CHAPTER SIX

The last thing Angus had time for was a trip to the morgue, even if he wanted to see Lance and get at least a hug and kiss before he jumped back into case files. Still, if he had a ghost claiming they were murdered, he had to listen. He could have easily waited for Lance to bring the ghost home and talk with the ghost later, but he had no clue who this ghost was and if it was someone they'd want to know where they lived.

He pulled up by the back of the Medical Examiner's Office and parked, wishing there was shade. It was hot. Too hot. His dress shirt stuck to his body, and he needed a shower seriously bad. He still had stuff to do before he could go home. He'd been waiting for Gail Smith to get back to him, but when she hadn't, he'd arranged to meet with her family this evening. Being a minor, it was only right to let her parents in on what was going on and alert them that there could be a risk to their daughter since her two best friends had already been killed. He'd found out that Gail got off work at four. He arranged to be at her place by seven, hoping she'd have at least called him by then, but so far, he hadn't heard from her.

In the rearview mirror, he saw the Medical Examiner's van pulling up to the large garage door. He waited for it to open, then walked inside as it parked. A second later, Lance climbed out of the passenger seat, and Kyle from the driver's side. "You're working late?"

"Sam had a dentist appointment and this call came in right before I was going to call it a night." Lance leaned in and kissed Angus quickly. "Thanks for coming by. I just need to get this body in and we can talk."

"No problem. I have a meeting at seven, but I'm all yours until then." Angus stepped back as Kyle and Lance pulled the body from the back of the van. He kept his distance as they rolled it into the morgue.

"Guess that means dinner is out." Lance glanced over his shoulder.

"Yeah, I can grab something on the way home if you want." Angus hadn't even had time to think about food, but he was hungry.

"I'll grab something from that Italian place and have it ready for you when you get there," Lance told him. "I'll be done long before you are."

"Thanks. I shouldn't be too late. I'll wait for you in your office for now. Take your time." He watched as Kyle and Lance pushed the body into the back where the bodies were held for autopsy. He had no idea what they had to do when a body came in. He figured there had to be a shitload of paperwork to do. He entered Lance's office and sat down, wondering what this ghost had to tell him. It wasn't often that Lance came across a ghost in the morgue who claimed to be murdered, but this was hardly the first time. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, wishing he could take just a short nap, but there wasn't time. He had less than an hour to get to the Smith's home. He'd sent Amy home. He could handle a simple interview himself. Tomorrow, Franks would be back and things would get back to normal. Busy, but normal.

"You look exhausted." Lance moved into the office and shut the door.

"I am. It's been a long day." Angus sat up straighter.

"And here I am making it longer." Lance kissed him before moving to sit behind his desk. "I haven't had time to talk to the new ghost. We were called to pick up her body under the Fairway Bridge. We assumed she was a jumper, but she claims she was pushed." Lance glanced to the other side of the room where the ghost must have been standing.

Angus was used to being unable to see them since he'd grown up with his mother seeing ghosts, but he still wished he had the ability. It would make things so much easier if he could question the ghosts without a go-between. "Let's start with her name and age." Angus pulled out his notebook and pen.

"Just so you know, we weren't able to identify her on scene, so you can't let on you know her name until we find another way to identify her." Lance glanced to where the ghost was standing. "I'm Lance and this is my boyfriend, Detective Young. He can't see you but knows I can. We'll help you if we can. What's your name?"

Angus waited in silence while Lance listened and made his own notes on a pad on his desk.

"She says her name is Gail Smith and she's seventeen. She was—" Lance started.

"Wait." Angus held up a hand. "Gail Smith?"

"Yeah? You know her?" Lance asked.

"It's her family I'm scheduled to meet with tonight. I wanted to question Gail about her friends' murders and warn her to be careful." Angus ran his fingers over his short hair and sighed. "Well fuck. This changes everything."

"Are you talking about Fiona Bloomquist and Elizabeth Bradly?" Lance asked.

Angus nodded.

"She knows about both deaths. She found out on the news this morning while she was getting ready for work. She thought about calling in sick, but knew they were already short staffed, so she went in. She was planning on going over to talk to Gavin tonight once she got home and changed." Lance leaned back in his chair. "She didn't think she was at risk."

Angus nodded as he tried to think how to handle this. He couldn't go see her parents and tell them she was dead. How would he ever explain that a ghost told him? If her body had no I.D. on it, he had no choice but to wait and let things play out as they normally would. The family would have to report her missing, then be notified that the medical examiner had a body matching her description. It was going to be a long, drawn-out mess. "She said she was murdered?"

