The Seance (23 page)

With a cry, she finally found her way back, and she gasped in relief. The night-light was on, as always, and Killer was standing by her side, staring at her, whining.

“Beau?” she whispered.

She saw him. He was in the chair, his head between his hands, and he looked up at her in absolute misery. “I'm so sorry,” he told her.

“No,” she said to him. “Don't be sorry. None of this is your fault. My grandmother warned me once that it was dangerous to see the dead, to talk to them. But now…Beau, I am not going to be so afraid anymore. We have to find the truth.”

Beau shook his head. “I don't know…”

“If I just stay in my dream…”

“No!”

“But—”

“Maybe you can't really be hurt in a dream,” he said. “But then again, what if a dream can kill…?”

 

It was irritating but true.

There was no way Jed intended to stay away from Christina's get-together. As much as he might mock and actually be angry that they seriously meant to hold a séance, he didn't intend to stay away. He was too worried about Christina. And he couldn't help it, but he was worried about Katherine Kidd, as well.

Hell, he was worried about any attractive young woman right now, but especially redheads. He wondered if the smartest thing for women to be doing right now was stock up on black hair dye. But that wasn't the solution, or not the whole solution, anyway. The red hair was a factor, yes, but he was convinced it wasn't everything.

When he arrived at the house, he could hear music. There were great aromas emanating from the house, as well. Something was being barbecued, and a lot of baking had been going on.

The door was unlocked, an oversight he decided to forgive, since there was such a crowd. Even so, he made sure to lock it behind himself. He stood unnoticed in the front hall for a moment, just observing. Mike and Thor were engaged in conversation in the hall, Mike expressing himself with his hands and somehow not spilling the beer he held. Jed waved hello and headed into the living room, where Dan was hunkered down by the CD player, apparently having put himself in charge of the music.

Adam was seated in a comfortable chair, leaning back and listening to the music, and he seemed to be pleasantly relaxed. Tony was carrying on a conversation with Genevieve about the perfect way to dress a turkey.

Ana and Christina seemed to be doing the most work. He found them in the kitchen, setting out trays and plates.

“Olives?” Ana asked.

“Here.” Christina held out the jar.

“I already put out the celery, carrots and cukes,” Ana said.

“Great. Hey, just grab the potato salad, will you? Hey, Mike!” she shouted. “Go check the barbecue, would you?”

“I'm here,” Jed said. “Want me to do it?”

She looked up at him, eyes a very cool blue. “Sure, but hurry. I don't want it to burn.”

“I'm on it,” he said lightly.

He went out back, where steps led down from the wraparound porch to a covered patio. Beyond that was a pool. It was a small pool, kidney-shaped, but they'd had a great time in it, growing up. The McDuffs had always welcomed kids.

He went over to the big grill and discovered that the meat was safe. He quickly flipped the burgers, then the ribs and chicken. A minute later, he felt Christina come out.

Felt her.

He knew the scent of her cologne, but that didn't matter. He knew the way the air moved when she was near. He just knew that she was there.

“I have a plate for the burgers,” she said.

“Great.”

“Need help out here?” Thor asked, walking over behind Christina.

“I'll go back in and help Ana get stuff out on the table,” Christina said. “You can give Jed a hand, Thor.”

Jed looked down at the grill, trying to hide a dry smile. Great. Send out the Incredible Hulk. If a man like that believed in ghosts…

“Have you been keeping an eye on Katherine Kidd?” Thor asked.

Jed shrugged. “I followed her to the store, I followed her home,” he said. “I thought about asking her over here, but…”

Thor frowned. “Maybe you should have.”

“This isn't my house. Not my place.”

“Call her now and see if she wants to come.”

Jed turned to him, arching a brow. “She's even less amused by this than I am.”

“It's not meant to be amusing,” Thor said.

“How do they want them cooked?”

“Go for half medium and half well, I guess,” Thor said. “Seriously, why don't you give Katherine a call? Two good things about that. One, she'll be here.”

“And number two?”

“She won't be home alone on a Saturday night, tempted to go out.”

The first batch of hamburgers was done. Jed slid them on to a plate and asked Thor, “You want to be in charge of ribs and chicken?”

