A Sister Haunted

"No!" I leaped toward her as she stepped off the chair.

Chapter Eleven

I carried Ashley's inert body downstairs and laid her on my bed. I couldn't stand the thought of her being in the attic any longer. I studied her pale face as I softly combed my fingers through her hair. Tears flowed from my eyes as I watched her show signs of life. She looked up at me as confused as always after a session with Isabelle. My face didn't conceal the near tragedy I had witnessed.

Luckily the fall from the chair wasn't high enough to inflict instant damage, aside from lack of oxygen. So when Isabelle dropped, the rope was only tight for a matter of seconds before I was under her; lifting her back up. I stood on the chair to loosen the lasso, then carry Ashley to safety. As I watched her rest in my bed, the adrenaline in my body wore off and numbness started to settle in. Thinking about how close I was to losing Ashley made my stomach hurt.

"What happened?" When she sat up, her hand went instantly to her throat, her voice was scratchy.

After several minutes I was able to talk about what took place. Her eyes focused on me as she listened to my gut wrenching story of her near fatality. She asked to see the attic. I was surprised how calm she seemed when we got upstairs. For a moment, I considered how lucky she was that she basically slept through the whole event. I was the only one who had to live with the memories.

"You saved my life." Tears welled up in her eyes. Being able to see the objects I had described and the part they played in Isabelle's plan was more than Ashley could handle. I held her as she wept; I cried with her.

When we were picking up the wreckage from the armoire that blocked my escape from the restroom, Ashley stopped me.

"What's this?" She removed an envelope that was taped to the inside of the armoire and opened it. It looked like a letter or something. As she read I could see her eyes widen. "It's the missing pages."

We brought the pages down stairs to my room and Ashley tried to read them aloud but her throat was still sore. She asked me to read them for both of us. A few minutes into reading, I started getting a new opinion of Isabelle. And I started to realize that I had been wrong about her the whole time.

She wrote openly about her relationship with Du Bois. She was nervous of him at first but he gave her gifts and told her he had feelings for her. He convinced her to keep their relationship secret because if people found out about them, society would frown on him and he could lose his business. If he lost his business, then Isabelle would be out of a job. With Isabelle keeping quiet, he had his cake and ate it too.

It took some convincing to get her to sleep with him the first time, but when she did she thought Du Bois loved her. Ms. Du Bois started treating her a little different so Isabelle was afraid she knew about the affair. Isabelle avoided Du Bois during the day, which made her crave his company by evening. He promised Isabelle they would move away together when he saved enough money. She even mentioned how sorry she felt for Ms. Du Bois and didn't want her to get hurt.

Eventually Isabelle started suspecting Du Bois was lying about his intentions. He was getting more and more aggressive during their sexual encounters. Sometimes he would ask her to perform oral sex then he'd leave. A couple times, after drinking a good bit, he forced her on the bed face down and took her roughly; both vaginal and anal. But even after all this, she defended him and still hoped they would run away together.

Ashley's eyes were fixed on me as I breezed through the pages. Neither of us expected what I read next.

"She was pregnant?" Ashley actually looked hurt for her.

"Yeah, wow that sucks." I was actually feeling sorry for Isabelle too. She was totally different than the way I judged her. "And she expected Du Bois to take her away with him."

"What else does she say." Ashley inquired.

"This is her last entry;"

I am fool. I tell Mr. Du Bois I am with child today, I could not keep secret no more. He is very angry with me and say I sleep with other men. He say I can not have baby in his house. His words hurt me very much. I love him with all my heart and want to leave with him. I think he is not going to leave his wife. Now I stuck here. A new family not hire me with child. I pray Mr. Du Bois forgives me. I tell Ms. Du Bois I sleep with other men so she not know about me and Du Bois' love. My child has no father, just me.

"Poor thing." Ashley looked heartbroken. "She had no one."

"But I don't get it, she said her child has no father, just her. That doesn't sound like she wanted to kill herself she was planning to raise the child." I was confused.

"But she told you she wanted to kill herself; and she almost did it." Ashley reminded me.

