Ghosted on the Gulf Coast (Gulf Coast Paranormal Trilogy Book 1)

by M. L. Bullock

  “As everyone knows, I’m going to work on a television project soon. It’s an exciting time, but there’s so much to do. Although I’m not scheduled to begin filming for a few months, I am making the move to California. I’ve found a great apartment and am anxious to get to know my new co-workers. Tonight will be my last investigation with you all. I’ve loved every minute of this; it’s been such a rush. And to investigate in my hometown has been a dream come true. So thanks to you all.”

  “Congratulations, Sara! Oh my gosh! That’s so terrific.” Sierra hopped up, her long blond hair bouncing as she scrambled to hug her occasional friend, sometimes enemy. They held one another for a few seconds. I would never figure those two out. Josh and Cassidy stared at me, and Peter was visibly bored. Still, I wasn’t going to interrupt this moment for Sara. If she wanted to go out like this, that was her business.

  “Congratulations, Sara. That sounds exciting!” Cassidy was smiling and didn’t seem to notice the icy tension in the room.

  “And I’m going with her,” Peter added in his typical bored-sounding voice.

  “Are you going to be on the show too?” Cassidy asked after a near full minute of silence.

  “Kind of. They want a technical guy, and I happened to have the credentials they were looking for. I think I’ll put some of my ideas to work…with a bigger budget.”

  “I can’t think of a better idea,” I said in an equally wooden voice. Sierra hopped back in her chair and pouted.

  “What the hell, Pete? You’re leaving too?” Josh sounded particularly perturbed, but then again, any change in his routine bothered him. Unless he was the one to initiate the chaos; then he was all right with it.

  “All right, let’s stay focused on the task at hand. Midas, any word about Ranger? Did his son call?” Sierra’s attempt to change the subject worked like a charm. As it always did. Even though she was the youngest in our group, she was often the most grown-up. Thank goodness, because I was ready to clobber Peter Broadus.

  “His son picked up his truck, but so far Ranger hasn’t come home. Ranger’s most recent doctor’s appointment didn’t go so well. The treatment wasn’t working like they hoped it would, and Steve isn’t sure if his dad is really in trouble or just upset. He’s filing a missing persons report in the morning, but maybe Ranger might have gone to see an old drinking buddy from high school.”

  “Why would he leave his truck?” Sierra asked curiously.

  “That I don’t know,” I replied.

  “That’s just weird.” Josh tapped his pen on the table. “Now the client is missing? Maybe we should let the police handle this, Midas.”

  “I promised Ranger we would investigate. He doesn’t have much time, so I’m not willing to wait. Hopefully we’ll get some answers for him. And on that note, Cassidy had something happen last night. She had another encounter with the painting and saw some things that might help us.”

  “You’re just full of magic, aren’t you, Cassidy dear?” Sara’s snide comment didn’t sit well with me, but I chose to ignore her.

  “After hearing about what happened to her, I think I know what our plan is for the house. For the rest of the property, I want to see what we can find out about the bird and Melissa’s disappearance.”

  “What happened, Cassidy? I heard about the bird flying into your apartment. What else happened?” Josh was leaning forward, completely tuned in to the current conversation.

  “Something is trying to communicate with me. I was there, last night, after Midas left. I fell asleep and traveled back to the night Bernard was killed. I can’t help but feel like someone is leading me to reveal the truth about that place.”

  “Who?” Sara asked with another tinge of sarcasm. “Like a spirit guide?”

  “Hey, that’s not a joke,” Josh said. “I happen to believe in spirit guides, and there’s definitely a kind of energy that leads sensitives and mediums. How many times has Sierra had a hunch about something and it turned out to be right? We still believe in the supernatural here, don’t we?”

  Sara pursed her lips at him in a half-frown. “I’m just asking a question, Joshua. Aren’t we still allowed to do that?”

  So like Sara to make this about her. “Go ahead, Cassidy,” I said. “Tell them what you saw this time, and don’t leave anything out. Everyone, save your questions until the end.”

