Gifts of the Ghost

Besides, I wanted to see Don’s testimony and Aunt Linda’s testimony.

“In that case…” He held out an arm. “Shall we take a walk and get some fresh air?”

“Yes, please.” I slid my hand into the crook of his arm. Getting away from the pressure of the courtroom was a great idea.

“This way,” he said, leading me toward the exit.

The other shop owners stood just outside the courthouse doors, waiting for me. Each of them had a mixture of outrage and sympathy on their faces.

Don released me, and I moved forward as they surrounded me in hugs. Each one held me for a moment and whispered something encouraging to me. It did a lot to bolster my mood, knowing I had such a great support system in town. They’d all arranged to leave their businesses, getting employees to cover them during the middle of the day. It meant more than they could know.

As I clung to them, I noticed Maggie. She stood next to Don with sad eyes. Even my ancestor was trying to show her support. If Linda could’ve been here, we would’ve been clinging and hugging, too.

Tears welled up when I considered my friends.

“We have to get back to work.” Lacy squeezed my hand. “Let us know how things turn out.”

Each one smiled and offered more words of encouragement as they left. Don returned to stand next to me as I waved to my friends.

“I know I’ve said it before but thank you. This day wouldn’t have been bearable if you hadn’t been here for me.”

“Ready for our stroll?” he asked.

I placed my hand on his arm again, and we made our way down the stairs for some fresh air. Quiet with our thoughts, we walked for a while in companionable silence.

Don broke the silence. “You did a great job up there. You were confident and sure of what you were saying.” His words warmed me. “You told the truth, and it showed that you cared for Kim.” He squeezed my arm. “The jury is smart. They’ll see through the lies to the evidence. And I’m sure they’ll consider that the defense just tried to revictimize you.”

I nodded, not sure what to say. I’d felt like a half-blubbering mess up there. I couldn’t even recall most of what I’d said.

“How about a change of subject?” Don suggested.

“That would be nice,” I agreed.

When Don cleared his throat, I turned to him. His cheeks seemed redder than they’d been before.

“Are you going to the upcoming town hall ball?” he blurted.

I smoothed my hand over my forehead. “With everything else going on, I’d completely forgotten. As much as I’d like to go, I don’t have any plans to.”

He beamed. “This year, the historical society—and everyone else, for that matter, too—is wearing Victorian-era outfits for the theme.” A big grin spread across his face. “It’s supposed to be bigger than normal.”

Oh, Victorian-era costumes would be so much fun. “That’s awesome. I’ll have to reach out to the historical society and see if they want to use any of our hand-dipped candles for the table centerpieces.” I clapped my hands together in excitement as ideas began to fill my mind. “Long tapered candles might work as well.” And I could video the process and my getting ready. And maybe do some live at the ball. My followers would eat that up.

Don nodded. “Wonderful idea. I took a few old books to the library from the historical society to help Kira out. I think they’ll be using them for decorations on the tables.” I couldn’t help but smile as his chest puffed slightly, filling his suit jacket a little more. “I just kept putting more books in the car until the squad car was overflowing. Books kept trying to escape.”

Laughter spilled from me. It was so easy to be around Don. I could appreciate his sense of humor.

“I’m looking forward to going to the ball. It will be a fun evening. Would you like to go together?" He coughed and cleared his throat. "Uh, with me?”

I took a couple of steps before I realized he’d stopped, and I’d left him behind. Looking back at the off-duty officer in his well-cut suit, I considered his offer. It would be a fun evening with Don, but I’d also enjoyed my date with Wes. I would’ve enjoyed going to the historical society ball with him, but Wes hadn’t been around lately, so maybe he wasn’t interested. He’d been gone on family business, though. Perhaps he hadn’t wanted to be gone. But if that was the case, he could’ve called and he hadn’t.

Don was here, and he’d asked me to go with him. What a conundrum.

