Excerpt 2:
She lit candles and seated herself across from me at a small table with a block-printed covering with protective sigils blind stitched into its complex pattern. The area was well-warded and protected with powerful magic. I’d learned a long time ago that Sicilian and Corsican witches had special talent, and I could feel the energy in the air as Mrs. Brandino settled into the chair and centered her magic.
“Take my hands.”
Delicate fingers closed around my meaty digits, feeling fragile in my grip. I noted the thin, crepey skin mottled with age spots that contrasted with my rough palms. I was far older, but she seemed ancient.
“Jack West and Sarah Grace McAllen Harringworth, your friend has come to speak with you.” She closed her eyes, and her features relaxed as she tranced to open the connection to the Beyond.
When she opened her eyes, I knew she had stepped to the back of her consciousness and allowed the spirit of Jack West to move to the forefront.
“Hiya, Joe. Been a while.” The voice was Mrs. Brandino’s, but the tone and inflection were pure Jack West.
“How’s life on the other side?”
She shrugged, capturing West’s mannerisms perfectly. “Still can’t play a harp for shit,” he joked. “What brings you here?”
“I finally finished the Moonville case—for good, this time.” I told him about the fight with the woman’s ghost and the railroad spirit and how I torched the tunnel and took the spike. “I think it’s finally done.”
“We thought that before,” West pointed out.
“I know. And for a while, things died down—I think it took a while for the spirits to power back up again. But this time, I really believe I broke what was holding them there.”
“Nice work,” West said. “Glad to know you’re still on the job. Those new partners working out okay?”
I had told him about Adrian and Jenna the last time I’d come to Mrs. Brandino, and while I knew West wouldn’t begrudge me mortal companionship, I think he hated to be excluded. While he’d never admit it or want me to join them in the hereafter, I think he missed our adventures.
Apparently in heaven there are no heists to bust.
“They’re not bad—for kids,” I admitted, even though I had figured out that my new partners were about the same age that West and Sarah Grace were when we worked together. “Pretty sharp, actually. But I miss hanging around like we used to.”
“Look at you, getting sentimental over Prohibition,” West teased. “You might miss us, but I bet you don’t miss the bathtub gin.”
He was right about that, and recalling the taste made me shudder.
“True. Is Sarah Grace floating around in the ether?”
“Tired of talking with me already?” West joked. “Yeah, she’s here. If you wrap up any more old cases, let us know. The afterlife is pretty boring.”
I felt the energy shift, and Sarah Grace’s presence moved to the forefront.
“Hello, Joe. Nice of you to drop by. What are you up to these days?” Damned if she didn’t sound just the same a hundred years after some of our best exploits.
“Still on the job, not lollygagging like you two. I’m cleaning up loose ends. Wrapped up the Moonville case—and I think the fix will stick.”
Her laugh was as infectious as I remembered. “Never a dull moment with you. Glad to hear it. How are you—really?”
Leave it to Sarah Grace to get to the heart of the matter. I shrugged, uncomfortable. “You know. Same old, same old.”
“Um-hum,” she replied, and even channeled through the medium I sensed her disapproval. In my mind’s eye, I imagined the tilt of her head and her skeptical expression. “Being immortal isn’t a free pass not to take care of yourself. You can have a purpose and still be happy sometimes.”
Even from beyond the grave, she had me dead to rights. Maybe that’s one of the reasons that West and Sarah Grace were so special to me. Our partnership morphed into deep friendship. While I had liked and respected all my partners over the years, some were closer to my heart than others. West and Sarah Grace would always be among my favorites.
“I’m happy when I solve cases.” I knew it was a weak comeback.
“Joe—you know what I mean,” she chided. “Even watchdogs chase a ball now and then.”
“Point taken. Fetch more, bark less?”
1 comment:
Thank you
Post a Comment