A Breath of Magic

by Tracy Madison

  The energy in the room and in me swirled on. In another minute, something new appeared behind my closed eyelids. Sara stood in her kitchen—Ben’s kitchen—with a phone to her ear. Tears were in her eyes, her cheeks were flushed bright red and her arms trembled. Then, as if a camera were on her, as if it panned back, I saw the entirety of the room and the nearby hallway. Standing there was Mari. Her body was pressed against the wall, as if she didn’t want her mother to see.

  I heard a crackle, a buzz, and then a woman’s voice erupted in my head. Sara’s voice. But like a weak radio station, her words faded in and out, sometimes scratchy and sometimes clear. “I love you! I’ve always…loved…should have waited…married then,” she said. “You know she could be yours! Don’t you care? Ben knows now. I told him…Rissa. Tired…waiting.”

  Mari barreled into the kitchen. I thought she was going to confront her mother, but she didn’t. Instead, she grabbed the car keys from the table and ran out. Sara hung up the phone and followed. The scene blacked out, but then another image appeared, this one showing them in the car. Except now I couldn’t hear anything.

  My heart rate picked up and I wanted to shout, to tell them to stop the car and get out. But of course I couldn’t. It wouldn’t have made a difference, anyway. Sara still cried, but now Marissa did too. It was obvious she wasn’t paying any attention to the road, but rather to the emotional discussion with her mother. Again, I wanted to scream at them. Why couldn’t I stop this? What good did it do for me to see?

  Mari turned the wheel with way too much force, and then she tried to correct her mistake. Headlights blared into the car. She opened her mouth in a silent scream. Everything went black. Before I could react, before I could even blink, Sara’s voice whispered in my mind.

  Tell Ben I’m sorry. Tell him she’s always been his.

  And then: Tell Rissa I’m waiting for her, whenever she’s ready.

  “Oh, my God,” I whispered, still caught in everything I’d seen, everything I’d heard. My body shook and my throat ached. The phone call whipped into my mind, the barely heard words, and they seemed to back up what Ben had told me. That Sara had loved another. My brain zeroed in to that part of Sara’s statement, and shock coursed through me. Was there a chance that Marissa wasn’t Ben’s biological daughter? Is that what Mari had heard?

  My heart went out to her, to that moment of stark realization when every truth she’d known was tossed back in her face. If I was right, then her anger at her mother made perfect sense. But then I thought of the first set of images, with Sara and Ben, and the love that was sometimes there and sometimes not. What did that mean?

  Opening my eyes, I couldn’t talk immediately. I continued to try to make sense of what Sara had shown me, but there was far too much that I didn’t—couldn’t—comprehend.

  “Well, that was a bust,” Grandma Verda said. “I’m sorry this didn’t work, Chloe. I thought it was going to at first, what with the blowing wind and all, but then nothing.”

  I stared at her, incredulous. “You didn’t hear or see anything? Really?”

  “Nothing at all. What about you girls?” Verda asked Elizabeth and Alice.

  They shook their heads.

  Okay, so Sara’s spirit had contacted me and me alone. I opened my mouth, all set to share everything I’d seen and the little bit I’d heard, when Verda’s eyes widened and her chin trembled. “Girls!” She squeezed my hand hard. “Close your eyes again and think of Harry. He’s here!”

  “Who’s Harry?” I asked. But then I realized. Harry was Verda’s late husband. He was here?

  “Grandpa,” Elizabeth answered. “Are you sure, Grandma?”

  She snorted. “Of course I’m sure. We were married enough years for me to recognize his presence. Think about him, girls. Remember what he looked like and how he sounded and help bring him in closer.” Her voice shook with indignation. “I have a few things I’ve been waiting to say to him!”

  Wrung dry myself, I doubted I’d be of much help but closed my eyes and thought about Harry. Not that I’d ever known him well. He’d passed away just a few months after Alice and I became friends. But I had a vague recollection of his face and a slightly stronger remembrance of his voice. I focused in on those and tried to re create the push of power I’d experienced with Sara.

