The Fourth Power

by Michelle M. Pillow

  Vivien chuckled, and Julia glanced over to wink at her.

  “Heather?” Martin held very still, as if afraid to move. Julia let her hand hover close to his cheek.

  “Julia, leave the poor man alone,” Heather ordered.

  “Have you ever thought of piercing the veil?” Julia winked and somehow made the suggestion sound very, very dirty.

  Vivien laughed harder, covering her mouth.

  “Don’t encourage her,” Heather scolded.

  “Sorry,” Vivien said from beneath her fingers as she fought for control. Her shoulders shook a couple of times as the laughter trailed off.

  “Well?” Julia insisted.

  “I don’t know what that…” Martin gave a slight shake of his head. “No, ma’am.”

  “Julia.” Heather gave her grandma a pointed look. “Seriously, I need you to behave.”

  “You let me know if you change your mind, sugar pie. I’ll bring you over to my side so you can see how the other half lives.” Julia winked at him but backed off. She disappeared and reappeared next to Heather. “I told you a sexy man was entering your life. Was I right, or am I always right?”

  “She was just teasing,” Lorna said to Martin. “She’s not threatening to hurt you.”

  He gave a half nod.

  “Do you want to sit down?” Lorna asked him.

  He didn’t move.

  “Julia, please, I need your help,” Heather said.

  Julia frowned and made a show of sighing and rolling her eyes. “Always with the help. You never call me to do anything fun. You finally bring a hot man around, and you won’t even let me flirt with him a little.”

  “I’ll introduce you to my boyfriend Troy,” Vivien offered. “You can flirt with him all you want.”

  “Boyfriend? Do tell!” Julia focused her attention on Vivien.

  “Sexy, funny, smart,” Vivien answered.

  “When can I meet him?” Julia waved her hand. “Ring him up. Get him over here.”

  Martin watched the interplay, not moving or making a sound. Heather couldn’t tell if he was stunned or frightened.

  “Are you all right?” Heather asked him.

  “That’s a ghost,” Martin said.

  “Yes.” Heather nodded.

  “I’m not a werewolf,” he stated.

  “I know,” she said, thankful he wasn’t freaking out too badly. “Werewolves are not real.”

  “Like hell they’re not,” Julia piped up.

  “You need to stop trying to scare us,” Heather insisted.

  “Viv knows what I’m talking about, don’t you, doll?” Julia chuckled. “Nothing wrong with a little hair on the chest when he’s an animal in the sack, is there?”

  “I’m sorry. Maybe we should have séanced someone a little less Julia for your first time,” Heather said. Though she didn’t know who else that might have been. “Are you all right? You’re not saying anything or moving.”

  “It’s not what I expected.” Martin slowly flexed his hand, lifting it as to prove he could move. “I mean, I didn’t actually expect to see a ghost, but if I had it wouldn’t have been like this.”

  “You flatter me,” Julia teased. She lifted her fingers and a long, skinny cigarette holder appeared with a lit cigarette on the end. Smoke curled into the air as she waved the holder to enunciate her words, “Hey, Lorna, why are you being so quiet? Set a wedding date yet?”

  “We’re not engaged,” Lorna said.

  Heather had a feeling it was only a matter of time.

  “You will be, though,” Vivien assured her, having psychically predicted it when William and Lorna first got together.

  “William wanted me to tell you hello, though,” Lorna added.

  “I don’t want to be the one to tell you this,” Julia disappeared and materialized beside Lorna, “but you’re not getting any younger. Tick tock says the alarm. How am I supposed to be reincarnated if you don’t get pregnant soon?”

  Lorna touched her stomach and her mouth opened, but sound didn’t come out.

  Julia brushed her ghostly finger along Lorna’s nose. “I’m joking. You all are so serious.”

  “Good, because I’m done having children. I’ve raised my three,” Lorna stated. “This womb is closed for business.”

  “Did your grandmother die young?” Martin asked. “She’s not very old.”

  “Julia’s what we call an intelligent haunting. She’s aware and can manipulate her surroundings,” Heather said. “She has several incarnations. This one is 1920s Julia. She’s exuberant, more so today than most.”

