A Change of Worlds

Book 5 of the Killian Kendall Mysteries

By Josh Aterovis
Copyright 2026

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Chapter 5

I awoke the next morning to a drizzly, overcast sky. I would have preferred spending the day in bed, but work beckoned. Although I'd made respectable inroads into the pile the day before, there was still a rainforest's worth of paperwork on my desk. Groaning, I forced myself to climb out of bed and hit the shower before going downstairs.

Steve, standing behind the check-in desk in the foyer, looked up with a warm smile as I clattered into view. "Hey, Killian."

"Hiya, Steve-o," I said, ducking into the dining room.

Every morning, he laid out a continental breakfast for the guests. I grabbed a bagel, slathered it with cream cheese — the real kind, not that low-fat stuff — and joined Steve once more.

He eyed my bagel enviously. "That's not low-fat, is it?"

"Nope."

"Ah, to be young again," he said wistfully.

"I don't know why you're doing that stupid diet. It's not like you're fat."

"I just needed to get back in shape. I let things slide while I was getting this place on its feet, and now that it's running fairly smoothly, I can focus on my health again. All those nights of fast food were starting to catch up to me." He patted his stomach with a rueful expression. "So what's on your schedule for today?"

"Still fighting paperwork," I grumped. "I don't think I was cut out to be a desk jockey. I might have a new case, though. I'll find out tonight."

"Anything exciting?"

"Maybe."

He nodded. It was a sufficient answer. My friends and family were used to my being cryptic about cases. "How about the situation with Micah? Adam told me what was going on."

"What about it?" I responded cagily.

Steve sighed. "You've not even thought about it yet, have you?"

"I have!" I insisted. "A little. Okay, not that much. But I have thought about it."

"Killian..."

"Steve, I really don't need a lecture about this. There's just been a lot going on. I haven't had a chance to give it my full attention yet, but I will."

"Don't leave him hanging too long, Kill."

"I won't. I've got to go now. I'll talk to you later." I rushed out the door before he could have a chance to continue the conversation.

My mood now matches the weather, I thought.

I did my best to avoid brooding about Micah on the ride into work. That was easier said than done. I knew I needed to make a decision, but I was scared of both options. If I said no, I wasn't ready to move in with Micah, would he really leave for New York? If I said yes and moved in, where would we be if things didn't work out?

And then there was Asher...

Luckily for the sake of my sanity, a distraction was waiting for me. As I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed a construction van sitting there. I heard the racket even before I reached the office door.

The renovation project had begun.

That certainly hadn't taken long. Novak must have had the whole project in the works already before he'd told me about it — which made me wonder how long he'd had this planned. I was lucky he'd told me at all. I could just picture arriving at work today to the shock of a construction crew demolishing my office.

The reception area, also known as my office, was in total disarray, just as I'd expected. All the furniture had been moved into one corner and protected with canvas tarps. A fine layer of sawdust already covered the floor. A carpenter wielding a saw was enlarging an opening that had been partly cut in the wall leading to the neighboring office. The noise was deafening. I had a feeling I wouldn't be getting any paperwork done that day — at least not at my desk.

Just then, the horrible screeching of metal on metal overwhelmed the roar of the saw, followed quickly by a sharp crack and an echoing silence. The carpenter cursed under his breath as he glared at his broken saw blade.

A worker peered through the hole from the other side with a look of consternation. "What happened?"

"Hit something," the first guy responded, earning himself a new nickname as far as I was concerned: Captain Obvious.

"What'd ya hit?" the other guy asked.

"Dunno, but it could make things complicated."

I turned from the workers and knocked on Novak's closed office door. There was no answer, so I let myself in. I was startled to find Novak sitting behind his desk working. He looked up in surprise as I entered, and I noticed the reason for his lack of response. He was wearing a pair of soundproof earmuffs. He pulled them off with a weary sigh.

"They've been here for hours already," he grumbled. "If I'd known it was going to be this noisy, I would have said to hell with expanding and just moved to a new office."

