In the mirror world

Chapter 19

Carolyn wed another man!?

The face of Captain Daniel Gregg emanated a deep tone of red. The muscles and veins in his neck and head strained against his skin. His blue eyes narrowing, he glared at Edmond roaring the words, "Married?! If this is one of your jests… "

"Of course it's not, Daniel!" Returning the glare, Edmond interrupted. "I would never jest about something so serious!"

"Then you are mistaken! Carolyn would not simply just marry another man! She has freely given herself to me," Daniel confessed. "Just before she was taken, we spent the night together and I asked her to marry me."

The cleric closed his eyes and laced fingers on top of his head. "You think that I don't already know about that, Daniel? I tell you, I do!" Hands dropping from his head, Edmond offered them, palms up to the Captain. "There has been no mistake, son. Your Carolyn is yours no more! She belongs to another man."

Sitting on a crooked pew in the front row, Daniel ran the fingers of both hands through his wavy locks and groaned out loud.

"I will not believe it until I hear the words from her own mouth."

Edmond harrumphed and cast his stubborn friend a crooked smile.

Shaking his head, Edmond was saying, "You're always the skeptical one, aren't you Captain," when he noticed something unusual about the seaman. "Stand up and look at me, son."

Standing to his feet, and hands behind his back, Captain Gregg shifted his expression into one of neutrality, hiked one eyebrow and narrowed his gaze to the cleric.

The knuckles on the pastor's hand rested on his hip. The other hand scratched a spot on his chin where a goatee may have resided at one time and suddenly he grinned a chuckle, then uttered, "You're breathing air, Daniel."

—

Her shoe fell to the green sculpted carpeting, landing on its side. Carolyn's tongue braced against the roof of her mouth and inhaling a sharp breath, she rubbed her sore feet. Both of them hurt. One was growing a blister on her heel. She knew it. She should have never worn heels to walk around searching for her children. "Blasted shoes," she mumbled.

Carolyn had spent much of her day driving up to Portland, Maine. At least the sun had stayed in sight and not hid behind any clouds. She was thankful for small favors. Even more thankful when the Holiday Inn she stopped at said that they had a room available. Price per night? Carolyn never asked and didn't care. Blair's credit card would cover it. She thought that it was unlikely that he would complain since he had inadvertently turned her life upside down even to point where she was forced to wed the man.

When Carolyn had checked in, she immediately made a phone call to Gull Cottage. No one answered. She pressed her lips into a thin line and hanging up, decided to look for Jonathan and Candy. There was lots of ground to cover and sunlight was in limited quantity. Carolyn would call, again, once she returned to her room.

Rummaging through her luggage, she pulled out some cheap house slippers and a pair of tennis shoes. On a green and blue paisley bedspread, Carolyn sat, put the slippers on and propped pillows up to the headboard before she leaned back. Time to try calling Gull cottage again. She took a sip of ice water that left a white ring on the nightstand next to the bed.

After a hard cold swallow and she dialed the telephone. On the other end, the phone rang. Someone picked up and a familiar voice was heard.

"Hello? Gregg residence. Can I help you?"

Carolyn gasped. "Martha? Martha is that you?!"

Gull Cottage's housekeeper fell back into a chair that almost tipped over.

"Mrs. Gregg? No, Thompson? Muir? Ooooh! Carolyn is that you?!"

"It's me, Martha!" Her tears began to fall.

"A-are you alright? Where are you? I have to tell Captain Gregg!"

Carolyn dabbed her teary eyes and sniffed into the tissue.

"I'm… I'm not hurt, Martha. I'm in Portland." Carolyn said, candidly. She couldn't say 'fine'. She wasn't fine and wouldn't be fine until she was reunited with her ghost and children. "Martha, is Captain Gregg there?"

Martha held a hanky to her cheek. If she wasn't careful, she might start blubbering into the phone.

"No. No, he's not. He has been out looking for you and the children day and night," she sniffed rather loudly. "The Captain and his potato chip eating pastor friend have come up with some kind of plan to find you." She slumped against the back of the chair. "He hasn't found you, has he?"

