by Terri Reid
“What? Wait!” Sol cried out. “I didn’t see no damn ghost. What kind of game are you trying to play?”
“That’s why we wanted you to watch the video first,” Ian said. “Because we wanted to see if you picked up on anything that we didn’t. Now, I’ll rewind the video to show you what we think is an entity.”
He moved the video backwards and paused it just before the blurry figure moved across the window. Then he started it moving forward in a frame-by-frame speed. As soon as the figure entered the picture, he paused the video and walked over to the screen. “Do you see it?” he asked.
Sol scanned the picture. “No, I don’t see nothing in the house,” he complained.
“Ah, well, that’s because it isn’t really in the house,” Ian replied. “You need to look here.” Ian pointed to the window. “And watch the movement.”
Sol stared at the window. “What the hell is that?” he asked.
“I believe it’s your ghost,” Ian replied.
He walked back to the laptop and started the video again, the blurry figure obviously moving slowly past the window. Sol’s eyes widened with excitement. “Play it again,” he demanded.
Ian rewound the video and played it over, watching Sol follow the blurred image across the scene.
“So that’s a ghost?” he asked. “You can prove it’s a ghost, not a passing car or some other light?”
Ian nodded his head. “As you can see, the same figure is picked up in all four cameras, each focusing on a different angle of the window. A passing car would have moved at a quicker rate of speed and would not have exhibited the same kind of light pattern as this entity did.”
Sol sat back in the chair with a satisfied look on his face. “So I got me a haunted house,” he said, nodding slowly. “A totally certifiable, haunted house.”
“Well, not really,” Mary inserted.
Sol turned around in his chair and stared at her. “What the hell do you mean, not really?”
“Well, actually, your house isn’t haunted,” she said. “But the grounds around your house are haunted.”
“That’s the same thing,” Sol insisted.
“No, actually, it’s not,” Ian said. “A haunting outside a home doesn’t mean the spirit is attached to the residence. It could be the spirit of an early Native American wandering from his summer hunting area to his winter refuge. As a matter of fact, that’s very common during this time of year.”
“But it was on my property,” Sol insisted. “So, it’s my ghost.”
Mary shook her head. “Not unless it’s inside your house,” she said. “We can’t certify that your house is haunted unless there is a ghost inside the residence.”
“This is bull!” he shouted, jumping up and knocking the chair to the floor. “You all saw the ghost. It’s my ghost!”
“Sol, all I can say is I’m sorry,” Mary said calmly. “It’s not like you can communicate with the ghost and ask it to come inside.”
“What?” he asked.
Ian shrugged. “There have been studies done where people have been able to communicate with the entities,” Ian said. “But that was very rare, and not only did there need to be some kind of personal connection, the request had to be made on the gravesite of the entity. Since we don’t have any of that kind of information, this is really a moot point.”
“Damn Marty,” Sol muttered quietly. “He never could get nothing right.”
“Pardon me?” Mary asked.
“Nothing,” Sol said. “Nothing at all.”
Ian turned off the video and closed the lid on his laptop. “Well, I’m afraid my work here is done,” he said. “So, I’d like to come by this afternoon and take down my equipment.”
“Wait,” Sol said, holding his hands up to stay Ian. “I ain’t ready for you to leave yet.”
“But we found what you were looking for,” Mary said. “And we really can’t help you.”
“I want you to do one more recording,” Sol said. “Just one more. The stuff’s already there, so it won’t be no big deal.”
“Actually, it is a big deal,” Ian replied. “I have other jobs I need to focus on. I only did this one as a favor for Mary.”
“One day,” Sol insisted. “That’s all, just one day.”
“Fine,” Ian said with an impatient sigh. “I’ll set things up to run again tonight.”
“No, not tonight,” Sol implored. “Give me tonight to straighten some things up, see. And then we can run it tomorrow night.”
“You’re not going to try and plant something in the house, are you?” Mary asked. “We can’t allow the methodology to be compromised.”
“No, nothing like,” Sol insisted. “I just have a feeling that by tomorrow night we’ll have an inside the house ghost, instead of an outside the house ghost.”
Ian tapped his fingers impatiently against his laptop. “I really think this will be a waste of time,” he insisted. “But I’ll give you the day.”
“Hey, thanks,” Sol said, moving towards the door. “You’re an upright guy. You won’t be sorry.”
“Tomorrow night?” Ian asked. “And no more delays.”
“Tomorrow night,” Sol said.
“Okay, we’ll stop by the house tomorrow afternoon and reset the control panel,” Mary said.
“Yeah, that’ll be good, real good,” Sol said, his hand on the doorknob. “I’ll see you both tomorrow.”
Mary and Ian watched him walk across the sidewalk and get into his car. Once he had pulled out and driven away, Ian turned to Mary and grinned. “Well, really, don’t you think that performance was worthy of an Academy Award?”
“Yes, it really was,” she agreed, walking across the room and opening the storeroom door. “What did you think, darling?”
Bradley came out and shook his head. “You two are invited to participate in any sting operation I’m ever involved in,” he said with a smile. “You set up the trap perfectly. Now, let’s wait and see if he takes it.”
