Lucy unlocked the door of the Honeybee and disarmed the security system. Jaida shepherded Teddy inside, and the rest of us followed. As she relocked the door behind us, my aunt said she’d start water for tea. I knew she had something soothing in mind for Teddy—probably something with lavender and chamomile.
I hoped she’d bring some for me as well. I’d been expecting an interesting and fun evening with plenty of Savannah history and a sprinkling of ghost lore. I had not been expecting the eerie and ethereal Teddy LaRue, nor her insistence that I was being unceremoniously called to investigate yet another murder.
Maybe this isn’t really a call like the others, because after all, the other cases had some kind of link to the paranormal, even old Mrs. Templeton, who was most likely a witch, even though we didn’t realize it at the time, and this one . . .
Then I realized two things: I was capable of babbling, even to myself, and being contacted via a medium—or whatever Teddy was—by a very recently created ghost from the other side of the mortal veil did, indeed, count as paranormal.
I turned on two lamps in the reading area. They cast a comforting yellow glow along the rows of books and rich fabric of the furniture. Jaida led Teddy to the sofa and sat beside her, while Colette and Bianca squinched into one of the chairs together. I perched on an ottoman, leaving the other chair for Lucy.
“How are you feeling?” Jaida asked.
Teddy took a deep breath and began to rise. “Much better. Please don’t make such a fuss. I’m sorry to be such a bother. I can just—”
“Hush,” Jaida said as she gently pulled her back to the sofa. “Take it easy for a few minutes. You nearly fainted back there.”
Teddy hesitated, then sighed and sank back into the cushions. She was looking at me with a speculative gleam in her eye. She had to be wondering why the ghost thought I could solve its murder.
Lucy bustled up with a tray that held a steaming teapot and mugs for all. “Now, here we go. Chamomile, peppermint, lavender, and just a touch of rosemary. It’ll make you good as new. We’ll let it steep for a bit first, though.”
The young woman offered a small smile. “That’s very kind. Really, though, I’m fine now.”
“No, you’re not,” Colette said in a matter-of-fact tone. “You’re a mess. Are you sick?”
“Colette!” Bianca admonished in a whisper.
I suppressed a smile.
Teddy did not, however. For the first time, a grin broke out on her face, wide and genuine. “No, Colette. I don’t think I’m sick.”
“Then what’s wrong?” Bianca’s daughter leaned forward insistently.
The grin faded. “It’s complicated.”
“You saw a ghost, didn’t you?” Colette asked.
Teddy froze, and the circles under her eyes almost seemed to darken around her hooded gaze. My witchy intuition—or maybe my plain old human empathy—could sense the wave of weariness and sadness coming off Teddy LaRue. There was something else, too.
Loneliness. An intense isolation the likes of which I’d rarely encountered. But I recognized it at once.
Because you used to feel that way, back in the days before you knew who you really were, what your gifts were, or why you never truly belonged anywhere.
Jaida shifted, then seemed to make a decision. “I think you’d better tell the others what you told Katie and me. They’ll understand.”
“Oh, I don’t think so.” Teddy made to get up again.
“You did see a ghost!” Colette exclaimed. Her eyes were wide with delight. “It’s okay. You can tell us. We’re all witches!”
Bianca closed her eyes as if she couldn’t believe her offspring’s behavior. “Oh, Colette.” Her tone was resigned.
I understood her reaction. None of us advertised we were witches. After all, the Honeybee had enough of a reputation since I’d been involved in several local homicide investigations, the first one before we’d even officially opened. Also, we all felt that magic was a private matter. Over time, some people had learned about the spellbook club, but most of them had some connection to magic as well. Bianca’s husband’s betrayal made her even more secretive than the rest of us.
Bianca wasn’t keeping her magic from her daughter, however, and had been actively training her. A flare of envy stabbed through me before I tamped it down. My own parents had kept my magical background from me.
“It’s true,” I said to Teddy. “And if I’m really being called to . . . help this woman you mentioned, they’re going to have to help me.”
The other members of the spellbook club exchanged glances at my mention of being called.
At least I think I am.
I needed to know more.
The young woman looked at Jaida, who squeezed her hand. “It’s your choice.”
Teddy was silent, then took a deep breath, clearly terrified about what she was about to say. “I see dead people.”
A thick silence filled the air for a long moment, until Lucy reached over and patted her hand. “No wonder you’re such a good ghost tour guide. Do they know you?”
Teddy blinked, obviously not prepared for that reaction. “Um, yes. Most do. I’ve known some of the ghosts of Savannah my whole life.”
