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Paperwork. Reports. Administrative work. Brianna hated it. Her fingers danced a wonky tango on the computer's keyboard with the faded letters. At each paragraph's end, she stopped to pause, trying to keep her head in order.
On the one hand, she felt good about clearing up the serial killings. She and Gifford had caught the killer with the knife in his hand, so to speak, and although he hadn't confessed, everything worked out. Blood droplets on Toomey's clothing matched the blood of the victims. Toomey hadn't merely found the bodies and come across the discarded knife. Toomey had held the knife and carved the victims himself. But some things didn't add up.
The killings showed a knowledge of human anatomy. Toomey didn't have that knowledge. He hadn't even worked in an abattoir. But maybe he'd picked the know-how up by watching others or talking to someone. Perhaps he was a natural.
As soon as the dental work came back from Dr Kroot, Brianna could match it up to Toomey's teeth and the marks in the human kidneys discarded on the ground at the scenes. Maybe even the-
"Hello, Brianna dear."
Emily's voice made Brianna jump with a start. She turned around, faced the shadowy figure, and sighed. "You scared the crap out of me, Emily. The details of these murders are damn creepy."
"Thank heavens you caught the man," Emily responded. "How are you today?"
Brianna's eye flicked towards the clock. Was that the time already? "I'm in a hurry with this report," she replied. "I need someone else to do it for me, but that's impossible. It has to be me."
"That is a shame." Emily's voice lacked the usual compassion and mirth with which Brianna was familiar. "Is that all that's on your mind, dear?"
Brianna released a sigh and leaned back in her chair. "Why does this remind me of the lectures my mother gave me?"
"I overheard something this morning that disturbed me," Emily responded. "You sounded upset about something, and I want you to explain it to me."
Brianna paused to recall the day's earlier events. Craig had been explaining a few things about the house for when she moved in. Security details. How the house was protected from outside attack. And yes, Brianna was in a mood.
"It's not your," Emily glanced towards Brianna's lower body, " menses, is it?" Emily's tone showed she knew it wasn't, but Brianna answered anyway.
"No." Brianna thought for a moment. "At least, I don't think so."
Brianna glanced towards Emily's shape and jumped, startled, not by what she heard as much as what she saw. Emily's shape appeared thicker, more visible, than before. A white face framed by red hair long enough to flow over her shoulders to her chest regarded Brianna through brown eyes. It was the countenance of a young woman about thirty-two years old with a mouth that looked like it often curled in a smile at the ends. She may have been young, but the eyes reflected centuries of experience. The eyes and mouth weren't smiling so much now though.
"Then what is it?" Emily asked. Her voice carried a sterner tone. "Why are you grumpier than two Scotsmen fighting over a penny?"
Brianna was normally a strong woman herself and had physically fought for her worth, but Emily's tone was motherly enough to unearth Brianna's words. "Craig's keeping secrets from me, isn't he?"
Emily's voice remained strict. "What man doesn't? He has a right to be himself as much as you deserve to be yourself." Then the spirit hesitated. "What kind of secrets are we talking about?"
"Do you remember three weeks ago when I came over after we caught the serial killer?"
Emily nodded. "You were one shaken lass and needed that good -" She paused, giving a wink.
Stunned that Emily knew about her and Craig's lovemaking session that followed that night, Brianna paused. "You don't stand there watching, do you? Do other spirits do the same?"
Emily shook her head with a slight grin. "No, we have better things to do. But for all three innings, you were both loud." Brianna's mouth dropped open in surprise for a second before transforming into a smile. "But," Emily said, waggling a finger at Brianna. "You're avoiding the story. What happened?"
"Do you mean our lovemaking?"
"No!" Emily responded, her countenance fighting back a laugh. "You were talking about Craig's secrets and somehow brought up the lovemaking yourself. What secret?"
"Correction," Brianna answered in a firm, authoritative voice - the kind only a police officer can muster. "You suggested I needed it back then. I wanted to talk about what happened after that."
A cheeky smirk crossed Emily's face. "Yes, I did, didn't I? What secrets do you think Craig is keeping from you? I'll tell you if you're right."
Brianna's eyebrow raised. Did that mean Emily might be keeping something from Brianna too? She asked anyway. "The other night, he called me Celina. Is there something I should know about her?"
