"I don't think that's Renee, Ar," Erin said. "I think it's Mary Ellen Boyd speaking through her."
"Oh. Uh, Mary Ellen, my name is Arlene Watson. I have an old friend here who wishes to speak with you. His name is Father Paul."
"Paul Berringer," Father Paul said in a low voice to Arlene.
"When you knew him, his name was Paul Berringer of Binghamton, New York."
"Paul? Really? Is that you?" Renee said, looking at Father Paul.
"Uh, yes, it's me."
"Lumpy, you've changed. You're much older. But time has been kind to you."
As soon as Renee said 'Lumpy,' Father Paul's deadpan expression cracked, and there was a noticeable quiver in his voice as he said, "I've missed you, Mouse. I think about you often."
"We'll be together again one day, Lumpy, and then it will be forever. I can't wait to have a long, long visit with you and talk about our days at 117 Henry in B'ville. And I want to hear everything you've done since that horrible day of the accident. I stayed in the mortal world until after the funeral for my corporeal body. You wore that brown suit you had about outgrown and had pulled the pants down as far as you could to hide your white socks. You never seemed to stop crying that entire day, and I wanted so very much to hold you and comfort you, but I couldn't touch you, and I guess you couldn't see or hear me. My only regret about my mortal life is that we never had a chance to marry and have children. We would have had beautiful children, Lumpy. Hey, remember 'Tiny' Wilson? He recently joined us here. And your parents and mine are, naturally, here. Since you're a priest now, there's no doubt you'll come here when your corporeal time comes to an end."
"Is Tiny still as small as he was when we were teenagers?"
"In the immortal world a soul's appearance can be whatever it chooses. Tiny is slim and trim for the first time in his existence."
"Are you happy, Mouse?"
"Oh, Lumpy, darling, how could I not be? This is heaven. Literally. LB, I'm growing weak now. I've never done this before, and I didn't realize this effort would take so much out of me. I have to go. It's been wonderful visiting with you, Lumpy, and I really look forward to the day you join us here. Goodbye for now."
"Goodbye, Mouse."
"So that's what it's like," Megan said, breaking the silence after the conversation had definitely ended. "But why did she use Renee instead of me?"
"Who used me?"
"Mary Ellen Boyd talked through you instead of Megan," Arlene said.
"Really? She was here?"
"Yes, really."
"I don't remember a thing."
"That's the way it always is with me," Megan said. "It's like they completely take over your body and you're sent off to an isolation chamber somewhere until they're done."
Father Paul sniffled, then took out a handkerchief to wipe the tears that had streamed down his face as the conversation progressed. He blew his nose before rising from his chair and walking to the dimmer switch to raise the light level in the room. As he returned to his seat, he said, "Madam Arlene, I owe you another apology. I thought you were just a gentle but misguided pretender. I never expected to experience what just happened."
"Then you believe your dear friend Mary Ellen was really here and spoke to you through Renee?"
"Without a shred of doubt in my mind. Nobody could have known the pet nicknames we had for each other, or that Mary Ellen always called Binghamton B'ville. And she knew the number of the house. I couldn't recall that until she said it."
"May I ask why she calls you Lumpy?"
Father Paul smiled. "I had the mumps when I was young, and after that I was always Lumpy or LB to Mary Ellen. But no one else ever called me that. I called her Mouse because she was so timid and unimposing. And my close male friend, Tiny, was always the heaviest kid in our class. I told him a number of times as we were growing up that he was going to eat himself into an early grave. While I've always believed in an afterlife in heaven, I never believed we could actually converse with loved ones who had passed on until God had called us home. I now have no doubt that Papa Gianni does sit in his restaurant every day, watching the customers come and go, and that it was the spirit of Simona who sought you out so her bodily remains could be recovered and properly laid to rest."
"Madam Arlene," Gisela said after a lull in the conversation with Father Paul, "that was— the most exhilarating experience I've ever had. Even more exhilarating than the day we first met and I learned you were over four thousand years old. And as Madam Elana told me once after she witnessed a séance you performed, it was so effortless for you. It was like simply placing a long-distance call. What did you think, Oculara?"
"I didn't believe it at first. I thought Renee was just kidding around. But when Father Paul accepted it, I knew it had to be real, and then I was in total awe of Madam Arlene's powers."
"I'm floored again as well, Madam Arlene," Madam Elana said, "Each time I witness your ability, I'm overcome with amazement."
"One thing, Madam Arlene," Father Paul said, "I don't understand Gisela's statement about you being over four thousand years old. I thought you had only gone back to 1883."
"Gisela also has a wonderful gift, Father. When she makes physical contact with a person, she receives a vision of the memories recorded in that person's eternal soul. Those are normally hidden to the individual. It would appear that a person of good character can choose to either remain here as a spirit in the mortal world or cross over to the immortal world after its corporeal body has died. Once on the other side, it can choose to remain there or be reborn into a new body. But with a new body, there is normally no recollection of any previous existence. Apparently, my soul is quite restless and immediately keeps returning to this existence. When we shook hands, Gisela saw scenes that seemed to go back many thousands of years, including one where an Egyptian pyramid was under construction."
