I coughed and cleared my throat. When I came back to the present, Adeline’s eyes were clear again. They were somehow redder, though. It was like her act was taking a toll on her.
“Jack Murphy says that he was given a drug so that his death would look like natural causes. The woman he hired that night only wanted to kill him for his watch. He was wearing a knock-off Rolex and waving it around like an idiot.” She paused, as if listening to someone else. “Don’t yell at me. You were bragging about it being real. You didn’t deserve to be killed, but that’s still kind of dumb.”
How would Adeline know about that little detail? We’d noticed the slight ring of pale skin around Jack’s wrist from where a watch had been taken. That wasn’t a detail that we’d released to anyone. The family knew, and they’d brushed it off. No one had spoken a word about it.
Adeline cast a wary glance to the left before looking me in the eye. “Don’t waste your time looking for Jack’s body. It was…repurposed by a friend. That sounds wrong, but I’m not sure what you’re ready to learn about.”
I waved off that cryptic statement. “Let’s say I believe you. What then? How does that absolve you from the implications of this murder?”
Adeline stared me down. She refused to flinch, much to my surprise. Speaking to Jack Murphy had drained her of her ability to give a flying fuck, and I had to admit that I kind of liked it. Here was the solid core of steel inside the soft woman who cared too much.
Damn it. Was I developing feelings for a suspect? I couldn’t afford to be this messy. While I could have passed this case on to the other detective in the precinct, he wasn’t part of Homicide. He focused on theft and firearms.
I picked my seat up from the floor, slowly sat, and leaned back. I ran a hand along my growing stubble as I thought for a moment.
“Tell me something about the murder victim. Her ghost has to be here. Right?”
“That’s the weird thing,” Adeline said. “Her ghost isn’t here. And that scares the ever-loving shit out of me.”
Addie
I couldn’t tellif the detective believed me. I didn’t know what else I could do to prove it to him. If I really wanted to drive home the truth, I could have dug into his past and found a ghost with a message specifically for him, but Jack Murphy’s ghost had been the most convenient messenger at the time.
What were the chances that I would run into Bez’s host ghost?
Bez had been a demon I met briefly while trying to help Vi avoid a Biblical apocalypse. He’d been a nice fellow for a demon until Lilith had shredded him to bits. I’d stuck around with the hopes that I would meet Bez’s spirit lingering, but when you destroyed a demon there was nothing left behind.
Jack had a lot to say. Nothing like the demon that’d possessed his body, Jack hung around and complained incessantly. I tugged my hat over my head again to veil and minimize the interference around me. Still, Jack’s frustrations overpowered my veil.
Outside the police station, I spun on the man. My breath was quick. I didn’t stand up to ghosts very often. Jack’s eyes went wide, but they soon narrowed when I fumbled over my words.
“Y-you need to stop. Just…leave me alone. I c-can’t help you.”
Jack doubled down. He flung his arm back, pointing at the police station. I knew what would come next.
You’re the only way they’ll listen to me. You’re the only one who can hear my story. I can’t rest until this is done.
They never stopped to consider the fact that no one listens to me, either. This sucks, but it was the way of things. Humans didn’t believe in supernaturals. They didn’t want to know that their neighbors were vampires and witches or that the nice guy at the end of the street could take the form of a dragon.
The very last thing humans wanted to hear was that the dead were all around them at all times. No one wanted to know that grandma was still hanging around the house, watching Suzy get railed on the living room couch or Derek shoot up in the bathroom.
Even though the family was in the wrong, they always blamed me for calling them out. I didn’t want any part of this. I wanted peace and quiet. The only place I’d ever found that had been in the mountains, and some asshole had decided to take that away from me.
“There’s the exit,” I said with a wave of my hand.
A glowing portal appeared as if it’d always been there. The soft white light pouring out of it beckoned me forwards. I dug in my heels to fight off the pull of the afterlife. I was not ready to die.
“That’s it? That’s all you can do?” Jack spat.
If this man had any corporeal body parts, I would have kicked him. I understood that he was frustrated over his untimely death, but that didn’t mean he had to be an asshole about it. Since he wanted nothing to do with a peaceful life beyond this world, I released the portal and let it vanish so I could get into my car.
Jack Murphy glared at me as I sped away. I put my foot to the floorboard with the hope that Jack would lose interest in me. If he showed up at my house, I would cry. I already had too many ghosts lingering there.
Chapter
Addie
Over and over,my thoughts twisted back to the woman in the ravine. She’d looked just like me. I couldn’t pass a photo frame or a window without catching sight of my reflection. Every time I saw myself, I saw her. She might not be here, but she still found a way to cry out for my help.