by Ashlyn Chase
“Yes, when the time is right.” When the hell that’ll be, I don’t know.
She seemed to relax, so he opened the heavy front door and held it for her. Pausing at the bottom of the stairs, she said, “Well, thanks for your…help.”
“I’m really sorry.”
“No need to apologize. I didn’t really know what would happen. I took a chance, and it didn’t work out.” She sighed. “Back to the drawing board.”
“You know who might be able to help you with Reginald more than I can?”
“Who?”
“Roz. She has a way of drawing people out. I’ve heard her deal with different delicate situations very calmly and non-judgmentally. Plus she knows what kind of evidence is admissible in court. I think she’d be perfect.”
“Is she home?”
“Why don’t we find out? I told her I’d call on her today anyway. Oh, and just so you know, I’m going to tell her I got fired from my…um, job.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want to do it anymore.”
“Why not just say you quit?”
“Because I really don’t want to go back to it.”
Morgaine laid a hand on his arm. “I admire that. Will she believe you?”
He shrugged. “She has no reason not to.”
“Okay. Give it a try.” Morgaine waited behind him while Konrad lifted the brass door knocker and rapped on Roz’s door.
She opened it and beamed up into his smiling face.
“Good afternoon, ma’am. May I interest you in buying some magazines today?”
“Only if you deliver them in person, naked, holding a bottle of Champagne,” she said and gave him a come-hither look. She stepped back and opened the door wider.
Clearing her throat, Morgaine said, “Dottie has rules about public nudity, but it wouldn’t bother me.”
Roz glanced into the hall and gasped when she realized they weren’t alone.
Konrad cringed. “Uh, sorry. I should have said that Morgaine’s waiting to ask you something.”
“Oops.” Roz blushed.
When Morgaine stepped forward, she said, “Don’t be embarrassed. I think it’s cute when couples flirt.”
Roz let out a small giggle and said, “Come in, both of you. Have a seat.”
Morgaine sat on Roz’s antique-looking couch, while Konrad wandered around and looked at her things. He didn’t figure her for an antique buff. An old roll-top desk. A tall wooden cabinet with a glass panel holding thick tomes that he assumed were law books. Lots of fragile-looking furniture he wouldn’t dare put his full weight on.
“Can I get you guys anything to drink?”
“No, thanks,” Morgaine said.
Roz sat next to her on the sofa. “So…what did you want to ask me?”
“I guess I should start at the beginning. I’m a psychic witch and a medium.”
Roz nodded, but her expression didn’t change.
Konrad blew out a breath of relief. Whew. She handled that pretty well. But then he remembered she knew enough about Morgaine already, like leading a séance with Chad, so the information might not come as a shock.
“I’ve been hired to work with a new witness who was present during the theft at the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum.”
Roz grew more animated. “Really? There’s a new witness? So there might be hope of catching those douche bags who robbed the place, after all?”
“Yes. We’ve already gained some new information, but we don’t know how much of it can be used in court.”
“Why is that?”
“Because the new witness is a ghost.”
Roz’s mouth dropped open. “I…it didn’t come home with you, did it?”
It’s okay, darling. I’m right here. You’re perfectly safe.
“Are you sure? Ghosts freak me the hell out! Don’t you feel uncomfortable around them?”
No. Even if the room were full of them, they can’t hurt you.
“Ugh, that would be like thinking you’re alone in the bathroom while attending a peeping Tom convention.”
She quickly recovered her neutral demeanor and said, “A ghost? Haunting the museum?”
“Yes, so if we learn anything from Reginald—that’s the spirit’s name—do you think it could be used to claim the reward? I don’t want the court to say it’s bunk and cheat me out of my money if I help recover the art.”
Roz rose to her feet and paced as she talked. “Has the ghost’s presence been substantiated?”
“Well, yeah. I’ve talked to him.”
Konrad spoke up. “So have I. There are two of us who can attest to his being there.