  The energy fluttered in, even lighter than before but still there. I grasped hold and switched my focus to Verda and how this was important to her, even if I didn’t know why. A slight tremble whisked along my skin, and the power throbbed from inside of me, catapulting out through my hands to Alice, then on to Elizabeth, and returning to me through Verda.

  “You want me to apologize to you? Why, you old coot! I’m not the one who took a mistress!” Verda’s voice reached my ears, but I didn’t open my eyes. Obviously, Verda heard her late husband just as I’d heard Sara. I clasped her hand tighter.

  “Grandma? Are you okay?” Elizabeth whispered. Verda didn’t respond. At least not to her.

  Verda huffed out a breath. “Oh. Well, I suppose that’s okay then. I’m sorry I used magic on you, but that spell was supposed to lead you to me. Not to Shirley. How was I supposed to know that you’d choose that ridiculous woman over your own wife?”

  I opened my eyes to find Verda had opened hers. Her face was all scrunched up, and if lightning bolts could actually shoot from one’s eyes, well…let’s just say she had that look.

  “What’s that? I can’t hear you. Haven’t you learned to speak up yet?” Verda sighed, as if totally exasperated. “That has nothing to do with you! I know what I’m doing, and it has to be done. You don’t understand any of this, and I don’t have to listen to you anymore!” She huffed. “Oh, just go back to wherever you came from.”

  As soon as she uttered those words, the energy whipped away in a blinding flash. Verda tilted her head, as if trying to sense if Harry had truly left. Apparently, he had.

  “Well…that man hasn’t changed one iota in the twenty-plus years he’s been dead! Telling me I owed him an apology, and then telling me how I should conduct my life. As if he has any right!”

  Alice eyed Elizabeth, and Elizabeth shrugged. Turning to her grandmother, she said, “Are you sure Grandpa was really here?”

  “I might be old, but I’m not senile. That was him. Sneaky old man, finding a way to reach me.” Verda’s voice quavered and her eyes were misty. “I shouldn’t have told him to leave. But he got me so mad, I spoke without thinking.”

  Elizabeth scooted her chair closer and gave Verda a hug. “What did he say that made you angry? Is he worried about something?”

  Verda’s cheeks became a rosy pink. “None of that matters. Not now, anyway.” Looking at me, she asked, “Did Sara contact you?”

  “Yes. But are you positive you’re okay? It’s not every day you have the chance to talk to your late husband.” Or argue with him.

  “I’m fine. I do not wish to discuss Harry any longer. What I want”—she swung a defiant look to each of us—“is for you to share your experience with us. That’s what matters.”

  Elizabeth and Alice narrowed their eyes but didn’t argue. Taking my cue from them, I nodded. “Okay. Let me tell you what happened.”

  When I finished, all three of them gaped at me. “You have to tell Ben now,” Verda said. “He needs to hear Sara’s message and what you saw. You can’t keep this from him, Chloe.”

  “I don’t intend on keeping anything from him, but I’m not going to tell him just yet, either. I’m going to try to talk to Mari first and see if I’m right. I…can’t tell him that Mari might not be his biological child unless I know that’s actually what Mari heard her mother say. I could be misinter-preting, and if I’m wrong…” I blinked away tears. “No way will I hurt Ben like that without knowing.”

  What I didn’t say, what I wasn’t ready to admit out loud, is that I was sure. Between what Sara had shown me and things that she, Mari and Ben had said, well…I couldn’t see how my perception was off. But there were stil
l things I needed to know, so I held on to the belief that waiting just a bit longer was the smart way to go.

  I wanted to protect him. I wanted to hide this from him for as long as I could. Besides which, being the messenger for this totally sucked, and I wished I could forget about everything I’d seen and heard. But I couldn’t. Not when this information might be the answer to setting Mari free.

  I pulled my car to a stop in front of the house Verda shared with her live-in boyfriend, Vinny, and turned the ignition off. Elizabeth had brought Verda to the Mystic Corner, but I’d insisted on taking her home. She’d been uncharacteristically quiet for the entire drive. Normally, she had a million and one topics of conversation right at hand.

  I pivoted in my seat to see her. “Thank you for insisting on doing the séance tonight. I wasn’t sure about it, but at least I have a few more answers now.”

