by Judith Post
help us get things put away in cupboards at our apartment.”
“You mean it?” Hannah asked.
“I plan on keeping you busy.”
“Great!” Hannah turned to Thea. “Please?”
Thea looked at Rachel. “Thanks.”
“I bet you have things to do,” Rachel said. Her eyes crinkled with worry. “Have you looked at Les’s bookmark yet?”
“No, but I need to.”
“Good luck, Mom. I’m glad this happened while you’re the weaver and not me.”
Thea’s lips pressed together in a grim line. “Me, too. I’ve never heard of anything like it before, but I intend to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Rachel led Hannah to her car, and Thea watched Hannah’s hands fly as she talked. The girl should have been Italian, the way she waved and gestured her way through stories. The minute they were gone, Thea went to the studio. Gabe was waiting for her there.
“Have you heard?” Thea asked.
He nodded. “Aggie popped in for a minute to tell me.”
“I came to check Les’s bookmark.”
“But I’ve been here, watching over things,” Gabe said.
“Until last night, when I asked you to leave.” She could feel the cold fury spreading through her veins and fought it down. If the young girl had come to her and pled for help, just so that she could double back and pull Les’s life threads. . . Thea didn’t even want to think about it. It would be just about the dirtiest, rottenest trick possible. And to think she’d felt sorry for the girl! She’d worried about her!
Thea walked to the center of the room and thought Les’s name. His bookmark drifted down to land on her open palm. “Shit!”
Gabe stared. “But how?”
Thea was so mad, her jaw clenched. “It was a trick. The whole thing was a cheap charade so that I’d worry about her so much, I’d send you after her.”
“But I chased her for hours.”
“Until she got you far enough away from the studio that she could ditch you and hurry here to pull Les’s strings.”
“That’s really sick,” Gabe said.
“I know.”
“I saw her, though, and her energy was a nervous mess, writhing and tormented. It was awful.”
“She’s a murderer,” Thea said, looking at the strings that had been yanked from Les’s bookmark. “She’s killed three people. Les should have lived another ten or fifteen years.”
“I just don’t get it!” Gabe said. “She’s dead. What’s her point? Why is she doing this?”
“I don’t know, but it sure as hell isn’t random. I bet my mom can give me some ideas.”
“Your mom.” Gabe smiled. Gabe had a deep respect for Kate Patek. “If anyone can help you, she can.”
Chapter 39
Thea’s dad turned off the riding lawn mower and came to greet her when she pulled into his driveway. “Hey, look what the cat dragged in. What can we do for you?”
“Hi, Dad.” She kissed his cheek. “I came to ask Mom some questions. It’s about the studio.”
“Our ghoulish ghost? Hope you gals can put your heads together and stop it. Seems to me it has an unfair advantage over us mere mortals.”
“Where’s Mom?”
He waved Thea to the backyard. “Be careful. She has her hedge trimmers, and she’s in serious pruning mode.” He went back to mowing as Thea rounded the corner of the house.
Thea’s mom was ruthless when it came to bushes and trees. They did as she wanted, or they got whacked. Thea followed the flagstone path past the deck and found her mom attacking an unruly row of boxwood. Thea stopped to smile. In baggy trousers and an oversize shirt, her mom looked the part of a serious gardener, especially with the wide-brimmed straw hat perched on her head and heavy gardening gloves to protect her hands.
Thea approached from the side so that her mom would see her coming. Just as her dad had done, her mom turned off her trimmer and dropped it in the grass. “Hey, kid, what brings you here?”
“I need help.”
“That’s what parents live for.” Kate smiled. “I need a break anyway. Let’s go in the house to talk.”
As usual, they settled in the kitchen. “The ghost played a mean trick on me,” Thea said. “And then she pulled Les Smith’s threads and killed him.”
Kate wasn’t the type to mince words. “Get a cup of coffee and start at the beginning. Tell me everything, and don’t leave anything out.”
