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  Raise the Dead

  The Wraith Files, Case #71

  C.C. Wood

  Copyright © 2019 by Crystal W. Wilson

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover by

  Jena Brignola, Bibliophile Productions

  Editing by

  Tania Marinaro, Libros Evolution

  Contents

  Raise the Dead

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

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  About the Author

  Also by C.C. Wood

  Raise the Dead

  The Wraith Files, Case #75

  by

  C.C. Wood

  Chapter One

  Why did my roommate have to be an obnoxious dead woman?

  Not that I had a dead body in my house, just a ghost. A perverted, foul-mouthed ghost who was convinced that she knew what was best for me, especially when it came to my sex life. She was so certain of her beliefs that she took actions that usually backfired.

  Honestly, I'd rather have to live with someone who left hair in the sink or crumbs on the sofa.

  Tonight would be a good example.

  Still damp from my shower and wrapped in a towel, I stared at the bed where my underwear and outfit were laid out earlier. There were clothes on the bed, but they definitely weren't the ones I picked out.

  And the underwear. I had no idea where it came from, which freaked me out more than a little. How did strange underwear end up on my bed?

  "Teri!" I yelled. A quick glance at the clock revealed that I had an hour to finish getting ready for my date. I waited a few seconds before I hollered again. "Teri, get your transparent ass in here!"

  That's right. I, Zoe Thorne, the resident weirdo of Kenna, Texas, had a date tonight. With a hot guy that I liked a whole lot.

  Once again she ignored me.

  My scalp prickled and I was surprised that my wet hair wasn't steaming from the heat of my anger. Good and pissed off now, I reached down the metaphysical chain that bound us and yanked hard. A couple of months ago, I'd accidentally tethered Teri to me rather than my house. See, ghosts were usually connected to places. Sometimes a place they loved, but most often the place where they died. For thirty years, Teri had been attached to the house where she'd been murdered. My house. Yes, I lived in the local murder house, though nobody else knew that. Everyone in town just thought Teri had committed suicide, which meant the place was nearly derelict and dirt cheap when I bought it.

  Teri loved the freedom she had now. A lot had changed over the last three decades and she got to see things she never had before. Too bad her newfound freedom also meant that she went wherever I did. Literally. Well, most of the time. When she knew that I was angry, she would hide in an effort to evade me.

  A few moments later, Teri flew through the wall backward, her arms pinwheeling as though she were about to lose her balance. Which was ridiculous because she was incorporeal and gravity didn't affect her.

  Finally putting an end to her theatrics, she halted in front of me and floated a foot off the floor as she crossed her arms and glared at me.

  "What is your problem, woman?" she demanded. "A moving truck pulled up next door and I'm dying to see the new owners, but so far it's only been moving guys with beer guts and plumbers' cracks."

  I tried not to let that visual materialize in my mind, but it was too late. Teri could paint a vivid picture with words when she wished.

  "Never mind that," I said, shaking my head. "Where in the heck are my clothes?"

  She frowned at me and glanced at the bed. "Uh, on the bed." Teri floated closer and examined me. "Are you coming down with something? Or maybe having a stroke?"

  I scowled at her. "Don't play dumb with me. I know exactly how you operate. Those are not the clothes I laid out earlier." I gestured to the garments on the bed. "And where did you even find that underwear? I've never seen it before."

  Teri rolled her eyes at me and let her arms fall to her sides. "Those are yours, Zoe. Jesus, have you even looked in your underwear drawer recently?"

  I sighed and moved over to the bed, lifting a scrap of dark purple fabric. It took me a moment to realize that I was holding the dress that Jonelle had given me for my birthday earlier that year. "I'm going to a casual dinner and movie with Mal, not a five-star restaurant! The clothes I picked out were perfectly fine for that."

  Teri groaned and dropped her head forward. "You're hopeless. Utterly hopeless." She lifted her head to lock her eyes on mine. "I know that you're ready to take things to the next level with Mal, but you're sitting back and waiting on him to make the first move. The problem is that Mal is a gentleman. He's not going to push you because he cares about you. He wants to go at your pace so he's waiting for you to give him the go sign." She lifted her hands and made air quotes.

  "The go sign? What does that even mean?"

  "Seriously, Zoe? That's what you took away from everything I just said?"

  I groaned and plopped my butt down on the bed. "Look, I do want to...you know, but it's been a long time, Teri. I mean, a really long time."

  "I know, hon. You forget that I've been living with you for years now. I remember the last boyfriend you had and exactly how long ago that was." Teri paused. "Mal is perfect for you. If I could pick out someone for my best friend, it would be him."

  My throat felt tight but I forced myself to ask, "You have a best friend?"

  She laughed. "Shut up. You know you're my best friend. Hell, you're my only friend by default."

  I smiled at her. "I'd still be your best friend even if other people could see and hear you and you know it. No one else would put up with your crazy ass."

