The central characters of Poltergeist: The Legacy do not belong to me –
they are the property of Trilogy and MGM; I’ve only borrowed them for a while.

All other characters are created by me. Hope you enjoy …

POLTERGEIST:

THE LEGACY

THE DEATH OF ILLUSION

Chapter 1

Tuesday, September 28

Rachel woke to a gloriously sunny day yet she felt a little out of sorts. Her throaty was scratchy. Her joints ached slightly.

Oh no, not the flu, she thought, sighing inwardly. I don’t need that. Not today. I have a full caseload and Derek’s expecting me. He’s still fragile, whether he wants to admit it or not.

She threw back the sheet. Last night had been so hot. There was hardly any air and what there was had been sticky. She padded into the bathroom and turned on the shower then looked at herself in the mirror. Rachel couldn’t see any signs that she was sick.

Maybe it’s just the weather, she thought. I hope so. I know I don’t want the winter to come but a downpour .. that’d be nice. Nature’s way of scrubbing the air clean. Sunshine, absolutely. Heat, yeah. Sticky heat, no. I don’t like it. I can see I’m going to be one of those ladies who retire to the desert and live in a trailer park.

“Kat! C’mon! Time to wake up!” she called. “It’s a school day!”

She stepped into the shower and let the cool water wash away the dregs of the night’s heat. Rachel stood under the water for as long as she dared, reluctant to step out and feel her skin start to prickle with sweat again.

I think I have a temperature. Just the thought of putting on clothes gives me a headache. Maybe that trailer park in Arizona will be a nudist colony …

She laughed softly at the idea. An image of old, wrinkly bodies shuffling around … She may not feel one hundred percent but she still had her sense of humor.

She did put on clothes. She dried her hair, applied makeup, dressed in a loose pale blue skirt and white blouse, thrust her feet into white sandals.

“Kat! C’mon, sweetie!”

Rachel went downstairs and filled the kettle. She swallowed two aspirin with a glass of water, hoping to catch this whatever it was before it really took hold. She made tea and put cereal on the table.

“Katherine!”

Kat came in, blinking tiredly, and sat down to pour cereal into a bowl. Rachel paused for a second to look at her. She frowned.

“What?” Kat demanded. “I was studying late. Don’t give me a hard time.”

“It’s nothing,” Rachel said. “I thought for a second … It’s nothing. I’m sorry. Will you be going to Sarah’s after school?”

“Yeah. Will you be home late?”

“I don’t know but I’ll call Sarah’s house, let you know when I’ll be dropping by.”

Kat nodded. “Is Derek gonna be okay?”

“Yeah, he will. It’s just gonna take time. I’m beginning to think it’d take a direct hit by a nuclear bomb to finish him off. Don’t be shy around him, Kat. He’s still coming to terms but he needs things to be as normal as possible. It helps him recover.”

“Okay.”

“We’ll go there at the weekend.”

“Oh. Sarah’s planning a sleepover on Saturday. Can I go?” Kat pleaded. “Mom, I wanna help Derek but I do have my own life.”

“Of course you do! Sure. Sleepovers are fun. Just make sure you get your homework finished on Friday then you can enjoy Saturday without that grisly specter haunting you.”

“Okay,” Kat agreed happily.

Rachel dropped her at school and came home in time to read case notes and make another cup of tea. At nine o’clock, her doorbell chimed.

“Seconds out, round one,” she said and went to open the door to her first client.

*****

After an early and light lunch, Rachel drove to the ferry. Her head was softly pounding and she felt a little detached from everything around her.

I think I need a vacation, she reflected. Somewhere cool. In the mountains. Maybe once this .. bug has worked its way thru my system, I’ll ask for a week away. A long weekend. I can’t leave Derek for too long.

The ferry started off, its engines churning the water of the Bay into froth. Rachel leaned on the rail and let the breeze lift her hair. She closed her eyes and wished the trip would take longer because this was really nice. The sound of water, the sea breeze, the smell of the ozone, the gentle rocking, swaying motion of the boat … The chatter of tourists faded into the background.

“Excuse me, ma’am? Are you okay?”