Roz’s eyebrows rose as she focused her sharp gaze on Konrad. “You can talk to ghosts too?”
“Oh, no. I didn’t mean that. Morgaine did her medium thing while I was there. I heard his voice coming through her mouth.”
Roz nodded. “Freaky, but okay…continue.”
“Well,” Morgaine said, “the curator sensed his presence and admitted a couple of visitors claimed to have seen him.”
“I’ll have to check precedents, but I imagine we can’t use ‘sensing a presence.’ Even a sighting could be explained away. But I’m curious about your being a medium. Can you prove you have that, um, gift?”
“Sure.” She looked to Konrad. “Does she know about Chad?”
“Yes. I asked him not to bother Roz, but I don’t know if he listened to me or not.”
“Would you mind a demonstration if I can get Chad to cooperate?” Morgaine asked.
Roz sat up straighter. “Actually that sounds fascinating.”
“Good. He usually hangs out on the third floor, so I’ll run upstairs and see if I can find him.”
“Okay.” Roz watched as Morgaine left and then crossed the room to where Konrad was leaning against the mantelpiece.
Konrad said, “I was thinking about you all morning, when I wasn’t playing ghost busters.” He captured her waist and pulled her toward him for a quick peck on the lips and a hug. Her arms around his neck seemed to be shaking.
“Roz, are you all right?”
“Yeah. It’s just that…well, there’s been a lot to take in lately. Our strange new way of communicating, Morgaine’s a witch and a medium, we have a ghost in the building. What next? Vampires and werewolves?”
Konrad chuckled nervously. “Don’t worry, darling. I won’t let the boogeyman get you.” Don’t think about it, don’t think about it…
“Don’t think about what?”
“Uh, nothin’. I got fired today, that’s all.”
She sucked in a breath. “Really? Is it because you were arrested?”
“Yes. They can’t be too careful, you know.”
“But you weren’t guilty.”
He shrugged.
“I don’t think they should get away with that. Let me look into grounds for a wrongful termination case.” Her lips thinned to a hard line.
“No, don’t. I was ready to quit anyway. It just isn’t worth the aggravation.”
She took his hand. “I’m sorry that happened to you.”
“I’m not. Now I can be awake during the day and see more of you.” He winked.
“And maybe help Morgaine,” Roz added. “Are you sure she’s for real?”
“I’m pretty darn sure.”
“Look, I believe in certain things I can’t explain away with logic. Psychics, for instance. I know the government has been doing psychic research. And it does seem like there’s a large portion of our brains that most of us don’t use.”
He nodded but didn’t want to say anything, so she’d continue talking. What else did she believe in?
“Some are charlatans, to be sure. But I guess some have a certain amount of credibility. Do you believe she’s the real deal?”
Konrad squeezed her hand. “I’ve seen her talk to Chad, and at the museum she seemed to go into a trance, and I heard the voice of someone else come out of her mouth.”
“Were you with her the whole time? Had she been there before?”
“That was the second time she’d been there. Gwyneth went with her first. I guess they could have rigged something up before, but if she can demonstrate something here, on the fly, I know I’ll be impressed. Do you want to look around to be sure she didn’t plant any microphones?”
“Good idea.” Roz began to check the couch cushions where Morgaine had been sitting when a knock sounded at the door.
“I’ll get it.” Konrad opened the door, but no one was there. Then he heard footsteps on the stairs, and Morgaine came into view.
“I guess Chad got here before me.”
Konrad stepped back and waited for Morgaine to enter. “Is he here?”
She cocked her head as if listening to someone whisper in her ear. “Yes, he’s here. And he wants to know what you’re looking for in the sofa cushions.”
Konrad shut the door and changed the subject. “Ready?”
“I am, are you?” Morgaine asked, looking at Roz.
She took a deep breath and nodded.
***
“Chad, you know Konrad and Roz, right?”
“Know them? That’s a stretch. I know who they are. The tall one with long hair who turns into a wolf at the full moon, that’s Konrad. The chubby one with glasses and her hair in a bun is Roz. What her deal is, I haven’t heard yet. Enlighten me.”
