The pieces fell into place as her heart cracked in two. Then the claws came out.
“Ah, there it is,” she said, her voice low and menacing. “I think I see what’s going on here now. How old is she, Jace? Did you pick her up at preschool?”
“That’s ugly, Vivian, and it isn’t fair. She’s not the reason.”
“No, your backstabbing two-timing man-whoring is the reason. I can’t believe I didn’t see this coming,” she said, fury erupting in an unstoppable wave.
“Get the fuck out of my house” she yelled, tossing the half-empty beer bottle at his head.
“Jesus, Viv!” he yelled as he ducked. “It doesn’t have to be like this. I tried to make it work, but you’re always gone.”
She couldn’t listen, couldn’t stand to look at his handsome face and think about how she’d fallen for his bullshit. His betrayal unleashed all of the pent-up frustration, anger, and anguish she’d been holding back. Jace became the perfect target.
“You didn’t try. You just went off and started banging some other woman while you strung me along, you lying sack of shit. Now get the fuck out!”
He looked to be on the verge of exploding, too, but got it under control at the last with some deep breaths and visible effort. Jeanne floated into the living room, thankfully not in corporeal form. Seeing the look on Vivian’s face, she had the good sense to hightail it out, too.
As Jace walked through her door, he looked back over his shoulder and offered, “I’m sorry it turned out like this.”
“Out!” she shouted, and, finally, he listened.
***
“Honey, you don’t have to keep Scooter tonight. We’ll figure something out,” Kay said as she served Vivian a slice of pie with a side of ice cream.
In spite of being blindsided by her worthless, two-timing piece-of-shit ex, not to mention the mess she’d landed in with the guardian spirits and their archangel manager, Vivian wasn’t about to bail on Kay. Besides, having an adorable toddler around to cuddle would take her mind off her troubles. And Kay deserved a night off.
“No, it’s okay,” Vivian replied. “I’ll be fine, and it’ll be refreshing to spend some time with a nice man for a change.”
“I’ll just go check on the kids,” came the voice of Kay’s husband, Boyd. Boyd had made himself scarce as soon as Vivian showed up and shared news of her two-timing, double-crossing ex.
“Oh, hell,” Vivian hissed when he was out of earshot. “I’m sorry. Boyd must be scared shitless. I have that effect on menfolk, it seems.” She dug into her pie for consolation.
They’d heard, of course. Word got around pretty fast, especially when it came to cheating hearts and other parts. The Clemmens clan had gone out of their way to pamper Vivian through Saturday dinner, but it came across like coddling. That hadn’t put Vivian in the best of moods. She knew they were worried about her, but she also knew they were all worried about Sue’s wedding.
Vivian was maid of honor, and, as Jack’s good buddy and long-time business associate, Jace was the best man.
Their breakup had been ill-timed to say the least. Then again, that was his fault, not hers. Run-ins with mutual friends had been pretty awkward. She assumed that she was expected to be gracious and just act like everything was fine, for poor Sue’s sake.
Too bad she couldn’t be the “bigger” person.
“Don’t you worry about Boyd,” Kay said. “I tell you, as soon as he heard, he grabbed the shotgun out of the safe and made like he was planning to put some buckshot in that lowlife’s ass.”
“He should shoot him in the pecker,” Vivian quipped. “That’s what got him in trouble. So, have you met her?”
Kay got quiet. That meant yes.
“Just give it to me straight. She’s younger and sweeter, has firm tits and a tight ass, and feeds fucking orphans in Mumbai, right?”
And she no doubt did it all while still “being there” for Jace, putting his needs first like a good woman should and getting ready to pop out some babies to make his life complete. After that, she’d stop working, of course, and devote herself fully to motherhood and wifehood while Jace the snake cheated on her too.
Or maybe she’d cheat on him. Vivian could only hope.
“She’s younger, yes. Aside from that, I don’t know. We passed them in town and Jace introduced us. Viv…I’m so sorry. I wouldn’t have spoken to them if Jace hadn’t practically dragged us over. Boyd was going to hit him, but she, well, she looked about as uncomfortable as we felt. After the intros, we left them in the dust.”
