The Counseling (24 page)

Patrick and I call him Boo! Mom will freak, but she'll just have to get used to it.

When the wheels go down on the tarmac, I begin to sense a melancholy creep over me. I'm going to miss Patrick ... and all of my new friends, although I know we'll keep in touch. But when the plane slides up to the gate, I'm actually a little relieved to be home. I missed Celia and Becca and even Kaitlin, the little brat, and I can't wait to get back into the routine of school, homework, and ghost hunting.

I scoot through Concourse B, resisting the urge for a Chick-fil-layover, and hop the tram. The escalator is slow, so I begin climbing it like a staircase. When I emerge at the top, there stand Mom, Dad, and Kaitlin with a
WELCOME HOME, KENDALL
sign in their hands. I'm swooped into their arms for a gigantic Moorehead group hug. While these aren't my "real" parents, they are the people who have loved and raised me and continue to take care of me. I am a part of them and they're a part of me.

The whole time we're at baggage claim, Kaitlin prattles on about her soccer camp and how her team took the cup. I try to act interested, but all I can think of is a promise I made nearly a week ago.

"Mom?" I ask sheepishly as I tug on her sleeve. "Do you mind if we make an out-of-the-way stop before we go home? It's something I
have
to do."

Her gentle face tenses momentarily, but she knows it must be something I have to do. "Of course we can, dear."

Forty-five minutes later, we stop at the quaint house of Lindsey Wright in Lawrenceville, Georgia. I have to deliver the message of love that Richie, her fiancé, gave me on the airplane. It's the right thing to do.

Ding-dong.

A pretty brunette answers the door. "Yes? May I help you?"

Deep breath for fortification. "You're Lindsey and I'm Kendall." I extend my hand in a very grown-up way; Lindsey accepts it. "Please don't think I'm some kind of wackjob. I'm a psychic medium and I had a conversation with your Richie a week ago."

Lindsey's face pales and she steps aside to let me in.

"Please sit," she says. "I've had a couple of psychics contact me. Not one so young ... or bold."

I sit on the brown suede sectional and cross my ankles. I explain my interaction with Richie on the airplane and how I helped him pass into the light. Lindsey breaks into tears and reaches for a Kleenex.

"I'm sorry to upset you, but he was insistent that I give you two very important messages."

Lindsey chortles through her tears. "That sounds like Richie."

I take out my notebook and read from it. "Lindsey, Richie wanted me to tell you that he loved you more than anything and that knowing you and being with you made his life complete."

I pause, feeling the poignancy of his words clog in my throat. Lindsey dabs her eyes and smiles through her tears. "Thank you for that, Kendall."

"There's one more thing," I explain. "He bought you a black pearl necklace from eBay, from the family of a World War Two veteran who got them in Japan. He hid it in the house and it was to be your wedding present."

Her hand covers mine. "This is a real test. Do you know where he said it was?"

I gulp hard. "In the attic, by the windowsill."

Lindsey leaves me and I stare at a picture on the mantel. It's of the man I encountered on the plane, the sweet young woman curled against his side. Richie and Lindsey.

Overhead, I hear a bit of tromping around, and then Lindsey comes barreling down the stairs. "Oh my God, Kendall! You're the genuine article! Look!"

She pulls open the velvet case and within the softness sits a necklace of perfectly matched black pearls. Lindsey clutches it to her heart. "I can't thank you enough for this ... and most of all, for Richie's last words. I will treasure them always."

We hug and I say goodbye. No need for me to linger. My work here is done.

Celia's eyes grow round as marbles. "I can't believe you just walked up to her door, knocked, and said 'Hey, I had a convo with your dead fiancé.' Damn, K, you've got balls."

I smack at Celia across her bed, where we're both sitting. "I did what I had to do. It was the right thing."

She rams her hands into her black hair. "That's incredible!" Then the smile runs away from her face. "Why haven't you been answering my text messages?"

I shake my head. "So sorry—I've been consumed with this whole Hailey Santiago case. You know, the girl you sketched for Patrick and me."

Celia gets a knowing smile. "Oh, yeah, cutie pie. What's his deal?"

"No deal. We're ... connected."

Celia snickers. "Is that what the kids are calling it these days? I suppose hooking up with some hottie like him was a lot more important than watching the old BlackBerry for crucial messages from your best friend."

"What
ever,
" I say. "What was so urgent?"

"My cousin Paul says that John and Anna Faulkner are presently out of the country, according to his sources."

"Right," I say. "They're in Italy."

"How do you know that?" she asks, stunned.

"Ummm ... I'm psychic?"

Celia shakes it off. "Okay, there's more. Paul found the Andy Caminiti from your vision, the one who was thought to be in the car with Emily when she died."

"Crappity-crap, Cel! That's huge! You should have called and told me."

She holds me off. "I'm telling you now, dude!"

"Right—so?"

"Turns out that an Andy Caminiti
was
Emily Jane Faulkner's boyfriend and may have been in the car with her the night of the accident. He went missing seventeen years ago—no body, nothing."

I drop my head. "But you just said your cousin found him."

"My cousin found a her," Celia says.

"I'm confused."

"You may have seen it incorrectly in your vision. It's not Andy, it's Andi, with an
i
. As in short for Andrea. Andrea Caminiti."

"A woman?"

Celia nods and adds a
duh
for good measure. "Andy and Andrea Caminiti were twins. So maybe she can tell you something about him."

Now
I get it! "Where does she live?" I ask.

"St. Louis."

I sag into the down cushion of Celia's bed. "Damn ... that's not close." But it is closer than Italy. First, I'll find my father, then I'll find my grandparents.

Celia smiles knowingly. "Well, St. Louis or not, she might know who your father is."

I think I'm going to pass out.

And on the way home from Celia's, as I'm shaking like a leaf, I get a text message that rocks my world even more. It's from Patrick and it reads:

>K - Dad getting transferred. Moving to Dobbins AFB, Marietta, GA. C u soon. <3 P

Now I'm
really
gonna pass out.

To be continued ...

The thoughts and feelings described by the character of Kendall and her friends are typical of those experienced by young people awakening to sensitive or psychic abilities.

Many of the events and situations encountered by Kendall and her team of paranormal investigators are based on events reported by real ghost hunters. Also, the equipment described in the book is standard in the field.

However, if you are a young person experiencing psychic phenomena, talk to an adult. And while real paranormal investigation is an exciting, interesting field, it is also a serious, sometimes even dangerous undertaking. I hope you are entertained by the Ghost Huntress, but please know that it's recommended that young people do not attempt the investigative techniques described here without proper adult supervision.

Quote from Aldous Huxley from
The Little Giant Encyclopedia of Inspirational Quotes,
by Wendy Toliver, Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.

History of psychics, aura color definitions, and eagle totem information from
Picture Yourself Developing Your Psychic Abilities: Step-by-Step Instruction for Divination, Speaking to Spirit Guides, and Much More,
by Tiffany Johnson, Course Technology Books.

Legend of the Wampus Cat from
Spooky South,
retold by'S. E. Schlosser, Globe Pequot Press.

Shakespeare quotes from
www.enotes.com
/shakespeare-quotes.

Information on cryptozoology from
www.cryptozoology.com
.

Information on traditional Native American sweat lodge ceremonies from
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweat_lodge
and actual experiences from various Native American friends who have participated in sweats over the years.

Sioux prayer was printed in the
Los Angeles Times
to observe World Day of Prayer, in 1958. It comes from Cabot's Old Indian Museum in Desert Hot Springs, California, and the author is unknown.

Animal totem information on dolphins from
www.religions-and-spiritualities-guide.com.