Troubled Spirits

by Sandy Wolters

  “You ready, sweetheart?”

  She felt Jared tense as she spoke to the child he couldn’t see. “Right there,” she said. She held his hand still so he could take the picture which would be responsible for changing his mind on the existence of spirits forever.

  Just as Jared snapped the photo, his phone buzzed and the screen went dark. He was positive he hadn’t captured anything with the camera. He couldn’t have. But he didn’t want to view the evidence with an audience so he excused himself. “I’ve got to take this call.” Without hesitating, he opened the door and hurried from the room.

  Jared rejected the incoming call and paced the small hallway. Stopping, he held the phone up and started to unlock it. His finger paused over the numbers. “I could leave right now. Put all this craziness behind me.” He purposely nodded his head in the affirmative and started for the main room but stopped before exiting the hallway. “Dammit.”

  Pivoting around, he made his way back to the door and just stood staring at it. Swiping his hand through his hair, Jared tried to pull himself together. “Just look at the damn picture. Nothing’s going to be there. I can walk right out of here without giving any of this further thought.” Except he knew that wasn’t true. It would be impossible to walk away from Jody.

  Jared unlocked the phone and stared at the little ghost girl sitting with her legs crossed at the knees and hands primly held in her lap. The figure was misty, but there. Numb, he leaned against the wall.

  Once the feeling had come back into Jared’s body, he took a deep breath and walked through the door.

  Jody held her hand out. “May I?”

  He frowned and then gawked at the chair where the little ghost girl’s image had been caught. Jared handed her the phone.

  “Can I see?” Fiona asked, jumping up and down next to Jody. Dropping to her knees, they both reviewed the photo. “Hey! How come I can see through me?”

  Jody’s shoulders absently shrugged. “If I had to guess, I’d say you look like that because you’ve been so busy lately. You’re getting drained, like me. You’re not usually so transparent. Most times, you look as solid as every other person.”

  “Let me take another picture,” Jared said. “Where is she now?”

  Jody was down on one knee with Fiona propped up against her side. “She’s right here.” Since the little girl wasn’t completely solid, they had to be careful not to distort her image as they posed. She put her arm around the child, and Fiona snuggled into Jody as best she could. They both glanced up at the camera and demurely smiled as Jared took the picture. Jody didn’t bother to get up and glance at the photo. Without question, Fiona would be there staring back at Jared, and more than likely sending little freak-out tremors through his body.

  “Fiona, it might be best if you go and find your grandmother. You need to get some rest if you want to have the strength to speak to your parents. I think we might be able to do that very soon. My friends and I are going to work on finding your mommy and daddy. It’s going to take a little time, and you need to be patient. There’s no need for you to stay.”

  The little girl hugged her and leaned in to give Jody a kiss. Jared caught that poignant moment with his camera as well.

  When it became clear Fiona had departed, Nathan stepped forward. “Have you communicated with Fiona’s grandmother? Couldn’t you just ask her where Fiona’s family is?”

  “Unfortunately, no, I can’t. I saw her once when she came to get Fiona. She never communicated with me. The woman only spoke with the little girl and has not come back since. I truly believe the woman would come to me if she could. So, for now at least, it’s just us on the hunt.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  After everything that happened over the past several hours, Jared was relieved he hadn’t driven himself to the gallery. With all he’d learned about Jody, there was no way in hell he’d be able to concentrate on driving right now. In one evening, she and little Fiona had turned his world upside down by opening his mind and once frigid heart up to new possibilities.

  He glanced out the car window as the empty streets of Scottsdale flew by, unsurprised by the deserted roads. He was in the heart of a town well known for its nightlife. The affluent city had the reputation of being the playground for the rich, the famous, and the wannabes. It was far too early in the morning for anyone to be out and about.

