by Terri Reid
The look in his eyes caused her heart to skip a beat. “I’m so glad to hear that,” he whispered, rolling them both over into the bed. “Because I have a feeling we’re not going to be sleeping for a while.”
He knelt on the bed and looked down at his wife. Her lips were slightly swollen from his kisses. Her hair was tousled, and her eyes were filled with passion. He was filled with an overwhelming desire for her. “Not for a long, long while,” he whispered, bending down to capture her lips once again.
Chapter Twenty-three
“So, did I mention that Clarissa wants to go into law enforcement?” Mary asked Bradley as she placed Clarissa’s sandwich into a plastic bag.
“What?” Bradley exclaimed, nearly knocking over the pan of eggs he was scrambling on the stovetop. “When did she mention this?”
“Yesterday afternoon,” Mary replied. “Before she went over to Maggie’s. They are going to form a team. Maggie is going to be like me, because she can see ghosts, and Clarissa is going to be like you.”
She grabbed a small handful of carrots out of the refrigerator and placed them in Clarissa’s lunchbox, picking up an extra one and crunching down on it. “I was going to talk to you about it last night…”
She glanced over at him, a slight blush on her cheeks, and he winked at her. “Yeah, we got a little distracted,” he said.
Sighing, she smiled. “Yes. Yes, we did.”
“Did what?” Ian asked as he came down the stairs into the kitchen.
“Mary was just telling me that Clarissa wants to go into law enforcement,” Bradley said.
Ian came up next to Bradley and grabbed a bite of eggs and popped it into his mouth. “No surprise there,” he said.
“What do you mean?” Mary asked.
“Well, between the legacy of the O’Reillys and the example of her own father, not to mention the instability of the first years of her life,” Ian explained, “it makes sense that she would want a career where she would have some control and still be able to help people.”
“Well, when you put it that way,” Mary said, zipping up the lunch box.
Bradley scooped the eggs into a large, porcelain bowl and then pulled a dish of bacon out of the oven. “So, Professor MacDougal,” he said wryly, “is it something she’ll grow out of?”
Ian pulled four plates out of the cabinet and set them on the table. “Do you mean you wonder if she’ll want to be a veterinarian next month?” he asked.
Bradley placed the dishes in the middle of the table. “Yeah, something like that,” he said.
Opening the silverware drawer, Ian pulled out forks, knives and spoons and counted them before answering. “Okay, my professional feeling is no,” he said, glancing over to Bradley. “Clarissa and Maggie have a unique relationship. Maggie trusts Clarissa with her secret, and Maggie is one of the few people who has been a constant in Clarissa’s life. I think the goals and aspirations they are talking about now could very easily come to fruition.”
“Well, damn,” Bradley said. “Now I’ll have another member of the family I’ll have to worry about.”
Mary walked over to him and kissed his cheek. “You’d be worried about her if she decided to be an accountant,” she said. “Because that’s what dads do.”
“Look at the bright side,” Ian said. “With so many relatives in law enforcement, she’ll be trained well.”
“There is that,” Bradley said begrudgingly. He walked to the staircase and called up, “Clarissa, breakfast is on the table.”
“I’ll be down in a minute, Dad,” Clarissa called back.
Bradley walked back to the table and pulled out a chair for Mary, and then he and Ian sat down.
“It could be worse,” Ian said.
“How?” Bradley asked.
“She could be a teenager and be dating,” he replied with a smirk.
“Don’t even say that,” Bradley said. “She’s not even thinking about boys.”
Clarissa came down the stairs and walked over to the table. Mary glanced over at Mary, and gasped softly. Her sweet, little, nine-year old daughter was wearing a thick coating of makeup.
Bradley looked up at Mary’s gasp, and his eyes widened when he saw his daughter’s face. He started to open his mouth when Mary placed her hand on his arm and quickly shook her head. He bit his tongue and sat back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Clarissa,” Mary said, “would you mind helping me upstairs for just a moment?”
“Oh, okay,” Clarissa replied, scooting out of her chair and following Mary up the stairs into her bedroom.
