The House on Moore Street

The second project her bosses had given her was a residential construction. As a rule, residential design was challenging but not overly difficult, and was why she'd accepted this assignment along with the hotel and casino job. However, the home owners in this case were particularly demanding, changing their minds often, and she found the project was taking an inordinate amount of her time. Due to the couple's seemingly never-ending uncertainty, over the past two weeks, to help them decide, Susan had taken them to two different lighting stores with which she was associated, and using in-store room mock-ups was able to show them the lighting schemes available. Using a specialized computer simulation, she was able to scan blueprints of the couple's new home, convert them to 3D images, and then illustrate the different lightning sources, and their effects with each paint or wall-covering scheme in which they'd shown interest. Lastly, and why she was late getting home most evenings, Susan was also taking the couple to different homes she'd previously designed so they could get a feel for what was being suggesting for them.

Passing through the dining room, Susan dropped her purse and briefcase on the table as she trudged through into the kitchen. Pulling a frozen dinner from the freezer, she tossed it into the microwave then wearily climbed the stairs to her bedroom. In the sitting area, Susan plopped down into an overstuffed chair then pushed her high heels off. After wiggling her toes and stretching her tired legs and feet for a moment, she sank back into the comfortable chair, closed her eyes, and took in a deep breath. Her moment of peace and relaxation was disturbed less than a minute later by the chirping of the telephone on the table beside her. Annoyed, Susan picked up the handset, checked caller ID and saw it was her mother.

The fatigue apparent in her voice Susan answered, "Hello mom."

"Hi sweetie," Linda Richards responded, "Oh, but you sound tired."

"I am."

"My poor baby, you need to get some rest. Where have you been all evening, out running the streets, partying, burning the candle at both ends?"

"No, just working late again. Seems lately, work's all I have time for."

"Sweetie you'll just have to find time to have a little fun, or maybe you could take a day and relax."

"I'll try mom, maybe this weekend."

"I'm sorry about calling so late, but I've been trying to get you on your cell phone or at home all evening. I was getting worried when I couldn't get hold of you."

"Just been busy mom. They have me juggling two projects and it's turning out to be a little too much with the early mornings and late nights. I just got in maybe five minutes ago. Since I didn't hear it ringing, guess my cell phone is either off or the battery's dead," Susan explained, stifling a yawn at the end.

"I'm glad that's all it is baby, but you do need to take care of yourself, not let yourself get so run down. You know how I worry about you being alone in that big old house."

"It's okay mom, everything's just fine here. Besides, Aunt Mamie lived here for seventy years, alone for nearly twenty of them and did okay, and I will too. Stop worrying, I'll be fine."

For two years, Susan had been living in the home her great Aunt Mamie left her, and yet her mom still worried about her being on her own. Worrying about her only child was only natural, since Susan's mom lived a little more than a two-hour drive away.

The house put up by her great, great grandfather was built more or less in the Victorian Queen Anne style, complete with gingerbread ornamentation, fish scale shingles, turrets, an oval glass in the front door, and a wide elaborately decorated porch that wrapped around the house. Just as Susan's mom described it, it was a big old house at nearly six thousand square feet with five bedrooms and three baths set on three floors.

Despite its age, the house was in excellent shape, showcase shape in fact. Over the years, Aunt Mamie and her predecessors made sure to keep the property up since they were always very particular about appearances. Besides, to hear Aunt Mamie tell it, it was always her intention to leave the house to her favorite niece anyway and wanted it looking nice for her.

Susan wasn't sure why her great aunt had picked her, but remembered the summer Aunt Mamie had told the fifteen year old she was leaving the house to her when she died. She recalled earlier that particular summer, Aunt Mamie had talked to her and all her girl relatives one by one, and it had been an unusual conversation to be sure. Unusual not so much because Mamie talked to her, she always did that, but because the conversation had been so, at least in Susan's mind, vague and the subjects diverse. It also wasn't unusual because Mamie looked so intently at her during their talk. She always held your eye when she spoke with you, but Susan had never before seen her aunt study her so closely during a conversation.

