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‘Chance is dead, Gloria.’

She inhaled sharply, obviously not expecting to hear my voice. ‘What? Kali, is that you? What do you mean, he’s dead?’

Her words set off Ashe, who wailed and crumpled to the floor, clutching desperately at her wife’s legs. Gloria didn’t move to comfort her, her own shock and grief rendering her momentarily frozen in place. The sight made my heart clench, and I felt a twinge of shame at how excited I was to have him back, only for the rest of the people who loved him, the people he had left behind, to suffer for it.

‘What happened?’ Mikey finally asked, directing the question into the empty space in front of him while his eyes searched for what he could not find.

‘Blake.’

I didn’t think it was possible, but Gloria paled even further. Rhodes, bless him, looked taken aback and slightly confused, but it all clicked into place for him quickly enough.

‘Fuck, seriously?’

Gloria was shaking her head, refusing to acknowledge the truth of my words. ‘No, that’s not possible. It’s not him. It can’t be.’

‘Not who?’ Dakota asked, her gaze bouncing between everyone but not landing for long before it drifted back towards the windows. She flinched at something outside, and I craned my neck to see what was freaking her out so much, but there was nothing there.

All eyes turned to look at my ex-husband’s new wife, pity and concern shining through. She sensed it and shifteduncomfortably from foot to foot, and almost seemed to shrink in on herself under the weight of their stares.

‘Blake,’ Rhodes answered. He was the only one without any connection to the man, so he wasn’t as hesitant to speak the words into existence.

Dakota froze, her entire body tensing while he expression shut down. ‘What?’

‘Blake killed Chance. And Kali,’ he said, his voice strong and firm, though no less compassionate. This was a very delicate situation that, by all rights, he held no responsibility for. Yet, there he stood, acting as a pillar of strength for these people I had once considered friends, refusing to back down in the face of adversity, picking up the pieces where the others could not.

My respect and admiration for this man grew tenfold in that moment, and I could have kissed him.

‘The other spirits?’ Mikey asked, and he didn’t need to elaborate for me to understand.

‘He killed them, too.’

Rhodes relayed the message.

‘I can’t be here,’ Gloria finally said, bending down to hook her arms beneath Ashe’s and haul her back up onto her feet. I wished I could hug her, too. Ashe and I weren’t as close as she and Chance, but she had still been my friend, and I held a lot of care for her, too. I could hardly stand to see her suffer, so I didn’t try to object when they left in a hurry, leaning against one another as they struggled to put one foot in front of the other.

Dakota winced when the front door opened, backing away from the outside like it was going to bite her or something. I took note of the odd behaviour, but didn’t dismiss it. Just because I couldn’t see what she was seeing didn’t mean there wasn’t anything there. She didn’t strike me as the type to be afraid of nothing.

Rhodes caught my eye and made a gesture with his arm. ‘Why don’t we sit down and you can tell us everything?’

I nodded, shooting him a grateful smile before drifting over to the living room couch. I didn’t sit, instead choosing to remain standing where he could see me. He would need to give them all the information I imparted today, but I couldn’t stay long. I had to get back to Chance. My skin felt itchy being away from him when I knew he needed me.

Rhodes and Mikey followed me through, but Dakota stayed put in the entryway. It was like she had turned into a statue, and I knew she was in shock. She would need help. Hopefully, Rhodes and Mikey could divide and conquer, because I was needed elsewhere.

A beeping sounded from another room room, which I determined to be the kitchen after a quick glance inside. The team had set up in Rhodes’s house, the paranormal investigation equipment and devices spread out on every available surface. Multiple laptops were recording data I couldn’t decipher, and a few of the devices lit up and beeped faster the closer I came. So, I stepped back and returned to where Rhodes and Mikey were waiting for me.

‘What happened, Kali?’ Rhodes asked, pushing for answers, but not unkindly.

‘He has a cabin next door. He kills us in the basement. It’s reinforced and soundproofed, and there are no windows, so there’s no escape. Chance confronted him, but he caught him in the act. He was carrying his next victim inside the house. She’s still there now. You need to tell the police, get them out there before he kills her, too.’

‘Fucking hell,’ Rhodes muttered, his face pinched with stress. ‘I’ve been living next door to a serial killer?’

I nodded. ‘Sorry, Rhodes. I can’t imagine…’

‘No, don’t,’ he interrupted, raising a hand as if to ward off my apology. ‘You have nothing to be sorry for. If anything,I’msorry. I’ve been right here the entire time, and I never knew… I never saw… Fuck, Kali, I’m so sorry. I just minded my own business and didn’t even knock on the door to be neighbourly, and this entire time he’s been killing…’

I let them process the news for a couple of minutes, but the itch got stronger, and I found myself drifting back in the direction of Blake’s house. Chance was waiting for me, even if he wasn’t fully aware of it. Ineededto be there for him. My time here was up.

‘I’m sorry, I can’t stay. I had to leave Chance behind to warn you…’