Carolyn twisted the phone cord around her slender fingers and sighed. "No, Martha. I haven't heard from him at all."

—

Fingers splayed over his chest, Captain Gregg expanded his lungs. Air filled and released. "So I am, Edmond. So I am." He did it a second time.

The portly pastor prodded a plump finger on Daniel's chest. "I don't understand it," he admitted. "With Carolyn being married to someone else, you shouldn't be able to connect with her, but somehow you have. Your body is drawing life from her being on the human plane and you're breathing." Edmond scrunched his face and fed himself another chip. "You shouldn't be able to do this, you know."

"It's simple, Edmond." With an extra-large breath, Daniel puffed his chest, knit his eyebrows, and using his most authoritative voice said, "You've made a mistake. She has not married another man."

Their eyes met. Hands behind his back, Captain Gregg cocked an eyebrow. Pastor Edmond rested knuckles on his hip bones and narrowed his gaze. Testosterone filled the space and lightning could have zapped between the two. But when an unexpected string of noisy flatulence floated through, both men looked away before erupting in a roar of laughter. The only thing missing now was a cask of ale.

—

"Do you think anyone noticed?" Another loud slurp and Jonathan finished off his second frozen Coke at the Kmart, smacked his lips, then placed the plastic cup back under the spigot for a refill of the delicious icy drink.

Drops of irritation eating away her patience, Candy glared at her brother and growled, "Don't get anymore, Jonathan, or they'll be sure to notice!" She snatched the cup away then dumped it back into the machine. "Here." Tiny chunks of ice quickly spilled from the dispenser and overflowed his cup. She filled it with soda, thrust it into his chest, and said, "Just drink this."

"Fine."

Stars dotted the clear, crisp night sky. Candy and Jonathan repeated their performance of the previous evening and were once again inside the Kmart store ambling down an aisle that lead back into an employee break room.

Jonathan snapped the television on, sat cross-wise in a chair, and swung the leg of his jeans over a tattered arm. A tired smile played on his lips and sleep tugged his eyelids.

On the couch, Candy sat down, rested her chin on an open palm, and stared at the telephone on an end table. Something important tugged at the hem of her memory.

If you need help, find a phone and call the house.

But her Mom wasn't home. That was the problem. The rental was empty, wasn't it? Or… was it.

Candy rifled through her purse and lifted a folded piece of paper from a zippered pocket. She scooped up the receiver, sent up a prayer, and dialed. The phone rang. Standing to her feet, Candy tapped an impatient foot on the worn tiled floor.

"C'mon, somebody be there!" Her voice was cool, tempered, but carried an edge.

In the house that was void of life, the ringing phone sounded hollow, empty, and lonesome. Ribbons of a chilled breeze seeped through a crack and lifted the ends of a long lock of hair. A pair of amber-brown eyes watched the telephone. Curiosity was calling her name. In a swoop of her hand, she held the receiver to her ear and spoke the typical greeting, "Hello?"

Adrenaline raced through Candy's veins and with warmth rushing to her cheeks, she squealed, "Lily!"

—-

A breeze, soft, warm and scented with roses, touched his cheeks then faded. Captain Gregg stood tall on the barren cliff within the empathic link between himself and Carolyn.

In front of him, whitecaps rolled over a vast sea of deep blue then dissipated. Here is where one heard the distinct sounds of a man's voice bubbling to the surface. Sounds of laughter and sorrow, joy and pain, anger and fear. Too many to count, but the spectrum of emotions registered in his mind and some even on his heart.

Closing his narrowed eyes, Daniel growled under his breath. The voice in the sea had to belong to Blair Thompson and no one else. But what was the man doing in this intimate place of Carolyn's heart? Had she truly married him? If so, was it of her own free will, or was it a forced perversion of the sacred union? He cringed at the thought and swallowed hard. Was she lost to him? Where were Jonathan and Candy? Were they unharmed? The unanswered questions left him with new knots to wrench his already twisted gut.

