Page 38 of Ghostly Bother
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Lance heard the voices before leaving the bedroom. He wasn't shocked to hear Betty. He figured she'd rush over as soon as Angus had shown up at his parents' door. He'd assumed she'd wake him in the middle of the night, but for once, he'd slept peacefully. It was the first time in days he hadn't been woken by Eden in his room. The peace was so nice that he almost hated opening his door and stepping out of his bedroom to face the day.
He was trying hard not to think about how easily Angus had left him the night before. Every time he thought about it, his chest tightened with worry. If he could walk out so easily, maybe things weren't going as great as he'd thought they were. Here he'd been thinking marriage was just around the corner, but now, he worried that Angus wasn't feeling the same way he was.
While he understood what Angus was thinking, the fact he left without discussing it and made the decision on his own was what hurt and angered Lance. It was something they should have talked about. Lance wasn't as confident that Angus being away would keep Eden from bothering him. He was starting to see that Eden wanted to be heard by the living more than she wanted her case solved. The fact that Lance wasn't giving her the attention she desired was what was making her mad and causing her to become a nuisance in his life. He wasn't sure what would make her leave him alone, but Angus being gone wasn't going to solve anything. It just made matters worse because now Lance was second guessing everything about their relationship. Had Angus been looking for an excuse to leave and jumped at the chance when he saw one?
He couldn't stress on this. He had work to focus on. With Sam gone, he had twice the workload, and he was behind onreports. He headed into the kitchen to find Betty sitting at the kitchen table with Ray and Bethany. Eden appeared to be leaning against the counter.
Eden smiled when she saw him. "About time you got up."
Betty shook her head. "Eden, remember what we talked about."
"Morning." Lance focused on Betty, then smiled at Ray and Bethany. He completely ignored Eden as he started to make coffee.
"Sleep well?" Betty asked.
"For once. I have you to thank for that?" he asked as he glanced over his shoulder.
"Possibly. It's not as if I could have kept her out physically, but I think I got my point across that she was becoming a problem." Betty smiled.
"I stayed out here to talk to Betty, but it doesn't change things. I still want answers." Eden moved to take the seat beside Bethany.
"I'm sorry we didn't realize things had gotten so bad," Ray told him.
"Yeah, we should have paid more attention." Bethany frowned.
"It's okay. You two have been busy. I don't expect you to babysit every ghost we meet. One would think someone recently deceased would have better things to do than bother me." Lance put some toast into the toaster, then went to get the butter and jelly.
"You're the only one who hears me and can talk to the detective for me," Eden grumbled.
"That would be fine if you asked your questions or voiced your concerns, then let him be. But I hear you've been following him around like a stalker. He has a job and other things to focus on other than you." Betty glared at Eden.
"But he hasn't gotten me any answers," Eden said, then her eyes went wide. "Wait a minute. How do you know I've been following him? Who told you? You haven't spoken to Lance, so someone else had to tell you." Eden glanced at Ray and Bethany. "Did you tell her?"
Bethany held up her hands. "It wasn't us. Had we known, we would have found a way to get rid of you."
"Get rid of me?" Eden looked offended.
"The light is there for a reason. Go into it," Ray told her.
"Why should I have to go into it? You haven't," Eden argued.
"Because we aren't harassing anyone. We're going about doing our own thing." Bethany glanced at Betty. "Got any ideas?"
"If only we could pick her up and toss her into the light." Betty smiled. "That would be fun."
Lance laughed at the visual. "You guys, it's okay. She's my issue. You guys don't need to suffer dealing with her as well. Hopefully, the police will solve her murder, and she'll move on. As of now, I'm no longer interacting with her or even acknowledging her. She'll have to get answers from someone else. If she continues to follow me around, she's going to get bored quickly."
"Well, now that we know what's going on, we'll head down to the station and see what's going on with the case. Maybe we'll overhear something or be able to find a lead the detectives haven't seen yet." Ray stood.
Bethany got up beside him. "Isn't that what Eden should be doing?"
"They can't hear me at the station," Eden told them. "It's pointless being there."
"They can't hear us either. That's what makes it easy for us to get information. People talk because they don't know we're around. We can follow people into their offices and homes.Hear what they say to their attorneys or family members." Ray nodded to Lance. "Have someone get us if you need anything."
"I will. Thanks, guys." Lance buttered his toast.