"Yeah, but what if she only did it because of me? What if I drove her to that point because I didn't treat her right? I want to check the library archives and see if they have anything on her death." The attorney in me was coming out. Something about the way Isabelle wrote in her journal made me believe she didn't commit suicide. She shared her deepest secrets in her diary, yet she never mentioned thoughts of killing herself. Something was wrong.

"Okay, we should go in the morning." Ashley agreed. "I think I need to rest, I'm feeling really tired." But she didn't move to go to her room. She just sat there looking at the floor. "Do you think you could stay with me for a while?"

"Sure. Would you like to just stay in here?" I was ready to stand guard all night if I had to.

"Okay, let me just get changed."

She went to her room long enough to retrieve a change of clothes. She used my restroom to shower and get ready for bed. She even waited for me to shower, she was too afraid to fall asleep without me. I turned all the lights out and sat on a chair next to the bed.

"What are you doing?" She asked in a confused tone.

"What do you mean? I'm staying with you like you wanted?"

"I didn't mean you had to sit up all night. Do you want to come to bed?"

I wasn't quite sure how to respond. Although I knew she was only implying that we could share the bed, I couldn't help but think about how good it would feel to lay next to her.

"Um, what do you want me to do?"

"Come to bed." She requested.

I slid in the bed facing her. I could barely make out her facial feature from the outside lights. We faced each other not saying a word. She finally spoke.

"I'm afraid to go to sleep."

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay awake and keep watch?" I asked.

She didn't respond immediately. I guess she was thinking about what she wanted me to do.

"Will you hold me?" She seemed shy and vulnerable.

My mind was unable to give a verbal response to her request. Part of me wanted to protect her like a brother would his sister. But the other part of me knew I wouldn't be able to control the lustful images that were already seeping into my thoughts. I responded by moving closer to her. As I closed the gap between us, she turned to face the opposite direction and grabbed my arm pulling me tight to her body. She fit perfectly in the contours of my figure. Her warmth spread over me as I rested my head on our pillow.

"Thank you." Was all she said.

In a matter of seconds my thoughts became uncontrollable. I knew my job was to be her protector, but my body wanted more. I felt myself getting aroused. Embarrassment set in and I waged a war in my mind trying to think of anything that would get my mind off the inappropriate images. I was losing the battle and I completely surrendered when I felt her push back against me slightly to confirm what was happening. I just buried my face against the back of her neck and whispered my apologies.

"I'm so sorry." I was humiliated.

"Its okay." She sounded apologetic herself. "We're human." I noted her choice of words. Even now she was trying her best to save me from embarrassment. I really didn't deserve her. I watched her for hours as she slept. I was determined to keep her safe from Isabelle. But truth be told, part of me wanted to stay awake just so I could remember how good it felt to hold her. She really is beautiful.

The next morning, Ashley and I went to the library and searched archives. We took up the only two microfilm projectors they had. But from the looks of it, there wasn't much of a demand to use the old equipment anyway, so no one seemed to care. We searched several hours for articles using the name Du Bois. We didn't know Isabelle's last name, but figured if anything was reported about her death, the Du Bois' would be listed as her employers.

The search revealed Du Bois was the owner of a clothing store across the river in Gramercy. We saw several of his sales ads, but nothing else of interest. I was almost ready to give up when Ashley exclaimed.

"I think I found it!" She was reading intently. "A woman's body was found in the river and was positively identified as an employee of Mr. and Ms. Frances Du Bois. Preliminary investigation reveals possible suicide." Ashley looked at me disturbed.

"What the hell, they didn't even give her name." Ashley was irritated. "How disrespectful."

"That is strange don't you think." I added.

"No, I think that's high class assholes not giving a shit about the servants." Ashley was put out.

"No, I mean, why would she drowned herself. She apparently knows how to kill herself without having to go all the way to the river." I was really just thinking out loud, but her death still didn't make sense to me. "If it was a suicide of passion, I just couldn't see her going all the way to the river." Ashley looked at me like she was thinking about what I said. "When she tried it at home she was upset, it was like she was in the moment and was just reacting. If she had to walk all the way to the river, chances are she'd lose interest before getting there. Don't ya think?"

"Well, what you want to do, I don't think we going to get any more information from here." She was probably right.

"Lets go see Gale." As much as I hated it, she was the only person I could think of who might could provide answers.

