The women drew in their respective breaths in one giant gasp. “Nothing to be frightened of, ladies. Take a deep, calming breath.” They followed her instruction.
Sophie’s gaze went back to the glass. “You are a man. Move the glass to my right for yes or to the left for no.”
Except for the fizzing sounds of the candles’ burning wicks, the room was silent. All stared intently at the drinking glass. Ever so slowly the glass moved to the right. “Son of a—” Sophie stopped herself. Deciding to go with it, she asked, “Are you a movie star? If your answer is yes, please move the glass to my right.”
All four women observed the glass as it moved to Sophie’s right for the third time. The chill in the room soaked in clear to her bones. “If this house we are in belonged to you, please move the glass to the right for yes, to the left for no,” Sophie repeated.
Again all were mesmerized by the movements of the glass as it slid ever so slightly to the left. Sophie gasped. “Were you ever married to any of the women is this room?” Sophie asked in a small voice. What if Walter showed himself? Sophie looked up to find Toots staring at her. Toots offered up a weak, but reassuring smile. She knew what Sophie was thinking.
They all focused their gaze on the glass as it slowly moved to the left. Sophie let out such a deep breath that the flame on the candle wavered. Relief was etched across all of their faces. Suddenly the candle went out, a breeze swept through the room, and the glass, wavering on the edge of the table, slid off and crashed to the floor.
“Oh my God!” Mavis shouted.
Sophie glared at her. “Shhh!”
Mavis nodded.
Sophie regained control of the séance. “If you are angry, it’s okay. Are you angry?” Sophie realized there wasn’t a solid object for the spirit to use as a means of communication. Not wanting to get up and go to the kitchen for another glass, Sophie eyed the burned-out candle. “Let’s place our fingertips around the candle.”
Again, they followed her instructions.
They’d barely touched the candle when it fell to the right. Sophie’s eyes never once left the candle.
“You are angry.” The candle rolled to the edge of the table, stopping abruptly. The women jerked their hands back as though they had been burned. “It’s okay. Nothing to be afraid of. Just relax. Let’s join hands.”
Again their hands formed a circle around the table. Their hands were bitterly cold now, almost stiff. Sophie was beginning to fear she’d bitten off more than she could chew. She squeezed Toots’s hand; Toots returned the squeeze.
“Are you angry at someone in this room?” Sophie asked, afraid of the answer as she gazed at the candle teetering on the edge of the table.
The candle rolled back to the center of the table, then to the left. Sophie looked at Ida, who was deathly pale. Mavis’s eyes were closed, and Toots had a death grip on her hand.
Sophie continued to guide the spirit. “You are not angry with someone in this room?” The candle rolled slowly to the right.
All at once the room returned to its normal temperature. Sophie knew that whoever had been there was gone. She eyed the candle. It remained on its side. Their hands no longer felt quite as cold. “Bless all who reside in this house, past, present, and future,” Sophie said, then let go of Toots’s and Mavis’s hands. They in turn released their hold on Ida.
They looked at one another, unsure of what to say.
Sophie took charge. “Let’s go out to the deck. I need a cigarette.”
“Me, too,” Toots added in a shaky voice.
They were all silent as they followed Sophie out to the deck. She grabbed her pack of Marlboros, lit one, handed it to Toots, then lit another for herself. Nothing was said, as each of them tried to come to terms with what had just taken place in the dining room. Sophie had more or less thought the entire séance thing was a joke until the biting cold had swept through the room. Their having contacted someone/something wasn’t funny. Not in the least.
“So”—she took a deep drag from her cigarette—“what just happened back there…we shouldn’t tell anyone.”
“Absolutely not!” Toots said. “If Abby finds out we’re talking to…whatever that was, she’ll have each and every one of us committed.”
Mavis and Ida nodded their agreement.
Toots crushed her cigarette out in the shell, then lit another. “Let’s have a drink.”
