Devils night, p.30
Devil's Night, page 30
Douglas shook his head. What do I do? What on earth do I do?
Then his mother’s voice came to him. Time for church.
There was only one thing he could do.
Douglas held the baby for a little while, trying to soothe her. She had soaked through her wrappings, so he found fresh cloth.
Marian was doing poorly, so he carefully lifted the injured woman from the saddle. She lay on the ground and stared up at the stars. She couldn’t ride anymore, not in such condition.
“You have a chance to get right with God, Marian.” He rocked the baby in his lap. “I suggest you take it.” Just like I intend to, he thought. Now that he had a second chance.
She didn’t answer. Her breaths were getting slower, further between.
“My mother used to love looking at the Milky Way,” Douglas said, swinging the baby in the crook of one arm. “All the stars out there. The realm of the angels. If you ever think the night is dark, you just look up, and it’s there to light your way.”
He couldn’t tell if Marian heard. Eventually, he drifted off.
When the sun rose, Douglas woke. The baby was sleeping against his chest.
He looked over at Marian. She lay in the same position as before. Her chest was still, her eyes gazing up at the sky.
He spent the morning burying Marian on the hillside. Then he moved on. The baby wouldn’t stop screaming. He knew why—she was hungry. Yet he had nothing for her.
He found a red currant bush and mashed up a handful of berries. The baby sucked the sweet, red juices from his fingertips. Her eyes were light brown, and she stared straight into his soul. She didn’t seem to find anything there unworthy. Finally, she quieted.
Perhaps he and Sara would have a child someday, as they’d so often imagined. This day was the first in a long while that he’d even allowed himself to hope. It was not because of the gold or the bank notes in his saddlebags. The money was merely an illusion of security. In the past, he’d feared that he shouldn’t bring a child into such a harsh world. But now, he suspected that sharing in a child’s innocence was the only remedy for the horrors he’d seen.
As the sun set, he spied the town of Ashton on the horizon. He waited until the sky had turned fully dark. He tied his horse to a tree, loaded up Bart’s pack, and then set out on foot toward the town.
The baby didn’t cry when he lay her on the church steps.
“I’m sorry, little one,” he said. “I have to leave you now. This part’s up to God. Hopefully He’s paying attention.”
But he couldn’t bring himself to go completely. Douglas crossed the street, found a hiding spot on the edge of a nearby wood, and waited.
About half an hour later, he heard the beat of horse hooves. A man was riding up the street. Just then, the baby began its healthy, piercing cry. Douglas slipped into the woods just as more townsfolk emerged from nearby buildings, searching for the source of the noise.
They’d soon find the bag he’d tucked into the baby’s blankets: a large portion of the riches from Bart’s pack. Douglas couldn’t be sure what the people of Ashton would do with the money—whether they’d use it to care for the child as he hoped. Some matters simply required faith. As for the rest of the money, he intended to distribute it into church collection boxes as he made his way across Colorado. Perhaps then the stains of evil on that money could be washed clean.
He reached his horse and rode onward, thinking of his Sara’s beautiful face.
Epilogue
2019
Penny walked across the meadow behind the Ashton Valley Inn. She’d already said goodbye to her mom and dad and Bryce. But Krista had been conspicuously absent. Penny sat on the bench by the creek and waited.
Before too long, Krista ran down the path in her trail shoes, dark braid bobbing. She stopped when she saw Penny.
“Oh hey, is it three already? You’re taking off?”
Penny stood. “Tomorrow morning, yeah.” She’d wanted to spend her last night in Ashton with Matthew.
Krista shifted from foot to foot. “Well, I’m sure I’ll see you soon.”
Penny was less sure. But things were still a bit tense between her sister and herself, though almost a month had passed since Devil’s Night.
