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

by M. L. Bullock

  “Listen to me, Sabrina Elizabeth.” Her voice dropped, and she took my hand. “The doctor needs to remove Bear’s leg. It’s starting to rot, and it will kill him if it’s not removed. Just look at it. How will it ever be healed like this? It’s got to come off—do you want to be here for that?”

  I began to shake and cry. “No, but if I go…you don’t understand.”

  Before I knew it, she was hoisting me out of the chair by my elbow, and it didn’t take much to get me up. “Come on now, girlie. You can come back this evening and visit with him. I’m sure by then he’ll be awake and ready to see you.”

  “Do you believe that? Truly?”

  She nodded, her ruby earrings dangling at her ears. “Right as rain, girlie. He’ll be right as rain. Come on.” With a quick glance to the doctor, we left my beloved Bear. No! This is a mistake! I craned my neck behind me to see Bear one last time.

  What if it was the last time?

  Thankfully we were only going as far as next door. My body was so tired that I could barely chew the bread and honey Shannon put in front of me. I didn’t know where this streak of kindness was coming from. My Momma used to say, “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth,” and I finally knew exactly what she meant. I would accept this rare moment of charity and rest up for the next few hours. Then would I go back to see my intended, and nobody would stop me. I could only imagine the horror of the surgery that Bear would have to endure. Oh please! Don’t let me hear him scream! I’ve heard screams from the clinic before. Oh please! He would need me afterwards. Although I felt ashamed that I did not stay for his surgery, I knew I wouldn’t have been able to endure it.

  Without much convincing, I crawled into bed, grabbed my thin sheet and closed my eyes. I gave up the fight to stay awake and allowed my body to sink into the lumpy mattress.

  Almost immediately I found myself back in the hills of Tennessee. Momma was calling me from the doorway, and my brothers were coming back from their work in the field. They had baskets of vegetables; before too long we would have something delicious to eat. It was amazing how poor we were and how I never appreciated all the things Momma had provided for us. She was so much smarter than me and had done so much with so little. “Come eat some supper, Sabrina Elizabeth!” I ran toward her with joy spread across my face. My old dog Barnabas barked beside me, and I reached down to pet his scruffy brown head.

  He licked my face, and I felt his fur rubbing up against me. But that wasn’t Barnabas.

  The dream faded, and suddenly I felt my clothes ripping. My eyes popped open, but the room was dark and I couldn’t see what was going on. There was an overwhelming smell of alcohol, not the drinking kind but the kind you’d smell at the clinic. Dr. Long was touching me, kissing me and pinning me to the bed. He pressed down on me with his hands, and I whimpered, which only served to excite him. I squeezed my eyes shut tight and struggled against him, pushing hard, then suddenly felt his entire body upon mine. His weight was almost unbearable—I felt as though he was crushing me!

  No! He was choking me! Bear! Bear, help me!

  The words were stuck in my throat. My eyes flew open again, and I stared into the dull, brown eyes of Oscar Long. As the assault continued, his strangulating hold on my throat tightened until I imagined I could feel the tiny bones in my neck pop. Having achieved his satisfaction, he released his grip, but it was too late for me.

  Bear! He’s killing me, Bear!

  I could not breathe. And I would never breathe again.

  I couldn’t move, but my eyes were wide open even as the doctor lingered over me and fixed his clothing. I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry out, but no sound would come. The pain in my throat and body was almost unbearable. I would die soon—of that much I was sure.

  I heard another voice, a woman’s voice. It was Shannon! Shannon! Help me!

  “What have you done, Oscar? You weren’t supposed to kill her!”

  I heard him strike her as she whimpered and fell in the chair; it was her favorite chair, the one she liked to get drunk in day after day.

  “Shut up and help me wrap her up.”

  Shannon muffled her cries, and I felt the sheet wrap tighter around me. Then with an uncaring toss he slung me over his shoulder. He grunted as they walked, and I felt a second pair of hands covering my legs. Someone stopped them, but only briefly. I heard Shannon’s hushed voice saying, “Poor girl was beside herself with grief. Who knew she would do such a thing?” And then we were going down, down to the dampness—down into the basement. My eyes were beginning to close now, and soon they would close forever.

