"The Gorge Road" Chapter 10

 

10. Dark Carriage

        I turned around and found myself face-to-face with Richard.

“You begin to see why we struggle to entertain in this house,” he said in a breathy voice just over a whisper. 

“Mr. DiAnnon!” I choked. I could feel my heart racing. “You startled me.” I stepped away from the door, moving to put more space between us.

“Don’t tell me you think the house is haunted, too?” He chuckled very softly. “I’m sorry if I scared you. I just wanted to see how the party was going. Or whatever it is you want to call it. You seem to command a room pretty well.”

Where has he been watching us from?

“Thank you. It’s going well, I think,” I said, the words tumbling out in a rush. “I figured inviting some friends to one of Daniel’s sessions would give me a different perspective on his social development. He’s been a little on the quiet side tonight, but I think that’s just him being a good host.”

“That’s great to hear,” Richard smiled. He tucked his hands into the pockets of the black silk lounge pants he was wearing. I could tell he was trying to put me at ease. “I told him to feel free to invite guests, but I warned him to expect people to decline. Our neighbors have always been somewhat superstitious about this place. But you’ve got a better head on your shoulders than those kids, right?”

“I don’t know. They seem all right.”

“They seem to respect your knowledge and experience, at least. They recognize you as a natural leader.”

“They’re probably just humoring me. One of them is a bartender,” I mentioned, trying to steer the conversation away from me. “Daniel said it would be okay if we rounded up supplies for her to make drinks with. Is that okay?”

“Absolutely. Not a problem at all. We want everyone to enjoy themselves, but also drive home safe.” He looked at me pointedly.

“Oh, yes sir. I agree completely.”

“I had a feeling you would. You’ve always been very professional.” He paused. “Are you sure you’re all right? If you don’t mind me noticing, your breathing is still rather heavy.”

“I’m sorry –” I stammered.

“Don’t be.”

“—I’ve just been jumpy lately, and I thought you and Angela were out,” I said, embarrassed by my presumption. “I didn’t think there was anyone else in the house. I figured if you wanted to check in, you’d call.”

“Oh no. Angela and I don’t really use cell phones. We’re just old-fashioned like that.”

No one in this family has a cell phone? You’ve got to be kidding me.

“Daniel mentioned that he barely used his,” I said, struggling to keep the shock off my face. “I respect that, but I guess it just surprises me. You don’t worry about him being by himself so much?”

“Well, that’s one reason why we’re very lucky to have you here,” Richard smiled warmly at me. “You’re very good at keeping him occupied and out of trouble. And we have our own ways of keeping an eye on him,” he added cryptically. 

Duh, Ross. Of course they have security cameras set up in a house like this. You just haven’t been looking out for them.

“Care to tell me why you’ve been feeling jumpy?” True concern seemed to set into Richard’s chiseled features. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

        I hadn’t planned on mentioning the Highlander incident. It seemed hysterical; like I was a weak little girl crying to the principal because a schoolyard bully had shoved me. Yet some instinct told me that if I tried to brush it off, Richard would know I was hiding something. And he wouldn’t stop until he’d coaxed it out of me slowly and carefully.

“I’m not sure what I did,” I started. “But I seem to have angered some of your neighbors. A couple of them have… approached me.”

Distant thunder sounded in my head, though I was sure I was only imagining it because of the look that came over Richard’s face. His posture stayed relaxed, yet his whole body stiffened and lines formed around his mouth. His pupils widened, like those of a predator trying to see in the dark.

“Approached you?” he echoed.

“Yes,” I went on hurriedly. “Two different women. They sort of just snuck up on me –”

“When?” Richard demanded. “Did they hurt you?”

“No, not really. One of them shook me down pretty hard the other night –”

“What did they look like? What did they say to you?” I noticed Richard had taken his hands out of his pockets. His fingers curled and uncurled involuntarily at his sides.

“They were my age, maybe a little older. Tall, stocky…”

“Dressed like rustics and hill-people?” Richard nearly spat.

“Yeah, I think that’s them,” I said. “They wanted me to tell you something about your time ‘being up,’ and me being here won’t ‘change things.’ I swear, I have no idea what any of that means. It’s no concern of mine, other than what happened to my car.”

        Richard’s eyes narrowed down to venomous-looking slits. “Did they cause you to have an accident?”

