Blood Lines The Curse

By Cathy Pace Matthews

Shortly after losing her mother, Emma is notified her paternal grandmother had also passed away. Thinking that this grandmother had passed away years ago this was a real shock to her. Emma also learns she is the last in her father’s bloodline and she has inherited everything her grandmother owned. That included a large farm, money, and other things of value. What no one tells her is that she has also inherited a family curse.
Now Emma has to find a way to end the curse before it fulfils itself. So, what does that mean? Emma has to die and someone or something is going to see to it that happens.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cathy Pace Matthews
• Release date: Oct 23, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311293299

Cathy Pace Matthews

I love the twisted and macabre. I also love the old horror where the thing that went bump in the night scared you and not all the blood gushing from a jagged wound that is more likely to gross you out. There is a difference. Don’t get me wrong I can do gore and quite well when I need to.I’m also not a young adult author. I’m way too old for that and personally at this point in my life I want to read a book that involves men and women over twenty five and under one hundred and twenty five. If you’re younger than that I don’t think you’ll care and if you’re older than that, then God bless you and let me know, I’ll change the upper end of the timeline.I tend to be outspoken and nothing is sacred when it comes to my writing. Well that part isn’t entirely true. The farm in the Blood Lines series is and I don’t apologize for that. I started writing because of that farm.I strive to create the unusual and different and that’s not always easy, as a matter of fact, it’s hard. I try hard not to do the tried and true.When I read a horror story I want to read a horror story. Can it have love and caring in it? Sure, but let’s keep things in perspective. I want to scare you and I’ll leave it up to other really good authors, and there are some really good ones, to give you all that other stuff.I set out to write horror. I will take you to places in my books you’ve never been before and along the way I may make you laugh because what fun is real horror if it can’t make you laugh on occasion? The good part about the humor, you still have to turn the page and what waits for you there might not be so funny.I have also recently become a producer for the short horror film, She Summoned Him. I'm looking forward to the the release.I'm married to a wonderful man, Buddy, and between us we have three very beautiful daughters. We love to travel in our converted 1963 Greyhound 4106 and discover new places and meeting new people. I grew up with four wonderful brothers, one of which is no longer with us. I was born in Mississippi, grew up in Tennessee, and fell in love with Missouri as well as a man who comes from there.I am surprised at how much writing has helped me grow as a person. I pay a lot more attention to things around me than I used to and can find a story in almost everything I see and hear. I have also learned what a truly dark sense of humor I have. I love making people raise an eyebrow at me on occasion.My husband and I were recently at a local restaurant and were picking at one another. The waiter walked up about that time and I asked if they had an oven large enough to put a body in. He asked why and after a short explanation with a wicked little gleam in his eye he told me they did. What concerned me was that wicked little gleam. I have since found out that a lot of restaurants do have ovens big enough to hold a human body. My suggestion to you is not to make the waiting staff of any eating establishment angry. You might end in up on the menu the next night.With seven books of my own under my belt, at present count, nine short story books, one exceptional book of short stories along with eight other gifted writers and the next one in the Blood Lines Series that I'm working on I'm pretty happy with where I am in my life right now.

Book preview

Prologue

Cathryn looked at the time on the screen of her laptop when her phone rang. It was ten thirty at night and she had been about to shut down her computer and try to get some sleep. When she reached for her phone and saw who it was, she became excited.

Hello.

Cathryn it’s me, Gary. The man on the other end sounded hesitant.

What is it Gary?

I think I found what you’re looking for but the person who may have your answers doesn’t want to talk to me. You may have to come up here. I think she would be a lot more likely to talk to you than me.

Gary do you really think this woman may hold the answers? Cathryn didn’t want to get her hopes up. This was too important, and she had been led down the wrong road before.

Cathryn from everything I have been able to find out about this woman; yes, I think she might have the answers. She ninety-two years old and lives in the same house that her parents lived in all their lives. It is also the same house her grandparents lived in. People I’ve talked to say she and her family have been here for about as long as the town has been here. Cathryn, I think she may be the one you’ve been looking for. Gary didn’t want his client going out on a wild goose chase any more than she wanted to go on one.

