A Medium's Birthday Surprise

by Chariss K. Walker

  “No, thank you,” Becky replied as she looked at the stack of macramé crosses and crucifixes that filled one end of the table.

  “Why is Josh on your mind today, Becky?” Mrs. Edwards asked as she took a seat at the table opposite her guest.

  “I don’t want to frighten you and I’m not sure how this will sound,” Becky said, “but…”

  Mrs. Edwards interrupted by stating very harshly, “You’ve experienced Josh’s presence lately, haven’t you, and he is angry.”

  “Have you seen him too?” Becky asked in surprise.

  “I don’t see ghosts, but I recognize that he has been around lately. I feel a chill. The lights flicker. Dishes have flown out of the cupboards and shattered on the floor. Although my husband thinks I am crazy, I believe it is Josh.”

  “Does he frighten you?” Becky asked.

  “I command him to leave! I invoke the help of our heavenly Father to protect me from my son’s vengeance. That works for a while, but he returns in a day or so. If it continues, I will seek the help of our priest to banish him for good.”

  Oh my goodness! Becky silently exclaimed. Banish him? What on earth is this woman thinking!

  “If I may ask, why do you think that Josh is vengeful?” Becky carefully asked even though Mrs. Edwards had shocked her with the comments made. Becky wondered how a parent could feel such disdain for her dead child.

  “Josh repeatedly rejected our rules,” Mrs. Edwards said. “He resented me and his father. He said we were too harsh, too strict. He refused our ideas and beliefs. He was always a difficult child, but he became more unruly as a teenager. If this disturbing trouble is caused by a spirit, then that spirit is Josh. I am convinced that he hopes to exact some type of revenge on me or his father. That is why he makes such a commotion.” From all the things she’d said, it was obvious that Mrs. Edwards wanted to get these pent-up emotions off her chest.

  “Forgive me,” Becky said, “I understand what you have said; I just don’t understand why you would feel that way about your own child. You did love your son, didn’t you?”

  “And perhaps you never will,” Mrs. Edwards stated flatly, ignoring Becky’s question about loving Josh. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have a lot of work to do and I must get back to it.” She was a hostile and bitter woman; and Becky felt that coldness in Mrs. Edwards only too well.

  “Please, if you don’t mind, I have one more question…What did you teach Josh about life after death, Mrs. Edwards?” Becky asked next fearful that Josh’s mother would toss her out on her ear at any moment.

  “We taught him the truth!” Mrs. Edwards’ voice grew even harsher and more unkind. “We taught him that unless he was an obedient and good son, he would never enter the pearly gates, that St. Peter would block his entrance with a mighty sword, and kill him a second time! Then, his body would wander for all eternity, lost and hopeless. It breaks my heart to know that is his fate, but he brought it on himself. I’ve washed my hands of the matter. Now, if you don’t mind, you must leave. I have a lot of work to do.”

  “Thank you,” Becky replied. “I’ll see myself out.”

  Becky couldn’t get out of there fast enough. As she hurried to the front door, she felt as if an evil presence was right at her back. Her spine stiffened in anticipation of being attacked by some unseen and wicked presence. It was a new experience for her, but one that she would remember for the rest of her life.

  She was stunned by what she had learned and now she was even more worried about Josh. She hadn’t really believed him all those years ago when he had talked about his parents. She’d heard too many other teenagers complain about their parents to pay much attention to his comments. She’d thought it was only a rebellious phase, a generation gap, or something less ominous than what she’d just witnessed with Mrs. Edwards.

  Now, she realized that the things Josh had said were true.

  That presented another grave problem… If Josh had believed what his parents had taught him, no wonder he was angry, lost, and frightened. No wonder he was confused and disoriented. Her heart went out to Josh and to all those who didn’t know what to believe as true during the crucial moments of death.

  For the first time since her gift had been born, Becky was truly grateful that it was her destiny to work with spirits. Until now, she had not realized how valuable her services were to the dead. She had never seen the bigger picture, but now she did.