Even though Aunt Mamie had told her the house would be hers, she was nonetheless very surprised at the reading of the will when it was confirmed. Susan felt strongly if Aunt Mamie thought enough of her to leave her such an extravagant gift, then it was incumbent upon her to continue to keep the house and property in good shape.

Being especially careful to keep the Victorian flavor of the house intact, Susan recently completed a renovation to the entire interior of the home. She modernized the plumbing and electrical, made two bedrooms of the three on the north side of the second floor by combining the spaces, and installed a shared bath between. Throughout the house, every inch of molding and other ornamental woodwork her great grandfather had made with his own hands was carefully removed, then painstakingly cleaned, restored, and replaced in its original location after the plumbers and electricians were done their work.

Her bedroom on the south side of the second floor was the largest in the house and had its own bath. This suite had first been the Moores', then the Barrs' bedroom. Susan supervised the renovation of this space particularly closely. She had the rooms stripped bare slowly, carefully, board by board, piece by piece. Then, after cleaning and restoration, had them carefully replaced right down to the refurbished cast iron, claw footed tub. She wanted the suite, albeit modernized, just as it was when her great grandfather had built it, and how it had been as each of her predecessors had used it. Doing so gave Susan a sense, not a creepy feeling, but a warm, comfortable one, that everyone including Margaret and Mary were still there somehow.

The kitchen received a significant upgrade, outfitting it with professional grade equipment and fixtures. Susan wasn't sure why she had gone to the expense of installing such an elaborate kitchen; she hardly ever cooked in there. Yet somehow, inexplicably she felt she just HAD to have such a kitchen.

Another change Susan made to the inside of the house was adding a three-quarter bathroom downstairs. For whatever reason, her great grandfather had installed bathrooms only on the second and third floors. Although Susan was no snob, upstairs was her private area, so she needed a bathroom downstairs for guests.

The only real changes Susan made outside on the property were in the huge back yard, where a swimming pool with a two-story tall screen enclosure, and an outdoor kitchen were added.

During the renovation, Susan would lie in bed at night and think about how the job was going, and what would be done the next day. She also reminisced about the talks she and Aunt Mamie had about the home, the people who'd lived here before her, and the history of their family. Also creeping into her thoughts now and then was the talk she'd heard bits and pieces of over the years. Within the family there were all sort of sordid rumors about what went on in the old house dating back to Matthew, Clara, and Margaret, right on up through when Mamie lived here with Mary and Harvey. As a child Susan never thought much of it, really didn't understand most of it anyway. After all, being so young she just caught wisps of conversations when the elders talked about it. As she got older, she heard more details, but never put any stock in what she heard because in the end, it was all just rumors anyway.

Over the phone Susan's mom was saying, "I know dear, but it's my job to worry about you. You are after all my only child."

Susan smiled to herself. She was twenty-eight and mom still fretted over her as if she were six. However, she loved her mom and tolerated the woman's paranoia. "What was so important you've been looking for me all night?" she asked.

"Oh! That's right, that's why I called. Do you remember your cousin Evelyn Byrne?"

"You mean Evie?" she asked.

"That's right, Evie."

"Sure I remember Evie. She was a cute kid, but I haven't seen her in years," Susan replied.

Evie was a little less than nine years younger then Susan and was the daughter of her mom's sister. As a teenager, Susan had babysat the younger girl often. When Evie was eight, she and her parents moved to a new city because of her dad's work, and Susan hadn't seen her since.

Linda was saying, "To cut a long story short, Evie's having a bit of a problem. She was asked to leave school, and Aunt Paula wondered if you could take her in. My sister said she'd pay her daughter's room and board, but would appreciate if Evie could stay with you a while. Paula thinks the world of you, and is impressed with the career you've carved out for yourself. She thinks you can be a positive influence on her daughter. So what do you think?"

"I don't know mom, I'm kind of used to living by myself and don't really know her anymore. Besides I like my privacy."

"It's a big house Suzy, I'm sure you can work it out," her mom implored.

Susan said nothing for several seconds, thinking. Reminding her she still had a meal in the microwave downstairs, her stomach growled.

"Come on Suzy, if you don't want to do this for Aunt Paula, then how about doing it for me."

