Out of the Shadows (Bellingwood Book 12) (21 page)

The door on the other side of the breezeway was just as damaged and the back yard was worse than the front. A cement path had once been there, but the overgrowth was deplorable and for some reason Polly felt really wrong about going any deeper into the lot. Brutus, still in her arms, looked up at her, out at the back yard, and growled.

"We shouldn't attempt that?" Polly asked.

He growled again and she backed away and headed for the garage. Its door was closed, but creaked open when she turned the handle. Polly didn't expect much and was surprised to find a car covered with a heavy tarp. That seemed odd. The tarp was eaten away in places and quite filthy. But why wouldn't Mr. Springer have taken this car when he left? Did it belong to Muriel and did her family refuse to let him have it? What a strange bit of history.

It wasn't dark in the garage, several windows in the overhead door and on the sides of the building allowed light in, but they'd grown grimy over the years and that light was limited. She flipped the flashlight on in her phone and proceeded to explore. When she got to the back of the car, she pulled back the tarp to find a name and smiled when she discovered it was a common Oldsmobile. She couldn't wait to tell Henry about her find and then giggled to herself when she realized she would have to tell him that she'd been snooping. He hadn't said too much at her admission of being inside Jim Bridger's house, but this might push him over the edge.

Brutus let out a low growl that sounded as if it was coming from his stomach.

"What do you hear, boy?"

He growled again and began to shiver more than usual.

"Is there an animal in here? That's fine. We'll get out. I'm not comfortable being in an enclosed space either. It's creepy."

She made her way back to the side door and went out, then walked back to the driveway. As her foot hit the concrete pad, Polly heard a scream and Brutus jumped out of her arms and ran into the brush of the front yard, barking and yipping. He'd carried his leash with him when he ran, but Polly hadn't been able to think fast enough to put her foot on it and stop him.

"Brutus," Polly yelled. "Come here."

A second scream and Polly found herself shivering. It was a haunting, mournful scream, full of terror and certainly meant to instill terror in those that heard it. She looked up at the solarium, praying she'd see nothing, but wasn't surprised when she actually saw the figure of a woman gliding across the room. The figure was far enough back that she couldn't get a good look. Polly took several short breaths and felt woozy.

"Slow down," she said quietly to herself. "This is nuts. There's no such thing as a ghost."

A third scream and Polly looked up again. Sure enough, the features on the ghost looked much like those that Rebecca had sketched.

"I'm going, I'm going," she shouted. "Just let me get my dog and we'll be gone. I'm sorry!"

Polly scurried to the gate where she'd entered and yelled again, "Brutus. Come." She put as much emphasis into that command as she could, looking out over the lawn for any movement that might indicate where the dog was hiding. A quick glance up at the solarium, but she didn't see anything. Maybe the ghost had heard Polly's plea and saw her move to the gate. If Muriel Springer had loved Chihuahuas and she heard Polly call Brutus's name, surely she'd allow them to get out of here safely.

"Brutus, please come," Polly called. "Come on, baby. Let's go home. I'll give you anything you want. Just come to me."

She caught a glimpse of movement four feet in front of her and praying it was the dog and not some other creature, she stepped into the yard. Brutus yipped and the movement stopped. Polly gingerly stepped toward where she'd heard him and discovered that the leash had been caught on a downed branch. Brutus pulled toward her, unable to move any further. His yipping and barking grew louder and more insistent until Polly reached him.

Bending down to pick him up, Polly tugged on the leash. It wasn't going to give. With one last look at the solarium, she unsnapped the leash, grabbed him up, and ran for the gate. Once she got to her truck, she jumped in with Brutus, pulled the door shut, locked it and sat back, breathing heavily.

"What in the hell, little guy?" she asked.

Brutus jumped in the back seat and whined while Polly pulled her seatbelt on, pressed the button to start the truck, put it into gear and drove off. She wasn't sure where she was going, but when she pulled out onto the highway in front of Sycamore Inn, she made a quick decision to visit someone who was familiar and comforting. She pulled into a parking space beside the canopy. Grey was just going to have to take a few minutes to calm her down. That's all there was to it.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Polly called out, "Grey, are you here?" She was surprised at how tremulous her voice sounded. Those screams had shaken her.

After waiting a few moments, she approached the counter at the front of the inn and tapped the bell. She hated those things. It always felt as if she was so demanding and maybe even complaining that there wasn't anyone right there to assist her. But if Grey was in his apartment, she hated to bother him.

"Grey?" she called again.

"Hello, Miss Polly," he said from the front door, making her jump and squeeze the dog in her arms.

Brutus yelped and squirmed. She held tight to him, not wanting to let him go again. She'd found another leash under her truck's front seat. Those things were everywhere. She’d lost the dog once and that was enough.

