The House on Hallowed Ground

by Nancy Cole Silverman

  “What do you mean? I don’t understand. I thought you could help?”

  I put my hands on Chad’s shoulders. I had no sense of any spirits about him, just a dark aura of worry, and maybe a little shame. “Lacey’s not here with you now. She wouldn’t be. She knows better than to return to the scene of the crime. Not that of her death, mind you, but where you and she began your affair, right here under Zoey’s roof.”

  Chad shut his eyes.

  “If you see her again, it won’t be here. And if you don’t see her again, it won’t be because she doesn’t exist, but because you have decided not to allow her into your life. Just as you should not have allowed her into your bed in the first place. That’s when she began to haunt you, Chad. In life. You allowed your erotic fantasies about her to open the door. Until you decide to close it, she’ll continue to haunt you.”

  “But isn’t there something you can do? Something you can give me to make her go away?”

  “I can’t give you anything you can’t give yourself. Ghosts can’t exist on our plane. They are only here because we allow them to be. Your guilt and fantasy about your past exploits have invited her into your life. If you really don’t want Lacey to pursue you, tell her to leave. Shelve those fantasies you have about her, along with any souvenirs you’ve kept, and toss them away.”

  “Souvenirs?”

  “The red negligee? Trash it. And you might want to burn a little sage.”

  “That’s it? I go home, burn a little sage and tell her to go, and she’ll be gone?”

  “It’s not much more complicated than that. Shutter those thoughts. Stop with those erotic fantasies you carry around about her, and she’ll be gone. Live in the here and now. Not in some fantasy world. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve still got some work to do here with Zoey. You need to go.”

  Chad turned to Zoey one last time. “Zoey I’m—”

  “Save it, Chad. We’re done. Leave!”

  Chapter 34

  Chad slammed the front door behind him. The sound of it echoed throughout the great room.

  “This is it then. My best friend is dead. My assistant’s gone, and my fiancé and I are done. Everybody who was anybody in my life is gone.” Zoey sounded as though she were about to cry.

  “Not everybody,” I said.

  “I’m sorry, Misty, I didn’t mean to sound rude. You’re here, and I appreciate it. I really do.”

  “You’re not rude. But you’re wrong. The house isn’t empty, not at all.”

  “Is Alicia Mae still here?”

  “For a little while. Come. Sit with me. I want to show you something.” I took Zoey by the hand and led her to the couch in front of the big picture window where our view of the backyard was illuminated by the dappled moonlight as it shimmered through the big weeping willow onto the pool. “The other day when we sat on the patio, I told you about Alicia’s playhouse, how it’s still there.”

  “Except I couldn’t see it.” Zoey shook her head.

  “But you asked me if it would ever be possible.”

  “Is it?”

  “Now more than ever. But first, I need you to listen to me very carefully. Do you remember the box of things I brought by that Zac and Kelsey had accidentally taken from your house when Chad moved out?”

  “I do.”

  “And the photos we found in the box? Particularly the one of you and your mother at the piano, and another of Alicia Mae with her mother?”

  “I love that picture of my mother and me.”

  “Love plays a powerful role in the mystic world. It’s the tie that binds, through good times and bad times. Across generations, and far beyond the here and now. It’s what ties you and Alicia Mae together. The desire to reconnect with a bond you lost far too early in your life.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “You’ve both had the same wish. You both want to be reunited with the mother-spirit, a kind of guiding light or guardian angel if you will.” I put my hand on Zoey’s face and brushed the hair from her blue eyes. “You missed that as a child. And consciously or subconsciously you wanted that love in your life again. When we put that much energy into something, we create opportunities far beyond our mortal world.”

  “You really think so?”

  “There’s a portal beneath the playhouse. It allows the transfer of spirits from this world to the next. Wilson believes Alicia’s been waiting to—”

  “What? Leave? Why? This is her home. Why would she want to go?”

  “You need to understand, Zoey, the Pink Mansion was her physical home. Alicia’s home is bigger than this. She’s waiting for her mother’s spirit to come and lead her there.”

  “If that’s true, then why hasn’t she come before? She could have come anytime. Alicia’s been here for seventy-five years. Why now?”

  “Because Alicia’s mother wasn’t dead. Margaret Mann only recently passed. After she and her husband sold the Pink Mansion, they moved away. Years later, Margaret moved back, and lived in a retirement home not far from here. It’s the same retirement home where Heather’s mother is living. It was Heather who brought Margaret Mann’s passing to my attention. She was ninety-seven.”

  “Alicia’s going to leave me now too? I’ll be all alone?”

  “I don’t think so. I believe your mother’s been here. Not permanently like Alicia. But temporarily. The piano music you thought you heard? It’s your mother, Zoey. She’s visited here several times since you moved in, and she’s been watching over you.”

  “Then it wasn’t my imagination?”

  “No, not at all,” I said.

  “Will she come back?”

