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She’d already explained what happened to the man in the bed, and Jason had taken it as seriously as she’d told it. He was doing well for someone who’d been unceremoniously dropped into her world the night before. But that didn’t mean it was easy for him to take. Or easy for her to explain.

“I don’t know what I think.”

That was the truth, at least. She knew what she saw, but she wasn’t sure what it meant. It was the second time she’d witnessed the Ghost Doctor kill someone, but in all the time Cassie had experienced ghosts, she’d never seen one do anything like that before.

Then again, she’d never seen one quite like this before, either. Every ghost was unique. The serial killer Robert Shapiro had manifested by taking on the visage of an angry red spirit. He’d manipulated Cassie’s emotions, but she felt a different type of power emanating from the Ghost Doctor.

“She reached a hand into his chest and pulled his spirit out.” Cassie rolled her head to the side to look at Jason. “And then he died. Kind of hard to argue with that.”

Jason’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. They were barreling down a major highway. He switched lanes before he answered. “Maybe she wasn’t a ghost,” he offered. He glanced at Cassie, who had raised an eyebrow in question. “You said she looks different from all the others. Maybe she’s an angel.”

“Like the Angel of Death?”

“Maybe not the Angel of Death.” Jason cleared his throat. “You know, just an angel of death. Lowercase letters.”

Cassie chuckled, but the humor didn’t last. “I’ve never seen an angel before. Not saying they don’t exist, but this would be a first.” She returned her forehead to the window and goosebumps resurfaced on her skin. “I can’t explain it, but I know she’s a ghost. I just don’t know why she’s different. Or who she is. Or what she wants.”

“That’s a lot of unknowns.”

Cassie made a noncommittal noise.

The conversation died as Jason made another series of turns. Cassie paid no attention to the signs they passed. It was only when they pulled into a parking lot that she bothered lifting her head from the window.

“Where are we?”

“Kiki’s work.” Jason looked at his watch. “She should be getting back from lunch with Janelle soon. Maybe we can catch her before she heads inside.”

They only had to wait a couple of minutes before Kiki pulled into her designated parking spot. Cassie remembered the shiny BMW from the night they’d visited Granny Mabel’s house. She had thought it was black, but the afternoon light revealed it was midnight blue.

“What are you two doing here?” Kiki slammed her door shut and waited for them to finish their walk across the parking lot. She looked at her watch. “I only have about five minutes.”

Kiki looked both different and exactly the same as she always did. She wore a taupe suit with a pale pink shirt underneath. She’d pulled her hair back into a sleek bun, and her makeup was less dramatic than it had been last night. This was Lawyer Kiki, and if Cassie was being honest with herself, Lawyer Kiki was a little intimidating.

“That’s all we need.” Jason turned to Cassie, who was already pulling the folder out of her purse. He spread its contents across the trunk of Kiki’s car. “We’ve got some leads, but I’d like your opinion.”

Kiki bent over the papers, inspecting them one at a time. There must’ve been something there she recognized because she straightened and leveled Jason with a look. “Where did you get these?”

“Vanessa.”

Kiki sucked in a breath, then put her hands on her hips. “What did you do? Did you make her do this?”

“What?” Jason blanched. “No, of course not. She was already looking into this before we even saw her. We went to go visit Stacey, and she told me Vanessa was looking for me.” Jason glanced at Cassie. “I wasn’t going to at first. We stopped by Jeff’s house. Did you know Mark died?”

“Oh my God, no I didn’t.” Kiki put a hand to her mouth. “What happened?”

“He was in a car accident.” Jason blew out a breath, leaned against the fender, and folded his arms across his chest. “He made it through surgery okay. They said he’d walk again, but it might be with a cane. Next thing you know, he stops breathing.”

Kiki stood a little straighter. “That sounds hauntingly familiar.”

“My thoughts exactly. I went to talk to Jeff.” Jason shook his head. “As soon as I asked him if he thought the hospital was covering something up, he froze me out.”

“Which means he knows something.”

Jason bobbed his head. “Rather than overstay my welcome, I got Vanessa’s number from Stacey and we met for lunch.” He gestured to Cassie. “All three of us.”

Kiki turned a sympathetic gaze on Cassie, but she waved it off. “I know I’ve only known her for, like, an hour, but I kind of like her.”

“Vanessa’s a good person.” Kiki’s smile was soft. “Always has been.”

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