Part Two

~~~~~

HALLWAY

Determined that it was time to get out of the hacienda, Tessa walked Helm back to the hallway. As soon as they entered it, the candle that had provided light earlier was extinguished, leaving them once again in the dark. The sound of the thunder and rain was still going strong, indicating that the storm would not be over any time soon.

Looking at the front door at the end of the hall, Tessa walked determinedly toward it. The hallway suddenly stretched, grew longer. She started walking faster. The hall still grew. She started running down the seemingly unending hallway. She looked back to see how far she had ran when she hit the front door with full force, having not seen it. The doorknob easily turned. Tessa called for Helm to come and opened the door wide. There was another door just like the first. This could be never ending, just like in the kitchen. Not wanting to go through that again, she slammed the door shut. The dark hallway shortened itself, carrying Tessa along for the ride. She landed at Helm's feet.

"We are not supposed to leave yet?" Tessa asked as Helm helped her up.

The lightening flashed, revealing Helm shaking his head with raised eyebrows. He was still rubbing his arms. She could see his skin was bruised. "Appears that way," he said.

"But why?"

A light shone from the top of the staircase at the other end of the hallway from the front door.

"I have the feeling that someone is showing us the way," she said starting down the hall toward the light. Tessa looked at Helm and wondered if he was ready, willing, and able to learn what was happening in the house. "I will go first, Robert."

He motioned for her to stand back. "No, no. I am the man. I will lead."

~~~~~

The battle with the chair had almost killed Helm, strangling his life away. He almost chuckled at the absurdity of it all. During the war, soldiers tried to choke the life out of him during hand to hand combat, but Helm had always found a way to get the better of them and live. If Tessa hadn't called out that strange name, he was sure that he would have died. His back hurt, his arms hurt, he still was having trouble breathing, but he walked towards the staircase taking tentative steps as he heard Tessa whisper, "I am right behind you."

"Stay close," he said as he continued walking.

She took his arm. "Should I grab a candlestick or something?"

He stopped and looked back at her. "Would a blunt object defeat a 'ghost'?" he asked incredulously.

"Probably not." Tessa shrugged. "It was just a thought."

"Just keep your eyes and ears alert for anything."

Helm guided them up the stairs. They creaked, making them pause to see if anything would happen. When it didn't, they continued to walk up them at a more hurried pace. They stopped at the top landing to see a picture hanging from a wall. The large portrait depicted the image of a young, suave man who wore an elaborately brocaded bolero jacket, with his hand tucked between two buttons. His strong gaze was youthful and pleasant, but still proud. "Don Julio Arnez," Helm said in a respectful tone.

