"It's ear buds, and seeing dead people is a big thing, Mother. It's not like I'm afraid to go to Starbucks without makeup or anything."
"You don't need makeup. You look like me."
The places my mother could go in a conversation always fascinated me. "Yes, Ma, I look like you, but that's not the point. The point is, I do not care what people think of me."
"You keep thinkin' that. I hear there's some oceanfront property for sale in California, too."
I shook my head. "It's Arizona, Ma. California really is next to the ocean."
She tilted her head. "Oh, yah." She flipped her hand in the air. "You know what I mean. You're full of crap if you think you don't care what other people think about you."
I got pissy. "Fine, Ma. Whatever. It's not true, but whatever." I took off running, but Ma stayed behind. "Ma? You comin'?"
She held up her index finger. "Oh crap," she said. "This ain't good. We gotta go." She shot up in the air, and disappeared.
I looked up, equally impressed and freaked. "Ma? What's going on? Come back!"
She popped back in front of me. "Get to the car. It's Mel. She's at Carrie's apartment. The poop's gonna hit the fan. Meet me there."
I dropped the F-bomb again, and sprinted back to the car, which thankfully, was less than a mile away.
I called Mel on the way to Carrie's apartment, but she didn't answer. "I'm on my way. Please, please don't do anything. Just wait for me."
Just then Ma popped back in. "Nick's there."
"Crap. What's going on?" I took the back roads, hoping to bypass the construction on the regular route.
"A lotta yelling, that's what."
"Who's yelling?" I figured it was Mel, but hoped Ma would say someone else.
"Who do you think? She's gonna get all Bruce Lee on them. Put the pedal to the medal."
"Ma, you gotta go back. Make Mel calm down. Distract her. I don't care what you do, but make her stop before she makes things worse."
"I'm on it," she said, and shimmered away.
I texted Jake through the talk to text option on my phone. " Mel's cracked. Will keep you posted."
When I pulled into the apartment parking lot, I remembered I needed to be buzzed in. "Dammit," I mumbled, and then pressed buttons until someone finally beeped back. "Can I help you?"
"Yes, I'm here to deliver flowers, but they're not answering. Would you mind buzzing me in?"
I screeched through the gates, and pulled up alongside Mel's car. I knocked on Carrie's door, and heard Mel inside. "Fran, I know that's you. Knock it off." Something fell to the ground and shattered.
"Shit." I knocked harder.
A young, Asian woman—I assume Carrie— answered. "What?"
Oh boy. She had an attitude like Emily.
"I'm Mel's friend. May I come in?"
Carrie snarled, and moved to the side. I walked through as she said, "Be my guest. That woman is gonna lose it."
I flipped around, and only inches from her face, sneered, and said, "You're pregnant with her husband's kid, Carrie. You're lucky she hasn't nailed your slutty ass to the wall already."
Her jaw dropped. Mel probably hadn't dropped that bomb yet. "How...how do you know that? I haven't even told Nick."
I scanned the inside of her townhouse, but the main area was down a hall, and I couldn't see Mel, but I could hear her. "My guess is Mel will handle that for you."
I walked through the hallway into the main area, and saw Mel's hands flying through the air as she yelled at Nick. He stood there, stone-faced, and quiet. Pieces of a glass picture frame covered the area between them. Ma stood next to the couch. I pointed my index finger at the glass, and raised an eyebrow. She winked, and we both smiled.
I walked over to Mel. "Hey, you okay?"
Her hands were clenched in fists. She turned to me, and the whites of her eyes were bigger than I'd ever seen them. She had spit in the corner of her mouth. She didn't say anything.
"Mel."
She held a hand up to my face. "I've got this," she said. “You don't need to be here.”
"Maybe we should get outta here? Get a coffee, or something?"
Mel shook her head. "I've got exciting news for Nick, here." She paused, and then a jabbed a finger in his face. "You're gonna be a daddy again."
Nick's eyes widened, and he stepped back. "You're pregnant?"
