Gifts of the Ghost

However, Kim was in jail. She couldn’t hurt me now. She was behind bars. It couldn’t be her, and the ghosts of her family didn’t drive cars. That knowledge was the only thing that calmed me down.

When I pulled back onto the highway, I made it to town without further incident.

I studied my surroundings as I pulled into the shop parking lot, looking for anything that seemed suspicious. Still nervous, I didn’t see anyone watching me or paying special attention to my actions. Everything appeared normal for our small town. With a deep breath, I hopped out of my car and did my best impression of someone that wasn’t a Paranoid Patty.

That quickly failed when Shadow trotted alongside my legs, causing me to jump. I shook it off with a chuckle as I hurried into the shop. “Hey, girl, decided not to stay home?”

I had no idea how she got to the shop from home or back so quickly. It had to be something to do with her showing up when Maggie the ghost had. Maybe Shadow had paranormal skills, too. I hadn’t brought her with me, that much I knew. Yet here she was.

The bell on the front door chimed, and Aunt Linda glanced up from where she was working on something behind the counter. She waved. “You were sleeping when I left.”

“I guess I was tired.” Unease filled me, and I liked to stay busy when I was nervous. I chewed my bottom lip, trying to decide which project to tackle first. “We’ve had a lot happening,” I muttered to myself.

“What’s going on?” Aunt Linda asked. “You’re not your normal chipper self.”

“I’m just a bit jittery. Thought I’d been followed by another car, but then I remembered that Kim was in jail.”

“Oh, maybe we should find somebody for you to talk to, or maybe you need some time off?”

“Not right now. I’m fine. See? It’s already going away.” Waving her off, I carried on straightening shelves that would likely get messed up again as the construction workers continued their efforts. But setting the shelves right helped calm me. There was something calming about bringing order to chaos. “Besides, you’re the one who needs time off, Auntie.”

“Oh, honey,” Aunt Linda sympathized with a smile. “You know I can’t do that.” She drummed her fingers on the counter. “Though, that does bring up another subject that we need to talk about: hiring a replacement.”

A flood of negative feelings threatened to overwhelm me. I had trusted Kim. She’d been a close friend, and she’d tried to burn down our homes and our livelihood. I wasn’t sure we were ready to bring someone else into the shop so soon after almost losing our lives.

Aunt Linda must have sensed the growing tension inside me. “We can’t do it all alone. At some point, we’ll have to hire someone. Better to go ahead and rip that band-aid off now, than to let it continue to worry us.”

I sighed. As much as I didn’t like it, she was right. “There are a lot of online orders with the shop being closed for renovations. That would at least give a new employee something we could train them on. I guess we can see if there’s someone that might work out.”

My phone alarm jangled to alert me that it was time to head over to the Jitterbug for our book club meeting.

“I’m going to book club. See you at home, Auntie,” I called as I headed out the door. I was taking an hour for myself. Something I’d barely done in the last few weeks.

The others were all sitting at one of the tables drinking coffee when I arrived, slightly out of breath. “Hi, everyone.”

Laura and Lacy both jumped up and embraced me. Extracting myself from their hug, I returned smiles to the other members as I took a seat at the table with them.

“I’m so glad that you suggested this,” Lacy whispered as she hugged me. “It’s time we got back to our normal routines.”

Happiness filled me, and the sense of paranoia fled. “What are we reading today?”

5

The morning of the trial had arrived. It had only been a week since Don had asked to accompany me to testify. I’d spent it making videos, helping at the shop, and trying not to be completely nervous about court.

Shadow followed me from room to room as I tried to get ready. With how attentive she’d been, I kept expecting to see Maggie pop up as they seemed to be connected. But Maggie hadn’t appeared since she’d told me to check my emails.

Rough was the only word for how my morning had gone so far. The coffee had gone down the front of my shirt instead of into my mouth. My hair had refused to cooperate, and I’d sneezed in the middle of trying to do eyeliner and got wild with the mascara wand on the follow-up, so I’d had to redo my makeup twice.