"He was even more handsome than I had heard," Tessa said softly. "They were so young. They could not have any been any older than I right now." Another room lit up off the second floor hallway. Helm took it to mean that there was more information about what was going on in the house in that room. He took the lead down the hall and used his foot to open the door all the way.

~~~~~

SECOND FLOOR MASTER BEDROOM

There was another roaring fire in the fireplace that lit up the room with an eerie, wavering glow. The room had clean white walls hung with paintings. A vanity table with a hairbrush upon it stood beside a suit rack holding a bolero jacket. A large four poster bed was in the center of the room, with footstools on each side to climb up onto it. Tessa walked over to the bed. Helm remembered her saying that the Arnezes bodies were found there. "We are meant to see it all, Robert. I am sure of it."

Helm couldn't help but noticed the saw a large gold cross hanging on the wall above the headboard. If they were killed by a ghost, wouldn't that cross have stopped it? Then he smiled. He couldn't believe he was taking this all so seriously, but what other choice was there? Maybe they were killed by earthly means after all. Tessa must have been thinking the same thing, as she said, "I would bet the servants hung that cross there after the Arnezes were buried, as a homage to their souls."

The fire roared, making Helm turn to it. It was nice and warm. He had thought that it would have grown and burned them both. He had to stop thinking as if they were going to be harmed. Overall, everything that had happened was to show them things. But the chair that swallowed him. The chair in the kitchen that boomeranged back at him. He took note to avoid chairs from then on. Helm glanced up at the portrait above the mantel. It was of Don and Doña Arnez in formal attire. He observed how the image portrayed them as so young and so much in love. Julio's hand rested protectively on Benita's shoulder as she tenderly held his other. Tessa joined him. Her face belied her heart's sadness for the loss of the couple, who had once been flesh and blood, but had became a mystery invoking fear, anger and mystery in others over their deaths.

Tessa sat down on the settee and turned her face away from Helm. He knew she had been overcome with emotion and let her be. She pulled an open book out from under her and read the title aloud. "Dante's Inferno." She looked at Helm and asked, "What is this supposed to mean?"

"It means that one of them had good taste in books," Helm said, as that was what he had chosen to believe.

For an instant, Helm wondered if he was seeing things again. It seemed like a stick figure moved in the shadows on the white wall. It was crouched over, slowly walking towards them, but then would return to the corner. It was just like his childhood nightmares at his aunt's house. Helm decided he would not be a little scared boy cowering in bed with the blankets up over his head. He walked to the window as he kept an eye on the wall. When his shadow met the figure's Helm's had obscured it. He looked out the window to see a tall tree swaying in the window. He took a deep breath and smiled. He had conquered one fear. The lightening flashed, making him momentarily blind. "The storm does not seem to be letting up."

Helm turned away from the window to see that Tessa had climbed up and sat on the side of the bed. To Helm's amazement, she was suddenly not alone in the bed. He told her to get up, and she wondered why. Then she looked on the bed and saw what he saw, the form of Don Arnez. Benita Arnez was lying on Julio's other side. Tessa gasped and stood, falling off the stool. Helm crouched down with her, holding her, astonished and deeply affected by the sight.

Helm whispered, "Are you all right? Did you twist your ankle?"

"No. Physically I am fine."

They slowly stood up, arms wrapped around each other, as they saw that indeed the ghostly forms of Julio and Benita were on the bed. They could see the outline of Julio's arm protectively over Benita's waist. Their eyes were open, looked scared and did not move. Tessa and Helm waited for the spirits to move, so they could give them some clue to what happened to them. They didn't. The bodies slowly disappeared but the weight of their impressions stayed on the bed.

This strange appearance by the Arnezes made them both more determined than ever to focus on finding out what had happened to them. Tessa had related one story while they were in the kitchen that was true, that Helm had thought to be lore. The Arnezes' faces did indeed have the look of pure terror on their faces as they held each other. They very well might have died from fright. Just as Helm was thinking those thoughts, the bodies reappeared on the bed. Helm walked to them. Being a doctor, he looked them over, but without touching them. From what Helm could see, there were no entry wounds, not bruising. Then he looked at Julio's neck. It wasn't an abnormal color, but it laid at an impossible angle. Helm looked closer and realized that his neck must have been broken. He looked at Benita's neck and determined that the same thing had happened to her.

Just as he had come to that conclusion, the bodies once again disappeared. He didn't know what unearthly presence was directing the proceedings, but Helm figured that he saw what he needed to see. He told Tessa, "They were strangled, their necks were broken. But there weren't any signs of struggle. There were no wounds on their necks."

Tessa softly asked, "Like their necks were broken... from the inside?"

They both looked at the cross. Helm asked, "By a ghost?" He chuckled, but stopped quickly. "A ghost killed them?"

"There are more than two ghosts in this casa?" Tessa stated, "We are supposed to be here, Robert. We are supposed to avenge their death."

Helm looked at her in a new light. The way she had said those words reminded him of another woman who was as determined as Tessa was now. He smiled and told her, "You are a remarkable woman, Maria Teresa Alvarado."

He saw her flush. Helm remembered telling Senorita Alvarado that there was 'the most remarkable woman' he had ever met. He had been speaking of the Queen of Swords. All of his attention had gone to that bandita in black. He didn't realize that there was more to other women in the area. From then on, he would pay more attention. Tessa was showing strength that Helm never thought her capable of. The woman who had scolded him over taking her apple and talked only of dresses and parties was now courageous and caring. While he was in His Majesty's Service, Helm encountered new, green recruits soon turn into hardened warriors. It was human nature to adapt to what was expected of you.

Helm sat on the hearth rubbed his hands through his by now dry hair. Tessa sat down beside him and took a deep breath. He saw that she was staring at the bed. "They had their whole lives to lead, Robert."

Helm comforted her by holding her hand. "We will find out what is going on here. And tomorrow, we will live our lives again."

Tessa suddenly chuckled.

"What?"

"I had a date this evening."

Helm was surprised. "You did?"

"Yes." She shook her head and shrugged. "It is just as well. I really was looking for a way out of it, but I would not have imagined using a haunted house as an excuse."

"Who was the lucky man?"

"Capitan Grisham."

"Really?" Helm laughed. "Why do you encourage him?" When she didn't answer, he asked, "How did this come about?"

"Grisham has been courting me. He is determined to marry me."

"He would only be after your fortune, Tessa."

"You do not think I already know that? And what makes you think he doesn't also find me attractive or maybe he's even a little bit in love with me?"

He had certainly touched a nerve. She had pulled her hand away and actually turned away from him. "He could," Helm said. "Of course Grisham could. You are an attractive woman. But he also has an ulterior motive. I would not put it past him to think more of your reales than your complexion or smile. You have to be careful."

"Thank you for the advice, Doctor Helm. You sound like Marta."

"You are not interested in him, are you?"

"Please."

"You brought it up."

"You made it sound like my money would be the only reason he would be interested in me. You think I am so superficial. I do not always think about parties and dresses and eat chocolate. You do not know me at all."

"I am beginning to find that out."

Tessa still demonstrated irritation as she asked, "What took you so long?"

"Sometimes it is difficult to see past the satin and lace."

After a few moments, they chuckled together. Helm decided that her fighting him about insignificant Grisham was only nerves. He told her, "We have seen what we need to have seen up here."

"Yes, we must find out who took their lives, and why."