Mel straightened her shoulders, and laughed. "No jackass. Your little girlfriend is. Congratulations."
Nick's head shifted toward Carrie, and I watched his mouth soften. He loved her. "Carrie?" He asked.
Carrie nodded once. Nick walked over to her, and touched her stomach.
"Ah Madone. That ain't good," Ma said.
I held Mel's arm, feeling it tense in my hand. "You son of a bitch," she yelled. She tried to pull away, but I held her back.
"Mel, let's go."
"I'm not done yet."
Nick's face hardened again. "You need to leave, Mel."
Mel's arm tensed again, and I let go. I thought she'd rush him, but she didn't. She turned toward the door, and then turned around again, and said, "Your stuff will be on the front lawn. If it's not gone by tomorrow morning, it's going to Goodwill." She turned back around and walked out.
I glared at Nick.
"I'm sorry you had to see this, Ang," he said.
I pointed to Carrie, but kept my eyes focused on Nick. "Sure hope she's worth losing your family over." Then I turned around and walked out, too.
Outside, Mel leaned against her car. Her head was back, and her eyes were closed. I leaned up against it, and closed my eyes, too.
"I didn't lose it in there."
"No," I said. "You didn't."
"You thought I would."
"Not for a minute."
"Liar."
"Absolutely."
"He loves her."
"I know," I said.
"I wish I didn't still love him."
"I know."
"I hired that attorney."
"That's good."
"I'm gonna be all right."
"Better than ever," I said.
"I hope you're right."
"I'm always right."
"There is that."
***
I made sure Mel left, and then decided I needed caffeine, and headed to Starbucks.
"You did good, Angela," Ma said. "And Mel, too. I thought she was gonna have a stroke, she was so red, but she handled it good."
I yawned. "I think she's gonna be okay. She hired an attorney, and I think she's ready." I yawned again.
"She'll be fine. It ain't gonna be easy, but the hardest part is over."
I yawned again. "I hope so."
"You need a nap or something?" Ma asked.
"I'm just beat, Ma. A lot's happened in the past couple days."
"You shouldn't be pushing yourself like you do with the exercise. You're getting too old for that."
"I'm not getting old, Ma. And I'm not exercising too much. I've barely done anything lately, which is probably part of the reason why I'm tired. And I got a triple whammy of drama dropped on me in the span of a day, you know."
"I'm just sayin'."
"Well, you just say it to someone else. I'm not getting old."
"Yup, that's what I said when I was goin' through the change, too."
I pulled into the Starbucks parking lot, and parked the car. I shifted in the seat, and gave my mother the stink eye. "I am not going through the change."
"Bahaha! That's a joke, right? 'Cause it's funny, I tell ya. You're smack dab in the middle of the change, Ang."
I stared at the steering wheel. "Oh, God, Ma, I think you're right. What's happening to me?"
"You're becoming your dad, that's what's happening."
I shook my head. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"
"You know, growin' facial hair and all. You're looking more like your dad, and less like me."
"Well, at least Dad was an attractive man."
"To some, I guess."
"Nice, Ma."
"What?"
I shook my head. "When I couldn't hear you, I had all of these questions about stuff, like when you went through menopause, and how long it lasted. But right now, I just want to get a cup of coffee, go home, and take a shower, and think about nothing."
"Enjoy that while it lasts," Ma said.
"Why? What do you know?"
She shook her head. "My lips are sealed," she said, and then shimmered away.
"I still hate when you do that!" I yelled.
***
Josh was home, holed up in the den, playing his game. I peeked in, told him I was going to shower, then nap.
"You sick?"
"No, just tired."
"Yeah, Emily does that to me, too."
I laughed. "I bet."
I took a long, hot shower, then snuggled under my covers. Gracie jumped up, found her favorite position on Jake's pillow, and went right to sleep. I ran my hand down her back. "I wish I could sleep like you, Gracie."
