Ghostly claus, p.14
Ghostly Claus, page 14
"My wife is selling off all my stuff." Gene walked directly through the table where Lance was working on the body. "Everything. She's not keeping a single thing. And she's underpricing it all. Even giving some of it away."
Lance glanced up at the ghost, but then quickly got back to work.
"She worked out some kind of bulk deal with Alex Mayford. I swear he better take care of all my stuff, or I'll haunt the guy until he dies." Gene paced the space behind Lance.
Lance fought rolling his eyes. He lived with ghosts. There was no haunting Gene could do. At most, he could send a chill through Alex by walking through him, but it wasn't as if Gene could do anything physically to disrupt anyone's life. The sooner they got this ghost to move on, the sooner he'd be free of the headache of dealing with him. "So what did you get Pete for Christmas?" Lance asked Carrie, trying to keep his mind off Gene being in the room.
"Tickets for us to go to New York. He's never been there and has always wanted to go. I've been there a couple of times and love it there. I got us plane tickets, hotel rooms, and tickets to several shows." Carrie's smile showed how excited she was about it. "We don't go until May, but we both want to be there when it's warm enough that we can go running while we're there. He'll need time to make sure he's got his patients covered at work as well."
"That's a huge gift. I guess that means things are going well?" Lance grinned up at her before refocusing on grabbing the tissue sample he needed.
"I'm going to marry that man. I have no doubt about that. It's just a matter of us both being ready to take the step of merging our lives and homes." Carrie smiled. "I'm thinking he might propose on Christmas, but then a part of me thinks he'll wait until Valentine's Day."
"That's great news. I'm so happy for you." Lance meant it. Carrie was one of his best friends. They shared a lot together while working over bodies every day at the morgue. She knew him better than almost anyone. She'd been the one by his side through his recovery and dropped by his home every night to check on him once he'd gone home to recuperate on his own.
"Don't do it. He'll just cheat on you the way my wife did," Gene mumbled behind them. "You almost done with this? I need to talk to you."
Lance gave a slight nod, hoping it was enough for Gene to see. He wished Jeremy was around to keep Gene busy, but he still hadn't seen Jeremy around the morgue in a few days. He was starting to wonder if he'd decided to move on. He just couldn't see Jeremy doing that without saying goodbye first. The fact that he hadn't even come by the house to visit was strange.
"Thanks, I'm happier than I could ever imagine. It sucks when he's called in to work for an emergency, but I guess you know how that is since Angus gets called in at all hours of the night too." Carrie labeled the sample and set it aside.
"It sucks that his phone only seems to ring when we're in the middle of something." Lance had been left alone in bed more than once when work had called Angus away. "But I figure it could be worse. If Sam ever decided to trade off going to scenes, then I'd be doing the same thing to him. I'm lucky he likes going on the calls."
"True. I don't mind them. It's always interesting to see things in person." Carrie shrugged.
"It's dealing with the family members that I hate. There is nothing worse than showing up with the family freaking out because their father died, or even worse, a parent grieving a child. One of my first callouts was for a SIDS case. The child died in his sleep. Was only six weeks old. Usually, those end up at the hospital and we don't have to deal with them, but this one they didn't transfer. The parents were a mess, rightfully so, but they didn't want to give up. Kept swearing if we'd just keep working on him, he'd come back. By the time we left with the body, the mother was being treated and taken to the hospital and the father was at risk of being arrested. It was a mess. After that, I decided to avoid going to the scene unless I had to." Lance dreaded the times Sam was on vacation or needed them to cover going out to pick up bodies.
"All sad and everything, but I really need to talk to you. Less talk and more work." Gene moved to stand beside Lance. "You figured out what killed him yet?" He pointed to the body on the table. "If so, close him up and let's get busy working on figuring out who killed me."
