LITMIR.BIZ

      Chapter Five

      Not only did Jimmy make it back home before me, but he was also thoughtful enough to have cleared the mess away, washed up the dirty crockery and made his bed. A piping hot cup of tea was waiting for me on the kitchen table.

      ‘I could get used to this kind of thing,’ I said smiling, dropping my handbag on the floor. For the briefest moment the thought of sharing my life with someone who would be waiting for me at the end of a hard day with a warm welcome and a glass of something special in hand seemed very appealing. Someone like Jimmy, I thought in a moment of wild fantasy as our eyes met across the kitchen. I fought the urge to run into his arms and attack him with a barrage of kisses.

      ‘That’s good because you might have to,’ he said, without any trace of humour, clearly not on the same wavelength as me. ‘For a little while at least. It must seem extremely rude me gate-crashing your life uninvited, but hopefully it won’t be for long. Once we find out where I’m supposed to be going then I’ll be out of your hair for good. And you can forget that you ever met me.’

      I snorted; that was highly unlikely. How would I ever forget Jimmy? I hadn’t met a ghost before, especially one with such a high profile as Jimmy Mack, so it’s not exactly something that would easily slip my mind.

      ‘Don’t worry,’ I said. ‘We’ll work something out.’ I sank down on the sofa realising my plans for having a chilled-out vegging weekend would have to be put on hold. In fact, all plans were on hold for the foreseeable future. I wasn’t entirely disappointed by the fact.

      ‘I promise, as soon as I can I’ll be out of your way. I could go now if you really wanted me to. Find somewhere to hang out. Do what ghosts do, I suppose.’ He shrugged, smiling. ‘Do a bit of haunting in my spare time. Get my own back on all those people who pissed me off in life.’

      ‘Don’t be silly,’ I said, casting him a grave glance. ‘You’d get lonely with no one to talk to. I’ve heard about unhappy ghosts and the havoc they can cause. No, you’re much better here with me. Where I can keep an eye on you. Together we can work out what we’re supposed to do with you.’

      Although Lord knew what that might be. I scratched my head, frustrated at my lack of resourcefulness. I was way out of my depth, crazily so.

      I didn’t want to think about it too closely, but this had to be a commonplace occurrence. People died every day. I was certain they didn’t all go through this stage, wafting around in the ether attaching themselves to some poor unsuspecting human until they had the go-ahead to move on to wherever they were supposed to be going. No, something had clearly gone very wrong in Jimmy’s transition and if we didn’t do something about it soon he could be trapped here like this forever.

      ‘We need to go back to the crash scene,’ I said, with a sudden sense of urgency.

      ‘What are you talking about?’

      ‘The accident! That was where your spirit should have been collected from. I don’t know why it wasn’t, probably an oversight or something, but maybe if we get you back there, then they’ll come for you and you can… um… get taken across… to… well, um, you know.’

      ‘Hmm, you make it sound like the dustbin collections. If they don’t pick up one week, they’ll catch you second time around. I’m not sure it quite works like that.’

      ‘Do you have any better ideas?’ I snapped.

      Jimmy sighed, dropping his head backwards and gazing up at the ceiling.

      ‘No, not at the moment. I don’t. I’m just trying to lighten the atmosphere, that’s all.’

      ‘Well, in that case, if you don’t mind, can we have a go at doing things my way please?’

      ‘Do I have to come?’

      I’d pulled the car over into side of the road where I’d stopped only yesterday, not knowing at that point my life was about to take such a weirdly unexpected turn. In the half-light, the field gave no clue to the horrors it had witnessed, but the stillness that had been so apparent in daylight only seemed magnified in the eerie twilight.

      ‘Don’t be ridiculous. Of course you have to come. What would be the point in me going on my own? It’s you that we’re trying to get despatched, after all.’

      Jimmy winced, looking at me through narrowed eyes and I immediately regretted my choice of words. To be honest, I wanted nothing more than to turn around and take him home to the safety of my flat, but I knew that wouldn’t have helped either of us.

      ‘I’m just not sure this is a good idea, that’s all. For God’s sake, Alice, this is where it all happened. I really don’t think I need to be re-visiting the scene of my death. It’s too soon, it’s not natural.’

      I turned my head to look at him and he grasped my hand, as though it were the most natural thing in the world, our fingers instantly interlocking.

      ‘I know this is difficult, Jimmy, but you being stuck in this state of limbo isn’t natural either. I’m worried for you. This has been devastating for everyone concerned, but we can’t change what’s happened. What we can do is try our hardest to make sure you end up where you should be and I’m pretty certain that isn’t meant to be in my little flat. You should be out there,’ I pointed into the distance through the windscreen, ‘with your own… your own type.’

      I cringed. He cringed. There was no easy way to say these things.

      ‘You make it sound so very appealing.’ He laughed, tipping his head back on the car seat. His strongly defined jawline, the tilt of his chin, the tiny dimple at the corner of his mouth were highlighted in profile, making my heart twist with longing.

      ‘Come on,’ he said, leaning over and tracing a finger down the length of my cheek. ‘Let’s get this over with then.’

      Outside the sky had darkened further and I dug my hands into my jacket pockets wondering why I’d ever thought this was a good idea. An icy chill ran down the length of my body as my eyes searched out the spot where the wreckage had strewn the countryside.

      ‘At least the car has gone now.’

      ‘Yeah, I really loved that car,’ he said wistfully. ‘I’d only had it three months. Just had it valeted too. Still, I don’t suppose I’d have much use for it now.’

      ‘Don’t think about it,’ I said feeling guilty that I was putting him through such an ordeal. ‘It was over here.’ I led him by the hand across the uneven ground, trying to work out the least hazardous path in the darkness. ‘I don’t suppose you have a torch with you, do you?’

      ‘Oh yes, I have one right here in my jacket pocket,’ he said tightly. ‘No, Alice, I do not have a torch with me.’

      ‘All right, it was just an idea. Look we’re here now anyway. You can see the flattened grass. See.’ I bent down, sweeping my palm across the ground.

      ‘Great. Brings back such happy memories.’ Jimmy wrapped his arms around his chest looking totally disinterested. ‘So what do you suggest we do now then?’

      ‘I think we need to take a moment of silent reflection. Give thanks for your life and then ask our spirit friends to guide you

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