  Teri shrugged one shoulder. "That's probably true. You're kinda fun, even though you're uptight."

  "I'm not uptight. I'm just low maintenance."

  She rolled her eyes again. "If you say so."

  "Seriously, Teri. I want to wear the jeans and shirt I laid out for tonight."

  Teri narrowed her eyes at me before she relented, "Fine. It'll be waiting for you after you go dry your hair and put on your make-up. But I burned your other underwear, so you're stuck with what I picked."

  I would have rolled my eyes at her dramatic declaration but I was pretty sure she was telling the truth. Leave it to Teri to sacrifice my plain panties on an altar of fire. "Only if you promise that you didn't lie when you said you found it in my dresser and not somewhere else."

  She lifted her arms. "I wouldn't lie about that. And I can't believe you don't remember that bra and panty set! You got so pissed when I used your laptop and credit card to order them that you took the wi-fi router with you when you left the house for two solid weeks."

  "Oh my God, I can't believe I forgot about that."

  "Yeah, well, you should be thanking me right now, because they are perfect for your first time with Mal."

  Rising to my feet, I snatched up the undergarments in quest
ion and stalked toward the bathroom. "I'm not sure anything will happen tonight, but I don't have time to argue with you about this anymore. I'm going to start getting ready and I expect the clothes I picked out to be back on that bed when I get done with my hair and make-up."

  Out of the corner of my eye, I spied Teri give me a jaunty salute, but I ignored it. If I said anything, the conversation would likely devolve into an argument that would make me late for dinner with Mal, something I'd been looking forward to all week.

  As I dried my hair and applied make-up, I thought about all the ways my life had changed in the last few months.

  From the time I was five years old, I was used to being called "the peculiar Thorne girl". Kenna, Texas was a small town and that label was nearly impossible to escape. I spent two decades trying to convince everyone around me that I was ordinary.

  It never worked. Since I couldn't change other people's minds, I'd changed myself. I spent too many years living the smallest life I could.

  Until I got fired and Mal Flemming dropped into my life.

  If I hadn't lost my job, I wouldn't have been desperate enough for money to allow Mal to film an episode of his paranormal investigation show at my house. It was that night that he discovered my ability to see and speak to ghosts and insisted on hiring me as part of the show's cast.

  Now, I had a job that I actually enjoyed. And I was dating a handsome, kind man. Who was also my boss.

  Maybe that wasn't the best decision, but it was worth the risk. Mal wasn't like any other man I'd ever met and Teri was right—I couldn't have picked a better man for myself out of a catalog.

  I also wondered if Teri was right about everything else she'd said. That Mal was waiting for me to tell him I was ready for more than a few kisses on my front porch at the end of our dates. Technically, our first date was about four weeks ago, but we'd been dancing around each other for nearly six months. I was definitely interested in more than kissing, but I wasn't sure if I was ready for complete intimacy. Then again, intimacy wasn't just sex. It was spending time together. Sleeping in the same bed. Learning the other person's flaws but still loving them anyway. If I measured my relationship with Mal by those yardsticks, then we were already intimate.

  I stared at myself in the mirror and shook my head at the thoughts spiraling in my brain. Why was it so difficult for me to be vulnerable with him?

  Time to get off my train of thought, I put the finishing touches on my make-up, slipped on the underwear Teri selected and left the bathroom. As I'd demanded, Teri had replaced the dress with the jeans and blouse I'd previously selected. But she'd switched out the flat sandals for a pair of wedges. She just couldn't leave well enough alone.

  Still, I had to admit the shoes looked great with my outfit when I slipped them on.

  Finally dressed, I left the bedroom and made my way downstairs. Teri stared at me from the couch with an irritated expression on her face.

  "The shoes look great, but could you try to clomp less when you walk?" she asked. "You sound like a herd of elephants coming down the stairs."

  I shrugged one shoulder. "You're the one that picked the shoes, so zip it."

  "Yeah, but that was before I knew you had lead feet!"

  I didn't have a chance to respond because the doorbell rang.

  "Ah, saved by the bell," Teri grumbled.

  I ignored her as my heart picked up its pace and my palms grew a little damp. It was silly how much Mal still affected me even though I talked to him every day and we went out once a week or so. With him living in Waco, that put a bit of a damper on regular dates.

  However, it wasn't Mal standing on my front porch when I opened the door. Instead it was Stony, one of the guys on The Wraith Files, the TV show I worked for, and Mal's best friend. Well, one of them, anyway. Blaine was the other part of our fearsome foursome and usually went everywhere with Stony, but he was nowhere to be seen. Together, we'd traveled around the country to places that were reported to be haunted. Our show had originally been online only, but a network had shown interest in us last month and we'd just signed a contract with them not too long ago. I should have been terrified at the prospect of being on national television, but it hadn't sunken in yet.

