Ghost of a Chance Book 1 in Above the Grave Trilogy

by Kara Kirkendoll

  “I only saw you from behind for a moment. You were turned around the whole time?”

  “For the most part.” He said slyly.

  She had to smile. He would be a gentleman she imagined, but the word gentleman still contained the word man. Somehow he had made her calm down though just hearing his voice. He was like a stress ball, only she couldn’t squeeze him. The thought of squeezing him however gave her goose bumps, the good ones again.

  “My brother was the one with the beautiful hair.” He said thinking back. “The girls all flocked to him when we were just lads.”

  “You have a brother?” Drew asked curiosly.

  “Aye, we were twins. Danny’s hair was a bit darker than mine though. I suppose everything about him was a bit darker. The lad was troubled most of his young life. I am not sure what happened to him as a man. He disappeared when we were fifteen.” He spoke as he went for her robe.

  “You told me that you read of me at the library. Who was the girl that you speak of?”

  “Turn around” She said as her robe floated closer to her.

  “Of course, my lady.” That made her smile again.

  “I don’t know who she was.” She said as she stood up and put on her robe. She carefully placed her hand through the arm as to not touch her hand. Luckily she always kept a few supplies around as she was quite prone to burning or cutting herself. She dug into her vanity drawer and found the little box. There were some bandages and some Neosporin inside.

  “Here, let me help you.” He said.

  She felt his hand on hers. It was warm and a bit rough for a business man which she assumed he had been for as rich as he was. She always imagined that if you could feel a ghost it would be cold, but not Brendan.

  “Put this stuff on it first. It will help keep it from getting infected.” She closed her eyes as it was a little strange watching Neosporin just squirt itself out of the tube and rub itself onto her hand.

  “She was the librarian. She told me that Lezetta was jealous of your affection for your sister and that she was a witch. She murdered Mary Ann and then was burned for her witchery, and for the murder I suppose. She also said that you hung yourself a year later. Is that true?”

  He remained silent as he wrapped her hand with the bandage. She opened her eyes to see the tape magically glide itself along the crease of the bandage.

  “You should call for a doctor. That looks to be a pretty nasty cut.” He said still holding her hand. “I have money, hidden around the house if you need it for the doctor’s fee.”

  She saw his eyes for a moment though they were transparent and she caught her breath. They were the biggest, darkest eyes that she had ever seen, besides the man from her dreams.

  “Brendan?” She asked. “What did you do for a living, I mean, when you were alive.”

  He let go of her hand and she heard his footsteps across the hardwood floor, walking away from her.

  “I lived off of my parent’s money for the most part. I inherited quite a bit after they passed. I wrote music now and then, but not that anyone could see or hear. I suppose I should have shared it but ‘twas mine own.”

  “Please show me yourself?” There was a slight prickling in the air. She could almost feel the power of the feelings as they started to grow between them. She knew that they were becoming friends. She also knew that if she wasn’t careful, those “friendship” feelings could get them both hurt.

  He had made his way back to her silently and picked up her hands with both of his. It made her jump, more from surprise than being afraid. Just then she heard her phone ring. She felt his hands jerk in surprise as well just before he dropped them.

  “Damn it. Liza, I called you this morning.” She said to herself as she dug through the pocket of her jeans that lay on the floor next to the bath.

  It wasn’t Liz a though, she saw on the caller ID. It was her mother again. “Ugh, what did I do to deserve a call from her two days in a row?”

  She heard him snicker and she wished again that she could see his face. It would make conversations with him so much easier, and something about his voice made her believe that he wouldn’t be so bad to look at.

  “Hello again, mother.” She said and rolled her eyes. She placed it on speaker phone and sat the phone down on her vanity. She picked up the hairbrush and began to brush her hair.

  “Drew?” Her mother sobbed. “Drew, Honey there is something that I have to tell you.”

  “What is it mother? Going through another divorce?” Drew had no sympathy for her mother’s broken hearted love affairs. It was her own fault; she sure knew how to pick them.

  “Drew, I need to tell you something and I need you to listen very carefully. This is very serious.” She heard the sincerity in her mother’s voice this time. “I need you to know that I am here for you, ok?”

  “Ok, mom, what is it?” Dr ew moved the mirror towards her now; she started to braid her hair, the best that she could with a sore h, and waited for her mother to speak. Instead she heard more sobbing.

  “Mom, what’s wrong?” She dropped her hands. She watched the mirror turn itself around, but not before she caught another glimpse of that gorgeous long black hair and then felt her hair being braided where she had left off. She closed her eyes. Being pampered actually felt really good. It was something that she could definitely get used to. Plus, the throbbing in her hand appreciated it as well.

  “It’s Jack.” Her mother cried loudly this time and Drew sat up straight in the chair. She felt the gentle tug of the braiding slow down. “What about him mother?” Drew said through her teeth as she felt the blood drain from her face. “You know that I don’t want to talk about him. I don’t even want to hear his name.”

  “He was murdered. I always wished terrible things on him after I found him trying to rape my baby girl but…” Drew flipped the phone shut. She didn’t want Brendan to hear anymore. She didn’t want to hear anymore herself.

