I saw one once and the snow
perfectly camouflaged his white fur. All I could see was a pair of
menacing amber eyes, staring hungrily at me.”

“
Sounds like a good horror
story,” she said.

He smiled. “No, that’s real life.”

“
Real life is a horror
story,” she commented, matter-of-fact.

He considered this, and then said, “You’re
right.” He’d been smiling but now it faded. “Edie…I’m concerned
about this teacher of yours. He comes over to my house, spends all
this time with you, alone, and doesn’t even bother to meet me.”

“
I told him that you didn’t
want to be bothered.”

He shook his head. “I guess it’s my fault. We
don’t really know each other, despite being family. I should have
come down and visited more often, but…anyway, in the future, I want
to know if anyone is coming over, yeah? Not to say they have to be
approved or anything. I just want to know, okay?”

She nodded. “Okay. And you don’t have to
worry about my teacher. He knew it was a mistake coming over. He
told me if I needed to talk, I’d have to come to his classroom,
where he could leave the door open…so no suspicions.”

Uncle Landon reached out and held her gloved
hand. “Just be careful, okay Edie? You’re beautiful, just like your
mother, and men can drive themselves insane, desiring such a beauty
that they can never have.”

Edie’s mouth fell open. “Uncle, were you in
love with my mom?” she asked in disbelief.

He let go of her and finally started the car.
“Stay warm,” he said, instead of answering her question. “You’re
not made for the cold.” He frowned. “Neither was your mother.”

Edie almost had to jump back, as Uncle Landon
took off down Main Street, fleeing from her. She stared at the back
of his car, the red taillights braking bright when he reached the
corner, and then he turned, traveling out of sight.

She couldn’t believe it. Uncle Landon had
loved her mom. And she’d chosen Edie’s dad instead. So that was why
he’d never visited. He couldn’t bear to see her mom with his
brother. He couldn’t bear to see Edie, the product of the love that
he’d been denied. Edie always wondered why he was alone, unmarried,
not even seeing someone. He was still attached to her mom, even in
death.

Overwhelmed, she’d forgotten to ask her uncle
if he thought she’d purposely destroyed Ravenna’s room. He’d seen
the damage. He’d seen Ravenna, cowered in a darkened corner,
spitting Edie’s name out like it’d been poison on her tongue. Yet
Edie had her answer, as she stood free, and not locked in her room,
or a mental asylum. It could be that he didn’t believe she’d done
all that damage, which she hadn’t, although she couldn’t help
feeling partly responsible. She was the one who’d brought a violent
ghost into Ravenna’s room; a ghost who’d been shadowing her every
move, stirring up trouble, making Edie out to be delusional and
dangerous.

The poltergeist had yet to make an
appearance, and for that, she was grateful. She didn’t know his
powers (yes, it was definitely a he), if he could manifest or not,
but she knew that he was near her, even though he hadn’t said one
word since her uncle had arrived and left. She knew that he was
near her because she was cold. Yes, she was cold all the time
because Grimsby was equivalent to the ice planet of Hoth in Star
Wars, but it was more than just the winter season with all its snow
and ice. The cold that she was feeling was Death’s finger
accelerating the clock. If midnight had been chosen as the hour of
her demise, then she was in the eleventh hour.

She’d been feeling this coldness, this
oppression, and this doom, ever since Lockhart Manor. The ghost,
the poltergeist, the menace, who was her constant companion,
desired her death, she knew it. And the sad part to all of this? He
was winning.

He was winning because she’d rather die than
live one more day knowing that she was responsible for allowing a
ghost to haunt the living world.

She knew next to nothing about ghosts, other
than what she’d seen on TV and in movies. What she was experiencing
was nothing like what Hollywood could come up with. It was all very
real and all very terrifying. To someone like her uncle, a writer,
such a story was “fascinating,” as he’d said. Even though he didn’t
know everything, the bits that she’d told him were interesting
enough. She wondered how he’d feel knowing a ghost was living
inside his house. She mentally chuckled. He’d probably want to
communicate with it, use it as research for his stories.

She was a hundred percent certain her ghost
wouldn’t tolerate being interviewed, unless it was to boast about
his devilish deeds. No, she couldn’t tell her uncle. She couldn’t
invite that sort of fascination into his life. Better to leave him
in the dark.

****

Twilight had arrived and a light snow was
starting to fall. Edie zipped up her coat, slid into the driver’s
seat of her car, turned over the engine, and blasted the heat. Once
she was warm enough, she dialed Diana’s number.

Diana picked up after one ring. “Edie, you
okay?”

“
Yeah, my uncle just
left.”

“
Is it okay for you to come
over?”

“
Yeah, he doesn’t mind. Has
Madelyn and Mason made it to your house yet?”

“
Madelyn just arrived. I’m
waiting on Mason. My parents and little brother are here, but they
won’t bother us. The whole upstairs is mine, really. My mom might
try to feed you, and my dad might want to look under the hood of
your car, but other than that, they’re harmless. My little brother
is a baby, so he might just drool on you, if you’re
lucky.”

Edie chuckled. “After everything I’ve been
through, drool sounds wonderful. Okay, I’ll see you in a bit. So I
just take a left at the end of Main, then head to the first light,
and take a right on…what was your street again?”

“
Hawthorne,” Diana replied.
“I live in a subdivision called Hawthorne City. Every house looks
exactly the same, except ours has a bunch of gravestones on the
front lawn.”

Edie was confused. “Why would you have that
on your lawn?”

“
Halloween,” Diana said, as
if it were obvious. “We’re the only house with the gravestones. Not
to say there aren’t any dead people around, but our markers aren’t
real. Styrofoam, I think. So are you here yet?”

“
I haven’t even put my car
in drive,” Edie said in a slight tone.

