Page 42 of Stronger Than Blood
"Should we back off? Maybe encourage him to sell the place or something?”
She shook her head. “Oh, honey, no. This isn’t just a haunted house; the entity wants to hurthim. Today, when I stood between it and Mick, I could feel Preston Garrison’s emotions. He sees Mick as the one who got away. As fucked up as it is, he believes Mick belongs to him. He was angry at me for standing between him and Mick. This is one fucked-up ghost,” she said.
“It’s a fucked-up situation in general,” I replied. “I think it’ll do Mick good to get out of here for a while. I mean, Memphis is one of the most haunted towns I’ve been to, but at least those ghosts aren’t trying to kill him.”
She smiled at me. “Yeah, and it’s nice that he’s willing to come help. I’m happy about the sale and excited about my future, but closing a chapter, even when it’s a happy closure, is still difficult.”
I sighed. “Yeah, I’m sad, and I only helped run the place for a year.”
“Try twenty years,” she said. “Anyway, enough of that. I propose driving back to Memphis after your boy finishes his weekend shift. We’ll get everything squared away and maybe go play tourist for a while.”
“Sounds perfect,” I said, feeling happy about having some quality one-on-one time with Mick that didn’t involve dirty, hard work.
Chapter twenty-eight
Mick
Granny Ida was in a foul mood when I arrived. I reached her room as a nurse quickly dashed out and down the hall. She didn’t even acknowledge me as she passed, and I knew Granny had just given her a tongue-lashing.
I felt sorry for the woman. I’d been on the receiving end of that beatdown a couple of times and knew how intense she could be. I knocked on her door, and when I didn’t hear a response, I peeked in. “Is it safe to come in?”
Granny squared me with a look and huffed. “I am not a child or an invalid. What do these people think they are doing, coming in here talking down to me like that?”
“Oh, I’m sure that one won’t make the same mistake again. I swear she was on the verge of tears.”
Granny sighed. “I hate that. I didn’t mean to lay into her so hard, but my goodness, they treat me like I’m a petulant child. I had a stroke, not a time warp. And I’m perfectly sane. No dementia. I even asked the doctor, and he said there was no permanent damage, so why treat me like I’m senile?”
I shrugged. “My guess is they’re just trying to get through their rounds and didn’t think of you as a person but just another patient they have to deal with.”
“And that’s precisely why I need out of here and back home.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I talked to the admin. They said you’re fine to go on palliative care, that you should probably stay for at least another week or two to make sure you’re strong enough to move around on your own without falling, but after that, you’re fine to go.”
She released a labored breath. “Okay, I can’t do anything for two weeks. But, Mick, not a day more. That PT is a bunch of crap anyway. Them forcing my legs this way and that, causing me pain, probably won’t be making me stronger. Letting me go home and work in my garden? Now that would strengthen me up.”
I smiled. “Well, that’s off the table. However,” I quickly said to change the subject, “I have some interesting news.”
I told her about finding Uncle Eddie’s stash, and she just shook her head. “I swear that man has always been trouble. Not that my daddy was much better; he definitely took after him in the drinking department. Not that he was an alcoholic or anything… well, my daddy wasn’t. I’m not sure we can say the same about your uncle.” She was smiling, though. “Oh, he loved his spirits. Did you know…” She proceeded to tell me the same things Madam had said the night before. How Al Capone had come to the area. How her dad had bootlegged up until then. “So, is it gonna get us in trouble with the law?” she asked.
“Nah, Jonah, the attorney, said it’s all perfectly legal now, but some of that stuff might be worth a lot of money. Jonah is coming over to help us figure out what to do. Then, I think if it’s got value, I’m going to move it to a safer place than his abandoned old building.”
She smiled but didn’t respond. Granny Ida didn’t drink, and from what I could tell, she never had much tolerance for it. But I knew she loved the idea of us finding her brother’s stash.
“So, Madam Bellamy thinks she’d like to stay in Uncle Eddie’s apartment after we no longer need her. What do you think?”
Granny cringed. “Ain’t no one gonna want to be up in that pigsty without some significant work. I do declare the man didn’t understand the value of a vacuum cleaner. If I hadn’t been there when he was born, I’d be inclined to believe he wasn’t actually my kin.”
I’d heard her say that before about my uncle, but I also knew she loved him like crazy. His death had taken a toll on her. I remember how sad she’d been. Granny had seen too much loss in her life. Her parents, her sister, her daughter, her husband, her son-in-law, and then her brother. Mom, too, although I don’t know how much of my mom’s insanity bothered her.
Regardless, she remained a beautiful person inside. I’m not sure I could have endured all those losses and felt the same. It just reminded me of how amazing the woman was.
“Oh, before I go, I wanted you to know I’m going to Memphis to pay Rory and Madam Bellamy back for all they’ve done to help out. Madam has sold her business, and I’m going to help her pack up the store.”
Granny gave me a “who’s going to take care of the farm look,” and I smiled. “I’m going to have the Henderson boy come by and till while I’m gone and see if Joann can keep an eye on him while she’s there harvesting all the food."
“That sounds good. I’ve been working with that boy since he was big enough to run that tiller, so I reckon he should be fine with it by now. You gonna be gone long?”
I shook my head. “No, just a few days. I have to be back on the weekend to help Brenda.”
