Two Ghosts & a Love Song (Dead by the Numbers Mysteries Book 2)

by Jennifer Fischetto

  "Oh. That's cool."

  "And I'm not hiding anything from you. Never again."

  Now I smile. "Me too."

  I hop out of his SUV and go up to my apartment, locking the doors behind me as I go. I head straight to the bathroom and get ready for bed. My stomach is grumbling some, but I'm so tired from being woken this morning and then the day's turn of events that food will have to wait until tomorrow.

  Dressed in a tank and shorts, despite the falling temps outside, I climb under my sheet and comforter and lay my head against the pillow.

  "Is she okay?" says a voice.

  I spring up and gasp. Standing at the foot of my bed is Fake Thomas.

  Holy ghosts!

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  "Where have you been?" I shout. I don't mean to, but he scared the crap out of me, and I'm ticked off that I'm not sleeping. But that will wait because I have a ton of questions, and he better be in the mood to answer.

  I get out of bed, grab my hoodie off my closet floor, and go into the main room. If I'm going to be awake, I'm going to eat. I head straight to the fridge.

  "Around." He sounds sullen.

  I turn to him, and it dawns on me. "You figured out how to be around but also be invisible to me. You've been watching everything."

  He looks guilty and nods.

  I breathe in deeply. "Okay, so talk to me. You have nothing to lose by my knowing the truth. Right? In fact, I won't help Serena anymore if you don't tell me everything right now. So spill."

  "I don't know where to begin."

  I go back to the fridge because my stomach is going on strike. I find potato salad and pull it out. "How about your real name?"

  "Frank Mason."

  I stare into his brown eyes. "Hi, Frank."

  The corner of his mouth lifts but just for a second. "Hi."

  "So, is Cynthia your actual mother?"

  "Yes. She's been pulling cons her whole life. I was raised on them. I guess that's not an excuse." He lowers his head as if guilt wracks him. Then again, maybe he's conning me right now too.

  "If you know they're wrong then no, it's not an excuse. But I'm not the morality police. I simply want to know what's going on." I stick another forkful of potato into my mouth and feel the beast in my belly start to calm down.

  "Okay, well usually it was mail or check fraud, but this time it has to do with a man."

  Don't most things?

  "He wanted to meet her family, so she begged me to play Thomas. It was supposed to be one dinner. One night." He did that downward head thing again.

  "But…" I say and take another bite of salad. Darn, this is good. Ma uses just enough mayo that it's wet but not drenched, and there are bits of onion, hard-boiled egg, and relish, with a sprinkle of paprika. It's the relish that sets it apart.

  He shrugs. "He invited me to parties and dinners, sometimes with Mom and sometimes without. Then one night, I met Serena as Thomas Sterling. When I ran into her again, was I supposed to tell her that I'd lied the first time?"

  Well, yes, that would've been awesome. But I don't say anything 'cause what good will it do now? It's already happened, and we can't change it. Plus, I don't want to interrupt. I want to hear every syllable he has to say and finish my salad.

  "She was so beautiful, and I couldn't believe she was talking to me. She laughed at my jokes." His voice sounds dreamy and far away as if he's remembering the night vividly.

  "Okay, so you kept quiet. But what about when you proposed? Were you planning on marrying her as Thomas Sterling?"

  He looks at me sharply. "No. Never. I waited longer than I should have. I know this. But I just wanted to make sure she loved me first and not my so-called money."

  "Even after you proposed?"

  He shrugs again. He obviously wondered about her sincerity, which tells me I may be right about suspecting her.

  "We were having dinner that night, and I was coming clean. That's why I was at her house the day of the explosion." His voice cracks.

  Holy bomb! What kind of coincidence is this?

  "Why were you there before Serena? Were you early? Where was she?"

  What if Serena is behind this? Maybe she wanted the inheritance, but what if she found out the truth and was angry? I don't know if that's probable though. She seemed awfully upset earlier. She'd have to be one great actress to pull that off. And why bother showing up at my place at all if she knew all along? Why stage a suicide attempt? Unless that was real because she was feeling guilty for what she did.

  Gosh, I have too many darn questions.

