“Isn’t it adorable, Win?” I breathed as my eyes roamed over the various pieces of furniture tucked into corners with pretty lace doilies on top of them.
Whoever had decorated had a real flair for making every piece in each vignette feel as though it belonged in your home. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling with pieces of faux greenery entwined around their crystals and candleholders sat atop dressers, shined to a warm finish.
On a beautiful buffet table, there was an old teapot with a ring of roses around the middle and matching delicate cups so fragile, I was afraid to breath, and I wasn’t even in the room.
I knew this was a place Win would love. He loved a good antique almost as much as he loved caviar.
“Can I help you?” an older female voice asked from somewhere behind a tall chestnut armoire at the back of the store.
“Hello? Are you there?” Win called, peering into the store’s interior. “I’d just like a bit of a chat, if I might?”
An elderly woman appeared from the back of the store, moving past the groupings of antiques with a fluid grace that surprised me for her age. She was lanky, despite her size of maybe all of five feet, and tan, with a shock of white hair tucked behind her ears and cut in a chin-length bob. She wore a crisp pair of khaki pants and boat-necked shirt in navy made of a clingy rayon material.
Best of all? She eyed Win and his clothes with a skeptical glance and a half smirk.
I almost applauded her. Finally a woman with some sense.
That is, until he opened his mouth and she fell right into his web of charisma. “I’m Crispin Winterbottom, it’s so lovely to meet you. You are?”
Instantly, her wrinkled face, heart-shaped and blushing, lit up. “You’re British! What a delight!”
“I surely am, and you can’t be Granny, can you?” He mocked surprise, complete with wide, astonished eyes.
She blushed, and I do mean blushed like a schoolgirl, putting her hand to her throat. “I am, but you can call me GG, most everyone does. How can I help you?”
As Win explained my disappearance for what felt like the hundredth time, I leaned back on the bench and closed my eyes, letting the hushed peace of Plane Limbo soothe me.
I know everything in me should rail against the idea of staying here, but I can’t say as I don’t understand why some people choose to die on this hill, so to speak. The peace that settled in every pore of your body, the unbridled joy with such incredible surroundings was infectious ,or maybe addictive was a better word.
Who would want to leave this amazing feeling for the stresses of the real world?
As I tried to focus on the conversation and block out the soothing sounds of the waterfall and the hushed voices of spirits, I overheard GG tell Win she hadn’t seen my car. That’s when he began to show her pictures of me from my phone.
“Boy, she’s a looker, eh?” GG commented with a wink as Win held up a picture of me, pulling me entirely from the splendor of Plane Limbo.
Win’s tone went warm, making me smile. “That she is.”
GG propped a hand on her slender hip and appeared as though she were thinking before she said, “And you say she had royal blue boots on?”
Win nodded, pulling off the knit cap to run his fingers though his thick dark hair, obviously sensing a change in GG. “She did.”
That was when her twinkling eyes grew misty and solemn as she twisted her knobby fingers together in a knot. She leaned a bony elbow on a small side table and peered at Win with an intense gaze as though she were preparing to take caution with her words.
Her snow-white eyebrow lifted in a sharp angle. “You’re sure she was here, young man? In this vicinity?”
Win lifted his jaw, clearly hearing the same change in her tone that I did. “I am. What makes you ask, GG?”
I watched her swallow before she reached out a hand to Win, placing it on his forearm. “Well, there was a bit of commotion earlier. Just to the left of my store, but far enough away from Susan’s that she might not have seen anything. I only caught the tail end of it because I was busy in the back with inventory, but I saw a strange van parked outside, one I’m not familiar with. Now, before you get upset, I don’t know what was happening. I only remember because it was an unusual color.”
I knew Win parsed the information in his mind, but his face remained passive and impartial. “What color was the van, GG?”
She paused a moment, pressing her fingers to her temples and closing her eyes. “It was purple. Darn sharp-looking, too. Not like the typical ones that make deliveries all over the city.”
