Free Twisted Paths by Terri Reid

look at these.”
    Ian and Mary looked at the other three papers and found obituaries of three other girls from the same class, all who committed suicide.
    “Did they make a pact or something?” Ian asked. “They’ve spaced them exactly four years apart.”
    “Yeah, and the next one is due this week,” Jerry replied. “It will be number five in the series.”
    “Has anyone linked these deaths together before this?” Mary asked.
    Jerry shook his head. “No, four years is a long time to remember dates,” he said. “People remember that other girls died, but they don’t remember the details.”
    “So, where can we get a copy of the Yearbook from their class?” Ian asked.
    Smiling, Jerry nodded with approval. “Yeah, I do like this guy,” he repeated as he pulled a Yearbook from under the paperwork on his desk. “I pulled one from our research library; just get it back to me when you’re done.”
    “Thank you,” Ian said. “I’ll bring it back myself.”
    Pausing for a moment, Jerry shook his head. “No, send O’Reilly. She doesn’t make the staff swoon when she walks in the door.”
    Laughing, Mary extended her hand to Jerry. “Thanks, you’ve been a great help.”
    “Oh, no,” Jerry said, not shaking her hand. “You’re not off that easy. I want first dibs on the story when you solve this case.”
    “But my client…”
    “Yeah, I met your client, and she hired you to be a ghostbuster and get rid of her household problem,” he said. “Not solve a mystery like this.”
    He folded his arms across his chest. “I want the story.”
    Mary nodded. “Fair enough,” she said. “I’ll feed you whatever information I can.”
    Jerry extended his hand. “Agreed?”
    Mary shook it. “Agreed.”
     

Chapter Sixteen
    Mary and Ian didn’t bother moving the car for their next appointment.  The Foley Law Offices were only two blocks away from the newspaper.  Mary had called before she left the house and had secured an appointment with both the father and daughter.
    “And what are you hoping to find?” Ian asked. “Seeing you can’t really tell them you’re trying to get rid of a ghost.”
    Mary stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and looked at him. “Don’t worry,” she said, “I have something brilliant planned.”
    Ian nodded, and they continued walking up the street. “So, you have absolutely no idea what you’re going to say,” he stated casually.
    “Exactly,” Mary replied.
    The law offices reflected the status and success of the two lawyers.  The ultra-professional administrative assistant politely brought them into the wood paneled conference room, offered them bottles of sparkling water in crystal glasses with ice while they waited for the Foleys to arrive.  Mary sipped delicately and gazed around the room. “I always wanted a room like this,” she said. “But I’d have a fireplace and overstuffed leather chairs.”
    Ian grinned. “And shelves filled with leather books on each wall, with a loft above filled with even more shelves.”
    Nodding, she leaned toward him. “And one of those really cool library ladders that slide from section to section.”
    “Aye, it sounds like my library back home,” he said.
    “Really?” she asked. “Do you really live in a place like that?”
    “Well, it’s monstrous huge, a bit drafty and a wee bit pretentious, but we like to call it home,” he said with a smile.
    “How could you ever leave such a place?” she asked.
    “Ah, well, that’s easy,” he said. “To be in your company and be part of your adventures. I can’t tell you the fun I’ve had these past few months.”
    “Oh, yes, it’s been loads of fun,” she said, rolling her eyes.
    He met her eyes and she was surprised to see how serious he was. “Aye, I’ve made friends who are like family to me now,” he said. “I’ve been accepted for what I do and who I am. I wouldna have missed this adventure for the world.”
    She reached over and placed her hand on