"That's amazing," Father Paul said. "I'd never heard anything even remotely like that before. But perhaps…"
After about fifteen seconds of silence, Arlene said, "Yes, Father Paul?"
"I, uh, was just thinking. Perhaps your soul isn't merely restless, Madam Arlene. Perhaps God keeps sending you back to live among mortals and help where you can."
"When I first touched Madam Arlene," Gisela said, "I saw many scenes of people in scant clothing or fur skins sitting around open-pit fires while women cooked. It's impossible to tell how old those scenes were, but perhaps Madam Arlene's soul is as old as mankind itself. Perhaps you've been serving God since the beginning of creation."
"It sounds like you're describing an angel," Arlene said. "I've never considered myself to be anything like that."
"An angel can come in many forms," Father Paul said, "and have many different missions for God. From what I've heard, you've never done anything but good deeds since you've been here. In fact, your reason for coming here arose from an effort to help Simona find peace by having her earthly body properly laid to rest. Also, you've never been unkind to anyone here, and you've chosen to remain here and risk your mortal existence in an effort to banish a demon back to Hell. If you're not an angel, you're the closest thing to one I've ever met. Thank you, Madam Arlene. You've changed the perceptions I've held about interaction between the mortal world and the immortal world. I shall be forever grateful you came to Lake Georgina."
"You're most welcome, Father Paul. Then you now believe that my statements about the demon Kamet are true? And, can we count on your silent support in our efforts to banish him back to the Underworld? I realize the Church can't come out and support us openly."
"Madam Arlene, after what I just witnessed, I think I'd believe you if you told me the moon was really just made of smoked mozzarella. Yes, I support your efforts one hundred percent. If anyone can know what's happening on the fringes of our corporeal existence, I believe it's you."
"We've established a date for our effort to banish Kamet. We'll meet on the evening of August 18th and proceed to Madam Elana's property outside of town
. You're welcome to join us Father Paul. In fact, I would very much like you to be present to witness our attempt."
"I'll be there, Madam Arlene. Nothing could stop me from lending my support to this effort."
* * *
Chapter Fourteen
"Madam Arlene, you have to see this," Oculara said the next day when Arlene picked up the phone in the reading room and pressed the illuminated intercom button.
"What is it, Oculara?"
"There's a news crew and truck at Gianni's restaurant. The television station that sent them is going to broadcast the story live in Albany. Our local affiliated station has announced they will broadcast the news piece live here in Lake Georgina."
"From Gianni's?"
"Yes. The story is about the resident ghost at the restaurant, and they've been talking about you."
"I'll be right up."
"What is it, Ar?"
"Oculara says there's a live broadcast at Gianni's about Papa's spirit being the resident ghost."
"This I've got to see," Renee said.
Less than a minute later, all four girls had joined Madam Arlene, Oculara, and Gisela in the small office to watch the broadcast.
"Good morning, this is Katy Neilson reporting live from the small community of Lake Georgina. For several weeks we've been hearing rumors of strange events out here. Our news producer has sent us to get the true story.
"I'm presently standing in front Gianni's Restaurant here in Lake Georgina, where it's reported that the spirit of the former owner sits in a chair near the cash register counter at the front of the restaurant throughout each day. No one even knew he was there until a spiritualist from out of the area visited the restaurant and complimented Papa Gianni after she had enjoyed a meal here. Apparently, although no one else can see him, it's become something of a custom for local customers now to compliment Papa on the quality of their meal as they leave the restaurant.
"The current owner of the restaurant, Papa's daughter, Maria Gianni, told us off camera that it's true. The spiritualist told her that Papa sits by the front door throughout the entire day as he always did in the final years before his death. Ms. Gianni said it gave Papa great joy to speak briefly with his regular customers as they left, and he loved it when they complimented him on the fine food. She told us that she is certain beyond even a shadow of doubt that Papa is there. She said that at first, she was dismayed when Madam Arlene spoke to Papa every time she came into the restaurant because she feared her business would be avoided by locals, but once Madam Arlene proved to her that Papa really was there, she stopped caring if the locals thought the restaurant was haunted. She told me, 'Papa has never done anything to frighten our customers and never will. So it's foolish for anyone to fear Papa's spirit.'
"I asked Maria Gianni how Madam Arlene proved to her that Papa was there, since no one other than Madam Arlene has been able to see him. She told me that Madam Arlene related things from Maria's private conversations with her father that no one else in the world— this world at least— could possibly have known. I asked Maria if her business had suffered once people heard there was a ghost in the restaurant. She said business has never been better. If anything, customers want to learn if they can see Papa. So far no one has, or at least no one has announced they could.
"Ms. Gianni would not allow us to film inside the restaurant this morning because it's currently so crowded and also because she doesn't want Papa to feel like a spectacle. In her words, 'We may not be able to see Papa, but he can see us.'
"This is Katy Neilson reporting from Lake Georgina. This is just the first of a number of planned interviews from this beautiful lakeside community. Stay tuned to this station for additional reports from Lake Georgina."
"Well, I guess that's why we haven't had a single customer since we opened today," Madam Elana said. "The tourists must all be over at Gianni's Restaurant."