  "I don't know where she was. I never got the chance to ask."

  Hmm, things aren't looking great for Serena.

  * * *

  I'm outside. The sky is a vivid blue, and the sun is bright. A woman says, "Your brother is calling." I start running down the hill, but the voice continues. I can't escape it. It's everywhere. It's…

  I open my eyes, stare at the ceiling, and realize it's my cell. The caller ID says it's Enzo, which I already knew by his special ringtone. It's 6:00 a.m. Why is he calling me so early? I sit up while swiping the throbbing green circle. "What's wrong?"

  As soon as I say that, there's pounding on my front door. It's loud and continuous and panic sets in. Maybe this is another dream.

  "Enzo?" I say while kicking off my covers and waddling into the living room. "I'm coming," I shout to whoever is trying to break in. I should probably look for a weapon, but I'm too groggy to see my surroundings in detail.

  Enzo sighs and says, "I'm sorry. I thought they knew."

  Knew what? Who knew?

  "What are you talking about?" I look through the peephole and see a distorted Ma. I step back and walk into the center of the living room as realization hits me. "You told Ma about the police questioning me last night, didn't you?"

  It's the only reason Ma would be up here and not down in the deli at this hour. Unless someone died, but then she'd have tact and wouldn't be beating down my door.

  "Like I said, I thought they knew. I found out through the grapevine, so I figured it wasn't a big deal," he says.

  It wasn't, but that's not the point. I didn't plan on telling the folks because I don't want them to worry. I also don't want 6:00 a.m. confrontations. "I am revoking your brother card," I whisper.

  Suddenly I hear the lock click, and the door is opening. Of course. Why didn't I think of that? Ma has a key. She steps inside with a wide-eyed stare that makes her look crazy. It doesn't help that her dark hair is full and frizzy around her face. It must be humid outside. Instead of her slamming the door shut behind her, Izzie steps in. She woke up my pregnant sister too?

  "I gotta go," I say into the phone and click off our call. I am so getting Enzo back for this and the fake-death-ketchup thing.

  Izzie looks almost as crazed as Ma, but her raised brows and wide eyes read more concern then fear and outrage. At least that's how I'm interpreting it.

  "Do I have time to pee before we get into this?" I ask.

  "Why didn't you call me immediately last night?" Ma asks.

  I guess that's a nope. I'll just hold it in. At least this means Ma is talking again.

  "By the time Julian dropped me off, it was late. I didn't want to wake you up. And it wasn't a big deal. Just some questions."

  Ma's face completely changes, and the angry look is replaced by calm, serenity, and a half-smile. I swear she has Jekyll and Hide tendencies. "Julian was with you?" she asks.

  Of course that makes all the difference in the world.

  I sit on a stool at the breakfast nook. "Sometimes I think you like him more than I do, Ma." Which is saying a lot since I love him, even when I hate him.

  She giggles and swats away my words. "Don't be ridiculous."

  Izzie rolls her eyes. "This is all adorable, but I'm still annoyed at you. I was worried when Enzo said you spent the night at the police station. My own ordeal is still very present in my memories, and why'd you tell him and not me?"

 
Now it's Ma's turn to roll her eyes.

  I try really hard to not do the same because I know Izzie went through major stress when the cops arrested her, and I don't want to make light of that. But the sibling jealousy thing is silly.

  "I didn't tell Enzo. He must've found out through a cop buddy. Only Julian knew because I called him to get in touch with Mr. Hamilton."

  Izzie and Ma gasp, which causes me to frown. What did I say?

  "You needed an attorney?" Ma asks. "Then this is serious."

  Not as serious as my need to pee. But I don't make a break for it because I still have another good hour of sleep in me. I want this conversation to end, so they'll leave.

  "No, it was just questions, but I didn't know how to answer them, so I called Julian." I expect to see Ma smile at the mention of his name, but she's back to frowning.

  "You didn't know how to answer them?" Izzie repeats. Then she raises her brows. "Oh, is this another ghost thing?"

  "Maybe."

  Izzie lets out a deep breath, and her whole demeanor immediately calms. "Okay."

