“What does that mean?” Hannah whispered.
“Most likely, our old friend is conflicted.” Zora gentled her voice to a near-whisper. “Gus, I’m sure Marty must miss you terribly.”
A low moan sounded from somewhere in the bowels of the building, causing all three of them to jolt.
Xander hugged Hannah to his side. “It’s just the pipes.” He didn’t believe that, but he felt compelled to comfort her all the same.
If someone had told him a month ago he’d be a willing participant in a séance, he’d have questioned their sanity. But the energy in the cavernous room had shifted to a palpable melancholy that pricked his eyes with tears. Gus was lonely. He wanted to go home.
“Right, let’s get to it.” Zora pocketed her pendulum and pulled out a silver lighter inscribed with flying saucers and stars. “Bought this from Gus years ago.” She handed them each a bundle of twigs and leaves.
Hannah held hers under her nose. “Mmm. Smells like Thanksgiving. Did Jesse grow this sage?”
Zora nodded. “It’s been blessed under a full moon. Powerful stuff.”
The down-to-earth guy he’d met at the farmer’s market didn’t seem the woo-woo type, but he was dating Zora’s niece, so…
Zora lit her own bundle of sage, then Hannah’s, and finally his. After a moment, she blew out the flames and motioned for them to do the same.
With eyes as wide as saucers, Hannah watched fragrant smoke waft up to the ceiling.
Zora glanced around. “We need an object Gus cherished.”
Xander yanked the tarp off the cosmic transmitter. “Will this do?”
“Perfect.” Zora stepped slowly around the metal contraption, waving her smoking sage to and fro. Xander and Hannah fell into step behind her.
“Remind me, what’s his full name, hon?” Zora prompted.
“Augustus Xylon Anagnos.”
Maybe it was the force of his voice that set the smoke to swirling—or a draft from the leaky windows. He and Hannah exchanged goggle-eyed glances as the three plumes merged and danced upward in lazy spirals.
“Augustus,” Zora spoke his name like a magical incantation, “it is time to go home. Your journey here on earth is done. Go forth to new adventures and reunite with your beloved wife.”
A breeze ruffled his hair, just like Gus used to do when Xander was a kid. And though he shivered, a comforting warmth filled his chest.
He gazed down at the metal box containing Gus’s urn. “I’ll be okay without you, Gus. You can go home to Marty. I love you.”
Silence enveloped them. No rattling pipes, no creaking beams, no drip, drip, drip. Just peace.
Xander’s knees wobbled, and he grasped the transmitter’s rebar to keep from falling to the floor. Hannah hurried to grab him around the waist, grounding him in her solid warmth.
“Huh.” Grinning, Zora gazed up at the ceiling. “What do you know? It worked.”
“Does it usually go like this?” Hannah asked.
The old gal shrugged. “Never helped a spirit cross over before. I looked it up on Google an hour ago. Figured it was worth a try.”
Dumbfounded, Xander shook his swimmy head. “No way.”
“Seems to me Gus was ready to go. He loved you fiercely, you know. Probably stuck around to make sure you could handle this mess.” Zora clucked her tongue. “Sorry, I mean this challenge. And I’m sure you’ll make him proud.”
Xander walked Zora back to her car and returned to find Hannah running her fingertips over the transmitter’s metal frame.
“Hey there.” He spoke softly so as not to startle her, but she jumped all the same.
He drew her into his arms. “You okay?”