Win reached out a hand and placed it on top of the one she still had on his arm and gave it a pat, his voice calm and reassuring. “Usually those vans have a company logo on them. Can you remember if this one did?”
“Letters…it had letters on it…in a circle!” she suddenly shouted, pointing a finger in the air and making a circular motion.
“That’s ever so helpful, GG. You’re doing wonderfully,” Win crooned. “Do you think you can you remember what the letters said or even what any of them were?”
GG bit the edge of her lip, worrying it with her white teeth. “They were in black, but I don’t remember what they spelled.” She scowled then and shook her head, the curtain of her white hair falling to cover her face and her clear disappointment with her memory. But then her face brightened. “Wait! It had the letters S and L… Yes! That was it, but I can’t remember the rest, and I didn’t recognize it as a van that normally makes deliveries here. Most of the vans are the typical utility vans, you know, white?”
“Did you happen to see who was driving?”
“Only vaguely, but not close enough to give you a definite description. They did have on knit caps, though.”
“So there was more than one person in the van? Male, female?”
“I’d say definitely male, but these days, everyone dresses alike, so you can’t always tell, can you?”
“Do you know a lot of the delivery regulars and their vans, GG? Are they familiar faces?”
She nodded, her smile grim, her distress clear. “I do. Most of them anyway. I wish I could remember what the van said. I know there was definitely a logo on the side.”
Win soothed her with his next words. “That’s quite all right, GG. Please don’t put yourself under any undue stress. Is there anything else you can tell me about this van?”
GG blew out a breath, her slender shoulders shuddering. “I think…I think that’s it. Oh!” she groaned, clearly upset with herself. “I’m sorry, young man. I wish I could be of more help.”
“That’s wonderfully helpful. You’re sharper than I, that’s for bloody certain.”
She smiled shyly at Win, her eyes almost meeting his. “You’re very encouraging, and that helps.”
“Tell me, did you hear anything, any unusual noises? Anyone crying for help? I realize this is a long shot, but every little bit helps.”
Now she waffled, rocking back and forth from foot to foot. “I didn’t. But…what if she was taken in that very van? What if they…what if they harmed her?” she fretted, the lines in her face deepening with worry.
But Win held up a hand. “Now, GG, we don’t know what happened. We have no reason to believe she was abducted or harmed in any way from the sound of what you’re describing. Please don’t bear that burden on your shoulders.”
She looked down at her feet and sighed with a ragged sound. “Aren’t you too kind to an old woman like me? I wish I could help you more.”
“What say I leave my number for you, and if you think of anything else, you can give me a call?”
She moved away from Win and went to stand behind the old antique cash register, pulling her phone out from behind it, handing it to him. “Would you be a dear and type it in for me? I don’t know where I put my eyes.”
I sighed, feeling a little defeated. But if nothing else we had a solid, albeit half clue. A van. A purple van, which I admit was an unusual color.
Just as I
thought we’d have to hit the Internet to begin looking up delivery vans or companies with purple vans with the letter’s S and L, and scouring the area hospitals for my body, I sensed rather than initially saw movement at the front of the store.
My eyes immediately went to the door—and instantly widened. My heart stopped for a moment before it began to chug sluggishly and my hands became clammy.
What in all of the afterlife was going on?
“Win!” I whispered. I don’t know why I whispered. It wasn’t like GG could hear me, but it seemed like the right thing to do while he was talking to her.
When he didn’t answer, I called his name again. “Win! Listen closely. Front of the store, by the door—”
I stopped short when I realized how stupid of me it was to draw his attention to what was going on by the front door. As Win’s eyes lifted, his head also tilted, and though he managed to keep his expression as passive as possible, I knew he was struggling to do so.
And then he put his hands to his ears, and I knew he was hearing what I was seeing.
Ghosts. Tons and tons of ghosts, pushing against one another. All of them with moving mouths and pleading eyes.
Holy mackerel.