My cell phone rang. When I looked to see who it was, it said, "Dad". I'd never taken his name off of my contacts list. It just seemed too permanent.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Angela? It's Helen."
"Hey, how are you?"
"I'm good," she said. "I thought you'd like to know, I received some information about my cousin."
I smiled. "Oh? Did her daughter call you?"
"No, but an attorney did."
"Oh, really? About what?"
Helen told me all about the lawsuit, the money, and how a family member, who wished to remain anonymous, called the attorney and gave them her number. She was thrilled to have the money returned, and I felt like less of a heel for not being honest.
After we disconnected, I spoke to Brenda. "I know it's not what you asked, but I just couldn't tell her about my gift."
Brenda appeared in front of my bed. "I understand," she said. "Thank you for helping me."
I nodded. "If you see my father, can you tell him to come and visit me some time?"
Brenda nodded, and then she shimmered away.
***
Jake was still in the city, so when Emily called to see if she could hang out with Hayden, I let her.
She needed to get out, and have some fun, and I needed to trust her to make the right decisions. They were going to the water park, and she promised she'd be back by eleven.
I made myself a ham sandwich with extra mayo, poured a big glass of water, and sat at the table. I scarfed the sandwich down in milliseconds, and made another one. I didn't realize I was that hungry.
"Wish I could have one of those," Ma said.
I chewed with my mouth open, and made num num num sounds. "It's so good."
"You got some horrible manners, Ang." She smirked. "And you're rude, throwing that sandwich in my face like that."
"It's a gift."
"Hi Grandma," Josh said as he walked into the kitchen.
"Tell your Ma she's being rude eatin' in front of me like that."
"I can't. I'm gonna be rude in a minute, too. I'm hungry."
"Pfft. You got manners just like your Ma."
I held the last bite of my sandwich out to my mom. "Here. Want this?"
Josh did a double take. "Mama, can you see Grandma?"
I'd completely forgotten that Josh didn't know. "Yup. Make yourself something to eat and I'll fill you in."
"Okay."
I filled him in on what happened with Matthew, and warned him about the possibility of our lives changing. He didn't appear at all concerned.
"Told you I wasn't leaving rocks in the house," he said. He finished eating his sandwich and retreated back to the den.
I shook my head. "He amazes me."
"He's like my side of the family," Ma said.
I ignored that. "What's gonna happen, Ma?"
She busied herself looking at my counter. "I would have picked a lighter top if I was you," she said. "What kind of stone is this anyway? Back in my day, we used Formica. That stuff was easy to clean. This stuff here, all them colors?" She shook her head. "Too much work."
"What aren't you telling me, Ma?"
"Angela, you know I got rules."
"Again? You're using that again?"
"Whadda ya mean, usin' that again? I ain't usin' nothing. It's the truth. There are things I can't tell you."
"Yeah, like you couldn't tell me my father was going to die. Stupid rule if you ask me."
"If you couldn't talk to the dead, you wouldn't have known anyway." She flicked her hand in the air. "That's how it works. It's not my place to disrupt the natural order of things. Besides, I'll get in trouble, and I'm almost ready to be a spirit guide, and I don't wanna mess that up."
I sympathized with the person who had Ma for a spirit guide. "So instead of coming right out and breaking the rules, you figure it's okay to drop hints? That doesn't get you in trouble?"
She shrugged. "Not as much."
"Good grief."
"What am I gonna do if it gets out?"
"You're gonna do what you always do—deal with it. You're strong. You're made of good stock. This won't break you."
"I'm not sure that's true."
"Well I am, and I gave birth to you, so I know."
I sat at the table, my head in my hands, picturing reporters, and people crowding my yard. I pictured Emily embarrassed, and hiding in her room for being labeled that girl with the crazy mother. "Ugh. I'm screwed. We're gonna have to move."
"Nah, you don't gotta move. Things have a way of working themselves out."
