Maddie said, gripping Christy’s hand.
“Who? Marla?”
“No. The ghost.”
Christy followed the track of Maddie’s eyes with her own, momentarily disappointed she couldn’t see the ghost. “I wish your superpowers would transfer over to me. I want to see a ghost.”
“It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” Christy said. “Do you want to try and talk to her?”
“I don’t know,” Maddie said, letting her gaze wander around the cemetery. Nick and the other men were still standing in the center of the plot telling stories. Whatever Max was reenacting had them all in stitches. Lauren was kneeling next to an older tombstone, apparently intent on whatever she was reading. Cassidy and Marla were nowhere in sight. “Where did Cassidy and Marla go?”
“I have no idea,” Christy said. “Maybe we got lucky and they headed back to the house.”
“Will you do me a favor and keep an eye out for them? I’ll try to talk to the ghost.”
“I want to go with you,” Christy protested.
“You can’t even hear her.”
“Fine.” Christy crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re lucky I’m such a good friend.”
“I am lucky,” Maddie sincerely replied. “You’re the second best friend I’ve had my entire life.”
Christy’s face softened. “Go and help the ghost, you suck up,” she said. “You’re a good friend, too, and I want to help you if I can.”
“Thanks,” Maddie said. “Warn me if you see Marla and Cassidy show back up.”
“I’m still hoping they fell in the river or something.”
“HI,” Maddie said, approaching the spirit carefully a few minutes later. “Are you ready to talk to me now?”
“You’re still here.”
“I am,” Maddie said. “I … do you think we could go inside and talk? It might make things easier.”
Instead of answering the spirit floated through the door and disappeared to the other side. Maddie was taking that as a yes.
Maddie let herself into the mausoleum, being careful to leave the door propped open so she didn’t inadvertently lock herself in. The ghost was waiting for her, the filtered light barely serving as a means to see the woman’s filmy countenance.
“Can everyone in your family see and talk to ghosts?”
“Not everyone,” Maddie said carefully. “My mother could. My grandmother, on the other hand, can’t. Many of the women in my family have … the gift. Not all of them, though. We have no idea why it skips certain generations.”
“That’s interesting,” the woman said. “Before I died, I would’ve thought it was nifty to see ghosts.”
“What about now?”
“Now I wish I could see anything but this place.”
Maddie’s heart went out to the woman. She’d been here a long time. Too long. She obviously longed to pass on. Maddie only hoped she would be able to help her with the process. “What’s your name?”
“Rose. Rose Denton.”
She was finally getting somewhere. “How are you related to Aaron?”
“He’s my grandson, although I’ve never technically met him,” Rose said. “I died long before he was born.”
Maddie nodded, absorbing the information as she glanced around the mausoleum. She read the plaques, not stopping until she came to the name she was looking for. She moved toward it, resting her fingertips on the cold metal and tracing the elevated letters. “Is this you?”
“That’s me. Rose Eloise Denton. Born April 12, 1927. Died December 12, 1970.”
“How did you die?”
“Hard.”
That wasn’t really an answer, but Maddie didn’t want to push the woman if she wasn’t ready to expand. “If you’re Aaron’s grandmother, that means you died when his father was still relatively young. Did you have more than one child?”
“No, just the one.”
“Do you spend a lot of time watching your family?”
“The house is empty a lot of the time,” Rose said. “I watch them sometimes. Other times … I just kind of exist. I’m not
“Who? Marla?”
“No. The ghost.”
Christy followed the track of Maddie’s eyes with her own, momentarily disappointed she couldn’t see the ghost. “I wish your superpowers would transfer over to me. I want to see a ghost.”
“It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” Christy said. “Do you want to try and talk to her?”
“I don’t know,” Maddie said, letting her gaze wander around the cemetery. Nick and the other men were still standing in the center of the plot telling stories. Whatever Max was reenacting had them all in stitches. Lauren was kneeling next to an older tombstone, apparently intent on whatever she was reading. Cassidy and Marla were nowhere in sight. “Where did Cassidy and Marla go?”
“I have no idea,” Christy said. “Maybe we got lucky and they headed back to the house.”
“Will you do me a favor and keep an eye out for them? I’ll try to talk to the ghost.”
“I want to go with you,” Christy protested.
“You can’t even hear her.”
“Fine.” Christy crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re lucky I’m such a good friend.”
“I am lucky,” Maddie sincerely replied. “You’re the second best friend I’ve had my entire life.”
Christy’s face softened. “Go and help the ghost, you suck up,” she said. “You’re a good friend, too, and I want to help you if I can.”
“Thanks,” Maddie said. “Warn me if you see Marla and Cassidy show back up.”
“I’m still hoping they fell in the river or something.”
“HI,” Maddie said, approaching the spirit carefully a few minutes later. “Are you ready to talk to me now?”
“You’re still here.”
“I am,” Maddie said. “I … do you think we could go inside and talk? It might make things easier.”
Instead of answering the spirit floated through the door and disappeared to the other side. Maddie was taking that as a yes.
Maddie let herself into the mausoleum, being careful to leave the door propped open so she didn’t inadvertently lock herself in. The ghost was waiting for her, the filtered light barely serving as a means to see the woman’s filmy countenance.
“Can everyone in your family see and talk to ghosts?”
“Not everyone,” Maddie said carefully. “My mother could. My grandmother, on the other hand, can’t. Many of the women in my family have … the gift. Not all of them, though. We have no idea why it skips certain generations.”
“That’s interesting,” the woman said. “Before I died, I would’ve thought it was nifty to see ghosts.”
“What about now?”
“Now I wish I could see anything but this place.”
Maddie’s heart went out to the woman. She’d been here a long time. Too long. She obviously longed to pass on. Maddie only hoped she would be able to help her with the process. “What’s your name?”
“Rose. Rose Denton.”
She was finally getting somewhere. “How are you related to Aaron?”
“He’s my grandson, although I’ve never technically met him,” Rose said. “I died long before he was born.”
Maddie nodded, absorbing the information as she glanced around the mausoleum. She read the plaques, not stopping until she came to the name she was looking for. She moved toward it, resting her fingertips on the cold metal and tracing the elevated letters. “Is this you?”
“That’s me. Rose Eloise Denton. Born April 12, 1927. Died December 12, 1970.”
“How did you die?”
“Hard.”
That wasn’t really an answer, but Maddie didn’t want to push the woman if she wasn’t ready to expand. “If you’re Aaron’s grandmother, that means you died when his father was still relatively young. Did you have more than one child?”
“No, just the one.”
“Do you spend a lot of time watching your family?”
“The house is empty a lot of the time,” Rose said. “I watch them sometimes. Other times … I just kind of exist. I’m not
Similar Books
