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

people.”
    Mary smiled and
glanced at Donna who was staring at her son in astonishment. “Ryan, why didn’t
you tell me?” she asked.
    “I did,” he said.
“Remember? I said I had a new friend and she wanted to come home with us. And
you said okay.”
    Donna closed her
eyes and inhaled softly. “You’re right, I did,” she finally said. “I remember
now, we were visiting your grandparents. But I thought your friend was
imaginary.”
    Ryan shook his
head. “Nope, she was just invisible,” he said matter-of-factly.
    “Oh, that’s all,”
Amelia inserted and then turned to Mary. “So, can you help them?”
    Mary turned back to
Ryan. “Has Liza ever told you to do anything bad or dangerous?” she asked.
    “No, she’s pretty
quiet and likes to hide,” he said. “I was real surprised when she sang to Mom.
She must like her.”
    “She must trust
her,” Mary added, turning to Donna. “Whoever is staying with you doesn’t seem
to be threatening or malicious. She just seems to be lost or looking for
someone.”
    “Well, that’s a
relief,” Donna said. “She really scared me.”
    “That’s totally
understandable,” Mary agreed. “It sounds like she needs some more information
until she can move on. Would you mind if I spoke with her?”
    Donna shook her
head. “No, please, I would feel better to have someone else hear what I heard,”
she agreed. “And Amelia told me about what you do. So, I think it would really ease
my mind.”
    “Would you like me
to come now?” Mary asked.
    Nodding eagerly,
Donna breathed a sigh of relief. “That would be wonderful,” she replied. “I
wasn’t sure how I was going to face going back into my apartment.”
    “Great,” Mary said.
“Let’s go.”

Chapter Three

 
    “So, where are we
going?” Mike asked as Mary stepped out of Amelia’s store.
    Mary glanced over
her shoulder to see that Donna and Ryan were still talking to Amelia and then
whispered to Mike. “They have a ghost in their apartment, a little girl who is
looking for her adoptive mother,” she explained. “The ghost has been
communicating with the little boy, but tonight she whispered to the mother.”
    “That probably
freaked her out,” Mike said.
    “Exactly,” Mary
replied.
    “Exactly
what?” Donna asked as she stepped up beside Mary on the sidewalk.
    Sighing, Mary
glanced over to Mike who shrugged his shoulders and then back to Donna. “I was
just telling my associate about your encounter this evening. He said that it
probably freaked you out, and I said ‘exactly,’” she replied.
    “Oh, you have one
of those Bluetooth things, don’t you?” Donna asked.
    “Why, yes I do,”
Mary said brightly. “Don’t they come in handy at the most opportune times?”
    “Yes, except people
often think you’re talking to yourself,” Donna replied.
    “Or your invisible
friends,” Mary added with a secret wink at Mike. “So, are we walking to your place?”
    “Yes, it’s just
down at the end of Main Street,” she replied. “Do you mind walking?”
    Mary shook her
head. “No, it’s a lovely evening for a walk.”
    They walked
together, Ryan chatting non-stop about the stores and his favorite places to
window shop. As they crossed Hill Street, while looking out for traffic, Mary
caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. She stopped and looked up the
narrow, steep street again but didn’t see anything. Maybe she’d take a little
more time to check things out when she walked back to her car.
    They arrived at the
apartment, and Donna sighed. “Now we have three floors to climb,” she murmured
apologetically. “I’m so sorry.”
    Mary shook her
head. “Don’t worry about it,” she said. “After the walk and the climb, I can
justify a stop in one of the chocolate shops on my way back to my car.”
    The walk up the
steps was easier without the grocery bags Donna and Ryan had carried earlier,
but it was still no walk in the park. By the time they reached the door,