"I think you'll have a reprieve for a while. It looks like they've hit a snag."

"I'm not sure if I should be relieved or not. I think I'd just rather it was over."

"So, if I hadn't come to you yesterday about hiring a receptionist, was this going to be a surprise?"

"Actually, yes. I was going to give you a few days off, and the renovation would be done when you came back."

"Oh. Sorry for ruining the surprise. So what do I do today?"

He shrugged. "We'll stick to my original plan. Take the day off. It's not like you can get anything useful done. I won't be here much longer myself."

"They'll be okay with no one around?" I asked, hooking a thumb in the direction of the outer office.

"They have a key to the front door."

"But not to your office?"

Novak gave me a sour look. "No, not my office. I'm not a novice, kid."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to imply you were."

"I know. I'm just in a bad mood. Why don't you get lost before I take it out on you some more?"

I grinned. "I can take whatever you can dish out, old man."

He grinned back, but before he could respond with a biting retort, Captain Obvious stuck his head in the door. "Hey, chief, we broke a blade, and we don't have another one in the van. We gotta run to the store. Also, we seem to be hitting something unexpected, so this might take longer than we first thought."

Novak heaved another sigh. "Any idea what you're hitting?" he asked as if he was afraid of the answer.

"Not really. We did some test holes and didn't see nothin', plus we checked over the plans and all, so we know it's not a load-bearing wall." He shrugged. "We'll figure it out."

"Does that mean we can't have a door there?"

"No, it just means it'll take longer to get one. I think. Or maybe not."

Novak nodded and waved him away. "Thanks for clearing that up. Just do whatever you need to do."

Captain Obvious gave us a sketchy salute and left.

"This is going to be a nightmare," Novak predicted grimly.

Since I had the unexpected pleasure of a day off, I decided to make the most of it by getting a head start on researching my case. True, I wasn't officially hired yet, but I had every confidence that Lily and Fletcher could be quite persuasive.

A hunt at the library turned up very little on the local tribes. Thinking maybe I was just missing something, I asked the librarian, who confirmed there were not many books on the subject. She did help me locate a few she thought might be helpful.

One was a children's book written so long ago it referred to the natives as savages. I was shocked it was still on the shelf. Another simply didn't have any information about the local tribes. The other two books covered the Algonquin in general, with only passing references to our local tribes. It was better than nothing, however, and it gave me a little more knowledge than I'd had before.

While I was reading one of the books, my cell phone rang, garnering me several annoyed looks. I quickly answered it, speaking in a hushed tone.

"Killian?" It was Lily.

"Hi, yeah. Sorry, I'm in the library doing some research."

"Oh, I'll keep it short, then. The meeting is on for tonight at Fletcher's house. Can you be here at six?"

"No problem."

"Great. See you then."

I went back to my reading, since what little information was available made me feel a bit better prepared for the meeting that night. After deciding which books might be beneficial, I checked them out and went back to the B&B, where I spent an hour or two studying them in my room.

Since the books were not overly informative, I decided to see what I could turn up online. Unfortunately, in this case at least, it turned out to be not much. I managed to find the Pomocatan tribe's website, but it was an outdated, sketchy affair with very little actual information. A few other results came up in my search, but they were just mentions with no real substance.

I gave up and had an early dinner with Steve, thankful that he left touchy subjects alone. After finishing, I left for Fletcher's house. There were already several cars in the drive, so I parked on the road.

Jacy answered my knock. "Hi," he said shyly. "Come on in. Some of the council members are already here, but not all of them."

He led me into the living room. Fletcher was still on the couch, although sitting a little straighter than the last time I'd see him. An older woman with a cloud of cottony hair sat next to him, talking earnestly. Lily stood off to one side speaking to a middle-aged man with a florid face and light-brown hair who appeared quite perturbed. A mousy-looking woman about the same age as Lily was standing nearby, watching them with a worried expression.

At my entrance, the room fell silent, and all eyes turned my way.

"Everyone, this is Killian Kendall," Lily introduced me quickly. "He's the reason why I called this meeting. I'll wait until Hollis gets here to explain more."

