3 The Ex Who Conned a Psychic

by Sally Berneathy

  “Alberto Jimenez. He went back to Mexico. He started with us in November, and by January, he was ready for warmer temperatures. Anthony tried to make him stay, but I helped him sneak out in the middle of the night.” She smiled. “It really upset Anthony when somebody he believed he owned escaped from him. I thought he was going to have a heart attack. He didn’t have a heart, so that never happened.”

  Amanda tried to catch Teresa’s eye, but she was looking only at Ross. Amanda stepped back and whispered to Charley, “Tell her not to talk like that.”

  Charley darted between Ross and Teresa. “Amanda says it’s not a good idea to talk about your husband’s near death experiences with such happiness when you’re around the cops.”

  Teresa gave a slight shrug and continued. “Then came Juan Three. He told Anthony his name was Jose Rodriguez, but he told me later it was really Eduardo Vasquez. He didn’t trust Anthony, and it wasn’t like he had a social security card or a driver’s license to prove who he was.”

  “What happened to him?”

  “I don’t know. He was there when I left, but when I went back after the murder to give him his final pay, he was gone. Probably left as soon as you all showed up. There’s that ugly little word in there…illegal.”

  “We don’t care if he’s here illegally,” Ross said. “We just want to know if he can give us some information about Anthony’s murder. It sounds like you were friendly with this gardener. Any idea where he might have gone? Friends in the area? Family?”

  Teresa bit her lower lip and looked uncertain. “If you promise you won’t do anything to Eduardo or his friends, I’ll tell you.”

  “We’re homicide, not immigration,” Jake assured her. “Maybe Eduardo can tell us something that will lead us to the murderer and clear your name.”

  Smart man. Put it on a personal level.

  Teresa exhaled a long breath. “Okay, I can give you an address for the family Eduardo visited every chance he got. Anthony didn’t like for him to leave the property, but I took him to visit them several times. His cousin and her husband own the place. Isabel and Alberto Ramirez.” She recited an address and both Jake and Ross wrote it down.

  Jake’s large hands dwarfed the small notebook but moved the pen fluidly as he wrote. He stopped writing, and she looked up to find him looking at her. Busted!

  His lips parted in a brief smile, just long enough to make her feel they had shared a moment in the middle of the night in front of the Goodwill store.

  He pushed his denim jacket aside to slide the notebook into his back pocket, and she caught a glimpse of his gun. Rumpled hair and a day’s growth of beard, as if he’d just got out of bed—he had—combined with tight blue jeans, a quick smile and a gun on his hip. The whole package was pretty hot.

  “I think we’ve done all we can here, and we’ve got a couple of new leads,” Jake said. “Let’s call it a night. Where are you parked?”

  “Around the corner.”

  “We’ll drive you there and follow you to see you get home safely.” Jake and Ross strode over to their car. Jake opened the back door while Ross went around to lift the trunk and put his equipment inside.

  “I don’t want to get in there,” Charley protested. “I don’t like being in the back seat of a cop car.”

  Amanda slid in.

  “You can’t get out,” Charley said. “There aren’t any door handles on the inside.”

  Amanda looked down. “Yes, there are.”

  Teresa slid in beside Amanda. “It’s not a patrol car. Relax.”

  “Do you think Eduardo could be Anthony’s partner?” Amanda asked.

  “No way. He was a nice person and he didn’t like Anthony.”

  “If he didn’t like him, maybe he killed him.”

  “I don’t think so. He was very gentle. He just wanted to make enough money to help his family back in Mexico.”

  Ross slammed the trunk. Soon Jake and Ross would be in the car with them.

  “I have one more question,” Amanda said. “Why did Anthony need a gardener in the winter?”

  “How would I know? Why did he need a skinny blond bimbo with bad hair and a thin nose? Why does he need a passport and cash in the afterlife?” She drew in a deep breath and collapsed into the corner of the seat. “And what’s he going to do to me now that I’ve betrayed him by giving him phony money, a phony passport and a blank flash drive?”

