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It was five days before we were ready to place our first order, and when Bobby
Turner called the lumberyard and told them what we wanted we were all standing
around him, like so many little kids at a candy counter.
Right. Deliver it here, tomorrow, and be prepared to lift it four floors. However
you do it. You promised delivery to the site and that s where the site is. The fourth
floor.
We sat and watched the faces he was making. Either the guy on the other end was
complaining or Bobby had food poisoning.
You heard me. Either come prepared to get it to the fourth floor or cancel the
order.
Not every lumberyard can afford to turn down quite a few thousand dollars for one
order. Apparently this was one of them. After several minutes of bitching and
complaining, the guy on the other end must have agreed. Bobby s face was suddenly all
smiles. We took it to be good news. As he hung up he turned to us.
I knew he d do it. But you know, this guy was really obnoxious. Anyone want to
help make his day even worse tomorrow?
What do you mean by worse? I was cautious about getting involved in this, just
in case it was something illegal.
Well, I was just thinking, since he says he ll have to do this himself, his other staff
wouldn t do it, if he had to make a trip or two with the same stuff, over and over, and
over and maybe over, he d find out if he works with us instead of arguing, it would be
easier. So while he s bringing something up the front stairs, we could be taking it out
the back and adding it back to his pile.
The absolutely devilish look in his eyes told me it wasn t the first time he d done
this kind of thing, but for now I was going to put a stop to his fun before it really got
going.
No, Bobby. We won t do it. We re going to keep giving this company our business
and when we get to the next floor, he ll be delivering again. Then I m going to ask for a
discount. In fact, I m going to go after a discount for every other floor. Five percent off
for the third, ten percent for the second and when we get to the main, which will be the
biggest order, I m going for twenty percent. So let s not make him mad the first time.
You re no fun, Miz Rob& Charli. No fun at all. There were some shy smiles and a
few laughs from the people milling around. Joseph and Barnaby, standing together, had
become best buddies and were now taking turns cooking for each other.
98
Deja You
Barnaby was my conduit to what was happening with the other tenants. He heard
or saw everything that happened and he just had to tell someone. I made sure he knew I
was interested. Barnaby told me in private Joseph had a shrine in his second bedroom
to the woman who d cleaned him out. He still loves her, Charli, after everything she
did. Strange, don t you think?
They were both there, as were Maxie and Flo. Maxie had helped put the list
together, based on the design we d roughly sketched of the changes for the fourth floor.
Okay, so tomorrow the stuff will be delivered and then we can start. I m going to
be in my apartment tomorrow bright and early about six, Bobby, but you don t have
to be there until nine, maybe nine-thirty.
I had to remind Ethan tonight I needed to be there sometime before dawn. He could
drop me off and come back later when the order was delivered.
Tomorrow, everyone. Tomorrow we start.
There were some high-fives and some waving fists as these people I was beginning
to think of as friends left the lobby to return to their own apartments. I rode the newly
repaired elevator to my floor and went to my door. As I let myself in I felt a cool breeze.
I knew none of my windows were open so I looked around.
Sure enough. He make that it was hovering in the space beside my sofa. Until
Michael found out who this was, I didn t even know if it was man or woman. Actually,
the closer I got, the more unsure I was if this was even one of the ghosts I d already met.
Hello? I took a tentative step in the general direction and watched as the presence
changed color. It started to change to blue then abruptly flashed to the red I saw
Michael take when he was happy.
Can you see me, dear?
I backed up. Sat down.
Gulped for air. Looked again.
She, it was a woman s voice I heard, was still there.
Ah, yes? I can. Why was I acting afraid of this spirit when Michael s appearance
hadn t startled or scared me? Yes, I definitely can. Who are you?
Well, I was Margaret Moorhead. But somebody attacked me. Killed me. Only no one has
found my body yet. And until they do, I m stuck here. If ghosts could cry, this one sounded
like she just might.
Didn t you live in 2A, Margaret?
I did. Until they murdered me. Now I don t know where I am. I only know it s in this
building, it s dark and wet and it smells bad. A horrible, rotten stench.
I was suddenly aware of another presence, this one standing beside me, and I
turned to find Michael had joined us.
Charli, you gotta help her. I ve been searching the building but I can t find her body. She
hasn t been able to lead me to it and her description is really not much help. I thought I knew this
building inside and out but there must still be one room I haven t found yet.
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Kelsy George
Michael, hold on here. We ve got Lillian Yarman dying in Margaret s apartment,
now Margaret s ghost is saying she s dead someplace in the building and we ve got
another, very untalkative spirit who keeps sitting in on our meetings and I don t know
who he is. What s going on here? Everybody s dying.
I saw Margaret s presence swirl faster and could only assume that, like Michael, she
was interested in what I was saying and not liking what she heard.
Nobody s dying, Charli, they re being murdered, protested Michael.
Any ideas who is killing all of you, Margaret?
I saw her colors slow and slump. Obviously she didn t have the answer.
Charli, get Ethan to find out if there are any older sets of blueprints for this building, maybe
hanging around some city planning office. Maybe there s a room or a space in this building we
don t know about.
All right. But I m going to have to tell him why, don t you think? I can hardly ask
him to go and find these plans and then say, oh, look, this must be where Margaret s
body is hidden . He ll think I m nuts. Not that I don t already think maybe I am! I mean,
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