Elemental Enchantment

by Bronwyn Green

  She toggled back and forth between this picture and the one of the ghostly child at the wedding reception. It looked like the same kid. Meaghan was almost sure of it. In the pictures at the reception, the child looked frightened or and maybe frantic. Meaghan wondered if Ava was trying to tell her—or someone—something. Was it something about the bride’s uncle? He was the only person she seemed to appear by. What was their connection? Meaghan had always wanted to have her sister’s ability to communicate with the dead. Now, she wanted no part of it.

  If Emma wasn’t in Ireland and unreachable for the next few weeks, Meaghan would already be driving over to her house—computer in hand. What the hell was she supposed to do with this information? It wasn’t as if she could go to the police. She couldn’t imagine anyone taking her seriously. Most likely, they’d accuse her of Photoshopping the girl into the pictures.

  She took a deep breath and shut her computer. The first thing she needed to do was catalog all of the shots in which the child appeared. To make sure she didn’t miss any, she’d go to the studio and project them onto the big screen. It would be easier to see all the details that way.

  * * * *

  Eli sighed and checked his watch. This shift was never ending. Mostly because he couldn’t stop thinking about Meaghan. He’d known she was gone as soon as he woke. He didn’t even have to open his eyes. The room just felt…empty without her.

  He’d lain in bed with nothing but the lingering scent of her perfume on the sheets for as long as he could stand it. He’d planned to talk her into heading out to Lake Michigan for a day of sailing before he had to report for his shift, but that obviously hadn’t happened. Instead, he’d spent the day working on the boat. He’d just barely made it back to town in time to drop off his and John’s tuxes before his shift started. It definitely wasn’t how he’d wanted to spend the day.

  He adjusted the radar gun and pointed it at passing traffic from his spot behind the sign for one of the local churches. At nearly ten o’clock on a Sunday night, the road was almost dead—at least, it was until a little, red VW bug went tearing down the street.

  Whipping the cruiser from his hiding spot, he tailed the car which showed no signs of slowing until he turned on his lights. The car braked and pulled over to the side of the road, and Eli parked behind it. Hand on his firearm, he approached the driver’s side as the window lowered.

  “License and registration, please.” He glanced into the car as the driver began rifling through an oversized bag then the glove compartment. Meaghan. He couldn’t even begin to imagine the odds of pulling her over after everything that had occurred.

  She stuck her arm out the window, holding the requested items then turned to look at him when he took them from her hand.

  Her lips parted, and her large, brown eyes widened in recognition. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

  “Is everything current?” When she nodded, he scanned the information she’d handed him. The car was registered to an Emma Boulton—her sister, if he remembered correctly. “I need to run this. Please wait inside your vehicle.”

  Walking back to his car, he called in the traffic stop then punched the information into the computer mounted on the center console. Neither sister had priors, bench warrants or anything else. Not that he’d expected there to be any.

  Eli walked back to the car where Meaghan sat with her arms crossed over her chest. He handed her license and registration back to her.

  “You’re a cop,” she said flatly.

  “Is that a problem?”

  “You could have told me.”

  “If I recall correctly, it really didn’t come up between the sex and you taking off in the middle of the night. I didn’t really think it was an issue since you made it clear you were just looking for a good time and nothing more.”

  “So what, you’re stalking me, then?”

  “I pulled over a car that was going sixty-five in a residential neighborhood. Seeing as how I’ve never see this car before or you in it, no, I’m not stalking you.”

  The fight went out of her, and she slumped down in the seat. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m a little…stressed.” She sighed, staring out the windshield before finally turning to face him. “It was just a surprise to see you—you know—in uniform. And with a gun.”

  She dragged a hand through her hair, and he noticed it was shaking.

  “What’s going on?” he asked, gentling his voice. “Where are you heading in such a hurry and what’s got you so upset?”

  She met his eyes briefly before looking away. “I was going to the studio. There’s a…problem with the pictures.”

  “What kind of problem requires forty miles over the posted limit?”

  “You know what? It’s nothing. If you’d just give me the ticket so I can get out of here, that would be great.” She took a shuddering breath and tightened her hands on the steering wheel.

  “Meaghan, talk to me. What’s going on?”

  She shook her head and continued staring straight ahead. “It’s nothing, really.”

  He bent down and rested his forearms on her open window. “You’re practically shaking, so it’s not nothing. Let me help you.”

  She turned to look at him, her expression troubled, but she didn’t speak.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She rubbed her hand over her face. “It’s probably nothing, and it sounds crazy—even to me.”

  “I spent my last shift breaking up a house party that involved goats. I’m used to crazy.”

  He was rewarded with a small smile, but it faded just as quickly. “This is way crazier than that, but I think the ghost of that missing little girl, Ava Billings, was at the wedding.”

  Eli straightened and stared at her.

  She smiled wryly. “See? I told you it was crazy.”

  He’d heard plenty of wild claims during his time on the force—everything from alien abductions to ghosts to buried treasure, but none had surprised him more than this. This involved an open case of a missing child, and if Meaghan was involved somehow…

  He didn’t even know how to finish that thought.

