The Remains Of The Dead Part 9

"It's a tough thing to swallow, and that's why I don't go around making it public knowledge," Sadie admitted. "Anyone who's as obvious about their so-called ability as Madame Maeva probably has none, beyond being a shyster. She's not like me. I provide a service. I help lost spirits find their way." She looked at Pam. "And, yes, it sounds crazy even when I say it. I'm not always successful, but I try-and I don't charge a fee for that service."

"So that's what p.i.s.ses you off, that she's making money off her gift?"

"Yes. No." Sadie shook her head. "h.e.l.l, I don't know if she even has a gift. The woman actually hums 'We're Off to See the Wizard' while she does a reading!" She shouted. She took a calming sip of her wine. "Let's drop it."

But Pam wasn't quite ready to let it go.

"I guess Chloe could've given the psychic information about Dawn, but she doesn't know about your job and your weird abilities, right?"

"Dawn swears she's never told anyone. Not even Noel."

"And even if she had, how would Maeva know about Trudy?"

Sadie frowned into her gla.s.s, then finished off the rest of her wine.

"Maybe I was mistaken. Maybe she didn't say 'Trudy.' It could've just been a word that rhymed with 'Trudy.'"

"Like what?"

"I don't know.... 'Moody'?"

Pam laughed.

Sadie thought about the tape that Maeva had thrust into Dawn's hands before they'd bolted from the premises. It would be easy enough to get the tape from Dawn...but suddenly Sadie was just tired and no longer cared.

"Can we change the subject?"

"Okay. How are things going at the new scene? Is Trudy still bothering you?" Pam asked.

"It would be easier if she would actually speak to me instead of waving her hands around and making strange gestures, like this-" Sadie imitated the thumbs-up motion Trudy had used a couple of times.

Pam curiously leaned forward.

"Was it more like this?" She made the gesture more precisely, with the palm of one hand a.s.sisting the thumbs-up hand.

"I guess so."

Pam's eyes grew wide.

"Oh my G.o.d, Sadie. Is this woman deaf?"

"Excuse me?"

"That looks like American Sign Language, and in ASL that gesture means 'help me'!"

The more Sadie thought about it, the more it made sense.

"She hasn't been ignoring me. She just hasn't heard me," she murmured.

She pulled her cell phone from her purse and scrolled through the listings until she saw Kent Lasko's number, then dialed.

"Yup?" was the greeting offered, and Sadie recognized the voice as that of Kent's brother, Christian.

"Can I speak to Kent?"

"Sure, hang on."

She heard him call Kent to the phone.

"Hi, Sadie."

"How did you know it was me?"

"My brother said a woman was on the line and she sounded hot."

"Oh." Sadie felt herself blush to the roots of her hair.

"You're not calling to cancel our dinner plans tomorrow, are you? Because I'm going to cook you a meal that'll knock your socks off."

Sadie cringed.

"Oh. I thought we were going out."

He was quiet for a few seconds.

"Would you prefer a restaurant over my gourmet cooking abilities?"

"No offense..."

He paused again.

"No problem. I know a great Italian place on Fifth."

"I know it."

"How's seven o'clock?"

"That's fine. By the way, can I ask you a question about Trudy?"

"Um, sure, I guess so."

"Was she deaf?"

"Yes, she was. She was born deaf, and she taught at the King County School for the Deaf. I just a.s.sumed everyone knew that."

"I saw a fancy phone in her den."

"Why were you in the den?"

"I needed to find the insurance papers," Sadie said quickly. "Anyway, I saw that fancy phone and it looked like something a deaf person would use, so I was curious." She was in a hurry now to end the call. "I'll see you tomorrow at seven."

"I'm looking forward to it," he said s.e.xily.

Sadie turned to Pam. "She was deaf, even taught at the local school for the deaf. Do you think she was trying to speak to me using sign language?"

