by Libby Howard
Instead I squeezed his hand. “That kind of love isn’t exclusive to a husband and wife, you know. That very same love can come from a parent, a child, or even your dearest friends. I’d like to think that you’ll heal and love again, but don’t discount the precious gift of love from family and friends. I know that if it were me in that hospital bed, Daisy would wrestle Death to the ground for me.”
Words that were meant to make him felt better, surprisingly made me feel better. I was a widow. My parents had passed. I had no brothers or sisters or children. Yet I had friends who I could count on—friends who would drop everything, and indeed wrestle Death to the ground if need be.
The judge chuckled. “I can see that. And I am pretty sure Daisy would win that fight, hands down.”
“Madison and Henry would do the same for you,” I told him. “Those kids adore you. When you’re old and drinking prune juice and the Grim Reaper shows up, Madison and Henry will be there for you, battling on your behalf so you’ll have another year to spoil your grandkids. Or great grandkids.”
He released my hand to hit the button for four-wheel-drive as the snow began to come down again. “I’ll admit that’s comforting, but I always saw myself growing old with my wife. Call me old fashioned, but I’d expected marriage to last until death did us part.”
“Sometimes God doesn’t give you the life you envisioned,” I commented. “I believe the key is to do the best with the life you’ve been given. Every day, every year is a precious gift, and it’s up to us to value and cherish each of those days and years.”
We drove for a few moments in silence, then he reached down again and took my hand in his. “I believe in that too, Kay. There are times when I’m bitter that my life didn’t turn out as I’d planned, but increasingly I believe the best moments of my life are before me.”
The snow pelted the windshield, and I thought about his words. He was young. He had two amazing children. He had a career he loved. He was making a difference in this world as a man, as a father, and as a judge. I was no psychic, but I honestly felt there could be nothing but success and happiness in his future.
And mine? I searched my heart and felt a sense of peace, of comfort, of strange exhilaration that I hadn’t experienced in over a decade. Maybe there were amazing things in my future as well.
And maybe, just maybe, our futures would be down the same path.
Chapter 6
“Kay. Wake up.”
I blinked my eyes open and saw a familiar sight before me. My garage. To my right, my house. The car was still warm but with a creeping chill that told me it had recently been turned off.
Judge Beck leaned over to rub my shoulder. “You were really sleeping hard. I thought about scooping you up and carrying you inside, but I’m not exactly a body builder and I had a horrible vision of me dropping you head-first onto the pavement, or falling backwards down the stairs with you in my arms, or being unable to get the door open while carrying you, or smashing your head against the door jamb as I tried to walk into the house.”
I started to laugh. “I think I can make it inside myself if you’ve got your keys ready.” I eyed the snow on my walk. “Although I wouldn’t object to a steadying arm to keep me from going down on my butt while walking through the snow in high heels.”
“Stay where you are.”
I shivered as the cold air blew in when Judge Beck opened the door. He shut it, then walked around to my side, opening my door and extending a hand to help me get out.
It was dark except for the glow of my porch light and the reflection off the snow. The air was cold and crisp, eerily still as snowy nights often are. I smelled the warm odor of a neighbor’s woodstove and the faint aroma of evergreens. Balancing myself with the help of Judge Beck, I waited for him to shut and lock the SUV, then walked by his side, my arm tight in the grip of his hand, as we made our way to the front door.
That’s when I saw the ghost hovering at the top of my porch steps. For a brief second my heart raced thinking it was Eli, then I realized this was the ghost from tonight. Judge Reynolds’ spirit. He hadn’t been in the car with us. How the heck had he known where I lived? Did ghosts have some sort of tracking device when it came to me? Either way, he was there and I had a feeling he was coming in.
I tried not to shiver I walked through the cold aura that surrounded the spirit. The judge opened the front door, and sure enough the spirit entered behind us, hovering off to the side while the judge locked up. Taco came dashing out of the kitchen toward us, skidding to a stop and staring at the ghost. His back arched and he let out a low warning sound somewhere between a growl and a meow.