  Reflecting back on the evening, he pulled his phone out and thumbed through the pictures of the little ghost girl. The four of them had ended up talking until the wee hours of the morning in the art gallery office. The all-nighter had opened his eyes to some pretty incredible things. While Jody took a brief cat nap, Nathan and Terry had casually shared information about ghosts, Jody, and her gifts as if that exceptional subject matter were the norm. He didn’t often get blindsided, but it had happened twice last night—first with Jody and then with Fiona.

  These first few moments away from the woman who’d stolen his heart gave him the opportunity to review the past evening’s events with a clear head. The realization in which the only woman he’d ever reacted to in such a deep-rooted, instinctive manner talked to dead people on a regular basis bowled him over. What’s more, the fact he was okay with that left him chuckling. A scant ten hours ago, he would’ve scoffed at the idea that either thing could be possible. He allowed his head to fall back against the seat. Love and ghosts. What the hell have I gotten myself into?

  He’d never believed in love or ghosts until he’d laid eyes on her. Jody had torn away barriers tonight which he’d painstakingly built brick by brick since his childhood. As those barriers crumbled at her feet, the possibility of something more in life, something very special, had now opened up to him. She was, at the very least, a pleasant surprise. Even with all of his wealth and power, he willingly admitted that new possibilities, as well as unknown revelations, had been few and far between in his lifetime. What he could potentially gain from her, both in knowledge and newfound love, was priceless. He couldn’t wait to see her again.

  Love. He let the word roll around in his mind. “Is that really what I’m talking about here?” He’d scoffed at the concept of love his whole life. But now, instead of being incredulous about experiencing the elusive emotion, he was convinced he’d missed out on something crucial without it. Something purely perfect and gratifying had been lacking every day he hadn’t known Jody. They barely knew each other, and he’d already handed her the key to his future happiness. That one thought both warmed and terrified him.

  His thoughts drifted away as the car took a sharp turn. Momentarily blinded by a bright light, he realized the sun had just started coming up. Instead of going home, he decided to go straight to the office and look into the clues Jody had given him about Fiona. Unwilling to trust her information with anyone else, he’d handle everything himself rather than pass it on to his staff. From this point forward, he’d always put her wants and needs first. That thought produced a broad grin. Never before had there been anyone important enough to place before himself, and the fact he enjoyed the feeling so much, surprised him. Punching a button on the control panel next to him, he spoke curtly to the driver. “Take me to the office.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Reflecting over the course of the evening, he’d been shocked to realize how many times Fiona had sporadically popped in on them and couldn’t help but wonder if other ghosts did the same thing. Jody had assured him that, unlike little Fiona, most spirits made one appearance and then left never to be seen or heard from again.

  Jared had learned some valuable information last night. Jody had been patient and given him her unique Ghosts 101 tutorial. With each of Fiona’s visits, she’d taken the time to describe the shift in air pressure. She’d mentioned how he’d walked through the little girl’s essence at the beginning of the evening. He remembered the goose bumps he’d gotten, as well as the sensation of the air turning dense and cold. With that knowledge and Jody’s help, he’d quickly learned to feel when Fiona showed up.
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br />   He couldn’t see her, and didn’t think he wanted that experience, but after making the effort, he’d learned to use his other senses to pick up on the child being nearby. With each new visit, he became more adept at noticing the little electrical impulses assaulting his body. Those energy fueled charges resulted in a tingling effect which raised the hair on his neck and arms.

  He’d carefully watched Jody as each of Fiona’s frequent visits sapped a little more of her strength, and it scared the hell out of him. So much so that he’d made the mistake of offering up his energy instead. Jody had quickly put her hand over his mouth and chastised him about the consequences of giving permission for things he didn’t understand. Apparently, he had a lot to learn.

  Getting in touch with Fiona’s mother and father was paramount. He intended to be the one to put the pieces together for Jody. He wanted to free her from this tragedy—to unburden her, so hopefully, she could see past his initial stupidity on the matter and perhaps forgive him. It wasn’t her gratitude he wanted, though. He wanted her and being in her life had become a priority for him. He’d play fair but had no qualms about playing dirty, if need be, to win her over. She was too important to him to let her slip away.

