All Things Undying

NINE

‘Dubois has responded by calling Randi “senile” and “unintelligent”, and stating that she has “nothing to prove” to him, remarking that whereas believers such as herself live in the afterlife after they die, skeptics will “look around and go, ‘oops!’”’Allison Dubois, quoted at www.allexperts.com

Early the next morning, I drove Cathy Yates to catch the eight-fifteen from Totnes so she could connect through Paddington to her mid-afternoon flight out of Heathrow. She still refused to drive the rental car.

On the way to the train station, Cathy told me that she planned to contact her Congresswoman, Karen Tuckerman-Webb, a pitbull of a woman who had made her mark in politics by standing up to Nancy Pelosi on the issue of universal health care. I pitied anybody who got in the way of either Cathy Yates or Ms Tuckerman-Webb. It could get ugly.

We arrived in good time, so I parked the car and joined Cathy for a farewell cup of coffee in the station cafe.

‘I may be back,’ she said mysteriously, as we sat down opposite one another at a little table overlooking the tracks. ‘I’m thinking about buying a place over here. If I’m going to be travelling back and forth, back and forth… it tires me out just thinking about it. And Heathrow? Son of a bishop, don’t get me started!’

I smiled over the rim of my cup. I’d always thought that Miami International was the devil’s brainchild, until I touched down at Heathrow Airport for the first time, and that had been before the recent Terminal 5 expansion where a glitch in the automated baggage system sent 28,000 bags into luggage hell. ‘Do you have any place in mind, Cathy?’

She leaned across the table, speaking in a husky whisper. ‘Now I’m going to surprise you!’

‘Please do!’

‘When I took that book over to Susan Parker’s that day? She was out in the cemetery with her dog, pulling weeds. I told her about my idea, about visiting Slapton Sands and all, and I’m here to tell you, Hannah, she was on board with it one hundred per cent.’

Funny, I thought it was my idea, but I kept my mouth shut and nodded.

‘Then…’ Cathy paused, making me wait for it. ‘Then, she gave me a private reading! What do you think about that?’

‘That depends on what Susan told you, I guess.’

‘Knocked my socks off, Hannah. Blew me away.’

‘Susan has a tendency to do that,’ I said, remembering my experience in Foss Street not so very long ago.

‘After the reading, I marched myself down to that estate agent in Hauley Street, the one near the beauty parlor, you know? Looked through a bunch of listings, then bingo! I think I’ve found the place, but I have to go home and get the financing together.’

‘Where is the place?’

Again the mysterious smile. ‘Can’t tell you yet. I don’t want to jinx the deal.’

‘Paul and I have talked about buying a holiday cottage in the UK, but even with the downturn in the market, everything’s still so expensive!’

‘Confession time?’ She raised a neatly drawn eyebrow.

‘Uh, sure.’

‘I may look like a hick from the sticks to you, Hannah,’ she said, pegging me for the snob that I was, ‘but my stepfather owned a small chain of motels that sold out to Motel 6 just before he died. What I’m saying? Money is no object.’

When I got back to Dartmouth, I left the rental in the car park near the Visitors’ Center and tucked the keys under the rear floor mat, to be collected by the rental company later in the week. I’d miss having the little Corsa at my disposal, but with Paul away sailing at Cowes for the next several days, I wasn’t planning on driving anywhere anyway.

I was window shopping my way back to the B &B and had just made the turn on to Duke Street at the Butterwalk when my cell phone rang. Unknown caller. I usually ignore incoming unknowns, but I had time on my hands that morning, so I thumbed the iPhone on. To my astonishment, the caller was Susan Parker.

‘Hannah? I hope you don’t mind. Janet gave me your number.’

‘I don’t mind at all! How nice to hear from you. It gives me an opportunity to tell you how much I enjoyed seeing your show in Paignton last night.’

‘You were there? I’m so pleased you were able to get tickets.’

