by L. T. Ryan
There was no way Cassie could stop her forever.
But she didn’t need to.
Two things happened at the exact same moment. Just as Cassie decided she’d do what she could to save the man before her, the Ghost Doctor plunged her hand into the middle of his chest cavity. Cassie gasped and faltered, caught between shock and terror. Jason asked her what was wrong, but all her senses were attuned to what was happening in front of her. He was as much a part of the background as the buzzing of the electricity overhead.
At Cassie’s exclamation, the Ghost Doctor turned to her, hazel eyes bright and wide, with her hand still in the man’s chest. Cassie was once again struck by how alive she looked. There was a consciousness behind her gaze that Cassie had never seen before. This woman, despite likely dying sometime in the ‘40s, had held onto herself for eighty years.
That meant she was a lot more powerful—and a lot more dangerous—than anything Cassie had seen before.
The Ghost Doctor held Cassie’s gaze for a second longer before scowling. She turned to the man before her and took a step back, only she didn’t let go of whatever it was she’d grabbed onto inside his chest. A paler, glowing version of the patient sat up in bed, more animated than his physical form. The doctor pulled her hand back, and alarms from the machine around his bed began blaring a warning for all to hear.
Cassie took a step into the room, but Jason latched onto her elbow and wrenched her back. She fought against him, but his grip was iron-tight. Meanwhile, the Ghost Doctor wrapped her own hand around the brand-new spirit and pulled him from the bed. He stumbled, but found his footing. All the while, he stared back at his body while the Ghost Doctor led him across the room.
“We have to leave.”
“What?” Cassie’s ears were full of pumping blood and blaring alarms. “We have to help.”
“That’s not our job.” Jason forced Cassie to look at him, turning her away from the room. “They’re going to wonder what we’re doing here. They might think we did something. We have to leave.”
The first nurse came sprinting around the corner and charged into the room. The movement snapped Cassie out of her stupor. She and Jason backed up until they hit the wall opposite the room. No one was paying them any mind, but that wouldn’t last forever.
Cassie chanced one more glance inside the room but couldn’t see the Ghost Doctor or her latest victim. Her head swam with a million explanations for what had just happened, but no matter how hard she thought about it, she kept coming back to the same one:
Their prime suspect in multiple murder cases might just be a ghost only Cassie could see.
21
Cassie wasn’t sure where Jason was taking them, and she didn’t care. She pressed her forehead to the window, relishing in the way it sent goosebumps across her skin. They’d had no trouble leaving the E.R. despite the commotion, but the run-in with the ghost had left her drained.
“Just to make sure I understand this,” Jason said, “you think a ghost is killing people at the hospital.”
She’d already explained what happened to the man in the bed, and Jason had taken it as seriously as she’d told it. He was doing well for someone who’d been unceremoniously dropped into her world the night before. But that didn’t mean it was easy for him to take. Or easy for her to explain.
“I don’t know what I think.”
That was the truth, at least. She knew what she saw, but she wasn’t sure what it meant. It was the second time she’d witnessed the Ghost Doctor kill someone, but in all the time Cassie had experienced ghosts, she’d never seen one do anything like that before.
Then again, she’d never seen one quite like this before, either. Every ghost was unique. The serial killer Robert Shapiro had manifested by taking on the visage of an angry red spirit. He’d manipulated Cassie’s emotions, but she felt a different type of power emanating from the Ghost Doctor.
“She reached a hand into his chest and pulled his spirit out.” Cassie rolled her head to the side to look at Jason. “And then he died. Kind of hard to argue with that.”
Jason’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. They were barreling down a major highway. He switched lanes before he answered. “Maybe she wasn’t a ghost,” he offered. He glanced at Cassie, who had raised an eyebrow in question. “You said she looks different from all the others. Maybe she’s an angel.”
“Like the Angel of Death?”
“Maybe not the Angel of Death.” Jason cleared his throat. “You know, just an angel of death. Lowercase letters.”
Cassie chuckled, but the humor didn’t last. “I’ve never seen an angel before. Not saying they don’t exist, but this would be a first.” She returned her forehead to the window and goosebumps resurfaced on her skin. “I can’t explain it, but I know she’s a ghost. I just don’t know why she’s different. Or who she is. Or what she wants.”
“That’s a lot of unknowns.”
Cassie made a noncommittal noise.
The conversation died as Jason made another series of turns. Cassie paid no attention to the signs they passed. It was only when they pulled into a parking lot that she bothered lifting her head from the window.
“Where are we?”
“Kiki’s work.” Jason looked at his watch. “She should be getting back from lunch with Janelle soon. Maybe we can catch her before she heads inside.”
They only had to wait a couple of minutes before Kiki pulled into her designated parking spot. Cassie remembered the shiny BMW from the night they’d visited Granny Mabel’s house. She had thought it was black, but the afternoon light revealed it was midnight blue.
“What are you two doing here?” Kiki slammed her door shut and waited for them to finish their walk across the parking lot. She looked at her watch. “I only have about five minutes.”
