Rania Algafari never asked to be different, and when she escaped the war in Syria and moved to the UK, her only goal was to live her life in peace. Get up, go to work, avoid talking to the dead - that sort of thing.
But not everyone dies quietly, an...
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"So, earplugs, huh?" Will said once we were in the car with the doors closed. "The first Mrs. Roxburgh?"
"I know I'm supposed to side with the deceased, but honestly, if I'd had to live with that woman, I'd have wanted to bump her off too."
"That bad?"
"She'd have nagged Bernard to death if he hadn't got in first."
Will leaned back against the headrest and groaned. "I used to be an officer of the law. Really, I should report it if I suspect a murder."
"And what would you say? The woman died over a decade ago, and there's unlikely to be any evidence left. Besides, you'd ruin Virginia's life again."
He let out a long breath, then reached over and squeezed my hand. "I'm beginning to see why your job's so difficult. Not cleaning. Your...purpose. It's not all black and white, is it?"
I shook my head. "Some people kill because of circumstances—they have little choice. Others snap under pressure or lose concentration and make a mistake, then truly repent. And some of the spirits are real assholes."
Will's laughter made me smile too. "Speaking of assholes... We still need to talk to Arthur and Helene."
A groan slipped out. "Just when I thought today couldn't get any better."
"Sorry. You did good in there, by the way. Would you be offended if I said you were wasting your life as a cleaner?"
Would I? When I was a little girl, I'd wanted to be a surgeon like my daddy. But my mother had other ideas, and I'd sunk into a dark, dark place. Then war came, and I'd lowered my ambitions to survival and a quiet life, pure and simple.
But was Will right? Could I be more?
"No, I'm not offended."
He dropped me off outside Daylesford Hall at four p.m., and I felt a bit guilty that I didn't speak to Lucy so often nowadays. Would it be crazy to ask Will to stop one evening on the way out so I could have a chat? Probably. Assuming, of course, that he was serious about his intention to pick me up every night, something I still felt guilty about, even if Shannon was over the moon. I'd caught her looking at bridesmaid dresses on her phone this lunchtime.
"I'll be back around seven," Will said. "I need to pick up more Kinder Eggs."
"That takes three hours?"
"I have to get proper food as well. RJ never buys groceries, and if I don't go to the supermarket, he'll live on pizza." Will reached out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear. "Stay safe."
I'd officially lost my mind. In less than a week, I'd gone from fiercely independent to checking my watch every five minutes to see if it was time for Will to come back yet.
It was the situation, I told myself. That was all. We'd been shoved together in stressful circumstances, and it was perfectly natural to feel off-kilter.
