Page 43 of Ghost in the Cupboard

As a medium, one often finds that they are their own worst enemy. Thanks to my interaction with Nana Milner, Rhonda begged me to stay twice as long for three times the pay. As long as I kept trying to summon Harlan, she wanted to keep trying. After two hours of having her wring her hands and hope for the best, and Danny staring at me as though I was a monster, I told Rhonda it was time to give up.

Danny seemed ghostly himself as the session ended, but Rhonda was her usual chipper self. She saw me out of the house after I gave Danny a quick, polite “goodbye.” As I left, she stuffed money in my hand and thank me, shutting the door unceremoniously in my face.

When I returned to the diner, later than usual after a session at Rhonda’s, Ginny was serving a lunch to David Honeycutt, the manager and owner of the Wash-A-Teria laundromat, our postman, and honorary mayor in Sage Grove. I went and took my coat and scarf off, hanging them on the tree by the door, said “hello” to David, then went and washed my hands. By the time I’d dried my hands and returned to the counter with Ginny, David was gone.

“I guess Harlan finally showed himself?” Ginny asked, looking at the clock.

“Sorry, I’m late,” I said. “No. He didn’t show up. Again. But her son Danny was there. Gave him a message from his grandmother. So…there’s that.”

Ginny grinned.

“That’s good, right? Proving you aren’t a fraud?”

I smiled tightly.

“So,” I said, “what needs doing?”

“Actually,” Ginny said, “A lot have come and gone already. Chili and cornbread served up and gone.”

She gestured at the pots on the stove. One was empty and the burner turned off and the other was half-empty, simmering away still.

“What about Sal?”

“She came by,” Ginny replied. “I took care of the order. She asked if you’d had a chance to ask around about Marcella.”

“Okay,” I said. “I guess I’ll talk to her about it tomorrow.”

“Have you?” Ginny asked, excitedly. “Talked to ghosts about her being missing?”

“Maybe,” I replied. “I don’t know anything. Honestly, it’s not high on my list of priorities. Unhoused people relocate, take off, whatever, all the time. Gary being upset doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong. It just means he misses her.”

Ginny cringed.

“Am I getting in your business too much? I’m sorry, Si.”

I waved her off.

“It’s just…that’s business. A different business. It’s what I do to make a living. I don’t like…I don’t want to mix the dead with my life more than I have to.”

“I guess I understand,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing,” I said with a genuine laugh. “Let’s just forget it.”

“Well,” Ginny said, “if you want, I can clean up and close up for the day.”

“Really?” I asked. “You’ve been doing that a lot lately. I feel like I’m taking advantage of you.”

“Well,” Ginny gave me an impish grin, “sometimes after I clean up, I study and do my homework here. Quieter than the dorm.”

I laughed. “I’d imagine so. But you’re not staying too late and driving back to school when it’s dark are you?”

“It’s fiiiiiiiiiine, Si,” she said. “I’m tough.”

I sighed.

“Well,” I said, “all right. Going home does sound good right now. I have plenty to do, I’m sure. Online clients to respond to, uh, housework, get your payroll figured out for Thursday. I’m sure you’d appreciate that.”

I’d said “housework” but I meant “look for my ghost in my house.” The rest was true, though.