  The last of me was leaving.

  And then as the shovel began banging against the dirt, I died.

  Chapter Twelve—Midas

  Second Night Investigation

  “Wake up, girl! Time for our meeting!”

  Sierra rolled over and grumbled, “I strongly dislike you, Midas. I strongly dislike your couch as well. Why can’t you have a guest room like any normal person?”

  “Because I don’t want people permanently crashing on my couch, which brings me to my next subject: what are you going to do about all this?”

  “Pretty heavy conversation for someone who hasn’t had any coffee yet.” She rolled over again and faced me.

  I pulled the ottoman over, sat in front of her and clasped my hands. “It’s one you’re gonna have to have. It’s been a few days, and I don’t see anything wrong with talking to Josh now. I think he’s cooled down after his encounter with Jack, and I don’t think he’d ever hurt you…maybe after tonight’s investigation you guys can get together and see where to go from here.”

  “Am I that much of a bother?” she pouted as she sat up.

  “That’s not what I mean, and you know it. I mean you can’t stay stuck forever. You guys had problems long before your confession. And, if I may ask, why in God’s name would you fool around with Jack?”

  Sierra pushed her hair out of her face and stared up at the ceiling. I assumed she was contemplating my question. “I don’t know how to answer that. It wasn’t like I planned it. It just happened. And of all the people in the world, you’re the last person I want to share the details with. You’re like my brother, for goodness’ sake. Aren’t you supposed to just go beat him up or something?” She ruffled her messy hair and stood up.

  “Sure, if you think that would do any good. But that’s not an answer. You know you did the wrong thing. As much as it hurts me to tell you that, you know it was wrong. Josh is a screw-up, but you knew that when you married him. As far as I know, he’s never been unfaithful to you. You two have to let the past go.”

  “I know I did the wrong thing. I cheated because I thought he cheated. I guess it’s true—two wrongs don’t make a right.”

  “He didn’t marry Merilyn; he married you, Sierra. He loves you. And I think if you guys work at it, you can make it happen. Even now. Love can overcome a lot.”

  Then she asked me a question I was not prepared for. “What about Sara? Do you miss her? Why couldn’t you guys make it work?”

  “Don’t try to change the subject on me, Little Sister. This isn’t about me. This is about you, and I didn’t marry Sara. For good reason, apparently. Get up and get moving. Got to be at HQ in thirty minutes.”

  “Thirty minutes? What am I supposed to do with myself in thirty minutes?” she complained as she began folding her blankets.

  “I don’t know, but make it happen.”

  “Roger that, bossy.” She headed into the bathroom to get ready and turned before closing the door. “Hey, Midas?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Thanks.”

  She closed the door, and I plopped in front of the computer to answer a few emails and check the GCP website. Who are you kidding, Midas? You know you’re just trying to avoid thinking about what happened earlier. We’d been getting an uptick in traffic recently, and I was curious to see where it was coming from. I couldn’t figure it out, but I figured any kind of publicity was good.
Well, maybe not any kind. I popped off a few emails and then called Mark McGinnis to let him know we were headed back to the buildings. He didn’t answer, so I left him a voicemail.

  “Hey, Mark, it’s Midas Demopolis. Just reminding you that the team and I will be back in the buildings this evening. Let me know if you have any questions.”

  As expected, Sierra was ready in about fifteen minutes despite her earlier protests, and we drove to headquarters to meet with the rest of the team. Helen was waiting for us, and she promptly made us coffee and tidied up our conference room.

  “What a late night!” she said with a smile. “But so much fun. I can’t wait to tell the others about what we heard on those recordings. I haven’t stopped thinking about it. What time did you guys get to sleep?”

  Sierra said, “I think about three, and then this lunatic wants to get up at the crack of dawn.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know you two were…” Helen began, but I quickly corrected her.

  “It’s not like that. She’s just staying with me for a few days.”