Gary, I know when I first came to see you that you thought I was some kind of nutcase but over time you’ve done enough digging to know that there is something to my story. If this woman knows anything about the past, I need to get that information.

Cathryn, I don’t think she just knows, I think she may actually be a part of it. Do you understand what I’m saying? Gary held his breath hoping she would catch on. He was sitting in the middle of an all-night diner and he didn’t want to have to spell it out for her where he was, surprisingly enough the place was pretty full at the moment.

Are you telling me this woman may honestly be one…? Cathryn was cut short by the man.

That’s exactly what I’m saying. She just won’t talk to me. I guess I asked the wrong question of the wrong person and it got back to her. Gary should have been more careful, but he really hadn’t expected this to get this far. He certainly hadn’t expected to come across anyone who might be connected to what Cathryn was looking for.

You’re about three hours away from me. I’m going to pack an overnight bag and head in your direction as soon as I can get up and get dressed. Can you get me a room where you’re staying for a couple of days? Cathryn had already thrown the covers off and was heading to the bathroom to grab what she would need from out of there.

Sure, the room next to mine is vacant so that shouldn’t be a problem. Gary hated that she had to start out this time of night but the sooner she could talk to this lady the better.

OK, I’ll see you in a few hours. Cathryn hung up the phone and finished dressing.

After she finished packing a bag, she stopped a minute and wondered if she should call her daughter and then decided against it. She would call her tomorrow and tell her she got called out of town on business. If she called her now, she would only be met with a hundred questions and Cathryn wasn’t in the mood to try and dodge them right now.

Cathryn got the remainder of the things she needed and stepped out into her garage. Shutting and locking the door behind her she carried the overnight bag and her backpack that held her laptop and notebook with all her notes in it to the car and put them in the trunk. She hoped that what was in that notebook would help convince the woman that Gary had found to talk to her.

Cathryn prayed for what to her was a miracle. To know that her only child would be safe from whatever it was that hung over her head was all she asked. Cathryn had been chasing ghost now for nearly twenty years trying to find a way to save her daughter’s life. Emma didn’t know about the dark history that haunted her father’s family for generations. Maybe Emma would never have to know any of it if she could confirm what she had begun to suspect. What Cathryn prayed for was that she could find the answers and stop her daughter from being claimed by the Rodger’s family curse. Right now, the only thing she could do was hope.

Cathryn made her way out of Memphis and on to the two-lane highway that was the most direct route. She could have taken the expressway but that would have taken her further out of the way and would have only ending up costing her more time.

She settled back in the driver’s seat making herself comfortable in anticipation of the long drive ahead. Cathryn really liked being out on country roads at night. You generally had them to yourself and if you didn’t get to lead footed the locals would usually tolerate you going five and maybe even ten miles over the speed limit. Tonight however, she was sticking to the speed limit. She wasn’t going to take any chance of getting stopped by some local police officer and ending up losing a lot of time.

Throughout her drive Cathryn made great time and was only a little over an hour from her destination. She thought about what this might mean for Emma. It might not be any guarantee of growing to a nice old age, but it definitely improved her chances. To know that her daughter might actually be able to have a long and full life when no Rogers had managed that since the mid eighteen eighties made Cathryn smile.

Cathryn had driven about a hundred and twenty miles out from the city when she topped a hill. She never had time to take evasive action because the car coming at her was going way too fast. It had crossed over the center lines and was headed right for her. Cathryn tried to find a way around, but he was on her before she could even turn her steering wheel. The other car hit her head on. Not even her seat belt and air bag were enough to help her when the other car had been traveling at over ninety miles an hour. Between its speed and her fifty-five miles an hour the front end of her car flew into pieces ramming the engine into the fire wall of the car and the steering wheel into her chest when the airbag ripped.

