A Haunted Twist of Fate (26 page)

Some of the tears had been shed for her parents, and
some for the doubt Colt had instilled in her about them. But the majority of
tears had been spilled specifically for him.

Even though he’d kindly offered his assistance in
hunting down information about Alicia, it was obvious his feelings for her had
cooled. He hadn’t even tried to kiss her goodbye last night. What a fool she’d
been to push him away in the first place, and not to tell him how she felt.

A strange dream about her parents had kept her
tossing and turning all night, too. She had to get to the bottom of this before
she exploded. She dialed Lee’s number.

“Lee Stansbury’s office. How may I help you?”

Shay recognized the voice. “Karen, this is Shay Brennan.”

“Shay! How nice to hear from you. It’s been a long
time. How are you doing?”

“I’m well, thank you.”



“Glad to hear it. Where are you now? Lee mentioned
you left Chicago and have been doing some traveling.”

“That’s right. I’m in South Dakota. I’ve been
staying in a charming little town for a while now.” She didn’t want her
godfather to learn secondhand from his secretary that she’d settled here.

“I’ve heard of Deadwood, because of the HBO show. 
Are you anywhere near it?”

“Not too far. Listen. The strangest thing has
happened, Karen. I’ve met a man in this town who has an unusual connection to
my parents. I’d like to speak to Lee and see if he knows anything about this
family. Is he available?”



“I believe so. Hold on and I’ll connect you. It’s
great talking to you again, Shay.”

“Same here.” She listened to elevator music while
waiting to be connected. When Karen came back on the line, her voice sounded
different—nervous and overly apologetic.

“I’m sorry, Shay. I was mistaken. Lee isn’t in his
office. Would you like to leave a message?”

“When will he be back?”

“Sorry. I don’t know. Would you like me to put you
into his voice mail?”

“No. When he returns, will you give him my number
and ask him to call me as soon as possible? It’s very important that I speak to
him.”

“I’ll be glad to. What’s the number?”

Shay gave Karen her cell phone number and hung up,
while feeling a prickly sensation dance across her neck. Why had Karen sounded
odd when she’d returned to the line? Maybe someone had interrupted her and said
something rude. Lee had a partner who didn’t censor his thoughts often enough. Oh
well. Hopefully Lee would call back soon.

There was no smell of cigar smoke or any of the
other sounds associated with the ghosts this morning as Shay strolled down the
stairs. But just because she didn’t sense them didn’t mean they weren’t hanging
around.

Wanting to get Colt off her mind, she decided to
call Brenda. She’d meant to get back in touch with her before now, but one
thing after another had happened to postpone another meeting. Luckily, Brenda
was home when she called. The first thing Shay mentioned was the ring on the
chain.

“You say you found it at the foot of Everett
Rawlins’ headstone?” Brenda asked.

“Yes. I’m sorry I kept it a secret from you. I
wasn’t convinced you were legitimate at the time, so I made a snap decision not
to mention it right then. I was a skeptic because you’d gotten Callie’s name
wrong and then you went into that trance at the graveyard. I wasn’t sure if you
were faking. Also…”

“What?”

“To be honest, I wasn’t sure I could work with you
after you told me of your former relationship with Colt Morgan.”

Brenda laughed. “I thought maybe that’s why you
hadn’t called me back. I’m sorry if I led you to believe there’d been more
between us. Nothing happened with Colt and me, but not for my lack of trying. He
wouldn’t have me.” She laughed again. “You have my blessing. Based on the auras
surrounding both of you, I think you would make a great couple.”

“Well, thanks.” There was no point in saying more,
but it did make Shay feel better to hear Brenda admit she and Colt hadn’t slept
together.

“What changed your mind about me?” Brenda asked.

“I was impressed when you sensed the ghosts in the
saloon, and of course, we both had the experience at the basement door. I
almost became a believer when you went straight to Everett’s grave. But the
thing that finally convinced me was when you called back that day and told me
Callie’s full name. It was at that moment I was sure you do have a gift. I’m
sorry.”

