Old Acquaintance Read online

  “Well, you’ve been a little sick,” she said, beaming with joy.

  “Humph,” he replied. “I ain’t been sick a day in my life. Must have been a misdiagnosis.”

  She bent over and kissed his forehead. “You’re right,” she said, wiping her tears away. “Must have been.”

  Ian entered the room and froze, staring at Stanley. “Well, look who finally decided to wake up,” he said, his voice filled with emotion. “Stanley, I’m so happy to see those beady eyes of yours that I could kiss you on the mouth.”

  “Well, if that ain’t the most disgusting thing I ever heard, I don’t know what is,” Stanley grumbled.

  Ian laughed joyously. “Come to think of it,” he said, “you’re absolutely right.”

  Stanley sighed. “What’s it take to get a meal around here?” he asked. “I feel like the front of my stomach and the back of my stomach are side by side.”

  “I’ll call a nurse,” Mary said. “And we’ll get you some food.” She stood and started toward the door. Then she stopped and turned. “By the way, Merry Christmas, Stanley.”

  Stanley’s eyes widened. “It’s Christmas? Already?” he asked. “Well, goldurn it. I haven’t gone shopping yet.”

  “I think Rosie will forgive you this time,” Ian said. “Besides, you’ll be able to shop the sales now.”

  Chapter Sixty-seven

  Ian put his bag down in his bedroom and walked over to the window to watch the snow drift down on the city of Chicago.

  “A Christmas miracle,” he said softly, his heart still full. “A perfect night for it.”

  He chuckled softly as he realized he was scanning the skies for a glimpse of Santa Claus and his sleigh. Then he recalled his conversation with Mary in the hallway outside of Stanley’s room just before Ian had left.

  “Santa Claus?” Ian repeated incredulously.

  “Well, the Spirit of Christmas,” Mary corrected. “But, I suppose, yes.”

  “So it was him all along? The second shadow, the scent of pine and vanilla?” he asked.

  “I think Bradley’s was gingerbread,” Mary added. “Smells that remind us of Christmas.”

  He thought about it for a long moment. “Well, it makes sense if you consider that Tony murdered his family during his season,” Ian said slowly. “Almost on his watch.”

  Mary nodded. “Okay, I can see that,” she replied. “But tonight…with Stanley.”

  Ian smiled down at her. “Oh, well, that’s easy,” he said tenderly. “Mary O’Reilly Alden deserved a very special Christmas gift. You’ve done an amazing job this year. Perhaps Stanley was your Christmas bonus.”

  She grinned up at him. “I’ll take it,” she said. Then she sighed. “And how about you? What do you need for your Christmas gift?”

  Ian stepped away from the window, Mary’s question still echoing in his mind. What did he need for his Christmas gift?

  He thought about the look on Rosie’s face when she came into the hospital room to see her beloved husband awake and alert. Was that enough? Or the look on Stanley’s face when Clarissa hugged him and told him she’d missed him? Or Bradley’s unashamed tears when he hugged his old friend?

  Weren’t all of those enough of a Christmas miracle for him?

  He heard a soft thud and turned back to his bed. Somehow the hand mirror Adeline had given to him had slipped out of the pocket and landed on the bed. He looked slowly around the room. He was too experienced to believe that was just an accident. But, he couldn’t sense anything in the room.

  Shaking his head, he walked over and picked up the mirror. He felt an immediate tingle of energy shoot up his arm, and he nearly dropped it. But he held on to it and studied it carefully. It was well-crafted, with woodland scenes interspersed with characters from the fae. It was ancient, and the mirror itself was slightly speckled with age.

  “What am I afraid of?” he muttered. “I’m a scientist, after all. Shouldn’t I put legend to the test?”

  The silver was glowing in the darkness. Ian turned so he sheltered it from any ambient light from the window, but the glow remained.

  “Magic mirror,” he scoffed lightly and was about to put it down.

  But he couldn’t. He couldn’t dismiss it that lightly.

  “I’m afraid to have hope,” he finally admitted softly. “I want to believe so badly.”

  He looked into the depths of the old mirror and softly said, “Credendo vides.”

  His own reflection wavered before him and then suddenly, light was streaming from the inside of the mirror into his bedroom, like it was a window rather than a mirror. He gazed into the glass, awestruck by the beauty of the scene before him. Never had he seen such verdant greenery or vibrant blue skies. Never had he heard such beautiful bird songs. Even the wind in the trees seemed to carry its own melody.

  Then he saw her, and his heart froze. She was wandering underneath a large tree, the dappled sun shining in her red hair as she moved between branches towards a path. She stopped at the path and studied it for a moment. Then he heard her cry, “Ian, please find me. I’m waiting for you.”

  The mirror darkened, and the window was closed. Ian brought the mirror to his chest and closed his eyes. “I’ll find you, darling,” he whispered. “I promise I’ll find you.”

  The End

  (To learn more about the story of Ian and Gillian, read the Order of Brigid’s Cross, Book Two, available in autumn of 2017.)

  About the author: Terri Reid lives near Freeport, the home of the Mary O’Reilly Mystery Series, and loves a good ghost story. An independent author, Reid uploaded her first book “Loose Ends – A Mary O’Reilly Paranormal Mystery” in August 2010. By the end of 2013, “Loose Ends” had sold over 200,000 copies. She has sixteen other books in the Mary O’Reilly Series, the first books in the following series - “The Blackwood Files,” “The Order of Brigid’s Cross,” and “The Legend of the Horsemen.” She also has a stand-alone romance, “Bearly in Love.” Reid has enjoyed Top Rated and Hot New Release status in the Women Sleuths and Paranormal Romance category through Amazon US. Her books have been translated into Spanish, Portuguese and German and are also now also available in print and audio versions. Reid has been quoted in several books about the self-publishing industry including “Let’s Get Digital” by David Gaughran and “Interviews with Indie Authors: Top Tips from Successful Self-Published Authors” by Claire and Tim Ridgway. She was also honored to have some of her works included in A. J. Abbiati’s book “The NORTAV Method for Writers – The Secrets to Constructing Prose Like the Pros.”

  She loves hearing from her readers at [email protected]

  Other Books by Terri Reid:

  Mary O’Reilly Paranormal Mystery Series:

  Loose Ends (Book One)

  Good Tidings (Book Two)

  Never Forgotten (Book Three)

  Final Call (Book Four)

  Darkness Exposed (Book Five)

  Natural Reaction (Book Six)

  Secret Hollows (Book Seven)

  Broken Promises (Book Eight)

  Twisted Paths (Book Nine)

  Veiled Passages (Book Ten)

  Bumpy Roads (Book Eleven)

  Treasured Legacies (Book Twelve)

  Buried Innocence (Book Thirteen)

  Stolen Dreams (Book Fourteen)

  Haunted Tales (Book Fifteen)

  Deadly Circumstances (Book Sixteen)

  Frayed Edges (Book Seventeen)

  Delayed Departures (Book Eighteen)

  Mary O’Reilly Short Stories

  The Three Wise Guides

  Tales Around the Jack O’Lantern 1

  Tales Around the Jack O’Lantern 2

  Tales Around the Jack O’Lantern 3

  The Order of Brigid’s Cross (Sean’s Story)

  The Wild Hunt (Book 1)

  The Blackwood Files (Art’s Story)

  File One: Family Secrets

  File Two: Private Wars

  PRCD Case Files: The Ghosts Of New Orleans -A Par
anormal Research and Containment Division Case File

  Eochaidh: Legend of the Horseman (Book One)

  Sweet Romances

  Bearly in Love

  Sneakers – A Swift Romance