Spirit Talk: (Book One of The Fiona Series) Read online

  “What if the message makes no sense?” Fiona asked. She examined the pen and pad in the dim light. It was just a regular pen and notebook from the five and dime.

  “It doesn’t matter. That happens a lot, then sometimes, later on, they make sense.” Mary shrugged. “After all these years, I still don’t really understand.” A knock on the shop door downstairs interrupted her. Fiona jumped. “Can you let Nicole in?”

  Chapter 9

  Fiona bounded down the stairs and opened the door of the shop to find a woman with long, blond hair spilling out from beneath a dramatic fur hat. Her face was strikingly pretty, the lines around her green eyes and generous mouth only adding to her beauty. Fiona stared, then realized she was staring and stepped back to allow Nicole to enter. Nicole surprised Fiona by lifting her arms, padded in a long winter coat made of either suede or fake suede, up around Fiona’s neck and pulling her into an embrace.

  She hugged back, the scent of chamomile and lemon verbena from Nicole’s hair drifting pleasantly into her nose. “It’s so nice to meet you,” Nicole purred. “Your grandma’s so glad you’ve come to stay with her.”

  Fiona said, “It’s nice to meet you, too,” as Nicole pulled away so she could look at her. Fiona thought, I want to be confident and friendly like this woman.

  “By God,” Nicole exclaimed, “you’re delicious!” She ran a hand through Fiona’s hair. Fiona felt a tingly electric charge when Nicole’s fingers brushed the skin on her neck. “What I wouldn’t give to be young and sexy again.” Nicole sighed. Fiona felt like a museum piece under Nicole’s appraising gaze. It was flattering but made her feel uncomfortable, too. She wished she knew what to say.

  Fiona opened her mouth to refute the compliment. She knew she was bedraggled from her long day. She wanted to say that Nicole was the sexy one, but Nicole had already moved past her and was quickly climbing the stairs to the apartment. “Mary,” she called ahead, “your granddaughter’s darling, just like you.” Fiona noticed that she seemed to know her way around.

  By the time Fiona got upstairs, Nicole had already removed her coat and hat and was now hugging Mary. The woman’s energy filled the quiet room and Fiona heard a low hum in both of her ears. It sounded like many voices talking, but muffled, as if they were coming from another room.

  This was new. She usually only heard one voice, in one ear, at a time. It was as if Nicole had such a strong and an attractive “vibe” that she was pulling multiple members of the spirit world toward her. Fiona shook her head a little from side to side as if to clear the voices so she could hear Nicole and Mary.

  “Would you like something to drink?” Fiona asked as Nicole settled onto the couch next to Mary. She folded her long legs under herself languorously and pulled her hair away from her neck in a gesture that Fiona knew a man would find sexy. Fiona thought she would like to practice the gesture herself when she was alone in front of a mirror. Nicole was wearing camel-colored trousers that look soft and luxurious. Fiona looked down briefly at her faded blue jeans.

  “Yes, my God, I need something to warm me up! It’s too early for this kind of cold.” Nicole rubbed her arms vigorously, then plucked the deck of cards from the table and began to shuffle. She’d obviously had readings from Mary before. “I’ll take a glass of that divine Grand Marnier your grandma keeps in the cupboard, please.”

  Mary pointed to the hutch in the corner and nodded to Fiona, who had to bend down and peer in the near-darkness to see the contents of the cabinet. Her body was blocking the candlelight and she turned sideways so she could see the bottles. The humming sound in her ears prevented her from hearing what Mary was saying to Nicole.

  Fiona spied the orange cap of the Grand Marnier bottle among a collection of liqueurs and lifted it over the others. She poured the amber liquid into one of the delicate crystal cordial glasses from the shelf above. The glass had reverberated off the glass next to it as Fiona’s fingers fumbled. When she carried the drink to Nicole, Nicole’s eyes were closed as she dreamily shuffled the cards. Mary’s face was placid and her expression was patient. She looked like she might be waiting for a bus.

  Mary gestured to Fiona to place the glass on the table. The sharp, strong scent of the liqueur tinged the air. Fiona’s nostrils quivered. She perched on a chair opposite and pulled the notepad and pen into her lap, then sat back to observe. Nicole’s long-lashed eyes were open.