Rachel’s eyes drifted open. “I-I’m fine. Why d’you ask?”

“We’ve docked. Are you disembarking?”

“Oh! Oh, I’m sorry. I must’ve .. fallen asleep standing here.” She felt a blush burn her cheeks and she hurried to her automobile.

I’m a professional woman, she thought, and I looked like an idiot. I definitely need a vacation. I’m losing touch.

She drove up to the gate and was waved thru. The house shone in the bright sun, the leaves of the creeper on the tower just starting to turn crimson.

I would’ve thought it’d have grown faster, she mused, then frowned again.

Rachel shook her head. It was little things all day. They seemed off but she couldn’t put her finger on why. She parked in front of the garage and sat still for a moment, trying to get her head together, then she collected her case, got out and walked back to the front door.

One thing about stone houses, she realized gratefully, is that they don’t get so hot in the summer.

She pushed on the door and went in.

“Good afternoon, Dr Corrigan. Can I bring you a cup of tea?”

“Oh, that’d be great. Thanks, Andrew.”

“I’m sorry, madam?”

She looked around and felt the blush burn her face again. “I don’t know why I said that, Joseph. Forgive me. I’ve been distracted all day. I think it’s the flu.”

Joseph smiled sympathetically. “I do so hope it isn’t. Flu can be very nasty. I’ll bring your tea to the library.”

“Thank you.”

Rachel went upstairs, shaking her head. “C’mon, Rachel. Work it thru. Get it together. Andrew? Where did that come from?”

Derek was in the library, engrossed in a book. He looked up as she came in and he smiled. “Hello, Rachel.”

“Hi. How are you today?”

“I feel fine. Honestly. I’ve been swimming this morning and, no, I didn’t overdo it.” He angled his head. “My doctor’s given me a clean bill of health. You don’t have to keep checking up on me.”

“I know that, it’s just – ”

“It’s in the blood,” he smiled. “You’re a doctor. You can’t help yourself.”

“I’m glad you understand,” she commented. “So .. what’s happening today?”

“I had a phone call from Carl.”

“At the university?”

He nodded. “He has a chalice for us to look at. Babylonian, he believes.”

“Great! When will it get here?”

“He isn’t sure. He’s still working on it. Within the month, certainly. I’m giving it to Nick.”

She nodded. “I have a ton of stuff to do. Do you mind if I work here? Will I disturb you?”

“Of course not. Go ahead.” He returned to his book.

Rachel sat down, as far from the sunlight streaming thru the windows as she could. Should she mention to him that she thought she was coming down with the flu? That her head had been on another planet all day? She decided not to because, when she was concentrating, her head felt fine. It was in between that it drifted.

It’s just the flu. He doesn’t need to know that.

*****

“Nick … ”

He didn’t respond. Alex sighed, frowning with concern.

“Hey .. you with me?”

His head lifted sharply. “I’m sorry, Alex. I was miles away. What did you want me to look at?”

“Nothing. Nick, I’m worried about you. You weren’t miles away, you were almost asleep. Are you working all night as well as all day?”

“I’m okay.”

“You don’t look okay. You look exhausted. You’ve done so much this year. I’m sure Derek will let you take a few days to get away.”

“Do you mean our Derek?”

She angled her head. “You have to ask him. The Legacy assumes an awful lot. Number one on its list is that we will continue to function at prime efficiency each an’ every day, even if every twenty four hour period is spent working our fingers to the bone. Sometimes, we have to .. challenge those assumptions. A short break will recharge your batteries. Think about it? I want the Nick I know back here, working alongside me. The Nick I’m never quite sure is gonna grin or explode. I miss him. I don’t like seeing you like this.”

He forced his eyes open. “I could use some time. Is he up to it?”

“He’s fine. Rachel insists on treating him like an invalid but he isn’t. He can easily manage without you for a few days. Trust me.”

“Always,” Nick said quietly. “I’ll think about asking. Tonight. For now .. I think I’ll get outside. Take a break from this screen.”