“What did you need?” she asked, once they were alone.
“Sweetheart, what do you have on your face?” Mary asked, looking at the bright powdered blush on the youthful cheeks and the streak of purple eyeshadow on her eyelids.
“Nothing,” Clarissa replied with a nonchalant shrug as she reached over to play with the edge of the bedspread.
“Hmm, it must be the light in here,” Mary replied. “Because it looks like you might be wearing makeup.”
“Oh, that,” Clarissa said, glancing over at Mary and then looking down. “All the girls wear makeup now.”
“Oh, I see,” Mary said. “All the fourth grade girls are wearing makeup?”?”
Clarissa nodded. “Uh-huh,” she said, looking down at the bed again. “Pretty much.”
“Is Maggie wearing makeup to school today?” Mary asked.
Clarissa shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably.”
“Shall I call Mrs. Brennan and find out?” Mary asked.
Clarissa looked uncomfortable and didn’t answer at first.
“Clarissa?” Mary asked.
“She’s not home,” Clarissa muttered.
“Excuse me?” Mary asked. “I don’t think I heard you.”
Clarissa looked up, and Mary had to bite her lower lip in order to not laugh at the bright colors on the little girl’s face.
“Mrs. Brennan had to go to Rockford for an early appointment,” Clarissa said. “So Mr. Brennan is helping everyone get ready.”
Mary paused for a moment and met Clarissa’s eyes. She smiled to herself, realizing that the interrogation tactics she’d learned on the Force actually applied to being a mother, too. She waited until she saw that Clarissa was beginning to squirm. “And he wouldn’t notice if Maggie was wearing makeup, right?” Mary asked.
“Right,” she agreed.
“Ah,” Mary said with a nod and left the word hanging.
Clarissa stared at Mary for a moment, then looked down at the bed again. “I just wanted to look pretty,” she pleaded.
Mary looked at her daughter and smiled. “You always look pretty. You are one of the most beautiful nine-year-olds I have ever seen. But you don’t need makeup for that. And, no matter how much makeup you wear, when you’re being dishonest, you don’t feel very good inside, do you?”
Clarissa shook her head. “It wasn’t a real lie,” she said.
“Do you think Mrs. Brennan would feel it was a lie if she found out about it?” Mary asked.
“Do you think Mrs. Brennan will find out?” Clarissa asked, her eyes wide with worry.
Mary nodded. “I can pretty much guarantee it,” she said. “She seems to always know.”
Clarissa sighed and nodded, stepping away from the bed. “May I be excused for a minute?” she asked. “I have to call Maggie, and then I have to wash my face.”
“Of course,” Mary said. “I’ll go downstairs and make sure your breakfast is still warm.”
Clarissa started to walk out of the room. Then she turned back and ran across the room to hug Mary. “I’m sorry I lied,” she whispered.
Mary hugged Clarissa and kissed the top of her head. “I love you, sweetheart,” she said.
Once Clarissa had left the room, Mary shook her head. “Please take your time growing up,” she said softly. “I’m so not ready for a teenager.”
When Mary got back downstairs, Bradley sat back in
his chair and shook his head. “I don’t think I’m going to make it,” he said.
Mary chuckled as she put Clarissa’s plate in the still warm oven. “Sure you are,” she said. “Besides, it’s only going to get more interesting as she gets older.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of,” Bradley replied.
Chapter Twenty-four
The hotel lobby was bustling with groups carrying their equipment from the elevator to their awaiting cars. Mary looked around in awe. The diversity of the paranormal research groups was astounding. There were young men, dressed all in black, pushing carts filled with electronic equipment, and there were middle-aged groups in their fifties and sixties with greying hair, flannel shirts and portfolios of the cases they investigated.
Mary and Bradley walked to the front desk. “Hi, Sherry,” Bradley said to the friendly blonde woman behind the counter. “How’s it going?”
