“I have a name you know!” I growl. I’m not just a victim.
“Oh, dear, I’m sorry you lost someone. I had no idea.” She pats him on the shoulder, her hand resting there as tears appear in her eyes.
“I didn’t lose someone. Like I said, I’m just working a case.”
She blinks back her tears, appearing confused. “Wait, you don’t know this woman?”
“No. The first time I saw her was when I got to the scene and saw her…” He clears his throat, looking uncomfortable.
“That’s … I don’t … Oh.” His grandma looks perplexed as she leans away, suddenly looking her age.
“So, how do I get rid of her?”
“You’re such an asshole,” I snap at him. I feel comfortable swearing in front of his grandma since she can’t hear me.
“Please, I need to know,” he begs her, ignoring me.
“I don’t know, dear. I just woke up one morning, went about my morning routine, and suddenly, your grandfather was there. He came forward, gave me a hug, told me he loved me, and to let the kids know he was proud of them. He said he would always be watching over us, and then he kissed me.” She touches her lips lightly. “I felt it as though he was really standing in front of me. He wiped away my tears as they fell, and then he just disappeared.”
“So, if this victim says goodbye to me, then she’ll disappear?” I glare at him because of the eagerness in his voice.
“I’m not sure what happens on their end. I saw a woman about what happened, a medium. She told me not all people who pass over can come back. She said they risk being lost forever when they do. Depending on your connection to someone means how long they can stay and how they are able to interact. Strong emotions tie you to people. Your grandpa loved me, and that is why I was able to see him. He was drawn to me. However, she did say there were always exceptions to the rule. That is why you get hauntings.”
“I definitely feel haunted. So, why is this victim hanging around me? She’s got people in her life, a brother who loves her. I don’t know her.”
“Perhaps because you were where her, where she was found, she connected to you. Or maybe…” She trails off, again tears building in her eyes, ready to fall.
“Maybe what, Grandma?”
“Maybe she was your soul mate. Maybe she is your other half, and your bodies recognized that. I’m so sorry if that is true.” Now the tears do fall, while I want to scoff at the idea that Detective Douchebag and I could be connected in such a beautiful way. I don’t scoff, though, because a small part of me wonders if that could be true. I’m sure he wouldn’t be such an ass to me if the circumstances were different.
That part is immediately squashed when Mercer laughs at her words.
“No way, Grandma. Apart from that being overly romantic and not possible, there is no way she could ever be considered a soul mate of mine. I must have done something wrong in my life, or if we have past lives, I must have been someone awful to deserve this.”
I open my mouth, ready to give him a piece of my mind, but I’m stopped before I can by his Grandma leaning forward and hitting him over the back of his head.
“Grandma?” he gasps, apparently as shocked as I am by her actions.
“I didn’t help raise a grandson to be so callous. A woman has lost her life, and if you’re working on the case, then it was cruelly taken away from her. If she is connecting to you, then you listen to her and give her some respect and courtesy. She just lost her life, and you are going on and on about how horrible this is for you? Listen to what she has to say and don’t be a bastard. Whether she was meant to be your soul mate or not, you do not treat a lady, living or dead, with such contempt. Do you hear me, Aiden? Neither of us are too old for me to bend you over and slap your behind with a wooden spoon. As I recall, you used to learn your lesson pretty quickly after that.”
I actually stand up to jump up and down on the spot, pumping my fist in the air at her words. “Thank you! Do you hear that? Listen to your grandma!” I yell at him.
His chagrined gaze turns to me, and he narrows his eyes. “Oh, shut up,” he snaps at me, but then his gaze quickly returns to his grandma. “Not you, Grandma. I meant the ghost—”
“You just told her to shut up? So you do need me to get my wooden spoon? Perhaps she will enjoy seeing you spanked—”
“No! Fine. I’m sorry, Grandma, and”—he turns to face me, his expression showing me how annoyed he is to be in this position—“I’m sorry, Ms. Bell, for telling you to shut up. I will try—”
“Try?” His grandma cuts him off.