She’d been spending half her time at Matthew’s, half at the inn with her family. She’d had some long, sometimes difficult, conversations with her dad. But they were in a better place now. Lawrence had offered to re-release A Devil in Eden—complete with a revision of their family history and a foreword written by Penny, to tell her side of the story—but she’d declined. She’d had enough media attention already.
Helen Boyd had also made a few more appearances at the inn, this time with the express invitation of Lawrence and Debbie. They’d spent some late nights in the dining room, reminiscing about Jason and their college days. Penny hoped that Helen might find some solace.
“Mom said you heard from Scott Mackey?” Penny prompted. Scott had gotten caught in the electrical cords on the first night of Devil’s Fest. “I was really sorry about how things turned out.”
Though Penny tried to defend him to Alpenglow Guides, they’d refused to give him his job back. Scott’s ex-boss hadn’t been too impressed by Penny’s explanation. Apparently some people in Ashton still didn’t believe in ghosts, despite all the evidence.
Krista looked down the trail, as if longing to return to her run. “Scott’s in Oregon visiting his brother for a while. He sounded good on the phone, though. Happy. I’m sure he’ll be back in Ashton once ski season starts.”
As for the ghost town itself, the fire hadn’t caused too much damage. The bank was in worse shape than before, and a nearby wooden structure had burned to the ground along with the stage. But the Paradise Hotel was getting some further renovations, after which it would open as a museum. Penny’s Uncle Harry was spearheading the effort for a share of the profits. Penny had asked for the real story of Marian and Anabel to be told, albeit in a family-friendly way. It would inevitably get watered down into nothing but hints and innuendo, but it was better than nothing.
Penny was still trying to make sense of Devil’s Night. But the rest of Ashton was quickly moving on. Everyone from Sterling PR—except Penny—had returned to LA. Ray hadn’t been fired from the sheriff’s department, despite an investigation, and was even getting accolades for his role in evacuating the festival-goers. There’d been a few injuries in the crush to escape Main Street, but thankfully no one had been killed that night.
“When are you coming back?” Krista asked.
“I don’t know. Probably not for a while.”
Penny had just told her parents the news. But Krista hadn’t yet heard.
“Linden is starting her own PR firm, and she wants me to be her partner.”
“That sounds big.”
“Yeah. It really is.”
Linden had been meeting with her contacts since the moment she returned to Southern California. She’d spoken to June at SunBev, and June was in favor of moving with Linden and dropping Sterling. Penny didn’t know all the details, but apparently June had reported the VP Jeff Richardson to their HR for harassment. And it wasn’t his first complaint. Richardson had taken a leave of absence, and that left June as the head of their marketing department.
I need you, Linden had said on FaceTime a few days ago. I wouldn’t even have the nerve to do this if not for our trip to Colorado—and that was all you.
Penny didn’t have the money to buy into a partnership, but Linden had promised they’d get a business agreement in place and work out all those details. There’s the whole partnership divorce and the no-contact clause, Linden had explained. But my lawyers are better than Tripp’s.
Penny had no doubt Linden would come out ahead. They had Tripp’s behavior at Devil’s Fest to use as a bargaining chip. If he agreed to back off, then Penny might “forget” about the way he’d locked her in the hotel.
She and Linden would be in charge of their own firm. Just the idea made her giddy.
Linden had even talked about bringing Anvi into their company. At the moment, Anvi was dealing with several criminal charges in Ashton County, including first degree assault, obstruction of a law enforcement officer, and a bunch of other scary-sounding things. But Linden was helping to fund her legal defense. I want to believe in second chances, Linden had said, especially where murderous ghosts are really to blame. The last Penny heard, Anvi would probably plead guilty to kidnapping and third degree assault and get probation.
Krista stepped aside to let another runner pass on the trail. “But…what about you and Matthew?”
That was a good question. Penny’d had a month already to figure out the answer, and she still wasn’t sure.
About a week ago, they’d stopped at a roadside stand for peaches, and Matthew had insisted on buying a set of handmade ceramic wind chimes. “Our house needs one of these,” he’d said. Just slipping that in casually—our house. Like a test.