Alex watched him go and shook her head. Derek Rayne and Nick Boyle. Cut from the same piece of stubborn cloth. She wasn’t surprised they argued so much. Yet, as much as she loved both men, she had to admit Derek could be blind at times. He was so used to the big picture or concentrating on the tiniest detail that the faces he saw every day went unnoticed. Little blobs on top of bodies. Well, she decided, if Nick didn’t ask, she would on his behalf. Halloween was next month, and then it was Thanksgiving.

In the library, Derek glanced up as Nick emerged from the control room. “Finished for the day?”

“Taking a comfort break. Change of scenery. Hi, Rachel.”

“Hi, Nick.”

“You okay? You look a little flushed.”

Rachel smiled. “I feel it too. It’s probably just the weather. It was hot last night. I woke up with a scratchy throat so .. it might be the flu.”

“Plenty of water,” he advised.

“Yes, doctor,” she grinned. “Are you okay? You look tired.”

“Nothing some fresh air won’t cure,” he grinned and went out.

Rachel shook her head and went back to her tasks. Closing files was time consuming but important. Each one required a brief paragraph or two of considered notes on the outcome. Slowly, the pending pile was going down and the closed pile was growing.

“Are you staying for dinner tonight?” Derek asked.

“I can’t. I’ll be here for the weekend though. I thought I’d give Alex a hand with the fundraiser.”

“Oh yes. Emily has already called to give her usual annual reminder. For some reason, Alex resents it. It’s a challenge to her .. organizational ability.”

“Well, Alex is exceptionally gifted in that respect,” Rachel responded. “It isn’t as though Thanksgiving moves from month to month with the phases of the moon like Easter does. It’s the same Thursday every year, Derek, an’ Alex has the organization down to a fine art. In fact, she should be the one looking at Carl’s chalice, not Nick.”

“Why?” he frowned.

“Because Nick is a guy. Action man. He .. doesn’t appreciate fine art or the aesthetics of a piece. To him, it’s an object, capable of being measured, tested, analyzed, categorized an’ filed. Alex, however, can do all that and appreciate its other qualities. An’, in the work we do, it’s often the other qualities which are more important.”

“Hmm. A good point. I’ll have them work together on it.” He caught the way Rachel sighed. “Your opinions are valuable, Rachel, and I respect your judgment but Nick covers the bases.”

“And Alex doesn’t?”

“She can occasionally be influenced by her emotions. Nick doesn’t. He sticks with it thru thick and thin, to the end.”

“You rely on him a lot, don’t you?”

“Of course. He’s my second in command. A Precept in training. He held us together .. before.”

“Yeah, he did, in his own way. But it was a lotta pressure on him, Derek. He could use some time away.”

What am I doing ..? I need time away. I should be asking for me. But I only feel like I’m coming down with something. Nick looks bad. There’s strain in his eyes. His grin was a little forced.

“If he does, he’ll ask me. He knows his own limitations, Rachel.”

She snorted quietly. “Derek, the Legacy expects us to know our limitations an’ then to exceed them. Consistently. Nick will push himself until he drops. He’s been trained to do that, to .. keep on going after his body says enough. Wouldn’t you rather have him in peak condition when you need him? He’s only doing computer work. Why push when there’s no need?”

“I agree with you. I’m not pushing him, Rachel. If he feels he needs time, he’ll ask.”

Rachel rose abruptly. “I could use some air,” she said and walked out. She liked Derek a lot but, sometimes, she could hit him.

*****

She found Nick tinkering with the Mustang. He was stripped to the waist and sweat glistened on his flesh.

“Hey …” she said, pausing to lean against the garage door.

“Hey yourself.” He straightened, wiping his hands on a dirty rag. “Change of scenery?”

“Yeah,” Rachel admitted with a rueful smile. “You have to ask him, Nick. I argued your case but he’s determined. He says he isn’t pushing you.”

“He isn’t. I push myself.”

“When you don’t have a reason to. It isn’t healthy. We have to .. keep a little in reserve for when we need it.”

“I do. Look, thanks for the concern but I’m fine. Yeah, I could use some timeout but I’m not desperate.”

“When did you last go on a date?”

“You offering?” he asked, his eyes twinkling.

She looked down and laughed. “No, I’m merely inquiring.”

