Haunted Tales (10 page)

“Yes,” Bradley said, looking down at Mary, his face deadly
serious. “You could have. And I don’t understand why you would put yourself in
that kind of situation.”

“I didn’t realize how recently Andrew had died,” Mary
explained. “I thought he’d been dead awhile and his teacher’s death was what
kept him from moving on.”

Andrew stared at her. “You knew I was dead when you first
met me?” he asked.

“Well, your slit wrists kind of gave it away,” she said.

Shocked, Andrew stared down at his wrists. “I never noticed
them. It looks like I killed myself,” he said, and then he added angrily, “I
didn’t kill myself. I wouldn’t have killed myself.”
 
He looked up at Mary. “Why didn’t you tell
me?”

“Because you were so focused on your teacher, I thought it
would be better to get the crime solved first. Then you could deal with the
reality of your death,” she said. “But I thought since the case was forty years
old, there wasn’t a lot of risk involved.
 
And I have to confess that I thought you’d become despondent and had taken
your own life.”

“Why do you believe me now?” he asked.

Mary took a deep breath. “Tonight, when we were searching
the desk, you told me you that you’d read the article about me,” she said. “And
since the article has only been out for a couple of weeks, I suddenly realized
that you hadn’t been dead for very long. And you certainly didn’t act
despondent when we were searching for the secret panel. You were excited and
eager to learn more. That’s when I realized I’d made a terrible mistake.”

“And that’s when we heard the noise,” Andrew added.

“The noise?”
Bradley asked. “Are
you telling me that the killer was in the school with you tonight?”

Mary looked up and met Bradley’s eyes. “Yes, I think he
was,” she said. “I grabbed the drawer, and I was going to try and get out
before he caught me.”

Bradley’s jaw tightened. “You were going to try and outrun a
killer?” he asked. “And you didn’t think to call me?”

“There wasn’t time,” she said. “Even with your sirens
blazing, it would have taken you at least twenty minutes.”

“And you couldn’t have called the local police?” Bradley
asked.

“I thought about it,” she said. “But then I realized two
things. One, that I was in a building that also held a murdered body that no
one had found yet. And two, I didn’t know who the killer was.
 
He could be a cop.”

“Wait,” Andrew interrupted. “Are you sure my body’s in the
school?”

She nodded. “Every time I’ve met you at the school, you’ve
come from the inside to let me in,” she said. “This time, I peeked through the
window and saw you come up from the basement.
 
It makes sense that the killer left you down there.”

“Let’s go back to you being trapped in an abandoned building
with a killer,” Bradley said. “I’m not quite over that yet.”

Mary nodded. “Kristen opened the secret panel in the drawer
and gave me the journal and all of her letters,” she said. “Then she took the
drawer and walked to the stairway on the other side of the school.
 
She threw the drawer down the stairs and
caused enough noise to draw the killer to her.
 
He ran past the classroom—”

“Stop,” Bradley
said,
his voice
tight with emotion. “You heard the killer run past the classroom you were
hiding in?
 
He was that close?”

“Yes, he was,” she said. “Then Kristen made even more noise,
and he ran past the classroom and down the hall.
 
As soon as I thought he was far enough away,
I ran out of the classroom, down the stairs and out to the parking lot.”

Bradley shook his head, rose from the couch and then walked
away from Mary, into the kitchen.

“Mary, I’m so sorry,” Andrew said. “I didn’t realize how
dangerous this was going to be.”

“No, it’s not your fault, Andrew,” she said. “I should have
realized. I should have taken precautions. I’m the one who acted like an
amateur.”

“Are you going to give up on the case?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No, I won’t give up on the case,” she
said. “But I have a feeling I’m going to have a new partner.”

“Damn right,” Bradley called from the other room.

Andrew looked from Mary to Bradley and shook his head. “I
think I’d better go now,” he said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Mary said. “See you tomorrow, Andrew.”

Mary watched him fade away, and then, once he was gone, she
took a deep breath.
 
Standing up, she
walked to the kitchen where Bradley stood staring out the back window, his
hands clutching the counter next to the sink. Biting her lower lip, she watched
him for a moment. Every muscle was taut, and his breathing was slow and
deliberate.
 

Stepping forward, she slipped her arms around his waist and
laid her head against his back. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I was stupid
and careless. Please forgive me.”

She felt his quick intake of breath, felt the expansion of
his chest and the slow, shuddering release of air. “Mary,” he
said,
his voice hoarse. “You could have…”

He turned around and pulled her into his arms, crushing her
against him, as he held her tightly. He didn’t say a word, he just held her and
she could feel the erratic thumping of his heart against his chest. “I’m so
sorry,” she whispered again. “I’m so sorry.”

