evening, but Margaret’s mother returned.
‘Your mother wants to know how you’re feeling, Margaret.’
‘I’m sad,’ Margaret said. ‘I miss you very much, Mama. I think about you all the time.’
It was pretty much the same thing she’d said last Friday, but Ken thought there was something different this time. Maybe it was her tone – she didn’t sound like she was going to burst into tears. In fact her voice was almost wooden, like she’d memorized and rehearsed these lines.
‘Your mother wants you to stay busy, Margaret,’ the medium told her. ‘That’s the only way to get over your grief. She suggests that you find an interesting club to join. Birdwatching, perhaps.’
‘Birdwatching?’ Margaret exclaimed. ‘Ick! Are you for real?’
Cassandra’s voice was steely. ‘This is your mother addressing you, Margaret.’
‘Oh, right,’ Margaret said. ‘Sorry, Mom, I’ll think about it.’
‘Your mother’s leaving us now, Margaret.’
‘Don’t leave, Mama!’ Margaret cried out. ‘Stay here, please. I’m begging you, don’t go away, I’m so lonely and sad, I need you . . .’
Cassandra almost sounded impatient. ‘She can’t stay, Margaret. She’ll be back tomorrow. Now let’s try to call another spirit to us. Let us all be very quiet and concentrate very hard.’
Ken began a silent chant. Mr Fisher, Mr Fisher, Mr Fisher, Mr Fisher . . .
‘A spirit approaches,’ Cassandra intoned. ‘It is a man. He is calling a name. I’m having difficulty hearing him . . . Oh spirit, please, speak louder . . . Mr Fisher, is that you?’
‘Dad?’ Stevie cried out.
‘Shh,’ the medium murmured. ‘Again, spirit, again, who do you wish to contact?’ She drew in her breath. ‘Your son? Your son . . . Stevie?’
Holding Stevie’s hand, Ken could feel the boy’s grip tighten.
‘Do you have something you want to say to Stevie? Do you have a message for him?’
Ken couldn’t breathe. Or maybe he was just feeling the tension in the boy sitting next to him.
‘What is the message? Oh spirit, I cannot hear you! Your voice . . . it’s too faint! Repeat! Repeat!’
And then Cassandra sighed. ‘He’s gone.’
‘Oh, no!’ Stevie cried out. ‘Dad, come back!’
‘I’m sorry, Stevie. It wasn’t a good connection. But don’t despair! We’ve made contact. He’ll come back. Maybe I’m just not strong enough. If only there was another medium here, someone else who is also sensitive to the spirit world. Perhaps together we could forge a pathway.’
That was all Ken needed to hear. ‘Can I talk to you privately, Cassandra?’
‘Of course, Ken,’ the medium said. To the others, she said, ‘The seance is over. We will meet again at the same time tomorrow evening.’
Dahlia and Stevie went to the hallway and Dahlia opened the door. Jenna practically fell in, as if she’d been leaning against it.
‘What are you doing here?’ Cassandra demanded to know. ‘I told you to leave!’
‘I was waiting for Ken,’ Jenna said. ‘I thought we could walk home together. Come on, Ken.’
Ken glared at her. ‘I need to talk to Cassandra.’
‘Ken, don’t tell her anything! I read her mind. She’s a fake!’
‘How dare you?’ Cassandra cried out. ‘Get out of here now!’
‘I’m not leaving without Ken,’ Jenna yelled.
Ken turned to the medium. ‘I’m sorry about this. I’ll get rid of her.’ He grabbed Jenna’s arm and dragged her out the door.
‘Ken, I’m serious,’ Jenna hissed once they’d reached the hall. ‘I don’t know who she really is, or what she’s up to, but she’s not a medium. This is a fraud.’
‘You’re just saying that to keep me from helping her find Stevie’s father,’ Ken accused her. ‘You don’t want me to tell her what I can do.’
‘It’s not just that! I’m telling you, Ken, I swear, I saw something in her mind. And she’s not telling the truth.’
Ken couldn’t remember ever hearing Jenna sound so fervent before.