Good cat. Hopefully between the two of us we could manage to keep the ghost confined to the downstairs, out of my bedroom and bathroom. That was probably the best I could hope for until his killer was brought to justice.
“What’s up with Taco?” Judge Beck frowned down at the annoyed cat.
“He sees a ghost,” I told him, knowing he’d never believe me.
The judge knelt down. “Nothing’s there Taco. It’s all good, boy.”
The cat sent the ghost another glare, then headed over to the judge purring and head butting the man’s outstretched hand.
I slipped my heels off and set them aside, then took off my coat and hung it up, noticing that the ghost moved respectfully aside as I opened the closet door.
“I’m guessing from the way you were sleeping in the car that a nightcap is out of the question?”
I hesitated. Seeing him there in his tux with a purring cat in his arms made me want to stay, but I was exhausted and I knew that daylight would come early and Daisy would be here with the sunrise for yoga.
“Rain check? I’m so tired that you’d definitely need to carry me upstairs if I indulged. And from what you said in the car, I don’t think that would be a pleasant experience for either of us.”
He laughed. “I had a wonderful time this evening, Kay. I’m so sorry for the way it ended, but I still enjoyed your company.”
“I did too.” I covered a yawn. “Thank you for inviting me, and thank you…” I almost thanked him for the dress, but caught myself, “for helping when I found Judge Reynolds. And thank you for driving so far out of your way to take Ruby home.”
He smiled, and suddenly he reminded me of a thirteen-year-old boy who had just brought a date home from the movies and wasn’t sure whether to kiss her or not.
“I was happy to be there for you, Kay.”
He put Taco down and headed up the stairs behind me. Our bedrooms were on the second floor, but both of us climbed to the third floor, peeking in to make sure Madison and Henry were both sound asleep in their rooms. On the way back down, Judge Beck hesitated as I stepped off the landing on the second floor.
“Aren’t you going to bed?” I asked.
“Yeah, I just… was, uh, wondering if I should run out and get donuts for everyone tomorrow.”
I’d been too busy to bake today, and the few lemon zest muffins I had left in the bread box wouldn’t be enough for everyone. “That would be great. Or I could make pancakes.”
He shook his head. “You’re always feeding us, Kay. Let me at least provide some boxed donuts for you. What’s your favorite? Apple spice? Sour cream?”
He was about to get the surprise of his life. “Glazed with chocolate frosting, or crullers with chocolate frosting if they have them.”
“Got it.” He grinned then turned toward his bedroom. “Sweet dreams, Kay.”
“You too,” I called out. Before he went into his room I thought I heard him muttering something but couldn’t quite make out what it was.
I somehow managed to get my gown off on my own, laying it across a chair so I could take it to the dry cleaners this week. After putting on my pajamas, I padded down the hall to the bathroom to wash the make-up off and brush my teeth. Taco still hadn’t come upstairs, so I headed back down and found my cat doing his best German Shepherd routine, guarding the ghost that he’d cornered by the hallway clo
set.
“Down boy.” Obviously Taco did not respond to that command, so I gathered him into my arms and motioned for the ghost to follow me as I went into the kitchen.
Unlike most of the ghosts I’d encountered since my weird paranormal sensitivity had kicked in this year, Rhett Reynolds was polite and respectful…and obedient to my requests. From what I’d seen of him and from what his daughter had told me, I wasn’t surprised.
I gave Taco a little bit of Happy Cat kibble in his bowl to distract him and sat on one of the island barstools facing the ghost.
“So, here’s the deal. Yes, I discovered your body, but I’m not the one in charge of this investigation. You were a judge; you must know this. I’m nosy, so I’ll definitely dig around, and anything I find out I’ll turn over to the police, but I’ve got other things I need to do. I’ve got a job. And Christmas is coming up. I suggest you go haunt the detective in charge of your murder instead of hanging around me and my house.”
