Jake handed both menus to the waiter then returned his attention to Amanda. “How has your week been? Get any new motorcycles in for repair?”
“Well, a grungy looking guy who probably deals drugs in his spare time brought in a new BMW that has a tiny scratch, and an investment banker in a suit wants to have Vanson & Hines pipes added to his vintage Harley. How was your week? Find any new dead bodies?”
“Not even any old dead bodies,” Jake said. “It’s been a slow week for murders. We did nothing but eat doughnuts all week.”
“Hey, don’t forget that jay walker we hauled in and tortured for two days until he confessed.” Ross laid his hand over Teresa’s on the table top. “What about your week?”
She looked into his eyes as if torturing a jay walker was the sexiest thing she’d ever heard. “I talked to the spirit of a client’s great grandfather who told him where he’d buried the family jewels worth ten million dollars.”
Silence surrounded the table. Since Teresa actually did talk to spirits, her story could be true.
“Did you really?” Amanda asked.
An impish grin spread over Teresa’s face. “No! But I did contact a woman’s son who died of an overdose. He told his mother he’s happy and he’s not an addict anymore so that’s sort of worth ten million dollars. Right?” She looked at Ross defiantly, daring him to contradict her. He wasn’t comfortable with her ability to talk to dead people.
“Yes,” Amanda agreed. “It is.” She leaned back and looked at Jake to see how he was taking the conversation. If he could deal with Teresa’s ability, perhaps he could understand about Charley, her ex-husband’s ghost who lived with her. If he couldn’t, that didn’t bode well for the future of their relationship.
Finally the meal was over.
“Anybody up for sopapillas?” Jake asked.
“I can’t eat another bite,” Amanda said. That was certainly true. Her stomach was full of knots, knots that would do any sailor proud.
Ross turned to Teresa. For once she wasn’t looking at him. Her gaze was focused over his head. “He can’t hear you, but I can,” she said softly.
Amanda froze. Was Teresa talking to spirits in the middle of the restaurant, in the middle of the already disastrous evening?
“Who are you?” Teresa asked.
Apparently she was.
“I’ll tell him,” she said.
Ross and Jake both looked at her.
“I see him!” Charley said. “He’s looking at me. Hi! I’m Charley.”
Amanda peered at Charley dubiously. Even though he was a spirit, he was on such a low level, he hadn’t been able to see or interact with other spirits. Did this mean he was moving up in the spirit world, getting ready to go into the light?
Teresa looked at Charley for a long moment, then her gaze shifted back to the live people at the table. “Ross, your brother’s here with a message for you. He loves you and so do your parents, and then he said something about trust.” She spread her hands. “Trusting you?”
“Trust fund!” Charley shouted. “He said Ross needs to check his trust fund.”
Teresa glanced at Charley again, bit her lip and smiled at Ross. “Trust fund. Sorry I couldn’t understand everything. It’s so noisy in here.”
Ross’ facial muscles twitched in an expression somewhere between a smile and a frown. “You just talked to my...brother?”
She nodded. “He says his name is Parker.”
“Yes!” Charley said. “I heard him say his name. I can see spirits now. Can you see me, Parker? He can see me! I can see him and he can see me! Wait, don’t leave!” Charley darted across the room then darted back, his expression sad. “He went away before we got a chance to get to know each other.”
Ross frowned. “My brother’s name is Parker. How do you know that?”
“Your brother’s spirit just visited you and asked me to pass on a message.”
Ross arched an eyebrow. His lips twisted as if fighting a battle between smiling at a bad joke or frowning at a bad joke.
Teresa sat straighter, prepared for battle. “He looks a lot like you except his hair’s longer and his shoulders aren’t as broad. Younger?”
“Yes, Parker is eight years younger. I thought you only talked to dead people.”
Teresa’s eyes widened. Her gaze darted from Amanda to Charley and back to Ross. “I do.” She swallowed and ran her tongue over her lips. “He is. I mean…you didn’t know?”
Ross’ features hardened. “I talked to my brother this morning. He’s very much alive.”
“I’m sorry. He’s not.”
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