Nearly Departed (Spring Cleaning Mysteries) (25 page)

"
Why were you on the floor?"

Instead of answering, I shoved him in the direction of his bed.
"Go to bed. You need sleep."

Sitting down on the edge of the mattress, he held out a hand to me.
"It's a big bed."

For a brief moment I considered the offer. I
'd been sleeping alone for a long time. Smoke wasn't suggesting we have sex, just that we sleep together. What would it hurt?

He leaned over and caught my hand, sending bolts of electricity up my arm and through my body.
"C'mon, Tori."

I did my best to ignore the hitch in my stomach caused by his touch and whispered invitation. I pulled free of his grasp.
"Thanks, but no."

He sighed heavily and stood.
"Okay, you take the bed. Can't have a guest sleeping on the floor."

"Don't be silly," I countered. "It's my fault you're so exhausted. I'm not going to take your bed too. I'll sleep on the couch."

Before he could argue
, or I could change my mind, I stumbled into the living room and collapsed on the couch that was still warm from his body heat. The throw smelled of his aftershave as I pulled it over me, second-guessing my decision.

"Can't you see she's sleeping?"

I opened one eye to see who had woken me
. Disoriented, it took me a moment to remember that I was in Smoke's living room.

Angel, in her yellow polka dot dress was squaring off against something gold and glittery.
"You should leave her alone. You should leave."

I opened my other eye so that I c
ould focus on who she was talking to.

Juliet Rota saw that I was awake.
"You said you'd help me."

"
What are you doing here?" I whispered. "Is Cusak nearby?"

"
Why would he be here?" Juliet asked.

"
Tell her to leave," Angel demanded, hands on hips.

Playing referee for two fighting ghosts
was not the most optimal way to start one's day. I sat up and looked around to make sure Smoke wasn't within earshot. "I need a cup of coffee."

"
You promised you'd help me," Juliet said.

"
Not here and not now," I whispered.

"
I came looking for you. When are you going to help me?"

"
I don't know. Soon."

"
When's soon?"

"
Listen," I growled. "I have a job, other obligations, a life!"

"
You promised!" Juliet stamped her foot as though she were the seven-year-old.

"
Quiet!" Angel admonished. "You'll wake up, Halley."

"
Shut up, you little brat!"

"
Seriously?" I muttered. "All this before I've even had a cup of coffee?"

"
All what?" Smoke asked from behind me.

Angel clapped her hands over her mouth and disappeared into thin air.

Startled, I tried to jump up, but the fleece throw was twisted around my feet, and all I managed to do was flail like a beached fish before collapsing back onto the couch.

Smoke came around to get a better look at me.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"
Fix your hair. You look a mess," Juliet hissed. And then she too was gone.

"
Good morning." I tried to smooth my hair. It was bad enough he'd seen me in my finest lingerie the day before. Having him witness my bedhead two days in a row was mortifying.

"
Morning. Do you always talk to yourself first thing?"

I shrugged.
"It depends on the day."

"
I guess you didn't get much sleep last night. That couch isn't the most comfortable to spend the night on."

"
You needed sleep more than I did. Besides, I got enough."

"
You might have gotten more if you'd agreed to share my bed."

I looked away, pretending to concentrate on disentangling myself from the blanket. Was he flirting with me?

"Then again you might have gotten less."

He was definitely flirting. To my embarrassment, my cheeks burned. I looked down, focusing on folding the throw.

Stepping closer, Smoke tugged it away from me. "I embarrassed you. I'm sorry."

I shook my head, but didn
't look at him. "I'm still fuzzy-headed, that's all." Desperate to change the subject, I said the first thing that popped into my head. "Do you know anything about a woman named Juliet Rato?"

A slight smile played at the corners of his mouth, letting me know he was aware of my avoidance.
"C'mon. I'll make us coffee."

I followed him into the kitchen and sat in a chair at the table.

"She's the pretty, blonde, young woman who went missing a year or so ago, right?" he asked as he pulled a bag of ground coffee from his refrigerator.

"
That's the one."

"
I didn't work that case."

"
But you knew her?" I asked.

Filling the coffeemaker with practiced precision, he shook his head.
"I followed the story in the paper. Did you know her?"

"
No."

"
So why are you asking about her?"

"
I…" I couldn't tell him that she'd been standing in his living room a minute earlier. "I had a dream about her."

He watched me with a disquieting intensity. I got the distinct impression he knew I was lying. I swallowed hard and tried to look innocent.

His doorbell rang.

Frowning as he glanced at the clock, he muttered,
"Who the hell is that?" He hurried to the front door, but Halley, who neither of us had noticed emerge from her room, beat him to it.

"
Uncle Bernie!" she cried, throwing the door open.

I saw Smoke stumble-step, but he recovered quickly. Turning back toward me he raised a finger to his lips, indicating I should be quiet.

"This is a surprise," Smoke said as he greeted the man at the door.

I wondered if I should hide. As a compromise I slouched down in my seat.

