“I…” Sue swallowed. “Yes.”
Julia pointed a finger close to her face. Sue leaned away.
“Boo!” Julia exclaimed.
Sue jumped in fright.
Julia laughed. “That never gets old.”
“Julia, behave,” Heather said in exasperation. “It’s late. We’re all exhausted. Please try to focus.”
“Hmm.” Julia hooked her thumbs into her pockets and slowly walked around Sue, examining her. “You found a ring?”
“Uh, yes, ma’am,” Sue answered.
“Show me your paw, kitten,” Julia ordered.
Sue held up a shaking hand to show her.
Julia leaned in to look at it. She reached for Sue’s hand. Icy prickles brushed against her skin and sent a shiver down Sue’s arm.
“Ah, yeah, that makes sense now,” Julia said. “That’s why you look like you’ve already been fitted for a Chicago overcoat. If you’re not careful, the tailor is going to finish it, you understand?”
Sue shook her head in denial. She didn’t understand. Not at all. She rubbed her cold hand.
“What’s a Chicago overcoat?” Heather asked.
Julia frowned. “A little sensitivity, doll, please.”
The scolding sounded odd coming from the brash spirit.
“Does Sue’s ring mean something in particular?” Lorna asked.
“Can’t you see it?” Julia turned to Vivien. “Her aura looks like someone took a bat to it.”
Sue stiffened and hugged her arms to her stomach.
“I don’t see auras,” Vivien said.
“Oh, not yet? Sorry, I must be ahead of myself. Time when you’re dead is a funny thing.” Julia sighed. “It’s dusty, bruised, but it looks like there’s a little,” Julia gestured to Sue’s breasts, “spot of something there.”
Sue glanced down at her chest to the bedhead kitten.
“A guy, perhaps? First stirrings of love?” Julia arched a brow. “Makes sense with that ring and your particular problem. You need to learn to trust yourself. Not an easy thing, harder for you than most.”
“I knew it!” Vivien exclaimed as if she couldn’t help herself. “You met a guy tonight, didn’t you?”
“Viv, not the time,” Heather chided.
“Well?” Julia came closer until the cold radiated over Sue’s entire body. “Do tell. Details, kitten, details! The afterlife is so dull. The dead are dead, and the living never talk to me. Who’s the bright spot?”
“Oh, uh...” Sue again looked at her chest but didn’t see anything beyond the bedhead kitten. “I don’t know what it is. I just met him. He gave me directions when my bus broke down. His name is Jameson Lloyd, and he owns the coffee shop.”
“Not in town long enough for a booty call, huh?” Vivien teased under her breath with a playful shake of her head.
Julia turned to Vivien and demanded. “Is he worth ogling?”
“Oh, very much so.” Vivien nodded, grinning. “Jameson Lloyd? Really? Score.”
“Tell me,” Julia said.
Sue opened her mouth, but she couldn’t think of what to say.
“Nice. Charming. Modest. You never hear him bragging about himself,” Vivien supplied for her. “Everyone in school liked him from the jocks to the geeks. He never picked on Heather and me, and even defended us once.”
“Good, good,” Julia nodded. “What else?”
“Goes to church,” Heather added, her words not as confident as if she tried to come up with details for her grandma. “Says nice things about his mother. Sponsors a little league team. Helps ladies with their groceries. Holds open doors for people. Um, I think someone mentioned he brought coffee and pastries and opened his house to people after those apartments caught fire years back.”
Sue found herself smiling. Jameson did all that?
“Nice. Bring him by so I can see him, will you kitten?” Julia arched a brow and waited for Sue to nod. “That’s a good kitten. Welcome to the club, Sue Jewel. Good luck. Hope you’re around long enough to enjoy your new beau, but if not, I’ll see you on the other side.”
Julia started to fade.
“Grandma—ah, Julia, wait,” Heather said.
Julia’s translucent body returned; only her clothing changed from the pantsuit to a dress with small flowers. She looked older with fine lines around her eyes and a less aggressive smile.
“How can we help Sue?” Heather asked. “Her dead husband is coming after her.”
“Not the first time, is it, kitten?” Julia asked Sue, though the question sounded rhetorical. Her voice was softer than before as if age had mellowed her. This version of Julia was less intimidating, somehow.
Sue shook her head. “No.”
“We want to do a séance and banish him,” Lorna said.
Julia frowned and shook her head. “No, that’s a terrible idea. Don’t do that.”
“Earlier, you were saying something about smelling and seeing.” Heather came to stand by Sue and placed a hand on her shoulder in support.
“I gave you the clues you need,” Julia said.
“Please, Grandma, we need more.” Heather went to the woman and lifted her hands to let them hover near her shoulders. “You told me that you sent us the rings and brought us together to help each other heal from our individual pains. Tell us how we help Sue. We don’t need riddles. We need you to explain. The five senses, right? Smell, taste, sight, sound, touch. That’s what you said earlier.”
Julia nodded. “How far has it gotten?”
“Smell—” Heather started to answer.
Julia held up her hand to stop her. “Sue.”
“Um,” she glanced at Heather, who nodded at her in encouragement. “I smell his cologne and other things that remind me of him—gun oil, um, cigarettes. I taste his favorite liquor sometimes, instead of what I’m eating or drinking. It burns but I don’t get drunk from it. That part has gotten better since I met these ladies.”
Sue wished she sounded more confident but talking to a ghost was nerve-racking. The midnight coffee probably didn’t help her anxiety either.
“The window,” Lorna prompted.
“Tonight, I saw his face reflected behind me when I was trying to unlock the theater door,” Sue said. “He didn’t look well.”
“Then I’m guessing he didn’t die well,” Julia said.
“Car accident. He was drunk and veered in front of a semi. It sent the car into a ravine.” Sue glanced at the others and didn’t say more.
“You should tell them,” Vivien urged. “We’re here to help.”
“Um.” A tear slipped down Sue’s cheek, even as she tried to hold it back. “At the time, he had me wrapped in plastic in the trunk of the car.”
Lorna gasped lightly and covered her mouth.
“Shit,” Heather swore.
“Yeah,” Vivien agreed with her.
“Julia, why can’t we do a séance and send him on his way before things get worse?” Lorna asked. “That worked with others.”
“You saw what rode in on Glenn’s visit.” Julia put her hands on her hips and frowned. “If you think summoning that demon with Lorna’s cheating ex was bad, what exactly do you think is going to travel through the veil on the back of a wife-murdering anger ball like Sue’s husband? You girls are going to need to start thinking these things through for yourself. I gave you my book. I’ve given you the rings. You have the tools and the magic. You’re smart girls, but you need to use your noodles. I can’t keep giving you the answers.”