Chapter Fifty-two
“Marty, you idiot, can’t you get nothing right?”
Sol’s angry voice was easily picked up by the small camera Ian had secreted in the joists in the basement. He was standing over the freshly concreted area in the basement of the house in Pearl City. The chairs and other junk had been cleared away, and the ten by ten space looked more like a gravesite than it had earlier.
Mary, Bradley, Ian and Mike sat in the living room watching the live stream on their television set. They had Clarissa spend the night at the Brennan’s house so they could watch the camera and then react to whatever happened.
Mary reached forward to nab a handful of freshly popped popcorn. “The placement of the camera is perfect, Ian,” she said. “This is better than the movies.”
“Well, you were right in picking out the burial site,” he said. “Now all we have to do is wait for the trap to close.”
“Listen, I didn’t want to kill you,” Sol said. “But really, I didn’t have any choice.”
“Snap!” Mike exclaimed. “The trap has been closed.”
“You’re sure this is being recorded?” Bradley asked.
“Yes,” Ian replied, his eyes not leaving the screen. “I’ve got it recording both here as we’re watching it and on the camera.”
“And it’s admissible in court?” Bradley added.
Ian nodded slowly, then turned to Bradley and smiled. “See, that’s why you should read the fine print on any contract you sign,” Ian said. “It specifically told him that there could be camera equipment recording him at any time during the period of our engagement with him.”
“We also have him on tape extending the period of our engagement,” Mary said, popping another kernel into her mouth.
“Easy peasy,” Ian added with a grin.
“I love when a plan comes together,” Mike added.
Sol clasped his hands behind his back and rocked on his feet for a few moments, seemingly waiting for a response. “You know I always
liked you,” he said. “But it was either lose all the money we invested or kill you. I knew you didn’t want us to lose no money.”
He waited again, glancing uneasily around the room. “And I’ve taken real good care of your wife and kids,” he said. “I’m actually thinking about marrying your wife and adopting your kids, you know, once she divorces you for abandonment.”
The lights in the basement started to flicker.
“Whoa, hold on here,” Ian said, standing up and walking over to the television. “What’s going on here?”
Sol looked around nervously. “Is that you, Marty?” he asked.
Several work lights went out, leaving only the small area Sol was standing near illuminated. “Hey, Marty, you didn’t need to do that,” Sol said, his voice raising. “I’m your friend, remember?”
A chair moved from the pile and slid in front of Sol. Sol jumped back. “I just need you to haunt the inside of the house, Marty,” he said, his voice squeaking. “Kinda like you’re doing right now.”
There was a crash at the far end of the room and Sol jumped. “Hey, Marty, you don’t need to do this!” he exclaimed.
Another crash sounded from the opposite side of the room.
“This isn’t good,” Ian said. “I’m not sure who’s running the game, but if we want Sol to be alive and able to testify, we need to get him out of there now.”
The screen in front of them went black. “Crap,” Mary exclaimed, struggling out of her seat. “Let’s go.”
They hurried to the door and paused for only a moment when they heard Sol’s scream come over the speakers. “Marty, no!”
The drive in Bradley’s cruiser to the Pearl City house only took ten minutes. They were met at the house by the Stephenson County Sheriff, a friend of Bradley’s.
“Hey, Alden,” the sheriff said when Bradley exited the car. “The place is locked up and no one is answering the door.”
“I’ve got keys,” Ian offered, handing them over to the law enforcement official.
As soon as they opened the door, Mary and Ian ran through the house, not bothering to turn on lights, and led the way back to the kitchen and the door to the basement. “He’s down here,” Mary said. “And we might need an ambulance.”
The padlock was on the counter next to the door. Mary pulled the door open and then stepped aside for the sheriff and Bradley to go down first. Bradley paused at the top of the steps for a moment. “Stay up here,” he said. “I don’t know what we’re going to find down there.”
Then Bradley and Ian followed the sheriff down the stairs to the basement.
Chapter Fifty-three
“How nice of you to visit me again, Mary.”
The voice surrounded her. She stepped back and tried to feel for a light switch.
“Are you afraid of the dark, Mary?” the voice chuckled.
“I’m not afraid of you,” she said, trying to calm the beating of her heart.
“You should be, Mary,” it replied in a tone that was no longer taunting, but instead threatening. “You should be very afraid.”
The kitchen door slammed shut behind her and she jumped. “Perhaps you’re not afraid for yourself, but what about those you love?”
“What do you mean?” she asked, fear building in her gut.
“It can be very dangerous in an old basement,” it said, the taunting returning to its voice. “All kinds of things can happen down there. One spark and the gas valve that was inadvertently turned on could be lit. Then…boom. But don’t worry. If the explosion doesn’t kill them, the fire will.”
“You don’t want to kill people, you want to recruit them,” she countered, tamping down her fear. “If Bradley and Ian die, they’ll be lost to you forever.”
“If I can’t enroll a few more souls that I probably would never have had in the first place,” it answered, “at least I can further darken a soul that is already mine.”
Sol, she thought.
“Sol,” it whispered. “If you can’t use the house as a haunted house, you could burn it down and collect the insurance. He was easily persuaded.”