  “You’re welcome. I’m sorry you’re having such a struggle with all of this, but you know I’m here if I can help. Don’t forget that, Chloe.”

  “I won’t. But right now I want to talk about you and this promise we made to each other. Alice”—I swallowed heavily—“told me that you’ve been having a dream, and that’s why you wanted the magic back. Is that true?”

  She arched an eyebrow. “So you know, eh? I shouldn’t be surprised. You girls share everything. I shouldn’t have tricked you into returning the gift, but after Alice and Elizabeth reacted so strongly, I was afraid you’d respond the same.”

  “That’s okay. I’m not worried about that, and I would’ve helped you even if I had known. But I’m worried about you. And I’m curious if whatever Harry had to say to you tonight has something to do with all of this.” I broached the question carefully, not wanting to upset her again, but also with the full desire to figure out exactly what was going on.

  She unbuckled her seat belt and took a long, deep breath. “I’m not ready to explain. There are certain steps I’m taking right now that I don’t want anyone to interfere with.” A small laugh tittered out of her. “None of this is important in the scheme of things, sweetie. But yes, Harry thinks I meddle too much, and he told me so. But he doesn’t have all of the information. Or if he does, he doesn’t understand it. He’s still the same stubborn man I married all those years ago.”

  I wanted to push her for more but didn’t. She had the right to a few secrets at her age, and I had to believe that she’d come to me, to her granddaughters, when she was ready. “Okay. I trust you and trust that you know what you’re doing, whatever that is, but remember that I’m here for you too. That road goes both ways.”

  With a quick, tight squeeze of my hand, she smiled. “I know that, dear.”

  “Good. I’m glad.” I paused. “What was it like, talking to Harry after so many years?”

  “Wonderful! I do wish I hadn’t sent him away, though. As much as I care about Vinny, Harry was my first real and true love. We built a life together, and for most of those years it was a good life. I’ve missed him just as much as I’ve missed butting heads with him.” Her smile brightened even as her eyes grew misty again. “That probably sounds silly to you, doesn’t it?”

  “Not at all. Maybe when this is all over with and things are settled with Ben and Mari, we can have another séance. For the express purpose of contacting Harry, so you can finish your conversation with him. When you’re prepared to talk with him.”

  “Oh, yes. I would like that.” She closed her eyes, sighed and opened them again. “There should be plenty of time for that. Thank you for offering, Chloe, but now I need to get inside and check on Vinny.”

  I watched her until she was inside the house before driving off, wondering what she had going on inside of that head of hers. No matter what she said, hearing her dead husband’s voice couldn’t have been easy. And that, of course, brought my thinking back to Ben, and to how in the world I was going to explain the fact that I saw and spoke with his daughter on a somewhat regular basis, and that his wife had given me a message to pass on. Why the responsibility had fallen on my shoulders, I didn’t know. What I did know, to the bottom of my soul, was that the conversation would be the hardest of my life.

  Chapter Sixteen

  From the second Ben arrived at my door on Friday night, I felt like a princess being taken to the ball. He looked princely in his black tux, and while my classically styled black evening dress wasn’t exactly Cinderella’s luxurious gown, that didn’t stop Ben’s eyes from nearly popping out of his head. Everything seemed perfect. As if we’d truly stepped out of real life and into a fairy tale, where nothing could go wrong and good always triumphed over evil. I knew that this night was going to be fantastic. Well, I thought I knew that. I changed my mind shortly after we actually arrived at the charity event.

  Nearly two hours later, I sipped my wine in an attempt to calm my jittery nerves, no longer basking in the fairy-tale glow. Glancing around the room, I tried not to stare too hard at Chicago society’s crème de la crème. They were all here: politicians, local and a few nationally known celebrities, and anyone else who might be found on a list of who’s who in Chicago. Not to mention gazillions of Ben’s relatives. Yes, I mean gazillions. They were everywhere. So to say I was slightly overwhelmed would be a huge and complete understatement.

  His family members, upon introduction, always looked at me oddly, as if they were startled to see that Ben had brought a date. After that moment of shock, they began sizing me up. In all likelihood they were comparing me to Sara, and I had no way of knowing how I measured up. Mostly I tried to keep a smile on my face, my posture straight and—throughout dinner—to use the correct piece of silverware.

