Of Ash and Spirit_Piper Lancaster Series Read online

  Why had it been easy for me to see the other ghosts? Was it because they had so recently died?

  “Please, Megan,” I whispered. “Talk to me.”

  I opened my eyes and gasped. She was transparent and barely visible, but she was undeniably there—sitting on her bed and staring at something in her hand.

  “Megan,” I said, staring right at her.

  She completely ignored me and started to fade.

  Dammit.

  I remembered Jack saying something about different spiritual planes. What if Megan was stuck in one and I could only catch a glimpse of her? If only I had something to amplify her . . .

  What if . . .

  I glanced over at Rhys, who was standing in the open doorway. “I need the necklace.”

  She blinked in surprise. “The one from this morning?”

  “It’s in my purse. In the car.”

  Hudson took a step forward. “Piper, do you think that’s a good idea?”

  “Does Megan want a necklace?” Nancy asked. “I have some in my room.”

  “No,” I told her with a gentle smile. “She’s just reluctant to talk to me, but I’m hoping she’ll be more open to a conversation if I show her my special necklace.” I shifted my gaze to Hudson. “I have to try.”

  He studied me for a moment before giving a single nod.

  Rhys took off downstairs and I walked around the room, taking in the shelves and photos on the wall. Everything fit with what you’d expect from a teenage girl’s room. It looked like Megan had last been there a few hours ago, not seven years ago. It was obvious Nancy couldn’t let her daughter go. She needed to tell her goodbye so she could move on with her life. But I wanted to give her real closure, not the neat, packaged answers I usually gave.

  Rhys showed up a minute later, out of breath but with the little pouch in her hand.

  “Thanks,” I said quietly as I walked over and took it from her. I dumped the necklace into my left palm, then handed the bag to Rhys and fastened the necklace around my neck. The stone hung at the base of my throat. I spun around, hoping my plan had worked.

  Megan was sitting cross-legged on the bed, looking just as solid as her mother, who stood three feet from her. The open-mouthed look she was giving me suggested she saw me too. “Where did you come from?”

  “Your mother invited me. I’ve been here for about ten minutes.”

  Nancy gasped. “Oh my God.”

  Megan’s eyes filled with fear. “Why do you look different?”

  “Do I? How so?”

  “Clearer,” she said, sounding scared. “Not see-through like everyone else usually looks. Who are you?”

  “I’m a friend of your mom’s. I’m Piper.”

  “She’s really talking to her,” Nancy said. Her knees started to buckle, and Hudson rushed into the room, catching her before she fell. He helped her sit in the rolling office chair at Megan’s desk.

  “Why are you in my room?” Megan asked. Then her eyes widened as her gaze landed on her mother and Hudson. “I can see Momma. Who’s that guy?”

  “That’s my friend Hudson.”

  Her face contorted with sadness. “Why doesn’t my mom talk to me anymore?”

  Shock still radiated through me, but it was easy to see that Megan was miserable. My heart was breaking for her, and staring down at her wasn’t helping anything. I sat on the edge of the bed so I would be eye level. “Your mom can’t see you. Do you know what happened?”

  “Other than the fact I’m grounded to my room?”

  “You think you’re grounded? Do you know why?”

  “Yeah,” she said flippantly, but I could hear the fear in her voice. “Because I crashed Dad’s car.”

  The news reports all said that Megan McNamara had been killed instantly. “Do you know what happened after the accident, Megan?”

  She shook her head, looking confused. “All I know is that I crashed Dad’s car and then I was grounded to my room. And now my mom and dad won’t talk to me anymore.” She started to cry. “I keep telling them I’m sorry, but they ignore me. Mom keeps crying, and Dad won’t even talk to her.”

  “Your mom can’t hear you, Megan. Do you know why?”

  She looked at me with tear-streaked cheeks. “I’m scared to say it.”

  “It’s okay,” I said softly. “Saying it doesn’t make it any more true.”

  “Am I dead?” she asked.

  I nodded.

  She started to cry harder.

  Stay strong, Piper.

