by Lotta Smith
CHAPTER 4
“What?” Jackie exclaimed. “He was having an affair? How dare did he? I can’t believe that! After having not just one child but two, and he still had an affair? Holy Mary, but your husband has crossed the thin red line.”
“Hmm, she has a point,” Clara commented thoughtfully. “Did you confront him? Or start meeting divorce lawyers? Or maybe try marriage counseling?”
“Nope to all.” Christina shrugged. “I was sure Matt didn’t even imagine that I knew about his fling. There’s this posh tavern called Chez Amie near Bedford Avenue Station, and its owner and hostess is my husband’s alleged mistress.”
“Alleged mistress? What do you mean by that?” I asked.
“Well, it’s not like I found out about her by my investigation or anything like that. Someone went to the trouble of sending me a text message, notifying me about Matt’s extramarital affair.” Christina snorted. “If I knew who the sender was, I’d have met that person, but unfortunately it was untraceable. Maybe whoever sent that had purchased a burner phone, just to annoy me.”
“I don’t like that person.” Jackie pouted. “Just throwing a fragment of info at you while hiding in a safe place. Whoever it is, this creep sounds plain mean and rotten.”
“Mean and rotten? I like that!” Christina laughed. “Anyway, I sort of had a hunch before the text. Matt had been coming home late, and he occasionally reeked of perfume. At the same time, he’d been extra nice to me, asking me how I was doing, buying me gifts like a box of chocolate and small jewelry, like a pendant and brooch. So I decided to keep him on a long leash for a while. I assumed he was having some kind of guilt for having another woman. If that was the case, I was sure he’d have broken up with her without my intervention.”
“I see.” I nodded.
“But in retrospect, I wish whoever sent me that text would go to hell.” Christina wrinkled her nose. “There are so many nosy people who can’t mind their own business. Seriously, those people are annoying!”
“So, Christina, it looks like you can’t move from here. What do you think is binding you to this location?” Clara asked casually. “When I met you the first time, you were busy crashing a cyclist, and I couldn’t help noticing your frustration.”
“Oh, yes I was. That idiot was speeding like a maniac, just like the one we encountered today. People are walking in this neighborhood, including my kids and small children, moms with babies. It’s not hard to imagine that they have family and loved ones who are waiting for them to come home safely. Those selfish cyclists could destroy the lives of not just the victim but the people who care about them as well. What I can do is limited, but by obstructing their paths, I can help them slow down, potentially saving the innocent pedestrians.” Christina flashed a grin that beamed with pride.
Jackie whispered in my ear, “She’s really proud of herself, and is so sure she’s doing the right thing.”
“You have a point, Christina,” I interjected, “but—”
“Your actions could get you in trouble,” Clara finished for me. “Unlike dead people like us, living people talk, write, and post everything on social media. Suppose the idiot cyclist you overthrew today shares his experience with someone else. Then other idiots you’d previously helped crash could do something like #MeToo. And the next thing you know, a horde of psychics could be gathering here, trying to decipher what’s been causing a series of freak accidents.”
“They can gather here as much as they want to.” Christina shrugged. “After all, there’s no such thing as a psychic who could actually see and hear us.” Then she looked at me and Sophie. “Maybe that’s a stretch, because you and your lovely daughter can apparently communicate with me.”
“Yes, we can,” I agreed. “But we’re not the only ones.”
“Really?” Christina raised her eyebrows skeptically.
“She’s right,” Jackie chimed in. “I agree with you that the majority of psychics are bogus, but there are real ones, like Brian Powers. You’ve seen him on TV, haven’t you?”
“Yes. He’s that tall guy who dresses in black from head to toe. Sort of like mafia-style.” Christina nodded.
“Exactly. He’s a good friend of ours, so I’m sure he won’t exorcise you immediately,” Jackie said thoughtfully. “But the bad news is we have some semi-psychics roaming this world. They’re lacking in the ability to see or hear us, but just because they can’t communicate with us doesn’t mean they aren’t equipped with rather strong skills to exorcise us, and their lack of communication skill drives them into even more reckless exorcising practices than those who can talk to us. It’s like trying to negotiate with a loan shark who doesn’t understand English. They just come, detect you’re here by using some kind of electronic devices, and then proceed to diminish you. And the next thing, poof!”