Just before the two cars collided Cathryn screamed. The last thing she thought of before she passed into oblivion was of her daughter Emma.

***

When Cathryn hadn’t shown up by morning Gary tried to call her. When he got no answer after the third try, he began to worry. It was at that moment a story that had popped up on the morning news playing in the background on the TV got his attention. A woman had been killed in a serious auto accident sometime well before dawn. The accident had happened about sixty miles from where Gary was. They weren’t releasing the woman’s name yet because her family hadn’t been notified but they did tell the reporters that the woman was from Memphis. Gary knew that the woman was Cathryn.

He would of course have to confirm that but deep down he knew. What he didn’t know was what to do now. The one thing that Cathryn had always been adamant about was making sure that Emma never knew what she had been doing.

Gary put his phone away and sat there on the side of the bed in the motel room. Tears started rolling down his cheeks and him hoping he was wrong and that that lovely woman would soon knock on his door. Cathryn had been his client for almost as long as she had been searching herself and they had become friends and would even on occasion share a meal and even been the others plus one once or twice. He thought about going to the old woman again and see if she would talk to him, but he knew she wouldn’t.

Maybe in a couple of months when things had settled down, he would get in touch with the Cathryn’s daughter and talk to her then. Hopefully the old woman wouldn’t up and die on him before that. He would go against the agreement he made with Cathryn but not now, now wasn’t the time. If he had known at that moment what would happen in the very near future, he would have gone immediately to Emma and told her. Unfortunately, by the time he did get around to it, it would be too late. Emma would have found the answers for herself, the hard way.

Back to top

Chapter 1

Emma stepped out of the attorney’s office into the late afternoon sun trying to comprehend all she had just learned. Once on the sidewalk she stopped and simply stared off into space. She managed to collect herself and tried to decide what she should do next. To her right was Main and to the left was Water Street, beyond that, the Cape Girardeau Mural Wall. She turned in the direction of Water Street.

It was a short walk to the restaurant where she had decided to have dinner. One of the few things that had stuck in her memory was the Sunday lunches. She remembered the place where she and her family used to go. It was a little more upscale barbeque restaurant with really good food if memory served her correct. Emma had looked it up on the internet and been surprised to find it was still there.

The restaurant was located in an old three-story building that had been around since long before the Civil War. The building actually progressed from a one-story building on Main and as you traveled down Themis Street became a two-story then a three as you continued down to Water Street. At about the two-story mark Emma realized she would have to walk back up this damn steep hill to get her car and wished she had driven down instead. At the bottom the building faced the Mural Wall and the Mississippi River. The wall was part of the flood defense system that ran along this stretch of the Mississippi here in Cape. The wall was painted with lovely murals depicting the history of this lovely old town and state. The people of this little city, calling it a town didn’t seem right anymore, had taken great pride in the wall and overall growth it had experienced. It had put a lot into keeping the old buildings and history alive. The building the restaurant was located in had been the headquarters for General U. S. Grant for a short time during the Civil War.

She stepped in the door and a pleasant looking young woman greeted Emma and seated her. As the waitress handed the menu to Emma the young woman asked her what she would like to drink. Emma ordered sweet tea with lemon. What could she say? She was Southern.

Emma picked up the menu stared at the menu lost in thought for a moment when she was interrupted. The waitress sudden appearance at her side again startled Emma.

May I take your order, or do you need a few more minutes.

Emma made a quick decision and gave the waitress her order. After she had left, Emma reached for the folder that she had laid on the table when she had sat down. Inside was a copy of a will and other documents that the lawyer had given her. The will had simply stated that she had inherited her paternal grandmother’s entire estate. What she hadn’t expected was how much it had turned out to be. The total was enough for her to live on for the rest of her life if she didn’t do anything stupid like buy a couple of big planes or yachts. A tear rolled down her cheek as she realized this was the second time in the past few months she had gone through the same thing. Her mother had died in a car wreck just a little over a month before. She was a long way from being over that and now this.

