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filled with such poignancy, I felt like I was intruding just watching. Maybe his interest in her wasn’t only one-sided.
    “Kramer’s a murdering sod. Why wouldn’t other ghosts want him dead as well?” Bones asked, sticking to the practicalities.
    “Think about it,” Fabian replied, dragging his gaze away from Elisabeth’s face. “Most humans can’t see us, vampires and ghouls ignore us, and we’ve been rejected by every god ever worshipped. All we have is each other. Most might sympathize with Elisabeth’s reasons, but trying to kill one of our own is considered abhorrent no matter the cause.”
    “But not to you,” I said, proud of him for being one of the rebels against that warped spectral version of diplomatic immunity.
    Fabian ducked his head. “Perhaps others like me cling to our lost humanity more than the rest of them.”
    No, I thought. Strongly principled people like you do the right thing regardless of whether you’re made of flesh or fog.
    “Kramer’s only been killing for decades, yet you’ve attempted to destroy him for hundreds of years?”
    Bones’s tone was mild, but his gaze had narrowed.
    “Oh, he killed long before he acquired the ability to burn people again,” Elisabeth said flatly. “He would torment those who had the ability to see him, driving them to insanity or death. Then once he was able to manifest himself, he singled out the most vulnerable: children, the elderly, or the sick, driving them to the same bitter resolution. And no one believed them. Just like no one believed me when I was denounced as a witch and sentenced to burn.”
    Chills ran up my spine at the bleak resonance in the ghost’s voice. If Elisabeth had watched this same brutal pattern play out all these years, unable to do a thing to stop it, I was amazed she was still sane. I couldn’t always get the bad guys, but one of the things I clung to was the hope that one day, they’d get their just deserts whether it was in this life or the next. Yet Kramer had managed to escape punishment on every side of the grave. Even though I had enough to deal with from my unwanted powers from Marie, my uncle’s quest to cross over, and the suspicions over the new operations consultant, the injustice of Kramer’s wandering free to torture and murder more innocent people was too much for me.
    Yet it wasn’t just my anger that made up my mind. It was the way Fabian stared at Elisabeth. Then he turned his gaze to me, and the pleading in that single glance confirmed my decision.
    “I’ll help you,” I said to Elisabeth, holding up my hand in anticipation of Bones’s protest. Fabian had come through for me many times in the past, but the only way I’d been able to show my appreciation was a mere thank-you. Well, here was my chance to let Fabian know he was as dear to me as any of my other friends, even if he was the only one of them without flesh. Helping Elisabeth wasn’t only the right thing to do; it was also important to Fabian. Really, what other choice did I have?
    Cool fingers curled around my hand, squeezing once. I looked away from Fabian to meet Bones’s steady gaze.
    “You’re not the only one who feels indebted to him,” Bones said quietly. Then his mouth curled as he focused on Fabian. “Though you could’ve set an easier task before us.”
    “I’ll do whatever you need to assist you,” Fabian vowed, his expression brightening with such hope that my heart twisted. I might feel confident in our abilities to deal with Kramer’s accomplice if we found out who the newest acolyte was in time, but I didn’t even know if it was possible to kill a ghost. Bones had threatened exorcism on a couple of them before; but according to Elisabeth, that probably wouldn’t work. Seeing Fabian’s obvious faith made me afraid for more reasons than the idea of a murderer going free. I was afraid I’d let him down after all he’d done for me.
    “We know you will, mate. You’ve already proven that,” Bones