A Spirited Justice

By Betty Mermelstein

Karen steps out of her mother's car onto her college campus for the first time. She didn't think she could have afforded going there, but the ruby scarab she had found for her ancestor spirits, Thomas and Margaret, was the monetary start she needed when they gave the scarab back to her to sell. Now she could pursue her studies in entomology, the study of insects. Leaving home doesn't meaning leaving her ancestors behind, though. While working on an article for the college newspaper, Karen comes across a nineteenth century newspaper report on a horse trophy supposedly stolen by Thomas. The article suggests that even though there was no evidence that he took it, all fingers pointed to him. Thomas and Margaret appear to Karen again, and Karen swears she will clear Thomas' name somehow. The two ghosts follow her, her roommate, and her new boyfriend while she pursues this undertaking, creating surprising and humorous situations, as usual. Karen, once again, discovers that it's never too late to help your family, even if they no longer live on earth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Betty Mermelstein
• Release date: Aug 17, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310250545

Betty Mermelstein

Betty has been interested in writing since she was a child and has published a variety of material, including poetry, ebooks, humorous personal narratives, nonfiction articles, and a children's play. She has been a ballroom dancer for many years, doing performances and competitions with her instructor. Living in Arizona with her husband, Alan, Betty is a retired elementary and junior high teacher, and loves spending time with her sons' families.

Book preview

A Spirited Justice

By

Betty Mermelstein

A Spirited Justice

by

Betty Mermelstein

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2015

Cover Artwork by Andrea Dickkut

Published by Songlife, LLC 2015

Songlife, LLC Phoenix, Arizona

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to those who selflessly commit themselves to righting a wrong.

Chapter One

Karen opened the car door and stepped out onto the sidewalk that was part of Northeast Studies College. She held onto the door handle and took a minute to gaze around the campus: her campus. This is where she was going to attend college, continuing her love of all things buggy, studying entomology in the science department. From the time she was a little girl, lying on the grass in her backyard, watching the seemingly chaotic movement of ants going to and from their anthill, Karen had been fascinated by the insect world. Not everyone shared her love of six-legged creatures, least of all her mother.

You can get your basic requirement classes out of the way your first year, Karen’s mother pointed out as she came out of the driver’s seat. Then you can decide if concentrating on, and actually graduating with, a bug degree is something you really want to do.

Karen sighed at the continuation of her mother’s topic during the short road trip up to school.

I’ve already decided, mère, Karen said, using her French name for mother, which always caused her mother to think she was being called a female horse.

Well, it is your life, Jeanine conceded to her daughter reluctantly.

Karen was just glad that they were discussing her college career without yelling. It had been a hard road to travel with her mother while Karen had been in junior high and high school. She hadn’t understood her mother, then, she realized. How could she when her mother had been holding in a secret that made her argumentative and unhappy? It was made known to Karen only after she found a memory box in her mother’s closet, revealing that she had had a baby brother born before her, who had not survived. Her mother had chosen to keep it all in, including the split with her baby brother’s father, which had only made her defensive and on edge.

It was only after her mother had a heart attack that she confirmed the story that Karen already knew. She knew because she was snooping around, granted, but Jeanine seemed relieved that it was finally out in the open. She left the hospital after a gush of regret and with a promise to herself to be more patient with her daughter.

During that time, Karen could not have imagined her ability to attend Northeast Studies College. They were not poor, but extra money outside of food, gas, and clothes was rarely available, and college seemed out of the question. Some relatives came through for her, though. Some relatives she had never seen before. That’s because they were dead.

Margaret and Thomas first appeared to Karen after she was standing in the hallway staring at their old photographs. One minute they were stoically posed, black and white unknowns, and the next minute they were standing on the carpet, quite colorful and smiling at her. To say that Karen was shocked was an understatement.

They were there for a purpose, they had told her. A ruby scarab, given to Thomas by his grandfather, had been lost many years ago in that same house. The house had belonged to Margaret and Thomas, but they had moved to Margaret’s brother’s place to take care of him and his farm when he became ill. After Tyler died, they had packed up and permanently moved to take care of Tyler’s family, giving their own house to their son. In their grief while arranging to move, Margaret had forgotten about the scarab that she had hidden under a floorboard in what used to be the upstairs sunroom. That room was later turned into a bathroom. Karen had finally found the scarab there, and her great, great great-grandparents, in turn, had given it to her. Eventually, she showed it to her mother and aunt, who realized it was something valuable. It certainly had been, making it possible for Karen to step out of the car onto the college campus that she now called her own.

Karen hadn’t seen Margaret and Thomas since they had given her their precious jewel. She missed them and the time she had spent with them, even if she had always felt like a lizard crossing the freeway, looking in every direction to avoid disaster. Their curiosity had often caused Karen to rescue them from strange situations. However, they had come with a purpose in mind and had fulfilled it. Staying in her world was no longer necessary.

Do you want to take your suitcases, Karen, and I’ll grab this small box and the bag full of linens? Jeanine asked her daughter, reaching for things in the trunk.

Karen came out of her daydreaming and joined her mother to pull out her suitcases.

That’s my dorm over there, she motioned with her head.

The three-story brick building was original to the college. It looked expansive, but cozy all at the same time. Karen pictured her new independence studying in her own room, sharing the new experiences of classes and cafeteria food with her roommate, and relaxing in the dorm lounge watching TV or movies. A smile slowly emerged on her face.

I wonder if your roommate is here yet, her mother said.

I don’t know, Karen answered. She didn’t answer my last text. Probably busy.

The two waddled over to the entrance, looking like a couple of pack mules burdened down with Karen’s belongings: a small microwave, a laptop, two suitcases,