  Ma looks to her eldest with a deeper frown. "No, this is not okay. The last time you helped some ghost you almost died. You can't help them."

  Well now, that's just plain crazy. "I can't ignore them. They need me, and I'm good at it." Okay, so I'm more like decent at it, but I'm sure with practice I'll be the next Jennifer Love Hewitt from Ghost Whisperer.

  "No, you find a great career, you get married, and you have kids. Do something normal."

  My body freezes for a moment as I process the insensitive words she uttered. Even Izzie looks stricken by them. I can't believe Ma said that. "But I'm not normal, or this is my normal. And all the wishing in the world won't change that. I can't just walk away from them. I was given this ability for a reason, and it would be selfish of me to not help them."

  Ma huffs, storms past Izzie, and walks out.

  I hate when she does that, but I'm glad she's gone too. She really hurt my feelings.

  Izzie gives me a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. She'll come around. She's just scared for her baby." She rubs her growing belly.

  Good thing neither of them know about Freezer Dude.

  When Izzie leaves, I lock the door behind her and wait until I feel they're completely gone. Then I run to the bathroom, do my business, and jump back into bed. As I lay my head on my pillow, our conversation replays through my mind. I consider doing what Ma suggests and not helping them anymore.

  But I'm not sure I can walk away from Frank and Serena right now. Wow, calling Fake Thomas Frank is sure weird. No. Ditching them would be mean. And what would I do when he comes around or the next ghost appears? There's no way I can ignore this.

  * * *

  Late that afternoon, I'm behind the deli counter, watching the clock tick by. It's been slow since the lunch crowd, and there's nothing worse than standing around doing nothing. When I arrived at work, Ma clicked her tongue at me a few times but didn't bring up this morning's conversation. When Pop arrived, he didn't mention it either. He has to know though. Ma tells him everything. And I'm pretty sure she ranted to him when Izzie or Enzo told her. I'm still not sure which of my siblings deserves a time out.

  Before I arrived for my shift, I went looking for Serena, but I couldn't find her. I'm not sure what she's thinking about me. Does she realize I'm almost as big of a con as her dead fiancé? I hope not. I just wanted to help. I never meant to deceive her. Hmm, I guess that's how Frank feels too.

  I checked Zoe's house, finally getting the apartment number from Julian. No one was home, not even Zoe. I tried the real Thomas's place, just in case. There were cars parked there, but none was Serena's. I imagine they belonged to Thomas, his wife, and possibly Mrs. Sterling. I even swung by Sparks, but it was too early for anyone to be there. I have no other ideas where she goes during the day. I plan to look more tonight. She has to show up somewhere eventually.

  Then I called Julian and gave him the name Frank Mason. He promised to look into it and call me when he has something. Thank goodness I have people in my life who can find out this kind of information. And with Julian, as opposed to Enzo, I don't have to worry about him losing his job if caught. Finding the goods on people is his job. Maybe Julian's line of work isn't the worst. Sometimes.

  My shift is finally up. I untie my apron, kiss Pop's cheek bye, and head out back to the fresh air. I go up to my apartment and jump into the shower. As I towel off, my cell rings. It's Julian.

  "Hey, what's up?"

  "I have that information. Can I stop by after work?"

  Wow, he's fast.

  "I'm free now."

  "I'm not. I'm on a stakeout. But I should be wrapped up soon. There are only so many hours one can sit in their car watching a house."

  "Oooh, sounds like fun. Can I join you?" I swear I don't mean to make that sound sexual, but my sultry, sex-kitten voice emerges.

  "Sure." He sounds way too eager. He rattles off the address.

  "I'll be there as soon as I get dressed."

  "Are you naked now?"

  I glance down to my towel. "Maybe."

  He moans into the phone. "I'm waiting."

  I hang up feeling tingly from head to toe.

  * * *

  I pull up to the location and park half a block behind Julian. I'm not a spy, but I've watched my share of television, and common sense says that parking right behind him and then getting into his car may call too much attention to us. So I try to be as stealthy as possible. Plus, there's this thrill associated with sneaking around that puts goose bumps on my arms and chills down my back in a giddy sort of way.