Chapter 9
For the first time in all the time I’d known Win, I saw him floundering. Believe me when I say, I understand what it’s like to be inundated by the afterlife. They can sometimes be pushy, demanding and, above all, frustrating due to their confusion. They want what they want and they want it now. There is no common courtesy or etiquette when it comes to fear, and clearly, these ghosts were fearful.
But of what, and why were they revealing themselves to me?
And this wasn’t just a ghost, or even two or three. This was a crowd of ghosts. Was there a term for multiple ghosts like there was for more than one crow? Anyway, there were so many ghosts, they melted into one another as they pushed each other in every direction, all of them shouting something at once.
Win was clearly overwhelmed, leaning against the cane, his hand shaking, which meant I had to do something to help him. So I jumped up and down and waved my arms. If the spirits could see me the way I could see them, then maybe they could read my lips.
“Hey! You lot, knock it off! We can’t help you if you all talk at once. Shuuut up!”
Yet, they paid me no mind. They continued to swarm the front door, their hands moving as fast as their mouths. There were so many, I almost couldn’t tell one from the other. In fact, I couldn’t even see them terribly clearly. They were just one big blob.
I tried again to diffuse this, only this time I spoke directly to Win as calmly as I could. “Win. Win, listen to me. Focus on my voice and I’ll get you out of here, but you have to listen.”
I saw GG reach for him, I saw him lean into her momentarily as the sound of the entity’s voices must have become akin to a raging tidal wave of noise.
There was no choice, I’d have to put some gumption into it. “Winterbooootom!” I yelled with as much gusto as I could summon, not caring if all the planes in the afterlife heard me. “Listen to meee!”
But Win grew paler by the second, so pale, I feared he’d pass out.
“Let me try, malutka,” Arkady offered, putting two fingers in his mouth and whistling so sharply, I’m pretty sure every dog in Seattle sat up at attention. “Zero, listen to Stevie!”
I saw him look up briefly, letting me know he’d heard me by the slight nod of his head.
“Okay, Win, focus on my voice. You can block the voices out if you just listen to me. Focus and walk out. That’s all you have to do. Thank GG for her help, tell her you’re not feeling well, and leave. Now.”
He held out his hand to GG and explained he wasn’t feeling well, pushed my phone back into the pocket of his shorts and began to move through the cramped store.
“That’s it, Win. You’re doing great, and at the end of this is a big, fat, gray piece of meat. Doesn’t that sound awesome?” I teased as his hand touched the handle on the door. “Way to go! Now push the door open, Win. Walk right through the noise and them, too. They probably won’t follow you.”
As he stepped forward, the crowd of ghosts burst into a cloud of white and disappeared, their tendrils of vapor swirling in the air behind them.
Once outside, Win stopped, bracing his hand on the brick façade, his face ashen as he inhaled. That he didn’t care how fragile he looked right now, knowing I could see him, was a sign he was on overload.
“Now, breathe, Spy Guy. I promise the disorientation will pass, but it takes a minute.”
I waited while he inhaled the air. Darkness had begun to settle over Seattle, the sky dusky purple and midnight blue even though it was only six o’clock, according to the last glance I’d taken of the many antique clocks in GG’s store.
If nothing else, he needed to eat. Pronto. “That’s it, no more fooling around, buddy. We can talk about what just happened while you nourish your body. And don’t give me a hard time, Win, or I’m serious about letting Belfry loose on Gooch. Now, get in the car and instruct Gooch to drive you to the nearest burger place with a drive-thru. Do it, or I’ll do it for you.”
That he didn’t give me any guff meant he was wiped out, and it was evident in the way he limped to the car, his teeth clenched so tight even I could see the tic in his jaw. But he did as ordered and told Gooch to take him to the nearest place where he could purchase a greasy piece of protein and smother the foul taste with ketchup.
I was very concerned as Gooch drove to the closest McDonald’s and placed an order at the drive-thru—one Win couldn’t even pay for, but promised to take care of when he got back to Eb Falls.