When Emma’s mom had been killed in that car wreck by that drunk driver she had been devastated. She had been told that her mom had had been killed instantly and probably never knew what hit her. The low life creep who had taken her mother’s life was alive, well, and out on bail. He had been fortunate enough to get thrown from his car on impact. A couple of weeks in the hospital and he was good to go. A burning anger flowed through Emma at that point that flushed her skin bright red. Emma took in a deep breath to try and control her feelings.

The waitress had evidently notice Emma and walked back over to the table. Are you OK ma'am?

Emma brushed the tears from her face and answered the young girl. Yes, just tripping over a few emotions. I’m fine. Thank you.

Well if you need anything just let me know, your order should be out shortly.

Emma choked back a nervous giggle because of the thoughts going through her head. First and foremost, going from tears to giggling in the middle of a public place could get her locked up for being a nut job. The other was that she was fast accumulating a lot of property and she didn’t know what to do with any of it. She owned her own condo in downtown Memphis, and she’d inherited her mother’s house and holdings. Now she had a fairly large farm and all that went with it in Missouri. She still hadn’t made up her mind what to do with the two places she already had.

Emma also knew that if she were to express this out loud to anyone, she would come off sounding shallow and spoiled. The truth was she had always liked things simple. She tended to try and find logic in everything and to her way of thinking, things were getting way too cluttered and complicated.

Emma’s phone rang bringing her back to the here and now. Pulling it out of her purse she noticed who the caller was and said under her breath. Damn, not him. David was technically her boss but before he had been promoted to that position Emma had dated him a couple of times on a casual basis. It hadn’t taken her a long time to figure out what the man’s game plan was and had no intention of being a part of it. The truth was he was an arrogant ass. Emma thought she had made it very clear that she wasn’t interested in any future relationship. It hadn’t kept him from butting into her life unfortunately.

David was bad about butting into everyone’s business back at school but his constant poking his nose into her personal life had reached its limits with her. He even tried pushing his way into coming on this trip with her.

She answered her phone. What do you want?

Well hello to you too, Emma.

Get to the point David.

When are you planning on coming back?

I just got here. It won’t be anytime soon.

Well I could really use you back here as soon as possible.

David I’m taking time off. You know, it is called extended leave? Do you understand the concept?

Jumping in before Emma could hang up on him, he blurted out. We had something come up at the Pinson Mounds and I really need you on this one.

Pinson Mounds was an archeological park in the middle of the western portion of Tennessee. It contained thirty mounds, one of which was the second tallest in the country. Some of the mounds dated back to between one hundred and three hundred AD. Under any other circumstances she would have been more than happy to go.

Get Jeff.

You are the best we have, and I think…

Get Jeff. End of story. He’s good at what he does, and those mounds are something he has wanted a chance at for a while. Keep this up with me David and I won’t come back at all.

Emma, I think it would be best for me to come up there and help you sort this all out? After all…

Goodbye David, don’t call me again,

Emma hung up the phone and dropped it back into her purse. She really did love her job at the university. She loved her work in the archaeology department, but she also knew she could go pretty much anywhere she wanted so David needed to back the hell off.

God, she couldn’t believe she dated that moron even if it had only been for a short time. He was an arrogant pig, way too full of himself. It had been over two years since Emma had had a lapse in judgment and gone out with him. Ever since her mother died, he had really tried to move in on her. She was quite certain he was interested more in what she may have inherited than in her. Just in the couple of days before she had left for this trip, he had found out what was going on and the result had been he had gotten worse.

Her food arrived and that washed all other thoughts from her head.

After Emma finished eating, she paid the bill and walked out into a soft spring breeze that stirred the evening air.

She decided to walk out past the wall through one of the flood gates and onto the bank of the river. The soft sound of the fast-moving water had a calming effect on her. She had never stood on the bank of this river anywhere that it hadn’t touched something inside her. It seemed that she was forever drawn to it. It was the reason why she had bought the condo in downtown Memphis. She could step out on her balcony and see the river and could even hear it when the traffic wasn’t bad.