~~~~~

When Helm and Tessa reached the bottom step of the staircase, they felt like they had taken a new direction. Someone was pointing out the way, and all they could do was follow and take notes. Another lighted room was indicated by a slowly emerging light. They made their way into it to see that it was a study. The fire in the fireplace cast a dancing glow upon Don Arnez' desk. They walked behind it and Helm sat down and respectfully laid his hands on Julio's desk.

A lace doily under a polished rock at the right of the ink blotter slowly moved and grew. The lace pattern turned into a spider web that grew in length and slowly covered the entire desktop. Helm jumped up from the chair and moved Tessa back. The rock paperweight formed legs and lifted itself from the desk. It was a spider. It placed itself in the middle of the desk and spun more webbing that grew. Soon, the web completely encased the desk drawers.

Helm looked at Tessa and said lightly, "I believe our first clue is in one of those drawers."

"I do not do bugs. You are the man," Tessa said as she nudged him back to the desk.

He pushed off her hands and said, "All right. Do not push." He looked at the spider. "It is just an insect. A spider."

Tessa picked up a vase from a side table and handed it to him. "Smash it with this."

Helm slammed the vase on the spider. Pieces crashed to the floor and across the desk. The spider, seemingly unfazed, started to grow in size. "Ah, I do not like the look of this," Helm said. "There has to be other clues in the house. We can come back here later. It does not look like that spider will be moving any time soon."

"No, just growing," she said. Tessa beat him to the door. He quickly followed, keeping an eye on the spider still spinning more cobwebs.

