The Curse Keepers Collection (103 page)

Did Daddy know she told Claire about the curse? The air squeezed out of her lungs, but she nodded.

“Has anyone scared you?”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “No, Daddy.”

“Has a man you don’t know tried to talk to you?”

She nodded yes and her father sucked in a breath, fear in his eyes.

“Tell me what happened.”

“I was with Momma at the inn yesterday morning eating breakfast and I talked to a man who is staying there.”

Daddy wrapped an arm around her back and hugged her side against his chest. “Not someone from the inn. A stranger.”

“You mean like stranger danger?”

“Yes, just like that.”

Ellie shook her head, biting her lip. “No, Daddy.”

His face lowered to hers. “For the next few days, I want you to stay inside, okay? I don’t want you to talk to anyone you don’t know.”

“Why?”

His fingertip rubbed her cheek, then he touched the tip of her nose. “Because Daddy’s overprotective. Just promise me, okay?”

“I promise.” She squeezed his neck again. When he held her, she believed that everything would be okay. That nothing bad could ever happen.

He hugged her tight for several seconds before the phone rang. He pulled back to look into her face again. “And you still can’t answer the phone.”

She scowled. “I’m not a baby. I know how to answer the phone, Daddy.”

He set her on her feet and stood. “I know you do, Elliphant, but it’s one of those overprotective daddy things. Why don’t you go wash your hands for dinner.” He left her to go into the kitchen, and Ellie hung back before following him and hiding in the hallway.

“Was it another hang-up call?” Daddy asked.

“Yes,” her mother mumbled.

“Why was Ellie upset? Did something happen at school?”

“I don’t know. She was playing with Claire when I got home and I gave them a cookie. She seemed fine to me.”

“Something upset her. She was nearly in tears when I walked in, and she hugged me and wouldn’t let go. I asked her if someone had approached her or tried to talk to her, but she said no.” His voice lowered. “I know the weather has been unusually nice for January, but I don’t want her playing outside.”

“John, we haven’t had any threatening calls for weeks.”

“Then what’s up with the hang-up calls the last two days?”

She didn’t answer.

“Exactly. I’d rather be safe, Amanda. He threatened to hurt her. We can’t take any chances.”

“You’re right, but he’s been missing for weeks. Since the calls stopped. The police think he’s gone.”

“I hope he is, but I couldn’t bear it if something happened to her. Especially if he did it because he was upset with me over some ridiculous zoning issue.”

Ellie peeked around the corner and saw her parents hugging and she breathed a sigh of relief. Momma and Daddy wouldn’t be hugging if they were getting a divorce. Momma had to be worried about something else.

They ate dinner, everyone quieter than usual. Ellie usually talked through most of the meal, telling them about her day, but tonight she picked at her food. Something didn’t feel right, and she couldn’t figure out what it was. A heavy weight pressed on her ribs, and her hand wouldn’t stop itching.

Her mother looked up from her plate, worry in her eyes. “Ellie, are you feeling okay?”

Ellie shook her head. “No. My chest hurts.”

Momma leaned over and pressed the back of her hand to Ellie’s forehead. “You don’t feel like you’re running a fever. Do you want to go upstairs and put on your pajamas? We can watch TV in my bed before you go to sleep.”

Ellie nodded and picked up her plate to take it into the kitchen.

“Don’t worry about that, Elliphant,” her father said. “You go get ready for bed and we’ll be up in just a little bit.”

Ellie headed for the staircase at the front of the house, her parents’ voices drifting after her.

“I’m telling you, Amanda. Something’s wrong.”

“I have to admit, she’s acting strangely.”

“Maybe you should try talking to her. She might tell you.”

Ellie stopped on the steps, eavesdropping again. She knew it was wrong, but was it wrong if they were talking about her?

“I will.” Momma paused and Ellie heard the clink of silverware on a plate. “But first I need to tell you something. It’s about my trip to Charlotte a few days ago.”

Her father was silent.

Momma’s voice softened and Ellie couldn’t make out her words. Her father’s voice joined in, also too quiet to hear. Disappointed, Ellie crept upstairs, making sure she missed the creaky spot on the wood floor in the hall. She didn’t want Momma and Daddy to figure out she’d been listening. After she put on her pajamas and brushed her teeth, she headed for her parents’ room but stopped in the hall when she heard raised voices coming from downstairs.

“You should have told
me
instead of going to Steven, Amanda!” her father said. He wasn’t yelling, but it was much louder and harsher than he usually spoke.

“I couldn’t, John. I signed an NDA. I can’t even tell you all the details, and I knew you’d insist that I did. Besides, I didn’t
tell
Steven. I only asked for access to papers in the library.”

Their voices faded and Ellie realized they probably moved into the kitchen. Her fear returned. They were fighting, and it wasn’t about the curse.

She climbed into her parents’ bed, snuggling under the covers and turning on the TV with the remote. Her mother came in several minutes later. She changed into her own pajamas, climbed into bed, and pulled Ellie into the crook of her arm. Ellie snuggled against her mother, soaking in her warmth.

“Ellie, I know something’s bothering you and I’m worried about you. Will you please tell me what’s wrong?”

She hesitated. She didn’t want to admit to eavesdropping. It was better to start with Claire. “Claire heard her dad say he wants a divorce and wants to move back to Greenville.”

