“Well, every case is different. I won’t divulge details, but I will say that it’s rarely cut-and-dried. Sometimes a soul will offer you a piece of information or something akin to a clue, like a piece of a puzzle you have to put together.”
Great.“Look, I want to help my friend, but at the same time, I don’t understand what I’m seeing, like with the fire. If that’s a clue, I don’t know what it means. And I don’t want to mislead her or give her false hope.”
“I must say, I wish you had followed up with me. I could have helped you. We could even have done it over the phone.” Helentsk-tsked. “That said, you can do it yourself, on your own, but it is harder. Begin with making peace with the uncertainty you feel. Open your mind to the soul enlightening you, as time goes on.” Helen’s tone darkened. “You’re entering a new world and you don’t feel ready, able, or even willing, correct?”
“Exactly.”
“I have one word of caution. When Kay’s soul communicates with you, or when you experience one of these visions, you arelivingwhatever is happening in the vision. You are not a passive onlooker, like a person watching a TV show. You are a participant. The vision will feel real to you because it willbereal. It can thus induce trauma.”
Julia swallowed hard. It must be why she’d fainted in Kay’s garden.
“Take care of yourself. Expect it to be difficult. Let the trouble come and let it pass through you.”
“Will it?” Julia asked, nervous all over again.
“I can’t know that. I’m a medium, not a fortune-teller. But forward is the only way for you now. Trust yourself and your gift. Discover its reach and limits.” Helen cleared her throat, with finality. “I’m sorry, I have to go. Goodbye, now.”
“Thank you, goodbye.” Julia hung up, her thoughts swirling. She tried to understand what Helen had told her. She couldn’t control whether Kay’s spirit spoke to her, and the notion frightened her. But at the same time, she had to admit that she wanted to help Courtney, and the only way to do that was to accept herabilities.
Julia felt struck by an idea. Maybe it wasn’t too late to take the mediumship lessons. Helen had said they could do them over thephone, and maybe they could start soon. Maybe Helen could even consult on Kay’s murder.
Julia was about to call Helen back, then remembered she had an appointment. Julia didn’t have Helen’s email but she knew the medium had a website. She took a guess on HelenDavenport.com, plugged it in, and clicked.
The website popped onto the screen with Helen’s photo, but it was surrounded by a thick black frame.
Julia blinked, confused. She read the website:
HELEN CLARE DAVENPORT
NOVEMBER 15, 1952 –AUGUST 2, 2024
We’re sorry to say that our beloved Helen has passed away, from blood cancer. Her transition was peaceful, surrounded by family and friends. All of us who knew Helen loved her for her skills as a medium but, more importantly, for her warm heart, her steady guidance, and her loving-kindness. Not to mention her wonderfully wry Irish sense of humor. She mentored so many of us…
What?Julia gasped, thunderstruck. Helen wasdead?
Julia didn’t understand. Her heart started to pound. It wasn’t possible. They’d just had an entire conversation. She’d heard Helen’s voice. She’d called Helen’s phone number. She could prove it.
Julia scrolled to her phone function, then to Recents.
She gasped, shocked. The truth was staring her in the face, glowing in the dark. Julia’s last outgoing call was to Gianluca. The one before that was to Courtney.
She hadn’t called Helen, at all.
10
Courtney’s eyes flared wide. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“No.” Julia sat opposite Courtney at a local diner, having told her about the call to Helen. They’d met for breakfast, but their scrambled eggs cooled on plates in front of them. Courtney looked put together in a fresh shirt, light blue sweater, and jeans, and Julia was dressed the same but looked raw and tired. She hadn’t slept after learning that Helen was dead.
“You’re telling me that Helen’s dead, but you talked to her on thephone?”
“Exactly.”
“Did you try calling her back?”
“Yes, and there was no answer. I texted her, too. No answer.” Julia shook her head. “Also, I found plenty of obits. Scotland Yard even issued a statement.”
“So how did this happen?” Courtney asked, dumbfounded.
