Ghost Mortem (Ghost Detective #1) - Jane Hinchey Page 0,5

his head to look at me, making me jump and spill my coffee in my lap.

“Shit!” I jumped up, placing the cup on the table and rushing to the bathroom. Darn, it was hot, hot, hot. I quickly stripped out of my PJ pants, the skin of my thighs bright red from the hot drink.

“You okay?” Ben called.

“I’m just going to jump in the shower,” I called back. Might as well, since I was partially undressed. And he hadn’t been wrong when he said I smelled like a brewery. Anyone would think I’d marinated myself in tequila. Grabbing a strand of blonde hair, I pulled it in front of my nose, rearing back at the stench. Gross. God, I must have dragged my hair through the contents of the bar—and goodness knows what else.

Keeping the water cool, I stepped beneath the spray, wincing a little as it hit my heated flesh. After a few minutes, the sting disappeared and I cranked up the heat, steaming up the bathroom. Freshly washed and shampooed, I eventually dried myself, slipped on a robe and wrapped my hair in my turban towel. I cracked open the door and peeked out. Was Ben still here or had he gotten tired of waiting? I spotted him in the same position on the sofa. Pulling the belt of my robe tighter around my waist, I went and sat down. My coffee was almost cold, but I didn’t care. I slugged it down.

“Remember anything yet?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Something’s not right. Audrey, I think something’s wrong.” His voice had taken on an urgent tone and my heart rate spiked in response.

“What? What do you think it is? Amnesia? A brain tumor?”

He chuckled. “I’m wondering if I was drugged. If someone slipped me something. This has all the hallmarks of a roofie.”

I clapped a hand over my mouth, then peeled my fingers away to whisper, “Someone roofied you? That’s awful! But who? And why? Have they…?” I dropped my eyes to his jean-clad crotch and back to his face, fearful for him.

“I don’t feel like anything like that happened,” he said, but his dark brows were drawn together in a frown. My pickled brain scrambled through everything I knew about the date rape drug Rohypnol. It wasn’t a lot. All I knew was that it was a sedative and aftereffects could include memory loss.

“We should get you to the hospital, get you tested.”

“Yeah. Maybe.” He nodded.

“You were going to drop me at my car anyway,” I pointed out. “We could do that afterwards.”

“Okay, sure.” He stood, heading for my front door. “I’ll wait outside for you.”

I’d been about to follow him when I realized I was still in my bathrobe. Duh. I turned my back, already loosening the belt when he said, “Uh. Audrey?”

“Yeah?” I was rummaging through my dresser for jeans and a T-shirt.

“I can’t open the door.”

“What do you mean you can’t open the door?”

“I don’t know.” Frowning, I looked at him over my shoulder. He was standing by the front door looking helpless. The drugs must’ve messed up his head.

“Okay, wait a second and I’ll help you. Just turn your back while I get dressed.” I kept an eye on him, waiting until he’d done as instructed and was now facing the wall. Quickly stripping out of my robe, I pulled on clean underwear, slipped on a Scooby-Doo T-shirt and worn jeans and slid my feet into my sparkly pink flip flops.

“Right, let’s go.” I leaned down to pick up my purse from the floor when Ben said, “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“What’s that?”

“Hair?”

I lifted a hand to my head to find my hair still wrapped in my turban towel. I laughed. “Oops.” I studied his face. Now that I was closer I could see he had a grey pallor. Reaching around him I opened the door and held it open for him to pass through. “You don’t look so hot. Why not wait for me outside in the fresh air. I’ll only be a minute.”

He chuckled as he brushed past, his skin prickling mine in an icy shiver as we touched. “You forget I know you too well, Audrey Fitzgerald. You will be twenty minutes minimum.”

I clasped my hands to my chest in mock outrage. “How dare you.”

“Go.” He waved me away. “I’m going to sit here on your stairs and wait.”

3

Ben wasn’t on the stairs when I emerged thirty minutes later. Okay, so I took longer than anticipated. My blonde hair is thick,