Chapter 4

On the weekend, Sean took Jessica for her prenatal checkup.

Driving past a local bakery, Jessica said she wanted a cheese bagel from the street vendor outside.

Sean parked the car and went down to buy it himself.

The bagel vendor was a limping old man who had once been helped by my father.

As he packed the bagels, he looked up at Sean.

"Detective Sterling, I haven't seen you with Vivian in a long time."

Old Ben sighed.

"She used to come here to learn how to bake these just for you. Her hands got blistered from the steam, but she kept going even while crying from the pain."

"That sweet girl loved you so much. Are you guys doing okay?"

Sean's hand froze mid-air as he reached for his wallet. His face darkened.

"Ben, she's gone. That's in the past."

He slammed the cash on the counter, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"Don't mention her to me again."

He grabbed the box and walked away without looking back.

I sat on the roof of the car, watching the old man's confused face.

I looked down at my own ghostly right hand. There was indeed a deep scar from a burn on the back of it.

Sean got back in the car and handed the bagels to Jessica.

She took a bite and frowned.

"Sean, this is so tough and dry."

Sean immediately took a napkin and wiped her mouth.

"Spit it out if it's bad. I'll take you to the Rosewood for high tea."

He took the box of bagels and tossed them out of the window.

Right then, his phone rang. It was the lead detective from the homicide squad.

"Sean, we have a situation."

The voice on the line was frantic.

"The harbor police were dredging the bay near Warehouse 3. They pulled up a metal drum sealed with concrete."

"There's... there's a skeleton inside."

Sean gripped the steering wheel, his voice flat.

"It's just a mob dumping. Let forensics handle it."

The detective paused.

"Sean, the preliminary report says the victim is female. Her neck bones were crushed by a thin wire."

"It matches Ghost's confession... perfectly."

The car fell into a suffocating silence.

Jessica clenched her fists, her hand slowly covering Sean's knuckles.

"Sean, what's wrong? I heard something about a warehouse on the phone?"

Her voice trembled slightly.

"Is it about Ghost? He's just lying to cause trouble, right? He isn't making things hard for you, is he?"

Sean turned his head, his gaze landing heavily on her face.

The fleeting suspicion in his eyes made Jessica's heart skip a beat.

But he quickly looked away and squeezed her hand.

"It's nothing. Just a minor case. It's already handled."

He started the engine and drove toward the Rosewood Hotel.

"Nothing is more important than you and the baby."

I sat in the back seat, watching his tight jaw and the darkness behind his eyes.

He said it wasn't important, but his foot pressed harder and harder on the gas pedal.