If Mashed Potatoes Could Dance (23 page)

“Do Jim and Cliff have any strong leads?” Gram asked.

“Not that they would share with me,” I said.

“Well, I stayed around the park as long as I could, and that bag is still there, sitting right where Jake put it.” Sally appeared with her free hand on her hip.

“Sally’s here,” I told Jake. “The bag’s still there.”

“I suppose the police are, too,” Jake said.

“It took me some time to figure out who was who, but yes, they’re still there,” Sally said.

I nodded at Jake.

“Who knows what’ll happen now. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see,” Gram said.

“Miz, did you put the right amount of sugar in that?” Sally asked.

Gram turned slowly and looked at the ghost. “Yes, Sally, it’s fine.”

“Good.”

I laughed.

Jake said, “What’s going on?”

“And did you tell them what we found?” Sally said to me.

“I didn’t yet,” I said.

“What did you find?” Gram asked.

“What’s going on?” Jake said again.

As we ate, I first talked about the details in Edgar O’Brien’s book. Gram was more interested than I thought she’d be, and Jake was always into that sort of thing, even if he’d heard at least some of it before. It had been awhile since he’d looked through Edgar’s notebook and he hadn’t ever read it closely, so he soaked in everything I said.

Sally still hadn’t been able to get inside the Monroe House, and the construction workers were still there but seemed to be doing nothing except guarding the place from trespassers. I admitted that I’d forgotten to ask Cliff about the condemnation notice, but considering everything else, Jake forgave me. We still had a few days and would hopefully be able to talk to the police after they solved the more important crimes.

It was the piece of fabric that proved the most interesting, though. When I told them about it, Jake and Gram had me fetch it immediately. Between the two of them, they had it preserved in a plastic bag before I could even set it down on the butcher block.

“You just had this in your car?” Jake asked. I thought he might cry at my apparent disregard for the find.

“Other things happened. Sorry.”

“This could be something important, Betts,” Gram said. “Good job not just throwing it away.” She was trying to find the positives, but the tone of her voice told me she was as baffled as Jake at the way I’d handled it.

“We’ll have it tested,” Jake said.

“How? What do we tell the police?” I said. “The ghost of Sally Swarthmore told me where to dig to find this piece of fabric that could be part of the dress her sister claimed she saw her burn. Oh, and we’d like to know if that spot is blood and who it belongs to.”

Jake smiled. “We don’t need the police. I can afford to hire a lab to do my bidding. I’ll find out as much as I can.”

“I don’t understand,” Sally said. “What could he find out?”

I told Jake Sally’s question. She wouldn’t comprehend completely, but he said, “I’m sure I can find out if it’s blood. I don’t know if I can find out whose, but I’ll try. I can get a date on the material, probably close to when and even where it was made. Science can uncover many things these days.”

Sally looked at me. I nodded. “Amazing,” she said.

After we ate and cleaned up and it was finally dark outside, I asked them all to follow me.

On our way to the reception area, I turned to Gram. “Remember what I told you about the ghosts becoming more solid if the conditions were right?” She nodded. “I’m about to show you what I mean.”

I’d thought about whether or not it was a good thing to demonstrate what I’d learned with Jerome. Ultimately, my decision came down to one simple fact: I shouldn’t hide anything from Gram, ever.

Gram nodded again. I turned off the master switch to the big floodlight attached to the outside of the school, above the
front doors. I’d seen Jerome become more real even with the light on, but I wanted it as dark as possible.

“Okay, we’re going to go outside,” I said to the curious group behind me.

“Sally’s still here?” Jake asked.

“Yes, this is mostly about her,” I said.

“My favorite subject.” Sally giggled.

It was warm outside but still not miserable. I led the way, the others following closely behind. When we were all out front, I turned around slowly. I’d hoped to see exactly what I saw: Sally had become brighter, more defined, and more dimensional. Gram was looking at her, too. Some light filtered down to us from a streetlamp on the road at the far end of the cemetery. It didn’t do much more than add a creepy milky glow to the tombstones and cast pale shadows around us. It didn’t affect Sally’s transformation.