It dawned on me that I’d started walking again, and Don was still standing behind me, waiting for my answer. I spun back toward him and clasped my hands in front of me. “Yes, I’d love to go with you to the ball as your date.”

He beamed as I rejoined him, and we turned to walk back toward the front of the courthouse.

As we reentered the courthouse, it was obvious Don was fighting to keep his big grin off his face. He gave up and smiled at me, happy about my answer. It was nice to be wanted.

“We can work out the details later, but I think we have to head back to our seats now.” He frowned as he guided me back toward the courtroom. “At least your hard part is over.”

Yeah, but waiting could be just as bad. Instead of sitting where we had earlier, he moved toward the other side of the room where his fellow cops were seated. As we settled with his cop buddies around us, he leaned in and whispered, “Since I have to take the stand, I wanted you to have someone to sit with that you’d feel safe with.”

The judge re-entered before I could say anything or thank him. Instead of speaking, I squeezed Don’s hand in appreciation.

Moments later, we were all seated, and they called Don to the stand. I listened intently as he recounted coming to my house and the evidence they gathered. “Mags and Linda were fearful about what this person stalking them wanted. There was no way they could protect themselves until they uncovered the reason that the person would want to hurt them.” He laid it all out factually. Short and without any extras so that it all made complete sense. The jury watched with rapt attention. Though, to be fair, Don was easy to listen to.

When they dismissed Don, he came to sit next to me. I patted his knee in a show of solidarity, and Aunt Linda took the stand. She was slightly emotional, like me, and said pretty much the same things I’d said, and Don had said. What else could she say? We were telling the truth, so all our stories matched.

The day ended without any progress that I could see. But the jury had all the details and information they needed for their deliberation so they could find Kim guilty.

The next day, the defense had witnesses I’d never heard of. They were mostly character witnesses, a psychiatrist, and so on. All of them gave opinions rather than facts. I took it as a good sign, but the hours of the trial dragged on until they all began to blur together. Finally, the judge announced that closing arguments would start the following week.

At his words, relief flooded me. We left with smiles on our faces, hopeful that justice would prevail. Don gave me another ride home as he had yesterday. Our companionable silence had continued through our second day together.

“Has your job been much quieter since I’ve stopped calling you every day with problems?” I asked, only half-joking. I’d been a lot of drama for him for a while there.

“Oh, much. Why, ma’am, it’s downright boring most days.” He winked at me, and we both laughed.

“Thanks again for the ride.” I smiled and waved as I hopped out. “See you next week.”

7

I trudged into the house, drooping with exhaustion, only to find Maggie waiting for me in the entryway. The somber expression on her face broke my heart. I wished I could offer her comfort somehow, but I couldn’t hug her or anything. The only help I could give her was to help her move on.

“The trial is on recess until next week,” I said, prepping a kettle. “I’ll go tomorrow and see if I can search for something more about you. It’s been so busy, and I’m truly sorry that I haven’t made more progress.”

Maggie nodded with a still-solemn expression before she faded out of sight.

It was late enough in the day that I could justify a shower and PJs before I settled in for an early night. This week had been long, hard, and emotionally draining. The knowledge that Kim’s fate would be decided weighed on me. It would be based on all the evidence, the facts we’d presented as we sat there in the courtroom day after day. But we would be directly responsible for her future. No, she was responsible. I knew that, but the truth of it hung over me.

The kettle whistled, and I poured steaming water over my tea ball. I took a seat, warming my hands on the mug, finally allowing myself to feel more relaxed after such a long day. Aunt Linda would need an update before my shower. She’d elected to spend the day at the shop, prepping everything for the grand re-opening rather than attend another day of the trial. I dialed her number.

“Hello?” she said almost before the first ring had gone through.

“Hey, Auntie. I should give you an update of how things went today.”

“I suppose so,” she sighed. “Well, don’t keep me in suspense. Out with it.”

I chuckled at her lack of enthusiasm. “They’re ready for closing arguments next week. Depending on how long the jury is out, we might know the verdict by the end of the week. Waiting on them is going to be the hard part.”

