know what would be going on up there. She had all she needed now.
The next day she called Valerie and told her she had the information she wan ted and arranged a time for them to meet at Clara’s house to discuss the events which had taken place.
Valerie had seemed to take the news quite well, it was as if she had known for sure anyway but just wanted it confirming. Clara offered her condolences and wished her the best.
‘If ever you need a chat just give me a call, I will always be here for you’. And she meant it too, she felt awful for having to confirm the poor girls fears, but better to know now than be played a fool for the rest of your life. That's how Clara had seen it at the time, and now so wishes she could turn back the clock. She gave Valerie a tight hug before she closed the door on her client for the last time.
When she awoke the next day her heart missed a beat when she read the headline of the daily paper that had landed on her welcome mat.
“LOCAL WOMAN KILLS HERSELF AND HUSBAND IN FIT OF RAGE”
She didn't need to read the rest of the article to know who the story was about. There was something in Valerie's eyes when she left that should have warned Clara. But she had done her job; it was now down to Valerie what she did with the information. She sat down at the kitchen table with a heavy heart, she read through the rest of the article as if it were a family obituary. She should have known that hearing the truth could have worse consequences than her lying to a client... but no, she was so adamant that she would always tell her clients the truth that she never even thought of their safety and their well being. She thought that what she did was like a public service and she would never tarnish her reputation by not telling the truth...no matter who got hurt in the process, damn her ethics . The article went on to say how neighbours had heard shouting and screaming for an hour or so and then there were two loud reports. Which could only have been gunshots? There was an interval of roughly three minutes between the two gunshots and Clara could not imagine what was going through Valerie's head between killing her husband and then deciding to end her own life. She often wondered if Valerie thought of her in those last minutes, and if so, what her thoughts were. Did she wish she had never met her? Clara could bet that she did. She would never be able to forgive herself for what she had been a part of.
CHAPTER TEN
That had been three years ago now, and whilst she still had the nightmares and the self hate for what had happened, she had started to believe that she had no control over the events of that night. She hadn’t seen a client since. She had no need to, she had saved enough money to see her through to the end of her days, her house was paid for and seeing as she had never bore any children, she had no other financial ties. Not that she and Stan hadn’t tried, she had begged for IVF but that meant determining whether the problem lay with him or her. Not something Stan was ever willing to find out, “A man who shoots blanks may as well be called Mary ” he had always said.
So she had decided three years ago that never again would she meddle in another person’s life. She still visited the astral plane as it was like an addiction. Once you have seen the wonders of the astral world and also some of the terrible, terrible things that go on. You can’t seem to pull yourself away. It would have been like living a half life. Plus her spirit guide Joseph was always there to comfort her. Joseph has been trapped on the astral plane for what to him seemed like an eternity, although I guess a hundred years is an eternity to most people.
Joseph’s wife and newborn son had died f rom complications in childbirth, and he