Page 31 of Ghost of a Chance

P izza for dinner seemed a natural place to start in retracing his steps the night Paul died. They entered the pizza place around seven, and it was busy but not too crowded. Gia and Dan joined them so they could go over their notes on the investigation.

Kirsty wore her huge black peacoat, and when she took it off he grew hot.

She wore a body-skimming black-and-white striped turtleneck over a miniskirt, black tights and her chunky boots.

He’d been eyeing her legs since she’d come downstairs.

She looked like a dark goddess. It was all he could do to concentrate on ordering a pitcher of beer and pizza.

Her hair was stick-straight again, she’d gone for her normal heavy eyeliner, bright red lipstick and he suspected she wore mascara because this morning her lashes hadn’t been that long. Her goth girl armor was strangely comforting.

“Do you like mushrooms or not?” she asked, giving him an odd look.

“Uh, yeah. I’ll eat anything on a pizza except pineapple.”

“Steer clear of Dan’s Hawaiian then. Gia and I like olives, mushroom and sausage…want to split a big one with us?” Kirsty asked. They were sitting side by side in a booth and he liked the proximity. He put his arm on the back of the banquette.

“Jasper.”

“Yes. I’ll share a pizza with you,” he said, staring down into her eyes. Now that he’d confessed that he didn’t want her to leave, his emotions were flowing like a river that had burst its banks.

“Great. I’ll go order. Beer all around?” she asked.

Everyone agreed as they were getting Ubers for the rest of the night. Something he hadn’t done in a long time. Drinks with friends. Going out after work didn’t really happen that often. Though the isolation was his own doing.

“This place feels so lived-in. Reminds me of my parents’ place in Detroit.” Gia smirked, her eyes twinkling. “So when Kirsty gets back, we can catch up on everything. Professor Thompson sent over the class syllabus. I emailed it to you,” Gia said.

“Thanks.” Even if it might end up being useless.

Kirsty slid back, giving them all the amount they owed her. Everyone Venmoed her the money before she pulled out her notebook. He loved watching her write. Her fingers were elegant and confident when she held a pen. She jotted down the date and then drew a line under it.

“What have we got?” she asked everyone.

He skimmed the email Gia sent. Paul’s class schedule seemed normal. It didn’t ring any bells.

“While you were gone there wasn’t anything to film. I edited the clip we got this morning. It might be worth it to try to be in the living room before the TV comes on at six. Maybe see if you feel anything?” Dan suggested. “I’d love some reaction shots.”

“Good suggestion. We can try it tomorrow unless we end up drinking too much tonight,” Kirsty said, making a note.

“I thought the plan was to drink too much,” Gia said.

“Plans don’t always work out,” she said. There was a shift in her voice that he struggled to place.

“Indeed.” Gia gave Kirsty’s shoulder a light squeeze.

“I got the class info and shared it with Jasper. I’ve also been in touch with the local bookstore.

They’re excited that you’re coming in next Tuesday, which has nothing to do with the investigation but I didn’t really have much to do today,” she admitted.

“Thanks for taking care of that. We do sort of have a new line to look into.” Kirsty took a deep breath.

“Professor Thompson said this book wasn’t being used when Paul was in his class.

It’s actually from the early 1990s. Any chance you want to see if you can figure out where this specific book came from and who’s owned it? ”

“Uh, that’s not going to be easy,” Gia pointed out.

Jasper agreed. “There is a stamp on the front cover. Peterson’s Used Books.”

“I’ll look at it. Think it’s from Vermont?”

“I’ve never heard of it, but I don’t frequent bookstores,” Jasper admitted. “I’m more a comic books guy.”

“I’ve got lots of contacts for independent bookstores. I’ll see what I can find.” Gia tapped a note on her phone.

“Jasper, did the course information jog any memories?” Kirsty asked.

“No. I need to dig into it a bit more. I’ll start doing that tomorrow,” he said.

Kirsty nodded and jotted more details on her notepad, her face scrunching as she concentrated. He loved it when she looked serious.

“I’m going to speak to another medium tomorrow afternoon. I want her to see if she picks up anything I’m missing with the book,” Kirsty told them.

“I thought you were an expert,” Dan said.

“I’ve never done this before. I mostly write fiction books about it,” she said sharply.

Dan held his hands up. “Sorry. Find out if I can film her. I think we need the entire story, whatever this is. And it’ll make for a good piece of the story.”

“I will ask her. She might not offer anything new. I really just want a second opinion,” Kirsty said, her voice cagey.

The pitchers of beer and glasses arrived. Gia glanced around the table and lifted her glass. “To Paul, for bringing us all together.”

