A MEDIUM FATE

  THE HAUNTED LIFE MYSTERY SERIES

  LYNN CAHOON

  CONTENTS

  Untitled

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Untitled

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  More Cahoon fun?

  Legal bits

  A Medium Fate

  The Haunted Life Cozy Mystery Series

  Lynn Cahoon

  DEDICATION

  To Mary Burton who invited me to write for a SINC anthology and started me thinking about Eddie and her new life.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  This novella started as a short story call Casey’s Treasures and was originally published in a much shorter format in DEADLY SOUTHERN CHARM. Eddie’s story has been expanded in this and additional novellas coming in late 2022 and in 2023.

  .

  1

  Timing is everything. It’s a lesson I learned early in my life, especially when Dad was training me to do magic tricks. It’s all about the timing. Even in conversations, you must have your timing right. Have you ever tried to input a comment into an ongoing conversation with two other people? I always wait for the right spot to say something when both of the other people have taken a breath. But by then my comment doesn’t even make sense. Or worse, someone else has already said what I was planning on saying. Meetings are hell for me. I wind up looking like one of those hula dolls in the back of old cars. Just nodding away at everything someone else has already said but I’d thought about earlier.

  Needless to say, meetings aren’t the best part of any job. Maybe in anyone’s job. However, I have the rare fortune to be in a position where my boss, Mr. Henry’s meetings are actually the worst part of my job. Or anyone who works for Seattle Designs. Besides, of course, Mr. Henry.

  It won’t come as a surprise now when I tell you that every time Mr. Henry calls a team meeting at the local home design company, half the office disappears, citing their urgent need to be somewhere else. Anywhere else. Today, I got caught up on the phone with a supplier who still didn’t have the light fixtures he’d promised for my client last month. I didn’t see the mass exodus that started out of the cubical hell section where I sit. Worse, I didn’t check my email for the impromptu announcement until it was too late.

  I should explain that in order to get out of the office either through the stairs or the elevators, I have to walk by the main conference room. The walls were glass. And everyone, including Mr. Henry could see me leaving the building. So instead of an early lunch at eleven o’clock, I grabbed my cell phone, a notebook, and pen and joined the other laggards in the all-staff meeting. Which really wasn’t even a quorum of the staff. I didn’t know exactly what number that would be, but I heard it when I was watching a movie last night. And I knew it wasn’t ten people.

  “Miss Cayce? Are there any more stragglers in your section?” Mr. Henry growled at me as if I was the one that had made the rest of the team scatter.

  “No sir, I was the last one. I was just finishing a call with a prospective client.” I lied as I slipped into a chair near the doorway. That’s me, Eddie Cayce. Junior level designer for the top interior design company in town. Probably in Washington state. Seattle Designs was the place I’d always dreamed of working during my graduate degree, until I’d gotten the job. Now I wondered why anyone with any creative bone in their body would work here. And please, no jokes about my name. My mom claimed I was a distant relative to the magician, but his powers and abilities with sleight of hand didn’t pass on to me. Or at least, not when I was trying to stay out of meetings.

  Mr. Henry harumphed and pointed to the door. “Well, you might as well close the door so we can get started. I’ll send out an email to the rest of the crew with the details of the new copying procedure.”

  OMG. I froze my face into a polite smile, then stood up to close the door. I wondered if he’d even notice me if I made a run for it, but then again, I’d left my cell on the table. I was waiting for a call from my brother. Grandma Andrews wasn’t doing well and I needed to plan my trip back home carefully since I was limited on vacation and the company frowned on employees taking unpaid leave.

  Shutting the door, I sat down and tried to watch the forty-five minute presentation on using the new copiers. Which if I remembered right, had been the exact same presentation I’d watched during my week of orientation. Working for a corporation didn’t allow for much individuality, but the benefits were better than the startup I’d worked for when I’d graduated from my master’s in interior design and business program.

  As the video played, I made a shopping list for the week. Cooking for one wasn’t my strongest skill. David is out of town on a business trip this week. He’s my almost fiancé. The ring is already in the box in his top drawer. I found it when I visited his apartment last week on a scouting trip as we were planning on moving in together. He wants to keep his apartment, but mine is more practical. And has more room. So I measured the apartment and the rooms to prove my theory. And did a little snooping.

  David’s apartment did have a killer view of the Seattle skyline and a balcony that he never uses. The con for my list is it costs twice as much as mine. Sitting in the meeting, I tried to imagine sharing an apartment, a life with David. My vision turned to him on an airplane, taking a rum and Coke from the stewardess and handing the drink to his seatmate. Seeing her through David’s eyes, I could hear the thoughts going through his head. The girl was a knockout. Blonde hair, green eyes, and a doe like expression that just screamed Take care of me.

  Okay, so I have at least one thing in common with my name sake. I can read minds. If I’m connected to the people or if the thought is directed at me. Like the message behind the look Mr. Henry was giving me right now.

