Ghostly Endings (A Ghost Hunter P.I. Mystery Book 5)

by Aubrey Harper

  Lily stayed in the waiting area, her phone in her face, while Callie and I went inside when the receptionist said Jonathan was ready to see us. She gave us a judgmental look as we passed but thankfully kept her lips sealed. Rebecca was right behind us. She passed a hand through the woman’s arm. The receptionist visibly shivered as she threw a dirty glance my way.

  I just shrugged my shoulders, like I had no idea what she was on about.

  “You know, we could have met back at your office on my lunch break or something,” Jonathan said as soon as I closed the door behind us.

  “Callie’s time is valuable,” I said. “And this can’t wait. Aren’t you in a hurry to solve this case as well?”

  Jonathan gave Callie a tentative glance. “What exactly do you do, Ms. Ranger?”

  “I’m a psychic. I get visions. Of the future, the past, and sometimes even the present. It just depends on what the universe wants to show me.”

  “The universe?” Jonathan raised his eyebrows.

  “I prefer to keep these things secular since I don’t know who or what exactly is responsible for the visions I get. They usually come unbidden when I really need to focus on something, but they also come when I touch certain objects. Meredith said there’s a watch?”

  Jonathan opened one of the drawers and took out a plastic evidence bag that had the now familiar golden watch inside.

  He carefully took it out with a napkin. “Please be careful with this. It’s evidence.”

  “I’ll have to touch it with my bare hands.”

  “That’s fine,” he said. “It’s already been dusted for prints.” Then he proceeded to carefully place the watch on Callie’s outstretched palm.

  She held the watch in her hands and then put her fingers over it. She closed her eyes then and seemed to twitch.

  “What is it? What did you see?” I asked once her eyes opened.

  She looked around the room as if she was trying to see someone who was supposed to be there but wasn’t.

  “This watch…this watch belonged to your friend. Rebecca,” she said.

  Four

  I looked back to gauge Rebecca’s reaction to this revelation, but all I saw was a glimpse of her ghostly back as she disappeared through the wall.

  “I have to go after her,” I said to Callie. “I’ll be in touch,” I added for Jonathan’s benefit.

  “Meredith—,” Jonathan called after me, but I simply didn’t have time for anything but Rebecca right now.

  And then like the amazing friend that I was, I went to search for a ghost that could be anywhere. Good thing I could actually see the suckers, wasn’t it?

  I didn’t have to go far, because Rebecca was in the parking lot, her head down and her back to me.

  “Are you okay?” I said after a few moments of silence.

  “What do you think?” Rebecca said, without turning around. But if her expression was as bitter as her words sounded, maybe that was a good thing.

  “I know this isn’t easy, Rebecca, but think of it this way, at least now finally, after all these years, you might get some closure.”

  She turned around and faced me then. Ghostly tears slid their way down her ghostly, see-through cheeks. I’d never seen her like this and the sight was disconcerting.

  “That’s what I’m afraid of. What if I don’t like what I find out?”

  I smiled. “Well, I’m pretty sure whatever your name was when you were alive, it can’t beat Rebecca, can it? It suits you better than any name I could think of.”

  “I only took that name because of the book you were reading,” she reminded me.

  “But you’ve grown into it over the years, haven’t you? No matter what your real name was, you’ll always be Rebecca to me.”

  Rebecca smiled now, too. My rouse to lighten the mood had worked.

  “It’ll be weird finding out things about myself I’ve forgotten,” she said. “There must be a reason I can’t remember...”

  I grimaced. Both Rebecca and I knew very well what that reason would be. A traumatic death that shocked the person into a sort of amnesia that could last several lifetimes or longer. It was the mind’s way of protecting itself. I shuddered to think what state Rebecca would be in once she found out what really happened to her.

  “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” I said. Just as I was about to suggest we go back in there, Callie and Lily were getting out of the police station.