“Hmm… that doesn’t sound like a peachy way to go.” Christina frowned.
“Look, Christina.” Clara gently patted the ghost’s hand where the blood hadn’t covered. “Most ghosts bound to the scene of their death tend to have some regrets over their prematurely ended lives, and I think you can leave for a better place if you can have closure.”
“Are you ladies residents of a better world?” Christina asked cautiously.
“I mostly live in a better world, occasionally visiting Rick, Mandy, and Sophie. But Jackie here mostly spends her time on this side of the world.”
“Yes,” Jackie said, “I visit the other side for school and periodic visa renewal. You know, Christina, I used to be bound to the spot where I got killed, and I’d been there for years. I was lucky enough to meet Mandy and Rick, who helped me find the truth about my murder and give me closure. Back then, I didn’t know anything about visa renewal, and I didn’t even have a visa in the first place, so I was captured by men in black, and I had to be detained as an illegal immigrant. Anyway, whether you’re moving to a better world or staying here after you’ve got a permit, you want to stay out of trouble. Once you’re exorcised, you’re nothing. So tell me, what do you remember?”
Jackie stared into Christina’s eyes, like Tom Ellis did in Lucifer.
“Let me see….” Christina shut her eyes as if to search her memory.
“You can tell me anything you want,” Clara encouraged.
After a while, Christina muttered, “When I heard about the mistress, I wanted to go to that woman and confront her, but I didn’t. Now I wish I’d whacked her in the face.”
A part of me wanted to grant her wish, but the rational part of me was wondering how to do that without being labeled as crazy.
She continued. “But on second thought, I didn’t want to become the story du jour—especially with my kids still living in this neighborhood and going to school.”
“I can imagine that,” I said sympathetically.
“Right.” She nodded. “And can you do me a favor and spread the word that I didn’t kill myself? I want my kids, husband, relatives, and the neighbors here to know that.”
“Okay. The cause of your death was an accident due to vertigo.” I nodded. “I’ll be sure to pass on those words.”
“Great. Thank you!” Christina beamed. With her bloody face, she looked scary.
Feeling that something didn’t quite add up in her story, I decided to take a different approach. “Did you always use a stool at the balcony?”
“Yes, I did. As you can see, I’m not a tall woman, but I used to keep my plants at the height of my face on the balcony. To make things worse, I’d developed stiff shoulders in the past few years, so lifting my hands above my shoulders became a difficult task. That’s why I used to stand on a stool whenever I watered the plants.”
“Good thing now you can lift your hands high above your head,” Clara commented. “Being free of the ailments you used to suffer is one of the biggest perks of being dead, in my opinion.”
“Hmm, you have a point.” Christina rolled her shoulders and threw her arms above her head. “Wow, I can fully extend my ar
ms! I was a little upset over my death, and I didn’t really notice that my shoulders don’t hurt anymore. How fantastic!”
“I see.” I observed the bloody ghost in front of me perkily laughing and swinging her arms. Despite her happy attitude, her gash was still there and she was covered in blood. I took that as a sign that she hadn’t yet experienced the closure she needed. When I met Jackie for the first time, she had a huge cut at the side of her abdomen, and a part of her gut was peeking out. Now her wound had healed, without leaving a trace of the cut.
As planned, I was going to ask her about the insurance policy with a large death benefit, but while I was looking for the right timing, Jackie got there first. “I heard you were covered by an insurance policy with a two-million-dollar payout in case of your death. Did you know that?”
“Of course I knew that,” Christina said, making a face. “Actually, I wasn’t keen on purchasing such a huge policy, but my sister-in-law happens to work as a sales rep of that particular insurance company, and all of us Hepburns are heavily covered by a series of insurance policies. In addition to the death benefits, we had—I mean, Matt and the kids should still have—policies for cancer, rare diseases, and cardiovascular diseases, and education endowment. Imagine paying for the premiums every month!”
