Ghostly Affairs

Chapter 9

The soft glow of the morning sun filtered through Lin's office window as she sat at her desk, her laptop open in front of her. She leaned forward, her fingers typing quickly as she searched through various databases and public records. Beside her, May hovered in the background, her usual lighthearted attitude replaced with a more serious demeanor.

"Okay, let's start with the basics," Lin muttered, narrowing her eyes at the screen. "If you really... died, there should be some kind of record. A death certificate, at least."

May remained silent for a moment, watching the flickering lines of text on Lin's screen. The thought of searching for her own death certificate felt surreal. It was like chasing the shadow of her former self. Finally, she spoke up, her voice tinged with unease. "Do you think there's even going to be anything? I mean, if I'm a ghost, shouldn't there be some record of me dying?"

Lin paused, her fingers hesitating over the keyboard. "We'll know soon enough." She typed in May's full name—May Kornnaphat—along with the date range from a few years ago, when May had supposedly died.

A few moments passed, the tension in the air thickening as they waited for the results to load. Lin's eyes scanned the screen intently as page after page of records popped up—none of which mentioned May.

"Nothing," Lin said, her voice barely a whisper. She leaned back in her chair, brows furrowing in confusion. "No death certificate. No record of you ever dying."

May blinked, her mind struggling to make sense of the situation. "What does that even mean? How can I be a ghost if there's no record of me dying?"

Lin leaned forward again, rubbing her temples. "It doesn't make any sense. You're here, but there's no official trace of you... at least not as a deceased person."

May bit her lip, frustration building up inside her. "So, what am I, then? Am I really dead, or is this something else?"

Lin glanced at her, her expression softening. "I don't know yet, but it feels like we're missing something. We're close to figuring it out, I can feel it."

The room fell into a heavy silence as both women tried to process the implications of what they had just discovered. Lin continued scrolling through the records, her mind racing to piece together the puzzle. The lack of a death certificate was more than a simple clerical error—it was a clue that pointed to something much larger.

After a few more moments of searching, Lin sighed. "I'm going to have to dig deeper. We'll need more records—hospital reports, police files—anything that might give us more information about the accident."

May nodded, though the worry in her eyes remained. "Yeah... I just don't know how long I can keep going like this, not knowing what happened to me."

Lin turned to face her, offering a reassuring look. "We'll find out. Whatever happened, we'll get to the bottom of it."

May smiled faintly, though the uncertainty still lingered. "Thanks, Lin. I just wish I could remember something—anything—that would help."

Lin stood up from her desk, running a hand through her hair as she stared at the screen. "Let's take this step by step. For now, we need more leads. Karen might be able to help us dig up some records."

May's expression brightened. "Karen! She's great with that stuff. If anyone can find something we missed, it's her."

Lin turned toward the door of her office. "She's probably at her desk already. I'll go talk to her."

As Lin stepped out into the hallway, May trailed behind, watching her. They entered the main office space, where Karen sat at her desk, focused on her computer. She looked up as Lin approached, flashing a warm smile.