watched as fat raindrops began to
pelt the windowpane, a soft pinging melody playing on the
glass.
“I should have known after our dinner with
Handel. You brought up the incident with Paul as though you were
talking about someone else. So flippant and casual, and yet I knew
it hurt you to speak of it.”
I closed my eyes and breathed deeply,
refusing to give in to emotion. It was easier to shut down that
side of my brain and deal with things logically as I did at work.
“I don’t know if that had anything to do with the nightmare coming
back. But I do know that Paul can’t hurt me anymore and that’s why
I was flippant. He doesn’t scare me. He never really did. I was
angry, furious at his lies, but not really afraid. That’s why I
don’t understand the dream. In the dream I’m terrified of my
attacker.”
Mother’s silence accompanied my statement
like a seeing-eye dog. She finally spoke, her voice reserved as
though she were holding back. “All right,” she said. “I’ll stay
home for now. But if you need me, I’ll be there.”
“I know,” I said, wiping my eyes. “You always
have.”
~~~
CHAPTER SEVEN
S ometime after
closing, when Charlie’s pickup finally disappeared down the gravel
drive, I slipped into the winery. Flipping lights on as I passed
through different sections, I reached the door to Uncle Jack’s
cellar some ten minutes later. After getting turned around a couple
of times I now felt I knew the winery well enough to navigate it in
the dark. Of course, I wasn’t about to shut off the lights and test
my theory.
I stood before the door, key in hand, wishing
I’d let Charlie in on my plan. Why had I ever thought going down
there alone was a good idea? I pressed my ear flat against the oak
panel of the door and listened. For what? Jack’s ghost? There was
no sound, other than the buzzing of fluorescent lights above my
head. It was now or never.
I turned the key in the lock. The deadbolt
slid back easily, leaving me without an excuse to hesitate any
longer. Ignoring the shaking in my hands, I turned the knob and
opened the door. Darkness confronted me, stairs receding down into
a black hole. I reached out and flipped the light switch. The bare
bulb in the stairwell flashed and sparked out.
“You weren’t going to explore without me,
were you?”
I jerked around, dropping the key from my
hand. It clattered against the stone floor, the metallic clink
sounding like a crashing cymbal in the quietness of the winery. I
bent to retrieve it, hiding the sudden relief I felt at Handel’s
presence. “What are you doing here?” I asked, feigning a fair
amount of annoyance in the lift of my brows as I stood and faced
him.
He smiled and shrugged. “I’m a sucker for
punishment I guess.”
I pushed the key into the pocket of my jeans.
“If you think being around me is insufferable than why don’t you
stay away?” I turned toward the stairs and started down, anger
replacing trepidation quicker than oil floating to the top of
water.
He hesitated at the head of the stairs and
cleared his throat. “I find your rejection of me appealing in a
strange way.”
“Fine,” I said, hiding a smile, “then tag
along.”
“I believe I will, since you asked so
nicely.”
We descended stone steps to another door that
creaked upon its hinges as I swung it open. The room beyond lay
cloaked in darkness. My heart sped up, the rapid bu-bump filling my
hearing to the exclusion of all other sounds. I groped for a light
switch along the inside wall but couldn’t find one within reach. I
felt Handel’s hand on the small of my back as he paused behind
me.
“You want me to get a flashlight?” he asked,
his mouth close to my ear.
The thought of his deserting me even for a
minute filled my heart with dread. I half turned and grasped his
arm. “No, don’t go.”
“Are you all right?”
I nodded and released his arm, embarrassed at
my clinging. “I’m sure Uncle Jack
pelt the windowpane, a soft pinging melody playing on the
glass.
“I should have known after our dinner with
Handel. You brought up the incident with Paul as though you were
talking about someone else. So flippant and casual, and yet I knew
it hurt you to speak of it.”
I closed my eyes and breathed deeply,
refusing to give in to emotion. It was easier to shut down that
side of my brain and deal with things logically as I did at work.
“I don’t know if that had anything to do with the nightmare coming
back. But I do know that Paul can’t hurt me anymore and that’s why
I was flippant. He doesn’t scare me. He never really did. I was
angry, furious at his lies, but not really afraid. That’s why I
don’t understand the dream. In the dream I’m terrified of my
attacker.”
Mother’s silence accompanied my statement
like a seeing-eye dog. She finally spoke, her voice reserved as
though she were holding back. “All right,” she said. “I’ll stay
home for now. But if you need me, I’ll be there.”
“I know,” I said, wiping my eyes. “You always
have.”
~~~
CHAPTER SEVEN
S ometime after
closing, when Charlie’s pickup finally disappeared down the gravel
drive, I slipped into the winery. Flipping lights on as I passed
through different sections, I reached the door to Uncle Jack’s
cellar some ten minutes later. After getting turned around a couple
of times I now felt I knew the winery well enough to navigate it in
the dark. Of course, I wasn’t about to shut off the lights and test
my theory.
I stood before the door, key in hand, wishing
I’d let Charlie in on my plan. Why had I ever thought going down
there alone was a good idea? I pressed my ear flat against the oak
panel of the door and listened. For what? Jack’s ghost? There was
no sound, other than the buzzing of fluorescent lights above my
head. It was now or never.
I turned the key in the lock. The deadbolt
slid back easily, leaving me without an excuse to hesitate any
longer. Ignoring the shaking in my hands, I turned the knob and
opened the door. Darkness confronted me, stairs receding down into
a black hole. I reached out and flipped the light switch. The bare
bulb in the stairwell flashed and sparked out.
“You weren’t going to explore without me,
were you?”
I jerked around, dropping the key from my
hand. It clattered against the stone floor, the metallic clink
sounding like a crashing cymbal in the quietness of the winery. I
bent to retrieve it, hiding the sudden relief I felt at Handel’s
presence. “What are you doing here?” I asked, feigning a fair
amount of annoyance in the lift of my brows as I stood and faced
him.
He smiled and shrugged. “I’m a sucker for
punishment I guess.”
I pushed the key into the pocket of my jeans.
“If you think being around me is insufferable than why don’t you
stay away?” I turned toward the stairs and started down, anger
replacing trepidation quicker than oil floating to the top of
water.
He hesitated at the head of the stairs and
cleared his throat. “I find your rejection of me appealing in a
strange way.”
“Fine,” I said, hiding a smile, “then tag
along.”
“I believe I will, since you asked so
nicely.”
We descended stone steps to another door that
creaked upon its hinges as I swung it open. The room beyond lay
cloaked in darkness. My heart sped up, the rapid bu-bump filling my
hearing to the exclusion of all other sounds. I groped for a light
switch along the inside wall but couldn’t find one within reach. I
felt Handel’s hand on the small of my back as he paused behind
me.
“You want me to get a flashlight?” he asked,
his mouth close to my ear.
The thought of his deserting me even for a
minute filled my heart with dread. I half turned and grasped his
arm. “No, don’t go.”
“Are you all right?”
I nodded and released his arm, embarrassed at
my clinging. “I’m sure Uncle Jack
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