Stolen Dreams - A Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery - Book Fourteen

by Terri Reid

  “Why don’t we take a walk around the center before we go in?” Rosie suggested. “And then you can tell me what you are going to say to Alison.”

  Mary shrugged. “Sure, it can’t hurt,” she replied.

  Rosie slipped her arm through Mary’s and they walked away from the center and the parking lot towards the small arboretum on the grounds. An ornamental, white gazebo stood in the center of the area with a small, patio table and several brightly colored chairs next to it.

  “That looks like a great place to contemplate life,” Rosie said. “Shall we go over to it?”

  They started down the narrow path that led to the gazebo when Mary realized it was occupied, but they were too far away to see who it was. “Oh,” she said. “Someone’s in there.”

  Rosie stared for a moment and then nodded. “How strange,” she said. “You’re right. I see her, too. I swear she wasn’t there a moment ago.”

  Mary looked around. It would look odd for them to turn around on the path and go the other way. “Why don’t we continue up this path, then circle around the gazebo and head over to the building?” Mary suggested. “I don’t think we’ll be interfering with anyone’s privacy if we do that.”

  “Good idea,” Rosie said. “I’m sure she’s just enjoying this beautiful day.”

  They walked slowly, enjoying the scent of autumn all around them. “I have two Halloween costumes for you to pick from,” Rosie said. “One is a little bit sexier than the other.”

  Mary smiled and looked down at her bulging tummy. “I don’t know why,” she said sarcastically, “but when I look at myself in the mirror, sexy is the last thing that comes to mind.”

  Rosie shook her head. “But Mary, being pregnant is the ultimate stage of sexiness,” she insisted. “All of the physical things men find attractive in women have to do with an instinctive desire to choose a fertile woman. And what’s more fertile than being pregnant?”

  Mary shook her head. “I have a feeling once the deed is done, the desire is lessened,” she replied.

  “No, you’re wrong,” Rosie said. “There have been studies about men finding pregnant women extremely attractive.”

  Mary stopped and turned to Rosie. “Have you been going to the barber shop with Stanley?” she asked.

  Rosie laughed. “Now that was rude,” she teased. “You should have a little more respect for your elders.”

  Chuckling, Mary turned back towards the gazebo and felt her heart sink. While she’d been conversing with Rosie, she hadn’t paid attention to the occupant of the gazebo. Now that they were close, she realized it was Alison. She started to speak and then stopped. Shocked.

  “Rosie, did you say you could see the person in the gazebo?” Mary asked.

  Rosie glanced up at the gazebo and then back at Mary. “Yes. Why?”

  “Because that’s Alison,” Mary said. “That’s a ghost.”

  The arm that was so casually draped through Mary’s stiffened suddenly. “I’m seeing a ghost? Rosie asked.

  Mary nodded, looking back and forth between Rosie and Alison.

  “Why, other than my father, that’s never happened to me before,” Rosie said, her fear changing to curiosity. “Is it because we’re touching? Like Bradley?”

  Mary shrugged. “Well, maybe it is,” she said, thinking that was probably the most logical answer.

  “Well, I’m glad,” Rosie said firmly. “Now I can really help you break the news to her.”

  They quickened their pace and stood in front of the gazebo a few moments later. Alison had been looking in the other direction but turned to face them when they approached.

  “Oh, hello dear,” she said, immediately recognizing Mary. “I was so hoping you would return with news.”

  “Well, yes,” Mary began. “About that…”

  “And this is?” Alison asked, turning to Rosie.

  “This is my dear friend—” Mary began.

  “Aubrey Rose!” Alison cried out in delight, coming forward with tears in her eyes. “You found my daughter.”

  “No,” Mary insisted. “No, Rosie just came along to help me.”

  Rosie stared at the woman for a moment. “How did you know my legal name was Aubrey Rose?” she asked. “I didn’t know that until I needed my birth certificate the first time I got married.”

  “Because I gave you that name,” Alison replied. “And they kept it.”

  “Who kept it?” Rosie asked.

