Gifts of the Ghost

“It’s common practice for someone with head injuries. He’ll need some extensive care when he comes out of the anesthesia. He was treated quickly, so that’s in his favor. If there isn’t any brain swelling or cranial bleeding, then he should be fine. It’s looking good.”

“Was there brain damage?” I latched on to the idea, already worrying about the worst-case scenario. “Is there a risk for that?”

“I’m not a doctor, so I can’t say for sure. It wasn’t something the doctors appeared concerned with. They acted like his outcome was a good one.”

I threw back the covers. “Thank you. Is there any way I can see him?”

“The doctor is speaking to his family now. I’ll finish up your discharge papers, but you should go home and rest. Then you can come up here tomorrow and see him.” The nurse smiled as she got things ready for my release. “He should be awake by then, and you’ll be feeling a little better.”

I fretted about him being up here. “I don’t want him to wake up alone.”

“Oh, he’s not alone. His brother is waiting there with him.”

“What? That’s the man that tried to kill him!” I yelled.

The nurse’s eyes widened, and she took off running.

“Call Don. He needs to know.” I motioned for Aunt Linda to get her phone because I had no idea where mine was.

Instead, she handed me the phone. I’d memorized Don’s cell number in case I needed it. Not because I was his girlfriend or anything.

“Don,” I tried not to yell into the phone as I put it on speaker. “Liam is in the hospital. The nurse said Wes’ brother is visiting him. He’s trying to finish the job.”

“I’ll make sure we get him. Gotta go.” He hung up, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Auntie, I need to go up there. I can’t just sit here all day not knowing if Wes is safe.” I slid out of bed and pulled on the scrubs the nurse had brought for me to wear home.

Her phone rang before I got them fully on, and I picked it up.

“We’ve arrested him. Wes is safe. You’re safe now, too.” Don’s triumphant words filled me with hope.

“Really?” I held my breath, hoping it was true.

“He’s in handcuffs, and they’re escorting him to the station now. The only reason there wasn’t an officer on Wes’s door is that the hospital got their wires crossed and didn’t notify us that he’d been moved from recovery to a room.”

“Oh, thank goodness. Thank you, Don.” I held back the sobs of joy I could feel trying to escape.

His voice softened. “How are you? Are you going to be all right?”

“I’m filling out the discharge papers right now. They’re giving me an inhaler and meds. They want to make sure that I’ll stay as good as new, thanks to you anyway.”

“Anytime. Can’t have you dying on me, can I?”

“Nope.” I smiled.

“I’ll let you go home. I’ll check on you tomorrow.” The line clicked.

“What happens now?” I asked Aunt Linda, unsure if we should go home.

“Let’s rest for the night and come back tomorrow. Then you can look at Wes all you need to.” She smiled as if she knew I’d do it no matter what.

When we arrived the next day, they wouldn’t let more than one person in the room at a time.

I sat on the edge of the bed while Aunt Linda stood just outside the door, meaning we were technically obeying the rules.

“How do we get William and Maggie to cross over? Isn’t their job done now?” I asked her through the doorway. Wes was still sound asleep. The nurses said he might be out for hours more as his body recovered from the ordeal he’d been through.

Shadow jumped up on the bed with a soft purr.

“What are you doing here? They don’t allow animals in the hospital,” I whispered.

She just meowed and looked up at me. Then she put her paw on my knee.

We both laughed at her antics.

A moment later, Maggie appeared next to Wes’s bed, looking more at peace.

“Thank you so much for helping to save me,” I said, wishing I could hug her or squeeze her hand or something to tell her thank you.

She gave us a soft smile and disappeared.

Somehow, I knew that was it. She’d found her peace. William stared at the spot where Maggie had stood.

He frowned. “Unfair. When’s it my turn?”

I chuckled as Wes opened his eyes. “I’m not sure exactly what we did to give Maggie her peace, but you’re next, William. Don’t worry. I know you’ll find your way.”

Ready for Mags’s and Shadow’s next great adventure?

PLEAS OF THE POLTERGEIST is now available.

CLICK HERE to get your copy so that you can keep reading this series today!

WHAT’S NEXT?

PLEAS OF THE POLTERGEIST is now available.

CLICK HERE to get your copy so that you can keep reading this series today!

MORE MOLLY

ABOUT MOLLY FITZ

While USA Today bestselling author Molly Fitz can't technically talk to animals, she and her doggie best friend, Sky Princess, have deep and very animated conversations as they navigate their days. Add to that, five more dogs, a snarky feline, comedian husband, and diva daughter, and you can pretty much imagine how life looks at the Casa de Fitz.

Molly lives in a house on a high hill in the Michigan woods and occasionally ventures out for good food, great coffee, or to meet new animal friends.

Writing her quirky, cozy animal mysteries is pretty much a dream come true, but sometimes she also goes by the names Melissa Storm and Mila Riggs and writes a very different kind of story.

Learn more, grab the free app, or sign up for her newsletter at www.MollyMysteries.com! PET WHISPERER P.I.

