Midnight At Woods Cross

CHAPTER ONE
THE BLAKE HOUSE

Woods Cross Community College
The brownstone buildings shimmered beneath a silver sheet of rain as the September storm broke. A cold chill settled over the campus. Andrea Brooks glanced at the clock. She was just wrapping up her lecture on prehistoric art. It was the first lecture of the semester, and she was pleased that it had gone well.
“OK class, make sure to read chapter two, and please post your discussion by six in the evening. See you next time.”
The room erupted with the sounds of chatter as students left their seats and exited the room. It was a beautiful room, too. The wood-paneled walls were broken only by a row of lancet windows, adorned by colorful stained glass. The desks and chairs were arranged in a stadium plan. The cathedral ceiling provided ample space and added an atmosphere that was both airy and light. Andrea gathered her books and slid them into her briefcase. She slipped on her coat and grabbed her umbrella before she, too, left.
As she walked toward the car, she took in the rain hitting the winding walkways and pine trees that dotted the campus. Although she was new to the town of Woods Cross, she had grown to love the area. She had always wanted to live in Maine, and when the position for an art history teacher came up, she had jumped at the chance to apply. Presently, she maneuvered her car toward Main Street, arriving at the Four Winds Inn, her home for the past few weeks. Constructed of red brick, the inn dated back to the colonial period. It had a red-and-white painted sign hanging over the street in an inviting manner.
“There you are. Would you like something to drink?” Rachel Hunter asked as she entered the inn.
“Yes, just give me five minutes to change.”
Andrea headed up to her room on the third floor. Slipping into loose fitting jeans and a red pullover, she surveyed her appearance in the mirror. Dark blond hair fell in a neat bob, her eyes were soft and brown, and her fair skin blushed from the cold chill of the storm. Her figure was trim—something that could be attributed too many hours spent walking and biking in college. She glanced longingly at her bike in the corner. One day she would get out and ride, she had made that promise to herself every day since her arrival. She hoped to get outdoors soon, as it seemed that the weather was about to change. Slipping on a pair of white tennis shoes, she headed down stairs where a pot of hot tea, a plate of salami, and sharp cheddar awaited her.
Rachel had left a copy of the evening paper next to her plate. While turning to the classifieds, she sipped her tea while scanning the columns of houses for sale or rent. She had looked for so long with no luck that it was almost a shock when she spotted an advertisement that seemed perfect.
“For Rent: Five fifty-seven Maple Park. A spacious three-bedroom home, two and a half baths, a fenced backyard, and a double-car garage. Reasonably priced at eight hundred dollars per month.”
“Reasonable? That would be a steal.” she thought.
“Everything OK?” Rachel asked stepping back behind the counter.
“I think I may have found something.”
“Oh?”
“Here take a look.”
“Oh, I know that place. That’s the Blake house.”
“The Blake house?”
“The owners moved to Florida last month.”
“They are really nice people, and I’m sure that the price will be reasonable.”
“That’s what the ad read,” Andrea said, smiling.
The next day, Andrea called the number listed in the ad. Matt Jenkins, the real estate agent, said that in fact he had an opening to show the house that afternoon. Andrea said that she would like to see it.
Maple Park was a perfect neighborhood. It was at the edge of a wooded area, Matt, informed her that there was a lake located about five miles away. Andrea could imagine long walks among the trees and the change of seasons; these thoughts were very appealing.
The house itself was perfect. She imagined one of the rooms could be used as a guest room, and the other perhaps a den. The house had a stone fireplace, a spacious living room, a family room, and two and a half baths.
“There is just one thing,” Matt said, tentatively.
“What’s that?”
“The owners would like to meet you.”
“Meet me? Oh, yes of course. I thought that they moved to Florida.”
He nodded, “As it happens, they are in town for the weekend.”
“Well then, perhaps we could meet tomorrow at the inn.”
“I’ll tell them.”
“Great.”
Upon reflection later that evening, Andrea felt that perhaps she understood why the Blakes wanted to meet her. If they were going to rent the house to her, then they would want to know what kind of a person she was. Lying back against the soft pillows, she pulled her quilt up beneath her chin. She was going to miss the inn, but she couldn’t wait to have a place of her own where she could cook and entertain and stop living out of a suitcase! On turning out the light, she turned over in bed. Thoughts of what she might do with the Blake house filled her head as she drifted off to sleep.