She looked around and lowered her voice. “It’s a little crazy here,” she admitted. “We had all kinds of gadgets going off this morning on the third floor.” She glanced at Mary. “I told them it was haunted, and they didn’t believe me. So, everyone up there got an early morning wake-up call.”
“Has anyone wanted to change rooms?” Mary asked.
Sherry smiled. “Yeah, they all want the third floor now,” she replied. “So how are you guys this morning?”
“We’re good,” Bradley said. “On our way up to pick up our guys and head over to Highland.”
She nodded. “I sent breakfast up with one of your officers about an hour ago,” she said. “I’ve got the service elevator ready, so you can move your guys down to the loading dock and out the alley exit.”
“Thanks, Sherry,” Bradley replied. “I really appreciate it.”
She shrugged. “Hey, no problem. I’m just trying to help.”
“We’ll see you later tonight,” Mary said.
“Yeah, good luck at the convention,” Sherry replied.
They traveled up to the fourth floor on the regular elevator and then headed down to the end of the hall. One of Bradley’s officers was sitting on a chair in the hall.
“How’s it going?” Bradley asked him.
“Good. Quiet,” the officer replied. “What would you like me to do now?”
“Have you been here all night?” Bradley asked.
The officer shook his head. “No, I’m the day shift,” he said. “I got here at about six.”
“Okay,” Bradley replied. “I’d like you to accompany us down the freight elevator, help us get these guys into vehicles and then meet us over at Highland. We’ve already got a couple of officers down there waiting for us, but I wouldn’t mind having you around, too.”
“No problem,” he replied. “I brought bullet-proof vests with me this morning and had them put them on.”
“Any problems with that?” Mary asked.
The officer smiled. “Well, Dee was pretty hesitant about wearing it, but Sven slipped into his right away,” he said. “He’s pretty freaked out.”
“Good,” Bradley said. “He’s easier to work with that way.”
Stepping forward, Bradley rapped on Dee’s door, and a moment later it opened. “Do I really have to wear a bullet-proof vest?” Dee asked when he saw it was Bradley.
“I don’t know,” Bradley said. “Did someone try and shoot you the other day?”
Sighing, Dee nodded. “Okay, yeah, fine,” he said. “But I look fat.”
Mary laughed. “Tell me about it.”
Dee smiled. “Okay, I’ll stop whining now,” he said. “My equipment is packed up and ready to go.”
“Good. We’ll get Sven, and then we’ll head over to Highland,” Bradley said.
Turning, he knocked on the door to Sven’s room. Wrapped in the vest, with a cap pulled down over his head, Sven peered out of the room. “Is it safe?” he whispered.
Bradley nodded. “Yeah, you can come out,” he replied. “Do you have any gear to take?”
Sven shook his head. “No, Dee has all of our stuff,” he said.
“Okay, let’s go,” Bradley said, leading them down the hall.
“Where are we going?” Sven asked as they passed the regular elevator.
“To the service elevator,” Bradley said. “We’ll go out the back door.”
“That’s good,” Sven said. “That’s really good.”
He pushed his way into the elevator before anyone else could move, slid to the far corner and pulled Dee in front of him. “Okay, this is good,” he said.
Mary shook her head and entered the elevator with Bradley. They turned away from Sven and Dee, facing forward. “All for one,” she whispered to Bradley.
“And all for Sven,” he whispered back.
Chapter Twenty-five
The conference center at Highland Community College was filled with people moving equipment, posters and boxes of books to tables that were set up around the circumference of the big room. In the center of the room stood the stage with a podium and a large screen behind it. In front of the stage were dozens of rows of chairs set up for the audience.
“This is really big,” Mary said. “I had no idea.”
“Mary!” Kathi called, waving at her from across the room at the registration table.
Mary looked over at her friend, a petite brunette with a winning smile and vivacious personality, and waved back. They hurried over and were met on the way by Stanley, Rosie and Ian.
“Our table is over yonder,” Stanley said, pointing to the right side of the room. “She put us next to the Ghost Discoverers.”
“That was nice,” Mary said. “It will make protecting Dee a lot easier.”
