Ghost

by Charmaine Ross

  “Do you know you have other people in your house? One of them told me in no uncertain terms I wasn’t to be here. So, I came in the bathroom. Where else could I go?

  “It seems you’ve met my mother.”

  “Is that who she was?” He grunted and scrunched up his face.

  “What is it?”

  Henry narrowed his eyes, “I wouldn’t have pegged her as your mother.”

  I thought we looked similar. People who know Mum, generally old friends, often remarked on our similarities. Although I had longer hair, it was the same blonde, and we both had the same shade of blue eyes. Laura, on the other hand, took after Dad. Dark hair, olive skin, and chocolate brown eyes. But I’d never heard of anyone not knowing I was my mother’s daughter.

  “It’s not anything physical...”

  I frowned, “You’re not making any sense, Henry.” It was far too early in the morning to have a headache.

  “It’s the light that surrounds you.”

  My eyes narrowed, “The Finder Light.”

  “Is that what you call it? That’s it. Your mother has the same light, but it’s a different colour. Yours is bright, but hers is…yellowed. Duller.”

  “That might make sense. She has the same gift as me but she doesn’t want it.”

  “Ahhh. That’s why she told me to go,” Henry said.

  “Don’t take it personally. She generally tells people what she wants them to do. And she doesn’t want me to have the gift either.”

  Henry’s eyes snapped wide, “Why not?”

  I sighed and wiped my hands over my eyes, “Henry, how would you feel if you were me. I mean, it wasn’t so long ago you were alive. How would you feel if you were living your life, then all of a sudden you saw spirits who wanted your help…well, actually demanded help and you couldn’t live your life because of it? And it wouldn’t be just you asking for help. It might be thousands.”

  He frowned. He leaned his hands on his knees and looked at the ground. “I see what you mean.”

  He sounded hurt and I continued quickly, “I don’t mean I don’t want to help you. But Mum went through all that, and it never stopped. Spirits keep on wanting her to help. She never had a life. A choice. She had no control over it. She’s just trying to make my life better than hers.”

  He grunted. “Doesn’t sound right.”

  I sat on the edge of the tub next to him. “It doesn’t, does it?” We sat there in silence for a moment, thoughts spinning through my mind. When it came down to it, I didn’t want to end up like Mum. I knew she’d tried to tum it off, but hadn’t met with success. But then again, she hadn’t befriended anyone on the other side either.

  “Henry...I don’t want to sound insensitive, but do you remember anything about your death?”

  He paused, surprised, “Nothing actually. I simply went to sleep and woke up a ghost. I didn’t even realise I was dead until I walked through a door. I was surprised then, let me tell you.”

  I grunted. “You don’t remember your nurse, who was looking after you that night?”

  “Why?”

  I paused, chose my words, “Henry...there’s a slight possibility that your death...wasn’t natural.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m sure it’s nothing and I don’t want to cause you more stress than you’re already feeling, but there was a massive dose of valium in your system. It could have been administered correctly and you could have had a resulting heart attack. I don’t know. It’s being looked into but they won’t let me look at the documents. It’s being handled externally. I just thought if you remembered anything out of the ordinary, it might help.”

  He frowned, thinking, “It’s all a bit of a blur. I was sleeping. I actually felt quite good. I heard voices. A man and woman, but they could have been anyone. I just don’t know.” He spread his hands, obviously as frustrated as I felt. “I’m sorry I can’t be of any more help.”

  “That’s okay, Henry. It was a long-shot anyway. I’m sure death is a confusing thing. I wonder… do you think one of the voices could help me?”

  “Haven’t you got Elliot for that?”

  I grimaced, “Mum told him to go in no uncertain terms. And he did. I didn’t want him to. I told him not to go, but he thinks it’s in my best interest if he goes away.”

  Henry shook his head. “That’s not good. Not good at all.”

  “No. It isn’t. I need to find him. He doesn’t know who he was or why he’s even here. It’s not right that he went! I wouldn’t send a living person away if they needed the same type of help. Just because he’d dead doesn’t change a thing, does it?”

