steered wrong by the one of the world’s
most famous scientists and adventurers? Ghost or not, this was Dr. Leonard
Graves. Not trusting him would be like calling Elliot Ness a crook.
Julia smiled at the comparison, these two men from the
annals of twentieth-century American history.
"You’ll have to call me every other night," she
told her son.
Danny nodded. "I can do that."
"And I want to be able to visit. Nothing crazy, just to
be able to see that you’re doing all right."
"That can be arranged as well," Graves responded. "I’ll
see that you are given a key. And you’ll have a guest room at your disposal
whenever you like."
"So does that mean I can stay?" Danny asked.
"Let’s just say I’m willing to try it," Julia
answered, trying to quell a slight twinge of unease.
There came a knock at the door, and it swung open. Squire
ambled into the room without an invitation.
"Sorry to interrupt. Hey, love what you’re doing with
the place," he said sarcastically, nodding his potato shaped head at the
dresser. "Fuckin’ kids today," he added with a disgusted grumble.
"What can we do for you, Squire?" Graves asked,
distracting hobgoblin from glowering at the boy.
"Mr. Doyle wants to see everybody in the study."
Danny pointed to himself.
"You ,too, horny Joe," the hobgoblin said, turning
to leave. "Go a little easier on the furniture downstairs, would ya?"
Danny followed Squire into the hall. "I’ll talk to you
later," he called, waving to Julia, leaving her alone with Graves.
She didn’t know how to feel. "I love you, Ma," she
muttered as she stood up from the bed looking for her purse, preparing to
leave.
"Mrs. Ferrick . . . Julia," Leonard Graves said. She
found her pocketbook and slung the strap over her shoulder, turning toward the
ghost. He smiled at her reassuringly, raising his hand to hold a forefinger and
thumb slightly apart. "Only a little bit of trust."
"It’s the least I can do," she answered with a
smile, and then watched as his body became even more immaterial, dropping down
through the floor until he was gone.
Leaving her alone with the weight of her decision.
From the window of his study, Conan Doyle watched Julia
Ferrick leaving his home and striding purposefully toward her car, which sat in
one of the few legal parking spaces in the affluent Beacon Hill neighborhood of
Louisburg Square. His sight was perfect again, perhaps even a bit better than
that. He was glad that he had decided to pay Fulcanelli more than was necessary
for his efforts; the chemist had outdone himself.
He let the heavy curtain fall back into place and turned
just as young Daniel Ferrick entered the room. Eve and Clay, the eldest of his
menagerie, sat side by side on the sofa. Dr. Graves stood behind them with his
arms crossed, not quite as translucent as usual. Graves was focused at the
moment on the substantial world. Danny glanced around for a moment, an odd
expression on his face as he regarded the furniture, before sitting himself on
the floor, his back against the sofa.
The only one who had yet to arrive was Ceridwen, and Conan
Doyle felt his pulse quicken at the thought of her. Silly git , he
chided, surprised that the Fey sorceress could still have such an effect upon
him after so long. What had been between them once was no more. They had become
allies again, but it went no further. Must be getting soft in my old age.
Squire entered the room carrying a long serving tray, laden
with a pitcher of ice water flavored with lemon slices, red grapes, crackers,
and a selection of cheeses. He set the tray down upon a wheeled cart just
inside the door.
"Have you seen Ceridwen, Squire?" Conan Doyle
asked.
The goblin snatched up a piece of cheese from the tray and
popped it into his mouth. "Saw her on the top floor about ten minutes ago
and told her there was a powwow," he said, chewing noisily. "She was
still working on reestablishing that doorway between the house and Faerie,
ironing out the wrinkles
Dorothy Calimeris, Sondi Bruner