An Intimate Ghost by Ellen Hart

Author:Ellen Hart [Hart, Ellen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781614460305
Amazon: B005C70Z5G
Publisher: Ellen Hart
Published: 2004-01-01T03:00:00+00:00

21

Thursday

Jane was completely tangled in bedsheets and blankets, facedown on the pillow, when the phone rang on Thursday morning. As she reached out to grab the receiver, she knocked a plastic glass off the nightstand onto the rug. Mouse, who must have crawled in with her sometime during the night, vaulted over her, landed on the floor, and barked at the spilled water. Another day had begun.

“Hello,” said Jane, clearing the sleep out of her voice. She flipped on her back and rubbed her eyes.

“Jane? It's Kenzie.”

Who? thought Jane. Visions of last night's lovemaking jolted her back into total consciousness.

Oh. That Kenzie.

Jane cleared her throat again. “Hi.”

“Miss me?”

She laughed. She supposed she should feel guilty for indulging in a little casual sex, which was totally out of character, but she didn't have a partner, so she wasn't cheating on anyone, and she was sick of beating herself up for being human. Maybe getting hit over the head a few years back had knocked some of the old Midwestern reticence out of her. “What time is it?”

“Nine-twenty-two. Exactly.”

She groaned. She'd forgotten to set her alarm clock. “Where are you?”

“At work.”

“Where?”

“At the Cliffords' place.”

“Oh, ah, right.” Jane ran a hand through her tangled hair. Mouse hopped back in bed and snuggled down next to her. She stroked his head.

“I'm in the basement to be exact. Mary asked if I'd do a load of wash.”

“How's everything there? Did Alden tell Mary why he was suspended?”

“He swears up and down that there's no truth to it.”

“Mary must be pretty upset.”

“An understatement. They both are.”

Jane could hear the washing machine sloshing in the background.

“Alden left about an hour ago to go talk to a lawyer,” continued Kenzie. “Mary left shortly after he did. She had a meeting at the theater. Guess what?”

“What?” said Jane, propping another pillow behind her back.

“I think Mary may be having an affair.”

Jane opened her eyes even wider. “Why do you say that?”

“This guy—his name is Tom, that's all I know—has called twice this morning. I answered both times. The first time Mary was here so she talked to him.”

“And you eavesdropped on the conversation.”

“Is eavesdropping a mortal sin, or just a venial one?”

“Continue.”

“She was angry at him for calling her at the house—she made that real clear. And then she told him she couldn't talk. She had to go. She cut the conversation off after less than a minute. When I walked into the room, she had that guilty look on her face. You know, the one that says, oh . . . him? He isn't anybody important. Don't give it another thought. And then she plastered on a fake smile, all innocence and light—another telltale sign. She left a few minutes later.”

“And he called back.”

“As she was pulling out of the drive. I talked to him briefly. He sounded really pissed off. He told me that if I talked to Mary, to tell her to call him. And then he said something like, 'Oh, hell. I'll see her at school.

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