Page 13 of Amber Gambler

“But?”

“Word is there’s a new ghost haunting La Roche, a girl who appears to have drowned.”

“La Roche Avenue.” Clarity swept into his tone, faster and faster. “Will we have to drag Skidaway River?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t think a body was found, but my source didn’t say. I called you as soon as I heard.”

“Could she have come from somewhere else? A transient spirit? You know a few, right?”

“Most spirits have a short range from their graves, but yeah. I know a few exceptions.”

More than a few, really, but they were also special cases and not your average spirits.

“Would she appear there, looking that way, if she had been given a proper burial?”

“The level of trauma often dictates how spirits see themselves.” A few dedicated ones even learned how to change their clothes for the heck of it. “An accidental drowning wouldn’t leave the same scars as a…”

“…murder.” He absorbed that. “How good are our chances of questioning her?”

“The better question is if she’s a residual, which means she’s locked into repeating the events leading up to her death. Or if she’s fully fledged and can interact with this world and her surroundings.”

“Would a fully-fledged spirit return to the same spot every night?”

“Without a grave? Yeah. She might be anchored to where she died or just not know where else to go.”

“And if she does have a grave?”

“For her to fixate on that location, it would have to be nearby. Catholic Cemetery is about four miles from La Roche. Forest Lawn Memory Gardens is nearly five. Colonial Park Cemetery is about six.” I kept ticking off names in my head long after I ran out of fingers. “There are nineteen within a ten-mile radius.”

“The whole city is a graveyard.”

“Technically, the whole city is a cemetery. Only burial grounds on church lands are graveyards.”

“Hence the yard.”

Now he sounded amused, and I flushed at sharing a nugget of useless knowledge. “Sorry about that.”

“Don’t be.” I heard his smile. “I like your macabre factoids.”

Face hot, and not from the exercise, I cleared my throat. “Um, thanks?”

“How long before you finish your run?”

“I’m only twenty minutes in, so it depends.” I slowed to a jog. “What are you thinking?”

“You’re awake, and I’m awake. Do you want to drive over to La Roche and look for the girl?”

To do that, I would have to reschedule with the Buckley Boys, which would put me further in their debt.

“Sure.” I wiped my forehead with the back of my wrist. “Let me go home and change.”

I would also have to wait on the boys to appear and barter new terms with them.

“Finish your run. You wouldn’t be out at this hour if you didn’t need it.”

“Are you sure you want sweat all over your seats?”

“I’ll put down a towel if you’re that worried.” He grunted, no doubt sitting up in bed. “See you soon.”

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