Whispers from the Dead (17 page)

I took her hand and held it tightly. “You’re a good mother,” I told her. “I know how hard all of this has been on you and Dad. I haven’t wanted to give you extra
problems, and I’m sorry about what’s been happening to me.”

For a few moments we were both silent. Then Mom jumped to her feet, tugged me to mine, and said, “Tony will get here before you’re ready. Better find your swimsuit.”

I gave her a quick hug and ran up the stairs. As I passed the open door to the guest room I glanced at the window. The coat hanger was gone, and a shiny new window lock had been installed, thanks to Dad.

The phone rang, but I let Mom answer it. In a minute she called up to me, “Sarah, it’s for you. It’s Dee Dee.”

“I don’t have time to talk to her right now,” I shouted. “Will you tell her that I’m going to the lake with Tony and that I’ll call her later?”

I pulled my bathing suit from the back of the bottom drawer, stripped, pulled it on, and critically examined myself in the mirror. I was getting out of shape. A few weeks of swimming laps again … I had to smile. That thought must have been a good sign.

I reached for a shirt and shorts to wear over the suit and grabbed a couple of thick towels from the bathroom cabinet, surprised at my excitement. I detested the whole idea of going back into the water, but I was eager to see Tony again.

The phone rang as I was coming downstairs. Mom appeared and said, “For you. This time it’s Eric.”

Making a face, I told her, “I don’t want to talk to Eric—now or ever. You can tell him that if you want to.”

“I’m not going to tell him that,” Mom said. “I’ll just tell him you’re unable to come to the phone right now.”

When she returned, I asked, “Did Eric say what he wanted?”

“No,” Mom answered, “but he made me promise that I’d tell you to call him as soon as possible. He sounded so urgent, he must have something important in mind.”

“That’s
his
problem,” I said, and glanced into the hall mirror, giving myself a smile of approval. My red shirt looked good with my dark hair. I wanted to look especially nice for Tony.

As we drove toward the lake Tony said, “I hope I satisfied your mother that I’m a good swimmer. I think she wanted to come with us.”

“I’m glad she didn’t,” I murmured, almost too shy to say it.

“I didn’t want her to come, either,” he said in his low, soft voice, which never failed to make me shiver. “I wanted the chance to be alone with you, Sarah.”

I loved the way he said my name. My heart gave a little jump. “Tony, don’t be mad at me if I don’t swim with you,” I told him. “I’m really terrified of going into the water, so I may chicken out and disappoint you—and Mom.”

He smiled. “You won’t disappoint me. I can’t speak for your mother, though. I don’t know how she thinks, but I’m pretty sure we don’t see eye to eye on everything.”

I was surprised. “What do you mean?”

“I can tell she’s counting on what your therapist said,
about you being haunted by your own fears. But I don’t think I agree with her on that.”

“You don’t? Why not?”

“Because you described things with such detail—even what Rosa looked like.”

“Then you remember Rosa?” I sat up a little straighter.

“Yes, I do … now. I believe you, Sarah. I believe everything you said.”

“Thanks.” It was the only word that came out. It would have been impossible to tell Tony how happy he’d made me. If I were Dinky, I’d have curled up and purred.

We turned off the paved street onto a dirt road. Tony decreased his speed, because the rode was bumpy as it led into a canopy of trees and thick underbrush. “There are berries in there,” Tony said, “but it’s too hard to pick them, and you have to watch out for snakes.”

“Snakes? There aren’t going to be snakes where we’re going, are there?”

“No snakes. There’s a nice clearing there. I promise you. You’ll like it.”

The trees created an arch of deep shade, cutting off the intense heat of the August sun. The woods we were driving through were quiet and pretty, and Tony was right. I liked this place very much.

“Tell me more about what you’ve seen and heard,” he said.

“I told you and Mom everything.”

“But didn’t this Rosa talk to you about what happened to her? Didn’t she tell you things?”

“She showed me, instead of telling me, maybe because of our language barrier. She’s only spoken a few words, and some of those I’ve had to look up and translate because they were in Spanish.”

“Words like what?”

“Oh—
ayúdame.
That means ‘help.’ That was the first thing she said to me. Then she asked me, ‘Try to find it,’ and yesterday she cried out, ‘Danger!’ ”

“Yesterday? While she was showing you how her murder took place?”

“No. Afterward. It was all mixed up—the tears and the screaming and the blood, and you were there, helping me.”

The car wobbled as we dipped into a rut, and Tony fought the wheel until we landed on firmer ground. “Has Rosa appeared to you since then?” he asked.

“No.”

“But she could if you wanted her to, because you’re a psychic, aren’t you, Sarah?”

“No!” I stared at Tony, but he didn’t look at me. He kept his eyes on the narrow, curving road. “I’m not a psychic,” I insisted. “I have no control over any of this. I can only guess that somehow I still must have a link to the next world, and Rosa knows this and is using it.”

“Why?” he asks.

“I’m not sure.”

“I think I know. It’s so you can prove that Adam murdered her.”

“How can I? You—and maybe Dee Dee—are the only ones who believe that Rosa even existed. No one
else believes me, so how could I possibly prove something like that?”

He stopped the car and turned to face me. “Knowing you, Sarah, I’m sure you’ll find a way.”

“Tony, I realize that you and Adam are friends, but—”

Tony didn’t answer. He climbed out of the car, crossed to my side, and opened the door. “Come on,” he said, and held out a hand.

“Where’s the lake?” I asked.

“Just beyond that grove of trees. See the path? We’ll follow it.”

