“I can’t involve myself with this stuff again,” Katie said. “Or with you. I have a normal life now. A normal job.” She gestured toward the playground. “I love my students and I love what I do. I don’t want all that… chaos.”
It was true. For many long years, Katie had used her special gift for good. But over time, Rand had seen the all-nighters and the stressful, terrifying situations take their toll on her. She was young, only twenty-seven if he remembered correctly, but she already looked about five years older.
“I understand,” Rand told her. “I’m not asking you to go back to it completely. I’m only asking you for just this once. For the little girl. If it were any other client, I wouldn’t ask. But you wouldn’t believe how cool Georgia is. And how much her family has already been tormented.”
Katie took in a long, heavy breath and let it out slowly. “Rand. You know how it is. There can never be just one—this is a lifestyle. And it’s not even one that I can choose. I was lucky to get out of it when I did, and if I go back, I’ll be roped in forever. My life is good now. It’s normal.”
“You’re denying your gift,” Rand said. “You were given it for a reason. And I’ll make sure that this is the last case you ever get involved in, at least from me. If you do this, I promise, you’ll never hear from me again.” He held out his hand.
Katie looked at it, considering. Rand knew it wasn’t him personally that was the main problem. It was the life of chasing ghosts and dealing with the spiritual world.
Movement on the other side of Katie caught Rand’s eye. A boy was chasing a rolling basketball through the parking lot. He ran up to it and bent down to snatch it up.
“One of your kids got loose,” Rand said.
Katie followed his gaze.
The kid had run between the Jeep and the other teachers’ line of sight. Yet none of them reacted.
Rand’s mouth went dry.
The boy straightened, basketball underneath his arm and pressed against his side. Now that Rand had a better view, he looked more like a teenager than an elementary school child.
And he looked Rand directly in the eyes. Although the midday sun was bright, and he wasn’t that far away, a shadow still fell over his face, obscuring it.
Katie looked back at him. “What kid?”
“Shit,” Rand muttered. He threw open the Jeep door and ran around the front. But in the split second he’d taken his eyes off the boy, the kid had vanished. He checked between the parked cars nearby, but he wasn’t there.
“Rand, what are you doing?” Katie shouted through the passenger window.
He returned to the Jeep and shut the door behind him. Katie looked at him, worried, but he knew she understood what was going on. “How long?” she asked.
“First time I’ve seen him.”
She swallowed. “So he’s appearing to you now.”
“I told you it’s escalated.”
Often, once the spirits realized what he was and that he was against them, they’d switch their efforts to him. Try to scare him off the case. Since that never worked, their attacks eventually turned physical in time.
“At least I know you’re not making it all up,” Katie said, then sighed. “I’ll go with you just this once, since you’re starting to see apparitions. And when we go, you will not tell anyone about this. And then when it’s over, you are not to contact me about any case ever again.”
“Deal,” Rand said.
“I live with my boyfriend now,” Katie said. “You can pick me up from his house. He’ll be out of town for business, so he won’t know I’m gone.”
Funny. He hadn’t heard about her getting a new boyfriend. “Sure.”
“I’ll text you the location. Is your number still the same?”
“Yes.”
“A miracle with all the phones you go through.”
Spirits liked to smash his stuff when they got mad at him. That was why he couldn’t have nice things.
She got out of the car as the bell rang and the children lined up. She rejoined the other teachers, all waiting expectantly for her to tell them why in the world her ex-boyfriend had shown up to her work, but Rand noticed that she didn’t indulge their curiosity.
Rand started the engine and drove away, scanning the parking lot one more time for the boy and his basketball.
18
That night, Rand wolfed down the dinner he had prepared for him and Rachel. Chicken thighs and rice. It was one of the few recipes he’d perfected.
“So, let me get this straight,” Rachel said, taking another sip of wine. “You have to go back to the hospital tonight?”
“Yes.”
“And do a second little ritual thing? This time with a… what?”
“A clairvoyant. She’s more sensitive to the spiritual world than most normal people. It’s also easier for her to communicate with presences. After we figure out what this ghost wants, then we’ll be better able to successfully send it on its way.”
“And how do you know this clairvoyant?”
“We used to date.”
Rachel choked on her wine, then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Sorry?”
“Well, really we only hooked up. But we hooked up a lot, so does that count as dating? Maybe just a relationship. We had a relationship, yeah, but we never actually went on any dates. If that makes sense.”
“You’re seeing an ex tonight?”
“Yes, but not like that. She’s going for Georgia.” He took another mouthful of food.
“I’m… not sure how I feel about that.”
“It will be weird for me too. Before, it was like hooking up with someone from work, because we used to team up on a lot of cases a long time ago. But for Georgia Collins, I had to pull her in. She’s the most gifted of anyone I’ve ever met, and the family needs her. That’s all it is.”
Rand wasn’t stupid. He could see that Rachel didn’t like that he was seeing an ex-girlfriend, and he knew his casual explanations weren’t doing much to assuage her feelings. But the case came first, always. And he didn’t like to lie to the people he cared about, so he gave her the blunt truth. If she was uncomfortable with that, there wasn’t much he could do. It was the nature of the job.