  “No...it doesn’t,” Henry’s voice was gruff, “I wish there were more people out there like you, Doc. You’re one of a kind.”

  My cheeks flushed with heat and warmth spread through my chest. At least one person thought I was doing the right thing. “Thanks, Henry. That means a lot.”

  Henry’s bushy brows bunched and squatted low over his eyes. “I remember all of my life, in more detail than I ever could while I was alive. I remember my fifth birthday party, the day I got a hiding from a gang of teenagers in a rival gang. When my daughter was born. Everything. It doesn’t sound right that he can’t remember anything at all. It’s as though he’s never existed.”

  I shuddered, “But he did. And he does. Do you think you could trace one of those voices to Elliot? And help me with my gift? And mum?”

  “I don’t mind but, how am I going to do that?”

  “Where do you go when you’re...not here?”

  “I don’t quite know. It’s grey. Full of shadows and mist, like it’s something and nothing at the same time. Time doesn’t mean anything. It’s only because I see your light that I can find my way back to you.”

  Didn’t sound like a nice place, but we had to start somewhere. I hated to think that was the place Elliot had been lost in for so many years. The no-where place. “Start there. Call for the voices. You heard them, they should be able to hear you.”

  “Okay, I’ll ask—or yell—and see if anyone turns up.”

  “Tell Elliot I want him here. With me. No matter what Mum says.”

  Henry nodded, “It’s the least I can do. Have you managed to anything about my will?”

  I shook my head. “I’m getting closer, though,” I said with more confidence that I felt. Time was slipping away quickly and if I didn’t find the correct will soon, the reading would be done and the money wouldn’t get to those needy kids. And Henry would pass to his next life with unfinished business. That wouldn’t be a good thing.

  “Be careful there, Henry. There’s no telling what else is in that mist. Let me know as soon as you find something.”

  “I can look after myself. I’ll be back when I find anything out for you.” Henry vanished in front of my eyes.

  I showered, but the heavy, hot stream of water didn’t do much to ease my mind. I hoped I hadn’t sent Henry looking in areas he’d never come back from. It was my only chance to find anything out. Mum's appearance had put the wind up me. I needed answers and I needed them fast. I wasn’t ready to stop this gift. It wasn’t a curse yet.

  If it wasn’t for this gift, I’d have never met Elliot.

  Not having Elliot around was strange. Although he’d only been here for such a short time, but he’d affected me more than anyone else had all my life—family excluded. There was so much more to the person than...well, a body.

  People say that the physical attracts first. Now I would now vehemently deny it. The physical is transient. People aged and their looks went after such a short time, but what was left was the essence of the person. And it was the essence of Elliot that I was badly missing.

  I twisted my hair into a ponytail, thinking fast. He might not be here, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t help him. I didn’t find anything about him on Google. But maybe I was looking in the wrong places. Maybe Google wasn’t the search engine I should be using. Maybe I should try something a little
more—secure.

  I shook Laura awake and put a finger to my lips. She looked up at me, alert already. I don’t know how she did it. It usually took me at least half an hour to get out of bed, a hot shower and a large cup of coffee to be on alert. “What time is it?”

  “Shhh. You’ll wake Mum.”

  Laura slung her legs over the side of the couch, stretching her back. Maybe the couch wasn’t as comfortable as she’d made out. “Understandable. She certainly has her sights on you.”

  “Don’t I know it!”

  “I’ll get her some blackout glasses. Can’t have her travelling around with a blind-fold on around town.” That wasn’t a stretch of the imagination. We knew she’d do it. We giggled the way we did when we were little girls.

  Laura yawned and looked at her watch. Her brows rose in surprise. “This is early. Even for you.”

  “I couldn’t sleep.”

  Laura eyed me with a knowing stare. “Elliot still not back?”

  I shook my head. “Not a word. He won’t come when I call. I’m worried. I’ve sent Henry off to find him.” I held my gaze steady, “And find anyone out there who might be able to help me and Mum with this gift.”