  “Excuse me.” Drew said and ran for the toilet. She threw up. She had never felt sicker in her life.

  She lay her head down on the toilet seat and cried. She cried for what seemed like an eternity. Then, when she couldn’t cry anymore she felt him lift her up off of the floor. She was floating across the room towards her bed. Once she was tucked into her bed she closed her eyes and laid her head back on the pillows. He brought her a warm rag and began to wipe her face with it.

  “You are so sweet.” She sobbed. “I am such a child. I promised myself nothing would ever make me cry again and now I let that son of a bitch do it again. He doesn’t deserve my tears.”

  “I’m sure that he doesn’t.” He said softly. He had brought her a glass of wine and placed it up to her lips now. She kept her eyes closed and drank deeply.

  “Did you bring the bottle?” She asked. “Aye.” He laughed. “Would you like more?”

  “Please.” She said.

  “I didn’t hang myself.” He said as he poured more wine. She opened her eyes again though she didn’t see him.

  “Let me see you.” She said again trying to hold back the tears that desperately wanted to fall again.

  “Not now. You’ve had enough surprises for one day. Get some rest. I just wanted you to know that I didn’t hang myself. Or, kill myself in any other way for that matter.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. What happened to you then?” Drew asked. Her mind was beginning to free itself of Jack. She knew that it was probably the wine, but it was Brendan’s doing as well and she appreciated it.

  “I suppose you won’t be letting me get away without telling you now will you?” I don’t know to be honest with you. It was here in mine own home. I was upstairs in my study and just getting ready to call it a night when something struck me in the back of the head. I felt the blood run down the back of my neck and the next thing I know I’m looking through what seemed like a tunnel.”

  He saw her reach for him blindly and he held her hand with his. She relaxed then. “Could you hold me while y
ou tell me the rest? Please?” She said and sniffled again.

  He put his arm around her then and she laid her head on his chest. It was strange but she felt so at home. She closed her eyes. He smelled of firewood and mints, a manly smell. She opened her eyes again and as if to look up at him, even though she couldn’t see him, and said, “Please, tell me more.”

  “As you wish.” He whispered at first as his throat felt very dry. He wasn’t sure what was choking him up more, feeling her in his arms, willingly, or remembering the night of his death. They were both very different feelings. If a ghost could be emotional he was definitely in a whirlwind of it. “It was very cold, I was shivering. I could see that I was in my study. I saw no one there with me.

  I felt the back of my head for blood and there was nothing there. When I looked down at my hand I saw my body lying on the floor. There was so much blood. My vision was fading. I couldn’t see anything around me, just what lay right in front of me. I heard the footsteps walking away, but when I turned to see who it was it was too late. They were already gone. I was too stunned to chase after them right away. I turned around and just stood there, staring at my own self. When I came to my senses, if you could call it that, I ran after the being. The front door was left open. When I tried to follow I kept finding myself back in the study.” She felt him shiver.

  “I’m so sorry, Brendan. You never found out who it was?” She asked.

  “No. I never did. Why someone would say that I hung myself is beyond me. An autopsy clearly would have shown that I was struck in the back of the head.”

  “Maybe there was never a n autopsy. Things were covered up back then a lot easier than they are now.” She sat up and reached for her wine glass. After she drank an entire glass in almost one gulp she asked, “Did Lezetta murder your sister?”

  “I don’t believe so. I have no proof . They were both out that day. Lezetta’s alibi was not with me. They burned her on my property. I lost the woman that I loved and mine own sister on the same day, both on my land.” She felt him shiver again and held him tighter.

  “They killed Lezetta the same day that Mary Ann was found? There was no trial?” She asked amazed.

  “There wasn’t time for a trial. Some of the people that lived around here snatched her up and drug her out here where the cemetery is now. They tied her to a tree that once stood there and set her on fire. I was clueless as to what was going on. I was told that they put a sack over her eyes and stuffed her mouth with a rag soaked in lantern oil to keep her from cursing them. If she was an evil woman, a bad witch, than she bewitched me, as I never saw it.”

  “Where were you when all of this was going on?”

  “I was at the morgue, trying to find out what had happened to my sister. They told me that her eyes had been hollowed out and that some strange words and symbols had been carved into her arms and legs. Later I was told in secrecy that some of the markings had to have been made before the day that she was murdered. None of it made any since and to this day I am still baffled. I never got to see her body. They burned it as well because of the assumed witchcraft.” He paused and she felt his fingers rubbing her hands. “Who is Jack?”

  “That is going to require another glass of wine.” She said taking a deep breath and sitting up again.

  After she filled her glass of wine and took another large drink she cleared her throat.

  “Jack was my step -father. I hated him from the first moment that I saw him. He was such a creep. I tried to tell my mother over and over again that she was a fool, she of course wouldn’t listen. She never did when it came to men. Love can be very blinding, I suppose.”

  “You don’t really know though do you? Have you ever been in love, Miss Drew?” He asked brushing his fingers through her hair.

  “Never before.” She said.

  “Before what?” He asked, almost a whis per, he was sure that he didn’t want to hear the answer to that. As far as he knew, and he had been with her every day, she wasn’t courting any one.