The red-faced man grunted in a way that made it sound like he'd just stepped in something unpleasant.

"Killian, this is Gordon Wallace." Lily introduced him, and he gave me a weak handshake and a suspicious look.

"This is Eldora Little, and the lady on the couch next to Fletcher is Miss Celia Vessey." Eldora nodded timidly in my direction, while Miss Vessey waggled her fingers in greeting. "We're just waiting for Hollis Landon to get here so we can start the meeting. Hollis is the chief of our tribe."

"Jacy isn't staying for the meeting, is he?" Mr. Wallace interjected. "This is council business. It's bad enough we have to have a white boy here."

I'd taken an instant dislike to the man, and his words and tone just reinforced that impression. He looked just as white as I did. I carefully kept my expression neutral, however.

Lily's face clouded over, but before she could respond, Jacy spoke up. "No, Mr. Wallace, I won't be staying for the meeting. Since I do live here, though, I simply answered the door when Killian knocked." He turned his focus to Fletcher: "I'll be outside if you need me. I'm going to work on my bike."

I thought I detected a glint of amusement in Fletcher's eye as Jacy made a dignified exit.

There was no amusement in Lily's expression as she wheeled towards Wallace. "Was that really necessary?"

"What?" he responded with disdain. "You know that council meetings are for council members only."

"Of course, we all know that, you—"

The door opened again, cutting off any further argument, to admit another middle-aged man. He was about as opposite to Gordon Wallace as you could get. Where Wallace wore an ill-fitting business suit, short hair, and what seemed to be a perpetual sneer, the newest arrival wore faded jeans held up by a pair of dusty suspenders, a plaid shirt, a John Deere cap over long, graying brown hair, and a kindly expression. He looked like a farmer.

"Excellent timing, as always, Hollis," Fletcher said from his post on the couch.

"What did I miss?" Hollis asked.

"Just the usual sparring match between my daughter and Gordon."

Hollis smiled and shook his head as if they were discussing two unruly children on the playground. "Well, I'm here now, so maybe we can get this meeting started."

He took the seat to Miss Vessey's left, on the far end of the couch from Fletcher. Wallace quickly claimed one of the other chairs, leaving Lily, Eldora, and me standing.

Lily shot him a dirty look, which he ignored. "You can take the other chair, Eldora," Lily said. "I'll get chairs for Killian and myself from the kitchen."

"I'll help," I quickly volunteered.

"I've got it," she said, waving away my offer of assistance.

I stood awkwardly under everyone's gaze until she returned with the chairs.

"Okay," Hollis said once we were seated. "Since Lily called this special meeting, I guess I'll let her start. This has something to do with the dig, right?"

"Yes," she agreed. "Sorry I didn't go into more detail on the phone when I called you all. I thought it would be easier to go into it just one time while we were all together. Due to the recent circumstances surrounding the dig — the attack on my father, the news that the site has been tampered with several times, and the lack of effort by the police — I thought maybe we should take matters into our own hands."

"What do you mean?" Miss Vessey asked.

"I suggest we hire a private investigator."

"By 'we' I guess you mean the tribe," Wallace commented.

"Yes. I meant the tribe."

"You're very quick to spend the tribe's money," he said with narrowed eyes. "First this whole excavation on your property, which I was against from the beginning..."

"No need to remind any of us of that," Lily said dryly.

"...and now you want to hire a private investigator? For what? If the police can't find this guy, why do you think a private eye can?"

"I think a private investigator can devote more time and effort to our interests."

"You mean your interests."

"No, I mean the interests of the whole tribe. The information gleaned from this excavation will benefit all of us."

"We've been over all this before," Hollis interjected patiently. "We know where both of you stand on that particular issue. What we're here to discuss tonight is whether or not we should hire a private investigator. What would this investigator be looking for exactly?"

"He'd be trying to find out who is stealing from us," Lily answered. "And, if possible, recover the missing artifacts."