  “The couple who adopted you,” Alison said. “The couple who took you away from me.”

  Rosie grabbed hold of the side of the gazebo to steady herself. “I-I would have known,” she stammered as she shook her head in denial. “I would have known if I were adopted.”

  “I don’t know what they said to you,” Alison replied. “But my heart knows that you are my daughter.”

  “But…I don’t understand,” Rosie said. “What do you want from me?”

  Alison glided forward and stood in front of Rosie. “I just want you to know that I never stopped loving you,” she said. “That I always searched for you and I held you in my heart, praying for the day we would be reunited.”

  Mary looked at the two women in front of her, saw the likeness in their faces and realized now why she thought Alison looked familiar. “That’s why you came to me,” Mary said. “Not because of who I was, but because of my connection to Rosie.”

  “Mary, you think this is possible?” Rosie asked, tears flowing down her cheeks.

  “Yes, I do,” Mary replied, walking over and enfolding Rosie in a hug. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to cause you any pain.”

  “Pain?” Rosie asked with a slightly hysterical sob. “To find out that the woman who abandoned me to an abusive husband when I was just a baby was not my mother? And to learn that the woman who was my true mother searched for me and loved me throughout my whole life? Loved me so much that she wouldn’t pass on to the next life until she found out for herself that I was fine?”

  She wiped the tears from her cheeks. “It’s an exquisite pain, Mary,” she said. “And I’m so grateful that you helped me learn the truth.”

  Chapter Fifty-five

  The bell over her office door rang and Mary looked up from her computer to see Rosie coming in carrying two large boxes. “I have costumes,” Rosie called in a happy, sing-song voice.

  “Oh, cool,” Mary said. “I can’t wait to see them.”

  Rosie placed the boxes on the card table that had been used for the projector. “So, did Ian leave this morning?” she asked.

  Mary nodded. “It was really sad to have him leave again,” she said. “Both Maggie and Clarissa are broken-hearted. But I’m hoping my family will come out here for Thanksgiving, instead of me riding in. So I hope we’ll be seeing him soon.”

  “It’s all about family,” Rosie said thoughtfully. “Whether it’s the family we’re born into or the family we create, those are the things we should cherish.”

  Mary gave Rosie a quick hug. “Yes, it is,” she said and stepped back to meet her friend’s eyes. “How are you doing?”

  Rosie’s smile was bittersweet. “We had the most wonderful chat,” she said. “We sat there talking for a couple of hours and getting to know each other. I’m sure the people walking by thought I was completely off my rocker, but I didn’t care.”

  She smiled at Mary. “Thank you for giving us that time alone,” she added. “It was a wonderful gift. And it was humbling to be there when she passed on to the light. She looked so happy.”

  “Of course she was,” Mary said. “She found you.”

  Rosie wiped a solitary tear away and nodded. “And I found her.” She shook her head and before her emotions could overwhelm her, changed the subject. “So, what did you do while Alison and I were chatting away?”

  “Actually, things worked out well,” Mary replied. “Ian and I went over to the Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office and gave them a copy of the recording with Sol’s confession, just in case he backs out of
the one he gave down in the basement. And then we stopped over at the County Clerk’s office so Ian could say hi to Linda.”

  “Perfect,” Rosie said. “I never liked that Sol fellow to begin with. Have you been getting any more calls?”

  Just at that moment, the phone rang again. “Perfect timing,” Mary laughed. “I’ll let it go to the machine. And yes, I’ve been getting calls. I can’t wait until this whole article thing blows over.”

  “Do you think it will?” Rosie asked.

  Mary nodded. “Oh, sure, something more exciting will replace me any day now.”

  Rosie moved the boxes so they lay side by side. “Okay, now for the great unveiling,” she said, lifting a lid off the first box. “This is Demeter, Greek goddess of fertility,” she said, pulling a long, diaphanous gown with gold-braiding out of the box.

  “Rosie, it’s nearly see-through and the neckline…” Mary paused and examined the gown. “There is no neckline; it’s a belly-button line.”

