Page 82 of The House on Prytania
I stared after her, frowning. “Jolene never asks for help in the kitchen. That is strictly her domain.”
Cooper draped his arm around me. “Maybe she wants us to have some quiet time together.”
“Hmm,” I muttered, not really listening, my gaze drifting to the telephone on the desk. I wasn’t surprised that it was no longer in the drawer where I’d put it.
Cooper sat up. “What are you thinking?”
I faced him, silently staring until his last words sank in. “I’m thinking about unfinished business, and making sure final messages are passed along. I’ve discovered that a person doesn’t have to be psychic to get a phone call from a dead person. Maybe it’s easier to understand it if there’s a psychic connection, but it’s not impossible if there’s not.”
“So you’re wondering why no one has called Sunny.”
I nodded. “I think that’s what’s bothering me. I mean, Adele is around, and Sunny’s adoptive parents were taken suddenly. You’d think at least one of them would have a final word for their beloved daughter, right? And this phone is very active.”
“But, as Sarah said, there isn’t a rule book. How spirits behave is probably as unpredictable as how they acted in life.” Cooper stood and walked over to where the phone sat on the corner of the desk, the unplugged cord dangling over the side. He picked up the receiver and held it to his ear before hanging it up again. “No dial tone. No surprise there.”
He had almost reached me before the phone rang, the sound glaringly loud in the quiet apartment, the second ring accompanied by a bark from Mardi. Sarah ran out of the kitchen. “Is that the phone?”
I was surprised that she knew what it was until I remembered that Melanie kept a landline phone in her bedroom and Sarah had undoubtedly heard it dozens of times. “It is, but I wouldn’t...”
Ignoring me, Sarah answered the phone. Her head jerked in my direction, her eyes wide. I moved toward her, hearing the vile breathing on the other end of the line as every hair on my body tingled with electricity.
“Sarah?”
Her eyes rolled back in her head, two white marbles staring back at me. A dark, shimmering mist exploded from the receiver and my sister screamed, the sound like that of a trapped wild animal. The handset slipped to the floor as a hundred different voices shrieked from the phone in various bouts of agony.
Cooper quickly grabbed the receiver from the floor and slammed it into the cradle. All was silent except for the myriad echoing screams that wouldn’t completely go away.
I gathered a sobbing Sarah into my arms and looked up as Jolene reappeared in the kitchen doorway.
“From all that caterwauling in here I’m guessing that either Alabama just lost to Auburn or you’ve dialed into a portal to hell. Either way, I hope it’s given y’all an appetite, because I’ve got a mess of spaghetti that’s enough to feed an army, and the only excuse I’m accepting for refusing to eat is if your jaw’s wired shut or you’ve gone on ahead and died on me. There’s no wallowing on my watch, and you’re going to need your strength to tackle whatever on God’s green earth that was.” She jutted her chin in the direction of the phone. “So come on and get it before they call back.”
CHAPTER 27
I pedaled down Broadway toward Audubon Park, watching out for carelessly flung-open doors of cars parked against the curb and for vehicles on the road swerving around potholes without their drivers looking first.
My utilitarian bike with the floral basket hooked on the handlebars looked out of place among the ten-speed racers ridden by the coeds zipping past me on their way to class, but when Sam had asked me if I’d like to borrow hers, I’d declined. I’d wanted the comfort of the familiar, regardless of how it might look to strangers. Or Michael. The hardest part had been getting the bike to my uptown apartment. Beau had happily volunteered to put it in his truck, but then had made me drive. All I could say about the journey from the Marigny to Broadway was that my hands still felt stiff from gripping the steering wheel, and there were at least three dog walkers and two joggers who would have nightmares for days.
I met Michael at the fountain near the St. Charles Avenue entrance. I was glad for the barrier of the bikes; otherwise he might have expected a kiss on the cheek or at least a hug. Regardless of any residual attraction I felt for him, I wanted to dodge any comparisons toJudas and had promised myself to avoid physical contact with Michael. As if that might exonerate me later. I didn’t examine my thoughts too closely; I was afraid they might not stand up to scrutiny. Instead, I pushed them to the back of my mind to consider later. I knew that was a Melanie thing to do, but there were some things, like preparing spreadsheets and organizing drawers, that were absorbed like a type of latent hereditary skill by living for any length of time with someone like my stepmother.
“Good morning,” Michael said. The early sun made his dark hair gleam, and when he smiled, I could have sworn his teeth sparkled. “You look as beautiful as ever.”
He had to have been lying, because Jolene had let me wear my ancient sweats with the holes in the knees and elbows and hadn’t even insisted that I brush my hair before I pulled it back in a plaid Ashley Hall scrunchie I’d worn in high school. She’d allowed me to get as far as the landing before catching up to me with a tube of lipstick.
Knowing I could either waste time arguing with her or just give in right away—since either way, she’d win—I allowed her to put lipstick on my mouth. Despite what Michael might say, I knew a swath of bright pink on my lips wasn’t enough to transform me.
“Thank you,” I said, not bothering to hide my sarcasm.
He smiled even more brightly. “That’s what I love about you, Nola. Your honesty. For the record, I do think you’d be beautiful bald and wearing a potato sack. But the lipstick is a nice touch.” He lifted his foot onto a pedal. “You ready? Let’s take it easy so we can talk.”
I focused on my own foot placement while I grappled with the punch to my stomach at the word “honesty.” Forcing a smile, I began pedaling, following him toward the bike path.
Despite the cooler temps and partly sunny sky, the park wasn’t crowded, allowing us to pedal next to each other at a leisurely pace. “We’re looking forward to your visit to the beach house. My aunt and uncle left today to make sure everything is ready.”
“I’m looking forward to it, too. And I appreciate them allowing my entourage to come with me.”
“I get it. Your sister is only here for a short time. Don’t worry—she’ll have fun. There’s so much to do there. Or nothing at all. Lots of great reading nooks and hammocks. Too cool to water-ski, but the beach is nice to walk on. You know, I’m more than happy to drive you and Sarah myself. There really isn’t a need for Jolene to come just to drive you.”
“It’s too late. I can’t rescind the invitation, or it will hurt her feelings. Unless you want to do it.”
