Pennies for the Ferryman - 01 by Jim Bernheimer Page B

look like a stubborn woman who was refusing to keep her doctor appointments.
    Coming to the conclusion that her ghostly granddaughter wasn’t trying to sell me a bill of goods, I moved on to my final little ‘white’ lie. “Mrs. Rosemont, can I ask you a question?”
    The tiny woman in the living room looked up from her crossword puzzle and smiled at me, “Of course dear.”
    “It’s my mother; she’s not doing so well, she has these occasional chest pains. Do you happen to know a good Cardiologist?”
    “No, I’m afraid not. My Samuel died of heart trouble back in 1995. I think the practice he went to closed down or moved a few years ago. If your mother is having problems, you should encourage her to get checked out.”
    That sealed it! Now all I had to do was figure out a way to get the police interested in this case without getting locked up in the loony bin – piece of cake, really. I thanked her for her advice and continued listening to a few more Elsbeth stories. Honestly, it felt weird listening to someone fondly remembering Elsbeth, when I was still on a speaking basis with her. I guess there was something to this whole weird paranormal thing I had going on.
     
    Jenny knocked on my door the next morning. I resisted the urge to bury my head under the pillows in the hope that she’d go away.
    Things had been a bit strained between the two of us, since that kiss on the cheek. She thrust her research in my hand the other day and ran off to one of her other classes without much comment and when I checked the parking lot after my class had let out, her car was already gone. She’d been on my mind more than I’d like to admit. I hadn’t had a serious girlfriend since Fort Hood. Thankfully, that relationship petered out when I’d received notice that I was headed for Iraq – it seems that Heather was just looking to get on someone’s benefit plan!
    I threw on a shirt and a pair of shorts. In the past few weeks, with the distinct possibility of fighting with dead people looming over my head, I made an effort to start seriously working out and getting more muscle and less fat on the frame. After my leg healed and I didn’t need the cane anymore, I really didn’t give a rat’s ass about regaining my Army physique. As a result there was far more ‘pudge’ on my body than I would have liked; the mostly pizza diet wasn’t helping much either!
    “You realize it’s not even seven yet?”
    “Elsbeth killed herself.”
    “Huh?” That was definitely news to me.
    She looked hesitant, which always worried me before replying, “Well, I’m trying to convince Uncle Brian to speak with you, so I gave him some of the background. He looked at the police report of her car accident and said that there were no skid marks at the scene or any indication that she had tried to brake at all!”
    “I haven’t asked her about it, but it makes sense. I’m pretty sure old Charlie there was beating her. Either way, the rest of her story checks out. Megan lost her husband to heart problems, and when I mentioned my mom having problems she told me to convince her to go see someone. That doesn’t sound like a person that would ignore their own chest pains.”
    “Mike! Your mother isn’t having problems, is she?”
    “No…”
    “You shouldn’t say things like that!”
    “I had to work it into the conversation somehow! I couldn’t just start asking her about her medical problems.”
    Jenny sighed, “It’s the principle. You shouldn’t tempt fate like that.”
    I smacked my forehead with the palm of my hand and ran it through the unkempt mess that was my head of hair. Jenny possessed an exasperating quality to her. “It was the best I could come up with. So, did your uncle agree to see me?”
    “Not exactly…”
    “And that means?”
    “He may have said the words, ‘I don’t want you to ever see that boy again outside of class’ and he may have sent an email to my father.”
    Ignoring the fact that I had been