  For the next fifteen minutes, the team and I listened to Cassidy’s retelling of her experience. I was getting tired of calling it that, but I didn’t know what else to call it. I’d heard of people touching objects and getting sensations before but never an artist stepping back in time through her artwork.

  At the end, everyone was mystified. Sara had her notebook out, and Sierra was tapping on the computer. They did their best to verify what they’d heard. “It’s as good as anything we’ve learned, and it does fall within the realm of possibility. It would fit the narrative. Did the Harlens say the house was haunted?”

  “They’ve heard stories of Cope being seen on the porch, but Barbara’s sister has had some other experiences. I haven’t had the chance to speak with her and get details.”

  “Oh, that reminds me.” Cassidy dug in her purse and pulled out a digital voice recorder. I recognized it as one of ours. “There’s something on here, Sara. From the other day. I cued it up.”

  With an astonished look, Sara took the recorder and hit play. We heard Cassidy ask questions, and then a voice turned up. It was a woman’s voice I didn’t recognize.

  “Holy crap!” Sara said, rewinding it again and again. “Let’s put it on your computer, Sierra. If we amplify it, maybe we can figure out what she’s saying. It’s definitely a female voice.”

  Sierra grabbed a cord and in a few seconds played the audio. We listened a few more times, and then it hit me. “I know what she’s saying.”

  “What?” Cassidy asked as she held her breath in anticipation.

  “Don’t say anything, Midas,” Sara said with her hand up. “Grab the headset. Everyone take a listen and write it down. Let’s not influence one another here.”

  We did just that, but I was pretty confident in what I heard. After a few minutes, I picked up the slips of paper and read them aloud. Not everyone got what she said, just three of us, Sierra, Peter and me.

  “Over the bridge.”

  We listened again, together this time. Everyone agreed that was what she said. It made my hair stand up, even after hearing it half a dozen times.

  “I didn’t know what she was saying until you said it, but I can tell you for sure that’s Aurelia Davis,” Cassidy said with confidence. “Is she saying she made it over the bridge? Is that what that means?”

  “I hope so,” Sierra said with a grimace, “not ‘I went over the bridge.’”

  “All right. Let’s pack up. We know who the players might be, but let’s stay open to the possibility that it could also be someone else. And if Cassidy’s story is correct, at least two murders happened here. Be careful, everyone.”

  With that, we packed up and headed for Kali Oka Road. Time to face the ghosts of the past.

  Chapter Nineteen—Cassidy

  I helped Peter set up cameras and tried not to get in the way. It was nice out; at least we had that going for us. But the sun would go down soon, and we’d be in the dark with Hattie and Bernard Davis. If they showed up. Maybe they wouldn’t. Maybe this had all been a dream.

  Not a chance.

  I unrolled the cable and followed Peter around, hoping to chit-chat with him about his upcoming move to Hollywood. It was obvious that his news had hit Midas and the rest of the team like a ton of bricks. I wasn’t completely sure about the team dynamics, but it had the “kids in a messy divorce” vibe to it. It reminded me to keep a business head about myself and cry less on Midas’ shoulders. Normally I wasn’t the kind of girl to rush things, but these past few days had taken me by surprise. And it had all started because the power went out on my block and I was too impatient to wait for it to come back on. Wh
at would have happened if I hadn’t met the GCP team?

  “Over here, dreamer.” Peter’s snappy attitude didn’t bother me too much. He was nothing compared to Uncle Derek. Which reminded me, I hadn’t called him yet. I wondered why the heck he’d send Mike to my house. If he’d sent him at all. Perhaps Mike was lying about that. He’d taken to lying quite a bit during the last part of our relationship. Maybe he’d been lying the whole time. Who the heck knows?

  “Sorry. I guess I zoned out.”

  “You getting some vibes or something?” Peter smiled up at me. He was on the ground wrapping cords together.

  “No. I never get vibes. Do you? Is that your secret power?”

  “Nope. My secret power, Cassidy, is pissing people off.” Sara walked past him waving a gadget, completely oblivious to our conversation. Or she was ignoring me. Either way was fine with me. I was glad she was leaving, actually. Wasn’t sure she’d ever warm up to me. As they say, “Two redheads in a room is one too many.” Peter openly stared at her behind as she strolled down the hall. He seemed lost in his own dirty thoughts for a moment and then smiled at me again.

