Gloria’s Secret Read online

  Colie took a minute to digest what he’d been told, then pulled out his notebook. “When you find the doors unlocked, is there anything missing?”

  Iris and Adrienne looked at me to answer. “It’s usually the cottages that we find unlocked and open in the mornings, but everything appears to be undisturbed.”

  I watched as Colie scribbled in his notebook. “And this morning, nothing was missing but some beer?”

  “And I found my skillet in the middle of the floor with the beer cans,” Iris interjected. “The same skillet that—”

  Colie obviously got the point and nodded without her having to finish the sentence.

  “I found something else, too.” All eyes turned to me; I fought not to fidget under the scrutiny. I knew what I was about to say would only make things worse. “I was checking the grounds earlier and found a freshly dug hole.It was right behind the laundry cottage almost exactly where Hank had dug his first.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Adrienne’s jaw sag; Iris clenched and unclenched her fists while Colie made his notes.

  “Show me,” Colie said as he stood.

  “Um…I filled the hole in.”

  “You did what?” Adrienne nearly shouted. “There could have been evidence.”

  “Evidence? You two think it’s Hank’s ghost. What did you hope to find, glowing footprints?”

  Adrienne leaned over until her nose was less than an inch from mine. There was fire in those green eyes, and she was about to light my ass ablaze.

  “If it’s some prankster, they might have left something behind that we could have used to dispel our employees’ fears! And I never said I believed it was Hank’s ghost!”

  I opened my mouth to deliver a sharp retort when Colie stopped me and more than likely saved me from the fire that would have shot out of Adrienne’s mouth and burned me to a crisp.

  “Okay, okay, ladies.” Colie held his hands up in surrender. “Let’s direct this anger to the one responsible, not each other.”

  Adrienne leaned back in her chair, but by the way her nostrils were flaring, I figured that I’d be sleeping on a chaise lounge in the bar that evening.

  Colie took his seat back at the table. “Let’s calm down and eat our lunch, then we’ll go look at the hole…or where the hole was.”

  I stepped out to cool down and smoke a cigarette while the three of them ate their lunch. I paced in tight circles at the wood’s edge, trying to forget the fury in Adrienne’s eyes.

  “Dat smokin’ will stunt your growth, girlie,” Iris said with a chuckle as she approached.

  “I love that accent, you know.”

  “My accent is not what I came out here to talk to you about.”

  “Look, Iris, I’m sorry if I offended you. I’m just not used to all this belief in spirits.”

  “I’m not offended, child.” Iris looked off into the distance. “Gloria was the same way when she came here, but dis ole island changed her. It’ll change you, too, in time.”

  “Do you really believe Hank is responsible for all that’s going on here?”

  Iris turned and looked at me. “I have no idea who or what is troubling us so, but my mind is open to all possibilities.”

  “I’m really not comfortable with the idea of leaving you. If you’re the least bit worried about staying here alone, say the word and I’ll cancel the trip home.”

  Iris smiled at me knowingly. “You won’t use me as your reason to cancel that trip. I won’t be alone, either. Colie will be here to keep me company.”

  I opened my mouth to comment, but Iris pointed her finger at me. “Don’t say it, girlie. I can see those twisted little wheels turning behind your eyes.”

  I raised my hands in surrender. “I’m not gonna tease you about the sex fest that you’ll surely have while we’re away.”

  “You’re pushing it.”

  I scuffed at the sandy soil with my foot, then looked at Iris with a sheepish grin. “I pissed you off this morning and now Adrienne. I don’t mean to be such an ass…it just comes naturally.”

  “We’re all frustrated, child. The past few months have been stressful on us all.” Iris draped an arm over my shoulders and led me back to the bar. “Adrienne’s not really mad at you, she’s mad at the situation.”

  “I’ll try and remember that when I’m sleeping in the bar tonight.”

  When we rejoined Adrienne and Colie in the bar, Adrienne had already cleaned away the dishes and Colie had his pad and pen in hand ready to investigate. Adrienne and Iris walked arm in arm ahead as Colie and I trailed behind.