  “I was only twelve years old at the time.” She said, ignoring his question, “My mother had to work late and when she finally did get home she found him on top of me, so dangerously close to taking what every girl should hold precious to them.” She looked up to where she thought that his face may be again. “I know that times are different now than they were in your time, people don’t wait until they are married. It should still be special, you know?”

  She felt his grip tighten around her arm. When she winced he loosened up and rubbed gently, absent mindedly where he hadn’t meant to hurt her. His body still felt tense next to hers though.

  “No man should ever take what doesn’t belong to him. Not ever, no matter how badly he desires.” He said sincerely.

  Neither one of them spoke for a very long time. He could feel her breathing getting heavier and knew that she had drifted off to sleep. He slowly moved his arm out from behind her and gently laid her head on the pillow. He bent down to kiss her very lightly on the forehead. What he wouldn’t give to kiss her lips. They weren’t his to take though, and he could feel his non beating heart breaking, knowing that they never would be.

  Drew dreamed that night of a very tall man with coal black hair and eyes green as the Irish hills. They were walking through beautiful gardens that had been planted around the castle, holding hands in the moonlight. She wore a long evening gown of ivory silk and flowers braided into her hair, pink ones. She did love pink. He was charming in a dark suit, his long wavy hair tide back into a pony tail. He was so striking and in her dream he was hers. In her dream they had just been married and he would forever be with her. She pulled her head up to look at him and to claim the kiss that was placed on his lips for her. The moon shown in his eyes and in his eyes the moon melted and turned black. For the first time since she had been dreaming of this man she felt afraid for her life.

  Chapter 5 Chains

  When Drew woke the next morning her hand was throbbing. She unwrapped it to see that it was a pretty nasty cut and she knew that she was going to have to go to the doctor. She didn’t really want to have to leave the house and she definitely didn’t want to have to pass the cemetery. She wondered how unheard of it would be to have the graves moved. Ridiculous she thought, and probably illegal as well as disrespectful.

  She rolled over, half expecting Brendan to be laying there with her. She knew better though. He had disappeared again as she knew that he would. It felt so good to fall asleep in his arms. Why was she having these feelings now she wondered? After all of these years of hating men, now she was dreaming about one and wishing that she was in bed with another. Wait, that wasn’t right. She didn’t really want to be in bed with him. Did she? That was something that she couldn’t even consider thinking about. He was a ghost for crying out loud. Even if she had wanted to it wasn’t possible. Drew realized then that it was probably what she wanted since she could never really have it. That was her luck after all.

  She had wanted to do some more asking around about the spirits that were now haunting her life and evidently her heart. Getting up and getting out of the house was probably a pretty good idea anyway. Besides, it was a very large coincidence she realized, that the first person that she asked about Brendan O’Keefe knew exactly who she was talking about. She wondered just how many other people thought they knew what had happened there so many years ago.

  Drew had gotten dressed and tied her hair back, leaving one skinny and fading pink braid tucked behind her ear. She planned on being on her bike a while today. She had a lot of driving to do. She wore a pair of faded blue jeans with holes in the knees and a lacy black tank top with her black Harley boots that had taken some time to get cleaned after their wade in the pool. She never wore very much jewelry.

  After making her bed for the first time in as long as she could remember and straightening up her room, she headed for the front door.

  “Good morning, my Sunshine. Where are you going?” Brendan said, again from the top of the sta
irs.

  “Wow, déjà vu.” She said. “I’m going to the doctor to have my hand looked at. It looks pretty bad. Then I thought I would do some shopping. Need anything?”

  Her hand was on the door knob awaiting an answer. She was feeling very shy and nervous all of a sudden.

  “Ha, Ha.” He said. “I don’t believe I will be needing anything today, but I thank you for asking all the same.”

  His voice made her tingle all over and sent her stomach spinning. She needed to get away she realized. Run! She thought to herself and then shivered as she remembered the voice in the graveyard.

  “Ok then. I will be back soon.” She opened the door then and before she could step out she felt his hand on her shoulder.

  “While you are out putting your nose into other people’s business, could you pick up some chocolate?” He said.

  She turned around and shut the door. “What do you mean putting my nose in other people’s business?” She said and her face turned red.

  “You know exactly what it is that I mean. You are going off to find out what happened so many a year ago. I should try to stop ye but it would do no good. So, be careful what it is your getting yourself into.”

  “Wow. Heavy on the Irish this morning aren’t we? What is the chocolate for?” She asked. “You can’t eat anything…can you?”

  “No, but after all the moaning you did in your sleep last night I thought you could use some for ye self.” He cleared his throat, “Yourself.” He corrected with a smile in his voice. He couldn’t hide the Irish no matter how hard he tried. “At least that’s what that Cosmo book of yours said.”

  Drew blushed even brighter now. “If I could see you I would slap you right now.” She said and walked out the door. “Smart arse.” She said before the door closed. She heard him laugh heartily though and it made her giggle as well.

  Imagine, a one hundred year old sexy voiced, male Irish ghost lounging around reading Cosmo (and eating chocolate). She laughed so hard on the way to her bike that she didn’t even notice the black caped figure hiding in the trees.