Angel Kiss - Laura Jane Cassidy [45]
My stomach twisted. I wondered what else I’d have to endure.
‘You can talk to people who are in between more easily,’ said Ger. ‘Spirits who haven’t moved on. You can help them. You can help Jane.’
‘How do I help her?’
‘Just listen. Listen to what she has to say.’
Chapter 13
I walked back down the mountain in a kind of daze, replaying in my head everything Ger had said. I was grateful to have met him, and felt much better now that I knew there was an explanation. Not knowing had been scary. Last night had been one of the worst nights of my life. I’d been so freaked out – I’d never felt so out of control. But things were a bit better now because I understood what I had to do. In a strange way it was kind of exhilarating knowing I’d been chosen to do this. And having something to focus on distracted from the embarrassment of what had happened with Nick. I was going to help Jane. I was going to find out what had happened to her.
When I got back Mum was standing outside the front door of the house. She was talking to one of the builders, her gestures suggesting that she was unhappy about something. I knew those gestures well. I went inside the caravan and put the little black book that Ger had given me into the shoebox in the suitcase under my bed, right on top of Alf Meehan’s letter. That suitcase was fast becoming a home for my top-secret stash. I wasn’t used to keeping secrets from Mum. It wasn’t like I told her everything, but I never kept anything major from her. I considered letting her in on my secret, but then decided against it. She had enough to worry about. She didn’t need this too. Once I knew more, I’d tell her what was going on. Or I’d at least try. For now, I thought it was best to say nothing.
Ger had told me to listen. I was used to doing that. I was used to listening to songs, memorizing every word, repeating the particularly beautiful sentences and making note of why they worked so well. But it was hard to listen when you didn’t know what you were supposed to be listening for. The clues were supposedly all around me, but how was I to know exactly where they were? I was too tired to concentrate now. My visit had been so overwhelming that I just wanted to rest for a bit. I thought I’d better say hi to Mum first though.
I tied my hair up in a ponytail and walked across the grass to the house. Mum had finished talking to the builder, and was now sifting through sheets of paper.
‘Hi, Mum,’ I said.
‘Hello, stranger. Where have you been?’ she asked. She seemed kind of flustered, but not at all suspicious.
‘Oh … just around. The house is looking great, isn’t it?’ I stepped inside the hallway. It was starting to look like a home now. The walls were painted and the wooden floors were polished. I walked down the hall into the kitchen. There was so much more space than we’d had in Dublin. And everything was so new. I was beginning to get excited about moving in. The house really was gorgeous.
‘Yes. It’s looking great,’ said Mum. ‘But we have a problem.’
‘What the hell is that smell?’ I scrunched up my face in disgust, noticing it for the first time.
‘That’s the problem,’ she said.
‘What is it? It’s horrible!’ I covered my mouth and nose with my hand.
‘You know how we had to dig up out the back for the new pipes?’ she said, covering her nose too.
‘Yes …’ I vaguely remembered her complaining about it.
‘There was a load of rubbish buried there. It absolutely stinks.’
‘What kind of rubbish?’
‘All sorts of stuff. Looks like Alf just buried his rubbish, rather than putting it in the bin.’
‘Ew. Why would he do that?’
‘No idea. Now we have to dig up the whole back garden and get rid of it. Just when I thought we were getting somewhere, something like this happens. I don’t know if I’ll ever get rid of that smell!’
Mum seemed very upset, and rightly so. I looked out the window.
There was a pile of horrible-looking rubbish: bursting plastic bags, rusting tins, torn packaging …