isn’t that strange? Nobody could get over it. How handsome he was at his funeral, like he was sleeping. But his neck was broken and that was that. One minute we were laughing and tearing around, and the next we were planning a funeral.”
Don’t go in the basement.
“So Jefferson…your brother…”
“Oh, he’s the ghost living in your house.” Victoria Carroll was looking right at Cathy; no hiding behind knitting this time. “I was so upset. I blamed myself for his death for years and years. Couldn’t leave the house, never got married. Never had a life outside of my family’s, and once my parents passed on, there was…nothing. And I guess my brother stayed around. Looked after me. He always hoped I would move on. And I did, just a couple of weeks ago. But I think…I think the habit of staying in the house, it was too strong.” She paused. “We always called him Jack, you know.”
It was a good thing, Cathy decided, that she was sitting down. Because she felt as if she were falling. “No,” she said faintly. “That’s not how it works. You’re supposed to have noidea what I’m talking about, and I’m supposed to help you sort of work around to it, and then it’ll be this dramatic revelation, not a…not a matter-of-fact story where you just blurt out, oh, by the way, the ghost is my brother Jack. Didn’t you know?”
“Sorry, darling, but I don’t have that kind of time.”
“I guess I’m the one who’s sorry. I sort of assumed you…you wouldn’t know what was going on. But you do know.”
“I honestly thought he would either leave when I sold the house,” Miss Carroll said, “or come with me. I wasn’t tricking you. I have to admit, I kind of miss him. How is he?”
“He’s taken over the body of my obnoxious next-door neighbor. And now my neighbor is the ghost.” Cathy sighed. “I should have kept renting.”
“Oh.” She brightened. “So he’s alive again?”
“Well…yeah.”
Miss Carroll clapped. “Wonderful!”
“No. My neighbor…he’s stuck in some sort of limbo, he’s—”
“You’re not talking about Ken, are you?” Miss Carroll’s mouth thinned with distaste. “I wouldn’t worry about
him,
dear. Anything that happened to him, he had it coming.”
“Yes, but he’s
in
my house,
” Cathy said, exasperated. “Living with a ghost might be business as usual for you, Miss Carroll, but it’s a pain in my ass!”
“Well, yes, if the ghost is Ken. Jacky was a
wonderful
ghost. So helpful.”
Cathy flopped back onto the bed. “My head hurts.”
“You’re just Jack’s type, too,” Miss Carroll commented,picking up her knitting. “All that dark curly hair, those big eyes…”
“Don’t start on my curly hair and big eyes, please. What should I do?”
“Marry my brother,” she said promptly.
“About. The. Ghost.”
“Oh, I’m old so I know about exorcisms? Call a priest, dear. Or don’t. Ken struck me as the type who withers without attention. He’ll probably go away on his own.”
“You know, there’s the small matter of your brother taking over a body that didn’t belong to him.”
“Bullshit,” Miss Carroll said. “Jacky was cheated out of his own lifetime. Dead at twenty-one; you call that reasonable? What was Ken doing with the body, anyway? Riddling it with STDs? Filling it with alcohol and getting DUI’s? Using it to date-rape unsuspecting women? Why shouldn’t my brother have a chance?”
Because it was wrong. Because the body didn’t belong to him. Because it was creepy. Because she didn’t mean to kill Ken. Because nothing was that simple. “I…I don’t know.”
“Exactly.” Miss Carroll held up her knitting, then reached into the bag at her feet and withdrew a new ball of yarn. The yarn exactly matched her knitting needles. “Give my love to Jacky when you see him.”
Chapter 17
Cathy slammed into her house and stomped into the kitchen. “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do, buster!”
“Yeah!”
Don’t go in the basement.
“So Jefferson…your brother…”
“Oh, he’s the ghost living in your house.” Victoria Carroll was looking right at Cathy; no hiding behind knitting this time. “I was so upset. I blamed myself for his death for years and years. Couldn’t leave the house, never got married. Never had a life outside of my family’s, and once my parents passed on, there was…nothing. And I guess my brother stayed around. Looked after me. He always hoped I would move on. And I did, just a couple of weeks ago. But I think…I think the habit of staying in the house, it was too strong.” She paused. “We always called him Jack, you know.”
It was a good thing, Cathy decided, that she was sitting down. Because she felt as if she were falling. “No,” she said faintly. “That’s not how it works. You’re supposed to have noidea what I’m talking about, and I’m supposed to help you sort of work around to it, and then it’ll be this dramatic revelation, not a…not a matter-of-fact story where you just blurt out, oh, by the way, the ghost is my brother Jack. Didn’t you know?”
“Sorry, darling, but I don’t have that kind of time.”
“I guess I’m the one who’s sorry. I sort of assumed you…you wouldn’t know what was going on. But you do know.”
“I honestly thought he would either leave when I sold the house,” Miss Carroll said, “or come with me. I wasn’t tricking you. I have to admit, I kind of miss him. How is he?”
“He’s taken over the body of my obnoxious next-door neighbor. And now my neighbor is the ghost.” Cathy sighed. “I should have kept renting.”
“Oh.” She brightened. “So he’s alive again?”
“Well…yeah.”
Miss Carroll clapped. “Wonderful!”
“No. My neighbor…he’s stuck in some sort of limbo, he’s—”
“You’re not talking about Ken, are you?” Miss Carroll’s mouth thinned with distaste. “I wouldn’t worry about
him,
dear. Anything that happened to him, he had it coming.”
“Yes, but he’s
in
my house,
” Cathy said, exasperated. “Living with a ghost might be business as usual for you, Miss Carroll, but it’s a pain in my ass!”
“Well, yes, if the ghost is Ken. Jacky was a
wonderful
ghost. So helpful.”
Cathy flopped back onto the bed. “My head hurts.”
“You’re just Jack’s type, too,” Miss Carroll commented,picking up her knitting. “All that dark curly hair, those big eyes…”
“Don’t start on my curly hair and big eyes, please. What should I do?”
“Marry my brother,” she said promptly.
“About. The. Ghost.”
“Oh, I’m old so I know about exorcisms? Call a priest, dear. Or don’t. Ken struck me as the type who withers without attention. He’ll probably go away on his own.”
“You know, there’s the small matter of your brother taking over a body that didn’t belong to him.”
“Bullshit,” Miss Carroll said. “Jacky was cheated out of his own lifetime. Dead at twenty-one; you call that reasonable? What was Ken doing with the body, anyway? Riddling it with STDs? Filling it with alcohol and getting DUI’s? Using it to date-rape unsuspecting women? Why shouldn’t my brother have a chance?”
Because it was wrong. Because the body didn’t belong to him. Because it was creepy. Because she didn’t mean to kill Ken. Because nothing was that simple. “I…I don’t know.”
“Exactly.” Miss Carroll held up her knitting, then reached into the bag at her feet and withdrew a new ball of yarn. The yarn exactly matched her knitting needles. “Give my love to Jacky when you see him.”
Chapter 17
Cathy slammed into her house and stomped into the kitchen. “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do, buster!”
“Yeah!”
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