“She’s his unfinished business?”
“I believe so, and she’s meeting you at the cemetery.” He glanced at his watch. “In twenty minutes.”
Hope blossomed in Ryley’s chest, mixing and mingling where that had been anger only moments ago.
“Thirty minutes. I need to hurry.” Ryley clicked the fob on her car and climbed inside without even a thank you.
Ryley strolled across the parking lot toward the woman sitting on the bench. Her hair was short, and in a pixie cut. Her red hair was dotted with lines of grey. She rose as Ryley approached and held out her hand. “Ryley St. James? I’m Roberta Bell.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Ryley said, gesturing to the bench. “I’m not sure what all Logan Bane told you about me, but…”
“He said you could see ghosts. He said you’ve been seeing my brother and that he’s giving you a hard time.”
“Bane really does suck at keeping my secrets.” Ryley grinned. “But everything he said is true. Your brother is here.”
“My grandmother told me stories about them. I was just a baby and too young to remember, but she shows me pictures. She said my brother was adamant that he needed to be in the hospital with me. That it was his job to protect me when I was sick.” She tightened her grip on the aged teddy bear in her hands. “He insisted I have Mr. Bear in my crib to protect me when he wasn’t there.”
“That had to be hard,” Ryley whispered as a chill surrounded her. The leaves overhead rustled.
“It was, but my grandmother gave me a good life, and she filled it with love and her memories of my family.”
“He’s here,” Ryley said.
“Right now?” She glanced around.
A chill surrounded Ryley in the late evening air. She glanced up and pointed to the tree above them. “Up there.”
Roberta rose from her seat and glanced up into the tree. She clutched the bear to her chest.
“It’s okay, Adam.” She lifted the bear. “The bear protected me from all the bad times and comforted me when no one else could. You were the best big brother I could have ever asked for.”
Adam appeared next to her.
“He’s standing in front of you now,” Ryley said.
“You found her?” Adam glanced in Ryley’s direction.
“I promised to help you with your unfinished business. You kept her safe all these years. It’s time for you to go see your mom now.”
“I love you, Adam,” Roberta said as a tear slid down her cheek. “Give mommy and daddy a hug. Tell them to hold my place.”
Adam glanced over his shoulder. A sad smile covered his face. “The light is here.”
“You should walk into it. Your mom is waiting on the other side,” Ryley said.
He turned to leave and then glanced over his shoulder and toward where the building. “There are others behind those walls. They follow the purple-haired man around. Some aren’t so nice.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Ryley said. “Go see your mom. You’ve waited long enough.”
“Thank you, Ryley. I left your car in your hiding place. I won’t need it anymore.”
He vanished. Ryley sighed, feeling like she did every time she helped a spirit into the light a little empty, like a barren spot had opened in her soul. “He’s gone home.”
The woman pulled Ryley into her embrace and hugged her tight. “Thank you for saving him. For seeing him. For not giving up.”
This hugging thing was getting easier.
“You’re welcome,” Ryley said, clearing her throat.
Arguing with Adam had been part of her daily routine. To see him gone made her happy, and a bit sad.
“I’m sorry, but I really need to go,” Ryley said.
“I’m going to sit here for a while and remember,” Roberta said, reclaiming her seat and hugging the teddy bear tight.
Chapter 41
The hiding place. She’d never forget the hiding place.
Her dad wouldn’t find her now that she was moving onto the Wilson farm. His chance had been stolen.
Ryley agreed to sign the paperwork from Mr. Wilson’s will. Oscar was in charge of most everything, and she liked it just fine. He’d even hired the moving company to help move her things.
The movers were taking down the last of her things to load in their truck. One popped his head in. “Is that everything, Mrs. St. James?”
“Just the Dawn painting.” Ryley pointed to the painting that symbolized her life, still wrapped in a blanket against the wall. “Please be careful with that. Anything else that I find, I’ll take in my car.”
He nodded and left her alone.
Ryley’s phone rang with Oscar’s assigned ring tone. She answered and pressed the phone to her ear. “Are you on your way?”
“Yeah, just grabbing the few remaining items.” Ryley grabbed the torn slips of order forms that Maggie had given her from the diner. The number of people looking for her had tripled since the last time she’d stopped in to eat. There were a ton of people in need of someone like her that could deal with ghosts. She slipped the names and numbers deep into her pocket.
“I picked up the steak. It’s time you meet your new fur baby, Ringwald.”
Ryley grinned. “I can’t wait. I’ll see you soon.”
She didn’t have many memories in that apartment. She hadn’t made any on purpose. She stepped into the bathroom. It had been cleaned to shine even brighter than when she’d moved into the place. This bathroom was much cleaner than the one that had brought her here.
Memories of the diamond theft were what brought her to this point in time. She’d watched the dead man hide the diamonds in the ceiling, intent on coming back to get them.
He never had the chance before he died.
But she did.
She climbed up on the toilet and moved the panel in the ceiling just as he’d done in the warehouse bathroom. She reached around, patting the area, and grabbed the straps of a bag. It fell against
