Ghost Shadow

“What would you like?”

He turned. Liam was smiling at the waitress, calling her by name. Obviously, he knew her. Clarinda.

“Shepherd’s pie and a Gui

At first, it appeared that the girl was trying not to look at him, then she stared him in the eyes and cleared her throat. “Welcome back, David,” she said.

“Thank you.”

“I’m Clarinda. I’m a conch, too,” she said.

“Nice to meet you, Clarinda,” he said.

She blushed. “You spoke to my class when I was in grade school. You talked to us about being a soldier.”

“I hope I said all the right things,” he said.

She smiled. “You did. Well, um. Well. Welcome back.”

She went off to get their order. A group of young people in Florida State T-shirts were singing a Kiss song. They weren’t bad.

“You know, I don’t mind being here-but what are we doing here?” Liam asked him.

“Having di

“There are lots of restaurants here,” Liam said.

“Retracing the past,” David said.

“The last place she was seen,” Liam said. “God, David, you know I want to help you. I just don’t see what being here is going to do for us.”

David lifted his hands. “I don’t know, but doesn’t it seem odd that the principals are reappearing?”

“What do you mean?”

“Liam, you’re the detective,” David said. “All right-so I can’t help but see things that may not be here on this. But look who just got a job busing the place.”

Liam turned around as David suggested, and saw that Da

“He wasn’t working here when I talked to him this morning,” David pointed out. “And let’s see if I’m right… Yes, yes, I am. There’s Sam Barnard at the bar.”

The FSU kids left the stage; a group of balding businessmen went up to butcher Billy Joel, but they seemed to have a good time doing it.

“Sam is here because you’re here,” Liam said flatly. “David, I pulled the files, I supported you in there today, I’m on it. I intend to give it my all. But locals have been coming to O’Hara’s forever. It’s a hot spot for those who live on the island.”

“All right, Sam is in town because I’m in town-I spent some time with him today. And I’m sure Sam is in O’Hara’s tonight for the same reason I am-it was the last place Tanya was seen. But what about Da

“Zigler is always looking for work. He lost out when the museum closed,” Liam pointed out.

Clarinda came with their stouts. “Food will be right up, gentlemen,” she said.

“Thanks,” Liam told her. “How’s Jonas?”

“Doing well, thanks. He’s still doing dive tours. He’ll be by later.”

“Great, we’ll see him then. Hey, Clarinda, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you. You’re not walking home alone after your shift ends are you?” Liam said.

“I never do. Yell at Katie, though. She’s terrible. I’ll be right back,” she said, and hurried over to another table to take an order.

A man David vaguely remembered as being Marty… Something went up to sing. He was good. He had a deep baritone and did a sea ditty.

Katie a

People started clanging beer mugs on the tables. They were chanting something. Katie stood up and beckoned to Clarinda.

The girls did a Broadway number. It was actually very fu

Elvis a

Their meals arrived. David had his fork halfway to his mouth when he noted that Katie was staring out the door. When Elvis finished, the place clapped enthusiastically. Katie didn’t seem to notice. She seemed unaware of anything; she stared at the open doors as if the bright lights of heaven had suddenly exploded there.

As if she had seen a ghost.

To his incredulity, she stood, totally heedless of Elvis leaving and her empty stage. She raced to the doors and straight through them.

He leapt to his feet, and followed.

6

H e was stu

And she was making her way down Duval. The crowd had thi

She was chasing someone.

David Beckett was on the street, too, searching for Katie, then following her.

She seemed to be in some kind of a daze, intent on nothing but her purpose.

“Katie!” Beckett called, seeing her, racing after her. He reached Katie. Caught her by her shoulders and spun her around with surprise.

He couldn’t have known her, couldn’t have really known her, she’d been a kid back then.

But he’d known her brother, of course. Sean. Who had gotten out of town when it all broke, as well.

Beckett shook her gently, saying her name again, and then once again.

It was bizarre. She snapped out of whatever spell had gripped her. She seemed surprised to be in the street, there, with him. He was touching her. And her eyes met his. There was no hostility in them, just curiosity.

She shook her head then. Beckett was still concerned. Katie seemed to be determined to assure him that everything was all right. What was she saying to him?

He could tell…

There was just something about the two.

There was tenderness in Beckett’s eyes. It wasn’t the same kind of tenderness a man might show the younger sibling of an old friend.

And his hands. The way that he touched her…

The way that they stood. Why not? She was a stu

He felt his fists tensing into knots at his side.

Yes, there was something there.

Regrettable. Katie was a good kid. She didn’t sleep around, she didn’t drink herself silly. But it looked as if Katie was going to be the one. Maybe not first…maybe that would be too obvious far too quickly. But Katie would be the one who mattered.

Katie wasn’t as alarmed by what had happened as she was by the fact that David Beckett had followed her, that he had seen her.

And she couldn’t even try to explain.

I finally saw a ghost who might be Tanya. No, she probably is Tanya. She was in the cemetery today. I think she’s trying to reach me. I thought there was something familiar about her, and, of course, there was. I’ve seen her picture, I saw it years ago.

“I could have sworn I saw an old friend,” she lied. “I mean, I could have sworn it, but…I guess I was wrong. I thought it was…Janis Seacloud,” she said. She’d had to search her mind swiftly for the name of anyone she had gone to school with whom she was certain had left town years ago and not returned. He wouldn’t know her friends, of course. Still, a lie had to be as close to the truth as possible.

Bartholomew was beside her, as well.

“Oh, good save, young lady,” he told her. “I mean, seriously, what was that? I thought you’d lost your mind. And you say I’m going to make you look crazy! You’re doing just fine on that all by yourself.”

“Stop!” she murmured.

“Pardon?” David asked, frowning. He still had his hands on her shoulders. She liked the feel of them.

But they were still standing in the street, and she was looking more unbalanced every second.