18
I might not have
been able to help myself, but there was no way I was going to let
Hilton Gerard keep pickling people’s brains.
As certain as I was
of that, I was even more certain that there was only one person who
could help me. Talk about believing in the impossible!
The last I’d seen
him, Dan was at my conference hotel with Madeline, and I guess
that’s where I expected him to stay. But this was Chicago,
remember, and in Chicago, hotel rooms are at a premium. I was
scheduled to leave town the same day Doris hit the road, and I’d
seen the sign in the hotel lobby that said the American Association
of Water Purification and Pollution Professionals was due at the
hotel next for their big annual conference.
That meant some poor
AAWPPP schlep was in my room.
I should have
thought of this before I told Ernie I’d see him later and
hocus-pocused my way back to the hotel, but hey, I was new at this
whole incorporeal thing, and I was still more than a little shaken
by the news that if I waited for the stars and the moon to be
aligned just the way they were when Madeline snatched my body in
the first place, I wouldn’t want the seven-hundred-year-old
carcass anymore, anyway.
Not sure what else
to do, I stood in the hotel lobby and said, “I need to see Dan
Callahan,†and sure enough, just like before, I felt a tug and a
pull. The world around me zipped by in a blur. The next thing I
knew, I was standing in a short-term rental condo near Lincoln
Park. Don’t ask me how I knew this, I just did. It was actually
kind of cool.
So was the condo
itself.
The living room was
tastefully furnished with a burgundy-colored leather sectional, arm
chairs in stripes of brown, purple, and the same winey color as the
sectional, and a gorgeous Oriental rug that sat on a polished
hardwood floor. One wall featured a brick fireplace; another was
filled floor to ceiling with bookcases. A single expansive window
revealed a million-dollar view of park and buildings gilded by the
setting sun.
I could get used to
a place like that.
It looked like
Madeline, though, was a little tougher to please.
Even as I stood
there, she shuffled (just for the record, I have never shuffled;
eight years of ballet, tap, and jazz lessons made sure of that)
into the room wearing a gray and red flannel robe I wouldn’t have
been caught dead in. Without even a look toward the fireplace near
where I stood, she tossed the latest issue of Elle down on the sleek, I-wish-it-were-mine coffee
table.
“Boring,†she
grumbled. “Boring, boring, boring. How can
anybody—â€
“What’s that you
said?†The bathroom was down the hall, off the kitchen, and Dan
stuck his head out of it. His right cheek was coated with shaving
cream. There was another poof of it in his left palm. “You
talking to somebody?â€
Madeline flopped
down on the sectional. “Can’t we do something interesting this
evening?â€
He wiggled his
eyebrows. “We already did a couple interesting things,†he
said. When he didn’t get a response from her, he walked out of
the bathroom and crossed the kitchen into the living room. He was
wearing nothing but a pair of those clingy boxer briefs that look
great on the models in the ads and even better in person when the
guy wearing them happens to be Dan.
Once he was in the
living room he could see into the dining room, and he glanced that
way and at the stack of file folders on the table in there. “I
told you, I’ve made some notes and lists. After I’m out of the
shower, we’ll go to dinner and talk about the situation at the
clinic. Nobody could say that’s not interesting! And don’t
worry, I know how anxious you are for us to get all our information
in line so we can confront Hilton, but he’s not there tonight,
anyway. I know for a fact he’s over at Northwestern. He’s
giving a lecture on homelessness and the mental health crisis.
We’ll take care of the due diligence tonight and talk to him at
the clinic tomorrow. And before you can tell me you can’t wait
that long . . .†He gave her a smile she didn’t return.
“I’ll make it quick.†He ducked into the bathroom, then just
as quickly was back out again in the hallway.
“While I’m
getting dressed,†he said, “you might want to go over all of it
again. You know, what happened where and when. That way we’ll be
on the same page when we do finally talk to Hilton. And believe me,
Pepper, I swear, if he doesn’t answer my questions the way I
think he should—â€
“I know, I
know.†She waved a dismissive hand in the air, and I saw, much to
my horror, that her nails were cut short and not polished. Did the
woman have no standards? “We’ll go to the cops.â€
Dan cocked his head
and narrowed his eyes. He came back into the living room. “Are
you feeling all right?â€
She clicked her
tongue. “Why shouldn’t I be? I’ve got just what I wanted,
don’t I? I’ve got you, and you’re going to help me
investigate at the clinic. That certainly should satisfy my sense
of self-importance. And my delusions of grandness. Like all
narcissists, I believe I’m special. Every little success feeds my
sense of entitlement.â€
He stared at her as
if he’d never seen her before. “Sure, but what it doesn’t do
is explain what the hell you’re talking about. Or why you’re
using terms right out of a psychology textbook. I’ve never heard
you talk like that before Hilton got ahold of you.â€
I cannot put into
words how happy I was to hear this. I’d come to Dan for help
because of all the people I knew, he was the only one who was
open-minded enough to not only believe in ghosts, but in ghosts
switching bodies with live people, too. I hoped. Now that he saw
that there was something really sketchy about the Pepper who
wasn’t Pepper, maybe he’d see the light.