"There you are," Polly said. "You scared me."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." Whatever she'd felt inside must have shown on her face. Grey stepped closer to her and put his hand out to steady her. "My goodness, young lady. You look as if you've seen a ghost."

"Oh Grey," she moaned. "You can't even imagine."

He took her arm and led her to one of the wing chairs beside the fireplace. "What is going on, milady? I don't oft see you so shaken."

"I saw a ghost."

Grey sat down in a chair next to her and smiled. "You saw a what?"

"I saw a ghost. And it screamed at me."

"Polly, you are many things, but you are not easily taken in. You don't believe in ghosts."

She shook her head and dropped her chin to her chest. "Before today, I would have assured you that I do not believe in ghosts. But, Grey. I saw her. And she screamed at me to leave the grounds."

Brutus was still squirming in her arms and Grey reached out to take the dog. He held it in his lap and before long, the Chihuahua settled down. "Who did you see?" he asked.

"I saw Muriel Springer in the solarium. Brutus and I were exploring the grounds. I wanted to prove that there was no ghost. But instead, I was proven wrong. I saw her."

Grey scowled. "Ghosts do not exist. Our imaginations create scenarios in which they act out, but they aren't real. Might it have been a play of light across the glass windows?"

Polly looked at the front door. Cloud cover had shut out the bright sun. "There was no light to play with. And that's not all."

"There is more?" He sounded incredulous.

"Rebecca drew several sketches of the woman she saw there. It was the same woman," Polly said. "And Grey, I found a photograph of her in Jim Bridger's house and it was exactly the same as Rebecca's sketches." She heard her voice tremble again and took a breath to regain control.

Brutus had completely relaxed in Grey's arms, his eyes closed and his paws twitching as he ran through an imaginary field.

"Look at him," she said. "He was scared to death up there as well. At the first scream, he jumped out of my arms and got lost in the mess that was the front lawn. But I finally told her that once I found Brutus, I'd leave and never go back. That's when she stopped screaming."

He nodded for her to continue.

"Brutus was Muriel Springer's dog," Polly explained.

Grey pointed at the Chihuahua in his arm. "This dog isn't nearly old enough."

"No," Polly said, smiling. "Jim Bridger took care of her Brutus after she died and then always had a Chihuahua and always named him Brutus."

"I see. And you think that she left you alone because you had her namesake dog."

"It all sounds so ridiculous now that I'm saying it out loud, but Grey, I saw someone in that solarium and I heard the screams. It was horrifying."

"You believe it was Muriel Springer's ghost?" he asked.

"Who else could it be?" Polly responded. "It looks just like her picture and these horrible things have been happening and..." she stopped herself, sat up straight and looked at him. "I have completely lost my mind. There must be a rational explanation."

"Of course," he said quietly.

"I can't for the life of me find it, but there has to be one, right?"

He smiled. "I would tend to agree with you. There are many strange and wonderful things in our cosmos, but I have difficulty believing that people stay on earth after they've died. It would seem there are much more interesting things to experience on the other side of death. Why would you want to stay in this singular place?"

"Unfinished business?"

"The girl's family left her and all she had was to spend her afterlife in a decaying house so she might scream at pretty young women and their dogs? After seventy years, that would become altogether tedious."

All of the arguments that people had been giving Polly to prove the ghost of Muriel Springer was real came pouring out of her.

"But other people have seen her over the years and there are stories of her frightening her husband so much that he had to rush his family out of town." Polly blinked. "There's even a car in the garage."

"What does that prove?" Grey asked. "Maybe you could tell me how many different people have seen her."

Polly sat back and deliberately forced her shoulders to relax. "I don't know how many different people have seen her. You're right, the only person that talks about this is Jim Bridger. You're saying the same things to me that I've been saying out loud to those who want to believe she's real."

"It is one thing for a group of people to come to Bellingwood so they might have an adventure at Halloween. The folks staying here at the inn wish to believe, and thus everything that happens promotes their belief in the supernatural." Grey leaned toward Polly, shifting Brutus as he did so. "But you, Polly Giller, are not looking for an adventure in the paranormal. You are surely grounded in reality. If you saw something that tests your imagination and heard things that you don't understand, you must look for truth rather than speculate on a myth."

"I'm not quite sure how that will happen," Polly said. "I won’t go back to that house any time soon." She gave a weak chuckle. "I'm not usually one to run away from things that frighten or worry me, but I had the scare of my life this morning." She pointed at the dog in his lap. "I'm almost ashamed to say that I was prepared to leave him there if he hadn't shown up when he did."

Grey stroked the dog's back. "When he awakens, he must be reminded to be grateful that you rescued him from certain doom."

Polly looked at him in surprise. "Certain doom?"

"A jest, my girl. A jest."

"He's awfully comfortable with you. He hasn’t been this relaxed since I picked him up yesterday."