  Chapter 25

  While she was in the neighborhood, and only a few blocks away, Becky called on Candy Applewhite again. Candy welcomed her at the door. Then, the two women returned to the calming den to talk.

  “Can I get you anything to drink?” Candy offered.

  “No, but thank you,” Becky replied. Both Candy’s offer and Becky’s decline were typical of southern hospitality. It showed that the host was willing and that the guest didn’t want the host to go to any bother.

  “Have you learned anything of importance about Paul?” Candy asked next.

  “That’s why I am here,” Becky said. “I need to ask you about Paul’s beliefs. What did he believe happens to a person when they die?”

  “I’m not sure I understand what you mean,” Candy hedged. She wasn’t sure that she knew what Paul believed, and for some reason, she felt reluctant to admit that.

  “Did he believe in life after death?” Becky asked, being as plainly spoken as possible.

  “I’m not sure.”

  “It is very important,” Becky encouraged. “Did you ever talk about it?” Candy shook her head so Becky continued, “I’ve found that most couples generally believe the same things and hold the same beliefs… let’s call it being ‘like-minded’… it is one of the main aspects that draws people together even though they may not be fully aware of it. So, let me ask, what do you believe happens after death, Candy?” Becky waited as Candy looked at her hands while gathering her thoughts.

  “Until Paul’s spirit came to me that first time, I didn’t really have any particular beliefs about death,” Candy slowly admitted. “I suppose that had anyone asked me all those years ago, I would’ve said that death was the end. I was never very religious. Paul and I didn’t even want to be married by a preacher… we opted for a justice of the peace instead. But, once I saw Paul’s spirit after he died, I realized that life does not end once the body dies. And, now that you mention it, I’m sure that my new boyfriend feels the same way. As a doctor, he has seen a lot of deaths while working in the ER. He was not surprised when I told him that Paul had visited me. In fact, he was very accepting of it.”

  “Do you believe that Paul held similar beliefs to yours… those beliefs before you saw his ghost? Do you think he felt that dying was the end?”

  “No, not now; not after he came to me. I mean, think about it… How would he know that he could come to me with that message if he did not believe that he could? I would think that most of the ghosts you must deal with have messages they want delivered to their loved ones… am I right?” Candy asked. Becky nodded. “Paul didn’t seek out a medium; he came straight to me. He must’ve believed it was possible.”

  “Thank you; that helps a lot, Candy,” Becky said.

  “Why is it important?” Candy asked.

  “I have recently come to understand that whatever a person believes at the time of their death influences their after-life experience. I would like for you to call Paul to you now while we sit here together. Just think about him and he should appear to you.”

  Candy did as she was asked and Paul appeared within only a few moments. He was still in black and white static, but he was there.

  “Paul, please tell me why you are in stasis, in limbo,” Becky said. “I can tell you are held motionless by an electrical charge, but you can free yourself from it if you can only recognize it. Do you understand?”

  “I cannot free myself because someone innocent was wronged before I died; that is why I am bound,” Paul admitted. His voice was an echo, a reverberation.

&nbs
p; “Was that innocent person Josh Edwards?” Becky asked.

  “Yes-es-es-es.”

  “Will you tell me how?” Becky asked next.

  “No-o-o-o.”

  Paul’s apparition began to fade, but Becky called out, “Wait, Paul. Please don’t go yet. Is Josh free to tell me?”

  “Yes-es-es-es, if he w-w-w-ill.”

  Becky was relieved that at least Paul had no objections to Josh telling her the details of their dispute. But, she worried that Josh wouldn’t be agreeable to the idea. This case with Josh was one of the most difficult she had encountered. Presently, she didn’t know what to do next or how to proceed.

  “Did that help at all?” Candy asked, interrupting Becky’s thoughts and concerns.

  “Yes; at least, I hope so,” Becky replied.

  Chapter 26

  Later, when she returned to the antique shop, Becky continued to think about Paul. If he’d wronged Josh, what was she to do to make the situation right? How could she help either of them?

