by Jen Talty
“Why don’t you stay with us for a week or so?” Charline offered. “It doesn’t make sense that you’re paying for a hotel room when we have so much unused room.” She waved a hand around. “The house is simply too empty, now that Suellen has gone. I’d be glad for the company.”
“What a generous offer.” Tabitha bit her lip. “I don’t know. I mean, I’m a stranger. Your husband might find it awkward.”
“Everyone is a stranger until she’s a friend,” Charline said. “Please. If you find it uncomfortable, you can always move back into the hotel. And if you’re here, you can more easily communicate with Suellen. She is here. I know it. And I don’t care who calls me crazy.”
“You’re certainly not crazy, and it’s true that being here, on site, would simplify things greatly.” At last Tabitha smiled. “Deal! Once we finish our session, I’ll go pack my things and come back. Are you sure your husband won’t mind?”
“Samuel is very easy going. He’ll be happy to see that I’m making an effort to be social. He’s been concerned for me, because I’ve been so worried about him and the…ghost. Some might say I’ve been obsessed with it. I’m not. I worry that Suellen is here for a reason. There have been some strange…never mind. I just want her to go on and be happy. On to the next adventure. Samuel wants me to figure out what’s going on and put it behind me. He’ll be more than happy that you’re here.”
“You’re a very generous woman, Mrs. Long.”
“Call me Charline. If we’re to be friends, we should use first names.”
“Of course. Now let’s get to the session.” Tabitha reached into her handbag and brought out several small candles, a silver bell, and some cards. “These are all tools I use to help the spirits communicate. What say we give it a go?”
The sound of the doorbell chiming made Charline pause. “Excuse me. I’d hoped we wouldn’t be interrupted.” She rose and went to the front door.
“I won’t let you get involved with a shyster.” The male voice from the doorway came clearly to Tabitha, and she knew it was trouble for her. But who was the male? Not Samuel—she’d done her research and knew he was never that confrontational. Who was this brusque man? She didn’t have long to wait.
A tall, well-muscled man in his late twenties stepped into the room. He glared at her. “You should leave now. My aunt is vulnerable, and you’re nothing more than a vulture here to pick her bones.”
“Raj!” Charline said. “Please stop. Tabitha is my guest. Please, you’re embarrassing me.”
“Aunt Charline, I won’t have you made a fool of by someone claiming to see the future or talk to spirits or whatever her gimmick is.”
“Tabitha Kingsley, this is my nephew, Roger Long. We call him Raj for short, and you can see why. He’s a bit of a tyrant when he gets his dander up.” She went to her nephew and stood on tiptoe to kiss his scowl. “Say hello to my guest.”
“Ms. Kingsley.” Raj nodded. “I apologize. I hope you understand I’m looking out for my aunt.”
“Of course.” Tabitha looked at Roger Long and thought of a panther. He was energy contained. And he was also at the top of her suspect list. Trudy had worked for him, and in the conversations Trudy had shared with her sister, Trudy had revealed that Roger Long was hot-tempered, volatile, aggressive, and generous to his employees. “We can have a session another time.” Tabitha put a hand on Charline’s shoulder. It was just bad luck that Roger had showed up so quickly.
“No, don’t let me interrupt,” Roger said. “In fact, I’m curious as to what brings you to Mississippi? I’ve heard the gossip in the local café that you’re connecting all the best families with their dead relatives.”
“Roger! Tabitha is here at my invitation,” Charline said, stepping between the two. “And she’ll be my houseguest for several days.”
“I’m fascinated to see how Ms. Kingsley works,” Roger said. “I’ll stick to her like a burr to make sure she has everything she needs.”
Tabitha wanted to stomp Roger Long’s arrogant foot. She’d taken note of his expensive boots and oh-so-casually expensive polo shirt and jeans. Instead she smiled. “Mrs. Long is lucky to have someone who looks out for her…well-being.”
He shot a curious look at her, reading between the lines as she’d intended him to do. “I hope you don’t fill Aunt Charline’s head with stories of ghosts lurking about. My grandmother was a wonderful lady who lived her life to the fullest. I don’t believe regrets would keep her hanging around here.”
“Then why do you suppose both your aunt and uncle sense her here? With some urgency, I might add.” She waited.
“Because they miss her. We all miss her, but her spirit isn’t lurking about. You can take that to the bank, along with whatever money you’re bilking out of Charline and Samuel.”
