“With your usual charm, I see. How much did that cost us in real dollars?”
“Don’t worry about it,” his companion assured him. “The password is ‘spicy mama’ by the way.”
He laughed. “Well, I wouldn’t have guessed it.”
The stairs continued for a while—much longer than expected—and the young detective began to feel uncomfortable. “You’re sure we’re going to a Limbo market and not Hell, right?”
“Shut it,” Vic retorted and pointed below. “See that light? We’re almost there.”
An amber light was hidden behind some drapes at the exit at the bottom of the stairs. When he didn’t feel the telltale chill of death, he had to assume it was merely a normal light. Once at the bottom, they moved the drapes to the side and scanned the sight of a few dozen stalls, several grills cooking food, and humans and ghosts perusing the area. The light at the entrance came from several lanterns hanging above, but the underground market was illuminated by many different ones, including purple, gold, and green, a nice NOLA touch.
Johnny marveled at all the ghosts who floated around the area and identified normal spirits and phantoms talking amongst the crowd. “I’m surprised by the number of dead around,” he muttered and slid his hands into his pockets. “I thought the market was for the living looking for Limbo products?”
“Breathers are more common, but for those ghosts hiding in the living world, they want goods from home like anyone else who has homesickness,” Vic explained, took his box of cigarettes out, and frowned when he realized he was down to his last two. “I wonder if they sell any down here.”
A few ghosts were dressed in suits or large coats and some held guns. “How many do you think are on the run?”
“I’m sure a handful, at least. They aren’t too selective about their clients here. I suppose they can’t be, not if they want to do business.” The ghost lit a cigarette. “Don’t stare, kid. It’s rude, but keep an ear out. Maybe we can come across some info for a future gig if nothing else.” He took a drag and moved down one of the lanes. “Now, let’s see if we can find ourselves a big popper in case that freak appears again.”
Chapter Eight
“Good Lord. Take a look at this!” Vic exclaimed as he held out a large Magnum pistol in black plating with a skull emblem on the grip. Johnny took it and nodded. It had a nice heft and he could feel a good portion of his ether drain into it. The gun would certainly have a kick.
He looked at the stall where his partner had found it and his eyes bulged at the price. “Vic, we can’t afford that, man, not unless you have a secret stash somewhere.”
“I have a fair amount saved up from my jobs,” the ghost said but when he looked at the price, he lapsed into silence for a moment. “Maybe I can haggle.”
“For less than half the price?” the young man remarked as he replaced the gun on the display. “Be my guest, but if you try anything funny, at least give me a heads-up.” The red ghost behind the counter eyed them suspiciously.
“He’s kidding,” Vic said hastily and approached the counter. “But let’s talk, my friend.”
As he and the salesman started their negotiations, Johnny wandered off to look at some of the other stalls. Most were selling weapons, potions, stygia supplies for the ghosts, enchanted trinkets, and many other novelties one could not find unless one got lucky at antique shops in normal society.
He smelled something familiar in the air—the aroma of grilled meat—and walked on until he found a stall serving burgers. He bought one and a Coke and ate as he continued to peruse the wares. His partner might still have hope, but he could tell from the handful of stalls they had looked at that they wouldn't find anything better than the gun they already had.
Still, given the value of the other guns he saw and the detail on Vic’s gun, they could probably demand a good price for it, although he was well aware that the ghost would never trade it in. He had given it a name and everything—Nancy—although he tried not to mention it out loud. Johnny had only learned it from a night when Vic was good and sauced up and he was sober enough to remember.
When he turned the corner and scanned the suited and weapon-wielding ghosts and breathers who wandered around, one of the patrons stood out. He couldn’t tell exactly why, however. It was probably her posture or that she was better dressed than the other customers. For a moment, he wondered if she was part of the gang or organization that ran this market, perhaps a secretary or accountant. As he studied her, that thought was cast aside. She looked around her with curiosity and examined the items like someone who had knowledge of them but was not used to being around them all that much.
He estimated that she was probably a little younger than him, maybe twenty or so, and wore a dark blue jacket and pants and a wide-brimmed hat in the same color. She had dark skin and wore her hair in a braid that draped over her left shoulder. With a casual gesture, she picked up what appeared to be a compass or watch, studied it, and asked the attendant questions about the item. Johnny was about to look away when something caught his eye. A deadeye revolver hidden in her jacket was visible only briefly from his angle as her jacket moved when she and the clerk grew more animated.
His gaze wandered to some of those in suits. Three of them were looking at her. The human seemed to be gawking but the other two talked quietly to one another and nodded at her. It seemed she had drawn more than only his attention.
“Well, no luck.” Vic sighed as he appeared beside him. “Did you find anything interesting kid?”
“Nothing worth spending the doubloons on,” he admitted and gestured to the woman. “But have a look at her. Does something seem a little off?”
“Who, the rookie cop?” his partner asked and surprised him.
“A cop? How can you make that out? I haven’t seen a badge.”
The ghost shrugged and straightened to stand in a similar posture to hers. “It’s how she stands. She’s probably fresh out of the academy and still has the rigidness that gets drilled into you there. Plus her gun is standard issue for the police forces that work in the supernatural.”