What Win needed to do was go home and rest. He couldn’t keep up this pace. So as he took the bag and the soda from Gooch and went to get out of the car under the premise of making another phone call, I was about to order him to stay put, but Gooch beat me to it.
Gooch wouldn’t hear of Win sitting outside. Instead, he said, “If you promise not to steal my wheels, I’ll go inside and eat while you stay here so you can have some privacy. It’s too cold out for you to eat out there, si…er, Win.”
Win chuckled. It was thin and weak, but he chuckled and smiled at Gooch. “I promise not to steal your wheels, chap, and thank you for this.” He held up the bag of food. “I’ll make it up to you in spades.”
Gooch grinned for the first time since he’d come into our tiny world. “It’s just a gray piece of meat smothered in ketchup. No problem. Text me when you’re ready to leave, okay?”
Win saluted him. “You’re a fine young man, Gooch. The finest. Your kindness will be repaid tenfold. This I promise you.”
He gave Win a thumb’s-up and got out of the car, heading inside of McDonald’s to eat his dinner. As he disappeared into the double doors, Win set the bag on the seat next to him and began to type something into his phone.
“Oh, no you don’t, International Man of Mystery,” I lectured in a stern tone. “Put that phone down right now. If you don’t eat, I sic Belfry on Gooch, and believe me when I tell you, he won’t be a happy camper because it’s pretty cold today. You know how Bel feels about the cold. And speaking of our winged compadre, he’ll need dinner, too. So let’s wake Sleeping Beauty and you can share a meal together. Then we’ll talk about what happened back at GG’s store, and not before.”
Win scooped Belfry from the purse, setting him on the backseat and stroking the top of his head. “Rise and shine, Bel. I’ve brought you your supper. I think you’ll like it. It has something passing for what these heathens have the audacity to call fruit.”
“Wake up, sleepyhead,” I called to him. “There’s an apple pie in it for you.”
Belfry yawned, spreading his wings to stretch. “Have I been out long? What’d I miss?”
We all laughed then, because it had been hours since we’d left Eb Falls and he’d missed almost everything. Unfortunately, it was the first and last bout of real laughter we’d have for some time to come.
Win stuffed the last bit of burger into his mouth and typed something else into the phone. So far, we’d had plenty of luck finding delivery services with the letters S and L in them, whether they were purple or not remained to be seen. In fact, we’d had so much luck, we weren’t ever going to be able to investigate them all if my body truly was lying in a ditch somewhere.
I’d die of dehydration before we were able to find that needle in a haystack—especially at this time of night. Most places would be closed.
“Okay, so maybe now we talk about what happened back at the store? I get the feeling this van could allegedly be the vehicle that was used to abscond me, but it’s going to be like looking for a penny in the ocean. There are simply too many delivery services in Seattle with the letters S and L in their names to focus only on that bit of information. We can’t totally forget it because it’s the only clue we have, but there isn’t much we can do even if we do find the exact van. Everyone is closed by now anyway.”
“Certainly, we can’t dismiss it, Dove. It’s almost the only clue we have other than the woman you saw in the clothing store, and we don’t even know if it’s related to your disappearance.”
“But let’s ask ourselves, who would want to abduct me and why wasn’t I putting up a fight? I’m no weakling. I’d have made a stink, for sure.”
“Women are abducted every day, Dove, and if your soul had already left your body, you wouldn’t be capable of putting up a fight. Thus, we can’t dismiss this purple van.”
“I’m not suggesting we dismiss it, Win. I’m suggesting we set it aside for the moment and focus on what happened in GG’s. I mean, why is every ghost from here to eternity coming out of the woodwork and showing themselves to us now? What’s this about?”
Win pushed another fry into his mouth, and by the by, for a man who despised the idea of greasy takeout, he sure didn’t mind stuffing all those fries in his face.
Witches Get Stitches Page 9