by Judith Post
Thea could believe that. She remembered how he mistreated Cynthia, constantly criticizing her and never wanting to give her a penny of “his” money. He was an expert at hurtful, little digs that were hard for Cynthia to defend herself against. Cynthia even hinted that in the beginning, he was happy with their sex life as long as there was plenty of it. But after Toby, he kept trying to talk her into something more “exotic.” She asked for a divorce when she finally realized that she’d never please him or make him happy, no matter how many times she gave in to his demands, and if she didn’t bail out soon, she wouldn’t have enough self-esteem left to even function in life.
“What about Melissa?” Thea asked.
Rachel frowned, trying to explain it correctly. “She’s lots of reds, too, but they’re different shades. Hers are more about being materialistic and self-centered. I’d say that she loves everything about herself, especially her body. She’s the type who exercises, dresses to show off her assets, and takes great pleasure in bed.”
Thea smiled at her daughter’s care to be diplomatic. “Shari calls her the slut princess.”
Rachel laughed. “Good description.”
They were approaching the bridge that connected the residential area of Emerald Hills with the commercial side. Out of habit, Thea glanced along the stream, looking for Josh. She sighed when she realized what she’d done.
“He’s going to be okay, Mom. His weave gets better after he leaves, remember?”
Thea forced her thoughts back to Melissa. “What’s the slut princess’s background color?”
“Muddy brown. That means even more materialism. It’s unsettling. I’m not sure that Melissa has a very clear sense of right and wrong, only a focus on ‘me.’”
“Would she feel guilt if she did something wrong?”
“Not enough to bother her,” Rachel said.
“So if she knew something and looked in Sheila Grayson’s coffin, her aura might not change.”
“Guilt wouldn’t do it, but hatred would. That’s why she has flare-ups when she sees you.”
Thea grinned. “Glad I can get a rise out of somebody.”
Rachel laughed as they pulled in front of Annabel’s. “Want to come in and see what we’ve done? I’m pretty proud of it.”
“I’d love to.” And it was a true pleasure. Annabel had given Rachel and Isak permission to raid her attic and use any antiques they found there. The rooms upstairs were painted soft, butter-yellows, sage greens, and robin-egg blues. Sort of like the auras and threads that Thea and Rachel worked with. The wooden floors were softened with Oriental rugs. Wooden rocking chairs and accent tables made comfortable groupings. The apartment was cozy and warm, but the furniture was sparse.
“Now that you’re ready, you should come to the studio and get the money I saved for you,” Thea said. “You could finish your home or start a savings, whatever you want to do with it.”
“You saved money for me?” Rachel asked. “I haven’t sold any carvings or made any money.”
“I paid for your brother to go to college. Just because you didn’t want to go doesn’t mean that you don’t need start-up money, too. I saved enough that if you wanted to take classes, you could. You might as well use it for what you want to do in life.”
“You don’t have to, Mom. Isak and I are doing all right.”
“It’s not about that,” Thea said. “I love you both the same, and I try to treat you both the same. I want to do this.”
Rachel threw her arms around her mother. “Thanks! Thanks so much.” Rachel walked her to her car. On their way to the sidewalk, she stopped and looked at the empty front window of Annabel’s house. “Do you think there’s enough room for a tea shop there?”
“It’s a big space, made for people to go in and browse. It would hold enough tables and chairs, but where would they cook?”
“Annabel’s kitchen is on that side of the house.”
Thea patted Rachel’s arm. “I know you like the Bickersons, but you’d better think this all the way through.”
“You’re right. I’ll talk to Annabel and Isak about it.”
“There are all sorts of regulations.”
“I know. Inspectors look over the bakery at least once a year.”
“And you don’t want to upset or confuse Annabel.”
Rachel frowned. “But the Bickersons only have thirty days.”
“You can’t rescue everyone,” Thea said. “And Annabel needs a kitchen. Think about it.” But she knew her daughter. She was so soft-hearted, she hated to see anyone hurt. Was she too soft-hearted to be a weaver? Thea was beginning to worry about that.
