by Gareth Otton
She glared at him long enough for Miriam to slip through the door and run up the hill. She stopped just short of Kate and they talked briefly before leaning in close as though to kiss. They couldn’t touch though, and again Tad’s sympathies went out to the pair.
“There, they’ve had some alone time.”
“Jen, no—”
He was too late. She sprinted up the hill, pushed past Kate, and turned right after entering the house. Had she turned left to the kitchen where Kate entertained, he’d have given into his frustration and chased her. Right was the living room and, more importantly, the PlayStation which might keep her quiet, so he decided to let her be.
He leaned back, sighed and decided to wait five minutes before going inside. This left him alone with Maggie for the first time all day.
“You’re doing a good thing with Jen,” Maggie said.
“I don’t know. I love her, but I don’t think I made the right choice. It’s hard. We argue all the time.”
“That’s just families.”
“No, it’s more than that. She blames me for her parents moving on. After this whole mess with Proxies disappearing is sorted, I’ll think again on whether it’s working. It’d kill me to give her up, but I’ve got to do what’s best for her.”
“Don’t second guess yourself. You’re better together than you think. Trust me. I was her age once. You should know after last night. Remember how often I had to sneak out to see you? It’s the same with Jen. You’ll sort it in a few years.”
“Years?” He almost choked and she laughed.
Before the awkward silence could return, Maggie asked, “How come Kate can see Miriam?”
He looked at her and tapped his head. “You could find out yourself if you look for it. You have access to everything I know now we’ve merged. It’ll fade in a few hours, it only lasts about a day, but should still be there now.”
“I’m new at this. Humour me.”
“It’s my gift. I can show ghosts to people who aren’t Proxies.”
“Since when? Have you been holding out on me?”
“I figured out how to do it a few years ago. It’s getting stronger as well. Until recently I would’ve had to be in the same room with them. Now I can manage it so long as they’re within a hundred feet.”
“Did another Proxy teach you?”
“Most of what I do is instinct, no one has to teach me. The only problem with this is that they can’t touch. It makes me wonder if it’s a gift or a curse. This way neither of them has chance to move on. Seeing each other but not being able to touch just opens old wounds.”
“That’s awful,” Maggie said. “Maybe Miriam should move on.”
“You try suggesting it. She says she has too much to do.”
“I thought they’d caught her killer.”
“They did. That’s why Kate’s a detective. No, it’s Miriam’s personal hangups. She’s always been awesome at what she does. She can’t do it directly, but through me and Kate, she can still help. At least that’s what she says. I think she’s just waiting for Kate.”
Tad decided enough time had passed. He caught Maggie’s attention, nodded to the house, and stepped out of the car. He burrowed deep into his coat and kept his head down against the bitter wind. Winter had been late coming and was trying to make up for lost time. At least it wasn’t raining. He didn’t want to test out his new coat quite yet.
Tad was half way up the steps when he realised Maggie wasn’t with him. He turned to see her mouthing the words, Open the door.
He laughed and shook his head. He’d been willing to accommodate her the night before, but wouldn’t go so far as opening the door for a ghost on a street as busy as this. She’d have to learn sooner or later.
The first he knew that she made it out of the car was when she hit him on the arm.
“You could’ve opened the door, you bastard.”
“Why? You just needed to step through it.”
“That’s weird. It makes me feel like I’m—”
“Dead? I hate to break it to you—”
“Shut up. Say one more word and I’ll be the one breaking it to you… with my fists.”
He laughed and stepped into the house, this time holding the door for her. “You always were crap at threats.”
“That’s because you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.”
“Yes, and you catch even more with shit so—”
She snorted. “I saw that episode of The Big Bang Theory. Don’t go ripping off their jokes.”
He smiled, closed the door behind her and led her into the kitchen, slipping off his coat as he walked and relishing the warmth of the house.
Kate and Miriam were deep in conversation but hushed upon seeing them. Judging by the look on Kate’s face, she already knew everything there was to know about Maggie.
Kate was dressed down for the night. She was tall for a woman, nearly six foot. The trouble was it wasn’t all legs and curves like a supermodel, but instead a thickset build that could be quite masculine unless she took pains to emphasise her femininity. Jeans and a t-shirt along with her fair hair being tied back did little to help.
She stood and walked to the fridge, removing a bottle of beer that was tempting. She waved it Tad’s way with a grin, and when he refused, she laughed wickedly and kept it for herself.
“I keep telling you. Come over on the weekend and you won’t have to worry about driving home,” Kate said in her thick, valley’s accent.
“Yeah well, things to do and all that. Kate, this is Maggie. Maggie, Kate.”
Again Kate laughed. She had a deep but wicked laugh that she wasn’t afraid to use.
“Oh, I know who she is, I’ve been looking at her face all day.” She grinned and nodded to Maggie over her beer. “I’ve got to say love, you’re looking better than when I last saw you.”
“That bad?” Maggie asked, awkwardly sitting on a chair behind the table without having to manoeuvre it. Tad wondered how she thought she was sitting down without touching it. She’d get it soon enough.