  “There you are,” Lily said. “I was just telling Callie here that you abandoned us in your quaint little town. I was just about to start googling bars.”

  “There’s only one in town, I’m afraid,” I said.

  “Ah, the beauty of small towns, am I right?” Lily said.

  Callie just ignored her. “Don’t mind Lily. She’s always in the mood for either a drink or a man.”

  “Sometimes even both at the same time,” Lily joked. Or at least I assumed she was.

  “I was just talking to Rebecca about what happened in there,” I said. “She’s fine now, so if you have any other psychic insights to share, now would be the time.”

  “I’m afraid that’s all I got from the watch,” Callie said. Then she looked around as if to make sure that no one was within hearing distance. Currently, there wasn’t anyone, which was a small mercy in a town the size of Silver Bells. “As I was telling your sheriff friend back there, I’ll need to get closer to get a better psychic hit. That means I’ll have to touch the bones they found.”

  Rebecca visibly shuddered at the thought. Good thing I was the only one that was able to see her.

  “And I’m sure he loved that idea,” I said.

  Lily laughed. “It’s basically the reason we’re out here right now.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll talk to him,” I reassured them. “In the meantime, do you guys want to get something to eat?”

  “Not right now,” Callie said. “Dax is actually on his way here. He thought it might be a good idea to look at some old news stories at the local library.”

  “I’m not sure we have stories going back that far. That place is pretty small, but it’s worth a shot,” I said. “I’ll join you guys as soon as I’m done here.”

  Just then, I saw Dax pulling into the parking lot. We said our goodbyes. Callie, Lily, and Dax went one way, while Rebecca and I went back inside the police station to face the music. Or rather, to make Jonathan face the music.

  “You again,” the receptionist said when she saw me.

  “Yeah, and don’t worry, I’ll be quick,” I said as I passed her desk.

  “He’s busy right now!” She yelled after me but I just ignored her like usual.

  Jonathan actually was busy. Eating a sandwich.

  I looked at the clock behind him. “A little early for lunchtime, don’t you think?”

  “Absolutely not,” Jonathan said after finishing a bite he was working on when I came in. Then he took a sip of his soda.

  “You know, that stuff isn’t good for you. You think your wife being a nurse and all would tell you that.”

  “Just say your piece and go, Meredith,” he said, obviously not in the mood to be poked fun at.

  “I’m not sure why we’re even arguing about this. Callie is a gifted psychic that can have this case closed and shut before you guys can even get the lab results back. So what’s the big deal if she touches some bones?”

  Rebecca winced at the mention of the bones.

  “Sorry, you know what I meant,” I said to her.

  Jonathan just rolled his eyes when I turned back to look at him.

  “That’s just the thing. This thing has the potential to go nationwide. I want to do everything by the book. And having ghost hunters and psychics on the case is not a good look. I get enough grief from the guys for working with you. Now that your little friend is in town? I’m basically a laughing stock.”

  “Oh, puh-leeze, Jonathan. You’ve always been a laughing stock and you know it.”

  Rebecca actually laug
hed at that.

  “Get out of my office.”

  “I will for now,” I said. “But don’t think I won’t go above your head to get this done.”

  He was the one laughing now. “I’m the freaking sheriff, remember? There’s no one above me.”

  “I was talking about your wife, Sarah. She’s my cousin, remember?”

  I got out of there quickly before the fight could escalate any further. A couple of officers snickered as I made my way out. Apparently, we had an audience during our little spat.

  Once outside, before I even had a chance to take my phone out and text Sarah right then and there, I got a phone call from Kane.

  “What’s up?” I said as soon as I answered the call.

  “Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?” He said and laughed.

  I explained everything that had happened so far.

  “Wow. You might finally find out what happened to Rebecca?”

  “Yup. It’s pretty exciting,” I said and then saw the look on Rebecca’s face. “And a little scary, of course.”

  “This is actually perfect timing. I was calling to let you know that everything’s been wrapped up earlier than expected over here.”

