by Jane Tara
Tye took Tad’s hand while she kept her other arm around her mom. “We were both so young when they died, it wouldn’t have made much difference. As long as you were in my life, I didn’t care. You were my connection to him. I used to look for him in you, Tad. I looked for myself in you. I always knew Mom did the right thing.”
Tad’s eyes widened. “Thank god I never hit on you. I occasionally wondered why I never even wanted to.”
Tye let out a laugh. “I think that’s partly why Mom told me.”
Crystal pulled an apologetic face. “I really pushed the idea of us being family when you were young, so thankfully that was never an issue.”
“Why haven’t you told us about him being at the theater, Mom?” Tye asked.
“I’ve only just found out. When Rhi said that Tad had performed the Hamlet soliloquy for her—”
Tad visibly paled. “She what?”
“Kip has been communicating with Rhi since she took possession of the theater. She thought it was you.”
Tad’s eyes widened. “Jesus, he’s really there?”
“Yes.”
“Oh god, I feel sick. I was planning to take legal action. I’ve treated her like she’s crazy.” Tad took his head into his hands. “I feel like I’m going crazy. It’s easy to accept that you’re my sister, Tye. But that my father is haunting the theater is not.”
“How do you explain the photo?”
“I can’t.”
“Do you believe it’s possible?” Crystal asked him.
“Yes. I don’t know. Anything is possible, Crystal. You taught me that. You opened up a world to me that I clearly remember my father rejecting. He was fearful of it, wasn’t he?”
Crystal knew they were moving into complicated territory again. “He feared certain things but only because he was very much a believer.”
“What did he fear?” Tye asked.
“Witches,” Crystal said simply.
Tye laughed, but stopped when she realized her mother was serious. “But you’re a witch.”
Crystal shrugged. She didn’t want to go into this now. She couldn’t. She’d had enough of sordid tales from the past tonight, and this next one made the one she’d just told the kids look like an episode of Howdy Doody.
The doorbell rang and broke the tension.
“Goodness, who could that be at this time of night?” Crystal made her way down the hall to the entrance, and opened the door.
“Why didn’t you tell me your boyfriend is haunting my theater?” Rhi was clearly in no mood for small talk. She looked at Crystal for a response, but then her eyes drifted toward the end of the hallway, where Tye and Tad stood, listening to her. “Oh shit.”
Crystal drew Rhi inside. “It’s okay, love. They know.”
Rhi’s eyes were locked on Tad’s. Crystal could almost see the energy thick in the space between them. Her heart went out to them both, struggling as they were with this attraction that had been manipulated by Kip. Of course he hadn’t meant to. Kip never really meant to hurt anyone. But he was so bloody narcissistic, even in death. Especially in death.
“I bet you thought I was certified,” Rhi said to Tad.
“Yes. But I also think you’re lovely.” He walked over to her and ever so gently gave her a kiss on the forehead. And then, turning to all three women, he said, “Do what you have to do. I trust you all. But I need some time.”
And with that he walked out the door.
Chapter 35
Crystal’s home above the shop was a spacious two-bedroom apartment that had been renovated to her taste. It was as unusual as its owner; it wasn’t quirky but it had an offbeat flair. There were hardwood floors and beams throughout, with whitewashed walls and colorful curtains. Crystal headed for the kitchen.
“I need some comfort food,” she explained, as she motioned for Tye and Rhi to follow her.
“I might go home and check on Tad,” said Tye.
“No, you’ll stay here tonight. Give him space.”
“I should check that he’s okay.”
“I’ll know if he’s not.”
Rhi and Tye pulled stools up while Crystal got busy cooking. Her kitchen had the wood floors and beams overhead like the rest of the apartment, but the features were its deep red cabinets and granite bench tops. It was spacious, with a large pine island in the center, where the girls now sat. Above the island were two brass light fittings. There were baskets scattered around the kitchen, lined with gingham to hold fruit and vegies. One contained only lemons. There was a wooden pot rack in the corner, and off it hung a range of cast iron and copper pans. It was a kitchen belonging to a woman who was strong, creative and who loved to cook.
Rhi thought there was something extremely comforting about this space. She watched as Crystal set about blending cashews, vanilla, coconut oil and agave syrup. She toasted shredded coconut, sliced some figs, poured cream over them, and garnished with the coconut and grated dark chocolate.
“So why didn’t you tell me, Crystal?”
“I only realised he was there recently, because of things you’d told me.” She passed a plate to the girls. “Munch on these while I bake for the shop.”
Tye and Rhi did as they were told, and Tye filled Rhi in on the evening’s events.
Rhi was still shaking her head in disbelief when Crystal put the first of her pies in the oven.
“I see it,” she said. “It never occurred to me that you could be related, but now that you’ve told me…you actually do look alike. You’re both tall, with perfect features.”
Tye chuckled. “Perfect, hey? Thanks.”
“Tye has my coloring. But I would watch them growing up, mesmerised by their beauty, and think, how can no one see this? I saw the resemblance right from day one.” Crystal poured the mix for a white chocolate coconut cake into a baking tin and put the bowl and a spoon in front of Rhi.
“Want to lick the bowl?”
