Buried Innocence - A Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery - Book Thirteen (Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery Series) Read Free Page A

with her sleeve. “But now I totally understand.”
    “Understand what?”
he asked.
    “Why you thought
the aura line was so great,” she said. “And you’re right. You really needed
it.”
    “Harsh, Mary,” he
replied with a chuckle. “Really harsh.”

Chapter Two

 
    Amelia’s Ghost
Tours was located on Main Street in downtown Galena, and as Mary turned right
from Highway 20 onto historic Main Street she immediately started scanning the
street for parking. The small town was a tourist mecca with cobblestoned
streets, quaint shops and historic buildings, so parking was often at a minimum
especially when the crowds from Chicago traveled up for a long weekend. But,
since this was a Monday evening, she was able to find a spot not too far from
the picturesque shop in the middle of the block.
    Walking uphill
towards the shop, she inhaled deeply, enjoying the scents that where uniquely
Galena. The Galena River was only a block away, and the hot summer wind carried
its scent through the downtown street, enhanced by the smells emanating from
the various shops on the street: popcorn, chocolate, steaks and pizza. It was a
pregnant woman’s olfactory bouquet.
    “Remind me to get
some popcorn before I leave,” she whispered to Mike.
    “Yeah, like I
really will have to remind you,” he teased.
    She grinned. “Okay,
remind me that the car is parked two blocks from the Popcorn Shop,” she said.
“And that I have to carry whatever I buy.”
    He smiled at her. “That I can do.”
    They stopped
outside of Amelia’s, and Mary turned to Mike. “Would you mind waiting for me
outside?” she asked. “Amelia tends to get choked up when there are paranormal
entities nearby.”
    “You mean she gets
emotional?” Mike asked.
    Mary shook her
head. “No, ghosts make her cough,” she explained. “I’m not sure how she’d react
to a guardian angel, but just in case…”
    “No problem,” he
said. “I’ll just keep an eye on you through the window.”
    Entering the narrow
store, Mary immediately saw the woman and her young son sitting on a small
couch in the alcove, talking to Amelia who sat across from them on a small
chair. When the bell over the door rang, Amelia looked up and smiled. “Mary,
you made great time,” she said. “How was the drive?”
    “Gorgeous, as
usual,” she replied, and then she turned to the woman. “Hi. I’m Mary O’Reilly.”
    The woman took a
deep breath before responding but pasted a shaky smile on her face. “I’m Donna,
Donna McIntyre, and this is my son, Ryan.”
    “Hi Ryan,” Mary
said, smiling at the little boy. “What can I do for you?”
    “Have a seat,
Mary,” Amelia insisted, pulling another chair close to the couch. “Donna had an
interesting experience this evening that has her slightly freaked out, and I
can’t blame her.”
    Mary sat down and
faced Donna. “So, what happened?”
    After listening to
Donna’s recounting about hearing the voice, Mary turned to Ryan. “Was that your
friend Liza singing?” she asked.
    Ryan nodded
casually. “Yeah, she likes to sing,” he said. “I think that’s a girl thing.”
    Mary smiled. “Yes,
I agree,” she said. “Have you talked to Liza about why she visits you so much?”
    “She can’t find her
other mom, so she’s just staying with us,” he replied.
    “What do you mean,
other mom?” Mary asked.
    “She was an
orphan,” he said. “And she got sent to one mom. Then she got sent to another
place ‘cause her new mom got sick. Then that place sent her to another place,
and that’s where she died.”
    “How did she die?”
Mary asked.
    “She doesn’t like
to talk about it,” Ryan replied. “It makes her scared.”
    “Did she ever live
in your apartment?” Mary asked. “Before you lived there?”
    The little boy
shook his head. “No, she was just taking a walk and saw us,” he said. “She
asked me if she could come home with us, and I told her yes. I knew Mom
wouldn’t mind. She’s always helping