"Do we even know there are missing artifacts?" Wallace challenged.

"I think we can assume the looter was getting something for his efforts, or else he wouldn't have kept returning," Miss Vessey pointed out with unarguable logic.

Wallace didn't appear satisfied, but let it go. He seemed less inclined to argue with the older woman.

"I'm guessing from the presence of this young fellow here that he has something to do with all this?" Hollis asked with a nod and a smile in my direction.

"I'm sorry," Lily said quickly. "I forgot to introduce you when you came in. Hollis, this is Killian Kendall. He's a private investigator who comes highly recommended."

I tried not to blush under Hollis's surprised stare.

"You've already picked out the investigator too?" Wallace growled.

"As I said, someone recommended him, and I approached him just to see if he thought the case was worth pursuing. He did."

"Excuse me for sounding rude, but you seem a little young to be a private investigator," Hollis said, addressing me directly for the first time.

I gave him my most charming smile. "I suppose I am on the young side, but I've been working in investigations for some time."

"He's solved several high-profile cases," Lily explained. "He worked on the Fenton Black scandal."

Hollis looked at me with renewed respect. "That was you?"

I nodded. "Yes sir."

"He's still just a kid," Wallace spoke up. "And white too. Don't we have enough white people involved in our business already?"

"Do you know any Native private investigators around here?" Lily snapped.

"He could give us an advantage in this situation," Miss Vessey inserted. "After all, the archaeologists might feel more comfortable talking to a non-Indian about what's been going on, even if he is working for us."

"Well, that's the other thing," Lily said. "I think it would be better if the archaeologists don't know that Killian is working for us. He could go undercover, if you will, posing as a journalist or something."

"He's not working for us yet," Wallace broke in again. "Personally, I think we should just cut our losses and shut down the excavation."

"What?" Lily was outraged. "It's barely begun! We'd lose all the money we've already put up for the dig. There's no sense in shutting it down!"

"There's no sense letting the artifacts be stolen from under our noses, either. If you ask me, it's those archaeologists stealing them in the first place. They never did want to turn them over to us. This is just their way of keeping what they find for themselves."

"Even if that is what's happening, wouldn't we want to recover those artifacts?"

"They're long gone by now."

"And why are you so sure of that? Maybe you're the one sabotaging this excavation. As you're so quick to point out, you've been against it from the start."

"What?" Wallace grew even redder. "Are you accusing me?"

"Okay, folks," Hollis interrupted. "Before things get out of hand, let's review what we're talking about here. Lily has proposed that the tribe hire a private investigator to look into the goings-on down at the excavation. The ultimate goal would be to discover who has been looting the site and to get our artifacts back. Lily, are you proposing that we hire Killian?"

"Yes. He's familiar with the situation, and he's expressed an interest."

The chief turned his attention to me with a questioning look.

I nodded. "I went to the library today to do some research just in case you decided to hire me."

"Ha!" Miss Vessey snorted. "Not much there to find. Precious little's been written about us."

Hollis continued. "Let's go around and get everyone's feelings on what's been proposed. We don't want to keep Fletcher up any longer than we have to. He's still recovering, after all. I'm sure we're tiring him out."

Fletcher looked anything but tired. He'd been following the conversation avidly, that same amused sparkle in his eye the whole time, despite his silence.

"I'll go first," Wallace said gruffly. "I oppose hiring this kid. I think we should just close down the excavation and move on to more important things. And furthermore, I don't appreciate being accused—"

"Thank you, Gordon," Hollis said over Wallace's aggrieved whining. "Eldora?"

I'd almost forgotten the timorous woman was even there, she'd been so quiet. Wallace glared at her, and she visibly shrank under his gaze. "I, well...I guess I think he's a bit young. He's hardly older than the kids I teach. Maybe we should look around a bit before we decide."

"Thank you, Eldora. Lily?"

"I vote to hire Killian for the reasons I've already stated. I think I've said enough for one night."

Wallace snorted.

"Celia?"