Then again, that
scenario counted on Madeline continuing to act like a moron. I
should have known there was no way that was going to
happen.
She saw the slippery
slope she was headed down. That’s why she shook herself out of
her funk and smiled. “Am I talking crazy? I know it isn’t like
me, but really, Danny, I think there has to be more to life. You
know, more than solving dumb crimes for dead people nobody cares
about anymore anyway.â€
“Is that what you
do?†Dan’s eyes lit, and it was no mystery why. Sure, I’d
told him I’d seen and talked to Madeline, but I never mentioned
any of the other ghosts. Or the other cases I’d investigated.
This was news to him, and Dan being Dan, nothing could have
thrilled him more. Well, maybe realizing he was actually in the
same room with the woman who’d tricked him into marrying her,
lied so that she could benefit from whatever success he had, and
made him pine over her for three long years when he should have
given her the one-finger salute, turned his back on her grave, and
gone on with his life.
But I
digress.
Dan being Dan, he
was blown away. He said, “That’s amazing. And no way you can
possibly think it’s dumb,†and I was glad he was having the
conversation with Madeline and not with me, because most of the
time, I thought it was dumb, too. “That’s the coolest thing
I’ve ever heard! I can’t imagine you’d ever want to do
anything else. And now that I know what you’re actually doing is
solving crimes for them . . . reaching out a hand from this world
to those on the Other Side . . . Wow! I’m more impressed than
ever. And you should be, too. You’re special.â€
“I am.†Madeline
simpered. “Special and bored.†She got up and went over to
where Dan stood so she could run a finger from his collarbone down
to the elastic waistband of his boxers. “Let’s forget this
whole thing, Danny, honey. Let’s head somewhere else. Do
something else. Who cares what Hilton is up to at that clinic of
his.â€
He looked her in the
eye. “You do. You just told me—â€
“I did. But I’m
so tired of the whole thing. And I nearly got killed, remember. I
think it’s smarter—and safer—to just stay out of
it.â€
“You are
definitely not acting like yourself.†Dan put a hand to her
forehead. Satisfied that she wasn’t burning with fever, he kissed
the tip of her nose. “You need to focus. Once you do, everything
will come back in line and you’ll feel better. Have you called
Ella to ask for a couple extra days off? And have you had a chance
to look through your suitcase for that list of missing clinic
patients you told me about?â€
Her smile was a
little tight, but my guess was that Dan didn’t notice. That’s
because she was busy tickling a finger over his abdomen. “I’ve
got the extra days off all taken care of. As for that list . . .
I’ll look. I promise.â€
“That’s my
girl!†Dan grinned. He glanced at the coffee table and the
magazine she’d tossed there. “After all you’ve been through,
you should just sit back and put your feet up and read that
magazine I picked up for you downstairs at the newsstand. I’ve
got to admit, it was a stab in the dark. I don’t know much about
women’s fashion. But I figured you’d like it.â€
This time, she
didn’t even try to hide her opinion. She grimaced. “I told you,
I’m not the fashion-conscious airhead I used to be. Why do you
think I went out and bought this nice comfy robe this afternoon? It
sure beats that slinky, nasty one I brought here to Chicago with
me.â€
Since slinky and nasty
equaled the sweet emerald green satin wrap I’d bought to treat
myself, I didn’t appreciate the criticism. I’d kept my mouth
shut to this point, but enough was enough. I stepped to the center
of the room to let her have it.
“You’d look like
hell in my wrap, anyway,†I snarled at Madeline. “Even with my
body, you couldn’t pull it off. Your true essence would somehow
show through, and let me tell you, girlfriend, we aren’t talking
attractive.â€
This was, I admit,
pretty bratty, but since it was true, I felt justified. Besides,
who could blame me? For all she’d done to me, it was the least
Madeline deserved.
Except she didn’t
respond. I mean, not even with a snarling look.
This caught me off
guard, and while I was still processing, Dan gave Madeline one more
kiss and turned to go back to the bathroom. “Don’t think I
don’t know what you’re doing,†he said. “You’re
pretending to be all serious and unconcerned about things like
fashion and makeup, but Pepper, nobody changes that much. Not that
fast! Which is why I’m not buying it when you say you don’t
want to have it out with Hilton. You think it might be dangerous,
right? You’re trying to protect me. I know exactly how you think.
But remember, I can take care of myself and besides . . .†He
looked over his shoulder long enough to give her a wink. “You
don’t have to pretend with me, Pepper. Not ever. I liked you fine
just the way you were, so don’t think you’ve got to put on a
show.â€
“He liked me fine.
Just the way I was.†I tried to point this out by stepping even
closer to Madeline and stabbing a finger toward Dan.
She didn’t seem to
care. She growled, “Show, my ass,†but not until Dan was out of
earshot. When he had the bathroom door closed behind him, she sat
back down on the couch looking awful (I mean, even more awful than
anybody would have in a robe that should have been hanging in a
stable). “God, I can’t wait to get out of here,†she
grumbled, and she got up, went into the dining room, and snapped
open Dan’s laptop.
