“It won’t help him grieve to know you are sort of here. It will only disrupt it,” I say as gently as I can. “When you eventually disappear, he’ll just have to grieve all over again.”
“But what if I’m not going anywhere?” she asks me hopefully.
“You can’t know that for sure. For now, I will keep my crazy to myself.”
She looks dejected, but as I park outside Flynn’s house, I find my focus shift to the state of it. There are newspapers scattered over the front yard, mail piled up in the mailbox, and the front door is open.
Before my hand is on my door handle, Thea is already outside without needing the door opened for her, and she is racing up the driveway, heading straight for the front door.
I quickly follow, needing to remind myself that Thea can’t actually get hurt if something is wrong. If something has happened to Flynn, though, she will definitely be hurt. I might not have to worry about her physical pain, but emotionally, she’ll be wrecked.
As I make it to the front door, I check my handgun that is already positioned in my hands, at the ready. I double-check the safety, making sure it is still on, and then take a peek into the hallway where Thea disappeared down.
“Flynn? Are you there? This is Detective Mercer,” I call out, already stepping into the house. The place is completely dark, the curtains pulled across the front rooms and most doors shut.
“Aiden, quick!” Thea’s troubled voice screeches from the back of the house, and I decide to ignore protocol, not clearing the rooms or the rest of the house as I follow Thea’s voice.
The back room is almost in complete darkness, too. The blinds are letting in little slithers of light which allow me to see Flynn passed out on the couch. There is a strong aroma of alcohol in the air, mixed in with the strong vomit smell coming from the pile next to Flynn’s head positioned on the couch.
“Is he breathing? I can’t feel him to find a pulse!” Thea is freaking out as I move towards Flynn, touching his clammy neck and finding the steady beat against my fingers.
“He’s breathing,” I tell her, rolling him to his side and watching his grip on the mostly empty bottle of scotch fall from his hand to roll across the floor.
“He’s never been a drinker. I can’t believe … Are you sure he’s okay? Should you call an ambulance?”
I lean over Flynn and grab the string along the side of the window, pulling the blinds up and drenching us in light. The sudden change awakens Flynn. He groans from his position, his arm moving over his face to hide his eyes from the brightness. Next, I open a window and take a gulp of the much needed cool breeze that enters the room.
“Flynn?” I try not to be too loud, having suffered far too many hangovers in my life. I understand the pain Flynn is not only going through, but will continue to go through for the rest of today and probably tomorrow.
“Who the fuck are you?” Flynn grumbles without removing his arm from his face.
“I’m Detective Aiden Mercer. I’m working your sister’s case, remember?” I say, watching as he immediately sits up, suddenly alert and panicked for all of three seconds before he leans over the couch, right near my shoes, and vomits again.
I step away, wincing at the gagging noises.
“I’ll get you some water,” I mutter, leaving Thea attempting to comfort Flynn, but her hand doesn’t make the contact she is desperate for.
I return a minute later, a glass of tap water in my hands, and Flynn greedily gulps it down.
“How did you get in here?” he asks, his voice rough even with the water he just consumed.
“Your front door was left wide open. I wasn’t sure if you were in trouble.”
“Yeah, I had a run in with that.” He nods at the bottle of scotch he dropped earlier and then winces at the movement of his head.
“Tell him I’m so angry with him, and he isn’t to drink like this ever again!” Thea hisses at me. She looks pissed.
“Drinking isn’t a wise idea.”
“My sister just died, so I think I’m allowed to have a few moments to forget.”
“But the hangover afterwards will just give you an even worse reminder,” I warn him.
“What do you care? Why are you even here? Did you find something out? Have you made an arrest?” His expression turns from annoyed to hopeful.
I hate that I can’t give him any closure. I have no answers for him.
“No. The investigation is still ongoing, but I wanted to get your permission to remove the files in Thea’s house that belonged to your father.”
“Why? What has that got to do with Thea’s murder?”
“Maybe something, maybe nothing. I refuse to leave any rock unturned, though.”
“So, you’re basically telling me you have jack shit, and you’re grasping at straws now?” he snaps, and Thea gasps, either because of his tone or because he swore.
“I’m telling you I want to look through those files, and as the sole benefactor of Thea’s will, you own everything in her house.”
He looks ill again. Instinctively, I take a step back in case he attempts to splatter my shoes again.
“I don’t want her things. I just want my sister back!” he snaps, his hands grabbing his head. I think he’s about to break down, but instead, he winces. He must have one killer headache going on right now.
“Ask him where his friends are. Ask him why they aren’t looking after him!” Thea cries.
“Have you called anyone, a friend or girlfriend to come and stay with you?”
Flynn snorts, his anger obvious. “Yeah, I called a couple buddies. They told me money was tight, and they would try to make it down for the funeral. Most are starting jobs and don’t have any vacation time to just come down. I have nobody.”
“No, you have me,” Thea whispers to him, sitting as close to him as she can. I know it’s killing her that she can’t comfort him.
“Have you set a date for the funeral?”
“Someone from the coroner’s office called me and said I need to make the arrangements to move her body, but I don’t know how to fucking organize a funeral. I don’t know what she wants. I mean, what music would she want played? What the hell do I say about her? I don’t want to deal with this.”
