He sat up suddenly. “What?”
“Maybe there’s something important in it. Have you looked through it?”
“No, not really. I haven’t had time. Mostly I’ve been trying to get a handle on life. You know—writing my book, solving all the problems of the building’s residents, chasing ghosts, chasing one very reluctant psychic…” He grinned at her. “I always figured I could get to it whenever.”
“Maybe ‘whenever’ is right now.”
He nodded and rose, going over to the desk, pulled out the chair, and sat.
The top opened out to create a writing space, and revealed pigeonholes and drawers. The pigeonholes were full of papers, and he began examining them.
Rainbow came to stand behind him, looking over his shoulder.
Most of the papers seemed to be old bills and financial records, none of which probably mattered now. They gave a picture of Joe, though, as a frugal man who paid off his credit cards in full every month, and used them sparingly—except when it came to his boat. A stack of bills showed that he took good care of routine maintenance on the Lucky Star, that he’d even taken a course in motor maintenance and repair, as well as courses in navigation, safety, and first aid.
Jake looked up at her. “Not the kind of guy whose boat you’d expect to blow up.”
She nodded. “He took better care of it than most people take of their cars.”
“Well, I guess he might have overlooked something. And accidents happen no matter how careful you are.”
He reached for another stack of papers and discovered that Joe had been making regular charitable contributions, and that he had “adopted” several children overseas and had corresponded with them regularly.
“He never said anything about this to me,” Jake said, his voice thickening a little. “I didn’t know he did so much. Hell, I didn’t know he did anything like this.”
“He was certainly generous.”
He nodded. “A few stars for his crown, I guess. I need to see what I can do about these kids he was writing to. I wonder if anybody told them what happened. But maybe they don’t really care.”
The letters Joe had received from the children, though, seemed to indicate otherwise. Apart from the donations he made every month, he sent them other things, such as toys and cards.
“I don’t know if I can keep doing this,” Jake said finally. He looked away.
Instinctively, Rainbow reached out to touch his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Jake. I’m so sorry.”
“Me, too.” After a few minutes, he sighed and tucked the letters away. “I’ll figure out what to do about these later. Let’s just move on and get this over with.”
Rainbow was certain that he had been avoiding this task since he’d moved in because he expected it to sadden him, and she certainly wouldn’t have thought less of him if he’d been unable to continue now.
In fact, looking through all these papers seemed like prying, even though Joe was dead. It was a terrible trespass, she thought, and went to sit on the couch, not wanting to intrude any further into the private affairs of Joe Krebbs.
Jake continued his survey, scanning papers and setting some aside, returning others to their original niches, sometimes smiling, sometimes frowning.
Then he came upon a stack of letters to Joe from his friends back in New Jersey, and a letter Joe had started writing to a friend but had never finished. It had been written the day of his death.
Jake couldn’t handle it. He passed it to Rainbow. “Will you read it? I can’t. I just can’t.”
She took the piece of lined paper. Joe’s handwriting was strong and bold, and only a little difficult to read.
” Dear Bob and Mary,” she read aloud, “I thought I’d let you know some really big news. I was thinking maybe I’d tell you after I did it, but I’m too excited to wait. In just a couple of hours, I’m going to take Lucy out on my boat. She’s the lady I told you about in my last letter. Well, I’m going to ask her to marry me. Got the ring and everything.
Funny, huh? Bet you thought I’d never do it. I know I sure did. I’m so old now, I figured nobody’d ever want me. I also figured I was a hard case, you know? One of those people it could never happen to.
But it happened, and now the time just seems to be going too slow. Every time I look at the clock, it seems like only a couple of minutes have passed, but it feels like it’s been hours. Tonight just can’t get here fast enough. Guess I got it bad.
Anyway, I got the ring, got champagne and a fancy dinner on order. I even bought a tablecloth. Bet you never thought I’d do that. I’m taking her out on a sunset cruise, and I’m going to surprise her with the ring.
You know, this is the scariest thing I’ve ever done.”
Rainbow looked up. “Do you want me to continue?”
Jake nodded, his face set in the hard lines of a man struggling with strong emotion.
“He goes on, ‘I’m beginning to wonder if my memory is as good as it used to be. Guess I should tell Lucy about it before I propose, so she can bail out before it’s too late. The other day, I was sure I left my boat keys on the peg in the kitchen, but when I went to grab them, they weren’t there. Found ‘em this morning when I went down to the boat to clean things up for tonight. Now, is that bad, or what?’”
“Christ,” said Jake.
“What?”
He shook his head. “Just go on. Please.”
She bent her head again to the letter and continued reading. ” ‘Then last week, I ran into this guy in the elevator. One of the new residents. I know his name. I know where he’s from, but all of a sudden I ask him if he’s got a brother back in Jersey by the name of Maroney. Guy looks at me like I’m crazy and says his name isn’t Maroney.
” ‘Now, I know that. I mean, would two brothers have different names? And besides, there was only a little resemblance. Now, why would I think there’s a connection? It’s been bothering me ever since, so I guess I ought to tell Lucy about that.
