by Jill S. Behe
Why would you wonder such a thing, my dark honey bear?
His eyes popped open.
Bella woofed.
“Lizzie?”
It was pitch black in the room, but he could see her beside his bed. She was in her burial dress. Levi asked you to help find the one who killed those two women.
“So it was the same person.”
A sly smile crossed her face. You would take the word of a dream spirit?
“My Liz would never lie to me.”
Am I your Liz?
“You look like her—or how I saw her last, and you sound like her.”
I can’t come back, Deck.
“I know it. God damn, I know it.”
Watch your language, dear. He hears everything. Darling, you can’t let your life stop because mine did.
“My apologies to the Big Man upstairs. And I know that, too, baby.”
Don’t be a smart aleck about it, either. Why have you waited so long to ask her out?
“Ask…out? Who?”
Liz’s signature laugh sent chills through his body.
Silly man.
A hysterical laugh filled his throat, but he swallowed it. “She says that same thing.”
She’s smart. And funny, and lovely inside and out. I always thought so. I’m glad you finally figured it out.
“I knew. Didn’t feel it was time.”
I’d take that as a compliment, but my poor sweet man, we loved for a lifetime. Mine was cut short, but it was still a lifetime. That woman is half in love with you, and you’ve only just made a move. You’re slowing down, my love. We were engaged to be married three weeks after Prom.
“We were. I loved you, even then.”
She caressed his face—a feather touch. “I loved you then, too.”
“Seems like I’m moving too fast, but it feels right.”
If Levi said that to you, what would you tell him?
“Go with your gut.”
She laughed. Nuff said.
“Did you know Bethany clocked him the first time he asked her out?”
I did. She thought he was an uppity, arrogant jerk.
“He probably was.” Decker chuckled, then sobered. “Liz, about these dead girls—”
Women. They were grown women.
“Okay, women. What can you tell me? Is that why you’re here? Is there anything you need me to know?”
My hands are tied, sweetheart, but—
“Why? Do you know who killed them?”
I can’t tell you that. You need to do the work. She held his face. But, the same one who killed me, killed them.
His throat wanted to close. “No!” He shook. “No.”
The misery on her face nearly did him in.
It will be hard, sweetheart, when it all plays out. So very hard, my love. But, the outcome is so very necessary.
“I don’t believe you. D’Agostino’s men—”
Darling Decker, would I ever lie to you?
“Liz wouldn’t lie. You? I’m not sure who you are.”
You were sure a minute ago. It is me, or what’s left of me. I’ve never lied to you. Not then, and not now. Not ever. She stood at the foot of the bed. I have to go now. They’re calling me back. And your alarm is about to go off. Enjoy each other, my darling man. She turned to Bella. You take good care of him, precious girl.
She was suddenly next to Decker, again. She kissed his mouth softly, and disappeared.
“LIZ!” He sat up in bed, reaching for her.
The alarm began to bleat and Bella, unused to the sound, began to bark. Scrubbing the cobwebs of the…vision from his face, he acknowledged his antsy pet. “All right. All right. Settle, now.” Turned off the incessant beep, and flopped back on the pillow with a groan. The urge to go back to sleep was strong, but he threw off the blankets and stood.
Rummaging in the dresser, he grabbed clothes, underwear, socks, and headed to the shower.
Within thirty minutes, he was on his way to town, leaving an unhappy Bella sulking in the mudroom.
Had he been dreaming? Was the vision of Liz just a projection of his wishful thinking? Was she telling the truth?
Had she really told him the truth?
There wasn’t space in his brain to make sense of what had transpired, nor to analyze exactly what it was. A dream? A vision? A hallucination? No. No space.
His go-to was: evade and move on. He couldn’t evade this, not completely. Those cells in his noggin would cogitate on everything, whether he was conscious of it or not. Always had worked that way for him.
Right now, he needed to concentrate on what was happening today, and spend his time getting to know Miss Teal Hannigan.
Today would be stupendously off-routine. First he was going to pick up coffee instead of making tea. Then, he was spending the day with a woman who wasn’t Liz.
Maybe he should grab a bouquet of flowers.
Nah. That could wait.
A stop at the downtown Dunkin’ Donuts, two steaming coffees in cup holders—no doughnuts—then he was in Teal’s driveway. The sun had yet to climb above the horizon, and her porch light was on.
He started up the walkway, the door opened...
… And there she was.
The impact had him almost staggering.
She’d pulled all that glorious curling dark auburn hair back in a tail. Her jeans hugged well-shaped legs, the short-sleeved turquoise blouse hid more than he wanted it to, and her sneakers looked good and sturdy.
Whoo, baby. Spending the day with her was going to be harder than he’d anticipated. And much more rewarding.
And then, to top it all off, she smiled.
“Good morning, Decker.”
He had to pause, to catch his breath. “Good morning. You look great.”
“It’s just casual, right?”
“Absolutely. I’ve just never seen you in jeans before. I like the look.”
“You must be easy to please.”
“You please me, Teal. Very much.”
“Thank you.”
“I brought you coffee.”
