CHAPTER TWELVE

Lance was glad it was Friday. He'd left work, stopped at the store to pick up a few things he needed for dinner, and was headed home to spend the night with friends. He wasn't sure who was coming. Franks had an open invitation, but with the case going on, Lance wasn't even sure Angus would make it.

Last he'd heard, there hadn't been any big breaks on the case, but they hadn't had a lot of time to talk about things. Lance had been in bed by the time Angus had gotten home the night before, and other than a few whispered words, they hadn't talked. This morning, Lance had been in a rush to get out the door for the morning staff meeting they had, and Angus had been on the phone with Franks, so there hadn't been time to talk then either. He was hoping for a quiet weekend where they could catch up and enjoy some time together.

The house was quiet as he walked in. Even Haunt didn't come to greet him, though that was normal since Gail had been there. It was going to break Haunt's heart if Gail crossed over. The dog had really taken to her.

Lance glanced out the kitchen window and saw the ghosts all sitting around the table. He didn't see Cel yet, so he took out the notes he'd taken when she'd showed up at his work yesterday and tried to figure out what he should do first. It was a simple recipe, but even so, he was always more comfortable with Cel there watching over him.

Figuring that boiling pasta couldn't be too hard, he started that, then went on to grating cheese and cutting up a few other things that went into the pepperoni pizza pasta that he was making.

"Stop eating the pepperoni or you won't be hungry for dinner." Cel's voice came from behind him.

Lance jumped at the sound, then laughed. He swallowed the bite of pepperoni he'd just taken and grinned at her. She always looked happy. Her brown eyes twinkled with mischief as she moved farther into the kitchen. "Cel, it's good to see you."

"You as well. How have things been?" She walked over and looked into the pot of boiling pasta. "Stir this so it doesn't clump."

Lance did as told. "Things have been good. Busy. Angus is working on a murder case. Three teenagers have died." Lance pointed out the window. "That's Gail. She was the third to die. As far as we know, the only one to stick around. I'm not sure if her case has been classified as murder yet. She was pushed from the Fairway Bridge, and they were calling it suicide."

"Oh, the poor girl. So young. And what of the other two?" Cel asked.

"One strangled, one drowned. All three girls were friends." Lance went on to tell her about the murders and the teens as she directed him at what to do to get dinner finished.

"That's horrible. Will Angus be with us tonight?" Cel asked.

"He said he would be. He hasn't called to say he'll be late." Lance glanced at the clock on the stove. "He should be here any time. How are things with your grandchildren?"

"I miss them while they're in Arizona, but I've been down a few times to check on them. They seem happy. It's been an adjustment for them, but they're making new friends in the area. My son is dating again, which is good. I'm not too happy with the women he's been seeing, but so far it doesn't seem to be anything serious. It's not as if I can do anything about it anyway. It sucks to sit back and watch, and not be able to give my input on things."

"True, but if you were alive, you wouldn't even know half of what you do now. You wouldn't have the insight you do being dead. You raised your son to be a good man. All you can do now is hope those lessons stuck and he finds someone good for him and the boys." Lance stole another slice of pepperoni.

"I'd smack your hand if I could." Cel admonished him with a grin.

"I know, but it's addictive, and I'm starving." Lance turned as he heard the front door open. "And that should be Angus."

"And Franks," Angus said as he walked into the kitchen. "Something smells good." Angus looked around. "Cel here?"

"She is leaning against the counter by the sink." Lance went over and kissed Angus, then smiled at Franks as he walked in. "Glad you could make it."

"Me too. I'm so hungry." Franks went to the table, then paused. "No one sitting here, is there?"

"No, everyone but Cel is outside still." Lance was glad that Franks was adapting to a life around ghosts. At first, Lance feared that he'd struggle with the knowledge that ghosts existed. He'd taken some convincing, but now he seemed to accept things and just go with it when Lance said ghosts were present.

"Hey, Cel. Thanks for doing this again. I love Friday night meals." Angus took a seat beside Franks.

"You're welcome. It gives me something to take my mind off family things, so I'm thankful for it as well," Cel told him.

Lance repeated everything as he drained the pasta. Once he'd set the pot down, he glanced back at the table. "Anything new on the case?"

"Not a ton. We've got video of Gail leaving work, but the camera angle is just off. We can see her get grabbed by someone, but we never see a face or what vehicle she's taken to. We do see a car leave the parking lot on another camera and are able to see it on a few traffic cameras, but not a single one gives us a view of the license plate. But at least we have the make and model," Angus informed him.