Thea explained about Gabe’s bookmark, Cynthia’s furniture, and how Aggie and Gabe were playing bodyguard. She told her mother about Sheila Grayson’s bookmark and how Randall Raker had attended the funeral and how odd his aura was. She told about Melissa Smith’s visits and, finally, about how the ghost begged for her help so that she could double around and pull Les Smith’s bookmark.
“And Gabe said that the ghost’s energy looks like she’s in trouble?” Kate asked.
“He said writhing and tormented.”
“So the girl’s miserable, but she won’t leave here. There has to be a reason.”
Thea sighed. “Aggie thinks it has something to do with a mortal.”
“Melissa wanted a life map?” Kate asked.
“She said that there was someone in her life she was worried about. She wasn’t sure she could trust him.”
“Did she mean Les?”
“I don’t know, but I got the feeling that she was seeing someone on the side.”
“Maybe Les found out about it.” Kate poured herself another cup of coffee and sat across from her daughter. “I’ve known Melissa since she was a baby, and if I were going to vote, I’d say she’s involved somehow, but to be honest, I can’t picture her as our culprit. She’s not smart enough to be this original.”
“She’s pretty easy to read,” Thea agreed.
“But she’s selfish enough to go along with someone if it benefited her somehow. And the first person who died was Gabe. That’s significant, don’t you think?”
“And she wanted me to weave her life map because...?”
“Because there’s no honor among thieves,” Kate said. “She’s worried her partner will turn on her. I’d guess she has a legitimate worry.”
“But Melissa can’t get in my studio.”
“She can send the ghost.”
“How can a mortal control a ghost?”
Kate patted her daughter’s hand. “Honey, you’ve been pulled so many ways at once, you’re lucky you can think at all. You’re too close to the problem. But ask yourself, Why is Gabe still here?”
“Because of me.” Thea’s eyes went wide. “Oh, God.”
Kate nodded. “A mortal can’t harm a ghost, but he sure could harm someone the ghost loved and left behind.”
“No wonder the poor ghost’s so miserable. Someone’s threatening a person she loves, and she has to do things she doesn’t want to do to try to protect that person.”
“Now you’ve got it—if we’re right. But if I were you, I’d start looking for the new man in Melissa’s life. He’s the brains behind this operation. And you need to find out who the ghost girl is and who she cared about while she was alive.”
“We’ve been trying to reach her. No luck. Until she came to us and tricked us.” Thea’s fingers curled into fists.
Kate reached across the table and patted her hand. “You’re around Hannah so much that you think she’s normal. You’re the only one who feels that way. The girl sees ghosts and talks to them all the time. That’s her gift.”
“This ghost won’t come near her.”
“That’s because she hasn’t summoned it. You need to hold a séance. That way, Hannah can call the ghost. It won’t be a matter of choice. It will be an invitation the ghost can’t refuse.”
“A séance? I thought those were just hoaxes to trick people out of money. They’re for real? How do you do one?”
“I don’t know,” Kate said. “But I bet your sister does.”
“Aggie.” Of c
ourse! Who’d know how to summon a ghost better than a ghost herself? “Thanks, Mom.”
Kate waved the compliment away. “We’ve both got things to do, but when you have the séance, I want to be there. I’ve never seen one before.”
Thea bent to hug her mom on the way out. “You’re a genius!”
“I know. Good luck.”
On the drive into town, Thea thought about the ghost and the séance. If she could find the right answers, hopefully she could solve her problems and the tormented spirit’s at the same time.
Chapter 40
The huge, stone church on the north side of town was overflowing for Les’s funeral, and Thea was glad that she’d saved a seat for Rachel when her daughter rushed in at the last minute.
Rachel nodded at the pew full of friends and family. “Sorry, but Isak and I did the tarts and petits fours for the dinner after the graveside service. We just got them done and loaded into the van. Isak’s taking them to the country club now.” Rachel took a deep breath to relax and looked at her surroundings. “Wow! This is some place. I haven’t been here since Melissa’s wedding.”
