Free beyond the grave 03 - a ghostly demise by tonya kappes Page A

love.”
    “What is that?” He reached over and flicked the layer of ice that had formed over the top the Lean Meal.
    “That’s . . .” I bit my lip, “protective covering for the meal. It keeps it good.”
    “Protective covering? Is that what people are calling freezer burn nowadays?” He chuckled. “I’m not eating that.”
    “Oh, Jack Henry,” I whined. “I really did want to make you a nice meal. I had all the intentions in the world. I had gone to Artie’s and that’s when Cephus showed up. Nosy Doc Clyde happened to be walking down the magazine aisle and saw me talking to myself, when I was really talking to Cephus.”
    Jack Henry’s jaw and facial features softened. He didn’t seem impressed. He knew I was pretty good at disguising my conversations with ghosts. Not this time.
    “I thought Cephus had come home.” I shrugged. “Of course, I had to get out of there once I realized Cephus was not there in the flesh. And that’s when I ran smack-dab into Beulah Paige, who went around telling everyone I had a relapse of the Funeral Trauma, sending Granny into a fit.”
    “All I said was that I wasn’t eating that.” He smiled, pointed to the Lean Meal, then gathered me in his arms. “How about we go grab a bite somewhere?”
    “Really?” Relief settled in my gut.
    “And maybe we can talk about what you found out today.” Jack Henry ran his hand down my arm and took me by the hand, leading me out of the kitchen. “Maybe a beer would do us good.”
    “Great.” I tried to keep a steady face when Cephus appeared right next to Jack Henry.
    It was hard not to laugh at Cephus’s outfit compared to Jack Henry’s.
    “Beer?” Cephus danced. He tapped his forehead. “Tonight is wing night at the Watering Hole. You could go there.”
    I bit my lip and grabbed my purse. I felt my back pocket to make sure I had my cell.
    “You can ask questions there. All the guys know me pretty well.” Cephus made a compelling argument. “Ask them about Terk, Vernon and Leotta. Dom, dom, dom.” He made some good sound effects. “The murder plot thickens even though I know it was Vernon.”
    “Tonight is wing night at the Watering Hole.” Vernon Baxter was far from a killer and I was going to prove that to Cephus once and for all.
    “The Watering Hole?” Jack Henry held the door open for me, but not without trying to get his eyes on my face, assessing me like he did a criminal.
    I swallowed. “Uh-huh.” I didn’t make eye contact when I walked past him.
    “Oh-kay. The Watering Hole it is.” There was no argument from him. I was sure he knew he probably wouldn’t win anyway. “Since we are going that way, why don’t we just keep going and head to Bella Vino Ristorante?”
    “Tempting. But I’m not feeling like the forty-minute drive,” I lied. Driving to Lexington, the closest large town near Sleepy Hollow, was really an enjoyable ride of scenic country roads and beautiful foliage. “And the wait would be long since we don’t have a reservation.”
    Bella Vino was my favorite restaurant. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the Watering Hole, where I needed to get answers so I could help Cephus and get my life back.
    “Fine.” Jack Henry tapped the wheel of the cop car. It was funny how each of us had a company car as our only car. “How did you get the smoke-filled hair?”
    “I went to see Terk Rhinehammer.” I wasn’t sure how much detail I wanted to give him. Like I said, the puzzle pieces of the information I had gathered, or lack thereof, weren’t fitting together. I needed more time. “When I went to Higher Grounds this morning, Leotta Hardy was in there and she was driving Terk’s car. Since Cephus showed, out of the blue . . .” I glanced to the backseat. Cephus wasn’t there. “ . . . and Leotta still believes Cephus is living somewhere else, I just thought I would pop by and see what I could find out.”
    “And he was forthcoming to an undertaker’s questions?”
    “So I’m