Troubled Spirits Page 18

  He grinned and bowed. “Anything you say, Monkey.”

  Chapter Twenty

  They’d just finished singing a boisterous rendition of Take Me Out To The Ballgame for the seventh inning stretch when Jody felt the hair on the back of her neck rise. Through shuttered eyes, she peered at Jared and warmed with pleasure at seeing him enjoying himself. She mentally crossed her fingers and hoped the spirit who had just shown up didn’t ruin the evening for them.

  The time had come. Their budding relationship was about to undergo the first test. Now Jody would see how Jared would react to her dropping everything in the middle of a date. She’d have to leave him to pass a message from a spirit to some random person who needed to heal from their loss.

  Unable to keep from fidgeting, she looked around the room to see who’d just shown up. There. Jody spotted a young woman talking with a group of people by the food. Beaten and bloody, the ghost stood behind her reaching out across the veil trying to get her attention but having no luck.

  The condition of the spirit’s image served to dial Jody in on just how difficult this off-the-cuff reading was going to be. Jared, ever aware, alerted to her sudden change in mood. In a manner she knew meant to calm her, he gently ran his fingers down her arm. Leaning in to nuzzle her neck, he whispered, “What’s wrong?”

  Unable to mask her troubled expression, she turned her attention back to him and looked apologetically into his eyes. “You see that girl with the long, red hair standing at the counter?”

  The tone of her voice had him sitting up a little straighter. Casually, he looked over his shoulder. “Yes.”

  “I have to go and talk to her.” All gaiety had disappeared, as her outward appearance had dramatically changed to one of all business.

  “Do you see a spirit standing around her?”

  As she continued to watch the ghost’s sad efforts to get the woman’s attention, Jody’s nod of affirmation had been almost imperceptible.

  As he’d done before with Fiona, he lifted his phone and held it out to take a picture. Jody gently covered the phone with her hand and pushed it down to his lap. Not wanting to be overheard, she leaned into him. “I don’t think she’d want to see the condition this particular ghost is in. Besides, we don’t have permission to take a picture.”

  Laced with gravity, her words had Jared cringing. “Baby, I’m so sorry. It’s so damn unfair that someone as gentle as you has to witness such horrible things. But I don’t understand. If you don’t have a picture, how are you going to get her to believe you?”

  “Sometimes people believe me and listen to the message. Sometimes they don’t and walk away. All I can do is try to pass the spirit’s communications along.”

  Her response prompted frustration to flicker across Jared’s face. “Would you like me to go over with you?”

  A grateful smile crossed her lips. “If you’re up to it, then yes. Judging by the gory appearance of the spirit, the reading is going to be difficult.”

  He leaned in and kissed her gently. “Let’s go. I’ll be right there if you need me.”

  They slowly made their way across the room and approached the people at the counter. Jody zeroed in on the young woman and the ghost who wanted to communicate with her. Before even having a chance to introduce herself, she started receiving frantic messages from the spirit. Ever so slightly, she raised her hand to calm the spirit and acknowledge her story would be told.

  “Excuse me. You don’t know me. I’m sorry to interrupt your conversation, but I’m a medium. There’s someone here who would like to speak with you.” The woman visibly paled.

  Without giving her the time needed to make a quick getaway, Jody started. “Your sister, Megan, is stepping forward. She wants you to know she loves the tattoo you got in her memory.” The woman’s trembling hand lifted to her mouth.

  As difficult as it was to look into the mutilated eyes of the battered ghost, Jody couldn’t back away. Sensing the importance of the impending conversation, the redhead’s friends started to gather around her. Willing to protect their friend, as a group, they made their presence known as they watched Jody receive more information with a skeptical eye.

  Thrilled at finally getting the opportunity to get her message across to her sister, Megan’s spirit spoke quickly. Trying her best to keep up, Jody absently nodded at what appeared to be nothing more than a void space in the room. “She’s mentioning something about M&Ms, green M&Ms,” Jody smiled at the spirit’s humor. “She said you keep finding them everywhere you go. You were right to believe she’d left them for you.”

  Visibly shaken from this encounter, the redhead dropped hard on the stool behind her and started to sob. “My sister loved green M&Ms,” she wailed through her hands. “She used to pick them out of the bag and give me the rest of the colors. She’d smile and tell me the other colors weren’t up to her standards.” The woman swallowed hard before adding, “It seems like every time I turn around, I’m finding green M&Ms. It doesn’t matter where I am. They just always seem to magically appear.”

  Giving the redhead a moment to ponder this new information, and a bit of time to compose herself, Jody smiled reassuringly at her. The spirit’s message was about to turn serious.

  “Megan wants to apologize to you for not listening to your advice.” To garner the strength to get through this reading, Jody breathed so deeply her shoulders rose with the effort. She hated these kinds of messages but understood how important they were to the living who received them.

  “Your sister said that you were right all along. She should have stayed away from him. That bastard did end up killing her just like you said he would. He lost his temper and beat her to death.”