“No, they just smashed the headlights. And my mirrors. Or, at least, I think they did. I think one of them took a crowbar to my car while the other was distracting me. But I can’t prove it. I just got back to my car, and it was banged up. Again, I wouldn’t have mentioned it, but it seems like they have a bit of a violent streak. You have a family to worry about. I don’t.”

“As long as you’re working for me, your safety is my concern,” Richard said, rubbing his chin. “But I’m livid that this is even an issue.”

“I’m sorry –“

“No, Alex.” Richard came up to me and grasped me by my shoulders. I wanted to wilt under his blazing blue stare. “Stop apologizing. This wasn’t your fault, not at all. What I meant is that I’m mortified that this happened to you, but I’ll be damned if it happens again. I’ll take care of everything, all right?”

His face was so close to mine, but I didn’t think he realized it in his anger. I mentally noted the weight of each of his fingers as they gripped the tops of my arms. Then I realized my voice was stuck to the back of my throat. 

Breathe. He’s trying to be comforting and reassuring. It’s not his fault it has the opposite effect on you. And it wouldn’t bother you if Daniel touched you like this, right?

“All right,” I finally croaked. “I appreciate it. It would be nice to drive around at night and not be afraid of them.”

“You’ve done a lot for us. You deserve to feel safe,” Richard said, still very close to me. He was so sure he was the hero of the moment. It would never cross his mind that he intimidated me just as much as the Boone sisters had, albeit in a very different way.

“I hope my work with Daniel is having the effect you hoped for,” I said hesitantly, hoping for validation that I was something other than an overpaid nanny, or a coddled damsel in distress. “Or perhaps it’s too soon to see a difference.”

“Oh, we’ve absolutely seen a difference,” Richard said, finally letting go of me, though not stepping away. Instead, he leaned on the counter, the tension from a moment ago dissolving eerily out of his body. “And we’re very pleased so far.”

 “Two months ago, Angela would’ve never agreed to Daniel having friends over,” Richard continued. “All that stimulation would’ve probably triggered the worst aspects of his condition. Of course, not that those three would’ve minded –“ he nodded toward the dining room “ – we’ve known them and their families for years. We just want to mitigate for…. uncontrolled and unpredicted episodes. As often as we can, at least. That’s why you’re so valuable to us.” 

“Thank you, sir,” I said.

Richard righted himself, placed his hands on the sides of my arms again, and examined my clothes. “You didn’t want to wear a costume tonight? Like the others?”

“I honestly didn’t plan for it to be a costumed affair.”

“Not all affairs require costumes. But the best ones do, in my opinion.” His dazzling smile seemed to glow in the shadows. It was unnerving to me how fast we went from livid-angry – in his own words – back to the cool and suave man I was more used to. As if one could ever get used to Richard’s presence.

On top of that, he’s flirting with you.

No he’s not!

Ha. You’d better start paying closer attention.

 “I overheard our guests comparing you to the Wizard of Oz,” he continued. “I know Angela has a gorgeous emerald-green gown stored up in our bedroom. You can borrow it for the night, if you’d like. The two of you have very similar bodies, I think.” His eyes moved down from my face.

Oh shit.

At that moment, Daniel charged through the kitchen door, carrying what appeared to be bottles of whiskey and tonic water. He nearly dropped them at the sight of me in his father’s hands. 

“Hi?” Daniel croaked. Richard released me, with a brush of his fingertips down my arms. 

“Daniel,” Richard smiled. “You found the bourbon. Excellent. I was just re-assuring Alex that you and your guests are more than welcome to have a drink or two.”

Richard stepped away from me and circled around his son toward the kitchen door. 

“You all have fun,” he purred in his salted-caramel voice. “Daniel, when you’re finished, let us know. I’d like to speak with Ms. Ross one more time tonight.” Then he was gone.

Daniel said nothing, only stared at me questioningly. In the absence of answers, I took the bottles out of his hands, put them in the box, and strode back into the dining room. 

       The box was heavy; filled with a variety of liquor bottles, some barware, citrus fruits from the kitchen, and a couple bottles of herbs and extracts from the pantry. I set it down with a grunt in front of the priestess, who had been fiddling with some molding clay from my collection.

“For you,” I said to her.

“What is it?”

“Spirits of Halloween,” I grinned, holding up a fifth of vodka. “Sent to us with goodwill, by the master of the house, for your mixology pleasure.”