“Wow, that must have been tough,” Clara muttered sympathetically. “One of my friends from college was in a similar situation. Her sister married an insurance salesman, and all of her family members ended up purchasing policies.”
I cleared my throat. “And the beneficiary was Matt, am I correct?”
“I believe so.” Christina knitted her eyebrows. “When I got those policies, I never expected that I’d die sooner than Matt. He’s older than me by eight years, and if I recall correctly, women tend to live longer than men.” Shaking her head, she sighed. “I can’t believe it… but at least the premiums I’d been paying will pay off.”
“I’m so sorry for your… death,” I mumbled.
Christina’s face turned serious. “You aren’t suspecting that Matt killed me for insurance money, are you? That can’t be, I’m afraid. I’d really hate to speak ill of my husband and the dad of my two wonderful kids, but he happens to be one of those indecisive guys. Honestly, I’d be impressed if it turns out that he’d manned up enough to off me.”
“Are you sure?” Clara’s eyes widened. “I can’t even imagine my Dan attempting to kill me. Actually, he had almost given up on his business and everything to seek treatment for my illness. It was such a sweet and touching gesture, but I knew my time was running low. In the end, I told him and Rick to forget about me and go on with their lives.”
“Clara….” I bit my lower lip, trying not to cry.
“Oh my God! That’s soooo sad.” Jackie was openly sobbing, waking Sophie up, who looked at her ghostly auntie crying and then at me. As if she’d noticed our sadness, her eyes immediately welled up with tears and she started to cry.
“What’s going on?” Rick came running toward us.
“Clara was talking about when she was dying and her conversations with Dan and you, and….” I sniffed, prompting Sophie to cry louder.
“It’s okay. I’m lucky enough to build a family with you.” After brushing the tears away from my cheeks, he kissed my lips and picked Sophie up. “Don’t be sad, Sophie. We’re a really happy family, aren’t we? I have you and Mommy, who can talk to my mom. How cool is that?”
As he rocked her rhythmically in his arms, cooing at her, Sophie hiccupped and then went back to sleep.
Christina was blinking tears away. “I know jealousy is ugly, but I can’t help feeling envious. Clara, you’re really lucky to have such a wonderful son. And just by seeing what a lovely son you have, I can easily picture your lovely husband.”
“Thank you.” Clara flashed a wide grin. “Look, Mandy, Jackie, I didn’t mean to sadden you. What I meant to say was that my feelings toward Dan would have changed if he was eager to unplug my life support system ASAP so he could move on to the next woman.”
“No way. He would never have done that!” Jackie said heatedly. “Since Rick started living with Mandy and started talking to you via her translation, Dan became less aggressive with his dating habits.”
“Really?” Clara furrowed her eyebrows. “But I do like Jamie, and I hope he’ll keep seeing her.”
“Okay, I’ll pass it on to Dan,” I said.
“What are you passing on to my old man, Mandy?” Rick asked, still rocking Sophie in his arms.
“Clara likes Jamie and hopes he’ll keep seeing her,” I replied.
“Really?” Rick’s eyes widened. “I’ll be with you when you talk to him about that.”
“Sure.”
“Good.” The corners of his lips quirked up into a smile.
“I think Sophie needs a quiet nap at home,” Christina said. “She’s just a baby, after all. Sometimes just going out for a few hours totally exhausts little kids.”
“You’re right. Thank you,” I said.
“What did you ask her?” Rick whispered in my ear. As I answered, he nodded. “Thanks. Where’s Christina?”
“She’s right here.” I indicated where the bloody ghost of Christina was floating.
“Okay, Christina. Here’s the final question.” He turned to her. “Just minutes before your fall, your husband made a call to your phone, right?”
“Oh… did he?” Christina tilted her head.
“Yes, he did. The police retrieved the phone records, and there was a call placed to your cell from your husband’s number,” Rick said.
“Oh… well, if you say so, I think I got a call from Matt.” Christina looked thoughtful and crossed her arms. “You know, my memories tend to be a little hazy when it comes to the sequence of events before my death. Mandy, can you tell him about my memory?”