Finally, his muscles relaxed and he leaned away from her,
still holding her in his arms. “I’m as mad as hell at you,” he said softly.

“You should be,” she agreed.

“Never again,” he stated. “Never again will you put yourself
in a situation that could endanger your life.”

She nodded mutely.
 

“Damn it,” he said, shaking his head. “Losing you would kill
me. The thought of losing you has nearly killed me. I’m not going to be
logical.
 
I’m not going to be fair. No
more, Mary. No more.”

Mary sat in the corner of the couch, sipping on her tea, hoping
that the chamomile would work its magic and calm her still fluttering
heart.
 
She had lain in bed for an hour
trying to quiet her mind long enough to fall asleep, but sleep was just not
happening. Finally, she had given up and quietly padded downstairs to see if a
cup of tea would help.

“Hey, how are you doing, champ?” Mike asked as he appeared
next her on the other end of the couch.

She sighed and shook her head. “Well, no demons are coming
after me,” she said, staring at her cup. “So I guess I’m good.”

“Yeah, well, we called in reinforcements, so you ought to be
demon free for a while,” he said. “But this has nothing to do with what you’re
feeling right now.”

“I totally blew it this time,” she said, and then she met
his eyes. “By the way, thank you for warning me.”

He shrugged. “It’s all in the job description,” he said
softly. “But you really shouldn’t be so hard on yourself.”

“I should have asked Andrew some more questions,” she
argued. “I should have found out more about him.”

“You had a man who still carried a spelling paper from his
fourth grade teacher come to you for help,” he said. “You were kind, and you
were resourceful. And, yeah, you probably took a little more risk than you
should have.”

Mary put her cup down and laced her fingers over her belly.
 
“I lot more risk,” she said. “I keep
forgetting that I’m pregnant.”

He lifted an eyebrow skeptically, and she chuckled. “Okay, I
don’t forget,” she admitted. “But when I think about what I can do, like
dashing up stairs, I forget that I’m carrying a little person along with me and
that’s going to slow me down.
 
And, I
forget that I’m risking for two, not just one. I scared Bradley to death.”

He stared at her for a long moment. “Do you think that
Bradley’s reaction would have been any less…” he searched for a word and then
smiled at her, “volatile, if you had not been pregnant?”

“Well…” she began.

“You do!” he interrupted. “You think that he was scared to
death for you because you’re pregnant.”

“Well I am
a trained
law
enforcement professional,” she argued.

“Who Bradley adores,” he returned softly.
“And
who he worries about constantly.”

She sat up in the couch. “What? He worries?”

Mike rolled his eyes. “Not just about your work,” he said.
“Although he does worry about that.
But he worries that
you’re not getting enough sleep, you’re not eating properly, you’re not getting
enough down time, you’re not laughing as much as you used to or several dozen
more things that flash through his mind throughout the day.”

“Why?” Mary asked.

“Because he feels that when you agreed to marry him, you
didn’t agree to the package deal,” he replied. “Suddenly you’re not just
married, you’re a mom and you’re going through your first pregnancy while you
are taking on the responsibilities that a young wife shouldn’t have to take on.
You didn’t really get a honeymoon stage; you just got blasted with the cold
reality of life.”

“But I like the cold reality of life,” she argued and then
she shook her head. “I mean, it’s not a cold reality. I love my life.”

“Do you?” Mike asked. “Do you really love it? And don’t just
answer ‘yes’ because it’s the proper thing to do.
 
It’s just you and me, kid. Do you really love
your life?”

Mary picked up her cup again, took a sip and thought about
her answer. She thought about restless nights, padding back and forth to the
bathroom instead of sleeping, aching body parts, upset stomachs and stretch
marks.
 
She thought about dirty dishes,
dusty shelves and unfolded laundry.
 
She
thought about saving money, minivans instead of Roadsters, and flats instead of
heels.

She took another sip of tea and then the little person
inside of her moved. That was all it took for her to know her answer. Looking
up at Mike, tears shining in her eyes, she smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I really
love my life.”

“I thought so,” he replied. “But sometimes it’s a good idea
to do inventory and make sure.”

She wiped away one stray tear and nodded. “So, how can I
make sure Bradley knows I love this life?”

“Get enough sleep, eat properly, allow yourself some down
time and laugh, a lot,” he replied.

She grinned. “Does dark chocolate ice cream count as eating
properly?” she asked.

