appeared. Before he could say something, she looked up and shrieked.
Nick rose quickly. “Relax. It’s just me and Sadie. We heard—”
Before he could finish his sentence, she threw a set of keys on the floor with a loud crash. “Angie” was spelled out in chunky silver metal. A large brown stain covered Brandee’s blouse.
“Oh, my invasion of privacy! What the pluck are you doing in my apartment?”
“I was about to tell you.” But what could he say? He didn’t want to frighten her by mentioning ghosts. But what other explanation was there, besides a robbery or surprise party? If only I had a cake and balloons.
Thankfully, Sadie jumped in. “I was trying to see if there were any spirits present in your apartment. Nick said you described some otherworldly sounds, and I—”
Brandee jammed her hands onto her hips. “And you never thought to ask my permission? You just decided to come up here and look around? Un-freakin’-believable.”
Nick tried to reach for her, but she stepped away. “I didn’t want to scare you if it was nothing, sweetheart.”
“Oh, it’s not nothing,” Brandee said. “You’d probably arrest someone who was in your apartment without permission.”
“I, uh—well…”
“Give me my keys and get out. Right now. Both of you.”
Sadie crossed to the door immediately, but Nick didn’t move. He had to get Brandee to understand. The tenuous trust he had managed to reclaim couldn’t withstand any more suspicion.
“Brandee, please let me explain. I had to be sure you didn’t have a poltergeist or some kind of—”
She stomped her foot. “No, you didn’t. You didn’t have to poke around my home without my knowledge or permission. You didn’t. Angie and I have lived here for a year. If the boogeyman was going to get me, wouldn’t the spirit or poltergeist or whatever monster is under the bed have made a move by now?”
He opened his mouth to speak, but she shut him down with her continuing tirade.
“I don’t know who you think you are. One minute you want nothing to do with relationships, and the next you’re taking over my life.”
“But—”
“But nothing! I said ‘Get out’ and I’m not going to say it again. Now hand over my damn keys. I have to change my blouse and get back to work. I’m not going into my bedroom until you’re on the other side of this door. If you still refuse to leave, I’m calling the cops. Oh, and here’s your damn camera.” She picked it up off the side table and thrust it at him. He didn’t want to take it, but she looked ready to throw it at him if he didn’t.
Sadie grabbed Nick’s arm and tugged. “Come on, Nick. Sometimes it’s better to live to fight another day.”
One more look at the murder in his girlfriend’s eyes told him perhaps Sadie was right.
Nick handed Brandee’s key ring to her. “We’ll talk later.” He followed Sadie out, and the door slammed behind them—hard.
***
After the shift from hell, Brandee flopped into the side chair. She didn’t want to sit on the couch where she and Nick had almost—forget it. She had to forget Nick Wolfensen.
Sadie’s presence is what really threw her. Ghosts? She couldn’t see the two of them together in her apartment for any other reason. She needed to talk to someone, bad.
“Ange?” she called out.
Angie rounded the corner, wearing her pajama bottoms and a tank top. She was brushing her shiny blond hair one hundred strokes like she did every night. “Yeah?”
“Can you talk for a few minutes?”
Angie stopped brushing and lowered herself to the couch. “What’s up?”
“I need a sympathetic ear.”
“Sympathetic is my middle name.”
Brandee smiled. “Well, Angie Sympathetic Tripp, what I have to tell you is going to sound weird.”
Angie sighed. “Weird is my other middle name. Angie Sympathetic to Weird Shit Tripp. So, spill it.”
“Remember when I ran up here to change my shirt during our shift?”
“Yeah, you had a collision with someone’s rum and Coke. I remember.”
“When I walked in, I caught Nick and Sadie sniffing around our living room.”
Angie reared back. “Nick and Sadie? Wait, you gave Nick your keys, but I thought it was to look at your car.”
“It was. But apparently he used them to let Sadie in so she could look for ghosts in our apartment.”
Angie’s jaw dropped. “What the… They were playing ghost busters? Here?”
“Yeah. Sadie said she sensed a presence, and Nick wanted her to check it out to be sure we were safe.”
Angie glanced around the apartment. “Oh my God. Did they