“No, I’m sorry, we don’t,” said Martha. “He wasn’t killed here and I suspect his path was different than most that we deal with.”
“You shouldn’t worry about you and River,” said Claudette.
“H-how did you know I was thinking about that?” asked Priscilla. The other ghosts chuckled.
“We all have the ability to hear and see thoughts,” said Irene. “Claudette feels your anxiety around River. He’s as true as a man can be.”
“I know. I mean, I feel like I know that to be true. But how is this all connected? I was such a terrible judge of character with Natalia or Celine or whatever her name is. Was.”
“You weren’t a terrible judge of character,” smiled Grip. “It’s hard to see the truth when someone has spent a lifetime learning to lie. That’s how she was raised. She was taught to lie and lie well. I suspect that her step-brother knew that as well.”
“That’s why there was no forced entry. She opened the door to him. I’m going to bet that the plan was to allow him in to kill or kidnap River, and me, or just me. He was angry when we weren’t there.”
“Did Natalia know about your locket?” asked Grip.
“No. No, I don’t think so. She never mentioned it and I rarely wore it where it was visible. I tended to wear very conservation clothing and tucked my jewelry beneath the clothing.”
“So, chances are pretty good she wasn’t sure what you possessed or where it was located. All she knew was what her brother was telling her.”
“Did you say your name was Grip? Like the manufacturing site?” she asked.
“That’s right,” he smiled. “I died serving this team and I had quite an estate that I left to my partner. The team honored me by using the money to continue the work that Montana started.”
“That’s incredible,” she said nodding at him. She reached without thinking, touching his hand and was shocked to find it warm and solid. “How?”
“We have the choice,” said Matthew. “We can choose to be visible, to touch, to feel, to have others touch and feel. We can even choose to eat and enjoy a meal with the family.”
“Are all ghosts like this?” she asked.
“Not hardly,” laughed Ruby. “We’re the lucky ones. We get to continue to watch our families grow and love. It’s a rare gift and one we don’t take lightly.”
Priscilla nodded at them, feeling warmth around her, less of a chill and she knew it had something to do with all of them.
“Was my father trying to hurt everyone here?” she suddenly asked.
“I don’t know everything,” said Matthew, “but I know that your father was a good man who was not trying to hurt anyone. Rest easy on that.”
Priscilla stood, handing the blanket back to Nathan. She smiled at him, nodding as Martha took his hand.
“You can love one another as well?” she asked.
“We can,” nodded Yori. “Claudette and Tony came together after their deaths. Same for Martha and Nathan. Grip and Jonathon met while ghosts.”
“Truly remarkable.”
They watched as she walked away, heading toward the cafeteria for lunch.
“She’ll be alright,” said Matthew. “We’ll make sure of it.” Irene nodded then clapped her hands together.
“Let’s go see if we can annoy Gaspar at the animal sanctuary.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The men thought it was cold at Belle Fleur but it didn’t come close to the ball-freezing winter brewing in D.C. Dressed in the best gear known to man, they weren’t stupid enough to not recognize that they were the lucky ones.
Taking the SUV that was loaded into the cargo hold, they knew it had all the weapons, gear, and protection they would need. It also possessed something they never traveled without. Blankets for the homeless.
It was a long-standing tradition. If they were on an op during the winter months, they always tried to carry blankets and socks for those less fortunate. It was something Mama Irene had insisted upon decades ago.