  Laura nodded, “I’ve spoken to people from all walks of life. I don’t know anyone else other than Mum or you or Grandma who can see spirits as clearly and I’ve done a lot of research. But it doesn’t mean we can’t explore now that you can see. Maybe you and her can experiment together.”

  “Mum doesn’t want to listen, Laura.”

  “We’ll make her see. I want her to come back here so we can all be together.”

  I squeezed her hand, “I do too, but…do you think we could survive her?”

  Laura smiled, “Not sure. But we have to try something. I think Mum and Dad are going balmy living way out there. It’s not emotionally healthy. Mum was desperate enough to come into town wearing a blindfold.”

  “Agreed. We have to start somewhere and I need help to find out about Elliot’s life. He was a cop, Laura. A detective. Even though it was over seventy years ago, surely there’d be some information about him. Anything. He can’t remember his life, and if there was something I could show him, some detail I could tell him, it might spark his memory.”

  She was quiet for a moment. “I have a friend who is very—creative—when it comes to gaining access to information the government doesn’t want you to know about.”

  I eyed her cautiously, “You haven’t told me about any friend like that.”

  “He doesn’t exactly go around telling people what he does. I’ll ask him to log into the police server and see if there’s anything about Elliot filed away there. While we’re at it, he could possibly help us with this Paul and Lucy Richards. You’ll like him. His name is Thadius.”

  “Will Thadius be awake this time of morning?”

  “He’s awake all the time.” Laura threw me a grin. “Wait till you see his set up.”

  I wasn’t sold one-hundred percent on Laura’s ‘friend’, some I’d met were more than a bit dubious, but I trusted my sister, no matter the kind of friends she had. “Okay. I’ll make breakfast and you take a shower. I don’t want to be here when Mum wakes up. I’ll never get out of here otherwise.”

  Laura nodded. “I’ll have mine white with three sugars.”

  “Three?”

  Her mouth quirked. “Need the energy to chase down bad guys.”

  “What bad guys do you need to chase? You’re a journalist for Heaven’s sake.” She didn’t answer me, just raised her brows and went into the bathroom.

  * * *

  “This is Thadius’ house?” We pulled up in front of a huge tangled garden in the leafy inner suburb of Flemington. I could just make out the shape of an old church through a dense garden of overgrown trees, shrubs, and weeds. The building was made from dark grey stone which made it hard to see beyond the shadows of the foliage. A stone pathway lead from a gate to somewhere through a rough arch in the trees.

  “Is this actually a church, or did he build a house to look like a church?” I asked. It was sandwiched between innocuous terrace houses and very neat gardens either side of it. “What do his neighbours think about it?”

  “He’s not a person who really cares much about that type of thing," Laura said.

  I stepped out of the car and locked the doors. A chilled wind whipped around my legs making me tug my jacket closer around me. The front gate opened with a low-groan. I ducked beneath spindly twigs hanging low over the path. Wet leaves dripped on my shoulders and my boots crunched on the damp gravel.

  Something about the house made me feel as though we were being watched. It was eerie and I stifled a shudder. It had only passed five in the morning and there was no-one around. As we walked to the house/church I saw that the front door was painted shiny black and a large silver gargoyle’s head was in its centre.

  “He doesn’t seem to be one to conform.”

  “If he did, he wouldn’t do what he does,” Laura agreed.

  I had to jump over a large puddle and watch that I didn’t slip on my backside. “Not very welcoming either,” I muttered.

  I climbed the steep steps where I shook the droplets of water from my coat. Laura took the gargoyle’s tongue and rapped it sharply. Hollow bangs echoed behind the door.

  “I seriously question who you’ve been hanging out with.”

  Laura gave me a quick grin, “Wait ‘till you see him. He’s a bit of a dish,” she whispered.

  My brows rose, “And you didn’t tell me about him because ...”