  “You said ghost.”

  Meaghan nodded.

  “So you have reason to believe she’s dead?”

  “I don’t know. I think she is.”

  Eli’s stomach sank. “Have you had any contact with her since her disappearance or know of people who have?”

  “No!” She turned in her seat to face him as well as she could. “Look, I know how this sounds insane at best and sketchy at worst, but other than the flyers around town and the news, I’ve never seen this kid before going through these pictures today. And I think she’s dead because you can see right through her in the photos!”

  Either she was a very good actress or she actually believed what she was saying. Judging by the frantic look in her eyes, he’d bet on the latter.

  “I was going to the studio so I could project the pictures on the screen and look for more detail and any other anomalies. I was speeding because I was freaked out at the thought of this poor kid being dead. And also being helpless to do anything about it.”

  “I’d like to see the pictures.”

  Wariness and hope warred in her eyes. “You would?”

  He nodded then spoke into the radio on his collar. “Motorist assist. Will advise when back on road.”

  The dispatcher responded, and Eli looked at Meaghan. “I’ll follow you to the studio, but keep it at the speed limit.”

  She nodded tightly and waited for him to get in his car before taking off. To her credit, she managed to drive a reasonable speed as he trailed her. He parked next to the VW and followed her to the side door, waiting as she unlocked it. The faint scent of her perfume drifted to him on the night air, and he wanted nothing more than to back her against the wall and kiss her senseless. But now was definitely not the time for that. If she was somehow involved in Ava’s disappearance, that might never happen again. His gut told him that sh
e wasn’t, but ghosts?

  She flipped on the hallway light as she entered the building. She glanced at him over her shoulder. “Lock the door, will you?”

  He reached behind him and threw the deadbolt, feeling the echo in the pit of his stomach.

  Meaghan led him to a small room in the back of the building, set her laptop on a table then plugged some cords into it. Leaning over the computer, she rapidly tapped at the keys. A photo of the exterior of the church popped up on the screen.

  “So,” she said. “This is a motorist assist? What happened to the Boy Scout?”

  He shrugged. “Technically, you’re a motorist. And technically, I’m assisting you. I can’t very well call in that I’m looking into a ghost situation, can I?”

  She glared at him briefly before turning away and scanning the image on the screen before clicking to the next one. He watched as she thoroughly reviewed each photograph. She stood when she got to a photo of Bob and Wendy Lewandowski, the Master and Mistress of Ceremonies, and pointed at the man’s leg. “Look there.”

  He peered closer. “I see a smudge.” Turning to her, he said, “That could be anything. Dirty lens, dust mites…”

  She looked at him as if he were an idiot. “Dust mites form orbs. Not smudges.” She sighed. “Just keep an eye on that guy,” she said, pointing at the bride’s uncle. “The anomaly keeps appearing by him.”

  Meaghan clicked through the rest of the pictures at the church, occasionally making notes on a pad of paper. She was right. Every time Bob was in the frame, there was a weird spot by him.

  Shots of the reception popped up, and she slowly examined each one. “There!” She pointed at the screen. “Look next to his leg, and tell me what you see.”

  Eli’s blood ran cold, and his skin crawled.

  Next to Bob’s leg was the image of an almost translucent child that looked just like Ava Billings.

  Chapter Nine

  Eli stared at the screen dumbstruck and sank into the chair next to Meaghan. “Can you enlarge that?”

  Meaghan tapped a few keys, and the size of the image increased.

  His breath caught in his throat. The kid looked scared. Pulling out his phone, he accessed the missing child database and compared the cached image of Ava with the one on the screen. It had to be the same kid. Except that ghosts didn’t exist.

  “Is it possible that someone could have tampered with these files?” he asked.

  “Toby and I had our cameras all night, and she gave me her memory cards before she left. After that, we went to your room. No one else has had access to any of the cards.”

  “And after you left, there’s no chance that anyone could have tampered with the images?”

  “No. I live alone. I didn’t see anyone else until you pulled me over; and if you’re subtly suggesting that I Photoshopped a missing child into wedding pictures…” The pitch of her voice rose with her anger.

  “I’m just trying to understand what’s happening.”

  She pushed away from the table and stood. “What’s happening is that apparently this kid is dead and wants someone to know it!” Blowing out a puff of air, Meaghan stared at the ceiling. “I know you don’t believe me, but my sister is a medium.”

  “Meaning?” he asked.

  She met his gaze. “She sees spirits. And can communicate with them.”

  Meaghan could read the disbelief on Eli’s face.

  “And you can, too?”

  “No. Kind of. No. Once.” She took a breath. “I saw spirits once, but there were extenuating circumstances. It’s not something I can just do. I’ve never taken pictures of them before. This is new to me.”

  She chanced a look at Eli. He sat there in his uniform, studying her as one might study a particularly odd species of insect. “Are there more pictures of her?” he asked, nodding toward the screen.

  Slumping back against the wall, she nodded. “There’s at least one more. After I made the connection with Ava, I headed straight here. I haven’t been through the rest of them yet.”

