He raised his arms and dropped them again. What could he say? She was right.
“Yeah, I guess so. I didn’t know what else to do. I just wanted some answers.”
“Shhh, you better keep it down or my sister will hear you.” She sighed, a strange thing for a ghost to do. “She must have quit school to move back in with mom when I…”
“Died?”
Teagan nodded.
“She seems like she really cared a lot about you.”
Another nod. “She was a good sister. But I never wanted her to have to come back here. She hated it. I ruined everything.” She ran her hand along the mantle.
“No, the bastard that killed you did.”
“You’re right. I wish I knew who did it.” She gave an airy laugh. “What good is being a ghost when I can’t even haunt the monster that killed me and my friend?” She smiled at Ronin, eyes filled with ironic amusement and sadness.
“Well, maybe we can find him.”
“What do you mean?” She tilted her head to the side.
Ronin shrugged. “You were there that night, which automatically gives us more information than the police have.”
“But I didn’t see his face.”
“Maybe there is something you saw that was important, you just need to remember. If we look into your case, maybe we can stir up something that you forgot.”
She thought for a moment. “Yeah, maybe so. It’s worth a shot, right? I’m not doing any good here anyway. They can’t see me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“That’s all right, it might be harder for them if they could. They need to let me go so they can both move on with their lives. And maybe if we do this, I might can move on too.”
Chapter Four
The walk to the police station was quiet. I don’t think either of us really knew what to say. So many thoughts raced through my mind that I wasn’t even paying attention most of the time. But the biggest thing I wondered was why could this man, someone I had never seen before, see and hear me when my own family couldn’t?
I looked over to him. He was handsome, there was no denying that, in fact he was probably the very definition of ‘tall, dark, and handsome.’ But what was his connection with me? He knew me, or at least of me, but I knew nothing about him. Was it really just because of the seance they tried to perform?
Well, I guess it was successful since I am here. But why? Why am I here and not Megan? Didn’t they do it for both of us?
“Here we are,” Ronin said when we reached the station. I nodded and followed him.
“Do you have a plan?” I asked him when we approached the desk.
“Somewhat,” he whispered back. He turned his attention to the officer at the desk. “Hello,” he began, smiling, “I’m a writer and I was wondering if I could talk to someone about a case for some research on my current book.”
OK, not what I had in mind when I asked if he had a plan. I couldn’t deny that his smile made me want to answer any questions he may have had, so maybe it would work? I looked to the older cop and his disinterested face. Maybe it's just me.
“What case are you interested in? We can’t discuss details about ongoing investigations,” the officer replied.
“Yes, of course, but this one is from a year ago.”
“All right…” the officer said, waiting for Ronin to continue.
“The one with two murdered girls on Halloween.”
Excuse me? I bristled, taking offense at simply being referred to as one of ‘two murdered girls on Halloween.’
“I have a name you know,” I said, glaring and crossing my arms.
He shot me a look from the corner of his eyes that I took to mean to be quiet. I complied, but I wasn’t happy about it.
“Ah yes, I know that case. Such a tragedy. No one has been arrested for the murders so it’s still technically an open case, but as far as I know there have been no solid leads on it in months. Maybe you can talk to the detective on the case and see if he’s comfortable telling you anything.” He opened a drawer in the desk and pulled out a card. “Here’s his name. I’m not sure if he’s in right now, but you can check. Go through the door on the right and it will be the third one down.”
“Thank you, I appreciate it.” Ronin took the card and shot the unappreciative cop another heart-melting smile.
Seriously, how can you not be moved by that?
When we got into the hallway, I broke my brief vow of silence. “Do you really think the detective will be able to tell you anything?”
“I don’t know, but it’s not like we can just go to public records to look up your case. They only go there once the case is officially closed.”
“Right…” I lowered my head. “This is probably a pointless endeavor. If they have no leads what makes you think we can find the killer? I really didn’t see much of anything that night.”
He thought for a moment before answering. “I don’t know. But it won’t hurt to try, right?” He paused to look at me, a softer smile than the one he gave to the officer graced his lips. I’m certain if my heart were beating, it would have filled with warmth and burst out of my chest.
I smiled back. “All right, let’s try then.”
Ronin knocked on the door and a rough vice called for us to come in. Inside was a medium sized space with two desks and filing cabinets lining opposing walls, only one man was in the room, shuffling files, not even looking up.
“Are you Detetive Rogers?” Ronin asked, stepping into the scattered space.
“I am, and who are you?” the man answered back.
“My name is Ronin, and I’m a writer. I spoke with the officer out front and he said that maybe you could help me with some research.”
“What kind of research?” He paused and looked up at Ronin for the first time since we entered the room.
“I am writing a story inspired by the events of last Halloween, and I was wondering if you could give me some information regarding what happened that night or the following investigation.”
The detective stared at him for a long moment, like he wasn’t sure what to say or maybe how much to say.
“If you are just writing a story inspired by it, wouldn’t the media coverage be enough?”
“It helps yes, but I need a detective’s point of view regarding evidence or leads. You know, the hunt for the killer kind of thing.”
“I see.” He sat down and looked at the files on his desk before continuing. “Well, I’m afraid there isn’t much I can tell, even if we did have more, but I’ll be honest, this guy was pretty careful, we found little evidence despite the very up-close nature of the kills.”
Ronin sat in the small chair across from the detective. “No physical evidence was left?”
Det. Rogers shook his head. “Not much, and nothing that led us anywhere. We collected a few items at the scene--some cigarette butts, candy wrappers, a glove--but that area gets so much traffic there’s no telling who could have dropped them. Really the only solid lead we had was a witness, but there wasn’t much we could do with the information she provided us.”