"And before you ask, no, the car isn't owned by any of the teens or their families. We have no idea who owns the car. We'll ask Gail about it tonight. Hopefully, she remembers someone with that car." Franks got up and pulled a bottle of water from the fridge, tossed it to Angus, then grabbed one for himself. "We found Gail's purse in the bushes near the area where she was taken. Everything is there. Nothing appears stolen. Again, we'll confirm with her once we talk to her."

"Due to the video and her purse being found, we've officially opened a homicide case on her, so there is that." Angus twisted the cap off the bottle. "Still nothing that gives us any leads on anything."

Lance started to add the ingredients to the pasta, his mouth watering as he did. "Well, dinner is about five minutes out. I'm just waiting on the garlic bread. So, wash up and be ready."

Angus stood. "I'll be right back." He headed down the hall.

Franks got up and went to the sink, washing his hands there. "Are you staying in town for a while, Cel?"

"I am. I should be here through the rest of the summer. My grandbabies are doing fine. I need to try and step back. I worry about them too much and there is nothing I can do to protect them. I need to let them live a little." Cel took a deep breath. "It's hard to let go."

Lance repeated what she said.

"That's why I don't think I'd stick around. I'd want to add my two cents to everything and I'd get frustrated when I couldn't. Lance and Lizzy would probably hate me because I'd be nagging them to give everyone my opinion."

Cel laughed. "That's exactly how I feel. More than once I've thought about having Lance contact my son, but in the long run, it would only make things harder if my family knew I was still around."

Lance again repeated things, then nodded. "I wouldn't mind passing a message off for you, but I wouldn't give advice or get involved in their lives or choices. I doubt they'd believe anything I said anyway. We've learned how hard it can be to convince some people that ghosts exist."

Angus walked back in just as Lance was pulling the bread from the oven. "What can I help with?"

Lance shook his head as he set the bread on a cutting board. "I think I've got it done. Just grab the salad I made earlier out of the fridge. I've got the rest." He quickly moved the pasta to the table, then the bread. He grabbed a drink for himself, then sat down beside Angus.

"I'm going to let you eat and head outside with the others." Cel waved as she pushed through the wall.

"Cel went outside." Lance took some salad. "I'm so hungry."

"Me too, and this looks amazing. I never would have thought to make pizza out of pasta."

"Well, it's not really pizza. Just the stuff you put on a pizza over the noodles. I think we could do a variety of things with this recipe. Maybe try sausage next time."

Franks nodded. "This is almost simple enough I could do it."

"Do you cook much now that you have a bigger kitchen?" Lance asked.

"Not really. I'm too lazy. Sometimes I'll cook breakfast on the weekends, but it's just me. I don't see the point in dirtying a lot of dishes just for one person." Franks took a bite of the pasta and groaned. "This is good. Maybe even better than real pepperoni pizza."

Angus nodded. "This will be great as a leftover too."

"I made enough that we can send some home with Franks and have enough to get us through the weekend." Lance took a bite, savoring the flavors. It was delicious, but then again, everything Cel suggested always was.

They were digesting the meal and talking when Angus's phone rang. They all exchanged looks as he answered. It was obvious by the way Angus tensed that it was something important.

"What is it?" Franks asked when Angus ended the call.

"That was Detective Madison. He was letting me know that Tom Eckhart was just rushed to the hospital after having chest pains and seizures. Terrance and his parents are with him, but with everything going on, he thought we should be alerted.

"How'd Phil find out?" Lance asked. Detective Phil Madison worked the night shift in the homicide division. Medical calls usually wouldn't cross his desk.

"He was talking to his brother at the fire station when the call came in. He recognized the address as one we'd been investigating and went with the EMS unit to the call." Angus glanced at Franks. "We should probably head to the hospital. This can't be a coincidence."

"I hate my job." Franks grabbed another slice of garlic bread and stood.

"I'll call when I know how late I'll be." Angus leaned over and gave Lance a kiss. "Tell Cel thanks for dinner."

"I will." Lance stood to see them out, praying that this was not going to turn into another dead teenager. Chest pain and seizures could mean a number of things, but all Lance could do was think of the number of ways to murder someone that might have those side effects. With a heavy sigh, he cleaned up the kitchen, trying not to think the worst, but after the week they'd had, it wasn't easy.