He finished his food and dropped his plate in the sink. Rachel’s food remained half eaten in front of her.
“I’ll be home late,” Rand said, kissing her forehead. He threw his keys in his jacket pocket and picked up his bag, already packed with the things he’d need for the night. “This will be the last time I have to go there. I’m sure we can take care of this spirit tonight.”
“Yeah,” Rachel said, swirling her wine around in the glass.
Just then, thunder boomed in the sky. The clouds opened up, and rain came hurtling down.
Rand frowned. “Great.”
“Drive carefully,” Rachel said, her voice still flat and unimpressed.
As he drove, Rand tapped the latest text from Katie. She’d dropped a pin—the location of her boyfriend’s house. He hadn’t looked at it closely when she’d sent it, but now he squinted at the map, his eyes darting between the road and his phone.
The pin was in a very nice part of the town, where the houses were massive and the families were rich.
That couldn’t be right. Could it?
Sure enough, Rand followed the pin right to Azalea Lakes, the most prestigious neighborhood in the city, filled with small mansions, huge yards, and three-car garages. Rand had never been inside, but had seen plenty of pictures on the internet.
The security guard stopped him at the booth.
“Name?” the man asked, clearly bored. The rain still pelted down, falling into Rand’s rolled-down window.
“Randolph Casey.”
The man typed on his computer. “Rand Casey?”
“Yeah. Sure.”
“Here to see Mr. Albright?”
That must be the boyfriend. “Katie, actually.”
“Ah yes, also the residence of Katie
Fitz.” The security guard cast him a suspicious, sidelong glance. “Does Mr. Albright know you’re here to visit his home?”
“I’m sure he has full access to your records of who comes and goes,” Rand said, meeting the guard’s gaze.
“You’re right. He does. Have a good evening, Mr. Casey.” His voice was ice cold.
The gate opened and Rand proceeded through, knowing that Mr. Albright would surely hear about his little visit. He hoped it wouldn’t cause any trouble for Katie.
Rand pulled up in front of the house and stared at it for a long while. It was huge. He could only chuckle and shake his head. All his ex-women had a habit of spring boarding from him to rich, stable, successful men. Men who didn’t spend their time chasing ghosts around dark rooms.
The front door opened and Katie emerged, pulling her jacket hood over her head as she ran across the yard toward his Jeep—no short distance. He reached over and opened the door for her, and she climbed in. Despite the coat, she was still soaked. The rain fell thick and accumulated into giant puddles on the sides of the road, unable to drain quickly enough.
“Let’s get this over with,” Katie said.
“I hear you.” He turned around and pulled away from the house. The security guard opened the gate for them on the way out and let them proceed without any questions, but he glowered at Rand. Katie, however, gave him a friendly wave, which he woodenly returned.
“That guy thinks I’m here to cause trouble for Mr. Albright,” Rand said.
“He likes Mitch a lot.”
“Mitch, huh? And when did you meet Mitch? What’s Mitch do?”
“Rand…”
Rand shut up. None of that mattered, anyway. Only Georgia Collins.
19
Rand found Harold waiting for him at the Coffee Bean, just as the man had said. An almost empty cup of black brew rested in front of him while he stared blankly at the table, wringing his hands together.
“Evening,” Rand said, and Harold snapped out of his trance. “This is my colleague, Katie. She’ll be assisting me.”
Harold forced a smile and stood to shake Katie’s hand.
“You all right?” Rand asked.
“Just nervous.”
“I am too,” Rand said, not untruthfully. His wet jacket froze to him in the chilly hospital air. “Has everything been arranged?”
“I’ve talked to the nurses working tonight. They’ve agreed to give you folks two hours alone time on the ward. This took a lot of convincing; you’re lucky that Donna’s the shift lead, and that she’s had her own weird experiences up there lately.”
“Understood,” Rand said.
“All these ladies could lose their jobs for abandoning their posts,” Harold said. It was the most serious Rand had ever seen him. “Me as well for being part of it. I know you won’t, but they’ve asked me to remind you not to take advantage of all this.”
“You have my word,” Rand said. A heaviness settled on him, pressing against his heart at asking the man to put his own job on the line for them.
Harold nodded once and took out his cell—a plain flip phone that must have been ten years old. He punched in the numbers, eyes squinting as he struggled to read the tiny keypad. “They’re here,” was all he said into the receiver before closing the phone. “Donna and the others will vacate. I’ll walk you up, then make myself scarce.”
“Got it.”
Harold offered him a walkie-talkie. “Borrowed this from Jerry. If you need to get in touch with me, I’ll be on the other end. Channel nine is never used by the staff, so tune in to that one.”
Rand took it and twisted the knob. It flared to life with a burst of static. He clipped the device to his belt. “Anything else?”
“Kick this bastard out of my ward. I’m tired of seeing so many good people go through so much.”
The three started toward the elevator. Once inside, Harold pressed the button for the tenth floor.
“Where will you be?” Rand asked.
