“I’m glad my doorbell’s working,” she deadpanned. “What’s up?”
Victor made a beeline to the refrigerator and pulled out a beer. Popping the cap, he sat down at the table across from Danny. “The evening DJ called in sick down at the radio station, so Michael’s working an extra shift. I came by to see if either of you wanted to play a round of miniature golf over at the new place in Connor.”
“Can’t,” Jordan said.
“Why not? It’s Thursday, and we all know you have no social life,” Danny said.
“Oh, like you do?” she fired back. “Actually, I’m going out to Lake Texoma with Lola and Sandy.”
“Sandy Johnson?” Danny asked, suddenly very interested. Since the night Sandy had gone with them to Beef Daddy’s, Danny had been asking all sorts of questions about her.
“That’s great,” he said when Jordan nodded. “Since Vic and I don’t have anything else planned, we’ll go with you.”
“No way. This isn’t a social gathering. We’re on a mission, and we don’t need two guys tagging along, especially when they’ve been drinking.”
“I only had one beer,” Victor protested, holding up the bottle. “I’m watching my calories since Michael called me his butterball.” He reached down and grabbed one of Danny’s fries.
“The answer is still no,” Jordan insisted. “Sandy is already so nervous she’s about to come unglued. Besides, if you think I’m making it easy for you to hook up with my new friend, you’re badly mistaken, Danny. She’s so not your type.”
“Who said I was interested?” Danny moved closer to her. “So what’s the secret mission?”
“I never said it was secret.” Jordan threw her hands in the air. “Criminy! You must be taking drama-queen lessons from Victor.” She turned to her neighbor. “No offense.”
“None taken. I’m proud of the fact that I’m—what’s the word—demonstrative?” He waved his hand in an air Z. “Now tell us what the secret mission is.”
Jordan couldn’t help it and laughed. “We’re trying to convince Sandy her grandfather’s house isn’t haunted. That way she can move out there and keep the IRS from seizing it to pay off the back taxes.”
“Yeah, she told me about her money problems the other night,” Victor said. “But she never mentioned ghosts were the reason she didn’t live out there. I just assumed it was because of her memories of her grandfather.”
“You gotta let us go with you, sis. I’m great at chasing ghosts away.”
Jordan huffed. “Don’t you have ‘ghosts’ mixed up with ‘girls,’ Danny boy? I seem to recall your track record for lasting relationships with the fairer sex would verify this.” She took two steps toward the bathroom before turning around. “You two go play miniature golf. This is a me, Sandy, and Lola thing. Sorry.” She made it to the bathroom and slammed the door behind her, shutting off any further discussion.
When she finished her shower, she found herself all alone in the apartment and was relieved Victor and her brother were no longer there to bug her about going along. She had to smile, recalling how quickly Victor and Danny had become friends that first night. It had taken longer for Danny to feel comfortable with the others. He’d been so eager to prove he was qualified to be the lone agent assigned to Ranchero, he’d acted reserved around the older residents of Empire Apartments. It was only after they’d teased him about loosening up that he’d let down his guard around them. Victor and Rosie were his clear favorites since they were as mischievous as he was.
After throwing on a little makeup and running a comb through her hair, she locked the door behind her, hoping Danny had remembered to take his key with him.
Then she knocked on Lola’s door and waited.
Lola emerged wearing one of her long, flowing caftans, a scarf around her head, and hoop earrings the size of large plums. “Too much?” she asked with a grin.
“Not if you’re aiming for the Carmen Miranda look,” Jordan teased. She hooked her arm through Lola’s. “Come on. Let’s go. Sandy will be impressed, I’m sure.”
“Let’s hope I can convince her I’m really talking to ghosts. You do remember what I told you to do, right?”
“Absolutely. I will be the best ghost buster you know.”
Lola squeezed her hand. “Make that the best ghost buster’s assistant. I’m going for an Academy Award tonight.”
