Ghostly Touch

by Smith, Jennifer

  “She told me I had strong, natural powers and only needed to learn how to channel them. I was a good student and learned well. What I never learned was what happened to Connor. Not until afterward, anyway.”

  “Afterward?”

  “You know the story well enough. After your mother was born, my husband became gravely ill with a disease the doctor in town had never seen before. Everyone knew I had become friends with Bella and they accused me of causing him harm. It was ridiculous. I didn’t love Edmond, but he was a good man and treated me well. I wished him no harm, but that wasn’t good enough for anyone. Shortly after he became ill, Bella died. She was old and in the natural course of life, death comes to us all. I was the one who discovered her body and went to tell Papa, who notified the doctor.

  “When the doctor went to look at the body with the undertaker, they found all of her potions and herbs and ran to the sheriff. The whole town was whispering about it behind their fans and some even came right out and said I was responsible for the old woman’s death. A few days later, Edmond died too and that’s all it took. The sheriff came and took your grandmother away to live with my parents, and arrested me on the grounds of witchcraft.

  “While I was on trial, several more people became ill and began dying and I was blamed for that, too. I sat in that cold, damp jail cell for weeks while the minister came every day to try and get me to confess my sins and repent so my soul would be set free when they hanged me. But I hadn’t done anything wrong, and I wouldn’t admit that I had, so I stood trial.

  “I was found guilty by everyone in town, except my parents, who were forgiven because I was their only child. I was sentenced to hang and the gallows were built. When they hanged me, something went wrong, or right, I’m not sure which it was, but the rope broke when they released the floor beneath my feet and I landed on the ground unharmed.

  “You should have seen the crowd run screaming,” Grandma Zula said with a chuckle. “So I was arrested again and tried again, this time for conjuring spirits to release the rope and I was sentenced to drowning. They bound my ankles together, with my hands behind my back and put a gunnysack over my head. Then they led me into the river and tied rocks to my body and when they dropped them into the water, I went down with them.

  “I was terrified and thought I would truly drown, but for some reason I was able to free my hands and then I simply untied the rope around my waist and came floating to the surface, gasping for breath.

  “Again, I was thrown in jail and tried once more, this time I was sentenced to burn as a witch and the pyre was built. I was tied to the main post and the whole thing was ignited. There was nothing I could do. I screamed as the heat licked at my feet and my skirts caught fire. The smoke was black and thick. I couldn’t breathe and began to choke.

  “I was thankful though, because I knew dying from smoke inhalation was preferable to dying from the flames. I inhaled as much as I could and began to feel dizzy. Just I was about to pass out, I saw Connor. He walked toward me with his hand out and smiled. I raised my hand and the ropes no longer held me. I put my hand in his and stepped from the pyre. When I looked back I saw myself slumped over just as the flames engulfed me.”

  “Oh, Grandmother,” Zula cried. “How awful. I’m so sorry.”

  “There now. I’m not telling you this so you can cry for me. Wipe those tears. I’m telling you this because I want you to be happy.

  “I found out on the night Connor sent me away he’d been threatened by my father and the sheriff. He could either send me away or they would kill him, so he sent me away. He planned to come back later to take me far away, so we could be together. Instead, they laid a trap for him and watched everywhere he went until they found him near here. He had left his horse at our spot and came on foot to get me. When they caught, they beat him to death and dumped his body down the old mining shaft outside of town.

  “Then they cleaned out his things, sold his horse, and my father told me he accepted one hundred dollars in exchange for leaving me alone. I believed him of course, and that’s why I reluctantly agreed to marry Edmond.

  “Don’t get me wrong, being married to Edmond gave me a beautiful daughter, a beautiful granddaughter and you, Zula. I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”

  “But you didn’t get to watch your daughter grow up or see your granddaughter.”

