Chapter Six
Nobody knew that date.
Cindy had told everybody that a previous boyfriend was the father of her child. Nobody knew that he had a child somewhere out there. They had decided when Cindy first realized that she was pregnant that the child would be put up for adoption. Sealed records.
Shifting was often hereditary, but as long as the adoptive parents knew that they were getting a child who would most likely Shift one day, there was no reason why the child wouldn't be perfectly happy with a family who wanted them, rather than being stuck with parents who would never work as a couple.
But there was no way that Melody would know that date. As Oskar stared at her, she gasped slightly, pressing her hands to her mouth while staring at the air to his side.
Oskar swallowed hard. "Cindy is here?"
Melody's eyes filled with tears. "I didn't know that you two were a couple."
"We weren't," Oskar replied harshly. "We got drunk at a party. If she was here—"
"She is," Melody interrupted. A look of confusion crossed her face. "And she wants me to tell you toad face. What does that mean?"
Oskar felt his shoulders relax. He laughed out loud, surprised by how suddenly he believed Melody. She could see ghosts? He really should think that she was insane, but he didn't. After all, he could turn into a giant bald eagle, how much stranger was seeing ghosts? He believed her, just as he believed Cindy was right beside him.
"Toad face. It was an inside joke between us. So she's here." He hesitated. "Cindy, I'm sorry that I couldn't stop Fezioni and the men that took you. I did everything I could. It just wasn't—"
"She doesn't blame you and doesn't want you to blame yourself, either. She tried to escape them. She heard them talking, they were going to kill her no matter what. There wasn't anything you could have done. And she wants you to stop hunting the rest of the crew. It's not good for you or the community. Besides, Fezioni turned against them. He killed most of the others, anyway."
Knowing most of them were dead helped ease a little of the pressure in Oskar's mind, but he shook his head. "I can't give it up. With those men still out there, there could be more people killed."
Melody glanced to his right and back at him. "She said that it's not your job anymore. It's up to the little man with the small eyes and bad suits to catch them, and he's getting close."
Oskar smiled at her description of the deputy director. That was so Cindy.
"She wants you to take care of yourself."
"Does she know who killed Fezioni?"
Melody shook her head. "She was with you hiking when he was killed. She doesn’t really care about him, anyway."
"How could she not care about the man who killed her?" Oskar's voice was a low hiss.
"He's dead, she's dead. There's nothing more to do with him. She wants you to take care of yourself, and to tell your cousin that she loved him. That they would have had a very happy life together. She also wants you to make sure he doesn't end up alone his whole life." Melody shook her head. "I didn't think that you were that nice of a person." A pause. "Because you act like a stuck-up, spoiled brat, that's why."
Oskar laughed. It was such an appropriate response to Cindy that he felt his heart lighten. She really was there. "So this is how you had so much information about other murders, is it? Because you see ghosts that demand you help solve their cases?"
A pained looked crossed Melody's face as she nodded. "It's a nightmare. They've never come to me around Blackcliff, although there was one time when a hiker got lost and died… Blackcliff has always been my sanctuary. I really hope that this doesn't end up being commonplace."
She glared at the space beside him. At Cindy.
"What did she say?"
"Something very rude. Now you promised to tell me what you wanted, so spill." Melody's hands clenched and she ground her teeth. "What do you mean, not yet? You promised me—"
She threw her hands in the air and sank back against the booth, shaking her head. Oskar watched her, half amused and half worried. Melody focused on him again as Jane came rushing over to them, her mouth set in a thin line and her eyes narrowed.
"Is everything okay, dear?"
Melody nodded, though she still looked annoyed. "It's fine. Just a little miscommunication."
Jane glared at Oskar, who did his best to smile back at her. The Old Gossip was named after its owner, from what he could see, and he had no desire to give her more fodder for the rumor mill than she had. She had already convinced half the town he was a killer. "Will our orders be ready soon?"
"Soon." Sniffing, Jane moved off again.
"She's gone," Melody muttered. "Just like that, she goes. She has got to be the most annoying ghost I have ever met. She refuses to tell me anything!"
Oskar laughed, reaching across the table to take her hand in his. "That sounds like Cindy. She always had to have things just right and she would never admit when she was feeling emotional. Would just flounce out dramatically. It's comforting to know she hasn't changed."
"Comforting to you, maybe." Melody shook her head. "She wants to tell you something, but refuses to say what."
Oskar's brow furrowed. "Do you think it might have to do with our child?"
Melody shrugged helplessly. "I have no idea."
It couldn't be that she wanted to tell him that she was secretly in love with him. They’d had their chance to be together, and there wasn't anything between them. Both of them knew it. So what could she want to tell him? Their child had been given up for adoption. She had assured him of that, and there was no way she could have actually kept the baby. He would have known.
Could it be that the baby actually died? But why would she lie about that, and why would she refuse to tell him that? His Eagle chittered.
"So… you really believe me?" Melody's brow was furrowed and she sucked her lower lip between her teeth. "That I can see ghosts, I mean."
"Yeah. I'm a Shifter. It's not that much more of a leap to say yeah, you can see ghosts."
"But it's not the same. There are thousands, hundreds of thousands of Shifters. You're real, I can see you. You can't see what I can see."
Oskar shrugged. His hand was still over hers and he squeezed it gently, smiling now. "I'm a good judge of character and I can usually tell when people are lying. I can see that you genuinely believe what you're saying, and really, you know things nobody else knows. Yeah, I believe you."
"Wow. I didn't expect…" She beamed at him, and Oskar was struck by just how beautiful she was. If there wasn't a booth between them, he would have kissed her.
She opened her mouth again, but the tinkling of the door opening drew both of their attentions. Barton, his face set grimly, marched over to them. Melody quickly snatched her hand away from Oskar's, while he frowned at his friend and colleague. From the angry set of Barton's mouth and the way his hands were half-clenched, something bad had clearly happened.
Oskar stood when the other agent got to them.
"Freyson, I need you come with me," Barton said, under his breath.
"Uncle Todd, what's going on?" Melody jumped to her feet.
"Go where?" Oskar demanded.
Barton glanced around the café. Everybody was staring at them. There were whispers going on behind hands, and a young woman with curly hair was clutching her heart, her face white, as though she thought the FBI agents were about to start shooting.
"I'd really rather do this in private," Barton said.
Oskar shook his head. "Are you arresting me?"
"I hope it doesn’t come to that."
Melody gasped. "But he's not the killer."
"I thought I told you to stay out of this." Barton narrowed his eyes at Melody. "For once in your life, do as you're told."
Oskar felt the irrational need to punch the older agent in the face over the tone he took with Melody. He took a deep, calming breath. "What is going on, Barton?"
"A new witness has come forward, claiming they saw you and Fezioni leaving town together on the day of the murder. You don't have an alibi. So how about we just go down to the station and get this all sorted out before we cause even more of a scene than we already have?"
Barton's brows rose and, as much as Oskar hated to take orders, he knew that the other agent was right. He nodded reluctantly and allowed himself to be shepherded into the middle of the other agents that had come with Barton. His Eagle screeched. Melody made a strangled choking noise and grabbed her purse.
"I'm coming, too."
Barton turned to her. "No. I don't want you involved."
"I'm already involved. Besides, I'm the one who found the body. There might be some more stuff I need to tell you."
"What sort of stuff?"
Melody's eyes widened. "Stuff."
So Barton knew about her secret? Oskar wasn't surprised. She did call him uncle, after all. Barton looked annoyed, but he nodded and waved for Melody to follow them. The people gawked at them as they left the café, but Oskar ignored them. He had bigger problems at the moment than gossip.