"It looks that way. Part of my training as a special education teacher had me studying basic signing to communicate with the autistic students who didn't have verbal skills."

"Come on," Sadie said, getting to her feet. "We're going out."

"I hope it's to see whoever can make you blush like that over the phone."

"Nope. We're going to visit Trudy."

"You can't make me," Pam stubbornly announced on the doorstep to the Toth residence. It was raining buckets, and Sadie was shivering under the small overhang at the back door while she struggled to find her key.

"Look," Sadie said, "the house is clean. There's no evidence of what happened here. You'll be fine."

Pam looked at her friend with a pained expression.

"I really don't know why I let you talk me into this."

Sadie unlocked the door and they stepped inside. Pam looked around, and Sadie pointed out that the only thing that was amiss on the main floor was that the living room was missing a sofa and a few floorboards.

"Is she-you know-is she here?" Pam whispered.

"You don't need to whisper," Sadie said with a smile. "Let's try upstairs."

When Pam seemed hesitant, Sadie added, "There's a very good chance she won't even show up."

"Okay." Pam sighed and followed Sadie up to the master bedroom.

Once inside the room, Sadie looked around with disappointment. No sign of Trudy.

"I'll check the den," she told Pam. "You wait here." And she ducked out of the room.

"Guess we're out of luck." She announced as she reentered a moment later.

"Good. Let's go," Pam said with relief.

"Not yet." Sadie grinned. Trudy had appeared, standing beside Pam.

"Oh G.o.d," Pam whimpered, looking to where Sadie was focused. "Is she here?"

Sadie nodded. "I wish you could see her. It would make this easier." Sadie turned slightly to face Trudy.

"You're deaf, right?" Sadie asked, carefully mouthing the words so Trudy could lip-read.

Trudy's response was immediate, an enthusiastic nod followed by a flurry of hand gestures.

"Whoa, hold on!" Sadie shouted. "I'll copy the signs to my friend so she can translate, but she only knows basic sign."

Trudy began to move her hands more slowly. With her index finger she drew a line down the palm of her other hand, and Sadie copied the motion.

"I think she wants to know what happened," Pam said.

"Well," Sadie began, "as I explained to you before, you're dead, Trudy. I wish there was a nicer way to say it, but there isn't."

Another hand signal followed, and again Sadie copied it for Pam.

"She wants to know how."

Sadie blew out a breath. "Well, if you're asking how I can see you if you're dead, then the answer is I don't know. Most people can't see you. Near as I can figure, you need to pa.s.s on some kind of message to me, and that's why you haven't moved on to the next dimension."

Trudy nodded slowly.

"Do you know how you died?" Sadie asked her.

Trudy's hands went to the brutal gash at her throat and made a slicing motion.

"Yes, you were cut there, but do you know who did it?"

She nodded yes with a sad look.

"It was Grant. He killed you and then himself," Sadie said.

Trudy frantically shook her head no and started screaming.

"Stop!" Sadie shouted and held up her hands in a calming motion. "Look, I know it's hard to believe, but it's important that you know the truth. If you stay in denial, you can't move forward. You'll just be stuck here."

Trudy was violently shaking her head no.

"Trudy, the police have evidence that Grant killed you with a knife, then shot himself downstairs."

Trudy threw back her head and screamed again, and the word "no" shrieked from her lips.

Sadie turned to Pam. "She's screaming no. I thought she couldn't speak."

Pam shrugged. "She's not mute. Many deaf people can speak, they just choose not to."

Once Trudy stopped screaming, Sadie asked her, "Are you trying to tell me it wasn't Grant who did this?"

"Not Grant." Trudy signed, sobbing.

"Then who? Who did this if it wasn't Grant?" Sadie demanded.

Trudy let out a long sigh and her shoulders relaxed. Then her essence began to shimmer.

"Oh no you don't!" Sadie shouted. "Don't you dare vanish before you tell me who did this!" But it was too late. One more simple gesture and Trudy was gone.