The Piper Read Free Page A

the way, when did you cave and let her acquire the cell phone? I mean, come on, Livie, she’s
eight
.’
    â€˜Lose the pursed lips. It was a gift from Hugh.’
    â€˜You’re familiar with the
no
word?’
    â€˜Yes, Amel, and he asked me first, we talked about it. Teddy’s had a lot of separation anxiety since the divorce. You know how connected she is to her dad. It’s supposed to be a special phone just to talk to Hugh.’ Olivia shrugged. ‘But yes, you’re right, it’s starting to get out of hand. Suddenly her friends are texting from their mothers’ or siblings’ phones, and it’s going off all the time. I’m going to let it be until we get settled in Knoxville, then slowly phase it out.’
    â€˜That’s what they all say, but Pandora couldn’t put it back in the box.’ Amelia looked over Olivia’s shoulder and tilted her head, pointing toward the television mounted in the corner of the bar. ‘Will you look at that. Talk about karma. That couldn’t be a coincidence.’
    Olivia twisted to see the screen – football players in white and orange against blue and white. The first game of the season, a grudge match between the University of Tennessee and Western Kentucky State.
    â€˜Don’t go all woo woo on me, Amel, I’m pretty shook up. I
recognized
his voice. That was definitely my brother last night on the phone. My brother, deceased.’
    â€˜Supposedly this is an actual known phenomena.’
    â€˜You got this off the Internet, remember.’
    â€˜You’re the one who got the call. You look pale, Olivia.’
    â€˜Pale or sunburned. There’s no in between for me.’ Olivia leaned back in the booth and stuck her feet out. She was short so they didn’t go very far. Her feet were very small.
    Amelia leaned across the table. ‘Evidently, it’s happened to a lot of other people. There are some very distinctive patterns on how this . . .
manifestation
works.’
    â€˜I love how you make it sound like science.’
    A waiter with lovingly spiked hair and a honey mellow voice offered refills on the beer, and a box for Teddy’s burger.
    â€˜We’ll let the burger go,’ Olivia said. ‘But the beers are a really good thing.’
    The waiter hesitated, eyebrows scrunching.
    â€˜She means yes,’ Amelia said.
    â€˜Thank God I’m going home where I’m not going to need a translator.’
    â€˜Hey, they just don’t get the music of your speech.’
    Olivia began shredding her napkin. ‘So what are these patterns on the calls from the dead?’
    Amelia leaned across the table. ‘They divide it up into categories.’
    â€˜Who is they?’
    â€˜I don’t know. The Internet people. First up are the calls that come right after the person dies – eight hours to two days. Usually before they’re even buried. And the one who gets the call – most of the time, they have no idea the caller is dead. They only find out later. Think about that.’
    â€˜I think it’s creepy.’
    â€˜Maybe it’s just sweet. I wonder if children ever call people after they die.’
    â€˜What do they say? In these calls?’
    â€˜Most of the time just hello, I love you, I’m okay.’ Amelia cocked her head. ‘Now, the next group are the calls that come in the first week after the death. After that – now get this.’ Amelia jabbed her finger on the table. ‘Nobody ever gets a call in the time period between eight and thirty days after the person has died. Your brother has been dead how long?’
    â€˜Two months, give or take.’
    â€˜There you go.’
    â€˜That’s weird. That time period of silence. So why is that?’
    Amelia waggled a hand. ‘No telling. But after that, twenty-two percent of the calls come between two and six months after death. Just like