  “Poor kid. You’ve lost your heart to the wonderful world of the supernatural, haven’t you? It happens to us all. At least in the beginning.”

  It was my turn to get an attitude now. I followed him through the kitchen door. “What do you mean by that? I haven’t lost my heart.”

  “Don’t get all defensive. I’d think you’d have thicker skin after all you’ve been through. I just meant these investigations are exciting at first, but over time it wears on you. You’ll see. If you stick with it.”

  “I don’t think it’s like that. I’m not experiencing puppy love, Peter. I’m just trying to get a handle on what’s happening to me. And if I can help someone on top of that, then that’s even better.”

  “Hey, you don’t have to explain anything to me. Would you mind going back upstairs and grabbing that black case I left up there? It’s the one with the skull sticker on the side. I left my battery pack for this thing in there. I’d appreciate it.”

  “Sure,” I said, glad to get away from him. How had I gotten stuck with him anyway? I jogged back up the stairs, focusing on the task at hand. I looked where we left it, but it wasn’t there anymore. Someone must have moved it. But where? “Anyone up here?” I called down the clean hallway. Someone had taken a great deal of care to refinish the place. The wooden floors were lovely, and there was a deep burgundy runner down the center of the hallway. Above us were two chandeliers, evenly spaced to provide maximum lighting down the long hallway. There weren’t too many paintings on the walls, but I’d heard the Harlens hadn’t had the place too long. So far, though, what they’d accomplished was pretty nice.

  I heard a shuffling of papers, like someone was writing at a desk or moving a large amount of mail around. Kind of like I do when I become inundated with junk mail. I am notorious for not opening mail when I should. I solved that problem last year and hired an accountant. He paid bills for me and made sure my lights stayed on.

  “Hello?” I called again, but there was no answer. I poised in the hallway hoping to hear the sound again. Just when I thought I’d imagined it—there it was again. I walked down the hallway and stopped outside the last door on the right. There was the case! I walked in the room, surprised to find it here. This room was unfinished, with a bed frame, an old dresser and some paint cans in it. I reached for the case.

  How did it get in here?

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement, a piece of a garment, white and flowing. I stood up immediately and forgot about Peter’s case. I looked around the room and saw nothing significant, but I could clearly see out the untreated windows. I ran to the window and saw Aurelia fleeing from the yard, just like in my dreams. Unlike my dreams, Cope wasn’t in the scene, or at least I couldn’t see him. But she was running, her face full of hair, her loose hair swirling around her like dark ropes.

  It was like watching a movie in slow motion. I suddenly wanted to run after her, protect her, make sure she was okay.

  The next thing I knew I was barreling downstairs past Peter, who must have gotten tired of waiting on me. “Hey! Did you find it? What’s wrong?” I didn’t answer. All my focus was on Aurelia.

  Peter called me rude but didn’t try to stop me. I was glad. I ran out the back of the house, away from the Gulf Coast Paranormal vans and toward Kali Oka Road—and Aurelia. It was dark out, even though the sun had been in the sky just a few minutes ago. I couldn’t think about that right now. I kept running. I could see her now. She was ahead of me and turning back occasionally to see if Cope followed her.

  “Keep running, Aurelia!” I shouted like a madwoman. Unlike that day, the day when she left Oak Grove, the moon was up, shining its bright light on the woods and the surrounding area. The Kali Oka forest was full of magnolias, bays, pine trees and live oaks. There were many hills and creeks, and if you weren’t careful in the dark, you might land in the water. But Aurelia didn’t change her track. She was running the same way she had before. It was as if she were caught in some kind of time loop. Maybe that’s what ghosts were? Souls locked in an infinite loop until they accomplished their deed. I saw her face as she screamed in anguish, “Cope! Come with me! You said together!” The gunshot sounded in my ears, but it all still played out in slow motion.

  I fell on the path but didn’t break my gaze. I felt as if I looked away she would disappear. I couldn’t let that happen. I wanted to see this all the way through, in real time.