  “You got your money shot already?” I teased.

  “Something like that. So I’ll probably see you later in the day and then I can join the fun. You on the way to the library now?”

  “Yeah, I think it’s probably the best place to look. And I don’t think Callie and the others will have much luck for obvious reasons.”

  Both Kane and I were familiar with the librarian and her ways. I was a local and she gave me a hard time. I could only imagine how much fun Callie, Dax, and Lily were having right about now.

  As soon as I entered the small library, I could feel the tension levels rise. Lily was thumbing through a magazine of all things while Callie and Dax looked like they were about to lose their minds trying to deal with Ms. Webb.

  “Need a little help?” I said, coming up behind them.

  “Thank the Universe,” Callie said when she saw me. “Could you please explain to Ms. Webb here that Dax and I are here by your request and that we’re not just some random weirdoes trying to exploit your quaint little town’s history?”

  I put on my best smile and moved past Callie and Dax. “Hi, Ms. Webb. You remember me, right? I come here all the time.”

  The librarian scoffed at that. “Not for the normal reasons, that’s for sure.”

  I dug inside my purse and took out the library card. “But I have this, don’t I?”

  The librarian couldn’t say anything to that. “Make it quick, Ms. Good.” Then she threw a disapproving glance toward Callie and her friends. “I’m going to keep my eye on you lot, you can be sure of that.”

  “Before we leave you to whatever you were doing before we arrived, could you please tell us where your old newspaper scans and clippings might be?” I asked.

  “How old?” Ms. Webb asked without missing a beat.

  “Eighties, maybe seventies?” I offered.

  “We only go back to the mid-nineties in our archives, if you want to go further back, you’re going to have to contact the Historical Society of Silver Bells Cove.”

  “The what? We have one of those?” You learn something new every day living in this town. Why did I ever leave? Oh, that’s right, because the people didn’t take kindly to me talking about seeing ghosts and such.

  The librarian gave me a stern look. “Yes. We ran out of space so they took most of the pre-mid-nineties historical records for safekeeping. I’ll write down their information for you. But be warned, they don’t just talk to anyone off the street.” She threw a dirty glance toward Callie and Dax, and then an even nastier look toward Lily, who was still obliviously paging through the magazine.

  “Thank you, Ms. Webb,” I said and left it at that. Rebecca gave me a questioning glance. “What? I’m not in the mood for a fight,” I said once we were mostly out of earshot.

  “That was something,” Callie said once we were outside the small library building.

  “I know, right?” Lily said. “Aren’t small-town folk supposed to be friendlier? Did you see the way she snatched that magazine from me? So rude.”

  I actually hadn’t seen, but it didn’t surprise me. Ms. Webb was stern but usually fair. She was in her early fifties now and she still dressed like someone from days gone by. I guess having strangers show up out of the blue like that made her even more distrusting than usual. Good thing I came to rescue the day.

  “Ms. Webb has always been a bit cold,” I said. “Especially if you don’t conform to her idea of what a normal person should be. But if you have a library card, she has to serve you. It’s her job.”

  “Dax tried turning on his charm, but it didn’t get us far,” Callie said.

  Dax looked a bit crestfallen by that. “It usually works…”

  “You remind me of someone I know,” I said and laughed. Rebecca gave me an impatient look. “Anyway, I should probably call this number. The Historical Society of Silver Bells Cove. Still can’t wrap my brain around that actually being a thing. Who knew?”

  I excused myself and stood by my car, inputting the number in my phone. And, of course, I got an answering machine. I guess it made sense. I doubted the Society could afford someone to man the phone 24/7.

  “Anyone hungry?” Lily said after I rejoined the group and told them I left a message. “Because I’m hungry.”

  It was time to take them to the only place in town.

  Rebecca didn’t join me in the car, though.

  “What’s up?” I asked her. “What’s on your mind?”

