The Fine Line Book One Between Worlds Series (20 page)

Distance &
Disturbance

The rest of the summer passed without any
more incidents. Robin and Matt’s first anniversary quickly
approached. This meant they had been in the house a full year.
Olivia started second grade. Matt celebrated his thirty-seventh
birthday.

An important career advancement opportunity
arose at the hospital, which excited Robin and Matt. The Chief of
Medicine had retired and the board of directors was anxious to fill
the vacant position. Interviews had been conducted for months, but
still, no one seemed to interest them. So, Robin and Matt discussed
it and it was agreed that Matt should apply. He was the youngest
applicant. If he got the promotion, a substantial pay raise would
come with it. The money was certainly needed because of the debt
associated with the house. On top of that, however, a honeymoon
still lay in the distance, out of reach, but an admirable goal just
the same.

The Ohio Historical Society registered the
home as the restored Pikeview Manor. Extra funding became
available, which helped ease the burden somewhat.

Robin became more settled since the
blessing, realizing the activity had stopped. Her daily meditation
helped tremendously, too. Lack of sleep was an issue of the past
and her career stabilized as well. Her ability to stay focused at
work returned. She felt balance in her life again. From what she
could tell, Matt also felt better. They were both happy to have
their intimacy level at a peak again. Everything returned to a
healthy, normal state making the atmosphere in the house
calmer.

As Robin bent down to put her tennis shoes
on for a walk around the property, the phone rang. She answered it
and heard Jerry Petro’s voice on the line. He had been the
president of the hospital’s board of directors for as long as she
could remember. Wendy had always talked about his philanthropy
projects. Wendy told Robin that since he had become president, the
hospital wasn’t in the red and started functioning as a top-notch
medical facility. He had really put things back on track. When he
discovered that his most popular E.R. doctor had gotten married,
Jerry and his wife sent a gift card for a very fancy restaurant and
had offered a personal congratulation to Matt.

Robin greeted Jerry kindly and then handed
the phone to Matt. She tried to listen to Matt’s side of the
conversation, but he walked out of the kitchen and into the parlor.
She waited as patiently as possible as she traced the granite
specks in the countertop with her long, thin fingers.

Matt walked back into the kitchen and put
the phone back on the wall. His silence frustrated Robin. He turned
to her and smiled.

“
I got the job,” he said
calmly.

Robin leapt into his arms as he swung her
around.

“
That is great! I’m so
proud of you!” she shouted.

As he put her feet back on the floor, he
continued kissing her. She felt her feet lift from the floor again
as he cradled her in his arms and proceeded to the couch. Clothing
thrown off quickly, they made love to celebrate the wonderful
promotion.

Afterward, they lay in each other’s arms.
Covered in a soft fleece blanket, Robin stared up at the ceiling as
Matt lay facing her. She could feel his finger tips tracing shapes
on her belly and his lips tenderly kissed her bare shoulder.

“
What are you thinking
about?” he asked curiously.

She turned her head to face him and paused
before she answered.

Matt, can I ask you something?”

“
Anything,” he replied
sensitively as he continued caressing her.

“
Do you want
kids?”

“
Of course,” he said as he
shifted his weight to his elbow. Looking into her serious brown
eyes, he continued. “I just didn’t know if you wanted to start
trying. We never really talked about kids, you know? And I also
wanted us to feel better about living here.”

“
I am still sort of scared
about the house.”

“
I understand. But, when
it comes to kids, I’m ready when you are. I just didn’t know if you
wanted more time for us.”

“
I’m torn about it
honestly.”

“
I think that’s normal. I
have never had the opportunity to actually plan having a child, but
I think that being torn is probably common. I feel that way, too,
you know. I like having you all to myself. But I would also like to
have a little version of you and me running around, too. Listen,”
he said as he kissed her shoulder again and looked up at her, “you
let me know when you feel like you’re ready.”

He took her hand in his and raised her
knuckles to his lips, kissing each one.

“
Do you think I’d be a
good mom?” she asked.

“
I see you with Olly and
you are wonderful. I think you would be a terrific mom,” he
concluded.

****

December raged in like a lion with snow and
wind, nights growing colder. Matt’s new job consumed him, making
things around the house even chillier. Robin understood he was
trying to catch up on everything and that coming home before nine
in the evening wasn’t optional right now. Nevertheless, the extra
money provided little compensation for feeling so alone.

Robin changed her work schedule in an
attempt to accommodate Matt’s. She decided to work four, 10 hour
days and had Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off. Her day began at
7:30 a.m. and ended at 6:00 p.m. She usually got home around 6:30
in the evening.

With a welcomed break in the snow, Robin
took advantage of it in the evenings by walking up and down the
lane leading to the house. She had always found that walking, like
meditating, helped her regroup. She had always been able to find
positive energy in exercising.

As she neared the house after a refreshing
stroll, she admired the structural qualities of the house as well
as the accentuating scenery. The Christmas tree in the parlor lit
up the white snow beneath the window. A sense of accomplishment
came over her.

She watched as Cookie ran ahead of her,
frolicking in the snow drifts. Her eyes glanced up at the master
bedroom window. A person stood looking down at her. The doors to
the house were unlocked and she hoped Matt arrived home early, but
then she realized he would have passed her on the lane.

She continued walking at a steady pace
making her way to the east entrance. She refused to be frightened.
From the corner of her eye, something startled her. She looked into
the field and saw a woman by one of the trees. The woman wasn’t
dressed very appropriately for the weather. She had no coat, no
scarf; nothing to keep her warm, which concerned Robin even
more.

“
Miss, can I help you,”
she called out. The woman turned and looked over her shoulder. Her
eyes were hollow and filled with sadness. The woman looked pale and
she wore a thin, white night gown that seemed to melt into the
snow.

