Page 9

Lance walked into the house, surprised to find Lizzy in the kitchen. It wasn't uncommon for Angus's mother to come over and cook for them, but he hadn't expected it tonight. Loud heavy metal music played from her phone on the table. It was a band he didn't recognize. He stopped in the doorway and watched her, afraid to walk in and scare her. "Lizzy, what are you doing here?"

Haunt jumped up to run to him and Lizzy turned around with a grin. "I had the urge to cook, and Martin is out with his friends tonight, so Betty and I came over here to cook for you two." She walked over and turned off the music. "Hope you're hungry."

"Starving. Thanks for thinking of us. Where's Betty?" He looked around, not seeing the ghost who was Lizzy's best friend anywhere around.

"She just left. She had plans to go see some play tonight with some of her other friends. I told her I'd be fine here with Haunt and sent her off." She turned back to the counter and continued working. "I hope you like breaded pork chops, stuffing, and artichoke."

"That has my mouth watering. Let me go shower and change and I'll help."

"I have everything under control. Go relax. Before you jump in the shower, call Angus and tell him to make sure Franks comes with. I made plenty." Lizzy glanced over her shoulder at him. "It's quiet around here without Ray and Bethany here."

"It is. I hope they're having a great time wherever they went, but I sure miss them." Lance stared into the backyard. "But not as much as Haunt misses them. If dogs can get depressed, she's at risk. Have to say she doesn't like being home alone all day."

"I'm home for the next few weeks. I'll come over and visit or take her out with me." Lizzy smiled down at the dog who was back to hoping she might accidentally drop food on the floor.

"That would be great, but don't go out of your way. She's fine here. She's just not used to it." He turned. "I'll be out in a few."

"Don't forget to call my son," she hollered at him.

"I won't." He smiled to himself as he made his way to the bedroom. Once there, he stripped off his shirt, then picked up his phone. It only rang once before Angus answered.

"Hey. Be home in about an hour," Angus said.

"Your mom is here cooking for us. She said to bring Franks because there's a lot of food." Lance emptied his pockets, putting his wallet and other stuff on the dresser .

"I can do that. You okay with the company?" Angus asked.

"I don't mind. I was struggling to come up with dinner ideas. Your mom cooking was a nice surprise. I'm going to jump in the shower and go out and help her finish."

"No Dad?" Angus asked.

"Out with his friends, and Betty went to a play. She's on her own tonight."

Angus groaned. "That's when she's most dangerous. There's no one to stop her from making bad decisions."

Lance laughed. "She's cooking dinner. She can't get in trouble here. You can follow her home if you're worried about her detouring somewhere after she leaves."

"I might have to. Does the house smell like pot?" Angus asked.

"She wouldn't dare smoke it here, would she?" He was aware that Angus's parents got high, but he never dreamed they'd do it in his home.

"Not inside, but she would go outside to do it. I'll be able to tell when I see her. Though, she does tend to be a better cook when she's stoned." Angus sighed. "I'll drag Franks along. I'm sure he'll be happy for a hot meal. Talk to you in a few."

"Love you."

"Love you too." Angus ended the call.

Lance finished getting undressed and headed for the shower. He was smiling to himself as he thought about how crazy Lizzy was. She was definitely not the mother he'd imagine for Angus, but somehow, it worked for them. Angus put up with his parents' oddities and loved them unconditionally.

Angus's parents had adopted Lance into the family pretty much from the moment he'd started to date Angus. He loved them as if they were his own. It helped that Lizzy was one of the few people he knew who could see ghosts and understood what it was like to go through life seeing and communicating with the dead. It had been Lizzy who had convinced Lance he hadn't been losing his mind after he'd seen his first ghost. She meant the world to him.

After showering, he changed into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, opting to go without shoes. The smell coming from the kitchen called to him as he made his way down the hallway and back to Lizzy. "You have no idea how good that smells."

"It's almost done. Did you talk to Angus?"

"He said he'd be here in a bit. He's asking Franks, but I didn't get confirmation that he's coming." Lance looked around for something to do.

"Franks will be here. He won't turn down a home cooked meal." Lizzy nodded to the table. "Set the table, then grab condiments you might want."

Lance went to work, quickly setting the table.

"How's your new receptionist working out?" Lizzy asked.

"Gretta is amazing and due to her experience, we're calling her the office manager. She's making a lot of changes, but they're good ones. Updating forms, reworking the computer system to be more user friendly, and reminding us how far behind we are when it comes to the programs we use. While I miss Kathy since she retired, Gretta is a breath of fresh air in the office."

"That's wonderful news." Lizzy smiled. "Have you talked to Kathy since her move?"

"A few times. She's enjoying retirement, taking long walks on the beach, and catching up with her sister. I think the move to California was good for her. After the trauma she went through during the hostage situation, I was worried about her mental health, but she sounds like she's honestly doing okay now."

"I was worried about her after the hostage situation. I worried about all of you. Is everyone else okay?" Lizzy asked as she put the stuffing in a bowl.

"We're still a little jumpy, but we're okay. Sam has some new security features he's added and will put more in once we have the money to do so. He wants to remodel the front office so it's not so accessible and make it harder to get into the back area. He's asked the city for the money, but we all know how that will turn out."

Lizzy sighed. "Between you and my son, I'll be worrying forever about your safety."

"We'll be just fine. Angus is careful, and the likelihood of something happening at the morgue again is very slim." At least he hoped so. He wasn't sure he could go through something like that again. Needing a subject change, he asked about her last trip.

They talked comfortably for the next bit until they heard the door open from the garage. Angus wandered in, and a moment later, Franks walked in through the front door.

"Hey." Lance leaned in for a quick kiss from Angus.

