“Does she work here at the park?” Ronan asked.
“Sometimes.” Brighthouse rolled his eyes like an annoyed teenager. “I’ve got her working part-time doing payroll, hiring, firing, and bookkeeping, just like she did at the old park. I swear, I think the only reason she worked here was to spend more time with my father. He wasn’t home very much during the months the park was open.”
“The more, the merrier.” Ten offered a grin. “I’ll help get everyone settled at the water park, and I’ll text you when I’m ready to work.” He handed Baxter his phone opened to a blank contact page.
“I’ll see you then.” Baxter stood up from the table. He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like paper tickets. “For the kids.” Handing them to Ronan, Baxter walked away.
“Free ice cream,” Ronan whispered to Ten. “I could go for a chocolate twist cone.”
“Me too.” Ten pressed a kiss to Ronan’s cheek.
“I’m coming too,” Everly said.
“Not today, little miss.” Ronan shook his head. “Your only job today is to be a kid. Spend time with your cousin and friends, eat ice cream, beg for money to buy stuffies in the gift shop, and splash around at the water park. Got it?”
Everly frowned at her father. “Got it.” She turned from Ronan and reached for another chicken nugget.
Ronan hated it when Everly was angry at him, but the last thing he wanted was for her to be involved with a case that included a man who’d taken his own life and could possibly be unstable as a spirit.
If that were the case, Ronan would have his hands full trying to keep Ten and himself safe. He’d be able to work more effectively if he wasn’t worrying about his daughter.
8
Tennyson
The water park was an absolute wonderland. There was a wave pool for the older kids. A lazy river with bright yellow inner tubes, three brightly colored waterslides, and a play area for the little kids where water sprayed out of holes in the ground. The kids picked an area near the waterslides with an ice cream stand close by. Ten knew that move was strategic. After getting the kids changed into their swimsuits and laying out some ground rules for Everly with Jude in charge, Ten and Ronan were on their way to meet with Baxter Brighthouse.
“I don’t want to leave the water park.” Ten said, feeling almost sorry for himself.
“Neither do I. Let’s hope this meeting will be a short one with Brighthouse senior wanting to apologize to Brighthouse junior for leaving him so soon. Kiss. Kiss. Hug. Hug. Back to the water park.” Ronan bounced his eyebrows.
“It’s never that simple.” Ten hated saying the words out loud, but nine out of ten times, it was true. “If it were as simple as saying goodbye, wouldn’t Kotter have told Everly and I that when we were on the Ferris wheel?”
“You’re the expert here.” Ronan elbowed Ten’s ribs.
Ten didn’t feel like much of an expert in anything at the moment. “Thank you for keeping Everly out of this. To be honest, I was going to let her come with us.”
“I know you were.” Ronan set his fingers on his temples. “I used my daddy brain powers to figure it out.”
“The last thing I want her to know about is suicide, and I sure as hell don’t want her seeing one with her gift.”
“But?” Ronan prompted.
“But what if there’s a piece of information she would know that I can’t see or hear? What if she’s the key to solving the case?” Ten thought back over their last few investigations. Marie Fairbanks. The missing Navajo women. Even his long-lost brother being accused of murder. Everly had been at the forefront of them all.
Ronan pulled Ten off to the side of the walking path. “Look, in all the years you’ve been using your gift, you never needed anyone else’s help to get the job done. The fact that Everly’s gift is stronger than yours in a sense isn’t a reason to involve her in this situation.”
Ten sighed heavily. “You’re right. I know you are.”
“Let’s do this quick and get back to the kids. There’s a chocolate cone with my name written all over it.”
“Ditto for me.” Ten dashed off a text to Baxter, who fired one back with where to meet him.
A few minutes later, Ten and Ronan were shown into Baxter’s office by a member of the security team. It was well-appointed, with leather sofas, a mahogany desk, and a giant picture window with a view of the entire park.
“Tennyson, Ronan, please come in.” Baxter ushered them to one of the sofas. “Can I get you anything?” He pointed to the bar where bottles of different colors shone like gemstones.
“We’re good,” Ten said. “It’s never a good idea to drink and speak to the dead.”
