Rings On Her Fingers (Psychic Seasons

by ReGina Welling

  Another pause while Ammie digested that piece of news. Being extremely intuitive, she knew this experience had to be creating mixed emotions. Elation and fear sounded just about right. Then Kat told her story.

  "So, even though it developed as a coping mechanism, you are blaming yourself for your blindness, yet feeling thrilled because you know there might be a way to cure it."

  "Yeah, Miss Insight; and don't forget angry that I have spent years in darkness feeling helpless because I have no idea what to do about it."

  Ammie's heart flooded with empathy, but she was not about to let Kat wallow.

  "Okay, well, I have an idea about that if you are up to hearing it."

  Kat shrugged.

  "I guess so."

  "Has this happened before when you've channeled spirits?"

  "No, because I've never actually channeled any spirits like this before. They usually just appear in my mind sort of the way a memory does: kind of fuzzy; and sometimes with sounds, smells; or just a jumble of symbols. If I had a similar experience to theirs, they use my own memories to communicate. Until now, none of them ever actually used my body that way."

  "Well, now I get the scary part. That would wig me out, too."

  "She was apologetic about it, and so gentle; and I could feel how much she cared. And Ammie, she knows. About me seeing and all."

  "Then she would probably be willing to help if she could."

  "Oh, yes. She is already planning something, she told me tonight. She said, I know you are the one who usually gives the messages but this time Julie has one for you, ask her but it didn't seem like the right time."

  "Why didn't she just give you the message herself if she could talk to you like that?"

  "No idea."

  She'd heard the message herself; but since Estelle seemed to want it to come from Julie, she'd leave it alone. "We'll find time tomorrow to take her aside so she can tell you. My idea was to ask Estelle for help; but since she's already on it, then I will just offer you my help and support whenever you might need me."

  Kat took a deep breath that ended on a sigh, and Amethyst could see much of the tension leaving her body and her aura was clearing.

  "That helps, talking about it helps."

  "Anytime."

  Chapter 18

  Thinking he was the first one out of bed the next morning, Tyler quietly navigated the stairs with a single thought in mind: coffee. He needed a vat of coffee. After his visit with Julius, sleep had not come easy. Now, his brain felt fuzzy, the kind of fuzzy that required caffeine. Lots and lots of caffeine.

  Before he got to the kitchen, he knew someone else had beaten him to the punch. He could smell it: coffee and something else. Bacon and eggs? This must be heaven.

  Kat was buttering a pile of toast while Gustavia, decked out in a frilly 1950's-style apron, manned the stove. Julie was setting the table, and Amethyst had the beverages covered. Along with the coffee, she had brewed a pot of tea. One look at Tyler had her grabbing the coffee pot and pouring him a cup. He sank into a chair and gulped about half a cup of the hot nectar without even blinking. Moments later the fog began to clear and he looked up to see three pairs of amused eyes looking back at him, and Kat with a smirk on her face that told him she hadn't needed to see him to figure out what state he was in.

  Turning back to the stove, Gustavia proved she could have gotten a job anywhere as a short-order cook serving up perfectly cooked sunny-side-up and scrambled eggs, hash browns, and veggie bacon. That last earned a skeptical look from Tyler, but when in Rome--and it turned out to be not half bad. They packed away the food while making light conversation, then loaded up the dishwasher and settled into the living room to compare thoughts from their previous night's experience. He described his talk with Julius, then began to lay out a series of observations he had been pondering.

  His findings were eerily similar to Logan's musings from the night before, but he was blissfully unaware of that fact.

  "Julius was an unconventional thinker, but it takes logic to invent useful things. If we follow the logic, then it seems like he probably wouldn't have hidden valuables outside. It's much more likely he would have wanted anything that important nearby, where he could keep watch over it.

  "Okay, that all makes sense, but then how does the magic garden figure into the equation?" Julie still had the annoying sensation she'd seen the phrase somewhere before this all happened, but she still couldn't quite pull the memory to the front of her mind. Frustrating.

  "I'm not sure. They told you not to think literally; that probably means there is no actual garden to dig up, so there is probably nothing buried on the grounds. The first thing that springs to mind when I hear the word literally is a book, but that's not what they said."

  "I tore the library apart looking for that family history. I am sure, if there were a book with that title, I would have noticed it; so you're probably right."

  "Okay," he added the information to his computerized notes. "My grandfather researched the house quite thoroughly when he was compiling the family history and there were no references to any hidden passageways, which was another thought I had. If we figure Julius was logical and wanted to keep his valuables both safe and in a location he could monitor, a hidden room would be ideal. Julie, do you have any records of work done to the house? Maybe he had something built on the sly."

  "Not offhand, but there are boxes of papers in the attic; there might be something in one of them."

  Amethyst chimed in. "A tree fell on my uncle's house once; and when the workmen came to do the repairs, he had them put in the skylight he had always wanted. He said it was the perfect time to do it since half the roof had to come off anyway. It's possible something was added at the same time something else was repaired, so watch for those types of records also."

  "I am not sure about repairs, but I know at least some of the bathrooms were modernized and there was extensive electrical work done. It was a long time ago, and some of it needs to be updated again." Julie sighed.