A small child and her parents were walking nearby. The little girl let out a sweet little laugh as her father grabbed her and swung her up in the air. Daddy! She squealed as he swung her up again.

For the second time that day a tear rolled down her cheek as she remembered her dad doing the same with her when she was little in about the same spot as the man and his daughter were now. Funny, she hadn’t remembered that in a very long time. Most of the memories of the time before her father’s death had been shut off in the back of her mind because they had been too painful. Now she was here because it was his mother who had died.

Emma turned and retraced her steps through the flood gate and walked back to her car. It was getting late and she wanted to talk to her mother’s parents before it got much later. You never knew what those two might be up to and she wanted to catch them if she could. They had been devastated by the loss of their oldest daughter. It had been fortunate they had friends who had stepped up and did everything they could to keep Meme and Poppy busy. It didn’t stop their pain, but the support they had received from their friends had been a godsend for them both. Emma had been glad that they’d had such strong supporters.

Emma drove back to her hotel and kicked off her heels. She hated wearing shoes and got out of them as soon as she could when she was home. Emma pulled her cell phone out of her purse again and called her grandparents.

Hello

Hi Meme, how are you guys doing tonight?

We’re OK honey. How are you doing?

I'm just trying to take all this in Meme. I barely remember this woman and I haven’t seen or heard from her since I was a child. Hell, I didn’t even know she was still alive until I got word she had died. How crazy is that? I’m also not real sure about this lawyer I’m dealing with.

What’s with the lawyer?

I don’t know. Something about him just bothers me. I feel like I have met him before, but I know there isn’t any chance of that, at least not that I can think of anyway. I also got the feeling that he expected something from me. I feel like I failed some sort of test.

Emma I’m sure that finding out about your other grandmother isn’t easy for you.

Meme I just don’t understand any of it.

Emma you know if you need us all you have to do is say so?

I know.

Emma talked for a little while longer and then hung up.

Once off the phone, she got her things together and took a long hot shower and went to bed. Emma knew she had a lot to deal with tomorrow and wasn’t looking forward to that drive out to the farm. It was about thirty miles from Cape, and she was going to have to use the GPS on her phone and a map in all probability. The cell service after you got out of Cape wasn’t the greatest from what she had heard. There was no telling where she might end up if she wasn’t careful. She had already been on the road a good deal yesterday with the drive from Memphis and she just wasn’t up to another one. The drive from there to here was about a three and a half to four-hour drive. The last thing she wanted to happen tomorrow was to take a wrong turn and end up God only knows where. She would have to make sure she didn’t make any wrong turns.

With that last thought Emma turned off the lights, got comfortable, and quickly fell asleep.

Back to top

Chapter 2

Emma stopped the car in front of the house. She didn’t get out immediately but sat there and simply stared at the old place. She had spent a good deal of her childhood here but hadn’t visited in almost twenty years. The last time she had walked out the door she had been twelve and holding her mother’s hand.

That had also been the day they had buried her father. She didn’t remember a lot about what had happened those few weeks leading up to his death or even the funeral. Something had happened that day that had made her mother swear that neither of them would ever return. She had a vague memory of her grandmother’s face watching through the window as she and her mother had walked down the sidewalk from the house. Emma and her mother had gotten into the car, drove away and never returned.

On the seat next to her now was a notebook she had found in her mother’s things after she had died. That more than anything was why she was back. As a child she had never really known a lot about the history of the house. All Emma had really known was it had been in her father’s family for over a hundred years and he had loved the place.

Emma dug the keys to the house out of her purse, picked up the notebook, and stepped out of the car. The irises were in full bloom and the grounds around the house were covered with them. Everywhere you turned you could see them exploding in a sea of color.

The grounds were bordered on the north and west sides with lush farmland. Farmland still owned by the family or to be more exact, owned by her now. She was the last in the line. In the middle of all that farmland the house and surrounding grounds took on the appearance of a mythical garden from some child’s fairytale.