Susan rolled her eyes. She and her mom had had many discussions about Linda trying to manipulate her. Each time Linda admitted she was wrong and promised she wouldn't do it again, but occasionally tried to anyhow, like now.

"Mom," Susan said, dragging out the word.

"Please," Linda said, dragging it out equally as far.

"Why was she asked to leave school?" Susan asked after a moment's thought. She wouldn't allow her cousin to stay with her if she'd been kicked out of college for violence, drugs, or anything like that, regardless of how much guilt Linda tried to put on her.

"Well...," Linda hesitated.

"Mom...," Susan pressed.

"It was sort of a scandal involving Evie and a couple of other people at the school," Linda finally admitted.

Her mother's vague description gave away nothing, but Susan could imagine all sorts of scenarios.

"But it wasn't anything harmful or violent in any way," Linda quickly added.

Susan said nothing for several seconds then asked, "Drugs?"

"No! Heaven's no, it wasn't drugs." A long pause came to their conversation then Linda asked, "How about giving it a try Suzy? If it doesn't work out, or if Evie causes any trouble, I'll tell my sister myself she has to go. Okay?"

Reluctantly Susan agreed but quickly added, "I won't put up with any nonsense. She causes any kind of trouble or problem she goes. That's my call."

"Great! And thank you so much dear. I'll call Aunt Paula and let her know what you've decided."

She and her mother chatted for a few minutes more, and then Susan hung up and went downstairs. While standing at the kitchen counter Susan ate her microwave dinner over the sink.

Standing next to her also leaning against the counter, unseen and unfelt by Susan, was the Presence. The entity smiled and thought, 'Soon we begin again.'

Chapter 4

The next day was Saturday; Susan spent it catching up on her housework, laundry, and shopping. She took Sunday to unwind and do nothing of consequence. Come Sunday evening, as she sat relaxing in her living room, she found she'd really enjoyed her weekend off, free from the stress of the previous two weeks. After a moment's reflection, she frowned, let out a sigh and thought, 'But it's right back into the fire tomorrow.'

Susan had a meeting scheduled with the hotel and casino management group early Monday morning. For the past week, the managers had been scrutinizing the three models she'd built illustrating the different lightning schemes being suggested. She hoped they would make their final selection based on one of them. Susan wasn't too concerned about this project, they'd been receptive to her suggestions all along, and was confident one of the three plans would be acceptable.

Her bigger concerns were the Coles, her wishy-washy homeowners. They had to figure out what they were going to do by the end of the week, or the cost of the project would go up significantly. The builders would be ready to close in the walls and ceilings within two weeks of Friday, and if the Coles hadn't decided in time for the electricians to do their job, the dry walling would have to be delayed, driving up the cost. Susan had to convince the dithering couple now was the time to decide, while the electricians still had time before the sheet rockers got started. Her meeting with the Coles was set for two o'clock Monday afternoon, but she anticipated nothing but more problems and delay with the indecisive couple.

In the end, Monday turned out better than she thought it would. It was just before six o'clock and Susan was already in her car on the way home. All in all everything had gone quite well and she was pleased. The hotel and casino people had chosen a blend of two of the lighting plans she'd provided, and the Coles had committed to giving her an answer on their needs by Wednesday. When Susan pointed out to them the cost of delaying their decision any longer, the couple admitted they knew they'd been a pain about selecting what they wanted, but would get it done. They'd asked her to come by the construction site around eleven Wednesday morning for the lighting walk-through, so it looked like that was coming together too.

Turning onto Moore Street Susan was looking forward to her evening. For the first time in two weeks she felt relaxed and at ease while on the way home from work. Tonight for the last time, at least for a while now that her schedule looked like it was opening up, she'd have another frozen meal. Tomorrow night, unless something came up, she promised to treat herself to a nice dinner out. She also looked forward to climbing into the huge claw footed tub and just relaxing in a sea of bubbles with a glass of wine.

Getting out of her car in the driveway, Susan was humming happily to herself as she followed the walkway leading to the house. Climbing the five wide steps of the front porch, she was preoccupied with locating her house key, and in spite of the automatic lights that had come on when she'd approached, Susan didn't notice the young lady sitting on the swing, which hung from the ceiling in the front corner of the veranda. As she pushed her key into the lock, she heard the faint creak of the swing and was startled when she turned and saw someone sitting there.