The old lady seemed lost in thought, and for a moment I wondered if her mind had wandered, until she began to speak. "I believe we should give the young man a chance. It's important for us to expand our knowledge and understanding of our ancestors, so the excavation should continue if at all possible. At the same time, we can't just allow someone to walk off with our history. We need to find out who is stealing those artifacts and put a stop to it. And recover the stolen items too."

I got the impression that her words carried a great deal of weight with everyone in the room. She was clearly the eldest person present, and she was treated deferentially.

"Fletcher?"

"I'm in agreement with my daughter and Celia. We should hire Killian. As for his age, well, that's not always the best measure of ability," he said slowly, "especially when the person in question is gifted."

Wallace came up in his chair with a start and positively crackled with indignation. "Oh, don't start with that mumbo-jumbo mysticism again!"

"Wallace, you had your say. It's Fletcher's turn now," Hollis admonished him sternly, sounding remarkably like a teacher scolding a misbehaving student. He turned back to Fletcher. "Are you telling us that Killian has...psychic gifts?"

Fletcher just smiled enigmatically.

Hollis then turned to me. Not knowing what else to do, I simply nodded. It was strange having so many people know about my gifts. It wasn't something I brought up often. My close friends and family knew, of course, but no one else.

"Well, I'd have to say that puts a different spin on things," he decided after a moment's silence. "I guess we should discuss the financial aspect of it."

Lily produced a printed copy of the fee scale I'd emailed to Nikki the day before and handed it to him. I explained our fee structure and answered the few questions that arose. There was some brief and predictably acrimonious discussion, mainly between Lily and Wallace, before Hollis called things to a halt. I was beginning to understand Novak's warning about politics.

"I think we've had enough discussion on the topic. Let's take a vote. All in favor of hiring Killian to look into this business raise your hand." Lily, Fletcher, and Miss Vessey raised their hands. Eldora's hand fluttered uncertainly, but a grim look from Wallace stilled it in her lap. "All opposed." Wallace's hand shot into the air, and after a few seconds of hesitation and another glare from Wallace, Eldora's joined his. "The chair votes yes, making the count four to two," Hollis announced. "Congratulations, Killian. You're hired."

Before I could speak, Wallace sprang from his chair. "This is a mistake. It's been a mistake from day one, but no one ever listens to me. Well, listen now. You mark my words, you'll regret this before it's over."

With his voice still ringing in the air, he stormed from the house, slamming the door behind him.

I glanced around the room, taking in everyone's reaction. Eldora stared after him with wide, frightened eyes. Miss Vessey's lips were pursed with disapproval. Lily rolled her eyes, while Fletcher still looked like he knew something the rest of us didn't. Hollis's face remained stony, revealing nothing.

"Did he just threaten us?" Miss Vessey asked with indignation.

"He's full of hot air," Lily said dismissively. "I keep hoping that one of these days he'll do the world a favor and float away."

Hollis cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "Getting back to business, what happens now, Killian?"

"Well, I'd like to see the excavation site and talk to those involved. Right now, I'm still just trying to get a handle on what's happened."

He nodded. "I guess since you've already been working with Lily and Fletcher, they can be your contacts for the council. I'm sure they can answer most of your questions, but if there's something you need, feel free to contact me at any time."

"The same goes for me," Miss Vessey said with a smile. "I also have some books at home that might be helpful. You won't find them at the library, that's for sure."

I smiled back at her. "I'm sure they would be helpful, Miss Vessey. I'd appreciate that very much."

"Well, if that's all, I guess this meeting is adjourned," Hollis said. "Thanks for taking the leadership on this one, Lily."

"No problem," she responded as everyone except Fletcher stood. "I just couldn't stand by and do nothing."

"Killian, if you'd stay for a moment?" Fletcher asked as everyone started filing towards the door. I sat back down and waited expectantly.

After the door had shut behind the last council member, he said, "Things went pretty much the way I'd hoped they would. I'm pleased you were hired, but at the same time, I have to tell you I have an uneasy feeling about this. I sense there is a possibility of much danger ahead."