  “Yes, I did. I’ve been with all of you, and now I’m here for you, Zula. Connor Devlin had a son when he lived in St. Louis, but like I told you, he was a wild one in his younger days. The girl’s father forced them to marry of course, but the child’s mother died while giving birth and Connor had no idea how to care for an infant. His mother lived here in Greenfield, so he brought the child for her to raise and that’s how the family line continued.

  “The Connor you met today is my Connor’s great-grandson and he’s the perfect man for you.”

  Zula laughed. “Not if he’s anything like his great-grandfather! I cast the spell for a man and the goddess will bring the perfect one to me, Grandma, so you don’t have to play matchmaker.”

  “It doesn’t matter how wild the man, Zula. Even the wild ones fall in love and change their ways, but you don’t have to worry about that. I have it on very good authority that even though Connor passed on his handsome looks; he left his rakish ways behind. Your Connor is a good man and you deserve each other.”

  “He’s not my Connor! I don’t even know him. We just met, for crying out loud.”

  “Zula,” the elder Zula said softly. “Open you heart, open your mind and let love come to you.”

  “Believe me, I am open to love. It’s why I cast the spell. I want to fall in love with someone who loves me with the same ferocity of feelings.”

  “I know you do, and just so you also know, Jana heard you and she sent Connor to you. So go get your man, my dear!

  ~ Four ~

  A New Friend

  Zula yawned, stretched, and looked around. She was in her own bed and everything was back to normal. “Wow, what a crazy dream,” she said, and got out of bed and went to the bathroom to shower.

  Downstairs, Zula put on a pot of coffee to brew and smeared cream cheese on a toasted bagel and sat at the counter to eat and read the morning paper. Still, the events of the previous night wouldn’t leave her alone. Great-grandma Zula had seemed so real and Zula remembered details from her grandmother’s story that she hadn’t known before, but how was it possible? If her great-grandmother had really been there, then love really never died and could move across the centuries. The idea gave Zula new hope and a brand new outlook on life.

  The doorbell interrupted her thoughts and she glanced at the clock on the wall, only eight o’clock, way too early for a visitor. She slid off the stool and walked through the dining room into the living room and felt energy fill the room.

  “Grandma, I know you’re there,” she said softly. “Thank you.”

  Zula could see Connor standing on the other side of the door through the wispy curtain that covered the window and she smiled broadly. This was the kind of company she could use.

  She opened the door and said, “Good morning. What brings you here so early?”

  Zula couldn’t help but let her eyes roam quickly over his body. He was just as handsome today as he was yesterday, wearing Levi’s with a black belt and silver buckle, and this time he had on a blue T-shirt with a pocket on the breast. He wore scuffed boots and Zula thought she’d really like to see him without a stitch of clothing. She quickly brought her eyes up to his and smiled; glad he couldn’t read her thoughts.

  “Good morning,” Connor said with a smile. “I’m on my way to my first job of the day and thought I’d stop by to give you the estimate on your pipes.”

  “I didn’t expect you to have it done so fast. Do you have time to come in and have a cup of coffee?”

  “Sure, I have time for a cup.” He followed her into the kitchen and sat on a stool at the counter, and Zula could feel his eyes on her as she retrieve
d a cup from the cabinet and filled it for him.

  “Cream and sugar?” she asked.

  “No, just black, thank you.”

  Zula set the cup before him and took a stool across from him. “How long will it take to replace the pipes, and most importantly, how much damage will it do to my bank account?” Zula asked with a laugh.

  “I think the job will take about three weeks to get the entire house done because we will have to tear into the walls to replace some of it. But I assure you, we will replace everything exactly the way it was, so don’t look so frightened.” He chuckled as he sipped his coffee.

  “If you want to look at the upstairs, I think you’ll find that since most of the pipe was added later, long after the house was built, it’s on the outside of the walls, not the inside.”

  “Most of these old places were built long before there was indoor plumbing, but you won’t want the new pipe to be on the outside. Now some of these places have grates in the walls from the days when coal heat was used, so we might be able to use those too and not have to tear the place up too much. Does this place have a basement?”

