by Apryl Baker
The Ghost Files
Volume 3.5
By Apryl Baker
The Ghost Files - V3.5
Copyright © 2015 by Apryl Baker.
All rights reserved.
First Print Edition: December 2015
Limitless Publishing, LLC
Kailua, HI 96734
www.limitlesspublishing.com
Formatting: Limitless Publishing
ISBN-13: 978-1-68058-382-3
ISBN-10: 1-68058-382-4
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
Dedication
For all the Ghost Files fans.
You are the reason this series exists.
I love you all :)
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter One
Caleb Malone cut the engine on his Ford pickup and stared at the Charlotte Police Department building, dread heavy in his heart. A hand ran through the wavy locks of his chocolaty brown hair, and he took a deep, steadying breath. His brother Eli stared at the building, but for an entirely different reason. Well, maybe not entirely. It started and ended with Mattie Louise Hathaway, Ghost Girl extraordinaire.
They’d met Mattie when Dr. Olivet, the leading parapsychologist in the country, asked her to join them on a ghost hunt in an old plantation home in New Orleans. He’d explained that her gift differed from that of the Malones’. Caleb’s family could see and destroy ghosts that had turned evil, ones that didn’t cross over for whatever reason and ended up filled with hate. Mattie, on the other hand, could see all ghosts, the good and bad ones.
For Caleb, she’d brought his world crashing down when she pulled Dan Richards into their life. Dan turned out to be his brother, a brother he didn’t know he had.
Dan had come to New Orleans to tell Mattie what he’d found out about the investigation he’d launched into her mother’s background in hopes of finding her father.
What Dan had found was a connection to his own adoptive mother instead. She turned out to be Mattie’s mom’s sister. It had been very confusing at first. Caleb and Eli had eavesdropped on their conversation. What he heard shocked him. Dan’s mother had apparently stolen him. Not just stolen him, but murdered his biological mother to do it.
His biological mother?
Amelia Malone, Caleb’s mother.
That information was what had him sitting here right now, unease curling in the pit of his stomach.
Ann Richards had been arrested, and they were all here for questioning. He didn’t know what to expect, how he’d respond if he saw the woman who had murdered his mother and stolen his brother. Would he stay calm or explode in rage? He felt it growing inside him. Had felt it kindle to life when he’d heard Dan tell Mattie about what his mother had done, not just to him, but to them all.
“Ready?” Eli asked, and Caleb glanced over at him. He looked apprehensive, jittery. Caleb almost felt sorry for him. Considering who Mattie was to Eli, he should feel sorry for his little brother, but he couldn’t bring himself to. Despite the chaos she’d brought to their lives, she was a very special young girl who needed Eli, and Eli needed her. His brother needed someone to put him in his place. Mattie certainly did that.
“Are you?” he countered and laughed at the grimace Eli gave him.
“Dude, she’s in there, and I just, I don’t know…what am I supposed to say to her?”
“Hello?” Caleb said sarcastically.
Eli shot him an irritated glare and then got out of the truck. He shoved his hands in his pockets and waited. Caleb let out a long sigh and joined him after locking the truck. They both stared at the building for a moment and then went in together. Their father, James Malone, should already be there. After checking in with the desk sergeant, they sat down and waited.
Detective Grady came out to greet them, explaining that he wasn’t sure if the detective in charge of the case would want to interview them or not. Their father had thought it best they both be there, just in case.
Caleb couldn’t fathom why they’d be needed. Neither of them knew anything. If it had been left up to him, he’d have stayed home and helped his mother unpack in the cookie-cutter house they’d just bought. It was a new build, so aside from some cleaning, they had nothing to do but move in.
He smiled thinking of his mom’s face when she’d seen the house. They’d lived in one rental unit after another for years. Other than a few knickknacks, they didn’t really own any actual furniture, not even beds. His dad had always rented furnished homes or apartments. They needed to be able to move at the drop of a hat with his father’s job in the FBI.
Heather Malone had been nagging his dad for months about settling down in a home base for their little brother Ben’s sake. He needed a stable home, a good school. Moving all the time was screwing up his education. The kid had issues reading, and even Caleb knew Ben needed a school where he could spend more than a few weeks or months in order to get a proper educational foundation.
He spotted his dad talking to someone, but his attention was focused on Eli. The boy had zeroed in on Mattie Hathaway. She was slumped against a wall looking miserable. Eli nodded to his dad and then wandered over to her. Caleb turned to his dad, but before he could say anything, a whirlwind of blond hair caught his eye.
She was talking to a woman who had to be her mother, as similar as they looked. Her face was animated with a myriad of emotions as she argued. All that blond hair was swishing back and forth with each angry hand movement. He smiled, thinking she looked cute, all irate and flustered. It wasn’t until they started walking toward him that he noticed her limp. It wasn’t a small one; it was very pronounced. What had happened to cause it?