  I shook the vision away and tried to pay attention to the video. Watching people from afar didn’t give the whole picture. Add in the fact that I could only see in sections that ran less than a minute of time. Some power, right? The glimpses I’d seen in the past had gotten me in more than a few jams, and, if I was honest, out of more uncomfortable situations. It’s kind of like seeing into the future. So when I was single and saw a vision of the cute guy I’d just met at the bar getting a little too handsy, I would end the conversation before it got too far. Prejudging people may not be fair, but it’s what I was given to work with.

  Finally, the video ended but before we could leave, we had to take a test over the material we’d just watched. Good thing he didn’t say we had to pass the test. I flew through most of the questions, only pausing at the one that asked who would replace the toner. The real answer was the next person who used the machine or tried to use the machine. If you could walk away undetected and not have to fix the machine, it was a win in the office Olympic games. I saw it like a bingo card. The big square in the middle was a free box. Days I hit bingo before noon, those were the good days. Mr. Henry’s correct answer was whoever saw the problem first. Like that would happen.

  Before I could finish the test, another vision blurred the outside world. In the vision, my phone rang and it was my brother, Nic with bad news. I’d waited too long. Not wanting to take this call surrounded by people, I quickly marked answers, not seeing the questions through the tears building in my eyes. My phone rang it’s cheery tone and I stood and handed the paper to Mr. Henry who was monitoring at the door. “I’ve got to go.”

  “Miss Cayce!” Mr. Henry stepped in front of me, blocking my exit.

  I willed the tears not to fall. “What? What now?”

  He shook the paper in front of me. “You didn’t put your name on the test. How do I know you were even here?”

  “Besides seeing me and us having this conversation?” I ripped the paper out of his hands and using the wall as a flat surface, scribbled my name on the top. I shoved it back at him. My phone stopped ringing. “There. Now I’ve got to leave so move out of the way, or I’ll move you.”

  Shocked, Mr. Henry stepped out of the doorway, and I hurried into the hall and found the first restroom. It was for the senior designers, but it had a door and a lock and a chair so I could sit and compose myself before I called. I sank into the chair and stared into the large vanity mirror that stared back at me.

  Before I could call Nic, the phone rang. I answered, “I should have come last week.”

  “We didn’t know she was this sick last week.” Nic responded, trying to sooth my anxiety. “So you know.”

  “Tell me anyway. I can still hope I’m wrong.” I set the phone on my lap and listened to his version of the story of how my grandmother, the woman I’d loved more in this life than anyone else, except maybe Nic, had left this world.

  After he’d told me everything, he gave me the time and date of the memorial. “Eddie, I’d understand if you can’t come. I just think you should have the option.”

  “I need to check with work. And talk to David. But I’ll be there soon for at least a few days. I’ll call as soon as I have plans.” I took tissues out of a box on the vanity as the doorknob rattled. “Occupied.”

  “Sorry.” A woman’s voice called back.

  It sounded like Erica from accounting, but I couldn�
�t be certain. The blood was rushing in my ears muting anything I heard after Nic told me that Grandma Andrews had passed quietly in her sleep last night.

  “Eddie, are you okay? Say something, you’re worrying me.” Nic’s voice sounded warm and comforting. “Eddie?”

  I took a breath. “I’m here. I just can’t believe she’s gone.”

  “I know. Just get here when you can. If you can’t make it, the family will understand. I know you’re busy with the job and, well, David. When’s he going to pop the question? I’d feel better if I knew you had someone in Seattle looking out for you.” Nic prodded.

  “I have someone looking out for me. Me.” I almost continued my rant about being independent, then I heard him laughing. “No fair trying to get me to feel better.”

  “She wouldn’t want you to be sad, Eddie. She lived a long, good life.” Nic murmured something I couldn’t hear. “Look, I’ve got to go. Let me know if you need picked up at the airport. I could send the company jet for you.”

  “I’ll be fine. Let me clear up some things here first.” I said goodbye, then dialed a new number. No one answered. I glanced at my watch. David should be at the hotel by now. I left a short message asking him to give me a call as soon as possible. I set the phone down on the vanity and checked my makeup. It was a total mess, but if I wanted to impersonate a racoon, I had the look down.

  My vision wavered and instead of seeing my racoon eyes, I saw the inside of a bar, dark wood on the walls. The large bar had a mirror behind the bottles, making the liquor sparkle in the dim light. David sat at the bar, drinking a whiskey. As the phone beeped with my message, he looked at the display, then turned off his phone, tucking it into his jacket pocket. The woman from the plane came into the bar and sat next to him. He’d made a friend. Then as I watched, he leaned over and kissed her. A knife jabbed into my belly. He wasn’t on a business trip. Or maybe it was, but it was also more than that. He was involved with this woman. An affair. I barely made it to the toilet before my morning smoothie came up.

  I’d told Nic I had things to settle here before I could go home. I hadn’t realized that ending a relationship would be on my to do list. There was no reason to stay here now. David and the job had been my main reason for building a life here in Seattle. Now, I didn’t know.