  “With the universe there are no guarantees. We can’t hang onto a spirit because we’re afraid of being alone or of letting go. It isn’t healthy for either the spirit or our own growth. But I believe your mother wants to be here. She’s been trying to come through.”

  “I hope so.”

  “Alicia Mae needs to leave first. In order for your mother to join you here, Alicia’s mother must come through the portal first and take her daughter home. There’s a balance of power in the universe. I don’t claim to understand it, it’s as though there’s only room for so much energy from the other side to be here at any one time. So until Alicia leaves, your mother either can’t or won’t come through the portal for anything more than just a short visit. The time is upon us now, Alicia is about to go home.”

  “Can I see her before she goes? Just once?”

  I looked out at the patio and beyond to the playhouse where Wilson sat at the picnic table by himself. He was dressed exactly as I had seen him that first day on the staircase, in pleated pants, a collared shirt with suspenders, and a bowtie. But this was not the same man. He was much kinder now. Not nearly so arrogant or self-serving. The man seated at the table wasn’t solely focused on himself or his possessions as he had been. This was a different Wilson Thorne, and he was thinking about Alicia and what he needed to do for her.

  “Take my hand,” I said. “If you really want, I can lift the veil between our two worlds for a short spell. Do you want me to try?”

  Zoey nodded.

  “Look out at the yard and make a picture of it in your mind. When you think you’ve got it, close your eyes, then try to recreate that same picture in your head. Everything. The colors, the light on the water. The drape of the weeping willow. Right down to the shadows beneath the tree. Can you do that?”

  Zoey took my hand and stared out at the yard, then closed her eyes. I waited until I could feel the image embrace her. Like a 3-D picture, I could visualize her sitting next to me looking at the same scene I saw in front of me.

  “Do you have the picture in your mind?”

  Zoey squeezed my hand, her eyes pinched shut.

  “Good. This is your mind’s eye. It sees beyond our own dimension to the spir
it world around us.” Zoey’s eyelids fluttered. “Don’t worry. You can trust it. There’s nothing here to harm you. You’re in complete control. Just stay with it.” I waited until I saw the corners of Zoey’s mouth turn up in a slow smile. I knew we were looking at the same scene. “Now look beyond the pool, beneath the big weeping willow. There’s a small playhouse. It’s white with pink shutters and a candy cane frame around the doorway. Do you see it?”

  Zoey nodded. “Yes. It’s exactly as I imagined it’d be.”

  “Good. You can open your eyes now. You’re beyond the veil, between our world and the spirit world and everything you see is exactly as it’s supposed to be.”

  “There’s a man sitting at a picnic table. He’s in front of the playhouse. Is that Wilson? Your spirit guide? I was hoping I’d see him too.”

  “Yes,” I said. “That’s Wilson.”

  “What’s he doing?”

  “He’s waiting for Alicia Mae and her mother.”

  “But where are they? They haven’t left yet, have they?”

  “No, not yet. But soon.” I wondered if Wilson was as prepared for this moment as I hoped I was. My throat tightened. Saying goodbye is never easy. Sometimes the suddenness of it is all too unexpected, even when we know it’s coming.

  We sat in silence and waited. Then, like a little fairy from within the playhouse, Alicia Mae appeared. She was dressed exactly as she had been the night of the séance, with her long hair curled in ringlets to her waist and her doll Mariposa in her arms.

  “Ahh!” Zoey inhaled suddenly, a short quick breath. “There she is! Look at her. She’s real!”

  Alicia ran to Wilson and climbed up onto his lap. Wilson put his arms around her and lowered his head to hers, their brows touching. He whispered something to her. Alicia smiled and put her small fingers to his lips. Wilson kissed them, then took her fingers in his hands and held them close to his heart. The tears in my eyes started to blur my vision, but not before I saw her put her doll down, put her arms around his neck, and kiss him lightly on the side of the face. I brushed the side of my own face with my fingers. It was as though I could feel the kiss too.

  “What are they talking about? She looks so happy.”

  “Wilson’s explaining she’s going home.” My throat tightened. I blotted a tear from my eye with the side of my finger.

  Zoey reached toward the window. “Look, he’s pointing at us. Wilson knows we’re here.”

  Alicia climbed down from Wilson’s lap, took a few steps in our direction, then stopped and looked back at Wilson. He gestured with the back of his hand, a small wave. Go on, it’s okay.

  “Go,” I said. “Put your hand on the window. Alicia wants to say goodbye.”

  “Can I touch her?”

  “If you put your hand on the glass, you’ll be able to feel her.”

  Zoey went to the window, crouched down so that she and Alicia would be eye-to-eye, and placed the tips of her fingers on the glass. Alicia ran toward the window, then stopped three feet away and crooked her head while she played with one of her long curls.

  Zoey slowly placed the palm of her hand flatly against the window and waited. “It’s okay,” she said. “Don’t be shy. Put your hand on the glass. I just want to say hello.”

  Slowly, Alicia put her small fingers on the glass and giggled. Then quickly, she pushed the palm of her hand against the window until it was covered by Zoey’s larger hand.

