guy?” Jim said.
“What are you talking about?” Cliff said.
“Uh-oh,” Gram added.
“This guy whose name I still don’t know.” I pointed at the cowboy who stood next to me and rubbed his chin as he looked at Gram.
“Threw me for a loop, too, Missouri. I thought you were the only one,” the cowboy said.
“The only one what?” I said.
“There’s nobody there, Betts,” Cliff said.
“Very funny, Betts,” Jim said as he took Gram gently by the arm and began to lead her out of the office. “You pick this moment to act foolish?”
“Stop talking, dear,” Gram said as she walked by. “And you”—she nodded at the cowboy—“better explain yourself to her. It looks like I’m not going to be able to.”
I watched Jim escort Gram out of the library. Cliff, still holding Ashley’s hand, followed behind them. Ashley, who had observed the entire scene from her short stance and seemed to be entertained by the adults, smiled and waved at me as they walked away.
I turned to the cowboy and said, “Who the hell are you and what was all that about?”
The cowboy took off his hat and said, “I’m Jerome Cowbender. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or scream.
CHAPTER 7
“You’re playing the part of Jerome Cowbender this tourist season?” I said as we sat across from each other in Sarabeth’s office.
Before I could focus on the cowboy, I called Verna and my parents and asked them to get to the jail as soon as possible. I told them I’d join them eventually. I let Sarabeth know that I was pretty shaken up and needed some time to gather myself. I asked if I could sit in her office. She’d said that was fine, and because she didn’t seem to see the cowboy sitting in the chair across from me, I didn’t mention him to her.
I wasn’t lying; I was shaken up. I was literally shaking with fear and nervousness. My throat was tight and my stomach was turning painfully. I was trying to keep myself together because I needed answers. If Gram wasn’t goingto give me any, maybe the man sitting across from me would.
“No, ma’am, I’m Jerome, or I guess I’m his ghost. At least that’s what Missouri tells me.”
“She tells you?” Obviously, something strange was going on, but I wasn’t ready to believe it was something as weird as the ghost of Jerome Cowbender.
“Yes. I don’t feel dead, but I died some time ago. Tragically. Someone shot me in the back. I don’t remember it, though. Not yet at least. Every time I visit, it takes me a little time for some bits and pieces of my memory to tie back together. Sometimes I’m not around long enough to get much back.”
“I have no idea what to say to that except that you must be an actor playing Jerome Cowbender this summer. There’s no other reasonable explanation.”
“No, I’m the real one; what’s left of him at least. Here touch me.” He extended one of his heavily calloused hands over the desk. “It’s going to be strange, mind you, but it’ll probably convince you.”
I hesitated but only because I knew that if he didn’t feel like a normal human being I’d have to accept that his story might have some truth to it. I knew that since no one else, except maybe Gram, could see him it probably meant he wasn’t human, but I was more willing to think I was losing my marbles than believe he was a real ghost.
“Go on, I can’t hurt you. I can’t really hurt anyone. Not anymore.”
I took a deep breath and then reached to his hand, and hesitantly put my finger to one of his. And my finger went right through him. I did it again, and again.
“Holy sh—” I could feel my heart pound in my chest. “I don’t understand. How is this possible?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? Could you start from the beginning?”
“The beginning of what?”
“How do you know Gram?”
“Oh, that. Missouri says that when she was a newborn I saved her from a fire. Well, my ghost did. It was the
“What are you talking about?” Cliff said.
“Uh-oh,” Gram added.
“This guy whose name I still don’t know.” I pointed at the cowboy who stood next to me and rubbed his chin as he looked at Gram.
“Threw me for a loop, too, Missouri. I thought you were the only one,” the cowboy said.
“The only one what?” I said.
“There’s nobody there, Betts,” Cliff said.
“Very funny, Betts,” Jim said as he took Gram gently by the arm and began to lead her out of the office. “You pick this moment to act foolish?”
“Stop talking, dear,” Gram said as she walked by. “And you”—she nodded at the cowboy—“better explain yourself to her. It looks like I’m not going to be able to.”
I watched Jim escort Gram out of the library. Cliff, still holding Ashley’s hand, followed behind them. Ashley, who had observed the entire scene from her short stance and seemed to be entertained by the adults, smiled and waved at me as they walked away.
I turned to the cowboy and said, “Who the hell are you and what was all that about?”
The cowboy took off his hat and said, “I’m Jerome Cowbender. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or scream.
CHAPTER 7
“You’re playing the part of Jerome Cowbender this tourist season?” I said as we sat across from each other in Sarabeth’s office.
Before I could focus on the cowboy, I called Verna and my parents and asked them to get to the jail as soon as possible. I told them I’d join them eventually. I let Sarabeth know that I was pretty shaken up and needed some time to gather myself. I asked if I could sit in her office. She’d said that was fine, and because she didn’t seem to see the cowboy sitting in the chair across from me, I didn’t mention him to her.
I wasn’t lying; I was shaken up. I was literally shaking with fear and nervousness. My throat was tight and my stomach was turning painfully. I was trying to keep myself together because I needed answers. If Gram wasn’t goingto give me any, maybe the man sitting across from me would.
“No, ma’am, I’m Jerome, or I guess I’m his ghost. At least that’s what Missouri tells me.”
“She tells you?” Obviously, something strange was going on, but I wasn’t ready to believe it was something as weird as the ghost of Jerome Cowbender.
“Yes. I don’t feel dead, but I died some time ago. Tragically. Someone shot me in the back. I don’t remember it, though. Not yet at least. Every time I visit, it takes me a little time for some bits and pieces of my memory to tie back together. Sometimes I’m not around long enough to get much back.”
“I have no idea what to say to that except that you must be an actor playing Jerome Cowbender this summer. There’s no other reasonable explanation.”
“No, I’m the real one; what’s left of him at least. Here touch me.” He extended one of his heavily calloused hands over the desk. “It’s going to be strange, mind you, but it’ll probably convince you.”
I hesitated but only because I knew that if he didn’t feel like a normal human being I’d have to accept that his story might have some truth to it. I knew that since no one else, except maybe Gram, could see him it probably meant he wasn’t human, but I was more willing to think I was losing my marbles than believe he was a real ghost.
“Go on, I can’t hurt you. I can’t really hurt anyone. Not anymore.”
I took a deep breath and then reached to his hand, and hesitantly put my finger to one of his. And my finger went right through him. I did it again, and again.
“Holy sh—” I could feel my heart pound in my chest. “I don’t understand. How is this possible?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? Could you start from the beginning?”
“The beginning of what?”
“How do you know Gram?”
“Oh, that. Missouri says that when she was a newborn I saved her from a fire. Well, my ghost did. It was the
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