Marilyn Kaye - Finders Keepers

He really didn’t want to get caught up in this conversation, and he was relieved when Stevie arrived next.

‘Hey, how ’s it going?’ he asked the younger boy.

Stevie didn’t look any more cheerful than he’d looked at the last seance.

‘OK, I guess,’ he said.‘Mom took Dad’s old clothes to a second-hand shop and sold them. We didn’t get much though.’ He smiled sadly. ‘It’s not like he wore designer clothes.’

Ken nodded sympathetically, and Stevie continued.

‘I’ve been trying to get a job delivering newspapers, but you have to be twelve and I’m only eleven.’ He looked at Ken hopefully. ‘Do you know anyone who would hire me? I’m very mature for my age. I could run errands, mow lawns, carry groceries …’

‘I’ll ask my mother,’ Ken promised him. ‘Listen, I get a pretty decent allowance. I could give you a few bucks …’

Stevie shook his head violently. ‘I won’t take charity,’ he stated firmly. Ken could see that he was trying to look older than his eleven years. It made Ken hurt inside. He wished the medium would pay more attention to the boy and less to the lady with the past lives. Dahlia just wanted to say hi to old friends but Stevie was in serious need of help.

Another woman walked in, and it took Ken a minute to realize she was Margaret. She looked completely different tonight. Her hair was shorter, she wore jeans, and she was — well, kind of pretty! He was amazed. Had that brief message from her mother completely changed her life?

Cassandra seemed very surprised to see her too. She ushered them all to the table, but she kept looking at Margaret with a puzzled expression.

They joined hands and the medium began. ‘Oh spirits, hear our fervent plea. We are in great need of your presence. Please speak with us tonight.’

The group was silent, and Ken concentrated very hard. Maybe something would happen for Stevie tonight.

‘A spirit is approaching,’ the medium said. ‘I am getting a message.’

Ken held his breath. Oh please, he thought, let it be Stevie’s father.

After a moment she added, ‘It’s a man,’ and his heart leapt. Come on, Mr Fisher, Stevie needs you.

Then Cassandra said,‘He’s carrying red roses,’ and Dahlia let out a squeal.

‘It’s Vladimir!’ she cried out. ‘He always brought me red roses.’

Ken opened his eyes. ‘Who’s Vladimir?’

‘My lover, in Russia,’ Dahlia said. ‘Before the Revolution. Does he have a message for me?’

‘Yes,’ Cassandra said. ‘He wants you to know he waits for you in eternity.’

‘Oh, how lovely,’ Dahlia said happily. ‘I have such wonderful memories of my time with Vladimir. I’m so happy to know he still thinks of me.’

Ken couldn’t help rolling his eyes, and then he realized Margaret was looking straight at him. And she was smiling! He was so surprised, he couldn’t even smile back at her. He closed his eyes.

The medium had more words from Vladimir for Dahlia — mushy stuff that almost made Ken blush. Finally Vladimir made an exit, and Cassandra was available to hear from another spirit.

‘Margaret, your mother is here.’

‘Oh, yeah?’

‘She wants to know if you’ve been taking your vitamins.’

‘Uh, sure.’

‘She wants you to know she’s watching you, Margaret.’

‘OK.’

‘And thinking about you.’

‘Great,’ Margaret said.‘Tell her I’m thinking about her too.’

Ken opened his eyes again. There was no sign of a tear on Margaret’s face. He noticed that, above the veils, the medium’s eyes were open too. Ken didn’t blame her. This was a completely different Margaret from the one they’d seen the previous Friday.

‘Well,’ Cassandra said finally, ‘your mother is very pleased to see you’re feeling better. She wants to say goodbye now.’

‘Bye, Mom,’ Margaret said.

The medium noticed that Ken’s eyes were open, and she frowned. Obediently, he closed them.

‘Someone else is coming,’ Cassandra said. ‘I think it may be Cleopatra, Dahlia.’

Ken uttered a silent groan. Where was Stevie’s father? Didn’t the man realize how desperately Stevie needed to talk to him?

He made a decision. As soon as the seance was over he was going to have a private conversation with the medium. Despite Madame’s warning, he was going to tell her about his gift.

Because together, if they joined forces, they just might be able to help Stevie.

Hey, man, what’s up?

Jack, not now! I’m in the middle of a seance. I ’m trying to concentrate!

But did you talk to Lucy? Did you tell her not to go out with Simon?

Yeah, I told her.

Thanks, pal. Look, could you do something else for me? You’ve still got my iPod, right? I left it at your place a couple of days before I died, remember?

I think so. Why?

Could you give it to Lucy for me? And tell her it’s from me?

OK, OK. Jack, listen, I gotta go. I really want to concentrate on this seance.

Sure, man. See ya.

Ken opened his eyes for a minute, and realized that Cassandra’s eyes were open too. And she was looking straight at him. Maybe she’d sensed he hadn’t been paying attention. Obediently, he closed his eyes and thought about Stevie’s father.

But Cleopatra was the last dead person to speak to them that night.

AMANDA WAS RELIEVED WHEN the medium turned her attention to Dahlia. It wasn’t easy, pretending to talk to Margaret’s dead mother. Especially when she knew Margaret’s mother wasn’t dead at all.

What was Margaret up to anyway? She’d been in Margaret’s body for almost three days now, and she was no closer to an answer. But she wasn’t letting the question drive her crazy. She was having too much fun for that.

Bored with the conversation between Dahlia and Cleopatra, she closed her eyes and let her mind drift back, to remember and relive the very interesting weekend she’d just enjoyed …

Once she recovered from the shock of learning that Margaret wasn’t a drab, depressed woman with a dead mother, she explored the apartment to learn who she really was. Unfortunately, Margaret didn’t keep a diary — at least, Amanda couldn’t find one. There were photos — more of Margaret on the tropical beach, plus pictures of her at what looked like a party. She didn’t see any pictures of her alone with a guy, so she assumed Margaret didn’t have a current boyfriend. She was glad — it might be hard to fool a boyfriend into believing she was really Margaret. In fact, she decided it would be best to spend the next few days on her own, and try not to encounter any of Margaret’s close friends. After seeing the credit cards in the wallet, she knew she could have a very nice time all by herself.

After a good night’s sleep in Margaret’s comfy bed, Amanda woke feeling refreshed and ready to begin her new life as a twenty-five-year-old adult. Having watched a great many television series about young single women, she had some good ideas as to how she could spend the weekend.

From Margaret’s closet, she selected leggings, a tunic top and a pair of stilettos. It was the very first time she’d worn heels this high, and she felt positively glamorous. Once outside, she walked to the closest bus stop. She would have preferred to take a taxi, but she’d already made a dent in Margaret’s cash resources. There was a cash card in the wallet, but she didn’t know Margaret’s PIN code, so she would have to be careful with the money. It was a good thing she had the two credit cards.

A very good thing. Because her first stop was the Mall.

There were many shops she liked, but Unique Boutique was her favourite. It had the trendiest clothes in town, and a notice in the window assured her that Margaret’s credit cards would be accepted. She spent a few minutes just looking at the window displays, revelling in the knowledge she could have anything she wanted.