After they picked up Sandy, the three women headed out of Ranchero just as the sun hit the horizon and dropped out of sight. Forty minutes later, they turned off the gravel road onto the circular driveway of a quaint little cottage with the largest magnolia tree Jordan had ever seen dominating the front yard.
“Wow! This is really nice.” Jordan hopped out of the car and followed Sandy up the porch steps with Lola right behind her.
“Yeah, Gramps spent a lot of money fixing it up,” Sandy said, unable to hide the sadness in her voice. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”
Although she tried to act indifferent, Sandy looked terrified. Jordan prayed Lola could ease her fears. It would be a shame to hand this wonderful house over to the government when it meant so much to her new friend.
Walking into the small house, Jordan did a slow circle to take everything in. Decorated in rich browns and greens, the living room seemed eerily quiet, sending spurts of anxiety through her body. Scolding herself for being silly, she focused on the heavy green linen drapes that covered the windows on both sides of a large rock fireplace and the exquisite Oriental rug in front of it.
“Gramps brought that home from overseas when he was in the Marines,” Sandy explained, apparently noticing Jordan’s interest in the rug.
“It’s impressive.” She turned to Sandy. “I can see why you want to live here. It’s so homey.”
Sandy snorted. “It has two bedrooms, Jordan. Care to join me out here with my invisible houseguests?”
“There won’t be any houseguests after tonight,” Lola said, winking at Jordan out of Sandy’s view. “Where shall we set up?”
“Gramps has a card table and chairs in the garage for when his buddies came to play poker. Can we use that?”
“We’ll set it up on that rug over there.” Lola bobbed her head toward the fireplace, then shivered. “It’s cold in here.”
“I’ll turn up the heat,” Sandy replied. “I don’t want to start a fire since we won’t be here that long.” She adjusted the thermostat on the far wall. “First, I want to show you the lake out back, and then I’ll make us one of Gramps’s favorite drinks for a cold night.”
As the furnace kicked in, the curtains on both sides of the fireplace fluttered, and all three of them jumped.
“Thank heavens I’m putting liquor in the drinks,” Sandy said with a forced laugh. “I think we can all use it.”
Jordan glanced at Lola, who was surveying the room as if deciding in which corner the ghosts were hiding. She hoped she wouldn’t regret coming up with this ridiculous idea.
Jordan blew out a breath, trying to hide her uneasiness from Sandy. “Where’s the liquor cabinet?”
CHAPTER 12
Jordan inhaled, filling her lungs with the cool country air as she stared at the view from Sandy’s porch. With the moon shimmering down over Lake Texoma, the calm water resembled a slab of black marble covered in sparkles.
“What a view,” she said, locking arms with her friend.
“There’s Lucy.” Sandy pointed to a big white duck on the water near the dock. “She was Gramps’s favorite.”
Jordan glanced in the direction Sandy had indicated, watching the lone duck glide across the water. She wondered if ducks grieved, positive Lucy had to be missing the old man who’d fed her every day.
“It always seems to be colder near the water,” Sandy said, pulling away from Jordan and wrapping both arms around her chest. “Come on. Let’s go make those Almond Balls.”
“Almond Balls?” Jordan and Lola asked in unison.
Sandy laughed. “That’s the drink I promised to m
ake you before we get started. I hope Gramps still has some Baileys around.”
“Mmm. I love Baileys.” Jordan followed Sandy and Lola inside.
As Sandy made the hot chocolate drink, Lola inched closer to Jordan. “Are you ready?”
Jordan nodded. “And you’re still thinking we can get this done and be out of here in an hour, right? This house gives me the creeps.”
“Don’t let Sandy hear you say that. She’d never move out here. And yes, an hour tops, if all goes well.”
Jordan swung around to face her. “What do you mean ‘if all goes well’? I thought you said this would be a piece of cake. What could go wrong?”
“Here you go,” Sandy interrupted. “Taste this, then try to convince me you’ve had anything as good on a cold October night.”
