“It was probably three weeks ago that I saw him,” Lenny said. “There’s a rock formation not too far off shore. He’s holed up in a cave. Living like some kind of hermit.”
Posy shook her head. “But why? Why won’t he come back to me?”
Lenny gave her a sympathetic look. “He says he can’t leave the cave. Says he’s tried but it won’t work.”
Posy’s eyes filled with tears and she reeled around, looking to us for help.
Scarlet shifted from foot to foot. “It sounds like he’s stuck in a soul lock.”
“A soul lock?” Adam repeated.
“Posy, where was Earl buried?” Scarlet asked, her expression tight.
“He isn’t,” Posy replied, followed by a sniffle. “At least, not anymore.”
“Fifty-four years ago there was a terrible flood,” Posy explained. “The cemetery and the chapel were left under several feet of water. The graves were disturbed and several tombstones were unearthed. The place Earl was buried was in a great place of honor, since he was the founder of the town itself. His headstone stood at the highest point, so it wasn’t destroyed, but the water caused erosion and the hillside … well, it collapsed into the bay.”
Adam and Scarlet’s looks of shock mirrored my own. “Oh, Posy, I’m so sorry,” Scarlet said, reaching for her hand. Scarlet’s compassionate gesture fell short as she remembered the pointlessness of the attempt. Luckily, Posy didn’t seem to notice.
“It took some time before a team of men were able to reach the site. The water had swollen the bay too, of course. It was such a mess and all I could do was hover and wring my hands.” Posy’s rounded jaw flexed. “I’m afraid Earl’s casket was one of the ones that washed into the bay. It was buried for several decades when that happened and the lid came open …” her voice cracked and for a moment I panicked, thinking she was on the verge of vanishing.
Instead, the walls of the manor shook. A slight tremor at first but when a loud wailing cry ripped from her, the shaking became more violent.
Scarlet’s eyes went wide and she reached for my arm. “This is what you were talking about?”
I nodded. “Afraid so.”
Adam threw open the door to the kitchen and waved a hand as the shaking intensified. “Holly, Scarlet, under the table.”
I started to argue but he fixed me with a fierce stare. It wasn’t up for negotiation.
Scarlet scrambled under the dining room table and I followed. Magic danced on my fingertips, but I wasn’t sure of a spell that could stop the house from shaking. Nearly a year ago, I’d been able to stop the house from attacking me, but there was no way my magic would stand up against the full strength of Posy’s emotions, not with her deep entrenchment to the manor.
“Mrs. Williamson, it’s all right!” Lenny said over the noise of Posy’s sobs and the items shaking in the room.
“Posy, we’ll figure it out!” Adam called out from where he stood, braced in the doorway between the kitchen and living room.
“I can help you, Posy!” Scarlet called out, covering her head with her hands. “But you have to calm down before someone gets hurt!”
I glanced up at the table above me and heaved a sigh of relief when it went still.
Scarlet waited a beat and then crawled out from under the table. She stood and brushed off her hands on the front of her jeans. “Posy, it’s not hopeless. Soul locks are more … mental, than anything else. Tell me; was Earl afraid of the water? The ocean?”
Posy’s tear-stained face opened. “Yes! He was!”
I cocked my head. “I thought he was a fisherman.”
“No.” Posy shook her head. “He came here as a businessman. He helped raise this small fishing community into a real town. He brought businesses into the area and arranged the development of the houses and roads and shops.” She looked up at the ceiling. “And, of course, this house.”
“But there are pictures of him with huge fish,” I pointed out, thinking of the gallery of black and white photographs that lined the walls between my bedroom and the study next door.
“He used to go out on fishing trips,” Posy replied. “That’s true. He was on a trip when he nearly drowned. He went overboard and got tangled in the nets. After that, he refused to go anywhere near the ocean.”
Scarlet nodded, a look of realization on her face. “So now he’s stuck because he’s afraid of the ocean. He doesn’t want to cross it.”
