I’d tried. She could tell when I picked it up though. Had to practically cross back over to avoid being seen.”
Nick shrugged. “Doesn’t matter now. We’ll be hearing from them again soon, I expect. They’ll be gathering more intel on me, and after showing me the penny yesterday, that Agent Rutledge is going to be all over us. We’ll be lucky to avoid their involvement in this.”
Reggie gave him a wry, sad smile. “That didn’t go too well the last time, boss.”
“Agreed,” Nick said. “We may have little choice in the matter, however, if they try to pin anything on me or drag my ass in.”
“They have no evidence yet.”
“Circumstantial. I was at the scene. They know I’m connected somehow, and technology is going to be to our disadvantage now. They can find out things too fast these days.”
“It’s a strange world. Some days it’s good to be dead.”
Nick almost laughed. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet. I’ll call Shel and Cyn to let them know to expect another visit from the feds. Things are going to get complicated real quick, I’m afraid.”
“I’ll be around if you need me, boss.”
He motioned with the penny to his old friend. “Thanks, Reg. As always, it’s much appreciated.”
“We’re going to take him down this time, Mr. Anderson. You’ll see.”
Nick watched him dissipate into the air. “Yes, we certainly will, Reg.”
It was going to be a lovely day. He got up from the chair, hands going into his pockets, and rubbed at the plastic case between his fingers. Unwanted memories stirred like the wisps of fog down on the pond, ghostly tendrils rising up from the murk below.
Chapter 15
It was still dark when the phone rang. Jackie startled awake, still propped against the pillows, and watched her laptop slide off the burgundy comforter to the floor. Bickerstaff, who was perched on the end of the bed below her feet, looked down at the computer and then back at her. He appeared to have been waiting for that precise moment all night and now had a very catlike smirk upon his face. She kicked at him from beneath the covers while reaching for the phone on the nightstand and then watched him indignantly jump to the floor. The number was Laurel’s.
“Hey, it’s six thirty in the morning. Think I’m bringing you a custard doughnut now?” It was not much of a threat, but with sleep still fogging her brain, it was all she could come up with.
“Get your tiny little butt down here, and I’ll take two of Annabelle’s custardy delights, thank you very much.”
Jackie sat up, one hand rubbing at the sleep in her eyes. It was against the laws of nature to sound that functional before the sun came up. “Okay, I’m up, more or less. What’s going on?”
Laurel’s voice rose in pitch, a clear sign she was excited by something. “We had a little visitor in the evidence room this morning.”
Little visitor? “What, like a gremlin or something?”
“Someone stole our little twenty-five-K penny.”
That got Jackie to her feet. “You’re joking. How the hell did someone break into the evidence room?”
“Because they weren’t really here,” she said. Jackie could hear the smirk in her voice.
“Damnit, Laur. You telling me a ghost ran off with evidence?”
Her voice snapped back. “Looks that way.”
“Okay, okay. Sorry.” Jackie sighed and stared up at the ceiling. “I believe you. I just hate when supernatural shit gets involved. No standards for this kind of thing.”
“Makes life interesting. Coming in now?”
“Yeah. Let me throw clothes on. I’ll grab a bite on the way. Wait. My car is still downtown.”
“I got Denny to take it back for you.”
Jackie listened for but could find no hint of annoyance in Laurel’s voice. “Thanks.”
“Which means Annabelle’s. Don’t forget.”
A morning sheen of fog put a damper on an already shitty start to the day as Jackie drove into downtown, sipping on Annabelle’s Mississippi Mud coffee.
Nick shrugged. “Doesn’t matter now. We’ll be hearing from them again soon, I expect. They’ll be gathering more intel on me, and after showing me the penny yesterday, that Agent Rutledge is going to be all over us. We’ll be lucky to avoid their involvement in this.”
Reggie gave him a wry, sad smile. “That didn’t go too well the last time, boss.”
“Agreed,” Nick said. “We may have little choice in the matter, however, if they try to pin anything on me or drag my ass in.”
“They have no evidence yet.”
“Circumstantial. I was at the scene. They know I’m connected somehow, and technology is going to be to our disadvantage now. They can find out things too fast these days.”
“It’s a strange world. Some days it’s good to be dead.”
Nick almost laughed. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet. I’ll call Shel and Cyn to let them know to expect another visit from the feds. Things are going to get complicated real quick, I’m afraid.”
“I’ll be around if you need me, boss.”
He motioned with the penny to his old friend. “Thanks, Reg. As always, it’s much appreciated.”
“We’re going to take him down this time, Mr. Anderson. You’ll see.”
Nick watched him dissipate into the air. “Yes, we certainly will, Reg.”
It was going to be a lovely day. He got up from the chair, hands going into his pockets, and rubbed at the plastic case between his fingers. Unwanted memories stirred like the wisps of fog down on the pond, ghostly tendrils rising up from the murk below.
Chapter 15
It was still dark when the phone rang. Jackie startled awake, still propped against the pillows, and watched her laptop slide off the burgundy comforter to the floor. Bickerstaff, who was perched on the end of the bed below her feet, looked down at the computer and then back at her. He appeared to have been waiting for that precise moment all night and now had a very catlike smirk upon his face. She kicked at him from beneath the covers while reaching for the phone on the nightstand and then watched him indignantly jump to the floor. The number was Laurel’s.
“Hey, it’s six thirty in the morning. Think I’m bringing you a custard doughnut now?” It was not much of a threat, but with sleep still fogging her brain, it was all she could come up with.
“Get your tiny little butt down here, and I’ll take two of Annabelle’s custardy delights, thank you very much.”
Jackie sat up, one hand rubbing at the sleep in her eyes. It was against the laws of nature to sound that functional before the sun came up. “Okay, I’m up, more or less. What’s going on?”
Laurel’s voice rose in pitch, a clear sign she was excited by something. “We had a little visitor in the evidence room this morning.”
Little visitor? “What, like a gremlin or something?”
“Someone stole our little twenty-five-K penny.”
That got Jackie to her feet. “You’re joking. How the hell did someone break into the evidence room?”
“Because they weren’t really here,” she said. Jackie could hear the smirk in her voice.
“Damnit, Laur. You telling me a ghost ran off with evidence?”
Her voice snapped back. “Looks that way.”
“Okay, okay. Sorry.” Jackie sighed and stared up at the ceiling. “I believe you. I just hate when supernatural shit gets involved. No standards for this kind of thing.”
“Makes life interesting. Coming in now?”
“Yeah. Let me throw clothes on. I’ll grab a bite on the way. Wait. My car is still downtown.”
“I got Denny to take it back for you.”
Jackie listened for but could find no hint of annoyance in Laurel’s voice. “Thanks.”
“Which means Annabelle’s. Don’t forget.”
A morning sheen of fog put a damper on an already shitty start to the day as Jackie drove into downtown, sipping on Annabelle’s Mississippi Mud coffee.
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