Emma walked up the sidewalk to the front porch and stepped into the shade it offered. Although it was early May it was already getting hot. The late morning sun beat down on everything. You could hear the insects buzzing around, yet there still seemed to be a silence you only encountered in the country. You didn’t hear cars or people or the racket that went with people going about their daily lives. As she stood there with all these things going through her head the front door opened in front of her. It not only startled her out of her thoughts, it irritated the hell out of her as well.

I’m so sorry I surprised you Ms. Rodgers, I just thought it would be best if you had someone to meet you here. The man who stood in the door was the lawyer she’d met yesterday. Emma knew he had handled the affairs of the family for many years but something about him bothered her. She couldn’t however tell you why. She did know that him being here gave her a really good reason to be uncomfortable about him.

He was a relatively attractive man with a pleasant disposition. He was about six feet maybe and looked like he had taken good care of himself. Mr. Owens appeared to be in his late forties to early fifties with a full head of hair and the face of someone who laughed a lot. Emma wished she knew why she felt such discomfort around him. It was as if there was something she was trying to remember, but her mind couldn’t quite get a grasp on it.

I wasn’t expecting you to be here Mr. Owens; you certainly didn’t say anything about meeting me here. It would have been nice to have known.

He stepped aside for her to enter; thank God he hadn’t made the mistake of inviting her in.

He lightly cleared his throat and responded. Again, I am sorry, but I did try to call you. You must have already left the hotel and been driving through a dead zone. There were some things I needed to pass on to you along with some papers. They were here at the house. I do apologize. When we met yesterday it was late and I must admit my mind was somewhere else. Things have been a little busy at the office and losing your grandmother, who I had considered more than a friend, has hit me quite hard. I also knew your father and mother. I think the fact of seeing you in person and that you do look so much like your mother threw me. I also see your father in you as well.

Emma wasn’t sure how she felt about this information because it just added to the fact that she felt as if she should know him. The main thing right now however was that she wanted to be alone. The sooner she got this over with the better. She decided to let him finish with his speech, and then she would try to get rid of the man as soon as possible.

She looked around the room and was a bit surprised to see that nothing much had changed since the last time she had been here. The hard wood floor under her feet was still shiny and well waxed. The sofa was different, but she liked it. The piano still sat in the corner of the room where it always had. The walls were still a clean stark white as was the high ceiling overhead. She was sure that the same pictures were still on the walls. She did notice that new ones had been added. She was surprised to find there were fairly recent pictures of her as well. She did resemble her mother.

The front door, which was mostly glass, was positioned at the center of the front wall. The door was flanked on either side by a set of three windows. On each end of the room there were large windows as well. If the room had any more windows, large or small, it would have been classified as a Florida Room Emma thought. One thing was certain the room had been designed to allow in plenty of light.

Directly across from the front door was the fireplace. Above it was a large mantel that still held the same things it had when Emma was a child. Above the mantel hung a large mirror without a visible smudge to mar the reflection of the room.

On each side of the fireplace was a set of French doors. The set on the left were closed, Emma remembered the bedroom that was behind them. The other set was open and allowed an open view of the dining room.

Mr. Owens watched Emma as she studied her surroundings. Her appearance had taken him aback when she had walked into his office. There was no doubt that she was beautiful. She stood about five feet six inches high and even though she wore flat sandals she appeared to be taller. She was fair skinned with cheeks and lips that had a natural soft rose-colored hue to them. She had hair that was thick and long, hanging to her waist. You could only classify her as a red head but when her hair shifted, you could see different shades to it.

Emma was a combination of well-built and slender that you didn’t often find together. She reminded Steve of a Dresden Doll you wanted to protect but got the feeling that this young woman was more than capable of taking care of herself. She moved with a poise, grace, and dignity that you seldom saw anymore. He knew she was in her early thirties but looked a lot younger. Her appearance was a contradiction of itself in so many ways.

Emma turned to him as she sat the notebook she had been carrying on a side table. Since you are here Mr. Owens, I would like to see any family photos of the women who married into this family.

