‘That’s good,’ I said. ‘So you’re going to make a go of it then?’
‘Yeah. Funny thing is, Tony’s made up about the baby, really thrilled. I’ve told him we can have a DNA test done once the baby’s born if he wants to, but I know for certain he’s the father, there just hasn’t been anyone else.’
‘I’m pleased,’ I said, meaning it, although it didn’t get over the small matter of the whole of the nation still believing Jimmy Mack to be the father of Donna’s unborn child. Her confession might go some way to making me feel better, but I didn’t think it would make any difference to Jimmy, knowing his reputation had been sullied.
‘I can’t wait to be a mum,’ beamed Donna. ‘It’s what I’ve always wanted and it means a brand new start for us.’ She flashed the biggest diamond I’d ever seen on her left hand. ‘Tony’s asked me to marry him.’
‘Really! That’s great news. Congratulations, Donna.’ I was thrilled for them both, but why had she gone to all the effort of coming to see me and telling me?
‘The exciting thing is that Rex Stafford has negotiated a deal with Ciao magazine for us. They’re going to do a huge twelve-page spread on us, with photos of Tony and me at home, explaining the whole story. You know, why we split up, how I fell pregnant, the reason I made up the story about Jimmy. It’s going to be a huge exclusive. There’s even talk about a follow-up television series. Wheee!’ she cried, rubbing her hands together gleefully, ‘we could be the new Katie and Peter.’
And look what happened to them, I thought, electing to keep that to myself, not wanting to spoil Donna’s moment.
‘That’s fantastic,’ I gushed, the revelation that Jimmy’s name would be cleared after all was uppermost in my mind. ‘So you’re really going to admit that you made up the story about Jimmy?’
‘I have to. For Tony’s sake and for the sake of our future together. I want to wipe the slate clean and start all over again.’
Jimmy’s name would be cleared after all. His reputation wouldn’t be sullied. This was what we’d been working so hard to achieve. What we’d both wanted. Now there would be nothing stopping Jimmy from passing over. I should have felt elated, but a cold pang of dread enveloped me.
I looked across at Donna, marvelling at her bravery. There was no way I would want to be in her shoes.
‘Well, I think that’s brilliant news, Donna, and I’m so pleased you’ve told me. I know all of Jimmy’s family will be relieved to know the truth. I’ll definitely look out for your story in the magazine.’ I glanced at my watch, desperate now to tell Lexie and Jimmy the news, but I was also conscious of the fact that I needed to get back to my desk and do some work.
‘Thanks for everything, Alice, for being so understanding.’ She zipped up her hoodie and picked up her bag from the floor. ‘There was just one other thing. Something I’m hoping you can help me with.’
‘OK,’ I said tentatively. ‘What is it?’
She screwed up her mouth, biting on her lip, her eyes flickering uneasily.
‘Your sister, Lexie is it?’
I nodded.
‘She mentioned that you had psychic powers, that you could get in touch with the other side?’
‘Oh well, I’m not really…’
‘The thing is, I know I shouldn’t have done it, but ever since I made up that story about Jimmy funny things have been going on at home. Really funny things.’ She shivered and I saw a fear in her eyes. ‘My house is haunted, Alice. No, really, it is,’ she added, seeing my startled expression. ‘It’s dead creepy. It’s almost got to the stage where I dread going home at night and I don’t know what to do about it. How to get rid of it. I feel like I’m being punished for my lies. Is that something you can do, Alice? Get rid of ghosts?’
I took a sharp intake of breath. ‘Well, I’ve had a little experience of that sort of thing,’ I muttered, wondering if I should put an ad in the Yellow Pages, advertising my skills. Clearly there was a call for this type of service, although my success rate to date had hovered around the zero mark. In this case though, I had a sneaky suspicion I might have more success.
‘What sort of stuff has been going on, then?’ I asked, warily.
‘All sorts. You wouldn’t believe it. The photos on my mantelpiece get changed around on a daily basis, the contents of my knicker drawer were swapped with the tea-towel drawer, the lights flicker on and off of their own accord, but the worse thing of all is the weird sensations that go on around me.’
