Scent Of Roses

“Sí. Like roses, only so strong I think I will suffocate right there in the bed.”

“San Pico is famous for its roses. They’ve been growing them here for more than forty years. Occasionally, you are bound to smell them.” She clasped the young woman’s hand once more, felt how cold it was, felt it trembling. “You’re pregnant, Maria. When a woman is carrying a baby, sometimes her emotions get mixed up.”

“They do?”

“Yes, sometimes they do.”

Maria glanced away. “I am not sure what is happening. Sometimes…sometimes it seems real. Sometimes I think…”

“You think what, Maria?”

“That mi casa es encantada.”

Elizabeth spoke passable Spanish, had to in order to do her job. “You think your house is haunted? Surely you don’t believe that.”

Maria shook her head, fresh tears welling in her eyes. “I do not know what to believe. I only know that at night I am very afraid.”

Frightened enough that she had been unable to sleep. “But you aren’t saying that you’ve actually seen a ghost.”

She shook her head. “I have not seen it. I have only heard its voice in my head.”

“Listen to me, Maria. Your house is not haunted. There are no such things as ghosts.”

“What about Jesus? Jesus came back from the dead. He is called the Holy Spirit.”

Elizabeth leaned back in the chair. She had been doing social work since she graduated from college. She had dealt with hundreds of unusual problems, but this was a first.

“Jesus is different. He’s the Son of God and he isn’t haunting your house. Do you really believe there’s a ghost in your bedroom?”

“There is a ghost—or I am going to die like my mother.” She started to cry again.

Elizabeth rose from her chair. “No, you’re not,” she said firmly, stilling Maria’s momentary lapse into tears. “You are not going to die. But just to make sure there isn’t a tumor, I’m going to arrange for a visit to the clinic. Dr. Zumwalt can do a CAT scan. If there’s anything wrong, he’ll be able to tell.”

“We do not have the money for something like that.”

“The county will take care of it, if Dr. Zumwalt thinks the test needs to be done.”

“Will it hurt?”

“No. They just take a picture of the inside of your head.”

Maria rose from her chair. “You must promise not to tell Miguel.”

“I won’t tell your husband. This is just between you and me.” She could only imagine what Miguel Santiago would say if he found out his young wife had started to believe their house was haunted.

“We will go to the clinic tomorrow?”

“I’ll have to make the arrangements. I’ll call you as soon as I know the date and time, then I’ll pick you up and take you there myself.”

Maria managed an uneven smile. “Thank you.”

“Raul is going to ask me if you’re all right.”

“Tell him I am fine.”

Elizabeth sighed. “I’ll tell him I’m taking you in for a checkup just to be sure you’re okay.”

She nodded and flicked a glance toward the bedroom. “Tell him not to tell Miguel.”

Carson Harcourt drove up in front of the two-story stucco fourplex on Cherry Street, climbed out of his Mercedes and started up the walkway to apartment B. The area was quiet, the neighborhood one of the safest in town. He was only a few minutes late and he figured, at any rate, Elizabeth wouldn’t be ready when he got there.

Women never were.

A brisk rap on the door. He was surprised when a fully dressed Elizabeth Conners pulled it open.

Carson’s gaze ran over her floor-length dark blue sequined gown and he found himself smiling. His spur-of-the-moment invitation to the benefit was nothing short of genius. He had noticed she was pretty, of course. He’d had a hunch, once she abandoned the boring but professional business suits she always wore, she would be far more than that.

“You look gorgeous,” he said, meaning it. She was a little taller than average and slenderly built. As he assessed her curve-hugging gown, he saw that she had nice full breasts, smooth shoulders, a small waist and well-shaped hips.

I should have done this sooner, he chided himself.

“Thanks for the compliment. You look very dashing yourself, Carson.”

He smiled. He’d always looked good in a tux. The black showed off his blond hair and blue eyes, and the single-button style set off the width of his shoulders. Too bad it was still so damned hot. He’d only been out of the air-conditioned car for a couple of minutes and already he was sweating inside the collar of his white pleated shirt.

“Let’s get going. It’ll be cooler in the car.”

Elizabeth nodded and took his arm. Carson led her toward his silver Mercedes and settled her in the passenger seat. The air conditioner blasted full force the moment he turned the electronic key in the ignition. It had been a while since he’d had time for female companionship. As he glanced over at Elizabeth, he thought that maybe it was time for that to change. He would see how well they dealt together tonight.

The benefit was in full swing by the time they arrived. Carson led Elizabeth through the milling crowd, waving to a few friendly faces, heading toward the front of the room. He stopped at the no-host bar and ordered a glass of champagne for Elizabeth and a scotch-and-soda for himself. They made conversation with a few of the guests, Sam Marston, head of Teen Vision, Dr. and Mrs. Lionel Fox, one of the organizations biggest contributors, a couple of high school counselors.

“Elizabeth! I didn’t realize you would be here!” It was Gwen Petersen. She was there with her husband, Jim, district manager for Wells Fargo Bank, and apparently she was a good friend of Elizabeth’s.

“I hadn’t planned to come until Carson was kind enough to invite me. I meant to call you. I’ve just been so busy.”

Gwen’s gaze swung from Elizabeth to Carson, lingered there a moment as if she were contemplating the two of them together, then she smiled.

“Well, what a nice idea.” She was a petite woman with red hair and attractive features. She and her husband had a couple of little boys, if he recalled correctly, and he usually did.

Carson returned her smile. “I think it was a very good idea.”

Gwen’s gaze returned to her friend. “I’ll call you the first of the week. We definitely need to have lunch.”

Elizabeth nodded. “See you then.”

It was nearly time to start the proceedings. Carson seated Elizabeth at the white-draped head table and took a seat beside her.

The room began to quiet as the last of the guests took their places at the tables. The benefit was being held in the banquet room of the Holiday Inn, where most local occasions took place.