How to Kill A Ghost
(A Libby Grace Mystery – Book 3)
By
Audrey Claire
How to Kill A Ghost
Copyright © August 2014, Audrey Claire
Formatting by Bob Houston eBook Formatting
No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, distributed, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, without express written permission from the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes.
This book is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, or any events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and story line are created from the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously.
Chapter One
I expected to leave Summit’s Edge with Isabelle on my journey to find out the truth behind Peter Jenkins’s death as it associated with me. A part of me was sad to leave Jake, but excitement also coursed through my being. I might get my body back within the next few days. I might learn the truth about what happened to me. Most importantly of all, I might get my life back on track. Of course, what I should have recalled was that said life did not seem to want to get itself together. Difficulties often arose, throwing everything into chaos. This time murder didn’t delay Isabelle’s and my departure. Sickness did.
Jake lay in his bed, curled into a tiny ball, and he moaned with his eyes shut, dark lashes brushing his cheeks. I didn’t like the look of him and touched the backs of my fingers to his forehead. I made the move from habit, but as a spirit who had misplaced her body, I had no direct contact with the physical world. I couldn’t feel any perspiration on Jake’s skin. Nor could I tell if he had a temperature just by touching him.
“Jake, sweetie, how are you feeling?”
My son rolled over, and his eyes fluttered open. “Mom, can I stay home today?”
I wrinkled my forehead as I studied him. “Are you faking sick so you don’t have to take art class with Mrs. Gillespie?”
“Nooo.”
I heard little conviction in the answer. No one would believe I had the only child in existence who didn’t enjoy art class. Jake loved books, and if I didn’t encourage him to come out into the light of the world sometimes, he might be just as much of a recluse as my neighbor and semi-boyfriend Ian McClain. I say semi-boyfriend because I hadn’t come to a firm conclusion of our relationship, what with me being a ghost and him being a vampire. The logistics of such a union made no sense.
“I’m going to get the thermometer, and we’ll see,” I told Jake and made good on my promise. To my surprise, the reading said one hundred one degrees, and as if on cue, Jake coughed without covering his mouth. “Oh dear, you really are sick, aren’t you, pumpkin?”
I waited for Jake to make a smart remark, but he just blinked at me, cheeks red, eyelids droopy. My heart constricted, and I gave him medicine to bring his fever down then sat with him a few hours while he slept.
Early on during my experience of being a ghost, I had learned I drew energy from living beings. Through Ian, I had also discovered that I could somewhat control the level at which I drew this energy. I had since then made a conscious effort never to draw from children and certainly not from my son. So, when I could no longer hold my form, I leaned over to check that Jake was asleep and then faded from view. I sighed although I didn’t need to and shut my own eyes, careful not to let my mind drift lest I find myself halfway across town and hours having slipped by without my notice.
“I knew it,” came a scratchy, struggling voice.
Dread filled my being, and I slitted my eyes to peer at Jake. He was just as sickly-looking as he’d appeared when I entered his bedroom that morning, but now he sat up blinking in my general direction, mouth agape. After all my running through walls from room to room in order to protect my secret, I couldn’t have given it up this easily. Jake must be talking in his sleep.
“I knew you were a ghost, Mom. I just knew it!”
My consoling thoughts scattered in a million different directions.
I opened my mouth to deny his claim and remembered I was indeed invisible. Instead I willed myself into the hallway outside his room. Not needing to breathe as doing so was for a physical body, I drew in a deep breath anyway and turned the knob to his door. I pasted a smile on my face as I stuck my head around the frame, fully visible. “Jake, sweetie, did you say something? You should be getting some rest.”
His small face crinkled in concentration. I waited, praying he would accept the situation for what it seemed to be. Then after a few moments, he shook his head slowly, and I knew the jig was up.
“You’re always somewhere else all of a sudden, Mom. Ghosts can do that. You don’t eat food. Ghosts can’t eat.” He ticked the points off on his fingers, sealing my doom. “And the weirdest part is—you feel funny.”
My mouth fell open. I didn’t have an argument. I could deny all day and night, but the conviction in his tone said nothing would change his mind. Feel funny he’d said. That was the biggest issue. Even Monica had remarked on it. When I first kissed her cheek after I had become a ghost, she’d drawn away in shock and in essence said I was creepy. I had transferred my kisses for Jake to the top of his head to avoid skin contact, which I hated doing. However, it looked like it hadn’t been enough.
As I formulated what I would say to Jake, a coughing fit hit him, and he hunched forward, his little shoulders shaking. I rushed to his bedside and tucked him beneath the covers. Out of habit, I checked his forehead once again. His eyes fluttered closed.
“We can talk about it later, Mom, okay?” He yawned. I bit my bottom lip in worry.
“Jake, are you…” I stroked his hair from his forehead wishing I could feel the silky threads. I had been about to ask him if he was afraid of me, but that would mean I accepted him knowing my secret. I wasn’t ready to give in. “Rest up, sweetie. I’ll make you some soup a little later.”
