CHAPTER FOUR

Nannie's ghost

----------------------------------------- Chapter Four-------------------------------------------------------

 

They continued to do research on the new found objects that evening at Rachel’s place.

“Your cat seems to be acting very strangely around you,” said Emma as the four them settled down for a snack in the kitchen.

“Hmm….. Homemade macaroni with cheese pizzas,” David and Robert embraced the steaming hot food that was just pulled out of the oven.

Rachel looked at Frasier who was starring at her from a distant and twisting his tail vigorously.

“We haven’t taken him to the vet recently…he is probably sick,” she said un-amazed 

Emma nodded

“Oh hey Eric!” exclaimed Robert on seeing Rachel’s brother walking towards them in crutches and a mug in hand.

“Allow me,” said Emma and reached for him and David pulled out a chair for Eric to sit. Rachel took the mug and filled it with hot coffee, all the while looking at the cat.

“Frasier!” called out Eric tapping on to his knees and the cat came darting towards him and started doing his purring.

As Rachel handed the mug to Eric Frasier seemed to act more strangely upon her though the others didn’t seem to notice it now as they were more concentrated on the food and Eric.

Rachel felt a little dizzy and headed towards the door when David stopped her.

“You didn’t finish your dinner,” he said

“I’m not hungry,’ she replied quickly and left to her room.

They looked at each other wondering why she suddenly left. Eric got up to check on her but just then a car came to a screech in front of their house and all four of them went to observe what had happened.

“Rachel!” yelled out the three friends and ran towards her. As Eric could not run he slowly made it to the car where Helen opened the door and crawled out.

“Are you alright?” he asked her.

Helen shook her head vigorously without speaking, her hands shivering and all sweated up.

David and Robert helped Rachel up.

“Are you trying to kill yourself?” Helen screamed at her sister.

Rachel didn’t answer immediately as she was trying to get over the obsession.

“Take her inside,” said Eric calmly as the neighborhood started to wake up and a police car happened to show up.

“What seems to be the problem kids?’ asked a police officer

“Everything’s fine,” summoned Eric trying to keep the cops off the scene

“Are you sure?” he asked and flashed his torch light onto Rachel and Helen noticing their behaviors’ and Eric backed his sisters up by telling what he knew.

The police officers suspected that Helen was drunk but she tells them that Rachel jumped in front of her car.

When they ask Rachel she explains to them that she saw a little boy crossing the road and on seeing a vehicle coming she had jumped to save him and instead got herself hit.

Knowing that the police officer was getting confused, Eric put a full stop it by coming to terms with them.

Back in the house Rachel continued to say that she saw the little boy and everyone was starting to tire up with her stories and sent her to bed.

Eric had to put the night up with the David and Robert in his room and Emma with Helen giving Rachel sometime for herself but she was restless.

She pulled out the box and went through it over and over again deepening her interest in it more and more.

As morning approached an excited Emma broke into the room to wake Rachel up at six am only to find that she was gone.

Emma announced that Rachel wasn’t in her room only to David and Robert whilst behind Helen’s and Eric’s back searched for her all over the house and then came back to her room where they discovered some wet clothes thrown over a chair.

“She must have had a dip in the river,” suggested Robert, “remember how she used to do that as a kid, every morning until she caught that drastic pneumonia. Mrs. Ruthford was so upset that she grounded her from even looking at a river for the rest of her life…”

“Yeah….well… Mrs. Ruthford didn’t know that her daughter was up to such mischief until she started shivering vigorously one day in class and fell down....’ added Emma with a sense of humor.

“We only went for five days and ended up in the hospital with her,” Robert laughed.

“Are you done?” asked David clearing his throat and the two apologized.

David collected the box and the items into a bag and handed it to Emma but she refused to even handle it as after what she had gone through but took it after he forced her to do so and as they made up their plan, they agreed to team up after school and as they had expected Rachel didn’t show up.

“I have been notified that you are all working up on a project set by your previous teacher,” said Claire Dustan enthusiastically, “ it is said here that you all have exactly one more month to come up with your project….so are you all readying up for it?”

The class cheered in excitement and some told how far they have been working on their presentation whilst Robert, Emma and David were starring at a coin shaped pendant worn around Claire’s neck. The three of them looked at each other’s faces suddenly with opened mouths and turned towards her again.

“Is there a problem at the back?” asked Claire and all heads turned towards them.  Robert and Emma giggled and shook their heads but David raised his hand and asked her about her necklace.

“This is from a special friend of mine,” she chuckled and the class wooed.

David watched Claire with a deep interest and Emma smacked him on the head from behind.

“Gross!” she whispered to him and he gave her a sleazy smile.

“What was all that?’ asked Robert as the three of them walked towards the gate after school.

David smiled again.

“I was just trying to get something out of her,” he said

“It was more like you have a serious crush on her,” Emma crashed in

David gave her an awkward look and quickly changed the subject to Rachel.

“First this!” suggested Robert regarding the box and they agreed.

They checked into a nearby cafe before going to Robert’s place to continue the investigation.

“Look at this!” said a startled Emma and held up an old photo of a boy and a woman and Robert snatched it from her and turned it around to read something written on the back.

“Scarlet Marianne…1975 �" 1997”

“Who is she?” asked Emma

“I’m thrilled to know,” stated David

“What else does it say?” Emma asked again

“Steve Mascot, 1991- blank” Robert shrugged.

“Look at her finger…, the ring…she’s wearing the ring…,” beamed Emma

Robert held the photo closer with the ring and spotted that she was also wearing a necklace similar to the one Ms. Claire was wearing.

“But what’s this all to do with Rachel?”

“What’s that to your right?” asked David pointing to another piece of paper lying next to Emma.

“It’s a letter…,” Emma said after glancing at it for a few seconds before passing it over to David.

“Dear Bryan,” David started reading it,

“I waited three good months for you just to tell you about our son but you never came back since that day. Father came to a conclusion and gave me away and parted me from our son…I don’t where he was taken to but I am taking all measures to find him now and I hope that you will too.

Crosier is hurting me all the time and insulting me and I don’t think I can hold up this misery anymore…my life is in danger…but I’ll hold onto this faith till I find Steve.

 

Love,

 

Scarlet Marianne

Just as Emma opened her mouth to repeat the name ‘Scarlet Marianne’, Robert’s mother came over to call them down for dinner and they readily went downstairs to eat while the food was warm.

They were discussing matters over the table and Robert’s father, a studious man, kept questioning the teenagers about their school work on and on when the phone rang. It was for Emma. She picked up the receiver but didn’t speak into it as some else was going on about something else from the other end and then was yelping out for mercy and suddenly the line went dead.

Author's Note

Thanks to all those who read and review:-)

Reviews

[EMF]

Do you know, this is so good, I didn't even wait for the RR, and am so glad I didn't. I saw it pop up on the news feed and thought, why not? And damn it's another good one. You just tell one hell of a story. Simple as that. Your characters are well developed and presented and your style superb. It just makes you WANT to keep reading. Now if that doesn't tell you you're a natural story teller, what does?

[Jordan's Back]

Awesome Write

[Coyote Poetry]

A very good chapter. I like the new mysteries and situation raised-up in each chapter. I like the feel of real people and real problems. A excellent chapter.
Coyote

[Leslie Philibert]

Like the way you introduce dialogue in a well described situation at the start of the chapter.I`ll be following the story !