‘Really?’ I said, believing every single word of it.
‘Yeah, it’s seriously freaky, like someone blowing in my ear or tickling me with a feather duster. It drives me crazy. Tony thinks it’s all in my mind because it never seems to happen when he’s around, but I know I’m not imagining it, Alice, and I just want it all to stop. I can’t live like this any more. I feel like I’m going mad. Do you think you’ll be able to help?’
‘Hmmm, I’m not sure, it sounds like you’ve got a particularly mischievous type of ghoul there. Some ghosts are more difficult to get rid of than others, but I could give it a try.’
‘Oh would you!’ Donna jumped up, surprising me by throwing her arms around me. ‘I’d be ever so grateful. What would you need to do? Come round and perform a leaving ceremony or something? I’ve got a whole cupboard full of candles if you need them.’
‘Um, well, I don’t think that will be necessary, not in the first place anyway. Leave it with me and I’ll consult my special book at home and er, um, I’ll put together a magic spell. A special one. That should do the trick.’
‘A spell? Isn’t that what witches do?’
‘Er, yes, obviously, but we sometimes use them in our line of work too. In those particularly tricky cases. Like this one.’
‘I see,’ said Donna, looking at me doubtfully. ‘Well, if you could do whatever it is you need to do, I’d be ever so grateful.’
‘Don’t worry,’ I said, standing up and reaching for the door handle, ‘I’m extremely confident that I’ll be able to sort out your unwelcome visitor once and for all.’
Chapter Nineteen
Sitting on the train on the way home from work that day, I did something I’d never done before.
‘JIMMY!’ I cried very loudly in my head, banging my fist down on the seat next to me.
Even I was impressed when seconds later the man himself slipped into the seat next to me and gave me the benefit of his broad grin.
‘Hi, Babe, receiving you loud and clear.’
Ignoring the fact that he was looking as louche and obscenely sexy as one ghost was possible to look, I turned on him.
‘Don’t you “Babe” me, you despicable low-life, you! How you could do something like that is beyond me. It’s despicable, completely despicable.’
‘Uh-oh,’ he said, sitting up in the seat and leaning his face into mine, ‘what have I done now?’
‘As if you don’t know!’ I shook my head, barely able to find the words. Interfering in my life was one thing, but taking advantage of a poor defenceless pregnant woman was something else entirely.
He held up his hands in the air sheepishly.
‘No, I’m sorry, you’ll have to give it to me straight.’
‘Don’t you play the innocent with me.’ I glared at him through narrowed eyes. ‘I had a visit today from a certain Donna Diamond.’
‘Oh,’ said Jimmy, grimacing. He shifted uneasily in his seat, screwing his mouth up on one side. ‘I see.’
‘So what was all that stuff you were spouting about not abusing your position? Not taking advantage of your ghostly powers? How you would never do that sort of thing. Had a change of mind, did you?’
He winced and shrugged.
‘Well, I just thought…’
‘She’s pregnant, for goodness sake, Jimmy. I don’t know what you were thinking. Going round there and scaring her witless, anything could have happened.’
‘Oh God,’ said Jimmy, looking contrite, ‘nothing has happened, has it?’
‘No, it hasn’t, but that’s no thanks to you. The poor girl is completely exhausted, unable to sleep at nights and frightened for her life after all your antics. I’m surprised at you, Jimmy, for sinking so low.’
He slunk down in his seat looking suitably guilty.
‘Well, what was I supposed to do? Go to my grave with everyone thinking I was the father of her child? It might seem trivial to you, but it’s my reputation on the line. I couldn’t let it happen. I thought you’d understand that. You and Lexie didn’t make any progress with Donna so I thought I’d have a go.’ He hunched his shoulders, frowning at the floor.
I shifted in my seat, turning my body away and stared out of the window. The little-boy-lost treatment was wasted on me tonight. I couldn’t believe how selfishly he’d behaved.
‘I’m sorry, Alice,’ he said, laying a hand on my arm. ‘I thought a little gentle coercion might make her come to her senses,’ he said quietly.