"Yeah, we all thought she was a jumper. It's what most of us think when we get a call for a body under the bridge, but she was very vocal that she was pushed. She didn't jump." Lance seemed to be listening to Gail as she spoke to him.

"She left the nursing home she works at around four and was walking to her car when she was hit from behind. She remembers pain on the back of her head, then nothing until she came to as someone was dragging her to the bridge. He never spoke or said anything as he pushed her from the bridge. She tried to fight but was in too much pain and confused."

"Were you able to see the person?" Angus asked the ghost even though he couldn't see her.

Lance shook his head. "She said he was wearing a black ski mask. He had on gloves and a long-sleeved shirt. She gripped the arm of his shirt as she was pushed, trying to hold on, but it tore."

"Make a note of that. If she tore his shirt, she might have held the material in her hand until she hit the bottom." Angus made a note in his book. "Is she sure it was a man?" He was already pretty sure whoever was killing these girls was a man due to the strength needed to strangle someone and maneuver that large bucket of cement, but he couldn't be one-hundred-percent sure.

"No, but she thinks it was. He was bigger than her. Not much, but his arm felt stronger, and he moved her easier than she would think a woman could. He was dragging her, but she got the feeling he wasn't much taller than her," Lance told him. "Are there still cameras on the bridge?"

Angus shrugged. "Last I knew there was, but that's been ages ago. I'll find out. My problem now is that I know she's dead, but I can't let on it's her until she's identified through non-paranormal connections. I'm going to have to go meet with her family tonight. Question them about Fiona and Liz and warn them to tell Gail to be careful. They'll have to report her missing tomorrow and go through the proper channels." He sighed and looked over to where he thought Gail was standing. "I'm sorry I can't do more. I will investigate your murder off the books for now. That way we'll be ahead once we finally identify your body." He had no idea what he could really do until she was identified, but the fact she was dead told him they had a possible serial killer on their hands. He could call in the feds once he confirmed her death was murder. He glanced at Lance. "Will you be able to tell if she jumped or was pushed?"

Lance shook his head. "Doubtful. Her body was a mess. I'll try and look for trauma to her head that happened when she was hit from behind, but even that will be hard to find considering the damage from the fall. I'll do her autopsy first thing in the morning. Until then, I'd like to invite her home with us, if you're okay with that."

"Sure, I don't mind. I have more questions for her that I don't have time to ask right now. I need to go speak with her parents. That's not going to be fun since I have to keep quiet about her death for now. Introduce her to the others and have them help her adapt. I'm sure she has a million questions." Angus was glad that Ray and Bethany lived with them and were always willing to help a new ghost understand what it was like to be dead. He stood. "I'll be home as soon as I can. I'll try and figure out a way to start investigating things without drawing attention to myself." He leaned in and gave Lance a soft kiss, aware Gail's ghost was watching them. He pulled back and turned to where he figured she was. "I'll do my best to help you. I'm guessing whoever killed you also killed Fiona and Liz. We just need to figure out who that person is. We'll talk more when I get home tonight. Thanks for sticking around to help."

"See you in a few hours. Go out the back door in the garage. I've got to find Mack and talk to him before I leave." Lance smiled.

Angus nodded and left the room, wondering how things always ended up so get so crazy. Having ghosts around did help in the long run, but it made things so hard at first because he couldn't use what they told him until they found a way to do it by the book. He made his way out of the building and to his car, cursing the evening heat that had it feeling like a sauna. He started the car, leaving the door open until the air conditioning pushed the hot air out. He had ten minutes to get across town to the Smith's house. Once there, he'd act as surprised as they were that Gail wasn't home yet. He'd tell them to search for her car at work and along the way she usually drove home. He hoped they'd find it in the parking lot of her work. Even more, he hoped there were cameras there showing her getting attacked. It was the break they needed. So far, they had no information about the killer other than the little Gail had just given him.

Traffic was heavy, but he still managed to make it across town in time to pull up in front of the Smith's home at seven. Like her other friends, the home was in the upper-class area of town where the richer families lived. He hadn't had time to find out what the Smiths did for a living, but he would in time. He sat for a moment, dreading what he was about to do. He hated himself for lying to a family when he knew their daughter was dead, but if he went in telling them he'd seen her ghost, they'd think he was crazy. He'd show up to work tomorrow with orders to go see the shrink. He didn't have a choice in this, no matter how crappy it was.

