Ghosted (4 page)

"Right." Hernandez rubbed his lower lip with
his thumb. "Pellis, I need you to get to Caroline's Black's
residence and stay with her. If Grant did see Mr. Black talking to
this suspect, then this could get a lot stickier than I first
suspected."

"You suspected her father had something to do
with her attack?"

I am surprised. How could he have already come
to this conclusion?

Hernandez looks around as if he fears he will
be overheard. "Pellis, you can't repeat this. Not yet."

She leans in closer, as do I.

"When we arrived at Miss Black's
house last night, her father had his entire legal staff in
her
living room. When I
asked one of them what they were doing, he said Gerome called them
in to go over the sale of the apartment as soon as
possible."

Pellis ducks her head back but
keeps her features even. "They were
in
his daughter's
apartment…discussing selling it out from under her?"

"It wouldn't be
out from under
her if
she were dead, now would it?" Hernandez looks at his clipboard.
"Mr. Black also tried to insinuate Mr. Grant had something to do
with the attempted rape, like setting it up. But there's no
evidence of that. Daniel Grant's record is clean with no priors.
The only thing he's apparently guilty of is doing a good
act."

"Never goes unpunished," Pellis echoes my
thoughts from before. "So how did you know he was missing? Because
he never showed up this morning?"

I put a hand to my chest. This morning? I am
shocked it is the next day…the next afternoon.

"We found his car on 85 north. It looked as if
he'd been rear ended. Found blood on the steering wheel. All of his
possessions were still inside, keys in the ignition. His phone was
gone, and so was he. They're towing it into the lab, but right now
we're not sure where he is. What I am sure of, is whatever happened
to Caroline Black last night has larger reaching arms than an
attack in an alley." He looks around again. "Go do what I said.
I'll smooth things over with the captain and I'll forward you what
I have so far. I'll call and make sure someone takes a good look at
Black's financials and his LUDs. Just get over there and stick with
Caroline. And keep your phone on you."

Pellis turns and half jogs toward her
car.

I look from Hernandez to Pellis. Several
seconds tick by before I run after Pellis. I need to see
Caroline.

I need to warn her. Somehow.

6

I sit in the front seat with Detective Pellis
as she drives. She is a wonderkind of modern conveniences. A phone
sits bracketed to the dash, a small laptop in a similar, larger
bracket beneath it. She drives with her left hand as her right hand
types on the keyboard. She listens to speed metal.

There is a God.

I try engaging in conversation, but she
doesn't hear me. Once I try to put my hand over hers while she
types, but it passes through hers and into the laptop. The machine
goes dead. Pellis curses but continues to drive.

We reach the building I escaped from last
night. Pellis flashes her badge and is given entrance. I glance
back to see a valet place orange cones around her car, as if this
is something he has seen before.

The elevator man is different and escorts us
to the penthouse. The doors open and the same car-sized floral
arrangement greets us. Pellis pauses in front of it and
sneezes.

"Damn flowers," she mutters as she goes around
it and bangs on the door. "Miss Black?"

Several agonizing seconds pass before the door
opens and Caroline is there. She is beautiful. She wears a large,
thick black sweater with a scarf around her neck. Her jeans fit her
legs perfectly. I look down. She wears bunny slippers.

I love her.

"What is it?" She looks Pellis up and down.
"Who are you?"

Pellis holds up her badge. "I'm Detective
Pellis. I work with Detective Hernandez. I need to talk to
you."

"Sure." Caroline stands back.

Pellis strides through and I realize striding
is the only way this woman walks.

I barely run through the door before she
closes it. I realize my existence is little more than a large
question mark hovering over my head. My hands pass through people
and computers. I do not want to test whether or not I can pass
through doors. I've been able to keep a full on freak-out at bay.
Walking through a door could trigger a melt down.

"What's this about? Did you find my
attacker?"

Pellis strides around the apartment. She
checks the kitchen, the curtains, and moves down the
hall.

"What are you looking for?"

"Are you alone?" Pellis asks as she strides
back to us.

"Yes. I called in sick to work. I…just
couldn't go in after what happened last night." She crosses her
arms over her chest.

"Have you called anyone?"

"Well yeah. I've been trying to call Daniel,
but he's not answering his phone. I've left like, a million
messages. Did he show up this morning and talk with the sketch
artist?"

"Miss Black—"

"You know I called there and no one would tell
me anything."

"Miss Black—"

"Is that why you're here? Did something else
happen?"

Pellis holds up her hands. "Miss Black…please.
Sit down."

Caroline looks scared as she sits on one of
the sofas. I move to the window. It overlooks the city. Much of it
is covered in clouds. The drizzling rain runs down the glass in
rivulets. "What…what's wrong?" She asks.

"Hernandez asked me to watch you." She
swallows. "They found Mr. Grant's car on the interstate this
morning. He was on 85 north, heading out of town."

"What? Was he in it? Where is he?" Caroline
stands and I turn from the window to watch her reaction. My heart
soars at her concern. I was, for a time, not a ghost to
her.

"Please, sit back down." When Caroline sits,
Pellis continues. "The car was found abandoned. Hernandez is at the
apartment Mr. Grant lived in. But so far, no one's seen
him."

Caroline stares at her. "He…he's
missing?"

"I'm afraid so." Pellis sits on the opposite
sofa. "Miss Black…did you know your father was talking to lawyers
last night?"

