by D J Monroe
“The same thing that happened when you walked back into this house,” Creed said. “I think- I don’t know. I think we need each other to make the connection to Tammy’s spirit.” Creed’s gaze strayed toward the camera resting innocently on the table.
“We?”
“You, me-Tammy.”
Nate gave him a skeptical look, tilted his head. “You really believe that?”
Creed nodded. “I’m sure of it.” He sounded more confident than he felt but he was growing more sure of the situation by the moment.
Without another word, Nate picked up the camera and held it up to his eye. Squinted, and aimed the camera toward the floor. Then he lowered the camera and looked through it again, appearing to aim it out of the kitchen window.
“What do you see?” Creed asked. He was almost afraid to ask but unable to stand the suspense a moment longer.
“Someone lying on what looks like carpet near a fireplace. Long dark hair. It has to be Tammy,” Nate reported.
Creed was afraid to believe it was true. “What else?”
“Someone, a man standing over her. He’s stuffed something—it appears to be something small-into his pocket. Now it looks like he’s kicking at her, shaking her. Trying to wake her up or make her move,” Nate said, lowering the camera at last.
Creed finally relaxed. “That’s what I saw, too. Until you left. And then it was just like looking through a regular camera lens.”
“So my presence has something to do with this-this-?” Nate said. He placed the camera back on the table and pointed at it.
“I do. And I think it’s going to continue until we find out what happened to your aunt,” Creed said, determined to hold his ground if Nate argued.
“Or until I leave again,” Nate said.
“Or that.”
Nate studied him closely and finally asked, “Do you think we can wrap it up in a week?”
A week? Was Nate giving him another week? A fresh wave of relief flooded through Creed. “The investigation? Absolutely.”
“Then that’s what we’ve got. A week and then I’ll head back to Charlotte. I’ll talk to dad. Fill him in on the timeframe and tell him you’re going to finish the cleanup job,” Nate said, ticking off his plans on his outstretched fingers.
Creed nodded and held out his hand. “Deal.”
Nate hesitated only a moment and slid his hand into Creed’s.
The handshake was firm and Creed felt as if Nate held on a little longer than necessary. Their eyes met and held and Creed knew Nate wanted to kiss him. His heart pounded furiously. He came so close to asking him for that kiss he could taste it.
But, obviously this was a business agreement.
No room for emotions.
Nate cleared his throat, looked away from Creed and finally took a seat at the table. “So, what do you think we’re seeing here?” he asked.
“I think that’s Tammy on the floor by the fireplace. I think her killer is standing over her,” Creed said.
“So you think she’s dead, not just missing,” Nate said.
“I’d almost bet on it.”
“I agree. If she was just missing, if she’d run away for whatever reason, someone would have seen her by now. She would have contacted someone in the family. She was devoted to her mother. At the very least she would have called Kathy if her feelings for Kathy were the same.”
“She didn’t run away,” Creed said.
“So what do you think our next step should be?”
“We’ve talked to everyone I can think of,” Creed said. “I took some time to write everything down on our timeline, including how they seemed to react.”
“Good man,” Nate said, reaching for the legal pad.
At that moment, someone pounded on the door.
Thirty-Two: Discovery
Creed and Nate exchanged glances. Creed shrugged and shook his head.
“Open up in there.” That was Walter. “I’ve come to claim what is rightfully mine.”
Creed saw Nate’s face turn to stone. He dropped the legal pad on the table and stormed toward the door to face his cousin. Creed followed, ready to back Nate no matter what happened next.
“What are you doing here?” Walter demanded when Nate opened the door.
“I live here, remember,” Nate said quietly.
Creed held his breath. When Nate grew quiet was when he was the most upset. Judy and Cherry stood behind Walter, looking just as angry as he appeared to be at that moment.
“Well, I came to collect the things that belonged to my father before you destroy them,” Walter snarled.
Nate hesitated and Creed thought he was going to slam the door in Walter’s face. Instead, he took a step backwards and opened the door. “Very well, then. But I don’t think it’s going to take all three of you.”
“I want to retrieve my things as well,” Judy said. “Cherry is here to help.”
“Okay, but the rest of the house is off limits and once you leave today, you won’t be allowed back in unless you’re invited,” Nate set the rules.
Walter nodded, reluctantly and the three trooped inside the house. Creed and Nate retreated to the kitchen and listened while they trudged up the stairs to the second floor. They stood there for a moment, Nate reaching for the legal pad.
“I know you probably don’t believe this,” Creed said, placing a hand on Nate’s arm, “but believe me when I tell you that whatever is in this house is going crazy right now.”
“You mean your ghost?” Nate said without looking up.
“Whatever it is. Yes,” Creed said as if struggling to control his breathing.
Nate looked up. “You’re dead serious.”
Creed could only nod. And then he said, “Listen.”
Loud voices, sounding argumentative and footsteps but they were all concentrated in one room above them.
Looking more puzzled than anything else, Nate headed for the stairs with Creed close behind.
They found all three of them in Charles’s bedroom. Judy was screeching at her brother, Cherry trying to calm her down.
