SPIRIT OF CONSEQUENCE (A Spirit Walking Mystery Book 1) (25 page)

“No.” I shook my head. “Actually, it’s not.”

Dodge stood up and joined us. “I don’t care if it’s fair to me or not. It’s what I want.”

Dexter turned to Dodge. “I still don’t like it.”

Dodge put his hand on Dexter’s shoulder. “Let me tell you about the first time I saw Samantha.”

“Okay,” Dexter said and crossed his arms again, going to listen but obviously not going to change his mind.

“She came into my apartment. It was the night after I was busted down to patrolman, the night of the hostage situation.”

“Bad night.”

“Yes, the worst. She came in and I had a glass of tequila in one hand and my pulse gun in the other.”

Dexter’s eyes widened, then softened. “Bad night.”

“Yes. If it hadn’t been for Samantha, I wouldn’t be here, Dexter. She’s like my lifeline to being alive.”

Dexter walked back to the couch and sat down. “Okay, let’s say I believe that she’s a ghost and she’s here in the room with me. Then why has she been lying to you about who she is?”

“She hasn’t been lying,” Dodge said.

“He knows exactly who I am,” I said.

Dexter couldn’t hear me, so he continued, “Her name cannot be Samantha Gerald.”

“It is too,” Dodge walked over and sat in the chair next to the couch.

“It’s the name I was born with,” I said and moved next to Dodge.

“It can’t be. I did some research on Samantha Gerald,” Dexter insisted.

Dodge’s eyes narrowed.

“No, don’t get mad. It’s what friends do when they think their friend has gone off the deep end over someone he refuses to introduce to his best friend.”

Dodge shook his head. “Her name is Samantha Gerald, Dexter.”

“Nope, can’t be.”

“Why?” Dodge asked.

“Well, for one thing, Samantha Gerald is already married and for another she’s still alive.”

“What?” Dodge and I said in unison.

Chapter 26

“What does he mean, I’m still alive?” I asked.

“Wait a minute, Samantha.” Dodge turned to Dexter. “What do you mean, she’s still alive?”

“She is.”

“No, she’s not. I saw the newspaper reports about her death.”

“Oh yeah, I read those too. Fiery ball, crashed into the ravine.”

“No one survives that, Dexter,” Dodge insisted.

“She did. It seems she wasn’t wearing her seatbelt and was thrown from her convertible. She tumbled through some trees and hit her head on a rock but she’s still alive.”

Dodge looked at me.

I shrugged. “I remember trying to grab on to branches and limbs and an excruciating pain in my head, but I’m pretty sure I died when Uncle George pulled the plug.”

“You’re wrong, Dexter,”

“No, I’m not. My sources are just better than yours. Her husband, a George Rosenberg – by the way he’s a pretty old man - didn’t want anyone bothering her, so he had the television and newspapers report her as dead. It seems he’s also a very rich guy and owns several of those newspapers and two television stations.”

“How do you know this?” Dodge asked.

“You know how good Jess is at research, Dodge.”

Dodge nodded and Dexter continued, “Some other guy, I think his name is Jeddah Rosenberg, he’s a lawyer and the old guy’s son. I guess that makes him her stepson. Oh, no, that’s not right, because when I went searching for her death certificate, I couldn’t find it, so I thought I’d take a look at her marriage certificate. Guess what?”

“What?” Dodge asked.

“I couldn’t find that either. I had to call in three favors but I eventually found it. The paper copy was misfiled and the computer file had been misnumbered. I wonder what the odds are of that happening. Well, she’s not married to the old guy at all; she’s married to his son.”

Dodge looked at me. “Samantha?”

“Well, I guess that’s actually the truth. All the publicity and hype were about me marrying Uncle George, but when it came down to the actual ceremony, I couldn’t do it. It would be like marrying my father.” I shuddered, “Yuck!”

“You married the son?”

“Sure, why not? Jed’s my best friend and we had an open marriage. I did what I wanted and so did he.”

Dodge frowned, then turned back to Dexter, “Let’s get back to what you were saying about the lawyer.”

“Oh, he had some paperwork drawn up to shut off the life-support machinery that’s keeping her alive. I have a friend who works at the courthouse. It seems George Rosenberg refused to do it, but Jed finally convinced him to let her go. The machines are being turned off on the 30
th
, which is this coming Monday.”