Chapter 32
The next morning, when Thea climbed the stairs to the kitchen for coffee and breakfast, she found a note on the pine table. Going to Cynthia’s after school. Want to hang out with Mom. Thea sighed. This was Hannah’s last day of school. They usually did something special to celebrate, but Hannah was still mad at her.
She grabbed a cup of coffee and headed to the loft to work on her quilt. She didn’t have an appetite, so food could wait. She was sitting at the sewing machine, stitching the segments of the third cloth butterfly together when the doorbell rang.
Melissa started talking the minute Thea opened the door. “I know you don’t like me, but I need help.”
“That’s what your husband and friends are for. Ask them.”
“They can’t make life maps.” Melissa tugged at beautiful diamond earrings in an unusual silver filigree setting. She took a deep breath before she went on. “Look. I haven’t always made the best life choices. That isn’t any surprise to you. And most of my friends wouldn’t go too far out of their way for me. That won’t surprise you, either. But there’s someone in my life that I really want to be with. The thing is, I’m beginning to worry that I can’t trust him. A life map would give me an answer, wouldn’t it?”
“Are you talking about Les?” Thea remembered that Les was taking one vacation, his wife was taking another. Had he finally gotten sick of her?
Melissa evaded the question. “There’d be a knot or something, our threads would separate, right? And I’d know.”
Was it another man? Was Melissa playing around with someone else? “If you’re worried about another affair gone bad, you shouldn’t be having one. You happen to be married.”
Melissa waved that away. “But what if I’m wrong? What if I’m worrying about nothing? I’d lose someone I’d rather keep.”
Keep. That would be Melissa’s choice of words. What was this all about? Something was going on that Melissa wasn’t willing to talk about. “Get to the point. I have better things to do.”
“I can’t.”
“Then don’t waste my time.”
Melissa’s green eyes blazed. “I’ve worked too hard to have it all messed up. It’s not fair.”
“Make me believe that.”
“I could be wrong.”
“And I could be doing something else right now.”
“Do you hate me so much, that you’d let my life be ruined?”
“You didn’t mind ruining mine.”
Melissa didn’t answer.
“Fix your own problem.” Thea started to close the door.
“My money’s as good as anyone else’s!” Melissa screamed. “This is discrimination. I’ll sue.”
Thea smiled. “You can buy anything I hang in Cynthia’s gallery, but I don’t sell life maps. I do them as favors. No money changes hands. And you’re not high on my list of people to do favors for. Try suing me for that.”
“You’re a horrible human being!” Melissa said.
“I can live with that. If you decide to come clean, come back and we’ll talk. Otherwise, don’t bother.”
Melissa turned and stomped down the steps. She slammed into her Jaguar and sped away.
Thea closed the door and turned to lean her back against it. She felt like making a hex sign to ward off evil spirits and Melissa. She hated having to deal with her, bu
t this morning had been interesting. Melissa was worried that someone in her life was turning on her. And Thea would bet money that not much caused Melissa to lose sleep. Her usual remedy to trouble was to stomp on the persons causing it until they were no longer a threat. This time, she must have gotten in over her head.
Thea thought about that. Was Melissa playing around and Les found out about it? Was that why Les and Melissa were taking separate vacations? That would make sense. Les wasn’t the type to leave his wife and his winery and go off by himself.
Don’t jump to conclusions, she told herself. And her mind played with more scenarios. What if the man’s wife was the problem? Maybe Melissa was up against a woman who was as manipulative and vindictive as she was. How could that play out? Could Melissa have made a powerful enough enemy to be snubbed at the country club? There wasn’t much that bothered Melissa, but loss of money or status would be high on her list.
Thea was still turning the whole morning episode over in her mind when the doorknob turned and someone pushed against the door.
“Let me in!” Hannah yelled.
