To Kill a Ghost

Dedra watched the older man carefully. She knew his capabilities almost as well as her own. Although, he knew her better than she acknowledged, Dedra could still surprise him. She caused most of that gray in his dark hair. “Where did that case come from?” Her voice echoed through the grand lobby.

“A woman brought it in about half an hour after you left.” He shrugged his shoulders. She knew he was keeping something from her.

“What woman?” She stared at the back of his head until he moved closer to his office door.

“Regardless of what you believe, I don’t know every woman who walks through that door.” He let out a long sigh before turning to face her again. “I know what you are thinking. You saw that photo, but it wasn’t her. It was not her, Dedra.” His tone was sharp and his eyes were cold.

“She looked like her though. I can see it on your face.” She started forward, but he stepped back.

“They’re dead. That’s why we work, remember?” His eyes wouldn’t meet hers again before he turned and locked himself in his office. She was left alone with tragedies she couldn’t run from.

“She is not the one for us, Dear,” the statuesque woman stated. She had ringlet curls tied in a neat bow at the base of her neck. Her eyes shimmered like the ocean which Dedra had seen only once.

“I like her.” The tall dark haired man smiled. “She’s the one child who hasn’t flinched away from you.” His eyes matched the eight year old girl’s, and something felt warm in them.

“She’s too old.” The woman grabbed his arm and looked at a child about four years younger. “I like this one.” As she smiled at the child who began screaming, hugging the adopting agent’s legs.

Her husband leaned down, kneeling in front of the child she didn’t want. “You have a story to tell, don’t you?”

Chestnut curls flounced around her shoulders as she shook her head. “I’m not allowed.”

“What if I said you were?” He smiled. She wanted to reach out to him. No one spoke to her as if she was real in such a long time.

“But I’m not.” She retorted, staring into his silvery gaze. The girl didn’t fear this man; she wasn’t scared of his wife either, but she didn’t like the woman much. “No one will take me if I talk. That’s what she said.” She pointed to the woman standing in the corner, coddling the little girl screaming at the woman.

“You can tell me anything you want and I would take you,” he promised as he tucked a strand of chestnut hair behind her ear.

“I saw the man who killed my momma,” she whispered. “He said he would come back soon.”

The man turned toward his wife who reached for the screaming child. She hissed curses at the crying little girl. “Tanya, I’m taking this one whether you like it or not.” His voice was strong, and the woman didn’t disagree with him again. Her arms fell to her sides as she glared at the child who was so much like her husband.

“My name is Kirkland.” He held out his hand to her.

“I’m Dedra.”



Linox sat in a dark room. The only light came from the four computer monitors surround him. He searched military grade surveillance cameras, back areas of the internet where most hackers swelled, and he got into the government’s public database. The records matched word for word with Sam Jennings’ file, except for one detail.

“Why did you fall off the map at twenty years old, Sammy? You couldn’t even drink yet?” Linox said to himself. The droning hum of the computer’s fans threw his system into a lulled calm. Who needed meditation?

“Sam Jennings recruited on his big one-seventh day. Moved up the ranks to specialist before getting knocked down for an undisclosed reason…” What the hell did you do?

“Moved from private to specialist again, real quick…and then you disappear.” Linox idly scratched the stubble on his chin as he tried to think. What could make someone rise in the ranks so quickly?

“Guns!”

Linox’s fingers flew over the keys of the computers until the file finally popped up. A sealed gun order. Sam Jennings had a secret record. This guy keeps on getting interesting.



Kirkland wanted to keep his secrets? Fine! She didn’t need to be in the middle of his life more than she had to be anyway. Dedra, however, did object to the damned memories that spiraled through her being. She decided to forget.

Punch one…punch two…punch three…kick! She hit the sand back hanging from the ceiling harder than she had before. Her knuckles were turning blistery red while her ankle burned, but she pushed through it. Punching everything away. Deep breaths and slow counting. Kick after kick she felt more like herself and less like a home movie gone wrong.

The toe of her shoe caught the bag the wrong way. Sand poured onto the floor. Dedra put her hands to her head and growled before she moved away from the mess. Counting push ups, sit ups. Whatever she could think of to keep the memories away.

“What’s up, D!” The blonde man said as he walked into the training room. Steaming foam cups in each of his hands and a lopsided grin on his features. He was nothing short of beautiful.

“Jake! Did you bring me coffee?” She said, chiding slipped into her tone.

“Why would I do a thing like that when we both know you prefer coffee in your milk?” He laughed as he handed her the light colored liquid. It was almost off-white, and perfectly foamy. She stopped the bag and took a long swig of her ‘mostly milk’ coffee.

“Just the way I like it.” She sighed before she kissed him on the cheek. “Why are you being so nice to me today?”

“You had a hard day yesterday. Kirk sure knows how to push your buttons.” Jake’s broad shoulders shrugged as he sipped his black coffee. Dedra never understood how he drank it that way.

“You know that story.” She shrugged. “I don’t like reliving those memories. Yeah, he saved me, but look what I am because of him.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“I think you’re beautiful and strong. You made the best of a bad situation with his help. He’s all you have, D. Don’t take that for granted.”

“I have you too, don’t I?” She whispered as she looked into his hazel eyes.

Jake disappeared too. They all left in the end. No one stayed long enough for her to care about. She refused to use Linox’s name because she didn’t want that attachment. “No more,” she said through gritted teeth as she did another set of push ups. “I can’t handle anymore loss.”

She pushed herself off the ground and stood, grabbing a bottle of water as she did. The water moved down her throat as if it traveled through a parched desert. There was no more water left when she stopped drinking. Her body burned but it wasn’t enough. She could still see Jake’s hazel eyes, the light fading from his smile.

She moved to meet the floor again but paused. The double doors to the workout room flew open. Linox wore a pair of specialized glasses that allowed him to search facial recognition while holding a tablet. His fingers moved over the tablet like they were sewing a grand tapestry.

“What did you find?” Kirkland’s voice boomed behind him.

“I have an address for Samuel Jennings. You’re not going to like what I found out though.” Linox stepped to the side of the door. Dedra made her way closer to the two of them; she studied Kirkland’s messy hair and rolled up sleeves. He never rolled up his sleeves. Linox paid no mind to either of them as his eyes focused on something in his lenses.

“Well, spit it out?” Kirkland half yelled.

“What is it?” Dedra asked in a softer tone.

“He lives in the Marquise Grand, and he probably saw Dedra kill that couple considering he used to be a black opts intelligence agent for the military.” His breathes came in short heaves as he finished while his eyes flickered beneath his glasses.

“Finally,” Dedra said with a smile, ‘a challenge.”

“I can’t find his face anywhere.” Linox scowled.

“You used to be military, right?” She asked Kirkland. “Got any ideas?”

Kirkland shrugged and ran his hands through his hair. She could see the nervous energy pulsing off his skin. “What? You getting a case of the flu or something?” She smirked at him.

“Check the bars. Those types of guys like to do their best to forget what they know, and what they can’t say. Look for the tough side of town; he’ll need someone to stop his mouth if he says too much.”

Linox nodded and left the room to Dedra and Kirkland. They stared at each other for a long moment. He finally spoke. “I’m sorry, Sweetheart, I shouldn’t have pushed.”

“Did I do the pushing?” She wiped her hands on her pants. “It’s water under the bridge.”

Kirkland nodded and held out his hand. She put her hand in his and whispered, “Don’t lie to me again. I don’t deserve that after all we’ve been through.”

“I won’t,” he answered, but his shoulders rose and his fingers twitched in her hand.

You’re already lying to me, Dedra thought as she released his hand.