“How are you holding up, Mags?”

I grimaced. My aunt always went straight to the heart of the problem. “Not great, for sure, but I’m ready for this to be over so we can move on. Speaking of moving on, are the repairs still on schedule?” I didn’t wait for her answer to the first question before moving to the next. “Oh, and is there any way we could make some candles for the historical society for the ball?”

She gasped. “Mags, that’s a wonderful idea. It’ll be a great way to promote the shop’s reopening. The timing is almost perfect.” I could hear the smile in her voice.

“I thought so, too. This will be the perfect opportunity to do a few TikTok videos while I get the candles ready for the historical society ball.” I was already planning the videos in my head. New content, yay! “We don’t have a new assistant yet, so it’ll all be on us.”

“Hmm,” Aunt Linda answered. “There’s a big order that arrived at the end of business today. It’s going to take me most of the day tomorrow to sort through.” She tsked. “But we can start working on centerpieces after that.”

“Okay, I was going out to the house tomorrow to dig around, but I can push that off for later and come over to help you get this giant order sorted, if you need me. Do you want me to come help?”

“Phooey, I had forgotten that we were going to do that tomorrow. You should still go. We need to get everything we can from the house. The weather isn’t going to stay dry forever, and nature has a way of taking things over. When this order is finished, I’ll join you over there.” Her tone changed to one of excitement. “What if you did one of those video things about the house?”

“Um, well, it’s the same kind of content that I normally provide, but I could do a live video.” I paused. “In fact, I think that’ll make a great one.” I didn’t want to rain on her idea parade, since I’d already planned on doing one. “It can’t hurt to try. It might even be a lot of fun.” It would definitely be a lot of fun. “I’ll think about it and get there a little earlier than you will. It won’t hurt to sort things until you get there.”

“Sounds like a plan, dear. Get some rest. I’ll be home in a little while.” Aunt Linda hung up.

I slumped back, mug resting gingerly between my hands as Shadow curled up on my lap. Feeling her little warm body on my legs and the rhythmic purring put all thoughts of a hot shower out of my mind. Maybe I could just sit here for a moment or two.

Blinking as the sun broke through the window, I reached down to pet Shadow only to find she’d abandoned me sometime during the night. I’d gotten used to her coming or going whenever it suited her fancy, but I preferred to wake up to her cute, furry face. Throughout my entire breakfast, I worked on the best way to answer questions from viewers on old posts. And tried to stretch away the discomfort from falling asleep on the couch.

By the time I’d managed to do a couple of response videos, it was almost time for an early lunch. I needed to take a break from TikTok anyway, and Otto’s sounded beyond amazing at this point. I parked in the small parking lot and hurried to beat the rush.

“Mags! How are you?” Otto exclaimed in greeting me when I stepped inside. “Any word from the lawyers?”

I shook my head in frustration. “Not yet. I’m all right. It’s been hard, but I’m doing better than I thought I would be.”

He placed food on a plate, knowing what my order would be without me having to place it, and handed it to me. “Enjoy.”

I sniffed the club sandwich. It smelled as delicious as it always did. So did the chips Otto sliced and fried on-site. “It’s terrible that Kim turned out that way. What’s even worse is that we have to find someone to replace her. I’m not happy about it, but I know we need the help.”

“That is completely understandable. You can’t just throw all those feelings away as if they never happened.”

I took a bite and moaned with pleasure. Then I held up the sandwich. “So good, Otto. As always.”

He grinned. “Just for you, Mags. Just for you.” Then he grunted before he went back to helping the other customers while I finished my lunch. After, I decided to stop at the shop to check on Aunt Linda before heading out to the house.

Aunt Linda was in the back, away from most of the renovation noises. Only one contractor was working, but there didn’t seem to be much happening.

“Looks like a slow day in here,” I called as I stepped over a pile of supplies to reach the back room.

Aunt Linda popped up from behind a stack of boxes. “There you are, darling.”

