Page 23

Lance sat with a glass of wine, enjoying the evening with everyone. Dinner had been amazing, and now everyone was full and visiting as if they'd all been friends for years. The ghosts had moved to another table while they ate, but now everyone was back together with all the chairs moved into a circle.

"So what did Isaac wish to speak to me about?" Captain Marshall asked.

Angus set his beer down. "He's wondering if he and a few other ghosts who volunteer could maybe track down some of our local drug traffickers."

"Tell him about my son," Isaac said.

"He wants you to tell them about his son," Lance told Angus.

"Of course." Angus nodded in Isaac's direction. "Isaac's son has a drug problem. He wasn't aware of how serious it was until after he died and was able to witness his son shooting up. His desire is to save his son while at the same time, helping our narcotics unit track down the dealers."

Captain Marshall sat forward a bit. "Like a confidential informant?"

"Exactly." Isaac nodded.

"Yes," Lance took over. "They would follow Isaac's son around, get to know who is moving the drugs, follow them, then come and give either me or Lizzy the information so that we can call you with it."

Captain Marshall nodded. "Interesting. But we can't guarantee this will save your son. He might find other ways to get his drugs. He could even end up arrested because of something you tell us."

Isaac shrugged. "I'd rather him locked up and safe than using and hanging around those he's currently friends with."

Lance repeated what he'd said.

"It would be very touchy. I can't use information from a confidential informant in court, but just knowing where to look or who is involved would go a long way into helping the narcotics unit know who they're dealing with and locations to stake out. But this could work. How would we do this?"

"We could meet once a week to share information." Lizzy jumped into the conversation. "We meet here or at another location. It really doesn't matter. If that's too much, then we just have the ghosts bring the information to Lance or me and we call you with it."

"I'd rather not speak on the phone at work about this for obvious reasons." Captain Marshall sighed. " Once a week would work. We can meet at our place too sometimes, so you aren't always stuck hosting."

Lance laughed. "I don't mind. Lizzy has keys to my house if I can't be here. And the ghosts are almost always around. I'm good with whatever works. Like you, it's hard to talk at work, but I'm fine if they catch me when I'm in my office alone."

"This means you plan on sticking around?" Captain Marshall glanced to where Isaac was sitting. It had taken time, but over the night, he'd slowly gotten more comfortable speaking to the ghosts. His wife had had a ton of questions for them and had kept Lizzy busy with back-and-forth conversations throughout the night.

"Yes, and I have others who will help. Scott is going to be around for a while, plus some of my friends who are still around have offered to help. They like the idea of having something more to do than hang around the bar or the golf course."

Lance repeated everything. "And I know Jeremy wants to help. He was supposed to be here tonight. I'm not sure what kept him away."

"Who is Jeremy?" Maria asked.

"A young man who haunts the morgue. Well, I hate saying haunts, because he really is there learning about what we do, but he's there most days. And I'm sure Bethany and Ray will want in. They're the ghosts who live here with me when they aren't traveling the world." Lance smiled at Angus.

"And I want in." Betty held up her hand. "This sounds fun. "

"Bets." Lizzy shook her head.

"What? Why not? It's not as if I can be hurt. They won't know we're there. I'll still travel with you when you go places, but when we're home, I'm happy to do my part in keeping the city and the kids safe from drug traffickers." Betty held her chin high.

"Okay, so Betty's in as well." Lance laughed.

"See, we have more than enough ghosts to help get information. They can give you names, addresses, and possibly even locations of shipments being brought in." Isaac smiled. "This will be fun."

Lizzy repeated what Isaac said to everyone.

"Dawn, what are your plans?" Lance asked.

Dawn shook her head. "I'm not sure. I thought I'd move on, but I've made so many new friends since I've died. I might stick around for a bit and see how things go."

Lance smiled. "You're welcome here anytime. Once Bethany and Ray get back, I'd love for you to meet them."

"I'd like that." She smiled. "Will you tell Franks thank you for taking Pixie? She's happy with him. I can tell. His house is a lot nicer than my tiny apartment was. And she loves that he allows her to sleep on the bed."

"I knew they'd be a match." Lance told Franks everything Dawn had said.

"I knew she'd been at my place. I could tell when she was there by the way Pix was acting." Franks sighed. "No spying on me in the shower."

