“Boo,” a voice sounded from behind Whitney and Trent.
She jumped and Trent screamed like a kid at a haunted house. Whitney turned around to see a glowing creature floating in the air. Richard only lit up the area surrounding him and he laughed at having scared Trent.
“There he is; the real joker. I thought you weren’t going to show up. My head and heart kept telling me to bring Trent along. I hope I was right.”
Richard said, “You always seem to be right, Whitney Powers. We wanted to meet the person that has brought you such happiness. He will also be joining you on future endeavors and we need to make sure he is the right man for the job.”
Richard pushed a spot on the wall and a door opened. The ghost led them out of the room and Whitney spotted the floating vortex. Richard instructed Trent to go first, followed by Whitney. She rode down the great slide until she splashed into the waters. She kicked and paddled to get to the top, but it seemed to take even longer this time.
Just as she was about to run out of air, her head poked out of the suffocating waters. She breathed in the fresh, daisy-scented air and looked around for Trent. She found him treading water about five feet away. She swam over to him as Richard pulled up in the golden boat. The ghost was completely dry and Whitney wondered how he had passed through the vortex without falling into the waters.
Trent got into the boat and helped Whitney in. They floated down the sparkling channel with the beautiful houses on either side. Whitney mostly looked at Trent’s reactions to the scenery that she had already seen a few times. They rode in silence and pulled up to the castle-like residence of the ghosts.
They walked up the newly formed steps and as Richard opened the front door, a rush of cold air escaped from the interior. They entered the chilly, vanilla and cinnamon scented house. Richard guided them on the hover board and they cruised down the hall. Whitney could see the awe on Trent’s face as they came to a stop and entered the room. All the usual ghosts were sitting around the table.
Raquel looked lovingly at her and said, “There she is. We knew you could do it. Please introduce us to your friend here.”
“Of course. This is my boyfriend, Trent. Trent this is Raquel, Roland, Ruth Ann, and you already know Richard, although you weren’t properly introduced.”
“Hi everyone,” Trent managed to get out. He seemed to be in shock and Whitney totally understood.
“Don’t be afraid. You have nothing to worry about here. This is foreign to comprehend for most people but don’t be intimidated. We are a gentle people,” Roland said with a laugh.
Ruth Ann said, “Whitney and Trent, we must thank you for solving the Susan Foley case. Now we need to depend on the justice system to work.”
Trent said, “We got three of the higher-ups in the mob to flip on Benno Dante already and we have firm pressure on several others. If one or two more decide to testify against him, we will end up settling the case. He’s old, so even a twenty-year sentence is basically a death knell, but we aren’t going to let him see the light of day ever again.”
Raquel said, “That’s wonderful. There is a great deal of injustice in your world, so it’s nice to see someone be held accountable for their crimes.”
Whitney couldn’t hold back. “I think I know who you all are. I had been scouring the papers and police reports for families that had been murdered. I thought I had gone through every case in the past thirty years and couldn’t figure out who you all were. I thought at first that you formed this family in this world and weren’t even related in the old world.”
“These are all valid thoughts,” Richard told her.
“A revelation finally hit me. I checked the missing person’s reports and found out about a family named Woodpike. They disappeared just before I ended up here eighteen years ago.”
Roland started to speak in a somber tone, “They say life on earth isn’t fair, and they are right. We were nothing more than a family trying to get by the best we could. Random luck would have it that a member of the Dante Crime Family moved in right next door to us. We thought the worst part was all the police attention he brought to the neighborhood. We were just living our lives.”
Roland looked down at the table and composed himself for a moment. “We were sitting down to a family dinner. It was chicken with mashed potatoes and broccoli. I can still taste that last meal. Our front door was kicked in and three men in suits rushed into our house. The last vision I had was the butt of a pistol coming at my forehead. That was it.”
Raquel noticed that her husband was getting emotional and stepped in. “We were bound and gagged and taken from the city to a remote place in the woods. We were shot and buried almost as soon as we got there.”
Trent said, “That is such a tragedy.”
Raquel commented, “That isn’t the saddest part. We were killed because the mobsters attacked the wrong house. They were supposed to kill our neighbor’s family. They were supposed to kill the gangster’s family. It wasn’t even supposed to be us. Luckily, our souls escaped to this wonderful world you see before you.”
“I am so sorry.”
“Whitney Powers, don’t apologize. You are the one who brought these men to justice. Benno Dante put Alonzo on the job. He had two men that have since died, help him with the murders,” Raquel said.
“How can someone kill an entire family?”
Roland said, “That I would never be able to explain. We know that Alonzo is dead and Benno Dante will finally be stopped. You two have given us closure on the most difficult situation we have ever faced. Now, let’s talk about your future endeavors before I completely break down.”
“What future endeavors?” Trent asked.
Richard laughed. “You didn’t think we would let you two stop at just one case, did you? There will be future events with dire circumstances that will need the services of both of you. We know you didn’t exactly work lockstep on this case, but you will need to on the subsequent cases.”
“Why us? I mean, I know we solved this case, but I’m not a professional detective or anything.”