“She’s in a coma?” Dodge asked.

“Yeah, has been for the last five years.”

“If she was in a hospital, in a coma, someone would have found out about it.”

“She’s not in a hospital. That George guy had a special room built in his home in California; it’s somewhere in the Sierra foothills. She has around-the-clock doctors and nurses looking after her. It’s good to be rich.”

Dodge looked at me. “Samantha?”

“I don’t know, Dodge. The dreams I’ve been having about floating in my hospital room before I died, could they be about right now? What about the dream where the machines were turned off?”

“I don’t know, Samantha.”

“What’s she saying, Dodge?”

“She doesn’t have any idea what you’re talking about. She thinks she’s dead.”

“Well, if she’s the same Samantha Gerald, she’s not dead, not until Monday at least.”

“What does this mean, Dodge? Can I go back? Can I get back in my body?”

Dodge came over and took my hands. “If you go back and your body dies, won’t you move on?”

“Maybe that’s why I haven’t moved on, I’m not really dead. I’m just out of my body.”

“What’s she saying, Dodge?” Dexter came over and stood by us.

“I think we better get her back to her body,” Dodge said.

“Won’t she die if her body dies?”

“Maybe, but she’s been having problems staying, I don’t know, solid, already.”

“You mean she’s starting to go away anyway.” Dexter asked.

“I think so.” Dodge nodded.

“Then let’s get her back. I don’t know how it would be possible, but maybe she can bring her body back.”

Dodge smiled. “I like your attitude, Dexter.”

“I’m the more optimistic partner, remember.”

“Yes, you are. Let’s get out of these monkey suits.”

Dexter looked around. “Is she still here?”

“Sure.”

“Can you ask her to leave while I change?”

Dodge laughed. “God, I love you, Dexter.”

“Did she leave yet?” he asked.

“I’m going, I’m going.” I went into the hallway.

My body was still alive. I had dreamed that the machines were turned off. What happened then? Am I still alive without them, or are the tubes and machines still keeping my body alive? If I could get back into my body now, maybe I could survive. I could have a real life with Dodge.

A few minutes later, I stuck my head back into the room to see if they were ready to go. Their backs were to me.

“Do you know why she crashed?” Dexter asked Dodge.

“Yeah, it was raining and she lost control of her car.”

“That’s not all.” Dexter put his hand on Dodge’s shoulder. “Her eyes were closed. It was something she’d done before on that road. And…”

“I know about the alcohol and drugs, Dexter.”

“Okay, and according to my sources, her levels were off the charts.”

“It was her birthday and she went to a party,” said Dodge as he put his tennis shoes on.

Dexter shook his head. “You know better than that. With levels that high, any normal person would have been passed out cold someplace, but she didn’t because she was used to it.” Dexter held up his hand and pointed his fingers as he spoke. “She was driving her sports car, on a curvy road, at top speed, in the rain, with her eyes closed.”

“So?” Dodge turned and caught a glimpse of me standing at the door.

“She’s the worst kind of addict, Dodge. She’s addicted to drugs, alcohol, and high-risk thrills.”

I stepped farther into the room. “He’s right, Dodge.”

“Not now, you’ve been clean and sober for almost five years.”

“Wait a minute, she’s back?” Dexter looked around the room and started buttoning his shirt.

“Have I really, Dodge? I spent those five years seeking bigger and bigger thrills, ending with helping a cop catch a serial killer.”

Dexter stepped in front of Dodge. “Samantha, you’ve been out of your body for five years. When you get back in, those old cravings are still going to be there.”

I stepped right through Dexter and over to Dodge. “He’s right, Dodge.”

Dexter whirled his body around and shuddered. “Did she just walk through me?”

Dodge reached up and touched my face. “We’ll get through it together.”

Dexter came over to Dodge. “I said, did she just go through me?”

Dodge looked at Dexter and smiled. “Yes.”

Dexter frowned. “Tell her not to do it again. It feels weird.”

I leaned toward Dodge and brushed my lips against his, “Tell Dexter I promise not to do it again.”

Dodge reached his arms around my waist and pulled me close. Dexter put his hand over his eyes. “That looks too bizarre. The two of you should get a room.”

Dodge and I laughed.

Dexter moved one finger away from his eye. “Can you ask her to go back into the hallway? I’ve seen that look in your eye before, Dodge.”