  Chapter Eleven

  Amanda settled her bike in the shop a little after two in the morning. The night had been long, stressful, and a total disaster. They were no closer to finding Anthony’s killer and keeping Teresa out of jail. Teresa was despondent and worried Anthony would do something to cause her more problems since she’d betrayed him. Charley, like Anthony, was stuck between levels, and this was probably not a good time to ask Teresa to help Charley progress up the spiritual ladder.

  And if that wasn’t bad enough, it was officially Friday, one day from her potential first date with Jake. Did it qualify as a double date since both Jake and Charley would be there?

  It would likely be her last date with Jake. Taking an ex-husband along wasn’t exactly proper etiquette even if that husband was dead.

  “Brianna really is a skank,” Charley said.

  Ignoring him, Amanda locked the door to the shop and strode with heavy feet toward the stairs to her apartment.

  “Something’s wrong with Anthony that he chose her over Teresa.” Charley matched her stride for stride, never out of her sight.

  “Teresa’s not as pretty as you, but she’s all right. I like her. She treats me like I’m really here. She let me have margaritas and wine and fajitas.”

  And he never shut up.

  Suddenly the weariness overwhelmed her. She stopped halfway up the stairs to her apartment, dropped to the step, and began pulling off her motorcycle boots.

  “Amanda? What are you doing? Did you hurt your foot?”

  “I’m tired. I’m exhausted, but I’m too stressed to go to sleep. I just need to sit here and relax for a minute.” She peeled off her jacket and leaned back against the railing, drawing the warm night air into her lungs, trying to ignore the lingering scent of her burned truck.

  Charley sat down beside her. “You have had a long day. I guess that’s one good thing about being dead. I don’t get tired anymore. But that doesn’t make up for not being able to eat fajitas. Teresa said one day I won’t miss food, but I still do. It’s nice that Teresa always includes me, but I’m not really able to eat. I miss hamburgers and onion rings and a cold beer on a hot day. Not that I can feel the heat anymore. I even miss that. You think you don’t like being all hot and sweaty, but it’s better than not being hot, though I don’t think I’ll miss being cold this winter. I never liked the cold weather. Remember when we went down to Padre in December? You sure did get sunburned.”

  This wasn’t exactly what she’d had in mind for a relaxing moment. Amanda focused on the pale sliver of moon riding high in the sky and tried to block the sound of Charley’s voice. The night was pleasant, warm with a slight breeze. She took off her socks and wiggled her toes then drew in a deep breath and released it slowly. An owl gave its eerie call and a dog barked somewhere down the street. Peaceful night sounds except for Charley’s irritating, never-ending monologue. Was there any way to drug a ghost and put him to sleep? He couldn’t eat or drink so putting something in his food wasn’t an option. Crush Ambien tablets in water and spray him?

  Relax. Breathe in. Breathe out. Think happy thoughts—Charley floating upward into the sky, joining Anthony in a place where they could no longer communicate with the unfortunate women who’d married them.

  A cold chill flashed through her arm and effectively pulled her from her happy place. Charley had tried to grab her arm.

  “Amanda, are you listening to me?”

  She sighed.

  “Sh-h-h-h!” he warned. “I don’t think he sees us. Reach down and slowly take out your gun.”

  That got her a
ttention. “What?”

  “Collins. He’s over there by the trash bin. I wonder if he’s going to set it on fire.”

  Amanda stood and looked toward the metal bin where a dark figure lurked.

  “Now he’s seen you! Shoot him. Quick!”

  Anger washed over Amanda in a fiery deluge. Ronald Collins was the tainted icing on the poisonous cake of her awful day. She ran down the stairs, ready to take out her anger at Charley, Anthony, Brianna and everybody involved in the situation on Ronald Collins. “What do you think you’re doing?” she shouted at him.

  “Your gun,” Charley called.

  The man looked toward her and Amanda saw the familiar bald head, beard and beady eyes. He glared at her but didn’t move. His expression was defiant, challenging her for possession of her own place.