  “I need to know what’s going to happen,” Nicole said. “Steve says he wants to leave his wife but that he can’t because his kids would never speak to him again.” She rolled her eyes and placed the cards face down onto the coffee table, cutting the deck once, then again, to form three piles. It was obvious that she was experienced with the ritual.

  Mary sat still, her body turned to Nicole while she listened. Nicole looked across at Fiona. “Cover your ears, sweetheart.” She groaned. “I’m in love with a married man who won’t ever leave his wife.” She made a face. “Just like on the soap operas, right?”

  Fiona smiled as if she heard such confessions all the time and tried to look like she wasn’t shocked. She didn’t expect her grandmother to know people who engaged in adultery, which she knew was a ridiculous sentiment. But still. Just then, however, a male voice, preceded by a waft of humid air near Fiona’s right ear, said, “Never.” Fiona’s grip on her pen tightened.

  “He’s hiding the keys!” a shrill woman’s voice cackled in her left ear. Fiona flinched at the high pitch and sat up straight. Mary noticed. Fiona adjusted her notepad and bent forward to write, angling it to catch some of the candlelight. All three women observed then that the candles’ flames were suddenly jumping. The yellow fins of flame elongated and dipped in a draft Fiona couldn’t feel on her skin.

  Mary reached forward and flipped over the top card on the pile furthest to Nicole’s left. “This card is in Nicole’s past,” she explained to Fiona.

  Fiona squinted and the card was the Eight of Clubs. Mary paused, then said ruminatively, “There’s a lot that’s happened in the past regarding your situation...things have accumulated. You did what was necessary to build up your business in Fireside. You made yourself a part of the community. You grew in the hearts of the people. You didn’t stop promoting yourself and giving free massages until you had a consistent, loyal clientele. Your clients adore you.”

  Nicole nodded. The candlelight bounced off her shiny hair. Fiona wondered if she used product, and if she’d tell Fiona what she used if she had the nerve to ask. “And I got certified in acupuncture, too, so I could attract the New Age types.” Acupuncture? Fiona thought. Wow. Far out.

  “Exactly.” Mary nodded. “That’s what this card is about. Quiet determination. Steady progress. Fertilizing your soil. It’s a solitary card, though; someone on a solo journey.” Mary paused and looked like she was thinking.

  “You said it, sister,” Nicole interjected. Fiona had to stifle a laugh. The spirits were humming loudly again and Fiona shook her head like a swimmer trying to shake water from her ear.

  “This card has a warning with it, though,” Mary added gently. “A warning to watch out for addictive behaviors. There are good things, and there are too much of good things.” Mary looked serious at first, then she looked like she was trying not to laugh.

  Nicole did laugh and took a long sip of her Grand Marnier, winking at Fiona. The skin on her throat looked impossibly tan, even in candlelight, for late fall in Minnesota. Fiona wondered if Nicole used a tanning bed. “Sex with a married man and alcohol,” she murmured, “both highly addictive.” Fiona didn’t stifle her laugh this time.

  Mary made an admonishing face at Nicole, then turned over the second card. “The present situation,” she intoned, looking at Fiona to see if she was taking it in. The card was the Two of Spades. Mary let out a small chuckle. “Well, sometimes the cards speak in mysterious riddles and sometimes their meaning is crystal clear.” Shaking her head, she reached down and affectionately stroked the edge of the card with one finger.

 
; “What?” Nicole squeaked, sitting up straight. “Come on! The suspense is killing me.”

  “It’s a double-edged card and you have to make a choice. A spade is a useful tool for digging into the heart of a matter and revealing the truth, but it can also be dangerous. A spade can cut you. Also, you might discover that you don’t really want the truth.”

  Nicole blinked dramatically but said nothing. Fiona realized she was holding her breath.

  “She’s bleeding,” the cackling woman’s voice said in Fiona’s ear. Fiona, trying not to draw attention, quickly wrote down the words. Mary saw anyway. Fiona could not remember ever hearing a spirit voice like the cackling woman’s. If she weren’t furiously busy, she’d be frightened. She hoped her Grandma Kate was nearby.