“Oh, Flynn, I’m so sorry,” Thea cries. “Tell him you’ll deal with the funeral. I can tell you what I want. Don’t make him deal with this,” she begs me.
“What?” I gape, only barely catching myself before Flynn looks up. I close my mouth, watching him narrow his eyes at me, and clear my throat. “I can help you with the funeral. I mean, I can make a few calls, write some things down, and you can give it a look over afterwards to see what you think.” I am desperate to glare at Thea for putting me in this position, but Flynn is still staring at me, so I have to at least pretend like I’m not insane.
“Don’t you have better things to do, like solve my sister’s murder?”
“I’m working on it, I promise. Sometimes, it is just about waiting for something to turn up. Waiting for test results, for evidence to be finished being processed. An investigation takes time. Besides, I don’t mind helping you out,” I lie, knowing all the evidence has been processed, and it has come up with a whopping nothing.
“Whatever.” Flynn shrugs. “And, yeah, take what you want from the house. I don’t care. Just catch the bastard who did this to her.”
“I promise you I will. When you want to go to Thea’s place to sort it out, I can go with you if you don’t want to be alone. I don’t mind.” I pull out another business card, writing my home number on the back. “If you need to talk, you can call. Everyone needs someone to lean on.”
“You don’t know me, and you didn’t know Thea. Why do you even care?”
“I’m a good listener, and what happened to your sister has pissed me off. She didn’t deserve that. I know she was a good person, and she loved you. She wouldn’t want you to be suffering like this and definitely wouldn’t want you to be alone. I’m not pressuring you,
but if you need to, call me. I’m fine with listening to you rant, getting a drink, or just sitting with you in silence. Okay?”
He nods, his gaze moving down to his lap.
“Also, in the future, lock your door. Anyone could just walk in here. If you’re going to make getting plastered a common occurrence, which I don’t recommend,” I quickly insert, watching Thea open her mouth, ready to snap at me for suggesting it, “then you need to remember you’ll be an easy target with a wide open door. So lock up.”
I watch him nod again. Apparently, he’s finished talking to me. With the killer headache he probably has, I don’t blame him, either.
“I’ll make some calls tomorrow and let you know about the funeral, and as soon as I’ve gone through the boxes at Thea’s house, you’ll have them back.”
I walk away, leaving Thea behind. She doesn’t appear ready to move.
When I reach the outside, I pick up the days’ old newspapers and mail and then move back through the house, placing them on the table by the front door.
Thea reluctantly walks towards me. “You should stay a little bit longer or at least go through his cupboards and empty any bottles of alcohol he has.”
“He’s a grown man. He will be fine. I’m not his keeper,” I tell her quietly, aware of how crazy I will look if Flynn overhears me.
“Please, we can’t leave him like this.”
“He’s going to be suffering a hangover for a long while. There isn’t anything I can do here. Besides, I want to go through those boxes of files.”
She throws her hands up in anger. “They’re ancient files that are useless now. Why are you so stuck on them?”
“I just have a gut feeling there is something there.”
I shut the door, feeling a little guilty that I am leaving Flynn alone. What kind of shitty friends does he have that no one came here for him? No one should have to grieve alone. Even though I have enough shit on my plate, I do feel like I should do something more for him.
What the hell is wrong with me? I have never cared about a victim’s family before. I mean, sure, I don’t recall any being on their own, and I do have Thea in my ear twenty-four/seven, which changes things. However, my mind shouldn’t be focusing on Flynn. I need to keep my attention on solving this case. That will help Flynn heal, even if only a little.
“Maybe you can invite him to your mother’s for dinner tonight, get him out of the house? I doubt he’s eating properly,” Thea suggests.
I groan at her reminder that I have that horror still to come as I open my car door, closing it with a little more force than needed.
“I don’t think Flynn is going to be up for anything except throwing his guts up and feeling sorry for himself tonight.”
“I don’t like leaving him alone.”
“I gave him my card, Thea; the rest is up to him. I won’t abandon him, but I’m not his babysitter. It isn’t my job to keep an eye on him. I have other things to do.”
“I know, but it’s my job to protect him and look out for him, and now I can’t. I won’t ever be able to protect him or be there for him, and it’s not fair,” Thea cries, turning into me.
I try to hold her as she sobs into my shirt. We’re sitting in my car, and I’m sure I look ridiculous with my arms held out, but I don’t care. I hold her tightly until her tears begin to slow, and then I move my hand through her hair, trying to soothe her.
I hate that she’s feeling so distressed, and I promise myself I will make a little more effort with Flynn. He obviously needs a friend, and it will help ease the guilt and worry Thea is feeling.
