The Departed

to tell if there was somebody trying to manifest. This one was weak. Very weak.
    Closing her eyes, Dez lowered her shields. That faint echo—just a prickle along her senses—remained. The ghost was either there or trying to be.
    Dez didn’t know for sure which one it was.
    She closed her eyes and eased her shields down, careful not to do anything else, not yet.
    “Hello?” she called out, keeping her voice easy and soft.
    There was no answer. Huffing out a breath, she slid out from under the blanket and stood up, glancing around. She looked down and realized she hadn’t even taken her coat off. She slipped out of it and draped it over the foot of the bed.
    “You know, I can tell you want to talk. You wouldn’t be coming around me if you didn’t,” she said conversationally. She unzipped one boot, then the other, slipping out of them and leaving them on the floor. “So why don’t we talk?”
    There was a warbling little breath of a sound. Almost a sigh. Almost a whisper. But nothing else.
    “What is it you want to tell me, sweetie? I can’t do much for you until I know what you need.” Staring into nothing, she waited. Still nothing.
    And that lingering echo faded, leaving her alone.
    “Damn it.” Dez rubbed a hand over the back of her neck, staring at the floor. That hadn’t exactly gone as planned.
    But then again, nothing here had gone as planned. Tristan hadn’t been what she’d expected, discovering Ivy hadn’t been what she’d expected…and she didn’t even want to think about the complications with Taylor. Now she was dealing with a shy little ghost who only seemed to creep out while she slept.
    “Hell, this is going to be a pain in the ass.”

CHAPTER TWELVE
    IT was time…
    The flowers were gathered. Yellow flowers for the lovely angel. Pretty and perfect.
    The tears threatened. But there was time for tears later. Tears mustn’t mar their day together, after all. Later. After their special day. They’d be together all day—a day of joy. After that, there would be time for tears.
    * * *
     
    “HI, sweetheart.”
    Taylor’s phone had been silent that morning. So far. Still, he woke early and made his sojourn to the cemetery where Anna rested along with his parents. The daisies, bright and cheerful, wouldn’t last long, but they were her favorite. She’d get nothing else from him.
    Sitting by her monument, he stared down at the ground.
    He’d spent too many days like this. Holding vigil at the foot of the marble angel and wondering. Wondering, yet dreading what would happen if he ever found out. Would it break him, knowing what happened?
    She was gone, he knew. He knew it in his soul.
    Maybe that was why he’d never brought anybody out here. Wasn’t like he couldn’t. Wasn’t like he didn’t have the resources. Hell, he had somebody here now…
    His gut wrenched. No. Just—no.
    Still, with a hand that shook, he reached into his pocket and pulled out that golden chain. Stared at it.
    There was a reason Dez was here. Why she was still here—in this town. Deep inside, in a place he didn’t want to look at, he was starting to suspect those connections were a lot more complicated than he wanted to think about.
    But he wasn’t going to look at any of that just yet. Not today. Definitely not today.
    * * *
     
    “WHERE in the hell are all the kids coming from?” Dez stared grouchily at the crowded Denny’s and wished she’d thought to stock up on coffee for the house. Although she wasn’t quite sure where to buy groceries. Would she be here long enough?
    “No school today.” The waitress smiled, but it looked strained. “Fall break. They were off Friday and today. Plus”—she grimaced—
“they’ll be off tomorrow, too, it looks like. The school board thought it would be good to have a day off, but offer counseling for those who needed it.” She sighed and glanced around, her eyes lingering on one table where a couple of teenage girls leaned against each other. “They’ve had a rough few months, these kids. Rough few months.”
    Dez was silent as the lady wandered off. Bending over her coffee, she brooded. Canceling school—was that the smartest thing? Letting those responsible for this out for more trouble, it seemed like. At least in her opinion.
    But maybe they’d be smart, maybe they’d realize how obvious they were getting. Maybe they’d stop and nobody else would get hurt. And maybe pigs would fly, she thought. Too much arrogance here. Arrogant