by Bobbi Holmes
“The child who has been playing with Connor. He told me his name,” Eva elaborated.
“Why would he do that?” Marie asked. “I tried forever to get him to tell me.”
Eva shrugged. “He said I was beautiful.”
“Typical man,” Heather muttered.
“What?” Brian asked.
Heather leaned to Brian and whispered, “Eva is here. She’s standing right behind you.”
“Did he tell you anything else,” Danielle whispered. To those around the table, it looked as if Danielle was talking to Brian.
“I assume that was for Eva, not me,” Brian whispered back.
Danielle gave him a nod and smiled.
“No. When I mentioned his mother, that seemed to upset him, and he vanished. I peeked into Connor’s room and saw him sitting in a large cardboard box. I left him there with Sadie keeping an eye on him.”
“The name is something. What is it?” Danielle asked, her voice still a whisper.
“I am curious to find out what you’re talking about,” Brian muttered.
“Rupert,” Eva announced.
Danielle frowned. Rupert? Why did that name sound familiar? While certain she had never known a Rupert, someone close to her had mentioned a Rupert. She considered it a moment and then turned and looked down the table at Lily, who currently chatted with June.
“Lily, excuse me,” Danielle called out.
Lily stopped talking and turned to face Danielle, as did everyone else sitting around the table.
“Didn’t you used to know a Rupert?” Danielle asked Lily.
Laura started laughing.
Danielle and the others turned to Laura. Lily’s sister continued to laugh.
“Oh, Laura, be nice,” Tammy chided.
“What is so funny?” Danielle asked. Everyone else at the table silently waited for an answer.
“Rupert was Lily’s imaginary friend,” Laura explained.
“It was cute,” Gene said.
“Yeah, right,” Laura scoffed. “Crazy cute.”
“You had an imaginary friend?” John asked Lily.
Lily shrugged. “It was no big deal. Lots of kids have imaginary friends.”
“Frankly, I’m relieved. That explains a lot,” June said.
Ian looked at his mother. “What do you mean, Mom?”
June smiled at Ian and then glanced at Connor. “I have to admit, I was starting to find it a little peculiar how Connor plays. Like he’s playing with someone who isn’t there. But if this is something that runs in the family, and I suppose Lily turned out fairly normal…”
“Fairly normal?” Lily muttered.
Laura laughed. “That sounds like something I would say.”
Lily frowned at her sister.
“It was just a phase she went through,” Tammy said defensively. “It’s not like talking to imaginary people is something that runs in our family.”
“No, just with Lily,” Laura teased.
“I don’t understand why we are talking about Rupert,” Lily asked, sounding annoyed.
“I’m sorry,” Danielle said. “Someone mentioned the name, and I thought it sounded familiar.”
“It’s fairly obvious Lily did not have an imaginary friend as a child. She had a ghost playmate,” Eva said.
“A little like Eva was mine,” Marie said.
“And then you just stopped seeing me,” Eva said sadly.
“But I remember now.” Marie smiled at Eva.
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Danielle said under her breath. Only Eva heard.
“Yes, it makes sense,” Eva said. “If you want to know for certain, find out when Lily started seeing Rupert and when she stopped. Perhaps that will give us a key to help him move on.”
Danielle looked at Tammy and asked, “I find the phenomenon of imaginary friends fascinating. A lot of children have them. I was wondering, when did you first notice Lily had an imaginary friend?”
Lily frowned at Danielle yet said nothing.
Tammy considered the question a moment and then said, “Honestly, I can’t pinpoint when it started. Of all my children, Lily was the easiest.”
“Not sure about that,” Laura grumbled.
Tammy flashed Laura a smile. “I mean when she was a baby—a toddler. She would wake up from a nap, content and happy in her crib. When she was older, she would play like Connor does now. She could entertain herself.” Tammy looked at Laura and said, “You and your brother never did that.”
“True, but when she was older, Rupert became a problem,” Laura reminded her.