Dawn made a disgusted face that made Lance laugh, but he didn't share that with Franks. "She won't be spying. She's there for Pix, not for you."

"On that note, I'm out." Franks stood. "I'm exhausted and I have a cat to feed. Thank you for the great company and the wonderful meal." He rubbed his stomach before looking to Angus. "Call me if something pops."

"I will." Angus nodded.

Franks headed into the house.

That led everyone into a conversation about animals being able to see ghosts. Lance sat back and listened, enjoying how well things were going. Despite only Lizzy and him being able to hear the ghosts, somehow everyone was involved and talking over each other as they laughed and joked for a while.

Once things were wrapping up, Captain Marshall turned to Angus. "I'll let you know when we can plan another meeting with the ghosts. I like this idea. I just have to be very careful on what information we use. It could get tricky."

Angus laughed. "You don't have to tell me. I've been juggling this issue for a while. You have no idea how hard it was to use some of the stuff the ghosts have told me about their murders. We find a way to work through it. Lance, Franks, and I are becoming experts. We'll help you walk that path."

"I should move one of you to narcotics," Captain Marshall teased.

"You'd have both of us handing in our badges," Angus warned him.

"Thank you for having us. Tonight has been wonderful and very eye-opening. I promise we'll be keeping your secret, but I'm so honored that you were willing to share it with us." Maria hugged Lance, then Angus.

"We are so happy you came. We look forward to seeing you again soon." Lance smiled at the older woman.

"Oh, you'll see more of me. I have plans to go shopping with Betty and Lizzy when they get back from Hawaii." She blushed slightly. "It will be fun to have some girl time again."

"We better be going. Thank you again. And please, tell Isaac and Scott how wonderful it was to have a chance to speak to them both again. You're a lucky person, Lance. Death isn't a final goodbye for you. You get to keep being friends with people."

"If they choose to stick around. Most don't." Lance wanted him to know that it wasn't common for ghosts to ignore the pull of the light. It took conscious effort to not go into it. "I'll let them know. I'm sure you'll speak to them again. We'll set up a meeting as soon as they have some information for us."

They said their goodbyes and watched as the couple walked out to the car, then headed back to the kitchen. Lizzy and Martin were rinsing dishes and putting them in the dishwasher.

"We didn't invite you over to clean up," Angus told his parents. "Go enjoy the rest of the night together. Lance and I have this."

"We can help." Lizzy ignored Angus. "Your captain and his wife are very nice. I think this is a great idea that Isaac had to have the ghosts help with cases. We should have thought of it years ago."

"It won't be as easy as you think. There's a lot that ghosts will hear and see that we can't use as evidence. It's worth trying, but I'm not confident it will go as smoothly as we hope. It doesn't hurt to try and if we can save Isaac's son, that's what matters." Angus hip bumped his mother away from the sink. "I'm serious. Let Lance and me clean up. You two go get ice cream or something."

"After that pudding Lance served for dessert, my sweet tooth is at capacity." Martin rubbed his stomach. "I want that recipe."

"I'll text it to you." Lance laughed.

"Okay, if you two are so desperate for alone time you're willing to kick your parents out, we'll go." Lizzy winked at Lance.

"We're not kicking you out. We just don't need you cleaning up after us. We're adults. We can handle things." Angus kissed his mother's cheek. "Thank you again for making tonight so comfortable for everyone. I wasn't sure how it would go. I expected a little more doubt from Captain Marshall, but I sensed none."

Lizzy smiled. "He was already a believer. His wife even more so."

"It was a nice change not having to talk anyone into believing. They were uncomfortable at first, but did you notice that by the time they left they were speaking directly to the ghosts and not to us?" Lance started to put condiments back into the fridge .

"Yeah, I caught that too." Martin stole one of the last biscuits from a plate.

"I'm still nervous about people at work finding out," Lance admitted. "For now, I'd like to keep my secret. Having the captain know is good. It makes things easier on Angus, and I do want to help relay information from the ghosts, but I'm not ready to have my gift be common knowledge for everyone. I wish I was as brave as you, Lizzy, but I'm not."

Lizzy hugged him. "You have a lot more to lose than I do. I don't have a job or a career to worry about. I can be the crazy old lady, and it doesn't affect anyone but me and Martin. We know the truth, so it doesn't matter. I fully understand your wanting to keep it a secret. It's not always easy to hear people think you're crazy."