“No way! You got Richard to let us use this stuff?” She seized the bottle out of my hand and examined it.

“Within reason,” I stipulated. “You can make one or two drinks for each person, and that’s it. You and Lisa and I all have to drive home.”

“Hell yeah!” Ethan piped up. “Now it’s a party. A little booze is better than no booze.”

Even with her face hidden under the skull mask, I could tell the priestess was thrilled for the chance to experiment with a new and captive audience. 

“This is really cool. Thanks, Alex,” she smiled, reaching up to pull off the mask. “I can see why Daniel likes you so much.” She put the mask down on the table and turned back to me, digging excitedly through the contents of the box. Her features were familiar: tall and lean, with dark hair, copper skin…

“Teia?” The name popped out of my mouth as my memory regurgitated it. “You’re a bartender at the big new casino, the one north of Vancouver.”

“Wait,” Daniel said, from across the room. He was over at the china hutch, gathering up goblets for everyone to drink from. “You two know each other?”

Teia threw me a knowing grin. “I thought I’d seen you before. You were in several weeks ago, talking to Hector about the mural. Ginger beer, right?”

“Yeah! Yeah that was me. Wow, small world. I would’ve never recognized you if you hadn’t taken the mask off.”

“That’s the whole idea of a well-done costume. Right, Leese?”

“Oh, absolutely,” replied Lisa, looking up from a poster board covered in fabric swatches and rolling her eyes. “The goal is absolutely not to let your warm and open personality shine through, Teia. Who would ever want to be perceived as mysterious and taciturn? Definitely not you.”

Teia shrugged off Lisa’s sarcasm and started muddling whiskey and ginger root into the bottom of a rocks glass. “I was going to say that the point of a good costume was to hide in plain sight – until you’re ready to be seen, that is.” She tossed me a lime.

“Wanna grab the cutting board and the paring knife?” she suggested. “I’m going to need fresh lime juice.”

****

“I’d say this little shindig was a success. What do you think?”

“Shindig?” Daniel teased me. “Shindig? I don’t think I’ve heard anyone ever actually use that word in a sentence, unless they were quoting The Beverly Hillbillies.”

“Am I going to have to punch you in the arm again?”

Daniel was assisting me in the kitchen with putting away the cocktail-making supplies; Ethan, Lisa and Teia were cleaning up the art supplies back in the ballroom.

“If you do, I may have to report you to management,” he fired back. “Which reminds me – Mom and Dad want to talk to you before you leave.” 

“Maybe I’m in trouble,” I mused. “But I don’t think so. Your dad seemed cool with everything earlier.”

“Yeah, he seemed cool with a lot of things earlier,” Daniel muttered.

Before I could think of a response, I heard footsteps in the hallway. A second later, Angela and Richard both came through the door. 

Despite being out of formal wear, they somehow looked just as elegant together as the night I’d first met them. Richard was in the same casual shirt and pants I’d seen him in earlier; Angela wore a long black jersey tunic and leggings. She glided over to where I stood at the sink, rinsing Teia’s mixing tools.

“Alex,” she smiled, shutting off the water and taking my hands in hers. “It’s so good to see you. I know we haven’t been around the house much lately.”

Richard remained near the kitchen door, looking pleased with himself. 

Looking like he knows something everyone else doesn’t.

“Richard said he told you this already,” Angela went on. “But we really are very happy with the work you’ve done so far.”

“Oh. Thank you,” I said. I felt an awkward smile creep across my face as Angela continued to clutch my hands. No one had ever gone so far out of their way just to thank me for doing my job.

“And we know Daniel appreciates having you here as well.”

“I’m standing right here, Mom,” Daniel said. I’d noticed he’d tucked himself into a corner near the pantry, and had his arms folded. “I didn’t realize this was going to turn into Parent-Teacher Conference Night.”

“In that case,” Richard said to him, “why don’t you return to your guests? Or at least invite them to gather Alex’s things and join us in the north wing. Given that we’ve opened both our home to them, and our liquor cabinet to you, tonight -- surely they won’t mind helping out a bit.” 

I detected a firmness in Richard’s voice. He was issuing Daniel a command, but attempting to hide it under good manners. Daniel stared stoically at his father, then left the room without a word.  Richard turned back to Angela and me.

“Ladies,” he smiled easily, motioning down the hallway. “Shall we?”