From the hallway, they saw through the front windows that the storm was still active outside. Through one of the lightening flashes, they made their way into a darkened room to their left. As they peered inside, the fireplace lit up in the room. After a quick glance at Tessa, Helm led the way into the room.

~~~~~

MUSIC ROOM

Helm's gaze settled upon a pipe sitting on a table by an armchair, upon which, there was an overturned, opened novel. "Carpio," Helm said, looking at the cover. "Who is that?"

"Lopez Felix de Vega Carpio. He was a master poet and playwright. You have never heard of him?" Helm shook his head. She said, "He is the Spanish Shakespeare."

The way she has told him that, she may believe him to be stupid or ignorant. He said, "I have read everything the British Shakespeare has written if that is any consolation."

"I remember seeing one of Carpio's plays in Monterrey when I was a little girl. I was quite young My mother was still alive."

In the corner of the room was a straight back chair with a cello leaning upon it. The bow was placed on the seat. They were both in pristine condition. Sheet music rested on a nearby stand. The sound of music began to fill the room. They were startled to see that the strings of the cello were slightly vibrating, by an invisible force. The bow lifted from the chair and became one with the sound of the music as it rubbed against the strings. Helm and Tessa shared a laugh of amazement.

Helm said, "That's Bach's Cello Suite #3."

"No kidding?"

He nodded. "In C, if I am not mistaken."

"How about that..."

As the tempo of the music increased, they both reacted with a mixture of tears and light laughter. The ghosts of Doña Benita and Don Julio had made another presence. This time, they were not dead. They were as vibrant and alive as they had been in their portraits. They moved. They had dimension. Doña Arnez was sitting in the chair and grabbed hold of the bow to play her cello. The Don sat on the leather armchair with the Carpio book of poems in his hands. He was lightly tapping his foot on the floor in tempo with his wife's playing. Neither ghost acknowledged their guest's presence. After seeing the apparitions, Helm was overwhelmed by the joyous simplicity of the scene that the young couple must have shared almost every night of their lives.

The tempo of the music elevated in both speed and volume. Both ghosts seemed to enjoy their pastime. Then, Benita looked up from her playing and winked at them. She was wearing her dressing gown, the long, silken sleeves pushed up past her elbows. Julio was wearing a short robe and twill pants. He smiled at them and motioned for them to have a seat. Helm escorted Tessa to the hearth and they both sat on the raised brickwork.

Suddenly, the Doña's playing became more abrupt with high notes interspersed with ominous low plucks. When she finished the piece, she looked towards her husband, who spoke to Tessa and Helm. Don Arnez told them in a low, rumbling voice, "He is easily confused."

Benita said, "We did not realize this until after he took our souls hostage."

"You must take action," Julio warned. "But be careful, he will be angry and will take revenge."

Benita said as she wept, "Please help us."

Masculine laughter started again. The apparitions of the Arnezes couple disappeared. The cello, bow, and poetry book fell to the floor with loud thuds. Helm grabbed hold of Tessa and held her protectively as he backed them up to the doorway. The man's laughter boomed, hurting their ears for the volume was so loud.

"You can not escape me. None of you can escape me. Son mis esclavos {You are my slaves}, AAAHHHAAAH HHAAA HAAAHA HAAA."

Helm started Tessa moving toward the door, as he held her tightly from the side. The loud laughter stopped and the devilish voice was heard. "Primero eran dos, ahora van a ser quatro! {First there were two, now there will be four}."

Items in the room started to move in unison. An oil lamp flew across the room and hit Helm in the arm. The cello's bow was like an arrow that flew threw the air and just missed Tessa's forehead. They full out ran to the door, but the sticks of the broken chair that had taken Helm prisoner came from the hall and flew at them like well aimed daggers. Helm fell atop Tessa on the floor to cover her.

Julio Arnez' voice could be heard but they could not see him. "He knows what you look like. Be careful!"

Benita screamed, "He will take you too!"

"We had not done anything to him. We did not even know him," Julio said in a calmer voice.

"He took our souls right out of our living bodies," Benita said.

Julio's form appeared in front of Helm and Tessa, choking himself, as things were still flying and swirling in the air. "He squeezed our necks from the inside."

Benita appeared to take hold of her husband's arm. She warned them, "Be very careful!"

They both disappeared.

Helm pulled Tessa up and ran to the door, holding his head down. They ignored the pelting items hitting them. Even when they were in the hallway, things were flying at them from all directions. Tessa headed for the front door, but Helm moved her instead, towards the staircase. They ran up the flight of stairs holding hands. He pulled her into the Arnez bedroom and slammed the door behind them.

~~~~~

MASTER BEDROOM

Tessa cried out, "You think hiding in a room is going to stop a ghost?"

Helm leaned against the door and waited. The only sound they heard was their deep breathing. Helm checked his sore arm and saw that it was cut. Tessa was concerned, but he just rubbed at the wound. "I am fine. How are you?"

She looked around, her face betraying her worry, and said, "About ready to jump out the window."

They could see the lightening outside, and now could hear the thunder again. Helm collected himself and said, "Let us count again."

Tessa sighed. He encouraged her and they waited for another flash. "One, two," they counted together before there was a boom.

"Great," Tessa said.

Helm had to admit he was worried, and concerned about how easy targets their clothes were. Even in the lull between the lightening strikes, he could still see Tessa clearly. "The Don said that he can see us, knows what we look like... what was it he said?"

"That 'he' is easily confused."

"There are more than two ghosts in this house, and the malevolent ones are not the Arnezes."

"The Arnezes are trapped in some way." Tessa paced as she tried to put it all together. "They were killed by this other ghost. Why?"

"No idea."

He looked around in the room, that the owner of the laughter hadn't penetrated. He noted that the only ghosts who had come into this room were the Arnezes. The other one hadn't. His eyes fell on the cross on the wall. There were two forces at work battling for power. Helm needed to put together the pieces that he and Tessa had encountered or discovered. "What have we learned so far? The cherubs and silverware had to have been the Arnezes trying to warn us. Also, with the blood on the wall. Also, showing us their forms. Letting me examine them. The other force gave us the snake chair," Helm said, then stopped, remembering how he actually might have died in it.

Tessa added, "And the spider."

Helm agreed. "That is still not enough clues to figure out what is happening here. There has to be something more," he informed Tessa. He mused aloud, "Easily confused..."

He went to open the bureau where the Arnezes' clothes were hung. Helm had an idea. He pulled down a dress and tossed it on the bed. "Put that on." He pulled off a suit coat and pair of pants from other hangers.

"But, then," Tessa said, "whoever it is will think we are Julio and Benita."

"Precisely," Helm said with a smile. "That should confuse this evil spirit into believing that Julio and Benita Arnez are alive."

Tessa held the dress to her chest. "Are you sure about this?"