  First, he’d help her get through this. Once she was free of Fiona, he’d make her his. Even though he’d felt the heat between them instantly, something deep within braced him to move slowly with her. He knew if he rushed her, she’d bolt in a heartbeat.

  Jared thought back to the moment he’d first laid his eyes on Solitude. Without even meeting Jody, seeing the vision of her in the portrait was the first instant he’d fallen in love with her. He made himself a promise never to be responsible for making her feeling the depth of sadness and loss which emanated from the portrait. Realizing how close he’d come to losing her over his initial reaction to her gift frightened him. He didn’t want to be that insensitive man anymore. Instead, the positive aspects of the portrait became his focus. He’d made a conscious decision to pour all of his energy into giving her the peace and love which had also been present within Solitude.

  Weary, he rubbed his eyes trying to focus on the elusive subject at hand. With so much unfamiliar emotion connected to his thoughts of Jody, he felt completely out of his element. He was a fast learner, however, and learn he would. Look at how far he’d already come. Just yesterday, he believed emotion to be a character flaw, something which could lead to the downfall of everything he’d ever created for himself. After all, in his profession, he’d been witness to that outcome many times. In his experience, love, or what people perceived as love, destroyed lives. Now that he found himself in a position to feel that powerful sentiment, he realized how flawed his original thoughts on the matter were.

  Being an analytical person, Jared fell back on what he knew best. He made a mental checklist to accomplish his goals. The first and most challenging task would be to figure out how to be patient. For Jody’s sake, he had to concentrate on making the meeting between her and Fiona’s parents happen quickly. Their personal relationship wouldn’t be possible until that was wrapped up. He wanted her full attention when he made his move.

  She hadn’t been able to get much information to go on in the search for Fiona’s family. He had to give her credit for trying, though. Truth be told, if he were to put this case in perspective, his client was a young kid who probably still counted to five on her fingers. That alone made information gathering from the source difficult. Add to that the fact she was dead and finding answers became almost impossible. In any case, he shouldn’t have too much difficulty finding a death certificate for a four-year-old child named Fiona McCarthy. As soon as he had what Jody needed, he’d take her the information and offer to escort her to wherever the parents lived.

  A pang of unease clenched deep within his gut. He had a bad feeling about the impending meeting. Worry continued to grow as Jared glanced once again at the picture with Fiona by Jody’s side. He put himself in Fiona’s parents’ position, knowing full well they were grieving a devastating loss. He realized that if someone approached him out of the blue and said they had a message from his dead little girl, he’d likely drop them where they stood. He’d have to be prepared to protect Jody should the need arise.

  ****

  Several hours later, Jared had exhausted all of the available search tools to which he had access. Having had no luck in finding Fiona left him frustrated. For what must be the hundredth time, he turned his phone on and looked at the photos of the little girl.

  “Could Jody be mistaken about your last name? She seemed confident it was McCarthy.” Half expecting an answer from the little ghost girl, he sat there quietly and waited.

  Getting nowhere fast, he needed more information. A slow smile crossed his face as he pushed himself away from his desk. “I guess since I’m at an impasse, I’m just going to have to see my client. Maybe, with the right questions, she can provide further details.”

  An unfamiliar feeling of light-heartedness swept through him as he entered his office bathroom to take a shower. “It shouldn’t be unusual for me to stop by and check in with my client. Although I’ve never done it before, she doesn’t know that.”

  As he slid out of his shirt, he caught his reflection in the mirror. Surprised at the sight, he couldn’t believe the difference in his appearance. The familiar hardness of his face which stared back at him every morning was no longer there. He liked seeing himself smiling and happy. He could quickly get used to that.

  Maybe I’ll stop on the way over and pick her up a flower. Women like flowers.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jody’s doorbell rang prompting Terry to holler above the din of frying bacon and eggs being whisked, “Come in.”