“I don’t remember,” Nick admitted with a little shrug. “To go on dates, you have to meet women. You just turned me down.”

“That’s what I mean! You’re here, all the time. You never get to meet women. That isn’t healthy either. Strike two. Will you go out this evening? Take a drive. Do something. Get a life. A break from this island.”

She frowned again and shifted.

“You okay?” Nick ventured.

“I’m not sure. It’s the weirdest thing. I know .. who I am, where I am, everyone around me .. an’ yet .. something doesn’t feel right. For instance, just then? I wanted to say ‘go home’ to you an’ yet this is your home. Why would I wanna say that? It makes no sense. Today, I called Joseph Andrew. I don’t know any Andrews, except for a distant cousin of Patrick’s. An’ Kat … ”

“What about her?”

“I don’t know! I looked at her this morning an’ .. she looked so young. She’s twelve. I know that. Why would I think she should be older?”

“Maybe you’re the one who needs timeout,” he suggested.

“Oh, for sure, an’ I have thought about asking for it but .. I can’t leave Derek, not right now.”

“He’s fine. Don’t worry about him. When did you last go on a date?”

Rachel laughed again. “Don’t play my games back at me.”

“Works both ways, Rachel. Sauce for the goose an’ all that.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” she conceded.

“Tell you what. How about Saturday, we go out.”

“Together?”

“Why not? Nothing serious, nothing romantic. Just .. company an’ away from here. Have dinner, some drinks. A movie. Just .. go out.”

She thought about it. “Yeah. Okay. That sounds like fun. But not a date.”

“Just friends cruising the town,” Nick agreed.

“Sure. Thanks.”

“Anytime.” He turned back to his car. “That’s assuming I can get this thing fixed by Saturday.”

*****

Derek came into the control room and Alex glanced round with a smile.

“Do I work you too hard?” Derek asked.

She laughed. “That’s a leading question.”

“Seriously. Do I?”

“Yes,” she replied. “But there are reasons why you do it. This isn’t a regular job, Derek. It’s a calling. An’ people who are .. called put in the hours an’ more, an’ don’t resent it. Why d’you ask?”

“Rachel has given me a lecture. Nick is tired and needs a break. I said if he needed to get away he’d ask. He hasn’t.”

“He does need to an’ he won’t ask until he’s on his knees. You should tell him. Give him a week off. Let him go.”

“We can manage without him?”

“That’s insulting,” she laughed. “Yes, Derek. We can manage without Nick for a week. When you were in the hospital, Rachel an’ I managed alone. Nick was here, on the island. He kept us together but .. he wasn’t part of the team. We had to cope with everything in our own way. Rachel an’ I worked. Nick got the house rebuilt. We felt we owed it to you .. even though we didn’t know if you’d ever wake up.” She shrugged awkwardly. “So, yes, Nick can go do his own thing an’ the three of us can cope here.”

He nodded. “Strange.”

“What is?” Alex asked.

“Looking at them both .. I would’ve said it’s Rachel who needs to get away. She looks unwell.”

“So .. why don’t you do something about it?” she suggested. “Tell her to take a few days. Derek .. you know we are all here for you an’ we will do whatever it takes to .. get the job done, even if it means we get tired, sick, even killed. In return, it’s nice for our Precept to occasionally notice that we’re tired or sick, an’ do something about it. We don’t like to ask. An’ we certainly don’t like to collapse on the job before you think we could use timeout.”

He frowned. “Am I such a hard taskmaster?”

“You’re driven. We understand that an’ we make allowances.”

Derek looked uncomfortable. “I always believed I was easy going.”

Alex shook her head and laughed. “What’s brought on this soul searching? Rachel’s lecture? Or conscience?”

“One has led to the other,” he admitted. “I think Rachel needs it more. When she returns, Nick can go.”

“An’ then me?” Alex asked in a hopeful voice.

“After the fundraiser.”

“Thanks,” she said flatly.

