Free southern ghost hunters 02 - skeleton in the closet by angie fox

boomed closed. 
    Before I could even take a deep breath, Ellis wrenched open my hiding spot. "I swear, Verity," he began, a grin tickling his lips, "you are lucky I like you."
    My heart warmed at that. "You like me?" I don't know why I was so surprised. I knew he did. Maybe I just needed to hear it again.
    Naturally, he chose that moment to clam up, ushering me out of the storage room with quiet efficiency. "I asked you to come at ten because I knew Marshall would be out of the way by then. Sometimes, you have to do what I say instead of always thinking you know best."
    Shoot. I'd been so busy dodging Beau I hadn't even thought about avoiding Marshall. "Okay, so what do we do?"
    "Just stay put a minute until Marshall is out of the way. I'm going to stall him with Alma Sue's cookies as long as I can. You do your investigating. Fast. I can hold him for about a half hour, but that's only because we have a big plate and he brought coffee. When you leave, go out the back door."
    Oh, no. "I can't." I wanted to avoid that frigid spot until the ghost was good and gone. Even if I couldn't exactly see the specter, I sure as heck didn't want to draw its attention. I'd heard of spirits following people home. "Is there any way I can sneak out the front?" I asked, more than a touch desperate. "Maybe use a side window? It was good enough for Ovis."
    Ellis's cheeks flushed. "Don't do this to me, Verity. You absolutely cannot get caught in here. It wouldn't go well for either of us."
    He was right. Ellis would get into so much trouble. He could even lose his job.
    "Fine," I said, forcing myself to accept that he was right. "I'll go out the back." I'd risk a run-in with the ghost that made even Frankie nervous. "But you have to give me that half hour in here. Not a moment less." I needed to concentrate, to focus without worrying about Marshall bursting in the door at any second.
    "You got it," Ellis said, checking his watch. "It'll be okay. We've pulled out of tight spots before."
    True. But sooner or later, we were bound to get caught. 
    Frankie materialized as the door boomed closed behind Ellis. "That was too close," I said.
    The gangster glided to one of the arched windows flanking the door. "Don't matter how close it is, as long as you don't get pinched."
    That was one way of looking at it. 
    My hard, flat sandals echoed against the marble floors as we passed through the lobby and into the main reference room. The tables stood undisturbed, their artifacts eerie in the deserted space, the remains of lives long gone.
    "You ready?" Frankie prodded.
    "No," I said. I wasn't being saucy. It was the God's honest truth.
    Frankie was not amused. "Wrong answer. Clock's ticking."
    I knew that. I was strong. I could handle this. "I'm ready." As ready as I'd ever be. "Show me the other side."

 
     
    Chapter Five
     
    T HE AIR SHIFTED , prickling my skin and working a dull throb through my muscles and bones. Sparks of energy spiraled lazily downward like enchanted dust motes. 
    I held my breath while an unearthly light settled over us, casting the room in an eerie silver glow. 
    Images slowly came into focus all around me. The row of display tables in the reading room faded away, replaced by military cots. A woman huddled over one of the nearest ones, her long skirts trailing behind her as she bent to whisper over an empty pillow, crumpled with the weight of a head. I froze when the apparition turned my way, as if I'd called her, which I certainly hadn't. She had no face. She barely had any form at all, just an outline of a woman.
    I heard faint sobbing as she glided toward me. No telling where that came from. I fought to keep my expression neutral, locked my knees lest I show the fear pounding through every cell in my body.
    "What do I do?" I whispered to Frankie when it became clear she wasn't stopping. "Frankie." 
    I turned to find him gone.
    My mouth went dry. The woman hovered inches from me, forcing me to stare straight at the churning