Teresa was silent for several seconds. Then— “That’s actually a good idea. I had no idea you were capable of such sneaky tactics, Amanda. I’m impressed.”
She laughed, and Amanda felt laughter bubbling to her own lips. Only Teresa could make a joke in the midst of murder, the possibility of going to prison, one angry ghost, one annoying ghost and her nebulous promise to get evidence back from a cop.
Chapter Twelve
By noon Amanda had consumed three Cokes and two cups of tea and was moving at warp speed. Between bathroom breaks she finished repairing a bike, contacted Sunny about initiating legal action to have the spurious document Charley had signed declared invalid, and had Dawson print out the address on Ronald Collins’ expired driver’s license and the one for the woman whose car he was driving.
Not only did Amanda want to confront Collins, but Sunny had told her they needed an address to have him served with the court papers so they wouldn’t have to do service by publication which would take too long. Amanda wanted the situation settled now.
“No guarantee he’s at either of these addresses.” Dawson handed her the paper with several lines of print. “But if he isn’t, I’ll do some more searching.”
“Thanks.” Amanda looked at the addresses.
Charley looked over her shoulder.
“Be careful,” Dawson cautioned. “That man is seriously nuts.”
“I agree, but I am fed up with him trying to bully me, and I’m really not too worried about a man who runs away from a barefoot woman throwing rocks.”
Dawson laughed. “I wish I could have seen that. I’d run from you if you were throwing rocks at me.”
“Me too,” Charley said. “You were pretty scary. You and me together, we can handle Collins.”
You and me together. That reminder of her entanglement with Charley sent her to the refrigerator for another Coke.
She popped the top and took a drink. Besides having to deal with Charley, she’d need reinforcement for the next event. She had to call Jake and try to convince him to part with the evidence long enough to satisfy Teresa’s annoying ex-husband. As much as she dreaded that part, she also worried and hoped that he might firm up the details of their date tomorrow night.
Dawson went into the main area of the shop to work. She sat down behind the desk and called the station. Neither Jake nor Ross was there, and she was both relieved and disappointed. It would give her more time to construct a compelling argument for releasing the evidence and more time to figure out what to do about Charley.
Jake and Ross were probably out talking to Anthony’s last gardener. Maybe he would give them some evidence to exonerate Teresa…if he was willing to talk to the cops.
Even if the man wasn’t willing to talk to the cops, maybe he’d talk to the woman who’d befriended him.
She called Teresa.
“Hi, Teresa!” Charley said as soon as she answered, before Amanda had a chance to say a word.
“Hi, Charley. What’s up?”
I can’t shoot him and I can’t lock him outside, Amanda reminded herself. “You said you took Eduardo to visit his relatives. So you were his friend.”
“I tried to be. I took him to visit his relatives and he told me about his family. I remember a little of my high school Spanish, and I think that made him more comfortable talking to me.”
“You’re bilingual?” Charley asked. “You really are amazing!”
“What did he tell you about his family?” Amanda asked.
“He has a wife and three sons in Mexico. Right now they’re with his elderly parents who are not in good health, and they’re living in complete poverty. They don’t usually even have enough to eat. He sends them money regularly, and he’s trying to save enough to go back and make a better life for all of them. I knew Anthony wasn’t paying him much, so I gave him a little extra whenever I could. It wasn’t a lot because that jerk was hiding money and telling me how broke we were when all along he was funneling money into those foreign bank accounts. If he wasn’t already dead, I’d kill him.”
“I know that feeling. So if Anthony had offered Eduardo enough money, he might have agreed to help with his plan to use that phony passport and leave the country.”
“People will do a lot of bad things for money,” Charley said.
He should know.
“Eduardo was a good man. I don’t think he would have been a part of anything illegal.”
“He came to this country illegally. Anthony might have offered him enough money to get back to his family, maybe start his own business. That might have overcome his scruples.”