Angie Russo just partnered up with Blueberry Bay’s first ever talking cat detective. Along with his ragtag gang of human and animal helpers, Octo-Cat is determined to save the day… so long as it doesn’t interfere with his schedule. Start with book 1, Kitty Confidential. PARANORMAL TEMP AGENCY

Tawny Bigford’s simple life takes a turn for the magical when she stumbles upon her landlady’s murder and is recruited by a talking black cat named Fluffikins to take over the deceased’s role as the official Town Witch for Beech Grove, Georgia. Start with book 1, Witch for Hire. MERLIN THE MAGICAL FLUFF

Gracie Springs is not a witch… but her cat is. Now she must help to keep his secret or risk spending the rest of her life in some magical prison. Too bad trouble seems to find them at every turn! Start with book 1, Merlin the Magical Fluff. THE MEOWING MEDIUM (WITH L.A. BORUFF)

Mags McAllister lives a simple life making candles for tourists in historic Larkhaven, Georgia. But when a cat with mismatched eyes enters her life, she finds herself with the ability to see into the realm of spirits… Now the ghosts of people long dead have started coming to her for help solving their cold cases. Start with book 1, Secrets of the Specter. THE PAINT-SLINGING SLEUTH (WITH LINNIE ROSE)

Following a freak electrical storm, Lisa Lewis’s vibrant paintings of fairytale creatures have started coming to life. Unfortunately, only she can see and communicate with them. And when her mentor turns up dead, this aspiring artist must turn amateur sleuth to clear her name and save the day with only these “pigments” of her imagination to help her. Start with book 1, My Colorful Conundrum. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Pet Whisperer P.I. Books 1-3

Pet Whisperer P.I. Books 4-6

Pet Whisperer P.I. Books 7-9

Pet Whisperer P.I. Books 10-12 CONNECT WITH MOLLY

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MORE L.A.

ABOUT L.A. BORUFF

L.A. (Lainie) Boruff lives in East Tennessee with her husband, three children, and an ever growing number of cats. She loves reading, watching TV, and procrastinating by browsing Facebook. L.A.’s passions include vampires, food, and listening to heavy metal music. She once won a Harry Potter trivia contest based on the books and lost one based on the movies. She has two bands on her bucket list that she still hasn’t seen: AC/DC and Alice Cooper. Feel free to send tickets.

Learn more or sign up for her newsletter at www.laboruff.com! PRIMETIME OF LIFE

Turning forty isn’t as exciting as most people think. There are no fireworks or sur-prise parties, and I definitely didn’t get hitched overnight. Been there, got the di-vorce papers to prove it. Nope, none of that. Rather than forty being the new twenty and all that, I inherited a new power from my mysterious birth mother. But now she’s dead and I, despite the fact that I have exactly zero training, I’m the next time-traveling assassin. Don’t get excited. The job sounds glamorous, but it comes with a huge learning curve and plenty of mishaps. Then there’s having to actually assassinate people. That part sucks. It could be worse. I could still be working retail. WITCHING AFTER FORTY

Widow and empty nester, Ava Harper, never dreamed of turning forty without the love of her life. Nor did she know she would bury her favorite aunt, who raised her af-ter the death of her mother, a few years later. Then again, she doesn’t have the power of foresight. No, her powers are much darker. Powers she has kept behind lock and key. With her only son off to college and her life savings depleted, Ava returns home to Shipton Harbor, Maine. She’s only there to clean out, fix up, and sell the family home. But like everything in her life in the last five years, things change. Plans get canceled. Arriving in Shipton Harbor is like stepping into another world. Her high school rival is married to her best friend and is set on making up for every devious thing she did when they were teens. The magic in the house reawakens, making it impossible to sell. It doesn’t want new owners, apparently. And to top it all, the sheriff looks like he belongs on the cover of a romance novel. When an old friend of the family turns up dead, Ava must delve deep into the powers she’s repressed all her adult life to find the killer. Only a necromancer could’ve killed her friend. Now she must open up to her own wells of dark magic to find the murderer while working with the hottie sheriff she’s sure has his own secrets. MAGICAL MIDLIFE IN MYSTIC HOLLOW

No one ever told me what to do if I ended up forty-something, divorced, and job-less. When my ex knocks at my door with his new girlfriend I somehow manage to turn them into toads. But that’s not possible, right? Still, my ex-husband’s car is in the driveway, and he’s nowhere to be found. Which doesn’t look great for me. So I do the only rational thing I can think of… I run for it, straight back to the small town I grew up in. Mystic Hollow is exactly the way I remember it, except now it seems that every-thing I thought was normal and boring is supernatural. Even my group of childhood friends appear to be magical in unexpected ways. And the hot guy I had a schoolgirl crush on? Apparently, he’s an alpha shifter who digs me. Moving back home might be the fun I’ve been missing. That is until my brother disappears. Now, it’s up to me to find him, even if I have to take on vampires, shifters, sirens, and a whole lot of crazy to do it. I know that so long as I have my friends backing me, I’ll find him because no one wants to be on karma’s bad side... THE MEOWING MEDIUM

Mags McAllister lives a simple life making candles for tourists in historic Larkhaven, Georgia. But when a cat with mismatched eyes enters her life, she finds herself with the ability to see into the realm of spirits… Now the ghosts of people long dead have started coming to her for help solving their cold cases. FANGED AFTER FORTY

Jilted at the altar a month before her fortieth birthday. Poor Hailey. Midlife really does have a crisis. Or is it that midlife is the crisis? Either way, it sucks. Hailey Whitfield can’t take anymore run-ins with her ex. It’s time for a big change. She’s never consid-ered moving away, but it’s her best plan yet. Bonus – her bestie lives next door! How-ever, her new neighbor is… weird, to say the least. Extremely hot, but odd. So are his friends. But Hailey will take strange neighbors over facing her lying, cheat, deadbeat ex-fiancé all day, any day. Finding a job in a new town is more challenging than she realizes. With her savings depleted from the move, Hailey has to suck it up and take what she gets. After taking a job as a private nurse for an injured bounty hunter, things start to look up. Then a skip falls into her lap. Okay, sure. She was being nosy and reading an incoming fax intended for her patient. But with a little encouragement, Hailey takes on the task of tracking down the skip. It’s easy money. Right? Wrong. This skip is far more than Hailey bargained for. And her life is about to change in a very bloody and pointy kind of way. What a bite in the… Well, you know. With the help of her witchy best friend and her new, very pale neighbor, Hailey is going to collect her bounty. Or die trying.

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