"They were here when…when Dan and I got here."
Her voice cracks and her resolve breaks. She puts her hands to her
face as she cries. "Oh God…where is Daniel? Where was he
going?"

"He called Hernandez last night. It was after
midnight. And he said…he was worried about you. He said you and he
were both in danger."

"From what? The attacker? Oh God," she says as
she reaches out to Pellis. "Do you think the attacker found him?
Tracked him down?"

"We're not sure." Pellis licks her
lips as I move around the sofa. I watch the two of them as I try to
remember where I woke. I don't know if that's where my body is… I'm
still coming to grips with not being
in
my body.

Of being a real ghost.

I regret not watching more ghost
movies, or reading more on the subject. I use the word to describe
my
living
invisibility, never realizing it was a very real
condition.

"What
do
you know?"

Caroline's voice brings my attention back to
now. I want to be found. I need to be found. I need to…

Stop the man in the Mercedes from hurting
her.

Pellis moves her hands over her thighs. I
start thinking it's a nervous habit. "Miss Black…do any of your
father's friends drive a Mercedes? A black one?"

"Uh well, yeah. My mom does and dad's PA
does."

"PA? Personal assistant?"

"Mr. Jones. That's the only name I've ever
called him."

"Was he here last night? With your
dad?"

I watch Caroline start to answer. She stops
and frowns. "No he wasn't. Which is strange since he's always with
my dad, especially with everyone else here last night."

"Did he ever join in?"

"No..no. Everyone left not long after Dan
left." Tears came again. "Detective, you've got to find him. He's a
good guy. Do you know how rare that is?"

Rare? I form the word on my lips. A surge of
emotion overwhelms me. I touch Caroline's shoulder—

She jumps and nearly comes off the
couch.

"What's wrong?" Pellis asks.

"I just…it felt like someone touched me. On my
shoulder. Daniel kept touching my shoulder last night. I thought it
was his way of checking on me, making sure I was all
right."

She feels me.

She feels my touch!

I try again.

My hand passes through. This time she rubs her
shoulder as if experiencing a chill. I look at my hand and wonder
what made the difference. Was it the emotional connection? I look
for something else to touch because I don't want to make her
uncomfortable. There is an envelope on the coffee table. The
address is to occupant. I try to remember the emotion I felt when I
touched Caroline. I felt…sad. Sad because she believed I was a rare
person. I was sad because she was sad.

In that instant the envelope flew across the
coffee table and hit the window.

Pellis and Caroline stand up.
Their eyes lock on the motionless envelope on the carpet. I look at
my hands. I didn't touch it. I only…
wanted
it to move.

And it flew.

I see a plate on the counter behind the couch.
I recall the feeling again, one of sadness, and I want the plate to
move.

It does—rather spectacularly. It sails across
the kitchen and strikes the refrigerator. Both women yell. Caroline
runs from the couch and stands at the edge of the kitchen.
"What…what's happening?"

Someone pounds on the door. I jump as Pellis
pulls her weapon and strides to the entrance. I join Caroline as
she moves to watch. Pellis peers through the hole and stands back.
"It's not someone I recognize. He's wearing a black suit. Caroline,
ask who is it."

I was never one to believe in
fortunes or foresight, but as I watch Caroline take a step to the
door in slow motion, a gray nothingness overwhelms me. Abruptly I
see the monochromatic sky. Water drops strike my face and my toes
are cold. Pain shoots through my head as I find myself in
Caroline's apartment again. She is in mid-stride and I
know…I
know
the
door is danger.

I run to at, at it, through it, and stop on
the other side. I have no time to worry about how it feels or
doesn't. I turn to see a man in a black suit standing just outside
the door. His hair is dark and he isn't carrying a briefcase. There
is something familiar to his stance. Something dark…

I hear screaming.

I hear someone yelling.

I hear…me.

He turns as the elevator doors open and two
uniform officers step through.

I see his face…

The man in the black Mercedes. Mr.
Jones.

"Ah…gentlemen. May I help you?"

"We're here to see Miss Caroline
Black."

Everything slows down again. I see Mr. Jones
reach into his suit jacket. I see the weapon. The officers will be
too slow to react. He will kill them, maybe the way he killed
me.

The officers flank the car-sized flower
arrangement. They reach for their weapons as well.

Too late.

Everything is too late.

My emotions shift as I stare at the
arrangement.

It flies with incredible speed at Mr. Jones
and knocks him into the double doors but they don't open. I run
through them again toward the fogging window on the other side.
Pellis and Caroline stare at the door.

The how and why no longer matter to me. There
is an eminent threat to both of them. I run my index finger over
the damp glass as fast as I can.

"What the hell is that?" Caroline
shouts.

The doors vibrate. I hear shots
fire.

"Caroline, behind the couch!" Pellis orders as
she aims her weapon at the door.

As Caroline runs around the couch she stops at
the window, her eyes wide. "Detective!" She points at the
window.

Both women stare at my message.

But they understand it.

RUN!

"Is there a back way out of here?" Pellis
asks.

"Yes. Follow me."

I watch as they run down the hall past the
kitchen. The door crashes open and Mr. Jones runs in. He is wet
from the flower arrangement and he is limping. But he carries a
gun. I see the two guards on the floor. Unmoving.