Page 15 of Ghostly Bother (Ghostly #9)

Haunt didn't greet him when he walked out of his room, giving him hope that the ghosts were all in the backyard.

He needed some time alone to just unwind.

The silence was usually something he hated, but tonight, he savored every second of it as he pulled out a frozen meal and tossed it in the microwave.

He could see the ghosts talking in the backyard, and for the time being, Eden looked content to stay there.

Lance quickly pulled out his phone and sent a quick message to Angus to let him know Eden was at the house again.

After several minutes he got a message back letting him know that Angus would be late and not to wait up.

The brief message told him that they were in the middle of something, because any other time, Angus would have called him back.

Unsure if the late night was because Eden was there or if something was going on with the case, Lance sighed. This was normal when Angus was working, but he'd hoped that tonight, Angus would be home to help him deal with the stress that Eden was causing.

Ray floated into the kitchen just as Lance was sitting down to eat. "Long day?"

Lance nodded. "Only because she's been following me around all day and hasn't shut up." He cut into his food.

"I've told her that things take time and bothering you will only keep you from helping.

She seems to think that since you can see and hear her, you owe it to her to find out everything.

I assured her that wasn't how it worked.

Bethany is talking to her about what ghosts can and can't do right now, but I'm not sure how long we can keep her attention.

She wanted to rush in as soon as you walked into the kitchen. " Ray leaned against the counter.

Lance sighed. "Angus is going to be late.

I might just go to bed earlier and read.

Hopefully, she'll stay out of my bedroom if she thinks I'm sleeping.

I don't have the answers she wants, and I doubt Angus does either or there would be an arrest made.

" He glanced over at Ray. "Have you heard from Jeremy?

He hasn't been around for a couple of days. "

"He's following Isaac's son around. He's compiling a list of locations where Ethan is getting his drugs from and passing off the names and locations to Lizzy, who has been passing the information off to Captain Marshall.

He doesn't like Eden any more than the rest of us and is just hanging out with Isaac when he's not collecting information.

" Ray glanced out the window at Bethany and Eden.

"Any news at all on who might have killed her? "

Lance shook his head. "I know Angus is looking into who she was accepting bribes from and who she'd refused to work with, but as far as I know, nothing has panned out.

I hope they hurry and figure it out. I'm up to my ears in paperwork this week with Sam on vacation.

Oddly, it's slow as far as autopsies go, but there's always something I need to fill out or write up.

This reminds me why I like being the assistant medical examiner and not the head.

" Lance took another bite of dinner. "Cel would kill me for eating this shit.

" He smiled, thinking about the ghost who used to be a famous television chef.

She was now a close friend, and even in her ghostly form, she was teaching him how to cook.

"Speaking of Cel, we ran into her at the hospital yesterday.

Her grandson broke his arm, and she was there with him.

Since Angus is on a big case, she's going to go over to Lizzy and Martin's on Friday and teach Martin how to make her peppermint cake.

She promised to have Lizzy bring some over for you and Angus to try if it goes well.

" Ray appeared to rub his stomach. "I really wish I could eat.

We didn't have half the stuff you guys do back in my day. I feel like I missed so much."

"Is her son okay?" Lance had only seen the boys in the distance while visiting with Cel at the park, but those kids were the reason Cel chose to stick around and not go into the light. They were her world.

"He's fine. Fell off his bike while trying to make a jump. She'd tried to warn him, but since they can't hear her…" Ray waved a hand. "Kids will be kids."

"What were you and Bethany doing at the hospital?" Lance asked.

"Visiting friends. We drop by to see Eve and the others we've met. Eve likes to go dancing with us, so we've become good friends." Ray smiled. "Eve's a great dancer."

Lance smiled, remembering the ghost who hung around the hospital. She'd been a huge help in them finding a killer a while back. "Once things calm down, we'll have to have her over to visit."

"Yeah, but not until Eden's gone. I don't want to introduce her to any of them. She might never leave if she learns how big the ghost community is around here." Ray kept his voice low.

"I'd like to think she might cross over once her funeral is over, but I think she's going to stick around to find out who killed her.

Hopefully, Angus and Franks are getting closer to figuring it out.

" Lance glanced out the window. "If she'd be more help, we might be able to close this case sooner rather than later. "

"She's still in the mindset she's the mayor and making all the rules.

That will fade in time as she realizes she can't control much of anything anymore.

Sadly, since you're the only living person she knows can see her, you're going to get the brunt of her complaining.

" Ray gave him a sympathetic smile. "We'll try to keep her busy when she's here, but I get the feeling she's only listening to us to learn what limitations she has as a ghost. She's full of questions.

Accused us of hiding information because a book or movie hinted at a ghost's true abilities.

" Ray shook his head. "As if any book or movie has gotten it right. "

Lance smiled. "Maybe I should write one when I retire. Give people a glimpse into the afterlife here on Earth."

"There you go. Now you just need to wait another twenty to thirty years to retire and have the time to do that." Ray's eyes widened. "Incoming."

"Have you called your boyfriend yet?" Eden came through the wall, not pausing to see if she was interrupting anything.

"He's working. I don't call him when he's working.

He sent a text telling me he'd be late. That's all I know.

" Lance stood and tossed the rest of his dinner in the trash.

"I bet you'd find out more if you go home or to the police station.