“Oh Whitney, you are one of the greatest detectives in the world, you just don’t know it. Your studying at the library has set you up to put clues together to solve a case. You understood the research part of the game and just needed to get out into the field. This man is pretty incredible too,” Richard explained.
“What are these future cases that we need to look into?”
Ruth Ann said, “Not yet. As need warrants, we will tell you when the time is right. That time might not come for a while, so try to be patient. Your world will need you two to solve some of the biggest cases in history and I’m not even joking. I’m not very good at that. I don’t want you to feel undue pressure and you can step away from these dangerous situations at any time. However, that doesn’t sound like the Whitney Powers that I know.”
“Doesn’t sound like the one I know either,” Trent added with a smile for his lover.
Whitney couldn’t believe it. She was sitting at a table with the people who had promised her a great life. As she looked at Trent, she reminisced about how much her life had changed in the past few months. With what she had just heard, Whitney finally felt like she could make a positive impact on the entire world.
Whitney sensed something with her peripheral vision and turned to the left. A female had floated into the room and Whitney instantly recognized the ghost-like figure.
“Hi, Whitney,” Susan Foley greeted her.
“I can’t believe it. I’m so glad you made it here.”
Susan said, “As am I. I know you have uncovered some pretty unsavory things about me during your investigation. I will not even pretend that I didn’t do some extremely stupid things. I put myself in a position to have this happen to me.”
“But you still didn’t deserve to be murdered. Nobody deserves that.”
“I wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment. It’s easy to reflect now and realize how out of control I was at t
he end. I was lonely after my husband’s death and I fell in with the wrong crowd. My mother had warned me about that when I was twelve. I somehow forgot that message over the years,” Susan confessed.
“We all have done some things we aren’t proud of.”
“This is true. I am lucky to be here now and have these great friends to spend time with. I should have known something was going on from the smirk on Richard’s face when he hand-delivered the invitation to our house,” Susan said.
“He is the resident trickster, it would seem.”
“This may sound crazy to you, but getting murdered was the best thing to ever happen to me. Maybe not the best because I don’t get to see my son, but I’ve been reunited,” Susan said as a tall male ghost floated into the room and nestled up to her.
The man leaned in and kissed Susan. She said, “Whitney, do you remember my husband, Grant?”
“Oh my, yes I do. It’s nice to see you two are together again. This is so romantic.”
“It’s nice to see you, Whitney. We both have to thank you and Trent for bringing closure to the situation,” Grant said.
Whitney felt comfortable with the ghosts, and as she looked around the table, she saw that Trent appeared to be un-fazed by the experience. She wondered if any other living humans got to visit this world.
Why did they pick me? Maybe I am special? I think I just needed to believe in myself and Trent has given me that confidence.
The ghosts all thanked Whitney and Trent and they went back to their normal world. This time they landed in the woods near the library instead of the island on the pond. For some reason, they both came back in the same clothes they had left in.
Whitney couldn’t figure why she didn’t show up on the island wearing the purple dress. Three days had passed and Whitney had to call her family and friends to assure them that she was alright.
In the following weeks, Whitney and Trent spent most of their time preparing the evidence and interviewing suspects in what was starting to look like a huge take down. The scope kept getting bigger, implicating politicians and businessmen who had previously been categorized as legitimate and law abiding.
The romance continued to blossom and Whitney kept falling deeper in love with a man she still couldn’t find a single fault with. Her life had started to feel complete for the first time.
Chapter 14
One Year Later
Whitney knocked on the front door of her sister’s house.
Guinevere opened it and said, “Hi Aunt Whitney and Mister Trent and more people.”
Whitney, Trent, Bo and Andrew entered the house.
Her mother said, “There they are. The two people keeping the streets of Pennsburgh safe. Who all do you have here?”
“That’s what I want to mention. First off, I want everyone to know that it wasn’t just Trent and I that figured everything out. None of it would have been possible without the advice of good ole Bo here. He gave me the camera to use to take the picture that eventually got Joey Left Shoe to cooperate. He also gave me the wise counsel to use the picture to get Joey to talk.”
Trent immediately said, “So it was you that put her in direct danger.”
Her father remarked, “I was about to say the same thing.”
“Alright that’s not the reaction I wanted. Before anyone gets mad at Bo, I think you all know that I make all my decisions on my own. He may have given me some ideas, but I carried out the rest of the plan.”
“We’re just giving him a hard time, sweet pea,” her father said.
“I want everyone to meet Andrew. He is Bo’s boyfriend.”
Everyone talked over each other to greet Andrew. Whitney noticed Bo’s face return to its normal color. Her family was very accepting of everyone. Whitney saw the sun fading through the silk curtains and felt extreme comfort. She was surrounded by the people she loved and more importantly, the people who loved her.
The small get-together had become a normal weekly event for Whitney and Trent. Earlier, Whitney used to invent excuses to avoid these parties, but now she reveled in them. They all sat down at a rectangular maple table and enjoyed some frosty drinks.
“So you said that sentencing for Benno Dante is next week?” Victoria asked.
