her dreams and now I’m wondering if my painting and her visions are connected. I need details. And how did you get all this information on the different cases anyway?”
“Grant.”
Stefan nodded. It’s what he’d expected. His FBI friend was always on top of the weird and wonderful cases.
“And how did he know what to look for?”
“I was trying to find something to match up to Sam’s nightmares. She’s so much stronger now that she’s learning to control her abilities. It makes my job much harder. Now the victims can be anywhere across the country – or in different countries.”
“And that had been my initial interpretation. Except… damn it.” Stefan leaned closer and said in outrage, “Someone else painted a scalpel into my picture.”
Brandt gasped, then laughed and laughed. “Oh my, is that Alex’s sister messing around in your life again?”
“Probably.” Stefan turned around to find his pixie of a ghost, the sister of a dear friend, sitting crossed-legged on his paints. “Did you do this?” he growled at her.
She frowned. “So what if I did? It needed something.”
He rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t doing anything specific. This was an exercise in stress relief.” He paused and eyed her carefully. “Why a scalpel?”
She shrugged. “It looked like the heart had been cut out, so I figured a surgeon’s knife was the perfect accompaniment.” With a glare at the painting she added, “But I didn’t do a very good job, did I? I keep trying to be as good as you, but it’s not the same look at all.”
He shook his head. “If you want to paint, then I’ll get you a canvas of your own and you can paint all you want. Just please leave my paintings alone.”
She straightened, obviously offended. She glared at him and when he sighed heavily and was about to apologize, she poofed into thin air.
“Damn,” Stefan snapped at the empty space where she’d been. “Stop running away when I’m talking to you.”
“Did she disappear on you?” Brandt snickered. “She’s a cheeky kid, isn’t she?”
“That she is. It’s like she’s moved right in and taken over. She says she’s needed.” He groaned. “Not sure what I’ll do if she decides to take up cooking.”
Brandt went off in gales of laughter.
“Glad you think that’s funny.” Stefan glared into the phone. He didn’t get why his teenage ghost Lissa was such a source of amusement to everyone but him. He cared about her, but she was a ghost for crying out loud. She was supposed to go home. Instead, she said that now that her sister Alex, one of Stefan’s psychic friends, was fine then Stefan was her next mission. Maybe after he finally got his life together then she’d consider leaving. For now she was having too much fun to go.
Stefan wanted to throw his phone across the room. Ghosts weren’t supposed to haunt him. But in her case it was out of sisterly love that she stayed, and honestly Stefan didn’t quite know what to do with her. And therefore did nothing.
“So why did you call?” Brandt asked. “If I remember correctly none of these cases involve hearts.”
Stefan pulled his thoughts together. He’d seen something in the files. “Is there any correlation between the victims all being in some kind of accident? Several mentioned that they were in rehab or physiotherapy.”
“Hmmm.” Brandt said, his voice deepening. Stefan could see Brandt’s frown in his mind’s eye. Could hear him tapping away on a keyboard.
“One had a car accident,” Brandt added helpfully. “Another went crazy at three thousand feet in a small plane and opened the door. So that hardly counts.”
“And what makes you think these men had anything hokey about their cases?”
“Sam. Yet I can’t find anything to connect these cases. There are a few others that I have sent for more information on but I’m still waiting. Can you pick up anything?”
“Not yet.” Stefan shook his head as he walked to the back of his
“Grant.”
Stefan nodded. It’s what he’d expected. His FBI friend was always on top of the weird and wonderful cases.
“And how did he know what to look for?”
“I was trying to find something to match up to Sam’s nightmares. She’s so much stronger now that she’s learning to control her abilities. It makes my job much harder. Now the victims can be anywhere across the country – or in different countries.”
“And that had been my initial interpretation. Except… damn it.” Stefan leaned closer and said in outrage, “Someone else painted a scalpel into my picture.”
Brandt gasped, then laughed and laughed. “Oh my, is that Alex’s sister messing around in your life again?”
“Probably.” Stefan turned around to find his pixie of a ghost, the sister of a dear friend, sitting crossed-legged on his paints. “Did you do this?” he growled at her.
She frowned. “So what if I did? It needed something.”
He rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t doing anything specific. This was an exercise in stress relief.” He paused and eyed her carefully. “Why a scalpel?”
She shrugged. “It looked like the heart had been cut out, so I figured a surgeon’s knife was the perfect accompaniment.” With a glare at the painting she added, “But I didn’t do a very good job, did I? I keep trying to be as good as you, but it’s not the same look at all.”
He shook his head. “If you want to paint, then I’ll get you a canvas of your own and you can paint all you want. Just please leave my paintings alone.”
She straightened, obviously offended. She glared at him and when he sighed heavily and was about to apologize, she poofed into thin air.
“Damn,” Stefan snapped at the empty space where she’d been. “Stop running away when I’m talking to you.”
“Did she disappear on you?” Brandt snickered. “She’s a cheeky kid, isn’t she?”
“That she is. It’s like she’s moved right in and taken over. She says she’s needed.” He groaned. “Not sure what I’ll do if she decides to take up cooking.”
Brandt went off in gales of laughter.
“Glad you think that’s funny.” Stefan glared into the phone. He didn’t get why his teenage ghost Lissa was such a source of amusement to everyone but him. He cared about her, but she was a ghost for crying out loud. She was supposed to go home. Instead, she said that now that her sister Alex, one of Stefan’s psychic friends, was fine then Stefan was her next mission. Maybe after he finally got his life together then she’d consider leaving. For now she was having too much fun to go.
Stefan wanted to throw his phone across the room. Ghosts weren’t supposed to haunt him. But in her case it was out of sisterly love that she stayed, and honestly Stefan didn’t quite know what to do with her. And therefore did nothing.
“So why did you call?” Brandt asked. “If I remember correctly none of these cases involve hearts.”
Stefan pulled his thoughts together. He’d seen something in the files. “Is there any correlation between the victims all being in some kind of accident? Several mentioned that they were in rehab or physiotherapy.”
“Hmmm.” Brandt said, his voice deepening. Stefan could see Brandt’s frown in his mind’s eye. Could hear him tapping away on a keyboard.
“One had a car accident,” Brandt added helpfully. “Another went crazy at three thousand feet in a small plane and opened the door. So that hardly counts.”
“And what makes you think these men had anything hokey about their cases?”
“Sam. Yet I can’t find anything to connect these cases. There are a few others that I have sent for more information on but I’m still waiting. Can you pick up anything?”
“Not yet.” Stefan shook his head as he walked to the back of his
Similar Books