I had too, so I left.

Dodge and Dexter emerged a few minutes later, just as Father Ben came down the hallway. “What’s going on?” he said.

“Change of plans, Father.”

“You’re not getting married?” he asked.

“No, my fiancée is still alive. I just have to get her ghost back into her body.”

“Well, if it all works out, come on back and I’ll marry you two.”

“Thanks, Father.”

Dodge, Dexter and I ran out of the chapel. Dexter looked back. “That’s a very understanding pastor. If they all were like that, I think I’d still be going to church every Sunday.”

We got into a cab and Dodge told the driver to get to the airport as fast as he could, “There’s an extra hundred if you can get us there in record time.”

The driver slammed the car into gear. “I can get you there in better than record time. I know all the back roads.”

We took off out of the chapel’s parking lot.

“Dodge, I might be able to get back on my own.”

“How?”

“I was in my hospital room and I just thought about you and then I was next to you.”

“No,” Dodge shook his head.

“Why not?”

He put his hand on my leg. “I want to keep you close, so stay here. We’ll take the old-fashioned way back.”

The driver was true to his word. He got us to the airport in ten minutes. Dodge paid the man and the three of us ran into the terminal.

“The closest airport to the house is in Sacramento. When’s the next flight there?” I asked.

Dodge looked at the departing flights list. “There’s one leaving in ten minutes. With our badges, we should be able to get right on.”

Fifteen minutes later we flew out of Vegas. Dexter fell asleep the minute he sat down, Dodge worked on some paperwork for Matthew’s arrest, and I paced.

On my tenth trip up the aisle, Dodge lifted his head and smiled.

“I’m going to go crazy before we get there!” I said.

He took his earphone out of his pocket and put it to his ear. His smile broadened and his eyes glistened.

I had seen that look before, too. Usually right before he slid his hands all over my body.

“Do you know the first thing I’m going to feed you?”

“You’re thinking about food, right now?”

“No, I’m thinking about feeding you food.”

“Ah,” I smiled. “What’s my first meal going to be?”

“Strawberries.”

“I don’t like strawberries.”

“You will.” His smile intensified.

I raised my eyebrows. “I will?”

“Oh yeah, by the time I’m finished with you, you’ll beg me to feed you the strawberries.”

My eyes widened just as Dexter reached over and pulled the phone from Dodge’s ear. “I told you to get a room! Now would you please let a tired friend sleep?”

Dodge and I laughed.

He put his paperwork away in his briefcase. “I need to use the bathroom.”

Dexter glanced at Dodge and rolled his eyes, put his head against the seat and went back to sleep.

Dodge got up and I followed him. He went into the bathroom and closed the door. I stayed outside. Wasn’t this just one more thrill? Granted, it was one I never experienced but thought about every time I got on a plane. Maybe it was time to step back and stop the thrill-seeking. A few seconds later the door opened and Dodge stuck his head out. He looked around, then beckoned me.

I frowned and shook my head.

He looked around again. Then reached out, grabbed my hand, and dragged me into the bathroom.

As soon as the door closed, I tried to speak. He covered my mouth with his. It was a long and luscious kiss. The kind that makes your toes curl and your body sigh.

I pushed him back. “Dodge.”

He tilted his head up, smiled, and said, “Skip the red negligee.”

“This is just one more thrill, Dodge. I need to stop.”

“Stop later. I’ll never be able to do this when you’re actually in your body. Everyone would see us going into the bathroom together.”

“Thrills are okay if you don’t get caught?” I teased.

“No, but some are worth trying, especially when you can.” He slid his hands under my shirt.

I gasped when he reached my breasts.

“Ah,” he whispered into my ear. “See? You think it’s a good idea, too.”

Two can play this game, I thought. I changed into a black lace bra with panties to match.

Dodge groaned, slid his hands under my panties and onto my butt as his tongue circled my breast. He pulled me closer to him.

I closed my eyes and felt the warmth spread from my breast down my body.

“I love you, Samantha,” Dodge murmured between kisses.

“I love you, too.” I said as I leaned back to relish the sensation.

As the feeling of intense delight grew I felt myself moving away from Dodge. I reached out; trying to stop him, but my hand went through his shoulder. Extreme emotions – fear, frustration, ecstasy seem to be the key to moving from one plane of existence to the next.