Lance bit his tongue to keep from saying anything. Gene's words made him want to pull out the next body and work on it and make him wait until the end of the day before they talked. It was only the fact that Angus was waiting on information from Gene that made Lance finish up what he was doing without any procrastination. "You able to close? I'm going to see if Angus can meet for lunch." He glanced up at Carrie.
"Sure, I have a doctor's appointment at one, so I may be a few minutes late getting back from lunch break."
"Everything okay?" Lance gave Carrie a worried look.
"Fine. I'm just making sure Pete and I aren't going to start a family before we get married. It's my annual check-up. Nothing major."
"Good. Glad it's nothing serious." Lance stepped back and let Carrie take over closing the body. "I'll see you when you get back. If we have to stay a little late today, that's okay. I think my brother is going out anyway. He's hooked up with some old friends and even started talking to an old girlfriend."
"That's great news. Let's hope they help get him home to stay." Carrie didn't look up as she worked.
"That's the hope." Lance smiled. "Thanks, Carrie."
"Anytime." She waved her free hand quickly before getting back to work.
Lance walked out of the room and started taking off his protective gear. He glanced up at Gene as he followed him. "Meet me in my office. I've got to wash up."
"Hurry," Gene grunted then disappeared.
Lance sighed as he took off his gloves and gown, tossing them in the bin. Gene was going to drive him mad. Hopefully, he had news that would break the case open. If not, Lance wasn't sure he could handle dealing with the ghost much longer. He was a total asshole. He dried his hands after washing them, then headed to his office. He walked in and closed the door, not surprised at all to find Gene standing behind his desk, looking down at the file Lance had left open on his desk. "You have news?"
Gene glanced up. "No, I was hoping you did. You and your boyfriend are the ones who need to figure out who killed me."
"Angus is working on it. He'd like to talk to you."
"I'm here now." Gene held up his hands as if he expected Angus to be there too.
"Let me call Angus and see if he can meet for lunch." Lance pulled his phone out and quickly called. He ignored the way Gene went back to reading the stuff on his desk. It wasn't as if Gene could do anything with the information there.
"Hey, what's up?" Angus sounded cheerful.
"You able to meet for lunch? Gene's here." Lance kept it simple, not wanting to say anything to piss off Gene.
"He say anything that will help?" Angus asked.
"He's hoping you'll have information."
"Well, he's about to be let down. I'll swing by and pick you up. I don't have long, but we can grab burgers and eat in the car while we talk. Franks is out talking to mall security, going through video there to see if there was anyone hanging around Gene when he was working," Angus told him. "I'll be there in ten."
"See you then." He ended the call before glancing up at Gene. "He'll pick us up in ten minutes. He doesn't have a lot of time, but enough we can talk a bit."
"He should have a suspect by now," Gene huffed.
"Some cases take time. Have you come up with anything new?" Lance shoved his phone in his pocket, then turned to leave the office so he could get his jacket out of the locker.
"Other than my wife sleeping with another man?" Gene was directly behind him now.
Lance glanced around, making sure they were alone. "I'd be upset about her cheating as well, but you're dead now. It's time to let her go."
"It's not right. She cheats on me and then profits from all my stuff. She's even talking about selling the house and moving in with him." Gene threw a fist into one of the lockers, but being he had no solid form, his fist just went through the metal door.
"Stop that," Lance said in a hushed whisper. "I'm not going to work with you if you don't control your temper. It's not my fault all this is happening. I'm trying to help." Gene was lucky that Lance could see him. Most of the ghosts went years without finding someone living who could see them. This was one time he wished he hadn't let the ghost know he was able to see and talk to them.
"It's just taking so long." Gene followed Lance outside.
Taking out his phone to appear like he was on a call, Lance said, "Angus is doing the best he can. It's not like there is a list of people who wanted you dead. Are you sure there isn't anyone you were fighting with or pissed off at?"
"Other than Alex? No. I've tried to think of anyone I even had a small argument with, but there wasn't anyone. Maybe my wife. She seems happier with her new man. Maybe she wanted me gone."
