CnC 1 Ghost of a Chance Read online

  “To your corners!” I shouted as Murray tightened her hold on Randa until she lost her fight-or-flight stance. Meanwhile, I trundled Kip back into his chair and handed him a tissue. I took a deep breath. “Okay, listen to me—both of you. I’m in no mood for this. Murray and I will try to figure out how to undo the damage you’ve caused, Kipling. Meanwhile, if you two get into another fight I’ll have you grounded in your rooms until next Thanksgiving. Understand?”

  They both stared at me, Kip in tears and Miranda fuming. I gave them my look that basically threatened to feed them to the sharks if they so much as said one more word. Kip was the first to test the waters. “Randa? Randa? I didn’t mean to do this. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do anything that would hurt you.”

  She brushed him off like she would a cobweb. “If you’re so sorry, how come you did it in the first place? Why didn’t you listen to Mom? Do you think you know more than she does? You think she’s stupid?”

  I raised my hand. “Enough. Kip, I know you’re sorry, and I know you didn’t mean any harm. But you screwed up and now somebody else has to try to clean up your mess. You’ve put all of us in danger, you know?”

  He hung his head. “I know. What are you going to do?”

  “About the ghosts? Try to get rid of them. Meanwhile, you thought being grounded for getting into Nanna’s charm box was bad—well, buster, guess what? Bad just got worse. You’re grounded for three months, and you’re working at the shop every Saturday until that time is over. No after-school sports, no hanging out with Sly—in fact, that friendship is over except when you’re on school grounds. And—no more magic for at least six months. Now get your butt in the other room and get busy on the homework. Those grades better go up since you won’t be spending time goofing off.”

  He nodded, speechless, and trudged off to the living room. As I watched him go, I almost felt sorry for him. My temper was running full tilt, but I still couldn’t help it—he had wanted to prove himself an adult, and the backlash had been far worse than he ever expected. Still, when I thought of the situation we were in because of his stupidity, I wanted to beat his butt raw. I took a deep breath and held it in for a moment, then let it whistle slowly through my teeth.

  Miranda’s turn. “Randa, answer me this: How many times have I told both you and Kip that I won’t tolerate violence from either one of you, whether it be to a stranger or to someone you know?” Self-defense was one thing; outright aggression wasn’t going to wash.

  She started to protest, but I shot her a look that put a stop to any outburst. “A lot of times.” Her voice was petulant, but I could tell she knew she was in trouble.

  “You know that I refuse to tolerate thugs in my house.” A hard-and-fast rule since they were babies, this was one area where Roy had agreed with me.

  “Yeah, yeah… so what’s my punishment?” She stared out of the window, sullen. I could tell she knew she’d been fingered.

  I reached out and grabbed her chin, turning her head back to face me. “Don’t you look away when I’m speaking. I’m your mother and you will show me respect. You’re spending three months of Saturdays with Kip, down at the shop. Both you and your brother will behave decorously and be very helpful to each other, to Cinnamon, and to me. If I catch you fighting about this again, whether with words or with fists, I’ll pack you up and send you off to go stay with your father. He won’t put up with any crap, not now that he and his new wife are so happily married.”

  She knew I meant business. No copping attitudes while living under my roof. She swallowed. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t tell me—tell Kip. You owe him the apology. I’m your mother, I set the punishments around here. It’s not your place to decide what to do to him when he makes a mistake, and that’s exactly what you were doing.” I knew I was being a real hard-ass, but she had to learn that she didn’t set the rules. She fled into the other room, and all we heard were the scribbling of pencils and the turning of pages as she dove into her homework.

  I leaned my elbows on the table and rested my head on them. “Oh, Murray, I think I just lost it. What are we going to do? Mr. B & U pretty much has a license to kill, and he seems bent on using it.”

  Murray let out a shuddering sigh. She glanced at the clock—almost time for her to go on shift. “I don’t know, Em, but I wouldn’t break this bottle right now if I were you. Who knows what might happen if you try to undo Kip’s spell that way?”

  I nodded. The holiday season had suddenly become a nightmare, and I wanted only to wake up from it to find everybody safe again.