Mary walked up to the table and immediately received a hug from Kathi. “You look great,” Kathi said. “How are you feeling?”
“Actually, I feel great,” Mary said. “Thanks for asking. How’s it going this morning?”
“It’s amazing!” Kathi exclaimed. “I think it’s a record-breaking turnout.”
Mary scanned the room and then turned back to her friend. “So, what’s causing the turnout?” she asked.
“Well, I think it’s the Wisconsin asylum visits,” Kathi replied. “I understand that we’re going to be seeing some great stuff from the visits.”
Mary looked over at Dee in surprise, and he just shrugged. “Well, great,” Mary said to Kathi. “I’m looking forward to hearing about it.”
“I hate to do this to you,” Kathi said, lowering her voice. “But because you were the last to sign up, you ended up with the least favorable speaking position.”
Mary nodded. “So, when are we speaking?” she asked. “During lunch?”
Kathi shook her head. “No, you’re first,” she replied, grimacing slightly. “I’m sorry…”
“No, don’t apologize,” Mary said. “It’s actually great that we can get it over with. Besides, I ended up with an ace in my hand.”
“Really?” Kathi asked. “Who?”
“Have you heard of Professor Ian MacDougal…” Mary began.
“Are you kidding me?” Kathi squealed, looking around the room. “Where is he?”
Grinning, Mary turned around to where she’d left the group. “Ian,” she called. “I have someone I’d like you to meet.”
Ian, wearing his infamous black shirt, walked over to the table and extended his hand to Kathi. “Good morning. I’m Professor MacDougal,” he said. “I’m pleased to meet you.”
“I’m Kathi. Kathi Kresol,” she replied, shaking his hand. “I help put this conference together.”
“Aye and you’re Mary’s friend,” Ian said. “The one who let us in at the last moment.”
She nodded.
“Well, I’m grateful to you for that,” he said. “It’ll be much easier to complete our task if we’re here.”
“Kathi was just telling me that we are scheduled to be the first presentation of the conference,” Mary said, and then she smiled. “And by we, of course, I mean you.”
Ian chuckled. “I see how that is,” he replied with a smile. Then he turned to Kathi. “Is there anything in particular you’d like me to speak about?”
“Actually, I’d like to hear what got you into paranormal research,” she said. “Many of us are familiar with your work, but no one knows why you do it.”
Ian looked at Mary. “How do you feel about that?” he asked. “Does it hit too close to home for you?”
Mary thought about Ian’s story and how it mirrored her own in so many ways, although Ian was a child when he had his near-death experience and he’d been dealing with seeing ghosts for his entire life.
Kathi looked back and forth between Ian and Mary. “I’m sorry. Is it too personal?” she asked. “I didn’t mean to put you on the spot.”
Glancing around to ensure they could speak confidentially, Ian nodded at Kathi. “Aye, it’s a bit personal and, even for paranormal researchers, a bit hard to believe. I was very sick when I was a wee lad, so sick that I actually died and then was brought back to life. When I recovered, I realized that I could see things no one else could see. Some of them were quite disturbing.” He smiled wryly. “Growing up in Scotland there’s all kinds of ghoulies and ghosties roaming the area. But I could see them and converse with them.”
“How wonderful for you,” Kathi said.
Shaking his head, Ian met her eyes. “Well, no, not really,” he said. “I didn’t realize until it was far too late that most people didna appreciate knowing there were ghost in the classroom, or that someone’s dear mother, who had died two years earlier, had a message for them. Let’s just say I wasn’t the most popular boy in the school. So, I turned my extra time, when I might have been playing with other children, to studying the paranormal. Oh, and working out, so I wouldn’t keep getting beat up.”
“Nice job on the working out part,” Mary teased.
He grinned at her. “Thank you, darling,” he said. Then he turned to Kathi. “So, I don’t often share my story because even researchers who have heard EVPs or caught glimpses of shadowy figures have a hard time relating to someone who can actually see and communicate with ghosts. Most consider it flim-flam.”