Elizabeth Basque - Medium Mysteries 02 - Silver Lake (14 page)

“I’m so sorry, Mack,” I whispered.

He didn’t say anything, just gave a brief nod.

“I’m glad he made it,” Julie said optimistically.

I wanted to do something, anything. I thought of going down to the gift shop to buy some flowers.

“No,” Mack said. “No flowers in the ICU.”

So I stayed put, feeling awkward. The nurse had said Garrett would probably sleep through the night. I looked around for some other chairs for me and Julie, but there were none.

“You should go home.” Mack’s voice was low, but it also sounded small. “I’ll stay with him.”

“
Mack, I…”

“
I’ll stay with him,” Mack repeated, a little louder this time.

Julie and I locked eyes. She nodded to me, and took my arm.

“We’ll be back,” I managed.

We turned to go. We were almost out the door when Mack called my name.

“Yes?” I turned and looked at the old ghost.

“
It’s not your fault,” he told me.

I breathed a sigh of relief. I felt like crying again. “Thank you,” I whispered.

“And thank
you
,” he said.

“
I’m just sorry that Bella got away.”

He nodded and turned his full attention back to his son.

Somehow, I guessed that Mack might not go Home until Bella faced some kind of justice for what she had wrought on him and his son.

Chapter Twenty-six

I was utterly exhausted by the time Julie and I got back to my apartment. Julie was actually worried about me, and offered to fix dinner while I showered and changed. I let the hot water tumble onto me, finally relaxing. I toweled my hair dry, not bothering with the blow dryer.

She had the patio table set outside, and had even made me a martini. I guess I looked like I needed it. “I tried to make it strong, like you do,” she offered as I took a sip. It had too much vermouth, but that was okay.

“
Thank you, Jules. Just what the doctor ordered.”

I sat back in my chair, enjoying the last bit of dusk. Stars were quietly lighting the sky, and the moon was already up. I drank my martini as Julie brought out a big salad with chicken and green beans.

“Do you think Mack will come over?” she asked through a bite of lettuce and cucumber.

“
I doubt it. He’ll probably stay with Garrett.”

“
What was he doing while we were with Lana?” she wondered.

“
We’ll have to find out.”

“
Hmmm. It must be strange to be a ghost. They don’t really have a concept of time.”

“
Yeah, he’s got all the time in the world.” I felt a pang in my heart. Dead for four years, Mack might have missed his chance to go Home. I hoped not. Then again, I was glad that he was with his son after all this time.

***

It had been six days since Garrett had been shot. I’d wanted to visit him in the hospital, but something inside me told me to give him some space. And Mack, too. So, I stayed away.

I was working in the patio when I heard the knock on the door. The last couple of days I had been cleaning up. I swept and hosed down the patio, put up a regular bird feeder next to my hummingbird one. I almost took down the little Christmas lights, but decided to leave them. I could turn them on at night. So what if it wasn’t Christmas? I thought they were pretty.

I went inside to rinse off my hands. “Coming,” I called to whoever was at my door.

I opened it, and to my surprise and delight there stood Garrett, with Mack behind and a little above him.

“Garrett,” I smiled. “What are you doing here? Come in, come in,” I urged.

Garrett’s right arm was in a sling and he moved a little stiffly into my home. “Hi, Pauline. I wasn’t sure if you would want to see me, but I’ve got a stubborn old man who won’t leave me alone.” He grinned.

“Ah,” I said. “I understand exactly what you mean. Please, sit down. Should you be out of bed?” I made space for him on my couch, arranging little pillows for him to sit more comfortably.

“
I got out of the hospital a couple of days ago,” he replied as he sat. “I’m feeling better every day.”

“
I wanted to come visit you.” I sat at my little corner of the couch. Mack took his place in the big chair.

“
No, that’s fine. I’ve had some unusual company.” He glanced around. “I still can’t see him.”

“
He’s here,” I told him. “They take some getting used to, ghosts.”

“
Yes. I thought I was crazy.”

I laughed. “You’re not. I’ll bet he never left your side.” I looked at Mack. “Strange not having him here bothering me all the time, for once,” I teased. “Would you like something, Garrett? Coffee? Soda?”

“No, no, I’m fine.” He shifted his shoulder gingerly.

“
Well, it’s good to see you up and around. I’m so glad you’re all right.” I wanted to say more, but some things were better left unsaid.

“
Yeah,” Garrett’s tone was somber. “I’m glad you weren’t crazy. Lana almost had me convinced.”

“
Yes. Well.” Again, I didn’t want to go into it all.

“
Pauline, I came to thank you. For everything. Not just Lana, but for my dad. I never thought I’d see him again.”