Teresa was silent for several seconds. “I guess it’s possible.”
“And maybe he saw a way to get even more money by killing Anthony and taking the cash from the safe. Only, of course, the cash was gone when he got there because you’d already taken it.”
“No. Eduardo would not do that. No way. And if he did, why would Anthony’s spirit be trying to get the money to him now?”
There were some flaws in Amanda’s logic. “I don’t know. I don’t understand anything about the spirit world. Maybe Anthony’s death was an accident. Or maybe it was self defense. Maybe Anthony tried to kill Eduardo, and now Anthony has to pay for what he tried to do to Eduardo.”
“That’s pretty far out.”
“Yeah, I guess it is. Okay, we have no way of knowing what happened, but it’s possible Eduardo knows something. He did disappear about the time of Anthony’s murder.”
“Wouldn’t you if you were in the country illegally and your employer got killed?”
“I sure would,” Charley said.
Too bad Charley didn’t have an employer. Amanda might consider bumping him off just on that promise. “I tried to call Jake, but he and Ross are out of the office. They could be trying to track down Eduardo. If Eduardo is here illegally, he may not want to talk to the cops. However, if you were his friend, he might talk to you.”
“He might. But what could he tell me?”
“I don’t know, but it’s the only thing we’ve got right now. We need something we can use for leverage to get Anthony’s stuff back from Jake long enough for you to dump it and fulfill that silly requirement of his. Then they can have it back.”
“Amanda, that’s brilliant. Much better than my plan to walk in and steal them back.”
“You think?”
“I’ll pick you up in thirty minutes, and we’ll go see Eduardo. It’ll be nice to talk to him again. I hope he’s found a better job than the one he had with Anthony.”
“Bye, Teresa!” Charley said. “See you soon!”
Amanda disconnected the call and lifted her hand to her forehead. She could feel a headache coming on. Maybe she needed one more Coke. Or one less ghost.
*~*~*
“Are you jealous of Teresa?” Charley asked.
She’d told him to wait in the living room while she changed from her grease-stained jeans to a clean pair. He didn’t sound as if he was very far away. Probably right outside her door which did qualify as being in the living room. Barely.
“I was jealous of her in high school, but not now. When you get to know people, you realize everybody has their own set of problems. I wouldn’t want to trade my life for hers.” She zipped her jeans then, since she was planning to look for Collins while they were out, added the belt and holster under her T-shirt.
When she walked into the living room Charley was leaning against the wall next to her bedroom door. “I mean, are you jealous because I like her?”
Amanda bit her lip to avoid giggling. “No, I promise I’m not jealous of your friendship with Teresa. But if you should decide you might like living with her better than with me, you’re free to go.”
Charley rushed to her side in a wave of cold. “No! You’re my wife.”
Amanda recoiled as if he’d thrown a knife directly into her gut. “Ex-wife.”
“I’ll never leave you as long as you need me.”
She
resisted the urge to say she didn’t need him, that she didn’t even want him around. Many times during their marriage she’d wanted to hurt him because he’d hurt her, but somehow it seemed cruel to hurt a ghost. Still, if he was staying around because he thought she needed him—
“Charley, you were never around when you were alive and I got by just fine. I promise I can manage on my own now. Don’t you want to move into the light, sprout some wings, maybe be able to eat spiritual hamburgers?” She refrained from mentioning the possibility that he might sprout horns and tail in the afterlife.
Charley shook his head. “Nope. Not as long as you need me.”
“I don’t need you.” There. She’d said it. “I promise I don’t. You’re free to move on.”
Charley stood very still and looked around him as if he expected the room to disappear while he was swept up and away. Amanda watched intently. Could it be this simple?
Of course not. Nothing happened. She was totally dependent on Teresa’s help. Interesting how that worked out. She had to help Teresa get rid of her ex’s ghost and Teresa had to help get rid of hers. Who’d have thought the cheerleader and the nerd would one day be working together as ghostbusters?
