Sadie's Spirit, CB Samet [book club recommendations .TXT] 📗

Sadie worked on the computer while Asher quickly showered. Patterns began to emerge as she analyzed the data from all three institutions.

“Find anything?” He sat on the edge of the bed fully dressed, putting his shoes back on.

“Asher, this is bad. There’s a significant discrepancy between the platelet count drop in those that received TIE-55 compared with those that received the placebo. The difference can’t be attributed to other drugs or septic shock itself. Even worse, there’s a mortality difference.”

“Meaning the drug may actually be killing people?”

“I think so. If that’s true, my murder could have been a ploy to ensure that this information was never uncovered.”

“Do you have your analysis saved?”

“Yeah.” She continued typing away on the computer. “I specifically told Louie what I was doing before I died. His life could also be in danger. I’m emailing him the analysis and telling him to be careful without telling him I’m emailing him from beyond the grave.”

Even though my body isn’t in a grave.

“I copied the principal investigators at the other sites on the email.”

“All these postmortem emails will be difficult for the police to explain.”

“What else am I supposed to do?”

“I’m not criticizing. It was just an observation.”

She finished typing and turned to look at him. “Now what?”

“We need to tip the police off about the murder investigation without implicating me.”

She grinned at him.

“What?”

“You practically solved a murder case in—” she looked at a nonexistent watch on her wrist “—twenty hours.”

“Don’t flatter me. It’s not solved yet. We have the how and the why but not the who.”

“Right. Or the who behind the who since we’re sure burly-bearded Hoodie Man Number One, who murdered me, is just the hired help.”

“And scrawny Hoodie Man Number Two is still dangerous and at large.”

“I’m not sure who scared him more—me with my ghostly shenanigans or you tossing him around like a fire hose.”

“On that note, let’s get out of here before he comes back with his buddies.”

Alejandro parked in the visitor parking lot at Tallulah Gorge and walked the half-mile to the location Ledo had described.

The trail was well worn, with woods spanning both sides comprised of tall maple and oak trees. The trees were covered in brilliant auburn leaves. The midday sun shone through, lighting a bed of bright leaves; the first to have fallen this autumn.

He thought of his great-aunt and how much she enjoyed the fall in Georgia. She had made the best smoky braised Mexican pumpkin with mouthwatering pork shoulder, chipotle chilies, tomatillos, and swiss chard. After seasoning in a skillet, she poured the mixture over pumpkin cubes and baked the concoction into a scrumptious, simmering meal.

His stomach growled. He was supposed to be finding a body, not thinking of bygone Thanksgiving dinners with family.

He rummaged around for half an hour without finding anything, then pulled out his phone. “Hey Ledo.”

“Why are you calling me, hombre?”

“I can’t find the body.”

“Why are you looking for the body?” he asked, the words emanating like a growl.

“She’s gonna haunt us if we don’t give her a proper burial.”

“Are you loco? If you get arrested and rat me out, I’ll kill you.”

“I’m not gonna get arrested because there’s no body.”

“Maybe a wildcat carried it into a tree.”

“Now who’s loco, pendejo? I can see the trees. There are no bodies in the trees.”

“If there’s no body, that means . . .”

“Mierda!” Alejandro hung up the phone.

The blood rushed to his head, his heart pounding like a jackhammer. Maybe someone had found the body and taken it to the morgue. Or maybe Dr. Crawford was still alive.

The car ride to Asher’s cabin was somber.

“Do you think I’ll disappear when the killer’s found?” Sadie asked.

“I hope not.” He didn’t like where the conversation was heading.

“Maybe I could do something to earn visitation. That’s not fair to you, though.”

If she never left, he would never have the pain of letting her go again.

“I probably didn’t go to church enough,” she continued. “I should have done more charity work.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“You were a phenomenal doctor. You saved lives, Sadie. Not every ghost can claim that. You helped families in times of despair. One of the reasons I fell in love with you was all that compassion packaged in that gorgeous body.”

She gave a faint grin but seemed too preoccupied to register the compliment. “What if I don’t go to heaven?”

He glanced at her. She was fidgeting with her finger where her grandmother’s ring should have been.

“You want my take on religion?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“There is no hell. I don’t know if heaven is merely reincarnation or some celestial reprieve where people eat bonbons all day, but I believe a loving God who is omniscient and sees all the suffering people go through wouldn’t send anyone to hell.”

“What about Hoodie Man Number One?”

“I’d like to kill him, but God would know what events in his life led him to become the killer he is. God would understand even if the rest of us don’t.”

“I like your concept.”

Asher was silent for a moment, as if trying to make an important decision. “I want to tell you about my thirteenth case. I haven’t told anyone else.”

“The child who died?”

“The child who was already dead. A mother and child were believed to have been abducted. The mother’s body was found, so I was consulted to channel her to find the child.

“She came to me in whispers. Tormented whispers, begging me to find the child. She took me and the police department on a three-day wild goose chase. When she finally led us to the child, she’d been dead for five days.” He