And Walter was on the floor. He’d lifted one corner of the large rug covering the floor and had pried up several floorboards with a knife.
When Nate and Creed appeared in the doorway, Judy gasped and Cherry whirled to face them. Both of them were red-faced, breathing hard and quite obviously quite upset about something.
“Got it,” Walter announced and stood.
“What the hell is going on here?” Nate demanded. The damage to the floor didn’t concern him. What did concern him was what Walter held in his hands.
A locket and what looked like a bag or purse of some sort.
Everyone in the room was dead silent, the women staring from Walter to Nate.
Nate took a step forward and quietly held out his hand.
The spirit was going crazy, zooming around the room, careening off the walls and sending off sparks. Creed felt his energy levels fading fast. He leaned against the door, panting. “It’s Tammy’s-“
“Purse,” Nate finished. “And her locket.”
Walter simply stood there looking from one to the other, the locket dangling from his fingers, swinging back and forth like a pendulum. The light caught it and sparkled.
“Why would Tammy’s purse and locket be hidden under the floorboards in this room?”
The spirit danced on Walter’s shoulders, bounced across the bed and then headed straight for Nate. Creed reached out as if to protect Nate but the essence slid right through him. The only effect was that Nate seemed to shudder but he never took his eyes off of Walter.
“Please explain what I’m seeing,” Nate said, pointing to the objects Walter held. “And how you knew they were here.”
At that moment, Judy’s cell chimed. She answered it quietly. Nate did not take his eyes off of Walter.
“Walter, it’s okay,” Judy said, her voice and demeanor one of defeat. “Charles just passed.”
Walter’s h
ead dropped and he slouched against the wall, letting the purse drop to the floor. His shoulders shook with sobs and he let Nate take the locket from his fingers without a fight.
Nate picked up the purse and handed it to Creed. Inside, Creed found her wallet with several small bills inside.
“It’s hers,” Creed said.
“It was an accident,” Walter said. “Dad went over to the Petersen’s. They got into some kind of an argument. He pushed her. She fell and hit her head.”
“He lied to you,” Creed said, getting information from the spirit without fully understanding how.
“What did he do with her body?” Nate asked.
“Buried her somewhere in the woods. He couldn’t remember where,” Walter told them.
“When did he tell you this?” Creed asked quietly.
“Right after his diagnosis,” Judy answered.
Walter shrugged. “At first we didn’t believe him. Thought he was talking out of his head because of all the medication.” He looked tired, defeated. “Then he told us more or less where these things were hidden and begged us to come and get them before you got here so no one would find out- Find out what he’d done.”
Nate waited patiently.
“But you got here sooner than we thought,” Walter finished.
“This was why her purse or the locket was never found,” Creed said quietly.
“He meant to go back and get her shoe and he never did figure out what happened to her glasses until it was too late,” Walter explained.
“So when Kenny saw Bill Adams’s car that night, he just assumed it was Bill. He had no idea it was Charles,” Creed said.
“And that’s why Charles pretended to be such good friends with Kenny afterward. Maybe he was afraid he would convince the police that Charles really had been at the Petersen’s that night,” Nate said.
“Nate, I’m really sorry about all of this. I—We didn’t mean to be so disruptive,” Judy said.
“This was all you wanted?” Nate asked.
“Yes.”
“Just trying to give Dad some peace of mind before he died,” Walter said.
Nate understood completely. He would have done the same thing for his father.
Thirty-Three: Together
The big box van from the library took up most of the driveway so Creed parked on the street. He jogged across the yard toward where Nate was standing in the doorway.
“Sorry, I had to leave that up to you,” Creed said.
“No worries,” Nate said. “How’s your mom?”
Creed shook his head. “She was pretty good this morning. I think the new meds are helping.” He hesitated and took a deep breath. “I told her about you.”
Nate’s smile grew wider. “And?”
“Well, first she reminded me of something she said not too long ago. She said something special was going to happen to me soon. I think that something special was you.”
“I’d say you’re the something special that happened to me but let’s not mince words,” Nate said, leading the way inside the house.
“She wants to meet you,” Creed said.
“Good.”
“Wow, this place looks ten times bigger than it did the first time I saw it,” Creed said, his gaze roaming over the now empty hallway, the empty stairs.
“I know right,” Nate said. “You should see the kitchen.”
“Anybody home?”
“Bobby, shouldn’t you be on your way home?” Creed asked when he saw his brother-in-law standing in the open doorway. “I was just talking to Julia and-“
Bobby laughed. “I’m headed there now. I wanted to stop by and let you know we’ve officially reopened the case on Tammy Palmer and closed it again. That’s one cold case solved thanks to you guys.”
Nate shook his head. “I know Dad will be glad to hear that. Just knowing what happened and who was responsible seemed to ease his mind.”
“Are there more cold cases?” Creed asked.
“A few but none like this one,” Bobby told him. “Now, I’m headed home.”
“Thanks for letting us know,” Nate said.
Bobby gave them a little salute, turned and headed out into the sunshine.