Robin walked toward her willing to get help
if it was needed.

“
Miss,” she continued as
the woman kept walking away, “can I help you with something? It’s
really cold out here. Do you need some place to stay?”

Hearing a thunderous crash behind her, she
turned back toward the house, but saw nothing except Cookie and a
shattered planter on the porch. When she turned back to help the
woman, she’d disappeared. A chill found its way down her spine. The
woman’s face looked familiar. Her hair was as black as coal, just
like the woman in her dream from months before. The emptiness in
the woman’s eyes was also fearfully recognizable.

Robin ignored her instincts and her concerns
as she walked to the porch and cleaned the mess from the broken
planter. Afterward, she walked into the house and went up to the
master bedroom. It didn’t take long for her to realize the room was
empty. The unsettledness pierced through her like a knife.

The ringing phone startled her as she
covered her heart with her hand. She felt silly for being so jumpy.
She walked to the annoying, ringing phone and answered it. It was
Matt.

“
I’m so sorry, but I’m
going to be late again.”

“
You’re kidding? But it’s
Friday. I’ve been waiting to spend time with you all day,” she
said.

“
I’m really sorry, but
there’s just so much paperwork to catch up on. This job is nothing
like I thought it would be.”

“
Bring it home,” she
suggested.

“
I can’t. I have to work
on it here.”

Robin’s tolerance began weakening.

“
Fine” she
replied.

“
I’m really sorry. I
promise I’ll make it up to you,” he said.

Without saying another word she hung up.

Robin showered, meditated, and read her
book. Reluctantly, she settled down to sleep in an empty bed.

****

Matt drove into the garage and then neared
the house. He saw the light above the sink still on. The rest of
the house was dark. He pushed the key into the door as the clock
chimed 10:30. On the counter sat a plate of food. He sighed with
guilt.

Cookie bounded down the stairs and offered a
happy greeting. After heating the food, Matt sat in the living room
watching television. As he enjoyed Robin’s meatloaf and fried
potatoes, he heard her call for him.

“
Just a minute baby,” he
said as he walked to the kitchen and put the plate on the counter.
He ran up the stairs and walked into the master bedroom. To his
surprise the bedroom was dark with only the light from the accent
candles shining in. His beautiful wife lay in bed sound asleep.
Then he saw it. Standing beside the bed was a tall, dark figure,
enormous in size. Instinct took over and he shouted to the top of
his voice,

Get away from her!”

Quickly, Robin woke up and turned the light
on.

“
Why are you shouting?”
she asked squinting.

The disbelief paralyzed him, but he forced
himself to walk to the bed. He sat down shaking his head.

“
Matt,” she said as she
leaned over to him. She turned his face so she could see into his
eyes, “Matt talk to me. What’s wrong?”

He couldn’t make the words come out.

“
I saw… I thought you
called for me, so I came up. You were asleep when I… when I got
here. But, there was this… this thing standing right over
you.”

“
What kind of
thing?”

“
I don’t know… I don’t
know,” he said as the frustration welled within him. “It reminded
me of something from a horror film. Scared the hell out of me but
at the same time I thought it was going to hurt you, so I yelled at
it. When you woke up and turned the light on it was
gone.”

He got up and began to pace. “This isn’t
over, is it,” he said quietly. “This isn’t over! The blessing
didn’t work Robin! Got any more suggestions?” he shouted
angrily.

“
I… I don’t…”

“
You don’t what?” he
yelled. “Robin, I can’t wrap my head around this! I’m a very
logical man. And this… this has no logic! I can’t believe this is
happening. These things
don’t
happen! You see this kind of
crap in scary movies. This stuff doesn’t happen in real
life!”

“
Matt, this isn’t my
fault,” she said defensively.

“
I didn’t say it was your
fault damn it! I love this house,” he persisted as he continued
pacing. Every few seconds he glanced at her. “I love you. This
house was an investment in us and it’s turning into a ritualistic
nightmare!”

“
I’m so sorry,” she said
softly as she shook her head.

“
It’s not your fault. It’s
not even
my
fault!”

His voice became even louder and more
aggressive as he continued, raising his fist to the ceiling

“
Get out of my house! This
is our house and you don’t belong here!”

Rushing to him to calm him, Robin threw her
arms around him.

“
Shhh,” she whispered as
she wrapped him in her embrace.

The tears filled his eyes.

“
This is our house…” he
concluded as he welcomed her touch.

The rest of weekend remained calm. Robin
found relief by being at work Monday, but also felt drained. The
struggle with the supernatural took her ability to focus once
again.

Terri walked in without knocking, as he
often did. Shock covered his face as Robin’s tired eyes met
his.

“
You okay? You look like
you’re getting sick,” he asked.

“
Oh, I’m fine. Just
tired.”

“
Too much lovin’ going on
at night?” he joked.

With a halfhearted smile, she snickered. “If
only.”

He started talking about a case he was
working on, but Robin’s thoughts drifted. She replayed Friday night
and Matt’s angry words echoed in her mind. Suddenly, she heard her
name being called and snapped back into reality.

“
Oh, God, Terri, I’m so
sorry. What is it that you need help with again?” she
asked.

“
What’s wrong Robin? Are
you okay?” he asked earnestly. “You and Matt doing
alright?”

“
If I told you what’s
really wrong, you honestly wouldn’t believe me.”

“
Try me.”

Silent for only a moment, she reluctantly
began.

“
Terri, I think my house
is haunted.”

“
Haunted?”

“
Sometimes I feel like
I’ve lost my mind. We actually got a break from it for a while
after my dad did a blessing, but I don’t think it
worked.”