The hardwood floors gleamed in the sunlight coming in through the windows, giving Ryley a glimpse of Rosalind on the back patio. She wasn’t dressed in one of her perfect suits. Her hair rested in waves down to her shoulders. This was the relaxed version of the psychiatrist never shown to patients.
Jake opened the French doors and followed Ryley outside.
Rosalind turned and smiled. A black and blue smudge was visible beneath her makeup. A small cut was on her cheek and her lip.
“Oh my,” Ryley dropped her bag on the table. “I hope the other person looks worse?”
“I have no idea how the other person looks. Please have a seat.” Rosalind turned her gaze to her son. “Can you give us a few minutes, please?”
He met Ryley’s gaze with an edge of concern. “I’ll be right inside if you need me, Mom.”
“Thanks, honey.” Rosalind touched her cheek and winced where the bruise was forming. “I fell down my porch stairs.”
“The way your son tells it, you were shoved off the stairs, and the video showed you fighting an invisible enemy
Rosalind blushed. “I was on the phone with Christopher giving him a suggestion for a psychiatrist for Phillip and finalizing our dinner plans when I felt the pressure on my back. Not hands per se, but there was a pressure behind it. Next thing I know, I was flying down the stairs. And then it felt like I was being attacked. Had I not been on the phone, I might have died, but Christopher arrived seconds before an ambulance.”
Anger stirred in Ryley’s gut. Kitty wasn’t just trying to frighten her anymore. She was trying to kill her. It didn’t make sense, not knowing what Ryley knew now. Kitty was pregnant. She was leaving her husband and her lover. Why in the world was she taking this rage out on Rosalind?
“Does she blame you for the breakup of her marriage?”
“We never discussed it. I wasn’t even aware she knew.” Rosalind turned a slight pink. “Christopher and I fell in love. Neither of us set out to hurt Kitty.”
“What?” Jake said from the doorway. A look of disappointment settled on his face. “You were having an affair with her husband? Mother, do you even realize what this means? You’re going to be a suspect if they deem it a homicide, and if people find out, you’ll lose everything. Your reputation, not to mention your clients and probably your license. Why would you do that?”
“And that’s my cue,” Ryley said, standing from her seat. She grabbed her bag before resting her hand on Rosalind’s shoulder. “I’m going to go sage. I already did your house, so maybe it’s better if you cancel your appointments for a few days.”
Rosalind patted Ryley’s hand even though she was staring at her son. “Thanks for your help, Ryley.”
Ryley slid her hand free and stepped in front of Jake. “Can I see you inside for a minute to explain what I’m about to do, then you and your mom can talk while I’m doing my work.”
Jake’s shoulders were deflated as if he couldn’t understand his mom’s choice. Why would she make such a mistake? Ryley realized the bleak expression on his face was an indication he’d lost respect for his mother. He trudged after Ryley and shut the door behind him.
“She’s a grown woman, Jake. Respect that. What I’ve already uncovered was that both Christopher and Kitty were miserable. Kitty’s affair started long before your mom started seeing Christopher. Go easy on her. She’s dealing with a lot.”
“I don’t need you to tell me how to handle my mother,” Jake growled.
She shrugged in the face of his glare. “No, but I will tell you that this ghost wants her dead, so if the last thing you want your mother to remember is that she had a fight with her grown-ass son, then be my guest. I’m about to go stink up your house and drive whatever spirits are here out, and then I’m going to salt your property before you take me to get the key so we can clear your mother’s name and find out who really killed Kitty Lynch.”
“You don’t think it was suicide.”
She wished it was. It would be so much easier. But there was too much anger from this spirit. She didn’t want to depart. Unfinished business like this almost always took a bad turn before she could fix it. That fact had her worrying as much about this situation as she was about her father stalking her. She didn’t have a clue which shoe would drop or when.
She shook her head. “I’m certain it wasn’t. So if you want to help me keep your mom out of jail, I’d appreciate it.”
Ryley didn’t wait around for his reply. She dropped her bag on the kitchen counter and rooted around for her bundle of sage and a lighter.
She walked down the hall to the last room and stepped inside. The master bedroom was larger than the rest. The bedspread was still crumpled and unmade. A pair of jeans lay over the chair in the corner. She inhaled the scent of his clean, fresh aftershave—a smell that wasn’t about to last.
She flicked the lighter and held it beneath the sage, waiting for it to catch. A curving line of grey smoke drifted from the bundle. She wielded the sage and salt in her world, just like he wielded a gun and bullets as his weapon.
Too bad neither would work on her father.
Chapter 37
Melinda Johns had been happy to give the key and address to Jake. The tension in her face eased. The burden of Kitty’s secret seemed almost too much for her to bear.
Ryley followed Crews to the location. When Ryley had been told it was an apartment, she’d thought more of one like she lived in, only nicer and more up to date.
She’d been wrong.
The penthouse across town had a majestic staircase and featured
