Page 6

Lance set his glass in the sink, then returned to the table. "The burgers were great, and I love it when there are no dishes to clean up." For a change, they'd both gotten home on time and had a nice, relaxing dinner together. He could see the stress lines around Angus's eyes, but they weren't as bad as when he was in the middle of an active murder investigation. "So, what did you find out about Scott Mayburn?"

Angus laughed. "That he's a millionaire who used to own the Mayburn hotel."

"Seriously? Wow, I guess I should have connected the name, but it just didn't occur to me. So this kid he left his money to is suddenly going to be rich?" Lance couldn't imagine.

"Seems that way. When I saw the guy today, he still had no clue he was the heir and was worrying about selling his car to bury Scott. The attorney was going to call him and talk things over tonight or tomorrow." Angus stretched his legs out. "One thing I do need from you is to grab a DNA sample from Mr. Mayburn before you release the body to the mortuary. I meant to text you that today before you left work but forgot."

"No problem. There's a form you'll have to sign, but I'll fill it out and you can sign it whenever. I don't mind bypassing rules for this. Do you think there's a body there?" Lance asked.

"I have no idea. When I spoke to Captain Marshall about it, he agreed we have to investigate." Angus went on to tell Lance everything about his meeting with the captain. "He didn't even blink an eye when I said there was a ghost claiming all this. Then once we verified there was a confession letter, he was all in. We meet with the radar company tomorrow morning and see what we find."

"I'm glad he's understanding and willing to believe. I know how hard it can be for some—" The sound of the doorbell cut him off. "I'll grab it." Lance quickly moved toward the door, doing a few fancy steps to keep from tripping over Haunt as she went with him. He paused to peek through the peep hole, then stepped back and opened the door once he saw who it was. "Hey." He smiled.

"Hi. I'm not sure you remember me, but—" she stammered, almost nervously.

"Of course, I remember you, Megan. You only dated my brother for most of high school. I'd come home from school, and you were almost always here. It hasn't been that long." In truth, it had been a long time, but she hadn't changed. She was a bit older, her body fuller and more womanly than the teenager he'd known long ago, but she still had the brightest green eyes, and dark hair he used to imagine would feel like silk. "Come in."

"Thanks. I'm sorry to come over without calling, but I didn't know how to reach you. I hope I'm not bothering you." She paused as Angus walked into the living room.

"No bother at all. Angus, this is Megan. She dated my brother for several years before he joined the Navy. I'm told they got back in touch when he was here for Christmas." Lance smiled. "Megan, this is Angus, my partner. He lives here with me now."

"Nice to meet you." Angus offered his hand.

Megan shook it and grinned. "Nice to meet you too. I didn't know you'd settled down with someone. I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks. Have a seat. Want a drink or something?" Lance asked.

"No thanks." She sat in a large chair.

"I'm going to take Haunt for a walk while you two talk. I won't be too long." Angus reached for the leash they kept by the door.

"Thanks." Lance wouldn't have minded Angus staying, but he had no idea what Megan would want to talk to him about and didn't want her uncomfortable. "How have you been?"

She shrugged. "Okay. You heard I divorced, right?"

He nodded and raised a brow. "Am I sorry about that or not?"

"Not. It was a good thing. I've been keeping in touch with Jackson since we went out over Christmas. We aren't back together or anything, but maybe when he comes home… he did mention he might be coming home, right?"

"He did. I can't wait." It had been great news when he'd gotten the letter.

"Yeah, it will feel like forever waiting, but I'm excited for him to get here even if it is a few months away. I have a little apartment in town and I'm working at one of the law offices in the area right now. It's not too bad." She took a hard breath. "My father passed away last week."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I hadn't heard." Which Lance was surprised at because Megan's father was a popular state senator who was always in the news and rumored to be in the running for governor in the next election. "Was he sick?"

"Not that we knew, but he had a massive heart attack at home one night. He was in the hospital for three days before he died." She wiped at a tear.

Lance stood, held up a finger, and rushed down the hall to the bathroom before coming back with a box of tissues. "I wish I'd known. I would have come to the funeral."

"It's okay. You didn't know my family."

"No, but Jackson did. I would have represented him." Lance wanted to pull her into a hug but didn't know her that well. "How's your mother holding up?"

"She's devastated. Everyone is. He was only sixty-four. We thought we had time. He seemed healthy." She bit her lip and looked at Lance nervously. "When Jackson was here for Christmas, he told me something about you."

Lance smiled. He'd given his brother permission to tell Megan about his ability to see ghosts since Jackson had been struggling to believe it, even after finding out one of his best friends was a ghost who had come to visit with Jackson. Lance understood Jackson might have needed someone to talk to. "Yes."

She wrinkled her brow. "Is it true?"

"You mean can I really see and talk to ghosts?" He nodded. "It's true." It took him a minute to catch on, but once he did, he shook his head. "Your father isn't here with you, if that's what you're asking."

She paled but nodded. "That's what I was asking."

Lance smiled. "Let me explain how this works. Just because I don't see him now doesn't mean he didn't stick around, but not many choose to stay. There's this light that the ghosts see when they die, and it's very tempting to go straight into it. Most don't even question it and go right into the light. Some ghosts, they pause and think about things or have a reason to not rush to the other side. Sometimes it's that they want to find out who killed them, or that they have unfinished business. Ray is a ghost I know who died over a hundred years ago and just stuck around to explore the world and hasn't finished yet. So just because I say your dad isn't here, doesn't mean he's not at home with your mother, or out watching the game at the local pub. He could be anywhere if he stayed." Lance hated he couldn't confirm anything for her. "Do you have reason to think he'd stick around? "

"No, not really, other than I think he'd wait for my mom. They were really close. And sometimes I feel like he's there. I get chills or feel something caress my hair. It's a strange feeling." She shrugged. "It's probably my imagination."

