Page 44 of Ghostly Bother
"The best way to explain it to a living person is, have you ever held your hands close together, palms facing each other about an inch apart, and moved them in circles? Some can feel an energy between their hands. As ghosts, that energy is what we're made of. Betty and I are learning to control that energy better so we can use it to our advantage. So far, we can't do much more than push each other back." Ray held his palms up, facing each other, and started to circle them.
"But as you witnessed today at the morgue, it comes in handy." Betty smiled at Eden. "I didn't stop her from annoying us, but I was able to push her away so that next time she decides to try and walk through me, she might reconsider."
Lance wanted to ask Betty more about being able to push Eden into the light, but he didn't want to do that with Eden sitting right there. He never dreamed he'd hate a ghost enough to consider forcing them into the light, but he was past that point with Eden. If she didn't go away soon, he might start researching ways to rid himself of a ghost. He was pretty sure that if there was a way to get rid of one, Ray would already know about it and would have suggested it.
The microwave dinged and he pulled his food out, setting it on the counter to cool. "Interesting, though I'm not sure what good you can really do with it. I mean, Betty let her anger be known by pushing Eden when she walked through her, but other than that…" Lance let the sentence hang.
"You're right. There isn't much we can do with it. But it was interesting to learn we could do it. The next time I meet someone who's been dead longer than me, I'm going to see if they're stronger than I am. Test the theory that the longer you've been a ghost, the stronger you are." Ray stood. "Bethany and I are going to head over to Lizzy's and give them an update on what we learned today. You okay with us leaving?"
"I want to know what you learned. I'm going with you," Eden said, then paused. "Wait, if you're going over there to talk to someone, does that mean there's someone there who can hear you?"
Betty groaned.
"She didn't know?" Bethany put her hand over her mouth.
"Nope. Don't worry about it. Eden's not the first annoying ghost we've come across." Betty smiled.
"No, we won't go. We're not going to be the ones to lead Eden to others." Ray sat back down.
"There are others who can see and hear me? I knew there had to be. Who is it?" Eden appeared to clap her hands with excitement.
Betty sighed. "Of course there are others. We've warned everyone to avoid you. Told them what a nuisance you are. Did you really think Lance was one of a kind?"
"No, but I hadn't seen anyone else notice me." Eden frowned. "Have I met them? Did they really just ignore me?"
Lance grabbed his food and sat down at the table, wondering how his life got so crazy. He was very curious what news Ray and Bethany had gotten today, but there was no way he was going to discuss anything concerning Eden while she was around. Curious or not, he was done dealing with her and her murder.
"Don't worry about others. Your focus should be on helping us figure out who killed you. From what we heard today, the audit report names several of the companies who bribed you and your office for contracts. I don't see why you're still worried about giving the police more information. It's all going to unravel anyway. It would just be quicker if you helped."
"I don't think any of them would kill me. I mean, what reason would they have? The contracts they got were worth millions of dollars sometimes. Killing me would lose them money in the long run." Eden sighed. "You just don't understand."
"And those who you ignored or refused to accept bribes from?" Ray asked.
"People I didn't trust or who I knew did subpar work. I wanted the best for our city. I wasn't going to accept bribes from companies who didn't meet the standards. Even without the bribes, most of the other companies often failed inspections." Eden shook her head. "I personally don't think any of the business owners would risk their career by murdering me."
"Okay, what about your personal life? We know you were having an affair recently. Were you seeing anyone since Wickman was arrested?" Betty asked.
"No. Of course not. Wickman and I had plans. We were going to be together. I just had to time things right. I planned on divorcing Michael, but then Mel got arrested. Stupid fool. We had a good thing. I had no clue he was so violent. He never laid a hand on me. Once he was out of the picture, I figured I might as well stay with Michael." Eden shrugged.
"Then you found out you were pregnant?" Betty asked.
"About a week after Mel's arrest. I was horrified. I thought about an abortion but then felt guilty. This would be the only child Mel would have, and I didn't think I could go through an abortion, even to protect my marriage. I was trying to figure out how to tell Michael. Guess it doesn't matter now." Eden sighed. "He was going to divorce me anyway."
"Did anyone know about Mel or your pregnancy?" Bethany asked.
Eden sat quietly for a moment, then nodded. "My sister knew. I told her a few weeks ago. She'd known about Mel for a few months, but I finally confided in her about the pregnancy, hoping she'd help me figure out how to tell Michael."
"She didn't?" Bethany asked.
"No," Eden said. "She was mad at me. Said I was irresponsible and that a pregnancy would ruin my career. I don't know why she was so upset. She tried to push me to get an abortion, but by that point, I was already about four months along. I was already attached to the baby." Eden pressed her palm to her stomach. She turned to Betty. "Do you know if when we died if my baby had a soul and went into that light?"
Betty shook her head. "I don't know. I've never been around when someone pregnant has died to witness if I see a soul leave the body. How about you, Ray? Do you know?"
Ray shook his head. "I've never even thought about it. I haven't witnessed anything. I do know that babies and youngerkids usually go directly into the light. I've known a few kids to stick around, but very few. Never babies."
Everyone sat silent as they thought about that. Lance had often wondered if children stuck around. He'd never seen any. Wasn't sure he wanted to. It was hard enough seeing them at the morgue, but to actually talk to them about their death and what caused it wasn't something he looked forward to.
He quietly finished his meal before standing up, putting his container in the trash, and rinsing off his fork. "I'm going to go start that letter to Jackson. I might not be back out tonight."
