The scene at Casey’s was one of chaos followed by pure shock and dismay. Sissy howled, actually howled, when the firemen couldn’t revive Casey. Reese placed an arm around Sissy’s shoulders. The woman had not only just loss her boss, her friend of more than twenty years, but her job in one swoop.

Once the ambulance took Casey’s body away, Gregory went behind the bar and helped Brian dish out more alcohol to the distraught patrons. Mack turned off the neon light in the window indicating the business was closed and cleared the tables without a single word to anyone, but his face was swollen and blotchy red from crying. Sissy panicked for another couple of minutes and then pulled herself together enough to call Mrs. Sullivan from the back office where Casey conducted business.

Reese looked at the shocked patrons as she slowly made her way toward the pub’s exit. The preppy couple was huddled in a booth together, the man comforting his distraught female companion. Not every day you witness someone dying. April sat at the bar, her hands stretched across the bar in a gesture of comfort for Brian.

And then there was Claire Yates at the door, just standing there with her beautifully brushed hair to an unnatural shine. She reached out to graze Reese as she went by. But Reese stopped just inches from the spirit and said in a hushed tone, “Hi Claire.”

The ghost of Claire Yates looked stunned, pleased, and eager. “You can see me?”

“I can’t talk here,” Reese answered sullenly and walked through Casey’s door.

She didn’t want to go home. Not yet. She had no idea how long Luke would be helping Casey to cross over. She had never witnessed the process before and was experiencing completely polar opposite emotions about it. On one hand it was so beautiful to see and feel Casey’s soul transcend and on the other she felt horribly empty by his death. He had been so kind to Reese all these years. He was a link between present life and a dark history, and now the connection was severed.

She needed to talk with Luke. Not only about what Casey had said seconds before he died but about Claire Yates. Reese really didn’t want to have another ghost haunting her, but she did need to know why Claire was there. Her message to Reese through Paul Malloy was ominous and disturbing. And now seeing Claire with her very own eyes, she knew the message had been real. Which meant Paul Malloy was for real. Holy crap, what if he found out about Luke?

Her hands trembled as she opened the outer door to her office, and then her whole body shook as she saw a man bent over at her office door, slipping a piece of paper under it. He stood. Paul Malloy.

Reese’s first thought should have been “what the hell are you doing here” but it was, “damn, I look a mess.”

“Reese, hi. I was just leaving you a check,” Paul said and took a step toward her. His cologne permeated the air between them and Reese felt a rush of yearning to close the gap.

She felt her brain stumble for words, but managed to contain her enthusiasm. “What are you doing here? I thought you were on a cruise.”

“Yes. I was supposed to be out on the Atlantic now, but my manager was dead set against it when he heard about the hurricane coming up the coast.”

“Hurricane?” She asked, puzzled. Boy she was out of touch with life.

“Yes. Mother Nature apparently had one last surprise before the season’s end. I was going despite my manager’s protest but then the cruise line cancelled. Too much bad publicity lately with all the stranded ships, you know.”

“Oh,” she said and stepped forward and around Paul. She felt weak in the knees the closer she got to him. So cliché, but it was the honest truth. She turned the knob to her office. Locked. She had been so distraught by Casey’s death that she had completely forgotten she didn’t have her keys.

She stared at her door for a couple of seconds, feeling ridiculous. “Seems I don’t have my keys,” she sighed and turned to Paul. He was only a foot away from Reese, expecting to follow her into the office. She caught her breath and scooted to her left a little to give herself some breathing room. He was so handsome but it was more than that. He exuded an air of confidence which worked like a magic potion on her.

“So, is there something I can help you with?” She asked and tried to smile.

“I brought you a check.” He pointed to the office door. “I slid it under the door.”

“You said that.” Reese was disappointed. He returned to pay her? Did he feel guilty about their earlier encounter? She supposed she would have preferred him to say he returned because he couldn’t stop thinking about her. She panicked when she suddenly remembered his medium abilities were accurate so maybe he was psychic. What if he could read her mind?

“You didn’t have to do that. I didn’t do anything deserving of payment. I mean …” she chuckled nervously. “I really should be paying you.”

He squinted slightly and cocked his head to the side. Good Lord, he was fine. His facial features were perfect. He was casually dressed in black jeans and a crisp white linen shirt opened at the chest which accentuated his tanned flesh. She wondered just how far that tan went and then mentally slapped herself. Knock it off.

“Did you change your mind about me? Maybe I’m not a fake?” The corner of his lip crinkled into that damn sexy grin.

“I don’t know what I believe,” she lied. “But no matter what, you took your own time out for me. And I appreciate it.” Reese lowered her head in an attempt to hide the blush she felt creeping up her cheeks.

Paul stepped an inch closer. “Say, can I take you for a drink? I mean, we can’t get into your office anyway.”

As if on cue, Gregory stormed into the office like he was coming in from a downpour. “Oh, there you are!” He announced and then stopped in his tracks, startled by Paul. “Paul Malloy! How the hell are you?”

The two men stepped toward each other, grabbed each other’s hand, and then hugged in that way men do when seeing a friend, patting the other’s shoulder. Reese watched with curiosity. Did they know each other?