“Really? How nice. Thank you, again. I thought about making a pot.”
“Nope. We’re good. My usual morning brew has been Earl Grey, but coffee is always a preference.”
Teal’s teeth caught her lip.
He held up a hand. “Whatever you’re thinking, stop. Are you ready to go?”
She nodded. “Let me get my purse, and jacket.”
In the truck, she sipped her coffee. “Mmm. And you remembered.”
“Ah, no. Sorry. That’s the way I drink it. I got sugar packs if you’d wanted it sweet.”
“I appreciate the gesture anyway. May I make a request?”
“Sure.”
“Could we stop at Safeway? I want to get something for Bella, as a hello.”
There was that innate consideration, again. “Absolutely.”
He made the turn.
“Is there anything she can’t have, or doesn’t like?”
“Not that I’ve found.”
She smiled and he felt his heart skip, and slide back into rhythm.
“Great.” She slid out of the truck. “I’ll be just a minute.”
“Take your time.”
He watched as she crossed the parking lot, enjoying the way her jeans lovingly embraced her nicely rounded, well-toned derriere. He placed a fist on his chest. “Holy Moly she’s potent.”
He felt a faint nudge on the back of his head, and thought he heard his Liz’s laugh.
Goosebumps bloomed. “Whoa. This is getting freaky.” He’d had a sixth sense about things since the shooting several years before. Nothing too far out there on the paranormal plain. But this dreaming about ghosts? No. Not a big fan. Still, his late wife had given him some things to think about. Real or not.
As Teal came out of the store, Decker started the truck and pulled out of the slot to meet her halfway. She was in the striped pedestrian walkway when Decker saw the other
car. It wasn’t going to stop, and at her present pace, she wouldn’t be out of its path in time.
He shoved his door open. “RUN!”
Chapter 14
Teal didn’t hesitate, sprinting full tilt towards the truck.
The old, faded-green classic GTO missed her by a mere foot, but kept moving, actually accelerating—almost hitting two other couples heading into the store—and, with tires squealing, took off around the corner and down the next street.
Wide-eyed and trembling, Teal scrambled into the passenger seat, panting. “Did you see that?” She smacked herself in the forehead. “Of course you did. I would’ve been flattened if you hadn’t yelled.”
“Are you all right?”
She waved her hands in front of her face, chest still heaving. “Except for losing my breath, and being shaky, I’m fine. Scared me good, too. Guess I failed.”
“What?”
“You told me to be extra observant. I never saw that car until it almost hit me.”
“If I hadn’t moved the truck, I wouldn’t have either.”
Chest heaving, she looked over. “It wasn’t accidental, was it?”
“Sure didn’t look like it.”
She inhaled deep, and let it out. “We should stop and let Levi know. Is he in this early?”
His lady was smart, and sensible. Huh. His lady. Had a very nice ring to it.
“It’s Saturday, maybe not. We’ll find out soon enough.” He turned the corner. “You run pretty good.”
“For a girl?”
“For a person, period.”
“Well, thanks. Track team in high school and college.”
“Yeah?”
She nodded. “Haven’t run like that since then, though. I’m seriously out of shape.”
“I believe you believe that. But not from where I’m sitting.”
“Flatterer! In college, I wouldn’t even be winded, and I’d have been in the truck much much sooner.”
“I could help with that.”
One side of her mouth quirked up. “Being winded? I’m like that around you all the time.”
Decker laughed. “That’s good to know. I meant to get you back in shape.”
“Oh, so you think so too?”
“It’s a good thing you’re smiling, lady.”
She laid a hand on his arm. “Thank you, Decker.”
“For?”
“For the warning. For the save. For being ready.”
Distracted by her answer, he almost missed the turn to the police station. “Thank you for being single, although I can’t figure out why someone hasn’t snapped you up before now. And also, for saying yes when I asked you for a date.”
“I told you last night I was snapped up once upon a time. Remember?”
“Yeah, you did. I meant more recently. And now that I think back, you did answer that one, too.” Decker parked in front of the building, and grabbed her hand. “You really want to do this?”
She nodded. “I wish it wasn’t necessary, but yes.”
He pulled her across the seat, and they both exited from the driver’s side.
Inside, Rosemary Kurylo looked at them over the top of her computer monitor. “Decker Brogan, as I live and breathe.”
“Hey, Roe. Don’t get to see you much.”
“And then you call, out of the blue. And now you’re here, in the flesh.” Her sultry, smokers-voice greeted him. “How the heck are ya? And what the hell’ve ya been up to?”
He grinned as she came around the desk—a slim, light-brown haired woman who came to about his mid-chest—to give him a hug and buss his cheek.
He returned the hug. “Oh, you know. This, that, and the other.”
“Stayin’ outa trouble?
A sly look. “Now what fun would that be?”
She chuckled and got down to business. “You’re here kinda early, ’specially on a Saturday.”
He nodded. “Levi in?”
“You’re lucky.” She waved them to the chairs along the wall. “Give him about five minutes. He just popped in a few minutes ago.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
Roe squinted at Teal. “I know you from somewhere.”
