Edge of Shadows (Shadows #1) (11 page)

“There’s something you aren’t telling us,” David said.

“Joe is being polite, David. He knows that I hate to speak ill of the dead. Even if it is just a silly rumor,” Linda said quietly.

“C’mon now, you told us everything else,” Melanie pushed.

Linda turned her head just a bit and looked up at Randall, who shrugged his shoulders. David was almost more fascinated watching the interplay between Randall, Linda, and Joe than he was in hearing the rest of the story.

“Some say,” Linda paused as if to make sure she had their full attention, “that Joseph and Lillian ran away to escape the debt collectors, which is probably what happened. But the more morbid say that Joseph killed Lillian and went off hoping to find a wife who could give him children, because a friend of the couple, a young widow, also disappeared around the same time. She was supposed to be very good friends with Lillian.”

“If that was the truth, you’d think that someone would have heard something or seen something odd,” Melanie said.

“That’s the strange part,” Joe said. “I heard that some of the neighbors claimed that they would hear noises, something that could have been screaming, in the middle of the night shortly before it was discovered that they were gone. Given their visibility in the community, it caused quite a stir when they disappeared.”

“What do you think of all of that, Linda?” Ellie asked.

“The house went up for sale and passed through different owners before Lloyd and I found it. Joe tells me his grandfather supposedly met up with Joseph Bradford after the ‘disappearance.’ When his grandfather asked why Joseph sold the house, he just murmured something about life not always working out the way you want it to. That’s all he said. That seems to lend itself more to the idea that they left because of his misfortune.” Linda’s voice was sad. “It must have been so difficult for him, loving someone who couldn’t give the one thing he had truly ever wanted.”

“Rubbish!” Melanie’s disdainful voice immediately shifted the mood. “You can love someone even if you don’t have any children. You can make a marriage work just as well without that distraction. Hell, Herbert and I decided a long time ago that if we wanted to stay married, the best way to do that would be not to have them at all and good riddance!”

“Well, times are very different now,” Randall said, coming to Linda’s defense. “Back then, a man’s family was as much a symbol of his status as the dollars he had in the bank.”

Suddenly Linda let out a sharp breath and David could see tears in the corners of her eyes.

“Linda! What’s wrong?” Ellie said, moving from his side to peer into Linda’s face.

“It’s really nothing, dear. I mean, Melanie’s right, I suppose. Lloyd and I…we were never able to have children. We had a good marriage all the same, I guess, but I always felt like I had failed him.” Linda’s voice fell to a whisper.

Randall pulled Linda from Ellie’s grasp into his arms. “It might be better if we called it a night,” Randall said, staring pointedly at Melanie, who looked completely baffled.

“I didn’t mean to offend you, Linda, honestly, I had no idea,” Melanie apologized.

Linda’s hand just waved from Randall’s chest. She looked fragile and as if she had aged a decade in just those few moments.

“Jeffrey!” Randall’s voice was commanding. The butler instantly appeared in the hallway.

“Our guests will need their jackets,” Randall said. At the butler’s questioning glance, Randall sighed and added, “Mrs. Jordan isn’t feeling well. Why don’t you box up a dessert for everyone to take home? No need for that to go to waste.”

“Of course, Mr. McGinty. Is there anything else I can do for Mrs. Jordan?” Jeffrey asked.

“No, no.” Randall waved him away. “I’ll take care of her.” He turned his gaze back to the group standing in the entryway. “Thank you all for coming. I’m sure you understand if I take Linda upstairs now. Jeffrey will show you out.”

Linda’s shoulders were shaking against his chest and David could hear her sobs. Randall turned her to face the staircase, and he slowly helped her climb the stairs. At the top, they turned to the left and were out of sight.

It was clear to David that no one knew what to say or do.

“What the hell just happened here?” Kevin was the first to speak. Everyone looked at each other, dumbfounded, although Joe Klein was staring up the stairs with a thoughtful expression on his face.