‘Some gentle coercion? You’ve turned the girl into a gibbering wreck. She thinks she’s upset the local chapter of Ghosts R Us and she sat in my office today me begging me for help.’ I looked across at him as he kicked the heel of his red Converse into the seat like a schoolboy who’d been caught out but hadn’t quite come to terms with his misdemeanour. ‘She seems to think I’ve got special psychic abilities and has enlisted my help to sort you out. Somehow I’ve become responsible for all of this. Oh God, Jimmy, you can be so infuriating at times.’
‘Well, you have got special talents. You can speak to me, can’t you? That’s pretty impressive in anyone’s book. Maybe you could develop this new-found skill into a career. You know, set up as a conciliatory service between the living and the recently departed. I think it could be a niche business.’
‘Do you have to turn everything into a joke?’
‘I’m sorry, Alice, really I am. I didn’t mean any harm by it. I suppose I didn’t really think it through. But I promise,’ he gave me a three fingered salute and smiled, ‘dib dib dib, dob dob dob, I won’t do any more haunting, well not in Donna’s direction anyway.’
‘You’d better not, Jimmy. Or in anyone else’s direction, come to that. I’ve promised her I’ll sort out the night-time visitations. She’s a pregnant young woman who’s got a chance of happiness with a man who loves her. You mustn’t go spoiling it for her.’
‘Oh well, excuse me if I’m not beside myself with joy at Donna’s good news. And when did you suddenly start fighting her corner anyway? I thought you were on my side.’ He slunk back down in his seat again.
The train rattled through station after station, its repetitive chanting motion strangely comforting.
I sighed, shaking my head as I turned to look at him.
‘It’s not that I’m taking sides, Jimmy, it’s just that I’ve got to know Donna and I can see that underneath that harsh exterior, she’s a really sweet girl. And she’s sorry for what she’s done to you. Really sorry. But hopefully she can put that right now.’
Jimmy rolled his eyes and sat forward in his seat.
‘Oh well, that’s okay then. Let’s forget the fact that she’s dragged my name through the mud. We can all pretend this whole thing never happened.’
‘She’s getting married, Jimmy. Isn’t that lovely news?’
‘Terrific,’ he said, with more than a hint of sarcasm.
‘No, it is, Jimmy, if you think about it. For them and for us. Donna and Tony are doing an exclusive with one of the big magazines and they’re going to tell their whole story. And I mean the whole story. Tony’s the father of Donna’s baby and they both want the world to know that. It means your name will be cleared after all.’
‘Are you serious?’
‘Absolutely. It’s brilliant news, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, I guess.’
Just then a burly, bald man with a laptop case, a rucksack and several carrier bags shuffled his way in front of us and plonked his bags on the overhead rail.
‘Excuse me, love, do you mind if I sit here?’
‘No, that’s fine,’ I said, hiding a snigger as I clocked Jimmy’s outraged expression.
‘Humph! Some people are so rude,’ he said, shaking his head, his eyes wide in indignation.
The man edged backwards to park his ample backside beside me and quickly jumped straight back up again, gasping in surprise as he turned to look at the seat accusingly.
‘Are you OK?’ I asked.
‘Um, yes, I think so.’ He stroked the upholstery of the seat gingerly with his hand. ‘Just got an electric shock from the seat.’
‘Ouch,’ I said in understanding, ‘I hate it when that happens.’
‘Yeah, me too.’ The man settled back down into his seat and flapped his newspaper noisily in the air.
‘Well, what does he expect if he goes around pinching other people’s seats? There’s only one thing for it,’ Jimmy said, landing in my lap and dangling his legs over the side of the seat, ‘I’ll have to come and sit with you.’
‘Ooh-er,’ I squealed, shifting myself along the cushion to make room for him.
‘Not you too?’ The man asked, raising his eyebrows.
‘Must be something in the air,’ I gasped, secretly grateful to the man. Now I could spend the rest of the journey snuggled in Jimmy’s embrace, my head resting on his chest, my mind entertaining all sorts of heavenly possibilities.
