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“If you’re here to tell me that you found her body, please be quiet about it.” The man’s lips formed a grim line as he braced himself.
I sucked in a deep breath. “Not quite. Would you believe me if I told you that…”
I paused, uncertain if I should tell him about his wife’s lingering ghost.
“That you’re hard at work on it?” He let out an exhausted sigh and seemed to shrink with it.
Tentatively, I sniffed the air around him to see if I could catch a hint of the supernatural. According to Addie, there was a side of Syracuse where most supernatural beings lived. I wondered if my own town had something similar.
This man didn’t smell of anything other than stale coffee and baby powder. My attention flicked to the nearby window. A pair of wide eyes peered at me from beyond the glass. There was no way that a mere windowpane could hide my words, and this man wasn’t supernatural. He wouldn’t want me talking about his wife’s ghost in front of their child.
So, I gave a nod. “I have a few questions for you, though.”
Strain made his eyes tight. “You think I did something to her. Don’t you?”
“Not at all. Just some paperwork bullshit. The departments are notorious for miscommunication, and I just want to be thorough with my job.” I tried to give the man a reassuring smile, but I was sure neither of us believed it.
I went through all the standard questions.Where did you see her last? What was the last conversation the two of you had? Were you arguing over anything before she left? Did she go out to meet up with anyone? Did she have a history of talking to strangers?
About halfway through, I realized that I was referring to his wife entirely in the past tense. He seemed to notice, too. His eyes turned red from unshed tears. The way he watched me, like I knew something that I was holding back, pierced right through me.
My beast moved. It threatened to take over and run away from this stress. Honesty and justice always meant more to me than anything else. Betraying my own code left my beast restless and irritable. If I didn’t leave soon, then it would claw its way out of me.
I couldn’t let that happen here in the middle of this residential neighborhood.
“She’s…” The man’s gaze flicked to the window where his child watched. He lowered his voice. “She’s dead. That’s what you’re not telling me. At least, that’s what you believe. I can tell. Do you want to search the house? Do you want to dig up the back yard?”
I took a step back and held up my hands in the universal gesture for surrender. “I’m not here to place blame, sir.”
My wolf thrashed violently. It shook me from head to toe. A growl slipped out from between my lips.
This man deserved to know the truth. He wasn’t going to believe it, though. He wasn’t going to understand that Addie could see ghosts. Just the thought of her made my beast thrash again.
Where was she? Was she safe? The beast needed to go to her, and if I didn’t comply, it would force me to move soon. Without thinking, I tightened my fist around the pen in my hand. It burst, spilling black ink all over my pale palm.
Growling, I moved to wipe the ink on my pants.
“Ah, do you want a towel for that?” the man asked nervously.
He was already frazzled enough. I didn’t want him waiting on someone like me when I should be focused on finding justice for his wife. My thoughts weren’t where they should have been. Instead of thinking of my own late wife, I found myself consumed by Addie.
“It’s not a problem at all,” the man said. “You’re here to help me. This is the least I can do for you.”
He rushed inside before I could argue. Alone, I stared at the ink spreading through the small cracks and crevices in my open hand like an infection.
The cold fingers of death grazed my spine and made my head jerk up. I searched all around for the ghost even though I wouldn’t be able to see her. She was invisible to me, but there were other ways for the dead to contact the living. I strained to hear nearby televisions and radios in case she might relay a message across them.
Addie had explained there was something wrong with this ghost. Her missing parts made her act oddly. Instead of using her surroundings to send a message, she clung to me. Her cold form gripped onto my shoulders like the burden of my responsibility.
“I know. I’m going to try to find you,” I said under my breath to the ghost on my back.
Her husband returned at that moment. He tilted his head and raised a brow as he handed over some paper towels. I gave him a tight-lipped smile and refused to explain my mumblings while wiping the ink from my hand.
The grey stain reminded me of all that was on my hands: my failures and shortcomings. Was that a dramatic thought? Perhaps, but I wasn’t convinced that I was doing all that I could. That was especially apparent when my thoughts were constantly on one woman.
The husband didn’t seem convinced that I would be able to help him. I left on shaky feet while my beast tried to crawl out of my skin. I did my best to leash the beast once I got back into the SUV. All the while, I was aware that the husband and his child could see me lingering.
I didn’t want to drive alone. There was one thing that would appease my beast. As much as I hated to lean on Addie, she would be able to help me get from one place to another. I put my phone in the holder on the dashboard and tapped her name on the screen.