  “Your mom misses you very much, which is why she invited me over. She knows you’re here, and she wants my help to talk to you.”

  Megan got excited and climbed up on her knees. “She’ll talk to me now?”

  “Not directly, but I can be like a translator.”

  “But I want to talk to her, not go through you,” Megan said with a pout.

  “And if I knew how to make that happen, I promise you I would do it. This is the best I can offer. I know your mom is eager to talk to you. That’s why she called me.”

  “I do want to talk to you, Megan,” Nancy said through her tears. Her eyes were wild. “Where is she? On the bed?”

  I told Megan to sit on the edge of the bed, then directed Nancy to move the desk chair directly in front of her daughter. I stopped her when her knees were inches from Megan’s.

  I wondered how much to tell Nancy. Ultimately, I decided she deserved the whole truth. If I could talk to my own parents, I wouldn’t want it sugarcoated. I’d want to know everything.

  I got up and sat next to Megan. “Nancy, Megan is sitting in front of you now. She knows she’s dead, but she’s having trouble accepting it. She thinks she’s here because she was grounded for crashing her father’s car. She thought you were ignoring her as punishment.”

  Nancy looked horrified. “No, Megan. No. I miss you so much, baby.” She broke down in tears.

  “I love you, Momma,” Megan said through her own tears. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I said those awful things to you that night.”

  I angled myself sideways. “Nancy, Megan says she’s sorry for the awful things she said that night.”

  Nancy cried even harder, her whole body shaking with sobs, and I wondered if I was doing the right thing. I seemed to be making everything worse.

  I shot a worried glance at Hudson, who looked dumbfounded behind the video camera. Rhys gave me a nod of encouragement.

  “Nancy,” I said, “do you want me to stop?”

  She became panicked. “No! Please don’t stop. It’s just so . . . overwhelming.”

  I could only imagine. I reached over and covered her hand resting on her knee. “There’s no hurry. I’ll stay for just as long as you two need me.”

  Megan swiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. “Tell Momma that I don’t want her to cry. I didn’t mean to upset her.”

  “Your momma loves you very much,” I said, sitting back up. “Some of her tears are happy tears for getting the chance to talk to you. But she’s also worried about you. She just wants to make sure you’re okay. Can you hear her?”

  “Yeah, but it’s like she’s in a well and her voice is echoing.”

  “Do you need me to tell you what she says?”

  Megan shook her head. “I’m catching most of it. If I miss something, I’ll ask you to repeat it.”

  “Okay.”

  “Can I give her a message?” Nancy asked.

  I smiled. “Of course. Megan can hear you.”

  “Okay.” She took a breath to get control. “Megan, I was too harsh with you. I’ve relived that night so many times. I was wrong to get so upset over your algebra grade, especially since I knew it was the best you could do and you’d always been so responsible in the past.” Her voice broke. “You have no idea how sorry I am. I’ve lived with the guilt for seven years, and I would do anything to redo that night.”

  Megan shook her head in disbelief. “You think you’re the reason I had the accident?” She turned to fac
e me. “She thinks it was her fault?”

  I pushed past the lump in my throat. “Megan is surprised you blame yourself for her accident.”

  Nancy sat up straighter and took a breath to settle down. “The police said she crashed into that tree without braking. I thought . . .”

  She’d believed her daughter had committed suicide because of their argument.

  Megan shook her head, getting agitated. The lights in the room flickered. “No, Momma! I went to that party and had a few drinks. I was sleepy, and I shouldn’t have driven, but I was worried I’d get into trouble when I got home. I fell asleep, Momma. I didn’t kill myself.”

  I held Nancy’s gaze and repeated what Megan had said. “She says she fell asleep at the wheel, Nancy. She wants you to know it wasn’t suicide.”

  Nancy broke down and covered her face with her hands.

  “I’m so sorry, Momma,” Megan said. The bed physically shook with her sobs. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Nancy, she wants you to know she’s sorry,” I said. “She’s very sorry.”

