“Still, it’s interesting. Sage disappears, the gold disappears—and they weren’t connected?”
“Sage disappeared two weeks before the gold did. And while she was known for her Bohemian lifestyle, she was never suspected of being a gold thief.”
“I’m assuming people went out to look for the missing stagecoach?”
“They did. They never found the gold, the stagecoach and horses, the driver or the two armed guards hired to watch over it. No wreckage, no bodies—nothing,” Sloan said.
“And Sage disappeared two weeks before,” Jane repeated.
“Yes.”
“What about the man she supposedly left with?”
“Red Marston?”
“Yes.”
“Well, he was considered a shady character. But he disappeared—or took off—at the same time. He was apparently good-looking and he had the reputation of being a womanizer.”
“Could they have hidden out for those two weeks—waiting for the stagecoach to leave?” Jane asked.
“Sure. Anything could have happened. This was back in the 1870s. We have a few records, and plenty of oral legends. But they’re pretty much supposition because people were making assumptions back then just as they do now.”
Jane yawned. She seemed suddenly startled, looking out to the living room area.
He looked, too. Longman was in his chair by the fire.
Sloan glanced sharply at Jane, but she’d already returned to the book.
He felt something cold slip over him as he watched her.
Logan Raintree’s unit was known for its unusual cases.
Did they really search for ghosts?
And find them?
She stood up. “I guess I should get back. Especially if we’re going to be worth anything in the morning.”
He didn’t move; instead her frowned at her. “You see him, don’t you?” he demanded. “It’s true—you and your team do paranormal investigations!”
“We’re a legitimate unit. We’ve gone through all the proper training, and we’ve been extremely effectual. And I’m damned good at what I do,” she said defensively.
“You just saw Longman,” Sloan said.
She was silent as she returned his stare.
“Longman?” she asked. Her voice was thin.
He shook his head. “All this time...I’ve wondered if he’s in my mind. But you just saw him. Admit it.”
She sighed. “Yes, I saw him.” She turned around. “He’s gone now. At least, I don’t see him anymore.”
“Why didn’t you say you saw him?” Sloan asked her. “Before I brought it up?”
“How was I supposed to know you saw him?”
“He’s real. I mean, he’s a real ghost,” Sloan said.
“Who is he?”
“One of my great-great grandfathers on my mother’s side.”
“Do you have any other great-great grandparents hanging around?” she asked.
“Sage?”
“Sage.”
Sloan sat down. “They say she haunts the old theater. I’ve never seen her. I’ve always thought that everything I’ve heard about Sage supposedly haunting the theater had to do with people acting crazy. They scare themselves silly. People think they hear something or a shadow moves in the night—and they’re out of there.” His eyes narrowed. “Have you seen her?”
“I don’t know for sure. I’ve seen...I’ve seen a woman standing on the stairs. At any rate, I thought she was there. And in my room...things do move.” She smiled. “Actually, I think she might be there. I was angry, I went in and I said that the sheriff was an ass and—”
“You said I was an ass—out loud?” he broke in.
She raised one shoulder. “Sorry. Yes. You had acted like an ass. I mean, after all, you were Logan’s friend, Logan sent me here and you were a jerk.”
Sloan kept his expression noncommittal. “And then?”
“My brush flew at me.”
He couldn’t help smiling and he wondered if it could be true—that Sage McCormick was watching out for him.
“Do you have any special talents?” he asked Jane. “Can you make contact with her?”
She hesitated, looking at him. “Sloan, they choose to make contact with us. We can let them know we’re open to it, but... I really have to get some sleep,” she finished softly.
He nodded. “All right. Let me get you back.”
“I could’ve just driven.”
“A man’s just been killed in this town. You shouldn’t do anything to put yourself at risk.”
“I can shoot. I’m not the best, but I’m pretty good.”
He smiled, reaching for his keys. “I can shoot, too. But I plan on being extremely careful until we find out exactly what happened to Jay Berman.”
He found it was difficult driving her back. Not the driving—the sitting next to her. He couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that she’d seen Longman.
She had surely seen others. Including Sage. Maybe. She knew, she understood...
He wanted to keep a distance between them, build a wall that kept him from having to recognize how different that made them.