The Ghost of a Chance (Krewe of Hunters #38.7)

Epilogue

“I was never really in any danger,” Angela told Jackson.

He groaned. “Yeah, gun to your head, held by a woman who thought she was overlooked and had already taken part in murder, bank robbery, and kidnapping…”

“Okay, but—”

“You knew you could talk your way out of it.”

“You, Bruce, and David did arrive at a really good time,” she admitted.

Jackson smiled and put his arms around Angela.

They were in the shower again. There had been paperwork, but Bruce had thankfully taken over with Elise and was finishing up with the attorneys. So, they were able to get home.

And into the shower.

Oh, how she loved showers.

“We’re alive. We’re here,” she whispered.

“And you do feel really good all soapy,” he told her.

“Oh? I don’t feel good when I’m not soapy?” she demanded.

“No, no. You feel great, absolutely great…soapy or not. It’s just that when you’re soapy, my hands slide over you. All over you…”

“And mine just slide on everything,” she teased.

And proved her point.

Completely scrubbed from all reminders of the sewer, they laughed, managed to leave the shower without falling, played some more with the towels, and then fell into bed together.

It was late—many hours later—as they lay together, her curled in his arms, Jackson staring up at the ceiling, when she murmured, “We need to find David again. He seemed to disappear when we had Elise secured and—”

“We’ll find him,” Jackson assured her.

“You sound certain.”

“I am. I know he isn’t here tonight because…” Jackson broke off, smiled, then told her, “Because, thankfully, he led a good life after the war. And he knows what it’s like to be in love and be with the one you love after a night like we had.”

“Right. He’s giving us our privacy.”

“But we’ll find him in the morning.”

“We need to, Jackson. Just think, if it hadn’t been for him, things could have gone way differently at the bank. Billy was never a killer, but Kenneth was. Kenneth…”

Jackson made a face. “The man may get the death penalty after this.”

“I’ve never known how I feel about that. As we know, innocent men and women have died throughout history. But when you have a man like Kenneth, who will kill again… I don’t know what I believe.”

“I’m just glad it isn’t up to me,” Jackson told her. “But you’re right. With Kenneth, things could have gone horribly wrong at the bank. Billy and Cassie would have probably been killed once Kenneth and he slipped through the tunnels with the money. I wonder if Elise ever suspected that Kenneth would kill her, too, once he had the money, and she met up with him for her half. Anyway, thanks to the captain, we solved two murders, a kidnapping, and Billy will get some help instead of a prison sentence.”

“Thanks to David. Jackson, I want to find him today.”

“And we will. Don’t worry, we’re not going in to work. Bruce and Alex will be in the office watching over our agents in the field and handling whatever else needs doing. Okay?”

“A plan.”

It started with their morning: breakfast with the kids.

And it was always wonderful to be with them, taking care of the dogs—their living pet and their ghost dog—and realize how incredibly lucky they were.

And every time they helped others…

It just made life better.

Soon enough, the kids were off, and while they had met and adopted Corby during a case when they learned that he had the strange thread of DNA that allowed him to see and speak with the dead, he was living a normal life, going to school, enjoying family time…just being a kid.

But when that very precious morning was over, Angela looked at Jackson and asked him, “Okay, how do we go about finding David?”

“Well, my love, this time, I’ve been doing some research,” Jackson told her.

And thus it was that they headed to Arlington Cemetery.

“In 1948, Harry Truman desegregated the military,” Jackson said as they walked through the hallowed ground. “Of course, David survived long after the Civil War, so he’s in Section 23. I don’t know why—”

“He’s saying goodbye to friends today, you think?” Angela asked.

“I do. He’s been here for a very long time. He didn’t need to stay to help a family member; his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren lived good lives. I think he’s wondered why he’s been here so long and…”

Naturally, they ran into a few other spirits, nodding and seeing them smile as they passed. There were and had been others in the world with the gift or curse of seeing the dead, of course, but it wasn’t that common. So, the ghosts viewed them with smiles and curiosity.

They saw a man dressed in a chief petty officer’s naval uniform, and Jackson paused to ask him about David.

The ghost of the World War II vet pointed him out.

David was there shaking hands with old friends.

But he saw them and smiled broadly, hurrying toward them and giving Angela a ghostly hug before shaking Jackson’s hand.

“I can feel it. I can feel it’s today,” David told them. “And…well, I know. Somehow, I just know I’ll see my wife and go to a place where all souls have learned to love and be together, and none of the petty problems of Earth exist. Sorry, I’m just, well, I’m just ready.”

“We thought so,” Jackson told him.

“And I’m sorry. I can’t talk long. I need to…”

“Go, go,” Angela told him. “David, thank you. We love you.”

David paused for just a second and smiled. “Keep at it, no matter what others say and do. Keep at providing goodness for everyone. The more who do, the better it becomes.”

Then, he left.

There was a beautiful tree near the section, and David hurried to it and lifted his face to the sky.

And it came.

It wasn’t a bolt of shocking light; it seemed rather gentle. A glow that slowly came like white mist in the air.

It encompassed the smiling man.

And, seconds later, the spirit of Captain David Clancy was gone.

Jackson looked at Angela and smiled.

“‘All’s well that ends well,’” he quoted.

And she knew that to be true.