  They both cried for a few moments, and I found myself thinking about my own parents again. What would it be like to see them? To communicate with them? My father might have answers I desperately needed, but it would undoubtedly be painful for them to see me. To know I’d grown up without them. Still, I wished I could talk to them anyway.

  I was so lost in thought it took me a moment to realize Megan was saying, “What now?”

  I blinked in surprise. “You mean, what do you do now?”

  She nodded. “Yeah.”

  “I think that depends on what you want,” I said. “You can continue to stay here in your room, or you can move on.”

  “Move on where?”

  I wished I had an answer for that, but I could tell her what little I knew. “There’s another place you can go, but I don’t know anything about it other than that it’s the proverbial light you hear about. I think the real question is if you’re happy here.”

  She stared at her mother.

  “I know you miss your mom, and while she’ll probably still be able to talk to you if you stay, you won’t be able to talk to her.” I gave her an understanding look. “I think you’re lonely, Megan.”

  She nodded. “But Momma . . .”

  I turned to Nancy, who looked devastated. “She wants to leave me,” she wailed.

  “No, Nancy,” I said. “She’s worried about you.”

  “But she’s lonely?”

  I nodded, feeling terrible. I’d just given Nancy back her daughter, and now I was trying to convince her to send her away. “She’s been stuck in this room for seven years with no one to talk to. You could continue to talk to her after I leave, but she won’t be able to respond to you.” I paused. “But you’re right. She’s lonely.”

  “Momma needs me,” Megan said. “I can’t leave her. Tell her I’ll stay.”

  I looked at Nancy. “She says you need her and that she’ll stay for you.”

  “Even though she’s unhappy?”

  My mouth twisted into a sympathetic smile. “She loves you.”

  “I wish I could see her. I wish I could hold her one last time.”

  The lump was back in my throat. Even though I was giving them this opportunity, it still wasn’t enough. Nothing ever could be. “I’m sorry.”

  Nancy shook her head. “No. I’m so grateful for what you’ve given me. And I needed her to hear my apology.” She stared into her daughter’s face, even if she couldn’t see her. “I love you, Megan. All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy and you’re not happy here. You need to move on.”

  A bright white light appeared in the wall behind Megan, and she gasped. “Is that where I’m supposed to go?”

  Even though Austin had mentioned the light this morning, I hadn’t seen it myself, and the feeling of peace flowing from it overwhelmed me.

  “Do you feel it pulling you?” I asked.

  She nodded. “But I want to tell my mom goodbye first.” She tentatively reached out and cupped her mother’s cheek, searching her face. “I want to really look at her one last time.”

  I put my hand on Megan’s shoulder, surprised by how solid she felt, and an electrical jolt zipped through me.

  Nancy’s eyes flew wide and she said in an anxious tone, “I think I can feel her. She’s touching my cheek.”

  “She wants to look at you one last time,” I said. Why was she feeling her now? Was it because I was touching Megan? What would happen if I touched Nancy too? I reached out for Nancy’s knee, and felt energy coursing through me from Megan to Nancy.

  Tears filled Nancy’s eyes. “I do feel her! I feel her hand on my face!”

  The current continued to pulse through me, stealing my breath and my own energy.

  “I love you, Momma,” Megan said through her tears.

  Nancy’s eyes flew wide. “I hear her! I hear my baby!” She leaned forward, excitement filling her voice. “I love you, Megan. I love you, baby. Don’t stay here for me. Go be happy. I’ll see you soon.”

  Megan kissed her mother on the forehead. She stood, ending my contact with her, and the sudden change in the energy flow hit me hard. I fell forward off the edge of the bed onto my knees.

  “Piper!” Rhys called out, but Hudson was already at my side.

  He wrapped an arm around my back. “Piper. Are you okay?”

  I nodded and rose on my knees. “Megan?” I shouted in a panic. I had to make sure she made it to the next plane.

  “I’m here,” she said, her voice sounding faint. She was standing in front of the light and her entire body glowed. “Tell Momma I’m at peace. I can see where I’m going. Tell her it’s beautiful.”