*****

After leaving Nick, Rachel strolled around the garden. Her headache had faded to a gentle throbbing behind her eyes and it didn’t hurt anymore to swallow. But she still had that weird sense of detachment, of being here yet not being here, of the whole world being just a little off. It was, she felt, like watching a movie where the soundtrack wasn’t synchronized. It was one frame out, all the way thru. She found a shady spot and sat down, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. The roses stirred in the slight breeze off the Bay, wafting their heavy scent around her.

Kat should be older. When I saw her this morning, I was surprised. Just for a second. Then I knew she was twelve and she looked exactly right. My little girl. Nick lives here. Has done for years. Why would I even imagine he has someplace else to go? And Joseph looked really hurt when I called him Andrew. I mean, Andrew isn’t a slip of the tongue. John, maybe, or .. Jake, but Andrew? It isn’t even close.

Is it the flu? That can make people feel detached. My body does ache. Everything feels like such an effort. I feel so hot. I must be running a temperature. Or, maybe, it’s something a lot worse. Maybe I should get myself checked over. Some scans. Tests.

She groaned in disgust at herself.

Doctors make the worst patients. We know what it could be and we assume it’s the very worst of all the options. Rachel, get a grip. It’s probably just a head cold. Don’t make it more than it is. You’re rundown. You need some vitamins, a healthy diet, plenty of fluids, a day or two of light work. Doing something relaxing in the garden, maybe. Time for yourself. You and Kat, not .. writing up case notes and closing Legacy files.

She opened her eyes again and gazed at the bees droning lazily among the splashes of color.

A few days, that’s all. You’ll feel as good as new again.

“Before that, however,” she told herself as she rose determinedly, “you have a heap of files to close. You won’t be able to relax if you know they’re waiting for you when you get back.”

*****

Derek wasn’t at the table when she entered the library and she felt a rush of guilt. Women. The carers and nurturers. Mentally geared for harmony and relationships. She couldn’t help but feel guilty.

He’d been out of the hospital only two months. He was fine, physically and mentally, but she hated putting pressure on him. He’d suffered terrible trauma in the explosion, been in a coma for months. Now he was back and she felt he shouldn’t dive in at the deep end, not straight away. He should ease back into it, one toe in the water each day.

“Rachel,” he said behind her and she jumped. “I’m sorry. Your nerves are strung tight.”

She shook her head. “Really, I’m fine.”

Derek pulled back the chair next to her and sat down. He studied her face. “You’re not. You look unwell.”

Rachel began to shake her head again but stopped. “I do feel a little under the weather.”

“I should have noticed. Nick did. Take a few days away.”

She stared at him. “I – I can’t.”

“Why?”

“I have all these files to close.”

“That’s an excuse, not a reason. They can wait. They are .. closed in all but spirit. Nothing critical is left to do on them. Please, I insist. You, Alex and Nick worked so hard when I wasn’t here. You made a superhuman effort which I truly do appreciate. It’s come back to haunt you. Take the rest of the week. Come back refreshed on Monday.”

“I could use a break,” she admitted in a small voice.

“And you will have one. No one likes to say they can’t cope but it isn’t a crime, Rachel. You have a child, your practice, the Legacy. Trying to do it all is bad for your health.”

“I guess so.”

“So .. go home.”

She smiled. “Let me work on with these for a while an’ do as much as I can. I won’t be able to relax if I know they’re all waiting for me. A few .. sure, that I can live with coming back to. Then .. tomorrow .. I take timeout.”

“Very well,” he agreed. “And .. make the most of it. You deserve time for yourself.”

Rachel’s smile grew. “Thanks, Derek.”

*****

“Hey, boss, come to check up on me?”

“How’s the repair coming?” Derek inquired.

“It’s gonna need a new pump pretty soon but I think I can jury rig something to get a few more miles outta this one.” Nick wiped his hands again. “These classic models … Labor of love an’ frustration.”

Derek smiled sympathetically. “You would tell me if you needed to get away, wouldn’t you?”

“Sure. You know I’m not shy about speaking my mind.”

“Oh .. I am very aware of that.”

“Then why ask?”

“Alex and Rachel have both argued for you to have a break.”

