WILLOW MANOR

Chapter Fifteen

"But Mom, Grandma is here!" Katie didn't understand why Mom kept saying Grandma was gone, when she was standing right there, right there in front of them. "She's right beside you!"

"Katherine Elizabeth Gallagher!" Mom put her hands on her hips and looked down at her sternly. "You stop this nonsense right now. Grandma is in Heaven."

"No." Katie pointed. "Grandma is in this kitchen. Right now."

Grandma made a face at Katie, mocking her spirit-blind mother. Katie couldn't help but giggle.

"Oh, you think this is funny?" Mom was angry now. "This is not a funny joke, miss. You're not funny at all."

"I'm not being funny." Katie looked to Grandma for help. "Grandma is."

"Katie!" Mom said sharply. Then she seemed to take control of her emotions. She made her voice a little softer. Katie wouldn't recognize that tone as condescending until much later in life. "Katie, Grandma is gone. She isn't coming back. And that's a very sad thing."

"But—" Katie pointed to Grandma, standing next to Mom.

"It's hard to understand, I know. But that's just how it is." Mom continued. "We have to accept that and move on with our lives. Do you think Grandma wants you to be like this?"

Katie glanced at Grandma, who rolled her eyes exaggeratedly.

"Grandma was Daddy's mommy. I miss her too." Mom said.

Grandma's face hardened a little and even Katie could see that she didn't believe Mom.

"It's very hurtful to me when you make up these little stories about her. Do you understand?" Mom said firmly. "I want you to stop."

Katie turned to Grandma. Grandma frowned sadly. Then she drew herself up and opened her mouth determinedly.

"Grandma!" Katie reached for her. "Talk!"

Mom's voice lost all softness. "Katie, that's enough!"

Grandma was trying to say her name. Her lips moved, but no sound came out of her mouth.

"She's trying to talk!" Katie insisted.

"That's enough, I said!" Mom said sharply.

Grandma tried even harder to say Katie.

"She's trying!" Katie was crying now. Why couldn't Mom see that Grandma was trying?

"Katie, stop!" Mom was near tears, too.

Katie... Grandma tried to say.

"Grandma!" Katie sobbed. Why could she see Grandma when Mom couldn't? Why could she see Grandma, but not hear her? Why was Grandma gone, but not gone?

"Katie!" Mom grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out of the room.

Behind them, Grandma struggled. Katie...

**

"...Katie!"

Katie sat up with a start and grabbed her phone from the nightstand. Three a.m. She flipped on the lamp and looked around the room. Nothing was out of place. What woke her?

"Hello?" She said softly, but there was no answer.

Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that something had awakened her. She propped the pillow up behind her head and reached for her tablet. Perhaps some research would help her get back to sleep. She opened the search bar and tapped in Willow Grove murder.

"Oh wow." She whispered. It looked like the results included some historical events, too. "So many."

She added the word recent to the search and refreshed. That still brought up more results than she had expected. She clicked on the first link, an article from the local paper.