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Cassie shook herself out of her thoughts and slammed the door shut behind her. Jeff looked up, then did a double take. His grin widened, and he tossed his sponge back into the bucket.

“Broussard, is that you?” Jeff jogged to the end of the driveway to meet them. “Damn, it’s been a minute.”

“Hey, man.” They shook hands, which turned into a one-armed hug. When they broke apart, Jason introduced Cassie. “We were in the neighborhood.”

“That’s awesome. Last I heard you were in Atlanta?”

“Savannah, actually.” Jason looked at ease, but Cassie could see the wheels turning. They were here for some answers, and he’d get them, one way or another. “What have you been up to?”

“Not much.” Jeff looked back at the house and his face fell slightly. “Living with my parents. It’s just temporary, but it makes me feel like I’m in high school again.”

“I’m staying with Granny Mabel and my mom while I’m in town. I know exactly what you mean.” There was a beat of silence. Cassie caught the moment Jason chose to strike. “Hey, I heard about Mark. I’m so sorry, man.”

“Thank you.” Jeff looked like he meant it. His face, which had been all smiles and jokes, grew tight. “Yeah, took us all by surprise, you know? Man, he would’ve been so happy to see you. It’s been, what, ten years at least, right?”

“Yeah, about that long.” More calculations. “What happened?” Jason held up his hands. “You don’t have to tell me. I was just talking to Stacey, and she mentioned it. But she didn’t tell me anything else.”

“Stacey was great. She’s been checking in on my mom every week to see if there’s anything she can do. I think Mom just likes having another girl to talk to.” Jeff shifted from one foot to another. “But yeah, we don’t really know. He got into a bad car accident. He was riding his bike and this guy in a truck didn’t see him, apparently.” The tone of Jeff’s voice told Cassie he thought that was bullshit. “He went to the emergency room. They patched him up, but he’d shattered his leg. They told us he’d walk again, but it wouldn’t be the same. He might have to use a cane for the rest of his life.”

“Oh, shit.” Jason’s entire body language conveyed his sympathy. He put a hand on Jeff’s shoulder and squeezed. “I’m so sorry, man.”

Jeff forced a smile. “So, how do you two know each other?”

Jason let his arm fall. “We work together in Savannah.”

“Total coincidence we ran into each other here,” Cassie supplied.

“Have you met the fam yet?” Jeff’s smile widened into a real one. “They’re great.”

“I’ve met some of them.” Cassie looked at Jason. “We hung out with a bunch of his cousins.”

“How’s everyone doing?” Jeff waggled his eyebrows. “Does Kiki ever ask about me?”

“Not even once.” Jason’s voice was playful, but Cassie sensed this was a joke that had gone stale years ago. He allowed another beat of silence during which he sobered. “Jasmine died.”

“What?” Jeff looked between the two of them as if waiting for them to say they were joking. “How? When?”

“About a week ago. She had another surgery. Everything seemed fine, and then she crashed.”

Jeff’s eyebrows pinched together. “I’m so sorry, man.”

“It’s actually why we’re here.” Jason had stopped trying to be subtle. “We saw Stacey beca

use something didn’t sit right with the whole situation. She didn’t know much, but she mentioned Mark. I was just wondering if something similar happened?”

Jeff backed up a couple of paces and walked back over to the bucket of soapy water. He pulled out the sponge and got back to work before he responded. His words came slowly, as though he were calculating every sound that came out of his mouth.

“Mark was pretty beat up after the crash. He had to have a couple surgeries, but they all went well. It was his leg that gave him the biggest problem. They were able to save it, but they said walking would be difficult for a while.” Jeff finished scrubbing the passenger-side door and moved on to the hood. “He was on a lot of different medications. One day, he just stopped breathing. They think he reacted poorly to one of the prescriptions.”

Jason and Cassie exchanged a look. They were two for two with complications causing a death. But was that a legitimate excuse, or was the Ghost Doctor causing people to die prematurely? Doctors wouldn’t be able to find the real reason if it were a ghost, so the only explanation would be that they missed something during recovery.

“That’s what they said about Jasmine.” Jason took a step closer. “That there were complications. Do you believe them?”

Jeff stiffened. He didn’t make eye contact. “Why wouldn’t I believe them?”

“You said everything was going fine with Mark. That he was recovering, and then he stopped breathing. The same thing happened with Jasmine. She made it through her surgery, she was fine for about a day, and then her heart gave out.”

“Jasmine had a lot of medical issues. It makes sense.”

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