Читать книгу Haunting at Remington House - Laura V. Keegan - Страница 29

In the half-light of twilight, the softening dusk of evening transformed the harsh landscape, metamorphosing harsh rocky cliffs into orange-tinged velvet walls. Shadowy crevices turned to rich earth-brown pallets lush with moss. Sparkling water-diamonds shimmered above the beach as the tiny droplets flew into the air, tossed high from the crashing waves pounding the shore.

Transfixed, Elise watched Tom skipping stones into the high water. Even from this distance, she heard his carefree laughter echoing off the cliffs as he retreated hastily from the crashing, ice-cold waves, running backwards—almost, but never quite—falling and getting pounded by the frigid swells.

***

To the casual observer, one would think this lovely young woman, standing too close to the cliff’s edge, was enjoying the scene below. Surely she was watching her lover or her husband with a proud and joyous heart. This lovely young woman, pale blonde curls blowing carelessly in the wind, teeth glistening like pearls in the last light before dark, must be smiling and full of life—like the man she watches. But, one would only be imagining this. Because, in fact, this creature has a heart of stone. If one could look into her soulless, wicked eyes, one would probably turn and run for his very life.

***

Elise, furious beyond reason, suddenly calmed. Something amazing happened. In this collision of day and night, this wonderful twilight time, she found strength, felt a power rising, pressing hard into her throat—at first almost choking her, and then flowing easily through her whole being. A power she had never before experienced. On this glorious night she had found a way to make all her plans move ahead. She knew how to find strength. Twilight.

“Tom,” she shouted, then quickly silenced her voice. Now was not the time. She’d deal with him later. There was somewhere else she needed to go now. She laughed silently as Tom searched the cliff’s edge to see who had called him.