"Now that the news crew is done, things might get back to normal," Gisela said.
"I suppose it depends on where they intend to film next," Arlene said. "I'm afraid the peaceful community of Lake Georgina is about to be overrun."
"Overrun?" Oculara said.
"By people interested in the occult. I imagine people are already packing up their cars and will be headed this way within hours."
"You really think so?" Gisela asked.
"Yes, I do. And if the story gets picked up and run by a major network or news service, this town could soon be as crowded as a Florida beach during spring break."
* *
A few hours later, Arlene was again summoned to come up to the office, this time by Madam Elana.
"That television news reporter is here," Madam Elana said as Arlene arrived in the office. "She wants to interview you."
"I don't do interviews. Reporters always try to make me look like a member of the lunatic fringe."
"She promises the interview will be conducted like a scientific investigation. She won't make any snide or derogatory remarks, or in any way treat you disrespectfully."
"That would be a first for a reporter trying to expose or debunk the occult."
"She says that's not her goal. She said that she personally believes spirits do roam the mortal world and that there are definitely people who can commune with them."
"She might just be saying that to get the interview."
"Possibly."
"Have you told her you're a witch?"
"Yes."
"And how did that go over?"
"Once she understood that I'm Wiccan and don't practice the darks arts or worship the devil, it went over well. She said her cousin is a Wiccan who prays to the Moon Goddess."
"I can't see any positive side to my doing an interview with a television newsperson."
"Well, it could help the shop— if we handle it right."
"You mean it could bring in customers?"
"Yes. If the interview took place out front as it did in the earlier story about the Gianni Restaurant, it would give us tens of thousands of dollars of free publicity. If this massive horde of people is coming as you speculated earlier, it would be nice to have them stop here and perhaps buy something."
Arlene took a deep breath and released it slowly before saying, "Okay, I'll do it for the shop. But if she gets sarcastic or insulting like Meredith Blakely, the interview will end then and there."
"I'll make sure she understands that."
Over the next several hours, the local station made periodic announcements that a live interview with spiritualist Madam Arlene Watson would be broadcast during the five p.m. newscast. The interview would actually take place at four p.m. and would not be live because the station manager wanted the ability to review the entire interview and edit anything his audience might find objectionable.
* *
At a few minutes before four, Arlene prepared to step from the antiques shop. Madam Elana had allowed the news crew inside to shoot the interior, but Arlene insisted the interview be conducted outside. In case she decided to end the interview, she wanted to be able to escape quickly and easily to the security offered by the store. She and her friends had spent twenty minutes making her hair and makeup look perfect. The skies were a perfect shade of azure blue, and there was no wind to play havoc with her hair during the interview.
As Arlene emerged from the shop, Katy Neilson smiled and approached her, then told her where she should stand and where she should look during the interview. In addition to Neilson and a cameraman, there was an engineer inside the large news van. An antenna on the roof of the van was raised to its full telescopic height and pointed into the sky.
A few seconds before they were ready to begin, Katy Neilson said, "Don't be nervous. Just talk normally in a clear and natural voice."
"I'm not nervous," Arlene said.
"Good," Neilson said and then turned towards the camera. When she was ready to begin, she nodded. The cameraman held up his hand with all five fingers extended and then pulled them down one at a time. As the
last digit was lowered, Katy waited one second and then began speaking.
"This is Katy Neilson coming to you from Lake Georgina. I'm joined here tonight by Madam Arlene Watson, the spiritualist who was mentioned earlier in my interview with the proprietress of Gianni's Restaurant.
"Madam Arlene, could you tell our audience why people refer to you as Madam?"
"It's a term of respect reserved for women who have paranormal powers far beyond that of most people and even people with limited powers."
"I see. I understand that you first came to Lake Georgina because the spirit of a murdered woman wanted you to tell the authorities where her body was buried?"
"Yes. I was able to tell them exactly where to find it."
"And I understand it was buried in silt and sand beneath a large tree that had fallen into the stream some eleven years ago?"
"Yes, that's correct. It's all part of the official inquest record."
"And you had never been to Lake Georgina before that?"
"No."
"But you couldn't tell them who had murdered the woman?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"She wouldn't tell me."
"'She' meaning the spirit of the murdered woman?"
"Yes."
"Why do you suppose that was?"
"She wouldn't tell me."
"I see. And during the inquest, where you were not called upon to testify, an assistant coroner testified he had taken it upon himself to test your paranormal powers by substituting two bones from the actual skeleton with two bones from another that were almost identical?"
"Yes."
"And he testified that within seconds you were able to identify the substituted bones. How did you do that?"
"The spirit of the murdered woman told me which bones didn't belong with her body."
"She said something like 'the leg bone and the hand bone' to you?"
"No, there are about 206 bones in the adult human body, and I doubt either of us could have identified them by name. I simply placed my hand over the skeleton and moved my arm whichever way she told me. When I was over one of the bones, she told me to stop and lower my hand, identifying the exact position of the bone I should pick up."
When the Spirit Calls (When the Spirit... series - Book 2) Page 19
