Chapter 6
Since I’d discussed it with Quinn, I had a good idea of how to answer her question. “Mayor, honestly, half of our team is still coming in. We’ve got four on the road and another two down at the moment. One of ours came from Scotland, and no one thought to warn her to avoid the taco trucks.”
Mayor Hernandez winced in full sympathy. “They are tasty but dangerous. Poor woman. I hope she’s recovering?”
“Should be back on her feet in two days or so, but you can see why we’re going to ease into this.”
“Absolutely, and I’m thrilled to hear you’ve got more coming. No offense to you, it’s just a lot of area to cover.”
“Trust me, we’re aware. We’d like to go around Black Rock and Miner’s Creek over the next two days and get a feel for places.
How much prep it’s going to take, what kind of dangers there are.
Then split the tasks up and tackle them, each to our strengths.
I realize it’s a bit of delay in active work—”
She held up a hand, expression calm and filled with understanding. “I’d prefer you go in with a plan. That said, if there’s an emergency?”
“Call us,” Eli said without hesitation. “I’ll make sure you have everyone’s numbers before we leave.”
“Thank you. We’re at a loss on what to do sometimes.”
Made perfect sense to me. It wasn’t like anyone here was trained to exorcise ghosts or even had the right talent for it.
“Maybe with them clearing out the ghosts, people will relax,” Sheriff Parker said to the mayor.
Say what now? “Something going on?”
“Local business has taken a major hit,” Sheriff Parker explained on a long groan. “Mostly because people don’t feel safe walking the town’s square. They’re being hassled, scratched, chased by things they can barely see. It’s gotten worse this past month, for some reason.”
“Samhain,” Eli said with a resigned shrug. “The veil gets very thin this time of year. It’s easier to sense ghosts, and the ghosts get something of a power boost.”
A power boost in a town with this geographical setup was the very last thing any of us needed but, unfortunately, Eli was correct.
Both the mayor and sheriff looked at her with open dismay.
“Sorry.” Eli shrugged again. “That’s just reality.”
“It does explain why we’re getting sightings and reports in previously calm areas.” The mayor rubbed her temples, clearly wishing to down a full bottle of aspirin. “Fuck. All right, so this is going to get worse before it gets better. Noted. What else can I offer to help you?”
Booker lifted a hand. “A local historian who could tell us the history of the location, and who died there, also helps us.”
“I can call on two who can help you there.”
“What’s your worst cases?” I prompted her. “We’ll tackle those first, if we can.”
“There’s a few spots that are just trouble, no matter what day or time.” She sighed wearily and nodded to the sheriff sitting next to her. “Lila, you want to explain this part? You’re more informed than I am.”
Sheriff Parker spoke, her tone steady, almost grim. “There’s a few historical spots in the town. We have the old movie theater, which was once a brothel with a stage, that has been nothing but trouble. Stage accidents resulting in broken bones—”
“Yikes,” Gwyn muttered, sounding horrified.
“—and sexual harassment by some of the ghosts. We’ve had visitors scratched as well. Sadly, things have escalated to the point where the movie theater has been temporarily shut down. It’s just not safe to be in the building.”
Booker’s hands flew across the keyboard, and I saw Gwyn lean a little sideways, eyeing what he’d written. I’d have taken notes too if they weren’t here, but having three sets of notes would be overkill.
“Then there’s the park. We’ve had this shadowy figure show up several times at night. No one will cross through there in anything but broad daylight. They’ll go the long way and skirt it rather than risk it.”
Mack piped up, brows furrowed in deep thought. “Is every major location in the town bad?”
“Almost.” Sheriff Parker made a face, nose wrinkling in aggravation. “Even this building has lights turning on at night when the place is locked up.”
Every Medium snorted as if to say yeah, no surprise there. Gwyn rolled her eyes a little. They’d clearly seen something because this building being haunted was news to me.
“Uh, honey?”
Mack casually shrugged, which usually preceded insanity coming out of his mouth. “There’s ghost trails everywhere you look. I’ve seen at least three.”
Eli grunted affirmation. “Three at least, though I suspect four.”