Thea stepped away from the door.
“What were you doing, trying to keep me out?”
“No, Melissa Smith came for another visit, and I was glad to see her leave.”
“Mom says she’s a bitch.”
“With a capital B.”
Hannah hung her head, studied her sandals. “Mom says I’m being mean to you when you’re trying to help Josh.”
“I am trying to help Josh, but I understand why you’re mad at me.”
Hannah grabbed Thea’s hand and pulled her out on the deck. She pushed her into one of the big rocking chairs and perched on her lap. “You miss Josh, don’t you?”
Thea nodded. “It’s the second time that I’ve had to send someone I love out of my life.”
“It’s hard being a grown up, isn’t it?”
“It’s always hard to do the right thing when you don’t want to.”
“Yeah, sometimes life sucks,” Hannah said.
“Watch your language.”
Hannah smiled and nuzzled against her. They sat for quite a while, in silence, rocking and enjoying each other’s company.
Chapter 33
Thea and Hannah were dragging the hose around the yard, watering flowers, when Gabe popped in to visit them.
“Hey, how’s it going?” he asked.
“Better,” Hannah said.
“Want to walk by the stream?”
Hannah looked at Thea. “Sure, why not? All three of us.”
They chose the route through the hills at the back of the property. No roads or walkways bordered there, so they had lots of privacy. As they passed a thick tangle of berry bushes, a cardinal darted away. A doe with her fawn ran from a small clearing. Farther down a hill, a rabbit dashed from under a nearby fallen tree.
“The stream’s pretty high this year,” Gabe said when they reached it.
“It rained a lot in early May,” Thea said, “but we haven’t had a storm for the last two or three weeks.”
“Sounds like we’re due one.” Gabe watched Hannah squat at the edge of the stream and toss pebbles across its surface. He went to squat next to her. “I hear you’ve been blaming Thea for my mess up.”
Hannah sighed. “Mom just gave me the same lecture.”
“It’s no lecture. I’m just trying to explain that it’s my fault that Thea had to send Josh away.”
Hannah threw a stone too hard and it plopped heavily on the water, then sank. “I’ve already heard all this.”
“Hey, give a ghost a break, will you?”
Hannah stopped what she was doing and gave a small smile. “Josh will come back, won’t he?”
“That’s the game plan,” Gabe said.
“What if he doesn’t?”
“We’ll all save our money and send you to him.”
Hannah laughed.
“No kidding, you’ll like Arizona. There are lizards for you to chase.”
“I’d rather catch frogs.”
“There are cacti for you to climb.”
“You’re silly.” Hannah watched a nuthatch make its way down a tree trunk. “I don’t want to leave here. When it’s my turn to go to the light, I’m staying here because it’s so pretty.”
“Now you’re being silly. There’s nothing like the light. It’s better than anything we’ve seen before.”
“You stayed,” Hannah said.
“I had to. I screwed up, and I’m trying to make things right.”
Hannah shrugged. “Everyone screws up. That’s life.”
Gabe grinned and reached to tousle her hair. Nothing much happened. “You’re awfully smart for a ten-year-old.”
She smoothed the few strands of hair that his ghostly touch had ruffled. “And you’re pretty cool for a dead guy.”
Chapter 34
Hannah stalled at bedtime. “There’s no more school. Why can’t I stay up late?”
“You’re tired. I’m tired. Sleep is a good thing.” Thea pushed herself off the sofa and started for the stairs.
Hannah still hung behind.
“What’s the deal?” Thea asked. “You can hardly keep your eyes open. Is there a monster under your bed?”
Hannah came and leaned into her. “Can I sleep in your room? Josh and Rachel are both gone. It’s just you and me. It’s lonely downstairs.”
It WAS lonely. Gabe couldn’t leave the studio, and Aggie was still guarding Cynthia’s apartment. “When you’re right, you’re right. Go get the blow-up mattress.”