Tabitha forced a smile. “Oh, Suellen is here, Mr. Long. Never doubt that, but my sense is that she’s here because she cares for this family. Perhaps there’s some unfinished business, but certainly not out of regret.” She decided to take a big risk. She touched her forehead lightly with her fingertips. “She wants me to tell you that the missing woman is okay. Not safe, but okay for the moment.”
His reaction was everything and more. He pulled back from her as if he’d been shocked.
“See, Raj. You were worried about that young woman who didn’t show up for work. She’s okay. That should relieve your mind.” Charline patted his arm. “Will you be here for dinner tonight? Samuel’s grilling some Gulf shrimp.”
“What time?”
“Six o’clock for cocktails, then dinner.” Charline linked her arm with his. “Tabitha will also be our guest. As I mentioned, she’s staying here until she finds a suitable property to buy.” Her one cocked eyebrow brooked no disagreement.
Tabitha expected Roger to resist, but he only smiled. “How wonderful. I look forward to tonight and more revelations from the spirit world. Revelations anyone could know by spending three minutes in town.” He shot her a sidelong glance. “Now I need to head up to the co-op to put in a fertilizer order and then return to the offices to finish up work.”
“He’s a lovely young man when he isn’t being officious,” Charline said, giving her nephew a hard look.
“He’s only looking out for you.” Tabitha supplied the expected response, though she wasn’t sure at all that Roger had anyone’s interest at heart except his own. She’d met his level steel gray gaze and could read nothing behind his eyes.
“Until tonight,” he said and kissed his aunt’s cheek before he left. The front door closed with a solid click.
“Let me get us some tea. The weather is a bit on the raw side, don’t you think?” Charline asked.
“Yes, the wind is cold, blowing over this open land. The vista of the Delta is startling and a little unsettling.” The land was so open, so windswept and free of houses.
“Have a seat. I’ll be back in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.” Charline disappeared down a hallway and Tabitha examined the parlor. It was another stunning room with velvet drapes that puddled beside windows designed to open onto the front porch like doorways. The old plantation homes had been constructed to allow for air flow, the only relief from the terrible heat of the summers.
When Charline returned, she carried a formal tea service, beautiful china cups, and a basket of dried fruit scones. She placed the tray on the coffee table and poured the tea.
“I feel I should explain about my nephew. He comes across rather…harsh. But he’s really a good guy. Raj earned his nickname because he’s something of an autocrat, in the best sense of the word. He’s taken over the running of the plantation, which is now all high-tech and crop futures, big equipment and high finance. It’s very different from the farming that Samuel grew up doing. Raj worries about Samuel and me. He tells us all the time we have to keep up with cell phones and technology and computers. He doesn’t want us to fall behind and be isolated. I agree, but it’s just too much sometimes.”
“Is he Hannah�
�s son?” Tabitha needed to confirm all the family connections. She’d suspected that Roger Long had wrested control of the plantation from his uncle. He’d managed to put himself in charge of all business decisions. And very possibly all of the employees. Trudy had worked for Roger, and Tabitha was slightly heartened to know that Roger had at least mentioned a missing employee.
“It’s a long story.” Charline sighed. “Hannah is Samuel’s half-sister and nearly twenty years younger. She was an unexpected child—Big Sam had an affair and Hannah was the result. Suellen and Big Samuel adopted her, but Hannah even refused to take the Long name when she was grown. She’s a Sellers. They tried hard and doted on Hannah when she was young, but when she became a teenager, she refused to see them. She was spoiled rotten and never forced to face the consequences of her actions. Raj is Hannah’s son, but I have no idea what kind of relationship they have. Let’s just leave it there. Now, what can I do to help you with the reading?” She put her teacup aside and cleared a portion of the coffee table.
Tabitha pulled her focus back to the job at hand. She’d make this reading convincing. She’d already been invited into the bosom of the household, so she needed to cement her position with this first display of her ability.
“I’ll do a tarot reading and see if we can make initial contact with Suellen,” she said, shuffling the beautiful deck of dragon tarot cards and laying out a Celtic Cross spread. She’d learned the technique of reading the tarot months ago from the best card reader in New Orleans. Tabitha and Trudy had always had an interest in the tarot cards and the working of those who could touch the spiritual realm. Tabitha had explored her abilities, and Mama Bettite had told her she had real talent. She’d urged Tabitha to train to use her gift. Tabitha had never intended to read professionally, but she was glad now she’d gained enough skill to pass herself off as a psychic. At least until she found her sister.
