JanesPrize (15 page)

“An amazing house,” she said after taking a
sip of tea.

Pierce only grunted in reply.

“What’s wrong?”

Pierce shook his head. “Nothing. I guess
it’s just the whole atmosphere here.” He gestured to the wall of windows and
the chrome and steel fittings. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I feel
even more a fish out of water than usual.”

Jane laughed. “Well, it’s certainly a
goldfish bowl. There don’t seem to be any neighbors.” She bent forward slightly
to peer into the darkness outside. “You know,” she said. “Somehow I expected
this meeting to creep me out but only because I thought we might be somewhere
spooky. But all this light is somehow more—”

They both turned as Selma spoke from behind
them. “I think I’ve found something.” She held a piece of paper in one hand.

How long had she been there? What did it
matter anyway if she’d heard what Jane had said?

“Can I give you a refill on your tea?”

“No, thank you.” Jane replied quickly while
Pierce just shook his head in refusal.

“Then let’s sit down again.” Selma glided
to the seat she had chosen before, leaving Jane and Pierce on the couch once
more.

Selma smoothed her silk skirt over her legs
and glanced at the document she held. “I printed this from an old account I
came across a few years ago,” she began. “It seems to support what you are
saying about a ghost being able to return to the world by touching someone.”

“My goodness. My friend will be amazed.”
Jane smiled. “But why don’t most people know this?”

Selma shot her a quick glance. “Most people
don’t believe in ghosts in the first place, my dear. It would not occur to them
that it’s a possibility.”

She stood and moved toward the window. The
lamps cast a bright halo around her dress and her hair so she shone like a
silver figurine.

“But if a ghost comes back,” she continued
in her soft, deep voice, “it’s mostly deliberate and, if they are successful,
they would not want to be known.”

“You mean they have a compelling reason to
want to return and then hide who they are?”

“Oh, yes.” Selma turned to face them, the
silk of her robe making a soft whisper as it settled again around her legs.
“There is always a compelling reason. And they always hide.”

Jane swallowed against a dry throat. “A
reason like wanting to kill someone again?”

“Maybe. Revenge is a powerful motive. Just
because someone is dead, doesn’t mean they lose the impulses that drove them in
life.”

Jane wanted to be sure she understood. “So
maybe my friend has seen the ghost of a murdered person and the murderer could
come back and kill again?”

Selma resumed her seat. “It’s possible. But
there are many reasons why one might want to return. Love is as powerful as
hate you know.”

“But if this is true then all kinds of
ghosts might have returned and be living among us.”

“There might indeed, but as far as my
research and experience has shown there has to be a bond of some kind, either
present or future, between the ghost and the person who releases him. Or her.”

“A bond?”

“Some link that forms a continuity.”

“So if my friend were to help the first
ghost hide his identity to be able to live in this world, a friend of his might
provide a link for the murderer to return?”

“Hmm. It’s possible. If there were a close
friendship.”

Annice was her good friend. She may have
brought back the stepmother.

“But that makes it difficult to protect
yourself. The murderer might appear at any moment.”

“Yes indeed. But why don’t you confront the
supposed murderer and find out what he or she wants?”

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Maybe. But so is doing nothing.”

“Is it possible to send the murderer back
to the dead?”

“Only by killing them again.”

Pierce stirred on the couch and spoke for
the first time. “When did you come back?” he said.

Chapter Seventeen

Selma fixed Pierce with a thoughtful gaze.
The silence lasted a long heartbeat. “You are the friend in question?” Selma
asked.

Before Pierce could answer, Jane replied.
“Yes.” She wasn’t sure what exactly was going on but she had the sense that
Selma would see through any prevarication.

“And he has come back to the living world?”

“I touched him when he appeared in his old
house. It’s a long story.”

“It usually is.” Selma gave her a knowing,
secretive smile. She looked at Pierce. “How did you know about me? Was it a
lucky guess?”

“Call it extra sensory perception.” Jane
was startled by the harsh note of his voice.

“Oh dear. You’re angry.”

“I’m pissed off. Maybe this, maybe that.
Maybe a murderer could come back, maybe there’s bond strong enough to do it.
Give us some answers goddammit. You’ve been through it.”

“I have.” Selma took the few steps to the
table with the tea and poured herself a cup. She returned to her seat and
settled against the cushions. “Since we are members of the same club, so to
speak, let me tell you my story.”

She took a sip from her steaming cup. Jane
and Pierce waited.

“My husband and I were very much in love,”
she began after a long pause. “It was one of those whirlwind romances that
sweep you away in a frenzy of passion. We met and married within a few weeks.”

Another example, Jane thought.

“We had twenty years together, but
unfortunately no children.” Selma said, “Then I was drowned in a boating
accident.” An expression of sadness clouded her features for a brief moment. “I
could only stay around the area where I died so I had to wait for my poor John
to find the courage to come back there. After a few years he did, and I was
waiting for him.”

Jane stared at Selma, fascinated, trying to
picture the events she was describing. Her husband would have known his wife,
of course, so they had a better start than she and Pierce. “Go on,” she
breathed.

