Finally yielding the hate held long in her heart, Katherine screamed, “I am a Craig! I refuse to die!”
But no one there had the power to hear her or free her from her own specters. Only she could do that.
* * *
The scraping of steel against stone reverberated through the cemetery. Once the door was positioned right, the bolt slid easily back, and the door cracked opened.
Gasping for air, Katherine fell out into David’s arms. The group gathered around her, all questioning her at once.
“Are you okay?” her sister asked.
“Mistress how did ye coom to be locked in there?” The old vicar inquired.
“What in God’s good name made you go in there anyhow? What were you thinking?” Garth chided, standing behind the young vicar, and catching sight of her pale face and wild eyes.
Vicar Hawes held her tenderly for a moment and said, “What a horrible experience. What happened?”
Desperately sucking air into her lungs, Katherine’s reply came in broken words. “I… I… someone locked me in!”
She then caught sight of her sister. “What… what took you so long to find me?” she gasped.
May-Jewel’s mouth opened and closed, embarrassed over the truth. “I got hot sitting in the carriage and must have dozed off. It’s a good thing Vicar Hawes came along. I’m so sorry.”
Her eyes on the young vicar, Katherine declared, “I owe you my life. I don’t know how to thank you.”
His concerned expression softened. “That’s not necessary. Are you sure you’re all right now? Can you stand?”
Katherine nodded. She glanced up at Garth. It seemed to her the arrogance that he showed when they first met was now replaced by a look of sincere concern. He and David helped her to her feet. But as she rose, she felt faint and fell back against Garth. His arms came around her instantly.
“Steady now.” David said, also reaching for her. His words were to Katherine but his eyes were upon the strange man who seemed to know the sisters. He wondered who this was and what he was doing there. “You’ve had a shock,” he added. Then boldly taking Katherine’s arm, he freed her from the man and guided her away from the vault saying, “Come, perhaps you should rest awhile in the manse. A cup of tea might do you good, I’m sure. Then we can sort out what happened here.”
Nodding, Katherine let herself be led away as the others followed. May-Jewel watched her sister move ahead of her and wondered in bewilderment how something like this could have happened. Garth, too, looked at Katherine, but in aggravation over her stupidity in going to the vault alone in the first place. He was also irritated at the young vicar’s arrogance in taking over the situation.
They didn’t have far to walk before arriving at the manse. But the musty smell of the hallway nauseated Katherine. It was like the odor in the vault. At first she backed out of the doorway to get away from it, but dizziness threatened to claim her again, and she allowed herself to be taken inside. The parlor was decorated in oppressive reds and golds. Vases of drooping lilacs and wilted roses filled the center of each small wooden table that was placed throughout the room.
David emptied a chair of papers for her and, sitting, she leaned back, breathing deeply to calm herself. He then placed a small soft pillow behind her head.
“What a horrible experience,” May-Jewel exclaimed. “If I had been with you, it might not have happened. I could have held the door open or something…” her remarks trailed off in a helpless attempt to make herself feel better about what had happened to her sister.
“There be a low spot afore the crypt.” The older vicar informed them as he entered with the tea cart. “An’ the wind cooms strong, like the rush of sea water. Everythin’ bends ta it. Could be the wind was the cause.”
“No wind closed that door,” Katherine replied as calmly as she could. “I placed a large stone there to keep it from closing.”
Gently taking her hand, David said kindly, “You don’t have to tell us about it just now. Have some tea first. Good strong English tea,” he encouraged, handing her a cup.
“This isn’t the first time something like this has happened to me,” she groaned defensively.
Frowning at her, Garth, who had been standing in the background, inquired further, saying, “Oh? What other things have happened to you?”
But Katherine’s hand trembled as she raised the cup to her lips to sip on the hot substance, and she didn’t answer his question.
“What were you doing in there anyhow?” David asked.
Glancing over his shoulder to Garth, she tried to steady her voice, saying, “Why I was there isn’t really important. What is important is who locked the vault door, closing me inside.”
Garth’s smoky eyes captured hers and, like the mist that covered the moor, infiltrated the very fiber of her being. She dared not think of her reason for being there for fear that he would know of her inquisition into his life… and his death. She looked away from him.
Earnan Macailean stroked the back of a black and white cat which rubbed back and forth against his thin leg as he sat in the chair across from her. Then he finally bent over and, picking up the fluffy creature, cradled it in his arms. As his thinly veined hands worked through its fur, he stared at Garth.
“Could the lassie bein’ there have anythin’ ta do with ye coomin’ ta home?” He raised his eyebrows as a sly smile creased his dry lips. “Someone else came t’other day. I caught a glimpse of him goin’ around the kirk. He were big like ye.”
“You’re mistaken,” Garth replied, cutting the old man off. “I arrived
