General Fiction posted February 12, 2025 Chapters:  ...32 33 -34- 35... 


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Althea and Travis
A chapter in the book Veil of Secrets

Veil of Secrets - Chap 34

by Begin Again


The sound of hurried footsteps, loud voices, and flashlight beams reached Althea before she saw anyone. She had been sitting in the parlor with Maria, trying to push back the restless anxiety that had settled deep in her bones.

Then, from outside, she heard the unmistakable sound of wagon wheels rumbling over gravel and Willow braying.

Althea frowned, exchanging a glance with Maria before rising from her chair. She barely made it to the doorway before the front doors swung open.

Tango and Poppa stepped inside first, their faces grim, their arms straining under the weight of the unconscious boy they carried between them.

Althea's breath caught in her throat." What happened? Who is it?"

She couldn't see his face at first. Blankets wrapped him, his head lolling slightly, arms limp at his sides. Antonio and Eleanor followed close behind, moving quickly, voices urgent.

Tango shifted his grip, and Althea saw him.

Everything stopped. A jagged, choking breath tore from her throat. "Travis!"

The scream ripped through the house, raw, shaking with something primal and desperate. She pushed forward, shoving past Maria, past Antonio, her hands reaching, her chest tightening so fast she couldn't breathe. "Nooo — nooo, noooo! Travis!" Her stomach lurched violently.

Her fingers found Travis's burning skin, damp with fever and sweat. His head lolled to the side, his lips dry and cracked, his chest rising and falling too shallow, too slow. "Baby, please — please, wake up!"

Her hands trembled against his face, cupping his cheeks. She felt the heat radiating from him, but he didn't stir. He didn't open his eyes to look at her.

A crushing weight slammed into her chest. Her breath came too fast and sharp. She couldn't get enough air. "God, no — Travis, please!" she moaned, desperate.

Antonio reached for her arm, steady but firm. "Althea, let us get him settled."

"No! Don't take him! Give him to me!" She fought him and tried to hold on, but Maria suddenly appeared, wrapping an arm around her and keeping her steady.

"Althea, listen to me!" Maria's voice was firm but not unkind. "Let them get him upstairs."

Althea's body shook violently, but her mind felt distant and detached as if the world was shifting around her and she wasn't entirely in it. She felt her knees start to give out, her legs refusing to hold her weight, but Maria tightened her grip, keeping her upright.

"Come on, honey," Maria murmured, guiding her as Antonio and Eleanor moved swiftly up the stairs. "We'll go with them. We won't leave him."

She didn't remember taking the first step or how they made it down the hall. All she knew was that Travis was still too pale and silent when they reached the bedroom.

"Oh, dear God." Her voice cracked. "Is he —"

"He's alive," Antonio said firmly. "But he's fevered and weak. We need to get him settled now."

Maria placed a gentle hand on her back. "Let them work, Althea. They'll take care of him."

Althea let out a shaky breath, but she couldn't step away. Even when Travis was placed in bed, even when Antonio checked his wound and Eleanor pressed a damp cloth to his forehead, Althea didn't move from his side.

She had lost him once. She wasn't going to let it happen again. And as she watched them work, her grief and fear hardened into something else — whoever had hurt her son would pay.

*****
The room was dimly lit. The scent of damp cloth and herbs filled the air. A basin of water sat beside the bed, the rag inside it warm from where Eleanor had been wiping Travis's face.

He hadn't stirred since they laid him down. His breathing had steadied some, but the fever still burned through him, his skin slick with sweat. The infection from the coyote bite had spread, leaving him weak, disoriented, lost in dreams he couldn't escape.

Althea hadn't left his side. Maria stayed with her, resting a hand on her back when she trembled too hard, whispering words of reassurance neither fully believed.

Antonio sat nearby, watching, waiting for any sign that Travis was coming around. Garth had disappeared onto the porch, pacing, mumbling, and shouting as if he were a caged animal.

Inside, Travis stirred. A soft murmur at first, barely audible. His head moved slightly, shifting against the pillow, his brows drawing together like he saw something they couldn't.

Althea's fingers curled tightly around his, her breath hitching. "Travis?" Her voice was hopeful, but his eyes didn't open. "Sweetheart, it's Mom."

His lips parted again, voice raw and hoarse. "The rope — the tree — Miriam."

Althea frowned, brushing a hand over his damp forehead. "Shh, baby. You're safe now." Her eyes were wild with thoughts of what her son might have faced.

But he wasn't talking to her.

"The hanging —" His voice was barely above a whisper, but it sent a chill through the room. Althea gasped, shivering.

Antonio and Eleanor exchanged a look, something unspoken passing between them.

Travis shifted again, breathing unevenly, his body restless beneath the fever's hold. "Lenore — she saw it — she saw everything."

Althea's grip tightened. "Who's Lenore?" Her eyes widened as her son's words settled in. "What does he mean Miriam was hung?"
 
His body relaxed again, head rolling as he sank back into unconsciousness. Silence stretched between them.

Antonio leaned forward, his jaw set. "Who the hell is Lenore?"

Eleanor didn't answer. She had no idea. But something told her they needed to find out.
 
*****

Garth felt useless.

Antonio was tending to Travis, carefully working to bring the boy's fever down. Eleanor hovered nearby, offering quiet assistance where she could. Maria sat close to Althea, steady and unwavering, keeping her grounded as she whispered reassurances that none of them believed yet.

