Who Killed Sarah Foster?

25. I Hope You Are Right

________________________

.

.

.

"I mean, I thought Paul and I were like the only ghosts in Greenfield." Sarah laughed as she paged through a random book.

It was seven in the morning and Leah was fast asleep on the couch. Joseph had disappeared off when he realized there was no way in hell he could decipher his father's handwriting. Evelyn couldn't either and little Martha didn't know how to read well so it was just Leah working while the others kept her company and so far, she had found nothing else.

"I am sure you thought you were very special young lady." Evelyn smiled. "But ghosts really aren't that special. What's special is a human possessing the powers of both vessel and exorcist, such as my great granddaughter." She boasted, smiling proudly at her grandson's child.

"Oh yeah, Leah is super cool though she walks around like a total freak at school." Sarah said, totally unaware of what Evelyn was trying to do.

"That's part of an act dear. Leah just doesn't want all the pressure of being a popular kid along with the important duty that has been bestowed upon her."

"Leah?" The door to the study opened and Calum stuck his head in, his eyes finding the brunette on the couch. He tiptoed towards her, his eyes scanning the room with all the books and notes scattered around.

"That's my brother." Sarah whispered as if he could hear her.

"Hmm.. Seems like an okay person." Evelyn said, scrutinizing his looks, outfit, demeanor and everything else.

Boyfriend or not, this was the first time Leah had brought back a boy home after all.

"Leah?" He lightly shook her by the arm.

"Michael, go away or I will lock you up in the cereal box!" Leah whined as she swatted his hand away.

Calum chuckled. "You are mean."

"And having a good sleep. Now go!" She mumbled; her voice thick with sleep.

Calum shook his head laughing and left the room, only to come back a while later with a blanket.

He pulled the book from her grasp and set it aside on the side table before covering her with the blanket, which she quickly curled into.

"We were supposed to do this together. But we will have that conversation later." He said and left the room after switching the lights off and closing the door behind him.

"He likes her." Martha spoke for the first time in hours. "Doesn't he Madam Wayne?"

"Hmmm I don't know about that but-" Evelyn started but was finished by Sarah. "There sure is some kind of spark."

.

.

.

"Calum dear, I am so sorry but the milk is spoilt. Would you mind running off to the store to get some?" Janet asked Calum who was trying on her cinnamon pancakes.

He looked up and nodded enthusiastically, already grabbing a napkin to wipe his face as he stood up from his seat.

"I will get you the cash." She said as she made her way to one of the cabinets.

"Oh, that's okay Mrs. Wayne, I got this." He said, turned to smile at Leah while she nodded in response and walked out the room.

Leah sat back in her chair and sighed, knowing well no milk in the house was spoilt and it was just her grandmother's way of making him leave so that she could have 'the conversation'.

"Leah dear." She spoke. Leah looked up at her, her eyebrows furrowed in fake curiosity. "Yes Grandma?"

"What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking, more like hoping, that I will find some important piece of information today." She said, still putting up her act.

"That's not what I am talking about love." Janet drew out a chair for herself next to her granddaughter and sat down, reaching out for her hand to be held between hers. "What were you thinking when you told him what you were? Or when you recklessly showed him where his sister's body was?"

"Grandma, what's done is done-"

"No, I want an explanation Leah." She put her foot down. "I did not say anything yesterday night because I didn't want to argue in front of that kid but do you know what will happen to you if he tells someone?"

"You mean, what will happen to him?" Leah rolled her eyes and she pulled her hand out of her grandmother's grasp and picked up her plate and coffee mug.

"Grandma, nobody is going to believe him. People are gonna think he lost his mind after his sister's untimely death, which has been ruled as a suicide and the case closed without any further investigation; I don't know how that came to be but, it was better to tell him instead of being in his suspect list."

"But Lee, the repercussions!"

"There are no repercussions Grandma! If anything, now I have something close to a friend. An alive human at that. You should be happy." Leah dried the washed plate and kept it in the cabinet. She took a deep breath and turned to Janet. "I will be in Grandpa's study. Ask Calum to join me when he comes back and please no conversation about the whole 'Leah's ability is best kept a secret'. He understands."

"I hope you are right."

"I am always right." Leah replied sassily to which Janet narrowed her eyes. Why did her granddaughter have to be so much like her mother-in-law?

Leah grabbed her phone from the kitchen table and made her way back into the first floor where her grandfather's study was. She was there some ten minutes before Calum joined her.

"Got anything?" He asked as he sat down next to her, grabbing a book that looked untouched.

"Not anything since morning."

"Hmm..." He pursed his lips when he realized it was hard to read what was written. "Your grandfather's handwriting is worse than yours." He said, squinting at the paper.

"Excuse me?" Leah looked up, clearly offended. Her and her grandfather's handwriting were just fine. They were fast writers and hence they weren't the prettiest but she could read what was written and that's all that mattered.

"That time you were doodling on the back of your book. I had wondered how a girl who could draw so good had such horrible handwriting." He commented.

Leah rolled her eyed and moved back the chair, opening a drawer and taking a huge book out, passing it over to him, before continuing her search.

There were a lot of subjects her grandfather studied; from astrology to herpetology so it was very hard to find information on the topics she needed, especially because he did not have separate books, which had become a very big inconvenience. Why was her grandfather so eccentric?

"Alright, I get what you mean!" Calum's eyes were wide as he went through the many sketches that her grandfather had drawn. The littlest details were given utmost attention to. "Was your grandfather an artist in his time?" He looked up at his new friend.

Leah let out a chuckle, shaking her head.

"What?" Calum was confused.

"It's kind of a funny story. After all this..." She gestured to the big study and all the research papers. ".. my grandfather was a baker."

.

.

.

_____________________________