Epilog
A BEAUTIFUL BLUE-SKY day with thin light clouds hinted that spring was on its way to the Truckee Meadows. Still sore and moving slowly, I limped across the open fields of the cemetery to reach Janna’s grave. New grass was beginning to fill in the brown spots of the recently disturbed dirt. I carried a small bouquet of cotton-candy-pink carnations, their sweet fragrance bringing a sense of calm to me although I knew I wouldn’t find true peace until I finished this final task.
My phone rang, disturbing my progress. I almost let it go to voicemail, but I pulled it out to see my agent’s name on it and answered.
“Hey, sweetie,” Cate said as soon as I picked up. “I have a job for you, and it’s a good one. An east coast commercial to be filmed in the Bay area. How does that sound?”
“It sounds great, Cate.” In fact, it sounded wonderful. People on the east coast wouldn’t know anything about me, so no vitriol from the locals on that. “I’m kind of busy right now. I’ll call you back in a couple of hours. Okay?”
She agreed, and I flipped my phone off. No more disturbances, although that had been a good one. Just one more of my problems falling into order after the big showdown.
Easing myself onto the more established grass on the gravesite, I sat facing the stone marking the end of my best friend’s earthly life and composed my thoughts in preparation. I drew in a deep breath of the sweet, slightly moist morning air and began singing one of Janna Lewis’s favorite songs, “I Will Always Love You,” the Dolly Parton version. It expressed her hopes and dreams of finding the perfect man as well as the depth of the love and friendship I’d felt for her and she for me.
Transporting almost immediately, my spirit stood in the beautiful garden-like ethereal cemetery, now even more vibrant than when I’d first seen it. The music of birdsong filled the air, and I wondered, not for the first time, if the souls of songbirds came here and this was their afterlife or if they were an illusion.
Turning toward the silver path that led to the gate, I called out Janna’s name hoping she could hear me. While there was a chance she’d gone into the light, I knew in my heart that she hadn’t.
I called again and waited for her response. After a few moments, I saw her signal, and I chuckled at the rainbow-colored flare bursting into the sky. In less than a couple of heartbeats, she hovered in front of me, close enough that our noses could almost touch. A radiant smile shone from her face, none of the fear that had dimmed her spirit when I’d rescued her.
“Damn. That really startles me,” I said, a poor greeting, and I stepped back from her.
“What does?” she asked, her lips turning down with her frown.
“Instant manifestation and hovering. Both.”
“Sorry, hunny. But it’s so rad to be able to do it.” The happy face returned.
“What’s it like, Janna?” I asked, still befuddled by this whole afterlife thing.
She settled on the ground, not exactly sitting, but giving the impression that she did. Her legs were pulled up to her knees, but still about an inch off the ground, and she rested her arms on them as she talked. She used to sit like that when we were teenagers, and we’d go for some quiet time in the park. She tilted her face up as she patted the ground beside her.
Responding to her cue, I dropped to the ground, folding my legs into a comfortable position. Although my spirit form didn’t ache like my physical one did, I still moved with caution.
“It’s all right here, Gilly,” she answered when I’d settled. “I can move around in a snap, still see my folks, although they’re not done mourning. You need to tell them I’m fine.” She shot a dart of accusation at me.
“I know. It’s just not easy to try to explain all this,” I protested. “They’ll probably think I’m crazy or suffering from delusions.”
“After putting up with my shenanigans? Come on. You can be convincing.”
“Maybe.” I offered a conspiratorial wink. “But, Ferris and I do have plans to have dinner at your home tomorrow night. I’ll try to work it into the conversation.”
“Do that.” Her eyes pleaded with me, then she went on, “Fill me in on what’s happening with everyone. How’s Ferris? Is Digby coming back to Reno now that the battle is over? What about Gavin?”
“You’re just full of questions, aren’t you? Ferris is fine. We’re getting along famously. I love him, and I think I’m ready to commit.”
“Arrgh. What’s the holdup? I know you guys are perfect together, and he’s waited so long already.” Janna’s eyes narrowed as she shook her head. “What are you so afraid of?”
Avoiding her look and the question, I turned my gaze to the blooming flowers along the hedges. New since I’d last been here. Who took care of this garden? Celestial angels or garden gnomes? Or did they just bloom because someone willed it?