  "He wouldn't have hidden anything valuable in an object that might be sold, broken, or lost. I could tell that about him within two minutes of talking to him. So, if my theories are correct, whatever it is we are looking for must be somewhere in the house."

  Gustavia pouted. "No more dowsing, and I was just getting good at it."

  Kat had been silent through the entire conversation, but now she spoke up.

  "I think you're right, Tyler. I got a pretty good idea of his personality when he was talking through me. Too bad I couldn't see into his mind more, I might have been able to lead you right to the hiding place. But, my intuition tells me we are on the right track."

  A thought struck Tyler.

  "Do you get impressions when you handle objects?"

  "Sometimes, but not the way I think you mean. I can't pick up a pen and see what documents he signed with it, or hold his cuff links and see what he did while wearing them."

  "Okay, moving on. Following this train of thought to its logical conclusion, we should think about what exactly it is that we are looking for; if we know the items, it will be easier to figure out what spaces they would fit into best. Papers would be easier to hide and harder to find. I know there are records of family silver and jewelry. Jewelry would fit in a smallish place, but silver is going to take up some room. Are we thinking his workshop is a possibility? He did have it built from scratch so he could have added a hidden space."

  Julie thought for a minute. "Maybe. We can check; but, as far as I know, Grams went through the whole place when she turned it into a museum. Unless there is some sort of false bottom or back area in his cabinets, I think it would be another waste of time."

  "Then we concentrate on the house first and keep the workshop as a last resort. Julie says there was reference to some silver and jewelry that have never turned up; so, unless he sold them for capital, those should still be here somewhere. But that doesn't account for his own money. Could his inventions have eaten up
an entire fortune? Or did he invest the money in something else? Stocks, bonds, precious metals or more jewels?"

  "Not jewels; great-grandfather had little use for them; he called them glitters. Grams used to laugh about it. She said he thought the only value of diamonds was to use them for cutting and grinding, and why did women want to go around wearing shiny rocks anyway. When she said gold and silver were shiny, too, he couldn't contradict her so he blustered about it for weeks."

  "Stocks and bonds are registered and would have shown up during probate if he had a will. I have clients who book readings thinking they can untangle probate problems by talking to dead relatives. Never works," Kat said.

  "Yes, that's right. Did he have a will?" Gustavia asked.

  "He must have; there should be a copy of it in those records in the attic."

  Amethyst looked at her watch. "This is a great start, but I have to be getting home; I have a couple of readings scheduled this afternoon."

  "Me, too," Kat agreed.

  Tyler volunteered himself for taxi duty thinking he would stop at home and pack a bag. After his talk with Julius, he knew Julie should not be alone in the house until things were resolved. It was no hardship to stand guard duty. He could work from anywhere. He and Gustavia had that in common, so it made sense for them to be the ones who took turns staying at Hayward House.

  Gustavia stayed behind to help straighten up, she said. Julie knew better; she knew she was being managed, that they had made a plan not to leave her alone. Funny how a person could be both annoyed and thankful at the same time.

  By unspoken agreement, they avoided the subjects of treasure, ghosts, Logan, and even Tyler. Gustavia talked about the book she was currently writing. This one was about a dragon who had lost his mother; it was inspired by a little girl she'd met at a library reading. She quoted some sections that Julie found enchanting. Her friend had a way with words.

  Turning her attention to her own work, Julie booted up the computer in her studio and ran a slide show of her mirror series. They were good, but there was something missing. The two tossed around some ideas then, as Gustavia leaned over to take a closer look at the setup, she put her head in just the right position for her reflected face to appear in each of the mirrored panels.

  "Hold it right there." Julie flipped on the lighting, then grabbed her camera, and quickly began shooting. "Okay, turn your head just a bit to the right." The shutter fired in rapid sequence as she moved around the perimeter of the scene. "Give me just a bit more neck--that's it--tilt your head back a bit more." Gustavia was used to these types of instructions; she had posed for Julie many times before.

  It took only a matter of minutes before Julie put down the camera. "Done. Want to see what we have?" She transferred the images, then fired up Photoshop as Gustavia pulled up a second chair to watch. Julie moved the images into a new folder naming it with the date and subject matter. She tried to keep things as organized as possible.

  Following a well-established workflow, she zoomed in to look for and remove any unwanted specks, stray hairs or dust; cropped the photo to center the one reflection she thought should be the focal point; then added a curves layer, tweaking the image, one color at a time, to add a bit more drama. It was coming together nicely. She would take the time later to give this the attention it deserved; but, for now, she was just playing with some ideas.

  Gustavia watched as the area around the central image of her face was softened and blurred so it looked as though her features were appearing out of a fog. She could see where Julie was headed with this idea, and it was going to be good.

  Tyler found them there, so totally absorbed in the creation of art neither had heard him come in. He wasn't trying to scare them, but when he looked over their shoulders, he couldn't help but say, "Wow!" Both women jumped, then turned on him. He barely noticed, he was riveted to the screen. Thttps://wfa.kronostm.com/index.jsp?applicationName=NewCastleHotelsNonReqExt&locale=en_UShen he looked up at the framed images that marched down the wall.