With a sigh, he forced himself to get out of the car and head up to the door. He rang the doorbell and waited only a few seconds before a man answered. He wore a very expensive suit as he smiled and pushed the door wide. Angus smiled. "I'm Detective Young. I spoke with your wife earlier today."

"Yes, she told me you'd be dropping by. I'm sorry, but Gail isn't home yet. We've tried to call her, but if she's working, she doesn't always check her messages. She was supposed to be off at four, but it's not uncommon for her to work extra shifts if she's needed. I hope that won't be a problem. Please, come in." The man stepped back, allowing Angus inside.

"It's not a problem, but I will need to speak with her at some point." Angus smiled again as a woman stepped into the entry hall. She was short, probably no more than five feet tall and several inches of that was due to the hairstyle she had. She was also dressed nicely in a simple but beautiful summer dress.

"I'm Stephanie Smith, and you met my husband, Fred." She gestured to the living room. "We can speak in here. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"No, thank you." His gut was churning already because of the lies he was about to tell. Okay, so he wasn't going to really lie, just omit a few things, but it still left him sick to his stomach. This nice couple's world was about to spin out of control as soon as they found out about their daughter. He took a seat on the couch and pulled out his notebook. "I won't take much of your time. I'm just following up on a few things since Gail was good friends with Fiona and Elizabeth."

"We're heartbroken about their deaths. I can't imagine who would want to hurt them. Do you have any leads?" Stephanie asked as she sat down on the love seat with her husband beside her.

"We're working on that." Angus assured them. "You knew both girls?"

"Oh, sure. They've been coming around for years. Liz and Gail were best friends. I didn't know Fiona as well, but she was always nice when she was here. The girls would usually spend most of their time in Gail's room, but they'd stay for dinner sometimes. I'm not sure what I can tell you that might help." Stephanie shrugged.

"That's really why I was hoping to talk to Gail. Had she mentioned any issues or problems she or the other girls had recently?" Angus asked. "Trouble with a boyfriend or someone one of them worked with?"

"No, not that I was aware of. Gail hasn't dated much. I thought she might be interested in that sweet boy, Terrance, but she swore they were just friends. Told me Terrance was interested in someone else. Gail is mostly focused on her job. She works at Fairview Care Center helping with some of the therapy and stuff they do there. She wants to be a physical therapist and thought his would give her a head start. Honestly, she works so much, her time with her friends has been half of what it used to be. And I know Fiona had dance classes that kept her busy. Liz and Gail always make time for each other, but you know how it is at their age. I never know what they're up to. I was so upset when I heard about Liz. I thought Gail would take a few days off work to grieve, but she refused. Said she was needed at work, and it would be easier if she was there instead of home crying all day." She put her hand to her mouth and shook her head. "Listen to me go on."

"It's okay. This is all stuff I need to know." Angus smiled at the woman's embarrassment, then hated himself because he shouldn't be smiling when this woman's daughter was dead, and he couldn't tell her. God, he really hated this. They should be mourning their daughter right now, not laughing about things. It was all he could do not to tell them the truth. "I'll speak with Gail later and find out more about her friendships." It wasn't a lie. He'd interview Gail as soon as he got home. It just wasn't in the way the parents expected. He couldn't stay any longer or he'd be at risk of telling them everything. He slowly stood and offered his hand to Fred. "Thank you for taking the time to speak with me."

"I'm sorry we aren't more help. I'm always at work, and well, you know how teenagers are. Between work and friends, we're the last to know anything." Fred slid his arm around his wife's waist. "Feel free to call us if you have any more questions, and we'll make sure Gail calls you as soon as she gets home. Well, probably tomorrow morning since it seems she's working late tonight."

"That will be fine. Just tell her to be careful. We don't know who is doing this or why. She needs to be alert at all times," Angus warned.

"Is our daughter in danger?" Fred asked, a look of concern finally showing.

"Yes, right now, everyone is in danger. There is a murderer out there and Gail and her friends seem to have caught his attention. Be alert." He swallowed hard, again wanting to tell them the truth. He turned for the door. "I'll see myself out." He wasn't usually so rushed when leaving an interview, but he needed to get out of the house now before he did something he couldn't take back. He quickly made his way to his car and locked himself inside. He started the car and pulled away, not even giving the home a final look. This went against everything he stood for as a cop, and as a man. What if it was his child? He slammed his fist on the steering wheel as he pulled out of the neighborhood. He'd made a lot of mistakes in his life and done a lot of stupid things, but never had anything made him feel as guilty as this did.