“Did you see who planted all the flowers?”
“What?” She turned her head to look where I was staring. “No. I didn’t see anyone. They’re new. Now answer me.”
“What is any of us afraid of? Rejection, failure, heartbreak. What if it doesn’t work out?”
She leaned more toward me. “It will, I know it. Besides, how will you know if you don’t try? Honestly, you’ve put a roadblock of some kind into every relationship with every guy you’ve gone with. You have to take a chance sometime.”
“Me? What about you?” I’d seen her blow up a few as well.
“Yeah, what about me? I’m here alone, no family. Never had the kids I wanted or a man who would mean the world to me. I think I might have found him, Gilly. I met him three weeks before I...” Her voice trailed off, and she couldn’t say it.
“I’m so sorry, Janna. I wish none of this had happened, and I had never sung at the casino that day. I had no idea—”
“Don’t blame yourself. I don’t blame you for it. It happened. We can’t change it. Besides, I’ll have other chances in my next life.”
“Next–?” I repeated as tears touched my eyes. She could forgive me so easily, but could I forgive myself? I could have kept her out of this mess and not led the yiaiwa to her.
With love in her eyes, she found a smile for me. “Now what about Dig?”
I nodded. “Yeah, he’s on his way back home tomorrow. He called Stephen last night to let him know.”
“Good. Those two are so right together.”
“And Gavin woke up right after the confrontation. He’s getting stronger each day, Orielle says. The doctors think they can release him in about a week. No serious side effects other than needing to gain his strength back.”
Orielle had gone to Stanford as soon as she’d gotten the call and was still there with him. Whatever hold Belphegor had put on him released when the portal was sealed. He’d awakened within a few hours of the closure.
“More good news. You aren’t still crushing on him, are you?”
“No, he’s not the kind of guy I want to be with long term. I believe Ferris is the man I need in my life.”
“Then let him know,” she said with a squeal and a huge smile.
I might have blushed a little if a spirit can do it, or my physical body did it. I could feel it at any rate. There, I’d said it. I wanted to be with Ferris. Now, I gazed through my tears at my dearest friend. I had to say goodbye to her.
“So, now what, girlfriend? Are you ready to go to the gate?”
Her smile faded to a more serious expression. “I don’t want to go.”
“Janna—”
“No, I want to stay here. The danger is gone now. From here, I can still see and talk to you like we’re doing now. I’m not ready to move on to whatever is next.”
I sighed. “You don’t belong here. This is a way station, not a destination. I know it’s hard and a little scary, but your next step needs to be through the gate and that tunnel of light.”
A stubborn expression settled on her face. “I don’t have to go through until I’m ready.”
“Please, Janna. I’ve talked to a c
ouple of souls who’ve gone through and come back to help me. They say it’s wonderful. Trust in whatever God created all this and the universe. Something amazing is waiting for you on the other side. I know there is. Why else would you have been given the gift of a rainbow?”
She started to cry, tears rolling down her cheeks. “I don’t want to leave you, Gilly. We had so many plans—weddings, raising our kids together, big summer parties with our families. Now, it’s all gone. I thought I could somehow be a part of it if I could linger here and maybe zip to see you.”
“Is that all?” Wanting to hug her, I made an attempt to wrap my arms around her, but there was no sensation of touching. “Oh, Janna. You can drop in any time you want, even from the other side. I’ll still be able to see you if you do.”
“I can? Promise?” She wiped a hand across her face, and her expression brightened.
“I promise.” I pushed to my feet and reached a hand to her, not thinking that she didn’t need it to get up. In barely a blink, she stood next to me.
Still chatting, we strolled to the gate where she would leave me. I fought to hold my emotions inside and not let the sense of panic and fear show. I was as afraid to see her go as she was to leave me. At the same time, I realized how lucky I was to have the extra time with her—time most people don’t have to tell their loved ones how much they love and will miss them.
At the gate, we said goodbye as if she was just going home for the evening, and I’d see her in a few days. But when she stepped into the light, I felt the absolute loss again. Once she disappeared from my view, the tears began to fall...
...and I was sitting on her grave with streams of hot liquid running down my cheeks. I reached a hand up to touch her headstone and choked out, “Goodbye, my dear friend and soul sister. I will miss you. Find happiness, hunny.” Then I set the carnations in a vase alongside the marker.