“But he’s a ghost,” Adam said. “It can’t hurt him. He can’t die again.”
Lenny shrugged. “I tried telling him all that. I actually did drown and it hasn’t stopped me.”
“Ghosts are people,” Scarlet interjected. “We all react to situations differently in life. Why would that be any different in death? Some people get back on the horse, others avoid their fears all their lives. Lenny here likes boats, spent his life on them, and even though he eventually died in an accident, he’s chosen to move past that. Earl obviously feels differently.”
I shook my head, a new question forming in my mind. “But why are we just hearing about this now? Where was his spirit all the years before?”
“It’s hard to explain.” Scarlet took a moment, considering her answer. “Sometimes the spirit is released when the body itself is disturbed. I’m not sure how it works, but there are stories where ghosts only wake up when their remains are disturbed. It’s like a trigger of some kind.”
“Do you think that’s what happened to my Earl?” Posy asked, a heart-wrenching amount of hope in her voice. “After the flood, that’s when he came to be a ghost?”
“It sounds like it. His spirit was released but instead of coming to you, he’s been stuck.”
Posy’s face crumpled.
Scarlet hurried to hold out her hands, as though trying to calm a wild animal. “Let’s not dwell on the past, Posy. What’s important—what matters—is that we know where he is and we can help him.”
Lenny looked startled but quickly nodded his agreement. “I’ll take you to him.”
Adam shrugged. “I know where we can get a boat.”
Chapter 5
Unfortunately, by the time we got to the harbor docks, the winds had changed and the ocean was restless. Adam borrowed a boat from one of his buddies, who assured us it was perfectly safe to go out but advised it might be a rough ride.
“This is so not how I wanted to spend my weekend,” I muttered before swallowing hard.
The closer we got to the cliffside Lenny steered us toward, the choppier the waves became—and the more my stomach threatened to turn itself inside out.
Lenny bellowed when we neared the rocks. “There! That’s the one.”
Adam followed his instructions while I tried to keep down the fish and chips I’d foolishly scarfed down on the way to the docks.
A rock formation jutted out into the ocean. A mysterious cave yawned open between the rocks and the side of the cliff. There wasn’t a place to properly dock the boat but as soon as we got close, a figure emerged from the cave.
Adam killed the motor and tossed the anchor over the side.
“There he is!” Lenny called out, pointing up at the ghostly figure.
In the end, Posy was far too nervous to leave the manor and had opted to stay behind. My chest tightened at the thought of her pacing back and forth, wringing her hands.
“Can you get him to come to us? To the boat?” Adam asked.
Lenny shrugged. “I’ll sure try.”
He surged forward and flew to the mouth of the cave. We all watched the exchange, nervously glancing at each other as the minutes passed. My heart sank when Lenny returned, wearing a grim expression. “He won’t come to the boat. Says he can’t.”
“Did you tell him that Posy is waiting?” Adam asked.
Lenny nodded.
Scarlet set her jaw and looked up at the cave. “I’ll go.”
“What?” Adam snapped.
“Scarlet, you can’t! That’s suicide!” I pointed frantically at the
steep side of the cliff. There was no way she’d be able to get to him safely. And even if she did, how would she possible change his mind? It was pointless.
Scarlet rummaged in her purse and held up a small, silver orb. “This will work.”
“What is it?” I asked her, considering the mirrored surface of the ping-pong-sized ball.
“It can transport souls. Earl won’t have to physically come into the boat. He can surrender his spirit to the orb and I’ll release him when we are back at the manor.”
Adam’s jaw dropped. “A ghost trap?”
Scarlet frowned at the orb. “Some use it for that. I choose to use it for more productive, less aggressive purposes.”
I shook my head, baffled. “I’ve never even heard of such a thing.”
“They’re rare,” Scarlet said, moving to the side of the boat and kicking off her shoes. “It’s our only shot.”