“Your mom would’ve loved it.”
Matthew’s mouth had tensed, trying to hide the frown. But he still bought the chimes.
Krista was shaking her head.
“I cannot believe you. Bryce said you’d do this, and I told him he was full of it.”
“Full of what?”
“But here you are,” Penny’s sister continued, “a month into a honeymoon, practically, for all the sex that everybody knows you and Matthew are having—”
“Krista, jeez.”
“C’mon. Even Dad’s not that clueless. And you’re just going to ditch him? Thanks Matthew, it was fun playing house. Gotta go.”
Playing house. That was exactly how it had felt. A fantasy, but a really lovely, comfortable fantasy that was so damned tempting to make real.
“Seriously Penny, how is this so hard? He’s kind, he adores you, your family loves him. Most straight women would give anything for a man like Matthew to look at them the way he looks at you.”
Penny quirked an eyebrow at her sister.
“Not me. Ew.” Krista wrinkled her nose. “I just mean, you have no idea how good you have it. Nothing’s ever enough for you. ‘Perfect Penny.’”
“So I’m supposed to give up my life and move back here to be with him? Like some twentieth-century housewife?”
“Not what I said. You’re smarter than this, Penny. Think of a freaking solution.”
Krista started to leave, then turned back around. “And I’m not saying this for myself, okay? Because things were easier without you around. I got a tiny bit of attention sometimes. But I don’t want to see you throw away such a great guy, and I really don’t want to see Matthew hurt. Figure yourself out.”
When they left Eden after Devil’s Night, Matthew had stayed at the inn. He and Penny had been treated for smoke inhalation at the hospital—Matthew had never seen so much of that place in his life—and then released. Penny’s family had swarmed around them, offering advice and comfort. As they usually did.
He’d lay in his bed, coughing, chest aching—head still in a fog—and unable to sleep. But then the knock came. Penny stood at his door, her eyes red and skin blotchy. It was their first moment alone since what had happened at the bank. Matthew hardly even understood the events himself, and he’d been there.
But neither of them said a word. Penny shut the door behind her. They got under the covers, held each other, and slept over twelve hours.
They’d stayed together every night since, either at the inn or his house. He’d gotten used to sleeping beside her. He’d tried to take one day at a time, not expecting too much. First, she asked to stay with him a few days. Then an extra week. Linden had gone and the many interviews with police and insurance had slowed down, but still Penny wanted to stay in Ashton a little longer. Matthew had let himself imagine she wouldn’t go. But he’d already decided he wouldn’t try to convince her.
He’d taken some time off work, and now he didn’t want to go back at all. Getting his contractor license, running his own business—these now seemed like genuine possibilities. He could use the house as collateral on a loan. It was scary, the thought of doing something so adult, but hearing Penny’s conversations with Linden had inspired him. He wanted a lot more than the life he’d been living before Penny came back. Even if she might not be in it.
On her last full day in Ashton, Matthew stayed home making dinner while Penny said goodbye to her family. He kept one eye on the picture window in the great room, expecting to see her car drive up any minute. She’d rented a sedan to ferry herself around town. He’d offered his truck, but of course, she wanted to be self-sufficient.
His house was messier now, more lived in. Everywhere Matthew looked, he saw signs of Penny. Her laptop lay on the couch. Her clothes hung next to his in the closet—still his childhood bedroom, not the master. He hadn’t packed up his mom’s old things. But he could see himself doing it, and that was something.
But Penny was leaving tomorrow. Matthew would drive her all the way to Denver—the concussion-induced fog was finally gone from his brain, so he’d insisted—to catch her flight to LAX. He didn’t like it, but he’d accepted it. He wasn’t going to ruin their time together by rehashing the same conversations.
Matthew glanced at the window again and saw her coming up the sidewalk. He opened his front door just as Penny was reaching for it.
