Wings to the Kingdom (Eden Moore 2)

“

Any particular reason?”

“No, just a hunch. I think Lu already knows more than she lets on, but she’s happy with whatever fiction makes the most sense. Everything’s back to abnormal, and she doesn’t care. Dave’s curious, though. I think he feels left out of the loop. ” Funny. I hadn’t realized that part until I said it out loud.

“Makes sense,” Harry agreed. “Why don’t you fill him in a little? Throw him a bone?”

“Which bone exactly would you have me throw him? The one about how my homicidal half-brother isn’t really dead—or the one about me hacking up my undead grandfather in self-defense? Hell, maybe we should clue him in on all that hocus-pocus at the shack. That’d make a great dinner conversation, don’t you think?”

“Eden…”

“I could explain how since that night I can see dead people so well I sometimes can’t tell them apart from the living, and, oh yes, by the way, did you notice I haven’t been sick since then? Haven’t had so much as a bruise or a paper cut? How am I supposed to explain all this to him when I’m not sure what happened myself?”

“Oh settle down. You don’t have to tell him much, maybe just talk to him about it some—even if you’ve got to be vague. He almost lost his two favorite women, and he doesn’t know why or how. I can hardly blame the man for being curious. ”

“I guess. ” I shifted the phone to my other shoulder and sat down on the arm of the couch.

“It’s sweet, though. The way you want to protect him, when he thinks he’s protecting you. ”

“I’m a real sweet girl, or so they tell me. ”

“Who?”

“Okay, nobody really. You might actually be the first. ”

He grunted with amusement. “That, I believe. Hey, since I’ve got you on the phone, I don’t suppose you’ve heard about that nonsense at the battlefield, have you?”

I groaned. “I live on top of a rock, Harry—not under one. How did you hear about it? Surely it hasn’t made anything past the local news?”

“I couldn’t say. I didn’t hear about it on the news; I heard about it via the Marshalls. They’re up there right now, aren’t they?”

“If they aren’t, they will be soon. And that’s just what the battlefield needs—more ghost hunters. Damn Yankees ought to stay home and chase their own ghosts. ”

“Those damn Yankees are from one of the Carolinas, I believe. ”

I shook my head, as if he could hear it rattle. “And what, pray tell, is your interest in the Marshalls?”

“Purely professional, I assure you. They did some fascinating research into a case in England a few years back. Friends of a friend. You know how it is. They’re not so bad, once you get to know them. Dana’s a tad abrasive, but you’d really like Tripp if you gave him a chance. ”

“I’ll take your word for it. They were on the news here last night, throwing slogans around. If I hear how they’re going to ‘get to the bottom of things’ one more time, I’m going to start screaming. They’re not going to get to the bottom of squat. ”

“So why don’t you, then?”

I’d walked right into that one, but I was prepared to walk right out of it, too. “Because I’m not interested in getting to the bottom of it. There’s probably nothing to get to the bottom of. It’s a battlefield, Harry. People died there. It’s haunted. End of dull and uncomplicated story. ”

“You’re a terrible liar,” he accused.

“No, I’m an excellent liar. You’re hearing what you want to hear. I’m done with ghosts. I’m tired of them. I see them plenty enough as it is; I’m not about to go looking for more. They’re like those crazy homeless people who hang out downtown—if you give them five seconds of attention once, they never leave you alone. ”

“I doubt that’s a fair comparison. ”

“It might be. What do you know, anyway?”

“Quite a lot that might surprise you,” he said. A very vacant pause followed, and I couldn’t tell if he was being dramatic or if he’d stopped to think.

The silence bothered me, so I filled it in. “I’m going to let the Marshalls take care of the battlefield. It’s not my problem. Hell, it’s probably not anybody’s problem. Some people saw some ghosts. Who cares?”

“The ghosts care, apparently. They seem to be going out of their way to try and communicate, but their success has been limited so far. It might be something important. In fact, I have to think that it must be—if the reports are right, and the sightings are so consistent.