“I’ll head to security and keep an eye on everything from the cameras. Jerry’s off tonight and Juan called in sick, so it’ll just be me. If anything—”
A tight hand clutched Rand’s arm. He turned in time to see Katie stumble backwards and fall hard against the elevator’s back wall.
“Oh,” Rand said, rushing to support her. She leaned heavily against him. “Katie, what’s wrong?”
Her palm went to her chest, which heaved with deep breaths. “I can’t,” she managed between gasps.
“Katie, what is it?”
“I’ll get help,” Harold said, reaching for his radio.
“No!” Rand held out his hand, and Harold froze, confused and nervous.
“Katie. What do you feel?”
“It’s so powerful,” she said. Sweat had broken out on her forehead and her eyes welled with tears. “So much.”
The elevator chimed at each floor as it rose.
Ding. 6.
Ding. 7.
“I can’t go up there,” she said.
“You have to,” Rand said.
“I’ve never felt anything so—”
Ding. 8.
Katie’s knees gave way, and she slumped to the floor. “Stop the elevator! It’s getting worse!”
Harold reached for the emergency button.
“No, Harold!”
The man looked between him and Katie, unsure of what to do.
“Rand,” Katie said. “It’s too much. There’s something big up there. We need to leave.”
Ding. 9.
Rand put both his hands on Katie’s cheeks, ice cold and slick with sweat, and looked into her eyes. “We’ve never run away before, Katie. It’s just not what we do. We have to be strong for the people who can’t be. Remember?”
She slowly nodded between his palms. The tears broke and began to stream down her cheeks.
Ding. 10.
The doors slid open.
Harold pressed a button on the panel that froze the elevator in place. As he’d promised, the ward was empty. It was after hours, so half the lights had been turned off, leaving the corridor in a dim light, the shadows edging the colorful cartoon animals and children on the walls. The nurse station was vacant.
“Can you stand?” Rand said. His words were loud against the silent ward in front of them.
Katie sniffed and nodded curtly. She crawled to the other side of the elevator and used the sides to support herself. Once she was steady, she stepped out into the ward.
She froze, then looked around. Brought her hands to her mouth to keep herself from crying out.
Be strong, Rand thought. He had never seen her react so intensely before. Nor had he known her to get visions so fast. We weren’t even there yet.
Katie walked toward the large area near the nurse station, focusing all around her as if a crowd of distracting people surrounded her.
“What’s going on?” Harold whispered.
“She senses something,” Rand whispered back. “She can feel what’s there. Things that we can’t see.”
Katie’s shoulders shook as she sobbed, but still she pressed on. She crossed her arms, rubbing her hands up and down her sleeves as if they were crawling with bugs.
“What is this?” she whispered to herself. “How can this be?”
“Should we do something?” Harold asked. “She seems upset.”
“Leave her be for now. Let her work.”
Katie leapt to the side, appearing to be startled by something to her right. But Rand saw nothing. “I’m sorry,” she said through her tears. “I don’t know what to do for you. I can’t—”
She was speaking to someone. Does she already hear voices? That was unusual without first going into a trance.
“Please. It isn’t my fault.” Katie said.
Rand noted she was looking toward the ground rather than to the corners of the room, where she normally focused. Spirits had a penchant for lingering in the corners.
“Rand, this can’t go on,�
�� Harold said, no longer whispering. “If you don’t do something, I will.”
“Please! No!” Katie screamed, then turned and ran. She bounded toward the stairwell, where she banged open the door and disappeared.
“Katie!” Rand called, following her.
Katie’s footsteps clanged and echoed off the grey walls of the narrow staircase as she ran down.
“Katie!” Rand’s voice boomed around him. Over the railing, her figure sprinted down, winding in a circle along the steps that hugged the wall, like water down a bathtub drain.
“I have to get out of here!” Katie shouted back at him.
“Wait for me!”
Finally he caught up to her. She sat on the last step by the door that led to level six, her back to him, leaning against the metal handrail and crying.
Rand dropped down next to her and she put her head on his shoulder. He gave her time to get it all out, wondering what on earth she could have possibly seen.
“What’s going on?” he whispered to her.
“Rand, we can’t stay here.”
“You know that’s impossible.” He kept his tone gentle. “What was it? Was it Thomas?”
Katie looked up at him, eyes wide and red and full of tears. “Rand. The spirts of children on the tenth ward… there are hundreds of them.”
20
Hundreds.
It took Rand a minute to process what he’d heard. “What?”
Katie wiped her eyes and sat up straight. The anxiety brought on by being on the tenth floor subsided. “There are hundreds of spirits up there. They rushed me all at once. They grabbed at me, cried at me, begged me to look at them. I couldn’t hear any voices, but I saw it all on their little faces.”
Rand swallowed. “How is that possible?”
No wonder his cleansing ceremony hadn’t been effective. Could it be that Georgia was interacting with more than one spirit?
“Surely lots of children have passed on that ward over the years,” Katie went on. “Some I could sense have been there for decades. There were so many.”
“I don’t get it,” Rand said. “How is it that hundreds of kids could not move on?”
The Tenth Ward Page 11