  “We are truly blessed to have such beautiful women to love us,” Colie said as we walked along the meandering trails.

  I looked at the two women, their figures in stark contrast to each other. Adrienne with her nearly six-foot slender frame and Iris whom I guessed to be about five feet and a couple of inches. When I met Iris, she was a relatively heavyset woman, but love seemed to have trimmed a considerable amount of weight from her. And apparently, she was donating it all to Colie, whose midsection was becoming thicker by the minute.

  “I have to agree with you, Colie, they truly are a blessing, and mine actually puts up with me. I’m not sure what I’ve done to deserve her.”

  Colie put his hand on my arm and stopped me for a second. “She loves you. Don’t let stress come between you.”

  I guessed that Adrienne had been venting to him while Iris and I had our talk. We began walking slowly again, and I batted at a few leaves before saying, “It’s been a little rough, you know?”

  Colie nodded in understanding as I continued.

  “I thought all the bad stuff was over when we buried Hank, and now this. When do we get a break?”

  “You have a good thing going here,” he said, nodding toward Adrienne. “You have a beautiful woman, good friends, and a nice place to live. It can’t always be perfect. Everyone has their adversities.”

  “You’re right.” I sighed. “I guess I’d get bored if things went too smooth.”

  Our conversation came to an abrupt halt as we joined Adrienne and Iris in front of the pile of freshly turned dirt filling the mysterious hole. Colie scribbled in his pad, then began circling the area. The rest of us stood back in fear of disturbing anything that I hadn’t already destroyed.

  Colie looked at my handiwork and grinned. “I suppose this is your contribution,” he said with a chuckle while pointing to the word Asshole, which I’d scribbled in the dirt.

  “Yeah, well, it made me feel a little better.” I shrugged sheepishly and refused to look at Adrienne and Iris.

  “I think it might be a good idea to walk the grounds to see if there are any more of these.” Colie kicked at the fresh dirt.

  “There aren’t any more. I walked all over the place this morning and didn’t find a thing.”

  Colie shot a glance at Adrienne, then looked at me. “If you should find more of these, please call me before doing anything.” He paused when I huffed, then continued, “I agree that these holes need to be filled in as quickly as possible. They pose a threat to guests and are unsettling to the staff.”

  “Unsettling is an understatement,” Adrienne said. “We’re served a resignation right along with breakfast nearly every morning.” She reached out and took my hand. “I’m sorry I got so upset earlier. I realize now what you were trying to do.”

  Colie and Iris took that as their cue to leave and slipped away as Adrienne and I stood toe to toe apologizing for our inability to control our tempers.

  “I’m so tired of dealing with Hank, dead or alive,” Adrienne said. “He came so close to killing us both, and now whatever is out there is threatening to kill our business.”

  I held Adrienne’s hands and looked her in the eyes. “Okay, no judgment here. I just want to know what’s on your mind. I can’t tap into your thoughts, so I have to ask stupid questions. Does some part of you believe that we’re being haunted by Hank’s ghost?”

  Adrienne looked away from
me and peered out into the lush foliage behind me. Her eyes became unfocused as she contemplated her answer. “The reasonable side of me doesn’t believe he’s come back to exact revenge. But…I can’t tap into the mind of the person or persons responsible, and that bothers me.”

  Adrienne blew out a frustrated breath, making her long bangs flutter away from her eyes. She kept a firm grip on one of my hands as she began a slow walk up the path. I didn’t say anything, knowing she’d continue when she was ready.

  “As you know,” Adrienne began after we’d walked a while, “my gift, or whatever you want to call it, is not always accurate. I’m more in tune with your thoughts and those of Iris, but once I fixate on someone, I can at least pick up on a thought or two. And then there are the emotionally driven thoughts.” She stopped to look at me.

  “Intense feelings of love, lust, or anger will flow through me when I’m around the person who’s experiencing them.” The way Adrienne looked at me sent chills up and down my spine, and not the good kind, either. “When I hear those noises at night, I try to tap in. For a millisecond, I feel absolute…hate. And then it’s as though a door is shut in my face.”