“Roz is a lawyer,” Morgaine said. “I may need her help in the museum case I’m working on.”
“Why? Did you catch the thief?”
“Not yet.”
Konrad and Roz stared alternately at her and at each other. At one point, they both shrugged.
“Okay, I need to demonstrate to Roz and Konrad that you and I are really communicating. What can you tell me about them that I wouldn’t know?”
“Have you been in Roz’s apartment before?”
“I was here when Merry lived here, but this is the first time since Roz moved in.”
“Good. Have you been in her bedroom yet?”
“No. I’ve only been out here in the living room. I see what you’re getting at. Maybe you can find something in her bedroom that I’ve never seen. Describe it to me in detail, and I’ll tell them what it is.”
“You’re pretty smart for a woman who wears black lipstick and nail polish.”
“I’m not wearing the black lipstick today, in case you didn’t notice. I try to be more conservative when I visit the museum.”
Chad laughed.
Morgaine rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Get on with it, please.”
“I’ve already been in there. Tell her she left the top drawer open in her bedside table and there are three things in it: a box of tissues, a book, and a long plastic cylinder. Bright pink.”
“Good. That’s very specific.” Morgaine faced Roz. “He said you left your bedside table drawer open. There’s a book, a box of tissues, and some kind of pink plastic cylinder in it.”
Roz’s jaw dropped and she turned bright red.
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, and extra batteries. I forgot to mention them.”
Roz coughed and composed herself. “Nothing. Tell him to look for something else.”
Chad was laughing hysterically.
“Chad, what did you do?”
“Can I help it if she likes to read erotica and keeps a vibrator handy?”
Morgaine dropped her head in her hands. She straightened, took a deep breath, and tried again. “Chad, cut the shit. Now find something else, and don’t embarrass the poor woman.”
Konrad smiled.
“Okay, I’m going into her closet. Never mind. It’s dark in there. I’ll try the bathroom.”
Morgaine waited and tapped her foot. Roz folded her hands and bit her lower lip.
“Here’s something. It’s behind the shower curtain, so unless you’ve taken a shower with her—”
“Of course I haven’t. Now tell me what you’re seeing.”
“She has about a dozen bath products. One of those natural sponges, a purple washcloth, a set of red plastic bottles with all kinds of perfumey…Aaa-cho.”
“Goddess bless you.”
Roz tipped her head, and the furrow between her brows deepened.
“Okay, he said there’s a loofah, a purple washcloth, and a set of bath products in red bottles behind your shower curtain. He seems to be allergic to them.”
“Not really, but I was allergic to all kinds of stuff when I was alive. Sneezing is just a force of habit I guess.”
Konrad rose. “Roz? Morgaine? Do you want to check his information?”
“No, it sounds pretty accurate,” Roz said. “You two can look if you want to.”
Konrad smiled. “I’ll admit, I’m curious. You wouldn’t mind?”
“Be my guest.”
Morgaine stayed seated. “I’ll wait here just in case there’s other stuff in there he can describe.”
Roz shrugged. “No need to. I’m satisfied that you’re really communicating with a…a—”
“Spirit,” Morgaine supplied.
Roz shivered.
Konrad rejoined them. “Well, I’ll be damned. It’s exactly like he said.” Then he strolled over to Roz and bumped her playfully. “No wonder you smell like cinnamon, spice, and everything nice. That’s the fragrance in those bottles.”
Roz rolled her eyes. “Okay, buddy. I’ve been embarrassed enough for one day.” She turned to Morgaine. “You said you’re a medium. Can Chad speak through you?”
“Yes, we’ve done it. Neither of us likes it very much, but he might be willing to give you a quick demonstration.”
“I’d like to see it,” she said.
“Chad, are you okay with that?”
“Ugh. If I must. You have no idea how disgusting it is to push myself down through your gray matter so I can use your brain, lungs, and vocal cords.”