“So, is it serious?” Vivian asked. She hated herself for caring, but she had to know.
“Honey, I have no idea. I haven’t talked to Jace since that day. You’ve got to know we’re on your side, though,” Kay pleaded. Vivian nodded. She knew. Didn’t make it better, though.
“Look, I hate to ask, but I need to know.” She sat down across from Vivian. Here it comes. “What about the wedding? Sue’s about going crazy, and she’s really between a rock and a hard place—”
“Yeah,” Vivian snorted. “That must be why she hasn’t bothered to pick up the phone.”
That had been the worst. Sue hadn’t called, texted, emailed, or bothered to check on her since the breakup. After years of nursing her other best friend through a string of nasty breakups and life’s other ups and downs, not a word. Hell, Sue was the reason Vivian and Jace met and dated. Sue had invited her out on what turned out to be, unbeknownst to Vivian, a double date.
Not that the rest was her fault, but it hurt. Sue had always been there for her. She didn’t know what she would have done without her when Mae was dying—when Vivian first encountered the world of spirits. Having Sue had been a lifesaver, literally. It made her absence now cut deeper.
“Vivian, she’s about to get married, she’s pregnant, and yes, she really is worried about you,” Kay added. “She’s got a lot on her plate. She didn’t ask me to talk to you. I’m doing it to keep her from having one more thing to worry about. If you want out, she’ll understand, but I’ll give it to you straight. If you go through with being her maid of honor, you’re going to have to swallow all of that anger, justified as it may be, and let the day be about her.”
“Give me some credit, Kay. I won’t ruin her wedding. But I just wonder why he has to be there,” she said.
“If Sue’s between a rock and a hard place, Jack’s about got it double. He’s got to consider his friendship with Jace, how pissed off Sue is, how pissed off he feels, too, for that matter. He’s laid it out on the line for Jace, so you may be in luck if he backs out first. But don’t count on it.”
Kay’s dose of honesty was probably just what Vivian needed, but that didn’t make it go down any easier.
“I won’t bail on Sue. You know that,” she said, resigned. “I just don’t want everyone treating me like a redheaded stepchild running around the family reunion.”
“But you’re not,” Kay said.
“Not what?”
“A redhead,” she said, managing to get it out just before dissolving into giggles.
“Hey,” Vivian said, snorting ice cream as she chuckled. “That’s a well-kept secret, and it’ll stay that way as long as you, my gyno, and Miss Clairol don’t go blabbing that the carpet doesn’t match the drapes.”
Mood lifted. God, she loved Kay.
Vivian put down her fork, stood up, and started clearing dishes. “You and Boyd need to get cracking if you want to get the girls to their sleepover and make it to the show on time. Can you go get the little guy ready for me now?”
“Sure thing,” she said, regaining her composure. “But I should warn you. His new friend will probably be coming, too.”
“New friend?”
“Oh, yeah,” Kay said, averting her eyes. “Connor’s got…well, he’s got an imaginary friend.” She whispered it like she might whisper that cousin Myrtle had herpes to her circle of church pals.
“Okay.” Vivian shrugged. “That’s not such a
big deal.” At Kay’s skeptical look, Vivian continued. “Seriously, I had an imaginary friend when I was little.”
“You did?”
“Yes, ma’am, I did. His name was Charley. He lived in my closet, was pitch black, had red eyes, and it scared the shit out of my mama, too.” She beamed while Kay stared in apparent horror. “Anyhow, he didn’t scare me. I always thought he was kind of cool, like my own personal bodyguard against the real monsters in my closet. I turned out normal.”
She was normal at least as far as most folks were concerned.
“Well, I suppose he’ll grow out of it. It’s just that he seems to talk to him a lot,” Kay mused.
Alarm bells rang in the back of Vivian’s skull. She sat back down, swallowed hard, and asked, “Is that all?”
