He had a point. What if the ghosts didn’t touch her but caused her death in another way?
“What if Lisa saw a ghost in the bar mirror? She freaked out—because who wouldn’t—and then fell into the hand dryer.” It sounded plausible to me.
Reed shook his head. “I still don’t think there’s enough force for the trip and die scenario, but I’ve got connections with the firm in Maine. I’ll ask around and see what the guys come up with. You never know.”
“Thanks,” I said, my heart softening even more. Hot, good kisser, and supportive. Seriously, how was he not taken yet? There had to be something wrong with him. “You’re not married. Right?”
He laughed. “No. What would make you ask that?”
To my right, the large white metal door creeped open as Reed asked. We both swiveled our heads in that direction as the metal groaned. I jumped out of my seat to run past him.
Reed stood and grabbed me by wrapping his arm around my middle and swinging me into his chest. “I’ll keep you safe.”
We stared up at one another, our faces inching closer together. We were going to kiss… again. I closed my eyes to brace for impact and hope I’d be able to sear the memory into my brain.
The door on the lower portion of the stage clamored open, and a group of ghost hunters came in laughing. We sprang apart, and I laughed nervously as the metal door closed with no one touching it.
“Let’s go back to the lobby,” I said and pulled him in that direction.
“Okay, no more ghost stuff,” I said as we exited our Uber at the end of the night. The empty streets were eerie, even though it was way after midnight. “Everything in this town closes early.”
Yellow light cut out the shadows on the street as we walked toward our section of the home.
“It’s still early in the tourist season,” Reed said. “I bet things stay open later during spring break in a few weeks.”
Maybe.
We walked past the left side of the historical home, and my steps slowed as I spotted something white on the small stone pathway of their garden. I grabbed onto Reed’s arm as he unlatched our gate. I leaned forward, staring at the area in question. Was it a shoe?
“Reed, look,” I said and pointed at the spot. “Do you think Bud passed out before he made it into his apartment?”
“Bud, is that you?” Reed called out to him as he popped the gate latch on his side of the garden and walked into the space. He stopped beside the white shoe I’d spotted from the sidewalk and kneeled down beside it. “Elenore, call 911.”
14
“And you’re sure you saw nothing suspicious tonight?” the same detective we talked to after finding the ring asked.
His question jarred me out of my memories of finding Casey’s unmoving body in front of his home’s entrance. Reed quickly determined he wasn’t passed out after a night of drinking, and even though the ambulance made it in under five minutes, the police declared him dead at the scene.
I shook my head and leaned it against the back of the couch. It was the only way to keep it up. “No.”
The yawn hit me out of nowhere. Tiredness had seeped so far into my bones that being awake another second made me want to cry. Rays from the early morning sun peeked in through the kitchen window, hit the floor, and lit up the dark living room in our rental. It brought tears to the corners of my eyes.
Reed, sensing my distress, laid his hand on my knee. “We were gone most of the night.”
“At the ghost thing?” the detective asked, clearly not a believer. He wore a wrinkled black suit that looked like he’d either not slept or put on the clothes he wore yesterday when he got the call about a dead body. I didn’t judge. We’d all had a long night.
I probably resembled a raccoon, who hadn’t had enough midnight snacks.
“Yes, the ghost thing,” I said, getting annoyed. We’d gone over this at least three times. “Where’s Selene? Does she know about Casey?”
That had to be the fifth time I’d asked about Selene, but they’d refused to give me an answer. The police had been in the condo, but as we watched from our position on the couch, they’d only brought out one black body bag on a stretcher. So where was Selene, and did she know?
“Ms. Mortganson is at the station right now, giving a statement. She was with her sister last night.”
Until two in the morning? Why was Selene not at home with Casey? A thought scratched at the corner of my brain, but it wasn’t working fast enough to catch it.
“Did either of you hear any arguing from them in the last few days?” He jerked on his yellow tie, skewing it in the other direction.
