Car Heaven (Book 2 - Katie Prentice, Ghost Interpreter)

Chapter Five

Katie

I sat beside Griff in the family room, made myself comfortable and took a sip of my coffee. "Austin, we're ready to talk to you."

"Finally!" said Austin. "After all the moaning you did last night, I wasn't sure if you would talk to me this morning."

I felt myself turn red. "Oh, God", I said. "You heard us?"

"I think the whole neighborhood heard you", he said.

I took a throw pillow and covered my face with it.

"What did he say?" asked Griff.

"He said that the whole neighborhood heard us last night", I said through the pillow.

Griff laughed. "Apparently Austin was jealous." He pulled the pillow away from my face. "Do you want to give him another taste as to what he's missing by being dead?"

"That's cold, man", said Austin.

I laughed.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" asked Austin.

"We wanted to talk to you about your girlfriends."

"Hailey was my girlfriend." I repeated what he said to Griff.

"Hailey wasn't your girlfriend. She was someone who worked for you who had her own boyfriend, a boyfriend who very definitely wasn't the person who murdered you. He has an airtight alibi and besides, he doesn't fit the physical description", said Griff.

"Who else were you interested in?" I asked Austin.

"Before Hailey?"

"Yes, before Hailey. The person didn't have to respond to you. You just had to seem interested in them, perhaps make some sexual suggestions to them, perhaps just go out of your way to spend time with them."

"I'm a bit of a dog", said Austin proudly. "If I was still alive, you wouldn't be looking at Griff."

"Even if you were alive I wouldn't be interested in anyone other than Griff, Austin. I don't care how much of a dog you were", I said.

"I thought Emma and I had something going."

"Emma?" I said.

"Emma, your assistant?" asked Griff.

"Yes", he said, and I nodded to Griff. "She was interested in me, but she didn't want to show it because she was trying to get back together with her ex."

"If she was interested in you, why was she trying to get back together with her ex?"

"She was a bit of a flirt."

"Are you sure she was the flirt and not you?" Austin raised his middle finger to me. "Your mother wouldn't like you talking with your hands that way." When he made a face, I said, "okay, who else did you chase?"

"There was Sandra down in accounting. She had a pair of tits on her that could make you come on the spot."

"Okay, so Sandra down in accounting", I said so that Griff could hear as well.

"Last name?" asked Griff as he picked up his notebook and started to write.

"Hamilton. Won't you repeat the rest?"

"Hamilton", I said to Griff. Then, turning back to Austin I said, "it shouldn't have been said in the first place. I'm not repeating it."

"What was that, sunshine?" asked Griff.

I glared at Austin and he grinned at me. "That Sandra had, and I quote, a pair of tits on her that could make you come on the spot."

"Lovely", said Griff as he grimaced.

"See what I mean? It didn't bear repeating."

"Okay, who else?" said Griff.

"There was Louisa on reception, Jana my neighbor, Chantelle the grocery store clerk, Teresa the gas station clerk...I don't know last names. Oh, and Maxine, my associate's assistant. He would be mad at me for getting it on with her though, so you might not want to mention anything to him." I repeated it all to Griff, and he took notes.

"Why wouldn't we mention it to your associate? You're dead and he can't do anything in retribution for messing with his assistant."

"Yes, but he would think badly of me, and I worked hard to get a good reputation in the office."

"A good reputation as what? The resident Lothario?"

"That's not very nice of you, and I treated you well last night. I didn't wake you up much at all."

"You shouldn't wake me up any night. It's only fair. Griff and I are trying to solve your case, and we can't do that when we're tired."

"Like you got a lot of sleep last night. 'Oh baby', 'o-o-o Griff', 'you make me so hot'. You make me sick."

"First of all, I did not sound like that. Secondly, we got lots of sleep once you left me alone. Thirdly, you should be happy for me. You had your chance when you were alive. Now it's my turn."

"But I wasn't finished having my turn."

"I'm sorry you died – but you did, and I can't do anything about that."

"Harsh."

"It had to be said."

"Can you tell us about any other women you might have made some moves on?" asked Griff.

"I think that was about it...wait! Did I mention Noelle?"

"No, you didn't mention Noelle. How did you know her?"

"She was the person who handed out the towels at the gym. Her butt was so tight she could have cracked walnuts with it."

"Bad visual", I said, and I repeated what Austin had said to Griff. "So that's it?" I asked.

"I think so."

I nodded as Griff put his notebook down.

"I'll work with Tori on Monday to try to see if one of these women might be the link we need", said Griff.

"I really think it was Hailey's boyfriend", said Austin.

"That's impossible", I said. "He had a broken arm and the night you were shot he was getting pins put into his arm so that it would heal properly." Austin made a face. "Why do you persist in believing it was Hailey's boyfriend who attacked you?"

"Hailey was the one I spent the most time with", said Austin. "Don't get me wrong – I spent time with the other women as well. They loved me and were all over me. But Hailey was the woman I was going away with for my birthday."

"Did she agree to going away with you?"

"I offered her an all-expenses paid trip for two to a ski chalet. She was happy about it."

"Are you sure she didn't think that the trip was a gift for doing good work, and that she would be able to take her boyfriend along for the ride?"

"She knew it was a trip for the two of us." But he didn't look too sure.

"Are you positive about that?" I said.

"Fuck you", he said as he gave me the finger again and popped out of existence.

I told Griff what Austin had said, and Griff shook his head. "Hailey already told us about the weekend away. She said that Austin had planned it for her and her boyfriend. In fact, that was her proof that Austin knew she had a boyfriend and would therefore not be interested in him."