The Grey Girl, The Van Tassel Murders

Alex woke to the smell of coffee brewing and bread toasting. Chloe was busy in the kitchen. She looked rested and happy compared to Alex. He still wore the same clothes from yesterday, and his back hurt from sleeping on the couch. The heavy volume he had been reading thudded to the floor before he realized it had been on his chest. She handed him a cup of strong black caffeine. “How can you be so calm and rested after last night?” he grumbled.

Chloe smiled. “Because he can’t hurt us.”

“How can you be so sure?” Alex asked, firing up at once. “He was able to get into the house and, and …” He pointed at her. “Your interaction seemed”—he sat, staring, trying to find the word—“physical enough.” Finally noticing that she was wearing workout clothes, he sputtered, “What the hell are you wearing?”

“Don’t start. Let’s have a nice ride to the site and get …”

“There’s no way I’m going to let you …”

“I am not your property to order …”

The doorbell rang before either could get the argument going full steam. Arthur entered the front room. “Not interrupting am I?” he asked.

“As a matter of fact, Dad, you are. Last night the ghost of Henry was right here in my kitchen.”

“Oh, so now it’s your kitchen?” Chloe demanded, hands on her hips. “Maybe you should learn to use some of the things in there then.”

Alex ignored her. “He threatened her,” he said, pointing determinedly at Chloe.

“This her has a name!” Chloe spat.

“I don’t want her going back to that house. I will not allow it.” Alex’s hand slammed down on the counter. His glare roved between father and girlfriend, daring either to argue with him.

For a split second, he thought he had won, then Chloe exploded. “I may have died in the ’thirties, but things are different now!” She was in his face, her small finger poking him in the chest, painfully hard, “I do not have to do what you say.” He winced as she poked again. “I am not your property.” Her eyes blazed like fire and Alex back away slightly. “When I agreed to move in here,”–she continued to advance and poke—“I did not agree to be your cook or maid.” She stood up straight, an aura of defiance glowing around her. “I am my own woman. I can have a job. I can do anything I want now.”

She turned to look at Arthur, who cowered slightly at her anger. Her eyes narrowed. “I am right. That is how things are, correct? I am a liberated woman, and I don’t have to have a man to tell me what to do.”

“It’s not like that, and you know it,” Alex shot back, standing straight as well. Unfortunately, he was not much taller than Chloe, so the effect wasn’t all that intimidating. “Yes, things are better for you, but there are still a lot of things in this world that can hurt you. People who, if they found out about you …”

“Who’s going to tell them? And who’s going to believe it?” she jeered.

Alex tried to change tactics by lowering his voice. “I just want to keep you safe.”

That only seemed to annoy Chloe further. Slowly, she raised a fist, clenching and unclenching it, fighting to control the rage.

Alex flinched. He wondered if she could throw him through a wall, as she did to Henry.

Arthur watched the argument and began to fear what might happen next. He needed to step in before it got out of hand. He wasn’t sure but thought if Chloe got any angrier, she would leave the ground. And there was no telling what might happen next if that happened. Clearing his throat to remind them of his presence, he stepped between the two, reaching for Alex’s forgotten coffee. “Aaron will be meeting us up at the house,” he said calmly. “I’ll let him know you’re riding with him.” He motioned to Alex, who was obviously not happy with the direction of the conversation. “Chloe’s right. She is her own woman.” He cracked a slight smile. “Now, woman, go wait in the car.”

“Dad!” Alex protested.

Chloe grabbed her jacket and walked out. She did not look back at Alex.

Arthur held up his hand to quiet his son. “What you have there is a woman,” he began. Seeing the look of confusion on his son’s face, he continued. “She is not a girl, and she is not a porcelain doll. She is intelligent, strong-willed, and confident. She is also very attractive.” He paused to let this sink in. The look on Alex’s face told him he wasn’t quite getting it. Arthur shook his head. “You can’t hide her. You can’t keep her locked up here. She is allowed to do whatever she wants. Hell, she’s allowed to move out and find someone who will appreciate all that she is.”

Alex looked as if his father had struck him, and Arthur put a hand on his son’s shoulder. “Look, I know she appreciates what you did for her. You both might think that what you have is love. I don’t know. But if you don’t start treating her like the person she is, you will lose her.” He frowned, removing his hand. “I know you want to protect her. I do too, but one way or another, if you keep trying to keep her from facing the world, she’ll go out there and face it without you.” He was at the door but he paused, hand on the knob. “I think you should try to face it with her, or, as I said, she’ll find someone who will. And that would be a huge loss for you and me.”

Arthur was through the door before Alex was done processing what he had heard. Chloe was his friend. She was also his girlfriend. She was not, like his father reminded him, a helpless little girl. That was one of the things he loved about her. Shaking his head, he slumped back onto the couch. His dad was right about a lot, but he hadn’t been here when Henry had threatened them. “Damn it!” Alex yelled. In the years since she had come back, he had never once seen Chloe back down from a fight. She was the strongest and fiercest person he had ever met. There was no way she would back down from a challenge like Henry’s. Like his father said, if he didn’t face it with her, she would face it without him. They had been a team against Edgar. They needed to be a team now. “Son of a bitch,” he shouted, getting to his feet.

“Hey, asshole. She was your mom too,” Aaron warned.

Alex jumped at the sound of his brother’s voice. He hadn’t heard him come into the room. “What? No. Come on, let’s get going.”

“As soon as you take a shower. I’m not riding for an hour with you stinking like that.”

Alex’s brow furrowed then he sniffed his underarm. Cringing, he nodded and headed for the bathroom. That was another thing he needed to apologize for.