  The bridge was in view now. It was smaller and made completely of heavy wooden beams. Obviously this was the old bridge. Beneath it, I heard the water running over the rocks. Again cicadas’ songs filled the trees, and bullfrogs joined in. The fog I’d seen before appeared now, and for a moment Aurelia was lost in it. I screamed her name, and the sound was in slow motion too! I glanced behind me and saw Hattie, with the evil bird perched on her arm ready to do her bidding. She was screaming profanities and promising to do evil to Aurelia and her baby. Aurelia didn’t wait for her to arrive. She stood on the bridge hidden in the fog.

  “Run, Aurelia! Please! Run now! You can make it!”

  She didn’t seem to hear me. I saw her look over the side of the bridge. The baby began to wail again. Surely she wouldn’t do that! She would not sacrifice her child to save herself, nor would she kill the baby out of some sort of strange idea that he would be better off dead.

  Then I heard what I wanted to hear. Her tearful voice screaming, “Cope! Over the bridge! Come over the bridge!” And then she was gone, disappearing completely in the fog. The baby was crying in the distance now, but soon the cries faded completely. Then Hattie appeared and right behind her a bloodied Cope. They struggled, but Hattie was no match for Cope’s strength. Before he pushed her off the bridge, she laughed in his face. “I’ve already sent my night eagle. He’ll take care of the baby and the woman too. She’s as good as dead now!” And with a final push from Cope, she went screaming into the water below.

  With tears and great heartbreak, he cried out, “Aurelia! Where are you? Oh please, oh please, God! Have mercy!” He ran back across the bridge and searched the water below for Aurelia and the baby. Suddenly he disappeared, and Hattie’s body was gone too.

  “Cassidy!” Midas shouted. “What are you doing here? I’ve been looking all over for you. You can’t run off without telling someone where you’re going.” He hugged me to his chest. “Are you all right?” he asked somewhat more softly than before.

  “Yes, I’m okay. Aurelia’s gone. She made it to the other side. She left here. Thank you, God! She left here! But Cope doesn’t know. He never found her. He doesn’t know she’s okay.”

  “Then let’s go tell him.”

  “Let’s go, Midas.”

  Chapter Twenty—Cassidy

  “There you are!” Sierra shouted when we returned to the house. “Crazy girl. Don’t do that again, please! We can’t afford to lose another team member.�
� She put her arm around me protectively.

  “I know what Aurelia’s words on the recording mean. She wants Cope to know she made it. She wants him to come over the bridge.” I was beyond caring if they believed me or not. “If there’s some way we can play that recording for him, maybe he’ll be free from here and she can stop haunting these woods.”

  Midas agreed with me. “All right, let’s divide into two teams. Sierra, Cassidy and I will stay in the house, and the rest of you will go out in the backyard. We all have a copy of that EVP. Let’s see if we can summon Cope back and let him hear the truth for himself. Play it!”

  Sierra had gotten quiet and glanced around. I didn’t know her well, but I could tell she was sensing something. Something we could not see. “That’s not going to work. It has to be Cassidy. He’s allowed her to see him three times now. That’s for a reason. He trusts her, I think. So does Aurelia. Just talk to him, Cassidy, see if he’ll come back.”

  “All right,” I said as I cleared my throat. Everyone else found a spot to sit, and I remained standing. “Cope! My name is Cassidy, and these are my friends. We’re your friends. Aurelia is my friend too. She gave me a message to give to you. Cope?”

  I didn’t hear anything, but the tension grew. “Sierra? You feeling anything, sweetie?” Joshua asked, squeezing her hand.

  “He’s close,” she answered in a whisper.

  I sat in the only vacant seat. It had gotten dark in here, and quickly. I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. “Please trust us, Cope. I know it’s hard, but we’re your friends. I promise we don’t want to hurt you.”

  Sierra waved her audio recorder. It beeped to show we’d caught something. We played it back, and it had one word on it. It was unclear what that was, but it could have been “Aurelia…” in a whisper. I went with it.

  “Yes, Aurelia. Our friend, your friend. She made it across the bridge, Cope. You saved her and the baby. You did it!”