Before they could answer, Toots went back inside, returning minutes later with a bottle of scotch and four shot glasses. Words were unnecessary as she poured the amber liquid into the glasses. Toots passed the drinks to her friends. They tossed back the liquid as though it were water. Toots poured a second round. After the third, they relaxed a bit, and their tongues loosened as well.
“What the fuck just happened in there?” Toots asked.
“This frigging dump is haunted, that’s what happened. I don’t know if I even want to spend the night here,” Sophie said. “Ida, Mavis? What do you two think happened in that room?”
Mavis was drunk from the three shots of whiskey. “Like you said”—her words slurred together in one sentence—“thereisaghostinthishouse.”
Sophie smiled. “Ida?”
“I never thought I would be saying this, but I think this place is haunted. I for one am not going to spend another night under this roof.”
“I agree. I think we all should go to Abby’s for the night. We can tell her we lost power,” Sophie stated firmly.
“No! I don’t want to do that. Abby will know right away something other than losing the power is wrong. She knows each and every one of us like the back of her hand. We can’t go there. I don’t want to leave. This is my damned house, and I will not let a…ghost chase me out of it. Besides, I think our resident spirit is harmless.” Toots poured herself another shot of whiskey.
In a shaky voice, Ida asked, “How do you know that?”
“If he meant us any harm, he would have harmed us tonight. Right, Sophie?” Toots questioned.
“You’re probably right. I think whoever this is…is frustrated. I think we should call those people on TV, tell them this place is haunted. We might even get to go on the show. We could be reality stars. Sort of…” Sophie’s words fizzled when she saw the look on Toots’s face. “Okay, that’s not a good idea.”
“We are going to do nothing. At least for now. We cannot let what happened here tonight leave this house. I want you all to swear to me that you will not repeat what happened here tonight.” Toots placed both of her hands down on the small glass table, one on top of the other. Sophie followed, then Mavis. Ida was last as usual, but this was their secret handshake. They only used it when they were serious. And this ghost stuff was serious business.
“Okay. It’s agreed. We won’t tell anyone about this. Not now. Sophie, when can we have another séance? Is there a rule about how often you can hold one of them?”
“Not that I’m aware of. Let’s try it again tomorrow night. Same time. We’ll try to make sure the scenario is as close to tonight’s as possible, see what happens. Meanwhile, I think I will go online and do a bit of research. Maybe something terrible happened in this house. Maybe that’s why you were able to purchase a Malibu beach house for three-point-eight million dollars.” Sophie raised her brow. “Wasn’t Sharon Tate killed around here somewhere?”
“Oh shit, Sophie, stop it! No one was murdered in this house. The real estate agent would have told me. Besides, I don’t think that little pop tart that lived here would’ve stayed as long as she did if she thought the place was haunted, or if someone had been killed in the house.”
“We don’t know that for sure. It can’t hurt to look into it,” Sophie said.
“Yes, it can. What if someone at The Informer found out the editor in chief’s mother thought she was living in a haunted house? I can just imagine the headlines The Enquirer and The Globe would have splashed across their front pages!”
“Okay, you’re right. I didn’t think of that.”
“You can’t think of everything, Soph. So…” Toots looked at her three closest friends in the world, Abby’s godmothers. “Do I have your word that what happened here tonight won’t leave this house?”
“Of course,” Sophie said. “I don’t run my mouth.” She looked at Ida.
“Are you insinuating I do?” Ida asked.
“No. It’s not a matter of ‘insinuating’ anything. You have been known to run your mouth, and you damn well know it!” Sophie said a bit too loud. The booze was getting to her.
“We all swore we wouldn’t tell. I trust all of you,” Toots said.
They all nodded, agreeing that what they’d witnessed wouldn’t leave the confines of the house.
In order to change the subject, Toots said, “Then let’s get back to our routines. I am so behind on my e-mail, it will take days for me just to catch up.”
“Yes, and I have been longing for a soak in the tub,” Ida said.
Mavis and Sophie just nodded. They were too drunk to do anything else.