“I really didn’t mean anything by what I said,” Melanie said. She was finally starting to look abashed.

“It’s okay, Melanie, I think we all agree that Linda’s reaction was completely unexpected,” Ellie said. “I know you meant to be funny.”

David looked at Ellie and thought that he was one of the luckiest men alive. He decided he didn’t care what had happened in her past. In the last five minutes he had seen how much she cared about her friends’ feelings and how she wanted to make them feel better. Maybe other people couldn’t see it, but he thought that she was hiding the soul of a saint.

They all stood in the hallway in silence. Within minutes Jeffrey was back, handing each of them their jackets. The woman who had helped with serving dinner appeared with a small white box for each of them.

“Please, let Linda know we’re truly sorry that we upset her,” Ellie said to Jeffrey as they were leaving.

“If I see Mrs. Jordan before I leave, I will pass that along,” Jeffrey said.

David could tell that the man didn’t expect to see Linda again that evening.

Outside on the patio, everyone started to say their goodbyes. Joe Klein looked up the house, and David thought he was looking at the windows on the top floor.

“You know, when I was growing up, all the kids said this place was haunted,” he said. Immediately he had everyone’s attention again.

“Haunted?” Melanie asked sharply. She shook off Herbert’s hand on her arm. “Haunted by whom?”

“Some say Lillian. Some say the young widow who disappeared around the same time. Over the years, it’s been hard to keep folks living here, it seemed, at least until Linda moved in.” Joe finally looked at the group. David thought he looked angry.

“Linda and Lloyd,” Melanie corrected.

“Of course. I never had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Jordan myself,” Joe said. Finally his wife tugged on his sleeve.

“I think it’s time to go, Joe,” she said. David thought it may have been the first time she had spoken all night.

Joe nodded, and then the group slowly dispersed.

David fell in beside Ellie as she walked to her car. “That was certainly an odd evening,” he said, pushing his hands into his jacket pockets to keep them warm. “Not my idea of an ideal first date either.”

Ellie smiled at him but looked distracted. She kept looking back up at the house. “I’ve never seen Linda like that,” she said. She pulled her keys from her jacket and unlocked the car door. “It just seems so out of character for her.”

“I think she started identifying a bit too much with the story,” David answered. “I’ve seen that kind of thing happen before; emotions just get the better of you.”

“Sorry about Randall, by the way,” Ellie said, suddenly changed the subject. “He was bordering on rude there for a moment. That was out of character for him too. Usually he is the ultimate gentleman, although a bit…”

“Yucky?” David finished for her.

She laughed. “Exactly.”

“It’s good to see you laugh, Ellie. I’d like to see that again, if that would be all right with you.” David reached out and took her hand. “I’d really like to see you again and have a proper date.”

“Really?” Ellie said quietly.

“If you aren’t completely opposed to the idea,” David said, looking deeply into her eyes.

“I’d love to,” she said.

David grinned and felt a tightening in his chest. “That’s great! I’ll have to give you a call, though; my schedule can be a bit hectic.”

“Of course.” Ellie pulled a slip of paper out of her purse and wrote down her phone number. “I’m pretty much free when I’m not at the coffee shop.”

David took the slip of paper and leaned over, kissing her forehead. He slowly put his arms around her and pulled her close. He felt her relax into his embrace.

“I had a good time tonight, despite the drama, because it gave me a chance to spend more time with you. And that’s all I’ve wanted to do for a while now,” he whispered into her ear. “I promise I’ll call you soon.”

He reluctantly let her go, and then he opened up her car door for her. He thought she was going to say something else, but then she decided against it. She climbed into the car, pulling the door shut behind her. She waved at him and then started the car.

David watched the car disappear into the darkness. As he pulled his keys out of his pocket, he felt the hair rise on the back of his neck. Someone was watching him. He turned and looked back up at the house. He thought he saw movement in one of the third-story windows, but he couldn’t tell for sure in the gloom.