“Where do you want me to start working?” I picked up a couple boxes of new scents and checked them over.

“No, I’ll finish this up,” she said, taking the boxes out of my hands. “I’ve just about got the last of it taken care of. Go ahead, head out to the house. I won’t be far behind you.”

“Only if you’re sure.” I felt guilty leaving all the work for her to take care of while I went off to dig through an attic and make videos.

“Yes, now, shoo. You’re distracting me from getting it all done.” She pointed at the exit. “Now go. Love you.”

“All right. I’m going, then,” I called, making my way back to the front of the shop where I’d parked.

She disappeared behind the boxes again.

Time to explore the attic. I couldn’t help but be excited to rummage through old stuff. What would we find? There had to be something to do with Maggie up there, and if I could find it, maybe I could help free her from being stuck in the mortal realm.

There had to be a reason Maggie had protected the attic from burning up in the fire.

8

As I left the shop, I spotted Shadow waiting for me near my car. She hopped up onto my hood and meowed at me, so I scooped her up and put her in the car. She settled down on the passenger seat. She could’ve made her way on her own, but I liked her company. Besides, she could explore at Aunt Linda’s with me.

The drive out to Aunt Linda’s house was uneventful. Though, my jaw slacked when I saw the newly reinforced areas in the middle of the burned areas. The whole thing looked more like a quilt than a house at this point with beams installed from the ground all the way to the ceiling for support to the attic. They’d stabilized the upper level so we could retrieve as much as possible.

Now was the perfect moment to start my live video.

After I let Shadow out of the car, I grabbed my cell and pressed start. After waiting a few minutes for people to start joining the livestream, I flipped the camera around to my face and started my intro. “Welcome back, my Wax Wonders! I told you about the fire at the shop. But what I didn’t mention is that my aunt’s home was also set on fire. I still can’t talk about the particulars while the trial is still ongoing, but most of her house went up in flames. The one saving grace was that, remarkably, the attic appears to be untouched.

“But, if you’ve ever built a house of cards before, you know how dangerous it can be to have all that area unsupported, so for a while now, they’ve been stabilizing the house. Today, I’m about to go through things and see what treasures can be discovered up there. For the first time,” I added dramatically.

More people began finding the stream, and I had over a hundred watchers in just the first few minutes. As I tiptoed through the wreckage of the living room, I considered how much to tell them. I had some obligation to protect the ongoing prosecution. Until Kim was declared whatever she was going to be declared and the verdict was official, I had to be careful.

Plus, I didn’t want to bring Kim into it because that would give her attention. She didn’t deserve any attention, especially not after trying to accuse me of being a liar.

Instead, I flipped the camera and panned around the burned remains. “Today is the first day it’s been safe for us to come back into the house. I’m really looking forward to seeing what was up there.”

With care, I began to ascend the stairs. The chat whizzed by quickly as comments and questions poured in. I still wasn’t certain the stairs were as safe as the structural company had claimed. But one hesitant, scary step at a time, I made my way up to the attic.

“Did one of your candles catch the house on fire?” Of course, that would be the first question.

“No, it wasn’t a candle. Someone intentionally set the house on fire in the same way they did the shop. Allegedly,” I added quickly. I was really beginning to hate that stupid word. We knew Kim had caused the fires, but until she was found guilty, I had to tiptoe around things.

The questions kept coming, rapid-fire. Even in slow mode, there were simply too many questions to keep up with.

Another viewer asked, “What do you plan to do with the house?”

“It’s my aunt’s home, so it’ll be her decision. If I get a vote, I’d like to see her restore it. It’s been in the family for many generations, and I grew up here.”

With shaky legs, I finally arrived at the second floor. It looked rough. Deciding to skip the ruined floor, I gave it a quick pan with the camera but didn’t set foot on the landing. Instead, I continued up the next flight of stairs. When I reached the top, I scanned the area with the phone to give everyone a view of the clean, functional space that I’d never had a chance to dig through before.