“Okay, let's go! Everyone in the truck. A romp in the yard, then we're going to go inside the
big house
to make pests of ourselves. We need to goose that contractor a little. I think he's taking advantage of us.”
Lily breezed through the kitchen, stopping only long enough to grab a cup of coffee and tell Sadie and Dennis about her latest
vision
. “You two try and figure it out. We're going for a romp in the gardens on North Union Street. Then I'm going to walk Gracie up and down the street to see if she can pick up on anything. It's a long shot, but you never know. I'll be back by lunchtime. Let's go to Fat Mama's Tamales for lunch. Tell Dennis about Mama's Naked Margaritas, Sadie. He needs to get one of her stickers to put on his baseball cap.”
“Sounds good,” Sadie said. “Be careful in that backyard, Lily. You should start thinking about having some of those vines cleared away. God knows what's underneath them. They're choking off the real plants. If I remember correctly, there were some prize hybrid camellias in that yard you might want to cultivate later on.”
“I'll be careful.”
Twenty minutes later Lily stopped her 4-by-4 in the driveway and let the dogs out. They immediately raced off. She looked around, her eyes misting. Her wedding present to Matt stood directly in her line of vision. One day it would be as beautiful as the six hundred antebellum mansions, houses, churches, and other structures in Natchez, her testament to a long-ago time. All done with love for Matt. She swiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket. Her shoulders straightened imperceptibly.
Her eyes dry, she stared at what she called the house on North Union Street. She looked first at six live oaks scattered across the winter lawn. They were ancient, the gray moss thick and long, swaying in the brisk January wind. She couldn't help but wonder who it was that originally planted the magnificent trees and was it their intention for the trees one day to shield the house from the winter winds and to frame the old house or hide it from prying eyes? Did young children play on the wide expanse of lawn or did they play in the backyard? She wished she knew.
The outside of the house had been painted back in September, when the days were still warm and dry. It glistened now in the winter sun, the front pillars sentinels to the large mahogany door with the stained-glass fanlight overhead. A treasure, the contractor had said. And it was. In the early-morning light the colored glass cast mini rainbows all over the front rooms of the house. Matt would have loved it.
The structure was two stories high with a cupola on top. The first floor fanned out to the left and right, probably additions as the family grew in size. The shutters were the originals, patched and repatched, and then painted a rich hunter green. The ancient hinges had heen rusty but restored. Now she would be able to close the shutters to ward off the brutal late-afternoon heat. But it was the porch that she loved the most. She'd had so many dreams where the porch was always visible. It was bare now, full of strips of lumber and Sheetrock and all manner of saws and building supplies. When it was all done, the porch was the last thing she would do. She already had her mental list of furnishings. Six cane rockers painted white, wicker tables set among the chairs, green fiber carpets on the gunmetal gray floor. Huge clay pots full of colorful flowers she would water every day would be all over the porch. The oscillating fans would whir softly as they stirred the delicate fronds of the ferns that would hang from the rafters. A place of serenity and peace. A restful place to sip ice tea or lemonade, perhaps coffee in the morning or a beer with Matt in the evening when the sun went down. She added clay flowerpots for each side of the six steps to her mental list. Maybe deep pink or pinky red geraniums and some inkvine trailing down the pots. A sob caught in her throat. Would she ever sit here on the porch with Matt?
Lily swiped at her wet eyes again as she ran down the steps and around to the backyard. She called the dogs. “Now, Buzz!”she shouted. Both dogs came on the run. They looked at her expectantly before they streaked off again. She followed them to the far end of the property. She'd never walked this far back simply because of the thick undergrowth. Now, however, the dogs had flattened a path of sorts. She gasped at what lay before her. “A cemetery!” she said in surprise.
She ripped at the vines to expose tiny stone tablets. A children's cemetery. She continued to attack the vines, yanking and pulling until she saw a row of larger stones, eight in all. It was the last one that brought her hand to her throat. She leaned over to run her hands over the letters.
MARY MARGARET
, and underneath the name, the words,
THE WISH KEEPER
.