Chapter Twelve

"Hello Mr. and Ms. Walker, Gale said to make yourselves at home, she will be here shortly." The lobby attendant informed us.

"Let me guess, she knew we were coming?" I said. She flashed me a look that let me know she didn't much appreciate my sarcasm. I decided I liked the assistant about as much as I liked Gale, which wasn't very much. But truth was, we needed help, and Gale had been right on target from the beginning. For a moment I wondered if we had never visited Gale would any of this had ever happened. Did she actually awaken Ashley's 'abilities' by telling her she was capable of hosting. Maybe if Ashley had never known about hosting she would have never opened up to it.

As I was lost in my thoughts Gale walked up. She brought me out of my trance with an answer to what I was dwelling on.

"She would have hosted regardless of whether or not I got involved." She was staring at me. Ashley looked at me confused. 'I hate her.' I thought to myself. Gale just winked and turned toward her office motioning for us to follow. I wondered if she heard that last thought too.

"So, a lot has happened since I last saw you two huh?" I'm sure my face turned beet red. If I was ever guilty of a crime, my face alone would give me away. I prayed she didn't know.

"Actually, we're not here for help with Isabelle." I started. "Well, we are in a sense, but not with the hosting part. We want to know why she died."

"I thought you said she killed herself?" Gale asked.

"I did, but now I'm not so sure." I looked at Ashley just to confirm her agreement. "We found an article about a servant who was found dead in the river who worked for Du Bois. We have no other leads, is there a way to know what really happened? How she really died?"

Gale's hand picked at her lips as she pondered my question. "Well, I suppose if I could talk to Isabelle, maybe I can do a reading on her. Maybe I can see something."

"Okay. When do you want to drop by?" I was anxious to get started.

"I guess we should make it this evening. Let me clear my schedule. I'll call you in a few hours." Gale stood indicating the reading was already over. We took the hint and made our way out.

Gale's call came after 7 p.m. I gave her directions and told her this was about the time of day Isabelle liked to come out and play. She didn't find my sarcasm funny either. Psychics really lack a sense of humor. When she arrived we sat and got our plan together. Ashley was going to take a nap upstairs while Gale and I waited downstairs within ear shy of her movements. I was nervous and wanting to back out. I didn't want to put Ashley at risk. She could tell I was panicking. She put both hands on my face and looked me directly in the eye.

"I'm not worried, I know you will protect me", then she kissed me directly on the mouth and hugged me tight."

I looked at Gale nervously, wondering if Ashley and I were being too intimate. If Gale only knew what I had done. Or did she? Maybe she was okay with me being with Ashley and just didn't want to embarrass us. She didn't have to say it, I was embarrassed anyway. Ashley looked at me with worried eyes as she went up to the attic. I put my chair in the opening of the doorway ready to dart up the stairs when necessary.

"What will we say to her if she shows up?" I asked Gale.

"The truth. I'm here to give her a reading."

I didn't speak to Gale again. I was intent on listening for any movement upstairs. My watch ticked away about forty-two minutes before I heard foot steps. I ran upstairs immediately. I got there so fast Isabelle was still in the process of changing her clothes. I was so worried about getting to Ashley I forgot about the changing part. Gale was right behind me. I wasn't sure if I should turn away or not, but at least Ashley -or Isabelle I mean - never turned around to face us while dressing.

"Hello." I said as Isabelle tied her dress. She turned and looked at me like she knew I was there.

"Hello." She did a double take when she noticed Gale. "Who is this?"

"This is Gale. She is a... Um..." I didn't know if Isabelle would understand what a psychic does. I wasn't sure how to describe it. Gale came to my rescue.

"Hello honey." Gale put on a motherly charm when she talked to Isabelle. "I was just wondering if you would like to have a reading about your future. It's really fun. Even the old scrooge here has done it, he said he thought you might like to try it." Isabelle looked at me to confirm what Gale was saying. I nodded my head letting her know it was okay.

"Okay, I will." Isabelle said. I think she was just being polite.

