Джерри Хилл - The Zeiko Place

Andi looked behind them to the smoke-filled hallway, nodding.

“Okay. I can do it.” She shrugged. “I mean, what’s the worse that could happen?”

“Good girl. Come on.”

Andi didn’t bother telling Jamie she was afraid of heights. She was fairly certain that if she didn’t fall, she would surely die of a heart attack somewhere among the higher branches. She dutifully climbed out on the ledge, refusing to look down at the enormous expanse of space between her third floor perch and the ground.

“It’s not that far, Andi. Just a couple of feet, fall to the limb and wrap your arms around it. Once you scoot to the center, near the trunk, you’ll have plenty of footholds.”

Andi didn’t answer. On a silent count of three, with eyes locked on the branch, she let herself fall, arms outstretched. She wrapped around the limb, the subtle bouncing from her weight causing her to gasp in panic, her legs swinging wildly as she pulled her chest tight against the tree.

“Great! Now move to the center. There’s a limb you can stand on. Don’t look down, Andi. You can do it! Once you get your footing, just move down the tree, limb by limb.”

Andi followed her instructions, relief replacing panic as her feet struck the larger branch. She moved to the base of the tree, hugging it tightly, finally daring to look back. But the window was empty. There was no sign of Jamie.

“Jamie!” she screamed. “Jamie!”

Oh dear God. .

CHAPTER NINE

“Keep your foot elevated, dear, it won’t hurt so much.”

“You’re fussing, mom.”

“Hardly fussing.”

Andi closed her eyes as the older woman fluffed the hospital pillows one more time.

“Burned to the ground, I just can’t believe it,” her mother said for the tenth time. “Why, that old house has been there my whole life. It just won’t be the same.”

“No, it won’t” Andi murmured.

“And why on earth your editor wanted to do a story on that house is beyond me. Ghosts! Just a bunch of baloney, if you ask me.”

Andi nodded, rolling her head toward the window and the bright sunshine. Her mother’s voice drifted to the background as she tried to recall Jamie’s face, her smile. . and those damn laughing eyes of hers. She didn’t want to think about what might have happened to her. If she let her imagination go, the skeletons suddenly came to life, or old man Zeiko climbed the stairs to the third floor, or. . or maybe the smoke just got to her. Maybe that was all.

But it was a day and night she would remember always. She doubted she would ever tell anyone what really happened that night. She doubted anyone would believe her.

“Hey, hey, anybody home?”

Andi jerked her head around, her eyes widening.

“Hey, Beenie weenie. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“What. . what. .”

Jamie tapped the cast on her foot. “What’d you do? Fall out of a tree or something?”

“Where the hell have you been?”

“Is that any way to say hello.” Jamie bent down quickly, her mouth warm and soft as their lips met. “Now that’s more like it.”

“Who are you?”

Jamie turned, eyeing the nurse. She raised an eyebrow. “A. . friend.”

“Andrea?”

Andi smiled. “Jamie, I don’t suppose you remember my mother.”

“Your mother? I’m sorry, I thought she was a nurse.”

“She’s that, too.”

“Jamie Tucker, ma’am. I’m terribly sorry.”

“Jamie Tucker? The Jamie Tucker.” She turned to Andi. “Andrea, isn’t she the one—”

“Yes, mom, but I’m. . over that.”

“But—”

“Mom, can we have some time alone, you think?”

“Of course, dear. I’ll be right outside if you need me.”

As soon as the door closed, Andi grabbed Jamie’s hand, pulling it onto her lap. “I can’t believe you’re here. You don’t want to know what I’ve been thinking.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Where the hell did you go? I looked back, and you were gone.”

“I had to go back for something.”

“For what?”

“Ronnie’s laptop.”

“You risked your life for his laptop? Are you stupid?” she asked loudly.

Jamie grinned. “Not stupid, just crazy. All the camera images were stored to his hard drive. No one’s going to believe us, anyway, but Dr. Gilbreath and her team deserve to have their story told.”

“Everyone will think they just died in the fire.”

Jamie nodded. “We’ll tell our story to the authorities, they’ll think we’re ready for the nut house — in fact they may send the men with the white coats for us. But, regardless, the case will be closed.”

“So what are you going to do?”

Jamie sat on the edge of Andi’s bed, her hand rubbing lightly on the sheet covering her thigh.

“I’m going home. Spend some time on the beach, clear my mind. Then I’m going to write a book on the Zeiko Place.” She looked up, meeting Andi’s eyes. “I was kinda hoping you might consider coming with me.”

“What? Why?”

“Well, I’m thinking a collaboration on this book could be a good thing. I was also thinking, maybe you and me together, might be a good thing, too.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because, Andi, you still take my breath away. You did in high school and you never even knew it. And those few hours we spent making love. . that was one of the best mornings of my life. And I’d like to repeat it.”

“So if I tell you now that I had a god-awful crush on you in high school, you won’t laugh?”

“A crush? Oh yeah?”

“I was head-over-heels for you back then.”

Jamie leaned closer, their lips brushing. “And now?”

“Nothing has changed, Jamie Tucker.”