Mayor Hernandez looked faint for a minute. Maybe she’d thought her workplace was mostly safe, despite the lights? Or she’d hoped that and her hopes were now dashed.
Sheriff Parker handed us a thumb drive. “I’ve got footage we’ve collected, pictures, witness statements, plus a log of events for the key places in town all on this flash drive. I hoped it would help you.”
Booker made gimme gimme hands with a delighted smile. But then, he was a data geek.
The thumb drive was relayed down to him and he plugged it into his laptop, ready to transfer the information over.
“Mayor”—Mack kept an eye on Gwyn as spoke—“if you don’t mind, I’d like to do a little easy work.
Let’s clear the ghosts from this building.
I’ll show you how to salt, and where, to keep this building ghost free.
I do this not only for your sake, but also because I’d like to have an easier project for my new apprentice.
This is a controlled environment, and I’d rather teach her some basics here. ”
“I’d take it as a favor if you did so.” She smiled at Gwyn. “Gwyn, how long have you been learning?”
“Two hours,” Gwyn said a little timidly.
The mayor’s eyes widened with incredulity. “I’m sorry, two hours?”
“We found her two hours ago,” I explained, amused by the mayor’s reaction. “I literally stumbled right over her. We’ve been given temporary custody of her until she’s properly trained and released as an FBI agent.”
Mouth dangling, the mayor still managed to croak, “Then are you from here?”
“No, Clifton,” Gwyn corrected. “They’re staying at Hotel Reardon.”
“Oh god no, don’t stay there,” Sheriff Parker said. “It’s, um, just no. There’s better places to stay.”
“We’re not actually comfortable staying there with Gwyn being so close to her parents. Let’s just say they…are not believers in ghosts.”
“Oh.” Fortunately, Sheriff Parker didn’t need to hear more to understand.
“Let me introduce you to two other possibilities. There’s a retreat on a cattle ranch not far from here, about another ten minutes up the road, and they host a lot of large gatherings.
They might have space for all of you. There’s also a larger, nicer hotel in Morenci. ”
Booker blinked up at her. “What’s the name of the retreat?”
“Two J’s Cattle Ranch.”
“I’ll pass the information along to our supervisor. She’s looking for a new place to put us all.”
“Let’s meet again when we have a better lay of the land and our full team here,” Quinn suggested. “I think that’ll be more productive. Today, I want to walk around and get my bearings.”
“I want to check out the park.” Eli was already standing. “Mack, you meet us there after you’re done here.”
“Sure thing.”
The meeting broke up, Sheriff Parker leaving with the trio to show them around town. Mayor Hernandez stayed with us. Not just out of curiosity, we had to give her instructions, but her unease showed in her expression.
Gwyn kept her messenger bag slung over one shoulder, and she stuck very, very close to me. She had to be unnerved in a place with multiple ghosts, but she wasn’t backing down. Kid had guts. I liked her for it.
Mack stepped into the foyer, taking a good look around and, probably, reading the energy trails.
“Gwyn,” he called, still looking, “come stand next to me. Now, you see the colors? The white means these are friendly ghosts.”
She relaxed a little, standing shoulder to shoulder with him, now reading the energy instead of hiding next to me. “You’re sure?”
“Oh, dead sure. The colors are a giveaway. Yellow means something bad trying to become badder. There are ghosts aiming to become demons, as they’re twisted even in death.
Grey means they’re on the verge of becoming demons; their energy is metamorphizing into it.
If you see black trails, back out immediately and call for an Exorcist.”
She shifted in place, visibly unnerved. “Black is demons?”
“That it is, ma petite chère. Well, usually, or it’s a ghost becoming a demon through obsession and intent. Fortunately, you know two Exorcists.” He winked at her. “Now, these white trails, these are just ghosts who haven’t passed on, not malicious beings.”
Mayor Hernandez interrupted at this point. “Why do ghosts not pass on? Unfinished business?”
“Sometimes. Sometimes their death was so quick, so sudden, it takes them a while to realize they’re dead and they miss the timing to pass on to the other side.
Sometimes, something holds them here in the land of the living.
On the plane ride here, I had a ghost who stayed to safeguard his daughter’s inheritance.