The new shoes I’d been saving for a special occasion pinched my toes. I regretted not taking the time to break them in before wearing them to the trial. None of the other pairs would work with the outfit I had chosen, the most professional look in my closet. Besides, my current look had been pressed. Half of everything else had wax bits or dye splatters and everything else needed to take their turn at the dry cleaners.

And now the sleeves of the outfit I’d chosen didn’t cover the last bit of burn on my arm. Instead, it felt like everyone in the courtroom would be staring at the wax burn on the chandler’s arm.

Dread had been growing in the pit of my stomach with each new problem, and everything was going wrong this morning. Was this a series of omens, telling me testifying was a terrible idea?

I shrugged as the doorbell sounded. Not much I could do to change things now. I’d agreed to do it, and my ride was here.

Rather than his usual work uniform, Don stood dressed in a smart blue suit when I opened the door. His shoulders filled the jacket, and the trousers hugged his waist. He looked so handsome, and his relaxed grin helped relieve some of the butterflies in my stomach.

“Hey there.” Don beamed at me, but he didn’t come inside. His expression turned more solemn. “Are you ready for this?”

“Yes,” I answered automatically, even though I was anything but ready.

The corners of his mouth tipped down, and his gaze narrowed. “You look a little like you need one of those little bags from the airplane. You know which ones I mean?”

“I’m not used to this,” I said. He was trying to make a joke, but it didn’t help.

“Oh, you’ll do well, Mags,” he said. “And you look amazing.”

I rolled my shoulders to release some of the tension. Then I noticed that Maggie hovered right behind him on the porch. She was solemn, and I couldn’t help worrying that something was wrong. She rarely turned up unless she thought I needed help. And she was usually right. Whatever stress I’d managed to dispel snapped right back.

“Let’s get this over with,” I said, grabbing my coat and purse from the entryway before locking the door and setting the alarm.

Don escorted me to his truck, doing his best to give me space, but his closeness let me know he was here for me if I needed him.

We rode in silence, which felt comfortable, not awkward. His radio played, but the volume was so low I couldn’t make out any lyrics or even the music. There wasn’t a need to chatter away, but as we got closer to the courthouse, the more doubt began to creep into my mind.

“How do you think the case is going to go?” I twisted my hands in my lap, nervous I was going to mess things up. “I’ve never been questioned before. Shoot, I’ve never even been on a jury before.”

“Most people haven’t had to testify before.” He chuckled. “Movies make it seem really intense and like there’s going to be this big emotional roller coaster. It’s not. It won’t be nearly as bad as you’ve imagined it to be. You aren’t the person on trial. They’re using your testimony to establish a full record of what’s happened. They’ll ask some questions to be certain your statement is the truth. It’s to clarify any small details that are needed to assure that Kim is convicted.”

He glanced at me as he came to a stop at an intersection. The sound of his blinker seemed loud in the near-total quiet. “A first-hand account goes a lot further than just hearsay. They’ll want to hear what happened in your own words with all the details. Then they’ll be able to find her guilty and give her a proper sentence.”

He made it sound so cut and dry. Nothing like I was imagining with drama and lots of yelled objections. “I can’t thank you enough for bringing me. It’s been a huge relief knowing that I had your support from the beginning on this.”

“It’s absolutely not a problem,” Don said, reaching a hand up to rub the back of his neck. “I’m just happy that I could be here when you needed me.”

He pulled into the courthouse parking lot, and nerves made me fall silent again, my brief respite from stress disappearing.

I let myself out. When Don came around to walk with me, his hand went toward the middle of my back to steer me in the right direction. At his touch, my thoughts went to Wes. My nerves flared, and I couldn’t help but wonder if I should have brought Wes with me instead. I liked Don. He was very nice, handsome, and had been a huge support through this ordeal. Yet my mind kept drifting back to Wes, my British vet.

Don kept us moving toward the courtroom, staying on the right side of me. Maggie appeared on my left.