  Her lips twisted, “I didn’t want to bother you with it. You’re usually so busy with your work and saving lives and all that. Plus, I’m not sure what he thinks about me. He’s hard to read.”

  “What about just asking him? You know, with words.”

  “Shh. He can hear everything.” She looked slightly panicked.

  As if on cue, a distended voice said, “Laura! Come on in!”

  The door clicked open and we stepped into a light, modern hallway, leaving the oppressive feel of a dark church behind. It was like stepping into sunshine after a thunderstorm. The door clicked shut behind us and I looked around me with interest. The walls were a pleasing shade of cream. A sandy-coloured runner sat atop shining wooden floor-boards. Down-lights ran the length of the ceiling, illuminating circles of warm light onto the runner. There was no furniture. No wall art.

  I went to walk down the hallway, but Laura held me back, “Wait a sec. He’s got an alarm system rigged. If it goes off, you won’t like the results.”

  This guy seemed more and more paranoid by the minute. “Why go to all this effort?”

  “Because if someone was using me to get in here and hiding out there, he’ll know as soon as that door opens.”

  “You know this because…?”

  Laura didn’t have time to answer. Another click sounded and a door that I hadn’t noticed at the end of the hallway opened. It was painted the same colour as the walls, virtually hidden in the shadows. “Good to go.” Thadius’ voice popped into the hallway.

  “Don’t think you’re getting out of answering me. You’re going to tell me all of your secrets very soon.” I whispered to Laura.

  I followed Laura down the hallway, my feet sinking into the soft carpet. We stepped through the hidden door and into a large room. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the relative gloom—probably another security point. Blind your intruders before they come for you.

  Large computer screens lined one of the massive walls. A bench ran beneath the length of the screens upon which computer servers were placed at intervals. Lights blinked on and off over the wall, sparkling red, white and blue.

  Several plush office chairs had been pushed beneath each screen, tucked neatly under the bench. A quiet hum emanated from each machine, throwing out comfortable heat. It was the neatest, most tech savvy room I’d ever laid eyes on.

  “Where did you say you met this guy?”

  Laura grinned
, “Through the magazine. He’s our—informant.”

  Another hidden door opened from the one side of the room that wasn’t covered with any tech. A tall man with a splash of unruly dark hair entered the room carrying a tray of coffee mugs and mouth-watering pastries. My taste buds started tap dancing at the delicious smell. He set them on the bench, pushing a keyboard out of the way. “Some refreshments for the morning,” he said, his gaze immediately settling on my sister.

  “Thadius. Thank you for letting us in,” Laura said.

  He grinned, “It’s always interesting when you’re here.” He turned his gaze to me, “And who is this lovely creature?”

  A silver-tongued computer-hacker-geek. Where did she find them? “My sister, Cassie.”

  He glanced between the both of us. His eyes were dark and deeply intelligent. He had a rather long, but well-proportioned face. His brows were dark and straight slashes above his heavily lashed eyes. His nose was straight and long and set above full lips that were smiling at me in a warm greeting. It made me feel instantly welcomed despite his security defences. I smiled back easily, knowing why Laura liked him.

  “Nice to meet you, Cassie.” He held out his hand and I gave him mine. I expected a hand-shake, but he held my knuckles to his lips and kissed them. I could do nothing else but laugh. He was an outrageous flirt. As though he knew my thoughts, his lips twisted. He let my hand drop and took Laura’s hand next. He took his time kissing her hand and the look he gave Laura made no mistake in my mind what he thought of her. Short of hitting her over the head with a dumb-bell, the message couldn’t be any clearer. And she had no idea what he thought of her? Huh.

  He rolled two chairs from the desk, offering the coffee and pastries to us. There was a chocolate filled croissant that I couldn’t resist and I wilted as I took a bite. “This is so good.” It tasted fresh, “How did you get them so early?”

  He waggled his brows, “Some secrets are best left unknown.”

  “He probably knew we were coming here before we did,” Laura said.

  “I’m good, but not that good. Behind me is a bakery. I saw you enter and ordered when you walked up the path.”