Adam's Thorn (7 page)

The thump on the veranda had her
heart pounding, her knuckles white as she gripped the book.  The cats looked
up, staring at the window, and a few tense minutes passed.

When nothing further sounded, the
cats put their heads down and dozed.

Skin prickling, heart beating, Barbie
steadfastly kept reading.  Time passed and when finally she started nodding
off, she settled down in the bed, placing the book on the bedside drawers.

But she left the lamp on all night,
and only dozed, startling awake at every sound and creak of the settling house. 
Between that and the memory of Adam’s disgusted expression, it was an
unsettling night.

~*~

The following morning Barbie
searched the house for a bright light globe, but the only globes were the dim
wattage her late Aunt Penny obviously bought to lessen the power bill.  While Barbie
found that admirable, it didn’t mean she was going to continue that habit.

Not with the freaky thing she saw
the night before at the kitchen window.

Checking that the cats were fine -
Fred was lying on his back on an armchair, sunning his black and white tummy,
while Barney was tunnelling under the doona on the bed, no doubt leaving a lot
of tabby hair behind him - Barbie locked the house and went out to the car.

The day was quiet, but in
comparison to the city most days in Peeron were quiet.  At least there was no
cop car with a brawny, angry cop glaring daggers at her as he passed.

Small mercies.

Still stinging under Adam’s
accusations, though she didn’t know why it bothered her so much, Barbie wished
there were somewhere else to buy light globes, but there was only one
supermarket in town so she pulled into the parking lot and got out.

Hallie was at the checkout,
smiling brightly as soon as she saw Barbie.

It was hard to believe that Hallie
had somehow twisted her words, but apparently she had, so Barbie just nodded to
her, reluctant to get into conversation.  Ducking into an aisle, she sought out
the globes and picked a much higher wattage.  Thinking about the lights over
the front and back doors, she chose some more globes before heading back to the
checkout.

“Hi, Barbie,” Hallie greeted her.

“Hallie.”  Barbie smiled slightly.

“Having light problems?”

“Yes.”  Picking up a newspaper form
the stack behind her, Barbie placed it on the checkout.  “I’ll take this as
well, please.”

“Doing much today?” Hallie rang up
the total.

“Just the usual.”  When Hallie
looked expectantly at her, Barbie simply handed her the money and waited for
change.

A slight frown creased Hallie’s
brow.  “Everything all right?”

“Yes.”

“You sure?”

“Absolutely.”

Hallie counted out the change and
handed it to her.  “If you’re feeling lonely, you could come and have a coffee
with me after.”

The girl seemed so genuine, but Barbie
wasn’t prepared to trust so easily again.  “Thanks, but no.” Picking up the bag
containing the globes, she nodded to her.  “See you around.”

She could feel Hallie watching her
until she walked out the door.

Now she felt low, but damn it, she
wasn’t the one twisting words.  Maybe it was Adam twisting words.  But no, one
thing he’d never done was be dishonest.  But times changed a person, so…
Shit,
it doesn’t matter
.

The ambulance drove past, Matt
waving to her.  She returned it half-heartedly, more a gesture of politeness.

Getting into the car, she drove to
Gus’s, picking up and paying for her tyre.  When he tried to engage her in
conversation, she politely fielded his questions except to ask where she could
get security lights.

“Reckon that’d be Bob Winslow,” he
replied.  “He does the electrical work around here, has his workshop a couple
of doors up from the café.”  He studied her curiously.  “You got a problem out
at the house?”

“No.”  She started for the car. 
“Thanks for the info, though.”

Gus wasn’t easily put off. 
Trotting after her, he leaned down to peer into the window while she clipped on
the seatbelt.  “You’re looking tired, love.  You sure everything is all right?”

“Fine.  Just fine.”  Turning the
key in the ignition, she glanced up, surprised to see genuine concern on his face. 
It had been awhile since anyone had felt that for her, making her hesitate.

Silently, Gus waited.

“Actually…”

“Yes?”

Feeling stupid, Barbie bit her
lip.  “Nothing.”

“Gotta be something.”

“No, it was just a thought.”  She
put the car into gear.

“Something happening up at the
house?” he queried.