I leaned over her
shoulder. “What, you’re going to Google apology and woman whose body
you stole?â€
Except to shiver,
Madeline didn’t acknowledge me.
And that’s when it
hit.
She’d told me
I’d fade away. She’d said that eventually, nobody would be able
to see me.
I just never
expected it to happen that fast.
I’ve got to admit,
this gave me a jolt. Being invisible was hard enough to get used
to. Knowing that little by little, I was disappearing completely .
. .
I swallowed hard.
Not an easy thing to do considering there was a lump in my
throat.
There was also new
determination in my every step.
While Madeline
logged on to some psychological association website I couldn’t
pronounce much less spell, I hightailed it into the bedroom. I
ignored the mussed blankets and the tussled sheets and found my
suitcase still sitting mostly packed near the closet. I rummaged
around in it until I found the portfolio I had with me the day I
talked to Sister Maggie. Don’t ask me how these things work, but
when I ripped the sheet out of my legal pad, folded it, and tucked
it into the pocket of my dumpy black skirt, I guess it turned as
invisible as I was.
That would explain
why Dan didn’t see either me or the list when I walked into the
bathroom just as he finished shaving.
He turned on the
shower and stripped off his boxers and hey, invisibility is good
for something. Completely guilt free, I stood and watched and
enjoyed. Once he was in the shower and had the curtain pulled,
though, I knew I couldn’t waste any time. I had to get to work.
If I was fading, I needed to make contact. Fast.
I looked around the
bathroom and hit on an idea.
I grabbed the can of
shaving cream, shook it, and went over to the mirror.
“What are you up
to?†When he heard the slurp of the
shaving cream whooshing out of the can, Dan’s voice came at me
from out of the shower. “Pepper, are you playing with
my—â€
He stuck his head
around the shower curtain. His hair was shampooed and bubbles
dribbled down his forehead.
He flicked a finger
over his eyes to keep the soap out and looked around the bathroom.
“Now I’m the one imagining things,†Dan muttered. Until he
saw the mirror.
When he stepped out
of the shower for a better look, my hopes rose. And for once, I’m
not talking about my hopes of getting a better look at Dan’s
body.
He stepped in front
of the mirror, water puddling around his feet, and read my message
out loud. “Not me.â€
With my hands
clutched together and my heart in my throat, I waited for the
epiphany moment when he made the connection and saw that he’d
been wrong about the woman he thought was me.
Only he didn’t. He
mumbled, “Pepper, you’re such a kidder,†and wiped the mirror
clean.
As soon as he was
back in the shower, I reached for the shaving cream can
again.
Even above the noise
of the water running, I heard Dan sigh. “You’re doing it
again,†he said, and he wasn’t mad, exactly. He sounded more
exasperated, the way a parent would with a kid who was doing
something cute, but annoying. “Another message, huh?†He turned
off the water. “What is it this time?â€
Dan stepped out of
the shower, and when he saw that Madeline wasn’t in the room like
he expected her to be, his brows dropped low and he glanced around.
He grabbed a towel, wrapped it around his waist, and because he
wasn’t wearing his glasses, he got closer to the mirror so he
could read what I’d written there.
“Not me,†he
read under his breath. “Madeline.â€
For a moment, I
thought I’d shocked him so badly that I’d killed him. That’s
how still he stood. He stared at the mirror and the words written
there, and when he finally started to talk, I wasn’t at all
surprised by what he said.
“The magazine . .
.†Dan’s head whipped around and he looked at the door. I
imagined he was picturing Madeline sitting in the living room.
“The robe. She said she didn’t want to investigate, and the
Pepper I knew, hell, she’d go in with guns blasting if it meant
finding the truth of a situation.â€
“Yes!†I punched
a fist in the air and danced around as much as anyone can in a
bathroom. Thrilled that Dan was finally getting the picture, I
waited for him to take that final leap of faith that would tell me
that at last, I had an ally.
“If Pepper isn’t
Pepper . . .†He spoke slowly, like even he couldn’t believe
what was coming out of his mouth, and I leaned forward and held my
breath. “If she’s not Pepper. If she’s Maddy . .
.â€
He swallowed so
hard, his Adam’s apple jumped. Grabbing another towel, he
scrubbed it over his hair, tossed it aside, and walked out of the
bathroom.
Anxious to have a
front row seat for the big scene of our little drama, I followed.
That meant I was right behind him when he quietly walked up behind
Madeline. She was so busy clicking her way around a website devoted
to job openings for psychologists, she was oblivious.
And
Dan?
Dan watched her for
a minute, then carefully backed out of the room and went into the
bedroom. Stunned, he sat down on the bed.
“Somehow things
got changed around and . . .â€
I nodded some more
and smiled, too, as if it could encourage him to
finish.
“Pepper is really
Maddy.†He stood and looked out toward the dining room, and for
the first time since I’d written that message on the mirror and
he’d read it, the expression on his face changed.
No more
shock.
No more
confusion.
Oh no, that would
have been too easy, and way simpler to accept than the smile as big
as all of Chicago that split his face when Dan said, “I finally
have my wife back!â€