"Thanks. I don't know what I'd do without your support and guidance." Lance meant those words. If he hadn't had Lizzy there to help him, he'd have been lost.

"You just keep my son happy. That's the only job you have that matters." Lizzy reached for her purse, then stuck her head outside. "Bets, we're leaving. You with us?"

Betty got up from the group of ghosts, said her goodbyes, and floated into the kitchen. "Great night, boys. We should do this more often."

"Thanks, Betty, and I agree. It was a fun night." Lance wrapped an arm around Angus. "Thanks for all your help tonight."

"I didn't do anything, but I'm looking forward to playing spy once Isaac lets me know what I need to do and who to follow." Betty grinned. "Once we get back from Hawaii, it's on." Betty swirled in a circle and while she did, her clothes changed so she was wearing an old trench coat and fedora on her head.

Lance laughed. "Oh, how I wish I could get a picture of you." He tried to describe what she was wearing to Angus and Martin.

"Not a bad look, Bets. You might have missed your calling." Lizzy grinned. "I'm a bit jealous I can't go play detective with you."

Martin pulled Lizzy to him. "You, my dear, will be staying home where you're safe. Your part in this is strictly communication. Let Betty and the boys go have their fun."

"Betty and the boys. Now, I love that name. It's like we're a band and I'm the lead." Betty twirled again, this time appearing back in her normal clothing of jeans and a concert t-shirt.

Lance laughed again, repeating what Betty said.

Lizzy shook her head. "I've heard you sing. You're backup at best. Sorry, you just don't have the pipes to be lead."

"Just my luck, but I still love the name. Don't stop using it." Betty winked at Lance.

"Okay, boys, we're off. You two have a good weekend and don't get lost in work. I know how busy you've both been. Take some time to refresh." Lizzy kissed each of them on the cheek.

"Thanks, Mom, we will. Don't call early. I plan on sleeping in." Angus hugged his mother, then his father.

"We'll be doing the same." Martin took Lizzy's hand.

Lance walked them to the door with Angus by his side. Once they were gone, he turned to Angus and hugged him. "That went well."

"It did. And for the first time in a while, we have a night where I don't have a case hanging over my head and it appears we have the weekend free." Angus pushed Lance up against the wall.

"Don't jinx it." Lance arched his neck as Angus kissed a trail down from his ear.

"Never." Angus caught his lips for a hard kiss, then pulled back. "Let's go finish cleaning up, then we have the night to ourselves."

Lance nodded, already aroused and looking forward to time alone. The ghosts would remain in the backyard, and that meant Haunt would stay there too. They really would be alone. He hurried and followed Angus to the kitchen where they made quick work of putting everything away. Most of it could wait until morning. They said goodnight to the ghosts, leaving the sliding door open a bit in case Haunt wanted in, then made their way to the bedroom. Once there, Lance shut the door and leaned against it. "I almost want to toss your phone in the guest room for the night."

Angus laughed. "No need." He picked up his phone and pushed the button to turn off the phone. "No one needs me tonight. If it's an emergency and I don't answer, anyone important will call you. I'm officially off work tonight." He set his cell phone down on the dresser. "The only thing that matters tonight is us."

Lance smiled as he stepped into Angus's arms. "How about bath?"

Angus raised a brow. "A bath would be nice. Then once we finish, I'll give you one of those full body massages you like so much."

"I can return that favor." Lance loved the idea of having Angus's hands all over him.

"If we make it that far. Something tells me we won't make it through your massage. How about we take a bath now, do your massage, see where that takes us, then shower again, do my massage and see where that one takes us? By morning, we'll be ready to relax in bed most of the day."

"I like the way you think." Lance kissed him softly. "It was a long week. I missed you."

"Missed you too," Angus whispered against his lips. "We have the weekend. Hopefully, next week is slower. No late nights."

As they kissed their way to the bathroom, Lance hoped Angus was right. He missed him when they were so busy, but this was the life he'd accepted when they started dating. Late nights were better than no nights. He wouldn't trade his relationship with Angus for anything. He loved him. And as Angus turned on the water to fill the tub, Lance let the week go. Now was all that mattered.