CHAPTER 1
I quietly unfolded my newspaper and lazily looked through the contents. Nothing. I hadn’t really expected to find anything in the media about Levi.
I looked up at the sagging wooden frames of my cottage windows. They would have to be fixed, but that would take money. The ivy had gotten out of control and was crawling inch by inch along the cottage wall, greedily finding its way into cracks. I tried to inhale the scent of the lavender bushes at my feet, but the best I could do was imagine how it should be. Why was it that flowers lost their pungent fragrance away from the coast?
Or perhaps I had simply lost my sense of smell, along with my income—and my potential lover.
It had been a week, a long week of nothingness. No news in the media, no word from Levi. Again, I had expected it, but that did nothing to quell the anxiety gnawing away at the pit of my stomach. In all the years I had made my living as a clairvoyant medium, travelling around Australia doing shows, I had never seen a ghost with my physical eyes—that was, not until I saw Levi.
When Levi had first appeared to me, asking for my help, I thought he was a ghost. Even he had thought he was a ghost. It took the two of us some time to realise that he was in a coma, and it was his spirit that had been appearing to me. By then, I had fallen hopelessly in love with him. Finally, Levi’s spirit told me that he was in a safe house. I had to race against the clock to find him before his crooked ex-partner did.
Yet I did manage to track him down. No sooner had Levi recognised me, and to my relief, had obviously been pleased to see me, than Detective Brown had swiftly ushered me out of the room. Brown had taken my statement, debriefed me, sworn me to secrecy, and sent me on my way, promising to be in touch.
I knew Levi would need more time in the hospital, or rather in hospital care, but why hadn’t he called? I had given my number, my address, everything but my shoe size, to Detective Brown. Now that Levi’s former detective partner and would-be murderer had been arrested, there was no more need for secrecy.
My fears, as much as I did not want to face them, were that Levi had no feelings for me except as a friend. After all, I had only conversed with him in his spirit form when he was in the coma.
I rubbed my temples and once more tried to force myself to relax. The cats, Possum and Lily, pounced underneath bushes, looking for quarry. So far, they hadn’t found anything to hunt, so were content with fighting dandelions.
I walked back inside, thinking I should make some lunch. I had lost my appetite lately, no doubt due to my anxiety over the situation with Levi. I surveyed the kitchen and looked for something to eat. How long had that sandwich been in the refrigerator? I wasn’t sure, so I threw it in the garbage. I didn’t need a bout of food poisoning to add to my troubles. Perhaps I should eat some ice cream. That had to be safer.
Before I even had a chance to fetch the ice cream from the freezer, there was a loud knock on the door. Levi?
I raced to the door, my heart beating out of my chest. I flung the door open, and my face fell. There, standing on my porch, were Constance, Iris, and Barbara.
“Hi,” I said, doing my best to inject enthusiasm into my voice. “What are you all doing here?”
Constance pushed past me by way of answer. “We brought you lunch, because you’ve lost weight lately.”
“That’s very kind of you,” I began, despite the fact I didn’t know whether or not it was a compliment, but Iris interrupted me.
“It’s good for young people to lose weight,” she said in obvious disapproval, “but when someone your age loses weight, it just makes them look haggard.”
I bit back a retort.
Barbara rolled her eyes at me in sympathy. “What you need is a man to cook for you,” she said. “Why don’t we set you up on another blind date?”
I shuddered and held up my hands. “Please don’t! I’ll find my own man.”
With that, the three of them burst into laughter. “It hasn’t worked for you so far, has it?” Barbara said.
Just then, Constance returned from the kitchen, and deposited plates around the coffee table. “Sandwiches,” she said. “I bought them from that lovely new store.”
I thanked her. “That’s so kind of you,” I said, sipping coffee from a takeaway polystyrene cup. “This is awfully good coffee.” I considered that, as irritating as my three friends could be, they were at least well-intentioned—most of the time, anyway.
My phone rang, and I dived for it. “Hello?” To my dismay, it was an automated message telling me that my phone bill would be routinely deducted from my bank account at the end of the month, as always. I had asked the phone company not to send me any of those reminders, but it hadn’t stopped them so far.
I muttered rudely and then looked up to see the three of them staring at me. “You were expecting a man to call, weren’t you?” Barbara demanded in an accusing tone. Constance and Iris readily agreed.
“Of course not!” I lied.
“Are you on Tinder?” Barbara said. “I’m on Tinder, but all the men my age look old.”
“All the men your age are old,” Iris said, much to my annoyance. Barbara scowled at her. “You don’t want to die lonely and alone, do you, Prudence?” Iris continued. “You must be so lonely. You couldn’t make your marriage work, and now your son’s living on the other side of the world.”
Constance ignored her, and asked me, “eHarmony?”
I shook my head. “I’m not going to consider online dating,” I said firmly.