Kiki looked both different and exactly the same as she always did. She wore a taupe suit with a pale pink shirt underneath. She’d pulled her hair back into a sleek bun, and her makeup was less dramatic than it had been last night. This was Lawyer Kiki, and if Cassie was being honest with herself, Lawyer Kiki was a little intimidating.
“That’s all we need.” Jason turned to Cassie, who was already pulling the folder out of her purse. He spread its contents across the trunk of Kiki’s car. “We’ve got some leads, but I’d like your opinion.”
Kiki bent over the papers, inspecting them one at a time. There must’ve been something there she recognized because she straightened and leveled Jason with a look. “Where did you get these?”
“Vanessa.”
Kiki sucked in a breath, then put her hands on her hips. “What did you do? Did you make her do this?”
“What?” Jason blanched. “No, of course not. She was already looking into this before we even saw her. We went to go visit Stacey, and she told me Vanessa was looking for me.” Jason glanced at Cassie. “I wasn’t going to at first. We stopped by Jeff’s house. Did you know Mark died?”
“Oh my God, no I didn’t.” Kiki put a hand to her mouth. “What happened?”
“He was in a car accident.” Jason blew out a breath, leaned against the fender, and folded his arms across his chest. “He made it through surgery okay. They said he’d walk again, but it might be with a cane. Next thing you know, he stops breathing.”
Kiki stood a little straighter. “That sounds hauntingly familiar.”
“My thoughts exactly. I went to talk to Jeff.” Jason shook his head. “As soon as I asked him if he thought the hospital was covering something up, he froze me out.”
“Which means he knows something.”
Jason bobbed his head. “Rather than overstay my welcome, I got Vanessa’s number from Stacey and we met for lunch.” He gestured to Cassie. “All three of us.”
Kiki turned a sympathetic gaze on Cassie, but she waved it off. “I know I’ve only known her for, like, an hour, but I kind of like her.”
“Vanessa’s a good person.” Kiki’s smile was soft. “Always has been.”
“Did you know she’s engaged now?” When Kiki shook her head, Jason chuckled. “It’s weird, but I’m kind of relieved. She seems happy.”
“You seem happy.” Kiki looked at Cassie, who blushed.
Jason beamed, but he sobered as soon as he looked back down at the paperwork before him. “I’d be happier if I could figure out what’s going on here.”
Kiki checked her watch again. “You’ve got two minutes. Walk me through it.”
And so they did. Jason led the charge, with Cassie filling in extra details along the way. Kiki gave them a new perspective on the patients they’d already discussed, but every time they’d find a connection, something else broke the streak.
Neither Jason nor Cassie brought up what happened after they met with Vanessa at the hospital. It was a silent agreement between the two of them that it would be better not to discuss it until they had more tangible evidence. There was no point in telling Kiki a ghost had killed her baby cousin unless they could prove it without the shadow of a doubt.
Kiki looked at her watch again and hoisted her purse higher on her shoulder. “I’m late.”
“At least tell us what you think,” Jason pleaded.
“About what?”
He gestured to the folder. “What do you mean? About all this.”
“It’s a good start.” Kiki’s voice was gentle, but she sounded as confused as Jason. “But this doesn’t tell us anything.”
“It tells us we’re on the right track.” Jason sounded desperate now. “It tells us something is going on at the hospital.”
“You have a pattern,” Kiki said. “But that’s not proof. We’re going to need a lot more than this if we want to take on the entire hospital.”
“I know.” Jason shook his head, as though he were shaking loose the last vestiges of desperate hope he’d been clinging to. “I expected you to see something we didn’t.”
“I’m sorry. Trust me, I want this to be real as much as you do.” For the first time since Cassie had met her, Kiki looked worn. “Then we’d at least have an answer.”
“Go to work.” Jason squared his shoulders, though the determination in his eyes looked forced. “We’ll keep looking.”
Kiki smiled and hugged them both. “Keep me updated, okay? I want to know everything.” Her voice faded as she walked farther from them. “And don’t get into any trouble. I’m not bailing you out again!”
Cassie turned to Jason and gaped. “Again?”
“Long story.” He was smiling, too. “And with luck, you’ll never hear it.”
Cassie gathered the papers from the back of Kiki’s car before they blew away. When she’d secured them back in her purse, she looked up at Jason. “What now?”
He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. “As much as I don’t want to meet the guy, I think we should track down that nurse Vanessa was telling us about.”
“The one who’s been hitting on her?”
“That’s the guy.” Jason started back toward their car. “Someone clearly wanted that one guy dead if they followed him from one hospital to the next. If we can find the connection between that patient and the others, we might crack this wide open.”
Cassie nodded but stayed silent as she got into the car. Part of her wanted them to find what they needed at the other hospital, and the other part felt certain they’d left behind their biggest clue when they walked away from the Ghost Doctor and allowed her to continue stealing souls unchecked.
22
Jason drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “I don’t like this plan.”
Cassie shrugged. “Doesn’t mean it’s a bad one.”