The following day, she met Harold and Edith Blake, who arrived at the inn on the dot at three in the afternoon. They seemed to be a sweet couple. They asked her where she was from, showed interest in her teaching career, and even asked her if she was religious.
“Um, yes, I attend church. I’ve just arrived, so I need to find a place to go regularly.”
“I see,” Edith Blake said, smiling.
“Well, you do seem perfect, just what we wanted.”
“The rent is rather low for such a nice house.”
“Well, we really don’t need the money, you know. We just wanted to make sure that whoever rents the place loves it. We had so many happy years in that house,” Edith explained.
“Of course, I understand.”
Just then, they heard the sound of the inn door opening. From her seat in the dining area, Andrea could see a man enter. He was tall and blond. He wore a pair of well-tailored pants and a sports jacket over a crisp dress shirt. He approached the bar and spoke to Rachel. The Blakes turned and followed her line of vision.
Then Mrs. Blake leaned closer, adopting a motherly tone. “Now, my dear, I only say this because you are so young but, you really have to be careful. There are some young men in town that I would stay away from.”
“All right, Edith, she’s a grown woman and I really don’t think,” he began.
“I know that, Harold, but I feel like I have an obligation to...” But just then she was interrupted too.
“Well, hello, Edith, Harold, it’s so nice to see you again.” The man had spotted them and now approached their table, with a smile.
“Hello, Dr. Sellers. Yes, we are just tying up some loose ends in town,” Harold explained.
“How nice,” he said, smiling. His blue gaze settled upon Andrea, and she felt that she could not look away from him. He had a sort of magnetism about him that drew her.
“Oh, sorry,” Harold said, clearing his throat, “Dr. Sellers, this is Andrea Brooks, Andrea, Dr. Sellers. We’re renting the house to her.”
“Oh? So we’re going to be neighbors.”
“Yes, I suppose so,” Mrs. Blake said, slowly.
He leaned over and took her hand, “Nice to meet you. Please call me Craig.”
“All right,” she said. She noticed that his hand was strong and warm, not what she imagined a doctor’s would be like.
“Well, I just came in to pick up a late lunch.”
“Long day at the clinic?” Harold asked.
“Yes, I guess that is the rule lately. Ginny, my receptionist, has been working out well, though she can be a bit absent-minded at times.”
Rachel approached and handed him a bag of takeout. Andrea could tell that she was not the only woman in town that found him attractive. Rachel was a cute, perky girl, yet Dr. Sellers did not even seem to notice her.
“Thanks, so nice to meet you, Andrea,” he said, before departing.
“You see what I mean?” Edith said, leaning forward.
“You mean, Dr. Sellers? Isn’t he married?”
“He was.”
“Now, Edith, don’t start. Let Andrea do her own thinking. She can handle herself just fine.”
Andrea smiled, but Edith looked doubtful.
“We really should be going; we don’t want to miss our flight.” Harold was emphatic.
Edith slid two brass keys across the table, “Here is one each for the front and back doors, and here is our phone number in Florida should you need anything, anything at all.”
“Then she can call the realtor. Now, come on, Edith.”
When they left, Andrea stared at the keys for a long moment. She could hardly believe that she could now move in.
Over the next few weeks, Andrea worked on moving into her new home. She enjoyed shopping for furniture, paintings she wanted to hang on the clean white walls, wreaths, candles, throw pillows, and comforters. She chose colors that offset the walls—fall colors, shades of brown, red, and gold. By the time the house was finished, the wood floors gleamed, the furniture was comfortable, and each evening she lit a blazing fire to take the edge off the increasingly cool weather.
She enjoyed stocking the kitchen with utensils, pots and pans, and beautiful white dishes. She loved the freedom to cook for herself, though she dropped in at the inn for a coffee and a piece of hot apple pie every now and then. It was on one of those visits that Rachel asked about her handsome neighbor, Dr. Craig Sellers.
“So, has the good doctor been over to see you yet?”
“No, he hasn’t.”
