To Kill a Ghost

Dedra studied her new partner. His shoulders hunched forward as he forced himself to focus on the street. She took note of his harsh grip on the steering wheel while his face was trying to appear calm. Why is he putting on a façade now?

He started working at the PI office about two years ago as a researcher. Kirkland brought him into Dedra’s world about three weeks ago also as a researcher. Where he came from or how he got involved, was a mystery to her but obviously he was trustworthy. Anyone who survived Kirkland’s interrogations and harsh studies must be worth something. He thought I was something…

Linox’s eyes were as warm as a summer sunrise; they were a dark golden color with flecks of brighter yellows and greens. His hair was cropped, and squared around his temples and neck. He reached up, scratching the stubble on his cheeks. The dark stubble made his caramel skin appear lighter. His fingers loosened on the steering wheel just enough for her to see the callouses on his hands. She let her mind wander over the possibilities of what might be in his past.

“You don't usually stare,” he said, his raspy voice sounded as if it held something back. Why is he driving around instead of doing his job, Dedra thought. A slow smile crossed his lips. “Why are you?”

“Curiosity, maybe? You’re different from my last partner,” she whispered.

Linox’s brow furrowed as his smile widened. “What do you mean different? Is that good?”

She shook her head and let out a breath as she thought for a moment about what she meant. Brian seemed to care too much about what she did to those people. He couldn’t separate emotions from work. She could almost picture him in her head, and she pushed the thought away before the nightmare replayed.

“You don't seem affected by yesterday.” Dedra’s voice was stronger than her initial whisper, but even she could hear the slight quiver behind her words. “There’s no remorse, no feeling. You were upset for a minute when it happened, and now it’s gone.”

“Am I supposed to be? Affected I mean?” He glanced at her before putting his eyes on the road again. “It seems like it shook you pretty good?”

“I think you should be sad at least.” She turned her gaze away from him. “This line of work wasn't what I had in mind when I was young.”

A tall woman with flowing ebony hair sat on the floor opposite of her five year old daughter. The little girl had chestnut curls that matched her long lost father’s. Her blue eyes almost matched her mother’s except they were lighter, almost silver rather than blue. The two played with the little girl’s colorful building blocks.

“What do you want to be when you grow up, Sweetheart? Maybe an architect since you are so good at building things with these blocks.” Her mother asked with her soft voice. The broad, gleaming smile crossing her features made the little girl feel safe and loved. Warmth spread through their little world.

“I want to be like you, Momma.” Chestnut curls fell over her shoulder and dangled in her eyes. She grinned at her mother. “Do you think I could save lives too?” The little girl answered with a little bounce.

Her mother pushed the girl’s hair out of her eyes before she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her baby’s ear and nodded through tearful eyes. “I think you can do whatever you want, Baby Girl.”

“Yeah, I thought I was going to be in jail or dead.” He stopped for red light and faced her now. Dedra stared into his eyes for a moment before she turned her gaze onto the busy street. “Don’t they say boys grow up to be like their dad’s around here?” A tall, dark haired man walked passed the car with a redheaded little boy on his shoulders. They were laughing and blushing. A perfect family, Dedra thought as she watched them.

“I meant, I never thought I'd be doing this.” She shrugged. Who grows up wanting to be like her? She has no friends outside of Kirkland, and no family either. What did she have? Dedra had Kirkland, and for her, that was enough. It didn’t stop her from dreaming about more, about what might have been. “It's better than…” She trailed off, not wanting to share details of her assorted life with him yet.

“We all have stories, D. No one wanted this.” He retorted as he pressed the gas, moving the car forward again. Linox’s jaw clenched and his grip tightened again. She touched a nerve, but she didn’t dwell on it now.

Kirkland wanted this, she thought. “Maybe you're right, New Guy. That doesn't mean I have to like it.” She took the hair tie on her wrist and pulled her hair back into a sloppy bun.

“My name is Linox, Dedra.” He said with a hint of annoyance. His fists clenched tighter.

“I know your name, but you have to earn it, Newbie.” She playfully hit his arm. “My last partner didn't quit, you know. He died.” Dedra forced the bubbling memory down again. It shouldn’t resurface in her mind this many times, but she couldn’t stop the haunting vision.

“You didn't…did you?” He glanced at her again, accidentally hitting a pothole.

She made herself laugh as she put her hand over her heart. “Am I that kind of girl?”



Kirkland prowled through the internet, looking for the name on the envelope the woman gave him an hour earlier. She had ‘cop’ written all over her, and he couldn't afford to risk Dedra. The strange woman’s eyes reminded him so much of his past. She reminded him of what he lost. He needed to help her; he needed to be done with her.

The man’s name on the file was Sam Jennings. After an initial internet search, Kirkland found nothing on him. No social media sites, no bank records; the man wasn’t on the grid. He didn’t want to open the file just yet. That file could contain contaminated information, and he wanted the truth before he told anyone about this case. Unfortunately, the only truth he had was inside the manila envelope. Kirkland ran one more search on Jennings, found nothing, and reluctantly opened the file.

Sam Jennings was listed as a military operative who went off book for ten years. His training involved rigorous workouts. Mostly black opts soldiers made comments about him in the paper work. He had dark, sand colored hair, blue eyes, and he was about 6 feet tall. His rap sheet in the military was nothing short of miraculous. The record he had outside of the military was scandalous.

He started off as a foster care kid. No trouble out of him until he was thirteen years old; he stole his first car then. Attempted murder at fourteen, breaking and entering at fifteen, hacking government agencies at sixteen, and then when seventeen hit him, he was recruited. Knowing the government, which Kirkland did, all Jennings records had been destroyed the moment they decided he was a real threat if used correctly.

There had to be more information on this guy! Kirkland’s frustration echoed through the silent office. He needed an answer, some kind of sign before he decided to go through with this. His answer wouldn’t come until he met with the stranger again.

The door chimed and buzzed itself open. He didn’t have to look at the camera by his desk to know one of his team was back in the office. By his watch, Linox should be back. Dedra kept away from the office more than three hours when she adjusted. Kirkland walked out his door, still looking at the file. Maybe his new employee could dig more up on Mister Jennings. “Linox, I need you to…” His voice trailed off as his eyes moved from the paper to the door.

Kirkland Reeves was seldom surprised, but the sight before him sent shock waves through his system. Dedra stood next to Linox a slight smile on her dark lips and a gleam in her smoky eyes. He hadn’t seen her like that since she was young. His new employee held a slight blush and a secretive laugh of his own. They appeared to be coming in together.

“Need me to what?” Linox responded.

Kirkland stood there in his shock for a moment. He shook his head and continued. “Sorry, I need you to find out everything you can about this.” The file exchanged hands. “I must be missing something. If I’m not then he’s…”

“A ghost,” Linox finished for him as he read the military, black opts job training. He nodded as he read more of the file. “This guy is a ghost. You’re not gonna find him on the internet.”

“Where do we start looking? I need everything fact checked ASAP.” His eyes strayed away from Linox’s disheveled wardrobe to Dedra’s eyes. Those silvery blue eyes locked onto him as if there was something wrong. He knew that look; he hated it.

“I’ll start now.” Linox moved through a door near Kirkland’s office, leaving the man alone with his protégée.