  Then, she heard Zetmeh’s voice clearly say, There is nothing for you to do, dear one. They must work it out. You can only show them that it can be worked out. That is the job you have before you.

  However, before Becky could consider the best way to help Josh and Paul, Jacob and Suzanna appeared. “Suzanna is ready to tell her story,” Jacob announced. “She will tell you through me if that is all right.”

  “It is perfectly all right, Jacob. What would Suzanna like for me to know?”

  “She stole the key to the storage locker because she had hoped she would find something of value there to sell. She wanted money to buy a bus ticket to leave Asheville with her boyfriend, Nick. They had dreams of going to California to get away from some trouble that Nick had gotten himself into here.” Jacob stopped the retelling of the story for a few moments and looked at Suzanna. They communicated briefly, and then, he continued, “She thought Nick loved her, but as soon as she opened the storage locker for him, another man showed up… an accomplice. This new man was older; he was mean and rough. He punched Nick several times and yelled at him. He also hit Suzanna so hard that she passed out, but not before she managed to turn on the nanny cam. She knew it still worked because she could see the tiny blinking light in its eye. She does not know what happened next. When she woke up, she was still in the storage shed, but the man and Nick were gone and she was locked inside. They had stolen most of the items that her aunt kept there too.”

  “Do you think the camera recorded her murder?” Becky asked.

  “She hoped that it did,” Jacob replied. “Suzanna thought that the message you sent would help her aunt to figure everything out when she checked the storage unit.”

  “Wait,” Becky interrupted. “Was Suzanna’s body still there?”

  “Yes,” Jacob replied. “Her body was still there and after the aunt got the letter you sent, she went to check out the storage unit. She found Suzanna’s body and called the police. They read the message you sent and also checked the nanny cam. It had captured the murder and theft. Having previous criminal records, Nick and his father were easily arrested.”

  “Then, everything is resolved,” Becky said.

  “No, Suzanna still cannot speak. Can you help her?”

  Becky thought about the situation for several moments. She had seen ghosts with many different kinds of injuries, but it had never kept them from speaking. Although a spirit assumes the form of its previous physical body, it is entirely separate.

  Becky received an image of Suzanna, grasping and clutching at her throat after the man cut it. In the throes of death, she had gasped and choked on the life blood flowing from the injury. She could not speak as she was dying and now Suzanna believed that she could not ever speak again. Becky realized that Suzanna’s condition was purely psychological, but how could she help the new ghost to see that?

  Then, she had an idea.

  “I have a few more questions,” Becky said, addressing Suzanna. “How did you get out of the shed if it was locked? And, how did you manage to put the key in the bear’s mouth?”

  Suzanna shook her head several times in protest; her frustration caused the lamps in the shop to wildly flicker. But Becky continued, “No, Suzanna, hear me out. You did some miraculous feats, things that you should not have been able to do as a brand new ghost. You managed to get the key inside the bear’s mouth and you got out of the shed. Tell her Jacob… explain to her that those are steps that only a practiced ghost can accomplish, am I right?”

  Jacob quickly understood where Becky was going and held a long, silent conversation with Suzanna. When he was finished, Suzanna uttered in a croaky voice, “Thank you, Jacob. Thank you, Becky.” Then, she laughed joyfully even though it was a deep, throaty gurgling noise, similar to the sound the French Broad River makes as it rushes over the many stones and boulders in its path.

  Another problem solved, Becky sighed. She gazed at Suzanna for a few long moments and then asked, “Are you ready to return to the light and to your ancestors?”

  Suzanna nodded, and then, remembering she could speak, she said, “Yes, I am, but I’m a little bit afraid… what if I’m not ready? What if they don’t want me because of the things I have done?”

  “I will open the doorway, Suzanna. You can watch for a few moments, long enough to make a decision. If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to, but it is where you belong. Belonging always feels good.”