“How does an imaginary friend become a problem?” John asked.
Tammy smiled ruefully. “When Lily started talking, one of the first words she said was Rupert.”
“Rupert? Who taught her?” June asked. “That’s an unusual name.”
“I suspect it was something she saw on television. That must be it, because we didn’t know any Ruperts, and I certainly don’t know anyone who taught her that name.”
Everyone looked at Laura. “It was you, right?” Kelly asked.
Laura looked around the table at all the faces staring in her direction. She laughed. “No. Although, that would have been a great prank. Teach your little sister to say a weird name and get her to say it’s her imaginary friend. But no, I can’t take credit for that one.”
“I have to vouch for Laura there,” Tammy said. “Rupert annoyed the dickens out of Laura. I think she was jealous of him.”
“I wasn’t jealous,” Laura grumbled. “But dang, it was annoying, my kid sister always talking about Rupert and how he was her best friend.”
“When did it stop?” June asked. “How old was she when she grew out of it?”
Tammy let out a sigh and looked over to Lily, who silently listened. “It was cute at first. But as she got a little older and started talking, she insisted we play along. We did at first. But after a while, well, like Laura said, it was annoying. Finally, one day, something happened. I just wanted the Rupert play to stop.”
“What happened?” June asked.
Tammy shrugged. “I don’t really remember.”
“I do,” Laura said. All eyes at the table turned to Laura.
“What did she do?” Kelly asked.
“One day Lily thought it would be a good idea to put all her stuffed animals in the bathtub and give them a bath.”
Lily groaned.
“Mom was not happy. Lily insisted it was Rupert’s idea, not hers,” Laura explained.
“So what happened?” Kelly asked.
“Mom told Lily she had ruined the stuffed animals,” Laura continued. “She put some of the other toys Lily had been playing with in a big cardboard box and ordered Rupert to get in the box with the toys. Mom told Lily that when she learned to take care of her things like a big girl, she could have them back.”
“What happened after that?” Kelly asked.
Laura shrugged. “It worked, I guess. The Rupert play stopped. Well, not right away. But instead of Lily acting like Rupert was with her, she played along with Mom, pretending he was up in the attic with her toys. Every day Lily would ask Mom when Rupert could come back downstairs. I guess Lily finally got the message, Mom didn’t want to play the game anymore.”
“She said he moved,” Lily blurted.
Everyone at the table looked to Lily.
“Mom told me Rupert wasn’t coming to play with me. She said he moved away to another city to be with his family. That’s when I stopped asking,” Lily said.
“Did you get your toys back?” Kelly asked.
“Eventually, but I didn’t really want to play with them anymore.” Lily paused a moment and looked at Tammy. “Those are the toys you brought Connor, aren’t they?”
“Yes. I never understood why you didn’t want them anymore. But I thought maybe Connor would like them. Some are like new,” Tammy said.
Ian playfully wrapped an arm around Lily and pulled her close. Teasingly he said, “I ne
ver knew you were such a troubled little girl.” He kissed her forehead.
Lily failed to see the humor in Ian’s lighthearted jest. Something about rehearing the Rupert story bothered her. She didn’t have time to dwell on it. The next moment, a server showed up to clear their dinner plates and take their dessert order. A few minutes later, someone changed the topic of conversation.
When Lily excused herself to visit the ladies’ room before they brought dessert, Danielle and Heather got up to go too. When the three were out of earshot of the rest of their party, Lily asked Danielle, “Why did you have to bring up Rupert? Who brought up the name? I want to kick that person. I really didn’t need all that.”
Lily pushed her way into the women’s restroom, Danielle and Heather right behind her. Once Danielle was certain the three were alone in the bathroom, she said, “Lily, we know who the ghost playing with Connor is. Eva is the one who brought up the name.”
Instead of continuing to one of the stalls, Lily stopped, turned around, and faced Danielle. “What are you talking about?”