  Then the bright light faded, and Megan was gone.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I was grateful that Hudson was there to help me to my feet, because I wasn’t sure I could have gotten up so quickly on my own.

  Nancy was standing and looking around the room. “Is she still here?”

  “No,” I said. “She crossed over. She wanted me to tell you that she felt at peace. That the place she was going was beautiful.”

  She threw her arms around me and held me tight. “Thank you. Thank you. Melanie said you were good, but I had no idea . . .”

  I knew I should be happy I’d helped Nancy and Megan find the peace they so desperately needed, but I still felt guilty over all my previous cases, the ones where I’d murmured false words of forgiveness and comfort. I’d cheated at least a few people out of the closure these two had gotten, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever forgive myself for it.

  Nancy released me, and when she took a step back, worry crinkled the corners of her eyes. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “This one just wore me out more than others.”

  “Let’s get you downstairs, and I’ll get you a glass of water or some hot tea.”

  What I really wanted was to get out of here and go home, but I knew she hadn’t processed all of this yet—heck, neither had I—and I suspected she’d want to ask me questions. It was part of my job to answer her. To give her the closure she needed. “Just the water will be fine.”

  She hurried down ahead of us as I took tentative steps toward the door.

  “Are you okay?” Rhys asked in a hushed tone, but I could see she was scared.

  “Yeah. I’m just really tired.”

  “We need to get you home,” Hudson said, wrapping an arm around my waist.

  I pushed his hand away. I had to do this on my own. “Not yet. I’m not finished yet. Nancy needs to talk to me.”

  “You’re about to pass out,” Hudson said. “Something’s wrong with you.”

  “No, I’m just tired,” I said. “When I touched them both, it took a lot of energy out of me.”

  “You touched the ghost?” Rhys asked in disbelief.

  “Yeah, but now’s not the time to talk about it. Let’s wait until we leave.”
/>   When I finally reached the bottom of the stairs, Nancy was waiting for me in the large formal living room. A stone fireplace and rich wooden bookcases lined the wall opposite the entrance. There were a few conversation areas set up around the room, but Nancy was sitting in the middle of a leather sofa facing an identical sofa, both of which lined up perpendicular to the fireplace. The room was impressive in a way that indicated Nana probably knew the McNamaras pretty well.

  “Come sit down,” Nancy called out. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I lied. “I think I’ve booked too many appointments too close together. Bridging two spiritual planes is very taxing.”

  “I suppose that’s what you’ve done, isn’t it?” she said. She picked up a pitcher of ice water from a tray on the coffee table between the sofas and began to pour water into one of the four glasses on the tray. “I wasn’t sure if your friends wanted a drink too.”

  Rhys held up her hand as she scooted through the space between the coffee table and the sofa, sitting at the very end. “No. I’m good.”

  I sat down next to her and accepted the glass with a shaky hand.

  “I’m really worried about you,” Nancy said. “My friend Melanie never mentioned that you were physically afflicted by what you do.”

  I offered her a soft smile. “I’m fine. Really. And I would be happy to answer any lingering questions you might have. If I can,” I added. I was done lying to my clients.

  “Was she terribly unhappy?” Nancy asked, holding onto her knees.

  I hesitated. The truth. “She was upset, but her pain wasn’t nearly as long or as painful as your own. You lived with the grief of losing your daughter and thinking you might have played a role in her suicide for seven long years. She did think you were angry with her, but in her plane of existence, it may have only lasted for a matter of days or weeks.” I set my glass on the tray. “Nancy, I assure you, she’s truly at peace now. She was worried about leaving you, but the moment you told her she could leave, the light appeared so that she could.”

  Her eyes widened. “She was stuck here?”

  “Most spirits stay behind because they have unfinished business,” I said. It didn’t feel like I was lying since it seemed to be true. “Some don’t want to leave a loved one behind, which is why Megan considered staying.” I reached over and took her hand. “Please let go of your guilt. Megan loves you. She wants you to be happy. The only reason she considered staying was to make you happy. She would hate if you continue to beat yourself up about this. She wants you to be free.”