Page 64 of Dead End

Ray handed me a box of tissues from the counter. “Now I’m paraphrasing here, but someone once said that it isn’t the desire to stay close to those we love that’s selfish, but if we force them or guilt them into staying for our own comfort … some might argue that crosses a line.”

Great. Ray was throwing my own words of wisdom back in my face. I dabbed at the tears that had gathered in thecorners of my eyes. “You make me sound more mature than I am.”

His chuckle was tinged with relief. “That’s the real reason you want me to stay, isn’t it?”

“Of course not. You know why.”

“I love you, too, Lorelei,” Nana Pratt said. “Like you were my own flesh and blood.”

“Mine, too,” Ray said. “And that love will remain with you long after we’ve gone. That’s the beauty of love. It transcends time and space.”

I blew my nose and wiped away the gobs of snot. It didn’t get more inelegant than that. “I love you both so much.”

“Then help us,” Nana Pratt said softly. “Now that we’re brave enough to do what we should’ve done the day you arrived here, let us go.”

Ray’s paraphrase reminded me of Lucifer’s first trial, the one that required me to slay the cursed Kumbhakara. During the pivotal moment, I’d told myself that it was selfish to keep the monster alive for the sake of my own discomfort. I had to let him go, and as difficult as it was, I did.

Tears stung my eyes. “I’ll release you, if that’s what you really want.”

Ray gave a quick nod. “It is.”

“Would it be too much to ask for a group hug?”

Their arms were around me before I could move. I pressed against them both, wishing I could inhale their scents to remember them by. I’d have to rely on my other senses for memories.

They were ghosts, incorporeal but not immaterial. Despite their insubstantial nature, they’d been my anchors in this world. They’d kept me grounded. Made me feel safe at a time when I might’ve otherwise felt like I was falling from the highest mountaintop in the Poconos.

“How do you want to handle this?” I asked. “Should I call Renee?”

Ray nodded. “I was hoping to leave before they did anyway, so this works out.”

“Do you want them here when you cross over?”

“If you don’t mind.”

“Ashley and Steven, too,” Nana Pratt chimed in.

“Of course.” I didn’t have the luxury of time. If The Corporation turned up at the crucial moment, the ghosts would be stuck here forever.

CHAPTER TEN

Alicia was my first call.“I need to talk to you about something important. Can you and your mom come to the Castle today?”

“Is Grampa okay?”

“He’s fine, but he’d like you to come as soon as possible.”

“Hold on.” I heard a muffled sound as Alicia spoke to her mother away from the phone. “Mom says traffic out of the city is bad. We can be there in an hour and a half.”

“We’ll be waiting.” I hung up and called Ashley next. She asked no questions and agreed to arrive at the house with Steven at the same time as Alicia. I wondered whether she sensed what was about to go down.

“What do we do now?” Nana Pratt asked.

“Spend time in your favorite spots around the house or in the yard.” I figured Nana Pratt would make a beeline for the garden, and I wasn’t wrong. Ray chose the rocking chair on the porch.

“I thought you’d choose the library,” I said.

He kept his gaze on downtown Fairhaven at the bottomof the hill. “I didn’t build that for me, Lorelei. I built it for you.”

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