“I’m not sure how to take that,” Nick grinned. “I thought they liked me an’ now they want me gone? I’m okay,” he told him, more soberly. “A little tired but I’m not on my knees yet. I think it’s the weather, Derek. I like being outside on days like this. Stuck in front of a screen .. makes me grouchy. I feel more tired than I am.”

“Maybe something will happen to .. get you outside more often. That pump, for example. You’ll have to go and negotiate for a new one. That’ll be at least a day.”

“Yeah,” Nick agreed, grinning again.

“I’ve given Rachel a few days off. When she returns on Monday, you can take time away. Whenever you want but we’ll need you back by Halloween.”

“I don’t need a vacation.”

“After the year you’ve had, I insist. It’s my way of saying thank you for all you’ve done, Nick.”

“Okay. Thanks, boss.”

“In the meantime, get as much done as you can on the background checks for the fundraiser. We need to have the invitations out by the end of next month and, the more you do before you go, the less you’ll have to do when you get back.”

“Deal,” Nick agreed.

“Well .. I’ll leave you to your jury rigging and frustration.”

“Labor of love,” Nick commented, eyeing the engine darkly. “An’ .. very occasionally, pure hate.”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

“Appreciate it.”

*****

Alex put some tea on the table. “You pressed a button.”

Rachel sighed. “I didn’t mean to.”

“Well, it worked. Don’t feel bad about it. You get timeout, then Nick.”

“But not you?”

“Yeah, after the fundraiser. To be honest, I’m okay with that. I’d rather get it behind me an’ then really enjoy time away than go before an’ face a mountain when I get back. Emily’s a nice lady an’ I like her but the Thanksgiving fundraiser .. it’s like a declaration of war. She knows I do it an’ yet, every year, she issues the challenge. One of these years, I’m gonna let her do it. All of it. But not this year. I think .. I’ll head on down to Baton Rouge in early December. Soak up some winter sun. Touch base with some old friends. What’re you gonna do?”

“Take to my bed, I think,” Rachel confessed. “I feel so strange, Alex. I don’t know what it is. It feels like the onset of flu but .. maybe it isn’t. Maybe it’s just stress.”

“That’s understandable, Rachel. We’ve come thru a lot this year.”

“Yeah. Thanks for the tea.”

“You’re welcome .. an’, if you need anything, let me know. I can come over.”

“I will.”

“An’ don’t stay too long on those files.”

“I won’t,” Rachel smiled.

*****

Rachel left the house at five fifteen and called Kat from the ferry. “I should be there around .. seven ten. Sooner if I can make it. But I don’t have to come here tomorrow. Derek’s given me the rest of the week.”

“What’re you gonna do?” Kat asked.

“I don’t know,” Rachel said. “I thought .. I could go shopping. Fill up the kitchen cupboards. An’ then .. maybe do gardening.”

“You? You can’t tell a flower from a weed!”

“Then I’ll learn to tell the difference!” Rachel laughed. “I may go visit the baby.”

There was silence for a moment then, in a deeply suspicious voice, Kat asked, “What baby?”

Rachel closed her eyes. “Um .. I don’t know why I said that. Ignore me, Kat, I’ve been doing this all day. It just proves I need timeout. I’ll be there just past seven.”

“Okay, Mom. Bye.”

The baby. For a second, as she’d said it, she had been so sure there was a baby. She’d even seen it, for a tiny flash. A little boy, sturdy, pink faced, smiling at her. And yet .. there was no baby. This hadn’t been a memory of Connor. She’d known the baby and she’d known it wasn’t her son. This was someone else’s baby .. who didn’t exist.

The ferry came into the pier and she drove off, shaking her head and concentrating on the road.

Hey .. maybe I’m developing some kind of sight, like Derek’s. That would explain why I saw a baby. Kat obviously will grow up. Joseph could leave and be replaced by a guy called Andrew. And Nick .. could find somewhere else to live. If I am getting this .. ability, it could explain why things feel off. I’ll have to check with Derek when I get home. See how he felt when he first realized he was .. special.

Oh, thank God it isn’t something serious. I was starting to get worried.