She pulled her hair into a ponytail in anticipation of riding with Teresa in her convertible at speeds in excess of all known limits except the speed of light.
*~*~*
Parked in Eduardo’s neighborhood among the older model sedans and vans, Teresa’s little sports car stood out like a willow tree in the middle of a west Texas desert.
Amanda opened her door and slid from the car then checked to see if her ears had blown off. They were still attached. “Actually, this is not a bad neighborhood.” The term illegal alien conjured up an image of a shack missing one wall with drug dealers and users smoking, dealing and taking random shots at each other.
The part of town was definitely not Highland Park. The houses were small and old, some with flaking or faded paint, but the yards were tidy and well-kept. The small house they parked in front of was frame construction with immaculate white paint and a porch where two new boards gleamed against the faded gray of the others.
“It’s probably better than where he lived before he came here,” Teresa said quietly.
They walked up the cracked sidewalk toward the porch and the closed front door. Windows with curtains fluttering in the breeze framed both sides of the door.
“Looks like somebody’s home.” Teresa knocked.
No sound came from inside.
“I’ll check for you.” Charley darted through the wall then came back almost immediately. “There’s a woman in there. She came in from the kitchen, but she’s just looking at the door. I don’t think she intends to answer.”
“That’s probably his cousin. Isabel!” Teresa called. “Està Eduardo aqui?”
The door opened and a short, dark-haired woman stood looking at them, distrust and fear evident in her expression. “I do not know Eduardo. You have the wrong house.”
“Isabel, I’m Teresa, Eduardo’s friend.”
For a long moment Amanda thought the woman was going to close the door in their faces, but gradually her fearful expression eased.
“Teresa? From the big house where Eduardo worked?”
Teresa smiled and nodded. “Yes. And this is my friend, Amanda.”
The woman hesitantly returned Teresa’s smile. “Encantada de conocerla, Amanda.” Her manners momentarily overcame her fear.
“Encantada de conocerla, Isabel. We’re looking for your cousin, Eduardo.”
Isabel looked from Amanda to Teresa, fear once again washing over her features. “Your husband, he was murdered. I saw it on the TV.”
“Yes,” Teresa said. “He was.”
“Eduardo had nothing to do with that.”
“I know. I just thought maybe he saw something, overheard an angry conversation between Anthony and another person.”
Isabel shook her head and started to close the door.
“Please! They think I killed him. I just want to find out if Eduardo knows anything that might help me.”
“My daughter will be home from school soon. I have to go.” Isabel closed the door.
“Your abuela wants you to talk to me,” Teresa called after her.
Well, that was certainly fortuitous.
Silence.
“Why can’t I see her grandmother?” Charley complained. “I’m on the other side, but I can’t see anybody else over here. You’re on that side, and you talk to people over here all the time.”
Teresa paid no attention to his whining. “Su abuela Rosaria. She’s a short, round lady with gray hair, and she’s always with you. She helped you find your car keys one morning when you were worried you’d be late taking…wait a minute…Rosaria, what’s your great-granddaughter’s name?...Rose, named after you. That’s sweet. Isabel, she helped you find the keys one morning so you wouldn’t be late taking Rose to school, and you knew it was her. You even thanked her.”
Amanda was impressed. Teresa was really good at talking to the dead.
The door slowly opened again. “You can talk to my grandmother?”
“Didn’t Eduardo tell you about my gift? Yes, I can talk to your grandmother. She wishes you could see her and talk to her, but she’s happy to be with you. She said to tell you your mother and brothers in Mexico are fine, that your father is with them as she is with you.”
Isabel crossed herself. “Madre de dios!”
“My ex-husband Anthony is on the other side too, but he’s restless because he was murdered. He was not a nice man in this life, but your grandmother speaks for him. If you can help me find his murderer, perhaps he can find peace.”