"No," Helm said, holding the pants he would change into. He looked at Tessa as she stared back at him. "Well?"

"Well what?" she asked.

"Unless you want a peep show, turn around. I have to change clothes."

"You too," Tessa said with a smile.

After Helm had finished changing, he saw some boots on the floor. Picking one up, he held its bottom against the sole of his foot and was amazed that they looked to be a perfect fit. It would be handy to have something on his feet. Helm tossed a pair of Doña Arnezes' shoes to Tessa. "Put those on. They have high heels. They may come in handy."

She sat on the footstool and put on the shoes. They were also a perfect fit. "What do you have in mind?"

"Nothing really. I am going to have to play this by ear."

Tessa stood up on the high heels and confidently said, "We will both play it by ear."

"On second thought, you should stay here. The evil ghost does not seem to be able to enter this room."

Helm moved to the door, but Tessa was right behind him. "No way," she said.

Helm smiled at her and nodded. She was a strong one. His insides were flipping from anxiety, but she looked as cool as a glass of Marta's lemonade. "Ready?"

She nodded. He opened the door, but hesitated, waiting for anything to happen. When it didn't, he walked into the hall and looked towards the stairs.

~~~~~

DOWNSTAIRS

The entire downstairs was filled with light. As they walked to the staircase Helm could see that it was also a mess. Books, broken vases, pieces of wood, plates, and more were strewn all over the floor. "It is so bright," Tessa whispered.

"Be ready for anything," Helm cautioned not only to her, but to himself also. They walked down the stairs, each step creaked and magnified the sound louder. They stopped, thinking the creaks would attract attention. When it didn't, Helm and Tessa rushed down the stairs and they waited. Nothing. Helm said, "Julio said that 'he is easily confused'."

"And that 'he comes and goes'," Tessa added. "'He' is not here now?"

"'He' must be somewhere else." As soon as Helm said it, he laughed. He was pleased that Tessa joined in. "We should make the best of it if 'he' is not here."

"Confusion," Tessa said with a smile.

They went about rearranged the furniture in each and every room that they had entered so far. A table was placed on the wrong wall, chairs were put in the corners, bureaus were placed in the doorways with just enough room for Helm and Tessa to enter and exit if they needed to. In the kitchen, Tessa and Helm picked up all the silverware and cutlery and put them in a large pot and placed it on the hearth in front of the roaring fire. Helm got the idea that they were on the right track as each room was well lit, probably thanks to the Don and Doña.

~~~~~

HALLWAY

When they were confident that they had completely changed the appearance of each of the rooms, they rested for a moment in the hallway. Helm got the idea of moving the grandfather clock, but it wouldn't budge. Tessa helped and together they tried again. "I wanted to put it in the middle of the hall," Helm said. "It does not look that heavy." They tried again. The clock could not be moved. He tried to just push it over, but it didn't budge.

An apparition appeared before them in a burst of light. It changed into a grotesque skeleton, then into a human form of a tall man with wild, long hair. Helm moved Tessa behind him. The spirit's white hair was slicked back and shiny which easily reflected from the light. He floated and positioned himself before the grandfather clock, possessively placing a hand on it. Then the spirit focused its attention on them and shrieked, making Helm and Tessa jump. He stared them down and spoke in a dark sinister tone. "How did you do that?" 'He' scrutinized them and added, "Come back to life?"

Helm knew that they were in the presence of the malicious spirit who had killed the Arnezes. 'He' must be the evil force that held the Arnezes' souls as hostage. Helm didn't know if he should continue with the ruse to confuse the demon or not when he assumed the living embodiment of Julio Arnez. Before he could speak, the phantom said, "Never mind. I will enjoy taking your souls again."

Tessa yanked on Helm's arm, pulling him toward the stairs. Suddenly, two apparitions appeared and lingered between Tessa, Helm and the evil spirit that followed them.

"NO!", yelled the diabolical spook in confusion at the ghostly forms of Julio and Benita. "How can that be?"

