Disrobed for Death Read Online Free PDF Page B

her mother said. “I also want to stop by the grocery store and pick up a few things. When you come home, I want to make sure you have something to eat and don’t have to stay in the kitchen. I won’t fix anything heavy, but you do need nourishment.”
    Her mother took her husband’s arm. “Come on, honey. Let’s go.”
    “Thanks, Mom.” Susan kissed them goodbye.
    “You’re lucky to have such loving parents,” A. K. said, after they left.
    “I know.” She looked back over the head of the bed and to the other side. “I’m still hooked up to an I.V.,” she said, looking up at the pole that held a clear bag of something. “Is it okay if I get up?”
    “Uh, wait a minute. Let me check with the nurse.”
    A. K. hustled out the door and quickly returned. “She said you should take it easy. You were in I.C.U. for two days and in this room another two days. You’re going to be weak. You can also use the bathroom. In fact, you have to before they’ll release you, but don’t mess with the back of your head. It’s bandaged where the doctor removed the shunt.”
    Susan scrunched her face. “Yuck, I don’t even want to touch that.” After sitting up, she swayed to one side and grabbed hold of the bed. “I am a little light headed. Maybe I should sit here for a while before I try walking.”
    When she finally eased from the bed, A. K. came alongside for support, while Susan held onto the I.V. pole. “Okay, let’s hear it. Why do you think you died? Bet I can shoot your story full of holes.”
    “I sure hope so. I almost freaked out when Mom and Dad walked in. They were wearing the same thing at my wake.”
    “Your wake? That’s weird. But there’s nothing unusual about recognizing their clothes. I’m sure you’ve seen them in those outfits before. Oooh, just thinking about the wake gives me the creeps. So, what was it like? Did you get your wings, or were your toes a little toasty?” A. K. laughed.
    “It’s not funny. If I can’t confide in you, I don’t know what I’ll do.” Susan couldn’t hide the quiver in her voice.
    “Sorry, friend. You know I’m here for you. Okay, no more jokes. I promise.”
    “I’m not crazy. It was all too real. I could see and hear everyone, but no one could see me, except another deceased person.”
    “You met a dead person? Oh, now I do have the heebie-jeebies.”
    “No, it wasn’t like meeting anyone here. He was nice looking and easy to talk to. Susan pictured Jack sitting next to her in the parlor. “He had dark hair and blue eyes.”
    “Where are you going with this? Don’t tell me you got it on with a ghost.”
    “No way. It was nothing like that. His funeral was delayed for out-of-town family, so that gave him a chance to meet a couple of the deceased people before me. Good thing, too. That’s when he found out what we could and could not do. I would have been lost without him.”
    “Girlfriend, keep your voice down. If someone hears you, you might never get out of here.”
    After Susan walked a few feet down the hall, she stopped and turned around. “I think we should go back. I need to sit down.”
    A. K. helped her back into her room and onto the bed.
    “Did your deceased friend say how he died?” A. K. asked.
    “He was shot.”
    “You mean he was murdered? Did he see who did it?”
    “No, but he was determined to find out. That’s why he didn’t walk into the light at his burial. It really exists, you know. While it seems wonderful, it’s also scary. Since I wasn’t sure what was waiting for me on the other side, I agreed to remain earthbound and help him find out who shot him. But when it came time for my burial, things went haywire. The light didn’t approach slowly like it did for him. All of a sudden, it was like the sun exploded.” She waved her hand in front of her eyes. “I couldn’t see anything. The next thing I knew, I woke up here.”
    “Honey, what you had was a nightmare.”
    “I don’t think so.”
    Susan told her