The Guidance - By Marley Gibson Page 0,20

Evelyn and Veronica. They're standing at the front of the room, next to the open casket draped with a blanket of dark red roses. I gasp when I realize I can see Mr. Lockhart's forehead peeking out of the coffin. I talk to the dead all the time, yet somehow seeing his body like that skeeves me out.

"You okay?" Celia asks.

I swallow hard and shrug. "It's just that the dead are usually more animated for me."

She smiles. "Well, this is how the rest of us see them."

We move forward and I can see Becca's almost as uneasy as I am. Her eyes dart about the room, never stopping too long on any one object. She won't look at Mr. Lockhart or the casket. Everything about her screams that she's just waiting for the right moment to bolt out the door, hop on her motorcycle, and blow town.

"Oh, look, it's the ghost hunters who helped us," Mrs. Lockhart sings out.

"Huntresses," Celia corrects.

Mrs. Lockhart waves her lace handkerchief at us and draws each of us into her bosom for a smothering hug. "If it weren't for y'all, my Delaney would have been lost forever."

Miss Evelyn hugs us all as well. "So nice of you girls to come."

Stephanie finishes speaking to the older woman ahead of us and turns to me. She's not a Courtney clone; rather, she's a supernice girl who's lost a very important person in her life. I sense she's lost more than merely her grandfather. Her father left her recently as well. Not passed, but her parents had divorced. Mr. Lockhart was the only male figure in her life and Stephanie misses him desperately.

Wanting to help, I stretch my arms out and hug her to me. It's a friendly exchange, and I feel her slump a little as she whimpers. "I'm so sorry about your grandfather," I say.

"Thanks," she says as she pulls back. "I'm gonna miss him tons. We used to go fishing together." She turns and motions toward him. "I put his lucky lure in the pocket of his suit. Something to remember me by."

"That's really sweet of you, Stephanie. I know wherever he is, he appreciates it."

I glance about the room, wondering exactly where Mr. Lockhart is now. Was he reconnected with his body once it arrived back in Radisson?

Celia nudges me. "My EMF detector is going crazy."

Horrified, I whisper loudly, "You brought an EMF meter to a funeral? Celia!"

"What? It's a great place to do research."

"I never."

As Taylor and Becca pay their respects, I move aside with Celia and say a quick prayer for Mr. Lockhart.

"I'm getting a reading in the sevens," Celia mutters.

"Stop that!"

"Aren't you curious as to what it is?"

I spin to face her, but there's someone between us. He's wearing a blue suit, a white shirt, and a red-striped tie. His hair is powdery and his cheeks are sunken in and pale.

"May I help you, sir?" I ask quietly.

Celia freezes. "Who are you talking to?"

The man looks at me. "Lucky bastard. He's got a full house. I'm in the other parlor in there, and it's just my two ex-wives, my two ex-mothers-in-law, and my obnoxious son, who can't wait to see how much money I left him. This man's turnout tells me he was a great guy."

"Were you not a great guy?" I ask. Celia continues to wave her meter around, knowing that I've picked up on the spirit's energy. Thank God she's turned the meter's sound off and it's only flashing red instead of beeping for all of the Lockharts' guests to hear.

"I reckon I wasn't so great," the man says, scratching his chin. "Had a heart attack 'cause I didn't eat right and was overweight. My doctor tried to get me to take those there Zocor pills for my cholesterol, but I never liked taking medication."

"Why haven't you gone into the light?"

"I ain't seen it yet."

From behind me, I hear, "Maybe we can go together."

It's a good thing I don't frighten easily anymore. Right next to me is Delaney Lockhart, still in the golfing attire he wore on the day he died. He smiles at me. "Hey there, girlie."

"Hey, Mr. Lockhart."

Miss Evelyn pushes over to me. "Kendall, did you say you see Daddy?"

"Yes, ma'am." I hope she doesn't freak out on me.

She lifts a hand to her lips. "He's here right now?"

He chuckles. "I just wanted to check out the service before I skedaddled."

I repeat what he said to Miss Evelyn, and she laughs with tears in her eyes. "That