“I sense something,” she said after a few moments of silence, which felt like forever to the rest of us. “I can see him. Actually, I can see through his eyes.”
“Good, just zero in on this. Make sure to make note of the surroundings. Does any of it look familiar?” I said.
“I don’t know,” she said. “It’s nighttime, it’s hard to tell.”
“Good, that means it’s happening right now. Just stay with it, Chloe.”
“I’m trying, but I feel it fading…”
“Then why not try looking at it from a different perspective?” I said. “Instead of looking through his eyes, why don’t you look at him from the outside?”
“It’s gone,” Chloe said. “The vision has faded.”
She reached inside the box and took out what looked like a letter Bailey had written.
“I’m back,” she said as soon as she closed her eyes. “I can see him. Thick glasses, scrawny, unkempt hair.”
I looked back at his picture and that did not describe the real Rochester Bailey at all. While he was alive, he had short dark hair, handsome features. The kind of man that could easily fool anyone with a friendly smile. Could easily hide the kind of monster he really was.
“Is this now?” I asked her.
She slowly nodded. “I think so. It’s still nighttime. He’s going somewhere.”
“Follow him,” I said. “But keep your distance just in case.”
I didn’t really know how this psychic thing worked, but I remembered what Jenny had said about Nathan/Rochester possibly being able to see or sense her. I didn’t want him to grow suspicious by sensing Chloe psychically tuning into him.
“I’m behind him. He’s going toward a car,” she said. “He’s in the car now. He’s taking something out of the glove department. Oh, it’s just a map. He’s marking something on it.”
Looking for his next victim? His next hunting ground?
“Try to zoom in on the map,” I said gently. I tried to keep any excitement out of my voice. We were so close, I didn’t want to break the psychic connection prematurely.
“I’ll try,” she said. “I’m doing it! I’m really close. There’s a circle around one area.”
“Can you read what it says?” I asked.
“Silver…Silver Bells Cove,” she finally said. She dropped the letter and opened her eyes. “Oh my God. He’s headed for your hometown!”
“We have to get there before he does,” I said, trying to remain as calm as possible. “Chloe, did you notice any landmarks close by?”
She shook her head. “It was just a parking lot. I didn’t see any markers. I’m so sorry.”
“That’s alright,” I said. “You did really good, Chloe. You’re really getting the hang of this psychic thing.”
“I hope it’s enough,” she said with a slight smile.
“It’s more than enough,” I reassured her. “Do you think you could recognize him if you saw him in real life?”
She nodded. “I think so, yes.”
“Then let’s get on the road,” I said. “Let’s get there before he does.”
Twenty-Two
We got back to Silver Bells Cove a couple of hours later. To say that we were all more than a little exhausted from all the back and forth would be an understatement.
“There’s nothing we can do until the morning,” Kane said once we were in the parking lot of the inn. “Just keep your eyes open and stay safe.”
“And if you happen to have any other visions or psychic impressions, don’t hesitate to call,” I said to Chloe.
She nodded. “I will. Thank you, Meredith. Thank you for believing in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself.”
“Anytime,” I said. I gave her a quick hug.
I said goodbye to Rachel and the guys and we were on our way.
Once it was just the three of us in the van, I turned to Rebecca. “You seem far away, what’s up?”
“I was just thinking that I should probably roam the town while you guys rest. If I spot anyone of his description, I’ll wake you up.”
“Are you sure you’re up for that?”
“I don’t know, but I know I can’t just sit this one out. Chloe did her part, now it’s time for me to do mine.”
“Just be careful and remember to keep your distance. Don’t engage him. Leave that to me, okay?”
“Deal,” she said and disappeared into the night.
“She’s gone?” Kane asked before starting the van.
“Yeah, for now at least.”
The next morning, I woke up by myself. Apparently, Rebecca hadn’t spotted the guy from Chloe’s vision. But that only meant that either he was probably already in town, or getting pretty close to it.
I tried not to worry and went to work. Kane joined me in my office. We got a couple of pastries from Gran’s bakery and had a nice breakfast. Then we went back to my office and talked about everything that had happened so far. It helped sometimes, to talk things out. Certain things stood out that you wouldn’t have thought were important before.
“What’s the plan in case he does show up?” Kane asked, even though he very well knew the plan. I knew what he was doing. He was trying to plan out every step, but things didn’t always work like that in the real world.
“I salt the bastard,” I said. “And maybe I even throw some iron his way, as well.”
“After we subdue him or before?”
“Preferably after,” I said. “Let’s just hope that these baggies Rachel made will keep us protected from possession.”
Rachel had made each of us a small baggie filled with salt, iron, and some other helpful herbs and ingredients that she learned from her research. The salt and iron I knew worked for sure, the jury was still out on the other things she put in there. But either way, now each of us had it on our person, in case Rochester Bailey decided he wanted to jump bodies.
“And then when we have him strapped in, you just exorcise him, right? No time for chit chat,” Kane emphasized that last part.