Something in his tone had her
looking sharply at him.  “Why do you ask that?”

“What happened?”

She stared past him at his empty
shop for several seconds before shaking her head.  “It was nothing.”  No way
was she going to admit to being a little spooked, imagine if that got around
the town?

“You got trouble out there, Miss Declan?”

Feeling awkward to have a man old
enough to be her father calling her ‘Miss’, she corrected him hastily, “It’s Barbie,
and no, nothing is-”

“What’s happening?”  Gus’s
expression was stern.  “Look, love, you’re alone out here, you’re new in town. 
You need to trust someone.  If you don’t think you can trust me, then maybe you
should go see Brandon.”

“Who’s Brandon?  A security
officer?”

Gus leaped on her question.  “Why
would you need a security officer?”

Uh oh, careful Barbie
.  “Who
said I needed a security officer?”

“I’m thinking your mind seems to
be jumping to those conclusions.”

This was giving her a headache. 
“Look, Gus, I appreciate your concern but I can handle this.”

The man could leap on every word
she said.  Barbie almost cringed when his eyes widened.

“So there is something happening
at the house!”

“No. Look-”

“Penny always said something was
haunting that land!”

“Haunting?”  Chills danced up Barbie’s
arm.  “What haunting?”

“Penny always said she could hear
things, thumps on the veranda or roof at night, in the walls once.  Saw a shape
in the yard one night, and it wasn’t a dog, too big.  Says she saw someone
looking in her window once, that’s why she kept the curtains drawn before
dusk.  She-” Gus broke off, catching sight of Barbie’s expression.  “Oh lordy,
you’ve seen something, heard something, haven’t you?”

“No.  No, I haven’t.”  Fighting
the urge to shudder, Barbie nodded curtly to him.  “Thanks for your help, Gus. 
I appreciate it.  See you later.”

He had no choice but to step back
when she wound the window up.

Cripes, just listening to Gus had
given her the heebie-jeebies.  Glancing into the rear-view mirror, Barbie saw him
watching her, his hands on his hips, his weathered face still creased in a frown. 
It had to be a coincidence, her Great Aunt hearing and seeing things.

Owls.  It was just owls, that’s
all
.  Nothing spooky about it and she’d prove it, too, just as soon as she
had security lights back and front of the house.  Then she’d look out when the
lights flickered at the slightest sensation of movement, and she’d see an owl
or a mouse or something like that, maybe a neighbour’s cat.

There was nothing haunting the
house she was living in…and where she’d left Fred and Barney.

Alone.

Locked inside.

Shit
.

In a hurry now, she followed Gus’s
directions to Winslow’s Electrical Shop, hurrying inside.  Not wasting time,
she informed the woman at the counter what she wanted, found out that she was
Mrs Winslow, that Bob was out on a call and wouldn’t be back until the next
morning.

Inwardly cursing, Barbie told her
what she was after, how soon she wanted it installed, and left the phone
number, asking her to get Bob to call her when he returned, even if it was late,
to set a time and date for the work.

Then, getting into her car, she
drove back to the house.

In the bright summer sun it didn’t
look spooky, just old and a little derelict.  Hopping out of the car, she
started to wonder if she was overreacting, letting her imagination and emotions
get the better of her.

But then why did her Great Aunt
Penny mention faces in the window and thumps on the veranda to Gus?

Regardless of the sunshine a
shiver went through Barbie.  Hurrying into the house, she called for the cats,
relieved to find them fast asleep, Fred still on his back even though the sun
had shifted and no longer slanted through the lounge room window, while Barney had
given up on the doona and was draped across the kitchen bench, having knocked
off the tissue box to make way for his big, lanky body.

Geez, if the cats weren’t worried,
why was she?

Shaking her head, Barbie put the
bag of globes on the table, pushing Barney away when he jumped up to investigate
the contents of the bag.  Things would be better once she replaced all the dim
globes with higher wattage ones.

Dragging the three step ladder from
the storeroom, Barbie took it into the hallway.

Yeah, she was overreacting, that
was it.  Even to her own ears she didn’t sound very convincing.