“But, he was still in the house,” Mary replied. “He wouldn’t have turned on the gas until he was ready to leave.”
A soft, evil chuckle echoed throughout the room. “He is very easily manipulated,” it said. “Do it now, so you don’t forget.”
“What do you want?” Mary asked.
“Oh, you’re very smart, Mary,” it hissed softly. “Cut to the chase. Very smart indeed. Let’s just say that we aren’t happy with the things you’ve been doing and we’d like you to stop.”
She took a deep breath and sent up a quick, silent prayer. Suddenly, she felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders and her body had been energized with power.
“Yeah, that pretty much pisses you off, doesn’t it?” she replied, taking a deep, cleansing breath. “My whole bringing spirits to the light thing. Messes up your numbers down here on earth.”
“Do not think you can mock me or treat me lightly,” it hissed. “I will not be taunted.”
Mary started slowly rocking on her feet and whispering the first lines of a favorite song. “I got sunshine,” she began singing, incorporating the motions with the song.
“What do you think you are doing?” it hissed.
She continued singing, ignoring its threats.
“I will kill you. I will kill the ones you love,” it threatened.
She dipped into a move, placed one foot behind the other and swirled around in a turn. Throwing her arm out to complete the move, she caught the light switch and flooded the room with illumination.
“Gas is turned off, Mary,” Mike said, suddenly standing next to her. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll take out the trash.”
Suddenly Mike’s image was filled with a light so bright that it seemed to fill the room and made it hard for her to see. His form seemed larger, more powerful, and as he stepped forward. Mary thought she saw the glint of a sword in his hand.
“Go for it,” Mary whispered.
“This will not be the end of us,” it hissed, though its voice was less threatening and more rushed. “There will be others after me. We will not let you rest.”
The light seemed to expand even more and then the voice was no more.
A moment later, the regular Mike was at her side. “Thanks for coming,” she said.
He smiled at her. “No problem,” he replied and then he rotated his shoulders. “Felt good to be able to use a little muscle again.”
Footsteps sounded on the stairs behind her and she quickly turned and opened the door to the basement. She stepped back as the sheriff led a bruised and bloodied Sol out of the basement and into the kitchen.
“You go wandering around in a dark basement and you’re going to run into stuff,” the sheriff said.
Sol just hung his head and didn’t say a word.
From the living room window, they watched the sheriff put Sol in the back seat of his cruiser and drive away.
“What happened up here?” Bradley asked.
“I had another encounter with the occupant of the dining room,” Mary admitted without pause. “But Mike took care of him and I think he’s gone for good.”
Bradley stepped forward and enfolded Mary in his arms. “I am so sorry,” he said. “I was so caught up in getting to Sol…”
“No, really, that’s okay,” she insisted. “I needed to do this. I needed to end this the way I did.” She shivered thinking about the alternative ending the demon had in mind. “It worked out just fine in the end.”
“I’m sorry too, Mary,” Ian said. “I should have remembered…”
“Why would you have remembered, when I didn’t even remember?” she asked with a smile. “Now, enough about me. What did you find down there?”
“Sol was lying on the floor, covered with the junk he’d covered Marty’s grave with,” Bradley said. “He was a bit bruised up, and Marty had scared the crap out of him. But physica
lly he’ll be fine.”
Marty appeared next to them in the hallway. “I’m sorry I got angry,” he said. “But when he told me he was going to marry my wife, I just kind of lost it.”
“I totally understand,” Mary said.
“Actually, it turned out to be a good thing,” Ian added. “Sol was so distraught that he confessed to Marty’s murder and told the sheriff where he could find the body. A team will be back tomorrow to take care of exhuming the gravesite, and Marty’s family will finally know the truth.”
“Thanks for all you’ve done,” Marty said, walking over to Mary. “I…I…” Suddenly he yawned widely. “I don’t know why I’m suddenly so tired.”
Mary smiled at him. “Look around you, Marty. Can you see a bright light anywhere?”
Marty turned around slowly and looked. Then he turned back to Mary. “Yeah, it’s there,” he replied. “That’s the way home?”
She nodded. “Yes, that’s the way home.”
“Thanks again,” he said. “Thanks to all of you.”
He turned and started walking up the staircase and slowly faded from view.
Chapter Fifty-four
“Rosie, are you sure you want to do this?” Mary asked as they drove toward the assisted living center. “This is not going to be a happy ending.”
“I can handle it,” Rosie said, reaching over and giving Mary’s arm a squeeze. “You did your best.”
“But my best wasn’t good enough,” Mary replied.
They turned into the parking lot and found a spot close to the door. “See, it’s a good sign,” Rosie said. “We got a good spot.”
Mary smiled at her. “I’ll take any positive sign I can get,” she admitted.
They exited the car, and Mary took a moment to take a deep breath before going into the center. It was a perfectly clear, crisp, fall day and she could smell the tangy scent of burning wood on the breeze. The last vestiges of leaves had fallen gently from their original homes in the boughs of the trees and drifted down to be part of the blanket of color covering the lawns and sidewalks. “It’s really lovely today,” she said.