Pulling myself up, I hobbled back to my Jeep and slid into the front seat. I rested my arms on the steering wheel while I thought about this whole situation. I wanted to blame God for Janna’s death, but I understood that the Creator doesn’t control what the creation does. I’d pulled Janna into harm’s way, but the yiaiwa wasn’t my doing. Nor was it Gavin’s even though he inadvertently allowed Belphegor to escape his prison. Perhaps I could assign blame to God for casting the angel out of heaven in the first place, but that would be useless.
I closed my eyes then spoke in a low voice, “God, I do not blame you for anything that has happened. But I will not do your work anymore, so don’t assign any tasks to me. Take care of my friend. You owe me.”
I sighed, then thought about Roger whose soul was lost somewhere, probably in that nightmare purgatory run by Belphegor. His transgressions weren’t that bad, but he’d become a pawn in the vile game. At least, Moss had the man who orchestrated his death. He’d called me the previous day to let me know Sonya’s cousin had confessed, and she’d been charged with conspiracy to commit murder.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Ferris’s number. When he answered, I said, “Hi, honey. Are you ready to start moving my things to your house?”
The End of the Funeral Singer Series
FOR A BONUS EPILOGUE with more details of the characters’ futures, please visit my web site: http://lillianwolfe.me/funeral-singer-bonus-epilogue/
FROM THE AUTHOR:
Thank you so much for reading my book. I have always enjoyed writing stories, but it is much more gratifying to know that people read and enjoy what I write. Reader reviews play an important role in the success of a novel by helping other readers to decide if a book is a good match for them. I would be so grateful if you would leave an honest review wherever you purchased this book.
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About the Author
A sometimes musician, sporadic artist, occasional poet, and obsessed writer, Lillian Wolfe has spent most of her life writing. From fan fiction to short stories, novels, training manuals, newsletters, and other documentation, she has constantly been putting words on paper or a computer screen. She is, in fact, extremely grateful for the invention of the computer because using a manual typewriter is tedious. While she loves all types of fiction, her favorites are fantasy and mystery novels.
Lillian shares her home in northern Nevada with her best friend for the past thirty-odd years, three feisty felines, and one charming Bichpoo dog. She is a member of the High Sierra Writers Group and the Fiction Writers Group.
You can contact Lillian through her web site:
http://www.lillianwolfe.me/loft/
and/or at her Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/LilliansLoft
DISCLAIMER: Please keep in mind this is a fantasy novel. The Vatican claims not to have any secret agents, but the Swiss Guard has plain clothes people. And there may not be a Supernatural Division, but there may be. For the purposes of this novel, both exist.
Acknowledgments
I’d like to express my thanks everyone who contributed their talent and time to reading, critiquing, and editing this novel. My special thanks to my High Sierra Writers critique group – Nicole, Brian, and Russell—and my great beta readers, Nancy and Steve Sorbets, Peggy Hancock, Patricia Kelly, Mercedese Witty, and Judy Glazer. Their input is priceless and contributed greatly to the book. Any mistakes left in it are entirely mine.
A huge thanks to Barb Hoeter at Coverinked for the beautiful cover for this last book of the series. It’s a pleasure working with her and I think the cover is stunning.
This book honors the memory of Milo, my beautiful Himalayan cat, who was the inspiration for Nygard.
The Funeral Singer Series
By Lillian I Wolfe
Music is a passion for Gillian Foster, a struggling musician with dreams of success. When an accident bestows a paranormal talent, her whole life takes an unexpected turn. Getting gigs as a funeral singer, she finds her conscious-self transported to an interim cemetery where she can speak to the recently departed while she is singing. Inexplicably, she is bound to help the spirit to complete any unfinished business.
But more than departed spirits haunt the transitional plane, and they pose a threat to not only the souls in transit, but those still living as well. And they’ve identified Gillian as a danger. She’s one soul against hundreds and she needs help.
Can she find others like her and rally enough to stop the spread of evil that can take everyone she loves?
The Funeral Singer series of five books explores the overall theme as each thriller takes Gillian deeper into danger as she tries to help the departed souls cross to safety on the next plane.
ENJOY THESE OTHER NOVELS ... from Pynhavyn Press
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A Song of Redemption Page 39