Gale set up a table and asked Isabelle to join her. They went through the cards and Gale mostly talked about things that made Isabelle happy. Like a mysterious love she had in her life - meaning with Du Bois. Gale told Isabelle that everything was going to be 'just fine'. Isabelle seemed amused and pleased with her reading. She thanked Gale after it was over and even thanked me for bringing her. Gale acted like she was leaving and went downstairs. I told Isabelle I'd like to stay with her and asked if she wanted to take a nap. She seemed cold towards me. I wasn't sure if she remembered the suicide attempt and I wasn't about to bring it up.

I asked her if I could hold her and she looked reluctant to get in the bed with me, but did. I liked holding her and watching her rest. I waited until my sister came back to me. I'm not sure why I did it, but when she turned over and said hey I leaned in and kissed her. I realized what I was doing after I was already committed. I told her I was just glad to see her again. She smiled and rolled over to get out of bed.

Gale was waiting in the living room.

"I think she was murdered." She wasted no time getting to the point. "You know I can't see faces, only images. Sometimes I recognize the images once I've deciphered them, but for the most part, it's just shapes and colors. But I definitely saw she was in danger."

"Do you think Mr. Du Bois' did it." I asked.

"No. I think it was a woman. Which makes sense because for Isabelle to want to stay behind and wait for Du Bois, she would have to still believe in him. If she felt betrayed by him, she would have wanted to leave the mansion. And her death would have freed her. She wants to be here."

"Then could it have been Ms. Du Bois?" Ashley read my thoughts.

"Its possible. But like I said, I only see shapes and colors when I'm reading."

"But if she still trusts Du Bois, why did she try to kill herself?" Ashley inquired.

"Spirits tend to choose death when their purpose is not being fulfilled. It's like being stuck in a revolving situation one can't win. Even spirits can be driven to insanity. They think killing themselves is the way out. But they don't know only the host dies." Gale looked right at me when she said the last part. My stomach knotted. "She loved him very much." Gale added as she stood to leave. Before she got in her car she turned back to us, "She will be back soon. It's very important you figure out what she wants, time is getting short." We watched her drive away.

Ashley showered and changed in my restroom again and waited for me to finish before we got in bed. I was looking forward to holding her again. My brotherly instincts starting kicking in as I laid facing her. 'Why can't I control my thoughts? What I did was wrong and what I'm thinking is wrong. Stop it!' As I thought about Ashley, she was clearly thinking about Isabelle.

"So, what do you think she could possibly want?" She asked.

"I'm not sure. When I talk to her she just acts, 'in the moment', I can't get her to talk about much, she just wants to spend time with me." I was choosing my words carefully.

Ashley looked like she was thinking over my statement. "I know this sounds stupid, but I can't help but wonder about her last journal entry. She sounded completely betrayed. I wonder if that has something to do with why she stayed. Maybe she wants revenge or vindication."

"But how do we give her that?" I inquired. "Let her kill me?" I chuckled and Ashley let out a small laugh.

"No, maybe you need to give her what she wanted. Take her away from here. Make her think she won and that you two are going to be together - her and Du Bois I mean."

"But how can I do that? I'm not sure what will happen if we leave the attic together. What if you don't come back and she stays?" I asked and she didn't have an immediate response.

"Maybe you can help her pack and tell her y'all are leaving after a nap."

"I don't know Ash." I didn't want to say the real reason I was apprehensive, but there was no reason to hide the truth any longer. "What if she... you know... wants to." Ashley looked away. She must have been as embarrassed as I was about the subject. Then she said something I couldn't believe.

"Then give her what she wants." My heart dropped to my toes. Her eyes darted straight to mine. My breath was caught in my throat. "But only if you want to." She lowered her eyes again.

"But... its you an me." I was in shock. "We would be... you know... doing it." She didn't respond. It felt like hours passed before I could speak again. My mind was racing so fast I couldn't decide on what exactly I should say. "I can't do it unless I know you want me to. I can't feel like I'm taking advantage of you again." Her eyes met mine. Why stop there? I decided to disclose everything. "I'm afraid I'll like it more than I should. I'm already having a hard time not thinking about you in ways I shouldn't."

As soon as the words left my lips I regretted saying them. Here she was, lying in my bed having chosen to trust me again, and what do I do? I told her I think about her sexually. I was half expecting her to run from me but she didn't move. She stared at her feet as if afraid to make eye contact again.