He blinked several times. “You can do that?”
We all nodded vigorously. “We think so. You’ve got unresolved problems that prevent you from going on to the next great adventure,” Drew said. “If we can help you resolve them, you can move on.”
Peter furrowed his brows again, his little button nose wrinkling. “I’m afraid of what comes next. I think I’ll stay here for a while.”
“Okay, sweetie. We need to figure out how to get off this train, though,” I said. “Any ideas on that one?”
Peter shrugged. “Your train is long gone. And while Captain can steer this train, he can’t make it stop or go backward or anything.”
“Does your crew even know where it is going?” Sam asked.
A woman appeared beside Peter, suddenly. All of us jumped a little. “Hello,” she said. “I’m Sue. Can you please help me?”
Chapter Seventeen
Somehow, this was Luci’s doing. He knew this was going to happen. I didn’t know how he knew. But he did. He’d planned this.
Dang it. I was going to make him pay. Preferably by sending him back to his home in Hell.
“Okay, Sue. Tell me what I can do for you.” I smiled encouragingly at her and sat down in one of the booths. “How can I help you move on?”
She wore contemporary clothes. Her jeans said nineties, as did her poofy, teased hair. “I need to tell my daughter I’m proud of her,” Sue said.
I raised my eyebrows. “Is that it?”
She nodded. “But she lives in Australia. The ghost train won’t go over water. So, we can’t travel to her so I can try to talk to her.” She sighed and blew a breath up. Her bangs didn’t even move. Hairspray? Or a ghost thing.
“Hey,” Olivia said. “Touch her so we can see and hear her, too.”
“Oh, sure. Do you mind, Sue?” I held out my hand.
The woman nodded and grabbed my fingers. Once she was visible, she repeated to Olivia and Sam what she’d told me and Drew.
“Would it work for you if we called her?” Olivia asked.
Sue shrugged. “I don’t see what else we could do.”
Sam pulled out his phone. “I’ve still got service. Video chat?”
To check, not that I didn’t believe my childhood BFF, but I was curious about how we had cell service, so I took his phone and studied it. Then I called Drew. His phone rang. With a raised brow, he answered it. “Hi.”
I giggled. “Just seeing if it actually works here.”
Peter laughed. “I think it works because of you. Your magic is strong. I can see it.”
See it? I glanced down, not seeing anything. Maybe only dead and undead things could see it? I’d have to remember to ask the ladies in the coven if they saw it.
Drew leaned in and whispered, “Your power is a hum of energy around you. I don’t see it; I can feel it. So maybe ghosts can see magic like an aura or something.”
“That makes sense.” But I was still asking my coven about it.
Focusing on Sue, I noticed her staring at Sam’s cell in my hand. She frowned and pointed. “What’s that?”
“Uh, phones nowadays can show one person to another,” I explained.
Sue’s mouth parted in awe.
“Okay, so what’s her name?” Olivia asked. She took Sam’s phone and had it poised, ready to search for Sue’s daughter. “If we can find her, maybe we can find a way to contact her.”
“Yolanda. Yolanda Perez. Unless she’s married. Then, I don’t know.” Sue sniffed as Olivia typed.
“Do you know where in Australia?” Olivia asked. “There are a couple of different Yolanda Perez.”
“Perth, before I died.” Sue dabbed at her eyes. “If she’s still there.”
“Yep. One Yolanda Perez in Perth, Australia.” She pressed a button. “She has a social media account so I’m trying to call her through their messenger pro—” Olivia cut off when someone answered.
“Hello? Who are you?”
“Oh, um, uhhhh…”
I snatched the phone from Olivia’s hand.
“Hi, Yolanda?” I smiled encouragingly.
A beautiful young woman blinked at me. “Yes. What’s going on?”
“Just making sure I have the right Yolanda. Can you tell me your mother’s name?”
Yolanda’s black eyebrows furrowed and her face hardened. “It was Sue.”
“Okay, great.” I sucked in a deep breath. “I have something rather unbelievable to tell you, and it’s even harder to explain and will be hard for you to believe over the phone. But it can’t be done in person. So, just promise me you’ll listen until I’m through explaining, okay?”
Yolanda looked like she was already ready to hang up the phone.
“Seriously, Yolanda. This is no trick. And it’s important.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine.”
“Okay, so the first unbelievable thing. I’m a witch.” I waited for that to sink in.
She just arched her eyebrow. “My best friend is a Wiccan. What of it?”
Okay, that didn’t go over as I thought. There was nothing wrong with Wiccans. I had a few join the coven recently. They were great help with rituals and potions. Some could even create low-power spells. “No, I’m a born witch with magic powers. I could prove it if we were together, but over the phone, anything will look like special effects, so I’ll just jump right in. I can see ghosts. And the ghost of your mother came to me and asked me to help her move on.”
Yolanda mouthed silently at me. Before she had a chance to get pissed, I continued. “I’ve made it so you can see and talk to her, but you must know. She is not alive. You will not see her again other than this phone call, okay?”
Yolanda still looked stunned, but she nodded mutely. I stood and turned the phone so that Yolanda and Sue could see one another.
“Mom,” Yolanda said with a sob. “It’s really you?”
Sue nodded. “Honey, it’s really me. There’s something I have to tell you.”
Yolanda nodded with tears rolling down her face. “I’m sorry, Mom. I’m so sorry.”
“No, honey, I’m the one who is sorry. I haven’t been able to move on because I never told you.”
“Told me what, Mom?” Yolanda moved the phone closer to her face.
“I’m so proud of you. I’m so happy you followed your dreams and didn’t listen to me. I hope you can forgive me, and always know how incredibly proud of you I am.” Sue had tears going down her cheeks as well.
“Oh, Mom. I forgive you. And I love you so much.”
Sue smiled and sighed, and the sigh went on until she began to fade. I caught the phone as she faded out of sight. The air was filled with a sense of peace and contentment and as she disappeared.
“Mom?” Yolanda’s voice cracked. “Mom?”
I turned the camera toward me. “I know this is upsetting, but try to come away with the knowledge that you helped your mother move on, okay?”
Yolanda nodded. “She’s gone?”
“Yeah, but she was so peaceful and happy as she went. I’m sorry for your loss.”