Chapter Three.
Jack
While I wanted to head straight to the bridge again, I knew that wasn’t our schedule today. The cemetery had its own spirits we needed to attend to. Harry had been researching and hadn’t found out anything about the Lavender Lady, as we had taken to calling her.
Phil’s cameras had picked up plenty of movement, but all living and none dead. However, night was falling, and we were heading out.
“Here, take these,” Freddie said, passing me a package.
“What is it?” I asked, amused, as I looked at what would have been called night-vision googles, but knowing Freddie, they’d be more.
“I’ve been working on them a while; I call them Spirit Sight,” Freddie replied.
“Okay…”
“Basically, you can flip between thermal, infrared, ultraviolet, and SLS cameras. It also has a day filming mode,” Freddie said.
“Wow, this saves hauling multiple cameras about.” Connor picked a set up and placed it on his head. “Considering what these are carrying, they’re not that heavy.”
“Took some wrangling. Please report on how they handle. They furthermore link wirelessly to the monitors, so we can see through your eyes. Recording twelve hours’ worth of footage is possible. We can download the data as well,” Freddie continued explaining.
“These are so cool,” Connor commented as he peered around. He was pressing the buttons at the side, and I guessed he was flipping between settings.
“Let me know how they get on in the field,” Freddie requested and walked inside the control centre.
“That’s us dismissed,” Connor teased.
“Yeah. Okay, let’s head back to the Bronze Lady, and then we’ll search for the Lavender Lady,” I stated.
“Let’s roll out,” Connor said, and we headed to the SUV. Phil drove to the cemetery, and we parked up.
“Ready?” I asked everyone as we climbed out.
With various pieces of equipment slung over shoulders, we walked inside. Instantly, I was struck by how quiet it was, apart from the faint female voice singing. Connor and I swapped glances and began heading in that direction.
The voice grew slightly louder as we approached, and then we stopped.
Once again, a woman appeared. This time, she was walking through the cemetery, humming to herself.
She wore the same lavender dress and was searching for something.
I stepped on a stick, and the loud crack made us all jump, including her. She turned and stared before fading.
“Wait!” I called. “My name is Jack. What’s yours?”
“We mean no harm or disrespect; we’d like to talk to you,” Connor added.
I held out the EMF meter, but it didn’t spike. Damn, had we frightened her away?
“She was in a different part of the cemetery last night,” Hugo said.
“Yes, I noticed that; she’s aware of us as well. Did you see her staring as she faded?” Callum asked.
“Yeah. Harry’s running research on her, but says there’s not much information. Just a few sightings,” I replied.
“Only a few? But we’ve seen her twice.” Callum frowned.
“It could be because she moves around. If she’s actively roaming, it might be hard to see her,” I suggested.
“Yet we’ve encountered her twice,” Callum argued.
“And we’ve come from different directions,” I pointed out.
Callum opened his mouth, then closed it, and nodded. “Valid point.”
I hesitated whether to stay, but the Bronze Lady was waiting. She was a priority.
Connor
For the second night, the Bronze Lady was a bust. Nothing was happening with her at all.
After we’d eaten, we began roaming the cemetery looking for the Lavender Lady.
She didn’t want to be found, but when we headed into the oldest part, everything changed.
It was adjacent to the Old Dutch Church Burial Grounds, although they were separate.
“What the hell?” I murmured, reaching into my pocket for my rosary beads.
“This just turned very dark,” Jack muttered beside me.
Our heads were on a swivel. The trees seemed twisted, although logically I knew they weren’t. There was a low mist covering the ground, and the grass and flowers here were sparse and dead. There was a definite sense of someone watching.
I shivered because the eyes on me felt malevolent.
“There’s evil present,” Callum stated, and I wasn’t going to argue. There was certainly something here.
“Look there,” Hugo said, pointing.
A black shape was forming among some oak trees, and it was huge. At least seven feet tall, it stood with hunched shoulders and a dipped head. Its arms and legs were overly long compared to its torso, and I noticed the oval-shaped part. Whatever this was, it wasn’t human.
A flutter of colour caught my eye, and I spotted the Lavender Lady approaching. As she did, the figure beneath the trees glanced her way.
It was eerie how its head tilted towards her, and then I swear it sniffed the air.
Danger and menace poured off the creature, and it took a step forward.
The grass where it had been positioned had blackened and shrivelled up.
A memory flitted into my mind of a movie where a werewolf was standing up, as I noticed its legs in further detail.
They appeared like dogs, and it didn’t make sense.
“Back up now,” Callum murmured as he brandished his bible.
