Sadie's Spirit, CB Samet [book club recommendations .TXT] 📗
- Author: CB Samet
- Performer: -
Book online «Sadie's Spirit, CB Samet [book club recommendations .TXT] 📗». Author CB Samet
“There’s a hell of a lot more, and I’ll explain it all to you when I get there.”
“Does this relate to your sixth sense in some way?”
Asher was silent a moment before answering. “Yes, it does.”
“I’ll text you when we get there.”
“Thanks.”
Sanchez disconnected the call and turned his stony gaze on Alejandro. “You’re going to explain in exquisite detail exactly how you’re involved in Sadie’s assault. Sin mentiras.”
Asher glanced at Sadie as he sped down Highway 17. “You okay?”
“I might still be alive.” She scooted closer to him on the seat, her eyes wide and hopeful.
God, I hope so, he thought.
Asher didn’t want to give her false hope, but her being alive might explain why her ghost was so vastly different from anything he had experienced previously. He had tried to flatter himself by imagining their love had somehow made her a more vibrant spirit, but perhaps that was simply because she wasn’t truly dead.
His mind raced with all the promises he would fulfill if she were still alive. “If you are, we need to keep you that way.”
She smiled at him. “Some doctor I am. I didn’t even know I wasn’t dead.”
Asher chuckled. “It wasn’t as though you could simply check your own pulse. If I turned into a ghost, I would have come to the same conclusion as you. ”
Might he be holding her in his arms by the evening? He stifled his excitement. There was too much danger and uncertainty surrounding them. Even if she were alive, what condition would she be in? She said she had been struck on the head. She might have internal bleeding, or be in a coma, or have amnesia. Blows to the head could also cause neck injuries. What if she was paralyzed?
Sadie sat uncharacteristically quietly beside him. He suspected she was churning through similar thoughts.
“What if I wake up and don’t remember any of this?”
“As long as you wake up that’s all that matters. Besides, you sent the email warning everyone. There’s proof of what your spirit did.”
“I’m more worried about not remembering our time together. I want us to get back together, but—”
“We’ll get back together whether you remember the last twenty-four hours or not,” he assured her.
Her face lit up into a smile.
If she didn’t remember their extracorporeal encounter, he would be patient enough to win her back regardless.
“I’ll come back to you. I’ve been wanting to ever since we separated, but I didn’t know how. I didn’t think you wanted me.” Her mouth quirked. “If all else fails, show me your cabin and I’ll come back to you!”
“You like it?”
“It’s gorgeous. As soon as I saw that fireplace I wanted to curl up in your arms in front of the flames.”
“It’s a long commute to your work, especially in Atlanta during rush hour.”
“I can’t say my work is all that appealing at the moment. The epiphany of how much of a workaholic I’ve become, combined with nearly being murdered, has resulted in a new perspective. I need to cut back on work. Besides, the commute would be worth it if I was with you.” She winked at him. “And you live near Helen. Helen’s magical, especially at Christmastime.”
Asher began to wonder if they would get to spend Christmas together.
Ledo parked his car and walked toward Habersham Medical Center. He straightened his stolen scrubs and adjusted the gun under his jacket. He hoped he wouldn’t need the gun. Guns were loud, which made them less than ideal for covert killings. When he had attacked Dr. Crawford on the hiking trail, he had specifically chosen a blunt, sturdy flashlight. There had been no noise. Had he chosen a bullet to the back of the head, he wouldn’t be in this predicament.
No dead body, no payday.
Well, he had a gun now.
He made his way down the hall. El Jefe had claimed to be a concerned family member looking for a missing person, and had successfully managed to acquire the relevant room number.
The door to the doctor’s hospital room was ajar. He slipped inside.
She was lying peacefully with her eyes closed. A perfect target. He could smother her and be out of the room within three minutes. The wall monitor displayed her heart rate. This time he would be able to see for certain that she was dead.
He crept closer, his eyes locked on his unsuspecting victim.
Alejandro lunged out from behind a curtain, punching Ledo in the jaw. Ledo stumbled back, swearing. He reached for his gun. A large man in a navy uniform approached Ledo from the side. The man grabbed his wrist and twisted it. Ledo screamed in agony as he felt the crunch of snapping bones. His gun fell to the floor.
Asher felt alarmed when he looked over at Sadie in the passenger seat.
“Sadie, you’re fading.”
“I don’t feel good.”
Her apparition had become transparent.
“No, no, no. Stay with me.”
He reached out to grab her hand. The sensation of heat that normally ignited in response to her lightest touch was barely warm. He took a sharp turn into the hospital parking lot and brought the car to a sudden stop.
“Oh God, Sadie. Don’t leave me.” He held both of her translucent hands in his.
She looked down at herself in shock. “I don’t think I have any control over this.”
“Sadie . . .” His mouth turned dry. Was this the end? He didn’t feel ready for the end.
She stared out through the windshield with furrowed eyebrows. “Asher, that’s Louie. My project mentor, Louie Lebeau. How does he know I’m here?”
Asher saw a man in gray slacks and a wool coat getting out of his car. He smoothed his hair down and started to walk toward the hospital.
Sadie faded and then vanished, like ash in water.
He slammed his fist down on the steering wheel and hollered in frustration. He wiped away the moisture around his eyes and took several deep breaths. He needed to focus and get to the living Sadie as soon as possible.
He left the car and jogged to catch up with Dr. Lebeau. As Asher approached, he noticed various dark figures hovering around the man. The forms exuded anger, with harsh whispers and the sound of gnashing teeth.
Troubled spirits.
The combination of Dr. Lebeau knowing that Sadie was in the hospital when her identity wasn’t yet known and the darkness surrounding him made him the prime suspect. As Asher watched him stroll toward the hospital, he grew increasingly certain that this was the man who had signed Sadie’s death warrant.
“Excuse me!” Asher called.
The physician startled and turned to face him.
“Dr. Lebeau?”
“Do I know you?”
Asher reared a fist back and unleashed a punch to Louie’s face. The man crumpled onto the pavement.
“No, you don’t know me.” Asher hauled the doctor up by his coat. Blood was pouring out of Louie’s nose and down his blue tie. The thin blond hair he had brushed over his receding hair line was disheveled. “But I know you. I know you hired a hitman to kill Sadie.”
“What? You’re out of your mind.” He raised a hand to his face to pinch his nose and stop the bleeding. “I’ll have you arrested for this.”
“You had her attacked on the Tallulah Gorge trail. You had her home searched. Have you come to finish the job? You didn’t want her to find out that TIE-55 was killing people, did you? Well, she did.”
Louie’s face paled. “You don’t know that,” he stammered, but his words held no conviction.
“The team of researchers knows. And your hired hitman is about to turn against you.”
Sanchez had texted Asher confirmation that Jane Doe was in fact Sadie, and had told him that they had prevented another attack on her life.
“Who are you?” Louie asked.
Sadie could no longer see herself, but she could still see her surroundings. Asher was roughing
Comments (0)