  I grab my purse, lock and shut my door, and step up onto the sidewalk. At first I'm hunched over, trying to blend into the parked cars, but then I realize I must look like a thief. So I stand straight and try to act nonchalant, like I'm simply walking down the street. No big deal. I know how to walk.

  When I reach Julian's car, I pull up the handle and climb into the passenger seat. I wanted to slide into the seat like a snake, but at five-two, I need to climb into his SUV. I shut the door behind me and turn to him.

  He has a smirk on his face that makes him look like he's guilty of something, and his eyes travel from my face to my chest. He's probably still picturing me naked.

  "Did you see me coming?" I ask.

  "Yeah, but I was looking out for you."

  "Aren't you supposed to be keeping your eyes on your stakeout?"

  His smirk grows.

  "Which house are you watching?"

  He points to the one-story, brick bungalow across the street. A light blue tricycle sits sideways by the front walk, and they have an American flag swaying in the breeze by their door.

  "Can I ask why?"

  A shadow clouds his expression for a moment. "I shouldn't say."

  "It's okay." And it truly is. I don't expect him to answer. I probably shouldn't even be here. I'm grateful for this. "So, what did you find out?"

  He reaches to the backseat and pulls up a notepad. He flips a few pages and says, "Thomas Sterling, the real one, comes up clean. He and his wife, Vivian, have been in Madrid for the past six months. As it turns out, they spend every year there from right after Mother's Day to mid-November."

  Must be nice.

  "I did a background check on Serena Tate. She also comes up mostly clean. No arrests, a couple of parking tickets. The usual stuff, but there are some financial discrepancies."

  Really? This is sounding juicy.

  "Like what?"

  "She makes more money than she should. On her bank statements, deposits she makes weekly are higher than her recorded salary from Sparks."

  "She's a server, so it's probably tips," I say, but a nagging feeling in my gut tells me that's not right.

  Julian agrees with my gut because he's shaking his head. "No, this is a lot more money. Thousands."

  Holy dollar bill!

  "Do you have any idea where it's coming from?"

  "No
t yet. As for Mrs. Sterling, she checks out too. Cynthia Mason, her assistant, however, is not so squeaky clean."

  I tell Julian what Frank told me about growing up the son of a con artist and how he met Serena. All of it.

  When I'm done, Julian stares out the windshield with a faraway look on his face. I'm not sure if he's thinking about the life as a con or that I talk to ghosts. I don't bother asking 'cause part of me doesn't want to know. He still needs time dealing with all of this, like I need time dealing with his job.

  He clears his throat. "Okay, so Cynthia Mason appears to have been clean for the past decade, but prior to that, she was arrested for a lot of small crimes. Shoplifting is her earliest and most frequent offense, but there's also some light check fraud. I'm surprised Mrs. Sterling hired her."

  "Maybe she didn't run a background check."

  Julian glances at the house he's supposed to be watching. "That seems a bit reckless, no? Especially with her kind of wealth."

  Considering the outcome, yes.

  Serena's extra income makes me mentally bold her name at the top of my suspect list. Well, she's my only suspect too but still. I have every intention of hunting her down and getting answers. Coming out and asking won't get results. I know this. Hmm, I wonder if Frank knows about it. Any chance he's working with her? It didn't sound like it. What if she was conning him as much as he was conning her?

  My head begins to throb. I rub my temples.

  "You okay?" Julian asks.

  "Yeah, fine. I'm just trying to figure out how to get answers out of Serena."

  Julian smiles. "Well, my grandmother always said that people can't resist kindness."

  I doubt that works with criminals, but it can't hurt. My best chance of tracking her down is at Sparks. "How about dinner tonight?" I ask.

  He narrows his eyes. "This isn't a sexy date but a work one, huh?"

  I laugh. "You're so perceptive."

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  I take another shower 'cause you can't be too clean, especially for a date, and I really want to use the new strawberry-and-champagne scented soap I recently bought. A small treat to myself one day at the mall with Izzie. She was complaining about her feet hurting, and I needed to reward myself for putting up with her. I'm now so grateful I splurged.