Selma shrugged. “There’s not much more to
tell, except that we had ten more happy years until my dear love died of
cancer. It was fast, like everything else in our lives. You see, when I died I
was whole. That is, I had no debilitating disease. Those who die from a
physical ailment that destroys organs can’t come back or they would resume their
suffering and die again. So I will meet up with John again on the other side in
the spirit world.” She paused. “You are probably wondering why more people
don’t do this?”

Jane nodded.

“There may be many more than we believe.”
Selma finished her tea and placed the cup on a side table. “But just think.
Someone dies. There is mourning, a funeral, maybe even a new marriage in the
case of a husband and wife. Children remember the death and the funeral. Then
how could the dead person reintegrate into their old life? John and I were
lucky. We had plenty of money, few other family ties. We were able to move
right across the country. Start again in fact. We built this house because I
hated the darkness. I’d existed in it for too long. So there you have it.” Her
hands moved in one of her graceful gestures. “Now tell me yours.”

It took less than five minutes to fill in
the details of their meeting and subsequent difficulties in bringing Pierce
fully into the modern world, although leaving out most of the intensely sexual
episodes. Jane had the feeling Selma knew about them anyway.

Selma listened intently until the end.

“So the woman who poisoned you has come
back?” she said.

Jane and Pierce spoke together. “Yes, I
think so.” “No, I’m not sure.”

“Well, Pierce would be the one who could
say for sure if she is the one who killed him. Let’s think about this. Why
would she come back to kill you again?”

“Because she’s jealous and spiteful and
hated me when she was alive.” Pierce was bitter.

“Maybe so, but why would she want to kill
you again?” Selma repeated. “There would be no advantage to her.”

“Satisfaction in stopping me from
inheriting the Newland estate.”

They then had to explain about the elderly
cousin and the meeting with the lawyers in Boston.

Selma nodded. “It could be a long-standing
resentment, as you say. You can’t know until you find her.”

“I never want to see her again.”

“I understand, but someone has to.”

“I’ll do it.” Jane sat straighter and put a
hand on Pierce’s arm.

Pierce sprang to his feet. “Over my dead body!”
He paused and grinned despite himself when he realized what he’d said.

Jane rose to stand beside him and touched
him gently. “We’ll talk about it,” she said.

There didn’t seem to be much more to say.

Before they left Selma gave them her card.
“You can call, fax or email any time,” she said. “I’d be happy to help.” She
held out her hand to Pierce who touched it briefly with his fingers. She turned
to Jane. On an impulse Jane threw her arms around the older woman. “Thank you
for everything,” she said. “I’ll let you know how we do.”

In the car Jane focused her eyes on the
darkness of the road ahead. “How did you know about her?”

“Pierce shrugged. “Hard to say. I had the
feeling that there was something a bit off. You know, she wasn’t quite right in
the setting. Once it occurred to me, everything seemed to fit. I guess it was
more a flash of intuition than anything.”

“A good one. Let’s hope you have the same
kind of flash when we find the woman again.”

They drove back to the hotel in silence.
Jane drew into the courtyard where guests parked their vehicles and switched
off the engine. “We have to do something,” she said at last. “You don’t need to
be near her, in case she tries anything again.”

“If it is her I’m not afraid for myself.”
Pierce took her hand. His fingers were icy cold. “But I’m terrified of her
harming you.”

“Let’s take one thing at a time. First the
lawyers, second your cousin, third your stepmother. If it is your stepmother I
saw.”

“I guess.”

They got out of the car and made their way
to the main entrance. Pierce slipped his arm around Jane’s waist.

Once in the hotel room, Pierce took her
gently in his arms. “Are you okay?”

She nodded and then felt the tears coming.
She wiped at her eyes with one hand.

“Hey, no crying allowed.” He stroked the
tear from her cheek. “Tell me.”

Jane pushed away from him. “I guess it’s
all coming at me now.” She plunked herself down on the bed. “The nights in the
house, breaking the law to get you some ID, keeping it all secret from my mom.
And now we have to face a murderer.”

“We have to face a
possible
murderer. We don’t know it’s my stepmother. And even if it is we don’t know she
wants to kill again.”

“I know. But I still feel—threatened,
besieged.”

He sat beside her and put his hand
on her shoulder. “You wanted to take a hot bath. Let me run the water for you.
We’ll soak in it and then you can get a good night’s sleep.”

She grabbed a tissue from the box on the
nightstand and mopped her face. She tried a smile. “Sounds good but—”

He pushed her hair back from her face and
kissed her gently. “If you don’t want to make love, I understand.”

She hadn’t specifically thought about his
promise to drive her wild with a night of uninhibited lovemaking but now that
he mentioned it, she felt an enormous relief. Tonight she wanted to snuggle
against him, warm and safe, and gather her thoughts. She had to plan her course
of action over the next few days, when she would try to find the woman she
believed to be a former ghost. But whatever she did she had to keep the
mysterious stranger away from Pierce until they could be sure she posed no
threat to him.