  Ghosts had an uncanny ability to use every sense to get their messages across. Megan’s spirit had saturated the inside of Jody’s mouth with the coppery taste of blood, leaving her fighting the urge to throw up. Without being too obvious, and hoping to alleviate some of that lingering sensation, she reached out and grabbed a napkin to wipe her lips. While she made it a practice to pass all information along during a reading, there were just some things people didn’t need to know.

  Focusing her attention back on the spirit, who now, thankfully, appeared without injury, allowed Jody to relax a bit. The rough part of the reading had concluded. It’s time for the healing to begin. “She wants to tell you that you need to stop thinking about those last minutes of her life. You have to stop reliving them in your mind. She’s in no pain, and she’s finally free from him.”

  As the spirit continued the conversation, Jody’s eyebrows creased together in full concentration trying her hardest not to miss any part of the message. “She wants me to remind you of the fight you and she had in grade school about a boy named Ben.” Megan’s excitement at finally speaking to her sister had her rambling but in a frenzied manner. Trying to keep up with her was a chore in and of itself and left Jody scrambling. Not sure she had interpreted that last part right, she inquired, “Does that make sense to you?”

  The woman’s brows furrowed together as she tried to remember something which had happened so long ago. Suddenly, recalling the childhood spat left her gasping and nodding her head affirmatively.

  “Megan says there was nothing you could have done to keep her away from the man who killed her. Just like she couldn’t keep you away from that little prick, Ben, in fifth grade.” The redhead laughed through her tears at the memory now front and center in her mind. She had indeed fought with her sister over that boy so many years ago.

  As silent tears streaked through her makeup, the woman locked gazes with Jody. “Why do sisters do that? Why is it so hard to agree on anything? One day you’re fighting like cats and dogs and the next day it’s too late to tell her how much she’s loved.”

  Jody offered a compassionate smile. “I think it’s…” A horrific vision flashed in front of Jody, shaking her to the core. She visibly cringed from it and took a step back. To steady her, Jared firmly put his hand on her back to
let her know he stood beside her offering whatever strength she needed.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to change the subject on you. Your sister is insisting I continue with her message. She finally has your attention, and she’s not backing down. Megan wants you to know that after he had beaten her to death, while in spirit form, she watched as he shot himself.” The redhead’s mouth opened wide, but no words came out.

  “Ah…” Oh jeez. Megan is one pissed off spirit. “Okay. There’s no way around this, so I’m just going to say what she told me. She said the fucker pissed himself and missed the first time, shooting a hole in the wall instead.” The redhead nodded somberly, acknowledging the facts behind both causes of death.

  “Megan says it’s important for you to know, he didn’t go easily. He didn’t die right away and suffered more than she did as he ended his life. He paid, and is still paying dearly for taking her life. You need to stop dwelling on it. You need to release the bitterness and move on. You need to enjoy your life. Have some fun.”

  Many people had now gathered around and watched Jody as she held a conversation with thin air. She tried to contain herself but couldn’t hold back the bubble of laughter. “Your sister is very funny. She said you were recently going through her trinket box, pissing and moaning about what an idiot Megan was in life. She was there to hear the whole bitch-fest.” Jody leaned in close to the woman. “Her words, not mine.”

  “As you were working yourself up into a tizzy, flailing your arms around, she had to keep dodging your fists.” The woman threw her head back and laughed through her tears at the memory which had just occurred hours ago. “Megan says that every time you go through her personal things in that box to reminisce, she’ll be with you.”

  Momentarily distracted by the spirit’s unique sense of joviality, Jody wasn’t aware the audience around her had grown. “She’s telling me she left something for you and can’t believe you haven’t found it yet. She covered the inside lid of her trinket box with red felt.”

  “Oh, my God! Yes! She did,” the woman exclaimed, unable to contain her excitement.

  “Megan wants you to pull the felt fabric away. She left something for you there.”

  “I will!”

  Appeased her message had been delivered, Megan started to disappear slowly. Jody watched her blow a kiss to her sister before she vanished for good.

  Jody reached out to the young woman and embraced her. “I’m sorry for the interruption, but it was important for her to let you know it’s time to move on. It’s been a privilege to speak for Megan.”

  As if she were holding onto her sister, the woman wasn’t willing to release the hug just yet. “Thank you,” she whispered. She started gleefully jumping up and down while still holding Jody in her tight embrace. It became apparent that the weight of the world had lifted from her tired shoulders.

  Finally, she pushed Jody to arm’s length. “I want to show you something.” She turned around and tugged at the waistband of her pants. She exposed a tattoo of the sexy, green, female M&M with the marketing tagline, ‘What is it about the green ones?’ She’d also added her sister’s name.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Spending time with Jody opened up new worlds for Jared. With her by his side, it didn’t take long to discover being sociable had its perks. Her laid-back, loving and carefree nature seemed to bring out the best in him.

  Everyone at the party enjoyed having fun whether they were rooting for their team, telling jokes, or breaking out in lip sync battles. He’d even had an animated conversation with Nathan and Terry about which teams would end up in the World Series this year—each man so sure of their picks that bets were placed. While Jody’s best friends still had a long way to go in trusting him, he’d vowed to do whatever necessary to gain their acceptance. Willingly being a part of a large, rowdy group of people—an entirely new experience for him—had him smiling his fool head off.