Lily's hand involuntarily went to the pendant around her neck. She clasped it in her clenched fist. A moment later she was on the ground, her body rocking back and forth, her vision blurred. The golden Lab reared back and howled, a mournful sound, as Gracie pawed at her legs. Lily knew where she was, but she couldn't focus. She knew the dogs were close and no harm would come to her, but she couldn't see. Where had the sunlight gone? A blinding light attacked her as she stared forward at banks of computers and electronic equipment. Mumbled voices, the words unintelligible, ricocheted about her, causing both dogs to bark fiercely. Her eyes snapped open a moment later. The winter sun was back, the dogs vying for her lap. Her hands lashed out at the grave marker bearing the name, Mary Margaret. “What does it mean?” she wailed. Then she was on her feet running, the dogs nipping at her heels. She herded the dogs into the truck before she got behind the wheel. The only word she could think of to describe her condition was
spacey.
She reached down inside the console for her cell phone. Sadie picked up on the second ring. She started to babble incoherently.
Good, Sadie and Dennis would be there within minutes. She forced herself to take a deep breath. She almost jumped out of her skin when the contractor tapped on the truck window as she was replacing the cell phone in the console. She pressed the remote and the window slid down. She wondered if she looked as frazzled as she felt.
“Just wanted you to know we'll be finished a week from today. The painters are finishing upstairs today and tomorrow. The appliances will be installed tomorrow morning. All five bathrooms are completed. The fireplaces are working, all six of them. We tried them out yesterday. Good draw on all of them. We finished the windows last night. Your drapers will make them come alive for you, wavy glass and all. The stained glass throughout the house has been repaired so expertly it's impossible to tell where the damage was. We left the beams exposed, just the way you wanted. The wooden pegs are all intact. Everything is bright and airy. When you furnish the house to your taste, it will take on a life of its own.”
Lily nodded. “Do you know anyone who would be willing to come and clear the grounds? The dogs found a cemetery in the back a little while ago. I didn't even know it was there.”
“You'll find all kinds of things once the undergrowth is cleared away. I'll make some calls and get some estimates for you. I'm assuming you want this done yesterday,” he grinned.
Lily forced a smile to her lips. “Yes. Several crews if necessary. I want to move in as soon as possible. Choose someone who can do the job quicky and properly.”
“You can't walk through the house for a few more days. The polyurethane on the floors isn't dry. They need a few more days just to be on the safe side. I'm running your heat for that purpose. I hope you don't mind.”
“No, that's fine. I'm looking forward to the grand tour.”
“You're sure now that you don't want me to work on the cottage?”
“Actually, Mr. Sonner, I'm not sure at all. I rather thought I'd do it myself, little by little, but I'm afraid I wasn't being realistic. When we do the walk-through, we can discuss it. I'll make some notes. I want it to be cozy and comfortable. You know, real homey.”
“I think we can handle that. I'll see you in a few days.”
“Mr. Sonner, you've lived here all your life. Do you know what a Wish Keeper is? On one of the gravestones it says, Mary Margaret, and then underneath her name are the words,
The Wish Keeper
. Her last name isn't on the marker.”
“I can't say that I do, but I'll ask my father. He's eighty-four, and he was born and raised here in Natchez. He knows all about the folklore and the ghost stories, and he does love talking about it to anyone who will listen. I'll let you know what I find out.”
“Thanks, Mr. Sonner. I'll see you in a few days then.”
Matt would have liked Bill Sonner. He would have considered him to be a man's man. Matt admired anyone who could make something from nothing. She was so glad the contractor had insisted on before-and-after pictures. If Matt was ever able to see them, he would be so pleased. Damn, she was tearing up again. Buzz nuzzled her neck just as Dennis and Sadie swerved into the driveway to park behind her Rover.
Sadie ran up the driveway. “What happened?”
“Follow me, and I'll show you. This is so weird I'm starting to get really spooked. I . . . Wait, see for yourself. Buzz and Gracie found it.”
“It's a cemetery,” Dennis said in awe.
