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Zach shifted in his seat. “I-I—”
“You miss him, okay, I get it.” I suddenly became aware that I’d lashed out in defense of Kipp. “He doesn’t have much time here, so don’t waste the time you do have being angry about what happened in the past.”
Zach stared at me before a smile grazed his lips, and it did wonders for his stern look. His eyes softened and even his body seemed to relax. “You’re right. This thing with Kipp is a damn miracle and I shouldn’t forget that fact.” He glanced at the recliner and some of the heat in his gaze returned. “You’re still a stupid fuck nut, Kipp, for acting alone.”
Kipp laughed.
Right then, my cell phone rang, defusing the tense moment. I dunked my hand into the back pocket of my jeans and looked at the caller ID. “Uh oh, trouble is on the horizon.” I flipped open the phone and held the receiver away from my ear as Caley’s voice came roaring through the speaker.
“Oh my God, where are you? I have been calling for hours. You tell me there is a ghost in your room, scream like a banshee and then you turn your phone off. Do you know what you’ve put me through these last few hours? Seriously, do you know?”
I brought the phone back to my ear. “Sorry, I had to go to the cop shop and I only just turned my cell back on a bit ago.”
She paused. “Are you in some kind of trouble?”
Trouble? Yes, loads of it. “No, I’m—”
“Where are you? I’m coming over.”
Quite abruptly, Zach ripped the phone from my hands and pressed the receiver to his ear. “This is Zach Foster of the Memphis Police Department. Tess is fine and with me. She’ll contact you again when it’s appropriate to do so.”
I snickered. “Oh dear.”
“What…” Kipp said, but as Caley screamed at Zach, his mouth clamped shut.
Zach paled before my eyes. I held back my laughter. Caley never responded well when anyone told her to do something and it didn’t matter that Zach was three times her size, she’d level him.
“Miss…” Zach said.
His response only earned him another round of insults.
A few seconds passed before Zach cleared his throat. “Our address is 2500 Cedar Bark Cove.” Caley apparently hung up on him, since he lowered the phone and grinned at it. “Who was that?”
“My best friend, Caley.” I took my phone as Zach handed it to me. “She doesn’t understand the meaning of no.”
“I gather.” Zach glanced back at Kipp and his amused expression returned to a focused one. “You were obviously onto something about the safe house. Why else would you have been shot?”
“Exactly,” Kipp responded.
Zach didn’t hear his response, but that didn’t stop him from continuing. “It’s hard to imagine a cop is capable of not only shooting you, but also being involved in the disappearance of Hannah. Did you get a look at him?”
“No, he hit me from behind.”
I shook my head.
Zach rubbed his hands along his face. “Makes sense now why you were at the safe house. The lady next door heard the shot and called the cops. It stumped us all why you were there.” He lowered his hands. “I’m not even sure how to narrow down the list of suspects. There are hundreds of cops who work within the department.”
They pondered, as did I. Zach had it right, searching for a cop who clearly avoided capture in the first place did seem impossible, but another option struck me. “You could always go and look for Hannah.”
“What?” Zach and Kipp said in unison.
“She’s likely still hanging around because her case hasn’t been solved.” The ghosts I had met always died in tragic ways. Murder fell into that category.
Before either of them could respond, the front door slammed open and Caley stood in the entrance, her gaze throwing daggers. It didn’t surprise me in the least to see she arrived quickly. She didn’t live far from their house and I assumed she drove like a madwoman to get here.
“Thank God, you’re safe.” She rushed forward and held my face in her hands. “They haven’t hurt you, done weird tests on you, have they?”
I swatted at her. “No. I’m fine.”
