Page 10 of The Seven Rings
“I could use one of those.”
“Good. I’ll let you know when it’s together. We could snack on the deck.”
The cat and dog followed her inside and watched avidly as she put a fruit and cheese tray together.
“You’ll get yours, too.”
As she added glasses of ice and a pitcher of lemonade, a door from overhead slammed three times, like bullets.
Sonya’s phone played “Rude” by Magic!
“Yeah, she’s all that. But we won’t be bullied.”
She put a dog biscuit and a handful of cat treats on the tray, lifted it.
The door opened as she walked to it.
“Thanks.”
After she walked out, it closed gently behind her.
So much good here, she thought. So much more good than evil.
She set the tray on the table on the deck and started to call to Cleo. But Cleo was already packing her Guerrilla Box.
“Good timing. The bitch is slamming doors.”
Cleo pulled sunglasses out of her pocket as she walked to the deck. “It must kill her—metaphorically—to see us both working and enjoying it. And boy, did I.”
After setting everything down, Cleo sat, let out a long, satisfied sigh. And the sky-blue toenails peeking out of Cleo’s sandals reminded Sonya she hadn’t had a pedicure herself in too long.
“I’m going to miss illustrating by the end of the summer, and want a good, interesting, fun job. But for now, this is heaven for me.”
She reached for a cracker, loaded it with Camembert.
“Snacking on the deck on a perfect summer afternoon doesn’t suck either.”
“It does not.” Cleo lifted the glass Sonya poured. “To more of this.”
“Lots more of this.”
“It seems Jack couldn’t resist the day either.”
Sonya snapped up straight. “You saw him?”
“No, but he was out here. I had a ball wing past me, with Yoda chasing it. But when I turned around—and it took me a couple of seconds to register—nothing. But for—oh, I don’t know how long—I could hear Yoda racing around, and I heard Jack laugh. It was eerie, but at the same time…”
“It made you smile.”
“It did. And I forced myself not to look around again because he’s obviously not ready. But here’s a kid who died over a century ago out in the yard playing fetch with the dog and laughing. It says a lot about us being here.”
Sonya sampled some pepper jack. “And why we’re here. Not just me. Yeah, things happened before you moved in, before Trey and Owen spent nights here.”
“But it’s escalated since.”
“It comes and goes, but yes. She’s gotten worse, and more of the others have made themselves known. On that part, I wasn’t receptive—at all. Thought I was losing it when I’d find the bed made, dishes done, Clover’s musical interludes, all of it.”
“The portraits in the closet.”