“I don’t like the idea of you going in there alone.” Jason shook his head. “This guy is a creep.”
“I won’t be alone. He won’t do anything.”
“I don’t like the idea of him ogling you.”
Cassie placed a gentle hand on Jason’s shoulder. “I hate to break it to you, but your presence will not stop men from ogling.”
Jason didn’t laugh. “Call me if you need backup.”
“I will.” Cassie had the urge to lean in and kiss his cheek. She resisted. “Be back in a few.”
Cassie stepped into the breeze and let it refresh her senses. It was late afternoon now, and the sun had done its job of warming the city to a moderate temperature. She still needed her jacket, but she let it hang open as she walked up to the Tulane Medical Center’s entrance. The hospital buzzed with activity, which suited her needs perfectly. If she could get in, talk to this nurse, and get out without anyone asking questions, she’d call it a win.
It took Cassie a few seconds to realize her apprehension over going inside a hospital had faded. It may have only been by a few percentage points, but it was a noticeable enough difference to make her smile. The icy fingers of the building’s ghostly inhabitants still reached for her, but she acknowledged them all and kept moving forward. It was the best she could do, and only a few lingered longer than they were welcome.
Cassie walked up to the main desk in the waiting room. This was the only part of the plan she wasn’t sure about. If her lie didn’t work, she’d have to get Vanessa involved, and Jason and Cassie had both agreed to limit their contact with her as much as possible until this was over. As much as they wanted answers, they weren’t willing to risk her job more than they already had.
Cassie put on her best customer service voice. “Hello, my name is Vanessa. I’m a nurse over at UMC. I’m looking for Alan Wolcott?”
The woman behind the desk looked exhausted, bored, and at the end of her rope. “I can tell him you’re here, but I can’t guarantee he’ll have time to see you.”
“That’s fine.” Cassie reined in her excitement. Step one complete. “I’ll sit over there until he comes down. No rush.”
The woman didn’t respond. She picked up the phone, dialed a number, and relayed the message. When she hung up again, she turned in her chair, got up, and walked away. But Cassie didn’t care. The hardest part was over.
She hoped, anyway.
Cassie found a chair in the corner of the waiting room where she could see both doors that led through to the hospital. She didn’t know what Alan looked like, but she hoped it would be obvious he was looking for Vanessa. After that, she’d have to rely on her charm to get him to stay. Something told her it wouldn’t be too hard.
The waiting room was busy. People walked in and out every few minutes. Some went through the doors into the back of the hospital, while others waited until a nurse called them. A man came in with his finger in a lunch pail full of ice, and they immediately escorted him away.
But Cassie was more interested in what everyone else couldn’t see. Spirits paced the length of the waiting room, as though they’d been cursed to do so for all eternity. And maybe they had. As much as she saw and knew about the world beyond this one, there were still so many unanswered questions.
Some of the ghosts looked whole, a sign that an invisible disease or an internal wound had killed them. Those were the easiest to watch. The ones with missing limbs or gory holes in their heads were much more difficult to stomach. Those were the living nightmares that made her job difficult.
But Cassie made herself look at them each in turn. If she couldn’t help them, the least she could do was recognize their existence. They were already invisible and forgotten. Maybe her acknowledgement could offer some small comfort.
She had another purpose in studying them: Discovering if any were as strong or as present as the Ghost Doctor. Cassie looked for the older spirits, the ones who had walked the earth for decades. She spotted a man dressed as though he’d lived long enough to see the turn of the century. What he was doing here, she didn’t know, but he looked even more faded and feeble than the others.
That confirmed the Ghost Doctor was different. Special. But it didn’t tell Cassie anything she hadn’t already guessed. What she really needed to know was whether the Ghost Doctor could kill a person. And if she c
ould, then Cassie needed to learn how to stop her.
Before her thoughts could run further down that path, the doors to her left opened, and a man walked through. He wasn’t like the other nurses, standing in the doorway with a chart in their hands, calling names, and waiting for someone to hobble forward.
No, this man walked into the middle of the room with a grin on his face, turning in circles as though looking for someone. Cassie waited just long enough to make him wonder if someone had played a prank on him before approaching.
If she was being honest with herself, he was a handsome man. His scrubs were tight in all the right places, and his biceps bulged under the material. He looked Italian, with dark features and a natural bronze tone to his skin. At the very least, he looked like he’d be fun at a party, though that wouldn’t grant him any favors with her.
“Alan Wolcott?” Cassie walked up to him when his back was turned. She waited until he faced her. “Alan?”
“You’re not Vanessa.” The disappointment only lasted a second. “But I’d still like to know your name.”
“Cassie.” She held out a hand. Alan shook it gently, hanging on for two seconds too long. “I’m a friend of Vanessa’s.”
“Any friend of Vanessa’s is a friend of mine.” His voice deepened. “What can I do for you?”
This was why Cassie had wanted to come in alone. She’d be able to get a lot more out of Alan if he thought she was here alone and interested in him. Jason’s presence would’ve thrown the whole thing off. They couldn’t afford to miss out on this opportunity.