Grey smiled down at the dog. "Brutus is quite the name for such a small beast. I imagine he has a heart of a warrior." He scratched the dog's ears. "It must have been quite alarming when that warrior awoke in such a small and fragile frame."

"You understand him better than most people," Polly said.

The front door opening attracted their attention. Grey stood, handed the dog back into Polly's lap. "Don't leave, please," he said. "I'd like to speak with you further." Grey gestured at the coffee pot. "It's fresh and if you were to peek under the linen cloth, you'd also find freshly baked croissants from Mrs. Donovan's oven."

He walked away. "Good morning folks, how might I help you?"

The older couple followed him to the counter, chattering away about the haunted house they'd heard about on the internet. They were surprised to find there were still vacancies at the inn, especially at this late date. They were looking forward to Halloween in Bellingwood and hoped it would be everything they could imagine.

Polly chuckled and spoke quietly to Brutus. "They have no idea. I certainly hope they're ready for the Sycamore House haunted parade."

Grey was good with people. He told them about Secret Woods Winery and their good fortune in having several wonderful restaurants, a brand new coffee shop and the interesting stores in the downtown area. When pressed about the Springer House and the deaths of people that had been part of that mystery, he graciously showed them how to find their way.

Polly wondered if she'd even finished the coffee she'd purchased from Sweet Beans, but another cup sounded like a good idea, so Polly carried Brutus across the room. After pouring a fresh cup, she sat down at one of the small cafe tables and looked outside. The clouds were breaking up and sunshine poked through across the sky.

"It's going to be a good day," she said to the dog, holding him close to her chest as the couple walked by, glaring at her. It made her laugh. They had no idea that she was the owner and in their quick judgment, made sure to let her know their disdain at a dog in the lobby. She desperately wanted to stick her tongue out, but thought better of it and then giggled when she saw that Brutus's tongue was hanging out between his front teeth. "Thanks, buddy. I'm glad you've got my back."

"I'll be right back," Grey said, as he followed the couple out.

Polly watched him walk past the front windows, pointing to the rooms along the highway. She turned in her chair and then stood up and went to the window. Not only did he show them to their room, but he unlocked the door, handed the wife the key card and helped her husband carry bags into their room. They weren't charging enough, nor were they paying him enough for this type of service. But she knew better than to say anything. This was simply his way.

She was back in her seat at the table when Grey returned. "It sounds like we're going to fill up with haunted house aficionados this week," she said.

Grey poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down. Both were surprised when Brutus strained to get back into his arms.

"I think he likes you," Polly said.

He put the coffee down and reached out, "May I?"

Polly handed the dog to him. "Of course."

"It's been a long time," Grey said, bringing the dog's face up to his. He tucked Brutus's head into his own neck and hugged the little animal. "I've missed out. Would you consider allowing me to bring a pet into this apartment?"

"Would you like this pet?" Polly asked. "And oh, by the way, I'd encourage it. I believe everyone should have pets. My menagerie grows on a regular basis."

Brutus settled back into Grey's lap and looked up at Polly as if he had claimed his person.

"I don't know what to think," Grey said. "I have nothing here to care for a dog."

Polly grinned and reached over to scratch Brutus's ears. "He's at home with you. I doubt that he'd be as happy anywhere else. And dogs are easy. All you need to get started is dog food, a water dish and a few toys. If you want to put him in a kennel or have a separate bed for him, you can pick those up another day. What do you think?"

"I think I am a new pet owner," Grey said.

"This is a good week," Polly said. "I helped Beryl Watson keep two grey kittens and now I've given you your first dog in your new home."

"My first?"

"They're like potato chips," she said with a smile. "You can't have just one. But this one will be sure to let you know what's happening. He's quite verbal. Once he's comfortable, he'll probably tell you what's going on before you're even aware of it."

"My boy," Grey said to the dog. "You and I are destined to become great friends."

Brutus snuffled and tucked his head into Grey's elbow.

"Would you like to see the work that your young charge and I completed out back?" Grey asked. "He will be a great help to me. If we can find one or two others to assist as this all comes together, we will have quite a rink."

"I'd love to," Polly said. She handed Grey the leash she'd brought in with her.

"Are you certain?" he asked.

Polly nodded. "You'll be glad for it in no time."

"How does he tell me?"

"I have no idea. But he didn't have any accidents in our apartment last night. He went out with Obiwan and Han, so we made sure he was taken care of. His records are with Doctor Jackson at the vet clinic. I took him in to see the Doc yesterday after I picked him up. All you need to do is tell them that you're taking care of him and they'll let you know when it's time for his annual checkup and vaccinations."

Grey nodded and stood up. Brutus did his best to stay attached to the man. "You are staying with me, young sir," Grey said. "Do not fear."