Stevie nodded. ‘I have to ask him something.’
‘Yes?’ the medium prompted him.
The boy brushed a lock of hair out of his eyes. ‘Well, a few days before my father had his accident, I was in a shop with him. And my dad bought a lottery ticket. I don’t know why — he didn’t usually buy lottery tickets. Maybe he just felt lucky. ’ His voice trailed off.
‘Go on,’ the veiled woman said.
Stevie sighed.‘The day the winning numbers were announced, he was at work. He called home, all excited, and told my mother he’d won! And the jackpot was two million dollars!’
Ken gasped. He knew about the weekly lottery, of course, but he’d never bought a ticket. And he’d never known or met anyone who had actually won it.
Stevie continued. ‘But. he was in an accident on the way home. He died right away. And we don’t know where the ticket is.’
‘Maybe it was in his pocket,’ Ken suggested.
‘No, we thought of that. But the police only found his wallet.’
‘Maybe someone else found the ticket and took it,’ Dahlia said.
Again Stevie shook his head. ‘No one ever claimed the prize. We think the ticket is somewhere in the house, but we’ve searched everywhere and we can’t find it.’
‘Oh, well,’ Dahlia said. ‘Who needs two million dollars anyway?’
‘We do,’ Stevie said simply. ‘Well, we don’t need
It was a long speech for a young boy, and it couldn’t have been an easy one for him to make. For a moment, everyone was silent.
Finally, the medium spoke. ‘You want to ask your father where he put the lottery ticket.’
Stevie nodded. ‘I have to help my family. I don’t want us to end up homeless.’
Ken was overcome. What a burden for a kid to carry on his shoulders.
‘Then we need to reach your father,’ Cassandra said. ‘And we have to make contact within a month. I suggest we get started.’ She gazed around the table.
‘Please join hands and close your eyes. The seance begins.’
CHAPTER SIX
EVERYONE’S EYES WERE CLOSED — except Amanda’s. She didn’t want to miss a thing.
Ken had obeyed the medium’s instructions, which was fortunate for Amanda, because he wouldn’t be able to see how she was staring at him. He really was so good-looking. And even though he didn’t play soccer any more, he still looked like an athlete. She’d been after him for ages, and now they could be on the verge of a real relationship! A happy little thrill rushed through her. Even the prospect of a hospital stay and an operation didn’t upset her as much now.
The medium spoke.
‘We have come together to seek advice from those who have left us behind,’ she intoned.
Amanda envisioned herself sitting up in bed wearing her new lacy pale blue nightgown, her hair pulled back with a matching headband, smiling as Ken walked into her room. Bearing armfuls of flowers, of course. Maybe a box of chocolates. She didn’t mind giving up her tonsils at all if it meant getting a relationship with Ken started.
As for this seance thing, she wasn’t sure what she thought about it. The medium looked spooky, but she spoke nicely to everyone. That Dahlia woman, with her crazy clothes and make-up, was seriously goofy. Margaret. she was just plain sad. And not just because her mother had recently died. She looked terrible, in a bulky grey jumper that was too big for her. It hung over a long, wrinkled, faded black skirt. You couldn’t even tell what kind of figure she had. And that hair — had the woman ever been to a salon? OK, maybe not lately, because she was mourning her mother. but that hair looked like it had never been touched by professional hands. And those glasses she wore were absolutely gross. Nobody wore tortoiseshell frames any more.
The medium was still talking. ‘We know there is a world beyond our own, a world of mystical mystery and energy which we can never understand. And in this spirit world, there is great wisdom.’
Amanda tuned out again. What about that kid, Stevie? She had serious doubts about him. He might look young and innocent, but that story of his was just too crazy to be true.
Cassandra continued, in a soft monotone. ‘We seek you, oh spirits who dwell beyond our comprehension. We bid you come closer to accept our pleas.’
Yeah, whatever, Amanda thought. She was still more interested in scoping out Stevie. What was his deal? Why would he make up a story like that? She couldn’t think of a reason. Unless, maybe, he was hoping someone somewhere had lost a winning lottery ticket, and some dead person would tell Cassandra where it was. It seemed like a far-fetched scheme though.
Cassandra’s voice rose. ‘I am being contacted! A spirit from the world beyond wishes to connect with one of our group.’
Dahlia let out a little squeal. ‘Is he on a horse?’
‘No. and it’s not a “he”, it’s a female spirit.’
Amanda caught the flash of disappointment on Stevie’s face.
‘Maybe it’s my former mother-in-law,’ Dahlia mused. ‘Is she wearing a hoop skirt? It was during the Civil War. I was a Yankee from up north married to a southern boy, and his mother just hated me. It would be just like her to start haunting me now.’
‘No,’ the medium said, and her voice was a little sharper this time. ‘It’s not your mother-in-law. Please, I must have quiet. We could frighten her away. She will not come closer and identify herself unless we remain silent.’
Silence reigned at the table. Amanda wondered if Cassandra was really making contact with a dead person. She wished she knew what Ken was thinking. She’d have to wait till they left before she found out if he believed the medium was for real or not.
‘She is coming closer!’ the medium exclaimed softly. ‘She is speaking to me. ’ She gasped. ‘It’s your mother, Margaret.’
‘Mama?’ the woman murmured.
‘Yes, yes, she is here, Margaret. What would you like to tell her?’
‘I miss you, Mama. Oh, why did you leave me?’
Amanda could hear the pain in her voice. She couldn’t imagine how she’d feel if her own mother died.
Cassandra spoke. ‘She says it was not her choice to leave you, Margaret.’
‘You were the only person I could trust, the only person I loved.’ Now Margaret was weeping. ‘I can’t bear this! I want to be with you.’
Amanda drew in her breath. This was so hard to hear. The poor woman — she was so sad!
‘Your mother says, don’t think like that. You mustn’t die — this is not your time. You must live, and keep her memory alive.’
‘But I’m all alone,’ Margaret wept. ‘You were the only person who cared about me, the only one who loved me. I ’m so lonely now. ’
There was a lump in Amanda’s throat, and for a moment she thought she was going to burst into tears herself. And she wasn’t even thinking about how badly dressed Margaret was. This woman had absolutely nothing going for her. She was suffering, she was utterly despondent. Her words, her tears — they’d brought a cloud of sadness into the room and it was descending on Amanda. Wait — she recognized this feeling. She’d had it before.