  "Stony!" Without thinking, I stepped back, which he took as an invitation to come inside. "What are you doing here?"

  He grabbed me in a bear hug, which was his usual method of greeting, as he answered. "Coming to beg you for some food. I'm starving."

  Confused, I leaned back even though his arms were still around my waist and stared up at him. "Uh, I'm pretty sure you had to pass several grocery stores between Waco and here. It seems excessive to drive two hours and change to raid my fridge."

  He laughed before releasing me. "Drive? I didn't have to drive. I walked."

  Worried that he might be suffering from a head injury or feverish delusions, I placed my hand on his forehead. He didn't feel any warmer than usual. "Are you feeling okay, Stony? Did you hit your head?"

  Stony shook me off and headed toward the kitchen. "Of course not. Man, please tell me you have some of that corn salsa you make. I've been dreaming about that stuff for weeks."

  "What's he doing here?" Teri asked as she sidled up next to me.

  "I have no clue."

  We followed him into the kitchen to find Stony bent over with the upper half of his body already in my fridge.

  "Well, at least he's improving the view," Teri commented, tilting her head to one side as she studied his posterior.

  Rolling my eyes, I marched over to the fridge and knocked on the open door. "Stony. What are you doing here?"

  He straightened, a container filled with roasted corn salsa in one hand and a package of lunchmeat in the other. "Coming to see my new neighbor."

  Since his answer was even more confusing than his sudden appearance to raid my fridge, I reached out and grabbed the food from his hands.

  "Hey!" he cried, reaching for the containers.

  I jumped back and held them out of reach. "No snacks until you give me a straight answer, Sean Michael Murphy!"

  "Uh-oh, she brought out the full name business," Teri murmured from somewhere behind me. I ignored her and raised my eyebrows at Stony, waiting for him to answer me.

  With the fridge door between us, he couldn't snatch the salsa away from me, so he gave up with a heavy sigh. Then he smiled and threw his arms out to his sides as if to say tada! "We bought the house next door! We're going to be neighbors."

  "Oh hell yeah!" Teri whooped. "Man candy next door again!"

  Stony reached for the corn salsa again, but I jerked it out of reach and demanded, "Who's we?"

  A hesitant expression crossed his face as though he'd just realized he'd stepped in a big ole pile of shit and it was deeper than he thought. "Uhhhh, well, you see..."

  The doorbell rang again and I knew it was Mal this time. I also had a sneaking suspicion exactly who the we that Stony mentioned were. Turning on one of my wedge heels, I marched through the house toward the front door, taking the food with me.

  "C'mon, Zoe. Please let me have the salsa. You can keep the meat, but your corn dip is my favorite!" Stony whined as he followed me out of the kitchen.

  Ignoring him, I crammed both containers of food under my left arm and used my right hand to open the door. Mal stood on the porch, a huge bouquet of flowers in his fist and a big grin on his face.

  "Did you buy the house next door with Blaine and Stony?" I asked, trying hard to ignore the gorgeous flowers that he'd clearly brought for me.

  The smile fell from his features and his eyes moved and snagged on something behind me. I assumed it was Stony. "It's kind of a funny story and, well, the guys and I didn't think you'd be angry about it so—"

  "You moved into the house next door without so much as telling me you were thinking of buying it?" I interrupted sweetly. "Because that doesn't seem stalkerish or weird or anything."

  "Oh shit," Stony mumbled behind me.

  Not eager for an
audience, I removed both containers of food from under my arm and handed them back to Stony. "Scram. The adults are going to have a conversation."

  "Hey, I'm an adult!"

  Mal and I both turned to look at him incredulously and Stony shrugged. "Chronologically anyway. I mean, emotionally, maybe not."

  Teri snickered behind me and I shifted my gaze to her. "Go keep Stony company in the kitchen, Teri. I really don't want to hear your opinions on this situation right now."

  She scowled at me but turned and trailed behind Stony. She knew that with the mood I was in that testing me wouldn't be a good bet.

  As soon as they disappeared into the kitchen, I turned back to Mal and crossed my arms over my chest.

  He didn't hold the flowers out to me. Probably worried I would beat him over the head with them. Which I wouldn't do because they were too gorgeous to destroy.

  "You look pretty," he stated.

  "Thank you. Please explain what Stony let slip."

  Mal looked sheepish. "I honestly didn't expect you to be upset about it."

  I relaxed a little because he was right. I wouldn't have been upset about it if one of them had bothered to mention it to me. Well, mainly him. He should have been the one to bring it up and definitely before they'd actually bought the house and moved in.

  "I probably wouldn't have if you had said something about it before you did anything," I admitted. "But hearing about it after the fact makes me feel like you guys are up to something. Or didn't want me to find out."

  Mal lifted a hand and rubbed the back of his neck. "I almost told you a few weeks ago, but the guys wanted to surprise you."