Stepping off from the cliff, Captain Gregg braced himself and glided over the sea that erected itself between him and Carolyn. He expected a violent storm to rise in the sky and a sea of rage to buffet his efforts. It would be a natural consequence where two rival males vied to occupy the same space in a woman's heart where only one could reign. No storm arose and the waters remained relatively calm and placid as they had been. Pausing above the sea, he massaged his bearded jaw and contemplated this unexpected turn of events. There should have been some kind of adverse reaction. Something. Nothing occurred. What kind of man stakes a romantic claim on a woman's heart then does nothing to defend it? Puzzling.

Exercising caution, Daniel proceeded over the sea in search of the point of contact where Carolyn would enter the link.

The wide sea narrowed the further he went until it became a river. The scent of roses grew and the captain struggled against the urge to relax his defenses. He knew better than to give them leeway. Things could turn ugly at any given moment and only fools allowed themselves such a dangerous move. Captain Gregg was no fool.

The river came to a decided edge, but the waterfall he expected was not to be seen. Instead, the waters plummeted down into large cracks and fissures, disappearing altogether underground. Like a detailed project left uncompleted or construction left unfinished, the entire scenario made absolutely no sense to Daniel. A puzzle with missing pieces. A rhyme with no reason. Things like this proved frustrating for the ghost and he had to make a conscious effort to shove them to the rear of his analytical mind. Finding Carolyn was his first priority.

Over the edge of where a waterfall should have been, Daniel descended down to a pool whose waters were cloudy and stagnant from the lack of a fresh source. Off to one side, a plateau jutted out from a low cliff and overhung the water. Gently, he landed his feet on the ledge. This place was different, he noted, from the place where his first wife and he would meet. Not better. Not worse. Simply different.

Smooth and in a low tone, her name spilled from his lips like a good bourbon aged in a charred oak barrel and it carried on the breeze into the eyes and ears of her heart's treasure chest.

All at once, by an act of her will, Carolyn was transported into the innermost recesses of her own heart. Onto the same tier as the Captain, she appeared.

Carolyn gasped.

There he stood in his best navel uniform. Arms open wide. His smile warm and inviting.

With tears pooling in her eyes, she fled into his awaiting embrace. Her arms found his waist and pulled him close. His tender moist lips kissed her forehead, then down to her temple, curving into her cheeks before pressing his mouth to hers. Oh, how he had missed her sweet taste. Daniel deepened the kiss and Carolyn slid her arms around his neck.

When the kiss finally broke, she looked into his eyes and smiled saying "I knew you would find me, Daniel. I knew you would," she purred.

But suddenly she paused. Stepping back, she held him at arm's length. The smile she had vanished and a sense of urgency twisted his lips.

"Daniel!" she cried. "We have to find Candy and Jonathan! They were taken, too, but ran away." She lightly pressed fingers to her mouth and turned her head to one side."Blair said that they may still be in the area, but I don't know where."

Captain Gregg cringed at hearing the other man's name. He could no longer keep his eyes from viewing her left hand.

He looked. Then he shuddered.

Well, there it was after all… A moment later and all of his hopes for their future drained away like a sandcastle collapsing in on itself from the lapping waves of the evening tide. He hid his anguish behind a false but reassuring confident expression.

"I know about the children being taken, Carolyn," he encouraged while tracing her jawline with his thumb. "Try not to worry. We'll find them."

She smiled into his eyes. "I know that you'll find them, Daniel."

Her faith in him always warmed the seaman's heart and he supposed that it always would, no matter what became of them.

"Were you injured?" he asked. "When that man took you? Were you hurt?"

A vacant look reflected in her eyes. Carolyn brought her hands down and hugged her middle.

"I'm uninjured, Daniel."

He raised an eyebrow and ran his hands down her arms.

"Good. You should get some rest, Carolyn," he said, his voice laced with concern. He wondered what else she might be hiding. "We can start the search first thing in the morning."