"EscarabaJojugo!" Julio yelled. "Leave them alone!"

~~~~~

STUDY

Helm forced Tessa to the gap between the doorframe and the bureau which blocked easy entrance and they made it to the opposite corner of the room. They heard forces of energy clashing against one another in the hallway as objects were thrown, and voices of men growled while a woman cried out in anger. The combat had lasted only a few minutes then all was silent.

When Helm felt it was once again safe to move and believing that the evil ghost was no longer around, he told Tessa, "We have to find out who that spirit is and why 'he' is against the Arnezes."

Tessa strode over to the desk with determination, then hesitated when she spotted the spider was still on the desk. The entire desk had been encased in a tight grayish white web. Helm knew that if they tried to kill the spider, it would grow larger. He spotted a piece of the broken chair and had an idea. Why kill it? He held onto one end of the stick and pointed the other in front of the spider. To his amazement, it climbed onto it. Helm threw it and the stick across the room.

They started ripping through the webbing. "There has to be a clue in here, otherwise why did the spider protect it," he said. The webbing stuck to his arms and some flew up to his face. Tessa was in the same predicament, but they kept on ripping through it until they were able to get to the middle drawer handle. Tessa pulled it open and sifted through desk items as Helm saw a leather portfolio and picked it up. He opened it to reveal what seemed to be important papers. He saw the deed to the land, the Arnezes' Certificate of Marriage, bank notices and sale invoices. He set the portfolio on the desk and they looked through the drawers some more. Don Arnez appeared to have been a very meticulous bookkeeper. One piece of parchment caught Tessa's attention and she picked it up. She announced, "A receipt."

Helm grabbed it from her to inspect it. It was the auction receipt for a grandfather clock, from the estate of Don Emilio Jimenez. The receipt had inscribed that the clock had been purchased in Madrid. Helm whistled, then asked, "Is that the same Emilio Jimenez..."

Tessa paused and said, "Wait... your not referring to Emilio Jimenez, the murderer, are you?" She grabbed the receipt from Helm and looked at it again. "The date of this receipt is shortly after Don Emilio Jimenez was executed. I think he would be the one and the same."

"I only heard about the mass murderer of a village outside of Madrid," Helm said. "That happened while I was still a teen, but we heard about his deeds in England."

"They are still talking about his savage exploits in Madrid while I was there. It is said that when he was finally caught, Count Guillermo Del Carillo, who was the Spanish Authority for the Royal Court had him dragged through the streets of Madrid and hung in the square for all to see. My father told me that masses of citizens rose up and wanted his blood themselves for all of his evil killings. My father could never understand how a well privileged man, who had everything, would so savagely raid an innocent village."

"There is no explaining madness."

Tessa said, "And Don Arnez must have purchased Jimenez' grandfather clock at an auction."

"Is that why he holds the Arnezes hostage? His spirit followed his possessions?"

"Don Arnez did say that 'he' seeks revenge." Tessa seemed at a loss. "He sought revenge for purchasing the clock of an executed man? That is their only crime? For that, Julio and Benita were killed?"

Helm felt a chill when he thought there might be other owners of Jimenez' property who could have fallen into the same fate as the Arnezes. Helm remembered the words 'he comes and goes' from... something. He couldn't remember who or what had said those words, but maybe that was why 'he' did. He was haunting houses of all who had purchased his possessions?

Helm shook off the thought and focused on the house that he was in. "Since he is gone, we should change our appearance again to confuse him when he comes back."

"Change clothes again? But they would be the Arnezes clothes still. Or do you mean our clothes? They may be dry by now."

Helm saw that the once roaring fire in the study's fireplace had extinguished and turned into waste. But the room was still well lit. There were no candles burning. But the room was well lit! Instead of being scared, he thanked the Arnezes for their help. He walked to the fireplace, and held his hand over the charred logs. There wasn't any more smoke rising from it. He touched one log and it was cool. His hand touched the ash at the bottom and he rubbed the soot between his fingers. It left a black color. "Come here," he told Tessa.

When Tessa crouched down next to Helm, he smeared soot on her face. She flinched. "What did you do that for?"

"We can confuse Emilio Jimenez so that he can not recognize us."

As he continued smearing soot on her face, and then his own, he got a glimpse of Tessa's black face and white eyes before she turned away from him. For just a second, he thought she looked so familiar. The Queen in her lace mask? He asked her, "Why will you not look at me?"

"I am not used to being so dirty, Doctor."

She stood up and walked back to the desk. She said, "The cherubs repeated something about three is the key. What do you think that means and what does it have to do with Emilio Jimenez?"

"Three times the charm? Maybe his name?" Helm said. Helm removed the webbing that covered the quill pen and ink bottle on the desk. He checked the ink bottle and wasn't very surprised with everything that had happened thus far to see that it had not dried out. He took the clock receipt and wrote the name 'Emilio Jimenez' three times. They waited for something to happen, but nothing did.

Tessa said, "Maybe we need to say 'his' name instead."

"That's got to be it." Helm folded the receipt and put it in his pocket. "But then again, that would only work if 'he' were able to hear his name said three times. He have to get him back here."

"The clock," Tessa said on her way to the bureau in front of the door.