“Sure.” I turned to Rick. “Christina thinks she got a call from Matt, but she’s not so sure. Her memories about what happened before her death seems to be slightly hazy.”
“Okay.” Rick nodded. “Christina, can you try to remember the final conversation with Matt? I understand it’s difficult to recall what happened before your death, but it’s very important.”
“All right. I’ll try.” Christina took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “I was watering my plants, and the phone beeped in my summer dress’s pocket….”
“You’re doing great. What happened the next?” Rick said encouragingly after I relayed her words.
“He’s so right,” Jackie chimed in. “Recalling the events in chronological order takes a lot of brainwork, and you’re doing good.”
“Thanks.” Christina chuckled, and then her face turned serious. “I really hate to tell you this, but what we talked about is really irrelevant, bordering on silly. Such as what’s for dinner and so on. Matt happens to be one of those chatty guys, and whenever he’s got spare time, he can’t help but calling me, informing me about every little detail of his life. When he goes on and on about somebody I’ve never met in the first place, I used to think, ‘Oh, give me a break.’ Thanks to having been married to him for sixteen years, I’ve mastered the skill of pretending to be listening when I’m thinking about something else.”
“All right. Thanks for the info.” Rick offered a polite smile once I shared her reply, but I noticed he wasn’t 100 percent convinced of the ghost’s story. Maybe that had something to do with the fact that she’d suddenly become chatty, and she was talking about things he didn’t ask for in the first place.
“Hey, my death was really accidental. It’s totally absurd to suspect my husband. I mean it. If the kids learn about their dad being the subject of my murder investigation, they’ll be upset. And believe me, having lost their mom must have left them scarred enough. Seriously, I’d do anything to avoid rubbing salt in my kids’ wounds.”
“I understand your concerns,” Rick assured her after I relayed her words. “The police have confirmed that your husband was in Midtown at the time of your d
eath. I just wanted to make sure you really talked to Matt, just in case.”
“Oh really? That’s good to hear.” Christina let out a sigh, clasping her hands in front of her vast bosom.
“No worries, Christina.” Jackie patted her shoulder. “People from law enforcement often ask questions that seem cryptic or even irrelevant. Rick is a former FBI agent, and in my opinion, that’s why he peppers you with weird questions.”
“Aha. Okay, now I can breathe normally. Come on, don’t freak me out.” Christina chuckled. “In case you haven’t noticed, we’re supposed to be the ones who make your hair curl. Anyway, in my case, sudden dizziness was what got me killed.”
“I see. Thanks for your cooperation,” Rick told her, still holding Sophie in his arms.
CHAPTER 5
“Seriously? It was dizziness that killed Christina Hepburn?” Detective Rochester exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air.
After talking to the bloody ghost, we took the detective out of Christina’s earshot and were relaying the information we’d collected so far.
“That’s what she said, right?” Rick looked at me, prompting Sophie to squeak with laughter. She giggled and squeaked and babbled something whenever he uttered that word. “Woo-hoo! Sophie, darling, you really love it when Daddy says ‘right.’”
Sophie laughed hysterically, choking intermittently.
“Please, Rick, don’t make her laugh that much,” I said. “We don’t want her to throw up. Babies are delicate, and they’re super susceptible to vomiting. Basically, anything and everything could cause them to throw up, so we want to be careful.”
“Hmm, you have a point.” His face turned serious. “Darling, do you want to go back to your stroller? All right, I’ll help you get seated.”
“Oh my.” Clara swooned happily. “Who’d have imagined that I’d get to see Rick playing with his baby daughter? When I died, he was a teenager, and I couldn’t even imagine him getting married.”
“I’m happy to have you as my mother-in-law, Clara.” I grinned. Even though Rick’s biological mom, Alice Wunderland, was still alive, she had a tendency to be a drama queen, making everything extra complex. In order to avoid her wreaking havoc, Dan had been investing a lot of money in movie production just to keep her, an actress, busy with her career.