Murder in the Mist

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Book: Read Murder in the Mist for Free Online
Authors: Loretta C. Rogers
Tags: Contemporary,Suspense
filtered around the table.
    Laura worked to maintain a stern demeanor when her aunt abruptly stood. “Then this calls for a séance. Maudie, you know where the candles and matches are. We’ll use Nadia’s cookies as the physical nourishment to entice the spirit. Everyone join hands while I turn out the lights.” She made a quick count. “We are six, which is divisible by three.” She gave a little squeal. “Oh, I’m so excited.”
    “Aunt Philly…really?”
    “Yes, really! If nothing else, indulge us for a bit of fun in our otherwise humdrum daily routines.”
    Feeling a bit chagrined at her aunt’s scolding, Laura glanced around the table. The flickering candles cast eerie glows about the room and added an ominous element to the mood. She wanted to laugh at the serious expressions masking the older women’s faces. The thought of calling forth the spirit of an accidental drowning victim seemed sheer absurdity. Nonetheless, she joined hands with Phyllis on one side and Maudie on the other.
    Phyllis kept her voice soft. “Nadia will act as our medium. First, we will offer a prayer of protection for all of us against any uninvited spirits.” After the prayer, a circle of amens filtered around the table.
    Laura glanced at the elfin-like woman who wore her hair in a crown of braids and whose dark eyes and complexion reflected a gypsy quality.
    Nadia nodded, closed her eyes, and chanted, “Spirits of the past, move among us. Be guided by the light of this world and visit upon us. Doctor McMahon, we bring you gifts from life into death. Be guided by the light of this world and visit upon us.”
    Stillness filled the room. Laura continued to silently ridicule the idea of evoking spirits.
    Her eyes shut, Nadia’s voice quavered. “There is a nonbeliever among us. The spirit will not come.”
    It wasn’t ghosts squeezing her hands until they cramped and caused Laura to wince. Without speaking words, both Phyllis and Maudie’s tight grips singled her out as the doubter. She squeezed back.
    When nothing happened, Nadia repeated the chant, and ended with, “We mean you no harm.”
    An icy chill settled over the room. Laura wanted to break the circle to rub away the goose bumps prickling her arms. She had been warned that breaking the circle might end the séance and send the spirit back to the netherworld.
    Nadia whispered, “If you are with us, spirit, let us know. Rap one time for ‘yes’ and two times for ‘no.’ Do you understand?”
    Laura gripped the two hands that held hers. It was evident that Philly and Maudie were also nervous.
    One timid rap sounded on the wall behind Laura.
    Nadia continued. “Thank you. Are you the spirit of Dr. McMahon?”
    Two raps signaled ‘no.’
    “Are you a male spirit?”
    Two raps.
    Nadia whispered, “Thank you.” She continued. “Are you a young woman?”
    One rap.
    Laura looked around the table at the graphically outlined faces. She wondered if the same skeptical wonderment showed on her own face.
    “Are you a happy spirit?”
    The frigid temperature increased, and sobbing filled the room. Nadia’s voice remained hushed, her expression serious as she spoke to the group. “If things get out of control, break the circle immediately, one of you blow out the candles, and someone turn on the lights. Don’t hesitate. Be quick.”
    When the sobbing continued, Nadia said, “We apologize for your sadness but thank you for visiting us. Can you tell us who you are?”
    Laura noticed a change in the atmosphere. She looked down at the hands that gripped hers, and discovered they were twisted together so forcefully, the knuckles were white. Vapor filled the room. A hazy form materialized and drifted across the table, leaving in its wake a stifling odor of dank earth and moldy leaves. A silver aura settled at Laura, and hands appeared to lace around her throat.
    Maudie shrieked, “Break the circle!”
    Laura tried to stand. Her hip cramped like a vise grip clamping her to the

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