“I will treat you with more respect from now on.”
I smile smugly. “I think I love your grandma. What happened to make you such an asshole?”
His eyes narrow at me, glaring briefly, before he turns his charm up and smiles innocently back at his Grandma. “She accepted my apology.”
“No way! I absolutely do not accept!” I shout.
“Liar. I can always tell when you’re fibbing, but it’s a start.” His grandma settles back into her chair, and as she relaxes, she looks tired.
I feel a little worried for the old woman who I have only just met. Did she look this old when we first entered? Has this short conversation really worn her out this much?
“Pull her blanket up over her. She looks cold,” I tell Mercer.
For once, he doesn’t argue with me. He grabs the knitted blanket from across the couch and places it over her, kissing her on the cheek as he does.
Okay, my heart might have just swooned a little at that. Men who treat their grandparents so sweetly are right up there for me with men holding babies—incredibly attractive.
Then he turns the TV on, putting it onto Jeopardy. Without a word from me or his Grandma, he begins moving about, tidying up before heading into the kitchen where I see him filling the sink with soapy water as he begins cleaning the pile of dishes.
I stay with his grandma since I’m not being pulled to follow him. She is staring blankly at the TV while I try to keep my annoyance at Mercer alive, not even considering that he might be an okay guy sometimes. He’s been nothing other than hostile to me, and even though I have to give him some leeway since I am a ghost, which is a shock to us both, he’s not willing to look at this from my point of view. I’m the one who was murdered. I’m pretty sure I have it worse in this situation.
“He’s not so bad, my grandson. Sometimes, he just needs a strong woman to put him in his place. I’m sorry you’re in this situation, but if Aiden is seeing you, then you two were meant to be important to each other. Don’t give up on him. He’ll come around,” his grandma whispers. I actually glance around myself, looking for someone else since I can’t believe she is speaking to me. “When he does become the usual charming self I know he can be, will you please do me a favor? Promise me you’ll encourage him to call his mother more often, and his brother. Sometimes, he gets so lost in his head and work, he forgets about the life he is meant to be living.”
She takes a shaky breath before she turns to the side and takes a sip of her tea. “He’s a good boy. I’m so proud of him; however, I’m constantly worried he will lose touch with everyone who loves him. His job takes a lot out of him. I miss my little boy I used to babysit every day, the boy who used to confide in me, the boy who was best friends with his brother.” As she smiles sadly, her gaze still on the TV, my heart actually breaks a little.
“Mercer!” I cry out, not meaning to sound so urgent, but since it gets me the result of him rushing into the room, I don’t care.
“What? Grandma, are you all right?” He races to her, wiping his soapy, wet hands on his pants as he goes.
“I’m fine, dear.” She smiles tiredly up at him.
“Tell her that I heard it all, and I promise.”
“You promise what?” he says slowly to me. I know he’s annoyed and probably wants to shout at me for scaring him, but he’s trying to be good in front of his grandma.
“Just tell her.
” I cross my arms, fully intending to nag him as often as I can about calling his mother and brother. Why doesn’t he call them regularly, anyway? His grandma is lovely, so I know they must be, too.
His grandma is smiling up at him sweetly as he says what I want him to, sort of, with his arms crossed and appearing annoyed.
“She says she heard you and will promise you what you want if you will first tell me what you asked her to do.”
I roll my eyes at him.
“Another fib, Aiden? When did you begin to lie so much?” She shakes her head, but she is smiling again. “Thank you, Ms. Bell. I know I can count on you.”
“You haven’t even met her! You don’t even know her! How can you count on her for anything?” he grounds out, sounding slightly hysterical.
“She can count on me. And tell her to call me Thea,” I tell him.
“She is not going to call you Thea, because she doesn’t know you. You aren’t even real,” he snaps at me, storming out of the room and out of the house. For some reason, I still don’t feel the pull to follow him, so I gratefully stay with his grandma.
