could find out what became of his mother and siblings, that might help him let go.
Their next encounter she’d take notes, get full names, dates, the parish and county of birth, and other pertinent information so she could do an ancestry search. She frowned. What if she dug up information that would torture him even more?
In that case, she’d keep the truth to herself and make up a plausible story about how his family had eventually overcome adversity and prospered. Daniel deserved peace after what he’d suffered, and she wanted to be the one to give him that gift. She no longer doubted he’d been the one whose plight had summoned her to Garretsville, and that meant she was the only one who could set him free.
He was the first ghost she’d ever met to affect her on a personal level. She found him and his story compelling. Oddly enough, she wanted to know more about him—who he’d been when living.
She groaned and rolled her eyes. More than likely her reaction to Daniel Cavanaugh had everything to do with loneliness coupled with the unusual circumstances leading her sisters to their husbands. Meredith was not like her sisters, and she needed to get her head on straight, out of the clouds, and back to reality—as strange as that reality might be.
Neither Grayce’s husband nor Regan’s had been dead when they’d met them. Daniel had been a ghost for far longer than he’d been alive. Besides, he’d already told her he wished for nothing more than to cross into the warm, beckoning light. She’d do her best to help him and all the other ghosties stuck in Garretsville, and then she’d go home and begin the fall semester, her savings account significantly diminished.
“The lights are on,” John said as they approached the cabin.
“They weren’t when you left?” Meredith asked.
“No.” Judy stepped up to the front porch. “We used the flashlight apps on our phones.”
“Great. That means Oliver knows we left.” Meredith muttered, following the couple inside.
Oliver sat at the kitchen table and glared at each of them in turn. “I can’t believe you three went …” He waved a hand in the air. “Exactly where did you go, and why didn’t you let me know?”
“You were asleep, and it’s after midnight. We didn’t want to wake you for a spur of the moment decision on our part,” John told him nodding his head toward her. “We followed Meredith to the saloon.”
Oliver’s gaze zeroed in on her. “Why would you go to the saloon alone in the middle of the night? Aren’t you the one who told me not all the dead are like Casper the Friendly Ghost?” he asked, throwing her warning back at her.
Heat filled her cheeks. “I went to the saloon because I promised the ghost from the gift shop that I’d meet him there.”
“Wait.” Oliver’s brow rose. “You can talk to them?”
She swallowed a few times. “Yes.” She glanced at each them in turn. “This is not something I admit freely to total strangers, but you three chose to come here because of the linger of ghosts, so—”
“What the hell is a linger of ghosts?” Oliver’s glare shifted to a look of confusion.
“It’s what we in the business of ghost whispering call a group of spirits haunting the same site.” She lifted her chin and sent her sisters a silent nod. “You know, like a flock of sheep, or a herd of horses.”
“Makes sense I guess,” Oliver said.
Judy and John jumped in then, explaining why they’d followed her and what they’d discovered. By the time they’d brought Oliver up to speed on everything, including how Judy’s ancestor had been murdered, Meredith could hardly keep her eyes open.
“We all need to be very careful,” she said. “The murderers Judy mentioned are also haunting Garretsville. Malicious spirits love to possess the unwary. They gain energy from fear, and those types always cause trouble of the worst kind.” She yawned. “Can we talk more about this later? I need sleep.”
“Sure, sure.” Oliver rose from his chair and stretched. “Just don’t leave me out in the future. I’d like to help.”
“Fine.” No way was she going to allow any of them to put themselves in harm’s way. She’d give Oliver made up tasks, and hopefully that would make him feel useful. The Schultes were a different story. Judy wanted to connect with her ancestor, and Meredith would facilitate that if possible.
“John, do you have more moonrise crystals? Oliver needs to protect his living