Chapter Five. #2
I glanced down and, wow, Sunny looked damn good.
Sin had sent it to the massive group chat that almost everyone we knew was in.
The Rage MC old ladies, Hellfire old ladies, Washington women, Hawthorne females, and so on.
We had separate groups, but this one was always busy.
My screen lit up with the equivalent of online whistles.
“Holy shit!” Nanci exclaimed, Inglorious’s old lady. “Sunny porn!”
“My sister gets to wake up to that, no fair,” Clio teased, and a load of gibberish shot across the screen. “Sorry, Chance grabbed my cell.”
“I’m envious,” Lindsey from Rage MC added, and the comments kept coming.
I threw Sunny my phone with a laugh and let him read the texts. There was a hint of red at his ear tips, and then his cell blew up as the men’s chat erupted. I smirked at the taunts he was receiving and shoved Sin and Bunny out so we could get ready.
◆◆◆
I was surprised to see a detective waiting for me by the tour bus when Sunny and I emerged half an hour later. Although he hadn’t introduced himself, it was pretty obvious he was a cop.
“Miss Dixon?” he asked.
“Dixon is my professional name; I’m actually Callie Barlow,” I said with pride, and Sunny’s hand tightened on my waist.
“Sorry, which would you prefer?”
“Callie is fine,” I offered, and the man smiled.
“I’m Detective Hayden Maines. I’m here for what you’ve found, but there’s a problem. Last night, several of my men were…” Maines broke off and appeared uncomfortable.
“Yes?” I pushed.
“They saw ghosts,” he admitted and shrugged.
“Wonder if they were the same ones we saw,” I remarked to Sunny.
“Possibly, but according to Harry, multiple spirits have been seen,” Sunny replied.
“The point is, I also witnessed them, and we can’t dispute what we saw. My team is refusing to return tonight unless there is someone with them,” Maines stated.
“What do you mean, somebody is with them?” Sunny asked.
“Look, I believe in ghosts, okay. Some of my team do, and some don’t. However, they are all spooked, including the nonbelievers. Nobody wants to set foot back there without some reassurances,” Maines said.
“Such as a semi-famous investigator and an exorcist?” I inquired, and Maines nodded.
“Not a problem from where I’m standing, but it does leave Harry monitoring the cameras alone, and there are a lot of them.” Harry would be overwhelmed, and I was wondering who to leave with him.
“Could a police officer help?” Maines offered, and I looked at him.
“Huh?”
“If I give you someone who’s used to watching cameras for unusual events, would that help?”
“Yup, definitely. But it needs to be a believer. A nonbeliever would dismiss much of the activity without consideration. If a believer spots something, we can then investigate it and debunk it, if need be,” I stated.
“I have someone I can call. I already sounded them out earlier,” Maines said.
“Sure, go ahead. Tell them to come in normal day clothes, though, unless you want your officer filmed. They’d also have to sign a release,” I replied.
“Officer Maines would have no issues with that; she loves your show.” Maines smiled.
“Your wife?” Sunny asked.
“Sister, younger—and a pain in my ass,” Maines reported with the depth of feeling only a brother would have.
“Tell her welcome to the team. Would you like to join us for the planning?”
“Sure, it would be great to see behind the scenes.”
◆◆◆
As we ate breakfast, which bemused Maines, I broke the teams down again.
“Okay, we’ve got several issues. One thing we need to do is find the list in Lawson’s apartment. For that, I’m going to recruit Ashford and leave Merrick here as security. Jack, can you go with Ashford and help search? Filming will be awkward, but we’ll make do.”
“Callie, I can provide another officer,” Maines offered, and everyone looked to him.
“This is Detective Hayden Maines. He’s asked us to help with the cemetery, which is why we’ve got a change of plans. Can you spare someone?” I inquired hopefully.
“Yes, I’ve a cousin, River, who is a good cop and loves stuff like this. He’ll be stoked to join in,” Maines said, pulling out his phone and tapping out a message.
“Okay, Ashford, Jack, and River can go back to Lawson’s apartment and find the hiding place. Take equipment, at least another Ovilus, and some of the motion light balls. The spirits may shove them in the direction you need to search in.
“Connor, take Bunny and Freddie and investigate the infirmary again. Try to get the attention of the nurse and the shadow figure. I know you caught a glimpse of him, but we all got distracted last night,” I said with a glare at Magic.
Magic had the grace to look abashed.
“Fuckin’ flamethrower,” I muttered, and Maines’s eyebrows rose. “Just tune in for the episode when it airs,” I informed him.