  “You’re attempting to keep your balance as you try to make a decision,” Mary continued, “but you’re on an emotional see-saw. You keep going back and forth.” She used both hands to demonstrate a see-saw motion.

  “Damned straight I am!” Nicole glumly picked up her glass for another sip. “Okay, next card,” she said, placing the glass down emphatically. “Let’s see what the future is.”

  Mary turned over the top card of the last pile. It was the Queen of Clubs. “Oh my,” Mary said, releasing what almost sounded like a giggle.

  “What?” Nicole asked breathlessly.

  “Honestly,” Mary said, “it’s a sexy card. The Queen of Clubs is a black cat...in other words, a witch. She’s full of life and she’s the life of the party. She’ll never belong to any man but, rather, she goes her own way. She’s intensely creative, but she’s self-centered.”

  Here, Nicole interrupted. “What?”

  “In a good way,” Mary continued. “The Queen of Clubs doesn’t sacrifice her own well-being for a man. She has a strong personality and she’s incapable of being demure. She can decorate her home like a pro. She’s a very social woman and maybe even has a flirtatious side.”

  Nicole snorted. “That’s true,” she conceded. She gave Fiona a wicked grin.

  “This queen is a vibrant woman, full of passion and love, but not sentimental about it,” Mary added.

  Nicole stared down at the card thoughtfully. “Okay, she said, “so, what does it mean? For my future?”

  “Well,” Mary said, “it means that you are going to continue to love Steve without a formal tie to him.”

  Nicole gave Fiona a sly smile. “Your grandma says I’m a witch.” She chuckled. “I like that. I like being a witch.”

  “Why don’t you pick another card to see if we can get some further clarity,” Mary suggested, handing the deck to Nicole. “Just pull any card that feels right.” Fiona watched her grandmother admiringly. Mary was confident and in control of the reading. It was apparent that her skills were second nature.

  Nicole closed her eyes again as she shuffled. “What’s my future?” she murmured. Finally, she pulled one and handed it to Mary. “This one felt warmer than the other cards,” she explained. Fiona realized she had been holding her breath again and she drew in deeply. It sounded like a quiet gasp.

  “Excellent.” Mary turned it over. “Ah, the Seven of Hearts. This mystical card has many meanings. It’s sometimes called the ‘Clean Slate Card’ or the ‘Second Chance’ card.” Fiona leaned forward and studied the card. It looked the same as it had in every other deck she’d ever seen, but now it looked fascinating.

  “I could use both.” Nicole smirked.

  “The Seven of Hearts also promises that you will have some kind of psychic experience soon, like a premonition dream or a hunch that turns out to be right,” Mary said, smiling.

  “Cool!” Nicole grinned, and Fiona grinned back.

  “But it has one last meaning, which is my favorite. It means that someone truly, truly loves you.” Mary smiled warmly and leaned back. Fiona thought her grandmother had deflated a little and seemed tired, something she hadn’t seemed a minute before.

  Nicole’s expression grew serious at Mary’s last remark. “So, Steve really does love me?”

  “Yes!” Fiona heard the male voice say. She wrote: “Yes” by moving the pencil with only one hand on her pad. She was trying to be inconspicuous.

  “I’m not sure it’s Steve, but it’s very likely him,” Mary said gently.

  “Wow.” Nicole sighed quietly, looking perplexed. “Wow,” she repeated.

  “Nicole,” Mary continued in a serious voice, “Fiona is exploring her mediumship skills. She’s been the recipient of... spirit voices, and she’s beginning to try and use this skill for clients.”

  “Really?” Nicole asked. “Is it, like, a family gift? Inherited from you?” she asked, looking first at Fiona then at Mary.

  “Maybe,” Mary said. “I used to hear voices clearly when I was young, but over the years the messages have become more...vague. Sometimes I get words, but more often it’s just strong feelings or images in my mind. I suspect it is a family thing, though. Something that skips around generations.”

  Fiona thought of little Nula and was glad she’d be able to pave the way for her, maybe even figure some things out in advance so Nula wouldn’t have to be as mystified as she had been.

  Mary paused and glanced at Fiona. “Right now, though, Fiona’s messages are getting even stronger and clearer. She’s actually been hearing some messages for you just now. Right, Fiona?”