“Caleb.”
He turned to see his dad waving him over. He shot one more glance at the girl and then walked over to his father. “Eli seems to have irritated Mattie already.”
They both turned to see her glaring daggers at Eli. “Well, they’re stuck with each other for a while,” James Malone said. “How are you holding up, son? I know this has to be hard on you.”
Caleb shrugged. “I’m fine, Dad. Don’t worry about me.”
Caleb was saved from further scrutiny when the detective in charge of his mother’s case came out and called his dad back for questioning. She looked tough, but very businesslike.
Since everyone was busy, he slipped out of the room and walked outside. As much as he wanted to be there, he just couldn’t. He wasn’t ready to face all of it yet. So instead of listening to everyone talk about the situation, he sat down on the steps and looked over at the park across the street.
Kids were playing, moms and nannies sitting, occasionally calling out to a child. It was so normal. He hadn’t known normal since…well, ever. He’d been raised in the ghost hunting business. That was his normal, and it sucked. His dad would be disappointed if he ever heard Caleb say that, so he kept it to himself, but he wanted normal more than anything in the world.
He’d gotten his degree online, and now his dad was pressuring him to join the Bureau. It wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted to go to medical school, to become a surgeon, to help peop
le. People who were alive, not the souls of people who had turned bitter and angry. To be able to fix someone, to give them back their chance to live again, that was what he wanted, but his dad? His dad believed it was foolish. James Malone thought Caleb, as the first-born, should carry out his responsibility in the family business.
He stared at nothing, his mind whirling with thoughts, regrets, and lost opportunities. How had he managed to get here? When had he gotten so lost in everyone else’s dreams, he’d forfeited his own? His bitter laugh echoed around him as he thought about how he was always the good son, the one who never disobeyed and always did what was best for everyone besides himself. It got old sometimes. Caleb wished he could be selfish, wished he could do what was right for him instead of his family, but he wasn’t selfish.
He sighed and stood, but before he could go back inside, a little boy caught his attention. He was about two, maybe three years old. He sat by himself in the sandbox, happily playing. Nothing should have made Caleb look at him twice, but something did. He walked over to the park and as close to the sandbox as he dared. He didn’t want anyone yelling about a strange man perving the children. The little boy laughed, the melodic sound happy and content. His dark curls waved with each pass of the wind through the trees. What about this kid made Caleb stare at him?
“Caleb?”
He turned his head when he heard his name. It was the blonde from the police station. How did she know his name?
“I’m Mary Cross,” she said, a smile tilting her lips. “Mattie is staying with me.”
“You’re a foster kid?” He couldn’t help but notice the beautiful blue shade of her eyes or the laughter that brimmed in them.
She laughed. “No. Mattie is staying with me and my mom. We kinda took her in after what happened.”
“You mean with her last foster home?” he asked, remembering the girl’s last foster mother turned out to be a serial killer who’d held her captive and tortured her for days before she escaped.
“Yeah.” Some of the light went out of her eyes at the memory. “My mom and I wanted to give her a real home after she saved me. She deserves to be somewhere people understand who she is, what she can do. Where she won’t be judged.”
“She saved you?”
Mary nodded. Caleb could see her almost shrink in on herself, her posture hunching slightly. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. “I was Mrs. Olsen’s last victim. I’d be dead if Mattie and Dan hadn’t found me.”
“Is that how you got your limp?” Caleb mentally slapped himself. How stupid could he be? He usually had better control over his mouth than this. It wasn’t polite to ask someone that, especially a victim of violence.
“Um…”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “That was rude. It’s none of my business, really.”
“No, it’s okay,” she murmured. “Yes, my limp was caused by what she did to me. I don’t like to talk about it, though.” Her gaze swept the park. “So, what are you doing out here? I thought you’d be inside with your family.”
“I just needed some air.” His attention swung back to the little boy and his shadows. He frowned and looked closer. Two shadows danced on the ground where there should be only one.
“Do you hear that?” Mary asked, her head cocked.
“What?” Caleb only heard the normal sounds of the playground, the kids, and the adults talking.
She stepped closer to the sandbox. “I don’t know. It sounds like whispering?”
“We’re in a playground full of kids. There’s lots of whispering going on.”
“I guess,” she said, her voice thoughtful.
She had a nice voice too, soft and feminine. Caleb frowned and took a step back. She was still in high school, and he was too old for her. “Do you and Mattie go to school together?” he asked, the devil in him refusing to stay silent.
“No,” she said. “I’m going to UNC in the fall. Mattie’s still in high school.”
“You’re in college?”
“Yeah, it’ll be my first year.” A smile lit her face just a little. “How about you? Where do you go to school?”
“I graduated already.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets, much like his brother had done earlier. It was a habit of theirs when they were nervous, and he could admit to himself this bundle of sunshine made him excessively nervous.