After I was sure he slept, I quietly left the room the old-fashioned way and shut the door. Late morning, Isabelle arrived, and I let her in. We headed to my kitchen, and I made her a cup of coffee and sliced a piece of cinnamon apple streusel cake for her to enjoy with it. My thoughts were still on Jake and what I would do about him, but I forced myself to move past my fears and focus on a solution to my problem.
“I wondered what happened when you didn’t show at my house,” she commented. “At first I thought you were invisible because Clark was late leaving for the station. Imagine how foolish I felt whispering for you.” She chuckled, and I groaned.
“I’m sorry, Isabelle, but I can’t leave with Jake sick. Now I have another problem.” I sank into a seat across from her at my kitchen table and explained how Jake had found out about me being a ghost. “Sometimes I feel like I’m destined to be lost forever, and this is one of those times.”
“No,” she insisted, “we mustn’t give up hope. Jake will be fine. He loves you no matter what your physical condition. There’s… Well, it might be good that we weren’t able to leave right now.”
I frowned at her, trying to glean what she meant? “Did something happen?”
She hesitated, a distant look in her eyes as if she too had much on her mind. “Not exactly. Attend to your little one. We’ll figure out our next steps, Libby. Don’t you worry. Just be patient.”
Easier said than done.
I tried to get Isabelle talking about what was on her mind, but she remained close-lipped. When she had finished her coffee and cake, she pushed her chair back and stood then gathered her dishes. I headed her off to take care of them myself, preferring not to feel helpless, especially in my own
home.
“I’ll brew something to help Jake feel better faster,” Isabelle promised. “But I don’t have anything that’ll help him forget your secret.”
Her words made me think of Ian’s ability to erase memories, but I didn’t consider him at all in this situation.
“Are you sure you can take care of Jake in your state?”
That question arose no matter what the circumstances. I could pretend to be a solid, living being, and I had extended the time in which I could hold my form before needing to wink out and conserve energy. However, in the end, even those closest to me like Monica and Isabelle questioned my ability to care for Jake. The problem was, I didn’t need them to. I questioned myself on a daily basis, and with this setback, I had to think if now was the time to let go. Jake deserved better than a mother who couldn’t feel when he was too warm from a fever. If he had had no other symptoms, how long would my little boy have suffered? The thought frightened me.
“To be honest, I don’t know,” I said. “But I’ll decide soon. This setback has opened my eyes to know that I can’t put it off. Once and for all, I need to do what’s best for Jake.”
Alarm came into Isabelle’s eyes. “I didn’t mean to say you should let him go, Libby. I know we’re going to get your body back. I promise we will.”
She hugged me, and I accepted the affection for an instant then drew away. “You can’t make that promise.”
“Libby…”
“It’s fine.”
I walked Isabelle to the door and watched as she strode with purpose down the walkway. At her car, she turned to face me as she opened the door. I waved, but she didn’t seem to see. Something bugged her, and I longed to know what it was. Over the last few weeks of being a ghost, my curiosity had increased. Worse, I acted on it more often than not, delving into places and people’s lives where I wouldn’t have done so before. I wasn’t proud of it, but I had helped to solve a couple of mysteries in Summit’s Edge, assisting Clark Givens, the chief of police and Isabelle’s brother. Of course, my state of being had also caused a few incidents, but I didn’t let that get me down.
I wanted to follow Isabelle to see what she worried over and figure out a way to help if possible. Instead, I remained where I stood, thinking of Jake. As I peered up and down the street, I noted how peaceful my neighborhood remained. No one would have ever guessed amid the serenity lived a ghost and a vampire. Thinking of Ian, I glanced toward his house, right next door to mine. I could walk across my lawn connected to his and arrive at his front door within seconds. On the other hand, I could will myself into his library room, which I often did, and he never seemed to mind.
We, Ian and I, were together. Even in my own mind, I hesitated to fully acknowledge it. Maybe because Ian still confused me. I wasn’t afraid of him even though I knew he could say a chant that would banish me forever from this world and from Jake. I knew in my heart Ian would never do it. I had no doubt that he cared about me. We had kissed, an ability that surprised me. I had sat on his lap and been held in his arms. I enjoyed it, but something separated us, whether it was on my part because I was a ghost or on his being a vampire. The barrier existed. For now, we ignored it and enjoyed each other’s company. Some day, I hoped the obstacle would dissolve.
I headed back into the house. Whether I chose to speak with Ian about Jake finding out my secret—not to get him to erase my son’s memory of course—it had to wait. He wouldn’t rise from slumber until after nightfall. That fact was just one more challenge in our weird relationship.
Chapter Two
Sometimes I walked over to Ian’s house the normal way, like crossing my lawn to his. I went through the ritual of knocking on his door rather than blink in. I think it made me feel like an ordinary woman, as if I were tethered to the earth as I should be and not liable to float off into the stratosphere. Tonight, I needed that normalcy, what with Jake knowing my secret and unsure of my path.