My kitchen window frosted over and with a squeaking noise that made my ears hurt, a picture appeared.
An eye.
“I get it. I can see you, and the detective can’t. But if you can draw a picture on a frosted window for me, you can do the same thing for him. Go guide him in the investigation.”
The eye picture frosted over and was replaced by one word—Ruby.
It was like someone had my heart in a vise. “We made sure she got home safely. It’s going to be very hard for her to get past your death, but she will eventually. She loves you. She hopes that she makes you proud.”
I felt a wave of sorrow and regret, then an underline appeared in addition to the word on the window.
“I asked her to call me tomorrow and let me know how she was doing. I don’t know what you want from me. I just met your daughter tonight. I’d be happy to be her friend, to make sure she gets through this, but that’s her decision, not mine. I can’t foist myself, a stranger, upon a grieving woman I just met. If you’re concerned about her, maybe you should go visit one of her friends. Or her dog, Dolly.”
The message on the frosty window went back to an eye.
“Look, I’m not the only person who can see you. In fact, I’m sure there are lots of mediums that can actually communicate with you in a method more effective than drawing in the frost on a window.”
Again the window frosted and one word appeared on it. Trust.
I had no idea why Judge Reynolds’ ghost would trust me. I’d just met him. I barely knew him. Maybe it was because I’d felt a surge of empathy toward his daughter and taken her under my wing. Maybe in death he’d developed the ability to see into my heart and soul and liked what he saw. Maybe he psychically knew there was some important role I’d play in this investigation, and he was trying to nudge me in the right direction.
For some reason, I thought it was the last one.
“Okay. No going in my bedroom or bathroom. Actually, please remain on this floor if you’re inside the house. Please be respectful of private and family time, and conversations. I’ll do what I can to help you and your daughter, but I can’t promise anything. And I need you to agree that if your murder case isn’t solved in the next month, you’ll go somewhere else.”
My final request was a long shot. I had no way of enforcing that beyond calling Olive and I wasn’t even sure she could make that sort of banishment stick. I really didn’t want to face the prospect that this ghost would be a permanent resident of my house. Sometimes murders went unsolved, and sometimes the wrong person was convicted of the crime. Me having to deal with a ghost in my home couldn’t be a consequence of that, especially since the investigation was really out of my hands.
Agreed.
Clearly Rhett Reynolds was a good man in death as he was in life. It made me even more determined to stick my nose into this investigation, and to make sure I helped Ruby in any way that I could.
The ghost slipped through the walls into some other part of the house. I watched the frost fade from the window, and when Taco was done eating the last of his kibble, I picked him up and went upstairs to bed.
Chapter 7
I was bleary eyed but up with the dawn to do yoga with Daisy. She wanted to go out into the snow and do sun salutations, but I convinced her the basement would be better. My new ghost resident stayed out of our way. I’d seen him back by the hallway closet and near the back door, but he hadn’t followed us down for yoga.
“I got J.T.’s present,” Daisy announced as we began.
I eyed her from my upside-down position. “And?”
My friend grinned. “A GoPro. That way he can do some chase scenes for his YouTube channel. Action shots will really add to the videos.”
I imagined a shaky video of J.T. running down a bail-jumper and bit back a smile. “He’ll love it.”
“What did you get the judge?” Daisy asked as she moved into a plank.
I had no idea what to get my roommate. “Nothing yet. Madison and I are going shopping this afternoon. Hopefully I’ll get inspired.”
“No ideas after your party?” She smirked over at me.
“The party where I found a murdered man in a bathroom? The party that pretty much ended because the entire police force descended on us to interview all the attendees? The party after which the judge and I ended up driving the daughter of the murdered man home?”
“What? What?”
I know it was horrible of me to joke about a homicide, but I loved surprising Daisy like this. I told her about the party, my discovery in the upstairs restroom, and about the ghost now lurking about my house.