“Oh,” she said. “So where do you work?”
“Nowhere yet.” He scuffed his shoe against the ground. “I only just graduated.”
“What did you major in?”
“Biology,” he told her, “with an associate in psych.”
“Awesome.” She grinned up at him. “So, Mattie says you and your family are kinda like her? You see ghosts?”
Caleb stared, his own brown eyes widening. Did she really just ask him that?
“What?” she asked, her voice all innocent. “I’m not supposed to know that or something? My mom and I know all about Mattie’s gifts. It’s how she saved me.”
“What?” he asked, still reeling from her original question.
She laughed at his expression. “Let’s just say I had an experience of my own that makes me believe her. She’s not crazy, and neither are you.”
Caleb took a deep breath and then another one. She talked about their abilities like she was asking him if he played basketball or something.
“I’m not crazy either.” She gave him a rueful look. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it, though.”
“Mary?”
They turned to see a woman in her mid-thirties or so coming over to stand by them. “I thought I recognized you.”
“Mrs. Flynn,” Mary greeted her. “It’s good to see you again. This is Caleb Malone. The Flynns are our next-door neighbors. Mom says congratulations are in order.”
Mrs. Flynn scooped up the little boy they’d both been watching. “Yes, this is Noah. We just got him last week.”
“Hi, Noah,” Mary cooed at the baby. “Mom said she’d met him, but she never said he was such a cutie.”
“He is, isn’t he?” Mrs. Flynn said proudly. “We’ve been on the adoption list for two years. We couldn’t believe it when we got the call. Anthony and I wanted to talk to you about maybe babysitting for us.”
“Sure. Why don’t you guys come over to the house tomorrow and we’ll talk about it? I really need to get back inside. Mom’s probably ready to leave by now.”
“Of course.” Mrs. Flynn nodded. “We’ll see you tomorrow. I’m looking forward to meeting Mattie.”
Caleb stared after them as they walked away, troubled. Something was wrong there. He could see a double shadow on the ground. At least he knew where they lived, and he could check it out. If he could see and sense something, there might be a malignant force attached to the baby. Never a good thing. Definitely worth looking into.
“I’m gonna head back inside,” Mary said. “You coming?”
“Yeah.” He nodded and followed her across the road and back into the CPD building. His dad motioned him over as soon as he saw them. Mary made a beeline for her mother.
“Where did you go?” His father gave him a questioning look.
“Just needed some air.” Caleb’s eyes strayed to where Mary was talking to her mom.
“Uh-huh,” his dad said, the laugh in his voice making Caleb cringe a little.
“Where’s everyone?” Eli, Mattie, and Dan were missing.
“Dan took Mattie home, and Eli tagged along. It’s been a rough day for her.”
“Yeah, I can imagine.”
“Seriously, Mom?” Mary’s voice carried across the room. “Mattie doesn’t even have a key to get inside. We have to go let her in before you go to the AT&T store to fix your phone.”
“Mary, I need my phone for work. It won’t take us long. I’m sure Mattie will be fine waiting for a few minutes. Dan’s with her.”
“I can take Mary home,” Caleb volunteered. The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. Anothe
r mental slap. What was wrong with him today? He should have stayed out of it, but he liked her. There, he admitted it. He liked the ball of sunshine that was Mary Cross.
“I don’t know…” Mrs. Cross frowned.
“Mom, Caleb is Dan’s brother and the son of an FBI agent.” The exasperation was clear in Mary’s voice. “I’ll be perfectly safe with him.”
“You call me as soon as you get home.”
Mary rolled her eyes, but grabbed her purse from her mom and walked over to Caleb. “Let’s go before she changes her mind.”
Caleb glanced down into her smiling face and almost groaned. She might be perfectly safe with him, but would he be safe with her?
Chapter Two
Caleb glanced over at Mary. She was humming along to some boy band on the radio. She had a beautiful singing voice too. It was soft and whimsical. She’d turned the radio station to KISS 95.1 as soon as she’d climbed in the truck. He had to admit, they played pretty good tunes. He’d been worried she’d be into some pop channel, but this one had a good balance of everything.
“Talking about your gift really freaks you out, doesn’t it?” Mary asked, startling Caleb out of his thoughts.
“No.”
“Uh-huh. It freaks Mattie too, so you’re not alone. I don’t think either of you should feel that way, though. What you guys can do is super awesome. Being able to help people like that? It’s cool.”
“My gift isn’t like Mattie’s. I don’t help ghosts.” He still couldn’t get over how casual she sounded about his peculiar abilities.
“Then what do you do?” she asked, curious. “I mean, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
Caleb bit back a smile at her pouty expression. He had a feeling this girl always got what she wanted. If she already knew about his gifts, what was the harm in explaining things to her?