“I’ll be picked and blistered,” Gram said. It was my least favorite of her sayings.

“You’ve never noticed that before?” I said.

“Never. It’s never happened before, Betts.”

“What’s going on?” Sally and Jake asked in tandem.

“Just a second, Jake. Come here, Gram.” I stood next to Sally.

“Sally, we’re going to touch you and you’re going to feel it. Okay?”

“Really?” She thrust out her ax–free arm. “Please, go right ahead.”

I was suddenly certain that she wasn’t going to try to ax us all to death. If there ever was an opportunity, this was it. She was as close to alive as she was ever going to be in her death, but I felt safe. I hoped I wasn’t being naïve.

I put my hand on her arm, and felt an arm.

“Ooh, Betts, I feel you. How wonderful. Here, Miz, you, too.”

Gram wasn’t scared of anything, but for the first time in a long, long time I thought I saw a grain of doubt in her eyes. This was new to her. This thing, these ghosts who’d been a part of her life for so long, who’d been fairly predictable, had just changed.

“Go on, Gram,” I said.

Sally reached for Gram’s hand and held it. “Miz,” she said. “Oh, Miz, I can’t tell you how much this means to this old dead person.”

Slowly, Gram smiled and looked at Sally. “It’s nice to shake your hand, my friend. It’s very nice.”

I had another idea, but Gram interrupted. She looked at me and said, “Betts, this isn’t the ghosts. As I thought, this is you, my girl. This is because of you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I bet dollars to donuts that if you stepped inside the school or just farther away, I wouldn’t see her like this and she wouldn’t feel me.”

“Really?” I was doubtful. How could I be the catalyst for this phenomenon?

“Go in there, Betts. We need to know,” Sally said.

I hurried back into the school and peeked through the edge of the front picture window. Gram had been right; Sally was back to her less than brilliantly colored and dimensional self. They both smiled and waved me back out, which switched Sally back to on.

“I…I didn’t even think,” I said.

“More and more I think these ghosts were for you, not me. That’s probably good. That’s very good, but I don’t know why,” Gram said.

“I wish someone would tell me what’s going on,” Jake said.

“Just another sec,” I said. “Sally, I have an idea, something that might be good, something that might help you, but I’m wondering if you’d do a favor for me if my idea works.”

“What’s the favor?”

“Jerome Cowbender told me that if he tried very hard, he could make the rest of the world see him. Is that true?”

“It takes a lot out of us,” Sally said. “I’ve done it before when I wanted to try to haunt people, but I usually have to leave here shortly afterward and there’s no set schedule as to when I will come back.”

“Sally’s longest time away was about three years,” Gram said.

“Since I’d rather not ever leave, I try to haunt without doing it. That doesn’t work though. Only you and Miz see and hear me. Anyway, appearing must use up something that we need to be here.”

“What if you did it for only an instant?”

“Now?”

“Yes. Jake would love nothing more than to see a ghost. He’s been so helpful. Maybe you could consider it thanks for all he’s done.”

“Hang on, what’s she saying, Betts?” Jake said.

“That it takes a lot out of her and whenever she’s tried it, she’s sent…away shortly thereafter.”

“Then no! Sally, don’t do it. Not yet. Maybe wait a little longer, until you find out…more…whatever it is you need to find out.”

“I appreciate that, but fair’s fair. If you do something that helps me, Betts, I’ll appear, but just for an instant.”

“She wants to do it, Jake, but just for an instant.”

“I don’t want her to leave.”

“I’m going to help her first, I promise,” I said.

Jake bit at his lip and finally said, “Only if she’s okay with it.”

“She is,” I said as Sally nodded. “Okay, Sally, aren’t you tired of carrying around that ax?”

“I don’t think about it much, but I suppose it’s a burden. One I was probably supposed to bear, though.”