Chapter Twenty
Later that night, against my better judgement, I was sitting in the Plume of Feathers on the High Street, one part of a four-man team competing in the weekly quiz.
I hated spending any time away from Jimmy, knowing it was precious time that we would never get back again, but Lexie had begged me to come along and as Jimmy was off visiting his parents again he came down firmly on my sister’s side, insisting that a night out doing something ordinary would do be no end of good.
We were first timers, but all the other tables were crammed with, what looked like, very serious quizzer types.
“The group JLS were runners up in X-Factor. What do the initials JLS stand for?” called the Quizmaster over the low rumble of the participants.
I looked across at Damon who gazed vacantly at Phil who shrugged at Lexie who looked back at me and then we all groaned in unison.
‘Oh God, this is hopeless,’ sighed Damon. ‘I was banking on you lot knowing the popular culture questions. Come on, guys, you must know this one.’
‘Well, maybe we can work it out,’ Phil said, picking up his pencil and scribbling the letters down. ‘Maybe it’s the group member’s names, like Jake, Luke, Simon that kind of thing.’
I rolled my eyes. It clearly wasn’t my fault that I’d teamed up with a group of numpties.
‘Duh!’ said Lexie, helpfully, putting into words my thoughts, ‘there’s four of them in the group and I know one’s called Aston and one’s called something like Marvin so it can’t be that.’
Phil threw his pencil onto the table.
‘Well, at least I’m trying to come up with some answers. You lot have been spectacular failures. I’m going to the bar.’ Lexie and I exchanged a look and I bit on my lip to stop myself from giggling. ‘Who wants another drink?’
‘Good idea,’ said Damon, looking only too eager to join him.
‘So, I’ve been dying to ask. How’s it all going? How’s life with the most eligible ghost on the block? Lexie leant over the table, looking at me expectantly. ‘Any progress on that front?’
‘Well actually, yes.’ I leant forward to meet her, looking over my shoulder just to make sure no one was listening in on our conversation. ‘You’ll never guess who turned up at work?’
‘Who?’ Lexie asked, her eyes wide.
‘Donna Diamond, that’s who! Can you believe it?’
‘Really? Oh my God! The cheek of the woman. What did she want? She didn’t have her lawyers in tow, did she?’
‘No, nothing like that. I think our little visit that night might have done the trick. She’s decid
ed to come clean about the baby. She’s doing an exclusive with one of the big celebrity magazines. Donna and her future husband Tony.’
Lexie clapped her hands together delightedly.
‘You’re kidding me! I don’t believe it.’ Lexie tidied her hair, which after its recent psychedelic stage, she’d allowed to revert to its natural golden colour, making her look much softer, more feminine. ‘I didn’t like to say anything at the time, but I felt certain she wouldn’t change her story. She seemed like a really tough cookie. I wonder what made her change her mind?’
I finished off the wine in my glass and lowered my voice.
‘Well, I think sharing her house with a ghost these last couple of weeks may have had something to do with it.’
‘Not Jimmy?’ Lexie sniggered, looking over my head through the throng of people. ‘He didn’t! No wonder she caved in. I know what it’s like to be on the end of his schoolboy pranks and it’s no laughing matter. Still, I bet he’s relieved. He must be over the moon that she’s decided to see sense at last.’
‘Yeah, he’s delighted.’ I paused looking around the room. ‘I’m just glad we got it all sorted out in the end. I couldn’t have done it without you, Lexie.’
‘What are sisters for?’ she asked with that impish smile. She took hold of my hand from across the table and gave it a squeeze. ‘So I reckon it won’t be long now then?’
There was a rush of groans mixed with pre-celebration cheers from the other tables as the end of the contest was announced.
‘What won’t?’ I asked Lexie, momentarily distracted.
‘Before Jimmy moves on.’ She held my gaze. ‘I suppose he had an incentive to stay all the time he was unfairly portrayed in the press, but now that’s been sorted there’s nothing really to keep him here. Is there? I mean, he’s found you and even if you’re not prepared to admit it, he must now realise the reason why you two were thrown together. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before he goes on to his rightful place.’
Desperately Seeking Heaven Page 15