“Now?”
She nodded.
“For goodness’ sake, can I not have one conversation without being interrupted?” She rose and said to me, “I’ll be right back.”
As soon as Zelda left, Lemon raced to the door and locked it. I sat up, unsure what the heck this could be about. When she was convinced that the door was secure, Lemon came and sat in her mother’s chair.
She flicked her dark hair over one shoulder. “What were you talking about?”
“I don’t see that it’s any of your business.”
“You don’t have to tell me because I already know. My mother was telling you that she had a way to ensure that your father would return to you, didn’t she?”
That was creepy. Had Lemon been listening at the door? “Maybe she was.”
“You’re wondering how I know,” she said with an eerie look in her eyes, one that made my stomach quiver. “Aren’t you? You think that maybe I was listening in. Well, I wasn’t. I know you want to see your father again, and I know my mother offered to help you with that because she’s done it before.”
Okay, so it didn’t take a rocket scientist to deduce that I still wanted to talk to my father. But why was the pickle lady concerned about me?
Her eyes glinted with amusement. “My mother has performed hundreds of séances and I’ve attended nearly every one, so I know how it goes, except this was different. You didn’t get what you were after. Only one other time in all the séances my mother has performed has that happened.”
Where was this going, and where was Roan with my supposed food? I’d spent all evening talking and not one second eating, so I was starved.
“Oh?” I asked, pretending to be interested.
“I have to be quick because as soon as Mother discovers that Luis doesn’t want her, she’ll be back. Listen, don’t do what she asks. She will promise to have a solution, one that will reunite you with your father so that you can get what you want.”
“Why shouldn’t I go for it?”
Lemon dropped her gaze to the floor. “One other time she promised someone the same thing—a young man wanting forgiveness from his mother for something that he’d done in this life. My mother told him there was a way to call the spirit back. It’s like a beacon, a thing that the spirit can’t refuse. It called the mother back to her son. It was a special séance that they did. But…”
Her voice trailed off into an uncomfortable silence. “But what?” I prodded.
“But something went wrong.” Lemon lifted her gaze to meet mine. “At first everything seemed to be okay. The mother appeared, and the young man was able to speak to her again. But after a few minutes he started grabbing his head and saying that he wasn’t feeling well. After that he began screaming.”
This was getting uncomfortable. My gut twisted. “And then?”
Lemon scraped her teeth over her bottom lip. “A few minutes later he dropped dead on the floor. The special séance that my mother had called killed him.”
Chapter 9
Iwas overly pessimistic. “I’ve never heard of a séance killing anyone.”
Lemon gave a bored shrug. “You don’t have to believe it. I don’t care if you do. I’m only telling you the truth about what happened. If you want to be next, go ahead and do as my mother has said—allow yourself to be roped in by her. By all means,” she said, rising, “don’t listen to me and do whatever you want.”
Fine. I didn’t know what Lemon’s game was, but I seriously doubted that whatever it was that Zelda did had caused the young man to die.
“Did she tell you about possibly wiping out your powers?” Lemon asked.
“Yes.”
She nodded. “The two are related.” Lemon moved to a table where a cherrywood box with a glossy surface and smooth lines sat. She opened it and pulled out what looked like a torture device made of bands and circles.
“It fits on your head and amplifies your calls to the dead. Unfortunately, it also causes brain hemorrhages.” Lemon dropped it back into the box and shut it tight. “Do what you will—don’t believe me or do. But if my mother offers this to you, run.” She moved toward the door. “She will return in a moment. I need to go.”
Without another word she unlocked the door and slipped from the room.
I had seen and heard enough. First, I could lose my powers, and now I could lose my life. This situation was becoming creepier by the minute.