I rapped on Ian’s door and waited. He liked to show off his abilities by making the door open without touching it. At least that’s how I viewed it. Nothing stirred inside, and I grew impatient and annoyed. Another quality to my sort of boyfriend was that he loved books, and he could get engrossed in one more than Jake. The common passion was probably what drew the two together.
Deciding I had had enough of waiting, I tried the doorknob and found it unlocked. I entered and called out to Ian. No answer. Houses in Summit’s Edge, North Carolina were not so big that Ian couldn’t hear me calling him from whatever room he occupied, and the layout of Ian’s home matched mine except for the library room addition he had had built on.
I strolled down the hall and headed to his “man cave.” The door stood open, and light spilled into the hall.
“Ian, are you here? I need to talk to you.”
Just when I reached the door, and the interior of the room came into view, I recalled he had said he had errands to run. What I thought would be one evening turned into several. He had at first insisted I put off leaving town until he returned so he could be there to watch over Jake and Monica. I had agreed, especially since Isabelle had needed a little extra time to prepare herself. However, Ian hadn’t returned last night when he said he would, and I had intended to go with Isabelle anyway. Ian didn’t like to tell me his plans in any detail unless I asked specific questions, so it didn’t surprise me that he didn’t update me on his movements.
I grumbled and approached his desk to leave him a note telling him to call for me when he returned. A sound behind me caught my attention, and I turned. Ian stood in one corner of the room, statue still, watching me. I was used to his lack of expression more often than not, as if all his emotions were either nonexistent or hidden deep inside. Having spent quite a lot of my nights in his presence, I knew this man well. I loved him. I had accepted that fact and everything that Ian was. However, tonight, he seemed different. He gave off a strange energy, and I wasn’t sure I liked it.
“Ian?” I took a step toward him. “Why didn’t you answer me?”
I could have sworn when I began to speak to him, he started in surprise. Why wouldn’t I talk to him? Hadn’t I been coming to his house every day since I lost my body? Considering it the most natural move in the world, I crossed the space between us and leaned into his chest. His arms came up automatically to my waist.
I craned my head to look into those brilliant green eyes I loved so much. Ian smiled, and the world brightened. You must understand that I had seen glimpses of this man’s smile maybe twice, surely not more than that. Yet, here he stood looking down at me grinning as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I forgot myself for a minute and stepped back.
“Wow, that was worth waiting for,” I said, teasing him.
An eyebrow rose in question.
“Your smile. You should do it more often.” I lowered my lashes, suddenly feeling shy. “It felt—good.”
His hand came up slowly to touch my face, but before he made contact I noticed his clothes and frowned. Ian’s style of dress was not outdated per se but he did keep it simple—dark slacks or jeans, a button down collared shirt. Once in a while, he might wear a T-shirt, but not often. He was never swayed by the season or temperature of the day because, by his own admission, he didn’t feel the heat or the cold other than to recognize its existence. That was similar to me who couldn’t tell you if the day was hot or cold unless I picked up clues around me.
Tonight, Ian wore a black and white leopard print T-shirt made of a sleek, stretchy material. While he did have on black jeans to match, they were skinny jeans, tight against muscular legs.
“Sneakers?” I gasped. “Was this your errand, Ian? To change your style?”
I looked into his handsome face, noting the amusement in very expressive eyes. My attention wandered to his hair. He’d gotten a cut. I reached up to run my fingers through it, wishing I could feel the silky threads just as I had longed for with Jake.
“Interesting,” he whispered.
I
blinked. “What?” I met his gaze once again, and this time it was different. Not amusement but something darker, angrier, reflected out at me. I shivered and scanned the area around us. Evil seemed to permeate the room, leaking from the walls, or dare I believe it—Ian himself.
I swallowed, and fear gripped me. The one thing—or rather person—I feared above all else was Death. This was a being Ian had told me about who came for those who died. In fact, sometimes I fought to stay one step ahead of him. At any time Death could come looking for me and take me away from all those I held dear. The thought frightened me beyond reason, and whenever that darkness surfaced, I scooted out of the area. This was different. First, Death, as I believed him to be, was not necessarily evil. Second, I had never felt Death, or any evil, in Ian’s house.
I stepped back, but Ian advanced to me. He didn’t touch me, but towering over me as he did unsettled me. He still hadn’t spoken more than the whispered word, and I was sure he’d been surprised to see me there. That made no sense.
“Did you find someone to give you blood tonight?” His eyes rounded, and he grinned again. I reminded myself he was a vampire, and if he didn’t consume blood, he could lose control. That meant nothing to me because I was outside of my physical body, but what of Jake and Monica? “Ian?”
His hands shot out and captured me by the arms to draw me closer. The electricity that separated us tickled my skin and must have prickled against his palms. He studied my body, making me blush. I know this wasn’t the first time he had felt the electricity, that invisible barrier that seemed to separate us. No matter how much either of us cared about the other, this would keep us apart. Well, that and the fact that I had no body and had to concentrate to stay visible.
“Y-You’re making me nervous, Ian,” I mumbled. “You’re not talking. Is something bothering you? Did something happen?”
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