  I went to my cubicle and got my purse. I stopped at Mr. Henry’s assistant’s desk. “Sorry, I’m not feeling well. I need to go home.”

  “Oh, no.” The older woman dropped her voice. “Did you get a visit from your Aunt Flo?”

  “What?” My face heated as I got her meaning. “No, I mean, yes. That’s what’s happening.”

  “You poor girl. Put a heating pad against your tummy. It will help.” She leaned closer. “He’ll never know you’re gone. Don’t worry about it.”

  As I walked out, I wondered how long it would take to pack the stuff David had left at the apartment. I’d drop it off at his building on my way out of town. I could send Mr. Henry a resignation letter via email. There was nothing in my office desk I needed. Or wanted. Maybe I’d explain how the movie was just the last straw. That my creative juices were being stilted. It would be easier on the people I’d left if no one ever had to watch a video on using a copier ever again.

  I could at least do that for my peers.

  2

  My plane landed in New Orleans just before three in the afternoon. I felt totally wiped. I’d been up since I’d talked to Nic with just a few cat naps in between. I’d slept a little on the plane, but the guy next to me kept trying to chat. Or he had to get up and pee every ten minutes.

  I’d had a lot to get done. My apartment was boxed up, waiting for movers to come in next week. My landlord had gratefully let me out of my lease since rental prices had soared since I’d signed. David’s stuff was with his building’s super with a note explaining why I was breaking up with him. I included a description of the blonde. Just in case he was confused.

  I’d filed a change of address with the post office. Since I’d never switched banks when I’d moved away for college, I was about done with my to do list. Maybe packing up and moving back home was an overreaction to David’s cheating, but it wasn’t just my relationship problems that was driving me to pick up my life and start over. My job was less than fulfilling. My heart was broken from the loss of my grandmother. All I could think of was how badly I needed to be home.

  Nic must have found my travel plans because a driver waited near the baggage claim with a placard with my name on it. I adjusted my tote on my shoulder and stopped in front of the older man. “I’m Eddie.”

  “Why of course you are. You’re the spitting image of your mother. I bet you get told that all the time. I guess you don’t remember me, I’m Trenton. I’ve worked with your family for years, but you were so young back then. I drove you to the airport when you went off to college.” He started walking toward the baggage claim. “I’m assuming you have luggage?”

  “Sorry, of course I remember you. Two bags, I’m afraid they’re pretty full. I needed enough to get through until my belongings arrive.” Now I was oversharing. Trenton didn’t care why my bags were heavy. Or, I assumed, that I was moving back. I was wrong on that point. He did care.

  “Well, isn’t that just perfect. The family will be so happy you’re coming home. Do I take you to the compound first? Your brother and a few others are at the funeral home making final preparation. Your grandmother wanted a second line to take her from the church to the family vault.” Trenton chatted about the funeral arrangements as we waited for my luggage.

  “I need to make a stop at Hotel Monteleone to check in and drop off my luggage. I’m staying in town. Then you can take me to the compound. I need to see Nic. Do you mind driving me back into town tonight? If it’s too much, I can get a rental.” I needed to stay in town. The hotel would help me adjust by giving me a break from my Seattle life to my new life in New Orleans. Besides, something was brewing in my head about a new business. I didn’t know what or why but staying in town was important but it was. My gut told me that.

  “Of course, we can make the stop, but are you sure? You still have a room at the main house. I’ll get you a car out of the garage to use until you make other arrangements. There’s no need for a rental. We have too many cars just sitting now adays. But you look beat. I’ll drive you back to the hotel tonight if that’s what you want. I’ll leave a car at the hotel for your use first thing in the morning.” Trenton grabbed the luggage I pointed out and put them on a cart. Then he nodded to the exit. “We’re that way.”

  “I need to stay in town. At least for a while.” My head hurt from the lack of sleep and all I wanted to do was curl up on a bed and sleep. As much as I needed sleep, I needed to see my brother more. When I got into the back seat, I texted him. I’LL BE AT THE COMPOUND WHEN YOU’RE DONE. CAN I EAT DINNER WITH YOU?

  The answering text came fast, like he’d been waiting. WE’RE ON OUR WAY BACK NOW. DINNER’S AT SIX.

  I closed my eyes and for the first time in days, I fell into a sleep that didn’t have dreams or nightmares. The next thing I knew, Trenton was gently shaking my shoulder. I wiped a line of drool from my chin. Not my best look. “I’m awake. I’ll go check in and be right back.”

  “Miss Eddie, we’re at the compound, not at the hotel. I already took care of checking you in. You were sleeping so hard I didn’t want to bother you.” He reached into his pocket. “I got your keys and put the room on the company card. You’re all set.”

  I’d forgotten how easy it was to live here. Everyone took care of me. That had been the one reason I hadn’t come home after college. I needed to know that I could do it on my own. But tonight, I was too tired to fight for my independence. Tonight, I wanted a meal, to talk with Nic and then my bed. Maybe not in that order. I might sleep for days.