"What do you mean?" I was used to vague warnings from Judy, but it was rather unnerving coming from someone who was practically a stranger.

"I wish I knew." He shrugged. "The future is fluid. There is no one set path. Instead, every action carries with it an infinite number of possibilities. Some things are more susceptible to change, like a small stream easily diverted, while others are more like a mountain: immovable. The feelings I have about this are vague, but...dark. I sense some sort of danger waiting on this path, yet I don't know what it is exactly or how to avoid it. You'll need to use caution as you proceed with this investigation."

I nodded uncertainly. I wasn't exactly known for using much caution in my investigations. I was much more likely to run head-first into trouble and hope for the best. I'd been incredibly lucky so far, but I knew I needed to start being smarter...before my luck ran out, especially since there was something in Fletcher's tone that made a shiver run down my spine. His earlier air of amusement was gone, and he was now deadly serious.

"What also concerns me is that I feel my grandson's presence involved with this sense of menace."

"Jacy?"

He nodded somberly. "He's tied to whatever is happening, one way or another." He shook his head. "I don't like it, but there is nothing I can do about it."

"Nothing you can do about what?" Lily asked as she walked into the room.

He smiled brightly at his daughter. "I was just talking to Killian about the investigation. I'm quite pleased he was hired."

"Me too, but you didn't answer my question."

"I know," he said with a grin.

Lily sighed as she dropped to the couch next to her father. "And that's all I'm getting out of you, isn't it?"

"For now."

She shrugged good-naturedly and gave me a 'what-can-I-do?' look. I forced a smile, even though I was still more than a little thrown by Fletcher's forewarning.

"When do you think I'll be able to visit the excavation site?" I asked, forcing my brain back to the case.

"I'll contact Professor Healy and try to set something up for Monday," Lily replied. "I'll give you a call and let you know as soon as I talk to him."

"That sounds good. In the meantime, I'll try to get in touch with Sergeant Kaplan. Maybe he can tell me a little more about what they found in their investigation."

"Such as it was," she observed dryly.

"In their defense, I didn't give them much to work with," Fletcher pointed out.

"They still could have shown a little more interest."

"Could have, should have, would have... It's done. We've hired Killian, so it's all moot. And now we're holding him up while we bicker."

"You're not—" I started to protest, but he cut me off.

"We are. We've taken up enough of your Friday night. I was young once. I remember what Friday night meant."

"Trust me, I didn't have any plans."

Fletcher gave me a skeptical look but let it go. "Either way, we thank you for coming to the meeting tonight. I know it wasn't exactly fun."

"Actually, it was helpful. It gave me a better idea of the players involved — on this side, at least. Gordon Wallace was especially interesting. Do you really think there's a possibility that he's sabotaging the excavation?" I asked Lily.

She shrugged. "I wouldn't put anything past him, but I really just said it to annoy him."

"And while we're on the subject of Gordon Wallace," Fletcher added, "please allow me to apologize for his rude comments about white people. Many Native people are a little wary of 'the white man' to begin with, but Gordon tends to take it a bit further since his father was white. I think he feels he needs to overcompensate in order to prove his 'nativeness,' if you will."

"Or he's just a jerk," Lily countered.

"A distinct possibility," he agreed with a grin. "On that note, unless you have more questions, we won't hold you any longer."

"I think that's all I have right now, but we'll be in close touch throughout this case, so if anything comes up..."

"That works. Thank you once again for coming tonight."

Lily walked me to the door and said goodnight. As I was going down the steps, I noticed the shadows moving out of the corner of my eye and let out a yelp. I spun around to find a startled Jacy coming around the corner of the house.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay. I'm just a little jumpy." Fletcher's words of warning were still echoing in my head.

"How'd the meeting go?"

"Well, I was hired..." I said slowly.

He laughed. "But I imagine my aunt and Gordon Wallace nearly came to blows a few times."

I laughed too. "It wasn't quite that bad."