"What are you doing here?” Gregory asked and then looked to Reese. “Oh, I get it.” His face exploded in a sheepish grin. He wagged a finger at Reese. “You little devil! That’s how you do it!”

Reese shook her head in a rapid little spurt. No, no, no, Gregory. Keep your mouth shut.

Paul looked back and forth between Gregory and Reese. He seemed to be assessing the situation unfolding in front of him.

“Gregory, do you have my office key with you? I left mine at home,” Reese said, hoping to change the subject.

“Clever girl,” he said still smiling. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of a dozen keys. He walked between Reese and Paul, found the key, and unlocked the office door. He pushed it open and held his arm out for Reese to go in first.

She went and tried to come up with a reason why the men couldn’t follow, but no excuse came to mind. Her thoughts were rushing and bouncing on too many issues at hand. But before Gregory resumed his hypothesis, Reese said, “Is everyone okay at Casey’s?”

His face darkened. “Not really. Sissy went over to Mrs. Sullivan’s. Brian and Mack stayed behind to clean and close up. So sad.”

Reese went behind her desk and watched Paul look around the room as he ambled to one of the barrel chairs. Why was he sticking around? And did he really ask her out for a drink?

Gregory turned and walked over to Paul, taking the other chair. “So are you helping Reese with Addie’s case?”

Paul looked quizzically to Reese and shrugged. “We really haven’t talked about it yet.”

She placed her hands on the desk and leaned forward. “So, you two know each other?” She knew she was opening a potential Pandora’s box, but what the hell. The last forty-eight hours or more couldn’t possibly get any weirder, could they?

Gregory looked at Reese with his eyebrows crossed and Paul looked at Gregory with a concerned expression. Oh this ought to be good, Reese thought. She might regret asking, but she would regret it more if she didn’t.

“You’re kidding me, right?” Gregory said.

Reese pouted and shook her head. She clasped her hands together and waited for an explanation.

“He worked for me. Don’t you remember?”

Stunned, Reese turned her attention to Paul. That lying little bastard. He said he had never met her. Her blood began a slow boil. “No,” she said between gritted teeth. “I don’t remember.”

Paul stared down at his fingertips and then cautiously turned to Reese. “Another reason I came back. To tell you the truth.”

Gregory watched Paul with interest. “You two work together, right? I mean that’s how she found the Kramer kid, right?” He glanced from Paul to Reese.

Paul’s eyebrows arched. “The Kramer kid? I don’t know the case.”

Reese contained her escalating annoyance at the two intruders into her private affairs. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She then expelled the air through her mouth and opened her eyes. “Gentlemen, I have work to do.” She looked at Gregory. “I need to call my dad about Casey.”

Gregory stood suddenly. “Oh that reminds me.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He walked to the desk and handed it to Reese. She took it without opening it. She was too pissed to bother. She wanted them gone. Paul was a liar and Gregory was just plain stupid. She clasped the paper and glared at Gregory. Her face and neck muscles were rigidly tensing and she thought her head might explode.

Paul stood and walked to the office door and bent door to snatch up the check which was still on the floor. He placed it on the desk. “Reese, I’d like to finish this conversation some other time. Perhaps you can call me when it’s good for you. You have my number.” He seemed almost sad and Reese felt herself giving in just a hair. Maybe there was an explanation.

“Keep the check, Paul. You don’t owe me anything.” She enunciated “anything” and felt like a complete bitch doing it.

Paul tapped the check with two fingertips and locked eyes with Reese for a few seconds. “I didn’t mean to lie to you. When you didn’t seem to remember me, I just figured it was better not to admit anything. I apologize. But I think we need to talk.”

Gregory watched them like he was in the audience of a baffling mystery play unfolding on stage. He suddenly snapped out of his trance when he realized Paul was about to leave. “Reese, what are you doing? Don’t let him leave. He can help us find Addie.” Gregory yanked the folded paper from her hands and opened it. He used the ball of his palms to flatten it out and then handed it to Paul.

Paul stared at it for a long two to three minutes. His strong focus picked away at Reese’s anger. Why was he concentrating so hard? She slowly stood and walked around her desk. She glanced over his arm and was confused. Why did Gregory have a picture of Reese when she was a kid?

“This is Addie?” Paul asked Gregory.

“Yea. That’s Addie.”

Paul turned toward Reese. She was still staring at the impossible. It looked like her, but not exactly. Addie’s features were darker and her nose looked like it had been broken at some point.

“Is this your sister?” Paul asked flicking the paper so Addie’s image blurred in front of Reese.

Gregory slowly approached Paul’s other arm and peered over at the picture. The color in his face drained. “Oh shit,” he mumbled. “I didn’t even notice. Sissy just handed it to me before she left. Said you wanted to put a copy in your office.”

“Isn’t she your niece?” Reese asked appalled. “You’ve never noticed the resemblance?” Reese’s mind raced as she tried to connect the biological link. She also knew it was possible he never noticed. It had been a long time since Reese was twelve.

“I’ve never met her. I didn’t even know about her until Lucy told me about her the other day.”

All three turned their attention back to the picture. The longer Reese looked at it, the more she realized Addie actually looked more like Luke, not her, at twelve.