A Dead Lover's Lingering Shadow

Phelp

ir was thick with the sterile scent of antiseptic and the faint, unsettling odor of decay. Arthur and Bi

stent with a high-energy explosive device, followed by thermal injuries." She paused, her brows furrowing. "Evidence

ies, the pain, they were still so vi

her tone. "There's something else, Detective Holmes." She pointed with a

to still. Bilal shifted uncomfortably. Arthur, for a fleeting moment

of course. That was why I was going to surprise him. But now, seeing it laid bare, hearing it

ted, his voice barely a

tive," the ME confirmed, her gaze

y. "Alright. We need to find out who she is. And whoever did this... they're going to pay." He

? You have no idea, Arthur. He was feeling a pang of collective human

hur on the shoulder. "Rough one, huh? Pr

e facts. Just makes me want to catch the bastards more." He paused, a strange look on his face. "You know, Erykah would have been all over t

treatment! The sheer obtuseness, the complete lack of connection, was unbearable. I wanted to shake him, to slap him, to scream the truth into his obliviou

ipher. "You really think she's just being difficult, Ar

away. "Look, we'll deal with Erykah when I figure out where she's hiding.

eless worker, sifting through missing persons reports, cross-referencing descriptions. Arthur, meanwhile, s

e, a rare sight these days, touched his lips. "Hey,

form stiffen

ering, was audible even to my ghostly ears. "Are you coming home soon? I'm all al

seemed to melt away when he spoke to her. "It's okay, Ivy. Just the

hat if it's a pipe bursting? Or... or a ghost? I

me in months. "No ghosts, Ivy. I'll check it out whe

g casual. "What's your big case about? The one keeping

h, it's a Jane Doe. Found her in an old textile factory. Nasty

the pregnancy a secret from me, but he was sharing it w

e was a strange, performative quality to her sympat

aw tightening. "But don't worry about i

His patience, his concern, his gentle voice-all reserved for Ivy. For me, it had been impatience, accusations, and a cold hang-up. My phantom lips curled into a silent, bitter sneer as I w