  I loved a good ghost story, but I didn’t find it nearly as entertaining as a participant, even though I believed that our tormentor was still among the living. Perhaps that’s what scared me the most. Listening to what Adrienne had to say gave me a good case of the creeps in broad daylight.

  “I feel that whoever is responsible is…knowingly blocking my ability to get into their mind, then I wonder what if I can’t get into this mind because it’s no longer alive.”

  “You didn’t want to discuss this with me because you knew I’d reject it all and look for something more tangible,” I said guiltily. She nodded and my heart sank. “Of all the people on this island, you should be able to tell me what’s on your mind.” I pulled her hand to my lips and kissed it. “I’m sorry I haven’t been here for you. I promise that changes today.”

  Adrienne pulled me into her arms; her body sagged with relief against mine. “Your opinion is the only one that matters to me,” she said with a sigh. “I know you’re very skeptical about things and it worries me sometimes that you may one day look at me like a freak.”

  I pulled back so she could see the sincerity in my eyes. “Do you ever hear anything like that in my thoughts?”

  She smiled. “No, never.”

  “And you never will.” I returned the smile. “I may be short-tempered and sometimes short-sighted, but never doubt that I have absolute faith in you.”

  I pulled her back into my arms and held her tight. She was the one person I felt truly connected to, and when we were at odds, I felt lost.

  “I need to get back and help Iris. We’re gonna be leaving soon, and I promised that I’d help her find a replacement for Mabel before we go.”

  “Are you sure I can’t interest you into coming back to the cabin and taking a shower with me?” Now that things were right between us, the frisky Hayden had re-emerged.

  “As enticing as that sounds, I need to get back to her.” Adrienne held me at arm’s length to keep my wandering hands away from her. “I will agree to a moonlight swim, though.”

  “Oh, that’s a deal.” I said as she turned and walked away.

  “Stop staring and go take a shower, love,” she called over her shoulder with a laugh.

  The next couple of days were thankfully uneventful. There were no strange happenings around the inn and no new holes. I was hoping that things were finally going back to normal, but I knew in my heart that was not to be.

  I was enjoying the solitude of the morning with coffee and a cigarette—“Hayden’s happy time” as Adrienne referred to it.

  “Thought I might find you back here, Monkey Chops.” I knew the voice, and with a yelp of glee, I jumped into the arms of Shelby as she gave me one of her trademark back-breaking hugs.

  “When did you get in?” I asked when I was able to draw air into my lungs.

  “Late yesterday afternoon. Myra couldn’t wait to get over here. She had me up at the crack of dawn.”

  “Have you seen the clinic?” I asked with a grin.

  “Yes. It’s almost finished. I can’t believe how good it looks.”

  Shelby and her partner, Myra, were guests who had become permanent residents of CatIsland. Shelby was a doctor and had already begun seeing patients at the ramshackle building that served as the island’s only medical facility. She was obviously excited at the prospect of moving into the new state-of-the-art clinic.

  An unnamed benefactor had contributed a large sum of money for the construction of the facility, and Myra managed to find others on the mainland who were willing to donate money and equipment to bring the project to completion. Only a handful of us knew that the remainder of the money hidden by Hank had started the ball rolling.

  “I hate that we’re not going to be here for the grand opening,” I groused, realizing another reason to resent going home for Christmas.

  Shelby slapped me on the shoulder, nearly knocking me to the ground. “We’ll take pictures. You have to go home. Myra and I understand that.”

  I put a chaise lounge between us in case the mountain of a woman decided to show any more affection. She didn’t seem to notice as I rubbed my injured shoulder.

  “What’s been going on around here?” Shelby asked. “Iris was muttering something about vandalism scaring off the help.”

  I lit another cigarette, causing Shelby to grimace, but she’d long given up the lectures about my habit. By the time I’d finished smoking, the story was relayed and Shelby stared at me with her mouth agape.