They all clinked their glasses in a toast.

* * *

It was an odd night, and Kirsty couldn’t help feeling in flux, a sensation that kept dogging her this year.

She’d never sat around like this enjoying such easy company.

Growing up there hadn’t been money for her to eat out with friends, so she and her mom tended to eat at home.

It wasn’t that she’d never been in a restaurant, but as an adult she’d kept the habit, especially when writing was so solitary.

She liked it. There were lulls in the conversation, but everyone was having a good time. Somewhere along the way the four of them had transitioned from colleagues to friends.

Gia’s eyes met hers and she gave one of her signature silly grins. “So, Kirsty, favorite movie of all time? Prepare to defend your choice.”

“What’s all this about?” Dan asked.

“Perfect. While Kirsty thinks, you can go first instead, Dan,” Gia said to him. “I bet it’s something creepy.”

“No. Is that my vibe?” he asked her.

She shrugged. “You seemed really into the ghost hunting footage and techniques. So I’m guessing you like horror.”

“I don’t hate it. But my favorite film would have to be one that Roger Deakins did the photography on. He’s the best cinematographer of all time.”

Kirsty had never really paid attention to that. “What are some of his films?”

“Recently The Goldfinch , but my top film he did is Blade Runner 2049 . The way he shot it is breathtaking and I’ve watched it at least a dozen times. There’s something magical in the way he captures light and shadow.”

“Interesting.” She’d never thought much about photography before. The way Dan’s eyes lit up made him seem more approachable. “What do you think, Jasper?”

“Yeah, I like that movie. I’m not as into how it’s shot. I’ve been vibing with Star Wars and I’d have to say and I know it’s not popular but for me The Last Jedi is my favorite. Though I did really like Andor .”

“What? The Last Jedi killed Luke. I mean really?” Kirsty couldn’t contain her shock.

She liked some of the things that Rian Johnson had done in the movie especially with Leia but there were better Star Wars movies.

And the sexual tension between Rey and Kylo Ren aka Ben Solo had been off the charts.

“Yeah but he needed to die like Obi Wan in A New Hope .”

“Oh no. Do we have two Star Wars nerds here?”

Dan raised his hand. “Count me in as well. I agree with Jasper on this. Luke had to die.”

“Well, my mom was super pissed about it,” Kirsty said. She’d spent a whole week mourning.

“What about you? What’s your favorite movie?” Jasper asked her.

Her first response was the 1997 Cinderella starring Whitney Houston and Brandy…but that wasn’t the kind of movies they’d been talking about. Would it make her sound childish? Aside from Star Wars she mostly watched TV shows so she had to cast her memory back to when she’d been a kid.

“Not sure. I don’t go to the movies that often.”

“Come on, you have to have a go-to movie that you put on when it’s a crap day,” Gia said.

If they insisted. “ Howl’s Moving Castle ,” she said. It just slipped out. But that movie with a cursed lonely girl who doesn’t fit and finds her own path was her go-to.

“I mean I prefer Princess Mononoke ,” Jasper said. “But yeah that’s a good one.”

“I was sure you’d say Brandy’s Cinderella ,” Gia said with a cheeky grin. “You are always putting it on when we travel.”

“I do like it. A lot. But when it’s crunch time I do default back to Howl.”

“It’s Howl then?” Gia asked. “I like him too. My favorite is anything with Jennifer Lawrence. That girl can act.”

The conversation moved on to actors and Dan and Gia had strong opinions while they were arguing over which was the best Chris: Pine, Hemsworth, Pratt. Jasper turned to her.

“When this is over, what do you say to a Star Wars marathon at my place?” he asked.

He’d asked her quietly, his voice drowned out by Gia’s and Dan’s playful arguing. After this. Right now it felt like they were going to be living here and dealing with ghosts for the rest of their lives. But it would end.

She’d go back to her life, and he’d go back to his. But he was asking her to make plans with him after this was over.

Her heart raced; her lips felt dry. It wasn’t like he was asking her for anything other than to watch movies with him, right? The rational part of her brain tried to rein her in.

But the other part of her brain had latched on to Jasper and wanted more. More than she was truly ready to admit even to herself.

“So that’s a no? I really thought you’d understand about Last Jedi —”

“It’s not a no. I do understand. I just wanted to give you a hard time about it because it seemed like it would be fun, and I wanted to see if you’d back down from your opinion.”

“I usually don’t,” he admitted. “I mean, I will if I’m wrong, but it takes a lot to sway me.”

“Like with Paul and the book?” He was a stubborn ass sometimes.