Smiling, Teal nodded and pointed. “Sci-Fi and Paranormal.”
Light brown eyebrows went high. “Dang it. The library. Don’t tell anybody else what I read.”
“Your secret is safe.”
Roe sent a grouchy look Decker’s way.
He snickered. “I promise not to tell. By the way, I like that kind too.”
“Thanks. Can’t have it getting out that I like the woo-woo stuff. It’d ruin my tough-as-nails image.”
Decker pondered.
Teal shook her head. “I think it’s a safe bet. No one would ever guess.”
Levi walked down the hall. “Thought I heard voices. What brings you two in so early? Not another body.”
“No, but we do need to speak with you.”
“Come on back. Roe, no calls, please. I’m not even here.”
“Sure thing, boss.”
Levi settled into his chair. “Have a seat. What’s going on?” He looked at Decker. “Whose idea was it to come in?”
“Hers.”
“Okay. Miss Hannigan, what can I do for you?”
“I’m not sure if there’s anything you can do, but because of other incidents, I felt you should be made aware of what just happened.”
“All right.” He reached for a tablet and pen. “Go for it.”
She related all she knew of the event in the parking lot. Decker filled in a few more details from his perspective.
“No license plate?”
Decker shrugged. “Wrong angle, and I was too far away to see the driver.”
“You said it was a green goat?”
“Yeah. Probably a ’69 or ’70. Not in the best of shape.”
“True.” Teal was nodding. “It was chugging pretty unevenly.”
In unison, the men’s eyebrows rose.
“What?” She glared at Decker. “I know when an engine’s in need of a tune-up.”
“Most women don’t have a clue.”
“This one does.”
“And you know what a goat is.”
She snorted. “Doesn’t everyone?”
Decker smiled. “Apparently there are a lot of interesting nuances to discover about you, Miss Hannigan. Good to know.”
She smiled back.
Levi cleared his throat and continued. “Okay. So we have an unidentified driver. A beat up muscle car. And an attempted hit and run.”
“Whoever it was must have been following, although I didn’t notice a tail. Stopping at the store was pure spur-of-the-moment.”
“It was, yes.”
“All right. I’ll have Roe type this up and put it in the file. Folder’s getting thicker.”
Decker crossed his arms. He was tempted to freak them both out by relating his dream, but decided to keep silent.
“Anything you want to add?”
“No, not that I can think of.”
“Okay then. If you do think of anything, you know where, and how, to get ahold of me.”
Decker and Teal nodded.
“Thank you, Chief Kincaid.”
He frowned. “You can call me Levi, you know.”
“Wasn’t sure of the protocol.”
“Now you are.”
“Then make sure you call me Teal.”
He grinned, and winked at Decker. “I will do that.”
“Please say hello to Bethany and Sierra, for me?”
“I’ll do that, too.”
Chapter 15
On the ride out of town, Decker wondered at Teal’s quietness. “You all right?”
“Yes. I was trying to replay the scene.”
“Anything new?”
“No, but….”
“But?”
She shook her head. “It’s nothing.” She clasped her hands in her lap, and changed her mind. “Are you sure Bella will be o
kay with meeting me on her turf?”
Hmm. A change of subject…to the one she was most stressing about.
“To tell you the truth, it’s never come up. I’ve had people out to the house before, and she’s been fine.”
“They were all men though, right? Except for your daughter?”
“Yeah, but—” He frowned. “I see what you mean.”
“I don’t want to cause a problem.”
“Teal, don’t worry. We’ll play it by ear. I’m sure everything will be fine.”
“Okay. I’ll take your word for it.” She glanced over. “Is someone following us?”
“What?”
“You keep checking the mirror. I wondered if someone was behind us.”
“No. Just making sure there isn’t.”
“Good. How much further is your house?”
“We’re about there. Another five minutes or so.”
“I didn’t realize you lived out this far.”
“I love it out here. It’s only about a twenty minute drive to town.”
“The atmosphere is different already. Feels peaceful.”
“Most definitely.” He glanced over. “I’m really hoping you like it out here. A lot.”
“I do, so far at least. The scenery is breathtaking, and smells so fresh. Clean.”
He reached for her hand. “It only gets better from here. Take my word for it.”
She took hold of his. “I’ll let you know.”
“Excellent. But, no pressure.” He pulled into the lane and up the driveway, parking the truck in front of the garage. “We’re here.”
Wide-eyed, Teal took in the panoramic view. The magnificent range of mountains soared up to tower behind the thick stand of trees. She knew they were many miles from the base of those gigantic rock formations. Decker’s house was dwarfed in comparison. “It’s gorgeous.”
“Something I say almost daily.”
She started to open the door.
“Wait. Please?”
“All right.”
“I’m going to get Bella and bring her out to you.”
“Smart idea. Thank you.”
A few minutes later, Decker appeared, leading Bella on a leash. She was prancing and jumping beside him, and barking. Teal waited as Decker told the dog to sit. When he beckoned, Teal opened her door and slid out, with caution.