“Is that a demon?” Connor whispered as we backed away.
“No, but it is a minion,” Callum replied.
“It’s fuckin’ huge,” I muttered as we all retreated. I watched the Lavender Lady carefully. Shit. She moved closer to the figure, and her blood-red lips broke into a smile.
“Is she the demon?” Phil asked as he continued filming.
“No, but whatever she is, she’s strong. I think she’s a cambion, the product of a demon and human mating,” Callum said as he held the Bible out in front of him.
“But she’s a ghost,” Hugo exclaimed, puzzled.
“No, she’s not. She’s faking it,” Callum stated.
The Lavender Lady lunged forward and laughed. Her teeth were razor sharp, and I shuddered.
“Don’t run, stick together, and grab a handful of salt. If she attacks, throw it at her. It will drive her away,” Callum ordered.
We kept walking backwards, out of the deadened zone and back into the moonlight.
“Keep moving; we need to return to base. We all ought to research what the hell a cambion is doing here. There are some arcane texts for us to consult,” Callum said.
Finally, we were out in the open and moved towards the SUV. Tonight had taken a turn for the worse.
Callie
“I’ve heard voices all day,” Solace stated as we descended into the kitchen.
“Did you record them?” I asked with a yawn. I hated waking up.
“Yes. And I sent Harry a text a little while ago with the times I overheard them. Harry confirmed he also had them recorded, he’s trying to decipher them now,” Solace said.
“Thanks, Solace, I hope it wasn’t too creepy for you,” I replied.
Solace shrugged. “If they were attempting to scare me, they failed. Getting between you and the last slice of garlic bread is scarier.”
I laughed. That might be true.
“Dinner’s prepared for you guys and in the oven. I’ve also made breakfast for you all. Just warm the pancakes and waffles. There’s a stack of sandwiches for lunchtime.” She stood and readied to leave. “On that note, I’m heading back, unless there’s something else you want?”
“You’re good to go, thanks, Solace,” Sunny said, and his former teammate winked at him before leaving. Her motorbike revved and then roared away.
Sunny’s hands grasped my shoulders as he tilted my head for a morning kiss, and I smiled against his lips. It was our thing. We might wake up or go to bed angry with each other, but that didn’t mean we shunned affection. Those kisses were important to us both.
“Pancakes,” Chey called from the dining room, and we headed in to eat. They’d been kept warm in heated serving platters.
As we tucked in, we discussed tonight’s plans.
“We’ll take your bedroom tonight,” Michelle said.
Sunny and I nodded.
“We’re heading to the sons’ room where the two boys were killed,” I replied. Sunny agreed, but didn’t look happy. He never was during an investigation; he worried too much. Honestly, I couldn’t blame him. Dealing with spirits in a house where children were murdered wasn’t ever going to be pleasant.
“Rem-Pods are all in place, and Harry confirms all cameras are operating. Jack’s team is trialling some new equipment Freddie designed. So, that’s interesting,” I said.
“Are they hunting the Horseman?” Celt asked.
“No. Jack’s sticking with the plan, although no doubt they’ll check there again tonight. Does anyone have any questions?” I glanced at them all.
“No. But I recommend everybody take the blessed items with them,” Michelle suggested.
I nodded with everyone else.
Chey
“Can you hear that?” I murmured to Michelle.
“Yes, it’s faint, but I can,” she replied.
Celt had his head tilted and was frowning. He was trying to figure it out, too. There was a rustling of voices. None were strong enough to single out.
The hair on the back of my neck and arms was standing up as if I’d been electrified.
“I don’t like this,” I said. “How did Callie and Sunny sleep here?”
“Would anyone like to speak?” Michelle asked.
The murmuring rose slightly, then dropped. In the room’s darkness, with only moonlight for illumination, the bedroom was beyond creepy. Shadows crept along the wall, and it was easy to imagine them becoming sinister shapes or growing.
I moved closer to Celt. A faint buzzing echoed around the room, and I frowned. Michelle touched the cross around her neck. Between the buzzing and the whispers, the bedroom was starting to feel really unfriendly.
“Would you like to talk to us?” Michelle asked, holding out a recorder.
“Fuck off!” a voice hissed.
“What’s your name?”
“I’m going to slice you up.”
“Shit,” Celt exclaimed, moving closer to Michelle and me. I couldn’t believe how calm Michelle was.
“You won’t touch anyone. God protects us.”
“He’s not my God. Fuck him.”
“Somebody has attitude,” Celt murmured, and then stumbled.
“What happened?” I demanded, worried.
“Someone pushed me,” Celt replied, looking pissed.