Page 42 of Murder on the Boardwalk

“It’s been brewing for a while now.”

“I figured that. You don’t pack up and move into the guest house after claiming to possess psychic ability only to have Birk ridicule it.”

“Do you believe in psychics?”

“I didn’t believe in ghosts until I met Scott. So—”

“Anything is possible,” Brogan finished with a nod. “Did you know that two years ago, without anyone’s input, Jade played an integral part in solving a cold case using her blog? She worked with a Santa Cruz private detective until the cops could make an arrest. Maybe her psychic ability is stronger than any of us think.”

“You’re hinting at something.”

Brogan sighed. “I’m suggesting we include Jade in Gidget’s murder inquiry.”

“Sure. We could use all the help we can get, psychic or otherwise. But you don’t want her going back to Santa Cruz, do you?”

“No, I’d prefer it if she stayed in town. She’s a good friend, part of what’s become our inner circle. It’s not my fault Birk’s an unreasonable jackass.”

“Which makes me wonder how this will play out moving forward. Interfering in a couple’s business is risky for the friendship. One party always feels slighted. How long will Birk resent us letting Jade stay in the guest house?”

“He’ll just have to get over it,” Brogan sniffed, tossing down a dish towel onto the counter. “And how are we interfering? Jade needed a place to stay. End of story. Besides, why shouldn’t I offer her a place to stay when we have a perfectly good guest house sitting empty? That’s ridiculous. What kind of a friend would I be if I didn’t?”

“I get it. After Birk’s little tantrum tonight, I’m fine with it. Maybe if Jade’s out of that situation, Birk will eventually come to his senses. You know, the old adage ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder.’”

“You don’t really believe that, do you?”

“I guess not.”

She told him about her plan to get Scott to show up at Birk’s house in the middle of the night. “It could work.”

“You’re joking. Spring a ghost from Christmas past on the nonbeliever? I don’t think so. Birk will see right through that. He’ll probably become even more obstinate about it.”

“Even if he sees for himself what the rest of us have known since coming here?”

“Birk’s a great guy, a decorated Navy SEAL, still helping his country and friends out whenever they need his expertise. But he’s not a warm and fuzzy guy when it comes to believing in the paranormal. It’s just not in his DNA.”

“Why is Beckett so different?”

“I don’t know. Why are fathers and sons sometimes so different?”

“Or fathers and daughters,” Brogan uttered. “We’re not anything like our fathers, are we?”

“Their experiences and what they wanted out of life created the ability for us to have choices. Think about it. Talented musicians who wanted to create their own sound and set out to do it. Did we ever want to do that? Were we ever that motivated to have a music career? Did we ever want to sit in a studio and bang out songs one after the other?”

“Maybe for about five seconds.”

“That’s right. Graeme and Rory allowed us to do what we wanted to do rather than follow in their footsteps and become famous.”

“I didn’t want to be famous.”

“Neither did I. I wouldn’t have lasted long trying to create lyrics or music either.”

“Makes me appreciate Rory all the more.”

Lucien leaned against the counter. “Yeah. Same goes for Graeme. That reminds me, I need to tell him about the DNA test I submitted. I’m prepared to take the heat about it.”

“You can easily explain that it’s about the murder investigation.”

“Somehow, I don’t think Graeme cares about the easy explanation.” Lucien lifted a shoulder. “But there’s not much I can do about it now. If Jade’s settled in the guest house, I’m ready to head upstairs. It’s been a long day. And tomorrow will be even busier.”

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