Nate closed the door behind him.
“So, I guess that’s that,” Creed said.
“I’d say we accomplished a lot in three weeks,” Nate said looking proud of himself.
“I’d say so,” Creed said, grinning thinking that Nate had never looked more handsome. His face and clothes were streaked with dirt and sweat from and lifting boxes and boxes of books into the library van.
They stood there looking at each other for a moment until Nate reached out, caught Creed’s hand and kissed it. Then with a little moan, he pulled Creed close. “I don’t think I’ll ever get over the wonder of the way our bodies fit together so perfectly,” Nate whispered.
Creed responded with a kiss that deepened quickly. He pressed the full length of his body against Nate’s content to simply stand there and cling to him while the house seemed to settle around them. Safe. Protected.
“What now?” Creed whispered, his breath hot on Nate’s ear.
“Now, we make this place our own,” Nate said, pulling back slightly.
Creed smiled at him. “You mean-“
“I talked to Dad about it,” Nate said. “He guessed what was happening between us and gave his blessing.”
“Surprised?
Nate nodded. “He’s come a long way in the last few weeks, too,” Nate said.
“Nate, I promise-” Creed began.
Nate pressed his finger against Creed’s lips. “No promises. Not yet. First, we explore whatever is growing between us. There will be time for promises later.”
“But-“
“I want to get to know you,” he traced around Creed’s mouth, ran his finger down his chin, down his chest and tugged on his belt buckle. “All of you.”
“Fair enough,” Creed said, his voice trembling.
“Right now,” Nate said.
“You need a shower,” Creed whispered.
“Come with me. Wash my back,” Nate said, leading him up the stairs and down the hall to the bathroom.
The two men undressed each other, slowly, each one touching and exploring, learning more and more about each other with each passing moment. Once they stepped into the shower, they continued the physical exploration, taking their time. Nate lathered up a sponge and washed Creed thoroughly, loving the way he could make Creed gasp or quiver with a particular touch. When Nate could stand it no longer, Nate used his lips and tongue. Creed leaned back against the tiled wall with a sigh, giving himself to Nate completely.
Nate continued to tease him until he sensed Creed was about to lose control. Creed had one hand on Nate’s bobbing head, called out his name. That’s when Nate stood up and handed the sponge to Creed. Creed grinned and performed the same loving ritual that Nate had. And when he brought Nate to the brink of ecstasy, Nate managed to pull free.
“Let’s take this into our bedroom,” Creed whispered.
Over the past week, they had decided the master bedroom would be their own if Nate’s dad would allow them to buy the house. It was the one room in the house completely redecorated with sheer curtains billowing in the afternoon breeze and a fresh coat of paint. The big bed was freshly made with white linens.
And yet, this was the first time they entered this room as a couple, as two men who were ready to give themselves to each other, heart and soul.
They rolled around in the big bed, naked and still damp from the shower. Their kisses quickly turned from tender and playful to passionate and they ended up with Nate towering over Creed, both hands braced on either side of the pillow.
“I don’t think I’ve ever felt about anyone the way I feel about you,” Creed confessed.
Nate slipped a hand between them and stroked Creed slowly, loving the way his gasp turned into a moan and the way his eyes grew a shade darker. “I want to show
you- I want to show you everything.”
They kissed again, long and deep, tongues dancing. Nate rolled onto his back, pulling Creed on top of him. His hand continued to move steadily and Creed whimpered. Nate smiled, looking down at the pearly wet drops coating his palm. With a wicked grin, Nate licked his hand.
“I want to give you every inch of me,” Creed whispered. “Including my heart.”
“You’ve already got mine, my love,” Nate said.
Much, much later, sweaty and exhausted, they slept in each other’s arms.
Creed awoke with a start. The sun had sunk low in the sky and he looked around the room, confused for a moment as to both time and place. He had just relaxed back against Nate’s warm body when the now familiar energy slid into the room.
It was Tammy. He was sure of it. To his surprise, she’d stayed there and active in the house even after the truth came out about her death. She’d gone with them when they told Nate’s Dad what had happened to her. And after each step, Creed was afraid she would leave for good.
But she was still around.
Almost as if she wanted him to know it was her for sure, she began materializing at the foot of the bed. She looked the same as she had in the pictures he’d seen of her, pretty, happy with her long, dark hair falling on either side of her face.
“Tammy.” Creed whispered.
She nodded and extended her hands. Her smile grew wider.
“I love him,” Creed continued to whisper, nodding toward the sleeping Nate-his lover-his partner.
“Yes,” Tammy said, her voice nothing more than a whisper inside his head. “And he loves you.”
Creed closed his eyes briefly and when he opened them again, Tammy’s spirit appeared to be fading away.
“Don’t leave,” Creed said.
“I’ll always be around,” Tammy said in that same breathy voice. “Where there is love. I’ll always be around.”
A Note from DJ:
Thank you so much for reading my book. I do hope you enjoyed it. I’m already hard at work on another paranormal romance. If you would scoot over to Amazon and give this book a review, that would be amazing. Those reviews really do help.