" He turned to wash his hands. "Have you been by the City Center to see what's going on inside your office? "

"There's nothing there. My office has been under investigation for almost a year now. Anything that could be searched has been searched." She floated over and took a seat at the table beside Ray.

"Are you saying you've moved any evidence of wrongdoing somewhere else?" Lance asked.

"There was no wrongdoing," Eden protested.

"Come on. You've already told us you were taking bribes from Lucas Jenkin and others. There was something going on. There's no point in denying it now. Where did you hide any papers?"

Eden shook her head. "You're crazy if you think I saved any evidence."

Lance figured she was smart enough to keep some evidence around so that if she went down for fraud, she'd take others down with her.

Eden wasn't one to take the fall alone. "Someone you were making deals with probably killed you.

You'd think you'd want the police to investigate everyone so you could find out who wanted you dead. "

"They were friends. None of them would want me dead," Eden told him. "It had to be someone who wanted my job. Someone who knew they couldn't beat me next election."

Lance laughed. "My dog could get more votes than you next election. You've done more to hurt the city than help it."

"I have not. I've always done what's best for the city." Eden looked hurt at his accusations.

"Like buying new cars for your office staff, remodeling the City Center, but not giving even a little extra to the libraries, schools, or parks.

And don't get me started on the Medical Examiner's Office.

After the hostage situation, updated security should have been a no-brainer.

" Lance was done being nice. He was going to tell it like it was.

"I don't know a single person who planned on reelecting you. "

"You spend all your time with the dead. Of course they won't vote for me." She smirked at him. "Plenty of people supported me. Important people."

"People you were tossing business to after accepting their bribes," Lance threw back. "If you'd give us the names of those you were working with, or better yet, those who you refused to work with, then we might know who killed you."

"Why should I give you names if your boyfriend will just arrest them for working with me?

" Eden floated up and started moving back and forth across the kitchen.

"These people trusted me. Sure, I might be dead, but I still don't want anyone sitting in jail for silly stuff.

Sure, I want my murderer arrested, but not someone who was just working a few financial deals with me. "

"Fraudulent financial deals," Lance pointed out.

"Deals like this are happening in every government office across the country.

You don't think companies pay off congressmen and senators to vote certain ways?

Seriously? Do you think politicians get rich on their normal paychecks?

" She shook her head. "Not a day goes by that someone in a position higher than mine isn't calling my office to try and get me to push an agenda or get the city council to vote one way or another. "

"That might be true, but it doesn't make it right or legal." Lance glanced over at Ray. "I'm going to call it an early night. Do you want me to turn on the TV before I head to bed?"

"Yeah, if you'd put that sci-fi series on Netflix on to autoplay, Bethany and I want to watch it." Ray waved to Bethany through the kitchen window to have her come inside.

"No problem." Lance smiled.

"Big problem. You can't go to bed until you call your boyfriend," Eden argued.

"He's working. I'm not calling him. He'll tell us more when he gets home or tomorrow after he gets some sleep. I'm not bugging him because you want information you could have gotten on your own had you gone to the police station." Lance set his glass in the sink.

"Then you won't sleep," Eden said.

"My bedroom is off limits. It's a ghost free zone." Lance really wished he could turn his ability on and off so he didn't have to deal with her.

"Make a phone call and you'll sleep just fine." Eden shrugged. "Simple as that."

Lance was not going to let a ghost tell him what to do.

He also wasn't about to bother Angus with a call while he might be in the middle of something important.

He'd sent a text and that was enough. Angus would call if there was anything important going on that Eden needed to know.

Ignoring the ghost, he went into the living room and got the show started for Bethany and Ray.

"Can we help with anything?" Bethany asked softly, casting a glance over at Eden.

"Not unless you know a way to force her away.

" Lance sighed. "Thanks, but I'll just ignore her.

Lizzy warned me that some ghosts would be like this.

I've been lucky up to now." He made sure most of the lights were off and said his goodnights.

Eden followed him into the bedroom, smiling innocently at him as he glared at her.

"Call your boyfriend," Eden said.

"My boyfriend has a name." Lance pulled off his shirt, turned on the lamp by his bed, then went back to turn off the main light.

"I know. What a horrible name to have, too. Named after some insane guitarist." She rolled her eyes.

"Yet you're named after a garden. One that was supposedly beautiful and peaceful. I sure don't see any resemblance in you. They should have named you Hades." Lance pulled back the covers and climbed into bed. He hated sleeping in sweatpants, but with Eden around, he wasn't about to get naked.

"How dare you." She glared.

"You want to insult my boyfriend, I can toss it right back at you. Now go away. I'm going to read for a bit. If Angus has news, he'll wake me when he gets home." He pulled his e-reader from the nightstand drawer and turned it on.

Eden sat down on the foot of the bed and started singing.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Eden paused singing and looked over her shoulder at him. "I loved singing to my girls when they were little. I learned a lot of songs. I bet I could sing them all night." She started to sing again.

Lance wondered if he should run out and get noise canceling headphones to sleep in.

They'd be uncomfortable, but probably not as horrible as listening to Eden sing all night.

He was furious with her, and one thing was for sure, no matter what happened, Lance would not get up to talk to Angus when he got home.

The woman could wait until morning to get information, even if that meant Lance didn't get any sleep at all.