Chapter Four

Brona clasped the torch and flipped it on. Her hands shook as she swung it in front of her. The beam of light bounced off the walls in frightening arrays of fragmented streams, causing the shadows to loom like monsters ready to pounce. "Who's there?" she demanded over her choking beating heart.

Brona sensed movement and she swung the torch toward the shadow. The lights overhead came on and she caught a glimpse of someone fleeing toward her bedroom. The person was too tall to be Tara.

She grabbed for the phone, sitting on the desk, bringing the receiver to her ear. There was no dial tone. Bloomin' perfect! The storm must have knocked out the lines. With shaking hands, she placed the phone back in its cradle.

She stared down the hall, listening, watching and waiting for the intruder to make a move. If I go now, I could make it down the stairs. I could be out of the house before the intruder realizes I'm even here. For a second, she almost took her advice, but the niggling guilt overrode her fear. What am I thinking? I can't leave without Tara. She had to find her sister.

Her hand slipped into her pocket and pulled out the letter opener before she stuffed the torch in its place for safekeeping. She didn't want to be vulnerable if the lights happened to go out again. She reopened the drawer and grabbed a few batteries.

She crept down the hall. Her heart moved to her throat, making it difficult to breathe. As she neared, she heard voices again, a woman's soft timbre and a man's rumbling deep tone. The murmurings grew clearer as she inched closer. She couldn't make out the words, but she recognized the woman's voice as Tara's. Her sister didn't sound scared. Her voice was a smooth and calm murmur not the frantic high pitch of vowels, indicating something was wrong. Did she know the intruder? Or was her sister trying to keep the intruder calm so he wouldn't harm her?

Brona hugged the wall, slowly moving closer, hoping she could hear what they were saying.

She stopped cold when the man spoke. She recognized the man's voice, too. It was a deep sound, reassuring and smooth, like rich Irish cream.

"Liam?" When had he arrived home? Maybe that was why Tara had screamed. He wasn't supposed to be home yet. He'd told her he wouldn't be able to break away until the end of the week. She chuckled softly. That was it. Liam had come home and startled Tara. Now she did feel silly. She had frightened herself, and for nothing.

Brona reached for the doorknob and opened the bedroom door, ready to reprimand her sister and her husband for giving her such a scare, but the words died in her throat. Total darkness greeted her. She flipped the light switch, blinking back the brightness until she could see clearly again.

Her mouth fell open as she stared.

"I know I saw someone walk into my bedroom, and I heard Liam and Tara conversing."

So where were they? How could they have gotten past her? There were no other doors to the bedroom other than the one she'd entered.

A blast of cold air hit her and she wrapped her arms against her chest. She was still wet from her walk. Her hair lay plastered to her head as water dripped down her face. She didn't care. A haunted suspicion gnawed at her, making her determined to find out what was going on. "People don't disappear into thin air. It's not possible." Blood splattered on the floor shouldn't disappear either, but it had. Was she losing her mind?

"Brona?" Liam's voice rumbled out of the darkness from the hall. "Is it you, Brona?"

She whirled around. "Aye, Liam. I'm in the bedroom." She ran to the door and peered into the hall. "Liam, where are you?"

Silence greeted her for a few heartbeats of time before Liam spoke again. "Brona, I miss you." His voice bounced off the walls like an echo, teasing and taunting, making it difficult to know where he was.

"Liam, where are you?"

He didn't answer. Only the wind and rain reached her ears. She hesitated to leave the security of her bedroom. She gnawed on a ragged thumbnail, wondering why she didn't feel safe.

Her nerves danced in her stomach, making her anxious and nauseous at the same time. Everything felt off kilter and if she moved, she would fall.

She took a ragged breath. Liam had to be here. He called to her. The storm was playing tricks on her hearing, making Liam's voice carry from somewhere else in the house.

That had to be it. The house sometimes echoed sounds. Liam must be downstairs. He was probably looking for her and wondering where she was in the house, too.

"Liam?" she called.

She stepped into the hallway, only to jump back at the sight of someone standing there. With her heart pounding and her legs shaking, it took a full second more to realize it had only been her reflection in the full-length mirror mounted on the wall. She took a deep breath, feeling foolish for scaring herself yet again.

She strode over to the mirror and ran her fingers over the delicate wood-carved rim. She loved that mirror. She and Liam had purchased the ornate piece at an antique shop in Dublin. They had taken a trip there to visit her grandmother. They took in the sights, visiting Dublin Castle, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral, and Ha'penny Bridge. They even took a tour of St. Michan's Church, going below to the crypt and seeing where its mummies lay for their eternal rest. What a holiday get away it had been.

She especially enjoyed their stroll through Merrion Square Park where the Oscar Wilde statue is located. The artist captured Mr. Wilde's personality perfectly with an amused-as-hell smile, curving his lips.

Later, to escape the rain, they had slipped into the Back in Time Antique Shop. The mirror was mounted on the wall over a gaudy piece of furniture. Liam thought she was crazy to buy such a heavy piece and expect it to arrive back home still intact. However, he gave into her whim and whipped out the credit card. They had it shipped home and were pleased it arrived unscathed.