“Just ignore him, Thea. He has thrown some spectacular tantrums in his time. Once, when he was just a small boy, he threw such a fit that he went bright red. He almost lost his voice, and then he soiled himself.” His grandma laughs, her voice echoing loudly over the noise from the TV, and then she holds her hand over her mouth. “Whoops. I probably shouldn’t have said that last bit. That can just stay between us. Do you want to see some baby photos of Aiden and Max?”
I like this about her. I have only been able to interact with Mercer, and even though she can’t hear me or see me, she’s still talking to me like I’m here. However, even if she didn’t do that, the fact that she just told me about Mercer’s poo tantrum when he was a kid is pure gold.
“Yes, thank you. I would love that,” I tell her, pretending she can hear me.
She gets up slowly, reaching low for the bottom book shelf by the TV, and I wish I could help her carry the heavy-looking album. She manages on her own, though. As I hear the lawnmower loudly humming outside the window, indicating Aiden is cutting the grass, I let his grandma slowly turn the pages, pointing out favorite photos and telling me stories of Mercer’s past.
He and his brother are almost identical, except while Aiden has dark blonde hair, Max’s hair is much lighter. They have the same smiles and same deep blue eyes, though. They both were tall and lanky growing up, but by the time we reach the end of the album, they have reached high school and already are growing solid at a fast rate. His grandma tells me Max is three years younger than Aiden.
“Their uncle passed away several years ago, and it has been hard on all of them. He was a good man, a good son.” She caresses a photo of Aiden and Max as they tackle each other for the football between them.
“How did he pass away?” I ask her, but of course, she doesn’t hear me.
“What are you doing?” Aiden enters the room, his glare focused entirely on me.
“I wasn’t doing anything,” I tell him quickly, moving far away from his grandma.
Was I imposing? I didn’t ask for his grandma to tell me all those stories or to show me his childhood photos. However, I still feel a small bit guilty, like I just intruded into his life, one where he very obviously doesn’t want me.
“I’m just showing Thea your baby photos. You were such an adorable child and grew into a very handsome man, am I right, Thea?” She winks to the side of her, obviously assuming I might be there, which I’m not.
“Stop talking to her. She’s not here right now, and she definitely has no interest in those photos.”
“Liar. Don’t worry, Thea. Next time, I’ll pull out the senior photos. He looked so striking for his prom date, although it was a shame about the unwanted zit that was on his nose. We tried putting make-up—”
“Stop! I love you, Grandma, but please, stop. We have to go. I brought your washing in, mowed your lawn, and quickly went over the gutters. Do you need me to get you any groceries? Have you sorted out dinner, or do you need me to cook you something?”
“You, cook!” She snorts in her laughter.
“I’ve lived alone for over six years, Grandma. I know how to cook.”
“You know how to burn food, and you know how to order take-out. Jim is coming around later on, and he’s bringing me his famous lasagna. I will be fine. Now give me a kiss and don’t skimp on my hug.”
I cover my mouth to hide my grin when Aiden leans over and gives his grandma a huge bear hug. You can feel the love they have for each other. It makes me ache with the need to hug Flynn, something I will never be able to do again.
“Thank you for the visit and for everything you have done,” she tells him as he pulls away.
“I know I should come around more often to visit. I’ll try—”
“Try?” she interrupts him just like before, and this time, he smiles at her.
“I will come and see you again soon. I promise.”
“Good. I hope you have Thea with you.” She turns to her side again, and again, I’m not actually there, but this time, I move so I am in her line of sight, feeling a thrill that she is talking to me. “It was lovely to meet you. Just remember what I said about my grandson. Apart from his obvious pigheadedness, he is really a good boy.”
“Grandma.” He shakes his head, but his smile doesn’t leave his face. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. Now, off with you.” She settles against her chair once more, and her gaze moves back to the TV.
This time, when Aiden leaves, I feel the pull to leave, too. He locks the door behind him, and then we walk silently to his car.
Once we’re both seated inside, I stare at him in confusion. “How did an insensitive jerk like you get such a cool grandmother?” I ask him bluntly, realizing I am now being the rude one.