Michelle sent Magic a warning glance, and he kept silent, although I noticed him puffing up.
“Sunny, you’ve got Pyro, Magic, and Phil. I want you guys to check out the morgue. There have been tales of torturous experiments, such as water therapy and electric shock treatment. The chair remains, as does the lobotomy room with its equipment. Investigate, and don’t provoke anything tonight.
“Michelle and I have been requested to attend the cemetery. Last night, several sightings occurred that spooked the police. I want to see if we can learn anything and discover if they’re the same spirits that we filmed before,” I said.
“Who’s going to be your cameraman?” Phil asked.
“Michelle and I will take turns,” I replied.
“I’ll film, and Callie can do her thing,” Michelle interrupted, “unless I’m needed elsewhere. I sensed something dark at The Asylum last night. While I banished the spirit of Don Jacobs, he’s not the only evil presence there.”
“Okay, we’ve got a working plan. Harry, an Officer Maines will be coming to help monitor the screens,” I said to him.
“Her name’s Teri, and she works the cameras for the police station. Teri’s got experience,” Maines explained. Harry appeared relieved.
“Everyone knows what we’re doing?” I checked and received affirmative responses.
Someone knocked on the door, and Ashford opened it to escort two officers in. They resembled Maines enough that it was obvious they were the family he mentioned. Teri was literally bouncing on the balls of her feet because she was so excited to be here.
Once I’d organised everyone, I sent them off. While the graveyard was a significant discovery, we still had other areas to investigate.
Maines drove us over to the area they’d roped off, and I was surprised to see the cadaver dogs back again. Several tents were placed over what looked like graves being excavated, and I stared.
“Yeah, we’re running a couple of test digs, but nobody would return unless you were on site. Enough spooky shit happened last night that everyone’s on edge,” Maine said.
“Okay, let me bless the tent and ground around the dig, but not the actual ground itself because of contamination,” Michelle stated. She popped open her bag and withdrew two vials of holy water. I caught sight of several groups of people watching and talking among themselves.
“Your team?” I asked.
“Yes. And they won’t move.” Maines sighed.
“Not a problem.” I followed Michelle and filmed her as she performed her blessings. When she’d finished, we walked over and spoke to the forensic anthropologists from a local university who were helping with the dig.
“Thanks for that. I know it’s not exactly scientific, but it’s reassuring,” a woman said while a man looked down his nose at us.
“Load of superstitious nonsense,” he snorted.
“Aren’t most things until science proves them true?” I asked and walked away.
Michelle and I spoke to the cadaver dogs' owners, who were unsurprised to have been called back. They informed us they were going to try to discover the extent and range of the cemetery, and we agreed to accompany them.
Around two a.m., eight ghosts appeared, causing the excavators and everyone to stop digging and huddle together.
“Some are residual,” I murmured as we filmed them. I watched as a woman stumbled to a patch of earth and then sank into it.
“Help us!” my spirit box howled as soon as I turned it on. Those close by jumped and stared. I didn’t even bother apologising.
“Hi, we mean you no harm. We’re here to find your graves and make sure you’re remembered. I’m Callie, and this is Michelle,” I announced as I watched three more ghosts disappear over where I assumed their burials were.
“Those four are watching you,” Michelle said, pointing.
“We want to help,” I exclaimed.
“Murdered. Trash. Forgotten,” the spirit box squealed.
“That’s why we’re here. To ensure nobody ever forgets you again,” I replied.
A woman who was growing fainter raised an arm and pointed. “The babies. Too late. Slaughtered. Where is my son?” the spirit box screamed.
“We’ll find him!” I exclaimed, and my mind tried to link the words.
The boy moved away from the others, indicating a different part of the field. “Hurt. Dumped. Unloved. Why? Why? Pain. Suffering. Harmed. Why?”
“Jesus,” a cop murmured.
“There is evil in the world, but those here, we’re trying to locate you and give you some respect and dignity back,” I called out.
“Save their souls. Let us rest,” the lady said, turning to me. The men faded, and she pointed. “My son.”
She disappeared, and the boy lingered a few more moments before he, too, took his leave.
“Let’s go. We’re searching there first,” one of the cadaver dog owners said. They headed to where the woman had directed, and I wasn’t surprised when the cadaver dogs began signalling multiple times. Nor were we shocked when they howled their finds where the boy had pointed.
We’d found the children and babies.
Just before sunrise, the first graves were excavated. Sadly, the bones of a newborn baby and a toddler aged about three were unearthed. The victims of this hellhole were finally regaining their voices.
Maines caught my gaze and nodded at me. “Good work.”