Stalking Shadows (Scary Mary) by S.A. Hunter Page A

to the lights overhead. “To thank him, I fixed dinner. Meatloaf. He said it was really good.”
    “Nobody fixes it better than you, Nina.” The man’s voice came from within the room, but Mary had no sense of his location. She touched Gran’s shoulder and motioned for her to keep the woman talking.
    “What happened?” Gran asked.
    “We’d just sat down when every light in the house started to flicker. Neil, I mean Mr. Connor, went to check the panel. He’s a very nice man.”
    “That’s not what Gladys used to say. She was always saying that he didn’t do his part around the house. You’re too good for him.” Gran had picked up a few of Mr. Beadley’s words.
    “He seems to think that Mr. Connor isn’t good enough for you.”
    “Where would he get such an idea? Neil was his friend.”
    Mary spoke up, “Gladys was always complaining about him.”
    Mrs. Beadley’s mouth dropped open. “Gladys? That was Neil’s wife’s name! How did you know that?”
    Gran answered, “Your husband mentioned her. I think Gladys made him think Mr. Connor isn’t good enough for you.” She shot Mary a quick look to confirm what she’d said. Mary nodded.
    “Well that’s silly. Gladys, God rest her soul, was always a bit of a complainer. Neil was good to her and their kids. Marvin, you’re not being fair.”
    Mr. Beadley didn’t respond. “What happened next with Mr. Connor?” Gran prompted.
    “He went to the electrical panel to check the breakers. Nothing was wrong, of course. He came back, and we started to eat. No sooner had he lifted the first forkful to his mouth when his glass of tea tipped over and spilled. We didn’t see anything knock it over. It just tipped over on its own. It soaked his trousers. He mopped it up the best he could, but they weren’t fit to wear. I offered him an old pair of Marvin’s. He changed into them, and we tried to eat again. Only now the food was cold. I don’t mean it had cooled off from sitting out. It was literally frozen. Neil looked at me, and I can only imagine what he thought. And it wasn’t just the meatloaf: everything had been frozen. The mashed potatoes, the green beans, and the biscuits were all frozen. I can’t believe Marvin would do that to me. It was so embarrassing.”
    “Then?” Gran asked.
    “Then he took her out to dinner, and she didn’t come home until eleven o’clock!” Mary winced at Mr. Beadley’s exclamation. He had a very strident voice.
    “He took me out to dinner. It was lovely. We talked for hours and laughed so hard our sides ached. I had a wonderful time.”
    Mary looked over at Gran and shrugged her shoulders. She really didn’t know how to proceed with this. Didn’t cops say domestic disputes were the most difficult calls to respond to? She was beginning to understand why. They both agreed on what happened but had differing reactions.
    Gran stood up and moved to the center of the room. “Marvin, my name’s Helena Dubont. Your wife has asked for my help. You can’t go on haunting her like this. You both need to move on.”
    “Move on? What’s there to move on to? Nina’s my world.”
    “There is a place beyond this. You’ll join your parents and friends that have gone before you. You won’t be alone.”
    “Who will look after Nina? Who’ll help her?”
    Gran turned to Mrs. Beadley. “He’s scared to leave you because he thinks you’ll be alone.”
    Mrs. Beadley looked down at her lap. “It’s true that I don’t have any close family to rely on. We weren’t blessed with children.”
    Mary felt sorry for her. She looked to Gran and had to consider the fact that Gran was all the family she had. If she lost her...Mary didn’t want to consider it. It was just too bleak.
    “I would be okay, though. I’m not completely alone. Our friends have helped me. They’ve been so kind and generous.”
    “And Neil. He’s falling all over himself being ‘kind and generous.’” Gran and Mary ignored Mr. Beadley's snide