End of the Road (Ghost Stories Trilogy #1) (35 page)

A gust of cold air blew
past me and I shivered. Seconds later Adele stopped chanting and released my
hand. “Amelia found Tobin and she’s bringing him back.”

I opened my eyes, drowsy
and energized at the same time. Amelia was not in the room and Adele sipped on
her tea. She set her mug down and smiled serenely. “We make a good team Elena.
Your energy sped things along.”

“My energy? All I felt
was yours.”

“That you were able to
sense it as a palpable substance says something.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Someday I’ll explain,
but not today. Amelia and Tobin are almost here.”

I glanced across the
table at Gavin and tension was rolling off of him in waves; from the set of his
shoulders to the nervous chewing on dead skin surrounding his thumbnail, he reeked
of it.

“Will I be able to see
him or talk to him?” he asked.

“I don’t know. It’s not
impossible.”

The air behind me grew
significantly colder and a wind blew across my neck, actually lifting a few
loose hairs that had escaped my ponytail.

Adele stared past me and
said, “You must be Tobin. You and your brother have the same eyes,”

I twisted around and sure
enough, Amelia was standing by the wall that separated the dining area from the
living room. Tobin stood next to her. He was older than in the pictures Gavin shared
with me on the first day we met, but Adele was right. They had the same eyes.
Their hair was the same dark brown too.

“Holy shit, Tobin!” Gavin
exclaimed and shot out of his chair to get closer to his brother.

“Gavin? Is that you?” Tobin
asked in a scratchy voice that sounded like he had a bad cell phone connection.
There was slight echo adding to the effect he was dialing in from somewhere far
away. At times Tobin flickered and appeared less solid, just like I’d seen
Frank, Lawrence and the others do.

“Yeah, it’s me. I can’t
believe you’re here! I’ve missed you so much.”

Gavin stood directly in
front of his brother. I glanced at Eric and that’s when I noticed he could also
see Tobin. I reached for his hand and he gripped it tight, an indication he was
internally freaking out, but I was so glad he could see him, for Tobin’s
appearance was a true validation. We both turned out attention back to Gavin.

“You’re taller than me,”
Tobin said. “You’re no longer my little brother.”

“I’ll always be your
little brother.”

“Yeah, I know. How’s
Egan? He must be growing up too.”

“He’s great and a brother
now too. Well, half-brother. Candy remarried and had another kid – a girl. Egan
plays little league and he’s in the fourth grade.”

“Wow, that’s good to
hear.”
     “Mom and dad are the same.”

“And you...called up your
brother from the afterlife. Why? What’s going on?” Tobin disappeared briefly
then flickered back, but fainter than before.

“Milly, I’m losing him,”
Adele called to her sister. 

“Hold on to Elena again.”
she said and rushed to Adele’s side, placing her hand on her shoulder.

Adele’s hand clamped down
on mine and I felt the energy, only this time it was flowing from me to her. Tobin’s
apparition became really clear and then just as suddenly as he appeared, he was
gone. This time he didn’t come back. I sagged in my chair, completely
exhausted. I was thirsty too, like I just finished running through the desert
with my mouth wide open, collecting all of the dust.

“What happened? Where is
he” Gavin asked. He circled the living room and peered in the kitchen searching
for his brother.

“He’s gone. They can only
stay with us for a short period of time once they’ve crossed over and it takes
a lot of psychic energy to keep them here,” Adele explained. She was pale and there
were dark smudges under her eyes. I wondered if I looked just as worn out.

Eric got up and came to
stand behind me. I leaned my head back against him, finding comfort in his
support. “Are you okay?” he whispered.

“Yes, just really tired.”
I yawned and closed my eyes, but still listened to the conversation around me.
Gavin’s voice had taken on a tremor. “I didn’t get a chance to tell him I’m
sorry that I stopped going to see him.”

“This is guilt you’ve
conjured up on your own. Your brother doesn’t harbor any resentment. If that
was the case every time I called a spirit forward, it’d be like the Jerry
Springer Show. Milly told me that any grief, anger, resentment, guilt…anything
like that is erased the moment you cross over. This emotional baggage is what
can weigh spirits down, keeping them earthbound. Once they’re able to let go, usually
there’s nothing to hold them back. Gavin, you need to learn to forgive
yourself. Your brother is fine - as you just saw.”

Gavin didn’t say
anything, just slouched in his chair and stared off at some distant point.
Emotions rippled across his face as if the internal struggle to forgive himself
was playing out on the surface.

“Hey, are you good?” I
asked him after a few minutes of silence passed, shaking him out of his zone.

“I think so. Tobin isn’t
coming back and this I need to accept. I need to let go and will work on that.”
He turned and addressed Adele, “You’re lucky your sister is still around.”