‘I’m surprised you didn’t see me. Do you remember an elderly gentleman, around eighty, sitting on the aisle? You called on him.’

After a slight pause, Susan made an ah-ha sound, as if a light bulb had flashed on over her head. ‘The fellow in the yellow tie?’

‘You got it. That was Alison Hamilton’s father. You met Alison at dinner the other night.’

‘Alison’s father, huh? Well, I’ll be damned. What a small world we live in.’

‘You didn’t see us?’

‘The spotlights can be blinding, and… well, when I’m working, I tend to be rather focused.’

‘I can imagine.’ Just as I was wondering why on earth Susan Parker would be calling me, she apparently read my mind.

‘Hannah, there is a reason for my call. Last night, just before I went to sleep, I had another message from your mother.’

I stopped dead in my tracks, cell phone glued to my ear. Somewhere in the back of my brain, a bell started clanging, rung by my conveniently absent husband. ‘Here it comes, Hannah,’ he was saying. ‘The pitch. She’s gonna ask you for money. Didn’t I tell ya so?’

‘I’m sorry she disturbed your sleep,’ I said cautiously.

‘The spirits, I’m afraid, are no respecters of time or place.’ Susan was silent for a moment, the empty air on her end of the line filled by music playing softly. A Mozart string quartet, unless I missed my guess. ‘Your father must have been quite a handful,’ she said.

‘What??!’ I said it aloud, just like that, with two question marks and an exclamation point. After Mom died, my father had crawled inside a bottle. He’d been sober for years now, thank goodness, but back then, being ‘quite a handful’ was putting it mildly.

‘She’s OK with it now,’ Susan was saying when I tuned in again. ‘Actually, I think the message is meant for your father. Is there another woman in his life?’

The day had turned surreal. There I was, staring through the window of Mullin’s Bakery at a tray of plain, ordinary, everyday pork pasties while getting messages from my dead mother concerning my father’s sex life.

‘Yes,’ I admitted. ‘He’s got a steady girlfriend.’ Her name was Cornelia, but I decided to keep that fact to myself in case Susan was able to pluck her name, like a rabbit, out of her hat.

‘Look, Hannah, I really feel the need to talk to you privately. Today’s insane, but I’m wondering if you could come for a private reading, say eight o’clock tomorrow morning? My place?’

‘I appreciate the offer, Susan, but…’ I paused for a moment, trying to organize my thoughts. What did that guy say at the theater last night? No way I could afford two hundred dollars (or was it pounds?) for a private reading. As intrigued as I was with the idea of a private session with a world-famous medium who was calling me (little ole me!) on my mobile phone, talking to me like she was my new best friend, I knew that neither my American Express nor my Visa card could take such a hit. ‘Susan, I have to be up front with you. I really can’t afford a private session.’

Susan laughed, sounding genuinely surprised. ‘Oh, Hannah! I didn’t invite you over to ask you for money! I just want to talk, I promise. Say you will.’

I must have hesitated a moment too long because she quickly upped the ante. ‘I’ll brew up a pot of one-hundred per cent American coffee. And if that’s not incentive enough, I’ve got bagels. And cream cheese.’

Then it was my turn to laugh. ‘Consider my arm twisted. Eight o’clock then?’

‘Eight o’clock. Janet will tell you how to get here.’

As I slipped my cell phone back into my handbag, I found myself genuinely looking forward to the visit. The way I figured it, either Susan Parker was the real deal, or she wasn’t. If she was, she might open the door to communication with my late mother. If she wasn’t? Well, I hadn’t had a decent bagel in a long, long time.

The next morning I was up, dressed and had eaten a small dish of fruit at the table by myself when my cell phone beeped. Susan was texting me. ‘Running L8. 8:30?’

‘OK,’ I texted back. A woman of many words, that’s me. My daughter, Emily, would have texted ‘K’, but I felt that as a celebrity, Susan deserved the bonus ‘O’.