Rhi’s eyes lit up. “I don’t think I’ve ever licked a cake mix bowl.”
Tye and Crystal both stared at her in amazement.
“How can that be?” asked Crystal.
“My mom isn’t much of a cook. And I took after her.”
Crystal shook her head. “Then the bowl is yours.”
Tye put her hands up in defeat. “All yours.”
“So what are we going to do about Kip?” Rhi asked, scraping out cake mix with her finger.
Crystal put her wooden spoon down and pulled up a stool opposite. “He needs to cross over. As soon as possible.”
Tye looked shocked. “What do you mean by that? You’ve been spending time with him. Why can’t I?”
Crystal looked lovingly at her daughter. “Because that’s not your father in that theater.”
“It’s as close to it as I’ll ever get,” Tye said, her voice rising slightly.
“True. It’s also as close to my soul mate as I’ll get. I spent years loving this man when he was alive, and thirty years mourning his death. When I discovered him in that theater, I wanted to grab hold of that, embrace it, and hide it—keep it mine in case it vanished again. And that’s what I’ve done for the past week, spending every spare minute with him. But it’s not him.”
“I don’t understand.”
“He can’t touch me. He can’t hold me. He can’t understand what my life is like outside the theater. He’s trapped there. I think he has unfinished business. As much as I’d like to continue my visits with him, they make me yearn for something I stopped grieving for years ago. The very nature of grief is that we grow into it…we learn to wear it. This has changed everything. It’s fresh again for me.” Crystal’s eyes teared up. “He has to go.”
Tye turned to Rhi. “What do you think? You know him.”
Rhi shuffled on her seat, embarrassed. “He became stuck at the moment of his death. Something happened.”
Crystal shuffled on her stool. “I know what it was. I just haven’t worked out how to fix it.”
“What was i
t, Mom?” Tye asked.
“Not something I can talk about yet.”
“What was he like?” asked Rhi. “As a boyfriend?”
Crystal wiped her tears, and cracked a smile. “He’s been flirting with you, hasn’t he?”
“No!” Rhi lied, badly.
“He was always an incorrigible flirt. It caused untold heartache for me back then.”
This was all new to Tye. “Really? I’ve always heard you speak highly of him.”
“There are many truths,” said Crystal “He was the smartest, funniest man. His heart huge and, Goddess, he was blessed physically.”
“But,” Tye said.
“Yes, but.”
“He is a flirt, but he was always clear that he had someone in his life…or death. His loyalty is to you, Crystal. He knows where to draw the line.”
“Pity he didn’t always know how to do that while he was alive.” She smiled at Rhi. “It’s easy to forgive him though. You’ve done it even though he’s been playing tricks with you for months.”
Rhi looked from Crystal to Tye. “Sometimes I separate the two men easily, but other times the lines are blurred and Kip took advantage of that. I would like to know Tad better, but it’s Kip I spend time with.”
“What he like?” Tye asked.
“All the things Crystal said. Interesting. And entertaining. But he’s lonely. He’s so very lost.” Rhi looked at Tye. She knew this couldn’t be easy for her. “I’m really fond of him. That’s why I agree with Crystal. He needs to cross over.”
Crystal sighed. “The anniversary of his death is coming up next month. The fourth.”
Rhi pushed the rest of the bowl away. Tye picked at a vase of flowers.
“Shall we throw him a party?” she said wryly.
To their surprise, Crystal nodded. “Yes, but not a normal party. Rhi, we need to stage Hamlet. Only then will he cross over.”
“Hamlet? In less than a month?”
“He needs to get to the end of the play.” Crystal was already making plans in her head.
“Less than a month?” Rhi reiterated.
“The moment of both our birth and death is very powerful,” Crystal explained. “The veils are thinner. You know that. It has to be that day.”
Rhi knew she was right. “It won’t be easy to pull off.”
“It will with the right people. You’ll have to perform with him, while I watch. His ego won’t be thrilled with an audience of one.”
“We can have a bigger audience, Crystal. We both see him. All we need is an audience of people like us.”
“Yes, between us we could pull in an audience of witches and psychics. Right?” Tye said.
Crystal nodded, excited. “This is exactly what we need to do. Rhi, you start looking into staging this thing, and I’ll deal with Kip.”
“And Annie?” Rhi said.
“What about her?”
“You realize Tye is Annie’s cousin too,” Rhi said.
“It’s why I made sure they knew each other growing up. And I guess you can tell her now too.”
“You did good, Mom.” Tye reached for her mother’s hand. “Overnight I’ve got this family that I actually would’ve chosen anyway.” She gave Rhi a sideways hug. “Now all I need is a link to you.”
“Marry my brother,” Rhi said.
Tye laughed. “Taran is gorgeous…and there’s something there, but—”
“Then marry my other one.”
“What other brother?”
“Taran’s twin.”
“Taran has a twin! Are they identical?” Tye’s eyes looked like they would drop out of her head they were so wide.
Rhi was a little lost by her reaction. “Yeah, Finn. They’re almost identical, only Finn is blond.”
Tye’s face lit up. “Are you serious?”
“Ah… yeah.”
“Blond?”
