Authors Note:

Ok so I made this one really long (for me at least).

strawberry-krushed: thank you for that really nice comment!

Querida101: I listened to that song and its really really good! I love it. I'm curious though.. what where you going to say?

adrienne06052: That made me laugh so hard that water came out of my nose. (Sexy, I know.)

Please keep the reviews coming! I appreciate them ALL!

Chapter 6

Now normally I don't get so worked up seeing a ghost. I mean after about 14 years of seeing them, I don't get really surprised anymore. Plus, with me being a girl from Brooklyn, I've seen just about everything there is to see.

When I saw Eric as a ghost, it was different though from all my other ghostly encounters. I knew Eric before he died unlike most of the other ghosts I've mediated. I figured I'd see Eric again what with me being a mediator and all, and also him dieing abruptly, but at this particular time, it had caught me completely off guard.

When I saw him standing behind CeeCee, I was very shocked. I even looked at the photo on the wall- the one of him getting a hole in one- just to make sure it was really Eric. Then when CeeCee said that he was poisoned, well that just rocked my world even more.

CeeCee's hand was still holding my arm. Her almost white hair was falling into her eyes. She brushed it away with her free hand and said, "Simon. You ok?"

My lips felt all tingly like I'd just gotten them numbed with Novocain or something. The words poison just kept echoing in my head.

"I'm alright." I replied after a long pause. Get a grip Simon, I told myself. CeeCee released her grasp from my arm. Eric had moved so that now he was standing in front of me.

"Susannah? Can you really see me?" He asked again.

I nodded. "Yeah I can. I can see dead people." I told him like the kid tells Bruce Willis in the film the Six Sense.

I cast a look at Eric, and stared right into his baby blues. You know, for an old guy he was pretty cute.

I spun the barstool away from CeeCee so that I was facing him.

"Ok here is how it's going to work." I leaned so that my elbows where against the sticky bar. Ew, I'd like to add. "CeeCee. I need your help. I'm going to talk to Eric here but I don't want to seem like a crazy person. So I need you to nod and act like your just listening to me. Which I know you will be. Can you do that?" I asked and I cast a glance at her.

"To see the mediator in action? I'll do anything." She flashed me a grin. You know, for a girl who just told me that someone was murdered, she was pretty chipper.

"Ok good." I was slowly starting to regain control of this situation. I just kept reminding myself that I had done this before and I could do it again. Take down a murderer I mean. I guess the shock was starting to go away.

"Susannah she said I was poisoned but I wasn't." Eric pleaded with me. Or at least I think it was me he was pleading with. Maybe he was trying to convince his self that he wasn't murdered.

"It was a heart attack." He continued. "I even felt my left arm start to ache…"

"Poison can induce a heart attack. Does it seem really likely that a 40 year old guy, in the best shape of his life, just suddenly drops dead of a heart attack?" I asked whispering so I wouldn't be over heard.

"Why would someone murder me?" He asked placing his hands across his chest.

He began to pace the floor.

"I don't know. But I'll find out." I said after a pause.

"But I can't be dead. This has to be a mistake." He said to me after a period of silence. He, I could tell, was going into denial.

"Eric, I'm sorry. You are dead. Someone killed you and I promise I'll find out who did it." I repeated.

"But the baby…"

Dang it. I forgot about the baby. Now I felt like punching someone. I can be pretty quick with my fists when I want to. Who was so cold hearted to leave an unborn child and his two other children without a father?

"Suze. Mom alert." CeeCee, who had been sitting there quietly, occasionally nodding her head like I asked, said.

I looked over at my mother who was walking straight towards where Eric was standing. Eric turned and looked at his best friend. I watched as my oblivious mother came in contact with Eric making him poof. It was really odd. I guess me and Eric's conversation was over for now. I had a feeling he would be back though. They always do.

"Suze- ooh cold spot." She said when she walked 'through' Eric.

Boy if she only knew.

"What's up Mom?" I asked. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see CeeCee's confused faced. I quickly promised myself that I'd tell her what happened later and for some reason I think CeeCee knew that I would tell her later.

"Jesse's here. Apparently he just bought a car. He called my cell phone earlier." She told me while rubbing her arms. This is a random thought I know, but now that I think about it. I have the best mother in the world. She puts up with her 17-year-old daughter dating a 21-year-old guy. Well, actually 171 years old if you want to get technical.

"Jesse called your cell?" I asked making a face while putting my problems aside.

"Yes. He wanted to see if he could come pick you up so I told him where we are. He's out front. He didn't want to leave his "baby"." She used air quotes when she said the word baby.

"Thanks mom!" I perked up at this. I got up from the barstool and gave her a hug. Jesse bought a car? And he was calling it his baby? That has to mean that it was a pretty decent ride. Yes I know I have a problem. I was supposed to be tracking down a murderer but I was thinking about my boyfriend's car. I'm messed up.

"Want to come CeeCee?" I asked.

"No I'm good. Anna probably wants to get back to the newspaper."

"Oh! Suze! Before you leave, say your respects to London." My mom said and then walked over to the bar to get a second Coke. She wasn't a "lets drink at 1 in the afternoon" kind of mother. Which is a good thing.

I heaved a sigh and CeeCee and I walked to where London had been talking in the lounge. Her eyes where puffy but she was still beautiful. Like supermodel beautiful. She had long platinum blonde hair and her face was like Cameron Diaz's.

