Page 25 of Southernmost Murder

Jun ignored me, becauseduh. He used the flashlight on his cell to light the way to the bedroom. He looked around the corner, scanning the room with his light before going in. He came back out before I could struggle to my feet.

“Where is he?” I asked.

“It’s empty,” Jun confirmed. “You didn’t see where he went?”

I shook my head. “I collapsed. I was scared to death,” I said, sort of surprised to so freely admit that was the case.

Jun immediately joined my side once more to help me stand before giving me a tight hug. Warm, safe, strong. Could I just stay attached to him for a while? Like a remora on a shark? Not forever, just until I wasn’t shaking anymore.

“If it was a ghost, he could be anywhere,” I said.

“I thought you didn’t believe in ghosts?”

“It was Captain Smith!” I protested, looking up. “The clothes were historically accurate! The beard, the eye patch. Jun, I’ve spent two years dedicated to the man’s legacy—I know what he looks like!”

Jun nodded. “Okay. But the fact is, ghosts don’t kill.” He gently let go of me. A few passing cars outside caused dim lights to dance through the hall. I watched Jun press his fingers to the dead man’s neck. He tilted his head, studying the body and the pool of blood.

“He is…dead, yeah?” I asked.

“Yes. Did you touch him at all?”

“I didn’t see him. I didn’t turn the lights on. I just tripped over him. But that’s my marlinespike, I think.”

“I need to check the rest of the house,” Jun replied as he stood straight again.

I fiercely shook my head. “Don’t.”

Jun took my hand and gave it a squeeze. “Stay here.”

He let go and then moved past me to check the master bedroom on the right before heading upstairs to the third floor. I listened to Jun’s steps as he walked overhead, searching the captain’s study and confirming the house was empty of any intruders.

“Someone’s been up here,” he called down to me.

“How can you tell?” I asked, not moving from my spot and nervously looking about the dark hall.

“The rope barriers in the study have been knocked down.”

“That’s where the marlinespike is kept!” I shouted back.

Even though Jun had confirmed the second floor was empty, that didn’t convince my heart to stop pounding away, and I briefly thought I was going to pass out all dramatically like a Southern belle. Therehadbeen a man—a ghost—Captain Smith.

So where had he gone? He could have ghost-poofed. I didn’t know what that actually meant, but ghosts, like… vanish and appear wherever they want, don’t they? Fuck.

Jun was walking back down the stairs. “We need to call the police.”

“Did you open a door?” I asked, looking up.

“Which door?”

“I remember a door,” I said, sort of distracted as I pulled the sound from my memory. When I screamed and collapsed, there had been running, and I thought it was Jun coming to my rescue, but then there’d been the sound of a door….

“I didn’t open anything.”

I took a step forward but halted at the body. No berth was wide enough. Another car drove by and lit up the pool of blood. There was so much. It was so dark, like a thick red wine.

The bruschetta was going to come back up.

Jun noticed, took my hand, and tugged me along, all but forcing me down the hallway and away from the stench of blood and death.