“Yes. Otherwise they’re identical.”
“Did you hear that, Mom?”
“Sure did, honey.”
“How about that? A brother, a father, a cousin—and hey, you have a brother I’m yet to meet. My stars really are aligned.”
Crystal gave her daughter a wink and turned to check the oven, leaving Rhi wondering what the hell they were so happy about.
Chapter 36
“Tad? Are you home?”
Rhi followed Tye into the home she shared with Tad. Tye actually lived in the guesthouse at the back, but spent most of her time in the main house with Tad. Or in the recording studio he’d built in the basement. She had been to Tye’s before, but she’d always entered around the back—this was the first time she’d been inside Tad’s domain, and she was impressed. Tye led her into one large open space—kitchen, dining and lounge room—filled with simple furniture in browns and creams. The main focus of the room was a grand piano. The house was facing east, and sun streamed through the large windows. The guy had taste. His house wasn’t large, but it was beautiful.
“I’ll check the rest of the house,” Tye said and disappeared down the hall.
Rhi walked out onto his balcony. The air was salty and she breathed the ocean in. How she loved it in this part of the world. She noticed a large telescope and wondered if Tad was into astronomy. There were so many things she wanted to know about him. But right now, she just wanted to know he was okay. His phone had been switched off. He wasn’t responding to texts.
“He’s not here.” Tye appeared behind her holding a note. “I knew he wouldn’t just disappear. He doesn’t like to worry people.”
Rhi took the note from Tye and read it out loud. “'Taking some time out. See you soon. Don’t forget to water the plants.’”
“Even when he’s upset he’s still responsible.”
“Any ideas where he’d be?”
Tye shrugged. “Who knows? New York, maybe. His favorite guitar is missing. That tells me that he’s hit the road for a while.”
Rhi stared out at the ocean.
Tye joined her and put her arms around her. “Don’t worry…he’ll be back.”
“It’s so weird, yearning for someone I barely know.”
“I know exactly what you mean.” Tye turned and walked back into the house. “Come on, we’ve got to go see my cousin.”
Rhi didn’t move, her confusion evident.
“Annie!” Tye clarified.
Rhi took off after Tye. “Oh god, yes, I want to see this.”
*
It turns out Annie wasn’t overly surprised. Thrilled, but not surprised.
“There were rumors when I was growing up that Crystal had been pregnant when Uncle Kip died. I heard my mother talking about it once. My grandparents refused to believe it, so I guess she let it go. God rest their souls.”
“What did your mother say?” Tye asked.
“You mean your aunt?”
“Oh my—of course.”
“You were up here one summer—we were about thirteen, I think—and I overheard Mom say that you looked a lot like Kip…like a young colt. She said she’d bet her house on it, and then some, but my grandmother told her to shush.” Annie drifted away for a moment, thoughtful. “I admire Crystal. Imagine fighting to have your child make those family connections, under those circumstances. Collette always was a bitch. And poor Crystal; to deal with losing the love of your life, being pregnant and told your baby could never know her family.” Annie’s eyes glistened. “I obviously don’t know much about spirits and things, but if there is any way I can help you get this play on, let me know. I know I can’t see him…but I believe what you’re saying.”
“There is one thing,” Rhi said. “I need a house for two weeks. Somewhere for the actors to stay while they’re here.”
“How many actors in Hamlet?”
“I don’t know yet, but given the time frame I’m thinking of cutting the play right back and giving each actor multiple roles.”
Rhi could see Annie mentally going through her list. “I’ve got the apartment near the wharf. T
hat has three bedrooms. And then the Lilac Cottage down the street from you, Rhi, is empty. I’m going to renovate the kitchen so I’m not taking bookings for that.”
“I think that should house everyone. I’ll let you know the final numbers once I’ve discussed it with Kip.”
Annie’s eyes grew wide. “You actually talk to him?”
“Yes.”
“Isn’t that scary?”
“The only thing frightening about it was that I thought he was Tad, so I’ve spent a couple of months making a total dick of myself.”
“My mother always said that she loved him, but that he was up his own ass.”
Rhi laughed. “Yes, death hasn’t changed that.”
“Hey, this is my dad you’re talking about.”
The three women looked at each other and then burst into howling laughter.
Chapter 37
Crystal hurled open the door of Kip’s dressing room. “The game has changed, darling.”
“In what way?” Kip was hanging upside down from the ceiling.
“What are you doing?”
Kip pointed at an open magazine on the sofa. “It says inversions are good for you. They help you live longer.” He let out a barking laugh. “Doesn’t work for me.”
Crystal placed her hands on her hips. “I’m not interested in that. What I want to know is why you’d stand in the way of a group of people having their photo taken.”
“You’ve lost me.”
“When Rhi and her friends had their photo taken on the theater steps?”
“Oh that. I was looking at the dumb phone. I didn’t realize it took photos too. I didn’t think I’d end up in the photo…being dead and all.”
“So who’s the dumb one? You are now in a photo on Tye’s camera.”
“And she saw?”
“She did. And so did Tad.”
“Oh, that’s not good.” Kip drifted to the sofa, looking upset with himself.
“You think?”
“How did he take it?” he asked quietly.