  Zula nodded. “Would you like to see it?”

  “Sure.”

  Zula led the way through the house to the basement stairs on the back porch. As they made their way downstairs, Connor continued, “When gas heat and plumbing was brought into these old places, most of the pipes were affixed to the basement ceilings and if that’s the case here, it’ll make my job much easier, which means savings for you.”

  Zula found the light switch and flipped it on. The dampness and musty smell hit them both. “Sorry, there’s no windows down here so I can’t even air the place out.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Connor told her as he began to examine the pipes. “I kind of like the smell. It reminds me of a cemetery crypt I used to play in as a kid.”

  Zula laughed. “That’s a strange playground.”

  “Not really,” Connor said, as he shined his flashlight around the room. “My father was the groundskeeper out at Devlin Cemetery. It began as a family plot, but as the town grew, others were buried there too. When my father worked there I went with him on weekends and helped him out during the summer months and there was this old crypt that had long ago begun to fall apart. The door hung on one hinge and there were no coffins or anything like that in it, so my friends and I used to play there. It had the same dank smell as this basement.”

  “What do you think about the pipes?”

  “I think it’ll be a job, but not to worry, I’ll get you fixed up.”

  Zula smiled. “Hmmm, I’d like that.”

  Connor grinned and Zula knew he hadn’t missed the double entendre. “Now about that estimate,” he said as they went back to the kitchen. Connor quickly reworked the estimate and handed the paper to Zula. “Is that do-able for you?”

  “I think so. When can you start?”

  “It’ll be at least two weeks, maybe three. Is that all right with you?”

  “It’s fine. I’m in no hurry.” Zula replied as she walked him to the front door. “Thanks for stopping by.”

  “No problem,” he said and held out his hand. “I was wondering if you’d go out to dinner with me tomorrow night?” He asked as they shook hands.

  “Do you always date your clients?”

  “Not all of them,” Connor said with a quick grin. “Most of them are married, or male.”

  Zula laughed. “Tomorrow’s fine. Thank you.”

  “I’ll be by around six-thirty if that’s good for you.”

  “Six-thirty it is,” Zula said, as she shut the door.

  ~ Five ~

  A Man That Also Cooks!

  Zula had never been as nervous as she was now, dressing for her date with Connor. She had been schooled by private tutors and spent time abroad as a teenager, but dating hadn’t been a big part of her life. Of course she had met new people during her travels, and she’d done the club scene in a few cities around the world. She’d had one or two casual boyfriends, and sex had always been as natural as taking a shower for her. But somehow, knowing she was about to date the man who was her soul mate, was a different feeling altogether.

  Connor hadn’t mentioned where he was taking her, and he hadn’t mentioned anything about her family history. When he talked about growing up in Greenfield and playing in the crypt at the cemetery, Zula knew he would have heard the stories about the women who preceded her. He probably had heard the rumors about her as well. She took a deep breath as she stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. Perhaps that was a good sign. He already knew everything about her family, or at least the legend of her family, and wasn’t scared off by any of it.

  That hadn’t always been the case. She had tried to date a few of the men in town, but the locals had other interests in mind. Most thought she would be their play toy, and others had simply wanted her to cast spells for them. The only ones she dated with any success were those who moved to town recently and hadn’t yet heard about her family.

  Zula dressed carefully, taking into consideration that a small town like Greenfield had few restaurants to choose from and none would warrant formal wear. She wanted to be ready for anything Connor had in mind, but she wanted to look nice for him as well. That thought made her laugh out loud.

  “Ridiculous,” she chided herself. “He already likes me or he wouldn’t have asked me out.” She chose low riding jeans with a cute top and sneakers. “There,” she said, looking in the mirror as she brushed her long hair, satisfied she didn’t wear too much make-up, or look like she expected him to take her someplace expensive.

