The Departed

you do have a gift, Taylor. It’s quieter. It’s what lets you see others. And I think you help us focus—keep us calmer. That’s a gift. Maybe you can’t see the ghosts or hear the voices. But you do something that lets us see them. That’s a gift.”
    He turned his face to her hand, rubbed his grizzled cheek against it. “Yeah, I notice you sleep when I’m around. Is that why you think you love me?”
    “Think?” She lifted a brow at him. “Jones, there’s no think to it. I might have thought I loved Will Smith when I was in high school. He’s cute, he’s funny…and I didn’t know him. You, however…you might be nice to look at, but you’re not exactly funny. You’re not always easy to be around.”
    She leaned against him and kissed him. Against his lips, she murmured, “And I still love you. That I can sleep better around you, focus better, that’s just a nice benefit. But I’d love you even if there were ten thousand more screaming ghosts in my head whenever you were near. You’re it for me, Jones. I like it that way.”
    Then she sighed and looked back at the cemetery. “I have to go in there, at least try to see if I can talk to her now.”
    “You don’t think you will?”
    “I just don’t know.” She stroked a hand down his uninjured arm and twined their fingers, bringing his clasped hand to her lips. “I guess I go find out.”
    She let go of his hand and made her way into the cemetery. The wind, cold and biting, blew through her hair. But it was a regular wind, carrying nothing but the cold of the fall. She lowered her shields and although there were whispers of the departed skittering along her senses, none of them belonged to Anna.
    Dejected, she shoved her hands into her pockets and began to wander around through the silent graveyard. The sun played peekaboo with the clouds, coming out every so often to cast slivers of light on the headstones. Every once in a while, a whisper would grow louder, but never real. Never complete. Nothing got loud enough to really call to her. None of these ghosts needed her. They were just echoes of themselves.
    She hadn’t arrived in time to see them move on, and now she never would.
    She’d hoped she hadn’t been too late for Anna—it didn’t seem that could be the case. Anna had been so real, so complete and solid, just hours earlier. But now…
    There was nothing.
    Turning, she stared back at Taylor. And she knew she wouldn’t even have to tell him. He could tell, just by looking at her.
    * * *
     
    SHE sat in the car, staring up at the cottage. But Dez couldn’t climb out. Their job here, as far as it went, was done. Ivy was safe. Mark was safe. Tristan had justice—everything that Brendan had done was likely to come out now and Tristan’s family would know he hadn’t killed himself. Although Dez didn’t know if that knowledge would really make things any easier.
    Anna—she, too, had whatever peace Dez could give her. Dez wanted to see the girl off to a real and lasting peace, but she wasn’t so sure that would happen. And Jacqueline, damn it, was there anything more she could do there? Dez didn’t know.
    But as she sat out there in Taylor’s car, she couldn’t go into the warm, quiet little cottage. She just couldn’t. Swallowing, she looked over at him. “Take me to your house—the manor. I need to go there.”
    He stiffened.
    “That’s…not a good idea.” His hand tightened on the steering wheel, gripping it with a force that turned his knuckles white.
    “Why not?”
    “Bad memories, Dez. Too many ghosts. My mom killed herself there, my dad died there. And let’s not forget Anna.” He shook his head. “No. We’re not doing that. It was risky enough taking you there once.”
    “Risky?” Dez closed her eyes and rested her head on the back of the seat. “You forget I’m comfortable talking to ghosts. I’d rather talk to ghosts than deal with what’s been going on here the past few days. It’s driving me nuts. I’d rather get back to what I know, what I can handle.”
    “You need a break.”
    “I can’t take a break.” With a heavy sigh, she looked over at him and shook her head. “You know that. At least not until I try to reach Anna. She’s not all that strong, Taylor. She’s not tied to her grave. She reached me where her body was left, but she wasn’t completely there , either. Maybe that’s part of the problem. She’s had to waste too much strength trying to reach out and find me. Maybe I