*****

When Rachel finally closed the door and leaned against it, her eyes shut, she breathed in and, as she let it go, she let the stress go with it. For a few days, she was a relatively free agent. It was a liberating feeling. She still had clients but only a few and they’d be gone by eleven. The rest of the day would be her own to do what she wanted, whatever she felt like doing. The possibilities opened before her.

“Kat, you want pizza?” she called. “I’ll order in.”

“Mom ..?” Kat’s voice floated down from upstairs.

“Yeah, honey.”

Kat looked down at her, the picture of innocence. “Could we have Chinese takeout?”

“Sure,” Rachel shrugged.

“Yes!” Kat hissed triumphantly and Rachel laughed. “Mom .. you should take vacation more often.”

“I just don’t feel like cooking. Don’t you think I’m an easy touch, Kat Corrigan, cos I’m not.” She glared in mock anger. “Get back into your room an’ finish your homework!”

“Yes, sir!” Kat grinned and vanished backwards.

Rachel shook her head and went to the phone to call in her order. While it rang, she leafed idly thru the mail.

Bill, bill, a letter from Kate Corrigan – Patrick’s mother, an offer from the Reader’s Digest, bill, and an envelope with a printed label.

“Oh, hi, I’d like to order takeout for delivery.”

She put the mail on the small table so she could concentrate. Five minutes later, she sat at the kitchen table, a cup of tea before her, and the mail neatly sorted. The bills were put in the rack, the offer in the trash because Rachel didn’t really want to ‘know more about psychic phenomena’, and Kate’s letter was set aside for after supper. She opened the stiff white envelope with the printed label. Just the feel of it said it was expensive.

It was an invitation. Rachel read it and thought about it then went to the phone again.

“Luna Foundation. Nick Boyle.”

“Hi, Nick, it’s me.”

“Timeout an’ you have to call?” he queried and she could hear the grin.

“Yeah. It’s about Saturday.”

“You blowing me off again?”

“No-o, not exactly. I’ve received an invitation an’ I’d like to go but it’s on Saturday. I wondered if you’d like to come with me .. but it’s an exhibition of art by a rising new artist. Thor Waverley. I’ve read articles on him an’ I’d really love to go, but I know art isn’t your thing. You may wanna take a rain check for Saturday and reschedule to Friday. Your choice.”

“Thor?” he echoed.

“I bet it isn’t his real name but Thor sells better.”

“Are we talking tuxedo?”

“No,” she laughed, “but it will be a collar an’ tie. A suit. If you’d rather not, just say. It’s seven thirty till late an’ I won’t stay to the end.”

“I’ll pick you up at seven,” he said. “You owe me. Big time.”

“I do. Thanks, Nick.”

She hung up and went back to the kitchen to look at the invitation again. It was thick card, perfectly white, with crisp dark gray lettering and an elegant Greek key border. The Blackwell Gallery in Haight Ashbury.

“Thor Waverley .. what kinda name is that?” she muttered, shaking her head. “He’s probably .. Fred Smith. Able to paint just as well but Fred Smith doesn’t look good on the walls of the rich an’ famous. People can’t say ‘oh, that’s my new Smith.’ It sounds mundane. But ‘that’s my new Thor’ .. oh, yeah. That has impact. Or even ‘it’s one of Waverley’s most recent works.’ I bet .. he just signs ’em Thor. Or even with just the initial. In a circle.”

“Mom? Are you talking to yourself?”

“Yeah. Trying to figure out why names are so important. How they change someone’s perception of you which then changes you. For instance,” she called, “Katherine is a very nice name. It suggests someone who is nice, caring, would help out a stranger as much as a friend. Kat is nice too but it sounds sharper. Like you mean business. It depends what impression you wanna give people, right? Do you wanna seem nice or look like you mean business?”

“Mostly, I just wanna tell ’em my name an’ Kat’s easier to say than Katherine. Katherine means I’m in trouble.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

“It does when you say it. I bet I know what you’re gonna say next.”

“What?” Rachel asked.

“Have you finished your homework, Katherine?” There was a pause. “Am I right?”

“Yes! Go finish. Supper’ll be here soon. An’ I don’t like shouting to you when you’re upstairs. It isn’t a civilized way to have a conversation.”

“Then don’t talk to yourself so loud I can hear.”

