Spooky Business (The Spectral Files #3) - S.E. Harmon Page 0,77

you’d be in serious trouble right now.” I continued to peruse the TV guide restlessly. “What’s the cause of death?”

“Asphyxia,” Graycie said. When I didn’t respond, he let out a humorless chuckle. “Good to know you’re still embracing your cold, analytical, emotionless side. You’ve always excelled at that.”

Didn’t seem to stop you from hitting on me every six seconds.

“Were you expecting me to fall to my knees sobbing?” I raised an eyebrow even though he couldn’t see me. “I assumed his work Visa from hell had to expire sometime.”

“He died in his cell. Alone.” He paused, letting that sink in. “Does that mean anything to you?”

“Should it?”

“Well, some of the guards have been talking. They said odd things were happening around Kane.” He paused yet again, dramatic enough to audition for any soap opera. “They also claimed that you talked to yourself when you were alone in the interrogation room.”

“Well, case closed then. Lock me up and throw away the key. Talking to yourself gets you twenty to life, right?”

“I’m just telling you what they’re saying,” he said. “If you’re going to be working for me again, you need to avoid even a hint of suspicion.”

“That would be great if I was actually coming back to the FBI.”

I did a quick mental check to see how I felt about that. My emotional meter pinged on zero. I wasn’t disappointed or upset. If anything, I felt relieved to have finally made a choice. It just felt… right. I was all in with the PTU and that was just that.

Graycie had never been all that keen on the word no. “Is that your final answer?”

“Yes, Regis.”

“You know you’d be better off at the FBI. We have better resources. Better opportunities for someone with your unique capability. Tell me I’m wrong,” he demanded.

“Grace? Take a page from Frozen. Let it the fuck go.”

He made a huffy sound. “I’m assuming you’re still available to consult?”

“We’ll see.”

“On what?” he growled.

“On whether it fits my schedule or not. The PTU comes first.”

“Yeah? And what does your detective think about you using ghosts as your hit squad?”

“I don’t know what he thinks, but I think you should blow it out your ass,” I suggested kindly.

He sighed. “At least you found the Roses. And solved the copycat murders.”

“We also found Delilah Rose,” I reminded him.

“That is true. I still don’t know whether to kiss or throttle you.”

“Luckily for you, I respond to both of those options the same way,” I said sweetly. “With a knee to the nuts.”

He huffed in amusement and hung up. Too bad. I hated when Graycie got the drop on me.

I tossed my phone on the table and drew my feet up on the couch. After a moment of trying to get comfortable, I decided to lie down lengthwise instead. I stared at the TV for a while, the light from the screen flickering across my face. A mother-daughter duo busily discussed home improvements on a house that clearly needed to be bulldozed.

Kane’s final words to me kept running through my head. I didn’t feel good about his parting shot when he was alive. I liked it even less now that he was dead.

I’ll see ya real soon, Doc. That’s a promise.

Chapter 21

I woke to the warmth of the sun on my face as it peeked through the blinds. I stretched slowly with a wide yawn. Heady freedom came with a Saturday morning that couldn’t be matched. If I wanted to get up and eat breakfast, I could. If I wanted to turn on the TV and lounge in bed, I could. Hell, if I wanted to turn back over and go back to sleep, I could do that, too.

My favorite Saturday morning activity was probably off the table, despite evidence to the contrary, currently lodged against my backside. I glanced over my shoulder, only to find Danny sleeping peacefully, his arm still locked around my middle, his leg half over my thigh. I couldn’t help but push back against that bulge slightly. Maybe a little more than slightly. All right, it was pretty much a slow grind. When he sighed in his sleep, his arm tightening around my waist, I stopped immediately.

Things were still a little…off between Danny and me.

We’d hashed out the FBI job offer situation, which was great. But I wasn’t oblivious enough to think he’d forgiven me completely for keeping it a secret. We were still treating one another a little too delicately, as though we were both afraid to