I was already halfway out the door, so I decided to kill some time by walking the long way around by Bayards Cove – where the Mayflower pilgrims first set off for America in 1620 – and watch the Lower Ferry come in. Afterwards, I wandered along the Embankment to the Station Cafe. From 1889 to 1972 or thereabouts, the cafe had actually served as Dartmouth’s train station, selling tickets, although there’d never been any platform, tracks or trains. Now it was a restaurant, primarily providing hot beverages and snacks to the tourists who lined up to catch buses or passenger ferries at various locations along the Embankment.

With my hands wrapped around a cup of hot tea, warming them in the cool morning air, I leaned my arms against the railing and watched the passenger ferries come and go, carrying visitors up and down the River Dart to Totnes, Dittisham, Greenway and the Castle, reinforcing the fact that Dartmouth had always been a seafaring town.

With ten minutes to spare and excitement growing, I tossed my empty cup into a rubbish bin, then headed north along the Embankment to keep my date with Susan.

One might think that after watching Susan strike out completely with Alison’s dad, I’d not put much stock in my upcoming reading. Yet Susan had been the first to admit that she didn’t always get it right. And for me, it all came down to one word: refrigerator.

At one of the many blue and white ticket kiosks that lined the Embankment, just opposite the public restrooms, I was amused to see a border terrier snuffling at the crumbs remaining in a Walkers roast chicken crisps packet, pushing the distinctive gold packet along the pavement with his nose, dragging his leash behind him. When he lost interest in the packet and made a move to lift his leg against the side of the kiosk, the ticket agent shook off his lethargy, stepped out of the kiosk and brandished a fist. ‘Here, you! Get along, then!’

It was a busy summer day on the Embankment. Too many cars, buses and pedestrians made it a hazardous place for a little dog out on a stroll by itself. Even then, I was hearing honking horns and sirens. I knelt down, patted the ground in front of me. ‘Here, boy. C’mon.’

The terrier cocked his head, considered my offer, then decided that a Cadbury Dairy Milk wrapper had a lot more going for it.

‘That your dog?’ the ticket agent wanted to know.

‘I don’t know who he belongs to.’ I stood up and moved in. ‘Hey, fella. You off on a little holiday?’

The dog retreated a step, studying me suspiciously with liquid brown eyes. I took the opportunity to step on his leash, pinning the leather strap to the pavement. ‘OK, now. Let’s see who you belong to.’ I seized the leash and ran my hand cautiously along its length. When the animal didn’t seem of a mind to object, I grabbed his collar and turned it until I could reach the tags that hung around its neck. One tag certified that the dog had been vaccinated against rabies at a veterinary clinic in Hollywood, California. The other tag simply said ‘Bruce’, and listed a telephone with a 323 area code: Los Angeles.

Susan Parker’s dog.

‘I know his owner,’ I told the ticket agent. I tugged on Bruce’s leash. ‘Come on, you little rascal. I’m taking you home.’

With Bruce trotting along the Embankment beside me, tags jangling, I felt like a proper Brit, out for a morning stroll. I’d owned a cat once, but keeping a dog in downtown Annapolis, particularly when Paul and I were both working, always seemed like it would be too hard, particularly on the dog. But as the fresh air filled my lungs and Bruce’s little legs pumped to keep up, I thought maybe it was time to reconsider the No Dog Rule.

As Bruce and I drew near the first bus stop, the crowd grew denser. I was beginning to wonder why everyone was facing in the same direction, actually moving away from the bus stop, when I noticed the flashing blue lights. I’m as curious as the next person, so I followed the crowd as it surged forward. Bruce began straining at the leash, urging me onward. I had thought the fresh air was making my mind sharp, but it took me a while to put it together. Runaway dog, sirens, flashing blue lights. I broke into a run, elbowing my way through the crowd, dragging poor, frantic Bruce, toenails scrabbling on the pavement, behind me.