Thor grinned and nodded. At that moment, Christina and Ana came outside. Ana had plates, cups, napkins and silverware. Christina was balancing two large platters, one holding buns and bread, the other divided into sections and containing baked beans, potato salad and coleslaw.

Thor walked over to join them at the picnic table, carrying the burgers. “I told Jed he should try to convince Katherine Kidd to come over.”

“What?” Christina asked, blindsided.

“I said—”

“I heard you.” She gazed over at Jed for a moment, then turned back to Thor. “You heard what she said at the cemetery. She thinks we're all nuts, you know. And cruel. She won't come.”

“I think she will,” Thor said.

Genevieve had walked over while they were talking and picked up the gist of the conversation. “Jed, let's just go over there. She'll be much more likely to accept if you ask her in person. Come on. I'll go with you.”

 

Christina couldn't have been more surprised when Jed and Genevieve returned—with Katherine Kidd.

Whatever Jed had said to her had led to a complete change of attitude. She mingled cheerfully and had actually worked with Mike, so they had that to talk about.

When she approached Christina, it was ruefully. “Thank you so much for inviting me,” she said.

“We're glad you're here,” Christina said, trying to sound as if she meant it. At her feet, Killer barked happily, then looked up, wagging his tail hopefully as he eyed the plate of leftovers she was carrying. “No more, Killer, you're going to explode,” she told the dog.

Katherine was still there, smiling awkwardly, as if unsure what to say next.

Christina cleared her throat. “We're having a séance tonight.”

“I know.”

“But I thought…”

“The thing is,” Katherine said, “I was awake all last night trying to figure out how you could have known about Calliope, and Beau and his friends getting drunk. I don't know what I think. I don't believe in ghosts, but maybe…I don't quite disbelieve as much as I used to.”

Christina didn't quite know what to say to that, but luckily she was saved from having to figure it out by Ana's announcement that the desserts were laid out in the kitchen.

“Every man for himself,” Christina said. “We'll regroup in the parlor.”

That morning, Adam and Thor had brought an oblong table into the parlor and set enough chairs around it for all of them. All they had to do now was add one more for Katherine.

“We're really having a séance?” Dan asked, looking around the room. “Do you honestly want to make Gran come back so she can yell at us?”

“She did not yell at us,” Christina protested.

“Constantly,” Mike said.

“You two are horrible. I hope she does come back and yell at you,” Christina said.

“Why are we having a séance?” Ana asked. “Are we trying to contact someone special?”

“It's October, and it sounded like fun,” Genevieve said.

“What, no candles?” Ilona asked when she walked into the parlor, nibbling on a piece of cake.

“Candles! Good idea,” Genevieve said, then left in search of some.

“If this is good, we should do it again and charge admission,” Dan said. “I wonder if any of the parks have tried this yet. Hey, Mike, you're the idea man. You should suggest it.”

“Not a bad idea,” Mike said thoughtfully.

Christina watched as Genevieve returned and lit a few tall candles. Everyone seemed to be into the idea of the séance. Even Jed wasn't complaining.

Dan bent down to look under the table. “No tricks here that I can find,” he said.

“Get out of there, Dan. No one's rigged the table,” Christina said.

“I take it we're trying to contact my brother,” Katherine said as they all took their seats. She looked at Christina and gave a slight smile. “I thought that he had a connection with you already?”

“Okay, lights off,” Genevieve said.

“Is it going to be really dark?” Ilona asked, wide-eyed.

“I'm right next to you, babe,” Tony told her.

Dan began to hum the theme song to
The Twilight Zone.

“Do we need some incense or anything?” Mike suggested.

“I think we're just fine the way we are,” Adam Harrison said, then started considering the seating arrangements. “Let's see, the house belongs to Christina, and Dan and Mike spent a lot of time here, too. Christina, you're good where you are. Dan, Mike, either side. Then, let's see…Ana next to Dan, Katherine next to Mike. Jed, you sit next to Katherine. Tony and Ilona…next to Ana. Who am I forgetting? Ah, Genevieve, you go at the end of the table, with Thor next to you, and I'll be on the other side.”

“What are we listening for?” Katherine asked. “Knock three times or something?”

“You never know, at a séance,” Adam said.

The music had been turned off. The few candles that Genevieve had lit were burning, but even without them, the room wouldn't have been totally dark, because light was still filtering in from the hallway.

