Free The Rosaries (Crossroads Series) by Sandra Carrington-Smith Page A

Lakeisha knew she wasn’t supposed to interfere with divine plans. She hoped that Sister Justine could come up with a plan of action, because it was going to be very hard to protect something that was kept twenty miles away from where she was. She had the distinct feeling of not being alone in the room, and looked around several times to find only shadows. Suddenly she heard a sound coming from downstairs, and her heart leaped. Who, or what, could it be at this time?
    She donned her robe and opened the door of her room. She called out into the darkness of the hallway. “Hello? Is someone there?”
    She heard nothing. She listened quietly for a moment, and was ready to retreat back into her room when she heard it again. It sounded like a cane being tapped gently on a hard floor.
    “Hello? Mr. Phillip? Is that you?”
    No answer.
    “Mrs. Angela? Is somebody there? Natalie?”
    She ran through the list of names in her mind to see if she could think of anyone who might have a key to the house – she couldn’t think of a single soul, apart from the Sanders.
    She went back into her room and grabbed the fireplace poker from its stand, then went back out and stretched her arm to turn on the chandelier in the hallway. Bright light flooded the staircase, and Lakeisha felt a wave of relief wash over her -- darkness has a unique way of magnifying the spooks, especially in an old house like this one. She went slowly down the stairs and heard the tapping sound again.
    Tap. Tap. Tap .
    What on earth could it be?
    She walked across the foyer and quickly turned on all the lights using the panel by the front door. “Who’s there? Please identify yourself, I have a weapon and I will use it.”
    Tap. Tap. Tap.
    The sound was coming from the kitchen. Oh God, had someone come in from the back door? It didn’t sound good at all – why would anyone who had any legitimate business in this household come through the service door? And at three o’clock in the morning of all visiting hours!
    Tap. Tap. Tap.
    It was getting closer. Lakeisha felt fear slithering like a snake in her gut. She was terrified. She turned on the kitchen light and saw something on the table. She scanned the room first, to make sure no one was hiding in the corners that weren’t visible from the doorway, and when she felt that the whole area was free of humans and spooks, she finally made her way to the table to identify the object that caught her eye. A strong scent of cigar filled the air, and Lakeisha could swear she heard sounds that reminded her of soft laughter coming from the library. Of course, she knew it could be auditory and olfactory illusion, influenced by being alone in an empty, old house, but even trying to rationalize what she smelled and heard didn’t help. With her heart threatening to jump into her throat and with shaky legs, she looked at the small shining object on the table: A key. When she picked it up and turned it around, she saw the initials USPS…it was the key to a post office box. She held the key tight in her hand and closed her eyes, as she knew damn well it wasn’t on the table before she went upstairs. He had been here; now there was no denying that things were in fast motion. She put the key into the pocket of her robe, then headed back up to her room keeping the fireplace poker down at her side. She wasn’t in any danger – that much she knew. As she climbed the steps, she wondered what could be in the box and where the post office was located. A morning call to the main line of the postal service would certainly clear that question, and Lakeisha felt that everything else would be answered in time. She turned off the light in the hallway and walked into her room. While she closed the door she heard the sound one final time.
    Tap. Tap. Tap.
    Elegba left the house.
     
     
    Melody carried a basket of laundry downstairs and set it down in the kitchen while she opened windows and made some fresh iced tea. Having been raised in the