Page 1 of Ghostly Bother
CHAPTER ONE
Angus tucked his feet under him and sat down beside Lance on the couch. Haunt jumped up beside him, leaning against his side, hoping for scratches. "Don't you get enough love throughout the day?" He pet the dog for a moment, then relaxed back onto the couch.
"Bethany and Ray were out most of the day, then left again just a bit ago to go to some play with Betty and your mom. She's been alone most of the day." Lance handed the TV remote to Angus. "Find us something to watch."
Angus took the remote and started scanning movies. He was tired after a long day at work and was sure he'd end up falling asleep no matter what he picked. "How about this?" He nodded to the TV where he'd found a new show on Netflix they hadn't seen before. "Franks says it's good."
"Sure, I think we can make it through at least one episode before I'm going to have to put you to bed." Lance kissed his shoulder.
"I shouldn't be so tired. I sat around the courthouse most of the day waiting to testify. I took some paperwork with me to keep me busy, but I think that made it worse by staring at the laptop all day." Angus hit play and allowed himself to relax. "Did you see Mom and Betty?" he asked while the intro started. He was used to his eccentric mother and her ghost sidekick always coming around. He welcomed them. Angus couldn't see ghosts, but Lance and his mother both had the gift. It was a part of life Angus had adapted to having grown up around his mother and Betty. Dating a man who saw ghosts wasn't a huge change for him. He even welcomed the two ghosts who lived with them. While he couldn't see Ray or Bethany, the two ghosts who livedwith them, Lance was careful to always include him in their conversations.
"Just for a second. They parked at the curb to pick up Ray and Bethany. I stuck my head in the window to say hello. She said to give you a kiss for her and told me she'd be cooking pot roast for us Wednesday so not to plan on cooking anything that night. I guess your dad bought half a side of beef and they don't have enough freezer space now. I offered to let her use ours, but she waved me off and said they could do without frozen pizza and junk for a while until she emptied some of the space." Lance reached for his water just as Angus's phone rang.
They exchanged glances, both knowing that the ringtone meant work was calling. Angus groaned as he reached for his phone on the coffee table. "This is Detective Young."
"Angus, sorry to call on your night off, but we need all hands on deck tonight. Detective Madison is already on scene, and I've got Detective Burns on the way. I'll be calling Franks as soon as we hang up," Captain Marshall told him. "We're at Fairway Bridge."
"A jumper?" Angus asked, wondering why they needed everyone for something like that.
"No, it's that area as you approach the bridge itself. Some kids came across the body and called it in." The captain hesitated for a long minute. "It's the mayor, Angus. Someone murdered the mayor."
Angus's eyes went wide, and he looked at Lance. "Shit."
"Yeah, that's my sentiment exactly. This is going to be a nightmare. I'm trying to keep it off the radio for now, but we both know it will only be a matter of time before the media shows up. Phil identified her when he got the call about the body."
"I'll be there in fifteen," Angus told him, his mind racing with all the implications of what the mayor's murder meant.Hell, their suspect list would be a mile long. No one liked the mayor. But who hated her enough to kill her?
"Good, I'm calling Detective Franks now. See you in a few." The captain ended the call.
Angus set his phone down and stared at Lance.
"What is it?" Lance looked worried.
"The mayor's been murdered." Angus could hardly believe the words as he said them.
"No way." Lance sat forward. "Who did it?"
Angus laughed. "We don't know, but our suspect list will be huge." He ran his fingers over his short hair. "This is going to be a media frenzy."
"Want me to go with you?" Lance asked.
"No. You get some sleep. You'll have a busy day tomorrow. You need to rest. I could easily be all night on this one." Angus stood. "I've got to change."
Lance followed him into the bedroom. "Great time for Sam to take a vacation. I'm covering for him this week. I guess I'll be doing her autopsy in the morning. Do you know how she died?"
"He didn't say. Only told me that her body was found near Fairway Bridge. I'm guessing somewhere in that field where Franks and I found the blood evidence on that case we had with the teenagers. I'll know more once I get there." He quickly pulled on a pair of work pants and grabbed a shirt out of the closet. "I'll call if I can, but I'm not sure I'll get time."
"It's okay. You can fill me in later. You sure you're going to be able to pull an all-nighter?"
"Won't be the first one. I can catch a nap tomorrow if I'm out all night tonight." He went into the bathroom to make sure he didn't need to shave or do something with his hair now that it was growing out a bit. "I'm not sure when I'll be home," Angus said as he walked back into the bedroom.
"It's okay. We're used to this. I'll run to the store after work tomorrow and stock up on quick meals for you. Do what you need to do." Lance stood.
Angus walked to him and pulled him into a tight hug. He hated how often this happened. Leaving Lance to sleep alone just felt wrong. And this case would probably mean a lot of late nights or all-nighters. "I love you. Thank you for putting up with me and my job."
"I knew there would be times like this when I signed on." Lance kissed him. "Now go. Find who killed her."
"And give them a medal." Angus grinned, then shook his head. "Do not tell anyone I said that, or I might move up to the top of the suspect list."
