"Nah, I own a gym," Virgil said with a head shake. He'd thought about going into security work after leaving the force, but it would have meant yet another uniform and he was done with that. He'd seen too much of how the world really worked to want to work within the rules.

"I teach self-defense on some weeknights and weekends," he added. "Girls...ladies about your size and teenagers. You never know when you might have to take down a mugger in this city."

In the parking lot, a car backfired. People were filing out of the church now, and Virgil stepped to the side to remove his bulk from the path of foot traffic. He acknowledged Rachel with a grave nod. He wondered if ghosts hovered during funerals, the spirit paying a visit to the earthly plane before returning to whatever waited on the other side of the veil. The morbidity of the thought made him frown.

"How did you know Dean?"