CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Ellie woke in her dream. She knew that her body was still on the couch in Linda’s library, but that didn’t deter from the realistic quality of the dream. She was standing in the corner of a small room. The girl from her previous dream, Emma, sat off to her left at a dressing table looking into a mirror and brushing her hair, which was longer than the last time Ellie had seen her. The man that Linda had called Henry paced the length of the room and back again. She was amazed again how much he resembled David.
“Are you all right, dear?” Emma said.
It was obvious to Ellie that Henry was anxious, but she had the advantage of being able to see his bright orange aura tinged with just a bit of purple. He was worried about something.
“Things are getting too damn close for comfort,” he answered.
“It will all turn out okay,” Emma assured him. “I can feel it, Henry. This is just what we needed to get us back on track.”
He looked up from his pacing and Ellie watched their eyes meet in the mirror. Henry came up behind Emma and put his hands on her shoulders.
“How did I ever get so lucky as to have such a beautiful wife?” he asked.
“I have no idea,” she laughed.
He kissed the top of her head. “You had better hurry up. Your sister is expecting us soon.”
“Yes, Lillian hates it when people are late,” she agreed.
Ellie was shocked to hear the name. Could they be talking about Lillian Bradford? Was David right that she was creating a reality in her dreams based on the Bradford story? The scene grew fuzzy, and she had the sense that time had shifted.
Now she was standing in the foyer of Linda’s house but everything was different. The house had that new feeling of a home just recently completed. People were everywhere, laughing and drinking. Emma and Henry were ushered through the door. A butler arrived at Henry’s shoulder, and Ellie saw that he looked a lot like Jeffrey.
Henry helped Emma out of her jacket and handed it along with his jacket to the man, who promptly disappeared.
“Emma!” she heard a familiar voice say. She turned and there was young Linda coming toward them.
“Lillian,” Emma replied. They kissed each other’s cheeks, and then Lillian greeted Henry.
“You are looking as dashingly handsome as ever,” Lillian said to him.
Ellie decided that since it was a dream, it was easier to stop struggling and watch and observe. It was just a dream after all. It didn’t surprise her then when Randall appeared at Linda’s side, and she heard Emma say, “Joseph. It is good to see you again.”
Ellie shifted uncomfortably as she saw Randall embrace Emma and hold her just a few seconds longer than Ellie thought was appropriate. Then he released her and clasped Henry’s hand. Ellie watched Emma’s face and saw that her smile was strained and it didn’t reach her eyes. Her aura was tinged pink with alarm. Emma didn’t like Randall any more than Ellie did.
“Should I be jealous, old man?” Randall winked at Henry.
Henry laughed. “No more so than I should be of you. Your house is lovely.”
As the two couples moved deeper into the house, Ellie felt time shifting again. Then they were in the library, and Joseph and Lillian were speaking in hushed tones in the corner. Henry and Emma were standing next to the fireplace watching them. Henry took Emma’s hand and Ellie moved closer to hear their conversation.
“It will be all right, dear. There is nothing to worry about,” he said.
Emma nodded and sat down, turning toward Ellie. The awkwardness of her movement caused Ellie to look down. She saw that Emma’s stomach was swollen. She was very pregnant.
“Do you feel all right?” Henry asked with a concerned expression on his face.
“Yes, I’m fine. Little Henry Junior is just kicking up a storm,” Emma replied with a smile.
Henry looked delighted. Even though she was on the outside, Ellie could feel the warmth and love that passed between them.
“I promise I won’t be gone long,” he said, touching Emma’s stomach. “I’m sure that Joseph and Lillian will take very good care of you and Henry Jr.”
“Of course,” Emma answered. They looked up as the other couple approached them.
“The arrangements have been made,” Joseph said to Henry. Lillian moved to Emma’s side as the men started to talk in hushed tones.
“How are you feeling, dear sister?” Lillian asked.
“I feel good,” Emma said, and Ellie could tell that she did. “It shouldn’t be long now. I hope that Henry gets back before the baby comes.”
