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Maryse, certain she’d lost her mind, then looked over at Mildred, but the hotel owner looked completely serious and very miserable. 
    “You’re joking,” Jadyn said finally.
    “I wish I was,” Maryse said.
    “Rude again,” Helena piped in.
    Jadyn looked at Helena again, then back at Maryse. “You want me to believe that I’m standing here talking to a ghost?”
    Maryse shrugged. “Ghost…Angel of Death…”
    “Okay,” Helena ranted, “that’s just downright insulting.”
    “And accurate,” Mildred finally chimed in.
    Helena waved a hand in dismissal. “That’s not the point.”
    “That’s exactly the point,” Maryse said. She turned back to face Jadyn. “Look, I know this is hard to wrap your mind around, but after Helena was murdered, she started appearing to different people, and every time she appeared, their life was in danger. So I’ve been nervous ever since you told me you saw her yesterday. Seeing Helena doesn’t usually bode well for people.”
    Jadyn’s mind whirled as she tried to make sense of what Maryse said, but she simply couldn’t understand why the most practical woman she’d ever met would assume she’d believe such crap. “You’re telling me I’m going to die?”
    “No,” Maryse said. “I’m saying that someone will probably try to kill you. So far, no one we care about has died, but they’ve all come close.”
     

 
    Chapter Six
     
    Jadyn felt a rush of blood run up her face. “Look, I don’t know what kind of joke you’re trying to pull, but it’s not funny. I didn’t think the two of you stooped to this kind of childish behavior.”
    Jadyn turned to leave, disgusted that the only two people she had trusted turned out to be crazy as loons.
    “Wait!” Mildred shouted.
    Jadyn stopped, respect for her elders still overriding her indignation. She turned back to face the hotel owner.
    Mildred pulled a newspaper out of her desk drawer and handed it to Jadyn. “Look at the front page.”
    Jadyn took the newspaper and read the headline: “The Truth Comes Out: Helena Henry Was Murdered.” 
    Then she saw the picture below the headline and her breath caught in her throat. She looked at the woman in the chair. “It’s not possible.”
    “Put on something decent, Helena,” Maryse said. “You’re making this harder.”
    Helena sighed and waved a hand. Instantly, she was clothed in the same outfit she wore in the newspaper photo. Even her hair had altered to match the picture.
    The blood that had rushed into Jadyn’s head earlier left faster than it arrived. She felt herself sway as dizziness washed over her. Maryse grabbed her shoulders to steady her and guided her into the empty chair.
    Her hands still clutched the newspaper as she looked over at the woman…ghost, one more time. Every cell in her mind screamed that it wasn’t possible, but if the woman wasn’t a ghost, what other explanation was there? 
    “This can’t be happening,” Jadyn said. “I must be dreaming. Or I’m still hungover from the beers last night.” 
    But even as she said the words out loud, she knew neither was true. It took far more than two beers to create a hangover that had one hallucinating and besides, she’d just spent the past couple of hours working with Colt. He probably would have commented if she were sleepwalking or drunk.
    She looked at Mildred and Maryse, who both stared at her, wearing worried expressions. Then she looked at Helena once more. She just looked bored.
    Get it together, St. James.
    She took a deep breath and slowly blew it out, trying to force her mind to focus on one thing at a time. “Okay, the truth is, I’ve always thought ghosts existed, but I never figured on meeting one, much less sitting in a hotel office and talking it over like she was a real person.”
    “I am a real person,” Helena protested.
    Mildred gave Helena the stink-eye and she clammed back up. 
    “But I’m shocked,” Jadyn said, “and that feels awful because things