The Book of James by Ellen J. Green Read Free Book Online Page B

was real y beginning to feel out of place, without purpose. In
    the weeks after I had buried Nick, I had isolated myself against the world. I’d just wanted to be alone to lick my wounds in a familiar environment. Now, oddly enough, I craved company and the routine of my former life.
    Samantha had not returned any of my numerous cal s. She had
    told me she was going away on vacation, but I’d been so deep into my own pain at the time, I hadn’t registered where or for how long.
    And I real y needed her now.
    I tossed some clothes toward my suitcase in frustration when
    the phone began to ring. Not the phone I had expected. It was the hotel phone on the end table. The desk clerk informed me that I
    had received a piece of mail.
    My heart raced, accelerating as the elevator stopped at each
    floor on the way to the lobby. Final y back in my room, I put the envelope on the bedspread and just stared at it. I was afraid to
    open it. My hands were trembling and damp.
    The envelope was gray and thick; it felt expensive. The
    address was written in a fine ink. It looked almost like callig-
    raphy, each letter curved and neat, exactly the same size as the
    next. I finally ripped the envelope open; one thick cream-col-
    ored sheet slipped out onto the bed. I read the message several
    times and then threw it to the side. Nick’s mother had written
    me two lines. Two. Her son was dead and she had penned two
    lines in response.
    Please join me for tea on the 18th at 4pm at my home on
    745 Chestnut Hill Avenue, Chestnut Hill. I look forward to
    our meeting.
    The eighteenth was tomorrow. I’d assumed I would be able to
    talk to her on the phone first, so I could feel her out before meeting THE BOOK of JAMES
    47
    her. But she’d given no telephone number I could call to suggest a restaurant or a neutral spot.
    I had no choice but to go back to that house again. Alone this
    time.

CHAPTER 11
    The house seemed even bigger in the daylight. The windows of
    my Jeep were rolled up tight. The shoddy air-conditioning rattled away, taking the worst of the heat from the air, but my skin still glistened with sweat. The temperatures didn’t ever seem to drop
    below ninety in this stinking city. Every few seconds I glanced at my watch, marking the minutes as they passed.
    I took a few deep breaths and remembered Nick’s words when
    he was dying. It’s a stone house. Set back from the road. There are a lot of trees. Paths in the woods that take you all over the property if you know where you’re going. I can’t go back again. You have to do it for me.
    “Okay, Nick. I’m here,” I whispered. “So guide me through
    this, please?” My watch said it was ten after four; I’d stalled as long as I could. I pressed the gas and headed for the front gate.
    Even in the glaring sunlight, the house was intimidating, con-
    sumed by the foliage of the trees. What little stone peeked out of hiding was covered in ivy. I leaned over to roll down the window, but I had to wrestle with it. It had gotten off track and never rolled THE BOOK of JAMES
    49
    up or down properly. I pressed the button on the gate and held my breath. A crackled voice from the speaker asked my name.
    “Mackenzie.” I hesitated. What was my last name? “Carlisle,” I
    said, feeling as if I’d asked for a number-four value meal.
    There was no response. The large iron wall slid open. The grind-
    ing of metal sliding closed behind me reminded me of prison. Two
    summers ago I’d supplemented my income by conducting parole
    evaluations of inmates in the state prison system. Every time those doors banged shut behind me, I got this same feeling in the pit of my stomach. I was trapped.
    The stone road led through at least a half mile of trees and
    dense shrubbery. In the darkness it had been impossible to see the beautiful display of greenery that covered the grounds. The house was edged with flowering bushes that, even in this late season,
    made the otherwise-cold stone structure appear