Ghost Mortem (Ghost Detective #1) - Jane Hinchey Page 0,59

of attorney of Bill's affairs?"

I nodded. "That's right."

"Okay, excellent. We've got everything we need from McConnell's, but we do need you to pop in at some stage and provide us with photographic I.D. Just for our records, you understand."

"That's fine, I can do that. I need to come in and visit with Bill anyway. Does he know? That Ben died?"

"He does not. It's highly doubtful he would understand or comprehend it."

"Oh. That's so sad." Alzheimer’s was an awful disease. "So do you think I should tell him?" I chewed on my nail.

"Maybe when you come in talk to one of the doctors?" she replied. "They'd be a better judge of that."

I nodded. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I'll do that. Actually..." I glanced at the time. "Could I come in now?" It was almost three thirty. I figured I could drop into the care facility on my way home.

"Of course. Just report to reception. We'll have everything waiting for you."

"Thank you." Disconnecting the call, I looked at Ben, who had moved over to the sliding door overlooking the back garden and was looking outside.

"You wanna come visit your dad with me?" I asked.

"Yeah. Just...prepare yourself, Fitz, okay? He won't know who you are. That can be confronting when it's someone you've known your whole life and they don’t remember you."

I reached out to lay my hand on his shoulder, only of course my hand moved right through him and hit the window instead. "Shit."

Ben chuckled. "Another thing to get used to, eh?"

"Have you seen Thor? I want to let him know I'm leaving and see what he wants to do." Words I thought I'd never say. Checking in with a cat.

"Not since he shot out the cat door when Armstrong arrived."

Sliding the glass door open, I figured I should at least make an effort to find the feline. "Thor!" I called, stepping out onto the deck, hand raised to shield my eyes from the afternoon sun. I scanned the garden for movement. None. Not even a twitch of a fuzzy tail. I called his name again and stepped down onto the grass, scouted the entire back garden with no sign of the furry terror. "Come on, Thor!" I bellowed. Then I heard it. Percy barking.

"I bet you're next door stirring up the dog," I muttered, spinning on my heel and heading toward the gate that separated the two properties. Sure enough the gate was ajar, a big enough gap for one overweight puss to squeeze through. Pushing the gate open further, I stepped through. Mrs. Hill's back garden was beautiful. Laid out in a country cottage style, with a little hedge bordering a paved area with a birdbath in the center, garden beds full of shrubs in bloom, a yellow birch dominating one corner.

"Thor!" I whisper-shouted. I'd never been in Mrs. Hill's garden before and it didn't feel right being here, despite the fact that she quite frequently used the gate to cross onto Ben's property. Something told me if she knew I was in her back garden she wouldn't be happy. Percy was inside and his barking escalated when he heard me. Damn it, he was going to get me busted.

I darted across to the house and pressed my back against the wall, just in case Mrs. Hill peered out one of her back windows to check what the ruckus was about. But of Thor, there was no sighting. Maybe he wasn't here after all. Maybe he was in the woods and I wasn't ready to go in there yet. I wasn't sure I'd ever be ready; just the thought of it had flashes of Ben's body appearing in my mind—a sight that could never be erased.

"Darn cat." I cursed, tiptoeing back to the gate and not breathing easy until I was back on the other side. I closed the gate, made sure the latch clicked. "If you're over there and ignoring me," I stage whispered again, "you're going to have to jump your lazy ass over the fence to get home." Still no reply and a tinge of worry had me chewing my lip again.

"He'll be fine," Ben said when I went back inside, minus one cat. "He's probably asleep in one of his favorite sunny spots."

"In the woods?" I asked, casting a dubious glance at the woods looming alongside Ben's garden.

"Affirmative."

"Fine." I huffed. "I'll go see your dad and then swing back past here to check on him, see if he wants to come back