The Accused and the Damned: Book Three, the Eddie McCloskey Series (The Unearthed 3) by Evan Ronan Page A

was the question again?”
    “How do you know a ghost…”
    “I don’t know. I—”
    Green made a buzzer-like sound. “Wrong. Never say I don’t know .”
    Eddie knew the guy was just trying to prepare him. All the same, he felt like punching the lawyer. “The testimony of Anson Ketcher is consistent with the physical evidence—”
    “No.” The lawyer sat down. “You’re not a forensic expert. You can’t say that or the DA will completely own you.”
    Eddie leaned forward. “Why don’t you save us some time and just tell me what you want me to say.”
    “Eddie, that would be unethical.”
    “I’m joking.”
    Green squinted his disapproval. “Eddie, without your credible testimony, Anson—”
    “Enough, Green. You’ve explained in painful detail something a four-year-old would get. He’ll swing if I don’t come through. No fucking shit, Sherlock.”
    The lawyer arched his caterpillar eyebrows, clearly offended. “I think that’s all for tonight.”
    “Finally we agree on something.”
    Eddie stormed out of the lawyer’s office. It was almost nine o’clock. No word on Gracie Barbitok yet, so it looked like going dark at the house was off the table for tonight. He called Giles Tyson.
    “I’m coming over.”
    * * * *
    Giles led him to the study and pointed to a black lacquer serving tray that had a jug of ice water and two glasses. Eddie poured them both a glass and took a big sip from his. He put the glass back down and noticed the corner of a map poking out from under the tray, the legend showing.
    Block letters indicated that this was a map for the cemetery that formed a peninsula around Giles’s property. Red dots peppered the map and followed no logical pattern. There were four big clusters and the rest of the dots were spread out in random fashion.
    “You thinking of moving some graves out there?” Eddie said.
    Giles smiled. “No. Just a little research. You look tired.”
    Eddie was curious about the map but after spending a few hours with Green, Eddie didn’t want to listen to Giles go on and on about another of his arcane, unprovable theories. He looked around the room at all the bookshelves. An old volume was open to the midway mark on the coffee table next to Giles.
    Eddie said, “You might be the only man who reads more than me.”
    “I’m a natural speed-reader.” Giles smiled sardonically. “And I have a lot of free time on my hands these days.”
    Eddie examined the book. It was open to a page with two columns of writing and a schematic of a building labeled the Wheeler Court House.
    It was late. Eddie wanted to dive into his cheap bed at his cheap motel. “So you went out to their house.”
    Giles smirked. “I see this is not just a social visit.”
    “I wish it were, pal. I wouldn’t mind shooting the shit and talking lit all night long. But I’ve got a job and I’m up against the old battle axe herself.”
    “I heard.” Giles made a face. “Alice didn’t want me to come originally. Anson had to lean on her. She was worried about what their church would say.”
    Eddie sipped his drink and waited for Giles to continue.
    “The first time I went was a month ago. It was behind her back. Anson thought if I found something or could think of something useful, he could tell her about it and she’d be more inclined to invite me out herself. She came home before I left though.”
    “On that first trip, what did you find?”
    “I felt the spirit immediately. I was hardly done shaking Anson’s hand when it came to me.”
    Eddie shook his head. “Giles, it’s me you’re talking to. Not some studio audience. What really happened?”
    Giles looked offended. “I’m speaking the truth. I felt her right away.”
    “Her?”
    “Oh yes, I can tell it’s a woman, which—”
    Eddie called bullshit on that. “No filling in the blanks for me, Giles. All I want from you are facts then I’ll draw my own conclusions. How could you tell it was a woman?”
    “You’re not a