7

Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run

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Chapter 446 Ghost Hunting

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Tara picked up Scarlett from her shop.

"How are you doing?" Scarlett asked as they drove to Tara's house.

"Good days and bad," Tara said with a sigh. "I had to talk to the county detectives yesterday. I thought it would be easier. I guess I thought they would be more sympathetic."

"Tara, you killed one of their law enforcement brothers. You're also a woman. They are going to be hard on you for those two reasons. As long as you stick to your story and don't let them rattle you, you'll going to be fine."

Tara had tried not to think about the law enforcement process, but Scarlett had a good point about the detectives being hard on her because she'd killed one of them. It was the whole blue sticking up for blue just like doctors not saying a word when another doctor kills a patient through negligence. Keep your mouth shut. The people didn't see that keeping quiet caused problems like police officers who used excessive force or the doctors that killed.

"I stuck to my story and I was pretty calm. It's such a nightmare."

"Each day brings you closer to the end of it," Scarlett said calmly.

Tara looked at her while they were at one of the few traffic lights in the city.

"Thank you. I really needed to hear that," Tara said.

She was grateful for Scarlett's friendship. She never would have thought it possible for the two of them to be friends, but she couldn't imagine a better friend except the night she shot Kohn. If Scarlett had been better friend, she would have called Jax for help.

"You will get through this and be stronger for the experience."

"I know. It is just so stressful. I thought this guy Eric really liked me, but nothing. He didn't dump me. He ghosted me."

"Men," Scarlett said with disgust in her voice.

"When I was thinking about Kohn, I was thinking that he attacked me and how could the cops not be on my side. You're right though. He was one of them and they are going to question my story."

"David will tell them about the threats and stalking. That will help a lot. He's on your side."

"It's work too. They won't let me go back to work until there's a ruling. I'm getting paid, but I miss my job."

"David's father's a judge. Maybe he could use his influence to move the investigation along a little faster. I'd talk to David about it first to see how that might go over with his father and the county."

"That's a good idea. I'll call Hale tonight. Life would have been so much easier if I could have fallen in love with him."

"Have you been back since that night?" Scarlett asked as they pulled into Tara's drive.

"No, I've been kind of afraid," Tara confessed.

"I don't blame you. It's bound to feel strange the first time back."

Tara unlocked the door and they walked into the bedroom. It had definitely been part of a crime scene investigation. The bloody carpet had been cut out and removed by the crime scene investigators as had the bedding.

Tara shut her eyes. Scarlett put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's OK. We'll change this room and it will be yours again," Scarlett said.

Blood splatter remained on the walls and carpet. Even the furniture had a little splatter. Tara shuddered. She almost expected to see a chalk outline of Kohn's body, but they didn't do the chalk outline thing anymore.

"Where do we start?" Tara asked.

"Depends on how much you want to spend and how soon you want the work done," Scarlett said. "This furniture could be refinished. The hardware changed. You would never know it started out like this."

Tara looked at the furniture trying to see what Scarlett was describing.

"How?"

"I'd do it in a distressed barn finish. It sounds kind of bad, but it would look amazing. You could do it in any shade of wood or maybe a medium gray and then it would have lighter gray areas so it would look sort of worn. Change the hardware out to a pewter or nickel. I've got a piece in my shop that has the finish I have in mind."

Tara nodded her head imaging what Scarlett said.

"That would look good. What about the carpet?"

"Get some berber either a solid color or one in a light color with all different colored flecks in it. Then you get some new bedding, some pictures for the wall, new lamps, maybe a new headboard and of course a new bed."

"What about the bath? How about refreshing that too?"

Scarlett walked over the spot that Kohn had taken his last breath and into the bathroom. She studied the outdated bathroom.

"New flooring wouldn't cost that much. It's the install because they have to pull the toilet. You could get a new toilet. One of the low flow water efficient ones and a vanity in a grayish color to match with the furniture. Change out all the hardware from the toilet paper holder to the towel racks maybe in the same pewter or nickel finish used for the bedroom furniture. You could even get a vinyl flooring in a barn wood look or if you want a more upgraded look, you can get tile that looks like hardwood."