“Some people say that danger makes you want
sex but in this case…” She let the words trail off as Pierce began to undress
her.

“It might be more than I can stand,” he
said, “but tonight we’ll hold each other and gather our strength. All right?”

“All right.”

The water in the hot tub was just right.
The jets massaged her back and thighs in a gentle rhythm. Pierce turned down
the lights and opened the large windows. It was like sitting out in the velvet
night. The moon was a thin sliver in the sky, too young to cast any light, but
the muted glow from the street lamps allowed her to see the shape of the trees
around. A faint breeze made the leaves rustle.

She leaned back and let out a deep sigh.
She could feel the water easing away the kinks and knots in her body. A wave
rose against her chest and she opened her eyes as Pierce slid in beside her.
She moved her hand over his knee.

“Seems like a wasted opportunity,” she
said.

“Do you want to?”

“No. My head’s too full of ghosts and
murderers and lawyers’ questions. You too?”

“I must admit I keep thinking about the
interview tomorrow.”

“Then let’s just enjoy the water and the
setting.” She closed her eyes again and let herself drift.

They settled into bed spooned against each
other. One of Pierce’s hands cupped her breast and she could feel the pressure
of his penis against her bottom. She closed her eyes. If she could keep him
safe they would have many nights together, some to make love, some to cuddle,
some maybe even to sleep apart, although she couldn’t imagine that happening,
ever.

From the beginning this had been a
topsy-turvy affair. The usual pattern of a relationship was friend, companion,
lover, wasn’t it? She had leapt straight to the lover stage and was now
learning Pierce could also be her friend and companion. The more she knew him
the more she knew she couldn’t bear to lose him.

As she drifted, half asleep, the image of
the woman she believed to be his stepmother floated against her eyelids. She
had been a pretty woman, in a Thirties film star kind of way. How dangerous was
she under the glamorous outer shell?

The next day, in Boston, Jane waited in the
car while Pierce attended the meeting with the lawyers. She had not expected to
sleep well but to her surprise had woken late after a night of deep slumber.
After breakfast they set off for Boston, arriving in good time for the meeting.
Now all she had to do was wait and think about the next step. When they
returned home she would look all over town for the woman she had glimpsed a
couple of times and engage her in conversation. Surely she could find a way of
testing her, finding out if she was really a person from ninety years ago.

A tap on the window startled her from her
thoughts. Pierce motioned to her to lower the glass.

“What is it?” He had been inside less than
half an hour. Had they rejected his claim out of hand?

He grinned widely. “They’re eating it up,”
he said. “They want to meet you.”

Jane unclipped her seatbelt. “Me? Why?”

“I told them we were engaged to be married.
I think they liked the idea that I’m not a playboy and have a serious
commitment. I guess they think it makes it more likely that I’ll be
responsible.”

“Sounds weird to me. Won’t the DNA be
enough to convince them?”

“I guess, but they’ve been with the family
for years. It’s more than a business relationship. Let’s humor them.”

“Whatever you want.” Jane searched in her
purse for a comb and hastily ran it through her hair. Thank goodness she was
wearing long pants and a pretty shirt, although her feet were bare in strappy
sandals. She might still be too casual for a high-powered Boston lawyers’
office.

Pierce led her through a hushed entrance
hall to an elevator that soared silently to the top floor. As the doors opened
a young man in an expensive suit stood ready to greet them. He shook hands with
Jane. “I’m happy to meet you. Thank you for agreeing to be present. I’m Jason.”
His eyes didn’t even flicker over her sportswear.

Pierce and Jane followed Jason along a
paneled hallway. Small offices on the left and right offered glimpses of young
people hunched over computers, studying large documents or conferring
earnestly. There seemed to be an age limit on this kind of work. Not one of
them looked over thirty-five. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

The reason for the youth of the worker bees
became clear when Jason opened a door at the end of the hall and ushered them
into a large corner office. At first glance it seemed that a crowd of senior
partners of the firm were present, lined up, with sleek gray hair and sleek
gray suits, to introduce themselves and shake her hand. Her heart sank.
Surreptitiously she crossed her fingers, praying she wouldn’t blow it for
Pierce.

In reality they were only five and the pecking
order soon became apparent. The senior partner took the chair at the head of
the table, flanked by his four colleagues on his left. Jane and Pierce took the
seats opposite the tribunal. It felt a bit like the interview she’d had to go
through for her college. What was she thinking? It
was
an interview.

“Now, we are not going to keep you long,”
the senior man began in a mellow voice. “We have been in touch with Mr.
Newland, Senior, and know he is quite convinced of the authenticity of the
claim. The DNA results confirm the relationship.”

The four suits nodded their agreement.

“So you may be wondering why we want to
meet you.” The first man on the chairman’s left spoke up.

Before Jane or Pierce could answer the
lawyer next to him continued, “We are an old and prestigious firm and we serve
wealthy clients all over the country. We pride ourselves on our integrity and
our discretion.” He paused but Jane could think of no comment that would make
any sense. Pierce remained silent.

The second man took up the thread. “We also
like to deal with clients who are discreet and ethical in their dealings.”