Through gaps in the crowd, I saw a man kneeling beside a bundle of lavender clothing that I had last seen Susan wearing. ‘Let me through!’ I screamed, shoving people out of my way. ‘She’s my friend!’

I rushed to Susan’s side and knelt down. I didn’t like the way Susan lay, her body twisted at an unnatural angle, like a question mark. But her eyes were open. That was a good sign, wasn’t it? I grabbed her hand and rubbed it briskly. ‘Susan, Susan, can you hear me?’ I looked up, pleaded with the sea of faces. ‘Oh, God! Somebody call 999.’

It took me a second to realize that that had already been done. I’d heard the sirens, saw the flashing blue lights. Even now, a PCSO wearing a bright green reflective vest over his uniform was running toward us on foot from the direction of the police station just a few hundred yards away.

The man kneeling opposite me said, ‘I’m a doctor. But I’m afraid there’s not a lot I can do for her.’ He was dressed in a T-shirt tucked into a pair of loose jogging shorts. Ear buds dangled loosely from an iPod strapped to his upper arm. A small white towel was draped limply around his neck. ‘I suspect her neck is broken. If it’s any comfort to you, I think she was killed instantly. I don’t think she suffered.’

I sat down, hard, on the cold stone pavement. How would he know whether or not Susan suffered? Nearby, flowers blazed red and orange and yellow in an immense stone planter; the fronds of a palm tree stirred in a gentle breeze against a clear, blue sky. Something was terribly wrong with this picture. Tears ran hotly down my cheeks. ‘What happened?’

A woman in a pink fleece warm-up suit materialized from the crowd. ‘A car came out of nowhere, like. Jumped the curb. Ran right into her, poor thing. Then drove off.’ She shook her head. ‘What sort of person would do that?’

‘What kind of car?’ the police officer asked as he waved the crowd aside, clearing a path for the paramedics who had just arrived with a gurney.

‘Dark blue,’ the woman said.

‘No, it was gray,’ someone else offered. ‘Black, maybe.’

‘Make?’

‘A Vauxhall?’

‘No, it was a Ford. Might have been one of those hybrid cars. Whatchacallum? Focus?’

‘No, you berk. It was a Fiat. My brother-in-law drives one just like it.’

Forty witnesses and forty stories. Why the police officer even bothered to ask the next question, I couldn’t imagine. ‘Anyone see the number plate?’

Blank looks and mumbling.

‘So, no one saw the registration number, then?’

‘Could have begun with a W, or maybe a V. It all happened so fast, you know.’

Darth Vader could have run down my friend, and no one would have been able to describe the fricking Death Star.

‘Ma’am? Ma’am?’ One of the paramedics knelt beside me, speaking softly into my ear. ‘We need you to move so we can help your friend.’ I felt his hand, cool and slightly damp, ease Susan’s lifeless hand out of mine. He escorted me to a park bench, and waited until I sat down. ‘Are you going to be all right?’

‘Shit, no,’ my brain screamed, but my vocal chords had shut down. I nodded dumbly.

What had my mother wanted to tell me? Had there been a message for my father, one of my sisters, or for me? With Susan gone, there was no way I’d ever know.

As the paramedics worked to revive Susan, I squeezed my eyelids tightly closed and prayed – please, oh please, oh please – even though I knew, deep down where despair was turning my gut into a roiling bag of snakes, that their efforts would be fruitless.

‘Make way, make way.’ I recognized the voice of the PCSO and my eyelids flew open in time to see the gurney carrying Susan’s motionless body being wheeled along the pavement toward a waiting ambulance whose doors yawned wide to receive it.

‘Oooh,’ I moaned. Bruce climbed into my lap, tail wagging so hard that his whole body quivered. He rested his forepaws on my chest, nosed my chin, then began licking the tears from my face.

I sat on the Embankment on a beautiful summer day clutching Bruce’s leash in my hand like a lifeline, and began to bawl.