“There you are. Where’s your car?”
“I walked.”
“Five miles?”
“I needed to think.” She went inside, slipping off her shoes by the door. “I’m going to change.”
“Wait.” He brushed aside her hair, kissed the back of her neck. “I missed you,” he murmured, which was true. But he also meant, I’m going to miss you.
She turned around and kissed him back.
They’d fallen into certain habits in the last weeks. Never getting out of bed till after eleven; always leaving the dishes until the morning. And talking only of the past, never the future.
She’d told him everything that happened inside the Paradise Hotel and the Eden bank. He knew that those memories—Anabel’s, Marian’s, her own—still haunted her. Especially the thought of what she’d nearly done. Those minutes inside the bank had been some of the most harrowing of Matthew’s life. He’d never had a gun pointed at him, and definitely never expected Penny to be the one to do it. When he’d looked into her eyes, he hadn’t seen his Penny at all. She’d been something other. Of course, he didn’t admit that to her. I knew you wouldn’t hurt me, he’d told her. He wanted to believe that. He did believe it.
“You got three more calls while you were gone,” he said.
Penny groaned. “I don’t even want to know.” She went to their bedroom and closed the door.
When she came to the dinner table, Penny was quieter than usual. She picked up her fork to spear a tube of pasta, then set it down again.
“So Krista gave me a lecture today.”
“Did she?”
“About you.”
“Oh.”
“She said I’m selfish, that I act like nothing’s good enough for me.”
Matthew started to disagree, but Penny waved her hand. “Let me finish. She was maybe a little bit right. I disagree that it’s wrong for a woman to be selfish sometimes. But she’s right that you and I…” Here, Penny’s eyes flicked up to meet his. “I’d like to see where this goes. If you still do.”
His heart jumped straight into the red zone. Do I give her the stupid grin that my face wants to make? he wondered. Or do I play this cool?
“Of course I do,” he said.
“I’m still going back to LA. But you could visit in a few weeks. I mean, I’m asking if you’ll visit. And I’ll come visit Ashton a few weeks after that. It’s expensive, but I was looking at these credit card airline reward things, and—”
“Yes.” He caught her hand and twined his fingers through hers. He decided not to tell her about the plane tickets he’d already bought to LA for Labor Day weekend. There was never any possibility he’d let this girl go without a fight. But he’d let her think it was her idea.
“My roommates are awful,” she warned. “And my room is tiny, and the walls are thin, and—”
“So I’ll try to be quiet. I don’t care. Tell me when, and I’ll be there.” The stupid grin was sneaking out, so he stopped stifling it.
They ate their dinner, making so many plans for the next few months that Penny couldn’t keep them straight. She was just relieved that Matthew had agreed. A long-distance relationship wasn’t ideal, but maybe it could work until they figured out something else. If the right “something else” even existed. But she wouldn’t think about that. They were happy and dreaming about all the good things that would come next.
So Penny was surprised when Matthew let go of her hand and brought up the subject she hated most. A subject she thought she’d already dismissed today.
“You know,” he said, “those calls are going to keep coming.”
She sat back, staring hard at the table.
She’d stopped answering any unfamiliar numbers on her cell, so the randos had taken to calling the landline at Matthew’s place. How they’d found out she was here, she didn’t know.
Penny picked up their plates and took them to the sink. “I’m sorry. I’ll pay for you to change your number. Or do you really need a landline anymore?”
“That isn’t what I meant.”
He followed her to the kitchen. She grabbed a paper towel and started wiping the counter, wishing they could go back to their pleasant conversation. Anything but this.
“Penn, if you heard these messages, these people…”
“I’ve heard them.”
At first it was more interview requests, which she’d summarily denied. Then accusations that she’d faked the ghost activity in Eden and caused the fire, either on purpose or through negligence. Threats of lawsuits.
But then the calls had turned more heartrending.