“Yeah, no chit chat this time,” I agreed. “Though if he’s restrained, he won’t be able to break the salt circle…”
“Let’s just not take any chances,” he said. “We are talking about a serial killer here.”
I sighed but I had to agree. “You’re right.”
And that’s how we spent the next couple of hours, at least until four in the afternoon. I rearranged my file cabinet a few times for good measure as well. And, of course, I couldn’t help but worry about Rebecca. I hadn’t seen her since last night. What exactly was she doing this whole time?
“She’s doing exactly what she said she was going to do,” Kane said matter-of-factly.
“Yeah, I know you’re right.”
Gran knocked on the door. She was headed home and she wanted to check in.
She held a bag of goodies like she usually did.
“When can I expect you home?” She asked me.
“Probably in a few hours, maybe earlier, depending on what Rebecca says.”
“Just be careful,” she said.
“I will,” I said and gave her a quick hug. She smelled like cookies and bread and all kinds of good stuff. My stomach growled in response.
“Want me to leave you a few things?” She asked.
“Depends on what you have?” I said.
She peeked inside the bag. “There’s a few loaves of bread. There are some chocolate croissants, there’s some— “
“Chocolate croissants!” I said before she could finish her inventory.
She handed me a white paper bag. “Don’t overdo it,” she said. “I’m making dinner.”
“I won’t,” I said even though we both knew it was a lie.
“You kids have a nice day,” she said.
“Bye, Mrs. Good,” Kane said.
As soon as I saw Gran’s car driving away, I took a chocolate croissant out of the bag and finished it in two bites. Kane laughed but that didn’t stop him from taki
ng a croissant of his own.
Just as we were about to go for seconds, Rebecca practically flew into my office.
I immediately got up.
“Is he here? Is he in town?” I asked her.
“I just spotted him close to the town line,” she said. “He’s driving a yellow beat-up looking car. An old Volkswagen. I’ll go back and come back as soon as I see where he’s headed, but my guess would be here.”
I quickly relayed the info to Kane as I dialed Rachel’s number and told her the situation.
“We’re on our way,” she said and hung up.
A few minutes later, Rebecca reappeared. “He is headed here!” She said. “Prepare for action.”
I got out of my office and saw the ghost hunters’ van in the distance. It helped that everything in town was pretty close together.
It was a beautiful day in Silver Bells. People were walking about, doing their shopping, going to restaurants, and doing other errands. Going pretty much everywhere except my office, I sadly realized.
“Is everything ready?” I asked Mike as soon as they arrived.
He nodded. “The van is primed and ready for action,” he said.
We’d agreed that we would use the ghost hunters’ van to actually kidnap the poor guy that was possessed. It was the only out of sight place we could come up with on short notice. My office was out of the running because it was basically see-through because of all the glass. Kane’s van would also do in a pinch, and we did prepare it just in case, but their van had all the recording equipment they needed for their show, though how useful it would be remained to be seen. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to having a kidnapping on tape, but if the possessed guy agreed to release the footage, we would have it ready.
Just after they arrived, I saw the car Rebecca described in the distance. We all braced ourselves as he parked fairly close to us.
“Are you Meredith Good by any chance?” He asked me when he got out of the car.
“I am,” I said, trying to keep my cool. Kane already had a hand on the gun holstered behind his jacket. “What’s this about?”
“I saw you on the news,” he said. “I think I might need your services.”
He approached, but I took a few steps back.
The man looked at me and the others. “Did I catch you at a bad time?” He asked with a smile that did not quite reach his eyes. There was definitely something off with this fellow. Whether he was still possessed by Rochester or if he ever was remained to be seen.
“No, it’s fine,” I said. “I just closed up for the day. Just tell me quickly what this is about.”
He got closer.
“It’s kind of a private matter,” he almost whispered.
Rebecca was close by. Chloe had eyes as big as saucers. It was clear she recognized the guy from her vision.
“Stop playing games, Rochester,” I said, deciding that the direct approach would do best. “I’m ready for you this time.”
“Are you?” He asked and smiled.
I motioned for the others to do their thing. Mike, Jacob, and Rachel came at him from all sides while Kane took out his gun and pointed it at the guy.
To say that this caused quite an uproar would be an understatement. People started screaming and were running away, some of them on their cell phones, no doubt calling the police station. It was only a matter of time before Jonathan showed up. We needed to finish this. We needed to finish this now.
“Throw him in the van,” I said to the ghost hunters once they got hold of him.
The smile on the man’s face turned into a scowl. “You’re protected. I can’t jump into any of you,” he said.
“That’s kind of the point,” I said.
Just as I reached into my pocket for a salt and iron mixture, the man fell unconscious, like a rag doll in their arms.
At first, I thought he might be faking it, but then I saw a dark shadow exit his body. Then I saw it go straight for Rebecca. Before I had a chance to tell her to move out of the way, I saw him go straight through her and then out of sight. He disappeared up ahead. Without Rebecca’s help, there was no way to say where exactly he was headed.
“What just happened?” Rachel asked.