“Brilliant statement,” Lily snorted. “Read what it says under Mary Margaret's name. See, The Wish Keeper. No last name. This thing around my neck is a Wish Keeper. I had another one of those visions. That's two in one day, Sadie. I'm really jittery. I wish you could have heard these two dogs howl. God, it gave me goose bumps.”
“What did you see?” Dennis asked quietly.
“A room full of . . . computers. Electronic equipment. At least that's what it looked like. It's fuzzy, my vision wasn't sharp. Plus, my heart beats like a trip-hammer when it happens. I think my first conscious thought was I was seeing the inside of a
Radio Shack
. I don't understand. Does Matt work in a room like that?”
Dennis narrowed his eyes. “What kind of electronic equipment?”
Lily shrugged. “I don't know. I'm not a computer person. I did see computers and a wide screen. I think it was a wide screen. Do you know of a room like that?”
“No. Do you think you could make a rough sketch of it when we get back to the apartment?”
“I can try. Mr. Sonner, the contractor, is going to ask his father tonight if he knows what a Wish Keeper is. He's like us, completely clueless.”
“I wonder who Mary Margaret is ... was?” Sadie said. “If you don't mind, Lily, I'd like to borrow your truck and go to the library. I might be able to find something out about this property. I wish my mother had told me more about this place. For some reason she didn't like it. I can't remember why we stopped coming here, if I ever knew at all.”
“Maybe you'll find something that will trigger a memory. On the other hand, maybe your mother didn't like the hot, humid weather in the summer. It could be something that simple, Sadie.”
Lily turned her attention to Dennis. “Did you find out anything when you called the office?”
“Just that Marcus is like a wild hare. All he did was snap and snarl over the phone. He also told me to get my ass back to New York. There's been no ransom note, so that's a good sign. At least I think it is. I told him to call the press and cancel our announcement. We argued a bit. I won because both of us have to be there. I'm acting CEO when Matt is gone. That's about all I know. Oh, he did say he thinks Matt is on some South Sea island sunning himself and having a high old time. That's Marcus for you. I did remember something else that I had totally forgotten. I was checking through my briefcase and found a memo Matt sent to all our top people which said everyone needed to get on the same page and permanently relocate to Oregon. There's only going to be a skeleton crew in New York from April on. By year's end he wants corporate to be in Oregon. I totally agree. Marcus totally disagrees. April 1 is the deadline for relocating. It might mean something, and then again it might mean nothing.”
“Do you live in Oregon?” Sadie asked as she fell in behind Dennis for the walk back to the cars.
“Yes. I keep an apartment in the city for when I'm up there. I much prefer Oregon. So does Matt. I love trees and grass and crisp air. I really like the winters because I love the scent of pine, and I love to ski when I get the chance. I have air-conditioning, but I've never had to use it. At headquarters it's different. Everything is climate-controlled. You'll have to come for a visit someday.”
“Hmmm,” Sadie said as she sashayed past Lily and pinched her arm to show what she thought of Dennis's comment. Lily was too busy with her own thoughts and herding the dogs into the truck to pay attention.
“We'll pick up something from Fat Mama's for lunch and bring it home,” Sadie called from the car. “We can do King's Tavern tomorrow or tonight if you like.” Lily nodded.
In the kitchen of the apartment, Lily cleaned out the coffeepot and put on a new pot to brew. Sadie, like her, guzzled coffee all day long. She wondered if Dennis was a coffee drinker. Probably, since Matt had coffee running through his veins. Matt. Everything always came back to Matt.
Where are you? Wherever it is, are you thinking of me? This whole past year you and I were on the same wavelength. Tap into me, Matt. Try. I need to know you're alive and well. If you changed your mind about marrying me, I need to know that, too. I just want you to be alive. Please, Matt. Close your eyes and concentrate. People say that works.
When nothing happened, Lily in her agitation, yanked at the Wish Keeper hanging around her neck. Her head snapped forward, and she thought her eyeballs were going to pop right out of her head. Both dogs pawed at her legs. She wanted to move but felt like she was glued to the floor. A blizzard of images rocked past her eyes. Matt's shoe with the hole. Matt's sore arm. Lulu's Bait Shack. Charming Lily. Sound. Humming.