When the Crow's Away by Auralee Wallace

Author:Auralee Wallace [Wallace, Auralee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2022-04-05T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

DID I JUST hear my wife say love letter?”

Of all the times to appear.

Although maybe the timing wasn’t coincidental. I had come to suspect my ghost friend was a bit of an eavesdropper. I could understand him wanting to lie low during the service. It would have been tough to hide his emotions, given how lovingly Les had spoken of him. That being said, he was making little to no effort to hide his feelings now. He was the angriest-looking man in suspenders and a bow tie I had ever seen. I did my best to focus on Angie, but it was difficult, given the fact that as Mort blustered, he also appeared to be swelling in size, much like a balloon. “That must have been very upsetting for you.”

“I don’t understand it.” Angie clutched the envelope in her trembling hands. “Why would someone do this to me? Now, of all times?”

“I’ll kill him! Anonymous, my shoe! I’d bet my afterlife it was Elias Blumenthal. He’s always making up excuses to talk to my wife!”

“Angie,” I pressed on, “I realize what I’m about to ask may sound strange, but could I have the letter?”

Mort’s wife gave me a funny look. Her delicate eyebrows peaked in confusion.

“I’ve been learning a little about typewriters,” I filled in. “Maybe I can figure out something about where it came from.”

Angie thrust the envelope at me. “Take it. I don’t want it.”

Mort looked at the letter like it might be radioactive.

“Thank you for trusting me with it. I’ll do my best.”

“No, thank you,” Angie said softly. She looked back over to the crowd. “I should get going. Elias is going to walk me home. He’s been so kind. It’s nice to have good neighbors.” She gave me a weak smile and walked away. And not a moment too soon because I couldn’t ignore Mort any longer. He had swollen to an alarming degree.

“Mort,” I hissed under my breath. “Try to calm down. This can’t be good for you. And we need to talk. I forgot to ask you something last night.”

“What? Ask me?” Given the expression on his face, he was having difficulty processing the words I was saying.

“Try to focus. It may help you shrink.” I cringed at his still growing size. “And don’t you disappear on me! We talked about that.”

“We also talked about you not talking to my wife!”

“She came to me!” I pinched my lips together. I was getting a little loud. “Forget all that for now. Focus. Have you ever had a near-death experience?”

Mort’s gaze locked on mine. “What?”

“A near-death experience? Something that put you in the hospital?”

“No, no. Nothing like that. Now where’s Elias and that stupid handsome face of his?”

I held up my hands in what I hoped was a calming gesture but dropped them quickly when I caught Birdie Cline giving me a funny look. How did that woman always manage to catch me at the worst possible times? “I’m sure Elias was just being neighborly,” I whispered between my teeth.

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