  Chapter Sixteen

  I was so ready to go to work the next morning, if only to get away from thinking about the ghosts for a while. While I knew a little more about what we were dealing with, knowing about them and finding a way to get rid of them were two different things. I wasn’t sure just how much I trusted my abilities.

  Cinnamon and I were swamped, but my mind kept wandering back to Susan and Diana. Who could have wanted them both dead? And why? And what had Kip managed to unleash on us all? Had his spell attracted Susan as well as inviting Mr. B & U in for a rampage?

  I mulled over the string of events, still shaken and a little off kilter. It was hard to even take pleasure in the new shipment of cut crystal stemware that I always ordered this time of year. I held one of the delicate glasses up to the light, watching as rainbows skittered across the finely polished surface. The stem on the goblet was so fragile that if I held it the wrong way, it would snap. Snap … I flashed back to Diana, lying dead in a pool of blood.

  With a shiver, I pulled myself out of my thoughts and finished the display just in time to take a call from Kip. He sounded subdued, but told me that they were helping Murray finish her Christmas gifts; then Miranda came on the line and bubbled over about how White Deer was teaching her some of the native legends of the stars.

  Murray had some news of her own for me. “I did some digging, Em, since you’re so sure Walter was behind Susan’s death.”

  “And? Don’t leave me in suspense.”

  She hedged a moment and then said, “This will be public knowledge soon enough; it won’t be long before it gets around the grapevine.” After another pause, she dove in. “Susan cut Walter out of the will a couple months before she died, and he knew about it. He gets squat.”

  “Then who inherits?” I was confused. There went Walter’s one motive for murder down the drain.

  “Diana. She left most of her money to her daughter.”

  “I suppose that makes sense. What happens to the money now that she’s dead, too?”

  Murray’s voice was strained. “I don’t know, but it won’t go to him. That was one of the stipulations—the money will never touch Walter’s hands.”

  This put a whole new spin on things, and I wasn’t sure what I thought. I glanced at the clock. Four-thirty. “I’ve got to get ready for tonight. Are you going to be there?”

  “Nah, I didn’t know her very well, and anyway, I’m on duty tonight. A couple of the guys from the force will be there, though. Their wives were in Susan’s theater group.”

  I thanked her and hung up. The store was actually quiet for a change. “Cinnamon, I’m leaving early. Close up at six, please.”

  She was counting cookies, wrapping them in tiny cellophane packages for our customers; just a little “thank you” for their patronage. “Sure thing. Mom’s taking the kids to a movie so it doesn’t matter if I’m a little late.”

  I gave her a big smile. “Thank you for helping me so much this season. I hope you know how much I appreciate it.”

  She slid the basket of cookie packages under the counter. “I know. I’ll take all the hours you can give me. I like this job, and the extra money sure makes it easier.”

  “I understand. I’ve been there, Cinnamon, I know what it’s like. Okay, I’m out of here.” I headed out into the flakes that were starting to fall. Wouldn’t it ever stop snowing this year?

  * * * *

  I app
roached the house cautiously. The night before had been relatively quiet, but I didn’t trust the silence. The peace could shatter at any moment. I hurried upstairs, and after a whirlwind shakedown of my closet, decided on a floor-length hunter green velvet dress that I had tucked away. I’d worn it often when Roy and I went from one corporate shindig to another. After the divorce, I stuck it in a garment bag and hung it in the back of my closet. Now I’d be wearing it with Andrew.

  I held the dress up to the light, eyeing it critically. Hmm, not bad. I could probably still get into it, even though I had gained fifteen pounds since we moved here. I hunted around for a pair of shoes that would work and finally decided on a pair of black ankle boots. I dropped the gown and boots onto my bed and crawled in the shower, leaving the curtain and door open. I’d clean up the puddles later. Still leery of the bathroom, I wasn’t anxious to participate in a repeat performance with the bad boy of the astral realm.

  As I lathered my arms and back, I thought about the upcoming party. What would Walter be like? My intuition was honed with years of practice, but there was a lot riding on this meeting, especially with what Murray had spilled this afternoon.

