A Little Help Please

"Mom, we've been driving around for hours and I'm pretty sure we've passed that tree before,"

Erica complained. "Are you sure you aren't lost?"

"Erica, I am not lost. I used to come out here every year when we visited my cousins."

"How long has it been?"

"I don't know; twenty years," her mother Monica answered.

"And you think nothing has changed in twenty years. Mom, we haven't passed any houses, towns or even signs for towns in hours. When was the last time you gassed up?"

"I have a very fuel efficient car young lady, don't worry about it," she said as the low fuel warning light came on and the familiar 'bing, bing, bing' sound came out of the dash.

"Uh, huh," Erica grunted. "I suppose we're all out of snacks too." She leaned over the back of the seat and flipped open the lid to the cooler. "Yep, hallow as my stomach."

"You just ate," Monica chided, her nails biting into her hand from gripping the steering wheel a little too tight.

"Mom, it's almost six and it's getting dark. We stopped at noon to eat at that diner and then we had salads, remember, because you didn't want me to eat all that heavy, greasy diner food and then try to ride all afternoon."

"Erica, please stop complaining. All you've done is complain since we left Cincinnati."

"You dragged me away from all of my friends in the middle of summer to go Phoenix and drove through the mountains off the main roads to get there. Did you really expect me to like it? No wonder we're lost," Erica muttered. "Dad wouldn't have gotten lost."

"That's enough, Erica. He's not here, and just for the record, your father is the first one who would have gotten lost. He can't read a road map."

"Why did we come out here again?"

"To get away from the memories," Monica answered. "Our stuff should all be moved into the new house by the time we get back." Monica pulled the car over to the side as it 'dinged' for the last time. They were out of gas and the cell phones had no signal.

Erica tilted her head down and rolled her eyes up at her mother angrily. "I told you."

"Yes, you did Erica. What was I supposed to do about it? The roads have changed and they circle around for no apparent reason. Most of them aren't even on our map. I didn't think anything of it because they never were. My cousins do still live around the area somewhere. They will look for us eventually when we don't show."

"Mom, you told them sometime this week and you would call before we arrived. They won't look for us anytime soon."

"We'll aren't you just full of sunshine?" She pulled out her cell phone and searched futilely for a signal. She shook her head and opened the car door.

"Where are going?" Erica asked.

"I'm going to see if I can find a signal outside the car or maybe see a house. Stay in the car; it gets cold out here at night."

Erica jumped out of the car. "You are not leaving me here alone, and you are not going out there alone. I don't care if you did visit once a year when you were a kid," Erica stated. "You do not know your way around. Something might get you."

"You are not the adult here Erica; I am. It's my responsibility."

"Why didn't you just send me to Canada with dad and his girlfriend when he moved? You don't really want me anyway. You just wanted to get back at dad."

Monica cried. "That is not fair. I didn't start this whole mess in motion and you know it.  He wanted to go to Canada with her and that's fine. But he is not taking you out of the country. I'd never get you back. He can visit you back home if he wants to. He is the one who called to beg off." A second later she tried to take it back, but he damage was done. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. You're father loves you, he really does."

Erica wiped the tears from her face. "No, you're right. He wants her more than me. I know that. He could have stayed here near me." She sat silent for a few minutes. "You still can't go out there alone. Turn your phone off so it doesn't go dead trying to find a signal and I think we should wait to see if someone comes along. They built this road for a reason so someone must use it."

Monica shrugged and ruffed her daughter's short cut hair. "How did you get so wise?"

"I don't know." Erica pushed her ear buds into her ears and turned on her I-Pod, reclined her seat and closed her eyes.

Monica decided that wasn't a bad idea and leaned her own seat back and followed suit.

At midnight Erica shook her mother. "Wake up. I need a bathroom really bad."

Monica sat up and shook her head. "What?" She looked at her surroundings and remembered where they were. "Oh, you'll have to go beside the car of behind a tree honey. As you can see there aren't restrooms available."

"What if something gets me?"

"Scream real loud and I'll come running." Monica fished a small pen light out of her purse. "Here, use this to find your way and leave the car door open so you can find it."

