Free Loose Ends by Terri Reid

really running late,” she interrupted.
    He pressed his lips together for a moment, biting back his anger and then nodded.
    “Was there anyone else present on the dock when you were there?” he asked, “Let me qualify that, anyone who would leave fingerprints?”
    “No, there was no one on the dock with me who would leave fingerprints.”
    “Why did you choose the dock to conduct this interview?”
    “Because my contact stays close to the editorial offices of the paper, but often travels to the dock for an occasional cigarette break.”
    “Ghosts smoke?” he asked incredulously.
    Mary rolled her eyes. “Ghosts are merely the spirits of people who have died,” she explained. “If you had a habit while you were alive, why do you think you would change it after you’re dead?”
    Bradley shrugged. “I guess you wouldn’t.”
    “Anna Paxton couldn’t go more than two hours without a smoke break – so I knew that she would head out to the dock sooner or later.”
    “Why did you wait until one in the morning to speak with Ms. Paxton?”
    “Well, hmmm, maybe because I didn’t want any of the reporters to see me talking to myself,” she answered.
    “So, you admit you were talking to yourself,” he countered.
    “No, I was talking to a ghost who cannot be seen or heard by most people,” she said, “So, when I talk to ghosts, it strongly resembles me talking to myself. Any other questions?”
    “Where are you going?”
    “I’m going to meet with a client who lives out of town. I plan on being back in town by this evening,” she replied. “Now can I ask you a question?”
    “Shoot.”
    “Who initiated the warrant for my arrest?”
    Bradley was surprised and suspicious. “Why do you want to know?”
    “I’m working on a case that might have ramifications for some people in high places in this town,” she replied. “Knowing who did it might make my job easier.”
    Bradley nodded, that seemed like a fairly straightforward request. “I’ll see what I can find out,” he promised.
    “Thanks, I’d appreciate it,” she replied, opening her car door. “Any more questions?”
    “Um, just one,” he said, “When did you discover you could talk with ghosts?”
    Mary climbed in her car, closed the door, turned the key and then rolled down the window. She leaned out and called to Bradley, “Just after I died.”
    Then she put the car in gear and drove away from the speechless Police Chief.

Chapter Eleven
    Driving down Highway 20, all Mary could think about was her encounter with Bradley. It left her feeling angry and a little vulnerable. Did everyone in town consider her a kook?
    She thought about her small circle of friends in town. It boiled down to Stanley and Rosie. “How sad is that?” she murmured, “I’ve only got two friends.”
    She started to feel a pity party coming on and shook herself out of it. There were lots of people who would have been her friend if she had just taken some time to get to know them. But being the only person in Illinois, and perhaps the Midwest, who could actually see ghosts and talk to them gave her very little time for socializing.
    She didn’t know how it worked, but somehow ghosts in need were drawn to her. That was the main reason she left Chicago and moved to Freeport. There were too many ghosts for Mary to handle in Chicago, especially since she was just beginning to figure out the whole ghost thing. Freeport was the right size for a fledgling ghost hunter.
    Mary realized she had passed through Stockton and was only twenty minutes away from Galena. She took a couple of deep breaths and tried to clear her mind so she could concentrate on the case before her. The officers she worked with used to call it her “zone.” The zone was a state of mind where she was able to mentally slow everything down and take in all of the details. Inconsequential, random events would suddenly have logical patterns. Pieces of information would fit together. The case would open up