“But what if it wasn’t? What if when you’re in this form, when it’s dark and I’m around, I guess, you could just put it down, get rid of it?”

She paused only briefly as if to think, but then she hurriedly placed the ax on the ground. It didn’t make a sound, which was still strange, but she was able to let go of the handle and lift her hand away from it.

“I’ve never,” she said.

“Okay, now I’m going to pick it up. Let’s see what happens,” I said.

“Whoa, I don’t know about that,” Gram said.

“Why not? What do you think will happen?” I asked.

“It just feels funny,” Gram said. “Let me pick it up.”

“Okay,” I finally said.

Gram bent down and picked up the ax, which was lit brightly but still looked like a real ax.

“It feels like I picked up an ax.” Gram laughed.

“Originally I was going to say we should all walk inside and back into some light just to see if the ax stays or goes away, but how about I just go back inside and see what happens next?”

“You know,” Jake said, “I don’t see the ax you are talking about, but if I’m interpreting what is going on, I think it would be best if Miz just put it back on the ground and you go inside, Betts. Let’s do it that way.”

“Okay. Okay. Put it down, Gram. I’m going in.”

I ran to the door and inside, but once there I took a slow walk to the picture window.

“Please work, please work,” I muttered.

I turned to look out the window. And the ax was nowhere to be seen. Gram stood with her hands on her hips, eyeing the ground at her feet. Sally was looking toward the picture window and smiling like a child who’d just been given a new toy.

I went back outside, still wondering if the magic trick had worked.

“Is it gone?” Jake asked.

“Yes, it’s gone,” I said.

“I can’t believe it, but it’s gone. We should measure your range, Betts. It’s all about you, though, that’s clear,” Gram said. I detected a thread of concern and doubt in her voice, but I didn’t want to ask her about it in front of everyone.

“I’ll be,” Jake said.

“Thank you, Betts,” Sally greeted me as I came down the stairs. She pulled me into a tight hug. It was the type of hug that made me want to believe that she’d never killed anyone. I hugged her back.

“Now,” Sally said, “I need to live up to my part of the bargain.”

“Are you sure?” I said. “I don’t think Jake would mind if you chose not to try right now.”

“Second thoughts?” Sally asked. “Why?”

“I guess I’d just like to figure out more of your past before you go. Maybe after we know a little more.”

“I’m following this end of the conversation, and Betts is right, Sally. Don’t do it,” Jake said.

“It’s interesting,” Sally said. “While I’m aware I’m here, it’s not bad when I’m not here either. If I go, I go. I know I’ll
come back someday. It would be great to come back when you’re still around, Betts. We’ll see. But a deal’s a deal, my father used to…” Sally paused. “A deal’s a deal.” Her voice suddenly sounded distant and slow.

“What are you remembering?” I asked.

“I’m not exactly sure, but there’s something important about a deal being a deal. It’ll come to me. Hopefully.” She shook her head. “Anyway, let’s give this a try.”

Sally walked to Jake and stood in front of him.

“She’s right there, in front of you,” I said.

Jake stepped back. Sally giggled and took another step toward him.

“Here we go,” she said.

She didn’t close her eyes or make fists or recite an incantation. In fact, from what I could see, she didn’t change at all.

Suddenly Jake gasped and then smiled. “Well, hello, Sally.”

“Hello, Jake. Shake my hand and then I’m going to go.” She reached her hand forward.

But before Jake could reach for it, a loud scream startled us all.

The scream came from the cemetery and probably from the person who was attached to the flashlight that was bobbing back and forth, the person who was probably watching us and had just seen a fourth person appear where there had been only three.

“Oh, fiddley-foo,” Gram said as we all hurried to see just who else had seen our ghost.

Apparently, Leroy
hadn’t
been stingy with the car again
, but Charlene and Vivienne had taken naps and waited until evening before traveling out to the cemetery. They’d parked on the side of the road and dared each other to explore the tombstones at night. If I’d left the front floodlight on, we would have seen the car and the ghostly encounter could have been avoided.