Trent answered, “Indeed it is. I hope it’s a better viewing than any movie we’ve ever seen. I never expected him to turn on two other organized crime bosses to try to save himself. Little good it did, he’s never going to see the outside of a jail again.”
“I just read a report that the crime rate in Pennsburgh is down forty-two percent over the past year. Apparently, taking hundreds of career criminals off the streets really helps out.”
Her mother said, “Well, we couldn’t be any more proud of you, all of you. Do you guys have any other news to tell us? Has Trent gotten you any jewelry lately, Whitney?”
“Mom, stop it now. I know what you are not-so subtly hinting at, and you can lay it to rest right now. We are extremely happy and if anything changes, you’ll be the first to know.”
“Oh, alright. You know I wouldn’t force you into anything,” her mom laughed. “What about you two? Are you guys getting married anytime soon?”
“Mom, stop. Bo, you don’t have to answer. My mother seems to have an obsession with marriage that I can’t explain.”
Before Bo could say something, Whitney’s father said, “I’ll take a stab at why that is. You see Whitney, when a woman catches a prize fish like myself, marriage is everything. You can’t blame her. When you have the perfect man and the perfect marriage, you want that for everybody. It’s like winning the giant stuffed animal elephant at the carnival. There’s nowhere to go but down from there.” Her father started laughing toward the end and could barely finish the sentiment.
“Once again, dad, no scientific studies needed on this one. You seemed to have it nailed down like usual and I’ve always thought of you as a giant stuffed elephant.”
The night went on and Whitney was getting pretty drunk. Trent always drank water because he never drove under the influence. She kept finding herself staring at Trent and trying to control her urge to make out with him at the table.
“We should all take a vacation together,” Aaric suggested.
Whitney’s father said, “I thought the reason we went on vacation was to get away from all of you.”
Her mother jumped in. “Bob, don’t you ever say that. That just means we’ll take one more vacation this year. Of course we should all take a vacation together. Where should we go?”
“I was thinking about a beach, all of them are good for me,” Victoria suggested.
Trent got up and immediately sat back down. He said, “I forgot Bo is in the bathroom. I’ll wait for him to get back.”
Aaric offered, “You don’t have to wait. Go out and use the one in the pool house right out back.”
Trent walked outside and Whitney followed him with her vision the entire way. The conversation continued, but she couldn’t put aside the strong urges.
“I’ve got to run out to my car real quick. I’ll be right back.”
Whitney got up and walked to the garage. She quickly went outside and circled around to the pool house. She could hear Trent in the bathroom and started to get really excited. Her lover opened the bathroom door and Whitney started to tease him by pulling up her short purple dress.
Trent wasted no time rushing across the room to meet her. Their lips met in passion and Trent seductively rubbed her sides and breasts through her thin dress. Trent pushed her up against the wall and they continued to play with each other’s tongues.
He glided her dress up her silken skin to expose more of her beautiful body. Trent started to remove his belt. He pushed down his shorts and boxers but didn’t take them off completely. Whitney held the skirt of the dress in a ball around her belly button.
Trent leaned down and hooked the underside of her knees with his elbows. The powerful man lifted Whitney off the ground and pressed her against the wall.
She squeezed the lacy ball in her palm and audibly exhaled.
Trent slid her soaked panties to the side and fifteen minutes of intense pleasure ensued. Whitney got so lost in the moment that she didn’t even notice the pounding sounds they were making against the wall. She never felt better as her lover finished inside her and set her back down.
Whitney collapsed on the floor and Trent lay down next to her.
“Holy shit, that was amazing.”
“Yeah, we should probably get back inside now. Your family is going to be looking for us with how they like to snoop,” Trent reminded her.
“I know, I know. I don’t know how I am going to keep my hands off you until we get home. Help me up.”
Trent got up and helped his lover to her feet. Whitney’s knees were still wobbly from the amazing sex and she tried to straighten out her dress and fix her hair. Due to the drunkenness, Whitney failed in this endeavor. Her hair was still disheveled and Trent didn’t even notice her smeared lipstick.
The two walked back into the dining room and nobody said anything, but everyone’s smirks led her to believe they knew what had happened. Whitney didn’t care. She finally had a man and wasn’t ashamed about sneaking off for some sex with him.
She tried to blend back into the conversation as she took a sip from her margarita.
Whitney could tell her mother was drunk because she slurred her words. “And another thing you have to remember is that…is that we will always love you no matter what.”
Bo responded, “Thanks, Mrs. Powers. I’ll tell them someday, but it’s nice to know I have the backing of this family.” Bo looked at Andrew and both men nodded in agreement.
Her mother said, “You’ve been part of this family since you two were kids. I mean, come on now, you’re my daughter’s best friend for crying out loud. And you make one mean cucumber mojito.” Her mom let out a squealing laugh.
Trent said, “I know I’m thankful for the way this family has welcomed me too.” He held up his water. “To the Powers family.”
Whispers From Another World: Whintey Powers Paranormal Adventure #1 (Whitney Powers Paranormal Adventures) Page 12