I studied my mother's expression. It wasn't easy, because of her transparency. She knew things I didn't know, and wouldn't steer me in the wrong direction. She'd already told me the Cloughs told the police, so if it was going to get ugly, she'd drop hints about it. She wouldn't be able to stop herself. But she hadn't, so I had to believe everything would be okay. "Okay Ma. I trust you, and I'm not gonna worry anymore," I said.
"Well it's about time."
"Oh geez."
"Do me a favor, change outta those pajamas and put on something presentable. While you're at it, pull your hair up in a bun or something. You oughta get it cut. You're too old for long hair. You look like a floozy."
"Here we go again," I said, and got up.
"What?" She asked.
I shook my head. "Why do I need to get dressed, Ma? It's almost seven o'clock. I'm not going anywhere."
"It ain't good manners to receive guests in your pajamas, Angela. Now scoot."
That, I took as a hint.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
I WAS SITTING ON THE COUCH when Jake walked in. "What are you all dressed for? It's almost eight."
The doorbell rang.
"For that," I said.
He raised an eyebrow, and moved to answer it.
"I'll get it," I said. "I know who it is."
I rested my head against the front door, took two deep breaths, and then plastered a big smile on my face, and opened it. Jake stood behind me.
A man stood on the front step. He flipped open his wallet, and said. "Angela Panther?"
I nodded.
"Detective Aaron Banner. May I come in?"
Jake stepped toward the detective, but I touched his arm. "Honey, it's okay.”
I opened the door wide enough for him to enter. "Come on in, Detective. I was expecting you."
Jake shot me a look, and I mouthed. "Ma."
He nodded, but furrowed his brow.
We passed the den, and Josh looked up, but didn't flinch. Jake noticed, too.
I held my hand toward the chair. "Have a seat, Detective."
Jake and I sat on the couch.
The detective sat. "I'd like to ask you a few questions about the Clough family," he said.
I nodded. "I figured."
I watched as my mother appeared behind the Detective. She smirked and said, "Knock 'em dead."
"Where did you get you
r information about Maria?" The detective asked.
I pressed my lips together, and then nodded. "Detective, I'm going to assume, since you're here, you know the answer to that."
"I'd like to hear it from you, Mrs. Panther."
"Their son Matthew told me."
He didn't flinch. "Their dead son, Matthew."
I nodded.
He didn't say anything.
"Is that it, Detective?" I asked.
"Can you explain to me what happened? How you were able to talk to their dead son, Mrs. Panther?"
I leaned forward, and rested my forearms on my legs. "I have a gift, Detective."
He pulled out a notepad. "How long have you had this uh, gift?"
"Apparently I had it as a child, but it just went dormant or something until my mother died. And then I lost it again when my father died."
He looked at me, but didn't speak.
"But now it's back again, so it's all good." I smiled.
"I see. Continue."
The detective had no sense of humor.
"The Cloughs’ son Matthew came to me, and asked me to give his parents a message. I didn't realize who he was at first, but my husband did some research, and found out. I felt like I owed it to his parents to give them closure."
"And what did you tell them?"
Just then the TV remote scooted across the table, and fell to the ground. I covered my mouth to hide a giggle, and looked at my mother, who just shrugged. Jake smirked.
The detective, visibly uncomfortable, shifted in his seat. "Uh..."
"I'm sorry. My mother's got a strange sense of humor. You were saying?"
"Your mother?" He shook his head. "I uh...I asked...oh, what did you tell the Clough boy’s parents? Just tell me exactly what happened when you went to them, okay?"
He'd recouped well. I laid out the details, giving the detective as much information as possible.
"So you actually saw their little boy, Matthew?"
I shook my head. "Not at first. No. I couldn't even hear him at first. Like I said, I had lost my gift when my father died, but that hasn't stopped the dead from trying to connect."
"I don't understand," he said.
Jake intervened. "You're not the first to say that. I still don't understand any of it, but my wife is telling you the truth. She can communicate with the dead, Detective. I've seen it for myself."
Unbreakable Bonds (An Angela Panther Mystery Book 2) Page 24