Emily raised a hand to her mouth, covering it. "Oh, dear. Did he?" The Scottish spirit turned away, muttering to herself. "Oh, that's not good. The poor dear."
Brianna reached out to touch Emily's shoulder but it passed through the ghost. "Hey, stay here, Emily. Who is this woman? Do I need to worry about her?"
The concerned look on Emily's face faded as she faced Brianna again. "Craig hasn't told you about Celina before?"
Brianna shook her head and Emily appeared lost in memories, a thoughtful gaze plastered across her face.
"On New Years Eve of 1999, Craig first met Celina. She used to be a dancer and they met while both working at the same party for the Royal Perth Yacht Club. This was the night people expected planes to fall out of the sky and computers to blow up or something because of the Y2K bug. You remember that, I expect. I liked her even though I knew she wasn't right for the lad. But he loved her terribly." Emily shook her head and sighed.
"Without all the details, they soon fell in love and moved in together. Craig thought it a good thing because they both worked as entertainers. He had his psychic ability then too, but he persisted in using other parlour tricks with his magic and mentalism. On some occasions, he also worked as a private investigator, but that's beside the point. The two of them soon moved in together and even started a mind-reading act between them. Craig loved showing her new tricks. I think it was her laugh and her innocence when they worked. Then two years later, she gave him the news. He loved hearing it. A baby! His baby.
"And when the little girl was born, even I fell under her enchantment. She was so gorgeous, the perfect composite of her Dad and Mum. Julia, they called her, and she had some of Craig's innate abilities. Most children do, but her ability to see me was well-developed. The little girl could see spirits and always smiled whenever she saw me."
Emily paused and drew a breath as though about to release a sigh in the memory's wake.
Brianna had sat back from the computer to listen, her face a picture of thought and realisation. "What happened to them? Does Craig still see them?"
Emily's features reflected a phantasmic tear that glistened from the office light. She wiped it. "They died, Brianna. About this time eight years ago, just shy of the little girl turning seven months. They died in a traffic accident on Mount Lucrapana. The roads are so twisty there, and the corners are blind. Celina had been visiting her mother with Julia and was on the way home when something made her swerve the car. No one knows what it was. Perhaps a kangaroo or a wallaby on the road. The car broke through the rails." Emily's voice trailed away.
Tears were streaming down Brianna's face by the time Emily finished her tale. Sniffling, she wiped her face and cleared her nose with a tissue. "Was Craig there?"
"No," Emily replied. "And that's one of the reasons he blames himself. It was Celina's car, and she never serviced it. Before she drove the little girl up there, Craig had suggested she take his car which he always looked after. He was in Brisbane for a show and didn't need his car. Craig was beside himself when he heard the news. The two of them had argued about something, nothing important, but they never kissed and made up. He had stormed off to the airport to catch his flight. He'd kissed Julia goodbye, but neglected Celina. The news arrived on his phone as he was about to walk on stage. You should have seen his face, Brianna. I have never seen a man's heart break as his did. I, too, wish I could have been there. Perhaps I could have saved the little bairn."
Brianna remained quiet, looking at the computer screen. The words on its screen no longer carried meaning as she imagined the scene. "I feel so bad now," she admitted. "That's terrible! I -"
Emily shook her head, hugging Brianna. "None of us can afford to leave our loved ones while angry. I don't know why we do that." After a moment, the Scottish lady moved back to regard the detective. "He visits the cemetery on their birthdays and the anniversary of their death. If you noticed he turns secretive or quiet, that's when he's torturing himself."
"Tony Gifford told me Craig was admitted to the mental hospital," Brianna said. "Is that true?"
Emily's features fired to life with anger. "That little man is lucky to be alive. No, it's not true. Not completely, anyway. Craig admitted himself a year later, but only as part of a case; an unrelated case."
Both women, the body and the spirit, remained silent. One pondered the story while the other regarded her with a thoughtful gaze.
"Do you have any other concerns about Craig's secrets?" Emily wondered.
Brianna shook her head and wiped away a stray tear. "No, not at all. I think Craig's talking in his sleep to Celina. That and the appointment he's taking with an attractive-looking brunette today built up on me."
"Oh, yes," Emily responded with a nod. "I can understand that. But you have nothing to fear. Craig is only interested in you, dear. He wouldn't have cooked for you, otherwise."
"I know. It's not like me to feel jealous."
Emily's eyebrow raised. "It's not?"