He sighs heavily. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to say goodbye to me?”
I snort. Like I would give him peace and quiet that easily. Not before I have to, at least. Not until I am sure Flynn is okay.
“Solve the case, make sure my brother is all right, and then I’ll say those magical words.”
“Why is this happening to me? Why did you choose me?”
“I sure as hell didn’t choose you. I was told I had no choice who I was stuck to. This is just as shitty for me as it is for you, except I’m dead. So, I think I win on the bad luck side.”
He sighs again.
I have to admit, he looks tired and worn down. His grandma’s concern echoes through my mind.
“When is the last time you ate? It’s past lunchtime; did you have something before you went to see Flynn?” I question, purposefully sounding uninterested. I don’t want him to get the impression that I care, because I don’t, but he will need to be on his best game for my case, not passing out from exhaustion.
“Not you, too! It’s getting late. We’ll head back, and I’ll question you. Since you’re apparently really here, you are the best witness I have.” Mercer starts his car and begins driving through the quiet streets.
“But I don’t remember much about what happened to me.” I lose some of my confidence, not keen to have to go through this all again, not yet.
“You can tell me what you remember, and you can explain who this Nate guy is.”
Now I’m really not excited to have this discussion.
CHAPTER SIX
Aiden
“Would you sit down?” I grumble, frustrated that not only did I have to stop off at the store to pick up groceries, but I was also bossed around the entire time by a ghost. Like seriously, this is where my life is at right now?
I stare over at the drawer that has the card for the psychologist and wonder for the umpteenth time if I should call and make an appointment.
“You’re welcome,” she snaps at me, dropping a plate piled high with rice, vegetables, and a piece of steak that looks juicy and cooked to perfection.
“Whoa,
how did you do this so easily?” I ask in shock, my taste buds salivating at the delicious looking and smelling meal in front of me.
“Because cooking is easy. Now, what do you want to know?”
I eye the lack of a plate in front of her. “You don’t need to eat?”
“I did eat a piece of carrot to see what would happen, but nothing did. I feel the same.” She shrugs.
I frown, wondering how I would feel to suddenly not be able to eat. She’s also still wearing the same clothes from the first time I saw her at the crime scene. Does she notice that she’s stuck in her appearance?
I cut into the steak, my mouth watering even further. I think drool might actually drip from my mouth as I gaze at the juicy meat. When I place the piece in my mouth, I can’t stop the groan from erupting.
Have I ever eaten something so perfect? Definitely not recently in my take-out fueled diet.
She smiles, obviously pleased with my vocal appreciation of her cooking.
“You talk, I eat,” I command, scooping up a heap of rice and veggies to munch on. My taste buds and eyes might be distracted by this amazing meal, but my ears are keenly listening to what Thea has to say.
“I don’t remember much about what happened. I came home, went into the kitchen, and the guy came up behind me. He was taller than me, maybe a foot taller, had wide shoulders and looked athletic. His entire body was covered in dark clothing, from the gloves on his hands to the mask that came over his face. The small sliver of neck I saw was pale skin.” She pauses, a distant look coming over her. “His eyes were pure evil. He was so furious at me, so angry. I knew immediately I wasn’t going to survive him.” She takes a shaky breath.
Her words are enough that I stop eating and watch her. She has tears running down her face, but she makes no move to wipe them away, and my fingers itch, wanting to do it myself. Part of me has the urge to reach over and hold her hand. I wisely ignore both of those urges and take another bite of my steak. It suddenly doesn’t taste as good with the awful story floating in the air between us, though.
“Did he say anything to you?”
“I don’t remember. I think he was yelling at me, but I’m not sure. I tried to scratch him, tried to hurt him when he grabbed me, but I don’t think I managed to get his DNA or hurt him. He had me, and I had no chance.” She shakes her head, finally wiping her tears away, and then hugs her arms around her stomach, looking small and vulnerable.
Haunted Love Page 6