A few minutes later Erica returned and Monica declared it her turn. "What? You couldn't have gone when I did?"

"Go back to sleep. You can't do anything else anyway," her mother said.

Morning came and went and no one showed. Noon came and went and still no one showed. Erica was about to forage for food or tree bark. She had heard one could eat tree bark, but her mother reminded her that she didn't which tree bark to eat, so she just sat there in the car with the windows down because it was hot and they had no water. Erica was getting more scared by the hour and Monica was ready to set out on foot again, but to find a town more than a phone signal.

Around four an old truck rattled to a stop beside the car. An old man who looked vaguely familiar to Monica stepped out. His back was stooped and he walked with a shuffle. His short cut hair showed white as snow as he removed his hat and wiped his brow.

"Looks like you've had a bit a car trouble there young lady." He said.

"Yes, I have. I'm lost and I ran out of gas," Monica answered. "Can you give a lift to the nearest town?"

"Oh, I wasn't headed to town." He reached into his truck and pulled a couple of bottles of water out of an old Styrofoam ice chest and handed one to each of them. "You look a bit parched. How long you been out here?"

"We headed out here about noon yesterday and broke down sometime around six."

"Boy, you are good and lost if you drove around that long.  I can point you in the right direction to town but you have to follow my instructions exactly or you'll get backwards again."

"Thanks, but were out of gas so it won't do a lot of good."

"Oh, right. We'll I usually keep a can in my truck just in case." He pulled a red five gallon can out of the bed of his truck and poured it into their car. "I'll bet you're hungry too." He pulled a couple of sandwiches out of the cooler and handed them to them. "It's only peanut butter, but it don't spoil out here like meat would. I always pack too much for some reason. I guess it was a good thing today."

Erica hated peanut butter but she thanked him and dug into it anyway. The old man laughed and motioned for her to wipe a smudge off her face. He drew a map for Monica and told her exactly how many roads to pass before she turned warning her that he had lived there his whole life and he knew she would get lost again if she didn't follow those directions.

She thanked him and they were on their way. He drove off ahead of them over the rise. When Monica reached to the top of the hill he was nowhere to be seen. She didn't see any side roads so she didn't know where he went.

An hour later they were in the small town where her cousin lived. She called and she met her at the McDonald's where Erica was loading up on hamburgers, fries, and soda pop.

Back at the cousin's house Monica recounted the tail of their rescue. "I swear I've seen him somewhere, but I just can't place him."

Erica wandered around the living room looking at the pictures of family members. She was very excited when she saw one of them. She pointed. "Mom, Mom, Mom," she repeated.

"What is it Erica?" she asked. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "She hasn't quite gotten the point of not interrupting people."

"Look, Mom. It's him; it's the old man who helped us."

They all got up to look. Her mother gasped and agreed. The old truck was even in the picture with him.

"That can't be," her cousin said. "Monica, Uncle Charles has been dead almost thirty years. The last time you saw him you were probably seven. His son still has that truck under a tarp in his shed."

"Did he live out there?" Monica asked.

She pointed to the map where they were stranded and her cousin nodded and told her the house was long gone, but that was where he had lived.

Erica hummed the theme to Twilight Zone.

Follow Me

"Jessica," said Drake, "Are you sure you want to move into that old place?" He looked at her, waiting for an answer, then added, "I know your great aunt kept it for you all these years, but she’s dead. She won't care if you don't move there."

"I know that. I've always wanted to live there," answered Jessica. "Besides, I've already hired a staff to clean it."

"It's been un-lived in for fifty years, Jessica. The only people that ever tried to lease it didn't last a week. They said it was haunted!" Drake argued.

"Now let's not get carried away, Drake." Jessica tapped her foot. "They said there was something strange about it; not that it was haunted," she said tersely.

Jessica rode quietly the rest of the trip thinking of what her great aunt, Pauline, had told her about her family.

"…Lord James Errol Winfield, your grandfather, disappeared many years ago. His only son, Brian, your father, had to take over the business that his father began. As the years passed, without clear ownership, Brian could not borrow the money he needed to keep the business going. He had to have his father declared legally dead. With this, the title to the business and to Winfield Manor went to Brian. He and your mother were killed in an automobile accident a few years later shortly after you were born, dear child. I took charge of you and a trust fund they had set up for you. You will receive the properties in the trust after you marry or in the event of my death."