“Your whole life?” Bianca leaned forward.
“They’re your friends!” Colette pronounced.
Teddy looked rueful. “Well, I wouldn’t say that. More like acquaintances. Some are mean or angry, but it’s not at me. Some are very sad. And some, like little Gracie, are happy spirits.”
“It must be difficult to do the ghost tours,” I said.
“It’s something I’m really good at,” she said. “I mean, the spirits are everywhere. It’s not like I can get away from them. They communicate with me sometimes. The ones on my tour often show up because they know I’m there. The people who take my tour have more otherworldly experiences than on any other tour.”
I looked at Jaida. “You knew what we were in for. You set us up.”
She gave a half smile. “Honestly, the evening didn’t go at all how I expected. I did want you all to meet Teddy, though, and I figured if anyone could roll with whatever the evening brought us, it would be my fellow spellbook club members.”
“Why didn’t you tell us she could see ghosts?” Colette wanted to know.
Jaida tipped her head as she regarded the girl. “That wasn’t my story to tell. It’s Teddy’s, and hers alone.”
Colette bit her lip.
“You understand, honey?” Bianca asked.
She looked up at her mother’s face, only inches away from her own, and said quietly, “Yes.”
“When I was really little,” Teddy said to Colette, “I just thought they were other, stranger people. By the time I was your age, I knew other people couldn’t see them.” She was trying to make Colette feel better for asking so many questions, but that wasn’t all. Her voice was husky. What she was saying was intensely important to her.
“Only you could see them,” I said. “To other people they weren’t real.”
Her haunted eyes met mine, and I had to make an effort not to look away.
“So you were all alone with them,” I whispered. “All this time? No one else knew?”
She shook her head, her eyes shiny. “Not until Jaida.”
My gaze cut to Jaida, but all her attention was on her friend.
“My parents thought it was cute for a while,” Teddy said. “Lots of kids go through a stage where they have imaginary friends. Only mine never went away. So they sent me to therapists, and finally to a psychiatrist who prescribed some heavy-duty drugs.”
“Oh, no,” Lucy breathed, her horror clear.
“It’s okay,” Teddy said in a tone of forced lightness. “I didn’t take them. I mean, I pretended to, and then I said I didn’t see anything I wasn’t supposed to, and everything was fine again.”
I sighed. “Fine for them. Not for you.”
She looked at me with intense hazel eyes and gave the slightest shrug. Then one side of her mouth turned up. “You really believe me, don’t you?”
“Of course we do.” I was firm. “Absolutely.”
A deep breath, and then she nodded. “Well, Katie Lightfoot, that’s good.” She looked at Bianca and Lucy. “Because a new spirit approached me this evening. And by new, I mean brand-new. Like tonight new.” She paused and let that sink in for the others.
“You mean . . . someone who had just died?” Lucy asked in a small voice.
Teddy’s head inclined in affirmation. She opened her mouth to speak, then glanced at Colette and closed it.
Bianca took the hint. She gave Colette a squeeze and said, “Come on, you. It’s a school night and way past your usual bedtime.”
“Mommmmm,” Colette protested. “I want to hear about the new ghost Teddy saw!”
“I’m sure we can find out the details in the morning.” Bianca stood. “We’ve had enough excitement for this evening. Let’s go.”
Colette slumped in the chair, glaring up at her mother. Bianca waited as we all looked on. Locked in a battle of wills, her daughter didn’t seem to even notice she had an audience. Then Bianca slowly raised one eyebrow and cocked her head to the side.
“Fine!” Colette huffed out and jumped to her feet. “But I think it’s rotten that I don’t get to hear the rest of the story.”
“Noted,” Bianca said, her tone mild.
The girl started to march toward the door, then suddenly whirled around and came back to stand in front of Teddy. She threw her arms around the young woman, obviously startling her.
“I’m glad you were our tour guide tonight, even if we didn’t get to finish the tour. And I hope your ghosts are nice to you. They ought to be nice to someone who can really see them.”
“Um, thanks, Colette. I’m super glad we met,” Teddy said.
Colette stepped back. “Sorry we have to go. It’s just because I’m a child. Maybe you could talk to me more about ghosts another time, though?”
Teddy smiled. “Sure.”
Colette sighed. “Okay, Mom. Let’s go.”
Looking bemused, Bianca shook her head and followed her daughter to the door, but not before shooting me a look of commiseration. She’d no doubt figured out what a brand-new spirit might mean, especially given my propensity for getting dragged into homicide investigations.
“I’ll stop by in the morning,” she said.
I nodded.