Her mother’s hand smoothed over the top of Ellie’s head and her voice was soft and gentle, the tone she used when she comforted Ellie after one of her many nightmares. “That must make Claire very sad.”

“Yeah.” It felt good telling Momma about her worries. “And . . . and then I heard you and Daddy fighting and I got scared.”

“Oh, sweetie.” Her mother’s arm tightened around her. “First of all, we weren’t fighting. We had a disagreement—there’s a difference. Second”—she lifted Ellie’s chin so she was looking into her mother’s hazel eyes—“your father and I
aren’t
getting a divorce. We love each other—and you—very much. We couldn’t bear to live without each other. You have nothing to worry about.” Her mother kissed her forehead. “Do you believe me?”

Ellie nodded, reaching an arm across her mother’s stomach and squeezing her side.

“Is there anything else bothering you?”

She hesitated. “It’s about the curse.”

Momma’s eyes widened before she recovered. “Okay.”

“Daddy says I can’t tell anyone about it or bad things would happen.” She bit the right side of her lower lip. “What if I accidently told someone?” It hadn’t been accidental at all, but it was easier to admit that way.

Her mother pulled her closer. “Ellie, the curse is all fairy tales and make-believe. I let your father tell you his tales, but I want you to know that it’s not real. If you tell someone, nothing bad will happen. I promise.”

As Ellie snuggled closer to her momma, she could almost believe everything would be okay. But she knew something wasn’t right. It was like when the mist rolled in from the sound, making everything all blurry and fuzzy. She knew she had to make everything right again.

If only she knew how.

C
HAPTER
T
HREE

The rain beat against the windows as Ellie hunched over her spelling words in the kitchen after dinner. A cold wind blew in from the north, and her chest had felt heavy all day. It had been two days since she’d told Claire about the curse, and so far nothing terrible had happened. Still, Momma and Daddy had been acting strangely, whispering when Ellie was around and raising their voices in heated discussions when they thought she wasn’t. She couldn’t figure out what they were talking about except for bits and pieces.

Even now she could hear as her parents’ voices floated in from her father’s office, and her curiosity got the better of her. She slid off her chair and snuck into the hallway, hiding in the shadows, her back pressed against the wall.

“I know you signed a nondisclosure agreement, Amanda, but I’m begging you to tell me what you saw.” There was a pause, and finally he said, “At least tell me what you hope to find at the library at Chapel Hill.”

Her mother was silent for several seconds. “Fine, but I can’t tell you everything.” When her father didn’t answer, her mother continued. “I think it might be the missing artifacts from the Middleton collection.”

“The collection lost during the Civil War?”

“Yes.” She paused. “But I’m going to Chapel Hill to investigate a particular artifact. It was given to me in good faith. I have a week to discover its significance. I didn’t tell Steven I had it, only that I needed access to his papers.”

“
They gave you an artifact?
” His voice rose, making Ellie jump. “What is it?”

She didn’t answer.

“Amanda, I’m your husband for god’s sake! Who am I going to tell?”

Her voice quivered. “I can’t tell anyone, John. Anyone.” She took a breath. “
Especially
you.”

“Why especially me?”

She didn’t answer again.

“Is it related to the curse?”

Her mother’s temper exploded. “Goddamn that curse! You’ve devoted your entire life to a bunch of hocus-pocus and nonsense. You have Ellie terrified to death that something terrible will happen if she accidently tells someone.”

“
Did
she tell someone?” He sounded panicked.

Ellie’s heart lurched in her chest.
Oh, no
. She
had
done something bad.

“
Will you listen to yourself?
” her mother shouted. “Your daughter is living in fear because you’ve filled her head with frightening stories of demons and weapons she can use to destroy them, then you tell her not to tell anyone and your biggest concern is that she actually
did
. She’s eight years old, John.
Eight
. I want you to stop telling her these stories. It was fun at first, but now you’re asking too much of her.”

They were quiet for so long that Ellie peeked around the corner, hoping the darkness hid her face. Her father stood behind his desk and her mother rested against the front edge. She was turned at the waist, looking toward the bookshelves.

Her father rubbed his forehead. “What is the artifact, Amanda?” His voice sounded tired.

She didn’t look at him, her face expressionless. “A gold ring.”

He shook his head, his brow wrinkling. “Why would they have you research a piece of jewelry? Why is
it
significant?”

“Because of what’s on it.” She groaned and stood, turning to face him. “It has Native American symbols carved around the band.”

Surprise and excitement lit up his face.

“And this is exactly why I didn’t tell you.” She put her hands on her hips. “Not everything that blends English colonial artifacts and Native American symbols means it’s related to your damned curse!”

“Amanda, you have to let me see it.”

She looked down at her feet, shaking her head.

He moved in front of her and grabbed her arms. “Amanda.
Please
.”

After several long moments, she reached into her shirt and pulled out a chain.

“You’ve been wearing it all this time?” her father asked in disbelief.

“I’m terrified to let it out of my sight.” She slipped the chain over her head and handed it to him.

He took it with trembling fingers, lifting it to get a closer look, then gasped. “Do you have any idea what this is?”

“Due to the thickness of the band and the metals used, I think it dates back to the seventeenth century.”

Daddy looked up, wide-eyed. “Not when.
What
.”

She didn’t answer.