“Thank you,” I mouthed to her with a smile, turning my head so Don couldn’t see me talking to thin air. Maggie nodded and kept up as we headed to the correct courtroom.

I filled my lungs with a deep breath to steady myself.

“It’s going to be okay,” Don said as he gave me a reassuring smile. “We’ll get you through this safe and sound. You’ll see. You won’t even have to yell something like ‘You can’t handle the truth.’”

A tight smile crossed my lips.

We passed easily through security and down silent halls to a large wooden door. A tall man in a police uniform opened the door to reveal another door. Making our way through the second door, we found ourselves in a mostly empty courtroom. Just a handful of people observed from the crowd, situated on long benches. Several of them looked to be there on other business. But of the few people there, I did recognize the local shop owners, my friends, all sitting together.

A lump lodged in my throat, and I had to steady myself on the closest railing before I could let Don show me to a seat near the front. It was incredibly kind that they’d all come to support me. The knot of nerves lessened just a little, and a smile brightened my face as I took a seat.

The side door opened and with it, a chill swept across me. I’d started to think I was going to be okay when the bailiff brought Kim into the courtroom.

My body responded to her presence in the same room as mine. Each of my breaths became labored, and I couldn’t get warm. I rubbed my hands together, trying to be inconspicuous, and I bit down to keep my teeth from chattering. Was this a psychological or paranormal response?

Don slid an arm around my shoulders as we all were instructed to rise as the judge entered the room.

The courtroom proceedings began, but I zoned out. Everything ran through my head as I tried to keep it all straight. Stressed out, I couldn’t concentrate on anything the court officials were saying.

“Margaret McAllister, please approach.” Oh, double Scotch Bonnet. That’s me.

Don stood when I did. “Good luck,” he whispered in my ear, the words of encouragement giving me a slight boost of courage. “I’ll be here when it’s over.”

I glanced at Kim as I made my way to the stand. She studied her hands in her lap. Her face was so forlorn, and she seemed sad. Every part of her drooped. Did she feel remorse?

Well, good. I hoped she did. As though she felt my eyes on her, she brought her chin up. Not able to look at her any longer, I avoided meeting her gaze. I couldn’t afford to feel guilty for having her prosecuted. She needed to be held responsible for her actions.

Once on the stand, the bailiff asked me to state my name, raise my right hand, and swear to tell the truth. Then the bailiff told me I could take my seat, and an attorney approached.

“Can you state your name again for the record?”

I gulped and shifted in my seat. “Mags, uh, Margaret McAllister.”

“Margaret,” the prosecutor started. “Do you mind if I call you Maggie?”

I nodded. “Er, Mags, actually. Maggie was my ancestor.” I couldn’t help but glance at her, still seated on the other side of Don, with an empty space saved between them. “I’m Mags.”

Maggie smiled encouragingly, and Don did, too.

“Okay, Mags,” the prosecutor continued. “I know testifying today can bring up some rather painful memories, so if at any time you need to, we can take a moment, okay?”

I nodded, swallowing hard. “Yes.”

“How long have you known Ms. Hough?” the attorney questioned.

“A few years? Um, we met several years ago when she applied to work in our candle shop.” I found myself struggling to remember details and not accidentally say the wrong thing.

The ADA, who seemed like a sheep with the eyes of a lion, smiled. “What about her character? Was she kind? Helpful? A hard worker?”

I nodded. More truths. She’d been a stellar assistant. “Yes, she was a wonderful worker. We never had any issues until that last week when it became obvious that she was trying to sabotage us from delivering some historical documents to a museum.” I twisted the button at the bottom of my shirt to help keep me focused. “There weren’t any signs that she intended to hurt us until she started the fires.”

“So walk me through this timeline,” the ADA said, pulling out a copy of Don’s report.

For the next few minutes, he asked me about every point in the file. Kim following me, the fires, the documents. Everything.

“How were you able to put the pieces together, Mags?” he asked after finishing Don’s report.

“There was a fire in the shop, and we couldn’t figure out why someone would want to do that to our business. Then there were several attempts to break into my home, which caused me to go stay with my aunt.”