‘Ken,
‘Your mother wants to know how you’re feeling, Margaret.’
‘I’m sad,’ Margaret said. ‘I miss you very much, Mama. I think about you all the time.’
It was pretty much the same thing she’d said last Friday, but Ken thought there was something different this time. Maybe it was her tone – she didn’t sound like she was going to burst into tears. In fact her voice was almost wooden, like she’d memorized and rehearsed these lines.
‘Your mother wants you to stay busy, Margaret,’ the medium told her. ‘That’s the only way to get over your grief. She suggests that you find an interesting club to join. Birdwatching, perhaps.’
‘Birdwatching?’ Margaret exclaimed. ‘Ick! Are you for real?’
Cassandra’s voice was steely. ‘This is your mother addressing you, Margaret.’
‘Oh, right,’ Margaret said. ‘Sorry, Mom, I’ll think about it.’
‘Your mother’s leaving us now, Margaret.’
‘Don’t leave, Mama!’ Margaret cried out. ‘Stay here, please. I’m begging you, don’t go away, I’m so lonely and sad, I need you . . .’
Cassandra almost sounded impatient. ‘She can’t stay, Margaret. She’ll be back tomorrow. Now let’s try to call another spirit to us. Let us all be very quiet and concentrate very hard.’
Ken began a silent chant. Mr Fisher, Mr Fisher, Mr Fisher, Mr Fisher . . .
‘A spirit approaches,’ Cassandra intoned. ‘It is a man. He is calling a name. I’m having difficulty hearing him . . . Oh spirit, please, speak louder . . . Mr Fisher, is that you?’
‘Dad?’ Stevie cried out.
‘Shh,’ the medium murmured. ‘Again, spirit, again, who do you wish to contact?’ She drew in her breath. ‘Your son? Your son . . . Stevie?’
Holding Stevie’s hand, Ken could feel the boy’s grip tighten.
‘Do you have something you want to say to Stevie? Do you have a message for him?’
Ken couldn’t breathe. Or maybe he was just feeling the tension in the boy sitting next to him.
‘What is the message? Oh spirit, I cannot hear you! Your voice . . . it’s too faint! Repeat! Repeat!’
And then Cassandra sighed. ‘He’s gone.’
‘Oh, no!’ Stevie cried out. ‘Dad, come back!’
‘I’m sorry, Stevie. It wasn’t a good connection. But don’t despair! We’ve made contact. He’ll come back. Maybe I’m just not strong enough. If only there was another medium here, someone else who is also sensitive to the spirit world. Perhaps together we could forge a pathway.’
That was all Ken needed to hear. ‘Can I talk to you privately, Cassandra?’
‘Of course, Ken,’ the medium said. To the others, she said, ‘The seance is over. We will meet again at the same time tomorrow evening.’
Dahlia and Stevie went to the hallway and Dahlia opened the door. Jenna practically fell in, as if she’d been leaning against it.
‘What are you doing here?’ Cassandra demanded to know. ‘I told you to leave!’
‘I was waiting for Ken,’ Jenna said. ‘I thought we could walk home together. Come on, Ken.’
Ken glared at her. ‘I need to talk to Cassandra.’
‘Ken, don’t tell her anything! I read her mind. She’s a fake!’
‘How dare you?’ Cassandra cried out. ‘Get out of here now!’
‘I’m not leaving without Ken,’ Jenna yelled.
Ken turned to the medium. ‘I’m sorry about this. I’ll get rid of her.’ He grabbed Jenna’s arm and dragged her out the door.
‘Ken, I’m serious,’ Jenna hissed once they’d reached the hall. ‘I don’t know who she really is, or what she’s up to, but she’s not a medium. This is a fraud.’
‘You’re just saying that to keep me from helping her find Stevie’s father,’ Ken accused her. ‘You don’t want me to tell her what I can do.’
‘It’s not just that! I’m telling you, Ken, I swear, I saw something in her mind. And she’s not telling the truth.’
Ken couldn’t remember ever hearing Jenna sound so fervent before.
‘Ken,
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