“You caught that too, huh?” Johnny looked at the suited men again. “You aren’t the only one. I think she’s been made.”
“That isn’t good for her, then,” he stated and glanced at the armed guards. “These markets usually pay for protection or a blind eye but that doesn’t mean they like cops here, especially if it’s a rookie trying to make a name for themselves by exposing their precinct's secrets.”
The young man frowned and tapped the side of his leg nervously with a finger. “Do you think that’s what she’s here for?”
“I would say it’s what they believe she’s here for if they don’t like her being here. They probably won’t bother to try to get the real story if it’s something different.”
“We need to get her out of here,” Johnny declared under his breath.
Vic tilted his head at his protégé. “What for? If she’s a cop, I’m sure she can handle herself. Besides she walked in here.”
“Well, if she’s green she certainly can’t take them all on. It doesn’t look like she even realizes she’s aroused suspicion,” he stated. “Besides, even a super-cop falls to enough lead. And if we can’t get a weapon, getting information is the next best thing right? Having a cop owe us could work out well.”
“That’s a fair point,” his partner agreed. “How do you wanna do this?”
“You simply pull the vaudeville act,” he recommended. “I’ll get her out.”
The ghost detective nodded. “The classic. All right, I’ll head in.” Vic sauntered to the men who still watched the woman suspiciously and waved a hand. “Hey there, fellas!” he greeted and shook the living guard’s hand, much to the man’s surprise. “I gotta say, great market you have here. It’s hard to find one that’s run so efficiently—and those suits!” He patted one of the ghosts good-naturedly on the chest. “It’s a nice look and makes that phantasma sparkle, I gotta say. I wante
d to ask you if there is any way I could join this organization? I just got back into the realm and finding work has been a pain.” He continued to talk to them, although their annoyed or uncomfortable looks indicated that they weren’t particularly amused. Still, they were focused on him for now.
The young man strolled up to the woman, downed the last of his Coke, and tossed it into a bin as he took her arm. “Hey, honey, we gotta leave.”
She looked at him in astonishment. “What the hell are you—”
“Yeah, I know it’s sudden, but your boss called me. The contractors are coming in today and all eyes will be on you,” he said in an attempt to provide her with a hint. However, in his little ruse, he didn’t account for one thing.
“Wait, I thought you said you were single?” the salesman asked and looked from one to the other. “What was that about?”
Johnny’s face fell and he tried quickly to come up with something, conscious that the lady on his arm was equally as bewildered, but they were interrupted by another ghost guard who stepped close and tapped her on the shoulder. “Pardon me, but we need to speak to you,” he said, his voice almost a growl.
“Called it,” the young detective muttered and turned to her. “We gotta go.” He twisted and punched the guard in the face, shaking him, the salesperson, and her as he dragged her between the stalls to the exit. “Let’s go, Vic!”
His partner turned to see them running, then glanced at the guards he was speaking to, who seemed ready to rush in pursuit. He grabbed one of their chairs and thumped it against the living guard’s head before he drew his revolver and shot both ghosts in the leg. The limbs exploded and they collapsed. “You’ll live,” he said and spun away to catch up with the fugitives. “Metaphorically, at least.”
Johnny and the girl raced through the aisles. “Who are you?” she demanded.
“Someone with more self-awareness than you, apparently,” he retorted as Vic appeared next to him. “Gun if you would!”
When the ghost handed him the gun, he fired at the two guards at the exit and both disappeared in a blast of smoke. They raced up the stairs and were close to the top when they heard furious steps coming up after them.
Vic was the first out of the stairwell and he pointed at the guard he’d paid off. “You tried to stop us but couldn’t.” When the ghost shrugged and fell dramatically to the floor, he pointed to the guard by the door. “Open up!” he ordered, but the man was still unconscious. “That can’t be good for his head.”
“Get the door, Vic!” Johnny yelled as he and the girl reached the top.
“I have to do everything around here.” He pushed the door open and his partner snatched the keys from the guard and handed them to him as he and the woman ran out. The ghost detective shut and locked the door before he flew through. “You do know some of them can do that too, right?”
“Back away,” the girl said as she slid her hand into her jacket, took a circular device out, and planted it on the door.
“What’s that?” Johnny asked as ghostly hands reached through. The door, wall, and entire house above lit with white light and the hands were stuck inside, leading to yells of surprise and pain.
“It’s an ether blockade,” she stated. “It stops them from getting through. but doesn’t last long. Do you have a ride?”
The partners shook their heads. “We took a streetcar here.”
“Then we’ll use mine.” She bounded quickly up the stairs. “Come on. I don’t know what happened there but it seems like you did me a solid. They’ll be after us in a few minutes so let’s get some distance.”
“I like her thinking,” Vic agreed. “Let’s move, kid!”
The trio rushed down the path from the house and ran a few blocks before she stopped at a blue Chrysler 300. She opened the doors and they scrambled in, Vic in the back, before she accelerated away.
“It’s a good thing you’re a cop,” Johnny muttered. “Otherwise, we would probably get pulled over.”
“Cops can get pulled over too, kid.” Vic reminded him.