***
After loading the boxes into my car from Thea’s house and then eating a sandwich together at home while I flip through some of the boxes, I find my mind distracted. If I’m not thinking about Thea’s earlier words about her being more real, which I began to really wonder about as she ate a sandwich with me, and wondering what that means, then I’m stuck thinking about what the hell I’m going to say to my captain to keep him from putting me on a new case tomorrow. He won’t give me much more time, not with other cases piling up and no fresh leads on Thea’s murder. I will probably still be on her case for a little longer, but it will be clear that I’m to make this a second priority to whatever case I’m placed on next. Then her case will eventually be given to the cold-case squad. Depending on how swamped they are, they will eventually get to Thea’s investigation. The only thing to change that will be another murder matching hers. There is always the possibility that we will catch the bastard on something else, and he could admit to what he did to Thea, but that is incredibly unlikely.
While another victim would help me to solve this, given the whole set of new leads and the higher chances of catching him once we discover the common thread that links to Thea, I can’t bring myself to want that to happen. Another person shouldn’t have to die over this. I should have at least one lead to go on, something to get me nearer to closure for Thea and keep his next potential victims safe. Why am I so stuck on this case? What the hell is wrong with me?
“Aiden, you better get dressed. It’s almost time to go.”
I look up from the forgotten file in my hand and stare over at Thea.
“I am dressed.”
“Well, yes, but you can’t go to your mother’s in that.”
“Why not?” I glance down at my worn dark jeans and loose fitting T-shirt. I changed into these once we got back and have no intention of changing out of them. It’s always casual at Mom’s house; I would look like an idiot if I wore a tie or dress pants.
“Your T-shirt has a hole at the back. You can’t wear it to your mother’s.”
“Actually, I can wear whatever I want,” I state, trying not to act surprised that I have a hole in this shirt. When did that happen?
“Fine, how about I rephrase that. I will annoy you all night and talk nonstop unless you wear something more appropriate.”
“Thea…” I try to sigh, it sounds more like a growl. I remind myself Thea is a murder victim who is unable to ever properly see her family again, and I should give her some slack. Apparently, my slack only extends long enough to remain quiet since I don’t trust myself not to protest if I open my mouth.
“Just go upstairs and take a shower. I think I saw something perfect for you to wear.”
“You’ve been through my closet?” I narrow my eyes at her, wondering what else she has gone through.
“Well, yes, of course.”
“Don’t you think that is an invasion of my privacy?”
“Not when you get to go through my entire life. Besides, all I saw were clothes. Not the most exciting thing. It’s not like you have a bunch of long dresses or women’s underwear in there that you like to put on.”
I roll my eyes, biting my lips to stop myself from smiling. I definitely shouldn’t be condoning Thea searching through my house. I didn’t invite her here, and she’s not my friend. She is a ghost who is stuck to me for whatever reason. If I let her see my smile, she’ll think it is okay to keep sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong.
“I can tell you’re trying hard not to smile. Now go take a shower already, or you’ll be late.”
“Oh, no, can’t have that,” I say to her as unenthusiastically as possible.
I place the file back down with the rest and stand, making my way upstairs and into my bedroom. It’s not until I’m in the shower that I realize I never intended to agree to any of this. I quickly poke my head around the corner of the curtain, thinking I will just redress in my old clothes in protest. Instead, I see my clothes being bundled up into Thea’s arms as she slowly and quietly crouches down to grab them.
She is in the middle of the bathroom, the same distance from the door to where I am. I don’t know what possesses me, especially since I’m wet and naked, but I suddenly have the urge to tackle her and grab those clothes before I have no choice other than to wear some ridiculous suit and tie Thea undoubtedly thinks I should wear.
Wit
hout thinking too hard about my decision, or perhaps not thinking much at all, I leap out of the shower. I don’t even bother to turn off the water in case it gives her warning that I’m coming for her before I lunge.
Thea sees me at the last second, and along with a widening of her eyes, she reacts quickly. She instantly drops and rolls, moving to the side before springing to her feet and rushing out of the bathroom and into my bedroom. She only makes it a few steps before my arms circle her, crushing her to me, and then we both collide with my bed.
I feel the wind get knocked out of me, but instead of giving myself or her time to catch our breaths, I lean back a little and flip her so she is facing me.
Her arms are still hugging my clothes to her chest, and I have to stifle a laugh at noticing my boxers nuzzled over her breasts and leading up towards her neck. I’m not sure I have ever seen a woman so protective of them before.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Thea demands.
“You’re stealing my clothes.” I sound breathless, so I take few quick gasps to catch my breath.
“I’m not stealing your clothes. I was simply taking away the temptation of you putting them back on,” she tries to rationalize her crazy.
“Thea, you’re taking this too far. Give me my clothes back.”
“I’m taking this too far? You wrestled me naked and wet just to get some mangy clothes back,” she points out, her cheeks reddening.
“There is nothing wrong with my clothes,” I say meekly. I have only now allowed myself to understand the predicament we’re in.
Why the fuck did I allow myself to wrestle her naked? It’s been too long since I slept with a woman. To top it off, despite this possibly being completely wrong since not only am I investigating Thea’s murder, but she is also a freaking ghost, I’m getting hard.
“There isn’t anything wrong with them if you’re just going to wear them around the house, but you can’t go see your mother in them. It’s not setting a good impression.”
“I don’t need to set a good impression. My mother already knows how I dress,” I point out, wondering why this is such a big deal to her.
Haunted Love Page 15