The House on Prytania (Royal Street #2)(74)
Author: Karen White
“Maybe because they’re new at the being-dead part and they’re not exactly sure what to do, either?”
Sarah scrunched up her face. “You think? Could be. I haven’t seen a rule book anywhere that explains it, so who knows?”
“They could just need more time to learn the ropes of the afterlife,” Cooper suggested. “Although I’ve always hoped that after we die we can just rest and relax, nothing more strenuous than floating on clouds.”
“I think you’ve seen too many Renaissance paintings,” I said, elbowing him.
“Oof.” Cooper exaggeratedly rubbed his arm. “Maybe your likeness to Wonder Woman isn’t just rumor.”
The sound of gagging came from across the room, where Sarah was pretending to throw up. “Is that supposed to be flirting? I’m only twelve and even I think that’s lame.”
“It might not be all that strange,” I said, ignoring her. “Sunny is happy and back with her family. Her adoptive parents can rest in peace now. It’s not like every person who dies comes back to haunt the living. There’s usually a reason.”
“True,” Sarah said. “Like Adele and Beau. I’m not really sure what’s going on, or why she dragged me to the Broussard mausoleum, but there’s definitely some unfinished business there. It’s too bad he won’t talk to her. Maybe that’s all he needs to do so she can rest.”
“Could be,” I said. “I really thought she’d head for the light as soon as Sunny came back. Which brings me to another question: Why isn’t she leaving footprints around Sunny, too?”
Cooper leaned back, stretching out his long legs and crossing them at the ankles. “What about Thibaut’s wife? Nola said that his dead wife spoke to you just that once, right? She wanted him to know that she forgave him. If there were a rule book, that could fall under the heading of ‘unfinished business.’ ”
“Yeah,” Sarah said. “Except she didn’t say anything about forgiveness. She just wanted him to know that she loved him.”
“That’s so heartbreakingly beautiful,” I said.
“A love that transcends death,” Cooper added.
“Like a Hallmark movie,” we said in unison, making us both laugh.
Sarah stood. “Before I lose my appetite, I’m going to go back through the clientele book and look for clues that Uncle Bernie and his friends might have missed. I talked to Dad, and he and I agreed that of all the things Beau’s dad hid away in the closet, that’s the one item that isn’t obviously a clue, you know? It’s not a hair ribbon or tie clasp or film negative. So there has to be something hidden in the clientele book. I guess I’ll just have to keep looking until I find it. Maybe we should talk about my hourly rate first.”
“How about room and board?”
Before she could respond, Jolene called from the kitchen, “Sarah, sweetie? Could you please come slice lemons for the iced tea?”
My little sister let out a big sigh. “Do I have to do everything around here?” She began dragging her feet with each step until she reached the kitchen.
I stared after her, frowning. “Jolene never asks for help in the kitchen. That is strictly her domain.”
Cooper draped his arm around me. “Maybe she wants us to have some quiet time together.”
“Hmm,” I muttered, not really listening, my gaze drifting to the telephone on the desk. I wasn’t surprised that it was no longer in the drawer where I’d put it.
Cooper sat up. “What are you thinking?”
I faced him, silently staring until his last words sank in. “I’m thinking about unfinished business, and making sure final messages are passed along. I’ve discovered that a person doesn’t have to be psychic to get a phone call from a dead person. Maybe it’s easier to understand it if there’s a psychic connection, but it’s not impossible if there’s not.”
“So you’re wondering why no one has called Sunny.”
I nodded. “I think that’s what’s bothering me. I mean, Adele is around, and Sunny’s adoptive parents were taken suddenly. You’d think at least one of them would have a final word for their beloved daughter, right? And this phone is very active.”
“But, as Sarah said, there isn’t a rule book. How spirits behave is probably as unpredictable as how they acted in life.” Cooper stood and walked over to where the phone sat on the corner of the desk, the unplugged cord dangling over the side. He picked up the receiver and held it to his ear before hanging it up again. “No dial tone. No surprise there.”
He had almost reached me before the phone rang, the sound glaringly loud in the quiet apartment, the second ring accompanied by a bark from Mardi. Sarah ran out of the kitchen. “Is that the phone?”
I was surprised that she knew what it was until I remembered that Melanie kept a landline phone in her bedroom and Sarah had undoubtedly heard it dozens of times. “It is, but I wouldn’t . . .”
Ignoring me, Sarah answered the phone. Her head jerked in my direction, her eyes wide. I moved toward her, hearing the vile breathing on the other end of the line as every hair on my body tingled with electricity.
“Sarah?”
Her eyes rolled back in her head, two white marbles staring back at me. A dark, shimmering mist exploded from the receiver and my sister screamed, the sound like that of a trapped wild animal. The handset slipped to the floor as a hundred different voices shrieked from the phone in various bouts of agony.
Cooper quickly grabbed the receiver from the floor and slammed it into the cradle. All was silent except for the myriad echoing screams that wouldn’t completely go away.
I gathered a sobbing Sarah into my arms and looked up as Jolene reappeared in the kitchen doorway.
“From all that caterwauling in here I’m guessing that either Alabama just lost to Auburn or you’ve dialed into a portal to hell. Either way, I hope it’s given y’all an appetite, because I’ve got a mess of spaghetti that’s enough to feed an army, and the only excuse I’m accepting for refusing to eat is if your jaw’s wired shut or you’ve gone on ahead and died on me. There’s no wallowing on my watch, and you’re going to need your strength to tackle whatever on God’s green earth that was.” She jutted her chin in the direction of the phone. “So come on and get it before they call back.”