“It’s no picnic for me either.”
“Although it might be fun to say things you can’t censor…like the juicy sex scene she was reading last night.”
Morgaine sighed. “Chad, behave yourself. We don’t need to hear about Roz’s reading material.”
“You know what?” Roz said. “I don’t really need to hear him speak. If I go to the museum with you, I’ll hear the other ghost talk through you, right?”
Morgaine smiled. “You’re a wise woman.”
Chapter 5
Roz and Konrad waited in line outside the museum while Morgaine was up in the parlor preparing Reginald for another visitor.
Roz stroked Konrad’s back. “Why can’t you come with me?”
“I really think it’s better if I wait downstairs,” Konrad said. “I kind of ticked him off. You’ll be fine, though.”
“What did you do?”
“Oh, nothing. He’s a bit…I’m not sure how to put it. He has a superior attitude and gets touchy if you try to prove you’re his equal?”
“Insecure?”
Konrad looked thoughtful. “Yeah, that might be part of it. But there’s more. He got defensive when I asked how he knew Isabella. He also doesn’t like cops. Anyway, I think he just didn’t like me, and you’ll probably have better luck if I’m not there.”
Roz shrugged. “Whatever you say. I guess he can’t really do anything to me, right?”
“No, you’re quite safe. Morgaine knows when to shut him down, and I don’t think he’s learned how to use telekinesis to move objects, like Chad can.”
“How did Chad learn that?”
“I don’t know. Maybe you can ask Morgaine. Oh, look, here she comes.”
Morgaine waved them inside.
Konrad dropped a dollar in the voluntary donation box on his way.
“Oh, I should give them some money too,” Roz said.
“No. If you can get more information from him and make sure it’s admissible in court, you might be able to help the FBI recover the stolen art. That’s more valuable than a buck in the box.”
She smiled. “That would be so cool. Do you really think—”
Morgaine interrupted by taking Roz’s hand and pulling her around the line of tourists waiting to get in. Roz blew Konrad a kiss and followed Morgaine.
How weird is this? Meeting two ghosts when only a few days ago, I didn’t think they existed.
Konrad answered telepathically. “I’m proud of you. Just keep that open mind.”
On her way to the parlor, she asked, “So, how did you learn to be a medium, Morgaine?”
“Chad taught me. Actually, I attended a séance and saw him speak through another, more experienced medium. I’ve always worked hard to fine-tune my psychic skills, so I was able to hear him when no one else could. It wasn’t that big a stretch.”
“Ah, so he already wanted to communicate through you to other people?”
“Yeah, he was motivated. He wanted to find out who murdered him, and the only way he could speak to the private detective Jason hired was through a medium.”
“He was murdered? In our building?”
“Yeah, but it was a long time ago and in his own apartment…which he still considers his. Chad was actually the one who suggested I channel him. It really helps if the spirit trusts you.”
“Reginald must trust you too, then.”
“Either that or he’s motivated to recover the stolen art.” Morgaine smiled. “I think he was sweet on Isabella, but he was admiring Konrad too. Maybe he’s bisexual.”
“So, he wants to do this for her? That’s sweet. But if he’s bi and admired my boyfriend, why did Konrad say he didn’t like him?”
Morgaine looked uncomfortable for a second then relaxed. “Here we are. The curator wants to be present too. Let me find out if Reginald is here and introduce you first, before I go into my trance.” She opened the parlor door, and Roz stepped inside.
It was quite a posh suite. Most of the furniture was Victorian. A huge circular velvet ottoman took up the middle of the room, with some ornate chairs by the fireplace. A table was placed on one side of the room and a few more chairs lined the other wall. It seemed like an odd set-up. It might be good for socializing, though. Several people could fit on that ottoman, and facing any direction, there would be someone to talk to.
“Hmm…the curator isn’t here. Let’s sit in those chairs by the fireplace. All we need to do is move them a little closer to each other.”