I basically recounted what the attorney had just read from the report, but emotion filled my voice. I fought to keep tears from my eyes. Deep breaths helped me focus, and I tried not to look at Kim as I explained how I’d found the papers in the attic. “The only person I’d told was Aunt Linda, and she’d been at the shop. Kim was the only one in the store at the time. Thankfully, I’d put the papers in my bag when I raced out. Otherwise, I would have been in the house when it caught on fire.” I shuddered at the memory.

Kim would’ve happily and easily killed me for those stupid papers that hadn’t had much of an impact on anything. There’d been no big news articles, no explosive confessions in the tabloids. Nobody cared that some random Revolutionary War general, mentioned in the papers, had been a bad man.

I took a shaky breath and gripped the railing in front of me. My gaze strayed to the burn on my arm. I lifted my chin, my heart still thumping heavily in my chest. “When I confronted Kim with my suspicions, she confessed to being behind the whole thing—the fires, everything. It had all been to give her a chance to find the papers and destroy them before we could make them public.”

The ADA steepled his hands and bowed his head. “Thank you, Mags, for your willing testimony. If the defense has no further questions, then I ask that the witness be dismissed.” The ADA turned to give them a chance to protest. My glance strayed to the person I had been trying to avoid.

Kim mouthed, “I’m sorry.”

Remorse, regret, and guilt… All the things I wanted her to feel seemed to play across her face. It startled me, and I didn’t know what to do.

“Actually,” the defense attorney said, standing from his seat. “I’d like to cross-examine.”

The judge nodded his assent, and my blood ran cold. In all the talks we’d had, the prosecutor had made it seem like they wouldn’t want to risk asking more questions.

“According to your testimony, you said that Kim was an ideal employee, correct?” He practically oozed snake venom.

“Y-Yes,” I said. “But—”

“And when Chief Oswald interviewed you about the fire in your store, do you remember what you told him?”

“I mentioned that I’d done a candle making demonstration for some customers before, but—”

“And did you tell the Chief that you couldn’t remember the condition of your candles at the time of the fire?”

“Well, I—”

“In fact, according to Chief Oswald’s report, you said… And I quote, ‘I have been a little in my head today.'”

“Yes, but—"

“And did you see Kim, your admittedly excellent worker, set the fire or act in a way that was negligent in the handling of hazardous materials when the fire started?”

“No, Kim was working then.”

“Thank you, Miss McAllister. No further questions, Your Honor.”

My mouth opened and closed a few times like a fish struggling to breathe out of water. I felt dizzy like I was falling. Maybe I did need one of those air sickness bags Dom had suggested.

“You may step down, Miss McAllister,” the judge ordered. It all sounded so official. So much for testifying being boring and not like the movies where actors screamed at one another about not being able to handle the truth.

My temper began to rise, and I could practically feel the steam coming out of my ears. Kim had just apologized to me. Why? Because apparently, her defense was going to be to try to pin everything on me. Double-double Scotch Bonnet. I clamped my lips closed, crossed my arms, and tried to keep my ire off my face. When I glanced at Don for reassurance, he stood and placed a hand on my shoulder, guiding me out of the courtroom.

“It’s a foolish gambit for her attorney to take. There’s plenty of factual evidence tying Kim to her crimes,” he whispered to me. “You’re not going crazy. I promise. Give it time and the ADA will make sure she pays for her crimes.”

Anger poured off me in waves, and I wasn’t sure I could calm down. How dare she nearly murder my aunt, burn down our property, and then try to drag me under the bus.

“I’m testifying after lunch,” Don said as I propped myself against a wall. “I’ll set the record straight about what happened and how Kim was involved.”

6

Don glanced at his watch to ensure that he had enough time to make it back before recess was over. “Would you like for me to drive you home?”

I considered bailing on the proceedings. But, no, angry or not, I’d be on tenterhooks waiting to see the outcome. “No, thank you. I need to stay and see this through.”