  “Hey, everyone.” Cassidy popped in, looking as tired as we were. That was a good sign. That meant she’d been painting, hopefully.

  “Get anything good?”

  Cassidy’s sad expression concerned me. “Define ‘good.’ My earlier suspicions were correct. He was the Mobile Strangler.”

  “Am I late again?” Josh walked in with a box from Ladd’s. “Since you guys did all the work last night, I figured the least I could do was bring some pastries.” He put the box on the conference table, and we descended on it like a pack of hungry wolves.

  “Oh, lemon-filled. Thank you, Joshua,” Sierra said.

  “You’re welcome.”

  Sierra smiled back. That was the nicest thing they’d said to each other in the past two days. I didn’t know how they were gonna get there, but at least they were on the right track.

  “Okay, so we have a lot to cover. Let’s get started. Cassidy, did anything happen last night? No pressure.”

  “Well, as a matter of fact, yes. It’s pretty horrible, but I’m determined to keep it together. I can’t just keep experiencing these things and letting them control my emotions. So I’m going to try and be objective. But yes, I did see quite a bit. What I witnessed last night is not really represented in the portrait—I mean, not much has changed with that—but I did add a few details and in the process experienced life or the end of life as Sabrina Elizabeth. Long killed her, for sure. Purposefully and painfully.”

  “Okay, slow down. Tell us exactly what you saw.”

  As usual, Cassidy blew our mind with the details of the experience, but as an artist she was trained to do just that. Once again, I was reminded of how talented she was. She was a born investigator whether she knew it or not.

  “So Oscar Long was the Mobile Strangler. I knew it!” Helen said as she munched on a donut. “Here’s something we may not have considered—what if there was something already here that influenced him? I mean, there is a theory that all evil comes from one source. What if he was just influenced by something?” Helen looked for the deeper meaning in almost everything. The field of the paranormal was no exception.

  “Interesting theory, Helen, and we’ll come back to that. But let’s share those EVPs. You have them cued up, Sierra?”

  “Yep. Right here.” She nodded and tapped the mouse. Even though I’d heard it a dozen times already, it sent chills down my spine. “That was after Helen and I did some provocation, which you all know I’m not a big fan of. In this case, it worked like a charm. Apparently even in death Oscar Long has an inflated ego. He called Helen a few improper names.”

  “I’ve been called worse,” she popped back playfully.

  “In the next one,” I said as I consulted my notebook, “this is Cassidy doing the first EVP session upstairs. You can hear her trying to contact Bear. There’s a whisper after that, but I can’t make it out.” We played that track, and still nothing. We speculated for a few minutes about what it could be, but there was no clear answer.

  I continued with the EVPs. “You asked Bear if he was looking for Sabrina Elizabeth. Well, you got your answer.” We played that clip and heard a voice respond, “Yessss….”

  Helen grinned. “Ooh, shivers. So if he responded—I mean, if that was Bear—he’s not a residual haunt. We might actually be able to contact him.”

  “Maybe, but that’s a big if. We know that the doctor is around. Josh saw him as a shadow, and I saw him too. He could very well be impersonating Bear, just to mess with us.” That was the best theory I could come up with.

  Cassidy replied, “That’s true. I sometimes forget how tricky these spirits are. And the doctor was the kind of man to do that. He doesn’t want anyone to know the truth about him, but I think that’s what we need to do. Reveal the truth. She’s in one of those basements, Midas, I’m sure of it. She knew the place, knew the smell. It’s just a matter of finding which one.”

  “Possibly,” I agreed, “but that’s not all we caught. We have those footsteps too. Play that, please.” Sierra went to the next file, and the sound came over the speakers.

  “Clearly, those are footsteps,” Josh said. “I’m so glad we have those to share with the client. That’s powerful.”

  “How weird is it that in life he lost his leg but in death he’s stomping around looking for his dead fiancée?” Sierra asked before she sipped water from her bottle.

  “I hadn’t thought of that.”