  Suddenly, there was an aura-spill. A blending of energies. Colored lights like fireflies danced around their hands, then settled into a golden hew that filled the caverns of the great room from the floor to the ceiling. It was time.

  “You need to tell her to go, Zoey.”

  “But how?” I could see Zoey didn’t want to say goodbye but knew she had to.

  “Just like you would a small child whose bedtime has come. Tell her it’s time for her to go. That she’ll always be welcome, but her mother has come to take her home, and you wish her well.”

  “That easy?” Zoey laughed lightly.

  I nodded. “Ghosts are amazingly responsive when you take charge.”

  Zoey pressed her hand harder against the glass, then put her forehead to the window. Alicia did the same. The two a mirrored image of each other. Zoey paused. This wasn’t a rehearsed role. This was real. And it was hard. The words didn’t come easily.

  “Thank you, Alicia. Thank you for being here. I’ll never forget you. You can come back, often as you like.” I caught a catch in Zoey’s voice. “But your mother’s here now, and you’ve been waiting for her for a long time. Just like I have mine. So you can go with her now. I don’t need you anymore. She’s come to take you home. Go.”

  Zoey let go of the glass and stood up, then put her fingers to her lips and blew Alicia a kiss.

  Alicia stepped back from the window. Her thick lashes wet with tears. She giggled, then waved and ran back to Wilson’s waiting hand. From within the playhouse, Alicia’s mother appeared. Like a ghostly spirit, she swept from the entrance and materialized in front of Wilson and Alicia. Then Margaret Mann picked up her daughter and placed her on her hip. With one arm around her mother’s neck, Alicia smiled and waved goodbye. Margaret gave a slight nod, then turned and the three of them, Margaret, Alicia, and Wilson, disappeared back into the playhouse. Like a sprig of dandelion seeds, the wind had blown them from my view and they disappeared in the spirit world beyond.

  “Are they gone?” Zoey asked.

  I gazed into the yard. The playhouse. The picnic table. Everything was gone. The yard was once again as it was before I had lifted the veil. Back to its modern form.

  “I think so,” I said.

  “Wilson too?” Zoey turned to me, a look of concern on her face.

  “I don’t know.” I sat back on the couch and closed my eyes. I tried to replay my last vision of the three of them in front of the playhouse. Had Wilson waved to me before they left? Was he trying to signal me? Was this goodbye for me too? My eyes burned. I was going to miss the man. This selfish limboed shade of mine. I could only hope he had gone on to a better place. That I’d somehow helped him to find his higher self.

  Zoey put her hand on mine. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I said.

  “Do you think it worked? Do you think my mother came through?”

  I exhaled and squeezed back a tear. I didn’t know. I felt spent and suddenly very tired.

  “You may not know for a while,” I said. “But I think so. Do you mind if I sit a minute? These things sometimes take their toll.”

  “Are you going to be okay?” Zoey sat down next to me.

  I squeezed her hand and released it. “Just sit with me a moment. Close your eyes and open yourself up to the energy around us.”

  I felt a warmth sweep the room and opened my eyes. The candles flickered on the dining room table. And then...music. From the piano came the soft sounds of “Clair de Lune.”

  “She’s here, Misty. You hear that?” Zoey stood and spread her arms as though she could embrace the room. “That’s ‘Clair de Lune,’ my mother’s favorite.”

  “She is,” I said. “You may not see her right away, but I suspect over time you will. You don’t need to worry about the Chamberlain Curse anymore. She’ll take care of you. You’re not alone.”

  I took a deep breath. My work was done here. I needed to get home to my cat and Denise and whatever else waited for me there. I determined I should probably call an Uber. I certainly couldn’t drive Wilson’s car. I was about to tell Zoey I didn’t think I was up to driving when I heard a voice.

  “’Bout time you and I headed home, don’t you think, Old Gal?”

  Wilson! I turned around to see him standing in the entry.

  “It appears I’ve more work to do. So unless you’ve any objections, I believe we ought to get ourselves home. Tomorrow’s another
day, and perhaps the universe will know what to do with me next time. As for now, I believe our adventures are just beginning.”

  About the Author

  Nancy Cole Silverman credits her twenty-five years in news and talk radio for helping her to develop an ear for storytelling. But it wasn’t until after she retired that she was able to write fiction full-time. Much of what Silverman writes about is pulled from events that were reported on from inside some of Los Angeles’ busiest newsrooms where she spent the bulk of her career. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Bruce, and her standard poodle, Ali.

  Mysteries by Nancy Cole Silverman

  The Misty Dawn Mystery Series

  THE HOUSE ON HALLOWED GROUND (#1)

  The Carol Childs Mystery Series

  SHADOW OF DOUBT (#1)

  BEYOND A DOUBT (#2)

  WITHOUT A DOUBT (#3)

  ROOM FOR DOUBT (#4)

  REASON TO DOUBT (#5)

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