Mr. Owens was now the one startled. I don’t quite understand Ms. Rodgers.

You have been the family attorney for over twenty years, Emma stated. I’m sure you’re aware of the little family secrets or at least have some idea of what I am talking about. I was informed that there were pictures I needed to see.

"Emma, first let me get this said. Although you don’t remember me, I was a guest in this house many times when you were a child. I watched you grow through the first twelve years of your life. Also, I would much prefer you call me Steve. I won’t however insist on you calling me Uncle Steve as you did when you were little. You were quite fond of me back then as I was of you.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, a memory stirred of an attractive young man who came around and was often an overnight guest when she was a child. Still, she couldn’t put it together with this man that stood in front of her. One thing she did know, she didn’t like the parental tone he had just taken with her. Emma also got the feeling that this man had been playing a game of cat and mouse with her and she’d been the mouse. She didn’t know if it was the idea of him playing some game, the tension of the past few days, or the immense sense of loss that she had experienced in total, but she snapped.

Mr. Owens, if you choose to be a rude son-of-a-bitch that is of course your choice. However, there are only one or two things you can call me that will piss me off. Calling me by my first name isn’t one of them. Hell, call me a bitch, and I’ll show you how much pride I have in being a damn good one.

The response from the older man was not what she had expected. He threw back his head and laughed. His deep rich throaty laugh filled the room and made it come alive. She started to worry a bit when he backed up, sat down on the couch, and continued to laugh. When he started to sound as if he was losing his breath and began to gasp with the laughter, she wasn’t sure what to do. Then it hit her. She started to giggle. This quickly progressed into a full-on laugh that when compared to his was light and musical. Then the insufferable man pointed at her as if she had started the whole laugh fest. She fell into an even deeper laugh that now had her gasping for air. Soon she had the damn hiccups and still she couldn’t stop laughing. She tried to compose herself enough to speak but was having a hard time of it.

My god, Steve thought, the girl looked even younger when she laughed. She was even more beautiful than her mother and that was a tall order.

He remembered how it had been when she had lived here as a child. She had laughed like that back then and that thought stopped his laughing. He stood up and took her by the hand. Come on; let’s get you some water for those hiccups. They won’t stop until we do and even that is iffy with you.

Now Emma’s laughing had stopped as well but the hiccups continued. "You remember, hic, that."

Steve burst into laughter again though not quite as hard as before. Yes, I remember. Your mom used to talk about how you seemed to have them the entire time she carried you. If you were a super hero, the hiccups brought on by laughter would be your Kryptonite.

As they passed the large table in the dining room, Emma noticed a fairly large carved wooden box sitting on it. It was closed and had a small golden padlock securing the lid from prying fingers.

They went into the kitchen which also hadn’t changed much. The stove was newer, as was the fridge. A dishwasher had been added but the overall look and layout was the same. Steve reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. She raised an eyebrow as he handed it to her.

I had someone come in to make sure the house was clean. They also stocked the pantry and fridge with things you might need. To get to a grocery store, you have to drive all the way back to Cape and that can be a pain. There are a couple of little stop-in-shops fairly close by in the little neighboring towns but not the kind of places you would do any real shopping.

Emma unscrewed the top from the bottle and took a long drink of water. Finally, in between the hiccups she still had, she was able to respond. OK, I have a vague memory of someone I called Uncle Steve, but my dad didn’t have any living siblings, and you’re certainly not my mom’s brother. Why didn’t you mention any of this yesterday?

I’m sorry but there really were a lot of things that, truth be told, I didn’t know how to explain to you yesterday. Also, I had no way of knowing what you do and do not remember. Hell, I don’t even know what you do and do not know. Obviously, you know a little more than I realized since you asked about the pictures.

You deliberately didn’t tell me about meeting me here today. Emma replied.

Honestly I did. I wanted to see how you were going to react to this place. Let’s face it Emma, you’re a young woman who has spent most of your life in the city. Being this far out in the country can be quite daunting to a lot of people. Leaving you out here alone without knowing how you might react, well it made me a little uneasy. Call me a silly protective old man, but I was concerned.