Jordan sipped the hot drink, licking the whipped cream from her lips. “A few more of these, and we won’t give a flying flip about the ghosts,” she said, more to convince herself than Sandy.
They finished their drinks and set the empty cups in the sink before following Sandy out to the garage where they found the card table and three chairs. Carrying them into the living room, they set up in the center of the Oriental rug near the fireplace.
Just then, the front door flew open and all three of them jumped.
Sandy was the first to recover. “I guess I didn’t shut it tight enough. The wind sure is howling out there.”
“What a great way to get a séance going,” Lola said. “It’s the spirits’ way of telling us they’re around. We’ll need a light-colored covering for the table.”
Sandy hurried to a closet in the back hallway and returned with a pale yellow sheet. “Will this work?”
“Perfect.” Lola grabbed the sheet and spread it over the table. Then she pulled a bag of white candles and a book of matches from her purse. “To summon the spirits,” she explained. “The flame will burn through the veil separating the mortal world from the spirit world and will open the portals for the spirits to join us.”
Jordan took a deep breath before sitting down when Lola pointed to the chair. She refused to let her imagination run wild but was aware of the fine hairs on her arms now standing at attention. The jury was still out on whether she wanted those portals opened.
“I almost forgot. Before we get started, we all need to take off our jewelry.”
“Why our jewelry?” Jordan asked, getting more nervous by the second.
“Because metal repels the spirits,” Lola said. “Turn your cell phones off, too.” She looked up at the overhead light. “Sandy, can we turn this light off and just use the small lamp on the end table?”
Sandy stood and did as Lola instructed while Jordan reached for her purse and turned off her cell phone. Lola disappeared into the kitchen, returning a moment later with a small bowl of water.
“Water attracts the spirits and cleanses the air. Let’s sit in a circle to create an unbroken ring of protection.” They scooted their chairs in a circle as best they could around a square table, and then Lola continued. “Place your palms down on the table, and don’t pick them up for any reason. You’ll break the connection.”
A few seconds later Lola began humming in a soft monotone, reminding Jordan of being dragged to her first and only Zen class by her college roommate. She hadn’t liked it then, and with the candles burning in the dimly lit room, she liked it even less now.
“We sense your presence in this room, and we ask you to make yourself known.”
Jordan stared at the orange flame of the candle closest to the bowl of water in the center. Her job was to exhale every time Lola asked a question and make the flames flicker without Sandy catching on.
She blew slightly and the flame moved.
This might be fun, she thought, before Lola started again.
“Make your presence known to us, oh mighty spirit, so that we can help with whatever is bothering you.”
Again Jordan blew the candle.
“I call you into the room. Please give us some kind of sign when you have arrived, whether it’s by tapping on our table or moving the flame.”
Jordan waited, but still there was nothing. When Lola coughed, she glanced up to see her motioning with her head toward the candle.
Crap!
She had one job and she’d nearly flubbed it. Quickly, she took a deep breath and blew it out toward the candle.
“See the flame flickering? We’re now joined by friendly spirits.”
“Is it Grandpa?” Sandy asked, unable to hide the excitement in her voice.
“We don’t know yet,” Lola said. “Now let’s all close our eyes.”
Reluctantly, Jordan did as Lola commanded, feeling uncomfortable when the room suddenly got a little colder. In all the spooky stories she’d ever seen, that meant a dead person was in the room. She shuddered.
“As your friends, we call upon you to tell us why you’re here. I can’t promise we can fix whatever is troubling you, but we’ll try. Come along with us, whoever you are, on a journey to let go of the past and open your arms to a new life.” Then Lola began to hum again.
Without warning, she slammed her hand on the table, nearly spilling the water in the center. “Speak to us now. We mean you no harm and only wish to communicate with you, to understand why you’re here.”
The room was so quiet, Jordan was sure she could hear her own heart beating. She knew Lola was good at what she did, but this performance was Oscar-worthy. Despite being a true skeptic, she halfway believed Lola was actually talking to a dead person.
