Read Online Lovely Shadows by Kendra Kilbourn - Free Book Online Page A

to see him hit like an icy fist. I wanted to touch him, to tell him how sorry I was. Dragging myself back to where the Jeep ended its life, I stared at the ground, looking for something that would clue me in to Aidan's claims. I didn't expect a confession letter or anything like that, but just something ... Other than some broken glass, there was nothing in the general vicinity.
    “There's nothing here,” Billie said, still holding my hand. “What exactly are you looking for?”
    “Something that tells me he existed.” I pushed away from her and began searching the grass on my hands and knees. I found rocks, and dirt, and more glass. A textbook, some cigarette butts, several beer bottles, a condom wrapper, and other litter was all we found.
    “Unless he was a garbage man, there's nothing here, Jess,” she repeated.
    “There has to be something!” I shouted. Anything, I'd take anything, that would point me in the right direction.
    “Did you know this guy?”
    “Yeah, I knew him once.” With that, I walked away, leaving the accident behind.

    We drove into downtown Blue Rapids and parked in front of a small cafe. Billie order two iced teas and two slices of apple pie. I took out my list, committing the names to memory. Our blond-haired waitress quickly returned and set our order in front of us.
    “Could you please tell me what time it is?” I asked her.
    “Two o' clock, dear,” she said.
    “Thanks.” I returned to the paper. Aidan and I narrowed the suspects down to twenty or thirty. Of course, I knew nothing about any of these people; Aidan himself didn't seem convinced that any of them were the culprit. Still, we had to start somewhere. Might as well be among people he knew.
    Billie snatched the sheet from me.
    “Larry Miller, Paul Smith, Jackson Marks, Darren Foster...Who are these guys?”
    “Nobody.” How could I explain this? Like she'd understand the dead guy I'm in love with helped make this list. Sure...Then again, maybe it was time to let Billie in on the secret. After all, the more people working on this the better, considering I had no clue when or if Aidan was coming back.
    “If I told you something, would you promise not to tell anyone, including Luke?”
    “What about Levi?”
    I shook my head.
    “Wow, this is deep. Okay, I promise.”
    “Billie, I'm serious. This isn't one of those I've-got-something-you-don't-know secrets. This is more like I-have-no-problem-killing-you-if-you-tell-a-soul.”
    Her eyes widened. “You are serious. Jess, you have my word. Not a soul; if I tell, I'll kill myself.”
    Taking a deep breath, I explained everything, starting with the first time I saw Aidan's shadow. For once, Billie kept her mouth shut. I left nothing out, not even what happened in my bedroom the night before. I blushed as I quickly recounted the experience. Normally, I was against kissing and telling but somehow every detail seemed crucial. When I finished, the waitress had refilled our drinks twice and carted away our empty dishes. Billie said nothing for what seemed like forever. When she finally did speak, I was blown away.
    “Jessa, you're not crazy. You see ghosts, I have visions. Maybe we're more alike than we thought.”
    “What do you mean you have visions?” I asked, slightly stunned.
    She tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I have visions of things that might happen. They're not always concrete, but sometimes the details are so accurate it's creepy.”
    “How long has this been going on?”
    “Years.”
    “Years?” I echoed. “Why are you just now telling me?”
    “The same reason you waited to tell me about Aidan.”
    “Wow.” I blew a stray strand of hair out of my face and folded my arms on the table. “So, what kind of visions have you had? I mean, have any of them come true?”
    “A few. Remember when Samantha Bowman broke her foot falling off the bleachers at last year's basketball game?”
    “You saw it happen?”
    “Before it actually did. I was sitting in