Beckett knew that had to be really hard. It had to be difficult to see that she’d been screwed out of a happily ever after.
“And now?”
“I was jealous for the longest time. Then, I walked into my brother’s office and saw you. It was like someone wiped away all that anger and hurt. For the first time, I didn't think I was going to be alone. I really believed that I was going to find what my sister stole from me.”
He didn't know what to say.
“I’m glad she did what she did. It gave me a chance to meet you, Beckett.”
His heart skipped.
“I was miserable until I saw you. Until that moment, I really believed that she’d stolen my man. In actuality, she saved me. You are my man. I was meant to meet you.”
He didn't have the words. In his heart, he knew she’d accepted him, and forgiven the sins he’d shared.
It was the most important gift he’d ever been given. While it hurt to lose his family, Claire was giving him so much more.
She was sharing her life.
Her heart.
Her all.
It was more than he likely deserved.
“We have a few minutes for the rest of the food to cook, would you like to take a walk with me?” he offered.
She put her wine down and crossed to him. The man before her looked more relaxed. All the tension was gone, and that was a good thing.
“I’d love a stroll under the stars with you.”
He took her outstretched hand. It felt good in his. As they headed out through the French doors in the living room, he led her to the rose garden.
“It’s pretty out here,” she offered, glancing over at the water fountain and chubby cherub. “I’m glad we didn't dig it up.”
Beckett agreed. Reaching toward the nearest bush, he snapped off a rose and handed it to her. “It’s not as lovely as you, but nothing ever will be.”
She stared up and into his eyes. When he brought his lips to hers, Claire fell even more in love, if that was possible.
When they broke apart, he tucked the silky brown strands of her hair behind her ear.
“I don’t have a ring yet, but I want to marry you.”
He went with the truth.
Why not?
Beckett had found the woman he loved, and it was time to be upfront and honest with her. He didn't want to play games or run and hide anymore.
Instead, he wanted to give her what was in his heart.
“Are you asking me?” she asked, her heart skipping.
“Unofficially, yes, I am. I want you to know my intent, Claire. I’m not just dating you. I want to make you my wife. In my first marriage, I was too young and stupid to see that it wasn’t love. I rushed into it, forcing fate’s hand. Now, I want to do this right. I want a romantic proposal that you’ll never forget. I want to make you my other half. I’m just asking for time.”
She touched his cheek. “You have whatever you need, Beck. You know that. I’d give you the heart from my chest if you asked for it.”
He didn't doubt it.
Never had he met anyone who was this gentle, sweet, and caring. He’d found his salvation.
“I need to know one thing. If I asked, would you definitely say yes?”
She smiled up at him. “In a heartbeat. If you don’t ask, I will.”
It made him laugh. “I love you, Claire Littlemoon.”
She tugged him down for a kiss. When she had satiated that need, Claire whispered against his lips. “I love you too.”
For a few more minutes, they continued making out among the flowers. When Beckett began picturing her naked beneath him on the garden tile, he knew it was time to head in.
“Let’s eat, and then we can retire to our room.”
She grinned. “Yay!”
Holding her hand, he figured he should tell her everything. “Oh, by the way?”
“Yes?” she asked, extremely excited. It was as if she was walking on cloud nine.
“I called your mother.”
“What?” she asked, staring over at him. “Are you insane?”
He laughed. “She’s not that bad. In fact, I like her. When I told her I was going to propose and wanted your hand in marriage, she didn't say no.”
“WHAT?” Claire asked again.
“She told me to marry you if I passed the Roger test.”
That made her laugh, and it touched her on some deep level that she never thought anyone would find.
Here was a really good man.
She could tell.
“I can’t wait for you to propose. As for Roger, bring him peanut butter, or just eat some beforehand. That’s how everyone else got his approval.”
He was confused. “Uh, okay.”
“I’m starving, and then I want to climb all over you, Beckett. I hope you don’t mind,” Claire admitted.
Yeah, there was no way in hell he would have any issue with that.
* * *
Old Cloverdale
Tour
Midnight
When they arrived at the destination, where the tour was supposed to begin, Tori and Julian found themselves alone with Elianna.
It surprised them, since they had seen at least five other names on the list when they signed up.
“Where’s the group?” Julian asked. “I thought we were going to take a tour.”
The woman didn't look happy. “What do you know? It seems they all cancelled for another day.”
“We would have done the same,” Julian offered. He wanted to see the full show. If it was just them, they wouldn’t get an accurate portrayal of this woman’s skills. That was counterproductive.
“Yeah, sorry. All my other groups are booked. In fact, until you leave Cloverdale, I’m postponing them.”
That said a great deal.
“Are you still doing this tour?” Tori asked, feeling the hum in her ear. She could feel the energy shifting and knew that Bethany was close and trying to get her attention.
Well, she would have to wait.
“I’ll walk you around town if that’s what you really want. I know you’re going to judge me, much like all nonbelievers do.”