And Garth — he could do nothing.

Helplessness sat like a stone in his gut, heavy and unmovable. He had spent a lifetime acting, fixing, protecting, but now he was forced to wait.

The walls of the house felt too tight, pressing in on him, suffocating him. So, he left.

The night air was cool, thick with the scent of lingering rain. He walked a few steps into the yard before staring at the distant hills. His fingers curled into fists at his sides, then released.

It wasn't enough. None of this was enough. Rebecca was out there, alone or worse, and he was standing here, doing nothing. He exhaled sharply, lifting his gaze to the sky. The stars were scattered — distant, cold pinpricks of silver against the blackness. 
 
His jaw tightened. "What do I do, Allie?"

The words slipped out before he could stop them, carried away on the breeze.
There was no answer. He hadn't expected one. But something about the stillness of the night made his chest ache. He moved away from the house, closer to the water's edge.

He remembered sitting here with Rebecca, enjoying the stillness. Now, that quiet felt like damnation. He wanted to scream and never stop screaming until he got answers.

The hair on the back of his neck bristled. A whisper of movement behind him, so soft he almost missed it. He turned, and there she was.

Allie.

She stood at the edge of the garden, bathed in soft moonlight, her expression calm and knowing. His breath caught. She wasn't some shadowy specter of death, twisted by memory or grief. She was as she had been in life.

Her smile was soft, and her eyes were warm and familiar. The wind played in her loose curls, lifting them gently. She didn't step forward or speak immediately; she simply watched him.

Garth's throat tightened. He didn't trust himself to move, to breathe, to believe. "Allie?" His voice came out rough, uncertain, barely more than a whisper.

She tilted her head slightly, studying him as though she could still read every thought he didn't speak. "You already know the answers, Garth."

His fists clenched at his sides. His voice cracked. "I don't know anything. I failed again."

A small smile tugged at her lips. "You're talking foolishness. Garth, think with your brain, not your heart. You've never failed and won't this time, but you need patience — something you don't like."

He closed his eyes, inhaling slowly, forcing down the frustration curling hot in his chest.
"The boy knows something," he muttered. "He knows where Rebecca is. I should be out there. I should be—€"

"But you can't." Her voice was gentle, cutting through his thoughts as quickly as it always had.

He opened his eyes. "You know I can't just sit here. It's not me."

"You have to trust them, Garth. Trust Rebecca. Trust that things are unfolding the way they must."

His chest ached. "I don't like waiting, Allie. I feel like I did when I had no control over you and the cancer. I wasn't given choices. I had to stand there and wait, knowing I was losing you. It's just like that again." He buried his face into his hands. "It hurts too much."

She laughed softly, stepping forward at last, just enough that the moonlight caught the glow of her skin, the familiar tilt of her smile. "You always did need a woman's hand to steady you. That fire burns inside, Garth. Rebecca can feel it the same way I still do."

Garth swallowed hard, his fingers curling into fists at his sides. "I can't lose her too."

The humor in her expression faded, replaced by something softer, something endless and knowing. "You won't. The love you share with me, Rebecca, and the others you care about will ultimately win. Just breathe, my love."

For a moment, the world felt suspended. Then, a gust of wind rustled the leaves, brushing cool air against his skin. He blinked.

Without knowing it, he cried out, reaching for her. "Allie."

But she was gone.

The ache in his chest didn't fade. He exhaled slowly, running a hand over his face, then turned back toward the house. He hesitated as he heard her voice in the wind, "Patience, my love."

He would wait. But not for long.

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Recognized


Main Characters -
Spirits from the past -
Eleanor Bennett - ghost detective
Danni - jr. ghost detective working with Matthew Donatelli
Cornelius Webb - Miriam's nemesis and murderer
Miriam Cascio - Trevor's murdered bride, Rebecca's grandmother and protector of the Vineyard
Antonio Maggio - Rebecca's grandfather and Miriam's first love

Bayside's Community --
Jenna Bennett - Event planner, Eleanor's daughter, Maggie's mother, Donatelli's love
Matthew Donatelli - Bayside's lead detective and Maggie's father
Rebecca Cascio Stillwell - recently inherited the Vineyard after discovering her adoption
Garth Woodman - FBI Agent and widower (Allie) and potentially interested in Rebecca
Joseph DeLuca - Bayside detective
John Doyle - Ex-judge, nemesis to all, and escaped prisoner from Joliet State Prison.
Vince Rossi - mobster and Doyle's cellmate and escaped prisoner
Grayson Webb - grand nephew and recently inherited the Webb Estate
Althea Webb Cascio - mother to Travis and half-sister to Rebecca
Travis - missing boy
Amelia - girl in the caves
Phil Henderson - Bayside family lawyer
Maria - a woman escaping the tunnels
Lenore - an old woman with a wolf dog and magic
Criminals -
Zhang Wei - once involved in human trafficking with Doyle, seeks revenge for his career losses after Doyle's downfall from the Judge's bench.
Frank DiVito - retired gangster and childhood friend of Garth
Sam - Frankie's right-hand man and friend
Jack Lexington - Chicago kingpin
Tony "The Hawk" - Salvatore "Sal" and Vito Greco -- the New York mob
Smugglers from New York
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