  Helen piped in, “I have something to add to the Bear story.” She flipped open her notepad and began to read. “Joseph ‘Bear’ Goodwin died on March 3, 1904, in Mobile, Alabama. As a young man, he lost his fortune and a lumber mill he inherited from his father after a fire burned through Tenth Street. He worked in the Mobile Cotton Mill until he lost his leg in an accident that nearly cost him his life. He was arrested multiple times for public drunkenness and died without a relative to claim his body. He was buried in the Magnolia Cemetery, the cost paid for by the City of Mobile.”

  “What a horrible end to a sad life,” Cassidy added, shaking her head. “There has to be a happy ending to this story. If not in life, then in death.”

  “Life doesn’t always work that way,” Josh said as he cleaned up the table.

  “All right, we’re not philosophers here, we’re paranormal investigators. Let’s get this investigation moving. This is our last night at this place. I think we’ve made some progress as to the who and why, now let’s see what else we can dig up for our client. He needs our help. Not guesses or wishes. Let’s go, guys.”

  We rolled out and headed toward Bloodgood Row. This would be our last chance to get answers for Mark.

  And now for myself too.

  Chapter Thirteen—Cassidy

  “Did you notice that Midas didn’t talk about his experience? I mean, not even a word. Why do you think that is?”

  Sierra looked at me curiously. “You know, I did notice that. I wonder.”

  “Did he say anything else about it last night? While you guys were running through the tapes?” I wasn’t sure why we still called them tapes when they were audio and video files. I supposed tradition was tradition.

  “He talked about it a little, but I think it kind of freaked him out. I guess I would be freaked out too if I stepped over into another time or dimension as Helen seems to think he did. Whatever the case, he’s not too up-front about most things. Especially when it comes to death and dying. Has he told you about his cousin Dominic?”

  “Not much, except once when we were talking about loss and I was talking about Kylie. Even then he didn’t give up many details.” I turned onto Hanover Street. We were getting close. I prayed to God I would find Sabrina Elizabeth’s body.

  “He’s the kind of guy who likes to keep things to himself, but he was very close to Dominic. He’s the reason why Midas is in this business—the reason why he wanted to start Gulf Coast Paranormal. He saw Dom’s ghost, and it changed him forever.”

/>   “Gosh. I had no idea. He’s always saying he doesn’t see things, or he doesn’t have your sensitivity or my talent, but I guess he can make contact. I mean, he has that ability. Interesting.”

  “I’m glad you guys are…you know, together. He needs someone like you, someone who is kind and not afraid to go into dark places.”

  “I don’t imagine Sara was ever afraid of anything.”

  “She had her positives, I suppose.”

  As I put the car in park I said, “I hope you know I’m rooting for you and Joshua.”

  With a wistful smile she said, “Yeah, me too.”

  A few minutes later, we were in the building and Midas was giving us some directions for the investigation. “Let’s put a team on that top floor, and then we’ll scout out the basements. Maybe we can find some kind of evidence that Sabrina is here.”

  “I’d like to start that. How about Sierra and I check out the basement?”

  “I want Sierra on the monitors,” Midas said.

  “I’d like to get back in, Midas. I’ve got this.”

  Midas didn’t look sure, but Joshua spoke up. “Helen and I will go up to the top floor together. I think we can handle it.”

  I could tell Midas still wasn’t sold, but I handed Sierra an audio recorder anyway. “Here, let’s go down to the dungeon.” Joshua and Helen went upstairs with their gear while Sierra practically ran for the door. Midas shook his head but kept quiet.

  I grabbed a walkie-talkie from the table and stole a kiss from Midas before we left. “For luck, and stop frowning at me.” He gave me his trademark “I don’t really want to smile at you but can’t help myself” grin. I’d take it.

  “All right, Sierra. You lead the way. I guess we should start in this building and then go next door. In my vision, the doctor and Shannon didn’t travel far, so Sabrina must be close.”

  The pretty blonde wore her long hair in a French braid tonight, and the look flattered her. “If she’s here, the possibilities are endless. But we know she can’t be upstairs or the construction workers would have found her. The renovation seems pretty thorough.”