Free The Dead Don't Speak by Kendall Bailey Page A

does it. There are so many voices with this many people around."
    "Can you hear them?"
    "I haven't tried."
    The lights dimmed. The crowd quieted.
    "You better start," Cayte said.
    Everything was bathed in blue light. A bright white spot exploded onto the stage, revealing a thin haze of smoke in the air. A man strode out from behind the curtain. He was tall; he was handsome; he was Simon Simmons.
    Zach heard Cayte whisper, "Oh my."
    "Good evening, folks," Simmons said. "How you all doing tonight?"
    The crowd roared.
    "Glad to hear it. I like to start every show with a warning. I can't speak to dead people, I can't speak to ghosts, I can't speak to anyone but the living. If this is what you were looking for you need to move along." He scanned the room quickly with his eyes, no one moved. "I see everyone stayed. Good choice. Because there are some things I can do; I speak for the dead. I don't hold anything back, and I'll pass messages to you until the spirits have nothing left to say."
    The crowd went crazy for this. Zach looked around. People were nodding enthusiastically; one lady was already crying. It was far different than Zach's experience on the stage. He recognized the biggest difference between Simmons and himself: it was showmanship. Zach kept it lax, simple, he didn't even dress up. All his effort went into the cold reading. Simmons wore nice clothes and knew how to draw people in.
    "Now, let’s get down to business..."
    Simmons did a couple readings for people in the nearest section. Zach sat in rapt attention. Cayte glanced at him a few times, smiling at how intrigued he seemed.
    Simmons motioned to the left side of the crescent. "Someone in this area had a father or uncle whose name was Larry. Definitely an older male, possibly a grandfather."
    A hand rose in the audience. Zach didn't recognize the man, but he knew the girl whose hand the man was holding. It was the crying lady he'd eavesdropped on in the corridor leading to the theater.
    Zach sat waiting for Simmons to mention a baby.
    "Larry, who was very into NASCAR?" Simmons asked.
    The audience member, who was standing now, nodded. An attendant arrived with a microphone.
    "Larry is... your father?"
    The man nodded again. He took the microphone from the attendant and said, "Yes."
    "What's your name, sir?" Simmons asked.
    "Paul Coogan."
    "Mr. Coogan, your father wants you to know he is doing well. He's with your mother again and happy. And he wants you to be happy. You just got married, is that right?"
    "Yes, sir."
    Here it comes.
    "He sees your beautiful wife and..." Simmons paused for effect. "And Paul, he just couldn't be happier."
    The woman with Paul stood, too. They hugged. The attendant slipped the microphone from Paul's hand and began to move away.
    It seemed to Zach like a missed opportunity. All at once he understood what was happening in the theater, how Simmons did his show. He wasn't cold reading, that much was obvious from the start. He had old information and that probably meant prior research. The dark side of ambition flared in Zach's heart. He had information that Simmons didn't. Zach decided he would never be the kind to miss opportunities.
    He nudged Cayte, "Get your cellphone ready to make a video."
    "Why?"
    "You'll see."
    Cayte pulled out her phone, pressed some buttons, and nodded at Zach.
    He got to his feet and shouted, "No! That's not right!"
    The applause hadn't died down yet, he waited for the room to quiet.
    "That's not right!" Zach shouted again.
    Simmons ignored him.
    "Moving on to the center here..."
    "That's not what they said!" Zach shouted loud enough for people in the crescent to turn and look back.
    "Security?" Simmons said into his mic.
    "She's pregnant," Zach screamed.
    The crowd was silent after Zach's outburst. Paul and his wife heard Zach clearly when he yelled, "Larry is happy about the pregnancy. He knows it's a surprise but he is happy you're pregnant."
    Everyone was now looking at the woman whose hands were over her