Christina clenched her teeth, already feeling a sense of dread. When she and Ana had played with the Ouija board Beau had appeared. Now here they were again. With any luck, Beau would appear to someone else tonight.

“Join hands,” Adam advised the group. As soon as everyone did, he began to speak. “Life is crisscrossed with lines connecting the dimensions. Death is perhaps only another line, a different dimension. We know that sometimes lines can be crossed, and we know that sometimes those who should move on, should cross a line, cannot, because their business in one dimension was not complete, or because someone must be helped.”

His voice had a deep, resonant quality. It was almost hypnotic, Christina thought.

“Sometimes,” Adam went on softly, “there are those with very special powers who depart this life and should find eternal peace, finished with the woes of this earth, but they stay because they have found a calling. Sometimes, they help us when we need to speak to the dead.”

He had never once suggested that they close their eyes, never asked them to do anything except hold hands. But as Christina stared down the length of the table at him, the world seemed to change.

The room filled with mist, gently swirling, almost gentle. Now when she looked at Adam, there was something different about him. And when he spoke again, his voice had changed.

“I am Josh, and I am here to help you,” he said.

“Josh?” Christina murmured.

The only things she could see were Josh and the mist, though she could still feel pressure on her hands from Dan on one side and Mike on the other.

Strangely, she wasn't afraid, even though she couldn't see them anymore.

“Beau Kidd, will you show yourself?” Josh asked.

“I'm here,” Beau Kidd said, and he was, Christina realized. He was standing behind Josh.

“Why can't you rest, Beau?” Josh asked.

“Because I'm innocent,” Beau said. “And also…”

“Also?” Josh echoed questioningly.

“I feel a sense of danger surrounding this house.”

“Why?” Josh asked.

“I don't know, but there's a connection, and someone has to find it.”

Suddenly a horrific, painful keening tore through the night and Beau simply…shattered.

The mist faded as everyone at the table leapt to their feet, staring at Katherine, who was backing away from the table, still moaning. “I saw him,” she sobbed. “Oh, my God…I saw my brother.”

T
here was silence.

Dead silence.

Adam Harrison turned on the lights and returned the parlor to its former self.

This was a family of performers, Jed reminded himself. And yet…Katherine Kidd had been the one to scream.

Sucked in by the show? Even he had to admit that it had been a good one. Adam Harrison had done an excellent job of speaking in a different voice, every bit as convincing as Christina carrying on conversations with dead people.

Katherine still looked simultaneously ecstatic and sorrowful.

“I saw him,” she repeated. “I saw Beau.” When no one else spoke, she turned to Adam and asked, “I ruined it, didn't I?”

“No…no,” Adam said.

“It was so…real.”

Mike cleared his throat. “Maybe for you. I didn't see a damn thing.”

“Then you weren't looking,” Katherine insisted.

“I thought it was creepy,” Ilona said.

“There was fog,” Mike said, sounding genuinely unnerved. “There was fog.”

“I saw it, too,” Ana breathed.

Jed noticed that Adam was looking pale, exhausted. “Adam,” he said softly, “you should sit down before you fall down.” Jed might think the man was nothing but a clever fake, but he looked ill, and he was no spring chicken. “In fact, you should probably go lie down. Let me help you upstairs.”

Adam nodded.

Christina sprang into action then. “I'll get you some water, Adam. And put on more tea.” She hurried out of the room.

“Adam?” Thor said with a frown, watching as Adam accepted support from Jed.

Adam lifted a hand. “I'm fine.”

They made it up the stairs, and Christina arrived a moment later with a glass of water.

“Thank you, my dear,” Adam said.

She smiled. “The tea is on.”

After she left, Jed said, smiling to take the sting out of the words, “The Irish think you can fix anything with tea. Frequently laced with whiskey.”

“They're not really so far off, are they?” Adam asked.

“About the tea or the whiskey?”

“Both,” Adam said, and sat down at the foot of his bed.

Jed sat across from him in a wicker chair and asked, “So…what are you really?”

“What did you see tonight?” Adam asked instead of answering.

“Mist. And I'll be damned if I can figure out where it came from, unless it was just a mass hallucination.”

Adam smiled. “Think I hypnotized a whole roomful of people?”