"She has an alibi. So does Alex." Lance looked across the lot, hoping Angus hurried. "Did you see anyone at the funeral that was acting funny or looked pleased you were dead?"
"Other than my wife?" Gene paced the sidewalk, not even bothering to move when people walked through him on their way inside. A woman tightened her coat around her after Gene floated through her.
"Would you stand still?" Lance gripped his phone tighter.
"Why? Only you can see me." Gene kept pacing.
Lance sighed. "So if you don't have anything new, what are you hoping for during this meeting?"
"I'm hoping your boyfriend will have news for me. He's had more than enough time to figure this out." Gene paused beside Lance.
"He's working on it, but not every murder is solved." Lance was relieved when he saw Angus pulling into the lot. He shoved his phone in his pocket and stepped forward. He quickly got into the car the second Angus pulled to the curb in front of him.
"Long day?" Angus leaned over and kissed him.
"Beginning to feel that way." Lance rolled his eyes toward the backseat. "Someone is demanding answers."
"Wouldn't you want to know who killed you if our roles were reversed?" Gene said from the backseat.
"Of course, I'd want to know, but I wouldn't be a grouch about it. I wouldn't make everyone around me suffer while they worked to find out." Lance latched his seatbelt.
"Burgers okay?" Angus pulled the car away from the curb.
"Perfect." Lance was starving.
"So did Gene see anyone at the funeral who looked like they were guilty?" Angus asked.
"He said no." Lance focused out the window, not looking back at Gene.
"I said other than my wife I didn't think anyone wanted me dead," Gene corrected.
"Your wife didn't kill you. Neither did her boyfriend." Lance sighed.
"Who was the guy sitting with your wife and son?" Angus asked.
"That was my brother. I was shocked his lazy-no-good ass showed up. I'm not sure how he found out I was dead. I don't think even my parents talk to him anymore." Gene shrugged. "He looked like hell."
Lance repeated every word, wanting Angus to understand the relationship between Gene and his brother.
"Lance, can you take notes for me while I drive?" Angus asked, passing him his notebook and pen from his shirt pocket.
"Sure." Lance opened the notebook and waited.
"What's your brother's name?" Angus glanced in the rearview mirror as if he could see Gene.
"Gerald. He's four years older than me, but he looks like he's eighty. He's sure drank himself into a mess. Hard to believe he used to be an Olympic athlete."
Lance again repeated Gene's words.
"He was? What sport?" Angus glanced at Lance. "The guy looked like he crawled out of a bottle right before coming to the funeral."
"Shooting, men's double trap. He made the team when he was seventeen. Got a silver medal. Then once he did that, he started drinking and gambling. Got so bad my parents just washed their hands of him. They tried to help, but he was in too deep. Gerald and I never got along. Fought like crazy when we were young. Probably would still fight now if we saw each other. I was stunned that he showed up at my funeral."
Lance's eyes widened as he listened, then repeated everything for Angus. Whoever had killed Gene had been an expert marksman, or lucky as hell. Lance didn't think it was luck. He watched Angus's eyes widen at the news and knew they'd finally gotten a lead.
"How long has your brother been in town?" Angus asked.
"Hell, I don't know. I saw him at the funeral, then he went back to the house with Roger and Melissa. He walked around the house looking at everything. Probably was hoping he'd find something he could pawn. He stayed long enough to take advantage of the free food, then left. I haven't seen him since," Gene said.
Angus nodded as Lance told him what was said. "So he wasn't here before the shooting?"
"Not that I know of. I don't think he's ever visited here. We had a huge fight nearly thirty-plus years ago and haven't spoken since. I was shocked to see him at the funeral. My parents all but disowned him years ago as well. Last I heard, he was down around New Orleans running some kind of scam. Like I said, he got drinking and doing God knows what. Lost everything." Gene glanced at Lance. "You don't think my brother killed me? Hell, what reason would he have to want me dead?"