Kay shook her head and then shrugged, waving a dismissive hand. “I’m sure it’s not related, but things just keep disappearing around the house. When I ask the kids, Connor says that his friend did it. And there are all kinds of strange noises coming from his room, and his lamp keeps burning out.”
Oh, God, no.
“Honey, are you okay?” Kay asked. “You’ve gone white as a sheet. I’m sure you’re right, he’s just going through a phase right now.”
“Did Connor tell you his friend’s name?” Vivian asked.
“He just calls him Junior,” said Kay.
That’s what I was afraid of.
CHAPTER 9
Vivian struggled to maintain the speed limit while driving Connor Clemmens back to her home, her heart racing faster than the car. She was terrified of what he might be bringing along for the ride, but getting any information out of him was proving difficult. He could speak pretty well for his age, but like all toddlers he was also easily distracted. Passing cars and trucks had captured his attention, so it took Vivian several tries and a piece of sugar-free candy to work around to asking him about Junior.
“So, Scooter,” she asked, slowing down in case the answer or possibly the appearance of a wispy yet powerful spirit gave her a heart attack. “Is Junior here?”
“Yeah,” he said between slurps. Connor liked to lick his candy rather than chew it. It made it last longer and maximized the damage he could do with the resulting sticky fingers.
Vivian couldn’t see him or feel him, which gave her a small measure of hope and relief. Maybe Junior was simply an imaginary friend. Since Connor seemed cooperative, Vivian pressed on. “Does Junior go everywhere with you?”
“Yeah.”
“Where did you and Junior meet?”
“Look at that! I see big fire truck! Weeee-oooooooh, weeee-oooooh!”
Shit, dogs’ ears are bleeding out there! Not to mention mine. “Okay, Scooter, I need you to focus for Auntie Viv. Where did you meet up with Junior?”
“Zoo,” he said, taking another slurp.
Double shit! “Oh, I see,” she said, swerving to avoid oncoming traffic. “Does Junior live at the zoo?”
“Nope.”
“Does he live with you?”
“Yeah. I want some more caaaaaaaaandy!”
“In a minute,” she replied, pulling over and parking in a convenience store lot. She couldn’t manage to drive safely and interrogate the boy, and she didn’t care to experience another car crash. “And don’t give me the stink-eye or you won’t get anything. What does Junior look like?”
Scooter considered. Vivian was afraid she’d lost him again, so she waved the candy in front of his beady little eyes to get his attention again. He made a grab for it, but she was faster. That earned her another dose of the stink-eye.
“I want piece of caaaaaaaaaaaaandyyyyyyyyyy!”
“Tell me about Junior, then,” she shot back, holding the candy out of reach. God, was she really torturing a little kid for information? No—actually, she was bribing him. That was okay. She’d seen Kay do the same often enough.
He gave her the most adorable scowl before saying, “Junior play with Conoow.”
“That’s really cool, buddy.” She played it up, flashing him her brightest smile and leaning in as if thoroughly interested. “What do you play?”
“He crashes trucks. Boom!” Scooter shouted.
Her ears rang. That explained the noise.
Shaking it off, she kept up the enthralled act even as her heart raced and her mind spun. How was this possible? He was just a kid. She didn’t think all small kiddos could see spirits. Babies possibly could, but it was so hard to tell. But children his age?
No, if that were the case, everyone would know about the hidden world of spirits. Children his age couldn’t keep a secret if their little lives depended on it. She’d seen Connor cave when one of his sisters looked at him funny.
Still, was there any other explanation for what he described? Was his imagination that active? Active enough to conjure a friend who could crash toy trucks and move objects around the Clemmens house without scaring the kid to death?
“Wow, that must be fun,” Vivian said, hoping for a logical rather than a paranormal explanation. “What else does he do?”
“He sparks light. Tickle Conoow. That’s funny.” He dissolved into a fit of giggles as Vivian’s heart sank. The only explanation for “sparks light” was a guardian spirit.
But the spirit from the zoo hadn’t been corporeal. He’d been transparent, one of the lost and lonely variety who lingered after death and slowly went mad, forever stuck in the Earth realm, as powerless as fish out of water.