Les’s church was bigger and more elaborate than the small, unpretentious church in the residential area of Emerald Hills where Sheila Grayson’s funeral was held.
“Randall’s on the church board,” Cynthia informed them in a low voice. “Les was his neighbor, so no expense was spared to give the right impression.”
Hannah, who wasn’t impressed at all, leaned forward and whispered to Rachel. “Have you heard that Mom and I are going to give a séance?”
Rachel blanched. “Mom told me.”
“Isn’t it neat?”
“It scares me,” Rachel admitted.
Hannah grinned. “I think it’s going to be fun.”
Shari seconded her vote. “Wish I could come. How many people can say they’ve been invited to a ghost get-together?”
Their conversation was cut off when the minister stepped to the podium. The service was being run in reverse with the eulogy first and the viewing following. There were so many people that everyone had signed the guest register when they entered the church, then they could view Les’s body after the service before it was loaded into the hearse.
As the entire room went silent, the minister raised his eyes to the back of the church.
Kate nudged Thea’s arm when Randall Raker led Melissa down the aisle to the front pew. Melissa was dressed in a simple, black dress that screamed expensive. A broad black hat with a veil shadowed her face. She clung to Randall’s elbow for support and sank melodramatically onto the wooden seat beside him and raised her face to the minister.
“What a performance!” Kate muttered.
“Shhh!” Cynthia reprimanded.
Thea shook her head. Melissa was going to play the widow card to its fullest. As Reverend Michaels began the ceremony, though, she had to fight off depression. Three funerals back to back made mortality seem all too fragile.
When the service was finished, no offer was made to express pleasant memories of Les’s life.
“I heard that Melissa asked Michaels to keep it short,” Kate whispered. “This is all too taxing for her.”
“She probably wants to get to the club and have a few drinks,” Nancy said.
Cynthia grimaced. “Randall can help her down enough liquor to drown her woes.”
When Reverend Michaels took his seat behind the altar, the lights in the sanctuary dimmed and organ music filled the air. A spotlight shone on Les’s coffin, and ushers stood beside Melissa’s pew, inviting her to go forward and take her place beside her deceased husband’s casket. Once again, Randall supported her, his posture stiff and formal. He was performing his public duty as a high ranking member of the church and community.
As the ushers made their way from pew to pew, people rose, went to the coffin to say their goodbyes, and left the building by a side door. It was all choreographed very well, running smoothly and efficiently.
“I bet Randall made the funeral arrangements,” Cynthia said. “He loves these displays of big man on campus. If I got hit by a car tomorrow, he’d probably toss me in a pine box and call my parents.”
Kate’s shoulders shook with silent laughter. “What a thought, but at least you’d be rid of him.”
The ushers reached their aisle, and they stood to pay their respects to Les. Kate wiped away a tear as she looked down at her old friend. “I don’t know how such a nice man ended up with someone like her,” she said under her breath to Thea.
But Thea understood. Loneliness could be devastating. If someone had thrown himself at her after Gabe left, who knows what would have happened?
When it was Thea’s turn to offer words of sympathy to Melissa, she’d worked herself into a generous frame of mind, determined to offer genuine compassion. But before she could open her mouth to talk, Melissa put a finger on her own lips, silencing Thea. Then turning on her heel, Melissa walked to the bouquet of flowers that Thea had sent, picked them up, and dumped them in a trash can obviously placed there to receive them.
At first, Thea was too stunned to respond. Then she had to bite her bottom lip to keep from laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Melissa snapped.
“You are. I was actually feeling sorry for you. I should have known better.”
Aghast, Cynthia tossed an arm around Thea’s waist. “Come on. Let’s get out of here. Les isn’t here anyway. We’ve paid our respects. Now we can go.”
Thea and her friends left the church silently, but once outside, they chatted nonstop.