Lance shrugged. "I don't know. Did you leave him in your will?"
"Hell no. Everything I have goes to Melissa. Though now that she's got that boyfriend, I wish I'd left it all to Roger. She better not spend all my hard-earned money on that loser she's with." Gene's cheeks went red with anger.
"So you haven't spoken to him since that fight thirty years ago?" Angus asked.
"Not a word. I don't think my parents have spoken to him in ten years or more."
Lance watched Angus and could see the wheels turning in his mind. "Would Gerald have anything to gain from your death?"
"Not that I know of. If he was going to kill me, he would have done it years ago when we were fighting. Not now. I can't imagine how he'd even heard I'd died unless my parents somehow found him and told him." Gene stared out the car's window as Angus pulled into the Joe's Burger's lot.
Lance stayed quiet as Angus ordered their food. He smiled at the fact Angus knew what to order for him without even asking. They'd reached the point in their relationship where they knew each other that well, and he liked that. The silence continued until they had their food and Angus was once again on the road.
"I'll pull into the park, and we can eat in the car. It's too cold to get out," Angus told him.
"Sounds good." The weather had taken a turn and temperatures were lower than the normal seasonal average for the area. Lance was just fine staying in the car with the heat blowing against his face.
"I'm going to give your parents a call and find out if they told Gerald about your death. When I saw him at the funeral, I felt as if I'd seen him before, but you say he's never been to Fairway before?" Angus pulled into the park's parking lot.
"Not that I'm aware of." Gene stared at the bag with the food. "I miss eating."
Lance smiled. "I hear that from a lot of new ghosts."
"Maybe you can eat stuff once you go into the light." Angus parked the car.
"Maybe, but I'm not leaving until I know who killed me and why." Gene folded his arms over his chest.
Lance pulled out the food and handed Angus his burger. "You don't remember where you think you saw him?"
"No, but I feel like it was recently. Could have been someone that looked a lot like him, but my gut has that feeling." Angus unwrapped his burger and took a bite.
"I'd check arrest records. If Gerald is around, he's doing something illegal. That's a given. He was into money schemes for a while. Where he'd talk people into investing in something and steal all their money. He was arrested in Georgia for something or other. I heard that from my mother." Gene watched them eat with yearning in his eyes.
"I'll run a background check on him when I get back to the office. I'm also going to call your parents and find out when they last talked to him. I know your wife said she had no way of contacting him." Angus wiped his mouth.
"Hell, Roger's never even met Gerald. He knows he has an uncle, but as far as I know, the funeral was the first time they'd seen each other," Gene said.
"I'll dig and see what I can find. Do you know if he was still shooting for fun or kept up his skills?"
Gene shook his head. "I wouldn't know."
Lance repeated everything between eating, hoping this lead turned into something. Not that he wanted Gene's killer to be his own brother, but for now, it was the only lead they had. It at least gave them something to investigate. Well, it gave Angus something to look into. Other than speaking to Gene, Lance's part in the investigation ended with the autopsy.
"Was Gerald cut off from all family members? Would there be aunts or cousins who might have told him about your death?" Angus asked.
"From what I know, they all washed their hands of him when my parents did, but it's always possible." Gene shrugged. "You really think he might be my killer, don't you?"
"You have to admit that he's got the skill to shoot you from the hotel's roof. The question I have is how would he know you'd be there at that time?"
"That's easy enough. My website features a list of appearances. Anyone could look and see that I was at the bookstore that morning, then heading to the mall directly after. It wouldn't take much to figure out that I'd cross that road at some point when I left. He just had to sit and wait for me to make my exit." Gene leaned forward. "I'm going to go back to the house and see if I can find out if he's left town already. If he's here, I need to know where he's staying." Gene floated from the car and hurried down the sidewalk.
"He just up and left saying he was going to find out if his brother was still in town." Lance sighed.
"Hopefully, he'll come tell you what he finds out." Angus reached for his drink. "He being any nicer?"