"Hey." Angus smiled back, then turned to his mother. He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. "Dinner smells amazing."

"My mouth was watering the moment I opened the door." Franks kissed Lizzy as well. "Thanks for the invite."

"Glad to have you with us. Now go wash up so we can eat." She grinned at Lance. "Get the iced tea and lemonade out, will you?"

"Of course." Lance did, filling his own glass with lemonade as Lizzy took each plate and actually served the food to them before setting them back on the table. "There is plenty more if you're still hungry after that."

"This is more than enough. Thank you again for coming over." Lance took a seat.

"I missed my boys." She smiled as she sat down beside him.

"Where's Dad tonight?" Angus asked as he came back out and took the seat on the other side of Lance.

"Poker night at Fred's house. He won't be home until late. They're trying to make it a weekly event. But we're out of town so much that Martin just goes when he can." Lizzy filled her glass with tea.

"Where are you off to next?" Franks asked as he took a seat .

"Maui." Lizzy grinned. "We've rented a cabin right on the beach. We'll be there for two weeks."

Angus glanced at her in surprise. "When?"

"In a couple of weeks," she told him. "There's another couple going with us. It's their anniversary, but since her husband wanted to do a lot of fishing, she asked us to come along to keep her company."

"I'm so jealous." Franks unfolded his napkin. "Someday I'll get to travel."

"I'll send you all some great pictures so you can dream big," Lizzy teased.

"How'd things go at work today? I heard they verified a possible grave." Lance looked at Angus.

"Yeah, looks like we have a body. We'll know more tomorrow when the team gets there to start digging. Did you tell Scott?" Angus asked.

"He already knew. He was at the house when the GPR team was scanning the area. He heard everything. I'll let him know in the morning that they plan on digging. I'm sure he'll want to be there for that." Lance took a bite of the pork chop and groaned. "This is so good."

Lizzy smiled her thanks. "So you have a new ghost it sounds like."

Angus nodded. "Scott Mayburn. He used to own the Mayburn hotel."

"Oh wow. Your father and I used to get a room there once a year. We'd hire a sitter to watch you, and we'd sneak off for a weekend there. It was a lovely place. So you found his body?" Lizzy inquired .

"No, his mother's." Franks went on to tell her the story of how Myrtle Mayburn had been murdered.

"Seventy years ago." Lizzy put her hand to her chest. "The poor woman."

"I went digging through the archives today. I found the old case report for when she'd gone missing. Looks like the cops interviewed a few friends and neighbors but didn't do much else. There were no signs of problems in the marriage from what people reported. It sounds like everyone believed Russell when he told them she'd run off with a lover." Angus sighed. "Thankfully times have changed since then. Now, we know not to trust a spouse and take the time to really look into reports like that."

"It was a different time. I remember my parents talking about how you never questioned the husband. It was back in the time where the man was the head of the household and women were to be seen and not heard. Thank God, we've gotten past that." Lizzy laughed. "Can you imagine me if I had to live that way?"

"Dad would have been the one buried six feet deep if he'd ever tried to be that way with you." Angus smiled at his mother. "The police did look for any family that Myrtle might have gone to but didn't find any. She'd been an only child, and her parents were both dead. I'm not sure how deep they dug to look for aunts or uncles, but it doesn't look like they did much."

Lance nodded. "I asked Scott if he'd remembered grandparents or aunts and uncles, and he said no. From what he told me, his father was very abusive. They must have hidden it well from friends and neighbors. He did say that once his mother had been killed, his father wasn't as bad. Scott still tiptoed around him and never brought friends over, but the beatings weren't as common."

"The poor man. And he never told anyone about his mother?" Lizzy shook her head.

"Not until after he died. He left two letters stating what happened. That's why we're going to be digging into a seventy-year-old grave tomorrow morning." Franks took a deep breath. "The most interesting part of this story for me is Jared Winder." Franks went on to tell Lizzy about the inheritance the man was going to be getting.

"That is the best news ever. How fitting that it go to someone so deserving. People don't realize how lonely it can be when you get older. I'm lucky enough to have good friends and family, but not everyone has that. It sounds like Jared stepped in and cared for this man. I'm glad he's being rewarded, especially since I doubt he expected to be rewarded in any way. If what you say is true, few knew how rich this man was." Lizzy smiled. "Funny, since most people should connect his name with that old hotel. I can't wait to tell Martin about all this. I may have to drop by and speak to this ghost before he moves on. Thank him for the great times we had at his hotel over the years."

"He's hanging with Jeremy most of the time, but he'll be around his home for the dig. He wants to see what they find. He doesn't doubt his mother is buried there, he's just not sure what's left after all these years. I'm kind of curious to find out as well. Every body and location is different." Lance grew serious. "I warned Scott today that since he thought she was pretty far along in her pregnancy, there could be a baby's skeleton with her. At least a skull if she was near full term."

Angus sat back. "I hadn't thought about that. I better warn people before they start digging. That could be a bit traumatic to find unexpectedly."

"Again, I can't be sure what will be there after all this time, but be ready for anything. You could have a full mummy if the soil and air is right, but that's doubtful in this area." Lance glanced at Lizzy. "Sorry for conversation."

Lizzy waved her fork. "It doesn't bother me. Death never scared me nor did anything that has to do with it. I know what happens when we die. I'm not skittish of it at all."

"What comes next for Mom is haunting me," Angus teased.

"And I can't wait to do just that." Lizzy grinned. "Now eat. There's plenty more on the stove."

They spent the next hour visiting and laughing, and Lance savored every moment of it. These people might not be his blood, but they were his family. He would do anything for them and knew they'd do the same for him. It was good to be loved, and he felt sorry for ghosts like Scott who never got to know the joy of a happy family the way Lance did.