Jillian Hart - Heavens Touch

Books by Fern Michaels:

Southern Comfort
Sins of the Flesh
Sins of Omission
Return to Sender
Mr. and Miss Anonymous
Up Close and Personal
Fool Me Once
Picture Perfect
About Face
The Future Scrolls
Kentucky Sunrise
Kentucky Heat
Kentucky Rich
Plain Jane
Charming Lily
What You Wish For
The Guest List
Listen to Your Heart
Celebration
Yesterday
Finders Keepers
Annies Rainbow
Saras Song
Vegas Sunrise
Vegas Heat
Vegas Rich
Whitefire
Wish List
Dear Emily

The Godmothers Series:

Late Edition
Exclusive
The Scoop

The Sisterhood Novels:

Home Free
Dj Vu
Cross Roads
Game Over
Deadly Deals
Vanishing Act
Razor Sharp
Under the Radar
Final Justice
Collateral Damage
Fast Track
Hokus Pokus
Hide and Seek
Free Fall
Lethal Justice
Sweet Revenge
The Jury
Vendetta
Payback
Weekend Warriors

Anthologies:

Holiday Magic
Snow Angels
Silver Bells
Comfort and Joy
Sugar and Spice
Let It Snow
A Gift of Joy
Five Golden Rings
Deck the Halls
Jingle All the Way

FERN MICHAELS

LATE EDITION

KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com

All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

Table of Contents

In Loving Memory of a dear friend, Susan Manning

Prologue

Malibu, California

A t dusk they gathered to speak to the dead. With Sophie acting as their spiritual guide, the official leader of their weekly sances, the four womenTeresa Amelia Toots Loudenberry, Ida McGullicutty, Mavis Hanover, and Sophia Sophie Manchester, lifelong friends of more than fifty yearstook their seats around the old wooden dining table left behind by the former pop star whod lived in the beach house before Toots purchased it almost a year earlier.

Sophie had read somewhere that once wood was charged with an unnatural entity, it acted as a conductor. When Toots remodeled the house, theyd kept the table for the sole purpose of conducting sances. Using a purple silk sheet for a tablecloth and a drinking glass as their tool for communication should a spirit decide to join them, Sophie did what she always did before they began. She said her prayer.

Oh, great one, bless this dump and those who inhabit it, living or dead.

Toots kicked her on the shin beneath the table. Sophie cast a wicked eye at her best friend, as if to say, Ill kick your rear end later.

Sophie took her bottle of holy water and spritzed it around the table. She flicked a few extra droplets in Tootss face just to tick her off.

She sat back down in her chair, tucking the small bottle of holy water inside her pocket. We are here to communicate with the other side. We are friendly. We mean no harm. Sophie said this at the beginning of every sance she conducted. Who knew what kind of evil lurked in other dimensions?

Lets place our fingertips on the glass. Very gently, Sophie instructed.

When the tips of their fingers were lightly touching the glass, Sophie scanned the others. All three had their eyes closed. Good. They were learning. She closed her own.

If there is anyone who wishes to make contact, we are willing to allow you into our... realm, she said in place of the word home. She really wanted to say home, as it sounded so much more inviting. Couldnt have a spirit believing they werent welcome. Come into our home, she added, suddenly changing her mind.

No air circulated in the room, yet the candles she had lit earlier flickered, as though a slight breeze had passed through the room. Sophie opened her eyes, shocked at what she saw.

Hundreds of tiny white lights, orbs they were called, spun around the room so fast, it was hard to follow the movement.

What the hell? Toots blurted in total amazement.

Shh, Sophie cautioned. Im not sure whats happening.

Mavis and Ida stared at the bright dots dancing around the room. Moving, it seemed, at the speed of light, the orbs whirled around the room, then shot off to who knew where, only to have another hundred or so take their places. After several minutes of shock at what they were seeing, they heard a soft drone begin to fill the room, low, as if the sound were coming from a distance.

Bees, Sophie thought. It sounds like a swarm of bees. Seconds passed; the noise grew louder. Toots, Ida, and Mavis looked to Sophie for guidance. The noise became louder and more distinct as the small circles of light darted around the dining room.

Voices. It sounded like hundreds of people trying to talk at once. Sophie jerked to attention, trying to identify the interpreter, or whatever it called itself. Her hearing as sharp as a sword, Sophie went from her normal olive-colored skin to white in less than a second.

Walter! she whispered, knowing it couldnt be, yet shed clearly identified his voice as one among many. Maybe she was cracking up, losing touch with reality. Maybe it was time to give up the ghosts, move on to something more... earthbound.

The others gaped at her. Sophie, Toots said in a normal tone. What did you just say?

Nothing. Sophie shook her head, hoping to clear what she thought she heard. She scanned the room, still jam-packed with the translucent balls of light, trying to distinguish exactly where this so-called voice was coming from.

Liar, Toots said in a low tone.

Shh, she said. Sophie leaned closer to the table, wrenching her neck into a position so precarious that it actually made a popping sound.

Are you okay? Toots asked. She moved her chair closer to Sophies. Something isnt right. We need to stop this right now.

Hearing the alarm in Tootss voice jolted Sophie back to reality, or as much as one could, given her current circumstances. Im fine. Listen. She leveled her gaze at the door leading to the kitchen.

The high-pitched garble in the room thundered in their ears, sounding like thousands of hoofbeats pounding against the earth. Straining to discern a male voice in the earsplitting loudness, Sophie cleared her throat before she spoke. If you wish to make yourself known, do so or leave this room!

In the blink of an eye, the room temperature dropped at least twenty degrees. Shivering with fear yet wanting to clarify what shed thought was a voice from the past, Sophie drew her strength from Toots, whod placed her hand on top of hers. Sort of like their secret handshake.

The anomalies began to disappear one by one, until there was only a handful of the translucent balls of light hovering several feet off the floor. After several seconds, the voices stopped, and the only sounds in the room were coming from the women themselves, their quickened breaths, in and out.

One by one, the orbs of light began to take on form. Each vaporous cloud became distinguishable by its gender, its clothing, and, lastly, for some of them, a face of sorts.

Before she totally lost her cool, Sophie counted the spirits. Thirteen in all. That had to be a bad omen. Clearing her throat again, Sophie spoke to the ghostly apparitions floating above the table.

Identify yourselves! she commanded with more power than she felt. The only female, or what Sophie designated as a female, swirled below the others. The misty image wore a flowered-print housedress with a V neckline. Several tissues leaked from her large bosom. Long wisps of white hair touched the flounce of her outdated dress.

Oh my God, Toots said. Its... Mrs. Patterson? But... how? Shes not...

Sophie careened around so fast, her neck popped again. Shed be in a body cast if this kept up.

The old woman, void of the dentures she wore in life, smacked her waxen lips together. Dead? A cold mist passed through her lips when she spoke. Then wheres Snuffy? Is she dead, too? The old woman looked at Toots as if she knew the answer to her question.