  At the moment, it was dessert: a luscious-looking chocolate mousse of which I’d barely eaten three bites. I gulped another sip of wine before inhaling a breath. Ben’s hand skimmed along my knee as if he sensed my discomfort, while he chatted with the man on the other side of him. It didn’t help, but I appreciated his awareness.

  As people finished eating, they began strolling out of the room, moving into various other areas that had been set up to reflect a casinolike atmosphere. Instead of winning cash, there were donated prizes up for grabs. I’d learned that tonight’s event was to benefit a local charity for the homeless. Apparently, Malone & Associates hosted the event annually, choosing a different charity each year out of hundreds of applicants.

  Ben leaned over and whispered in my ear, breaking into my thoughts, his breath warm and tingly upon my skin. “There are a few more people I have to say hi to before I’m all yours. Do you want to come along, or are you still finishing dessert?”

  “I think I’ll wait here. If that’s okay?” With the room emptying at a breakneck pace, I might be able to reclaim my balance by the time he returned. Unlikely, but it was worth a shot.

  He kissed my cheek. “Enjoy your chocolate and I’ll be back.”

  I picked up my spoon and mashed the mousse around, not really interested in eating, just wanting to get through the evening so I could go home and be with Ben. Alone. Preferably in bed.

  “Is there a problem with your dessert?” An older man, also dressed in a black tux—as were most of the men in attendance—eased himself into the chair Ben had vacated. He tossed me a mischievous grin. “Or are you as nervous as you look?”

  “I’m nervous.” I dropped the spoon on my plate. “There are so many people here, and way too many of them are staring at me. I’m the white elephant that no Malone can keep his or her eyes off.” It was an amazing moment of blurted idiocy.

  “You’re Chloe, right? I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure of meeting. I’m Jason Malone.” His grin grew. “Ben’s father.”

  My jaw opened. I snapped it shut. “Well, of course you are. Who else would you be?”

  A delighted laugh boomed out of him. “Now, now, no reason to become flustered. I just wanted to say hello.” He angled his mostly gray-haired head ever so slightly toward the next table. “Don’t look, but my wife’s sitting over there. She’s
also staring at you.”

  I grabbed my wine. “It’s nice to meet you,” I said as primly as possible, hoping to come off as a little more withit than I felt. “I’m…uh…having a very nice time tonight.”

  “No, you’re not. But you will. Soon enough the focus will change to something or someone else and you’ll be able to relax. We really don’t bite. I promise.”

  I let out the sigh I’d been holding. “It’s just…a little overwhelming. Ben didn’t mention how many of you—um, of his family—would be here. I feel like I’m in the middle of some initiation ritual.” Immediately embarrassed, I set my glass down and placed my hands on my lap.

  Jason Malone shook his head, chuckling. “Nah, that doesn’t start until the third family gathering. Seriously, we’re all happy to see you. I hope you’ll forgive us for being interested in the girl who’s found a way to make that boy of mine laugh again.” The man’s blue eyes—the same blue as Ben’s, by the way—twinkled with good humor, but beneath that twinkle, a layer of concern loomed. “He’s had a tough time of it. We all have, but him more than the rest of us.”

  I angled my head to see if Ben was anywhere close, so I could wave him over, because I thought it strange that his father was totally at ease discussing any of this with me, let alone with Ben in the same room. Unfortunately, Ben was nowhere to be seen. My nervousness ramped up another level.

  “I’m…um…very sorry for all that he’s lost,” I murmured, not sure of the proper or expected way to respond.

  The good humor disappeared as the man’s concern deepened. He lowered his voice. “Benjamin has built a shield around himself that none of us has been able to breach. It makes sense and it’s understandable, but that’s not the life I want for him.” Ben’s father’s gaze shifted away from mine for a second. “Has he mentioned his brother?”

  “Well, I know he has a brother, if that’s what you mean. Is he here?” Curiosity made me search the room, which was silly, because it wasn’t as if I’d recognize him. Well, not unless he had the same bluer-than-blue eyes his father and Ben shared.