“And your voice…Your voice was entirely different,” Jed said.

“And Katherine Kidd saw her brother.” Adam sighed. “Too bad. We were on the way.”

“On the way where? Where would we have wound up?” Jed asked, well aware of the skepticism in his voice.

“With a link, perhaps. Although…perhaps we found a link after all,” Adam said.

“Adam, do you really think the ghost of Beau Kidd haunts this house?”

Adam smiled. “I seldom tell anyone exactly what I think, unless they happen to be very good friends or in my employ.”

“Mr. Harrison, I've heard nothing but good about you. Still…”

“You don't believe in ghosts.”

Jed shrugged but didn't say anything.

Adam went on. “You, of all people, should believe in ghosts.”

“Oh?”

“Ghosts can haunt us in many ways. And you are haunted every day of your life.”

Jed stiffened. “What are you talking about?” he demanded harshly.

“You can't let go. You feel guilt for your wife's death. You can't understand how someone so young and beautiful, with everything to live for, should die—and you should still be alive. You see your wife every day of your life. You need the guilt to keep going. And now you've transferred that guilt to everything that happened with Beau Kidd. So maybe Beau is really haunting you?” Adam suggested.

Jed drew back, feeling anger—and a strange creeping sensation. “Don't be ridiculous. I wasn't even here when they pulled out the stupid Ouija board.”

Adam didn't reply to that. Instead he said, “I understand they've uncovered similar murders in other places.”

Jed stared at him, frowning. “How do you know that?”

Adam smiled. “I have my contacts in the FBI, Mr. Braden.”

“All right. Let's say you're right and the killer was very busy here twelve years ago. Then Beau Kidd was killed, and the killer knew he had an out for the murders here, so he started to travel, committing his crimes wherever he found himself. But finally he came back here—back home—and started killing again.”

“Nature of the beast,” Adam said softly.

“Meaning?”

“This is what I think, and I believe you and I are pretty much in agreement on this. The killer started here, and now he's back, after using Beau Kidd to buy some breathing time. He is intelligent, and criminally clever. He knew when not to kill in his own backyard. But it's in his nature. He managed to satisfy his blood lust undetected while he was away, and now he's convinced he can get away with his crimes again here, maybe even find a way to trick someone else into taking the fall for him again.”

Jed nodded. “But what's going on with Beau Kidd and Christina and this house?” he asked.

“A connection,” Adam said.

“But what kind of connection? And how does it relate to the connection between the victims, a connection I still can't figure out? I feel as if we're just going in circles.”

“I don't think so,” Adam said.

“And why not?” Jed asked.

Adam shrugged. “I'm not sure I should share my thoughts with you, Mr. Braden. You're far too skeptical.”

“Why? Because I still can't embrace the idea that ghosts walk the streets at their leisure?”

Before Adam had a chance to answer, Christina came in bearing tea. She stared daggers at Jed as she poured.

Jed stood. “I guess I'll take Katherine home now.”

“You do that,” Christina said. “Adam, how do you like your tea?”

“One sugar and milk, thank you.”

Jed hesitated by the door, but Christina wouldn't even look at him. He wanted to tell her that he would be back, that he hated leaving her alone in the house with a group of people who were seriously misguided at best, completely loony at worst—even if she apparently shared their delusion.

He was surprised when Adam looked at him with a pleasant smile. “Come back again, Mr. Braden. I enjoy our conversations.”

“Thanks. I will.”

Christina still didn't even glance his way.

Jed walked down the stairs, furious with himself. Dammit, he was getting sucked in. There were no such things as ghosts, he told himself. There were only memories. Memories that plagued and haunted and hurt. But somewhere inside he was beginning to believe he was wrong, had been wrong his whole life, and there were ghosts after all.

And maybe someday, when this was all in the past, he could even learn to let his own ghosts go.

 

“Thank God you're all right. You really scared me,” Christina told Adam once Jed was gone.

A moment later, before Adam had a chance to say anything in response, Genevieve arrived at the doorway, Ana right behind her.

Adam looked over at them and grinned. “Wow. All these beautiful young women. I should feel a little woozy more often.”

“Are you okay?” Ana asked, coming in and sitting on the foot of the bed.

“I am absolutely fine,” Adam assured her.

