I grimace. “Sorry, Maeve. But a believe this talent only involves communicating with ghosts that died on the premises.”
“Aw, that’s too bad, isn’t it? That bar where Da choked to death on his own spew like a bad Irish stereotype burned down ages ago. Owner said it was the wiring. Though those were the days before the insurance companies made it a point to do a thorough arson investie before they handed over the check. I’m pretty sure old Ned simply got tired of cleaning up after old drunks and set the place aflame. But that’s alright, dearie. One holiday filled with fairy magic is enough for this old girl. Just pass on the message from Rodge’s mother, and you’ll be on your way.”
“Ah, I…” I cut my eyes at Hayato, whose standing with an Oscar-worthy neutral expression at the entrance to the hallway leading to the side door. “Hayato, shouldn’t we use the bathroom before we leave? I heard that’s a thing…like, in the human realm.”
“Do you have to go right now?” Declan asks me, glancing at his watch.
Darnit, a direct question. I can’t lie. “No, I don’t,” I admit, my tone as gloomy and defeated as I feel.
“Neither do I,” Hayato says.
“Good, cause the plane’s idling on the runway, and you can go as soon as you get on board.”
“But how about Rodge’s message from his mother?” Maeve demands.
I bow my head completely guilt-stricken. But it doesn’t feel right to out Hayato. Especially knowing how hard it was for him to let me in on his secret in the first place.
“Yeah, yeah, I guess I am. Unfortunately…” I trail off, not knowing what else to say or how to explain myself to Maeve.
“You can’t just leave here without letting poor Rodge know what his mother has to tell him.”
“Sure she can,” Rodge says. “Unlike you, I don’t believe in any of this fairy elf ghost whisperer business.”
“You don’t have to, do you now?” Maeve answers. “I believe in it enough for both of us.”
More pounding from the front door.
“Will one of you let me in already?” Melvin asks. “It’s freezing out here.”
“Are you really going to leave without passing Rodge’s message on to him?” Maeve asks me, her voice rife with both disbelief and disappointment.
“I…I…” I can’t come up with a good excuse for not using my supposed ghost whisperer magic to help Rodge. But I keep trying. “I…”
“Your mother would like for you to let Mr. Cohen in.”
The statement is quiet, but we all turn to look at Hayato like a bomb has just dropped. In a way, it has. Hayato…
He’s come out of the closet.
This time publicly.
For me! My heart alley oops inside my chest, but everyone else in the lobby turns to stare at Hayato like he’s crazy.
“You?” Rodge says, his whole face collapsing in shock as he turns to look at Hayato. “You’re the one who can supposedly see ghosts. And you think you’re talking to my mother?”
I know this is taking a lot out of Hayato, but he regards Rodge calmly as he answers, “I do not think I’m talking to your mother. She has been screaming at me in her rather one of a kind way to tell you to let Mr. Cohen in since we came downstairs. Or as she calls him ‘Suzanne’s boy.” She and his mother were good friends.”
Rodge’s skeptical look softens a little. “Best friends. They were both so happy when he and my sister started dating and decided to marry, even though they couldn’t get married in the church,” Rodge says.
His voice is almost soft now, and I can tell a little bit of the skepticism from before has fallen away. But then he insists, “You must have read that somewhere.”
Hayato answers by reciting nine numbers. “She says that’s her social security number.” He then says four dates back-to-back. “That’s her wedding day, your birthday, and your younger sisters’ birthdays, respectively.”
Rodge shakes his head at him. “What kind of crazy are you that you’d look up all those details and memorize them just so you could recite them to me?”
“Yes, that is the exact question you should be asking because I am not crazy,” Hayato answers.
“You’ve got to be.”
Hayato suddenly stiffens. “She says, she says she’s sorry for getting so upset when you told her your secret. She says she knows you’re still blaming yourself for her heart attack. She blamed you too after she died. But then when she saw how you made yourself suffer over her death, she realized she was the real one to blame. She says you’ve wasted your life, living in shame. And she wants you to stop that right now because she no longer cares about what other people will say. She just wants you to be happy.”
Rodge’s mouth has fallen all the way open by the time Hayato finishes talking.