  “Get off my property!” she shouted. She reached down, snatched up a rock and threw it. The rock clanged off the metal bin, missing Collins by inches.

  His eyes widened. He turned and ran toward the street.

  Amanda grabbed more rocks and chased him, tossing the rocks as she ran. One hit his back and he flinched but kept running until he reached his battered Jeep parked a block away.

  He slid in and slammed the door just as Amanda caught up to him. The window was down and she reached inside, grabbing for his throat but catching only his beard. “Stay away from me!” she ordered.

  “You’re crazy!” He began to roll up the window, and she yanked her arm out just in time.

  “Shoot him!” Charley encouraged.

  “I’ll shoot you the next time I see you!” she called after him as he drove away in cloud of black smoke.

  A flicker of sanity returned and she realized she had just chased a man down the street in her bare feet, thrown rocks at him and then threatened to shoot him. She whirled on Charley. “Shoot him? You want me to shoot him? You want both of us to go to jail? What is wrong with you?”

  “You could have at least pulled your gun and threatened him. I’d have loved to see his face when you did that.”

  “And what would I have done if he pulled his gun?” She threw her hands in the air and started back toward her place, her legs suddenly wobbly as the anger ebbed. “I’m really glad you never got a right to carry. We’d all have been in danger.”

  At least the area was deserted. No one around to see her acting as crazy as Collins had accused her of being.

  “I don’t see much point in having a gun if you’re not going to use it,” Charley grumbled.

  “The only person I’d like to shoot is already dead, just not dead enough.”

  *~*~*

  When the alarm shrieked, Amanda thought she must have accidentally set it a couple of hours early. Not so. She hit the snooze button and lay back down.

  She was just drifting off when her phone rang. With a groan, she sat up and looked at the display. Teresa’s name flashed on the screen. It was not a good sign that Teresa was calling so early.

  She answered and Charley crowded close to listen. Cold flooded her ear as he pressed against her. Her very own private air conditioner.

  “Hi, Teresa,” Charley said. “You’ll never guess what happened here last night. Ronald Collins came by and Amanda chased him off. You should have seen him run from her!”

  “Good job, girlfriend!” Teresa was properly enthusiastic, but she sounded as tired as Amanda felt. “Did you threaten him with that little toy you were packing last night?”

  “She threw rocks at him.”

  “Charley—” Amanda tried to interrupt.

  But Charley was on a roll. Of all the things she’d done in her life, apparently he was most impressed with her rock hurling ability. “She chased him down the street in her bare feet, throwing rocks at him. Wish you’d been here to see it.”

  Teresa burst into laughter. “In your bare feet?”

  “In my bare feet. But I assume you didn’t call to talk about my footwear. What’s going on? You sound tired.”

  “I’m exhausted. Anthony came again last night.”

  “Too bad you didn’t have Amanda there to run him off with a well-aimed rock,” Charley said.

  “I’m going to guess he wasn’t pleased with our little switch.” A year ago, Amanda didn’t believe in ghosts. Now they seemed to be everywhere and involved in all areas of her life.

  “He was angry, angrier than I’ve ever heard a spirit. He tried to hide it, but I’m all too familiar with that tone in his voice.”

  “What did he say?” Charley asked.

  Amanda bit her tongue and refrained from saying something snarky about the way he kept intruding into the conversation. Charley didn’t often get the chance to talk to people on the phone even though he listened in on many of her calls. In fact, even when he didn’t get close enough to hear the person on the other end, he was always close enough to hear Amanda’s side. She hadn’t had a private conversation since his arrival.

  She rose and headed toward the kitchen to get a Coke. Charley matched her every step.

  “Anthony ranted on and on about how he can’t move on until I right the wrong of stealing his stuff, that the bond I forged when I did that is binding him to me and to earth. We have to get the real things back from the cops and turn them over to a charity, like he said the first time.”

  Charley groaned. “Oh, no.”

  Amanda opened the refrigerator, took out a Coke and popped the top then took a long drink, doing her best to block out Charley’s voice and his presence. “You’re the medium, so I’m sure you know more about this sort of thing than I do, but I really think Anthony’s actions are kind of suspicious. Obviously he’s doing this so his friend can have the money and the list of bank accounts.”

