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“Is it the idea that a ghost saved our asses or that you now have first-hand experience with a ghost?”
“Both?” Harris shook her head again. “Yeah. Both.”
There was sudden shouting upstairs and footsteps on the floor above them. Dust sprinkled down on Cassie’s head.
“Down here.” Harris yelled up the stairs. “It’s clear.”
Thirty seconds later, the basement was full of police, and David was reaching out for Cassie and pulling her into a hug.
“Quinn, this is the last time I’m telling you this--” David fought for an ounce of breath “--But you’ve got to stop doing this to me.”
“Trust me, I’m trying.”
“Well, why don’t you let me know when you think you’ve got a handle on this whole ‘staying out of trouble’ thing. Okay?” He redirected his attention to Harris. “You kept her safe. Good job.”
“Honestly? I think Cassie kept me safe.”
David looked confused, but Cassie and Harris exchanged looks and smiled. He shrugged and guided Cassie up the stairs and out of the house, with Harris trailing close behind.
The outside air felt warm on Cassie's skin and she tipped her face up to the sky and closed her eyes to soak in what was left of the fading Georgia sun. The humidity had relented. The air felt less oppressive.
She inhaled, letting the sensation fill her from top to bottom. This was the purest form of freedom Cassie could imagine.
When Cassie opened her eyes, she noticed a line of figures off to the left. She saw all four victims standing at the foot of the mounds of dirt that covered their hearts.
Hannah Williams.
Jessica Tran.
Elizabeth Montgomery.
Sage Washington.
For the rest of her life, and perhaps even longer, Cassie would not forget those names.
Each woman looked at Cassie and smiled. Their bodies had a glow to them as they stepped forward and vanished into thin air. Elizabeth was the last to go. Cassie felt the woman’s presence on her skin. She knew what Elizabeth was trying to tell her.
“You’re welcome,” Cassie whispered.
This, she remembered, was the purest form of freedom.
She felt Harris step up next to her. “Do you see them?”
“Not anymore.” Cassie stared at the spot she last saw Elizabeth. “I think they’ve moved on.”
“Do you know where they go?” Harris sounded as though she was embarrassed for asking. “You know, afterwards?”
“No, I don’t,” Cassie said. “I just know they’re no longer stuck here.”
“That’s good,” Harris said. “Right?”
“Yeah.” Cassie smiled and warmth filled her entire body. “Yeah, it’s good.”
Forty-Three
A few days later and the world had moved on.
The news cycle was kind to the Savannah Police Department, calling Detective Harris’s actions brave and heroic as she took down William Baker. Harris was quick to thank the actions of her fellow police officers and everyone else who aided in stopping the people responsible for those horrific crimes.