“Eva was over at your house tonight. She got the ghost to tell her his name. It’s Rupert.”
Lily frowned. “Rupert?”
“I think you are the Lily he was looking for. I don’t think Rupert was an imaginary friend. He was your ghost playmate. Like he is Connor’s now.”
Twenty-Six
Lily stared dumbly at Danielle, her forehead drawn into a frown. She didn’t respond immediately. Finally, she said, “No way. You’re saying my Rupert, my imaginary friend, was really a ghost?”
“It looks that way,” Danielle said.
Lily shook her head emphatically. “No. I can’t see ghosts.”
Danielle grinned and reached out to Lily’s hand. “Lily, you understand it doesn’t work like that. Your own son—” Before Danielle could finish her sentence, Lily turned abruptly and walked from Danielle and Heather, going into one of the toilet stalls. She slammed the door and locked it.
Heather turned to Danielle and arched her brows. “Wow, Lily had a ghost friend when she was a kid?”
From the stall Lily yelled, “No I didn’t!”
Heather and Danielle looked at each other, and Danielle whispered, “Yeah, I think she did.”
“Stop talking about me!” Lily yelled from the stall.
Heather rolled her eyes and looked at Danielle and said, “Since we can’t talk about Lily—are you pregnant?”
“I haven’t bought a test yet. It’s been a little crazy, having a house full of guests and dealing with unwanted hauntings,” Danielle said. “But please don’t ask that so loud. Someone could come in here, and I don’t want to say anything until I know for sure and am ready to tell people.”
They heard the toilet flush. A moment later Lily walked out from the stall and headed to the sink. Silently, she washed her hands while Danielle and Heather watched. When she turned around and faced them, she said, “I think you’re right. About Rupert. How did I not see it?”
“What changed your mind?” Danielle asked.
“I remember what he looked like. In my head, I can picture him. I convinced myself I somehow imagined all that. But now… now I’m not sure,” Lily said.
“What does he look like?” Heather asked.
Lily described a little boy who could very well be the Rupert who had been playing with Connor—or a hundred other little boys.
“It sorta sounds like him,” Danielle said.
“You really think this ghost was my imaginary friend?” Lily asked.
“Of course he was,” Eva said the next moment when she appeared in the bathroom.
“Eva’s here,” Danielle told Lily.
“I’ve been giving it some consideration. Lily might be the one to help Rupert move on,” Eva said. “She’s the one he’s been waiting for all these years. There is a bond.”
Danielle repeated what Eva said.
“How do I do that?” Lily frowned.
“We can help you later. I also came in here to tell you, you need to get back to the table; the others are wondering what happened to you,” Eva said.
Again, Danielle repeated what Eva said.
“I need to use the bathroom,” Heather blurted before turning and heading to a stall.
Heather, Danielle, and Lily returned to the table just as the server brought the plates of dessert—and just in time to hear Tammy tell June, “Lily doesn’t want to go back to teaching.”
Lily frowned at her mother while taking her seat. “I probably will someday,” she said.
Tammy looked at her daughter. “June thought you wanted to go back now.”
“Oh. Yeah, not now. Connor keeps me pretty busy.” Lily grinned over at her son, who was happily eating a cookie.
“Now that we’ll be living here, it won’t be a problem,” June said.
“Mother, not now,” Ian said under his breath.
Lily frowned at Ian. “What?”
June laughed. “My son is just being silly. He didn’t want me to say anything when we told you about the property. But now that’s all behind us, and you’ve all seen it and gotten over that ghost nonsense, you can start making plans to go back to work. Kelly says school has already started, but I’m sure you can substitute.”
Lily frowned. “I’m not sure I understand what you’re talking about.”
Tammy reached over and patted her daughter’s hand. “June seems to believe you’re eager to go back to teaching, and she has generously offered to watch Connor for you so you can.”
Lily understood her mother and recognized the sarcasm in her voice. Fortunately, Lily didn’t imagine June had picked up on the true nuance of her mother’s words.