“
Strange how things never work out like you think they will,” I mused.

We exchanged pleasantries, and I tried to keep the conversation going. We avoided talking about Lana, or the day he was shot. Soon, Garrett said he should be going.

“I didn’t want to interrupt your day,” he said. “I just wanted to thank you again, for everything.”

I helped him up. Mack was right beside him. “You coming back sometime, you old bag of bones?” I asked the shimmering ghost.

“Most likely, but only if you stop bothering me so much,” Mack joked. I laughed.

“
You talking to him?” Garrett asked.

“
Yes. I think he wants to stay with you, at least for a while.”

Garrett made his way to the door.

“Oh, wait a minute,” I said suddenly. I left him and hurried down the hall to my bedroom. I returned and held out my hand. “I took this when Lana was…when she left,” I stammered, offering Lana’s bracelet. “You should have it.”

Garrett reached out for it with his left hand, but then stopped. “You know what? I think you should keep it.”

I gasped. “What? No, Garrett, it’s yours. Your father had it made.”

“
I think he wouldn’t mind if I gave it to you. As a token of thanks.”

I glanced up at Mack. Garrett couldn’t see the grin on his face, but I could. “Take it, dahling,” he said. “The lad’s right.”

Garrett took my outstretched hand and closed my fingers over the bracelet.

“
Thank you.” It was all I could manage at the moment.

***

Not five minutes later there were three quick raps on my door and Julie peeked her head in.

“
Hi, Jules,” I called.

“
I hope you don’t mind,” she said as she bent down. “I picked up a few things for you.” She was bringing in several garden plants, pots and soil. “I know you’re trying to fix things up. I thought you could use some help.”

“
Wow,” I said as she filled the entryway.

She merely nodded, as if she’d done this a thousand times before. But she hadn’t.

“You just missed them,” I said, and told her about Garrett and Mack’s visit.

“
He gave you the bracelet?” she exclaimed. “Let me see it.”

We went out to the patio and I showed it to her.

“It’s beautiful.” Julie nodded as she read the inscription and then clasped the bracelet around my wrist. “It’s so gorgeous,” she declared, admiring the intricate, interlaced gold and jewels.

The diamonds and sapphires glistened in the sun’s rays. “It is,” I agreed. I was pleased that Garrett had given it to me, with Mack’s blessing. I knew I would give it back to Garrett one day, but for the time being, I was the Keeper.

“I’m sorry I missed them,” Julie said. “I would have loved to see them both.”

“
You will, I’m sure,” I told her. But my heart told me that the days of Mack’s constant company were over, at least for a while. The place felt quiet without him.

“
Do you think Mack will ever be able to go Home?” Julie asked me.

“
I think Heaven has a spot for him,” I answered. “He’s not ready, though. Not yet.”

Julie and I relaxed in the sun, each caught up in our own thoughts. It had been a hell of a week. I couldn’t have done it without Julie. She continued to surprise me with her strength and big heart.

“Mack has a big heart, too.” Julie seemed to be picking up on my thoughts more and more. Interesting. Maybe she would become a Medium one day, too. “Maybe you’re right.”

“
Right about what?” I asked her.

“
That the heart is stronger than the mind. Mack’s heart wants to stick around a little while, don’t you agree?”

I nodded. “I wouldn’t blame him, either. I think he deserves it. And, I think he has some work to do before he goes.” I thought of Bella, who was probably on the run from the police by now as Lana unfurled the whole story to her lawyers.

“Well,
we’ve
got some work to do,” she gestured to the plants on the ground. “What do you say we make this the prettiest garden in the complex?”

I stubbed out my cigarette. “I say that’s a great idea,” I said, grinning.

“You can make a martini or something,” she said hesitantly. “I don’t mind.”

I thought about it. “No, I don’t need one. Not right now.”

It felt good to work in the sun, and with a friend. And no, I really didn’t feel like having a drink. Maybe later. What I knew for sure was that I wanted to be fully present for whatever happened next.

The End

Pauline will return in:

Hollywood Hills

Medium Mysteries #3

Coming soon!

~~~~~

Also available:

The Gathering

Sharpened Edges Trilogy #1

by Elizabeth Basque

Amazon Kindle
or
Amazon UK

~~~~~

Read more about Pauline in:

The Body Departed

A Mystery Novel

by J.R. Rain

Amazon Kindle
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Amazon UK
*
Paperback
*
Audio Book

About the Author:

Elizabeth Basque
lives in southern California with her two children. She’s the author of Sharpened Edges, the first in a paranormal mystery series. She’s presently hard at work on her next novel. Please find her on
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