  “Exuberant?” Julia scoffed. Her cigarette disappeared. “Quit talking about me like I’m not here.”

  “Shh, the adults are having a conversation,” Heather told her. Technically, in her forties, she was older than the current Julia.

  Julia took off her hat and threw it at Heather. It disappeared before making contact. “Hey, you asked to see me. No need to be snippy.”

  “Julia, I love you, but I need my grandma,” Heather said.

  “Are you still worried about that demon?” Julia asked. “I told you before. You exorcised it.”

  Heather cringed. Dammit.

  “Demon?” Martin demanded. “No one mentioned demons.”

  “Julia, please,” Heather begged.

  “Fine,” Julia grumbled. “If it means that much to you.”

  “It does.” Heather nodded.

  Julia’s image aged as they watched, shimmering as it changed. Gray streaks grew down her dark hair like rivers flowing to the tips. Her hips widened, and the patterns on her shirt became bolder. Trousers turned into a calf-length skirt. Every era of her grandma had been a stylish one, and this one was closer to the Julia that Heather remembered.

  To see her grandma’s face in its more familiar form caused Heather’s heart to ache a little. She wanted to hug her so badly, but her arms would only fall into the cold chill of Julia’s body.

  When she spoke, the spirit’s tone was less playful. “What is it, love?”

  “What did she mean by demons?” Martin asked.

  “She was joking,” Vivien lied. “Ignore that.”

  “Grandma, I want to introduce you to my friend, Martin,” Heather said. “He needed to meet you.”

  “Well, I’m flattered. It’s been a while since I was tracked down by a fan,” Julia said. “How do you do, Martin?”

  “Fine, thank you, ma’am,” Martin said.

  “He’s a polite one,” Julia mused. She studied him for a moment. “You’re not a fan, are you?”

  He shook his head in denial. “No, ma’am, sorry.”

  “Then how can I help you?” Julia smiled. She didn’t move around as much as before.

  “It’s my daughter, January,” he answered. “She sees things.”

  “Spirits,” Heather clarified. “Jan is like us.”

  “Is she a cousin?” Julia wondered. “I don’t remember a Jan in the family. Is her mother related to the Warrick family?”

  “No. I don’t think so,” Martin said.

  “Her mother died in childbirth,” Heather explained. “Jan barely survived.”

  “Ah, I see now. She was born into the veil.” Julia nodded. “I’ve heard stories. It’s extremely rare. How old is she?”

  “Ten,” Martin said.

  “She hasn’t had anyone to teach her,” Heather said. “Not like I had you.”

  Julia frowned and shook her head. “That poor creature. I’m not sure what I can do. How long has she been in the asylum? If she can see us, it won’t be hard to get a message to her.”

  “She’s not in a psychiatric facility,” Martin said. “She lives with me.”

  “But you’re not a medium,” Julia dismissed.

  “No,” Martin agreed.

  “And she has no training?” Julia insisted.

  “No,” Martin said. “I’ve taken her to doctors and religious leaders, but they couldn’t help us.” He glanced at Heather and gave her a small
smile. “Your granddaughter has taken pity on me and shown us kindness.”

  “It’s not pity.” Heather rubbed his arm lightly. “You’re a good father. You just didn’t know what you were dealing with. Now you do.”

  “I knew you’d find your next chapter,” Julia said, smiling. She glanced at Vivien. “Aren’t they cute together? Such a handsome couple.”

  “They really are,” Vivien agreed with a tiny laugh.

  “Oh, we’re not,” Martin tried to correct. “I mean, I’d want to if things were different, but I have to take care of Jan, and she’s my boss, and—”

  “If you’re not attracted to her, just tell her. She’s a big girl. She can take it,” Julia said.

  “But I am attracted to…” His words trailed off into a groan. He clearly did not mean to reveal as much.

  Pleasure erupted inside Heather at the slip.

  “Don’t worry, champ,” Vivien quipped, slapping him on the shoulder. “Better men have gone up against Julia’s cunning and failed.” To Heather, she added, “Told you that you’d be dating the sexy construction guy. It’s such a pain being right all the time.”