” ‘It’s a good thing this guy didn’t ask me anything about Maroney. He probably would have popped me in the jaw. Mahoney was some minor mob guy who was—’” Rainbow broke off and looked up. “That’s where he stopped.”
Jake nodded and rubbed his chin with his hand.
His beard stubble rasped quietly, but he seemed not to notice. He was lost in thought, and Rainbow imagined he must be thinking about his uncle and how much he missed him.
But his thoughts seemed to be running along a different line. “That bothers me,” he said.
“What does?”
“That Joe misplaced his boat keys. He wasn’t the kind to do that. The last time I saw him, maybe six months before he died, he was just fine, as alert as ever. And there was nothing in his letters…” He trailed off, his expression growing miserable. “Does senility come on that fast?”
“I don’t know. But I can tell you I’m the kind of person who doesn’t leave her keys in the car, yet I’ve still managed to do it once or twice. That can happen to anyone.”
“I know, but he seemed worried about it. Worried enough to think of telling Lucy.”
“Maybe he was more worried than you or I would be because he was so much older.”
He nodded slowly. “Maybe,” he said finally. “Maybe.”
She handed the letter to him and watched him stuff it back in with the others. Then he closed the desk. “Well, I guess I might as well go down and see about getting the announcements prepared so I can distribute them first thing in the morning. Do you want me to take you home first?”
Rainbow shook her head. “I’d like to help. Besides, maybe things aren’t finished for the evening.”
“Things?”
“The manifestations.”
“Oh.” He looked around quickly, as if half-expecting to see something floating in midair. “He’s not here now,” she said, feeling braver because of the change in his attitude. “But that doesn’t mean he won’t return.”
“I gotta figure
out what he wants, Rainy. It must be important, or he wouldn’t go to all this trouble. I mean, it must be tough to do the things he’s done, don’t you think? Otherwise, people would be seeing things like this everywhere.”
Rainbow nodded. “I imagine it takes incredible effort.”
Jake looked around again, then said, “Well, let’s go take care of the flyers. If there’s going to be any flack about this seance, I want to know before your mother shows up.”
She hadn’t thought of that, but considering Roxy’s current state of mind, she considered it an excellent idea.
“Ho-ho!” said Joe, slapping his palm against his knee. “The boy’s finally gotten the message!” “He’s quick, isn’t he?”
“You bet.” Joe beamed with forgivable pride. “Always as smart as a whip. More often than not he was two steps ahead of me.”
“So he’ll probably catch the guy,” Lucinda said, allowing a sense of satisfaction to show. Much as she had argued with Joe that it didn’t really matter anymore, she couldn’t quite escape the feeling that it did.
“I hope so.” Joe suddenly sighed and tilted his head backward, looking up at the clear blue sky above. It was a deeper, more beautiful blue than on earth, a blue that seemed to reach out and embrace him with warmth.
Then Lucy asked tentatively, “But what then, Joe? What happens after they catch him? What do we do?”
He looked at her, his entire face softening with love. “I don’t know, Lucy. But I’m not worried about it. There’s a plan. I absolutely believe there’s a plan. Our dying when we did was for a reason, just like there’s a reason for what we’re doing now. When the time comes, we’ll know.”
She nodded, but the uncertainty didn’t quite leave her expression.
He reached out and took her hand. “Have we been bored for one instant since we got here?”
She shook her head.
“And didn’t we get a chance to meet all the people we’ve known who came here ahead of us? Well, maybe when we get done, we’ll get together with them again and throw a party that’ll rattle the clouds.”
She had to laugh at that, and her concern vanished like mist before the morning sun.
“It’s great here,” Joe said. “And to be quite honest, honey, the only thing I regret about having died was that we never got a chance to make love.”
She blushed brightly. “I’m an old woman, Joe,” she protested.
“You were a beautiful woman, Lucy. The most beautiful I’d ever known. And you’re even more beautiful now.”
Her smile was both embarrassed and delighted.
He shrugged one shoulder and returned her smile. “Anyway, if there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s that we’ll have something to do when this is done.”
She nodded. Joe was always one to make something happen. And she couldn’t really complain or worry too much, because now she had all eternity with him. It was as much as anyone could ever want.
Nineteen
Harvey Little had a plan. From the instant he’d found the notice of the seance under his door that morning, his mind had been spinning plots, each increasingly more outrageous, until he at last settled on one that would work. Come hell or high water, he had to prevent the seance from taking place.
And the easiest way to do that, he figured, was to convince everyone that the haunting was a hoax.
He knew it wasn’t, of course. He knew it for sure because the banging on his wall at night hadn’t stopped when the Martinses had decided to go to Miami for a week just so they could get some sleep. They’d thought he was doing it. The jerks. If they’d used their brains, they’d have realized he wasn’t getting any sleep, either. He’d have to be a total crazy man himself to stay up all night banging on walls just to annoy those two twits.
Now that he was sure the Martinses weren’t doing it, he was absolutely, positively sure the ghosts were.
And he figured if they were banging on his wall, they had to be after him. Which was a kink in his life, and a serious threat to his safety.
He sure as hell hadn’t gone into the witness protection program and escaped his old mob associates just to come down here and get nailed by a ghost!