"London." I said interrupting her talking to a tall guy. From what I could tell their conversation was pretty intimate. His hand was on her shoulder and she was leaning in towards him. I couldn't see his face until he turned around.

"Jake?" I asked getting another surprise in less then 10 minutes. "What are you doing here?"

He sighed and grabbed my arm and led me away from a confused looking CeeCee and a startled London. After an awkward pause, CeeCee, God love her, started a conversation up with London to keep her from staring at Jake and I talking.

Jake crossed his arms over his chest and asked, "What do you want?"

Why was Jake so chummy with London? All of a sudden, Doc's questions echoed in my head.

"How did Jake get the money for the Camaro?"

"So, how did he get the cash so fast?"

"Jake what are you doing here?" I asked looking up at him. He was really tall, like six feet, whereas I was only five foot two.

"I'm paying my respects. Why do you even care?" He asked rather defensively.

"I care because…" I stopped. I couldn't tell him about the murder. "I just do ok?"

Yeah. It did sound lame.

"Look, don't tell anyone this but I'm doing the yard work for her." He said rapidly. The way he said it made it seem like he was lying to me.

"In exchange for a Camaro?" I asked angrily. Was Jake having an affair with her? It looked like it from the intimate conversion they were having.

"If you must know, yes." He snapped. "Is Mom here?"

""What do you think? It was only her co-worker that died and basically her best friend." I replied nastily. I was getting extremely pissed off at him.

"Look you don't have to be so mean about it." He hissed back. This was really out of character for Jake. Usually he wasn't so angry when he talked to me. He was just so, well sleepy. Granted, we don't really talk much or are that close.

"You're getting paid with a Camaro? Does Andy know? I mean, that's a lot of yard work to be worth a car."

"No one knows about this ok? So don't tell. Please Susannah." He looked down at me with a puppy dogface. This was getting really weird. I never thought in a million years that Jake would ask me to keep a secret from my Mom and Andy.

I rolled my eyes and told him he owed me a more extensive explanation later. I figured we had better end the conservation because people were staring at us. Jake reluctantly agreed and we walked back over to London and CeeCee.

Trying to forget the awkward conversation I'd had with Jake, I walked up to Eric's wife whom I had only met a few times.
"London, I just wanted to give you my most heart felt apologies." I shook her hand talked to her for a few more minutes, and I walked out leaving CeeCee to go find Anna so they could go back to work. .

When I went out front, I saw a very proud father admiring his baby. Jesse had bought a used Grand Jeep Cherokee. It was a cute blue Liberty and the only downside was it had 80,000 miles on it and was scratched on the bumper. The upside was that we no longer needed to use Father Dominic's car.

To pay for the car, Jesse has been doing odd jobs for people. Occasionally he would work for Andy helping with construction. Other jobs he did were helping cleaning. He even cleaned out an old lady named Eleanor's attic. After doing such a wonderful job, Eleanor asked Jesse if he would like to move in with her and live in that attic. He agreed and got free room and board in exchange for him running errands for her and doing the cooking and cleaning and helping whenever he can. Although he wont admit it, but I bet it was weird for him to be doing what was considered a women's job when he was alive in the late 1800's.

He did this all while studying for the SAT. He had applied for, and gotten accepted to California State University of Monterey and he also received a healthy scholarship.

Anyhow, Jesse hadn't mind waiting for me in front of the Cypress Inn because it gave him more time alone with his car, which he already named Margarita. I told him that Susannah was a better name but he told me that Margarita could hear me and that I shouldn't make fun of her. Men.

Currently, I sat in the passenger's seat of the car fiddling with the air conditioner. It was really hot out there at a balmy 80 degree's and considering that I had on all black, it wasn't making me any cooler. As we drove to his place, I told Jesse everything that has happened concerning Jake and also Eric.

When I was through Jesse whistled low. "Querida, what have you gotten yourself into?"

I sighed. He was completely right. What had I gotten myself into?

"Do you honestly think Jake is sleeping with her?" Jesse asked as he checked his mirrors carefully. He was a very careful driver.

I wonder how he got his license? And a new birth certificate and social security number too. Whenever I ask him, he refuses to tell me. I even asked Father Dominic but he also did not budge. I guess Father Dom had a way of getting them for him. Maybe I could get him to make me a fake ID or something. I highly doubt he would but you never know.

"Honestly?" I asked. Tearing myself away from my thoughts. "No. Jake isn't like that. At least I don't think so. But I think he knows more then he's letting on." I replied.

"True. He doesn't seem like that kind of guy concerning." He said. "What are you going to do about the murder?"

"I really don't know." I felt like banging my head against the dashboard. "I think I need help."

"Ok I'll be the Clyde to your Bonnie." Jesse said after a moment.

I looked over at him. "I'm sorry are we robbing a bank?"

"It was the only movie I could remember where a man and a woman team up." He replied looking amused.

I was teaching Jesse about pop culture, so we were watching a lot of old movies. Recently, as you may guess, we watched Bonnie and Clyde.

I gave him a weak smile and leaned back. He had a good point. How the heck am I going to figure out who murdered Eric? I have no leads, no suspects. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

Then it hit me like a speeding bullet and I had a terrific idea on where to begin.