Read Online Audrey Claire - Libby Grace 01 - How to be a Ghost by Audrey Claire - Free Book Online Page B

hours. On the other side of the door, I paused to take in the office. The room was not much more than a closet, and the chief’s desk took up too much of the space. Piles of paper and folders cluttered his desk, some seeming to have spilled over onto the floor. Two visitor chairs had been crammed into the limited space before the desk, and within the leftover area were scuffed and scratched file cabinets.
    Clark sat behind his desk rubbing his eyes. His hair hung too long over his forehead, and he brushed it back with impatience. Looked like someone else needed to visit the barber. I drifted closer but not enough to cause a chill and studied the man. Clark’s eyes were full of weariness like he hadn’t slept over the last twenty-four hours or more, and unless I misread he was worried. I took a chance and moved closer to peer over his shoulder. The folder he tapped a finger on had my name written along the tab. I gulped and floated backward. Was I the primary suspect in the murder? I had no motive. He must know that.
    Clark shifted broad shoulders and raised his arms over his head. I sighed. Why hadn’t such a good man married after all this time? We were the same age having graduated with the same class. While I had attended college locally and became engaged to Mason, Clark went away to college. I didn’t recall where, but he hadn’t stayed away. He returned after gaining a degree in criminal psychology and worked as an officer. Five years ago, he had been promoted to chief of police. Of course that made him an eligible bachelor among the local women, but none had captured him. I had heard of Clark dating but nothing serious. As I floated there watching him, I wondered if it was fear of commitment as was the case with many men. I found him deliciously attractive and appealing with his air of authority, but whoever heard of a ghost dating?
    “Where is she?” Clark muttered, and my eyes widened. I realized he meant me, but what got to me was the concern I heard in his voice. “She couldn’t have done this, but why disappear?”
    If only you knew , I lamented in silence.
    Clark’s hand hovered over the folder, but he didn’t open it no matter how I willed him to. I spotted other familiar names, but luck was not on my side. He did not peruse any of the information. The single sheet that did pop out at me was the one Clark stood up carrying and walked over to the fax machine to send out to a preset distribution list—an All Points Bulletin for me. The sheet indicated that Liberty Grace, aka Libby Grace, was wanted for questioning by the Summit’s Edge police department. My heart dropped, and the only reason I didn’t sink into despair was because I feared I would sink into despair.
    After spending several hours with Clark, I returned home and waited in the living room until the sun rose in the east and Monica groaned in the bedroom, pounding the alarm clock. She stumbled from my room to Jake’s and then stopped in the doorway. Her clouded expression told me she pondered whether last’s night visit from me really happened. I remembered I hadn’t practiced holding my solid appearance longer than a minute, but I planned on giving it my all at the right time.
    My moment came when Jake drooped over another bowl of cereal. I couldn’t fix him a hot meal, but I could give him a hug and kiss. In fact, my arms itched to hold him. Monica went through the ritual of ensuring my son washed his face, brushed his teeth, and dressed properly for school. She hadn’t tried to speak to me, but I noted how she peered in shadows and hesitated before entering a room or the hall. By the time they had sat at the kitchen table, I could tell she chided herself over thinking I had appeared with a crazy story about being a ghost. I had to do this now or never.
    Standing in the hall, I mentally prepared and then threw myself into the role of a lifetime—that of a mother alive and kicking. I flew into the kitchen with a bright smile on my