Page 12 of Ghost
Ray cleared his throat and asked, “Yougot something, Ghost?”
“Yeah, well, I think so,”Ghost said uncertainly.
“Sure. Let’s seeit.”
Ghost came around the table to standbeside Ray and handed him the wrinkled and yellowed paper. Thisclose, Ray could smell the man’s cologne, woodsy, or was thatbecause he’d spent the afternoon in the forest? Whatever it was,Ray liked it a little too much, and he quickly redirected hisattention to the paper.
“Hmm, anaddress?”
“Yeah, I noticed someonehandwrote it beside a case number corresponding to the JerichoMiles case,” Ghost said. “I thought it might beimportant.”
“Good catch. It could be.I’ll add it to the list of locations to check out.”
“Okay,” Ghost said as heturned to walk away.
Ray frantically tried to think of areason to keep him there a bit longer. “Wanna have a beer?” heblurted.
Shit, smooth. How the hellhave I gotten so out of practice?Thatanswer was easy enough. Years of burying himself in work without asecond thought about what else was out there. Living alone in hisone-bedroom apartment above the local diner in his borough ofSeattle had been great when he needed to eat but not for much else.Hell, he was seldom there anyway. Always on a case, tracking down alead, and chasing the bad guy. Being alone had worked for him then,but its allure was wearing thin.
Ghost froze briefly, and Ray waspositive the guy would say no.
Then Ghost nodded. “Sure, I’ll grabthem and meet you on the back deck for some fresh air.”
“Deal.”
Ray gathered up his papers and noddedto Elias. “I’ll meet you guys at the cottage later.”
Elias smiled wide. “Sure,man.”
Why the hell do I suddenlyfeel like a teenager going on his first date?Fuck, he was a grown-ass man, war-hardened and jaded.I like the guy. So what.Get on with it, Lieutenant.
It wasn’t long before Ghost walkedonto the deck holding two beers and an unsure smile. Okay, so hemight not be the only one feeling like they were drowning inunfamiliar waters.
“Thanks, Ghost,” Ray saidas he took the offered beer.
“You’re welcome,” Ghostreplied before sitting in an Adirondack chair one over. It was nottoo close, but it wasn’t miles away either. Ray could respect that.They were feeling each other out to get a sense of where eachstood.
“Again, I’m sorry for theconfusion earlier. I didn’t mean any harm,” Ray said.
“Again, it’s okay. I getit. I’m fortunate you had enough self-control not to start throwingpunches.”
“Yeah, I’ve learned overthe years to control some gut reactions in certainsituations.”
“Like in theMarines?”
“Yeah. There was a time forimmediate action and a time to think first. The trick was figuringout which was which in high-stress situations.”
“That had to behard.”
“It took a good while forme to figure it out. When I first joined, I was all action. Go, go,go. Thankfully I had a drill instructor who took the time to sit myass down and help me figure shit out. He taught me how to beaggressive enough, quickly enough for each situation, and thathesitation kills. That’s where the quick thinking comes intoplay.”
“I’ve heard basic trainingis grueling.”
“It’s designed to test yourphysical, mental, and moral strength. They want men and women whocan hold the line and have the mental fortitude to know if you haveto cross it and by how far without compromising the Marinemoto.”
“SemperFidelis.”
“Yes. Always Faithful.Faithful to their fellow Marines, their country, and to success.Oo-rah.”