~~~~~

HALLWAY

When they slipped past the bureau back into the hallway, Helm said, "It would not move before. That would really confuse him if his 'home' is gone."

"Or make him angrier."

They both tried to move it again, but to no avail. The hallway went completely dark. Helm felt Tessa hold onto his arm. At least, he hoped it was Tessa. He felt for her and found her waist. A bright light appeared at the end of the hallway, near the front door. Helm wasn't sure if it was his imagination or if he could actually see a half-formed shape. Before their eyes, the shape took form and light started to fill the area once again. Emilio Jimenez had returned. His long, white hair flew in a wind that he had created.

Jimenez examined Helm and Tessa with black faces. The ghost folded his arms in front of himself and lifted a hand. He tapped a finger against his chin. Helm smiled. He was confused. In a diabolical tone, Jimenez spoke, "Who are you now? Where did my new play things go?"

He floating over to hover in front of Tessa. Helm tried to get in between them, but couldn't. Jimenez reached out to touch her. Helm tried to stop the eerie phenomenon, but a strong energy plastered him back against the wall. He watched helplessly as Emilio's invisible force rubbed a finger on Tessa's black face and left a trail of her skin color in its wake. Jimenez laughed in a horrific manner, temporarily distracted.

Helm felt the energy release him, enabling him to move again. He quickly wiped the soot off his face with his hands and indicated Tessa do the same. She quickly used the skirt of the dress and wiped her face. Emilio stopped laughing. The two figures had confused it again.

"For a ghost, he is not too bright," Tessa said.

Helm looked at all the collected artifacts and broken pieces left from the ghostly fight Jimenez had with Arnez and picked up a long, silver candlestick. The weight was heavy. Helm rolled it around in his hands to get a good grip on it. He made sure that Jimenez saw what he was about to do. Helm threw the candlestick at the clock. The glass below the face shattered. The pendulum vibrated off balance. The ghost shrieked in horror. Helm grabbed one of the weights inside the clock and tugged with all of his strength. The ten-inch weight loosened from the chains. With the weight in hand, Helm smashed it against the face of the clock.

"How dare you!" Jimenez' voice boomed.

"Now that we have his attention," Helm said, and grabbed Tessa's hand. He ran for a door, any door would do.

~~~~~

MUSIC ROOM

They both tripped over the footstool that they had placed in the doorway and landed heavily on the floor. Jimenez' ghost was right on their heels, floating easily into the room. Its contents made him pause for a moment. Helm and Tessa took that opportunity to crawl toward the fireplace. Jimenez hovered over them. Before the demonic spectral could gather anger and harm them, Tessa stood up and yelled out, "Emilio Jimenez! Emilio Jimenez! Emilio Jimenez!"

Emilio Jimenez's ghost floated motionless and contorted with fear. Helm stood up and took the receipt out of his pocket and showed it to the ghastly essence that his name was written on it three times.

Jimenez cried out, "NO!" as he turned into the skeleton version of himself.

Tessa grabbed the receipt and threw it into the fire. The wicked phantasm howled as it slowly started to vanish and was transferred, seemingly against his will, into the flames fighting and moaning, but unable to stop the inevitable. The flames overtook its formation in the fireplace and soon, Don Emilio Jimenez' ghost was gone.

The storm that had still churned outside suddenly stopped. The sound of thunder and lightening had ceased. The clouds cleared. Helm walked over to the window to see the night had turned calm and millions of stars illuminated the sky. After taking a deep refreshing breath, he worked the kinks out of his neck. He had wanted a diversion, but this whole evening had not been what he had expected.

He turned around to see that Tessa held a candle to the flames in the fireplace. When lit, she set it on the hearth and looked up at Helm. He joined her on his knees in front of the fire.

Tessa held her hands together in prayer and bowed her head. Helm never thought of himself as a religious man, but he followed her lead. She crossed herself and recited, "In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The souls of these two people, who once lived their lives on this earth were taken away, like a drop of water removed from the ocean. For many years, their souls have endured a period of purgatory. Now that their captor has been defeated, may the gates to the kingdom of heaven welcome them with open arms. Bless their souls in everlasting life. May they rest in eternal and divine peace with all the angels and saints. Amen."

Behind them, Helm heard two voices, one male, one female, exclaim, "Thank you."

Helm and Tessa both turned as a strong solitary light illuminate the room with the apparition of Don Julio Arnez. Then Doña Benita Arnez joined him. Slowly the two turned to the window and holding hands walked through the wall disappearing from sight. Helm and Tessa got up and ran to the window to see the ghosts of the Arnezes continue the path up towards the stars.

Helm placed his arm around Tessa's waist as they stood still and watched them. Helm smiled at Tessa and said, "We have overstayed our welcome. Should we take leave of this place?"

"We will have to try the door."

"I have a feeling there will only be one now."

Helm escorted her to the hall, then to the front door. "I have a confession to make, Tessa," he said as they passed the clock.

"What is that, Doctor?"

He was going to admit that he had been scared, but instead, he said, "I liked it better when you called me Robert."

Tessa smiled. There were still traces of ash on her face, her clothes were filthy, but she looked gloriously beautiful. She said, "I have a confession to make also, Robert. I always knew that your eyes are green."