"It shouldn't be," the man said as he barged in, not waiting for an invitation. "Uncle Bernie" was a sixty-ish African American man, wearing a porkpie hat and big, round eyeglasses, that gave him an owlish expression. "What the hell is going on?"

Smoke rubbed the back of his neck.
"That's the million dollar question."

Bernie spotted me with my less-than-perfect-posture. I sat up straight.

"Bernie," Smoke supplied hurriedly, "this is my boss, Victoria Spring."

"
Vicky!" Halley corrected. "She likes to be called Vicky"

"
Miss Spring." Bernie nodded in my direction before rounding on Smoke. "We need to talk."

"
Halley, why don't you and Vicky set up breakfast?" Smoke asked, following as Bernie retreated back outside.

"
Okay."

"
For how many?" I called out.

"
Three," Smoke said.

"
Four!" Bernie boomed.

"
Four," Smoke said quietly as he pulled the door shut behind him.

I loaded the dishwasher with the previous night
's dishes while Halley set the table for four. As we worked, I could hear Smoke and Uncle Bernie arguing. Their words were indistinct, but their tones were easy to understand.

"
Do you know how to cook eggs?" Halley asked, interrupting my eavesdropping.

"
Sure."

"
Okay. I'll make toast, and you make eggs. Do you know how to poach them?"

I nodded
, and she squealed with delight.

"
You pour the orange juice," I said. While she did that, I rummaged in the produce bin of Smoke's refrigerator. I used mine to store bottled water. He actually used his for fruits and vegetables.

By the time Smoke and Bernie returned a few minutes later, the table was set, vegetables were sautéing, and water was simmering for the poached eggs.

"What did you bring me, Uncle Bernie?" Halley demanded, abandoning her post at the four slice toaster.

They stayed in the living room while Smoke joined me in the kitchen
. He watched me crack eggs over the pan like it was the greatest magic trick he'd ever seen. "You cook?"

"
You don't have to sound so surprised," I told him.

"
I just…I assumed…"

"
Prepare to be amazed," I told him wryly. "But first you can put a slice of toast on each plate. I hope you don't mind that I raided your stash of veggies."

"
No problem."

"
Halley insisted that she doesn't want any vegetables with her egg."

"
Halley would be thrilled if vegetables were wiped out of existence."

"
Are you talking about me?" Halley asked as she and Bernie sank into seats at the table.

"
Yes," Smoke replied. "I was telling her that you're a picky eater."

"
Am not!"

"
Are too!"

"
I just know what I like."

As the siblings bickered, I divided the vegetables over the toast on three of the plates and then topped all four plates with a perfectly poached egg.

I took two as Smoke grabbed the others, and we brought them to the table.

"
You two work well together," Bernie murmured, pulling off his eyeglasses and rubbing them with the end of his shirt.

Smoke shot him a look I couldn
't quite understand.

"
Tell me, Ms. Spring," Bernie continued, "How did you come to run a crime scene clean up business?"

"
This is the best poached egg I ever had in my whole life," Halley said.

Smoke chuckled.
"Your whole life?"

"
My whole entire life!"

"
See," I teased Smoke. "She's amazed."

The corners of his eyes crinkled, but his smile quickly faded as Bernie cleared his throat.

I turned my attention back to him. "My brother started the business. I'm just keeping it afloat while he's…away." Before he could ask any more questions, I went on the offensive. "How do you know these two?" I waved my yolk-covered fork in the general direction of Smoke and Halley.

"
I'm an old family friend," he supplied, just a tad too quickly and smoothly.

"
You must be good friends to show up so early in the day," I said, watching his reaction intently.

He and Smoke shared a loaded look across the table. Then he swung his attention back to me.
"Did you use chili powder on these vegetables?"

"
Chili powder is on sale this week," Halley interjected.

The rest of the meal was a recitation of everything that was on sale at the supermarket that week. As soon as we were all done eating, Uncle Bernie got up to leave.

"We'll talk soon," he said to Smoke.

Smoke nodded.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Spring."

I doubted that but managed a semblance of a smile.

And then he was gone, and Halley was worrying that she'd miss her ride to work, so we quickly cleaned up, drove Halley back to the residential home, and went to the tire place to pick up the Spring Cleaning van.

It wasn
't until Halley was out of the Jeep that I asked about Smoke's early morning visitor. "I got the impression your 'uncle' didn't like me."

Smoke didn
't take his eyes off the road, "Don't take it personally. Bernie doesn't trust anyone."

His tone implied he didn
't want to discuss the subject further. After a moment, he said, "Thank you for making breakfast."

"
You're welcome."

"
I hope Halley didn't drive you too crazy,"

"
No, she's a doll."

"
What about last night?"

"
I met Angel."

Smoke
's sharp intake of breath signaled I'd made a mistake with that particular revelation. His voice cracked when he asked, "Angel?"

I hurried to add,
"And Halley gave me her pink elephant to keep me company through the night."