"You're just being diplomatic. They're both as stubborn as mules and equally sure they are right. I just happen to side with my aunt on most issues." He studied me for a moment. "I'm glad you were hired, though. I'd really like to be involved in any way possible, so if there's anything I can do to help, don't hesitate to ask."

I remembered Fletcher's comment about Jacy's involvement, and almost said something, but bit my tongue at the last minute. If Fletcher decided Jacy should know, he'd tell him. I made a noncommittal response and shifted towards my car.

Jacy's next words froze me in midstep. "I can also help you with your gifts if you want."

"What?"

"You are gifted, aren't you? Fletcher hasn't said anything, but I thought for sure I felt something..."

"I...I am."

He breathed a small sigh of relief. "I'm sorry if I said something I shouldn't have. Fletcher is always telling me to think before I open my mouth, but it still tends to run on autopilot sometimes."

I smiled. "No, it's okay. You just caught me off guard. What did you mean, 'help me with my gifts?'"

"Well, um, no offense. I sensed them the other day when we met, and they felt a little...unfocused."

"Trust me, no offense taken. Unfocused is probably a very polite way of saying totally out of control."

He grinned. "When did your gifts start manifesting themselves?"

"I guess a couple of years ago. What about you?"

"They've been around in some form or another ever since I can remember, but they really came on strong when I was around sixteen. I didn't know what was going on. I thought I was going crazy."

"Yeah, tell me about it. Wow. This is kind of weird."

"What is?"

"Talking about this with someone my own age. I've only ever known one other person with gifts."

He smiled again. "We can talk about it anytime you want. I don't know nearly as much as Fletcher, but I'll help however I can."

"Thanks. Hey, uh, can I ask a rude question?"

He blinked for second, then said, "Um, yeah, sure. I guess so."

"Why do you call your grandfather Fletcher?"

"Oh. Well...that's kind of a long story. Do you have a little time?"

"Sure," I said. "but if you'd rather not talk about it, you don't have to tell me. Being nosy is an occupational hazard."

He laughed. "No, it's okay. I don't mind talking about it. We might want to get a little more comfortable, though." He walked over and sat down on the steps, then patted a spot next to him. The steps were wide enough that we weren't touching, yet he was close enough for me to feel his body heat.

"Growing up, I didn't even know Fletcher existed," he started. "My mother didn't have anything to do with him — or with Aunt Lily either, for that matter. I was raised to believe my grandmother's second husband was my biological grandfather. When I was sixteen, we were assigned a class project to do family interviews about our genealogy. No one would talk to me, which made me very suspicious, so I began to look into things for myself. Lily is the one who finally told me the truth."

"Sixteen was a tumultuous year for you," I commented. "Come to think of it, it was for me too."

"Just wait, it gets worse. That was also about the time I started figuring out that I might be...well...gay." He stopped as if unsure of my reaction.

"It's cool. I'm gay too."

He grinned. "I thought so, but...you know, I didn't want to assume. Anyway, when I found out that my mom had been lying to me all those years, and when she found out I was gay, we had a huge fight. See, my mom is very religious, so she did not take the news well...to say the least. The end result was that I moved in with Fletcher, but since I never knew him as my grandfather growing up, he insisted I call him Fletcher. It just felt right to us."

"Lily calls him Fletcher too."

"That's another story, one I'll let him or her tell you."

"That's cool. I didn't mean to pry."

"It's all good. You warned me."

I laughed. "You know, we have a lot in common."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I was kicked out of my house when I came out too. I live with the man I now consider my father. His name is Adam, and he took me in after his son was murdered."

"Oh wow. That's intense."

"Yeah, it was a really hard time, but things are much better now."

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Yeah, I do," I said after an almost imperceptible pause. At least, I thought it was imperceptible.

Jacy must have caught it, however. "You sound a little uncertain."

"Oh no. I definitely have a boyfriend. His name is Micah. We've been dating for almost a year."

"But?"

"Now who's prying?"

"I just thought I sensed a 'but.'"

I stared out at the tree line, which was deepening into shadow as night fell. "We're going through a transitional stage right now, trying to figure out where we're heading with our relationship."