Oh, she had no idea.
They were likely her biggest allies in that town when it came to the paranormal.
Julian didn't mind.
Now, they could study her.
“Where’s Andy?” Tori asked. “Isn’t he joining us?”
The woman dismissed her question with a shrug. “I’m not his babysitter. He has a life outside of work, much like I’m sure you both do too.”
Yeah, they did, but they didn't try to grift and con people for a living. This was like comparing apples to oranges.
“We should go. You only paid for an hour. I don’t plan on spending any more time than necessary with you.”
Tori found that amusing. She didn't really want to be there either. “Where are we going?”
The woman apparently slipped into her act because when she turned, there was a full watt smile on her face. “I’m going to take you to the most haunted place in Cloverdale.”
Julian didn't like that idea at all. Bringing Tori to a place that had ghosts was asking for trouble.
“We’re going to the cemetery. I figured since you’re so into ‘The Killing House’, I thought you’d like to see where the original owner, Maurizio Carlsbad is said to be buried. Legend has it that his wife, so distraught that their daughter killed him, made sure that his mutilated remains were placed in the cemetery with honor.”
Tori listened, hoping that they’d learn something.
“What do you know about the family?” Julian asked, walking down the street with his wife by his side. He was holding her hand in his, hoping they stayed out of trouble.
He had this sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.
“I know pretty much what everyone else does. The town historian usually comes out on Halloween and tells the ghost story.”
As they entered the cemet
ery, Tori could hear the buzzing getting louder in her ear. She made a mental note to ask Bethany how to shut it off. If she had to go through life listening to this static, she might just lose her mind.
They weaved in and out of the tombstones, and Julian could tell this wasn’t her first time doing this tour. It was obvious that she’d memorized this and spouted it verbatim every trip.
Outside a large crypt, they came to a stop. There was a marker over the door.
‘Here lies my sweet, Maurizio Carlsbad.’
Tori rolled her eyes. “Yeah, he was a gem. He sold his daughter to a sea captain for gold. You don’t get more angelic than that.”
Elianna laughed. “That’s true, but back then, he was trying to save his daughter a possible life of poverty in the new world. He also had five other children. In order to save them, maybe he made the ultimate sacrifice and offered up the strongest one.”
Julian listened.
“It is said that Christabel was stubborn, strong-willed, and the only one of his children who could survive a life at sea. Legend says that he was so distraught over what he did that he had an angel commissioned in her honor.”
The psychic pointed inside to the angel sitting over the crypt. “It was dedicated to her, and also a way for him to pay penance for what he had done.”
“What do you know about the man Christabel left her sea captain husband for?” Tori asked, staring at the angel. A little wave of awareness was filling her. When the woman spoke again, she brushed it aside.
“He was a local man that they encountered once they moved here. Christabel had a few weeks here before her father sent her away. In that time, she met him, fell in love, but was betrothed to another.”
“I imagine that sucked,” Tori stated. She couldn’t imagine falling for Julian and not being able to marry him.
“It did. That’s why she left the captain. It took her four years, but she managed her escape. On a return trip, she left her children behind and ran for it.”
That didn't sit well with Tori.
Her well of sympathy just dried up with that one sentence. Tori didn't feel bad for the woman at all.
“How did she die?” asked Julian, feeling his wife tense beside him.
“It’s said while her mother was away, she crept into the house and slaughtered her father. Then, she snuck away and was caught. Her husband hung her. They never caught the man she had the affair with because she wouldn’t betray him.”
“Fascinating.”
The woman began her spiel, calling forth the dead in the cemetery.
Julian looked freaked out, even as the buzzing grew louder in Tori’s ears.
“Let’s see if we can call out the Carlsbad family,” Elianna suggested. “They usually answer if you listen.”
Here was what Tori wanted to see. While she knew what gift she’d been given, she needed to see if this woman was legit. If she was, then that made her look even more like a suspect.
“There is a male spirit here.”
Tori looked around. Out of her peripheral, she caught Bethany.
“It’s actually a woman,” she corrected. “She’s more a teenager than an adult.”
The woman looked irritated.
“Maurizio is that you?”
There was silence.
Tori crossed her arms across her chest, not in irritation, but to keep warm. There were some ghostly things flying around, she was sure. Every now and again, she felt the kiss of their energy against her flesh. When a warmth settled around her, there was a whisper in her ear.
‘She’s a fraud,’ came the silent whisper.
It appeared Bethany was indeed there.
“I’m telling you,” Tori stated, trying to gauge the woman’s psychic street cred. “It’s a woman.”
Elianna called for the man again. Once more, nothing happened.
“Bethany, can you please show the psychic that you’re not a man?” Tori called, leaning against her husband.
The wind whipped up, swirling around the woman. She looked beyond scared, and that was enough to prove to Tori that the woman was a liar.
“I told you she was female,” she stated, when the wind died down. “Bethany was murdered.”