Emma smiled and shook her head. Steve, I have a doctorate in archeology. I have been in places that would make your hair stand on end. I am also no longer a child and am perfectly capable of spending the night alone.

Smiling back at her Steve responded. I’m sorry; I know I seem to be behaving like a total jackass. I haven’t been around you since you were a child. I knew from Hattie that a lot of your childhood memories had been lost to you. I was concerned about them flooding back in on you and you here alone.

Emma’s opinion of him just went up a notch or two.

Come on into the dining room and I’ll show you some things in that box you noticed as we came through.

Emma turned to follow Steve out of the kitchen. I think I should get my notebook. I found it after Mom’s accident. She left me a pretty interesting story about the family and why she never brought me back here.

She went into the living room and returned with the notebook. Steve was already seated in one of the side chairs leaving the head of the table open to her. Before she could sit down there was a loud knock at the front door.

Emma looked over at Steve. Are you expecting someone, because I’m damn sure not?

Steve frowned as he shook his head. He stood up and followed Emma as she turned back toward the living room to answer the door. He caught up with her as she reached for the handle.

Before Emma could get the door opened all the way a figure larger than life stepped in and grabbed Emma up in her arms.

Sorry honey, I meant to be here earlier, but I sort of got side tracked along the way. The large bag that was thrown over the woman’s arm had clunked Emma in the back nearly knocking the wind out of her. She released Emma, turned and headed toward the kitchen. As she went she called back over her shoulder, Hi Steve, it's good to see you again after all these years. Charlotte continued as she made her way through the house.

Steve turned to Emma but before he could get anything out of his mouth she was already speaking. I had no idea she was going to follow me up here. You two know one another?

Yes, I know her. She is your Aunt Charlotte and she used to come here to visit your mom when you were little. You don’t remember that?

Emma thought about it. I know I should remember all of this, but a lot of that time is lost to me.

Hey, are you two coming or are you just going to stand there chit chatting? Charlotte called from the area of the kitchen.

Charlotte, like Emma, had long thick red hair but where Emma’s was straight, Charlotte’s was curly. Not quite Little Orphan Annie curly, but close. She had a fuller figure than Emma but not heavy by any means. Steve didn’t know what it was about the women from this family, but they never seemed to age and were all very attractive. Steve also knew he might be a little biased, but he didn’t think that was the case.

Emma and Steve turned to follow Charlotte to the kitchen each of them wearing a questioning look of confusion.

They walked into the kitchen as Charlotte made her away around it. She seemed to remember where everything was without so much as missing a step. Emma commented, Aunt Charlotte, I’m surprised to see you remember where everything is.

Why should I have trouble remembering? The last time I was here was just before Hattie passed away.

Steve and Emma looked at one another in total disbelief and this time it was Steve who spoke up.

What do you mean you were here just before Hattie died? To my knowledge you haven’t been here since Cathryn left here with Emma.

Oh, come on Steve, you and Emma both saw those recent pictures of her in the living room. Where do you think they came from? You had to have known that Cathryn hadn’t sent them to her. When she left here, she never looked back and swore to protect Emma from all this. If she had known I still had anything to do with Hattie she would have shut me out of her and Emma’s life as well. Emma, I know you may think I have betrayed your mother, but I knew that this was something that at some point you were going to have to come and face.

Emma was growing tired of all the mystery. OK, it’s time that people started talking and making sense around here. I came to get answers and even Mom thought I should do this Aunt Charlotte. That notebook out there on the dining room table was something Mom left me. It gives me some idea of things but it’s a long way from being clear. I was thinking that maybe Mom was losing her mind after reading it but now I’m wondering if all of you are a brick or two shy of a full load.

I think we all need to go into the dining room and start getting this worked out and let’s try not to muddy the water in the process. Steve was the one who responded to Emma.

Charlotte stopped them. "If I know my niece her luggage is still