Ghost Writer - Pandora Pine Page 0,20

either of you gotten up to investigate if doors really are slamming in the house?” Jude had wandered over to the bedroom door and was moving it back and forth.

Marc shook his head. “No. Peg is scared to death when it happens and since I can’t hear what she hears, there’s no need for me to get up and investigate.”

Christ, this fucker was a true prince among men. Cope took a deep breath in hopes of saving what little of his patience remained.

Out of the blue, Jude slammed the bedroom door. “Is that the sound your wife is hearing?”

“I don’t know.” Marc shoved his hands in his pockets and crossed to the bed. He sank down wearily, his eyes on his shoes. “I thought the two of you would come out here, mumble some magic words, hand me a huge bill and be on your way. Then I’d be able to tell Peg whatever she’s hearing is just a figment of her imagination and get her a good psychiatrist. You know, get her off my hands for a while.”

Cope’s mouth hung open. He wanted to lash out at this man, tell him what an insensitive bag of dicks he was. “Let me get this straight,” Cope took a deep breath. Jude took one step toward him, but Cope’s attention was on Marc. “Your wife believes there’s a spirit in this house. Whatever is happening troubles her at night and scares her. Your solution is to hire us to debunk her theory so you can get her committed and have some time to yourself?” The tone of his voice had risen several octaves as he spoke.

“Cope.” Jude’s voice held a hint of warning.

“You might think what we do for a living is some kind of a joke, but let me assure you, it isn’t. I’ve been speaking to spirits since I was a teenager. Some beg for my help. Others, like the spirit in this house, take a bit more coaxing.” Cope’s blood pressure was through the roof. How dare this asshat use his gifts as a means of harming Peg?

“I thought you said you didn’t sense anything,” Jude half-whispered.

“Peg had some kind of experience in this house.” Cope threw his arms wide. “She should have been here today to explain it all to me herself. Instead, we get this guy who has no interest in his wife or her well-being. All he cares about is himself. We’ve got customers begging for our help on a daily basis and here you are wasting our time.”

Jude’s eyes widened, but he stayed silent.

Reaching into his pocket he pulled out his wallet. “This is my card. Give it to your wife. I can be reached day or night.” Cope took a step closer to Marc, who’s mouth hung open, and handed him the card. He opened his mouth for one last shot at this ridiculous excuse for a man, but at the last minute, changed his mind.

Without looking back, Cope stormed out of the room. He didn’t stop walking until he was outside, with the June sunshine beating down on his face.

“You want to explain that to me?” Jude’s easy smile was back in place when he caught up to Cope. He pressed a kiss to Cope’s cheek. “Was that my husband feeling angry and frustrated up there, or were you being influenced by something?”

“I don’t know.” Cope sighed before he started to assess himself. “I’m frustrated. There’s no doubt about it. My anger is real too. In all the years I’ve been doing work like this, I’ve never been asked to disprove something paranormal.”

“Did you get the impression Marc was hiding something from us?” Jude’s words sounded caged.

“I started reading him the moment he stepped outside to meet us. His motives are muddy, as much as it sucks to know that. He thinks his wife is nuts. She’s hearing things he can’t. His next step…” Cope didn’t want to say it out loud.

“Is to have her committed against her will.” Jude gave his head a shake.

“Yeah, something like that. Apparently, schizophrenia runs in Peg’s family.”

“You don’t think that is what’s going on here.” Again, Jude’s tone was carefully neutral.

“No. I don’t think Peg’s mental health has anything to do with what she’s sensing here. What else do we know about Peg Waller?” Cope yanked open the door, forgetting to treat Jude’s baby like a queen.

Jude raised an eyebrow in return. “Nothing. All of my research was centered on the house, not the people