Restless because he was murdered? That didn’t sound quite like the Anthony that Teresa had described from his nightly visitations, but perhaps the grandmother’s spirit saw him differently.
Isabel hesitated but then opened the door and stood back, inviting them inside by her gesture.
They entered the small living room. Isabel indicated a faded brown sofa. “Please sit. Would you like tea?”
“Thank you,” Teresa said. “That would be lovely.”
They sat on the sofa and Isabel left the room.
“That was a lucky break,” Amanda said quietly, “that her grandmother asked her to talk to us.”
“She actually told me to go away,” Teresa whispered. “I just threw in the stuff Eduardo told me like the daughter’s name and losing her keys and her father being dead and made up the rest. The grandmother’s livid right now. She’s very protective of Isabel. She’s standing on the far side of the room, glaring at me. I’m sorry, Rosaria. It’ll be all right, really. I won’t do anything to hurt your granddaughter.”
Charley perched on the back of the sofa between them. “You lied. You can lie. Amanda can lie. I can’t lie, I can’t eat fajitas, I can’t drink margaritas, and you two are the only people who can see me.”
“Ditch the pity party,” Amanda ordered.
Isabel returned with three glasses of iced tea.
“No tea for the ghost. That’s all right. I’m getting used to being ignored.” Charley heaved a deep, ghostly sigh. He wasn’t finished with his pity party.
Teresa suppressed a giggle. Amanda suppressed a scowl.
Isabel took a seat in the armchair facing them and leaned forward, clutching her glass of tea. “Where is Eduardo? I’m worried about him.” The conversation was not off to a good start.
“I don’t know,” Teresa replied. “We were hoping you could tell us. My husband and I separated about a month ago, and I haven’t seen Eduardo since.”
Isabel shook her head. “Since you left, he doesn’t come to visit so often. The last time I saw him was over a week ago.”
Teresa bit her lip. “My husband was murdered a week ago today.”
Isabel sat straighter in the chair and gripped her tea so hard her knuckles turned white. “What are you suggesting? That Eduardo had something to do
with your husband’s death?”
“No, of course not. But maybe he knows something. Maybe he saw something, and he’s scared. He’s hiding.”
Isabel shook her head again, lines of worry creasing her face. “My daughter’s birthday was last week. He promised he would be here if he had to walk the entire way. I worried when he did not show up Friday night. When he did not come Saturday or Sunday, I knew something had happened.”
Amanda and Teresa looked at each other.
“This doesn’t sound good for Eduardo,” Charley said, echoing Amanda’s thoughts.
“Did you call the police and report him missing?” Teresa asked.
“No. My husband and I are citizens, and my daughter was born here. But Eduardo, he did not come here the right way. We cannot tell the police.”
“Maybe he went back to Mexico to be with his family.”
“No.” Isabel shook her head firmly. “The money he saved, it is still in his room here. Something bad has happened to Eduardo. He would not go home without telling us and certainly not without his money. He worked very hard. He sent a little money home every week, but he was afraid to send much at a time. The mail down there does not always get things to the right people. So he worked and saved and talked about how things would be better when he got home.”
Teresa suddenly sucked in her breath and went ghostly pale.
Isabel’s comment was cause for concern about Eduardo’s safety, but Teresa’s reaction seemed a little over the top.
“Isabel,” she said quietly, “I’m so sorry. Eduardo’s on the other side. I just saw him.”
Chapter Thirteen
Isabel gasped. Her hand flew to her mouth and tears hovered in her eyes. Again she crossed herself. “He’s dead? Are you sure?”
Teresa nodded. Her eyes were suspiciously moist. “I’m sure. His image wasn’t as strong as your grandmother’s, but I saw him for a moment, and he spoke to me. He said, ‘Send the money to Julia and tell her I love her.’”
Isabel took a tissue from the box on the coffee table and blotted her eyes. “Julia is his wife.”
3 The Ex Who Conned a Psychic Page 13