Page 20 of The Accidental Ghost

That he could touch ghosts, something even Nana Ramona hadn’t been able to do, made things harder still. He had an insane desire to pull her into his arms and hold her.

That was absolutely unacceptable.

Inhaling deeply, Hazel suddenly straightened and swallowed, her composure returning. “I have to go. I have to figure out where Ralph’s body is. I’m pretty sure they’re not going to tell me, but she deserves a proper burial and I won’t take no for an answer. I also want justice for my friend.”

Apparently, her determination had returned, too. Her eyes held grit and fire.

“Would you like for us to come with you? For moral support?” Marty asked.

But Hazel shook her head, hiking up her long denim skirt. “No, thank you. I don’t want to hold you up, and I really need to catch my breath, wrap my head around this. I’m going to go back to my hotel and take a hot shower before I beat the NYPD’s door down.”

Marty held out her phone with a smile. “Please, take our number in case you find anything out or need anything. We…we really loved Ms. Tucci. We’d like to see whoever did this brought to justice, too.”

Hazel typed Marty’s number into her phone with a nod. Then she looked to the door. “I’ll follow you out. I’m sure I’d be in a lot of trouble if the police knew I was in here. I don’t want you people to get into trouble, too.”

They filed out of the door, ducking under the police tape and waving Hazel off as she ran down the street and got into her car. She sped away, leaving them all standing on the deserted sidewalk in silence.

“Where the fuck did Ralph disappear to?” Nina asked, looking around, her eyes narrowed as they scanned the street.

“She didn’t want to be seen by her friend. She was afraid to scare her, so I hid her with more dust.” Shamus looked into the store to see Ralph floating in the window. “She’s still in there.”

Wanda tucked her coat around her slender neck as the frigid wind blew. “Good heavens, this is awful. Not only is she misplaced with no known destination, but to have to see her friend and not be able to talk to her? It has to be torture. Poor Ralph.”

“Fuck. We need to get going before someone sees us here. We’ve only been stomping around like a herd of fucking buffalo. I’ll go get her,” Nina offered.

“Don’t you dare upset her,” Wanda ordered with a shake of her finger. “I won’t have you browbeat her after all she’s been through. This store was her dream. Don’t turn it into a nightmare or I’ll make you regret it. Use your compassion.”

Nina tucked her hair behind her ears and glared at her friend. “I can be compassionate, Wanda. Fuck off.”

Marty tipped her head back and barked a laugh. “Yeah. It’s literally your middle name.”

But Nina was already on her way toward the store, her booted feet clomping against the hard pavement.

“I’ll go, too. Nina won’t be able to see her if I don’t cover her in fairy dust again. It’ll be fine. I’ll make sure of it.” Shamus wasn’t sure Nina was the right person for this job. Likely, Ralph wanted to spend some last moments in the place she’d worked so hard to create. He didn’t want that ruined for her because of Nina’s impatience.

And then his own thoughts hit him.

Spend some last moments in the place she’d worked so hard to create…

Ralph would leave and go off to wherever she belonged in the ether.

He’d do well to remember that, and quit pining.

Get your shit together, Ransom.

Right now.

Chapter

Seven

“Hey, kiddo. Where you at? You all right?” Nina called to her, stepping over a toppled bookcase with the light feet of a beautiful gazelle.

Kiddo. No one had called her that in years.

That almost made her laugh. She was older than all three of the women—by a lot. At least, she thought so. They didn’t look any older than thirty at best, making her old enough to be their mother.

Shamus approached where she was sitting in the big patchwork chair, gazing out the front window at the street. Ralph smiled at him and dipped her head so he could sprinkle fairy dust on her, making her visible once more.

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