For Stacey’s sake, he hoped that was the case. He was no doctor though. “Is there anywhere else you can stay? There is some possibility that someone here stopped your grandmother from finding something more incriminating than trinkets.”
She shook her head. “I moved to Atlanta a year ago. I suppose I could call Goodwill and see if they’ll haul off all the rest of this stuff, but I was hoping I could sell some of it. I’m freelance, and money is tight.”
Jax knew that feeling. “And your grandmother left you everything? Didn’t that include IRAs or life insurance or anything?”
“Once the coroner releases her body and gives me a death certificate, I can use her insurance to arrange a funeral. Even though I showed them her will, her broker and banker won’t talk to me until I have the certificate. I found bank statements in her desk, so if no one has stolen the balances, I’ll have a cushion against hard times. I won’t be rich by any means.”
“You haven’t hired me as lawyer, and I don’t think you need one yet, but I’ll see what I can do to expedite matters.” Jax texted Reuben and asked if Marlene Gump had anything beyond bank accounts.
Evie drifted back to the front room. She tried not to look spacey when she was conversing with the spirit world, but Jax could tell she wasn’t reallyinthe room when she headed for the galley kitchen. A cabinet door slammed and the room turned several degrees chillier.
“All of them?” she seemed to mutter, opening doors on empty cabinets. “Did you think you were Miss Marple?”
Stacey stopped talking to watch. Jax just kept texting with Reuben, who had finally accessed Marlene’s cloud and her security cameras. Apparently, the number of people visiting Granny in the week before her death included everyone but the governor. Granny was a busy lady.
“Power drink? Who brought it?” Evie asked, opening the empty trash can. “Who usually drank it?”
“Is she talking to Gran?” Stacey whispered. “Could I talk to her?”
Jax would like to say,hell if I know.But he was a professional. “Hard to say. Each case is different. We shouldn’t disturb her.” He felt like a shill for a phony medium, but it sounded as if Evie was learning a few things. He hoped.
“Yes, I understand. I’ll tell her. Did you have anyone else working with you? Give me their room numbers.”
“Spirits apparently don’t remember names,” Jax explained in a whisper.
“Wait a minute. Let me grab paper.” Evie glanced around frantically.
Jax pulled a notebook from his jacket pocket and handed it over with a pen.
Evie flashed a smile of gratitude and began scribbling. “Ok, ok, if all this is in your files, we’ll find it. The burnerphone? Not an app. Ok, ok, right.”
She stopped talking, leaned against the counter, and closed her eyes wearily. “Do you have anything to say to Stacey?”
Stacey straightened eagerly.
“Ok, yes, but that’s rude. I’m sure he’s busy with important work.” Evie shook her head. “Will do. You need to let go and move on though.”
Evie slumped, and Jax caught her, half carrying her to the sofa. Stacey stayed frozen where she was.
“Give the kid some kind words,” Jax whispered in Evie’s ear. To Stacey, he said, “Bring a glass of water?” He hastily added, “From the faucet.”
Evie sipped the water, recovering her strength. Understanding how much these encounters took out of her, Jax watched worriedly. She wasn’t just talking to walls but lending her strength to some inexplicable energy so the spirit could communicate.
Remembering what she’d said about drawing from batteries and other energy, he checked his phone charge. Way down. He pulled out his back-up battery.
Evie finally set down the glass and looked at her client. “Your grandmother says she loves you, and she’s sorry she left you with this mess, and that you should probably go home and stay safe. I think she’s right.”
Jax suspected that was a stubborn expression setting Stacey’s pale lips.
“What was the part about being rude?”
Jax could almost see Evie’s thoughts whirling, but she was always honest, in her own way. He’d hear the rest later. He waited to see what came out now.
“Your grandmother is irritated with your father for putting job before family. I won’t repeat her exact words because spirit communication is as much emotion as intellect. But she wants him here instead of you. He was supposed to collect her computers and finish her case.” Evie sipped more water before continuing. “Personally, I think you need him to find your grandmother’s killer and not us.”
“My father? My father teaches philosophy. What would he know about computers and killers? He can barely use his cell phone.”
Remembering what Reuben had said about the professor, Jax bit his tongue.