A Spirited Gift

I thought about something Kevin had told me—how he’d lost his FBI partner, a woman he’d loved, who also had some psychic talent. She’d had a breakdown of some kind. I was pretty sure he’d quit the FBI because he’d lost her, although he never said as much.

“I’m fine, Kevin, really.” I held the dustpan for him to brush glass shards into it.

He stopped sweeping. “You look guilty. What’s going on?”

“Nothing.” I looked at my watch—I needed to leave if I was going to find out if what Rafe had said was true. “You might not believe it.”

He sighed. “Try me. I think I’ve proven that it takes a lot to surprise me.”

“There’s a ghost,” I whispered, glancing around—more for the living who might overhear us than for Rafe, who I suspected was always listening. “The ghost of my dead pirate ancestor, Rafe Masterson.”

Chapter 29

“Are you talking about the scourge-of-the-Outer-Banks-pirate Rafe Masterson? The one who cursed Duck with his dying breath?” Kevin asked. “I didn’t know you were related to him.”

“I didn’t either.” I explained from the beginning, wondering why I even tried to keep secrets from him, since he always ended up knowing anyway.

“He’s too addlepated to understand,” Rafe inserted, showing himself to me.

“You’re violating our agreement,” I told him.

“He’s here now?” Kevin looked around the empty ballroom.

“He wants to know about me. What better way than to hear it from me personally,” Rafe insisted. “Besides, you told him about me. That breaks our agreement.”

“He can’t hear you or see you,” I reminded the pirate. “Remember—he’s not related.”

“What’s he saying?” Kevin wondered, giving up trying to find him hovering close by.

“He’s not saying anything else—unless he doesn’t want my help anymore.”

Rafe vanished, but his leaving was like a sudden surge of air blasting through the ballroom. It rattled the chandelier and made the pieces of glass on the floor dance.

“Was that him?” Kevin asked.

“He’s kind of a show-off.”

“So this ghost is helping you solve Mayor Foxx’s murder?”

“Not exactly—he thinks he is. He told me Matthew Wright has crossed over. I was on my way to see if it’s true.”

“Can I tag along?”

“Sure. I don’t see why not.” I smiled at him and took his hand in mine. “Trying to make sure I haven’t lost it?”

He wrapped his arms around me and held me close. I could hear his heart beating against my ear. “The world you’re part of can be dangerous. I worry about you. But I’d also like to know if he’s right.”

“I can live with that. Thanks.” We kissed briefly, then started out of the Blue Whale. I could hear Rafe chuckling, but he didn’t make another appearance.

I told Kevin that Chief Michaels and Gramps may have been called to the scene already. “Rafe can’t tell me exactly where we’re going. He said the area has changed too much.”

“Is he here now?” Kevin asked as we got in the pickup parked outside the back entrance.

“I don’t see him, if that’s what you mean. But I think he’s lurking. What are you worried about?”

“Not that you’re crazy,” he assured me as he started the engine. “How much do you know about spirits pretending to be someone we might want to see?”

“Absolutely nothing—except the little bit of gibberish Shayla shared with me when she found out about Rafe. But there are two things that don’t make sense about that. First of all, why would any ghost pretend to be Rafe Masterson? It’s not like I would’ve summoned him to help me. You’ve heard all the terrible stories about him. And second, what could he hope to gain?”

“Your trust—your help in whatever he wants to do. Spirits can’t do things for themselves on this plane. They need human help.”

“I told you he wants his name cleared. But even Shayla agreed he could only appear to me since we’re related. It’s not like I go around seeing ghosts everywhere like she does. Helping him with that doesn’t seem so terrible, since he’s my great-great-something or other. I’ve been trying to do some research at the museum, but things keep getting in the way.”

“Just be careful. Don’t let him talk you into anything that doesn’t feel right.”

“Okay.” I wasn’t sure what else I could say. He sounded very ominous about the whole thing.

“He’s daft!” Rafe suddenly appeared between us. “The poor sot has no idea what he’s blabbering about. What matter of conveyance is this?”

I told Kevin that Rafe was with us. “He thinks you’re crazy.”

“I’m sure he does.” Kevin kept his eyes on the road. “Just have him tell us where we’re supposed to go—unless Matthew Wright is out in the middle of Duck Road.”

I realized he’d been at the stop sign for a few minutes. Rafe blustered and complained but finally gave me directions. “Follow the road to the right,” he instructed. I relayed the information to Kevin. “There’s a place on the sound—gad, how amazing that some things stay the same for so long, eh? I had a friend—One Finger Joe—who lived right on that spot. Good fishing there.”

“Which way now?” Kevin questioned as we were driving down the road. “There are a lot of places on the sound.”