Ghost Light by Rick Hautala

obviously gained control of himself. For several seconds—seconds that seemed to Cindy to stretch out into long, agonizing minutes—a muffled silence filled the room, broken only by the steady hum of the air conditioner. Her hands were shaking as she covered her face and took a long, hissing breath.
    “I had no idea,” she repeated.
    “The hell you didn’t,” Alex muttered.
    When Cindy glanced over at him, she caught the malevolent stare he was giving her. It struck her with a cold, numbing touch.
    “Well now—” Krendall said. He cleared his throat again and clapped his hands together, rubbing them vigorously. “As I said, this document creates an extremely difficult situation for the two of you. The first thing we should consider, I suppose, is if Mrs. Toland is not inclined to execute her obligation as expressed in—”
    “No,” Cindy snapped, speaking before she could even think about the ramifications. “I want to have them.” She cautioned herself that there was no way she could clearly see all the consequences of accepting this responsibility, but a single, crystal thought echoed in her mind—
    There were three packed suitcases upstairs! Debbie was so afraid of Alex she was packed and ready to leave with the kids!
    “No, I definitely want them.”
    “But you won’t get them,” Alex said. Hs voice sounded low and controlled, no doubt for the lawyer’s benefit, but she detected the implied threat in his words. “They’re my children.” He turned to the lawyer and held his hands up in a pitiful, helpless gesture. Tears filled his eyes and spilled down his cheeks. “They’re all I have left… of my wife, and I’m all they have left… for parents. You can’t sit there and tell me that the law will actually take them away from me.”
    Krendall stroked his chin, considering his words carefully before he spoke.
    “Your wife’s last will and testament is a legally binding document, Mr. Harris. I didn’t get to finish reading it, but further on it also provides financially for the children.”
    “What the hell do you mean?”
    “I mean there’s a bank account which your wife opened up in the children’s and her sister’s name.” He slid a small, olive green booklet from the file folder and presented it to Alex, who opened it and flipped through the pages before tossing it back onto the lawyer’s desk.
    “Apparently for the past year or more, your wife has been salting away money into this account. You can see that it was opened back in April of last year, and already there’s a balance of better than ten thousand dollars in there.”
    Alex’s face was white. His mouth moved, but no words came out.
    “I—my husband and I were never able to have children of our own,” Cindy said, her voice threatening to hitch with every syllable as she leaned closer to the lawyer, demanding his attention. “And I want to make it clear to you—absolutely clear that I’m willing—more than willing to take care of these children.”
    Alex sneered. “What the hell can you provide that I can’t?”
    A mother… and love , Cindy thought but didn’t say. Instead, she held the lawyer’s gaze, mentally commanding herself to be strong in front of him if only to prove that she was, indeed, the better person, the one who should assume responsibility of her dead sister’s children.
    Krendall looked at her and frowned deeply. “Did you know anything about the contents of your sister’s will before today?” he asked.
    Cindy shook her head and blinked her eyes rapidly so the tears wouldn’t fall. “No… She never mentioned anything about it. I mean, I had suggested she do it, but she never told me that she had.” She could feel the heat of Alex’s gaze, searing her as he glared at her.
    “Well, then, Mrs. Harris—I’m sorry. I mean Mrs. Toland, I would advise you to consider this situation very carefully. Your sister has placed a grave responsibility on your shoulders, and you have to consider the