Adele glanced at Amelia
and smiled before turning her attention back to Gavin. “Yes, but in a way I was
never able to fully grieve – my sense of loss suspended because Milly’s spirit
is here. It’s not the same as having her alive though. Milly will always be
forever nineteen. As my youthfulness fades, her presence is a reminder of my
life progressing without her because we’ve always been mirror images of each
other. Yet, we’re too connected to truly separate. The healthy thing to do is
force her to leave, or ask her to not come back, but part of it is selfishness.
Then there’s the fear of losing Milly forever.”

While Adele was talking,
her sister came to stand beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder, much like
what Eric had just done to comfort me.

“Besides, we make a good
team. Her ability to cross over and make contact is a huge help and provides an
edge for me over other mediums.”

A statement like this,
her justification of keeping Amelia around as a business decision, may have
come across as callous if I didn’t see the sadness and vulnerability in Adele’s
eyes. Underneath the calm demeanor lurked a woman afraid of being alone. I
understood her motivation. We had that fear in common.

Perhaps she was
uncomfortable with revealing so much about herself because Adele quickly
switched subjects. Tucking a section of dark blonde hair behind her ear, a
gesture I learned was a nervous habit; Adele brought the focus back to our
project. “Let’s get started. Tell me about the ghosts. What all do you know
about them?”

Gavin fired up his laptop
and began pulling up images and video. I opened my files and we spent the rest
of the afternoon filling Adele in on each ghost. Late day sun streamed in
through my living room window when we finally stopped. Gavin leaned back in his
chair to stretch.

“I think it’s time to
head back to Tempe. I have an exam tomorrow and need to study.”

“Shit, Gavin, why didn’t
you say something? We didn’t have to meet today,” I said.

“Yeah I know, but I’m
anxious to finish this project up. It’d be nice to have a conclusion for my
film class, not a ‘to be continued’.” He snapped his laptop shut and shoved it
into his bag.

Amelia, who Eric and
Gavin had for the most part forgotten was in the room because they couldn’t see
her, started clearing plates and mugs from the table. Eric jumped at first,
then remembered and shook his head. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.”

Adele gathered up her
notes and stood. “I’ll review what you told me and come up with a plan. I think
next time we’ll meet the ghosts,” she said and shook Eric and Gavin’s hands.
When we shook hands she held onto mine and cupped it with both of hers. “Elena,
you do have a gift and we’re going to need to call upon it to help the ghosts.
Are you prepared to do that?”

“Yes, but I have no idea
how.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll guide
you.” She gently squeezed my hand before releasing it and followed Gavin out
the door. Amelia trailed along behind, hovering just a few inches above the
ground. She wasn’t walking, but just floating along as if being propelled by
the light warm breeze.

I shut the door and
turned the deadbolt. A dull ache throbbed just behind my eyes so I rested my forehead
against the cool surface of the door. I was thoroughly exhausted and almost
fell asleep there, standing up, and probably would have if Eric didn’t call me
over to the sofa. It took the rest of my energy to shuffle the short distance
and collapse next to him. I lie down and with my head on his lap, fell into a
dreamless sleep.

It was around three in
the morning when I woke up and discovered I was in bed with the comforter
tucked up under my chin. Eric was sleeping on his side, an arm loosely draped
over me. At some point he had carried me in and I didn’t remember, but now I
was wide awake. My batteries were recharged and since I usually worked the
night shift, it wasn’t worth trying to fall back asleep. I slipped out from
underneath his arm and went back out to the dining room table.

One of Adele’s
suggestions was to reach out to Frank’s son as he requested since this might be
the reason Frank was earthbound. She said it was worth feeling him out to see
if he’d even entertain the idea of meeting the ghost of the father he’d never
met. A year ago I’d have balked, even laughed at a woman like Adele and her
suggestion, but now, knowing these things were possible, it was wrong of me to
assume Frank Jr. would be skeptical. For all I knew, he could be very open-minded.

I set a calendar reminder
in my cell phone to track down Frank Jr.’s number and call him.

Chapter Seventy-Six

Frank Jr. was a hard man
to find. Henderson Police provided a landline and a cell phone number. Both
were disconnected. I finally tracked him down at a buy here/pay here used car
lot. According to the loquacious receptionist, Frank Jr. lived on site in a
trailer. He sold cars during the day and served as security at night. I found
it laughable that a man with a criminal record worked in a security role, but I
bit my tongue and asked to be put on hold while the woman went to find him.

Buy here/pay here lots
were everywhere in Phoenix and while I listened to the static infused hold music,
it was easy to picture the corroded tin can Frank Jr. lived in. Most likely the
trailer was placed at the rear of the car lot on hard packed dirt, just past
the edge of parking lot asphalt and partially hidden by some of the more used
and dust shrouded cars that kept getting pushed further to the back. Floral
curtains at least three decades old, the pattern long faded from the sun,
probably covered the narrow windows and a cinderblock turned on its side served
as the front step. This image in my mind just added to the already pitiful
existence known as Frank Jr.’s life. I had a feeling this was his rock bottom
and hoped the news I was about to share would inspire him to get his shit
together.

