And that human bone they found buried in the depot’s side yard was totally not her fault.
She realized Carson stood, pen poised, with eyebrows raised. “Oh, sorry. You want his name. It’s Professor Lionel Graves. But wait, Professor’s not his name. It’s his occupation. Well, that and author. He’s both. Was both.”
“And how do you know this man?”
“We sat on a panel together in Salem and…”
Crud. She couldn’t mention working on the book. Or his ghost.
Lying to the publisher about their working relationship was one thing. Lying to a deputy investing a possible, even an unlikely murder, was quite another.
“And?” Carson lifted one sandy brow.
“And we had some interaction online,” she said, hoping that vague truth would suffice.
“So you recognized the body, then?” Carson asked.
Ugh. As if she would ever rush over to Liam’s lab to check out the new cadaver delivery? She didn’t even like walking past them while they were covered up.
But if she didn’t view the cadaver, how would she have been able to identify him as the professor?
Once again she considered and dismissed bringing up the ghost thing.
Yes, the whole world, or at least most everyone in her world, knew she was on that ghost reality show. They had watched her talking to spirits.
Some people believed her and some absolutely did not, preferring to assume it was all fake. Orchestrated for the show. She had a feeling Carson would fall into the latter category.
“Um, yes,” she finally said, taking what was definitely too long to answer a simple yes or no question.
Carson drew in a deep breath that strained the buttons of his uniform shirt. “Maybe I should see this cadaver? We can figure out how to proceed from there.”
Liam nodded. “Sure. He’s in the lab.”
Yes. Present Carson with the physical evidence and let him run with it. More importantly, if he had a body to examine it would take the focus off her. All she did was identify him. Her part was complete. The rest, the forensics or whatever, was for the authorities to handle.
“Good. Good plan,” Natalie agreed, maybe too enthusiastically. But it was a good plan.
Or at least it was until Professor Lionel Graves himself came strolling through the front window to look Carson up and down. “Oh, good God. This is the local authority? Am I in Mayberry? Was Andy Griffith not available?”
Natalie managed to ignore Lionel, maintaining what she hoped was a poker face, expressionless, until Alice came around the corner of the building and into view
Her short brisk stride down the sidewalk had her yanking open the front door before Liam and Carson could leave and head to the lab.
“I heard that guy you hate was murdered,” Alice announced at the worst possible moment.
“What? No. I don’t hate anyone—” Natalie stuttered, shooting Deputy Carson Bekker a quick glance.
“Sure looked like you did in that blow up fight you two had on Facebook. And I don’t blame you. Harp told me all about how he humiliated you on that panel in Salem. What an ass.”
“Excuse me? Who is this woman?” Lionel demanded.
Natalie ignored the ghost in favor of saving her own neck with the deputy sheriff, who’d pivoted back to face her, his brows impossibly higher.
“Uh… No. Really, it wasn’t that bad.”
“That’s not what I heard."
She forced her attention from Alice back to Carson. “Alice is exaggerating. It was nothing. This is all just a big misunderstanding.”