Adam lunged for her when he realized her next move, but it was too late. Scarlet threw herself over the edge of the boat and swam for the cliff.
I gawked at her, completely at a loss for words. “She’s—she’s—this is—”
“Badass,” Adam said, a note of awe in his voice.
Scarlet reached the first of the mass of rocks and hoisted herself out. She turned and waved at us, grinning, and then started to climb up the side of the cliff. Each time she found a new foothold, I gasped. By the time she reached the final ledge and pulled herself over and into the cave, my lungs felt like the crumpled remains of a juice box.
She didn’t pause to look back at us, but just slipped into the cave.
The minutes ticked by, each one more painful than the last. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Scarlet appeared, hoisting the ball over her head victoriously.
I smiled but it faded all too quickly as I lurched forward, clutching the edge of the boat as she turned to begin her decent.
Adam fired up the engine of the small boat and tried to maneuver even closer. “Holls, see if there’s a space blanket in the first aid kit. She’s going to be freezing!”
I scrambled to retrieve the red case from under the captain’s seat and dug through the contents with trembling fingers.
A scream ripped me from my search and before I could even process the scene, a bolt of magic was flying from my hands. Scarlet had slipped from her foothold and was sliding down the side of the sharp rocks. My magic worked of its own accord, wrapping around her, just as I’d lassoed Boots in the greenhouse. With a yank, she was pried off the cliff and flying in an arc toward the boat.
Adam moved into place and used his body to break her fall. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders to help steady her until she found her feet.
My magic recoiled, releasing her, and I started shaking violently. My magic had never burst from me in such a panicked, unconscious manner before, and the aftermath was scarier than watching Scarlet tumble from her perch. What if I’d missed? What if the magic had hurt her instead of helped her? What if my aim had been off and I’d flung her into the rocks instead of the boat?
“Are you all right?” Adam asked her, frantically looking her over.
I snapped back into action, found the space blanket, and tore open the plastic wrap. I shook out the silver, space-age material and hurried to cloak Scarlet with it.
“I’m all right.” Her face was so white it looked like all the blood had drained from her.
She looked a little like—well, a lot like Lacey.
Scarlet stared at me, unblinking. “Thank you, Holly! You saved my life.”
“I know we’re new friends, but I have a request of you.” Tears sprang to my eyes and I embraced her fiercely. “Never, ever, do anything that reckless again!”
“I think I can make that promise.” Scarlet laughed but as we separated, I saw tears glistening in her eyes too. She looked down at the silver ball. “It took some prodding, but I got Earl to agree.”
“That’s wonderful!” I said, my voice thick.
“Let’s hurry back,” Adam said, pulling away from the edge of the cliff.
“There’s someone eager to see you,” I said, speaking to the silver ball in Scarlet’s hand with a teary smile.
Posy sprang up as soon as we stumbled through the door of the manor. Her eyes flew open even wider as she took in Scarlet’s appearance and the space blanket wrapped around her. “What happened?”
“Never seen anything like it,” Lenny said, floating into view beside us. “I’ve been a ghost for thirty-six years and I’ve never met humans, or, well, whatever you all are, who would do so much to help a fellow spirit. You’ve sure got something special here, Mrs. Williamson.”
Posy swallowed hard and nodded as she considered each of us. “I sure do.”
Scarlet moved forward. She pulled the silver ball from her pocket and held it up. Before Posy could ask what it was, Scarlet twisted the sides. The top of the orb lifted away and a silver stream floated out of it. A man in his early fifties appeared, wearing trousers and a linen shirt. It took a moment for him to settle and when he did, his kind eyes went wide. “I don’t believe it—” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Posy Pie?”
Posy shook her head slowly, as though expecting to wake from a dream. “It can’t be …”
Earl floated closer to Posy. He stretched out a hand and let it linger beside her face. Suddenly, their spirits merged and his hand rested against her cheek. Posy jolted at the contact, her eyes wider. “I can feel you, Earl!”