  Eli reached over and clicked to the next picture. Looking at the fear on the child’s face sent chills down Meaghan’s spine. She glanced at him. He looked decidedly unnerved by that image.

  “After I saw that one, I decided to come in and project them onto the screen.”

  Nodding absently, he moved to the next photograph. The subject was someone else, but the bride’s uncle was still visible in the corner of the frame. And so was Ava.

  Eli clicked through the pictures, scanning each one, looking for the ghostly figure while Meaghan did the same. The next photo made her catch her breath, and it wasn’t because Ava made an appearance. It was a photo of her and Eli dancing. Toby must have taken it before she’d tucked her memory cards into Meaghan’s camera bag.

  She was surprised that the computer didn’t spontaneously combust because of the heat generated in that photograph. They’d clearly been oblivious to the rest of the world, and Eli looked as if he’d wanted to slam her against the wall and fuck her right there. She couldn’t honestly say she would have stopped him.

  Clearing her throat, she glanced at Eli. He lifted his gaze, meeting hers, and she had to look away. “I don’t see any ghosts in that shot.”

  “Me neither.”

  He clicked to the next picture, and Meaghan wanted to fall through the floor. He’d slid his fingers into her hair, and his lips hovered just above hers. It was the hottest thing she’d ever seen. Partially because she remembered in excruciating detail how amazing his kisses were and what it felt like being pinned against him and partially because the expressions of desire on their faces were so raw.

  “I don’t see her there, either,” he murmured, his voice sounding raspy.

  Finally, he put them both out of their misery and clicked again. Only this time, it was worse. They were actually kissing in this shot, bodies pressed tightly together and her hands clutching the back of his head and his shoulder, his hands on her ass.

  He shifted in his chair and was moving his hand back to the keyboard when something caught her eye.

  “Wait!”

  “Not done looking at this one yet?”

  She moved back to the chair she’d been sitting in and pushed his hand away from the computer. Zooming in to the far right-hand side of the photo, she enlarged the image. There, standing next to the bride’s uncle was the same ghostly girl.

  Eli leaned forward and looked closer. “She’s not as defined in this shot.”

  Meaghan moved nearer to the screen. “I think it’s because there’s more ambient light in this one.”

  He clicked to the next photo—a nearly nude one of Eli sleeping, one arm tucked behind his head and the sheet draped low over his hips.

  She closed her eyes as a nuclear-strength flush exploded up her chest and over her cheeks. She heard the sound of the next picture advancing. And the next. And the next. She knew that last one was a close up of his face. The one she’d thought of as her last goodbye. Boy, had she been wrong.

  “Will these be making it into the final wedding album?” he asked, his voice heavy with amusement.

  Her eyes flew open, and she refused to look away. “Yeah, I thought the one where the outline of your cock is visible would be perfect for the cover,” she snapped. “In fact, maybe they’ll use it on the thank you notes, too.”

  She took a deep breath. “I have a theory about this.” She gestured at the screen then cringed. “Not that, but about the little girl…and since you’re a cop, maybe you could possibly check it out.”

  “What is it?”

  She moved to the computer and clicked back to one of the photos of Ava with the bride’s uncle. “I know you’re not sold on the whole spirit thing, but often, people who die violently…” She swallowed hard, hoping that she was wrong. “Often, their spirits attach themselves to either the place where they died or to the person who killed them.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her. “Are you saying you think Bob killed that little
girl?”

  “If that’s his name, then yeah, I think it’s very possible.”

  Eli laced his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. “I can’t just haul the guy in for questioning. There has to be some kind of evidence to point in his direction. As much as you want this to be the evidence, photographs of what may or may not be a ghost aren’t the kind of evidence I need.”

  “I know. I’m not stupid.” Her fists tightened at her sides. She had been stupid to tell him anything. There was no way someone in law enforcement would take her seriously. She should have kept her mouth shut and just taken the ticket.

  He looked away from the ceiling to stare at her. “I didn’t say you were.”

  Refusing to back down, she leaned on the table and met his gaze. “You didn’t have to. It was pretty clear from your tone of voice.”

  “I’m sorry. This is so far out of my comfort zone; I don’t even know what to do with it.” He scrubbed his hand across his face then met her gaze, actually appearing contrite. “Let’s try this again. What is it you want me to do?”

  “There was another little girl kidnapped recently.”

  A shadow crossed his face, and he nodded. “Daisy Sumner.”

  “Both of their flyers say they were taken by a person driving a tan or gold car. Can you check the DMV records and just see if Bob has a gold or a tan car registered to him?”

  He stared at her for a minute then nodded slowly. “I can do that, but there are a lot of gold and tan cars. That’s not probable cause—not without anything else to go on.”

  “It’s a start.” She stifled a sigh. It was a start, and it was actually more than she’d hoped for. She’d thought for sure he’d completely blow her off.

  Eli’s radio crackled to life, startling Meaghan. He answered the call then looked at her. “Are you going to be around later?”

  “Why?”

  “No need to get defensive. If a one-off was all you wanted, that’s fine. I just thought you might want to know one way or another about the car.”

  She nodded. “Yeah. That would be great. And sorry…you know…for assuming.”