He nodded. “Hey, it’s
dairy
,
right?”

“Right,” she replied. “Thank you, Mike. You’re the best
friend I ever had.”

He smiled at her. “Same here, kid,” he replied as he slowly
faded away.
“Same here.”

She placed her cup on the kitchen counter and walked
upstairs to her bedroom.
 
Standing next
to the bed, she studied Bradley for a few moments. Even in sleep, his face
seemed tense tonight and she knew she was the cause.
 
She tried to climb into bed carefully, so as not
to wake him, but failed miserably.

“Mary?” Bradley asked
,
his voice
laced with sleep. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she whispered. “I’m just coming back to bed. Go to
sleep.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked again. This time his
voice sounded more awake.

She leaned over and kissed him. “I’m fine,” she said.
“Just tired.
Goodnight.”

He lay quietly on the bed, feigning sleep, and waited for
several minutes until he heard the soft, rhythmic sound of her breathing as she
slept. Cautiously slipping out of the bed, he unknowingly imitated her earlier
position and stood by the bed, watching her sleep.
 
With a long, silent sigh, he shook his head.
“Dammit Mary, I’m so sorry,” he whispered harshly and then left the room.

An hour later Mike reappeared, his
attention drawn by a sound coming from the basement.
 
Gliding down the stairs, he found Bradley,
wearing only pajama bottoms and bare feet, skipping back and forth in front of
a punching bag that was hanging from a rafter in the basement.
 
He was wearing boxing gloves and beating the
leather sides with hard, even hits.

“Are you okay?” Mike asked him.

Ever since Mike had fooled Bradley into believing he could
see ghosts, Bradley had been able to see Mike. Taking another couple more jabs
at the bag, Bradley leaned forward, grabbed the bag to stop its movement and
then looked over at Mike and shrugged.
 
Mike leaned against a nearby pillar and folded his arms over his chest.
“So, I’m taking that to mean no, you are not okay,” he stated.

Sweat glistening on his chest, Bradley turned to him and
shook his head. “No, actually, I’m not okay,” he said. “So I came down here to
be alone. You know alone.” he added pointedly. “And beat something up.”

“Yeah, alone sounds good.
 
And I can fade out of here,” he said. “But if
you wouldn’t mind, I just have one question.
 
Why are you not fine?”

Bradley stepped away from the bag and looked at Mike. “I’ve
screwed everything up,” he said. “I have totally, completely screwed everything
up.”

“Wow,” Mike replied. “I hadn’t realized that.
 
But just to be sure I understand
,
what exactly are we talking about here?”

Bradley punched against the bag. “First of all,” he
said,
his jaw tight, “I have totally ruined Mary’s life.”

Mike nodded. “Yeah, I can see that,” he said.

“You can?” Bradley asked, turning suddenly towards Mike so
the swinging bag hit him and made him stumble.

“Oh, yeah,” Mike agreed, standing up, walking closer and
meeting Bradley’s eyes. “First of all, you force her to fall in love with you.
She could have had her choice of guys, but no, you had to ruin things and be
the only man she could spend her life with.”

“Well,” Bradley began, but Mike held his hand up, stopping
him.

“Then, you give her a daughter, who she totally adores,
especially when she thought she would never have the chance to have a baby,” he
said. “A daughter whose birth she experienced.
 
A daughter she cared for so much, even before she met
her,
that
she would not let Ian wipe out through hypnosis the traumatic
things she experienced, because she always wanted to remember giving birth to
Clarissa.”

Bradley’s eyes widened. “I didn’t know—” he began, but Mike
cut him off again.

“And then, you had the audacity to get her pregnant,” Mike
continued. “A dream she’d always had, but had almost given up on.
 
And along with the morning sickness, the
fatigue and the change in her size, she gets to participate in a miracle. She
gets to feel a tiny person inside of her.
 
She gets to know that she is a partner with God in the giving of life.”

Mike shook his head. “Yeah, you suck, man,” he said.
“Big time.”

Bradley pulled the gloves off his hands and then bent over
and laid them down on the floor under the bag. He stood up and looked at
Mike.
 
“Once again,” he said, his voice
filled with emotion, “I owe you. Thank you.”

Mike nodded and smiled. “Go upstairs to your wife,” he said.
“Stop worrying, and start enjoying the time you have together. You never know
how much time you have on this earth with the people you love.”

Bradley’s eyes widened in concern.
“Is that a warning?” he asked.

Shaking his head sadly, Mike started to fade away. “No, it’s
the voice of experience.”