There’s all sorts of reasons for it. Now, for these ghosts, I offer to move them on rather than just exorcise them.
They’re not meaning harm, after all, and it’s better for everyone if I can move them on. ”
Knowing what he’d need, I reached into my bag and pulled out several tea lights. The battery-operated ones. “Where do you want me lining them up?”
“Toward the door, mon cher.”
I figured; he liked to use doorways when possible. Gave the ghosts an easier target to focus on.
Mack explained what he was doing, how the mechanics worked, and Gwyn plopped down to the floor so she could write frantic notes. Mack would repeat it for her later if she missed something, but I liked how gung ho she was on learning. I’d bet she was naturally a good student.
Shit, school. What were we going to do about school? We constantly jumped all over the globe. Maybe a virtual school would work better for her? So she could catch up on schoolwork between the ghost busting.
Another question for Sylvia. Hopefully she had an answer. So far, I’d yet to ask my boss a question she didn’t have an answer for.
I got the lights laid out, and Mack barely let me stand before he had a ghost in hand. I, of course, saw jack shit. But Gwyn clearly could see the ghost and was both fascinated and unnerved, her eyes wide.
“Ma’am, would you like to pass on?” Mack asked in his Southern gentleman way. He cocked his head as he listened, a habit of his. “No, nothing painful about it. See the lights leading to the door? Just walk the path with me. You’ll pass right along to the other side.”
Apparently the ghost was amenable, and Mack started walking the path, his hand stretched over the lights as if he were truly escorting her.
Now, I’d seen him do this a hundred times or more, but for the first time, I saw an outline.
The shape of a dress, of a head with a bonnet on.
Barely more than a reflection of light to me, but I could see it.
Mack must have boosted her the second they started walking, though why he’d chosen to boost her to the level I could see confused me. Typically, he never bothered.
Seeing ghosts always fulfilled a kid’s dream in me. I loved seeing them, and part of the reason why this career was perfect for me was being able to see them on the regular. Just living with Mack did that. It never became humdrum or commonplace, a spark of happiness lighting up every time.
The ghost paused at the doorway and turned her head. “Ever so kind, sir. Thank you.”
“You’re quite welcome. Go on through.”
She did so, and the bright light beyond the door dimmed to natural sunlight once more.
I almost didn’t say something but felt I should. “Uh, babe?”
Mack turned to look at me, then his brows beetled together. “Why are you looking like you just saw a ghost?”
“I kinda did?” I used my hands to draw out the general shape. “I also heard her. She said you were kind and thanked you. Did you boost her enough to be audible? You normally don’t.”
Mack’s eyes locked with mine and I could see the realization dawn before he looked around once more. “Oh, mon trésor, I know getting to see and hear her was exciting for you, but that’s really not good. I didn’t boost her any more than normal.”
I nodded. Yeah, not a great sign. I was super happy about it, selfishly speaking, but in general? Ghosts having enough energy for me to see and hear them when I was as sensitive as a pizza oven was not a good thing.
Gwyn looked between us and cautiously asked, “I didn’t think Brandon could see anything?”
“I can’t, normally.” I chafed the back of my neck and tried to form this into a succinct summary.
“Usually I’m not able to sense anything at all, which is kind of a requirement for an anchor.
We can’t let our sight be confused because we’re our Medium’s seeing eye dog in some situations.
I can only see them when Mack boosts their energy to a certain level. ”
Mack huffed, amused by the description, but he notably didn’t offer up a denial.
“The problem with this, ma petite chère, is what it means for all of us. There’s so much limestone and flowing water in this area, it’s giving the ghosts a significant boost. So much of a boost, even Brandon can see one.
The mean spirits are going to be harder hitting than usual.
It’ll take more effort and work on our part to subdue them.
This situation right now is not a good sign. ”
I’d already battled with ghosts not wanting to pass on or do anything but wreak more havoc. Now I had a town full of them and they were supercharged.
Sylvia had called everyone she could think of to get a big enough team to handle Black Rock. Standing here, knowing what I now knew, I was no longer convinced our team was big enough to do the job.
And that was a problem.