  Becky called down the light and opened a portal just as she’d said she would. Bright, white light filled a corner of the antique shop. The glow was immense and beautiful even though it was invisible to everyone except Becky, Jacob, and Suzanna. Suzanna gazed into the light for only a few brief moments. Then, with her hands clasped under her chin, she bounced up and down like a young child, exclaiming, “Oh, I see my mother and my grandmother. They’ve come to meet me. They’re calling me. Oh my goodness; thank you Becky. Thank you, Jacob. Goodbye.”

  “I’m going to miss her,” Jacob admitted after Suzanna was gone and the doorway had closed. Then, he also disappeared from the store.

  Becky sighed with relief and satisfaction. It felt good to help others. Just as she was closing the shop for the day, she got a call from Hillary Sweetwater.

  “Becky, I think I have something of interest for you. Can we meet?” Hillary excitedly gushed.

  Chapter 27

  Becky met Hillary for a light dinner at the White Duck Taco Shop. She ordered ‘shrimp and grits,’ a traditional southern dish that is wildly popular in Asheville and Hillary ordered fish tacos. They ate first and then got down to business.

  “So what have you found out?” Becky excitedly asked.

  “Only a few tidbits. Hopefully, you’ll be able to put it all together for your case.”

  “What little tidbits?” Becky said, wondering where this was going.

  “Well, let’s see. First, Paul Applewhite worked for one of the local breweries. You probably already knew that, but did you also know that he was selling cases of their famous brews on the side? He’d been with the company so long, right out of college, and everyone trusted him. Because of that trust, no one suspected him of any wrong doing. Is that news to you?”

  “Yes and no,” Becky replied. “I did know that he worked for a brewery. I did not know he was selling their brews on the side… How was that even possible? Didn’t they have protocols in place to keep such a thing from happening?”

  “Apparently, Paul oversaw the inventories as part of his job. That’s what he was initially hired to do. However, with time, he was promoted to sales because that’s where he could make the most money. He still managed the inventory department also. So he manipulated the books to his own purposes. None of this came to light until after his death,” Hillary continued.

  “Well, how did they find out then?”

  “A day or so after his death, one of his buyers called the brewery looking for him, saying that he hadn’t made his delivery on time. Then, someone got suspic
ious because the buyer who called wasn’t on the books for delivery. That’s how his employers found out about Mr. Paul Applewhite’s extracurricular activities.” Although she wasn’t a police officer in the strictest sense of the word, Hillary sounded satisfied that Paul’s wrong-doing had come to light.

  “They only found out after his death,” Becky mused, giving herself a moment to think.

  Well, even though what Paul had done was illegal as well as immoral, it could’ve been worse. She knew that Candy had feared it was much worse.

  “Is there any way to get a list of his off-the-books customers?”

  “I imagine he kept a set of books, but it certainly wasn’t found in his office at the brewery. If his employers had found such a list, I’m sure they would’ve handled the situation much differently,” Hillary said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “The brewery elected not to file a formal complaint or make a big stink about it even though Paul skimmed off several hundred thousand dollars in this scheme,” Hillary confided. “If they had a list of his buyers they would’ve most likely gone after them and this would’ve turned out differently.”

  “That explains where his extra money came from,” Becky thoughtfully mused aloud, “but it doesn’t explain his connection to Josh.”

  “I’m still working on that,” Hillary said.

  “So am I,” Becky replied and warmly clasped Hillary’s hand. “This is very helpful, Hills. I can’t thank you enough.”

  “You’re always welcome Becky, but I have to ask… have you seen Josh. I mean have you seen his ghost? Is that why you are checking on all of this?”

  Becky inhaled deeply before replying. She didn’t usually discuss any ghost related cases with anyone other than Bobby. Although having Bobby and sharing ghost-problems with him was a great relief to Becky, Bobby was a man and he handled things differently than Becky did. He was more direct, more intense, and with his military background, he sometimes frightened the recently departed spirits. Becky felt that Hillary had been very helpful and wondered if she should share some of the details with her. Becky knew that Hills would consider it a reward for her assistance.