We arrived in Lunenberg at 9:10 in the evening, according to my dashboard clock.  The sun had gone down, and the house was surrounded in total darkness.  I could only see the driveway thanks to my car headlights. 

“That’s strange.”  Angela spoke.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well, I phoned Jenny to tell her that we were coming back tonight and so I would think she would have turned on the outdoor lights.”

“I thought maybe she had left knowing of Seamus’s passing.” I said.

“No, she wasn’t going to leave yet.  Jenny said she would wait till we got back, and you and Kate had decided what you would be doing with Seamus’s house.” She remained sitting in the back seat.  “Like I said before, this is odd.  She mustn’t be here if the lights aren’t on, but she said that she’d be here when we arrived when we last spoke.  I don’t like this.”

“What should we do?”  I asked.

“Leave your headlights on, and I’ll go to the door and ring the bell.”  Angela opened her door and got out of the car.

“I don’t like this.” Kate spoke up.

“I’m sure everything is fine.  Maybe there was a misunderstanding and Jenny decided to go be with her family.” I replied trying to sound confident, but I wasn’t even fooling myself.

“Or maybe she just forgot about the lights.” Kate added also trying to explain the darkness.

We waited in the car, as Angela instructed.  About fifteen minutes later she returned to the car looking shocked.

“Jenny is dead.” Her voice sounded hollow.

“What? How?” I stammered.

“Murdered.” She spoke with a quiet voice that sounded as though she were far away.

Kate spoke softly, but sounded scared. “I thought you said everything was alright now.  That we were free from the house’s evil.”

“We are.  Right, Angela?”

No reply.  Utter silence permeated the inside of the car. 

I broke the silence.  “What makes you say she was murdered?” I asked Angela.

“She was stabbed through the heart.”  Angela paused.  “With one of the large knives from the kitchen.  She’s on the floor in the kitchen.”

For a few moments we sat silent, but it felt like an hour had passed before any of us spoke again.

“We have to call the police.” I broke the silence.

“Her hands were holding the knife.” Angela replied mechanically.  Then she added, “Before Evermore was set on fire, he said to Seamus something I didn’t understand at the time.”

“What?” I asked.

Angela replied from far away. “He mentioned Jenny’s name, but I never heard the rest of his sentence.”  Then she sighed and took a pause. “Poor Jenny.  This must have been what he was threatening.”

“We still have to call the police.”  I said.

“Yes.” Angela responded distantly.

After calling the police from the car, we were asked to stay where we were till they got there. After about ten minutes the police and coroner van arrived.  Of course, it was pronounced suicide by the detective pending the coroner’s results.  But we knew they wouldn’t find Evermore’s prints, afterall he was an evil spirit and so wouldn’t leave fingerprints.  Suicide would be the coroner’s only conclusion.

After questioning us and examining the house, we were allowed inside.  The police left, and said they’d be in touch.  Of course we never mentioned Evermore.  They’d never believe us anyway. 

A cold blast hit us as we entered my grandfather’s house.  But then we were greeted by a warmth like a hug from him.  Kate felt at ease after Angela made her a tea.

“Kate, I assure you Evermore is gone for good.  You and Daniel can move on with your life free of the darkness.”  She layed her hand on Kate, and I could hear a quiet sigh of relief from Kate.  She believed Angela, as did I. 

Angela stayed the night, and then left early in the morning before we even awoke.  By the time I went downstairs to the kitchen, there was a note from Angela by the coffee maker.  

Dear Daniel &Kate,

            You are free to live your lives now without the evil that invaded the Conway family for centuries.  I shall not return, as I am from a far away place.  You don’t need me anymore, but I am glad I could help you.   I wish you all the happiness in your world together.

Love

Angela

At that moment, my cell phone rang.  The screen displayed Alex’s name.  “Good morning, Alex.”

“Good morning to you Daniel!  Just wanted to check you and Kate were alright after everything that went down.”

“We’re good.  Very good.  How about you and Vanya?”

“Other than being worried about you two, we’re good as well.”

Kate came down the stairs with her silk housecoat open overtop her silk cream coloured nightgown.  For the first time in a long time she looked happy.  She came over and placed her arms around my middle and started lightly kissing my ear without the phone.  I could feel myself reacting to her touch.  I had to get off the phone.

“Can I call you back later, Alex?” 

I could hear Alex give a little laugh, and she said, “Got it.”

Kate took the phone from me, and placed my hands behind my back as she kissed me lightly all over, whispering in my ear, “I want you, Daniel.”

I couldn’t take it anymore, and picked her up and brought her into the living room and laid her on the couch.  “I love you, Kate.” I whispered in her ear.  And kissed her mouth, as though we hadn’t seen each other in such a very long time.  My longing for her drove me crazy, and I couldn’t get my clothes off fast enough.  My phone rang at that moment, but I let it go.  Nothing was going to interrupt this moment. 

About an hour later, we were drinking coffee on the couch.  Kate had her legs crossed over mine and we were as physically close as we could be while still being able to drink our coffee.  I interrupted the silence with, “So, my dear Kate, how about we get married today?”

“No, you don’t mister.  I want a proper wedding.  We can get back to planning it today though.” She laughed. 

It felt like a long time since I had heard her laugh, and it warmed my heart to hear her happy.

“Okay, then, let’s start today.” I smiled. “But I don’t want to wait too long .”

“Me neither.” She smiled.

Again, my phone rang.

“Aren’t you going to get that?”

“And interrupt this moment?” She smiled again.  My heart warmed to see her beautiful smile once again.  I looked down at Kate’s ring, happy to see her wearing the emerald engagement ring I gave her.

  She noticed and whispered in my ear, with her lips lightly touching my ear.  “I love the engagement ring you bought for me, Daniel.”

Again the phone buzzed to let me know I just received a text. 

“Someone wants to get a hold of you.  I think you should answer it.  I need to take a shower anyway.” She said.

“You’re right.  Maybe I’ll join you.” I called after her as she walked upstairs.

“Daniel, I need a real shower.”  She replied.  “Just answer your phone.”  She laughed.

“Okay, okay.”  I went to the kitchen and checked my text.

It was Vanya, she wanted to talk to me about getting together for Alex’s birthday on the weekend.  With everything being so crazy over the past week, I forgot Alex’s birthday for the first time.

I texted Vanya back, “Will definitely be there!  What are the plans?”