Just at that moment, the crypt door slammed shut, and even Julian jumped.
He wasn’t so sure he liked his wife playing medium. It freaked him out.
Big time.
Elianna looked around. “What game are you playing?” she demanded.
Tori shook her head. “I’m not playing any game. We didn't know where you were bringing us, so I couldn’t set this up.”
The woman looked scared. “What do you want?” she asked, backing away.
Tori wasn’t above fear to get the answers she wanted. “You’re going to tell me what I want to know. If you don’t, my spirit is going to make your life hell. Isn't that so, Bethany?”
The door that had just slammed shut creaked open as if beckoning the fake psychic into the crypt. Behind Tori, the wind began whipping viciously around the cemetery.
“What do you want to know?”
“When did you last see Jeffery Lamont?”
Julian watched this all go down. To say he wasn’t a bit entertained would be an understatement. Maybe Bethany could stay. This was accomplishing exactly what they wanted.
“The day before he went missing. We met at his place. I had sex with him, and then he sent me on my way. It was when I told him that I couldn’t help him. How could I? This is just my day job.”
Tori suspected as much.
“Any questions, Julian?” she asked.
He grinned. “Did you kill him?”
She shook her head. “I didn't hurt him. I genuinely liked him.”
“What about your brother?” Julian asked.
She swallowed. “They had a fight. He was pissed that Jeffery wasn’t going to be keeping the contract. They got into it.”
“When?”
“That same night,” she admitted.
The wind suddenly died.
“Where is he?” Julian asked. The man had just jumped ahead of all the other suspects on the list.
“I don’t know!”
The door creaked again.
“He left town! Okay? He told me that he had to lay low because some loan sharks were after him. I refused to give him any more money to pay them off. He packed a bag and took off! That’s all I know.”
The cemetery went silent.
Julian didn't like that they didn't know where the man was. Usually, if you ran, you were guilty. Now, was this about their case or the loan sharks? That was yet to be seen.
“Let’s go, Julian,” stated Tori, heading away from the fake psychic. Before she got far, she turned around. “I hope you’re not lying,” stated Tori. “The spirits are all around, and you shouldn’t play with what you don’t know. It pisses them off.”
As they walked away, Tori had to grin as the woman ran past them and toward the gate.
“You’re evil.”
“Hell yeah, but if you’ve got a spirit, flaunt it.”
~ Chapter Twenty-Two ~
Wednesday One A.M
Beckett was an exceptionally light sleeper. When it came to hearing every creak, he was your man. Over the last few days, he’d grown accustomed to the sounds in the house. Only, what had pulled him from sleep wasn’t something he’d heard before.
At first, he thought that maybe Julian and Tori were back, but then, when they didn't come upstairs, he knew it couldn’t be the couple. Ghosts may make noise, but these sounds were odd.
There were heavy steps across the foyer, and more noise from somewhere below.
It was as if someone was in the house.
Getting his body untangled from Claire’s naked one, he listened once more.
There it was again.
He swore it was a thud.
“What’s wrong?” Claire whispered sleepily. “Are you having a nightmare?”
Oddly, he wasn’t because
the sleeping woman beside him had chased them away.
“No. I think someone’s downstairs.”
That had her attention. “All our notes and papers are down there,” she stated, sitting up.
Beckett was well aware. In fact, he was already pulling on his jeans and boots. “I want you to stay right here. Text Julian and make sure he’s not in the house. If he’s still at the tour, tell him to get home, and fast.”
She did what he asked.
As soon as he was gone, and she was done, Claire knew what she needed to do. There was no way in hell she wanted to send Beckett out there alone.
He needed backup.
And she was his partner.
Claire had a job to do.
He made his way through the dark. It wasn’t easy since the second floor wasn’t illuminated with any window light. Still, he managed to get to the top of the stairs. As he stood there, he saw the shadow moving through the living room. It was indeed right beside their papers.
They had an intruder.
A million thoughts went through his mind as he prayed the individual wasn’t armed. This was going to get ugly if they had a weapon.
Then, he thought back to how all the victims died. They were basically stabbed or bludgeoned. He might have a fighting chance.
Creeping down the stairs, he prayed he could do it silently. When he hit the lowest level, there was a creaking noise.
It sounded like gun shots in the silence of the night.
Everything stopped.
The shadow didn't move and there were no more sounds.
Then whoever was in the house took off. Beckett saw him break for the patio door. It had been the same way he and Claire had exited the house earlier.
Running after the intruder, he headed blindly through the door. Cop instinct kicked in as he scanned and ran at the same time. What wouldn’t Beckett give to have a sidearm once more? He knew what he was doing was incredibly dangerous, but he had to protect the woman he loved.
Instead of dwelling on it, he headed through the thick trees and toward the sound of the crashing man ahead of him. He wished that he’d gotten a better look, but he didn't.
Unthinkable Games (LIttlemoon Investigations Book 3) Page 35