“He’s gone,” I said. “For now.”
Then I went to Rebecca’s side. She was on the ground now, looking pretty shook up. When she looked up at me, I saw the saddest expression I’d ever seen on her ghostly face.
“I remember…I remember…everything,” she managed to say.
The good thing was that she was still with us. That she didn’t go berserk.
“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I know it’s hard, but we have to know where he’s headed next. He could take over anyone.”
She stood up. Her expression of sadness turned into one of rage. “I won’t let him hurt anyone ever again.”
“Good,” I said. “Now focus that anger on finding him.” I pointed in the direction I saw his shadowy form go. “That was the last place I saw him.”
Rebecca flew in that direction without another word, just as a police cruiser arrived on the scene. Coincidentally, that was exactly when the unconscious man was starting to wake up.
“Where am I?” He said.
“Do you remember what happened to you?” I asked. “Do you remember being possessed?”
He slowly nodded. “But that’s not possible.”
“What’s going on here?” Jonathan asked when he got out of his vehicle.
We all started to talk at once, except for Chloe, of course. She was as quiet as a mouse.
“One at a time, please,” he finally said.
I quickly explained what had just happened.
Jonathan shook his head. “You’re turning this town into a freak show, Meredith. Going around talking about ghosts is one thing, but drawing guns and conducting a kidnapping in broad daylight? Even I’m surprised.”
Before I could tell him to go where the sun doesn’t shine, I saw Rebecca approaching from the distance.
“He took over Danny,” Rebecca said. “His place is empty because of all the ruckus we caused here.”
I relayed the information to the others.
“Let me handle this,” Jonathan said.
I told him that we were the only ones actually protected from being possessed.
“Then give me some of that salt you’re so fond of carrying everywhere,” he said without missing a beat.
I did as I was told and handed him a handful. He pocketed it.
“Am I good to go now?” He asked me.
I nodded. “Just keep your distance and let us handle it. This is more our thing than yours.”
“Whatever,” Jonathan said.
After leaving the previously possessed man with a police officer, we all piled into our respective vehicles and were in front of Sammy’s Bar & Grill in minutes. It looked oddly eerie with the deserted parking lot at this time of day. Apparently, somebody had managed to put the whole town into panic mode. I wondered what exactly they said happened back there.
I got out of the van and joined Rebecca in front of the restaurant. I told the ghost hunters what needed to be done. Mike, Jacob, and Chloe went to get the buckets of salt from the back of Kane’s van. Rachel decided that it was best if she joined us inside, her camera undoubtedly ready to record the whole thing.
“It will be dangerous,” I told her.
“I don’t mind a little danger now and then,” she said.
“Let’s finish this,” I said to her and the others.
Both Jonathan and Kane had their guns drawn, and of course, they went in first. The rest of us followed closely behind. I hoped we had the element of surprise on our side.
Twenty-Three
Danny was behind the bar, rummaging through things, obviously trying to find something. Maybe car keys to get away?
He looked up when he saw us enter.
“We’re closed right now,” he said without skipping a beat.
“I know it�
��s you, Rochester,” I said, not wasting any time. I only had one job. Keep this freak talking.
“Well, that didn’t last long,” he said. “Let me guess, one of your ghost friends told you? I remember seeing her when I was out of body. She looked oddly familiar.”
Rebeca stepped forward. “You killed me, you monster,” she said.
Rochester didn’t even blink. He didn’t acknowledge her at all. Apparently, Danny had no psychic bone in his body because while Rochester was occupying it, he wasn’t aware of anything out of the ordinary at all. Maybe there was a way we could use this to our advantage.
“He doesn’t see you,” I said to Rebecca. “But he’ll be seeing you soon enough.”
I glared in Danny’s direction.
“Are you sure about that?” Danny said, a menacing smile spreading across his face. I’d never seen him smile like that and if I never saw it again I’d die happy.
“There’s nowhere for you to go,” I said. “Your journey ends here, Rochester.”
Danny picked up something from behind the bar. He walked from behind it and came out on the floor. A knife glistened in his hands.
“I think I have the upper hand here, don’t you think?” He said.
Just then, I got a text. I looked at my phone and saw that it was from Mike. I smiled.
“What are you smiling about, witch?” He said, still looking pretty chill. “I can leave this body whenever I want. I’ll just find another one.”
“You won’t be able to possess any of us,” I said. “We’re protected.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “So then I’ll find someone else,” he said.
Both Jonathan and Kane had their guns aimed at Danny.
“And I don’t think any of you will be able to stop me,” he said, especially looking at the two of them. “Unless you want to kill poor Danny here as well.”
“Is it done?” Rachel asked me.
I nodded. “Mike said it’s all good out there.” Then I turned toward Danny, knife still in hand. “There’s no way out of here for you,” I said. “This place is surrounded by a circle of salt.”
That wiped the menacing smile from his face something quick. He scowled at me now.
Ghostly Endings (A Ghost Hunter P.I. Mystery Book 5) Page 15