The hold music cut out
followed by a long, wheezy cough. “This is Frank,” a raspy voice said. “Sorry
to keep you on hold for so long. Are you interested in buying a car?”

“Hi Frank, no not today.
My name is Elena Hernandez and I’m calling from Prescott, Arizona.”

“Arizona? Huh, that’s
where I grew up. If you’re not interested in a car, then what can I help you
with?” His tone, friendly when he first came on the line, was now more
cautious.

Even though I had
rehearsed what I was going to say next, the words seemed frozen on my tongue.
The change in his tone concerned me and the potential for him to think I was
nuts increased. This was the one phone call I was allowing myself to make from
work because confirmation of my identity might help convince Frank Jr. that I
was legit.

“Hello?” Frank asked
after a delayed silence.

“I’m still here. Frank, I
want to clarify up front that even though I’m a sheriff’s deputy for Yavapai
County, I’m not calling about any legal issues.”

I heard a sharp intake of
breath followed by a slow, rattling exhalation. “Okay, then what is this all
about? I haven’t been to Arizona in over ten years.”

“I’m calling about your
father.”

This statement was met
with silence with the exception of a flick from a lighter. I pictured Frank Jr.
lighting a cigarette and taking a long drag.

“My father is dead. He died
before I was born.”

“I know. In a car crash
on I-17. Frank, are you familiar with the unusual rescue of a sheriff’s deputy
from a wildfire? This was about five months ago.”

“No.”

This is where I was
afraid things would get tricky. If he had seen the video, it would have made
things so much easier. “I’m just going to come out and say it. Before you hang
the phone up on me, I can email you the video and my credentials.” I glanced
around to make sure none of the other deputies were in ear shot. Leaning
forward with my elbows on the desk, I cupped the phone with one hand and
quietly said, “Your father may have died on the Interstate, but his spirit or
ghost stayed behind. He actually saved my life.”

“Really, lady? Is this
some kind of fucking joke?”

I waited for the click of
a disconnected call, but it never came. Frank Jr. exhaled and I was relieved
smoke couldn’t travel across phone lines. “You didn’t hang up,” I said,
surprised.

“No. Shit, I really don’t
have anything to lose. Send me the stuff.” He gave me his email address and I
typed it in as he read it off. I already had the message ready to go and hit
send.

“It’s on the way.”

There was a squeak in the
background and a roll of a chair. I pivoted in my seat and saw another deputy
had come back to his desk. I turned around so my body blocked any view of my
screen.

“Got it.”

“I’ll stay on the line
while you watch the video.”

“Sure, don’t have any
customers beating down the door.” Frank coughed and I held the phone away from
my ear, grimacing at how wet it sounded.

I could hear the video
playing and knew the moment Frank saw me being carried by an invisible force
when he gasped and whispered, “What the hell?” Seconds later the video came to
an end.

“That’s you?” he asked.

“Yes. You can match it up
with the copy of my id and badge that are attached in the email. My signature
and the email address offer further verification.”

“Wow, I haven’t seen
anything like that before. Well, except in a movie.”

“Trust me the experience
definitely opened my eyes. You can’t see him in the clip, but can you guess who
carried me to safety?”

“My dad?”

“Yes.”

“Holy shit.”

I nodded in agreement and
was pleased that Frank Jr. was still with me. Was I going to be able to
convince him to travel to Arizona and meet his father? I was about to find out.
After taking a steadying breath, I asked him, explaining how Frank Sr. wanted
to meet his son.

“He wants to meet me,
after all of these years? What the hell is that going to do? My life is fucked
up enough as it is. What’s the point?”

“Frank, it’s crazy, I
know. We’re working with a medium trying to get your dad and some other ghosts
to crossover. Your dad wants to meet you. He’s wondered all the years if he had
a son or a daughter. He never knew until a few weeks ago. You might be able to
help him.”

“Why should I? He sure as
hell never helped me.”

“Maybe you both will
benefit. Here’s your chance to say your piece. Many children have lost a parent
and will never have an opportunity like this.” I had attended a weekend seminar
on hostage negotiation techniques and applied some persuasive dialogue. I was
impressed that it actually worked.

Without having to meet in
person, he agreed to travel to Prescott the following Monday. I stared at the
phone long after hanging up, amazed at how easy the conversation went with
Frank Jr. I didn’t know if I was just really convincing or if he had agreed out
of a willingness to latch on to anything that could potentially change the
course of his life. Desperation did cause people to do random and often
impulsive things.

My only hope was that the
two Frank Murphy’s discovered what they needed and both were able to move on.