“It was bad,” Kate agreed, bringing her beer to the table and taking a seat. To Tad she said, “There’s a Coke in the fridge, help yourself.”
He did so, grabbing a can before joining them around the table. Kate sat with Miriam on one side so Tad took his place next to Maggie on the other.
“What do you know?” he asked.
“Pretty much what you told me. The body… sorry hun, I meant your body. I’ll never get used to this ghost thing.” Maggie waved her off. “You were right where you said to look. As we hoped, I landed the case.”
She swigged her beer, burped loudly which earned a frown from Miriam but made Maggie laugh, and then continued.
“Like I said, you were a mess, and you were hidden pretty good, so it wasn’t a hard sell to get it classified as murder. The trouble is, there wasn’t much evidence at the scene.”
“What about’s Mark’s place?” Maggie asked.
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you, love. There’s no evidence tying your murder to Mark, definitely not enough for a warrant.”
“Her word isn’t enough?” Tad asked. “Stella said that—”
“Yeah, well Stella doesn’t know everything.” Her answer was sharp and angry, there was no love lost between those two. “We’ve been told to take ghost sightings seriously, but there’s ghost sightings and there’s letting a ghost stand witness to her own murder. On top of that you’d need to make a statement before we could act. That would mean Tad showing the world what he could do. Even then I’m not sure it would stand up.”
“Why not?” Maggie asked, her good humour gone and her tone accusatory.
“Because you’re not easy to get hold of anymore. It’s not like we can call you when we need to ask something. Who knows, you might even move on before the trial.”
“I could promise not to, and you can always reach me through Tad.”
Kate continued as though Maggie hadn�
��t spoken. “All that’s without mentioning that this is new ground. Our laws don’t account for ghost testimony and not everyone will believe what we’re selling. Tad’s gift won’t work on video… it won’t, right?” Tad shook his head. “That’s another reason not to do this. If we can’t record your statement, then… Look. There’s just too many downsides and unknowns at the moment. I can’t move on Mark yet.”
“This is bullshit. I’m actually telling you who the killer is and you won't do anything about it.”
Maggie stood up so fast her legs went through her chair. She was shaking and pulled away when Tad grabbed her hand. Eventually she relented and sat back down, but her anger remained. If Kate was fazed by it, it didn’t show.
“I know where you’re coming from. It’s not fair and it’s hard. But that doesn’t mean we’re out of options, just that I’m out of options.”
“What does that mean?”
“That you’re forgetting what you are,” Miriam answered, a sly smile on her face. “Kate can’t do any more, but that doesn’t mean we can’t. We’re ghosts. No locked doors can keep us out. You and me can pay Mark’s place a visit and see what we can find. If that doesn’t work we can follow him.” Her grin broadened further. “Ghosts are very good at following people.”
Kate gave her ex-girlfriend a quick grin before turning that smile on Maggie. “See. We’re not out of this yet. You and Mims should look for something concrete that I can act on. We’ll get him. Don’t worry.”
That mollified Maggie somewhat and she nodded at them. She apologised for her outburst and with typical casualness Kate waved the apology away.
There was a sour mood until Maggie asked, “So. Mims? That’s cute.”
Kate laughed and Miriam blushed, glaring furiously at the woman she loved. Miriam had always been conservative. Public displays of affection and pet names were not her thing. Kate however was a valley girl to the bone. She didn’t care what people thought of her and had no problems saying anything that was on her mind.
Her laughter set the tone for the evening from there on out.
“So where’s my pal Charles? Not enough room in the car?”
Tad sipped his drink and shook his head. “He’s babysitting.”
“But the munchkin’s here,” Kate said before realisation dawned and her face clouded. “Tony.”
If Miriam was put out by the teenaged ghost, Kate hated him. She had a short temper at the best of times and didn’t have Miriam’s understanding of what it was like to be dead. It was easy to think Tony should have grown up, but he had been locked at that mental age since he died. There’s no progression for the dead. They make new memories, but otherwise are the exact bundle of emotions and desires they were when they died.
“Yeah, he’s keeping an eye on the little perv,” Miriam confirmed. “But I think he needed a night off. Last night really got to him.”
“Last night?” Kate asked.
Miriam and Tad filled her in on their adventure at Cardiff castle. When they were done Kate shook her head and whistled in appreciation.
“Wow. Who knew Charles had it in him? I always said he was one of the good ones. I see why he’s shaken up though.”
“Am I missing something?” Maggie asked.
“It’s not normal for ghosts to stick around as long as Charles. Most only hang around for a few years, even with a Proxy, maybe a few decades at most. Charles has been a ghost for a hundred-and-fifty,” Tad said.
“So why has he stayed so long?”
“He’ll tell you its because he loves to watch human progression. The truth is he’s terrified of moving on. He’s also terrified of becoming mad like the ghosts we saw last night. The longer he sticks around the closer he gets to being like that. A Proxy keeps him grounded, but if I wasn’t around, then it wouldn’t be long before he lost his sanity. You might last a year or two, but Charles has been here too long.”
“And last night he had to face a few of those fears,” Maggie said as understanding dawned.
