Page 74 of The Spirit Key
Damn. I was so sure he’d be at the shelter. The ghost seemed fixated on the place and the people who came for help. “Okay, thank you for your time.” I reached into my pocket, drew out my wallet, and pulled a twenty from the recesses. I handed it over to Robert, who smiled at me.
“Thanks. We need all the support we can get.” He pulled open a drawer, slid the money inside, then closed it. “Let me get you a receipt.”
“No, that’s okay. But if you have a piece of paper, I’d appreciate it if I could give you my number so you can call if Tim shows up.”
Robert frowned. “What’s this about? Is something wrong with Tim?”
That was an understatement. “No, he’s just been feeling a little light-headed the last few days, and none of his friends have seen him, so we’re looking for him.” It was scary how easy the lie was.
“Oh.” He handed me a pen and a slip of paper. “Yes, definitely. Please, give me the number.”
I scribbled it down, handed him the paper, and turned to leave.
“You’ll let me know if you find him, right?”
I glanced over my shoulder. “You bet. And by the way, thank you for helping people out. It’s a great thing you’re doing.”
Before he could reply, I stepped outside. Now I was totally lost. The way the ghost spoke, I expected he would be drawn back here because he’d come here before. Maybe it was time to admit to myself that I didn’t know nearly as much as I thought.
“Thanks for that, Sofia. You’re a big freaking help.” I shoved my hand into my pocket and headed down the street.
As I walked, my mind drifted to places that the spirit could make Tim go to find kids who would fit his needs. He liked them blond with blue eyes. Or at least that had been what I’d seen. What if he didn’t have a type? What if he just wanted to kill children and didn’t care who they were? Fuck, I wish I knew more about who he had been before he died.
For some reason a scene from a movie flashed in my head. The hero called for his support team and had them do background checks of people he suspected of being the big bad. What I wouldn’t give to have a group of people I could call on to help me figure out things. I knew he’d been at it for years and had taken a number of hosts. How many of those had been caught and jailed? How many lives had this… this monster ruined? How many families thought of their father as a murderer? Hell, had he only taken men? I didn’t know nearly enough about the person the spirit had been. There could have been women too.
Fuck, this was all such bullshit, and it was making my head hurt.
“Sofia, if you’re there, I really could use some help.”
Of course there was no reply. Not that I actually expected one.
My phone rang, and when I looked at the caller ID, I saw it was Ryan.
“Hey, Ry. I’m kind of in the middle of something. Can I call you back later?”
“Just wanted to let you know that I appreciate your offer to watch the kids, but I know you’re busy, and Tim said he’d be happy to do it. So if you need—”
“Tim said? When did you talk to Tim?”
“About an hour or so ago. I was looking for you, but he said you were job hunting and couldn’t help out, but he was home today and had no problems watching them. I’m taking Karen to the doctor. She’s been feeling queasy. Last time that happened, we found out she was pregnant. So, yeah. Fingers crossed on that one. But when we’re done, if you need a ride, I can—”
“No! You can’t let Tim watch your kids.”
“What? Why the hell not?”
Oh damn. Images of Carter and Samantha came rushing back. They were blond with blue eyes. And Tim had been seeing them since they were born. He said he loved them like they were his own.
Oh my God, Tim was going to kill Ryan’s kids.
“THAT’S NOTTim.”
“What the hell do you mean, it’s not Tim? I saw him with my own eyes.”
Oh God. How the hell could I convince him? “Remember when I told you I saw ghosts? There’s one inside Tim now, and it’s someone who’s killed children in the past. He likes them blond and blue-eyed.”
The gulp on the other end of the line was audible. “Please tell me you’re trying to be funny.”
“I’m not, Ry. I wish to God I was. Please, you have to get home. You can’t leave him alone with the kids.”