“I was expecting you to tell me about a slow dance, a kiss goodnight, and maybe more.” Daisy laughed. “I should have known better. Only you can end up finding a murdered man in what was supposed to be a romantic evening out.”
I followed her into a downward dog pose. “It wasn’t really supposed to be a romantic evening, Daisy. Judge Beck wanted to attend as part of his career advancement and needed a plus-one.”
Daisy snorted. “Yep, that’s why he bought you an amazing dress and had his daughter hide it in the back of your closet.”
“Shhh!” I glanced up the stairs. “He doesn’t know that I know.”
I was pretty sure Daisy was rolling her eyes, but since we were in a Uttanasana pose, I couldn’t tell.
“Throw me a bone here, Carrera. There’s got to be at least one romantic thing that happened last night.”
She’d had made no secret of her desire to see the judge and I in love. It’s not like I could deny my attraction or budding feelings. Daisy always saw right through that. Besides, she was my best friend, and I couldn’t help but be honest with her even if I wasn’t always honest with myself.
I glanced toward the stairs again. There had been footsteps above earlier, but I was pretty sure I’d heard the door close. Either way, I decided to keep my voice as low as possible.
“We danced. It was a slow dance, and it was…” I pursed my lips, trying to find a way to describe it.
“Sexy? You guys were grinding all up against each other on the dance floor, right?”
I laughed. “To ‘Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini’? Hardly. It was magic. It was like a movie. It was electric.”
“And then?” Daisy abandoned any pretense at yoga and stood.
“I had to go to the bathroom.”
This time I did see her eyes roll. “You chickened out and ran off, afraid of the electricity. Am I right?”
How well she knew me. “Partially. I did have to go, and I needed a minute to process everything. Judge Beck went to get me another glass of wine. I think…well, I don’t know what would have happened, but that’s when I found the murder victim, and that kind of ruined the whole romantic mood.”
“Not necessarily.” Daisy sat down on the floor cross-legged. “Come on, Kay. I doubt even a dead body could extinguish those flames. Talk to me.”
“When I found the dead man I didn’t call 911, I called Judge Beck. He started
ordering people around, glared his way past the security guards, and came running down the hall to me.”
Daisy put her chin in her hands. “Go on.”
“When we got home and we’d checked on the kids, he stopped at the second-floor landing, and I think he might have been going to kiss me. Maybe I’m wrong though. It was just kind of weird and awkward, and I didn’t think about it until the moment had passed so it’s not like I sent him any signals that I’d welcome that.”
I’d expected Daisy to throw up her hands in exasperation and berate my lack of romantic instincts, but instead she grinned.
“That’s okay. There will be another time.”
Then she said something that completely surprised me.
“Take your time, Kay. You were married to Eli for a long time, and this has been a year of huge change for you. Judge Beck is a patient man. He’s not in any hurry and neither should you be. When it feels right, let your feelings show, but don’t ever think you need to rush.”
I sank down on the carpet next to her. “Thank you. That makes me feel so much better. I’ve been beating myself up for even imagining any sort of relationship with Eli not even gone a year yet. Then I’m beating myself up for being a scared fool and running away from what might be awesome. Honestly I’m scared.”
She chuckled. “Look at how long J.T. and I have been dating. I still get scared. I’m sure he still gets scared.”
True. It had taken them forever to move their relationship to a physical level. The pair of them seemed very happy together moving things along at their own pace. The one thing I’d learned from watching my best friend and J.T. was that every relationship danced to its own music. What was right for them was right, no matter what the conventional formula for a successful relationship might be.
I definitely heard the door open and close that time. “Judge Beck is getting donuts this morning,” I told Daisy.
“Donuts?” She got to her feet. “Yoga ends early today. I want a donut and some coffee.”
She held out a hand and I let her help me up, because coffee and a chocolate-covered donut was exactly what I needed right now. Exactly.