“It’s all right, Shay. I don’t blame you for testing
me. I get that a lot from people. There are a lot of fakes out there, so it’s
good to be cautious. The truth is I’ve seen spirits since I was a little girl. They
used to scare me so bad. I didn’t understand why I was seeing them when no one
else did. It was difficult for me to keep friends when I was in school because
I was always worried that if they found out about me, they’d think I was insane,
or a witch or something. Which is exactly what happened the couple of times I
did share my secret with someone. As a result, I became isolated and shy. It’s
tough maintaining relationships when people think you’re nuts.”

Colt had been one of those people who’d called
Brenda a nut without knowing and understanding what she’d been through her
whole life.

Brenda continued. “It wasn’t until I became an adult
that I learned to manage my fears and use my gift for good. I can’t change the
way I am or what I see, so now I just try to help those I can, however I can.”

“Thanks for sharing your story with me,” Shay said. “I’m
one of those who need your help.  I hope we can be friends when this is over.”

“I’d like that, too. Tell me what your goals are for
this case.”

“I want to know why Callie has shown herself to me
and what kind of help she needs. Second, I need to discover who owned this ring
and what it symbolizes. Third, I want to know the identity of the bad
ghost—whether it’s Everett or not—and get rid of him. Finally, I’d like for you
to cross over the spirits still hanging around the saloon.”

“That’s a long laundry list,” Brenda said.

“Are you up to it?”

“You bet. You name the night. Spirit activity tends
to be stronger in dead time.”

“Dead time?”

“From midnight on. The spirits prefer coming out in
the dark.”

“Of course they do. I should have known that. I’ve
seen enough spooky movies,” Shay chuckled. “What will we need?”

“Just a couple of small flashlights, which I’ll
bring.”

“You received a psychic message from Everett,
guiding you to his grave. Is that always the way it works for you?”

“Normally I request the spirits to show themselves
to me. If they’re cooperative, I see them and can hear them speaking, as if
they’re alive and holding a conversation. Sometimes I see visions. The best way
I can describe what happens in that case is it’s like a movie running in front
of my eyes. I see the spirits acting out an experience they had. I can also
feel what they feel when the scene is being played out. Does that make sense?”

Shay said it did. “I’m not psychic, but Callie has
spoken to me. I’ve seen her body as if she was flesh and blood, and her blue
eyes. I’ve felt her hands around my neck. And the other ghost felt one hundred
percent real when he lifted me in the air and tried to throw me out my bedroom
window. Plus, I saw Everett in the graveyard. How do you explain that I’ve been
able to see those things? I’m not psychic.”

“Everyone has psychic power within them, Shay. Not
everyone recognizes that power or has an occasion to use it. Sometimes a
person’s abilities can lie dormant until something occurs that opens a door
into the world of the paranormal.”

“Such as?”

“A traumatic experience, a significant life change,
or a death. I don’t know anything about you or your life, but it’s obvious
you’re a sensitive.”

Shay had never told anyone before, but there’d been
some prophetic dreams that had come true when she was a teenager.  There had
also been times she’d awoken from sleep, and it felt like someone was standing
at the end of her bed watching her. She hadn’t told her parents. She’d just
pretended nothing had happened and tried to forget about the incidents, hoping
she wasn’t going crazy.

Could the death of her parents and the decision to
stay in South Dakota have been the catalysts for the supernatural things she
was going through now? It was an intriguing thought, and one that made sense.

“Call me to set up a date and time,” Brenda said.
“And one more thing. It can get hairy when I call up bad spirits. I want you to
remember, whatever happens, spirits are just that. They’re dead people. This
entity, whoever he is, is not alive, and he won’t be able to hurt us.”

Right
. Shay recalled
being picked up off the floor and clutching the curtains for dear life. “I’ll
call you soon.”