Angela looped her arm through mine and led me out of the kitchen. “Richard just told me how your car had been vandalized by some of our neighbors. I’m so sorry, darling. We can’t help but feel responsible.”

“Oh, please don’t.” I said. “It wasn’t your fault. And I could’ve filed a report, but the old thing is so beat up already I just wasn’t sure it was worth it.”

“I’m afraid we attract attention even when we don’t want to,” Angela sighed. “While we are starting to consider you part of the family, it never occurred to us that you would also draw the ire of some of the…”

“Rabble,” Richard muttered behind us. 

“ – less fortunate members of our community,” Angela turned over her shoulder to correct him.

The three of us, an odd and awkward trio, continued down a long hallway leading to the north end of the house. My eyes wandered up into the shadowed, vaulted ceilings as our steps reverberated off the wood-paneled walls and floors. 

"Anyway,” Angela continued, stopping at a door. “We hope you'll forgive us, but we also looked at the private employment form you filled out, and saw that your birthday is coming up." She opened the door and steered me through.  I heard the creek of the door echoing strangely though the dark space.

"We discussed some things..." Richard said, before flicking on the light.

We were standing in a small garage. A mid-sized SUV blinked back at me, plain and black and not brand-new, but spotless and gleaming as if it'd been bought that day. "AWD Cherokee" was stamped on the side, near the bottom.

 "We bought it for Daniel a few years ago, when he started driving," Angela said. "But then his condition got worse, so ..."

"So now it's yours," finished Richard.

 I laughed. "I'm sorry, what?"

 "It's yours," he repeated. "The gas mileage will set you back a bit more, but we're giving you a raise to cover that. You've more than earned it."

 "No, absolutely not," I said, still chuckling awkwardly.

 No way. This isn't real. No way are they doing this...

 "Alex, we insist," smiled Angela. "It's just going to sit here and depreciate anyway. We'll feel a lot better knowing it's being put to good use, and keeping you safe out on these rural roads."

 "Trust me,” added Richard. “You'll appreciate the four-wheel drive once we get our first good snow of the season. Once our guests pull out of the driveway, I’ll bring it around front for you.”

“Yeah,” came Teia’s voice behind me. “We’re about to head ou -– holy shit. Did they just give you a car?”

I turned to see Teia, Ethan and Lisa walk through the door. Teia stood with her mouth slightly open; Daniel, I noticed, lingered back in the hallway. A dark shadow hovered on the part of this face that wasn’t covered by the mask. Then he turned and walked away, back in the direction he’d come.

“Well, that’s a nice perk,” Lisa commented, not noticing Daniel’s departure.

“Want me to just go ahead and load this into the back?” Ethan offered, nodding to my supply box in his hands. He stepped through the group and on into the garage, opened a back passenger door of the Jeep, and set my box on the seat.

“Nice,” he said, shutting the door. “Leather seats, surround-sound stereo – the works.”

“I can’t believe you’re doing this,” I stammered to Richard and Angela. “This is unreal. I don’t know what to say. ‘Thank you’ doesn’t seem like enough.”

“’Thank you’ is more than enough,” Angela said. “You deserve it.”

Richard opened the overhead door, and everyone began saying their goodnights: Richard shook Ethan’s hand; Angela hugged Teia and Lisa warmly, if briefly, and tried in vain to convince Lisa to stay the night. I walked with Daniel’s friends out into the driveway, and thanked them for coming. Once Lisa and Teia had started their cars, and Ethan had set off up the driveway on foot, I turned back to Richard and Angela.

“I’ll call my insurance company in the morning and get everything squared away. Should I arrange for a tow truck to come get the Honda, or –”

“Oh no, we’ll take care of it,” Richard said simply.

“Thank you so much,” I repeated for what was surely the hundredth time. I could feel my skin flushing with embarrassment. “You folks are wonderful.”

I’ve got to get out of here before my face catches fire.

“Do you know where Daniel went? I was just going to touch base with him and figure out when he’s free for our next session.”

“I’m sure he’s just tired,” Angela shrugged. “We’ll say goodnight, and you run inside and get your purse. Richard will leave the truck out front for you.” She took my hands and kissed me on the cheek before walking back into the house. I didn’t think it was possible, but I felt myself blush even more.

“Title and maintenance records are in the glove box,” Richard called out, as he climbed in and started the engine. I thought I saw him wink at me through the windshield, then decided it was a trick of the light. I shook my head and went back into the house.