~~~~~

EPILOGUE

After the storm had ceased and the night sky was cleared, Tessa and Helm vacated the hacienda. Locating the wagon outside, they climbed aboard and Helm, of course, took control of the reins. Tessa just sat back and enjoyed the peace and quiet. Within minutes they abandoned the old hacienda and Helm knew exactly which direction was the Alvarado hacienda. Riding in silence, they each contemplated their atmospheric surroundings. The rain had been a blessing. The earth was renewed once again offering richness to the land that had been lacking any water for quite a long time. There were deep puddles that Helm adeptly steered the horses around.

Tessa always enjoyed riding at night. The air was clean and the breeze was always cool. Arriving at the Alvarado hacienda, Helm helped Tessa down from the wagon and they walked to her front door. Before she opened it and went inside, Tessa turned to Helm. "Thank you Robert, for all your help."

Helm smiled back, "Your welcome, Señorita. If you don't mind, I'd like to take the wagon home and then I'll return it in the morning.

"Oh no, not at all. Please drive safely."

"Thank you. It was a very interesting evening." Bowing his head, Helm started to depart. "Good night, Señorita."

"Buenas noches, Doctor," Tessa responded and went inside.

Marta had heard Tessa's arrival and rushed to the door to meet her. Tessa didn't say where she had been or what she had been doing. Marta looked out the window to see Helm depart with their wagon. Tessa was irritatingly silent. The only thing that Marta could get her to say was, "No I'm not hungry, Marta, but I would kill for a bath."

Marta decided to wait with her continued barrage of questions until Tessa was comfortable in the bath. Marta could tell that something major happened, but why would Tessa not tell her?

When the bath was all ready, Tessa climbed inside. From Tessa's relaxed and relieved face, Marta knew that she had gotten the water the perfect temperature. She had sprinkled rose oil and milk to make the water soothing. Marta offered her a glass of wine. Tessa took a sip and set it down on the small table nearby. Knowing that Tessa needed more time, Marta walked out of the room.

Tessa leaned back in the tub and closed her eyes. The wine was helping her feel relaxed and comfortable. As she randomly remembered all of the events that took place in the hacienda, she recalled the story that her father had told her about the haunted house and the ill fate of the Arnezes.

Somehow she had managed to defeat her fear and was no longer afraid of the spirit world. For that, she had to thank a certain man. If Dr. Helm hadn't been there... one, she wouldn't have entered the casa in the first place. But two, she wouldn't have survived it all without his courage and curiosity. Together, they had free two souls that had been held captive for two decades. The thought of it was still so new. So awe inspiring. So unreal. She lifted her arm out of the milky bath and saw from her bruises that it had been real.

~~~~~

Elsewhere at that same moment, a man lounged in the tub full of hot water himself. Instead of wine, his beverage of choice was a snifter of brandy. The ride back to Santa Helena had been quick and Helm couldn't wait to get home and soak in hot water. The bottle of brandy sat on the floor within reach. It was his favorite year. Immersed in the steaming tub, Helm leaned back and closed his eyes. "This is the life," he murmured to himself. It felt good to loosen up and enjoy the brandy, it was the perfect culmination to the evening.

Helm recalled all that he and Tessa had encountered at the Arnezes hacienda. He had not believed in the afterlife before, thinking that the boogie man was only an overactive child's imagination. His rude awakening had given him a new respect for the incredible divine phenomenon. He also couldn't believe how adeptly Señorita Alvarado had stood up to the challenge. There was more to that woman than frowning about an apple plucked away. He brushed hot water over his sore shoulder and saw the bruise on his side. It would heal. Helm smiled as he sunk down lower in the tub. He swirled and sniffed the woody aroma of the brandy, savoring everything it had to offer before he would take a swallow.

~~~~~

Tessa picked up her wineglass and held it in the air. "To the man who shared my worst fear and helped me conquer them."

~~~~~

Raising his snifter in the air, Helm saw how the brandy swirled in motion before he made a toast of his own, "To Señorita Alvarado, who I now believe, will never cease to amaze me."

THE END