  After I dressed, I started to sit down at my vanity to make sure that my eyeliner was on straight and that my lipstick wasn’t bleeding. Whoa—the woman staring back in the mirror couldn’t be me. If she was, then I washed up pretty damn good. My hair cascaded down my back in a nimbus of curls, the faint hints of silver giving me just a touch of refinement. The dress set off my eyes, which were as green as my name. Irish. I inherited my father’s looks but my mother’s tongue. I patted my belly. Some folks might think that I could stand to lose a few pounds, but I liked my curves. Apparently Andrew did, too, and tonight I could finally see why he found me attractive.

  I opened Nanna’s trunk and pulled out a small wooden box. In the box, wrapped in a piece of silk, rested a brilliant palm-sized spike of amethyst crystal. I gently shook away the material and, settling myself on the bed, clenched my fist around the hard, cool gem. I closed my eyes, letting my thoughts drift randomly until the energy around me felt quiet and calm. After a moment of silence I reached inward, searching for answers. What should I do? Had I bitten off more than I could chew when I decided to help Susan?

  My thoughts fluttered lightly around me. Patience, Nanna seemed to whisper. Have patience. Give it time. Wait. Listen. Don’t rush the spirits.

  A buzz began to hum at the edge of my perception, like static along a phone line. A voice, feminine and shimmering, otherworldly and ethereal, sparkled out from the crystal. “You must see this through. Unwrap the layers one at a time. You cannot expect to find your way through the mists until you discover the right path.”

  The voice was gone. You must see this through.… So I couldn’t get out of the mess with a simple exorcism. Unwrap the layers…

  Was I looking in the wrong place, for the wrong reason? Murray’s news had blown my theory that Walter had been after Susan’s money. At a loss, I brought the amethyst to my lips and kissed it gently. Nanna gave it to me on my twelfth birthday and told me that if I ever lost it or gave it away she’d redden my backside no matter how old I was. I later found out that on her own twelfth birthday, a Gypsy from a nearby village gave the crystal to Nanna and told her to use it and pass it on when she felt it was time.

  Six o’clock. Half an hour left before I had to leave. I hunted through my closet and pulled out a mandarin jacket embossed with a golden dragon pattern. A quick traipse through my jewelry box and I fastened a diamond solitaire pendant around my neck. Roy had given it to me for our third anniversary. I seldom wore any gifts he had bought for me, but tonight I wanted to look beautiful.

  I thought of Andrew and blushed. I didn’t want to fall in love; love was messy, love could hurt. And yet, I couldn’t help my feelings. So far he was everything I had fantasized about. Promptly at six-fifteen I stepped outside.

  I stopped and stared up at the expanding panorama above me. Sweeping across the heavens like the train of a velvet cloak studded with diamonds, the night sky wavered as chill and unyielding as the ice and snow that covered the sidewalk. A faint glimmer of lights nickered from the north… a rare vision of the aurora borealis. The northern lights danced across the horizon in a shimmer of green and white, waves radiating like pale ghosts riding the winds.

  With a shiver of anticipation—a prescience, perhaps—I cautiously made my way to the car. My boots were slick on the ice, and I made a note to call the Schroeder boy from down the block and pay him to shovel out our walkway. I clutched the tall juniper branches next to the house for support, and their scent mingled with the chill. The smell of Christmas and northern lands and reindeer.

  The parking lot was already partly full by the time I eased into a spot near the entrance. I swept through the doors, blinking under the glaring fluorescent lights as I was transported back to my own high school years. Rows of lockers reminded me of the contraband I had stored in my own, praying that no one would search it—nothing too serious when I looked back, a little pot, a switchblade that I didn’t even know how to open but carried so I’d look cool and make bad-boy Jimmy Salver want to date me. At the time, it had all seemed so daring and dangerous.

  Would Miranda do the same? Or would her locker be full of technical journals and notebooks? Instead of pictures of her favorite music groups, I had no doubt that she would plaster up photos of comets and astronauts on the inside of her locker door. Kip… Kip was an enigma. I had no idea how he would turn out.