Ana looked at him for a moment before she spoke again. “I hope you don't mind my asking, but Josh…Josh was your son, right?” she said softly.

Christina started; you could have heard a pin drop in the room, it had gone so silent.

“Yes,” Adam said.

“And he's been…gone a long time,” Ana went on.

Adam smiled reminiscently. “Yes.”

“It was like you were him, you know?” Ana said, simultaneously certain and questioning.

Again everyone else stayed silent, watching her as she kept speaking.

“I didn't see Beau Kidd, but I could have sworn I saw your son. That…that he was real.”

Adam reached out and touched her face. “He is very real, thank you. He had the gift. And he died young. I never had the gift, but I do believe in it, and I've been able to gather people around me who have the gift and the courage to use it.”

“Do you think I have a gift?” Ana asked.

Christina grimaced. “If you don't, you're welcome to mine,” she said dryly, breaking the tension in the room. Everyone laughed.

“Perhaps,” Adam said gently to Ana.

“Let's let Adam get some rest,” Genevieve said firmly.

They went downstairs. Katherine and Jed had gone, and Christina suspected he would be going home after he'd dropped her off. It was obvious that the night was over.

“I'm going to head on out,” Ana said.

“We'll walk you to your house,” Tony said.

“I'm okay. I've walked from here to my house a thousand times,” Ana assured them, smiling.

“Yeah, but not tonight,” Dan said. “I'll walk you over.”

“We live right next door,” Ilona reminded him. “It's easy for us to do it.”

“And deprive me of the pleasure of the midget's company?” Dan teased.

Ana groaned.

“I can walk you home if my brother is being a jerk,” Mike told her.

“Oh, let the jerk do it,” Ana said. “Good night, Christina. Thanks for the barbecue. And the séance. That was…cool.”

Dan gave Christina a kiss good-night, waved to the others and headed out with Ana. Ilona and Tony left next, and Mike was right behind them. Christina was left standing in the doorway with Genevieve and Thor.

She was disturbed by the sense of loneliness that swept over her. She didn't remember feeling quite so forlorn in a very long time. “You know,” she said softly, “I really thought…I thought Gran or Granda, even my mom or dad, might show up. If only for a minute,” she said.

She felt Thor's hand on her shoulder, gentle, reassuring. “They didn't need to stay behind,” he said. “They loved and were loved. Their lives were full.”

“But my parents were so young,” Christina said, all the remembered pain in her voice.

“They still lived their lives as they were meant to be lived,” he offered.

Christina nodded. “Well…I'm going to bed, I guess,” she murmured. “Thank you, both. Though I'm not sure we really got anywhere tonight.”

She was startled when Adam suddenly called down the stairs, “We're all in and the house is locked up for the night, yes?”

“Yes. Unless Jed thinks you meant for him to come back tonight,” Christina replied.

“He will or he won't,” Adam said, sounding unworried either way. “Just make sure this place is locked up tight, okay?”

“Will do,” Thor promised, suiting his action to his words, then said he was going to go watch TV for a while. The women decided to go up to bed. A minute later, Christina closed the door to her room and slipped into a thin flannel nightgown, washed her face, brushed her teeth and started brushing her hair, waiting.

She felt Beau's presence as soon as he entered her room.

“The guy is a jerk,” he told her.

She grinned. “Jed?”

“Yeah, Jed. You know the type. Hell, I know the type. I used to be the type. All macho bravado. But you need to cut him some slack. He's afraid, only he doesn't know how to be afraid. He knows what it's like to lose someone he loves, and he doesn't want to go through that again, so…he's afraid.”

“Thanks, Beau.”

“I'm here, though. I'll watch over you.”

“Thanks again.” He looked troubled, so she frowned and asked, “What is it?”

He hesitated. “I think I'm starting to understand why I'm here,” he said quietly. “I think I showed up because…because the real killer was in this house,” he told her.

 

What do to? Jed wondered.

He dropped Katherine off at her house, watching her until she was safely inside. She waved from the doorway, then closed—and, he assumed, locked—the door behind her.

During the ride, he had once again stressed to her that she was an attractive redhead and needed to watch out. She had only smiled and said, “Now, there would be an irony. Beau Kidd's sister killed—by the real Interstate Killer.”

“How about just being careful, and avoiding all irony?” he'd suggested.