“How could you tell I was a cop?” she asked as she took her badge from her jacket pocket. “My badge wasn’t visible.”
“You had…a certain presence,” the young detective offered charitably. “Anyway, my name is Johnny and given that you were down in the Limbo market, there’s a good chance you’re a specter so that’s Vic.”
“Charmed,” his partner said and tipped his hat.
“My name’s Valerie,” she replied. “I would like to ream you out for interfering with an investigation, but it wasn’t exactly official so…” She shrugged, her focus still on the road ahead.
“Under the table?” Vic asked.
“More like a personal job,” she confessed. “We can talk later.”
“How about some coffee?” Johnny asked.
She looked questioningly at him. “Your heart isn’t racing enough after all that?”
“It’s more to go with my cigarettes—wait, I’m out. Can we stop at a gas station?”
“Don’t you know those things will kill you?” Valerie asked sharply.
He sighed and nodded. “Trust me, it honestly wasn’t my choice.”
Chapter Nine
Johnny plunked down at one of the tables outside the front entrance of the café, patted his new box of cigarettes, and undid the wrapper.
“Are you simply gonna let a lady take care of the order?” Vic asked as he appeared in the chair on his left.
“Hey, man. She offered,” he replied, took one of the cigs out, and put it to his lips. “Besides, it’s only two cups of coffee.” His partner stretched for one, but he shooed his hand away as he lit the cigarette. “We’re out in the open, Vic. A floating cigarette is gonna arouse suspicion. Besides, it seems NOLA already has more specters than normal from what we saw.”
“So why deny me a cig?” the ghost demanded. “They are probably used to weird stuff in this city.”
He took a drag and blew smoke into the air. “I don’t even like these damn things,” he bemoaned. “It’s ’cause of you that I have to smoke. Don’t you get a buzz off them anyway when I smoke?”
“A little, but it’s not like we’re that intertwined yet,” Vic muttered and leaned back in his seat.
“Thank God.” Johnny looked over his shoulder when he heard the jingle of a bell over the café door. Valerie came out with two cups of coffee and handed him one. He nodded in appreciation.
“Sorry about you, Vic,” she began as she pulled a chair out and sat. “There’s nothing for ghosts in there.”
“Eh, I’m used to it,” the detective said with a shrug. “I’m sure I can find my people elsewhere.”
She chuckled as she took a sip. “There are more around than you know.”
Johnny looked down an alley across the street where two ghosts talked to one another. “I’ve noticed,” he remarked and sipped what he thought was black coffee, only to realize it was colder than anticipated. “What is this?”
“New Orleans’ style cold brew,” she answered after another sip. “It’s a local specialty. Don’t you like it?”
Johnny considered it and finally decided it wasn’t bad. It had some weird spice or something in it but the flavor was pleasant. “It’s all right. I expected something hotter, I guess.”
Vic clutched his hands together as he regarded the woman. “So Val—can I call you Val?”
She shrugged. “It’s nice to get acquainted so quickly.”
“No kidding.” The ghost chuckled and gestured to his partner with his thumb. “Jonathan here wouldn’t let me call him Johnny for months after we first met.”
“Jonathan?” She smiled and the young man scowled at him before he shrugged and took another sip. “So, what brings you two gentlemen to the big easy?”
Johnny placed his cup down and took another drag. “You don’t have a guess?” he asked and let the smoke drift out of his mouth. “Or is this vetting?”
She swirled her cup. “Can you b
lame me for being curious? I’m a cop so I have a reason for being in a Limbo market, but what you were doing there is still a mystery.”
He scratched his chin and looked at his partner. “Should we plead the fifth?”
“I wouldn’t worry about it too much,” Vic stated while he observed her. “She was the one driving. If she was truly suspicious she could have simply driven us to her precinct.”
“It’s nice to see one of you is reasonable.” Her gaze shifted from one to the other. “So, do you care to tell me the details?”
Johnny sighed and leaned back. “We’re here for a…kind of unofficial investigation,” he told her. “We had some info that something is going down in New Orleans.”
Valerie laughed and nodded. “Yeah, that’s about right, but you hardly need evidence to make that assumption.” Her lips pressed together for a moment. “Although, out of curiosity, what did you find that made you come here?”
“Well, a note we found on a ghost gangster we obliterated,” he revealed and her eyes widened for a moment. “But beyond that, I think the real suspicions started when we were heading into town and were attacked by a ghost of some kind that slashed our car with an ax and drained the soul of some poor bastard running down the road.”
She almost spilled her coffee. “You’re kidding me.”
He shook his head. “Granted, I haven’t had the best sleep for the last week or so, but that’s what it looked like to me.”
“That might be the creepiest thing I’ve heard this week,” she admitted.
“To hurry this story along, that’s why we were in the market,” Vic continued. “We were looking for a bigger gun as whatever we ran into could take a beating.” He looked at his revolver and sighed. “It’s all right, baby. I know you tried.”
“And that’s the creepiest thing I’ve seen this week,” Valerie quipped, which drew a snicker from Johnny as the ghost flipped his jacket shut.
Back From Hell (Revenant Files Book 1) Page 5