“Katherine!”

She heard the door shut and Rachel grinned. There was talking back and good natured banter. A mother’s job was to know the difference. She shook her head and read the invitation again.

You are cordially invited to the opening of

a sensational new exhibition of paintings by Thor Waverley

at the Blackwell Gallery on Saturday, October 2, 1999.

The doors will open at 7.30 p.m.

Refreshments will be available throughout the evening.

Have to remember to eat before I go, she reflected. ‘Refreshments’ means finger food and champagne. Nick’s going to hate it …

*****

“Some painter. Thor somebody,” Nick shrugged.

“Waverley?” Alex queried.

“Yeah, that’s the guy.”

“An’ you’re going?” She sat back. “What is the world coming to? You do know you’ll have to get your suit out of mothballs, don’t you?”

Nick glared at her. “I can dress up when I have to.”

“But you hate it!” she laughed. “You feel all .. constricted. Like there’s a noose around your neck.”

“I’m doing it for Rachel,” he pointed out. “We agreed to .. go out. Saturday. It’s where she wants to go.”

“You never offer to take me out!”

“You never said you’d be interested in going.”

She looked hurt. “I would’ve been.”

“Then we’ll go,” Nick agreed. “I was helping out a friend, Alex, an’ its bitten me on the ass. Art galleries ..? Not my thing. I’d planned a movie, something to eat, a beer or two, maybe a club. Somewhere noisy.”

“Then I expect Rachel is glad the invitation turned up. When we go out .. I quite like the idea of the opera. Or a ballet.”

She held it in for as long as she could but Nick’s expression was so stunned that she had to laugh. Even Derek smiled.

“Nick is not what anyone could describe as a culture vulture,” he commented. “But the fact he is making the effort is commendable. I applaud you.”

“I’m glad someone appreciates my sacrifice,” Nick remarked. “An’ I am always willing to learn. To try. It could be that this guy’s art is something I’d have hanging on my wall. Whatever else, it’s free food. An’ I may be able to talk Rachel around to a club later.”

“Where you’ll be in a suit,” Alex smirked. “An’ stick out like a sore thumb.”

“If you do intend to make a night of it, you’ll be staying over in town. I’ll lock up for you,” Derek offered. “And, Alex, I like the opera and the ballet. I’d be most willing to accompany you.”

“Well, thank you, Derek,” she accepted.

“Hey .. the fundraiser,” Nick recalled. “I can help you audition bands.”

“I’m gonna ask Emily to do that this year,” Alex said sweetly. “You can help her, if you like. She thinks you’re wonderful.”

“An’ she’s old enough to be my grandmother.”

“She still thinks the sun shines out of your – ”

“I get the picture,” Nick cut in, blushing.

“He’s blushing!” Alex crowed. “This day cannot get any better.”

*****

Rachel settled Kat then raced around doing housework. She sorted laundry and started that. She checked cupboards and made a list. She worked till almost two the next morning before deciding everything was as complete as it could be and she could go to bed knowing her timeout was just for her.

I’ll need a new cocktail dress for the gallery, she mused happily as she went upstairs. Damn, I’ll just have to go shopping. I wonder if …

Rachel pulled herself up short.

No, don’t start thinking odd thoughts again. You don’t have any incredibly wealthy friends who’d go with you. Well, there’s Derek but you weren’t thinking of him.

I was going to call him. It’s too late now. It’ll have to wait. But look on the bright side – your headache’s gone, your throat is fine, even the minor aches and pains have faded, and your temperature seems to be back to normal. It’s only these random pop up thoughts which are weird. Whatever bug it was has worked its way thru. A good night’s sleep will finish the process. The difference between this morning and now? I’m on vacation. It was all due to stress. Problem diagnosed.

She stripped off and pulled on a light cotton camisole. She lay propped against her pillows to read Kate’s letter, smiling at the informal, chatty language which so reminded her of Patrick. Then, promising herself she’d write back in the morning, Rachel switched off the light and lay down. She closed her eyes.

Rachel … Rachel, come on, you have to fight this …

Her eyes snapped open. Fight this? Fight what?

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