Angela had disappeared. However, I found Daniel sitting on the couch in the library, his hands balled into fists.

“Hey, are you okay?” I asked, coming to sit on the couch next to him. “I’m sorry, I realize they just gave me your truck. I don’t suppose they asked you first to see if it was okay?’

“No, they didn’t,” Daniel said. His lips were pressed into a line. His eyes avoided me, and instead bored holes into the carpet. “But I’m not mad at you; it’s not your fault. It’ll keep you safe driving out here, which is what matters. But they’re going to let you think that’s the only reason they did this, and it’s not.” He reached up to angrily scratch the back of his neck, as if a mosquito had bitten him.

“They said you didn’t drive,” I pointed out. “That it’s only going to deteriorate in the garage –“

“I can drive. I passed my driver’s test, same as everyone else, before they jerked me out of school. They just don’t ever want me to leave the house.” He continued absently but aggressively scratching; this time, his opposite shoulder.

I bet this is part of his condition. Some sort of nervous tick; a manifestation of anxiety.

“I know they sign your checks,” Daniel went on.  “So you feel like you’ve got to play nice and be grateful and not ask questions. But they’re using you. They did this tonight so they could show off in front of my friends; make everyone think they’re so generous. Now that you’re considered ‘part of the family,’ they want to show you off as their latest acquisition.” He raked his fingers through his hair and scratched his scalp furiously. 

“What do you mean, ‘everyone’? I thought you said notoriety wasn’t important to them?”

“I said it wasn’t important to them in Portland. As you so astutely observed last week, the Gorge is its own world. Ethan, Lisa and Teia are all… connected.. to old families in this area, and they can all be counted on to go tell everyone they know about you and your new status.”

“What are you talking about? All they did was give me the equivalent of a company car. I’m sure if Denise didn’t live here, they’d give her one too.”

“I’m sorry, but you’re one-hundred percent wrong about that. Denise is chopped liver compared to you, and they want everyone to know it without actually saying it out loud.” 

“What makes you think she and I are competitors?”

“I can’t explain it,” Daniel growled. “I just know, okay? I know my parents a lot better than you. You have no idea what they’re really like.” He stood, and started to furiously peel off his tailcoat. He was only halfway out of it before he started clawing at his tie.

“It’s goddamn hot in here,” he muttered.

“Here, let me help,” I said, coming up behind him and reaching for the coat.

“No!” he snapped, twisting away from me. “Don’t touch me right now!”

I stepped back, stunned. His eyes burned with frustration, and then with shame. Then I noticed the small splotches of crimson smeared under his fingernails. He’d been scratching hard enough to draw blood. 

I held up my hands in an open, “easy-does-it” gesture.

“Come on, kid,” I said quietly, gently. “Help me help you. Tell me what’s going on here. You’re hurting yourself.”

Daniel followed my startled gaze to his fingers. He held them up to the fire, looking at them wonderingly. 

“Look at that,” he murmured softly, as if to himself. “I’m trying to shed my skin like a reptile; like I’m Ethan or some shit. I forget I’m just a stupid mammal sometimes.”

He seemed to emerge out of his trance. I watched carefully as he closed his eyes and forced himself to take a deep, slow breath; then another. After a third, his eyes opened. They seemed more clear, but his knees started to buckle. He leaned heavily on the armrest of the couch.

“Hmm, okay. Now you can help me,” he chuckled weakly. I noticed he was starting to shiver. I went to him, wrapped an arm around his waist, and helped him to lie down.

First extreme body heat, then cold? Is he feverish? What is going on?

“I’m s.. ss sorry,” his teeth were chattering. “This is wha -what I t-tried to tell you about –“

I pulled off his shoes and placed his feet up on the couch.

“Don’t worry,” I assured him. “We can talk about this later when you’re not feeling so shitty.”

“I’m not-t.... that s.. sick….” Daniel mumbled quietly before his eyes fluttered shut. After a moment, his mouth parted slightly and his breathing grew deep and rhythmic.

I carefully pulled the throw blanket up around his shoulders, grabbed my bag, and crept toward the door. As I pulled the two leaves of the pocket door shut behind me, I stole a glance at him. His dark curls gleamed in the firelight.

Try to keep a lid on that caretaking instinct, okay? You’re his teacher, not his mother.

Nor his girlfriend.

The leaves met. I turned to face the rest of the house

 

It was dark and silent.