  Teresa released a long sigh. “I pointed that out. I mentioned the disappearing bag and asked if his buddy was going to be there the next time to take the money. He said it doesn’t matter what happens after I release the items. I have to make the gesture of releasing them since I stole them. He said since the items were his, he can give them to anybody he wants, and he doesn’t want to give them to me.”

  “What a jerk,” Charley said.

  “Yes, he is,” Teresa agreed. “I guess because he’s stuck so close to earth, he hasn’t had a chance to leave his earthly emotions behind and become a spiritual being.”

  “That seems to be happening a lot around here.” Amanda pulled a chair away from the kitchen table and sat. Charley assumed a sitting position in the air with his head next to hers. “What did Anthony say when you told him you spent most of the money and I gave the passport and flash drive to the cops?”

  “I didn’t exactly tell him that. He wanted me to bring everything to another charity store last night. Well, early this morning. Can you imagine? He never did have any patience. I told him after somebody broke into my apartment, I put the money in the bank and gave you the passport and flash drive for safe keeping.”

  Amanda took another long gulp of Coke. “I hope he doesn’t decide to visit me. I already have my quota of ghosts.”

  “Hey!” Charley protested.

  “I’ve always kind of enjoyed talking to people on the other side,” Teresa said. “Having my grandmother visit is wonderful, and Mr. Finfrock made a really boring class entertaining. It’s very rewarding to pass on a message from somebody’s father or wife to the person left behind and give them peace about the death of their loved one. Some of the spirits I’ve come across are a little strange, but they’re harmless, just confused. But now there’s Anthony. Makes me wish I was like everybody else and lost touch with people when they died.”

  “I totally understand that. Visiting with the departed isn’t like inviting a friend over and if he spills red wine on your carpet or says something rude, you can run him off and slam the door in his face.”

  “Yeah,” Teresa agreed. “The spirits just come right through that door. They don’t even knock. I really need to get rid of Anthony. We’ve got to get that passport and flash drive back from Ja
ke and Ross.”

  “Good luck on that,” Charley said.

  For once Amanda agreed with him. “That may not be so easy. What if you just tell Anthony to go away, that you’re not giving him anything and you don’t care if he’s stuck between worlds?”

  “He’s not going away. I’ll be stuck with him for the rest of my life. Believe me, that man knows how to torment. I’ll probably never get another night’s sleep. Spirits don’t have to sleep.”

  “I know.”

  “You think Charley’s driving you crazy by always being around? At least he’s not trying to torture you or keep you up all night.”

  “She’s right,” Charley said. “I’m trying to help.”

  “Well, Anthony’s not. He’s angry at me, and dealing with an angry spirit is not fun.”

  Dealing with a helpful spirit wasn’t much fun either. Amanda lifted her Coke to her lips and realized it was empty. “I already asked for the items back once, and Jake told me they’re evidence. I have no idea how we’re going to go about getting them, but since I’m the one who gave them away, I guess it’s up to me to get them back.”

  “I have some ideas.”

  That did not surprise Amanda. “Okay, I’m listening.”

  “We tell them we want to talk to them about last night. When we get into the station, Charley can look around and find the items. Then one of us says we have to go to the bathroom, Charley shows us where they are, and we take them.”

  “You’ve been watching too many television shows. Come to think of it, I don’t believe that plan would even work on a television show. Here’s a novel idea. How about we tell them the truth?”

  “The truth?”

  “Yes, the truth, but we tell it in a way that it seems to be to their benefit.” Damn. That sounded like something Charley would say. She had to get rid of him soon before any more of his bad habits rubbed off on her. “We tell them you got another message demanding the real thing, and if we deliver it, this will give them a chance to catch and question whoever comes to take it. Anthony said it didn’t matter what happened to the items after you released them. It only matters that you release them. So you get rid of him, and the cops catch his partner who may be his murderer.”