A corner of her mouth turned upward. Loneliness filled her eyes and crowded the confusing places in her heart. A sudden awkwardness lingered between them with the thickness of a blind date.

"Will you, Daniel," she asked with eyes that begged him, "Stay with me tonight?"

His blue eyes softened. He raised her dipped chin with his curled finger and choked a smile.

"If that is what you wish."

"I do," she whispered. "I… I do, Daniel."

Sadness anchored his face. She will never use those words in ceremony with me.

Captain Gregg took a step back and placed his hands behind his back. Stoic and somber. That's what he needed to be. What he had to be.

"I know where you are, Carolyn, and will meet you there, shortly."

She blinked and opened her mouth to speak, but he was already fading from her view.

"Now what do I do?" She murmured.

—

Gull Cottage was dark except for the room that Martha was staying in. Not wanting to disturb the housekeeper, Daniel materialized into the master bedroom where Ailwen's crib was kept.

Bending over the crib, he watched his daughter as she slept. With the faintest noise, baby coos fell from her little heart-shaped mouth.

When all of this was over, Daniel contemplated, he would take some extended time to be with his daughter. In his absence, did he miss any milestones? Any new teeth? Any new foods that she ventured to try? He smirked a composed grin. With having her father's appetite, the child was probably trying new foods all of the time and he would only need to see what Martha was setting in front of the girl to find out.

Captain Gregg's thoughts back-pedaled. Once this was all over. How would things be once all was over, he wondered? Carolyn was married. That was no longer in question. The Captain clenched his jaw. Had this Blair Thompson forced her? If so, Daniel would make certain that the man regretted it. In spades, Thompson would regret it!

The seaman sank his tall frame into the rocking chair near the crib. He needed this time alone. He needed time to think.

What if? The ghost twisted his hands. His palms began to sweat. What if she married Thompson of her own free will? Was what he and Carolyn had only weeks ago, over, before it ever really began? Daniel had attributed her reluctance to form a deeper relationship with him to her recent loss of her husband and her previous world. Perhaps there was more to it. Perhaps the thought of marrying a ghost, again, repulsed her. Maybe she wanted a flesh and blood man. Something that Daniel could never be. Real. Blood and bone. Human. Who could blame her? No, he couldn't blame her at all.

Soon, he would pop over to the hotel where she was staying. What was she expecting of him? Being married to the man, where was this Thompson? Too many questions. Not enough answers.

With a gentle hand, Captain Gregg patted his daughter's back. Carolyn was waiting. He needed to leave.

—

Carolyn poured the wine she had purchased at a nearby liquor store into the hotel's water-spotted drinking glass that came with the room. It felt cool and smooth over her lips. Was this her second or third… maybe fourth? After gulping down half of it, she set it on the nightstand next to the bed. Still dressed in her slacks and sweater outfit, she peeled back the bedspread, sat down, and taking another chug of wine she thought, Where is Daniel? She nibbled the cuticle on her index finger and leaned on the headboard. How do I tell him about Blair? He'll understand, won't he?

Carolyn closed heavy-lidded eyes.

—-

He stood outside of Carolyn's hotel room and tapped two knuckles quietly on the door. It took Daniel back to a time long ago when he was considered a back door man to lovely, lonely wives whose husbands were occupied with other matters. Why would a man withhold love and affection from his wife? Yes, some were shrews and some were icy, but the many he knew simply desired to be loved and cherished. A roll he had enthusiastically embraced. But, no more. He had witnessed first hand what infidelity did to marriages and the captain wanted no part in it. If somehow, the marriage survived, it would never be as strong as what it would have been had the indiscretion not taken place. Battered and scarred, the marriage could never be the same and in the shadows, the memory of the infidelity would always remain like a dangerous animal kept on a weakened chain, ready to break free with destruction in its jaws. Closing his eyes, Daniel drew a long faux breath. As given by the Creator, there was a very good reason that adultery held a place in the 'Thou shalt not…' list. Those that had believed otherwise, in the end, paid a heavy toll.