  Rosie chuckled. “It will hit you a little higher than that,” she explained. “And you have these silky undergarments to wear under it.”

  Mary picked up the thin, silky camisole and slip. “This is not a whole lot of anything,” Mary replied. “It’s as thin as tissue paper.”

  “That’s the idea,” Rosie replied as she pulled a few more items out of the box. “And you get a bow and arrow because she is also the goddess of the hunt.”

  Mary picked up the gown and carried it back to the bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror that was hung over the door and held the gown up. The lines and folds of the material emphasized her own curves in a flattering and sensual way. She couldn’t get over how sexy she really looked. But it only took her a moment to shake her head. “I love it, Rosie,” she said. “But it’s not going to work.”

  “Well, I thought you might say that,” Rosie replied. “So come and look at what’s behind box top number two.”

  Opening the box, Rosie pulled out a white, one-piece jumpsuit that was covered in long, narrow strips of white material that crisscrossed over it entirely. “What is it?” Mary asked.

  “It’s big enough that you can step in fully clothed,” Rosie said. “So come over and try it on.”

  Rosie helped Mary step into it, and then she went around Mary and zipped up the back. “Turn around,” she ordered and Mary did as she requested.

  Taking a few more minutes to situate some of the strips of material, Rosie finally stood back and smiled. Then she shook her head. “Oh, I almost forgot.”

  She pulled a white knit cap, also covered with material strips, from the box and placed it on Mary’s head. “Just perfect,” she said. “Go look at yourself in the mirror.”

  Glancing at herself in the mirror, Mary laughed out loud at the image she displayed. The costume looked like a mummy, with one exception. The spot where Rosie had rearranged the strips allowed the fabric on her belly to protrude so you could read the words, “Not just anybody’s Mummy.”

  “I love it,” Mary called from the bathroom. Then she came back into the room and gave Rosie a hug. “Thank you,” she said. “It’s just perfect.”

  Rosie grinned. “I’ll help you pack them up and put them in your car,” she said.

  “But I’m only going to use the Mummy for Halloween,” Mary said.

  Rosie smiled and shrugged. “I wonder how Bradley feels about Greek goddesses,” she mused.

  Mary grinned. “You’re right,” she replied. “Maybe it’s time for a history lesson.”

  Rosie laughed. “I have a feeling history is going to be Bradley’s favorite subject.”

  Chapter Fifty-six

  It was nearly five o’clock, and Mary was having a hard time keeping her mind on her work and not daydreaming about Bradley’s reaction to her Halloween costume. She sighed as she reread the web page in front of her for the fourth time.

  “Okay, this is ridiculous,” she said aloud. “I just need to go home. I’m not getting anything done here.”

  She moved to turn off her computer when her phone rang. Without thinking, she picked it up. “O’Reilly Investigations,” she said automatically. “Mary O’Reilly speaking.”

  “Hello, Mary,” said the chillingly familiar voice. “We told you we’d be back.”

  The End

  About the author: Terri Reid lives near Freeport, the home of the Mary O’Reilly Mystery Series, and loves a good ghost story. She lives in a hundred year-old farmhouse complete with its own ghost. She loves hearing from her readers at author@terrireid.com

  Other Books by Terri Reid:

  Mary O’Reilly Paranormal Mystery Series:

  Loose Ends (Book One)

  Good Tidings (Book Two)

  Never Forgotten (Book Three)

  Final Call (Book Four)

  Darkness Exposed (Book Five)

  Natural Reaction (Book Six)

  Secret Hollows (Book Seven)

  Broken Promises (Book Eight)

  Twisted Paths (Book Nine)

  Veiled Passages (Book Ten)

  Bumpy Roads (Book Eleven)

  Treasured Legacies (Book Twelve)

  Buried Innocence (Book Thirteen)

  Mary O’Reilly Short Stories

  Irish Mists – Sean’s Story

  The Three Wise Guides

  PRCD Case Files:

  The Ghosts Of New Orleans -A Paranormal Research and Containment Division Case File

  Eochaidh:

  Legend of the Horseman (Book One)