Jessica and Drake drove passed the main gate of Winfield Manor. The old mansion was covered with brown and green ivy. Neither a window nor barely a door could be seen. The rose hedge that led to the house scattered in every direction. The grass was the only thing outside the house that had been attended to.

"Welcome Ma'am," said Lilith, the head of housekeeping. "Did you have a pleasant trip?"

"I guess it could have been better," Jessica said, glancing in the direction of her fiancée. "I see Joseph has the grass clipped at last. Tell him to start on clearing the windows and doors of all that ivy before he does the rose hedges.

"Yes Ma'am, right away," said Lilith.

Jessica walked into the study. "Drake, that is a portrait of my grandfather," she said pointing at the painting hanging over the mantle. "I think it will look better in the hallway along the staircase," she said, gently lifting the painting from his its hook. "I'll just go get something to hand it with," she added, setting the painting gently on the floor at the foot of the stairs. "I want to eventually line the stairway with all the family portraits."

"Where's the painting?" Jessica asked when she returned.

"I don't know," Drake answered with a shrug. "I went up stairs to look around and when I came back it was gone."

They went back into the study. There was the painting right back where it had been before. Underneath it was silver bowl filled with red roses.

"Lilith," Jessica called, when she saw her come into the house.

"Yes Ma'am?" she inquired. "What can I get for you?"

"Nothing. Did you move this painting from the stairs back to here?"

"No ma'am. I've been out trying to find Joseph. He was locking up his tools in the gardener's shed," she answered. "All the other servants have gone."

"Gone! Why?" Jessica asked.

"Oh, they won't stay here at night," she added. "They think the house is haunted."

Drake snorted.

Jessica raised an eyebrow. "Thank you Lilith," she said. "That's all for now. Oh, by the way, thank you for the roses. They're lovely."

"But, ma'am, I didn't bring those in. That is the kind that grows on your hedges, but they aren't in bloom. And that bowl," she said looking closer, "I never got the chance to polish it. It was all green with tarnish just a few hours ago."

Jessica motioned for Lilith to go back to her duties. She turned to look at Drake, who was trying not to smile. She had had about all she could take for the day. "I think I'll go up and get a bath before we eat. Do you think you could build a fire? It's getting chilly in here."

Jessica was calmer after her bath. She walked into the study where Drake was sitting near the fire. "The fire is burning nicely," she said sitting down next to him. "Thank you for building it for me. Drake, I'm sorry for being such a tyrant today."

"That's all right," he said. "It has been a long day and I should not have teased you the whole trip." Drake put his arm around Jessica and they sat, silent, watching the flames flicker in the dimly lit room.

Suddenly the flames shot higher. Jessica jumped in her surprise and slipped off the sofa.

"Are you all right?" Drake asked her.

"I think so," she said reaching for his hand to help her back onto the sofa. Something caught her eye and she stopped where she sat, staring at the ceiling.

Drake looked up to what held her attention.

"Would you look at that?" Jessica said. "It looks like to people quarreling."

They watched the strange shadow show on the ceiling. The two figures raised their arms and pointed at one another. Suddenly, one stabbed at the other with some dark object. The one who had been stabbed fell, holding his middle. The flames died down as quickly as they had risen. The shadows disappeared.

Jessica gasped. A chill ran down her spine and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end.

"You look frightened," Drake said staring into her face. "Would you like me to have Lilith bring you some tea?"

"Yes, I think I would. But I think I'll have it up stairs in the bedroom," she said.

"I'll help you up before I get Lilith," he said. He helped her to stand then put his arm around her shoulder and helped her up the stairs. "I'll bring you something to eat too."

Jessica inspected the grounds. The gardener walked by carrying a large pair of pruning shears.

"Joseph," said Jessica, "You must be a very quick worker."

"Why is that ma'am?" he asked.

"Well, you got that bottom row of windows cleared of that ivy and still had time to do the cellar door."

"Aye, I did do the windows," he said with his Irish brogue. "But, I did not do the cellar door. I was just about to start on the top row of windows and then the tower."

