Wherever She Goes (Psychic Seasons, ReGina Welling [novels to improve english TXT] 📗

ever. All of this had been meant as a puzzle he hoped his son would one day be mature enough to solve. That it had never happened weighed on him almost as much as the danger he had unleashed in his zealous effort to provide the hidden items to Julie, the only family he had left.

Beside Julius, Estelle stood silently, her face settled into lines of misery anticipating the pain of saying goodbye to her granddaughter for the second time. Julie wasn’t the only one who would miss Estelle terribly when this day was over.

Busy thinking about upcoming goodbyes, Kat missed the moment when the sun passed through the window to land on the painting.

_,.-'~'-.,_

Gustavia stepped up to the window with the second set of lenses in her hand. “We only need five of the ten pieces so let’s just start with the first five. Kat, you have the nimblest fingers, come help me swap pieces until we get all the letters in place.”

Only two minutes passed before the shaft of light flashed through the five lenses resting against the glass, lighting up the A, R, and H.

Working quickly Gustavia swapped the highest lenses leaving the lower ones to Kat. With the second set of five settled into place, the sun picked out two more letters, T and E.

The pair stepped back to wait for what would happen next.

_,.-'~'-.,_

Again, Kat was watching Julius as the light moved slowly toward the prisms. More agitated than ever, he made several exaggerated eye movements before she realized he was trying to communicate something. The third time he looked pointedly at the other window in the room, Kat got it and moved to close the curtains, darkening the room slightly.

Just as she turned back toward the window, light sliced through the glass to strike each of the three prisms. One directed a beam onto the painting to illuminate the number nine of the clock rendered with fine brush strokes behind Julius as he stood next to his desk.

A second beam arrowed across the room to land on the keystone of the arched fireplace. Long-legged Zack reached the spot first and called out, “Twenty-two. It’s carved into the stone just there.”

The third and final flare of light speared into the light fixture hanging in the center of the room where it flashed into the etched glass star that was the central feature of what Julie had always considered the ugliest light in the house.

“And that would be a five, I presume?” Tyler grinned.

“Good thing we didn’t pull that eyesore down and replace it.”

“9-22-5.”

All three clues in hand, the next step was to check out the spot in the library that corresponded with the painting. Shaking off the emotions that threatened to distract her again, Kat settled down with the other women to watch the men figure out how to access the secret area.

The four of them tapped, tested, poked, and prodded every nook and cranny of the trim surrounding the small spot. Finally, Zack reached out and simply shoved his hand hard against the flat panel. When it slid back and up, he turned with a broad grin and hoisted his fists in the air to indicate victory before stepping aside to let Julie take his place.

Already prepared, she pulled a small flashlight from her pocket to shine into the recess. A quick look had her passing the light to Tyler before reaching in to remove a box from the space, which she carried to the desk. Everyone gathered around to get a better look.

A complicated series of five small, lettered, combination lock dials formed a circle around a larger, numbered dial. The lettered dials spun easily but the numbered one refused to move off zero.

Julie’s dust dry comment pulled a giggle from Kat that finally broke some of the tension, “Overkill much?” As always, Julius was prevented from speaking until the search was completed. At his exaggerated scowl, some of the heavy atmosphere slid away.

“ARHTE? What kind of word is that?” Reid tried the combination in clockwise order but nothing happened. “I’m assuming we have to dial in the correct outer combination before the inner dial will move.”

“It’s an anagram. Try the word earth,” Amethyst suggested.

Reid spun the dials, spelled it out. No dice.

“Heart?”

This time there was a soft click and now the middle dial spun free.

_,.-'~'-.,_

Gustavia handed Julie the box. “Hurry up and open it.”

The dial spun and Julie felt the slight vibration as each tumbler locked into place. 9-22-5.

With no idea what might be inside, she slowly lifted the lid to see a stack of thin, leather bound diaries. Flipping the first one open, she read her great, great grandmother’s name in flowing script.

“My mother’s diaries.” Finally freed to speak, Julius smiled at his great granddaughter with affection. “She was quite a woman. You remind me of her.” It was his highest compliment and delivered in a voice gruff with emotion. He had come to love this group of young people and hated to leave them but it was time. Julius stepped back to let Estelle say her goodbyes

Tears flowed from both ghostly and corporeal eyes as Estelle surveyed the room. “Take good care of each other.” Then her eyes locked onto Julie’s, “My love will be with you always, darling girl.”

“And mine with you,” Julie choked out the words and waited for the spirits to fade away.

And waited.

Nothing happened.

Estelle looked over at Julius, “I thought Galmadriel would be here.”

“I haven’t seen her since we brought Kat back across the bridge.”

“Uh, Daddy?” Samantha felt it first, a prickle of energy that started at her toes, and quickly worked its way up through her whole body, “Something’s happening.”

Before she finished her warning, everyone else felt the sensation and a booming voice not unlike Galmadriel’s filled the room. “Galmadriel has fallen. The pair of you caused this; you will work together now to fix it. She will be your first charge.”

It seemed like everyone in the room gave a collected shiver as the