“But you were the best, right?” he said teasingly. “The one who could help any soul see the light and go to it. So why”—he leaned toward me and poked the air—“if you were the best, weren’t you allowed to chase the grand master ghost, Lucky Strike?”
I fumbled for words. There weren’t any. “I don’t know.” No. This was stupid.
“I do,” he shouted. “You had to be contained. Had to be kept back so that I could stay enslaved to your dear old dad. But now he’s gone. Look, I’m sorry he passed away, really I am, but your father made me.”
“Why?” I fumed. “Why would my dad do that? It makes no sense.”
“Money was drying up,” Lucky said. “The Ghost Team funding was about to be pulled. Your dad explained the whole thing to me. Asked me to do him a favor. If I scratched his back, he’d scratch mine.”
Lucky sucked his teeth. “Only he never scratched mine.”
I could feel time ticking away. “What do you want?”
“I want to go to the light.”
“Not gonna happen. Not until I bring you in.”
He smirked. Glanced at the computer. “In there is the one thing you want—your old job back. What does it matter if you have me when this proof is all you need? I even know the password.”
I was salivating. Lucky was right. Within the computer was everything I needed to know. The proof that would get my job back. Why did I actually need him if I had the e-mail that would get Anita kicked out of her job and get my tush tucked into it?
I arched a brow. “You have the password?”
He pulled a strip of glowing paper from thin air and handed it to me. I glanced at it. “How do I know it works?”
“Oh it works,” he said. “I’m nothing if not ingenious.”
My gaze darted from Lucky to the computer. I still had the lasso. I could wrangle him, maybe. But was it worth it?
“Okay, Lucky, I’ll get you to the light.”
Happiness washed over his face.
“After I get the e-mail.”
I reached for the computer. My fingers had just brushed it when something knocked into me from behind, sending me sprawling into darkness.
TWENTY-TWO
Iwhirled around. Lucky vanished.
“Are you okay?” came a woman’s voice.
“Who is that?” I said, pushing hands away.
A light flipped on. “It’s me, Meredith.”
Meredith Wilkes stood in front of me. Her eyes were shining as if she’d been crying.
“What are you doing here?” I said.
She brought her hands to her face. “I saw you come in. I’ve been watching Slick’s house. I have the feeling he’s keeping information from me. Information about Xavier. See, I think Xavier was going to give me the money to buy my building, but Slick is hiding that.”
“Oh. Um. But why did you follow me?”
She shrugged. “I thought you might be able to help.”
Suddenly a beam of light flashed through the window. “Those are police beams,” I said. “Come on.”