Daniel tapped his knuckles again on the door and wondered how many families he may have broken up. The thought left him a bitter taste, with shame and regret claiming his emotions, wringing them as one would wring out a garment saturated with a sordid past. Age and his early death had taught him much about his frivolous attitude toward intimate relationships. His first wife, Carolyn Muir, had patiently taught him the rest. The marriage bed was indeed sacred and a loving spouse should not be taken for granted. Ever.

Carolyn. He placed an open palm flush on the door. Carolyn Thompson. Heat rose in his face. He hated that last name!

Several minutes had passed and she still had not answered the door. His head swung from left to right, scanning the outside corridor for any activity. Seeing none, Captain Gregg casually walked through the door and into Carolyn's room. A television in the corner displayed a black and white show with canned laughter in the background. The aroma of wine from the nightstand tickled his nostrils. A well of protectiveness bubbled up inside of him. She was asleep with arms encircling a pillow.

Once Daniel removed his jacket, he slipped off his boots and bent over her dozing petite form.

"Carolyn," he whispered, his deep voice breathing in her ear. "I'm here, now."

She stirred, softly moaning in her sleep. Captain Gregg eased onto the bed, and, leaning his frame on the headboard, he stretched his legs out beside her. Carolyn gave a shallow sigh and snuggled under her captain's arm to lay against his broad chest. A sleeping beauty that was once his. Daniel glared at the bedside lamp that flickered and shut itself off under the guidance of his power. At low volume, a tangle of voices emitted from the TV accompanied by music appropriate for a love story. He left it on as an inanimate source of company. Yes, Carolyn Thompson had been his sleeping beauty, but she was his no longer. His fingers lightly stroked her arm and he placed a kiss on the top of her blonde hair. The only promises that the evening held were that it would be a long time before the dawn broke.

—-

Neon lights brightly illuminated the sign across the road from the Holiday Inn that read Motel 6. All except for the 'L', that is. The letter must have died, for the sign actually read Mote 6. A strange name for the pink and green buildings. The two men sitting in the black sedan under the sign didn't seem to notice the oddity. They passed a large thermos back and forth, drinking coffee like it was going out of style. Maybe their night would be long as well.

Rick and Marty ate donuts with their coffee looking like they may have been on the right side of the law, but that would have been farthest from the truth. The two were family members of the Mob and being law-abiding citizens was simply not in their blood. They wore suits with ties, but the jackets were heaved into the back seat and the sleeves on their shirts were unbuttoned and rolled to the elbow.

Tonight was the end of a day following the Thompson woman wherever she was going in her husband's car. It started when they were instructed to keep an eye on Blair Thompson's vehicle in case the man's wife was to make her escape. And when she did, they pursued at a discreet distance all the way back up to Maine. It was no surprise to the pair that she stopped in the area where her children were last seen. What was a surprise, however, was the appearance of the tall, bearded stranger at her room that seemed to walk right through the door. At first, they blinked. Then they stared and blinked. Finally, they blinked again, stared, and then eyed their coffees warily but decided that they must be under too much stress and dismissed the incident altogether.

Rick yawned and stretched his hairy forearms out in front of him. His mouth compressed into a hard line. "I'm going up to the room for some shut-eye. I'll be back in a few hours to relieve you."

Marty blew steam from his coffee and muttered a protest under his breath which went ignored by the senior member of the pair.

Scratching his unmentionables, Rick got out of the car, shut the door, and lit his last cigarette for the day as he walked up to the room.

Pulling his suit jacket from the back seat, Marty threaded his arms through the sleeves, lit his own cigarette, and slugged down another mouthful of black coffee. The cold of the night was starting to bite. There were blankets in the trunk of the car if he needed one, but Marty wouldn't be caught dead using a blanket while staking someone out for the night. Not Marty. No, sir. He'd rather get cold and look tough. Besides, those blankets were for capturing Carolyn Thompson and her kids when they were found. It will be easy-peasy to throw them on and hustle them into their car. How much trouble could one petite woman and two kids be? Right?