Page 47 of You'll Be the Death of Me

“Well, here’s hoping this was my wrong turn and this will all be over soon,” she said.

Cole gave her a soft smile and nodded.

“So, I know you can’t talk to me, but I’d really like to know what the hell that whole Bride of Frankenstein scene I just witnessed was,” Jason said. “Were you haunting Tommy?”

“Yes!” Dell blurted, not surprised he figured it out. She had so much to tell him. So much had happened since they’d last seen each other in the park. “First off, my marriage is off, obviously—”

“He can’t hear you, Dell,” Cole reminded her. “You seem to have some kind of best friend telepathy already, but I think this is going to take more than a few hand signals.”

Dell grumbled in frustration, feeling like the Little Mermaid who sold her soul and voice for a pair of legs. “We need Robbie,” she said.

Cole grimaced. “That kid is probably locked in his parents’ basement burning sage and saying the rosary after what you did to him.”

“Yeah, well, he’s our best bet.” She thought for a minute and then reached out for Jason’s hand. “Come here, Jay,” she said.

Jason looked down when he felt the cold, and blinked a few times. She kept her hand on his, sending signal she wanted him to take it. Slowly, Jason extended his arm and held his hand palm up.

“Is this what you want?” he asked.

Dell said yes by keeping her hand hovering on his.

Jason took a hesitant step forward.

“Yes! That’s it,” Dell cheered. She kept her hand on his, telling him to keep going.

He took a few more steps down the hall, eyes peeled for signs of what came next. “This is so creeeeepy,” he quietly sang, but kept walking.

She led him to her office and left him in the middle of the room.

“Is this where the haunting began?” Jason asked, and nodded at the shattered picture of her and Tommy on the floor.

“Yes,” she said aloud, and squatted down near the dirt. She thought about Tommy confirming his devious plan and used her anger to erase the wordnutsand scoop the dirt back into her hand. She poured out enough from her fist to shape the letterR.

“Smart,” Cole commended.

“Yeah, too bad I can’t tell him the whole story in potting soil,” Dell said, and added anoandbto her artwork.

“Rob?” Jason guessed. “Don’t tell me that bastard was going to rob you somehow too.”

“No,” Dell said. “Well, I guessyes, because he was going to steal my trust fund, but that’s not where this is going.” She added anotherb, and Jason gasped.

“Robbie! You want to use Robbie again!”

“Yes!” Dell said with a clap of her hands.

“Well, good thing I had Mariana look up his address in case we needed him,” Jason said. “I doubt that kid is ever coming to the park again after this morning. He’ll probably run screaming at the sight of me, but it’s worth a shot.”

“You are brilliant,” Dell said, and swiped his arm.

“You’re welcome. You’ve got some explaining to do. Let’s go out the back door in case the vultures aren’t done devouring Tommy out front yet. I hope they pick his bones clean,” Jason said as he headed down the hall.

Chapter 9

The back door led to a paved patio with a gate. As Dell and Cole followed Jason outside into the late-afternoon sun, Dell felt the weight of everything that had just happened sink over her. The revelations nearly crushed her.

Cole stopped walking and placed a gentle hand on her arm. “Are you okay?”

“Of course not.” Her voice cracked like glass at the end of her sentence. She shuddered as if she’d sobbed, though nothing wet came out of her eyes. “I died and found out my fiancé is cheating on me and plotting my death all in the same day.”