  The party in the cafeteria was in full swing, the tables boasting delicate arrangements of hors d’oeuvres and centerpieces of white lilies surrounded by yellow tea roses. A large easel on one of the tables held a publicity poster of Susan, and people had bordered it with flowers and sprigs of holly. Faint music caught my ear—I thought I recognized Swan Lake but wasn’t sure. People milled from group to group, teenagers staying pretty much with their own crowd, the adults congregating near a makeshift bar, where a waiter served wine and soda.

  Andrew stood in a corner, talking to two men and a couple of women who I assumed were either part of his writing group or theatrical colleagues. They were dressed in dark suits—the women, too. I changed my mind. Writers wouldn’t be dressed so formally; they had to be doctors or lawyers. Harlow and James waved me over. Her eyes were unnaturally bright; she looked like she’d been crying. James looked worried. I wondered if she’d told him she was pregnant.

  She kissed me, and James caught me in his arms for a quick hug. “I hear you’ve captured my buddy’s heart. Don’t you go breaking it. He’s a good person!”

  I blushed and Harlow laughed. “James, you’re embarrassing her!”

  “No, I’m not.” James winked at me. “She looks delighted and delightful. Emerald, I’ve never seen you looking quite so lovely as tonight.”

  I grinned at them. “Must be the romance. So, how goes the work, James?”

  “Wonderful! I just wish I could get my wife to cheer up and share my good mood, though I guess it might not be appropriate at a wake, you think?” He didn’t sound wonderful.

  I wanted to ask what was wrong, but Harlow slipped her arm through mine. “Come on, let’s go to the powder room and make ourselves even more glamorous than we are.” She strolled me across the room and out the door. I leaned on her arm a little; my knee was hurting, and the high-heeled boots only exacerbated the pain. Why had I given into vanity?

  We found the rest room; it was empty.

  Harlow sighed and looked around. “You’d think they’d put a divan or something in here. All ladies’ rooms should have them.” She dropped onto the hard little bench against the wall, and I gratefully joined her.

  “What’s wrong? Something seems up.” I could sense it… she was just a big old ball of despair and worry and tension.

  “Oh, Em, everything’s a mess. James has been offered a six-month assignment in Africa. He’s been trying for this job for months and I’d made plans to go with hi
m should he get it. Eco-safari… environmental films, stuff like that. What can I do? If I keep this baby, there’s no way I can go jolting around the savanna for six months in a bumpy Jeep. If I tell him, he probably won’t go, and this is the chance of a lifetime. It could send his career soaring!” She buried her head in her hands.

  “Mess” was the word for it. I raised her chin so she was looking directly into my eyes. “Listen to me. If you have an abortion and James finds out later, it will end your marriage. I guarantee it. He loves you, he worships the ground you walk on, and if you do something like this, he will never trust you again. Are you willing to destroy your marriage because of your fear? You have to talk things out and he has to have a say in the matter.”

  She nodded, sniffling. “I’m so confused.”

  “Think straight, woman. You know James loves you. You love James. Whether or not you choose to have this baby, the two of you must make a united decision. He’s the father, and he’s your adoring husband.” I dropped my hand and she searched my face, hungry and afraid. “Tell him tonight. Don’t wait any longer.”

  “I guess I should. But what if he wants it? What if I get fat? What if I develop anorexia again and hurt my baby? I couldn’t live with that.”

  “Maybe you will have the baby. If so, then yeah—you’ll get fat while you’re pregnant, so don’t even bother worrying about it—it won’t be forever. Look at Jane Seymour; she not only has her twins, she still has her gorgeous hair and figure. You love working out so much that I doubt if you’ll have any problems at all.” I didn’t tell her that I still carried around my pregnancy fat. I had been too thin due to Roy’s urging, and I decided after I had the kids that I wasn’t going to let him push me around. Just another of our many conflicts. “As far as the anorexia, well, you have James and Andrew and me to lean on. We’ll help you make it through the rough days so that your baby can be as healthy as possible.”