  Hearing a grunt of displeasure, Terry, wearing nothing but his boxers, whirled around to find a very perturbed Jared walking toward him. He carried a single red rose in one hand and a laptop case in the other. The look of disdain which crossed the pilferer’s face left him chuckling. Restraining himself had never been a strong suit. He had to have a little fun at the thieving bastard’s expense.

  “For me?” Terry threw his head back and released a demented cackle. From the little he knew about Jared, he wasn’t the sort of man to bring anyone flowers. He got great satisfaction from calling him out and making him even more uncomfortable with the gesture.

  It would take some time to get over his annoyance at having Solitude stolen out from under him. But after the last few hours he’d spent with Jody, if the end result brought her some much-needed peace, he’d give the portrait away again in a heartbeat. Mentally crossing his fingers, he prayed Jared’s reputation as a P.I. proved to be correct. This nasty business had to be concluded sooner rather than later. If Jody wasn’t able to resolve this mess with Fiona soon, he feared they’d be burying her in no time at all.

  “I’m here to see Jody,” Jared stated the obvious through a growl.

  “And here I thought you’d come all this way to see me,” Terry snapped back knowing full well he displayed the petulance of a toddler. “It’s a little early for a house call, don’t you think?” He made a show of spreading his arms to bolster his state of undress while holding a frying pan.

  Jared forcibly clenched his jaw to keep from spewing obscenities and valiantly fought an internal war to pummel the fucker.

  He didn’t like being the butt of any joke. Knowing full well he’d just suffered the brunt of this farce left him glaring at the man standing there in nothing but his undershorts. A streak of jealousy had him wondering how badly he’d get burned by yanking the frying pan out of the dickhead’s hand and knocking him over the head with it. He’d had enough of the artist’s games and hoped his tone of voice and notorious death look would put an end to them. “I’m here to see Jody. If you don’t tell me where she is, I’ll find her myself.”

  “She’s still in bed.” Terry smirked as the innuendo hung heavily in the air between them.

  That’s it. Jared had enough. Rising to the bait
, he made a quick move in the artist’s direction. Terry jolted back and seemingly braced himself to run for his life.

  “Nope.”

  When Jared heard his partner’s booming voice, he pivoted in place to find Nathan leisurely strolling from the back of the house. His hair still sopping wet and a towel carelessly tied at his waist. “She’s in the shower.”

  Nathan’s dazzling smile only adding to Jared’s desire to punch one or both of these bastard’s faces until their shit eating grins were just a distant memory.

  “You’re here early. We had a slumber party after the gallery. We thought Jody could use a little fun.”

  Jared’s steely gaze scrutinized Nathan from head to toe. “From what I’ve seen so far, very little fun,” he retorted dryly and meant every word.

  Nathan burst out laughing. “A little short-tempered this morning, are we, Jared?” The exaggerated emphasis on his name that had just been revealed the night before irritated him.

  Jared found it difficult to hide his disappointment at having to deal with these two idiots and their twisted sense of humor. He wanted—no, he needed to be near Jody and had tired of all the roadblocks. “Cut the shit,” he said disgustedly. “Just get her for me. I need some more information to find Fiona.”

  Suddenly the room became silent. The only sound to be heard was that of the shower running in the back of the house. All jokes had ceased, and the air felt heavy as if weighted down with tension. The distressed glances that passed between Nathan and Terry sent a cold shiver of dread down Jared’s spine.

  “What’s happened? Is Jody all right?”

  “It was a rough night—well, morning. I was hoping you’d have the parents’ names first thing today.” Nathan’s strained voice did nothing to calm Jared’s anxiety.

  Trying to tamp down his unease, he bit the inside of his cheek. “What happened after I left?”

  “Quick. Come sit down before Jody comes out.” Nathan prompted as he rushed past Jared. His hushed, urgent tone combined with worried glances grated at Jared’s already raw nerves and had alarm bells blaring in his head.