Ghost Mortem (Ghost Detective #1) - Jane Hinchey Page 0,41

what mom said. "That makes sense." I could visualize her on the other end of the phone, nodding. "I know your dad, Laura and Dustin would like to help too," she said.

"Sure. Everyone is welcome. It'll be nice to get this place cleaned up. Ben would hate to see it like this and it would take me hours on my own."

"It's not...there's not..." Mom trailed off and I frowned before realizing what she was asking. She was worried there might be blood.

I shook my head. "Nothing like that, Mom. Just fingerprint dust and they've pulled stuff out of cupboards that needs putting away, that's all."

"Good, good. Well, I'll rally the troops."

"See you soon." We said our goodbyes and hung up. Galloway had finished his call and was standing a few feet away waiting for me to finish mine.

"Sounds like you have plans," he said.

I nodded. "Family is coming over. We're having a cleaning bee." I waved my hand at the disarray around us.

"Good. Well." He held out his hand to shake mine and I automatically took it. His grip was firm and warm, and my hand was dwarfed in his. "Thanks for your help. I'll hold up my end of the bargain, but in the meantime get yourself enrolled in PI school. There will be paperwork I'll have to sign to confirm I'll be your supervisor."

"Right. Will do." I didn't know why we were awkward with each other, but to say we were was an understatement. I walked him to the door, leaning back against it after he'd left, wondering if I'd just made a colossal mistake.

"What's up?" Ben asked, hovering in front of me.

"Am I making a mistake trusting him?" I asked, chewing a nail.

"Who, Kade?" Ben sounded surprised. "Absolutely not. He's one of the good guys, Audrey. Hell, do you think I'd have left you alone with him if I didn't trust him?"

"Pft. Like you could have done anything if he'd attacked me." I mean, really! Ben was incorporeal. He couldn't touch a thing, let alone help me if someone was out to hurt me.

"That's not the point." He huffed. "The point is, you can trust him. You have nothing to worry about from Kade Galloway."

The sun was dipping over the horizon, the sky a riot of reds, oranges, and pinks.

"Corker of a sunset," Dad said, lowering himself to sit next to me on the edge of the deck, my one-year-old niece Isabelle cradled on his lap.

"It sure is." I smiled at Dad. "Thanks for helping today." My family had been amazing. Everyone had turned up. Brad, Dustin, and Amanda had come straight from work, Dustin wrangling Madeline and Nathaniel from daycare. The kids had stopped their whining at leaving the funnest place on earth as soon as they'd spotted their favorite aunty and had immediately set to playing on the back lawn while the adults got busy inside. Except for me. I'd been shooed out the back door and designated babysitting duty, which was honestly no hardship at all. Ben had been agitated to begin with, having his belongings touched by other people. Just the thought of it had him all twitchy until I eventually muttered under my breath to calm down. He had. He'd taken a breath and then sat down by my side—thankfully the opposite side to Dad; otherwise Dad would have sat right on top of him. Or in him. Eeeew.

"This is what family does," Dad said. "I'm sorry about Ben." Dad patted my back, voice gruff.

"Yeah. Me too." I sighed. This was hard, being around sad people was making me sad. And I should be sad. It was only right that I was, but I was the lucky one—I had the ghost version of Ben right by my side and I'd take that over no Ben at all, any day.

"Pizza's here!" Mom called from the doorway. Madeline, a three-year-old after my own heart, immediately dropped the ball she'd been playing with and moved at lightning speed across the lawn, elbowing her way between me and Dad to get to the pizza. Her little brother Nathaniel toddled after her. I scooped him up and propped him on my hip while Dad carried Isabelle inside.

Laura had spread a checkered tablecloth on the floor and Madeline was already sitting on it, pizza in hand, a look of delight on her face at the impromptu indoor picnic.

"Good idea." I sat Nathaniel next to his cousin and Mom handed over a bite-sized piece of pizza for him, which