  “I’m just thinking that maybe I should be doing more?” She shrugged her ghostly shoulders. “I’m scared to find out the truth, but I kind of need to, don’t I?”

  I nodded.

  “So I’m thinking maybe I should do some snooping of my own. I’m thinking I should stop by the police station and see if they’re looking through missing persons’ files or something.”

  “Good idea,” I said. “Let’s just hope they didn’t put a salt circle around the station.”

  Rebecca and I looked at each other and laughed.

  “Yeah, I can’t see Jonathan being willing to look that weird, either,” I said. “Good luck and do come back if you find anything out. I don’t want you dealing with this all by yourself, understand?”

  “We’re born alone, we die alone,” Rebecca said. “And I’m already dead, remember?”

  That’s what I was afraid of. What if what Rebecca found out changed her irreparably? What if the awful memories came back and stunned her into immobility, running to her own world as a way to protect herself? I could never forgive myself if my best friend became one of those ghosts. But I also knew that I couldn’t stop her from looking into her own death if that’s what she wanted.

  But for right now, it was time to get something to eat and, not to mention, drink. Plus, I still had to convince Sarah to make Jonathan let Callie touch the bones they found. That was going to be fun.

  Five

  I parked in front of Sammy’s Bar & Grill and waited for the others to find a parking spot. They were right behind me this whole time, following me to our fated location, the only place in town that seemed to have an element of fun to it. Well, at least when the sun went down. Seeing as it was only a bit after noon, the sun was still shining proudly in the sky.

  “Cute!” Lily said.

  “Wait till you see the owner, Danny,” I said under my breath. But apparently, Lily heard it and her hands were on my arm, pulling at me for more information.

  “Really? Please tell me you’re not joking?” Then she straightened her hair with her hands. “How do I look? Do I look hot?”

  “Umm, I’m not sure how to answer that,” I stuttered.

  “You look fine,” Callie reassured her friend while Dax just rolled his eyes. It looked like this was a common occurrence with Lily.

  “And
why is his name Danny and not Sammy?” Lily asked as we made our way inside.

  “His father opened the place way back in the day, now it’s Danny’s.”

  “That’s nice,” she said. Then she saw Danny manning the bar. Tall, flannel shirt, beard, bulging biceps and all. And then that friendly smile when he saw us enter to top it all off. “Very nice, indeed.”

  “Hush, Lily,” Callie whispered to her friend. “Let’s pretend we’re respectable, at least until we get our orders.”

  “Kind of early for a drink, isn’t it?” Danny said to me. “And I see you’ve brought some new friends along?”

  I introduced them all to Danny and vice versa. Callie had to hold Lily back. It looked like she was ready to jump over the counter and into poor Danny’s arms. That’s the kind of thing that was excusable only after you’ve had a couple of drinks.

  “We’re here for the food. Mostly,” I added when Lily giggled. “She’s not driving, so she should be fine.”

  We picked out a booth in the back. Not surprisingly, we were the only customers at this time of day.

  Danny was by himself so he had the pleasure of bringing us our menus. Lily smiled from ear to ear when he handed her hers, and she made a point of brushing his hand when she took the menu from him.

  “Thank you, Danny,” she said and batted her eyelashes.

  “You’re very welcome,” he said. It actually looked like Danny was blushing a little, but it was hard to tell since half his face was covered by that beard. “Can I bring anyone anything to drink?”

  “Iced tea for me,” I said.

  “Same for me,” Callie said.

  “A beer, straight from the tap,” Dax said. Then he specified what kind he wanted.

  “And you, ma’am?” Danny asked Lily when she didn’t immediately answer.

  “Please call me Lily,” she was quick to say. “I don’t think I’m quite in the ‘ma’am’ territory yet, don’t you think?”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you,” Danny was quick to say.

  “You didn’t,” Lily said. “Could I have a sangria, please. The one in this picture.” She pointed it out with her finger. I had to admit the drink looked pretty damn good, but since I was driving, I decided not to indulge.