  Fiona nodded and moved her eyes over the scrawling on her pad. She was glad for the candlelight because she was sure her face was pink, or possibly pale white.

  “Jesus,” Nicole exclaimed, “tell me what you heard!”

  Fiona said, nervously, “Well, right after you mentioned that Steve would never leave his wife, I heard a man say, ‘Never’ and a woman’s voice say, ‘He’s hiding the keys.’” Fiona looked up.

  “Holy crap,” Nicole said in a shocked tone. “I gave Steve keys to my house last week and he was worried about his wife finding them.”

  “Wow,” Mary murmured. “That’s pretty direct.”

  “And then,” Fiona continued, especially anxious about reporting the third message, “after my grandma talked about the Two of Spades, the woman’s voice said, ‘She’s bleeding.’”

  Alarmed, Fiona saw that Nicole was starting to cry. There were tears in the corners of her eyes that seemed to appear instantaneously.

  “Nicole, oh dear,” Mary murmured, reaching for a box of Kleenex on the end table.

  “I got my period yesterday,” Nicole said shakily, “but it was late, and I was starting to think I might be pregnant. I wasn’t sure if I was scared or excited.” She took the tissue that Mary was holding out and wiped her eyes. “And now it doesn’t matter because I’m definitely not pregnant and Steve’s never leaving his wife.” Nicole shuddered then hugged herself, rubbing her arms.

  Fiona looked helplessly at Mary, hoping her grandma would know what to say to comfort Nicole. Mary moved closer to Nicole, took her hands, and gently squeezed them. The women sat in silence for a few moments before Nicole wiped her eyes again and tried to smile.

  “There was one last message,” Fiona said quietly. Nicole and Mary both looked at her expectantly. “When you asked: ‘Does Steve really love me?’ the male voice said yes.”

  At this, Nicole started crying harder and Fiona began to wonder if passing messages to clients was such a good idea.

  Nicole must have picked up on Fiona’s discomfort because she caught Fiona’s eye. “I know it seems like I’m upset, but I’m really happy about what you told me. It’s nice to know there are spirits looking out for me.”

  Fiona wasn’t sure if the spirits were necessarily looking out for Nicole, but she didn’t say this out loud. She knew, for example, that when she heard Grandma Kate’s voice, Grandma Kate was helping or warning her about something. She wasn’t sure about some of the other voices she heard, though, especially not the ‘cackling’ lady tonight. It was something Fiona would need to discuss with her grandmother.

  Nicole put her face in her hands for
a long moment, then stood. She looked suddenly tired as she began to say her goodbyes. As Nicole reached for her coat and hat, Fiona felt relieved; she was so tired that she didn’t think she even had the energy to take off her clothes before falling into bed. It had been an exhausting day and she would have to again put off writing to Ann.

  As she bent to pick up Nicole’s empty glass, she observed Nicole handing money to Mary. She was counting out bills and Mary was receiving them solemnly. The financial aspect of mediumship was also something Fiona wanted to talk about with her grandmother. For now, though, she looked away as if she were witnessing something very private.

  Nicole hugged them both goodbye before Fiona walked Nicole downstairs. As they stood at the front door, Nicole turned to her with a very serious expression on her face. “Listen,” she said somberly, “what you are doing is extraordinary. There are so many mediums out there who don’t have any abilities whatsoever and they’re still making incredible amounts of money. If you practice and perfect your presentation, you could go really far.” Nicole grabbed both of Fiona’s hands in her own.

  Again, she felt a tingle of electricity. Nicole was definitely a conduit for some kind of energy. It must make her an excellent masseuse, Fiona realized. Fiona’s fingers felt warm where Nicole had grasped them.

  “Thank you,” Fiona said. “I’ve only just started to learn from my grandmother. Up until now, the voices were my...” She paused and laughed. “They were my dirty little secret.”

  Nicole chuckled appreciatively. “Just know, please, that you could turn this into something really big. What you can do... it could make a serious career for you. And really, truly help people, because you’re the real deal. You’re not scamming people for money.”

  “Thank you,” Fiona repeated before Nicole stepped out into the cold night, her white fur hat bobbing in the dark like a buoy as she bounced down the steps. “It was really nice to meet you!” Fiona called.