Beyond the Veil

Chapter 5

I was pleased to note at least one thing had changed for the better over the years; the police were far more intuitive and careful than their predecessors. They found Baby within minutes and called for an ambulance that was screeching its arrival within a ten minute window.

It was hard not to be jealous of Baby, she had all these people fussing over her, and giving her attention when I was the one who had saved her. She had merely walked in and passed out on the couch, she didn’t even remember Brent trying to kill her!

I tapped my foot with impatience at the thought of that…piece of trash. I could see from here where he huddled in the back of the police car staring in horror at the house.

The temptation to show myself to him and send him into another screaming fit was almost undeniable but I had snuck enough late night episodes of Law and Order in to know that criminals could get away with things because they were ‘insane’.

I don’t think these people even know what insanity is, I frowned at that thought. Where had that come from? I wasn’t ever so pessimistic about things.

“Every light bulb, huh?” the deep baritone was muffled as the detective surveyed the damage to the room. Startled I felt the electricity in the room crackle, but thankfully there were no light bulbs left to explode. I hadn’t even heard him come in.

I watched with interest as he walked around the living room, pausing only to write something down in a little book I saw him pull out of his front pocket.

Intrigued I couldn’t resist peering over his arm; he was far too tall to look over his shoulder, and looking at what he had penned.

The words were scattered all over the unlined page in no particular order and read;

Robbery suspect found in local home

Suspect is babbling some nonsense about ghosts

Victim was found unconscious at scene

Did victim frighten attacker with something?

Baby? Really? I couldn’t help the laugh that followed my reading this. Baby couldn’t scare a nyctophobic if she was the dark of night!

The detective jumped and looked around, giving me a good look at his face as I wiped the tears of mirth out of my eyes. He peered cautiously out the door, “Mike, was that you?”

His partner wasn’t even near the front door and didn’t answer and he waved it away, “I must be tired.” He ran his hand over his face and sighed, the lines around his eyes showed a man would had once laughed often but his eyes now showed a man that hardly laughed.

Not to say as much, but I was intrigued. This giant of a detective who apparently didn’t believe in ghosts could hear me when I wasn’t manifested. And not just anyone could do that.

Well, I amended myself, not just anyone of his age could do that. It was mostly children that saw and heard us when we were trying to be inconspicuous.

He wrote something more in his book and then sat down on the couch, an arm thrown over his eyes to shield them from the harsh light of the cop cars that came through the window, and his long legs stretched out before him.

He looked as though he hadn’t slept for days, and when he proved me right I had to laugh, it wasn’t long before deep snores issued from his lips.

I resumed my place from where I had watched over Baby and watched over this living being. I cocked my head to the side and studied his profile as he slept the part I could see anyway.

He had a strong jaw ending at a rounded end, suggesting a stubborn nature, a full mouth, and a straight nose that rose slightly in the middle as if it had been broken.

His arm fell down across his chest giving my eyes access to the rest of his face. He had sinfully long eye lashes that brushed against his cheeks as he slept and stray locks of coal-black hair fell down into his eyes. My fingers itched to push them out of the way.

Lacy, get a hold of yourself, just because you feel the need to do something doesn’t mean you should, or can. Remember there’s no more power for you to drain right now, and if you manifest it will hurt.

I sighed again, my common sense was right, I couldn’t painlessly manifest right now…or could I? There was a dull hum of energy issuing from his front pocket. Placing my hand over it I felt the tingling sensation of power.

That’s right, I forgot about cell phones.

I looked from his face back down to his coat pocket, caught in a moment of indecision. Would I truthfully ever get a chance to do this for such a handsome man again? I know such things make me sound like a strumpet but being away from my Mother and her ideals of a ‘proper woman’ has done me a lot of good. Then there was Reese…

I smiled wickedly with the thought of Reese’s face twisting in jealousy. I hated the man even after death but for some reason he thought I was still his, and a little casual touch between me and another man would make him angry for sure.

Free of my indecision I pressed my hand against his pocket and felt the surge of energy that came from the small cellular device race up my arm. There was a loud pop and the pocket started to smoke.

“What the-?” the man jumped, patting his pocket repeatedly and making sure there was no fire before reaching in to pull out the phone.

I blinked innocently at the sight of the fried phone that looked so small in his freakishly large hands.

He growled something under his breath that I couldn’t catch shook his head and then turned to go. I watched with no little curiosity as the muscles beneath his long coat went rigid.

He turned on his heel to face me, his face going pale as a sheet.

Frowning I looked down and saw that I was visible from the waist up, I had forgotten that I had tried to manifest myself.

I chanced a peek at him through my lashes and saw that he hadn’t moved. He continued to stare at me, surprise etched into every inch of his face.