Lily giggled. “Oh my gosh, that’s sweet of you, June, but honestly, I hate subbing. Thank you for the kind offer, but I’d rather be poked in the eye with a fork than sub again.”
John frowned. “Odd expression.”
Lily flashed John a smile. “It’s something one of my friends, Lynn, used to say. She was a teacher I worked with in California. It fits.”
“Are you saying you hated teaching?” June asked.
“No. I loved teaching. Subbing is something entirely different,” Lily said.
“I just assumed, the extra money…” June stammered.
“Mom, we don’t need the extra money,” Ian said.
“I understand you make a lot of money, Ian. But women these days don’t want to be taken care of like a child. They want their own money.” June turned to Lily and smiled. “Isn’t that right?”
“I don’t imagine any adult appreciates being treated like a child,” Lily said sweetly.
Fascinated by the conversation, Heather silently ate her dessert while listening to the exchange. It started to piss her off.
“She can go back to work next fall,” June said. “Although, you should rethink subbing.”
“Mother, Lily and I discussed this before Connor was born. We both want her to be a stay-at-home mom.”
“Ian, dear, you sound so old-fashioned. Lily is a modern woman; you can’t make her stay home just because it suits you. Women these days need to have a purpose and contribute to the family income.”
“That’s not a problem for Lily,” Heather blurted.
Startled by Heather’s comment, June looked down the table and frowned.
Heather flashed June a smile and said, “Lily has a purpose; she’s an awesome mom. I understand she was an awesome teacher too. That’s what Evan MacDonald says. He was one of Lily’s students. But for now, Lily wants to focus on Connor. It’s not something all women would want. Heck, I don’t even want kids. But I respect her for it. And if you’re worried about her feeling funny about not contributing money to the household, I guess you aren’t aware of the small fortune she brought into the marriage.”
Momentarily speechless, June stared at Heather. She blinked her eyes several times and then said, “Yes, I’m aware of the settlement. But it isn’t just about money. I just assum
ed Lily would be anxious to go back to teaching, and I wanted her to understand I’d love to watch Connor for her.”
“June, that is such a sweet offer,” Lily said. “Really it is. But like Ian said, this is something he and I discussed before Connor was born. I understand I’m more fortunate than most women. I have a choice. I can be a stay-at-home mother or go back to teaching. Most women don’t have that choice. But I do. And for now, I choose to be at home with Connor and Ian. It’s where I want to be.”
Ian smiled at his wife, reached over, and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
“Since we’re discussing babysitting and Connor, we should talk Ian and Lily into doing something romantic for their anniversary. After all, there are so many willing and able babysitters available,” Danielle said. With the conversation turned in another direction, those who hadn’t finished their desserts resumed eating.
“Wow, I’ve never seen Heather talk that much,” Laura whispered to Kelly.
“I wonder if that guy she’s dating knows she doesn’t want kids,” Kelly whispered back.
“She’s dating someone?” Laura mouthed, not wanting Chris to overhear.
“That’s what she said. Some guy who’s a lot younger than her.”
Laura glanced down the table at Heather, who was talking to Brian and Chris.
“Do you know the guy she’s seeing?” Laura whispered.
Kelly shook her head.
“They seem pretty friendly.” Laura nodded to Brian.
Kelly frowned. “You mean Brian and her?”
Laura nodded.
“They developed some weird bond after the kidnapping. Your sister told you about that, right?” Kelly asked.
“Yeah.” Laura ate her last bite of dessert and looked away from Heather.
Meanwhile, the mediums did their own whispering around the dinner table. They all agreed to meet at Chris’s house in the morning, to discuss what they might do to help exorcise the spirits haunting the Marymoor property while helping Rupert move on.
Across town, while Joe Morelli had dinner with his fiancée’s family and friends, his sister, Tori Simmons, sat stoically in her recliner, flipping through photographs on her iPad.