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My nod was halfhearted. I hadn’t planned on being responsible for someone else’s destiny.
“Stand up and keep walking the same direction. No words.”
“What is he saying?” Adam asked.
Walking again, it only took a few steps before the urge overwhelmed me and I lurched forward in a dry heave. If I’d had anything left in my stomach, it would have painted the sidewalk. Recovering, I started walking again.
“Tell me what he’s saying,” Adam insisted.
I kept quiet.
Rylie and Oscar had started a dance on the concrete in front of the fountain and ended up shifting around in the direction I was walking.
“Do you see the seat with the Whole Foods bag under it? Sit down there, with your bag on the ground.”
The bench was just ahead.
My knees were weak, so sitting down was a relief.
“Stay there, and don’t move until I tell you.”
Did that mean he was coming to me? The thought was chilling.
“What the hell is he telling you?” Adam yelled in my ear. “Tell me or I’m pulling you out.”
I tapped my chest twice, then twice again.
“Not good enough.”
Ignoring him, I brushed my hair behind my ear, exactly as Rylie had warned me not to and tapped my chest two more times.
Adam could be stubborn, but I could be more stubborn, and I couldn’t do the right thing with him yelling at me.
Rylie and Oscar were stealing glances in my direction.
As I looked both ways, I still didn’t recognize anyone from work. He had to be someone I worked with, but who? The voice was disguised, and the speech pattern didn’t bring a face to the fore either.
When Rylie next looked my way, I gave her the smallest shake of my head I could manage.
Her head bobbed in an equally subtle way and her lips moved. She’d gotten the message and was relaying it to Adam, I hoped.
The Ghost finally spoke again. “When the man with the dog passes you, take the bag from under the bench, and leave the one you brought in its place. Follow the man with the dog and sit down again when you reach the other side of the circle. Nod if you understand.”
I looked right. No man, no dog.
The left was a different story. A dachshund strained against his leash, pulling an older gentleman along.
“I said nod if you understand.”
I nodded vigorously.
“Follow my directions exactly, or your friend Evelyn dies.”
My mouth dropped open. Now I had a name.
Evelyn hadn’t come to work yesterday or the day before. The Ghost had her—two days of hell on Earth.
* * *