“Not just last night,” Kate said. “Tad’s been getting himself into all kind of shit recently. Since the Proxies have been disappearing Tad’s been picking up their slack, dealing with hauntings and stuff. Tad’s often in danger and with fewer Proxies around, Charles has less chance of finding a new one before he goes mad. Personally, I think the big idiot needs to bite the bullet and move on. He’s got nothing to worry about. We all know he’s going to a good place.”
Tad smiled and shook his head. “He wasn’t a model of human goodness in life. It’s not nearly enough to warrant punishment, but it’s enough to frighten him about where he might end up.”
“He’s done enough good since he died,” Miriam pointed out. “Last night wasn’t normal, but it’s not the first time he risked himself for someone else. He’s a good man.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” Tad said. “I agree. It’s convincing him that’s the problem.”
“It might not be a problem after tonight,” Kate said. “After a night with Tony, he’ll probably move on just to get away from the little freak.”
“Talking of the little freak,” Miriam said. “You’d never guess what he did the other day.”
Her story started out as complaints, but soon had everyone laughing. As annoying as he was in person, Tony never failed to make people laugh when they remembered his antics. It lead to more shared stories about him, and even Maggie had some from when she couldn’t even see Tony.
The good natured complaints turned into general chatter, and for the next few hours they spoke about more mundane matters. The evening turned into a pleasant affair that brought Jen out of hiding. She still wasn’t talking to Tad, but she liked everyone else well enough.
However, as pleasant as the evening was, there was the matter of an hour long drive to get home. When Tad called it a night, it wasn’t just Miriam and Kate who were reluctant. He suspected Jen’s motives had more to do with extending her bedtime than anything else. He was about to tell her to get herself ready to go when Kate came to her rescue.
“Leave the munchkin here. I haven’t seen her in ages and we could do with a little girl time.”
Jen suddenly had that hopeful gleam in her eye. Kate and Miriam had come into her life at the same time as Tad. He may be her guardian, but Kate was a close second in her affections for the child. The annoying thing to Tad was that she never had to put up with the version of Jen he lived with.
“She’s got school in the morning.”
“And I’ve got to be at the station by eight. If she can handle getting up early, it’s not going to be a problem.”
“What about her uniform and books?”
“I’ll swing by on my way in.”
Tad still wasn’t convinced. It was a long way out of her way.
“Please?” Jen begged, addressing Tad directly for the first time that day. “I’ll be good. I promise.”
He snorted. “I know. It’s not you I’m worried about this time.”
Kate cackled gleefully.
“You worried about me corrupting her? You should be. I’ll make a valley girl out of her yet.”
He winced but couldn’t help but smile. “Fine. But don’t let her stay up too late.”
Kate waved her hand dismissively. “As if I would.” She winked at Jen without subtlety which made Jen giggle. It was a good sound, one he hadn’t heard much of recently. That more than anything swayed him.
“Fine. You can stay. But—”
“Yay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” In her excitement Jen forgot her hang ups and hugged him, each thank you being punctuated with a kiss on the cheek. In spite of everything he grinned. Why couldn’t he see this Jen more often?
“You won’t regret this,” she promised.
Now she said it, he knew he probably would, but was prepared to take her at her word.
Five minutes later he was at the door hugging Kate goodbye, then he and Maggie walked to the car alone to give Miriam time for her own g
oodbye.
Again, he refused to open the door for Maggie, so she stuck her tongue out at him, scrunched up her eyes and jumped at the door. She went through but landed in an awkward position.
Tad burst out laughing which earned him a glare from Maggie that slowly turned into a laugh of her own.
“That was the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen.”
She again stuck her tongue out, but was still smiling.
They settled in to wait for Miriam and slowly the good mood evaporated. Tad realised that as soon as Miriam came down that hill they would head home and eventually to bed. That meant merging with Maggie again. They didn’t need to share any more memories, but the awkwardness remained.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
He knew what she was talking about. Evidently he wasn’t the only one not looking forward to the coming night.
“It wouldn’t have made a difference.”
“It might have.”
His laugh was a touch bitter. “Really? I saw your memories, Mags. I know you didn’t feel the same way. It’s fine. This is why I never said anything. I knew it would come between us.”
“Well I suppose it did in the end anyway.”
She had a point, but he shook his head. “I was only looking out for you.”
She didn’t answer for a while. “I get it now.”
“What?”
“Why you’re the way you are. You’ve had experiences like last night with all your ghosts, haven’t you?” He nodded. “Then that’s why you can’t see that you did anything wrong by following Mark.”
“Mags, he was a bad dude.”
“That’s not the point. He was my boyfriend and I loved him. You decided you didn’t like him and had him followed. Don’t you see what a violation that is?” Again the bitter laugh. “Of course you don’t. You haven’t had a moment’s privacy since you were nine. It’s probably not a big deal to you, but it massively violated my trust in you.”
“I had to protect you, Mags. Just like I always have.”
“You could do that by being there for me when I needed you, not sneaking around my back. Mark was a dick and his true colours would’ve shone through eventually. Who knows how things would have turned out if you’d been there for me to talk to about it.”