Iris changed the subject back again. “Have you heard from your daughter at all? I know it’s a sore point. I don’t want to upset you by mentioning it.”
“No,” I said bluntly. My ex-husband had turned my daughter against me, and the subject did upset me greatly.
“You poor thing. I don’t want to upset you,” she said once more, “but your daughter’s been posting really nasty things about you on Facebook.”
I held up a hand. “Stop right there. I’d rather not know, seriously.”
Iris took no notice. “She was having a public Facebook conversation with your ex-husband about you, and they were saying some terrible things!” she continued. She must have seen the look on my face, because she changed the subject. “Anyway, how’s the job situation these days?”
“Oh gosh, that’s another worry,” I said without thinking.
Constance was the only one to pick up on it. “What do you mean another worry? Do you mean your daughter, or something else?”
I waved my hands in the air. “My agent told me that I don’t have a hope of doing any more big shows, what with all the international clairvoyant mediums coming out. He can probably get me some small bookings, but not enough to make a living out of it any more.”
Iris shook her head. “You poor thing.” That was her favourite expression, and it always rankled.
“No man, no job.” Barbara sighed.
“But you have sandwiches,” Constance said through a mouthful of crumbs.
For once, I admired her perspective.
“Where’s your laptop?” Barbara asked me.
I frowned. “Why?”
“If you don’t want to go on Tinder, then let’s find an online dating site and enrol you.”
“Good idea,” Iris said gleefully. “You’re not getting any younger, Prudence.”
I swallowed a mouthful of sandwich before speaking. “I don’t want to hear another word about online dating.” I waved a finger for emphasis. “My finances are my sole concern at this point in time.”
Just then, there was a knock on the door. “Who could that be?” Constance said, pushing past me to answer it. I hurried after her. Before I could reach her, she pulled the door open.
Levi was standing there.
“Hello, Constance,” he said, an obvious look of distaste on his face.
“Levi!” I squealed with delight.
“Do I know you?” Constance asked him, in a tone which made it obvious that she would certainly like to do so.
I saw Levi mentally catching himself. Despite the fact that he knew my three friends well, they had never seen him. In his spirit form, he had seen my friends and overheard many conversations between us all.
“Please come in,” I said.
As Levi rather nervously stepped into the room, all three females eyed him. They all looked predatory, as if they were about to pounce.
“Is he a friend of yours?” Barbara asked me, obviously hoping he wasn’t so she could have him for herself.
“I’m so sorry, Prudence wasn’t expecting me today,” Levi said smoothly. “I’m Detective Levi Grimes. Prudence recently helped us on a case.”
“You didn’t tell us that!” Constance said to me, evidently rather put out.
“That’s my fault,” Levi said. “She was sworn to secrecy. Police business, and all.”
The three women looked him up and down, clearly enjoying what they saw. “Please have one of the sandwiches,” Constance said. “Sit next to me.” She patted the couch next to her.
I resisted the urge to grab Levi by the elbow and announce that he was all mine. Finally, Levi was here, but I wasn’t able to speak to him in private, to see what was going on. I took heart in the fact that he was in my house, so that meant everything was okay, or so I hoped.
“Prudence, may I have a word with you in private?”
I was overjoyed. “Sure.”
He walked towards the kitchen, to the accompaniment of loud whispers by my friends discussing the fact that he knew the way.
“Outside,” I whispered. “They can hear us in here.” I was concerned that Levi might think it overkill, but then again, he had spent considerable time in the presence of my friends.
I stopped by the rosemary bushes and stood with a clear view of the windows. “How are you doing?” It was all I could do not to throw my arms around his neck.
He looked even better than he had in spirit form: tall, well-built, nicely muscled but not too much so, with kind, twinkling blue eyes. His greying hair only served to give him a distinguished air. His long nose and chiselled features added to the masculinity he exuded. His hair was cut short. He was better dressed than most cops, wearing stone coloured chinos, brown Brogue shoes and a pale blue gingham shirt, worn out over his pants. Oh my gosh, you sound like a love-sick puppy, I silently scolded myself.
Levi laughed awkwardly. “I’m a little weak, but recovering. I can’t stay long. Prudence, it feels as if I’ve known you forever, but this is the first time we’ve actually spoken in the flesh, so to speak.”
I nodded, not knowing what to say.
“Would you have dinner with me?”
I beamed. “I’d love to.” My heart skipped a beat. Was this the beginning of a wonderful relationship? It seemed too good to be true. I had fantasised about this moment for so long.
Levi smiled, and briefly touched my arm. I wondered if he felt the tingles of electricity, just as I had. “I have so much to tell you, Prudence. I have to thank you properly, too.”
I sensed the smile fade from my face. Was Levi simply grateful? Or did he truly have feelings for me?