Chapter 41
Thea’s large, open living room was lit only by candles. The big, pine table in the dining nook held a crystal ball, and Thea, Rachel, Hannah, Kate, and Cynthia circled its worn surface.
“Why does Cynthia get to come and we don’t?” Shari and Nancy complained when they heard.
“Because the ghost has a grudge against her and kept moving her furniture,” Thea said. “So there’s some kind of connection. And the ghost is shy. If too many people show up, she probably won’t.”
Cynthia didn’t look any too thrilled to be part of the séance, though. She shifted nervously in her chair and licked her lips. “Is your mom here?” she asked Hannah.
“She’s floating just behind Grandma.”
Kate gave a cheerful wave. “Hi, Aggie!”
“Mom says hi.”
“Can we just do this?” Rachel asked. “Our family’s beginning to spook me.”
“Good choice of words,” Kate said.
The darkened room crackled with tension. Thea was nervous, too. “We might as well start.” She looked at Hannah. “What do we do?”
“Mom says to join hands.” That done, Hannah said, “Now everyone concentrate on the new ghost. It helps if you can picture her. She’s tall and thin with blue eyes and long blond hair.”
Thea closed her eyes and tried to imagine the young woman she’d seen floating in her bedroom. Willowy and fair, the girl must have been beautiful when she was alive. Was she always so nervous? Or had death’s burdens made her afraid?
Several minutes passed in silence until the pots and pans, hanging on hooks in the kitchen, began to vibrate. Kitchen drawers opened and slammed shut.
“She doesn’t want to come,” Hannah said, “but she has to if we keep calling her.”
Thea’s brow furrowed and she concentrated harder.
A table lamp rose into the air and crashed against the wall. Hannah put her hands on each side of the crystal ball to protect it. The candles sputtered and went out. The room went completely dark.
A high wailing sound filled the room, and Cynthia’s fingers gripped Thea’s more tightly.
“She’s here,” Hannah said. “Show yourself.”
Sparks of energy glittered against the tall, glass windows at the front of the room. The windows were backdropped in darkness by a sky clogged with brooding clouds. No moonlight. No stars. The sparks were the only visible light.
“Give us your name,” Hannah intoned.
The sparks blazed, and a nebulous, misty form hovered just inside the room. “Lacey,” a small voice whispered.
Slowly, the mist materialized into a transparent young woman with pale blond hair that swung past her waist. Her thin hands went to her face, and she hid it from view. “Let me free!” she cried.
“Everyone think her name,” Hannah said. “Tie her to us.”
“Let me leave this place!” Her fear and turmoil shook the table.
“Who’s controlling you?” Hannah asked.
Her wail rattled the walls. “Help me! Please help me!”
“We want to. How?”
Lacey’s sobs brought tears to Thea’s eyes.
“He’ll find out,” Lacey said. “He’ll punish me.”
Hannah nodded to Thea.
Thea said, “If you don’t tell us who controls you, we can’t help you, and your punishment will be worse than any mortal can deliver.”
“No!”
“No one’s meant to tamper with bookmarks,” Thea said. “It throws off the celestial balance. It never goes unnoticed.”
“It’s not my fault,” Lacey cried. “I have to do what he wants.”
“The universe won’t worry about that. You’re tampering with things bigger than mortals. You’re interfering with the patterns of the cosmos, decreed by the heavens.”
“He should be punished, not me.” Lacey’s misery chilled the room, seeping into Thea’s bones. Thea’s teeth chattered, but she didn’t release her hold on Cynthia or Rachel’s hands. The circle couldn’t be broken.
Lacey’s misty form dashed back and forth across the windows. “It’s not fair! Nothing’s fair.”
“You won’t be spared. Let us help you. We WANT to help you.”
Lacey’s ghostly form stopped moving and intensified and swelled in strength. The small sparks of energy blazed. “I deserve to be punished. This is all my fault.”