"Sounds tricky, especially if one of you isn't sure."

I looked over at him, but by then he was staring off into nowhere. It seemed that no matter how hard I tried to avoid thinking about the situation between Micah and me, it kept coming up. Well, I certainly wasn't going to sit and discuss it with someone I barely knew.

I stood up. "I really should get going."

Jacy quickly got to his feet as well. "I'm sorry if I brought up a sore subject. I shouldn't have pressed."

I shrugged it off. "No problem. It was really nice talking to you, Jacy."

He gave me a small smile, but he seemed to have reverted to his earlier shy demeanor. "You too, Killian."

I gave him a wave and took a few steps in the direction of my car, then stopped and turned back. "I could probably use that help with my gifts you offered earlier...if you're still willing."

His face lit up. "You've got it."

"Thanks. I'm looking forward to it. I'm sure I'll see you again soon."

"You bet. See you."

I felt him watching me as I walked to the car and climbed in, but when I looked back after starting the engine, he was nowhere to be seen. As much as I needed help understanding my gifts, I had a suspicion that, instead of simplifying my life, I'd just complicated it exponentially.

Later that night, as I was getting ready for bed at the B&B, I was thinking again about Jacy's offer. I knew I needed to understand my gifts better, but what was I getting myself into with Jacy? What was his motive for offering? Was he just being helpful or was it something more?

I dropped my pants and, as I started stepping out of them, I heard a wolf whistle behind me. I spun around so quickly, my pants tangled around my ankles and I tripped, falling face first onto the bed.

"Damn it, Seth!" I growled as I pushed myself up.

He smirked. "Sorry," he said, without looking the slightest bit sorry. "Bad timing? Or best timing ever?" He eyed my package, highlighted by the tight boxer briefs I was wearing.

"I haven't seen you in months and you just happen to show up now?" I grabbed a pillow and held it over my crotch.

"Hey, I never got to see you in your skivvies when I was alive. Give a dead boy a break."

Seth had been murdered, an act of violence that started me on my path to becoming an investigator. He began appearing to me not long after he died. At first I thought I was going crazy, but over the years, I'd accepted his visitations — although it was still disconcerting to have a ghost appear out of nowhere. Seth seemed to especially enjoy startling me with his sudden arrivals.

"Are you here for a reason or are you just going to ogle me in my undies?"

"Can't it be both?"

"You never show up unless you have some unsolicited advice."

"That's not...entirely true. I also saved your ungrateful but perky ass that time in Caleb's barn."

"Oh. True."

"So, you owe me. Bye bye, pillow."

I rolled my eyes. "I didn't know ghosts were so thirsty. What do you want, Seth?"

He heaved an exaggerated sigh and sat down next to me. The bed sank under his weight. He seemed so real, so physical and solid, as if he were still alive. The only reminder that he was gone was that he never seemed to age. He hadn't changed a bit since the last time I'd seen him alive.

"Fine, have it your way. You're such a prude."

"Seth..."

"Okay, okay. I came to make sure you're going to take Jacy up on his offer to help with your gifts."

"I knew it! I knew that's why you were here!"

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Sherlock. It's not like that took a lot of detective work. I've been telling you to learn about your gifts as long as you've known about them."

"You mean nagging me about them. I already said I'd accept his offer."

"But knowing you, you're already coming up with reasons not to go through with it."

"Am not."

Seth raised a single eyebrow.

"You can't...read my mind, can you?"

"I don't have to. But for the record, no. Unless I'm lying."

I narrowed my eyes. "Fine, I'll do it."

"Good. Make sure you do." He stood up.

"Or what? You'll haunt me?"

He stuck his tongue out at me and started fading.

"Wait! Why haven't you been around much lately?"

He stopped fading but he was still opaque. It was a little unsettling, which is probably why he did it. "You haven't needed me," he said. His tone was matter-of-fact, but I thought I detected an underlying note of sadness. "Now go to sleep."

And then he was gone.

How was I supposed to go to sleep after that?

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