“They’re adorable! Nic had been the only ghost living there until Mitch died, and now they’re together.”
“Wait, the two ghosts are dating?”
“Yes, isn’t it cute?!”
“So cute! I want that mansion now, too. A gay ghost couple? Now, that sounds amazing to me! If you get called there again then please don’t tell them about me. I can’t ever let them know what I do for a living. It would make my life miserable if they knew and wanted to talk to me. I can’t do that to Jackson.”
“I know. You told me about how he feels about ghosts, and you’d definitely slip up one day.”
“I would, and I would hate for Jackson to catch me speaking to myself.”
“We can’t have that. But it won’t be easy for you, Pete. Hiding every reaction to them. Are you sure you’re up for it?”
“I was planning on doing that no matter what when Jackson and I moved in together some day. I only talk to the ghosts in his apartment because I know we won’t live there in the future.”
“I won’t tell them anything if I go there again, but one thing I should mention. They’ve taken over the library and don’t want anyone to enter the room.”
“That’s fine.” I waved her off. “As long as we know which room, we won’t touch it. I actually prefer that, because it means I at least get a few breaks from their presence if they prefer being in their own room most of the time.”
“I hadn’t thought about that, but yeah, it’ll likely help you.”
We only had to wait five more minutes before Rino showed up. Being in his presence felt… Empowering. Like he truly could do stuff we couldn’t. Maybe the rumors were true after all.
“Details,” Rino ordered as soon as he entered the house. We had gathered the ghosts, knowing Rino would want their info too.
“William was a murderer and one of his victim’s older brother came to confront him about his younger brother’s whereabouts,” I began, gesturing to said younger brother. “It ended in a fight and William died. The older brother was defending himself, according to all the ghosts here.”
“Okay. So, what do you need me for?” He got right down to business and I found I liked that.
“The brother is wanted by the FBI and is on the run. What surprised us was that the house has several cameras and surveillance outside and inside.” I pointed to the camera placed in the upper corner of the room we were in. “But no footage was found by the FBI and none of the ghosts here have heard them discuss the cameras, almost as if they knew the ghosts would tell us. And William’s father is employed by the FBI, according to the ghosts.”
“Furthermore,” Daisy continued. “I wasn’t allowed to check up on their progress on the case, and when I called and asked the officer in charge of this particular case, I was told we were no longer needed.”
“They dismissed you?” Rino asked, sounding irritated.
“Yes,” we replied in unison.
“And we’ve been locked out of the file online too. We have no way of seeing what is happening.”
“But you’re still allowed entry to the house?”
“No,” Daisy replied sheepishly. “But we needed to be here for you to hear the ghosts give their witness statements.”
“I like you two,” was all he said before focusing on the ghost.
Ten minutes later, Rino was fuming, but he seemed to calm down as he dialed a number on his phone. “Jero, I need a quick word.”
Thirty minutes later, we were eating dinner with Rino at an Italian restaurant. Not gonna lie, I was developing the biggest crush on Rino. The man had told this Jero everything and William’s father was now being questioned along with three other agents. The whole thing was pure blackmail and threats, according to Jero, and he wanted none of that. Jero was apparently someone high up in the FBI, and he trusted Rino’s word completely, there was no question, no hesitation. And damn was that hot.
Now, I knew I hadn’t seen Jackson enough, and Mike being the oblivious third wheel wasn’t helping us at all. All the late nights when Daisy and I had tried to figure this stuff out, without entering the property in daylight, it hadn’t been easy making time for Jackson, and I needed to change that.
“The brother will get his name cleared, I’ll make sure of that,” Rino said after a beat of awkward silence. “I really appreciate your hard work on this case. Not many people would go to the lengths you have for justice. Not only for the brother, but for the ghosts too.”
“Thank you,” I said, feeling a blush forming. All the praise, and coming from that husky voice…Yeah, I needed to see Jackson.
“You’ve both earned yourself five days off. You need rest and while you do that, I’ll deal with the ghosts at William’s old house. If they want to stay, I’ll allow it, but they need closure and peace too.”
We both nodded as we ate our food, glad to finally be done with it.