He held my hand firmly and walked ahead. I stumbled along behind him. The underbrush smelled moist and sour with decaying leaves. A low branch brushed my cheek, and I ducked, calling out to Tony, “Not so fast!”

“I’m sorry,” he said, and put an arm around my shoulders, steadying me. “The path widens here. We’re almost in the clearing.”

In less than a minute we stepped into an open, shaded, sandy place with a small, crescent-shaped beach. The gray-green, glimmering water of the lake slapped against the sand with a comforting pat, and a few ducks sailed like toy boats across the water in the sunlight. It should have been a peaceful spot, but it wasn’t.

Tony moved aside, and I was aware that he was watching me carefully. I wanted to ask him why, but I suddenly began to tremble as a terrible chill shook my body. My chest hurt as though someone were squeezing it; and my heartbeat pounded so hard, for a moment I grew dizzy. I was caught in a giant web of horror, each
sticky strand clinging, binding me so that I could never get away.

In terror I pressed my hands over my eyes and cried out, “Tony! What is this place? What’s wrong here?”

He scooped me up in his arms and carried me across the clearing to the beach. Gradually the bright sunlight burned away the fear.

“I—I can stand up now,” I said, stammering.

He put me on my feet, stood back, and studied me. “You had another psychic experience, didn’t you?” he asked. “What was it? What did you see?”

“Nothing,” I answered. “But I felt something. It was horrible, terrifying.”

“What was it?” He gripped my arms so tightly that I struggled to free myself.

“Let go! You’re hurting me!” Tony dropped his hands, and I rubbed my arms. “I told you, I didn’t see or hear anything. It was just a feeling.” A tear slid down my cheek, and I wiped it away with the back of one hand. My face was damp, and I hadn’t even known I’d been crying.

“I’m sorry, Sarah,” Tony said. He sighed. “About everything.”

“Why did you bring me here?”

His expression was one of surprise and hurt. “Because I love this place. It’s special to me. I wanted to share it with you because you’re special to me too.”

I didn’t expect this answer. It confused me. “Please, let’s go home,” I begged.

“Go home?” Tony smiled reassuringly. “What happened to you shook us both up. Okay? But the feeling
you had is over now, isn’t it? We don’t want it to ruin the rest of our day.”

“I don’t think I can go swimming now. I’ve lost all my courage.”

“You don’t have to swim. Just take off your shoes and the clothes you’re wearing over your bathing suit and sit at the edge of the water. You can watch me swim, and if you feel like it, you can at least wade in and get your toes wet.” He pulled off his shirt and the jeans he was wearing over his swim trunks. As I hesitated, he said, “Won’t you do it just to please me, Sarah?”

His eyes were so blue, so intense. “Just to please you,” I echoed, and kicked off my sandals. I dropped the towels and tossed my shirt and shorts on top of them.

“You’re a beautiful girl, Sarah,” Tony said, “and a good person. You’ve never known what it’s like to battle with evil. I don’t think you could even recognize it.”

“I—I don’t know what you mean.”

“It’s just as well that you never find out.”

“Tony? You’re scaring me. Are you talking about Adam?”

“Don’t try to judge Adam. You’d never be able to understand him.”

I didn’t like this conversation. Nervously I said, “Go ahead, Tony. Go swimming, and I’ll watch.”

But he moved a step closer to me until our bodies were touching, held me in his arms, and kissed me. I’d never been kissed like that. I’d never responded the way I was responding to him, with an eagerness that overwhelmed me.

The kiss went on—I didn’t want it ever to stop—while
Tony lifted me into his arms and began to carry me.

It was hard to break the spell, but something warned me, and I pulled away from the kiss. Tony was walking into the lake.

“Take me back!” I cried out.

“No, Sarah,” Tony said.

“You promised I wouldn’t have to go into the water! Tony! Put me down! Take me back!” I began to kick and twist and push against his chest, but Tony was much stronger than I was. He gripped my free arm around the wrist and continued to walk.

It was hard to breathe, hard to see through the blackness of terror. “Help!” I shrieked in panic, even though I knew there was no one around to hear.

B
ehind us came the sound of heavy, running feet, and a voice yelled, “Hey! You kids! Get out of there!”

Tony whirled in astonishment, and I twisted in his arms toward the voice. Standing on the bank was a heavyset man dressed in jeans and a faded, sweat-stained, cotton work shirt. “You’re trespassin’! This is private property! Go do your swimmin’ somewhere else!” he shouted at us.

Tony gave me a quick glance. I deliberately remained silent, and I could feel some of the tension leave his muscles. “Okay,” he called to the man. “No harm meant. We’ll get out.” He carried me to the bank and put me on my feet.

Red with embarrassment under the man’s gaze, I pulled my shorts and shirt on over my swimsuit and tugged on my sandals.

“Good thing I was warned to watch for trespassers. I
caught you just in time,” the man muttered, some of his anger spent. “That lake’s no place for swimmin’. Looks good on the surface, but it’s a tangle of roots and vines underneath. ’Sides, I killed more than a few cotton-mouths in there over the past few summers.”

Tony fastened the last button on his shirt and smiled at the guard. “I’ve been swimming here before,” he said. “I had no idea the lake was dangerous.”

“Well, now you know. Don’t come around here no more,” the guard warned. “You got that?”

We marched ahead of him, Tony pulling me across the clearing at a fast clip. The horror of the place reached up to entrap me, but it had no chance because Tony jerked me away from it. The guard didn’t react to whatever terrible thing was there. Tony didn’t. Why did I?