"Hi," a petite dark haired girl said brightly as she stood, "you must be Susan. I'm Evie."

With heart pounding and her breath caught in her chest, recognition nonetheless set in quickly and Susan relaxed, sighing in relief. Smiling at the girl she said, "Wow! That got my blood pumping. I didn't even notice you sitting there when I walked up." They hugged, then keeping their hands on each others arms, Susan said before the two women embraced again, "I didn't expect you so soon, but I'm glad you're here Evie."

The younger woman smiled and replied, "I'm glad to be here too, it's been a long few days of traveling."

Stepping back Susan said, "Oh, I know what that's like, you must be tired. Let's go inside."

The younger woman picked up a huge backpack from the seat of the swing, and then reached for the handle of a rolling suitcase sitting by the porch railing.

Reaching out Susan said, "Let me get that," and took the suitcase handle from her cousin.

Going inside Susan led them into the parlor. She wasn't sure whether her cousin was hungry or not, but rather than offering a frozen dinner, Susan decided she'd take Evie to a little Cuban bistro a few minutes drive away instead. "I'll show you upstairs to your room in a bit, but I was wondering if you'd like to go out and get something to eat first?"

"Oh, I'd love too. I haven't had a thing to eat since breakfast, and that was only a granola bar. With all the rushing around I've been doing I haven't had time to stop and eat," Evie replied.

Leaving her belongings in the parlor, the pair headed back out the front door. As they drove to the restaurant Evie went on about her travel ordeal. Getting a flight on short notice, the plane's departure delay due to maintenance, changing planes, which of course were on different concourses, overcrowding, and so on. When she got to Palm Grove International, Evie thought the airline had lost her luggage, but after about a half hour's delay hers, and about eight or nine other passengers' luggage came through on the carousel.

Once seated at the restaurant, La Placa De Cena Cubano, Susan ordered a glass of wine while Evie, being just shy of twenty-one had to settle for iced tea. Truth was Evie had a very credible looking fake ID she'd gotten from someone in college that showed she was of age, but not wanting her cousin to think poorly of her, she thought better of using it. After ordering their meals, they began to catch up.

"You look nothing like I remember. But I guess of course that's to be expected since you were only about eight then," Susan started.

"Yeah, I suppose it's been a while," the petite brunette replied, "You've changed some too."

"Not so much, just a little bit older. My God I've got to say it Evie...you're absolutely gorgeous."

"Thank you," the girl responded unabashedly.

Susan noted when Evie spoke it was with confidence and self-assurance, but with not a trace of arrogance. The girl knew she was attractive, but wasn't conceited about it at all.

Besides it was the truth, her cousin was attractive. The twenty year old was short, standing maybe five foot one, was very petite with brown eyes, and had the most luxurious brunette hair Susan had ever seen. The girl's mane hung to just below her shoulders and was thick with plenty of body and bounce, and it positively shone even in the flat dull lighting of the bistro. Her tresses were loosely curled and Susan suspected they weren't natural, but still the look worked exceptionally well for Evie. Although the girl's body was very slim, Evie had plenty of curves with a narrow waist, and hips flaring out nicely. Yes, Evie was quite the woman.

That's not to say at twenty-eight Susan couldn't hold her own. She was tall in comparison to the younger woman standing five foot six and was also a brunette, but kept her coif cut short. Thanks to a regular and rigorous workout in the gym on the third floor of her house, she too kept herself in very good shape.

As they dined, they filled in their respective histories. There was a good deal to talk about; a lot had happened in the twelve years since they'd last seen each other. It was a free flowing and enjoyable conversation, but both, particularly Susan, were careful to avoid the subject of Evie's dismissal from school; it just never came up.

Arriving back at the house after dinner they sat in the parlor and continued their talk. Nearing ten o'clock, Susan locked up, and then helped Evie bring her luggage upstairs to the bedroom she'd be using. The room was huge and well furnished with obviously old, but good quality and sturdy furniture.