  “What do you think, Thad? Am I gorgeous?” Thaddeus meowed and rubbed against her leg. Zula laughed at herself. Just then the doorbell sounded and she looked quickly at the clock on her nightstand. “Right on time,” she said. “You be a good boy and I’ll be back later. I’ll see if I can bring you a kitty-bag from the restaurant.”

  Downstairs, Zula smiled when she opened the door. “Come in,” she said.

  “You look great.” Connor didn’t try to hide the fact he was ogling her.

  Zula laughed. “So do you.” And she meant it, as she looked him up and down with the same lustful desire. “Now that we’ve checked each other out, where are you taking me?”

  “Someplace very special,” he said mysteriously and winked.

  “A surprise. I can’t wait.” Grabbing her purse and a light jacket, Zula followed Connor onto the porch and checked the door handle to make sure it locked.

  Connor opened the door of his Ford truck for her and helped her climb in. Once he was behind the wheel, he started engine and pulled away from the curb. “I hope you like meatloaf,” he said.

  “Meatloaf? I haven’t had meatloaf since my mother was alive and I loved hers.”

  “Great, because it’s what I made for us.”

  “You cooked?”

  Connor shrugged and made a left turn. “I’ve lived alone a long time so learning to cook was self-defense. I got really tired of fast food and pizza.”

  “I’m impressed,” Zula said as Connor wheeled the pick-up into his driveway.

  “Here we are,” he announced as he slid out of the cab and hurried to open Zula’s door for her.

  “I didn’t realize we lived so close to one another.”

  “Everyone in Greenfield lives close to one another.” Connor chuckled, and walked Zula up the porch steps and opened the door of his house.

  Zula laughed. “I guess we do.”

  Connor ushered her inside and shut the door behind them. “Home sweet home. Can I get you a glass of wine?”

  “Yes, that would be nice.”

  “Just have a seat anywhere and I’ll be right back.”

  Zula watched him disappear into another room and looked around. The room was comfortable, a little messy with magazines and newspapers covering the coffee table, but, she decided, it all felt very male. Trophies from what she guessed were his high school or college days playi
ng ball sat on the mantel above the fireplace. Various video games and controller units lay about, and a bag of golf clubs stood in one corner. She made herself comfortable on the couch, just as Connor returned with two glasses in one hand and bottle of wine in the other.

  “Here we go.” He set the glasses on the coffee table, opened the bottle and poured the wine.

  “Thank you.” Zula accepted the glass, sipped the wine and nodded. “That’s really good.”

  “Thank you. I make it myself.”

  “Really? I didn’t know you had so many talents.”

  Connor laughed. “I don’t know that it’s a talent, but my dad taught me and his dad taught him. It’s a family tradition I guess you could say. I make about twenty bottles a year just for myself, or as gifts for friends.”

  “I’m impressed.” She held up her glass and Connor touched his to it. “Cheers,” they said together.

  “Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes. I made a salad and some potatoes and peas. Please don’t feel as if you have to eat everything or that you’ll hurt my feelings if you don’t like something. I can take it.” Connor laughed and sipped his wine. “How about some music? What do you like?”

  “Anything but heavy metal,” Zula replied. “I like music a little softer.”

  “Blues?”

  “Terrific.”

  Connor put on a Stevie Ray Vaughn CD and then came to sit close to

  Zula. “I wanted to tell you I think you’re beautiful. The first time I saw you I thought you were the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

  Zula felt her cheeks heat at the compliment and took a drink of wine. “Thank you. You’re pretty easy on the eyes yourself.”

  “Thank you.” Connor chuckled. “You know I’ve heard the legend of your grandmother all my life, and you of course. But I don’t remember ever seeing you in school. Where were you all those years?”

  “Don’t believe everything you hear. A lot of the legend is just that. The story got bigger each time it was told. I didn’t attend school here. I had private tutors and spent a couple of years abroad.”