  Julia chuckled. “They never listen, do they?”

  Vivien shook her head in denial. “Never. You think they’d learn to trust everything I say as truth.”

  “So what can I do for you, Martin?” Julia asked.

  “You’re doing it. He needed to see a real ghost to understand what his daughter is going through.” Heather threaded her fingers in front of her and looked down.

  “What else?” Julia prompted.

  “We tried to see what’s haunting Old Anderson House so we held a séance,” Heather said.

  “That’s a silly waste. Nothing is haunting Old Anderson House,” Julia answered. “What did I tell you? Just because a building is old doesn’t mean spirits have moved in. It might increase the odds, but it’s hardly an indicator.”

  “I didn’t think so either. And you’re right. It wasn’t. Jan was. She was hiding in there, and when we tried to summon the spirit we thought might be in the house, about a dozen appeared. They were all tied to her. I think we got a handful of them to move on, but I’m pretty sure some stayed.”

  “Not all spirits are meant to move on,” Julia said. “Some of us belong here because we choose it. Some are trapped because of something that happened in life.”

  Julia reached a hand toward Heather’s cheek, but all she felt was the sensation of cold.

  “Can you look for us and make sure none of the spirits hanging out by her are dangerous?” Heather asked.

  “I can try,” Julia agreed.

  “Can you tell them they need to stop telling her to do bad things?” Martin added. “Tell them to leave her alone. And to stay away from her. She needs privacy.”

  “They won’t leave her alone completely, not if she’s acknowledged them already. It’s lonely on this side sometimes. It’s difficult to be part of the world but not seen or heard, and many can only affect it in small degrees.” Julia moved to study his face. “My granddaughter is right. You’re a good man and a good father. I see that in your aura. You just keep loving her the best you know how. Heather and I will make sure she knows she’s not alone.”

  Martin nodded. “Thank you. All of you. This is the closest I’ve come to understanding what Jan must be going through since she was born.”

  “Of course.” Julia’s smile was soft. “Heather did right in bringing this to my attention.”

  “Lorna, you’re quiet.” Julia moved toward her, walking instead of flashing around from place to place. “How have you been, love?”

  “Good, thank you,” Lorna said.

  “No more nightmares?” Julia inquired. “No more thinking about Glenn?”

  Lorna smiled. “No.”

  “Who’s Glenn?” Martin asked.

  “An asshole,” Vivien stated.

  “Her late husband,” Heather said, more diplomatically.

  “Who was an asshole,” Vivien insisted.

  “At the funeral I learned he had another wife. He lied to me for twenty years,” Lorna explained, simplifying her situation. “It’s a long story. I’m sure if the other wife has her way, you’ll be able to read all about her plight someday.”

  “I’m sorry.” Martin frowned. “That sounds horrible.”

  “Thank you. It was.” Lorna ran her fingers through her hair and turned her face away.

  Julia’s body faded. “I’m a little tired, girls.”

  “Wait, Grandma.” Heather hurried forward and quietly asked, “Have you seen Trav around at all since we talked last?”

  Julia shook her head and tried to speak, but the sound didn’t come out of her moving lips. The overhead lights flickered. Julia disappeared.

  “What happened?” Martin looked around. “Where did she go?”

  “That’s it,” Vivien said. “She’s gone for now.”

  Martin moved to take the seat Lorna had offered him earlier. He leaned forward and grabbed his head in his hands. His elbows braced against his knees. “I don’t feel so well.”

  “You need sugar.” Lorna went to grab the cake.

  “It will help,” Vivien added.

  Heather went to kneel beside him. “The lightheadedness is normal. Spirits borrow a lot of energy to manifest. It’s why the lights flicker, and it’s why you feel the way you do now.”

  “It’s not that.” Martin kept his head down. “All these years.”

  “What about them?” Heather tried to lean over to make him look at her, but his eyes were closed.

  “All these years I didn’t believe her. My daughter tried to tell me what was going on with her, and I thought she had a mental illness. I took her to all those doctors. They put her through all those tests.” His eyes were tortured when he looked up. “She was telling me she was in pain and alone, and I didn’t believe her.”

