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She sighs heavily through the connection. “That it does. And now that the girls are in school full-time, it makes even more sense. Do you have any idea how expensive it is to raise children these days? And in London, no less?”

“Ouch. And that’s yet another reason I plan to remain unencumbered by offspring in this lifetime.”

“Lucky you,” she gripes. “The cheeky buggers are expensive as fuck. The pay increase has given us a little bit of breathing room though, so I’ll remain calm and carry on.”

“You always do, love,” I tell her.

Liz Wu is as steady as they come. I was a lucky bastard to have her as a partner for nearly fifteen years.

“Doug and I would love to see you,” she says, shifting gears. “Why don’t you come over to ours for dinner one night? It’s been far too long since you’ve been over.”

I know I’m a right git since the accident when it comes to communicating. When I was finally let out of hospital, I holed myself up from the world for quite a while, bemoaning the end of my career at thirty-eight.

Five years later, I’ve come to terms with the situation, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t still hurt to see Liz and all my old pals continuing in the career I loved but can’t do anymore.

“Sure. I’ll let you know when some free time opens up in my schedule.”

It’s a bit of a brush-off and we both know it, but she doesn’t call me on it. Instead, she says, “Why don’t you tell me more about this case you’re working on?”

Now that has me more enthused, so I give her a quick rundown of the situation.

“Blimey, that sounds pretty out there. Are you sure it isn’t a disgruntled employee taking the piss?”

“No idea. I interviewed most of the staff earlier today, and I don’t get the impression that any of them are involved. On the contrary, they’re all on edge and about ready to bolt. For now, my plan is to go in tonight and snoop around on my own.”

“Be careful, Cal. You said someone’s already been hurt. Don’t take any unnecessary risks.”

It’s my turn to snort. “You’ve developed quite the Mum Voice since having the twins.”

“Comes with the territory. And hey, if it keeps your arse out of danger, I’m not going to complain.”

“You’ll be happy to know I’ve been a lot more cautious since the accident.”

I sort of have to be if I don’t want to make my condition worse.

There’s a beat of silence, and a whole fuck of a lot that’s left unsaid.

Finally, she sighs. “Let me know if I can help in any way. You may not have access to resources at the Met anymore, but there are things I can look up for you if you ever need it. I’ve still got your back.”

“Ta, Liz. That means more to me than I can express.”

She clears her throat. “Once my partner, always my partner, Callum Fraser. Take care and do get back to me about your schedule. Dinner’s going to happen, whether you like it or not. Is that Mum Voice enough for you?”

I chuckle. “All right, I hear you loud and clear. Give the girls and Doug my love.”

We end the call, and I rub at the twinge of pain in my chest.

Liz Wu is an outstanding officer, a true friend, and the best partner a man could have. She deserved better than a grumpy bastard like me for a partner, but we worked well as a team for many years. We understood each other inside and out and were a unified front in all things.

When the accident happened, she was out on maternity leave. And yes, things may not have gone down the way they did if she’d been with me. But that line of thinking won’t get me anything other than bitter regret.

I shrug on my jacket, finish loading up my bag of gadgets, and give Poirot a couple of scritches behind his ears before heading out into the night.

When I arrive at Salon de Spin, I use the spare key Mimi lent me to let myself in. At this time of year, it’s dark out and has been for a while even though it’s only six o’clock. Their evening block of classes typically started at 6:30 p.m. until things went haywire, so I wanted to be here a little early. I don’t know yet if there’s any significance to the time the phenomena tend to occur in the evening or not.

Carrying my large bag of supplies inside, I make my way to the main studio where evening classes are held. Entering the room, I find it dark and silent. The rows of stationary cycles are reflected by the mirrored walls.

I set down my bag with a grunt. ExorSquad gave me a bunch of gadgets that I don’t fully know how to use, but I set them out on the floor. I can’t even remember the bloody technical names for any of them. One’s supposed to trap ghosts, another is supposed to repel them. Not sure I really believe that though. The one useful item is an EMF device, something I had heard of before I joined the company and that actually seems to have a practical function. I hold on to it so I can keep an eye on the gauge for any detected fluctuations.