"But, if you didn't, then who did?" Jessica stared after his shrugging figure, as confused as he was. He inspected the door, scratched his head a second and shrugged again.

Jessica stared at the house for a moment, arms crossed, thinking. Who could have cleared that door? She took a deep breath and shook her head. There certainly was something strange about this place, she thought and wandered her way back into the house.

She decided to check out the study for anything that could have caused those shadows the night before. There was a shallow figure of a man standing in front of the fireplace looking up at the paining of Lord Winfield.

"Excuse me," she said. "Who are you?" she asked.

The man turned around. He was dressed exactly as the man in the painting. Jessica looked closer. He looked just like her grandfather. He said nothing.

"Drake!" she screamed, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Drake ran into the room and started to say something but stopped when he saw the man.

The man motioned for Jessica to follow him.

"He wants us to follow him," said Jessica. "I think we should."

"If you insist, Jessica, but I don't think it's a good idea," replied Drake.

"Then you can stay here. I'm going with him."

The man started toward the French doors that led out onto a terrace.

"Please wait," said Jessica. "Those doors aren't cleared yet, so I'll have to go around the house."

He motioned for her to stay and then waved at the doors. He walked through them as though they weren't there. Then the doors opened. The ivy was cleared.

Jessica started through them, glancing around the cleared opening.

"I'd better go with you," said Drake, walking quickly after her. "You might get hurt."

The man led them to the cellar door and again went through it as if it weren't there.

Jessica and drake pulled hard to get the old door to open and then stepped inside. It was dark and musty after being closed u for so long. Drake struck a match and brushing away the cob webs all the way down, they found a candle on the a table near the bottom stair.

The man was still turning occasionally, motioning for them to follow him. He led them to the wine cellar and then disappeared into one of the casks.

"Do you know how old this wine is?" asked Drake, blowing the dust off of one of the bottles.

"At least fifty years," said Jessica. "We can study quality later. Right now we have to get into that wine cask."

Drake tapped on the surrounding casks and then the one the man had disappeared into. He tested the spigot to see if anything came out. "It's hollow," he said.

"You expected it to be full?" Jessica said, while she tried to open the rusted lock on the side of the cask with a hair pin. At last it popped open.

"That only happens in novels," said Drake.

"It looks like it happened to me," Jessica said sarcastically.

Jessica opened the cask. It was dark and dusty. They found several doors. All were locked except one. Once inside the room they could make out a desk and a chair and what appeared to be an old settee.  Drake noticed something on the floor and lowered the candle to get a better look at it. It was a skeleton. It was dressed just the same as the man they had been following. Jessica opened her mouth to scream, but nothing would come out.

Drake said after a few moments, "Whoever, or whatever, we were following wanted us to find this."

"I know," Jessica said. "Grandfather's been trying to get someone to follow him here for years. Until now, no one would."

The next day the police were still going over the room. They thought that it was Lord Winfield's skeleton that had been found, but they had no clue as to who had killed him or why.

Jessica grew impatient with the constable's questions and started wandering around the room. She sat down on the settee. "Ouch!" she said. "What was that?"

She felt the cushion. There seemed to be something under the lining. Jessica opened the cushion revealing the stuffing inside. There was a book between the stuffing and the lining. On the book was printed in gold letters the name LORD JAMES ERROL WINFIELD.

The book was opened. It was a private journal. Two sheets of old yellowed ledger paper marked a page in the journal.  The page read:

           

"I fear now that my partner, Geoffrey Ames, knows I have found his secret ledger that my life is in danger. Geoffrey called a meeting for tonight. He wants to meet me in my secret office. I wish he didn't know about this place; no one else knows about it. I have taken two of his ledger sheets and I am putting them in this book for safe keeping, although I shall hide the journal where Geoffrey won't find it…right under his nose."

The ledger sheets were used as evidence, along with his journal, in the arrest of Geoffrey Ames for the murder Lord James Errol Winfield. Geoffrey Ames, who was still quite a sturdy man to be well into his eighties, gave up without a fight. He cried when they came to his door. He told them the money wasn't worth the agony of living with what he'd done.