  “How could you know?” Lorna asked, pulling out the cake pan and paper plate. “You can’t beat yourself up for that.”

  “Shh,” Vivien insisted suddenly. She lifted her hands. “Something’s not right.”

  Heather stood. “What?”

  Vivien stiffened. “Something’s going on with William and Jan. We have to go.”

  “Jan?” Martin surged to his feet and hurried toward the edge of the stage. “What is it? Is she hurt? Where are they?”

  Chapter Twelve

  “Heather!” William’s shout came from the front of the lobby as Martin ran down the aisle toward it. “Heather, I need you!”

  “Where is she? What happened?” Martin demanded as he burst into the lobby. He looked around before running to the front doors to look outside at the darkened street. “Jan!”

  “She’s not here,” William said, fighting for the words as he gulped for air. Sweat poured down the sides of his face and stained his shirt.

  “Where is she?” Martin made a move as if to grab William by the shirt. She knew that panic coursing through him well. It raged inside of her just like it had all those years ago when her son couldn’t be found. There was no fear like it.

  “Martin, stop,” Heather cried as her brother dodged the man. “That’s not helping.”

  “Where is my daughter?” Martin demanded.

  “No one told me she knew how to hotwire my truck,” William defended. “Or drive.”

  “What?” Martin went back to the glass doors to look out. “She doesn’t drive.”

  “Jan stole my truck and took off. We were having pizza. Things were fine, or whatever, and then she said she had to use the restroom. It’s not like I was going to follow her in there to make sure she went. The waitress came and got me because she saw Jan driving off in my truck.” He reached into his pocket to pull out his keys to show them he still had them. “I tried calling all of you, but no one picked up.”

  “Julia must have drained our phones,” Lorna said. “It worked. Martin saw her.”

  “I figured that might be the case so I ran here,” Willi
am said. “Does anyone have any idea where Jan would go?”

  “Did you report the truck stolen to the police?” Lorna asked.

  “I wasn’t sure what to do,” William admitted. “I don’t want to get her in trouble if she’s with a ghost, but then it’s not safe for a ten-year-old to be behind the wheel. It sounded like the girl has enough troubles. I didn’t want to put legal ones on her too. It’s only been like ten minutes. I ran straight here. I have my phone. Do you want me to report it?”

  “I think I know where she might go,” Martin said.

  “Anderson House,” Heather and Vivien said in unison.

  “She’s obsessed with that place.” Martin pushed through the doors, and they followed him out.

  “Man, I’m sorry. I had no idea she’d run off,” William called after him.

  “I should have mentioned she might do that. She acts out sometimes,” Martin answered. “I’m going to check the house.”

  “William, lock up. My keys are in my purse.” Heather followed Martin. “Meet us over there.”

  “Go,” William yelled.

  Heather ran to the passenger side door and climbed into Martin’s truck without asking. She felt dizzy from the séance, and without sugar the sensation would only get worse. But that hardly mattered right now. “I’m sure she’s fine.”

  “This is the worst part.” Martin tapped his fingers on the steering wheel in agitation as he drove. “The not knowing where she is when she runs off like this, whether she’s safe or hurt.”

  Heather remembered the feeling well. Her hands began to shake. Tears fought their way to her eyes. Maybe they should call the police—the more people looking the better.

  “I can’t believe she took off,” Martin continued. “What was she thinking?”

  “I don’t know,” Heather said. She found herself searching the streets for signs of William’s truck. “But I don’t think the ghosts want to hurt her.”

  The thought wouldn’t be that comforting to a parent.

  “One night. That’s all I needed. One night to try and understand what she’s going through, and then she pulls this stunt.” Martin hit his hand against the wheel in frustration. “Dammit! I thought it would be easier knowing what was going on with her, but how in the hell do I fight ghosts? If she was hanging out with the wrong crowd at school, I could get her away from that. I could set up security alarms and ground her to her room to think about her actions. But ghosts? They bypass alarms. My daughter can bypass alarms, thanks to them. I know. I tried that too.”