Read Online 44: Book Six by Jools Sinclair - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jools Sinclair
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hadn’t noticed before. Christmas lights strung over the door of the small wine shop. And something written in large white handwriting on the window. “All bottles of Syrah half off until 12/24.”
Suddenly I could feel the eyes on me again. I looked around, but no one was there.
I walked up to the dying young woman on the ground, her legs and long light hair spread out around her. The familiar church bell rang in the distance. I tried to keep count. One, two, three. I watched as her eyes stared up. Her chest barely moving. I dropped down beside her.
“You’ll be okay,” I said, knowing it was a lie.
No one could lose that much blood and live.
Four.Five. Six.
The eyes were still on me. If it was her killer, I had to be strong. I had to turn and see who it was. I forced myself to look behind me.
And I saw.
It was the ghost, coming toward me. I could feel the cold coming off of her.
At that moment I heard the bells, still ringing one right after the other with barely a pause in between. Too fast, too loud. I lost count. But I felt a strange calmness.
I stood up and looked at the ghost and the body on the ground. And then I understood. I saw the obvious similarities. But for the first time, I saw the differences.
They weren’t the same.
They weren’t the same at all.
“Save her,” the ghost whispered through the snowflakes falling between us.
“Save her.”
***
I couldn’t get back to sleep after that.
While I waited up for Kate in the living room, I turned on the TV. I stopped at an old favorite, The Third Man . Harry Lime was smiling slyly over at Holly Martins, trying to decide whether to push his old friend out of the cage as they rode high above Vienna in a Ferris wheel.
When Kate got home just past one, I could tell she had been crying.
She was too upset to pretend everything was all right.
There had been some layoffs at the paper.
“But they didn’t fire you, right?” was all I could say.
She shook her head slowly.
“No,” she said, her voice cracking. “I think I’m safe, for now. But they cut six people, including Tony and Daniel, that photographer who helped us that time. I don’t know why but we didn’t see it coming. It was a real bloodbath.”
I made her some tea, mixing a long sigh of relief with the steam. I couldn’t imagine Kate not working at The Bugler . It was more than what she did. It was who she was.
I took the tea out to her in the living room and squeezed her hand.
“It’ll be all right,” I said. “You’ll see. They can’t fire you. You’re their best reporter.”
“Thanks,” she said, blowing in her cup. “But it’s not about that. Who knows, maybe the whole paper will go under. They used to count on the real estate revenue to support it, but with the economy, that’s all dried up.”
I hadn’t ever given that a thought.
“Whatever happens, you’ll be okay,” I said. “I’m not the only survivor in this family.”
She smiled, but looked away.
“Anything new on the ghost front?” she said, her eyes small and streaked with veins.
“Not really,” I said. “You should get to bed.”
“That’s the best idea I’ve heard all day.”
***
I stared up at the ceiling, thinking about how selfish I’d been. I had sensed something was going on with Kate recently, but I was too consumed with my own little life to ask about her problems.
I decided I would do my best from now on to ease Kate’s burden. I’d hold back on the ghost stuff. I knew she wanted to know, but it was wrong. It was my problem. Kate had the newspaper. I had ghosts. We could talk about our days in the superficial way that normal people do, but that would be all.
I also decided I needed to push Kate out the door. She would resist the idea. But I needed to win this fight. She needed to follow her dream of working for a big city newspaper or a major television network. I was holding her back. She had stayed in Bend all this time because of me. She had
Suddenly I could feel the eyes on me again. I looked around, but no one was there.
I walked up to the dying young woman on the ground, her legs and long light hair spread out around her. The familiar church bell rang in the distance. I tried to keep count. One, two, three. I watched as her eyes stared up. Her chest barely moving. I dropped down beside her.
“You’ll be okay,” I said, knowing it was a lie.
No one could lose that much blood and live.
Four.Five. Six.
The eyes were still on me. If it was her killer, I had to be strong. I had to turn and see who it was. I forced myself to look behind me.
And I saw.
It was the ghost, coming toward me. I could feel the cold coming off of her.
At that moment I heard the bells, still ringing one right after the other with barely a pause in between. Too fast, too loud. I lost count. But I felt a strange calmness.
I stood up and looked at the ghost and the body on the ground. And then I understood. I saw the obvious similarities. But for the first time, I saw the differences.
They weren’t the same.
They weren’t the same at all.
“Save her,” the ghost whispered through the snowflakes falling between us.
“Save her.”
***
I couldn’t get back to sleep after that.
While I waited up for Kate in the living room, I turned on the TV. I stopped at an old favorite, The Third Man . Harry Lime was smiling slyly over at Holly Martins, trying to decide whether to push his old friend out of the cage as they rode high above Vienna in a Ferris wheel.
When Kate got home just past one, I could tell she had been crying.
She was too upset to pretend everything was all right.
There had been some layoffs at the paper.
“But they didn’t fire you, right?” was all I could say.
She shook her head slowly.
“No,” she said, her voice cracking. “I think I’m safe, for now. But they cut six people, including Tony and Daniel, that photographer who helped us that time. I don’t know why but we didn’t see it coming. It was a real bloodbath.”
I made her some tea, mixing a long sigh of relief with the steam. I couldn’t imagine Kate not working at The Bugler . It was more than what she did. It was who she was.
I took the tea out to her in the living room and squeezed her hand.
“It’ll be all right,” I said. “You’ll see. They can’t fire you. You’re their best reporter.”
“Thanks,” she said, blowing in her cup. “But it’s not about that. Who knows, maybe the whole paper will go under. They used to count on the real estate revenue to support it, but with the economy, that’s all dried up.”
I hadn’t ever given that a thought.
“Whatever happens, you’ll be okay,” I said. “I’m not the only survivor in this family.”
She smiled, but looked away.
“Anything new on the ghost front?” she said, her eyes small and streaked with veins.
“Not really,” I said. “You should get to bed.”
“That’s the best idea I’ve heard all day.”
***
I stared up at the ceiling, thinking about how selfish I’d been. I had sensed something was going on with Kate recently, but I was too consumed with my own little life to ask about her problems.
I decided I would do my best from now on to ease Kate’s burden. I’d hold back on the ghost stuff. I knew she wanted to know, but it was wrong. It was my problem. Kate had the newspaper. I had ghosts. We could talk about our days in the superficial way that normal people do, but that would be all.
I also decided I needed to push Kate out the door. She would resist the idea. But I needed to win this fight. She needed to follow her dream of working for a big city newspaper or a major television network. I was holding her back. She had stayed in Bend all this time because of me. She had
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