“
Oh, you don’t talk while
driving?” Diana asked, like everyone did it.

“
No, but I used
to.”

“
Why’d you stop?”

Edie hesitated, emotional, and then replied,
“The man who hit my parents, he was on his cell phone, not paying
attention. So I guess I just don’t want to hurt someone or myself
because I was on the phone when I should’ve been paying
attention.”

“
Oh, I am so sorry! Now I’m
going to stop and talk. That’s so awful what happened to your
parents. I hope that guy got like a gazillion years in
prison.”

“
He died too,” Edie
informed.

“
Oh…well…oh, Mason’s just
arrived.” Edie could tell that Diana was glad to have something
lighter to talk about. “He and Maddie are chatting with my dad. And
I smell cookies baking. Chocolate chips and snickerdoodle, if
you’re curious.”

Edie smiled even though Diana couldn’t see.
“Great, those are my two favorites. I’ll be there in a flash.”

“
No!” Diana shouted into the
phone. “Take your time, no rushing. Drive like a turtle if you have
to.”

Edie kept her smile, glad for Diana’s
concern. “Okay, Diana, I’ll be there in an hour,” Edie joked.

“
Then I’ll know something’s
wrong and send out Search and Rescue. You know what I mean. Not too
fast. Not too slow.”

“
Copy that. See you
soon.”

“
Bye.”

“
Bye.”

Edie ended the call and sighed, happy.
Whenever she was around Diana, Madelyn, and Mason, she felt…love.
Yes, that was what she felt. Love. She clasped her golden pendant
with that same word embedded in rubies. She felt her parents love
too. They were still with her even though she couldn’t see or hear
them.

“
Eeedee.”

Edie grunted, despite her fear, knowing that
the Ghost of Grimsby wouldn’t leave her alone. To her surprise, he
didn’t touch her, but she felt a chill sweep past her neck, and
then a tug on her necklace; her pendant was being pulled down. She
slapped her hand over it and felt how icy cold it was, as if it’d
been lying for millennia in the depths of the Arctic. She wanted to
hold on, but the pain was too much, and she let go, rubbing her
hands together in front of the vent; the heat felt like Heaven. She
was glad that the ghost hadn’t destroyed her car. The only reason
she could figure was that he needed transportation too.

Considering her ghost was male, he used their
attachment (as Jules had coined) to his full advantage,
intimidating her. His voice was sometimes deep, sometimes tranquil,
but tranquil like a stranger trying to lure a child with candy.
Creepy. She found herself wondering who he was, when he’d died, and
why he was haunting her. Why hadn’t he left her yet? She guessed
that he couldn’t break free. Or else he didn’t want to. Great, she
had a clingy ghost.

Her cell phone rang. It was Diana again.

“
I’m fine,” Edie greeted,
just as Diana asked, “What’s wrong?”

“
Edie?” Mason sounded
worried. Diana must have had her cell on speaker.

“
I’m fine. I’m on my way.
Save a cookie for me,” Edie added.

“
Too late,” Madelyn said in
a muffled voice, her mouth obviously full of sweets.

Edie told them that she’d see them soon, and
then she ended the call.

When she strapped on her seatbelt, and got
ready to leave, a cold voice said, “Don’t drive too fast. The ice
can be treacherous.”

“
Thanks for the tip,” she
said sarcastically.

He laughed, finding her amusing. “So. Are we
friends now?”

“
Never,” she declared. “Now
leave me alone.”

“
I’m afraid I can’t do that,
Edie.”

“
Why not?”

“
Because you’re mine,” he
growled in her ear.

She’d yet to move, still parked on Main
Street, which was deadly silent. The businesses had closed and the
patrons had gone. The Gallos had nailed a wooden board to Ravenna’s
broken out window, and had left shortly thereafter, probably in
search of a priest to ward their apartment against future
attacks.

Now alone, Edie threw question after question
at the ghost, hoping that he’d submit to an interview. Her
inquiries were met with dead silence for the longest time until he
finally said:

“
All in good time, Edie. All
in good time.”

He was drawing this out. Oh, joy.

Chapter 14

Edie had been expecting to be greeted by
numerous fake gravestones, but when she arrived at Diana’s, and
stood next to them, fear took hold of her.

It looked so real that she thought it was
real. And it was a reminder of her parents, of their gravestones
back home; although theirs didn’t have creepy-looking hands that
came up out of the ground, trying to pull her under.

“
There you are!”

Mason came out of nowhere and crushed her in
a hug. He immediately took her fear away. “I was about to come
looking for you.” He kissed her in front of Diana and Madelyn, who
were standing nearby. “You’re so cold.”

“
Then warm me up,” Edie said
in a sultry voice, much to her surprise.

“
Get a room,” Diana joked.
“But not mine,” she added.

“
Cookie?” Madelyn offered,
and handed Edie one wrapped inside a napkin.

“
Thanks,” Edie said, and
finished it in two bites.

“
More?” Madelyn
asked.

“
Please,” Edie begged, and
followed everyone inside.

Diana’s home was decorated for Halloween. In
addition to the gravestones were: spiders; hanging skeletons; scary
witches; and an overload of pumpkins, plastic and real.

“
Cozy,” Edie
joked.

Diana just laughed.

Madelyn said, “My family doesn’t go all-out
on Halloween. We just have candy prepared for the
trick-or-treaters, so they won’t egg our house.”

“
Why don’t you do
Halloween?” Edie asked.

Before answering, Madelyn took another bite
of a snickerdoodle and swallowed. “My dad said he doesn’t want to
celebrate the occult.” She shrugged. “I’ve never been
trick-or-treating, but over the years, they’ve let me come over to
Di’s, and watch scary movies and eat candy.”