Tara peered into the bathroom and saw the changes through Scarlett's eyes.

"Maybe move the towel rack to over the toilet so I can put a picture on the wall."

Scarlett nodded.

"That's easy to do. You can even do it yourself. It isn't hard to patch drywall. There's a texturizing spray you can buy to spray on the wall so you won't be able to tell where you patched it."

"Have you done that?"

"My father and I used to fix up and sell houses when I was a kid. I've done the texturing before. It's mostly about following directions on a spray can."

"What about paint colors?"

Scarlett shrugged.

"That's where you have decisions. How do you want your bedroom to feel? I really like yellow for a bedroom but not a sunshine yellow. There are yellows with cool undertones and as much as I'm not a yellow person, the color looks amazing and everything next to it looks better. It's a medium color that would look good with a lighter carpet. When we go back to my store, I'll show you the wall that's in the color."

"This isn't as hard as I thought. Do you know where I can get the furniture done?"

"Jax gave me a lot of contacts when I started setting up the store. You can shop for the headboard and lamps online."

"Will you help me pick the vanity sink thing and the flooring?"

"Of course. I would find pictures that you love and use them to base your color scheme around. I'd get the bedding to coordinate with the pictures. If you can't find something you like, you can look for sheets and have a seamstress make them into a comforter and pillows for you. You can also find fabric you like and have a seamstress use that. I'd either get a matching shower curtain or one that coordinates so the rooms flow together."

"What's the first step?"

"You need to get everything out of this room but the furniture including clearing out all the drawers. Get the guy to come get the furniture and refinish it. Pick out the flooring and order it. It could take a few days. Then you need to decide on the paint and either paint it yourself or hire a painter. Then decide on the pictures and bedding. Order a new bed. With some effort and good luck, you could have it done in a week or two."

"That soon?"

"If the refinishing guy can do the job and the flooring can get installed, it isn't going to take long. You aren't making structural changes. You are going to need to decide on the artwork and the bedding."

Tara smiled.

"For the first time, this doesn't seem so bad. I'm actually looking forward to it thanks to you."

"It's no problem. This is easy because I don't have to do the work. You've go the hard part picking out the artwork. That's where you can decide how you want to feel in your bedroom."

Tara stared at the spot where Kohn had bled out.

"Do you believe in ghosts?" Tara asked.

"Yeah, I've seen my mother a couple of times. In a mirror behind me. I haven't seen her in quite awhile though," Scarlett said.

"Were you afraid?"

"No. She's my mom. I knew she wouldn't hurt me. Seeing her made me feel loved."

"Do you think Kohn is still here?"

Scarlett shut her eyes for several moments.

"I don't feel anything. Do you?"

Tara shut her eyes and tried to see if she could feel Kohn's presence.

"I don't feel anything."

Scarlett smiled mischievously.

"There's only one way to tell. Kohn come and get us! We're here. Two women that you hated and wanted to kill. Come on. We dare you! Coward. Come on and hurt us. Haunt us! Come and get us!"

Tara stared at Scarlett thinking she might have lost her mind. Never taunt a ghost. No good can come of it, but it stayed quiet. No stirring in the room of any kind.

"He's not here," Scarlett said confidently.

"You're sure?"

"Stand in the spot where he died and dare him to come get you."

Tara reluctantly followed Scarlett's suggestion.

"OK," Tara said with a noticeable lack of enthusiasm in her voice, "Kohn come and hurt me, you coward."

Nothing happened.

"Tell him how much better Jax is," Scarlett encouraged her.

"Jax is more of a man than you could ever be. He's better looking, sexier and smarter. I'm with Jax now. We're in love."

"If anything that would get him to rise from the dead, that should have done it," Scarlett said.

Tara laughed unexpectedly.

"That would have done it. He had this pathological hatred of Jax. Do you think I'm being silly about Kohn's ghost?"

"No. I believe in ghosts and I'd want to make sure that he was completely gone. Come on let's get back to my store and I'll show you the wall color and the furniture."

"Rot in hell, Kohn," Tara said.

"Rot in hell, Kohn," Scarlett echoed.