“There’s only one spirit here,” Lola continued, turning to Sandy. “It’s your grandfather, and he wants to know that you’ll be okay before he can leave this earth and join your grandmother.”
Tears formed in Sandy’s eyes. “Tell him I’m fine.”
“Tell him yourself. He’s in the room with us now.” Lola leaned closer. “If you want to speak to your granddaughter, give us a sign.” She glanced up at Jordan, nodding toward the flame again.
“It’s him,” Sandy exclaimed as the flame moved slightly when Jordan blew on it. “Oh, Grandpa, I miss you so much.”
Jordan concentrated on the fire, her heart still racing from when Lola had banged on the table. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a slight movement next to the fireplace, behind the drapes on the right, and she gasped.
When Lola shot her a reprimanding look, Jordan mouthed, Sorry.
Mother of God! She was more than a little freaked out.
“Your granddaughter’s okay,” Lola began before turning to Sandy. “What was his first name?”
“Douglas.”
“Douglas, you can have peace now. Be gone…”
Just then the furnace kicked on, causing the drapes to flutter, and Jordan lost the battle with her nerves. As she screamed, she watched in horror when one side of the drapes pulled away from the wall and headed directly toward her.
Jumping from the chair, she ran for the door, glancing back only to see the other green drape chasing her, too.
Lola nearly knocked her over, trying to reach the door before the drapes attacked. Running past both of them, Sandy screamed at the top of her lungs. After pushing the door wide open, all three women poured out into the cool night air, nearly rolling down the porch steps.
Panic twisted Jordan’s insides, and a scream bubbled in her throat, nearly suffocating her. When she had almost made it to the car, she tripped over Lola’s caftan, tumbling across the front lawn. Struggling to get up, she felt the drape touch her shoulder, and she released a scream loud enough to be heard back in town.
“Wait.”
Jordan stopped crawling away. She’d know that voice anywhere. “Danny?”
Twisting around, she saw her brother jerking the green drape off and throwing it to the ground. His cohort Victor slipped out from under the other drape.
“What in the hell are you doing out here?” Jordan hollered, restraining the urge to commit sibling homicide.
Lola and Sandy drew close, surrounding Danny and Victor, and Jordan knew if she gave them the okay, they were prepared to do the dirty work for her and inflict grave bodily harm on the two men, now sporting sheepish grins.
“Victor, have you gone mad?” Lola got right up in his face. “We could’ve fallen and broken a couple of bones running out of here like that. Or worse, we could have set the house on—oh my heavens! The candles!”
Danny did a one-eighty and ran back into the house. “I blew them out,” he said, reappearing at the door with the remorseful expression he always wore when he knew he was in trouble.
“You guys have some explaining to do,” Lola reprimanded, cradling a sniffling Sandy and guiding her through the front door, with Jordan and Victor right behind.
“It’s your fault, Jordan,” Danny began. “We asked you if we could come, and you said no.”
“So it’s my fault you and Victor decided to act like spoiled ten-year-olds?” Jordan quickly surveyed the room around her. “How did you manage to get in the house without us seeing you, anyway?”
“We hid down the street while you showered and followed you here. When we knocked, no one answered. Since the door was unlocked, we came in and saw you guys on the back porch. Rather than take a chance on being sent home, we decided to hide behind the curtains.”
Victor interrupted Danny and pointed to Jordan. “When you screamed, we took off running.”
“So let me get this straight. You two idiots broke into Sandy’s house and hid while we had the séance? You were there the entire time?”
“Yes, and I have to tell you, Lola, that was pretty impressive,” Victor said.
“Oh, shove it, Victor!” Lola said sternly, but the corners of her eyes crinkled and gave her away. “I guess you have finally come full circle. That green dress looked lovely on you.”
“That particular shade has always brought out my eyes.” Victor tried to keep a straight face. “Now Danny here is another story altogether. He should never even think of wearing moss green with his red hair.”
“Maybe Kelly green is more your shade, Danny.” Lola chuckled at her own suggestion.
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