“I’m nervous,” Charline confessed.
Tabitha wondered if there was a reason, but she flipped over the first card, the Ace of Swords. “Someone definitely has a message for you. This is a card of communication, of secrets, and messages from the past,” she said, pointing to a card. She placed another. “And this message is crossed by the knight of swords. There is someone, a physical person, who is in the way of this important message. It’s about something that happened not long ago.” She watched Charline closely. “Something involving…this can’t be right, but it looks like a missing person. Suellen wants you to help find her.”
Charline’s eyebrows lifted quickly. “Really? If it’s the young woman who stopped showing up for work, I can’t see how that has anything to do with me. I can’t even recall her name.”
Tabitha frowned. “Was she somehow related to you or Samuel or this plantation?”
Charline sat back in her chair, her face going blank. “No, just one of the office workers.” Her fingers pulled at the edge of the linen napkin she’d placed on her lap. “Young people today come and go. It isn’t like it was when I was a young woman and a good job was something to hang onto. What does this have to do with Suellen? That’s who I really want to connect with.”
Tabitha checked herself. She’d tried to jump ten steps ahead, and in doing so, she’d rattled Charline. Patience. She had to learn patience. All of her work would be for nothing if she didn’t take her time.
“Let me see.” Tabitha bent to study the cards. “Suellen has tried to contact you in the past. There was a broken mirror?”
“Yes!” Charline gasped. “It fell right off the wall.”
“That was Suellen, though she didn’t mean to break it. She was trying to get Samuel’s attention. She wants to tell him...” Tabitha put her hand over the Ace of Cups in the place of the past. “She loves him. He was always the source of her heart’s love. She wants him to know she is safe and happy. She’s showing me a picture of a field, green with a crop. It’s not corn. Not soybeans.” She hesitated, playing it out. “Maybe cotton. It’s a different crop. She wants Samuel to look at a new crop for the land.”
“That’s incredible. Roger was just talking about a new crop.” Charline stood up. “Suellen loved this farm. She knew as much, or more, about farming than any man in the Delta. Samuel will pay heed to her suggestions. Samuel isn’t involved with the day-to-day operation now, but this is something he’ll want to hear.” She sighed. “He’s missed having Suellen to consult with, and Roger will be delighted to have his proposal confirmed.”
Tabitha felt a twinge of real remorse. Charline Long was a nice person, a decent person who loved her family and heritage. What Tabitha was doing, playing on that love and loss, was wrong. But she’d already crossed that line long ago. She was willing to do whatever it took to find her sister. The last place Trudy was seen was in the corporate offices of Long Agricultural Products, and Tabitha had a sneaking suspicion her sister had lied to her about her reasons for moving to the Delta. She’d been working in the front office as a receptionist, until she disappeared two weeks earlier. One way or the other, Tabitha meant to find out what had happened to her.
End of excerpt from Bone-a-fied Trouble
by Carolyn Haines
Familiar Legacy #9
Trouble’s Double Contest Winner
Noire
Noire was found in a parking lot as a small spunky kitten. The lady who found him brought him home to a house with six dogs! He held his own with his canine brothers, But spent a lot of time in one room.
Fast forward 9 months and I had lost one of my cats and decided to get another cat. Friends brought us together and this little black cat had a new home! Noir is French for black, so keeping with my cajun roots, he became Noire.
It didn't take long for his independent, curious streak to show! There is no shelf too high, no closet unexplored, no hiding spot unfounded. If something is in his way, he swiftly swats it away, full coffee cups, lit candles, lamps (three broken to date), he is a furry wrecking crew! He loves things that shine, especially my gold jewelry which if I leave out, he takes off with and hair ties, I found 22 hidden under the rug in the den. If I don't get home in time to feed him dinner, he feeds himself ! He can open the pantry, has figured out how to get the top off the plastic container, and spreads kibble all over the kitchen floor
This week he decided to sneak out the door and go outside, something he has never done. I could not find him anywhere. I was frantic and worried for two days! I went to the grocery store, opened the trunk of my car and these two green eyes were staring up at me! Scared me to death! He was hungry and thirsty, but none the worse for wear. How he got in there I may never know, it will be my own unsolved mystery for a cat whose name should have been Trouble, but I wouldn't have it any other way!
Marcelle Bergeron
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