Scarlet smiled, her eyes filling with tears again. “I’d hoped she would be able to,” she said quietly.
I didn’t ask. Mostly because my throat had swelled closed and it was all I could do not to burst into loud, ugly tears.
“I never thought you’d be here, Posy Pie,” Earl said softly, still caressing the side of her face.
“Where else would I go? I was waiting for you, my darling.”
Earl dropped a sheepish look at the floor. “I feel like such a fool. I never should have let my fears hold me back for so long.”
“That doesn’t matter now.” Posy turned her head and kissed the palm of his hand. She smiled when she found a solid surface. Earl gathered her into his arms and she melted against him, their two forms blurring into one.
As sweet as the reunion was, I suddenly wondered if we should all make ourselves scarce.
Adam wrapped an arm around me and kissed my temple. “Maybe show Scarlet to the shower and get her something dry to wear. I’ll put on some coffee.”
“Of course!” I reached for Scarlet and ushered her toward the hallway.
“Wait!” Posy cried out.
We stopped and turned back, and Adam paused on his way to the kitchen.
“I don’t know how to fully express my gratitude, but thank you,” Posy said, her voice thick. “You’ll never know how much this means to me.”
“To both of us,” Earl added, looping an arm around his long-lost wife’s waist.
A tear slid past my lashes as I nodded. “Seeing you two together at last is all the thanks we need.”
“That’s right,” Scarlet and Adam echoed.
Later that night, Scarlet, freshly showered and wearing a pair of my pajamas, sat in the corner of the long couch, her legs crossed gracefully at the ankles. A relaxed smile lingered on her pretty face as she watched Earl and Posy at the opposite end of the room. I brushed my fingers over Adam’s arm and then broke away from him to go and sit beside her. I handed her a large mug of coffee and she thanked me.
“Scarlet, I don’t even know where to start.” I shook my head, still bewildered by the strange weekend. “You have no idea how grateful I am—we all are—for your help with all this.”
“I was happy to help,” she said, her eyes drifting back to Posy and Earl. She inclined her chin. “As you said, that’s all the thanks I really need.”
I smiled over my shoulder. Posy remained wrapped in Earl’s silvery arms. Tears glistened on her face but she made no attempt to wipe them
away.
After taking a sip of my own coffee, I asked “What’s next for you?”
She gave a slight shrug. “I’m planning on staying in Beechwood Harbor as long as possible. In the past, I’ve had to move around quite a bit to escape the unwanted attention. Living in a big city is out of the question.”
I cringed. “That bad, huh?”
“You have no idea.”
She was right, and I’d never been more grateful for my own ignorance. One weekend in ghost land was more than enough for me; I couldn’t imagine living with restless spirits hovering around me all the time.
Not to mention that annoying talking cat.
I’d gained a new appreciation for my own—silent—fuzzball.
“I’ll continue running the ghost support group, of course,” Scarlet continued. “I’ve found that it’s the best way to limit the requests for my help to a specific time of the week. Otherwise it’s relentless.”
“I’ll bet.”
Scarlet uncrossed her ankles and I got the sense she was preparing the leave. Her work was done—at least for now.
I scooted to the edge of the couch and angled my knees toward her. “I did have one more question, if you don’t mind me asking.”
“Sure.”
“It’s just … I’ve never met anyone like you before. Sure, I’ve known lots of supers who could communicate with ghosts. But never humans. I mean, sure, there are the quacks on TV who make outlandish claims, but from what I’ve seen, most of them are nothing but well-coiffed con artists.”
Scarlet suppressed a smile. “I’ve always said that if someone can really communicate with the spirit world, the last thing they’ll do is rush out and tell the whole world and get a TV show. I can’t imagine anyone wanting more attention and unwanted visitors—from either the living or the dead!”
Betwixt Page 14