Something felt out of place and there were warning bells going off in his head. David quickly made his way to his car. If there was one thing that he always did, it was trust his gut. And it was telling him to get the hell out of there as fast as he could.

The next day brought about the first frost of the season, and the air held the bitterness of winter’s arrival. Ellie cut Skipper’s walk short again, preferring the warmth and comfort of the fireplace and her book to traipsing around outside.

The shop was closed on Sundays. It had been one of Jake’s stipulations when she told him she wanted to start her own business. He said she should have one day to focus just on them. Later in their relationship, Ellie had often worked that day anyway in an attempt to avoid him. Now that she was alone, Sundays were just empty days for her.

Today felt different, though, and Ellie knew it was because of David. But she was still troubled how things had been left with Linda. She didn’t know what to do when she saw someone who was strong like Linda just break down. It was doubly distressing that she had to rely on her regular five senses to try to make any sense of the matter. She hadn’t realized until last night how much she depended on that extra bit of information that only she could see. Perhaps her little extra talent wasn’t so bad after all.

When Kevin called to check in on her, she gladly invited him over for a cup of coffee and conversation. They sat by the fire, Ellie curled up under a blanket in her overstuffed chair, while Kevin lounged on the sofa. It didn’t take long for the conversation to turn to what had transpired the previous evening.

“So you tried to call her this morning too?” Kevin asked.

Ellie nodded. “No answer, though, so I left a message for her to call me. I’m really worried about her.”

“It was all so strange,” Kevin remarked. “That creepy story about the Bradfords, and then she just had a meltdown. Linda doesn’t seem like the type to get so carried away like that.”

“I know. It was so strange,” Ellie agreed. She took a sip of her coffee. “David thought that the story, mixed with her own past, may have overwhelmed her emotionally.”

“Speaking of that fine-looking man, how’d things go?” Kevin leaned forward eagerly.

Ellie giggled and tried hiding her smile behind her hand. She felt like she was a teenager gossiping about a boy at school. “Good,” she said shyly.

“C’mon. Tell me everything!” Kevin prodded.

“He walked me to my car and asked me on a date. So nothing crazy happened,” she said, but then couldn’t help herself from dishing the rest. “He did kiss me on the forehead. He was a perfect gentleman all night.”

Kevin sighed and leaned back. “Ah, romance. It’s a glorious thing.”

“You and Eric have plenty of romance, I’m sure,” Ellie quipped.

“Eric and I have been forever together and you know what they say, the romance is the first thing to go,” Kevin said, winking at her.

“I think you two are perfect for each other,” Ellie said. “I’ve always been jealous of you.”

“Who knew that you could meet your soul mate when you were eighteen years old.” Kevin shrugged, looking down into his coffee cup. “Between work and school I’m gone a lot, but he’s always supportive. I know I’m lucky. I don’t ever want to lose him.”

Kevin’s aura pulsed a deep blue. Ellie had known him long enough to know that it wasn’t that he was calm, but that he was melancholy. “He’s crazy about you, Kevin. I know you don’t have anything to worry about,” Ellie said. She reached over and squeezed his knee. Kevin patted her hand.

“Thanks, sweetie, but enough about me. When’s your date?” he said, changing the topic.

“He’s supposed to call. He’s got a hectic schedule at the hospital,” she said.

Kevin nodded in understanding. At that moment the phone rang. Kevin raised his eyebrows. “Perhaps that is Prince Charming right now.”

Ellie laughed and went over the phone. She looked at the caller ID. “It’s Linda!” she exclaimed and picked up the phone. “Hello,” she said, expecting to hear Linda’s voice.

“Ellie? It’s Randall,” said the deep voice on the other end.

Ellie shivered. “Oh, hello, Randall,” she said slowly. “How’s Linda this morning? Kevin and I are pretty worried about her.” She shushed Kevin as he started to rise from the sofa.