Rachel smiled and leaned forward in a confidential manner, “Well, he’s been in here asking about you.”
“He has?” Andrea asked in her most casual tone.
“Yes, he has, quite a few times actually.”
“The Blakes mentioned that he is recently widowed.”
“Oh, yes, well his wife died suddenly about a year ago.”
“Really? What happened? Was she sick?”
“No, she had an accident, or at least that was the rumor. They had been having trouble in their marriage. I really don’t know all the details, but they were separated when it happened.”
“How did she die?”
“She was found at the bottom of a cliff. There are these scenic hiking trails up by Amber Lake; no one really seems to know for sure what happened.”
“How horrible!”
“He hasn’t shown any interest in dating anyone until now,” Rachel explained.
Andrea wasn’t certain how she felt about that. That she was attracted to him was true, but the story about his wife was sad.
“What was she like? I mean his wife.”
Rachel shrugged. “Juliet, she was nice enough but she was a bit odd. Sometimes she laughed and was really happy and at other times, she seemed rather withdrawn.”
“Was she pretty?”
“Yes, she had long dark hair, high cheekbones; she had put on a little weight but was not bad.”
“Hmm.”
“I just wanted to let you know I imagine you’ll be getting a visit in the next couple of days.”
Andrea would have been overjoyed about this before hearing about his late wife.
“Excuse me, Miss Brooks.”
Andrea looked up. A slight girl with long dark hair and liquid blue eyes stood next to her.
“Um, I’m Ginny Michaels, and I’m in your art history class. I forgot to turn in my paper last night. It’s just that things have been really hectic at the clinic.”
“Oh, you work for Dr. Sellers?”
“Do you know him?”
“We’ve met.”
“Oh, he’s such a nice guy. I hope you will let me turn in that paper this afternoon.”
“I understand, and I will make an exception this once.” Andrea smiled.
“Oh, thanks. You know your class is my favorite class. I love art, it’s sort of my thing.” Ginny blushed.
“I’m so glad to hear it. What kind of art do you do?”
“I paint and sketch and stuff.”
“Well, you should bring some of your work in one day.”
“Really? OK, I will.”
A tall thin teen walked up; he was dressed in baggy ripped jeans and a scruffy sweatshirt, “You ready?” he asked. Ginny turned and smiled. “This is my friend, Jared.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“This is Miss Brooks from art class.”
“Oh, yeah right.”
“Well, thanks again, Miss Brooks.”
“What was she doing here?” Rachel asked after Ginny and Jared left.
“Oh, she’s in my class. She needed a bit more time for this week’s paper. She’s working for Dr. Sellers.”
“Really?” Rachel asked raising an eyebrow.
“What?”
“That girl is trouble.”
“Why do you say that?”
“She has had a really rough life. Her mom has been in and out of jail, and she spent most of her childhood in the system.
“She seems very nice.”
“Well, she is in school now so maybe some things will start going better for her.”
Later as Andrea made dinner at home, she couldn’t seem to get Ginny out of her mind. Something seemed very vulnerable about her. Standing at the kitchen sink, Andrea stared out into the twilight. She could see into the corner house’s backyard. Then suddenly, the kitchen light came on. She could see a tall blonde man inside. Her breath caught as she realized it was Craig Sellers and that was his home.
Yes, she knew he lived in the neighborhood, but this close? With this view of his house, Edith would know all about his private life. She paused, thinking of Edith. Presently, a light came on downstairs and then it went out again. Curious, she leaned forward. A tall, thin young man was climbing out the window. He hedged toward the fence and then hopped over it. The boy looked around him, and then he disappeared into the darkness of the woods.
Yes, Edith could have seen a lot from here. Edith, yes, Edith had been acting odd. Almost as if she was trying to warn her about something. Dr. Seller’s wife had died suddenly, a tragic accident. What did Edith know about the doctor and his wife? Harold seemed keen to go, but Edith had been insistent. Andrea glanced to the fridge; the slip of paper bearing Edith’s phone number was secured by a corner.
‘If you need anything, anything at all.’ Edith’s words echoed through her mind. Was she just talking about the house? Or was it something else? She wondered as her gaze was drawn to Craig’s house once more.

Posted 8 Years Ago