Chapter 13
Three weeks after that night, which is the way Toots and the godmothers referred to the night of the first séance, Ida checked her image in the mirror one last time before heading downstairs. She wanted to look her best for her first official public date with Sammy. She’d chosen to wear a pale yellow skirt that clung in all the right places and an opalescent blouse that shimmered in the light. She’d used two gold combs to pull the sides of her hair away from her face. She wore a simple gold chain around her neck and her smallest diamond earrings, along with a slender gold bangle bracelet. That was all the jewelry she wore. Sammy had hinted that he had something special to give her tonight. Ida was sure he was going to propose and that the “something special” he had mentioned was an engagement ring.
She looked at the clock on her night table. He would be there any minute if he wasn’t already. He was very punctual, something she was not. Toots, Sophie, and Mavis were downstairs waiting for her. She felt like a schoolgirl facing her boyfriend’s parents for the first time. Mavis was thrilled for her. Toots and Sophie hadn’t let up when she had finally told them she was dating Dr. Sameer. Ida had to admit that they hadn’t been too hard on her. Sophie said she’d suspected as much, and Toots had warned her to be careful. Of what, Ida had asked, but Toots hadn’t elaborated.
Just in case Sammy was waiting at the bottom of the staircase, Ida practically floated down the stairs. When she reached the bottom, she was greeted by none other than Coco, Mavis’s spoiled Chihuahua.
“Grrr,” the small dog growled at her, then ran up the stairs. Ida hated the dog and wished Mavis would train her to behave.
She heard voices and followed them outside to the deck. Toots, Sophie, and Mavis were gathered around the new patio table with Sammy. She took a deep breath. “Hello, it looks like you’ve started without me.” Ida observed that their glasses were almost empty.
“You take too long to get ready. Your date was thirsty,” Sophie informed her.
“Oh Sammy, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you waiting.”
Dr. Sameer, Sammy, stood up, then walked over to where she was standing. He placed a light kiss on her cheek, then stepped back to admire her. “You are as beautiful as ever, my dear. Take as long as you need. Your friends are very entertaining,” he said, smiling.
Ida feared what her “friends” would tell Dr. Sameer now that they were out of his office in a relaxed atmosphere. Ida prayed Sophie hadn’t said anything that would embarrass her. “Yes, they are very, very entertaining, to say the least. Now, if you don’t mind, I am famished. You did say we were going to dinner?” Ida asked, knowing that he had but wanting to get away from the house as soon as possible. Ever since that first ghostly séance three weeks ago, Ida felt strange just being in the house. Other than the regular séances they held, there hadn’t been any remotely ghostlike encounters, or at least she hadn’t had any. And if any of the others had, no one had told her about them. But maybe that was because they knew that she was uncomfortable in the house, that she felt like someone or something was watching her. Sometimes she wished that they had not acted on Toots’s suggestion that they have a second séance the night after the first one, which since then had grown into twice-a-week meetings with the spirits.
“Ah, yes, I did. Now, if you ladies will excuse us. Ida…” He linked her arm through his, leading her inside. The trio followed them like lost puppies. Ida smiled. She liked the idea of her friends trailing behind her.
“Don’t be late,” Toots said.
Sophie chimed in, “And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“Just enjoy yourself,” Mavis said. “Take good care of her, Dr. Sameer.”
“Of course. Now if you ladies will excuse us.” Ida let Sammy lead her outside. When she saw the limousine, her heart fell flat to her feet and back. She had hoped Sammy would drive tonight. If they were going to get married, she would have to tell him how she felt about his driver once and for all. Of course, she wasn’t totally sure Sammy was going to propose, but she wasn’t stupid. She’d been this route more than once and knew when a man was about to ask her to marry him.
Mohammed jumped out of the driver’s seat and opened her door, “Ma’am.”
Ida simply nodded. She eased into the backseat, inching over to make room for Sammy.
Once they were situated, Sammy spoke to his driver. “Take us back to the house.”