Forty-Two

Shay had just traipsed to the second floor to apply
her makeup when her cell phone rang. Expecting it to be Colt after seeing his
number pop up on the screen, she was surprised to hear a female voice on the
other end.

“Shay, this is Hannah Morgan.”

“Hannah! Good morning. It’s nice to hear from you.”
It
was
nice to talk to her, but a chill immediately ran through Shay’s
body. Why was Colt’s mother calling her from his phone?

“I’m calling from Colt’s cell phone,” Hannah said,
reading her mind. “I found your number in his contact list.”

Shay knew Hannah to be a direct, but polite woman. 
She hadn’t even said hello. That didn’t seem like her. And her voice sounded
thick, choked. Shay knew something was wrong. “Hannah, what is it?”

“It’s Colt. He’s been in an accident.”

Shay’s heart skipped. “What happened? Where is he? Is
he okay?” The questions flew out of her mouth at rapid speed.

“He’s in the emergency room at Regional Hospital. Do
you know where the hospital is?”

“No. Please give me directions.” Shay ran to her
bedroom and dumped her purse onto the bed and scribbled directions on the back
of a blank check. “What happened to him? Is he all right?” she asked again.

“We’ll explain when you get here. Hurry, Shay.”

She jerked on the jeans and the shirt she’d worn the
previous night, grabbed her purse, and dashed out the door.

When she entered the emergency room waiting area,
she glimpsed around and found Hannah and Chet huddled in the corner. Chet stood
up and offered her his chair when she approached.

“How is he? Have you seen him?” Shay asked.

“He’s with the doctor,” Chet answered. Even under
the harsh fluorescent lights, Shay noticed Colt’s dad was still a handsome man
for his age. She nodded and gazed into Hannah’s eyes. There were no traces of
tears, so Colt’s injuries couldn’t have been too bad. But on second thought,
Hannah was a strong, stoic woman. Maybe she didn’t cry.

“Please tell me what happened.” Her stomach was in a
knot. It had been twisting with worry all the way here.

Hannah explained. “Colt was showing a farm first
thing this morning. He and his client were in the barn inspecting the horse
stalls when some loose boards fell from the second story rafters. Colt was hit
in the head and on the arm.”

Shay gasped. “Is he conscious?”

“Now he is. The client wasn’t hurt. He called 911 and
told the paramedics that Colt was knocked out cold for a couple of minutes. They
did a PET-scan on his head as soon as the ambulance brought him here. He has a
concussion, but the doctor says it’s mild, thank God. His left arm is
fractured. The doctor is doing a non-surgical treatment on him right now called
reduction, where he moves pieces of bone back into the correct position. It
doesn’t require any anesthesia and will take less recovery time than
traditional surgery.”

Gulping back the tears that stung her eyes, Shay bit
her lip and nodded.

Hannah patted her hand. “He’s going to be okay. It
could have been so much worse. The doctor said his arm should heal fine within
a few weeks.”

“Good thing our boy has a hard head,” Chet added. “You’ll
find that out soon enough, I suppose.” He winked at Shay.

The two of them were being so kind, setting her at
ease when they must have been just as afraid as she. Plus, Colt must not have
mentioned their “breakup” or else Hannah wouldn’t have called.

“Thank you for calling to let me know,” Shay finally
managed to say. “Will we be able to see him?”

“Yes,” Hannah said. “He doesn’t need to spend the
night. The procedure shouldn’t take too long. Have you got time to sit and wait
with us?”

“Of course. I have nowhere to be. I’d like to stay.”

“Good. We can get to know each other better. Find a
chair, Chet,” Hannah said to her husband, nodding to the empty seat on the
other side of her. “Shay and I are going to have a little girl talk. Here’s
something for you to read.” She shoved a
People
magazine in his hands. “That’s
better,” Hannah said, returning her attention to Shay. “He was making me
nervous, hovering like a helicopter.” She chuckled. “Now, tell me, Shay. What
is it about my son that has you in such a dither?”