He had to go all the way to Tampa to get some materials to carry out his plan. Because he was impatient by nature, and not too swift as a rule, he managed to get not one but two three-hundred-dollar speeding tickets on the way over.
They were peanuts compared to what he’d spent on the industrial magnet he’d bought at a junkyard. His credit card was nearly maxed out by the time he was done, but he wasn’t worried. Skipping out on credit card companies was easier than skipping out on the mob.
As soon as he got back to Paradise Beach, he bought one of those white foam coolers for a couple of bucks, and hunted up some dry ice.
He also rented a hand truck, because moving that industrial magnet—which was about as big as one of those round stones those Yap Islanders used for money—almost as tall as a man—was next to impossible. He knew why he was lugging all this iron around, but he sure couldn’t figure out why those stupid islanders wanted money that was so difficult to move around.
Which Harvey thought was a sensible remark from a guy who usually exhibited about as much gray matter as a snail.
Even with the hand truck, getting the magnet into dhe building was a bit of a challenge. He chose early afternoon, a time when most of the geezers were snoring in the middle of their afternoon naps, or out somewhere “enjoying their retirement.”
Harvey wasn’t retired. He still did an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay—although he kind of figured the Feds might not think his work was honest. In fact, he was pretty sure they’d raise Cain about it, but you couldn’t expect the government to be sensible. Making book was an honest profession. He’d never forced anyone to bet, and he always paid what he owed his clients. He was an honest bookie, and proud of it. The way he saw it, he was providing a public service.
What did they expect him to do, anyway? They’d changed his name, changed his nose and chin, given him a credit card which he had to pay himself, and found him a job in an auto repair shop—and then they had waltzed away, figuring their job was done unless he got recognized.
As if any self-respecting man of his talents was going to be happy fixing cars.
He figured they owed him a hell of lot more than that, anyway. After all, he’d had to give up everything to testify against the mob and avoid jail himself, and this was all they could do for him? Hell, he’d have been better off in prison. At least the mob wouldn’t be looking to cut out his liver if they found him, and he’d still have his bank accounts waiting for a cozy retirement.
But for a guy who’d given up everything, he figured he’d done okay. He’d built himself a nice little operation, and he had enough credit to buy this damn magnet.
And all of this shit because that jerk Joe Krebbs had recognized him in the elevator. Sometimes life just plain wasn’t fair!
The Feds hadn’t been worried that Joe had almost recognized him. Harvey had called them right after his encounter with Joe in the elevator, and they’d said they’d look into it. After a week of unbearable anxiety, Harvey had finally heard back: the Feds believed that Joe was convinced that Harvey wasn’t related to Herbie Moroney.
And Harvey was supposed to believe that? It had been a relief when Joe had been killed. He’d thought that everything was okay… until now.
Now he was scared to death that Joe, a spook, had figured out who Harvey really was and was planning to tell the whole world about it. And that was why he absolutely had to prevent this seance.
The first thing he did was take the cooler of dry ice up to Jake Carpenter’s floor and stash it in the janitor’s closet. That called for a little lock-picking, but he’d been picking locks since h
e was eight; this one was child’s play.
Then he took the lid off the cooler, figuring that once the closet got cold enough, the cold would seep out into the hall. There was about a half-inch between the bottom of the door and the rug, plenty of room for the cold to get out, and he’d bought enough ice that it wouldn’t be all gone for hours yet.
By the time he wrestled the magnet out of his truck and onto the hand truck, he was drenched with sweat and feeling a little dizzy. Christ, this place was hot! Here they were on the first day of September and it wasn’t any cooler than it had been in July. When he left here eventually, he was sure as hell going to head back up north.
He managed to wheel the magnet in through the fire door and down the hallway without seeing a soul. He pushed it onto the elevator with a grunt, and hit nine, one floor above Jake Carpenter’s. The unit directly above Carpenter’s was vacant, waiting for the return of some Canadian snowbirds, and he only needed it for a few hours anyway.
Unfortunately, the elevator stopped on the third floor and the doors opened. He found himself looking at Bill Dunlop. He tried to step in front of the magnet to conceal it, but it was a little bigger around than he was, and anyway, nosy Dunlop leaned around to look behind him, as if it was any of his business.
Dunlop hit the button for the twelfth floor. He gave Harvey a friendly smile. “What in the world are you going to do with that?”
Harvey thought desperately for an explanation. “It’s … uh … well… it’s a modern sculpture!” he blurted.
Dunlop looked faintly amused. “Really? It’s… rather unusual.”
“I like it,” Harvey said defensively.
“Oh, I wasn’t criticizing your taste,” Dunlop said. “Don’t you live on the tenth floor?”
Harvey gritted his teeth. “Yes.”
Dunlop obliging pushed the button for the tenth, and Harvey had to ride past the ninth and push the damn magnet off the elevator.
Dunlop helped him. “Want me to help you get it to your door? I’d be glad to.”
Help like that was the last thing Harvey needed. He’d only have to push it all the way back down the hall again to the elevator. “Nah,” he said shortly. “I’ll do it myself.”