Ida was crestfallen. Sammy just wanted to have sex tonight. She’d been sure he was going to propose! Damn. She’d gotten all dressed up for nothing. Not that an evening in bed was a bad idea, just that she’d thought this evening was going to be special.
“Ida, my love, do you mind if we have dinner at my house? I wanted us to have some privacy tonight. You look disappointed.”
She did, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. “No, not at all. I just assumed since this is our first date…I just thought we would be going somewhere besides your place to celebrate our decision to take our relationship public.”
Sammy took her hand in his. “Ida, love, I am afraid I have disappointed you. I can change our plans. Where would you like to go? I feel like such a fool, you must forgive me. I am an old man, remember? It has been many years since I’ve taken a beautiful woman to dinner. Please forgive my thoughtlessness.”
Ida took a deep breath. Poor Sammy. He wasn’t as worldly as he wanted her to think. “There is nothing to forgive. I don’t mind not going out, truly. Now put it out of your mind. At least we don’t have to sneak around like teenagers anymore.”
“That is true, but if you would rather we have dinner out—”
Ida placed a finger over his lips. “Not another word about it. Now tell me, what have you prepared for our dinner?”
“Ah, I see you are intrigued. I must admit I am a terrible cook. Amala has prepared something for us. She said it was a surprise.”
Ida looked at Sammy. Really looked. Olive skin, deep brown eyes. Sammy was extremely handsome for a man his age. Ida was sure his raven-black hair was dyed, but she hadn’t the heart to ask him about it. For a man who was sixty-seven years old, he was in excellent shape. His body was still lean and muscular, with only the beginnings of an old man’s paunch visible when he was naked. He was a superb lover, and he was rich—two qualities Ida required in a man.
“I do love surprises, Sammy.”
“Good, my dear, very good,” Sammy said, then patted her hand. “I am pleased this makes you happy. You are very dear to me, Ida. You do know that?”
“Yes, yes. Of course I do. You sound…” Ida thought he sounded weak, old. “You sound as though you’re having doubts about us. Are you?”
Sammy smiled, revealing chalk white teeth. “If I keep up this behavior, I will scare you away. No, my dear I am not having doubts about us. Never! It’s the—” Sammy waved his hand in the air. “Please forgive me for telling you this on such a special night. I just received some very disturbing news today
concerning the clinic. Forget I said that.” He leaned over and kissed her on the neck. “Tonight is for us to celebrate. You don’t need to be burdened with an old man’s troubles.”
Ida wished he would stop referring to himself as an old man. He was only two years older than she. If he thought of himself as an old man, then surely he must think of her as an old woman. She wanted to tell him that, but if that wasn’t the case, she didn’t want to bring attention to her age any more than necessary.
“Sammy, if there is something you need to talk about, please do. I am not the delicate flower you believe me to be.” Ida thought that was an understatement, but he didn’t need to know that.
“You are my delicate flower,” he said with a trace of possessiveness.
Ida loved that he felt that way. She needed to feel this sort of love, she thrived on it. Maybe Toots and Sophie were right, and she did need a man in her life. That wasn’t the worst thing in the world. She could be a drunkard or a thief. Or even worse, she supposed, a serial killer.
Mohammed steered the limousine up the winding road leading to Sammy’s house. Ida decided that if they were going to get married, she would have to redecorate. The beach house was all chrome and glass, the furniture modern and sterile. While Ida wasn’t quite as talented as Toots in the decorating department, she did know a thing or two about what she liked and disliked. Soon she would have Sammy completely wrapped around her little finger. He would allow her to do as she wished with his home.
As soon as they came to a stop, Mohammed jumped out of the driver’s seat to open their door. Ida hated that. Hated Mohammed. There was something about him that gave her the creeps. She would have to discuss it with Sammy. He would have to decide just how important a limo driver was if he wanted to marry her.
The door was yanked open. Sammy got out first, then assisted her before turning to his driver. “That will be all for tonight. You may park the car.”
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