Lance smiled. "Are you willing to try something? It might let us know if what you feel is a ghost or just your imagination."

"Like what? What do I have to do?" She looked nervous.

"Drop by the medical examiner's office at lunch or after work one day. There is a ghost who hangs out there. I can have him touch you and you can see if it's the same. Or we can invite Angus's mother over to visit one night. Her best friend is a ghost who is usually with her."

"Maybe, but would you maybe come to dinner at my parents' house one night and see if he's there?" She looked so hopeful.

Lance was about to say no, but as he stared into her eyes, seeing the pain there, he nodded. "I'd be willing to do that, but I'm there as a friend of yours. As Jackson's brother. We're just catching up. If your father is there, I will find a way to speak to him and arrange a way for you to talk with him, but this isn't something I want your whole family in on. I told Jackson I didn't mind you knowing because I trust you to keep my secret, but I don't know your family and if they can handle knowing the truth and what I do. "

"You could bring your boyfriend too if you wanted," Megan offered.

Lance shook his head. "Thanks, but for something like this, I'd rather keep him out of it. If by chance I get outed, then only I look crazy, and it won't reflect on him." Lance hoped Angus would understand.

"Can you come over on Friday? I'll let Mom know you and I saw each other in the store or something and I invited you to our Friday night dinner. She won't mind."

Lance hoped he wasn't making a mistake. If this was anyone other than Megan, he'd say no. For her, he'd do this. She'd been the one to help him work through his first crush and his first kiss. She'd never given him shit for being gay and treated him as if he was just another one of her friends needing dating advice. He'd always felt more comfortable with her than trying to talk to Jackson about that stuff. He thought about his schedule. With Ray and Bethany gone, they weren't doing their usual Friday meal with Cel. He'd be free. Angus could go out with his friend Mike or enjoy the evening home alone if he wanted. "I can. What time?"

"Seven? Do you need the address?" She clapped her hands together once in excitement.

"Not if your mom is still in the same house she was in years ago. I remember coming over with Jackson to pick you up."

"Yep, it's the same place." She stood and came over to throw her arms around Lance. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me. I know he's there. It just drives me nuts not being one hundred percent sure. And don't worry about me telling anyone. My mom doesn't believe in any of that stuff. She's convinced there's nothing more when we die. She'd have trouble ever accepting this as real."

Lance hugged her back as he heard the front door open. He grinned as he pulled back from Megan, but still held her arms. "I'm happy to do this for you. I hope for your sake, he is there. But be prepared that he might not be and it's just your imagination. As I said, not many choose to stay." He glanced up as Angus walked in. "Welcome back. You're not interrupting, so don't feel you need to run off and give us more time."

Angus nodded to Haunt who was now sniffing Megan's shoes. "I won't be the one annoying you two."

"Aw, she's fine. I have a cat at home. I bet she can smell her." Megan bent down and petted Haunt. "I'm done here anyway. I won't keep you any longer. Thank you again for helping me. I owe you big time."

Lance waved her off. "Nonsense. It's what I do for close friends. Between now and Friday, if you're alone and feel like your father is with you, talk to him. Tell him I'll be over on Friday and can see him. Make sure he knows to be there. You might feel crazy for a bit, but if he is around, he'll let you know. Their touch is a lot like you described, a cold electrical brush over your skin."

"Thanks, I'll try that. And Friday, if he's there, we can go back to my place or come over here if that's easier for you to talk to him." She hugged him again .

"Either will be fine." Lance was glad she was smiling. He knew it wouldn't last. She was still grieving, but at least for a few minutes, she was happy and hopeful. He just hoped that her father did stick around, because if he hadn't, Lance was going to break her heart again.

He walked her to the door and promised to see her Friday. As she drove off, Lance headed back to the living room to find Angus and Haunt on the couch together. He sat down beside Haunt, then leaned past the dog for a kiss from Angus. "Sorry about that. You didn't have to leave."

"It was good to get out and walk. We only went around the block, but we stopped and said hi to some of the neighbors and their dogs. Haunt's been invited for a playdate this weekend if we want. I guess the Ramseys on the corner have a huge yard with all kinds of water features for the dogs to run through. I told them we may stop by, but it would depend on work." Angus raised a brow. "Did I hear you have a hot date on Friday night?"

"With a senator's daughter even." Lance laughed. "That was Megan. She was Jackson's girlfriend through most of high school. They broke it off when he joined the Navy. They've been talking off and on since Christmas when they hooked up again. Her father died last week, and since Jackson told her about my gift, she's hoping I can tell her if her father's stuck around." He leaned his head back on the couch. "So Friday, you have the night to yourself. I'm going to go have dinner at her mother's house as an old friend and see if dear old dad is hanging around. If he is, then I'll figure out a place for us all to talk. I just really hope it's a one-time thing. I don't want to end up being a fulltime communication contact."

"She seems level-headed. You should be okay with her." Angus smiled. "Aren't you afraid of what trouble I might get into without you?"

Lance laughed. "I figure you haven't seen Mike in a while. Go out and get a beer or something. Or, if you really want, come home and watch TV with Haunt and have the place to yourself for a few hours. You can come with, but I figured you'd be uncomfortable around people you didn't know and with me ghost hunting and all that."

"Ghost hunting is something you never have to do. They find you. You don't go searching for them," Angus teased.

"There's a first time for everything." Lance kicked off his shoes. "You want to pick something?" He handed Angus the remote.

"What I want is to switch places with Haunt. I'm supposed to be cuddling you, not the dog." Angus got up and made Haunt move before he settled back down. "Much better." He wrapped an arm around Lance's shoulders. "Now we can see what's on TV that we can ignore while we make out."

Lance laughed. "I love how you think."