The phone rang just as she was
starting up the ladder.  Not being good with heights at any time, especially
ladders, she silently blessed the caller.  Picking up the hand piece, she
leaned against the wall.  “Hello?”

“Barbie, its Laura.”

“Laura, hi.”  Barbie smiled. 
“What are you doing?”

“Calling you.  I’d have thought
that was obvious.”

“And pleased I am to hear your
voice. What’s happening?”

“Same old, same old.  Work, work,
work, avoid my boss’s lecherous hands, work, work, work, run around the desk to
get away from him.  Try to keep a professional distance.”

“Kind of hard to do when you go
home to your boss’s house every night.”

“Being married to the boss has its
perks.”  Laura laughed.  “So, how are the renovations going?”

“Not bad.  It’s a little slower
than I expected, but I guess living in the country it’s a go-slow expectation.”

“Ouch.  That’s a little sharp.”

Barbie smiled.

“How are Fred and Barney taking
the change of pace?”

“Seriously?  You expected them to
up their exercise regime?”

“I take it they’re still in
their
go-slow mode?”

“Country life suits them.”

“Sweetie, city and country life
both suit them. Either way, they spend their days lolling back, being fed and
stroked and spoiled rotten.”

“Hey, they’re ex-street cats. 
They deserve all the spoiling they get.”  Dropping down onto the sofa, Barbie
lifted her legs and propped her heels on the low coffee table.  “Hey, can I ask
you something?”

“Sure.  If it’s about sex, what I
don’t know I will try with my boss and get back to you.”

“That’s so big of you.”

“I know, but what are friends for,
right?”

Grinning, Barbie watched Fred roll
over and blink at her.  A snap of her fingers had him stretching while he
thought about the effort it might cost him to move.  “Laura, do you believe in
ghosts?”

“Ghosts?” Laura replied in
surprise.  “You’ve got a ghost problem?”

“No.  Yes.  I’m not sure.”

“Then you need to burn sage,
sweetie.  Get a big stash of it, light it up and walk around the rooms.”

“Well, I don’t know that there are
ghosts here, but…”  Wishing she hadn’t said anything now, Barbie dropped her head
back against the sofa.  “I think it’s the country, you know, quiet and stuff.”

“Ghosts don’t have a preference for
country or city.  Is the house haunted?”

“I’ve just heard a few things. 
Probably mice.”

“Ohhhh, that’s what people say
right before they’re face to face with a demonic possession of their house.”

Barbie rolled her eyes.  “Shit, Laura,
make me feel better about the dark, why don’t you?”

“I’m just saying.  Go stay in the
motel at night.”

“I am not staying in a motel at
night.  I haven’t seen anything inside the house.”

“So you’ve seen something
outside?”

“I thought I saw a face at the
window.”

There was silence on the other end
of the phone for several seconds before Laura queried, “Trespasser?”

“Maybe.  I can’t be sure.  I did hear
a thump on the veranda not long after.”

“What did the police say?”

“Why would they say anything?”

“Barbie!  You phoned the police,
didn’t you?”

“Well…” She cleared her throat.

“I don’t believe you!  There could
have been a rapist or murderer out there, and you
didn’t
call the police?”

“I can’t be sure what I saw or
heard.”

“You just told me!”

“Laura, I’m having security lights
installed and I’m changing all the bulbs for brighter ones, okay?  If anyone is
lurking out there, they’re going to get a surprise.”

“Oh yes, that makes me feel so
much better.  Do you have security screens on the windows?”

“There are security screens on the
door.”

“Oh, this just gets better and
better.  Barbie, you have to call the police and let them know someone was on
the property.”

“They can’t do anything about
ghosts.”

“Now you’re saying its ghosts and
not intruders?”

“Ghosts are intruders.  They
intrude on the living.”  Barbie rubbed her head, wishing she’d never broached
the subject with her sometimes over-protective friend.  “I’ll get sage and burn
it.  Probably burn the house down at the same time because it’s so old, but why
worry, right?”

“Don’t be so flippant.”  Suspicion
was clear in Laura’s voice.  “Why won’t you call the police?”

“There’s no need.  It was just the
one time.”

“What aren’t you telling me?”