  For the first time in his adult life, Jared felt as if he belonged someplace. With one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding hers, he couldn’t help but smile when he thought back on the evening. While he still found it difficult to open up to people, with Jody’s help, that would come in time. She made him feel whole as if he were an active participant in life instead of a voyeur. He couldn’t remember a time in which he’d laughed as much as he had tonight. Doing so left his psyche feeling richer and lighter. Something inside him had shifted which allowed his love for Jody to brighten his life. It felt wonderful.

  During the party, he’d watched her carefully as she mixed with people. It didn’t matter if she knew them or not, she’d been open and caring with everyone at the barbecue. Throughout the evening, she had stayed close to his side, either holding his hand or sitting next to him. She’d done everything in her power to ensure he’d been comfortable in this new role. But in the end, it was nothing more than her touch which had eased any discomfort he’d felt.

  Her goal for the evening seemed to be making sure he had fun, and she’d succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. Indiscriminately, she’d sought to make certain all of his needs were met. This allowed him to let loose a little and enjoy the evening. No one had ever fussed over him the way she had tonight, and it made him love her all the more. What he thought and how he reacted to people around him mattered to her. He had his very own angel, and just having her presence beside him made him feel like the luckiest man on earth.

  Without a second thought, she’d let him into her world. When a spirit showed up and had an important message to give, she’d looked into his eyes and asked him to join her. When she knew the message would be a difficult one, she’d trusted him enough to be there to support her. It had quickly become his mission to assist her with whatever she may need. Never again would she have to endure the complications her gifts created in her life alone.

  To witness firsthand how her messages from deceased loved ones healed people, leaving them lighter and happier felt like a miracle to him. And for all of that, she asked nothing in return. Nothing. Her purity of heart and genuine concern for strangers left him in awe.

  Breaking the comfortable silence, she laughed under her breath. Jared gave her a sideways glance. “What’s so funny?”

  Like a child, she puckered her lips as her shoulders bounced up. “It’s more ironic than funny.”

  The uneasiness which tinged her voice had him squeezing her hand, a gentle reminder she could count on him for whatever she needed. “What is? What’s wrong?”

  Knowing she probably needed time to arrange her thoughts, he waited patiently as his questions hung in the air. As the silence persisted, bright red flares started going off in his mind. Something had her upset.

  “It’s nothing really. I was just thinking about little Fiona.” As he drove, she struggled to turn her body toward him but had been hindered by the seatbelt over her shoulder. Completely out of character for her, frustration manifested as anger when she reached up and gave the restraint a rough tug. He knew her irritation had been brought on partially because she’d been denied the intimacy she enjoyed so much when they faced each other as they conversed. Finally accepting she’d be stuck looking forward, she clenched her teeth and growled.

  “There have been certain times in my life when my abilities evolved to the next level.” Looking at him without craning her neck had proved impossible, so she gave up trying altogether and finally just leaned her head against the headrest. He felt a rush of unease when he realized her mood had quickly shifted to brooding. The vibrancy had all but drained from her voice. “I was stupid enough to think that since the experience with Fiona had been so difficult, maybe…” She broke off, trying to figure out how to put her thoughts into words.

  “Maybe?”

  “I hope you don’t think I’m griping about this—. Damn. I guess I am bitching about it.” Jody slapped her legs which built the tension within the car to a whole new level.

  “I thought since what I experienced with Fiona had been so difficul
t that I’d finally paid my penance, and the gift would retreat. Do you understand what I mean?” The words tumbled from her mouth at a feverish pace. She didn’t pause long enough for him to answer. “I started to believe that channeling for Fiona might be the final act or closure to something that interfered with my personal life for so many years. It felt like Fiona was my closing evolution and perhaps the conclusion to that part of my journey in this lifetime.”

  Positive she had more to tell him, he waited patiently through the long silence until she was ready to finish her thoughts

  “I’m scared, Jared.”

  Not a minute too soon, he pulled into her driveway and turned the motor off. Hearing her confession of fear tore him apart. He wanted to hold her. He wanted to make everything better for her as she had done for him.

  “Tonight proved my instinct had been wrong. A spirit showed up as usual.”

  As much as she tried to hide it, the trepidation in her voice rang out as if she’d used a bullhorn. Jared reached out and ran his fingers gently over her cheek relaying the foundation of his support. The silent gesture offered his strength for anything and everything that troubled her.

  “What has you scared, Monkey? From what I understand, spirits have appeared to you your entire life.”

  Accepting everything he offered, she pressed his hand to her cheek and leaned into it. “Yes. But there was a definite shift in my abilities dealing with Fiona. Rather than the hibernation I had hoped for, my gift is more powerful. I could tell the difference when I channeled Megan tonight. What does that mean for the future? What have my gifts evolved into this time?” The unknown had her grimacing. “What’s the learning curve going to be this time? I have no idea what’s coming, or how to deal with it when it finally happens. It will happen, Jared. Something has changed within me. I can feel it, and it scares the living crap out of me.”