Medicine For The Dead: An Occult Thriller (The Ulrich Files Book 2)

by Ambrose Ibsen

  Ulrich was too stunned to shake the detective's hand and simply sat there, wide-eyed.

  ***

  Life went on at Harrison's for the next couple of weeks. Even after his wife returned from her short vacation Ulrich remained a fixture in the house. She didn't take exception to his presence because he strived to make himself useful. When the check finally arrived and Ulrich had his reward in hand, he thanked the couple profusely, treated them to an excellent dinner for their hospitality and then set about selecting a new apartment in town.

  For several days Ulrich stayed in a cheap hotel while deciding where to move next. A number of apartment complexes caught his eye, and after touring rooms in each and selecting one that was cat-friendly, he and the cat moved in at once. The investigator even managed to save a bit of money once the rent and down payment were taken care of, and to replace a number of the things he'd lost while staying at Exeter House. Among his first purchases was a new CD boombox and a new Chemex carafe for his coffee.

  Bowls, a litter box and food were purchased for the cat. Ulrich still wasn't fond of him, but couldn't exactly let him live out on the streets. In time, he almost began to enjoy Sparkles' company, and even got used to the hair that he left all over his belongings. Sparkles got used to his new home quickly, staking out his favorite spots throughout the unit.

  Ulrich did make one change where the cat was concerned, however. He renamed the feline “Beardsley”, because Sparkles was, frankly, a godawful name for a cat.

  Settling into his new place, life morphed into something more normal for the investigator. This new normal, however, was far more comfortable than the old normal had ever been for him, because now he had renewed confidence. His struggles in Exeter House had shaken him, left him doubting his skill.

  As he returned to his office and found a couple of offers for new jobs on his answering machine, however, he let go of his earlier misgivings. He wouldn't give up private investigation after all, he decided.

  As it happened, Harlan Ulrich was pretty damn good at detective work.

  Listening to the messages in his lumpy office chair, he sipped at a coffee and weighed the newest offers. The headlines in the wake of the Exeter House case had made him something of a local celebrity, and the generous write-ups in the press were sure to bring him bigger and better cases.

  He just hoped that his future work would have nothing to do with ghosts.

  Thank you for reading! I hope you've enjoyed Medicine For The Dead. Want to read more exciting adventures featuring PI Harlan Ulrich in the future? Consider joining my mailing list below for news and updates on the series!

  Please consider leaving a review for this book. Your reviews are invaluable to me; they help me to hone my craft and help new readers find my books.

  Subscribe to Ambrose Ibsen's newsletter here:

  http://eepurl.com/bovafj