Penmort Castle (Ghosts and Reincarnation #1)(156)

“I don’t want to hear it,” he leaned in, “let yourself be happy.”

Abby stared at him.

“Promise me, Abby,” Ben insisted.

As his gaze held hers, Abby felt the tears burning in her eyes.

Finally she whispered, “I promise.”

He watched her a moment then pulled back. He turned to Kieran and Jenny who were both standing in each other’s arms.

Jenny was silently crying.

Kieran’s face was white and his throat was moving convulsively.

Ben lifted his hand to them, a sob broke from Jenny and Kieran’s arms tightened around her.

Then Ben looked at Cassandra and nodded.

Cassandra lifted her wand and started speaking and Abby felt sudden, fierce anguish rip through her.

She pulled from Cash’s arms and got as close as she could to Ben’s glimmering form. She lifted her hands as if she could press them against his fading chest and tilted her head back.

“I love you,” she choked, tears clogging her throat.

Ben’s hand came toward her face but it was melting away as his voice floated through the air, “I know, baby, I love you too.”

Then he was gone.

A whimper of sorrow slid from Abby’s throat and she was turned into Cash’s arms. She wrapped her own arms around him and buried her face in his chest, the sobs tearing through her, her body trembling uncontrollably. Cash’s arm at her back tightened, his fingers digging into her side, his other hand slid up, fingers curled warmly around the back of her neck and through this, Abby sobbed.

Suddenly, fear sliced through her, she pulled back and her eyes cut to Cassandra.

“Tell me he went to a better place!” she demanded loudly.

Cassandra’s face was gentle when she replied, “He went to a better place, mate. I promise you, he went to a better place.”

Abby stared at her a moment, assessing her honesty then she turned away and pressed her forehead to Cash’s chest and took a deep breath to control her tears.

Then another emotion, this one anger, took hold of her, her head tipped back and she shouted at Cash, “I hate Vivianna! She’s a bitch!”

Cash’s hand moved from the back of her neck, his arm coming around so his fingers could curl at her neck at the side.

“She’s gone, darling.”

“Good!” Abby snapped. “She’s pissed me off. All this drama! For what? Seriously! What a bitch!”

Cash stared at her a moment with the look on his face that he got when he was openly wondering about Abby’s sanity when Jenny called out knowledgeably, “Don’t worry, Cash. Anger is good. You only have to worry when Abby gets quiet. If she’s blabbing and pissed, all’s well.”

Abby twisted to look at her friend and demanded, “Shut up, Jenny.”

“I’m just saying –” Jenny started.

“Shut up!” Abby shot back.

“All righty then,” Jenny mumbled and Kieran’s mouth twitched.

“People!” Mrs. Truman cut in sharply, she was peering over the side of the parapet. “We’ve got company.”

Everyone moved to the edge and looked down to see the flashing lights of police cars. Something was happening with four policemen, the Fitzhugh women, Alistair and a man who Abby could swear, even from that distance, was Cash’s friend James.

“What on –” she breathed but Cash was on the move.

He grabbed her hand and she and Cash led the way. Everyone clattered down the stairs from the turret (this made dangerous by Zee darting between Abby’s legs on more than one occasion), down the hall, descending more stairs and then swiftly out the front door.

Abby hustled to match Cash’s long strides as he guided them across the courtyard to the police.

“What’s happening?” he asked when they’d stopped and Abby noted that Alistair’s face was red and he’d been in mid-bluster when they arrived.

“We’ve had a reported disturbance,” a policeman answered Cash’s question.

“What sort of disturbance?” Mrs. Truman demanded to know as if the last hour of disturbance upon disturbance hadn’t happened.

“We’ve got thirty-seven people at the station claiming they’ve seen a ghost and an extra seventeen people reported the same via the phone,” another policeman responded.

“A ghost!” Mrs. Truman shouted then lied through her teeth, “Codswallop.”

Jenny giggled

Abby turned wide eyes to Cash.

But Cash wasn’t listening. He was looking at James.

His eyes moved to the policemen who looked like they were both talking to, and positioning themselves to detain, Alistair.

“And why are you here?” Cash asked the second set of policemen.

One of the policemen’s eyes flicked to Cash but then went back to Alistair as he answered, “I’m sorry to tell you this, sir, but we have a man being questioned at the station. He’s alleging that he was paid by your uncle to tamper with your car. We need to take Mr. Beaumaris in for an interview.”

“He did it,” Mrs. Truman announced baldly and both the police positioned around Alistair looked at her.

“How do you know that?” one of them asked.

“I’m seventy years old,” Mrs. Truman explained on a humph as if his question was beyond ridiculous and beneath her notice but she was forced to reply, if only to demonstrate good manners. “At my age, you learn to read people. Just look at him,” she gestured to Alistair as if that was all it took to try and fry him.