  "You. You're J.L. Hayward."

  He turned his attention to Gustavia, tilting his head first left, then right. "And, you're the lady in the blue series, aren't you?"

  They both nodded in amusement. "I have three of your prints hanging above my bed. Small world."

  Chapter 19

  Tamara's images were finished and Julie just needed to drive into town and drop off the files. It would have been easier to email them, but she still wanted to get a look at that map. Of course, Tyler offered to tag along. He said it was because he wanted to stop at the grocery store, but Julie knew better.

  Smiling to herself, Gustavia watched the tension start to set in and wondered if Julie even realized half of what she was feeling was due to the attraction building between the two of them. Well, she would do her part and make herself scarce so they could get on with it. Or, get it on. Was it wicked to hope they did?

  On her way out, just for the fun of it, she hugged each of them and, as she did, she whispered in Tyler's ear, "Go get her, champ,” then laughed, as his face froze in consternation. Still chuckling, she made her way out the door. This was going to be a much better match. They were made for each other. Her turn for finding love had better be coming, though, and soon.

  As she walked through her front door, Gustavia heard the text alert on her phone. Zack. A short text; just three words--Be there tomorrow. Oh, great. Just what she needed. But, for Julie's sake, she would put up with a lot, even her brother. Her return text was even shorter--Okay.

  * * *

  Oakville was a small town located just close enough to the city to take advantage of its conveniences, but far enough away to avoid high crime rates. Being situated on the edge of the lake brought just enough tourism to keep the eclectic mix of main street shops in business all year round.

  Of course, living in a small town also came with both the advantage and disadvantage of everyone knowing everyone else, so Julie knew tongues would start wagging when she showed up with Tyler in tow instead of Logan. Still, she might as well face the gossip head on; her engagement was over, and if she didn't tell her story, people would make up their own. Admittedly, the stories that spread were often wildly exaggerated; but, in this case, she was pretty sure the truth was stranger than any possible fiction.

  "You know we'll both be the subject of intense gossip and scrutiny, right?" Since Tyler hadn't grown up here, Julie figured it was a good idea to warn him about what he was getting himself into.

  "Why, what did I do?" He was puzzled.

  "It's not what you've done but what they think you've done. Everyone in town knows I was engaged; and when I show up ringless and with another man, they'll all assume you broke us up."

  "Ah, a Lothario. So that makes you, what, a hapless female unable to resist my many wiles?"

  "Or a Jezebel with no sense of loyalty or honor. Too fickle to commit to one man."

  "Are you sure it will be that bad? I don't want to cause you any trouble."

  "No, don't worry; people know I'm not the Jezebel type. But you? You they don't know; so I'm afraid Lothario it is."

  His wicked grin showed he relished the idea.

  "It's been such a mad time that I don't think you've had the chance to tell me if you moved here or are just visiting."

  "My work carried me all over the world; it's been amazing except for the living out of suitcases part. A month or so ago, I was talking to my grandfather on the phone and realized something was off. As soon as I filed that story, I took a leave of absence and came here."

  "How's he doing?"

  "He's getting better; it turned out to be a side effect of one of his medications. He realized something was wrong, but was having a hard time communicating it to his doctors. It was pretty scary, but he's doing a bit better every day."

  "That's great news."

  "I'm thankful I didn't go the nine-to-five route or I wouldn't have had the flexibility to be here when he needed me."

  "So, you'll be l
eaving soon, then." She was surprised by how disappointed she felt at the prospect of his going away soon.

  "My plans are up in the air right now. It seems I don't miss the globe-trotting life as much as I expected. It's been nice to stay in one place for more than a week, getting to know new people, and especially spending time with my grandfather. I've been helping him finish a project he'd been hired to do for a historical website, and the work is fascinating. And, just lately I've found the town has some other fascinating attractions."

  Julie pulled into a small parking lot behind the gallery. "Here we go, Lothario. You sure you're ready for this?"

  "Lead on."

  As they entered her shop, Tamara pulled off the thick magnifying glasses she used for close work. She wasn't a vain woman, but those things were a look even a supermodel couldn't pull off—sort of half dork, half alien. Greeting Julie warmly, she then turned her attention to Tyler giving him the once-over and making him blush.

  "So, this is new." Her tone was speculative but approving.

  "This is Tyler Kingsley, Barrett's grandson. He's been helping me with research on the house."

  "I'll just bet he has." She all but hummed the words.

  Now it was Julie's turn to blush.

  "Tamara, it isn't like that."

  "You mean you haven't tossed out the city boy yet?"

  "No, he's gone."

  Tamara let out a whoop. "It's about time. Goodbye Mr. Pompous. Came in here once, looked around with a condescending smirk on his face, and walked out without a word. I knew right then he was the wrong one for you. Too snobby, if you ask me."

  She raised an eyebrow at the grin her opinion put on Tyler's face and figured Julie may think it wasn't like that but he was definitely interested.

  Setting the record straight, Tyler said, "Not just a snob, but a con man and dangerous, to boot. He has no reason to come back to town; but if you do see him around, it would help if you could call one of us." He wrote down his cell phone number and passed it along to Tamara.