Addison drove away from the manor with more questions than answers. What were the eerie whispers of warning when she’d arrived? Who was the woman in the window? Why did Cecilia Belle look so frail? Why did it seem she was being held captive in her own house? And who was the grumpy man she’d just encountered? Whatever secrets lingered within Belle Manor, it was clear Sara was just the beginning.
Addison located the front gate at the end of the driveway and gasped. It was open, just like it had been when she’d driven through minutes before, only this time a woman hovered next to it, staring at Addison like she had expected her arrival.
It was Josephine, the woman Addison had met in the supermarket. Addison pulled the car to the side of the road, put her window down, and said, “Josephine? What are you doing here?”
“Waiting for you,” Josephine said. “How’s Amara Jane?”
“She’s perfect.”
Josephine pressed her hands together like she intended to pray and said, “I knew she would be. Haven’t got her with you now, do you? I was hoping I’d get the chance to see her.”
Addison shook her head. “She’s at home with her father.”
Josephine smiled. “I see. Another time, perhaps.”
“When I saw you in the supermarket, I thought you were ... I mean ... I can sometimes tell the difference between those who are living and those who are ... well ...”
“Dead? It’s all right. You can say it. I’m well aware of my condition.”
“Sometimes people aren’t.”
“Not me. I was deader than a hog in a slaughterhouse last time I checked.”
“When did you pass away?” Addison asked.
“Been some time, I imagine. I’ve lost track of just how long. It all blends together now. Day. Night. Time. Hard to tell the difference.”
“There was something I wanted to ask you if we met again,” Addison said.
“All right. Shoot.”
“How did you know I’d be able to communicate with you in the grocery store that day?”
Josephine shrugged. “Guess you could say your daughter told me.”
“I don’t understand,” Addison said. “She wasn’t even born yet. How could she?”
“I’m not sure. All I know is that when you passed me in the aisle, your tummy was all lit up like a firefly under a microscope. I could see your daughter inside of you, and even though it was a bit of a shock, I knew you weren’t like everyone else. You were different. I didn’t know how, but I could tell there was something special about you, something that made you more unique than everyone else. Who are you? Or I guess the better question is, what are you?”
Addison considered the question. “The easiest explanation would be to say I’m an empath. I see things. Sometimes I see the past, and sometimes I see the present. I can communicate with the dead when they’re in need of me, and I have the ability to make things happen sometimes, things which are, well, magical.”
“What do the dead need from you?”
“I help them detach from this world and move on,” Addison said.
“You’re a unique woman, Addison.”
“I guess. It doesn’t always feel that way.”
“I died there, you know, in the grocery store. Had a heart attack on the same aisle you were in when your water broke. Since my death, I’ve been ... well ... I don’t know how to describe it. I’m in a middle place, somewhere between this life and the next. I seem to be stuck here.”
“Any idea why?”
“I’ve resisted moving on, but it’s getting harder and harder for me to stay.” She looked down. “Just look at me. I’m wasting away. Soon there will be nothing left of me at all.”
It was true. Josephine appeared much more translucent than the last time Addison had seen her. Trapped spirits were usually in limbo because of something left unresolved at the time of their death. It seemed Josephine could move on, so why hadn’t she?
“Could you go to the spirit world if you wanted?” Addison asked.
“I’m not sure. Sometimes I leave this place.”
“And go where?”
“I don’t know. Somewhere a lot different.”
“Different, how?”
“It’s radiant. Everything is bright and colorful, and there are animals everywhere. I can understand people’s thoughts without them saying a word.”
“What happens when you’re there?”
“The same thing every time. I walk toward a door. It’s white. It opens, and I see my father on the other side. He grins and says he’s been waiting for me. He reaches out his hand and asks me to come to him so we can be together again.”
“And do you?”
“I don’t. I shake my head and step back. He seems confused. He bows his head, and as the door starts to close, he disappears. Everything around me fades away, and I find myself back here again.”
“Why don’t you stay there?” Addison asked. “Was something left unresolved when you died?”
“It may have been,” she said. “I’ve never been one who needs resolution for what occurred in my own life. When it comes to those I care about, it’s a different matter.”
It was obvious she was hinting at something.
“What can I do for you?”
“All these years, I’ve been waiting. I wasn’t sure why. Now I know I was waiting for you. It all makes sense. You are my way back to Sara.”
“Sara Belle?” Addison said.
She nodded. “Sara is my granddaughter. I believe she’s the reason I’ve struggled to move on.”
“Why”
“Because I can’t forgive myself for what happened on the day she died.”