“I’m sure that he will. Joseph would go himself, but with the authorities keeping such a close eye on things, we can’t risk it now,” Lillian said. Ellie watched Lillian look at Emma’s stomach with longing.
“I know that things have been difficult for you,” Emma said. “Are you sure it is okay for me to stay here?”
“We’ll just have to keep you out of the public eye. That’s all. We’ve come too far in our plans to let anything slip now,” Lillian answered.
“I can’t believe that anyone would accuse Joseph of something so horrible,” Emma said.
Ellie, the silent observer, wondered what that meant.
“It is all rumor and speculation. No one can prove anything,” Lillian said.
This time Emma remained silent. The men had turned their attention to the women again.
“It is all settled. Henry is leaving immediately,” Joseph told them.
Ellie saw tears welling up in Emma’s eyes, but the woman refused to let them fall. Ellie admired her strength.
Time shifted again, and Ellie saw that there was a telegram in Emma’s hands. This time the tears were falling freely, and Joseph was holding her up as her heavy body sagged.
“It can’t be true,” she cried.
Lillian’s anguished face came into view.
“Joseph, help Emma upstairs. I’m afraid this news may send her into labor.”
Joseph picked her up and carried her up the stairs.
Ellie woke up. The tears still streamed down her face from her dream. She wiped them away. The vividness of her dream refused to fade. She still felt the immense sadness weighing on her, threatening to pull her underneath its heavy tow. She had seen the words on the telegram right before the dream had faded away. The final sentence read: HENRY MISSING. PRESUMED DEAD.
“Kevin,” she said urgently to the softly snoring figure on the other couch. Kevin didn’t stir.
“Kevin!” she said a bit louder.
Kevin shifted and turned toward her. “Ellie?” he said. His voice was thick with sleep. “What’s the matter?”
“Did you find anything in that box that said Joseph and Lillian had family here?” she asked.
“What are you talking about, Ellie?” he asked, wiping the sleep from his eyes.
“I had that strange dream again. It wasn’t the same dream, but it was the same people,” she said. She quickly went over the highlights of her dream.
Kevin’s look told her that he thought she might have drunk too much wine.
“I’m not crazy, and I swear this doesn’t feel like a projection of my grief or any other psychobabble like that,” she said.
“Aren’t you the one who was telling me earlier that you don’t believe in this kind of stuff?’ Kevin asked.
“Yes,” Ellie said reluctantly. “Maybe I am just dreaming all of it. But Kevin, it just felt so real. I can’t explain it. But I have this feeling in my gut that whatever happened to the Bradfords, this Emma was part of it.”
“So you are seeing ghosts and reliving memories in your dreams?”
Ellie could tell that he didn’t believe her. “Let’s just go with the hypothesis for now that I am getting information somehow in a way that isn’t immediately explainable, and see what we can find out,” she said.
“How do you suggest we do that?” Kevin asked.
Ellie paused. “That newspaper article came from th
e paper. We can start there. Dig up some old newspapers and see what we can find. If Lillian did have a pregnant sister and she gave birth here, then there would be a birth notice or something, right?”
“I would guess so,” Kevin said reluctantly.
“We might find some other articles on what actually happened to the Bradfords too,” Ellie said.
“Going all Nancy Drew after all, huh?” Kevin said with a wry smile.
“Hey, you’re the one who said that I should find something to distract me from what’s been happening,” Ellie said.
“I just didn’t know that would mean your attention would be focused on something you’re literally dreaming up,” Kevin replied.
“Beggars can’t be choosers,” she argued. “I didn’t mean to wake you, by the way. I just couldn't wait to tell you about this.”
“That’s okay. Crazy lady.” he winked at her.
“Let’s get some sleep. I’m going to keep the coffee shop closed for the next few days,” she said. “Out of respect for Jake.”
“I wonder if this makes me a Hardy boy,” Kevin joked.
Ellie lay back down and closed her eyes. She wondered if her dreams would take her back to that time long ago. Thankfully, they did not.