Page 49 of The Accidental Ghost

“I definitely did. How could I forget a trip to Hell and the star of my recently acquired nightmare? But the glimpse of him was brief. It happened so fast, Nina.”

“So if we get nothing else from this little field trip, if this suspect doesn’t ring any bells, maybe we can at least eliminate a douchebag. Capisce?”

George and Dex had explained their theory, reminding them it was only a theory. As of now, no one in the afterlife knew Ralph’s ghost existed. No one knew she’d died.

They thought maybe someone—someone malicious and bound for Hell—had stolen her place in the waiting room. And Ralph had somehow attached to an item in her store, which happened to be something from Nina’s house, sending her there instead of where she was supposed to go.

Dex further deduced the asshole who’d stolen her place in the afterlife, her position as a psychopomp with all the trimmings, was somehow draining her of all her abilities.

It explained the reason she was transparent, yet could still occasionally feel things, like her heartbeat. It explained why she was so tired after stopping Gloria from crossing and helping Kat and Drucinda get to the other side.

If this was all true, it explained everything…and it meant this dick was going to ruin Ralph’s afterlife for her, if he got her into Hell without anyone ever knowing she existed.

Ralph would be lost forever in the never-ending maze Darnell claimed was Hell. She’d suffer unknown tortures until they found her—if they ever did.

The fuck Shamus would let that happen to her. She’d earned that prestigious spot.

And this has nothing to do with how stupid attracted you are to her, does it, Shamus? Saving her from this freak has nothing to do with wanting to keep her here on this plane for your own selfish reasons?

Marty’s voice roused him from his dark thoughts. “Hopefully, if we can connect the two—the suspect and the dick who took Ralph to Hell—we can pass that info on to Titus. You know, George and Dex’s boss? Maybe he can use his Heavenly powers on this guy and take him out of commission so Ralph can take her rightful place. At least, that’s the hope. If the police have some information, like his name, maybe even a picture, that can’t hurt our cause.”

“Right,” Shamus said, looking up at the police station from where they all stood in the parking lot across the street, the brick structure looming in the heavily bruised sky.

Two officers stood outside monitoring, while a throng of people held up signs that read Justice for Ms. Tucci. They also held candles, pacing back and forth in the chilly air, chanting. Ralph’s picture was plastered on one sign, her beautiful face beaming, her dark hair spilling down her back as she posed with one of her many first-grade classes.

She looked happy, fulfilled, surrounded by what made her happiest—the children.

“Look at how loved you are, Ralph,” Wanda whispered.

Her voice sounded far away when she finally acknowledged what people were doing in her honor. But her smile was soft and fond. In fact, her beautiful face beamed.

“That was taken in nineteen ninety-four. To think some of those children are now off to college, maybe already in jobs I hope they love. It makes me smile.”

“You should smile,” Marty said with admiration. “Look at all those young minds you helped mold. And they all love you. What a wonderful legacy you’ve left, Ralph. Tell me you’re proud of yourself, because we’re proud of you.”

A tear slid down her cheek. He watched it fall and drop to ground. “I’m proud of them…”

Shamus turned to Ralph, who appeared overwhelmed by the outpouring of love, grabbing her hand again. “Are you okay doing this? You have to do it invisible, but you don’t have to do it at all if you don’t want to.”

He watched as she squared her shoulders and appeared to summon her resolve. “If I want to stay here on this plane, continue to live my life, help people cross into the afterlife, then heck yeah. I’m ready. Are you guys ready?”

Nina cracked her neck by rocking it from side to side. “I’m always ready. So let’s get it the fuck on.” Pointing at Wanda and Marty, she said, “You two flirt your flirty eyes and sweet talk those two cops watching the crowd like the saucy wenches you are. We’ll slip inside and I’ll mesmerize whoever’s at the desk.”

Ralph pinched her temples. “Wait. Mesmerize? I’m still not clear on how that works.”

“You don’t need to fucking know how it works, Glow Stick. It works, but I can only do it for a little while, so I gotta work fast. I’ll find out who’s handling the case. When I do, you and Ghost Talker get in there, find the dude’s desk, and see what you can see while I keep the guy mesmerized.”

“You know, you don’t even have to go if you don’t want to. I could just take a picture of the file and show you afterward,” Shamus reminded her.

Ralph’s look was skeptical as she tied her hair in a knot at the base of her skull, leaving wisps of it framing her face. “Is that taking charge of my life? Making decisions for my well-being? I can’t let everyone else do all the work, Shamus. Besides, they can’t see me. I’m the best person for the job.” She glowed as the streetlight in the parking lot shined down on her.

“But you can’t open drawers or flip through pages of a file, either. That has to be done by someone who can physically touch those items. That can easily be done by me, and I can use the camera on my phone to snap pictures.”

Ralph planted her hands on her hips as she floated an inch or so above him, her flowing shirt, billowing. “So what’s your point? You don’t want me to actively participate in saving my hide? I’m going. The end.”

He was doing it again. Trying to protect her, brace her for something that might further traumatize her—like seeing the picture of her body in a chalk outline. Which he knew would only create an issue between them.

“Then let’s do this,” he said, dousing Ralph with the invisibility dust before he tried to talk her out of it any further.

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