Thea didn’t have to repeat herself. Hannah was gone in an instant, and when Thea got to her bedroom, Hannah had the mattress plugged in and filled. Thea tossed some blankets and a pillow to Hannah and helped her settle in.
“Did you and Mom fight a lot when you were kids?” Hannah asked as they lay in the darkness.
“No, I was too busy trying to keep up with your mom. She had her healing gift from the time she was born, and she was always looking at somebody and saying, ‘You need to go to the doctor and have your blood pressure checked,’ or ‘You need to take more zinc.’ Everybody treated her like she was a high priestess or something, and that made me jealous, but she was so naughty, you couldn’t take her too seriously. So you had to love her.”
“But you’re a weaver,” Hannah said. “People take that seriously, too.”
“I was younger than Aggie,” Thea explained. “Everyone just sort of assumes that the oldest daughter is going to be the weaver. Mom knew, of course. She’d seen Aggie’s bookmark, but she never started training me until I was in my teens, and even then all she said was that Aggie would be too busy with her gift to be a weaver, too.”
“She didn’t want Mom to know that she was going to die early, did she?”
“No, and she was right. It would have changed the way people treated her. It would have changed everything. I understand that now, but when I was little, I thought I’d been skipped, that I didn’t have a special talent.”
“Just like Josh.”
“Just like Josh,” Thea repeated. “I know how that feels. He’ll find his talent when it’s the right time.”
“That’s why you sent him away, isn’t it?”
“Josh has to find himself first, then he’ll find his talent.” Thea waited for Hannah’s reply, but there was only silence. Then she heard the deep, rhythmic breathing of sleep. Hannah was all talked out. The fast and easy sleep of youth had claimed her.
Thea turned onto her side. It was time to put this day behind her. She succumbed to sleep almost as fast as Hannah had.
She didn’t know how much time had passed when a voice penetrated her subconscious. “Help me. Please help me.” Was she dreaming? She fought to surface to the waking world, but she was so tired. She was drifting back into oblivion when the voice came again, “I need help. Please.”
Was Hannah in trouble? She snapped awake. A small amount of moonlight seeped through the high windows.
Hannah lay on the air mattress, peaceful and still.
A mist of static floated by the bedroom door, and the voice came from that. “Please help me.” The voice caught on a sob that tugged at Thea’s heart.
Hannah stirred and sat up, rubbing her eyes. “Who are you?”
“I can’t do this!” The mist disappeared.
Thea looked at Hannah. “What did you see?”
“A girl, about Rachel’s age. She looked like Sleeping Beauty.”
“Sleeping Beauty?”
“You know, blue eyes and long, blond hair. She was really pretty, the prettiest person I’ve ever seen.”
“Have you ever seen her before?”
Hannah shook her head. “She looked really sad. You have to help her.”
“How?”
“She didn’t say.”
Chapter 35
Thea tossed on a light robe. “I’m going to see Gabe. Do you want to come?”
Hannah yawned. “I’m tired. I want to go back to sleep.”
Hannah? Missing an adventure? Then Thea realized that seeing ghosts was old-hat for her niece, an everyday occurrence.
“I’ll be back in a little bit.” Hannah was asleep before she left the room. The pre-dawn air was crisp and clean. Thea inhaled deep gulps of it as she climbed the gravel drive to the barn.
The moon looked about four months pregnant and gave enough light to see by. Tree frogs chorused by the stream. A fox scurried into the brush, and an owl hooted in the distance. Thea looked up and saw a canopy of stars sparkling overhead. The night’s beauty usually calmed her, but not now. Her lungs burned as she rushed to the barn and sprinted up the steps to the loft.
“The new ghost came to visit us tonight,” Thea blurted when she reached the studio. “She’s pathetic. She asked us to help her, but I have no idea how.”
Gabe was stretched out in the overstuffed chair, his long legs resting on the ottoman. He pushed himself to his feet and yawned. “That’s all she said? Just ‘help me’? How?”