Vivian gave him the candy and decided to postpone the rest of her interrogation until they were safely indoors. Jeanne had agreed to stay out of sight, but within earshot, so they’d have privacy. She hoped she wouldn’t have to zap the wayward spirit and traumatize the toddler in her care, but maybe Connor would forget about it. Or, at least, no one would think twice about another far-fetched story from the kid.
She may have no other choice. No way would she let the spirit harm a hair on the little guy’s head.
After she unloaded Connor and his overnight bag, both of which she had to manually haul indoors, she asked, “Do you want a movie and popcorn?”
“Yeah! Pop pop from the beep beep,” he said, a pretty accurate description of microwave popcorn.
“Okay, but first you have to promise to brush your teeth and go night-night when Aunt Vivie says it’s time.”
“Okay,” he said, toddling after her into the house.
Vivian got him occupied with some toys and went to run his bath. She ran the shower, too, and made sure to keep the door closed. Some myths about ghosts were true. She’d seen more of them than she cared to recount in her steamy bathroom. Settling Scooter in with a pile of bubbles, she closed the door and waited.
“It froggy in here,” Connor yelled. Boy, his voice sure could carry for such a small guy.
“I know, sweetie, but the steam is good for your lungs,” she yelled back. “Is Junior in there with you?”
“Nope.”
“Oh, okay. Will you tell me if he shows up?” she asked, adding, “I can bring him a towel and some jammies, too.”
“He not like water,” Connor said, followed by a splash that likely emptied half the water out of the tub and onto her floor. Who knew bath time could be so messy?
Well, hell. There goes that bright idea.
She sent a mental text to Jeanne and explained the situation. Jeanne remained invisible, but sent a warm jolt through Vivian to let her know she was there and watching. After Vivian dried and dressed Connor, she put on some animated flick or another and set about nuking some popcorn. She’d just placed the bag in the microwave when her cell phone buzzed. Probably Kay.
“Hello?”
“Hey, honey. I just wanted to make sure Connor was behaving himself,” said Kay. That was mother code for making sure Aunt Vivie hadn’t lost or destroyed him yet.
“He’s fine. Go out and enjoy yourself. And you and Boyd will have the rest of the night to enjoy each other when you get back home.”
Kay laughed. Cl
early that was the whole point of this exercise. Otherwise Boyd Clemmens would never have sprung for symphony tickets. “All right. Just make sure he brushes his teeth. And, Vivian?”
“Yes?”
“Try to watch your language, honey. I don’t want Connor to, you know…”
“Grow up to be a trash mouth?”
“Something like that,” Kay said.
“Will do,” Vivian replied. A series of beeps from her microwave let her know the bag of hot and fluffy snack was ready. Had she turned it on? “Oh, gotta run. Popcorn’s on. Bye.”
She looked back at the microwave and registered that something was amiss. After about thirty seconds, a particularly loud pop and arc of electricity snapped her back into reality. There was no light emanating from the inside of the box, and the LED display was blank. Moreover, she hadn’t actually turned the microwave on.
She mustered all of her energy and sent a flash through the kitchen, spinning to make sure to cast her light in all directions.
Fuck, I scorched the walls again.
She looked around and registered a blurry shape in the corner. It distorted her view of the back wall, like the haze of heat rising off asphalt. She heard a moan, and was up on her feet as fast as she could scramble.
“Jeanne,” she whispered, hoping that the surround sound in the living room would keep Connor from hearing the commotion. “He’s down. Get over here and back me up!”
When Vivian looked back at the downed spirit, she was able to watch as Jeanne formed what looked like a spherical cage from the yellow light that flowed from her fingertips. It encased the spirit on the kitchen floor, a spirit that appeared to still be too stunned to protest.
Thank God for spirit power. “I’ve got hand it to you,” Vivian said. “That’s a pretty cool trick. You’ll have to teach me that sometime.”
“What should we do with him?” Jeanne asked.
“Do you reckon he’s the one who’s been after me?”
Raising the Dead Page 9
