The Ghosts in You (A Zak Bagans Fanfic)

Chapter 61

Zak helped Sara out of the car and into the house. Gracie was thrilled to see them all, tilting her head from side to side. "Hi, my girl!" Sara said. Gracie wagged her tail and gave Sara a soft, gentle kiss on her hand.

"Hi, Grace." Zak leaned down and kissed Gracie's head.

"If you're all set, I'm going to head home. Call me if you guys need anything, please," Meredith said.

"Sounds good. Thanks, Meredith." Zak gave his sister a hug. Sara smiled warmly at her and Meredith gave Gracie a quick kiss as she left.

Sara walked cautiously over to the sofa. "Zak, do you mind if I put on The Twilight Zone?"

"Of course not," he replied, walking over and turning on the television for Sara. He walked into the kitchen next, taking a glass from the cupboard and filling it with water. He brought it over to Sara.

"Thank you." She smiled at him as she sat down.

Gracie hopped up onto the sofa and rested her head on Sara's lap.

Zak remembered that he had Sara's cell phone in his pocket. He fished it out and handed it to her. "Here's your phone. I made a couple of calls while you were unconscious. One to Alicia and one to Ameera."

"Really? How did you figure out my passcode?" Sara asked him, perplexed but a bit impressed as well. Even so, she considered needing to change that code at some point.

"It just came to me," Zak replied.

Right, he's an empath. He probably just knows things, the way I do sometimes. She didn't want to delve into this conversation right now. I know why he called Ameera. Sara frowned to herself.

"I told Alicia and Ameera that you or I would call them in a bit."

"Okay, I'll call them in a few," Sara replied.

Zak's phone rang. It was a local number, but one he did not recognize. "Hello?"

"Mr. Bagans?"

"Yes. Who is this?" Zak asked.

"It's Lieutenant Brant, we spoke earlier. I'm sorry I missed you at the hospital."

"That's all right. What can I do for you, Lieutenant?"

"May I come by your house? I have a few more questions I'd like to ask you."

"Sure. How long before you're here?" he asked the Lieutenant.

"Thirty minutes?" the Lieutenant replied.

"No problem, see you then." Zak ended the call. "The Lieutenant is coming by to ask some more questions, Sara. Are you all right with that?"

Sara nodded her head. She opened her phone and dialed Alicia.

"Zak?" Alicia answered.

"No, Alicia, it's me," Sara replied. She could hear Alicia trying to hold back her emotions. "It's okay, I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" Alicia's voice cracked.

"I'm sure, babe. Just a little black and blue. Nothing time won't heal," Sara assured her cousin. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Whatever you need," Alicia said sincerely.

"Can you pull about five sets of sweats, leggings, bra tops, t-shirts and hoodies, along with some underwear and send them all to me?"

"Yeah, of course."

"I'm going to be here for a minute and I'll need some clean clothes," Sara explained.

Alicia took note of Zak's address and told Sara she would overnight everything to her by way of FedEx. Sara was happy to know she'd have her own clothes to wear by tomorrow.

"Thank you, my sweet girl. I love you," Sara told her cousin.

"I love you tons," Alicia replied.

Sara ended the call.

"All good?" Zak asked.

"Yep, she's sending some of my clothes. I should have them by tomorrow." Sara stroked Gracie's fur and then dialed Ameera. "It's me," Sara greeted her soul-sister.

"You came back!" Ameera said.

Sara could hear the smile in Ameera's voice. "I did, but you already knew that."

The investigator in Zak couldn't help but listen in on their conversation.

"You have big things to do here, Sara; it's not your time. I wouldn't lie to you," Ameera explained.

"I know you wouldn't," Sara replied. "I'm okay, Ameera. I'll be here in Las Vegas for the next couple of weeks, until they give me the okay to go home."

"He loves you, Sara."

Sara was surprised by Ameera's words. She knew that she and Zak had a connection, but was it love? "I understand," Sara replied, without further elaboration.

"I love you. Call me if you need anything," Ameera offered.

"I will, I promise. Love you, too." Sara ended the call.

The doorbell rang, sending Gracie into a well-rehearsed barking frenzy. Zak opened the door and invited the Lieutenant inside.

Zak introduced them. "Lieutenant Brant, this is Sara."

"Miss Easton. I hope you're feeling better?"

"Thank you, Lieutenant. A little, I suppose," she offered in return. She lifted Gracie's head from her lap, stood up, and walked over to them.

"What can I do for you, Lieutenant?" Zak asked.

"Well, I was wondering if there was anything else that you were able to remember about the accident."

"No, nothing more that I can recall," Zak replied.

"Miss Easton, what do you remember?"

"Um, I remember that we'd left Zak's museum and were heading back here, to his house. I was watching the street lights go by. I looked over at Zak for a minute, and after that, I don't remember anything."

The Lieutenant made some brief notes. "All right, thank you. So, here's what we know. We've apprehended the man who hit you." At this revelation, Sara gasped ever so slightly and took Zak's hand into her good hand. Zak couldn't help but squeeze Sara's hand at hearing this. He was elated.

The Lieutenant continued: "It was a red SUV, just as you described, Mr. Bagans. We followed the traffic cameras back from the scene to a storage lot just off of Decatur. He drove from there straight to the intersection where he struck you, and left. We caught up with him at the storage lot, and he admitted to driving the SUV into your car and then driving away from the scene. We have him in custody."

He paused for a moment. "There is one odd thing. Maybe it's coincidence – maybe not – but we're looking into it. We have a report filed with the TSA with this fellow's name on it. And yours. Apparently, he assaulted you on a flight a few nights ago, Miss Easton?"

Sara couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You're not joking?"

"No, Miss Easton. It's the same fellow: Robert Anthony O'Neill."

The name wasn't familiar to her, but she filed it away. "The Universe has a way of coming full circle."

The Lieutenant seemed satisfied that he had what he needed, and said goodbye. "Mr. Bagans, Miss Easton, thank you for your time. Please call me with any questions."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Sara replied.

"Yes, thank you, Lieutenant. We will," Zak expressed as he walked the Lieutenant to the door and shut and locked it behind him. "The same guy that grabbed your ass is the same fuckhead who hit us! Do you believe that, Sara?" Zak stroked his chin absently.

"Actually, I'm not surprised."

"What do you mean?" Zak asked.

"I told you: the Universe has a way of bringing everything full circle. He's in jail now, where he belongs!"