  “Somebody has a sick sense of humor.”

  “I’m hoping that’s all it is, but I think this might be someone with an ax to grind…so to speak. Adrienne can’t seem to tap into our mischief maker’s mind.”

  “Have you told Colie about Adrienne’s ability?”

  I shook my head. “Adrienne will tell him when she’s ready, although I think it would make his job a lot easier.” I shrugged. “She’s just really sensitive about letting people know what she can do.”

  “Colie will figure this out, maybe it’s better to let him consider the facts alone. He’s a reasonable guy, but Adrienne’s ability might be difficult for him to accept.”

  I watched as she stretched her back with a groan, then sniffed at the air like a dog. “Blueberries.” she blurted out. “Hot damn, Iris is making blueberry muffins.” She shot off like a rocket toward the kitchen with me right behind her.

  We joined Adrienne and Myra in the bar and spent the rest of the morning listening to stories of their visit home. Adrienne laughed and talked, but I could tell she was feeling unsettled; something in her eyes troubled me. After having two days and nights of peace and the comfort of friends surrounding us, I wanted to believe that we were in the clear. But when the sun went down on our pleasant day, I learned that we were anything but safe.

  Chapter Two

  “Have you ever noticed that you can eat a lot more doughnuts when they’re hot?”

  Adrienne looked up from the book she was reading. “When we get to New Orleans, our first stop will be at a doughnut shop, so you can get this out of your system.”

  I sighed and sank deeper into my chair; aside from the bed, the sitting area was my favorite spot in our cottage. Saber, the tiger-striped love machine, lay in the chair I had my feet propped on and watched as though he found me entertaining. His offspring and love interest were on the bed with Adrienne.

  “I think we’re gonna have to make more than one stop to get this out of my system. We’ll need to have regular doughnuts and beignets. Do you think if I bring back some beignet mix that Iris will—?”

  Adrienne and I sat straight up when we heard the noise and stared at each other in confusion and fear.

  “What the hell is that?” I asked.

  “It sounds like a bell,” Adrienne said as she pulled on a pair of shorts.

  I had
barely slid my feet into my flip-flops when I heard the scream. Adrienne bolted past me and I followed her blindly through the darkness toward Iris’s place with my heart in my throat. Adrienne’s long legs carried her much faster than mine. She had a good lead on me, but I ran harder determined not to let her face whatever we were running into alone.

  Iris stood on her porch, iron skillet in hand, waving it dangerously in our direction until she realized who we were.

  “Whaaa” was all I could get out. I gasped and coughed while Adrienne finished my thought.

  “What happened?” Adrienne pointed at the skillet. “Iris, do you sleep with that thing?”

  Iris pointed at the splintered wood in front of her feet. “Someone was beating my porch with this.” She waved the skillet for emphasis. “They went into my kitchen at the inn and got it.”

  “Did you see who it was?” I asked, once I was able to breathe.

  “No, by the time I got out of bed, they were gone.”

  “At least we hope they are,” Adrienne said with a shudder.

  “Iris, will you call Colie?” I scanned the shadows for movement. “I’d feel better if he came out and looked things over.”

  Adrienne and I stood close together. I could hear her rapid breathing and knew she was as scared as I was, but being the weenie that I am, I decided to play it cool. “Okay, asshole, show yourself,” I hollered into the darkness, hoping against hope that whoever it was would be long gone.

  “Let’s not taunt him,” Adrienne whispered.

  “Whoever it is wants to make a point,” I said loudly. “So come on out and stop hiding like a coward.” I was all bravado, but if even a leaf moved, I was certain that I’d wet myself and dance in a circle.

  “I see the taunting thing went right over your head,” Adrienne said as she took me by the hand and half dragged me into Iris’s house where we waited until Colie arrived.

  Colie first made sure that Iris was all right, then did a search of the area. We waited on pins and needles until he returned with absolutely nothing. “I couldn’t find a thing out of place,” he said with a shrug. “The kitchen seems untouched, but I’ll be able to see more in the morning.”