“A witness? Someone saw us?” I said, unable to hide my surprise. To Ronin’s credit, he barely reacted.
“What did she say?”
“Well it was dark, so she couldn’t see the guy’s face, but she did say that when she saw him running, he passed by a streetlamp and she caught a glimpse of a tattoo.”
“A tattoo? Of what?” Ronin sat up straighter in his seat.
“A dragon.” Det. Rogers stood and picked up another file. “But that is really all I can tell you, and even then I shouldn't have told you that.”
“Well, thank you, I do appreciate it.” Ronin rose and shook hands with the detective and turned to leave.
“In your research, if you find anything that might help us catch this bastard--”
“I’ll let you know.”
Det. Rogers nodded and went back to his files.
Once we were outside, I asked,
“Well, do you think we can figure out anything from that? It’s certainly not much to go on. No wonder they haven’t been able to find my killer.”
“I don’t know. It’s hard to say.” He looked down at his phone. “We could ask around at tattoo parlors, but without more to go on, I don’t think that would really narrow it down. Dragon tattoos are one of the most common ones to get and we don’t know any details about it.”
“So what now?”
He looked up and off to the distance. I wished he would turn his gaze back to me. “Unfortunately, there’s not much we can do.”
“So we just give up?”
Then he did look at me and I could see the regret in his eyes. Even though he didn't really know me, he really seemed to care and wanted to help. “For today. Do you want to go back to my place? I know you probably would prefer your family, but I just thought since I’m the only one that can see you…”
“You don’t want me to get lonely?” I smiled.
“Something like that.”
“Then I would love to.”
***
Ronin and Teagan sat in the living room, both unsure of what to do.
“I would offer you something to eat or drink, but… I’m assuming you’re past those things, huh?”
Teagan laughed softly. “Yeah, probably.”
“I’m sorry about all of this. I can’t help but feel like this is all my fault. I should have stopped them when they told me what they wanted to do. I never thought that a seance would actually work.”
“It’s fine,” Teagan said, shaking her head slightly. “You couldn’t have known.”
“I just… I don’t know where we go from here. Usually ghosts have unfinished business that they have to do before moving on, but if we can’t find your killer…”
“I don’t really think that the words ‘ghosts’ and ‘usually’ belong in the same sentence.”
He smiled. “I just mean, in all the stories and things.”
“Oh, that reminds me, why did you use writer as your story at the police station? Don’t most people ‘usually’ go with reporter when trying to get information from the police?” She asked playfully.
Ronin couldn’t help but laugh. The amused twinkle in her eye and smirk were contagious. “True, but in this case, I am actually a writer, so I thought it would be best to stick to the truth, or at least as close as possible.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh wow! You’re a real writer? Very nice.” A sudden sadness crossed her face and although she tried to hide it, Ronin saw it clearly.
“What is it?”
“Nothing, it’s just that, I thought at some point I might like to try writing. Maybe something about Salem, I don’t know. But I guess I’ll never get a chance to now.”
Ronin stood and walked over to her. She was so beautiful, even with her eyes dripping with sorrow, spectres of a life cut short. Without thinking, he reached out and ran his fingers over her cheek as if to clear away invisible tears.
Teagan gasped.
“I felt that,” she whispered, eyes wide.
Ronin’s eyebrows raised as he pulled back his hand. “I didn’t go through you. I can touch you!” He started to place his hand back on her cheek but hesitated until she gave him a nod of consent. When he touched her again, The blue luminescent effect of her skin faded away, and in that one spot around his hand, she looked real. Alive. No blue glow. No transparency.
“What does this mean?” Teagan asked.
It means I want to kiss you.
Ronin shook his head both in answer to her question and to shake his own thoughts away. “I don’t know.” He wanted to test the limits of this strange phenomenon, to put his hands on her arms, shoulder, anywhere to see how far it spread. Feeling the heat rise in his own cheeks, he quickly removed his hand and stepped back. “Sorry.”
She shook her head. “It’s OK. I don’t mind. That’s the most I’ve felt alive, since…”
He nodded before turning away. He didn’t know why, but he felt like he should hide from her now, but he knew that was ridiculous. “Maybe tomorrow we can do some research on what this could be. Like, why a seance would bring someone back like this.”
“That’s a good idea. After all, it is Salem, there are definitely plenty of experts around,” she said with a soft chuckle.
Is she embarrassed too? But why should she be?
A loud thump made him turn back.
“Teagan!”
She had collapsed on the floor, eyes closed and hair splayed out in a strange halo. Her whole body seemed to shimmer in and out of existence, going from her spectral blue, back to her normal colors.
“What’s happening?”
***
A sharp cold pierced my skin, making me open my eyes.
“Where am I?” My voice echoed like I was the only person left in a barren world.
Looking around, there were graves and the decayed remnants of trees. It was the graveyard where I died, but there was no sky and no ground. Where they should have been was nothing but an abysmal darkness.
As I walked around the familiar tombstones, they flickered in and out, glowing blue then disappearing. A crackling sound made me jump and turn. Behind me, a large gate with a swirling blue vortex loomed high above me.
“That wasn’t there before.”
Flashes of distorted memories swirled in my mind.
A dark place with other souls wandering, whispering voices, images in blue. A swirling gate.
I’ve been somewhere like this before, except… I approached the vortex and peered through. I couldn't see anything but I was certain. I was on the other side.
“This is an in between space for the dead,” a voice behind me echoed.
I turned. “Megan?” I smiled. “I’m so happy to see you!”
She smiled back. “Hey, Tea.” She looked down and I could tell something was bothering her. “The seance they did was crude at best, but effective. They brought our spirits back into their world.”
“I haven’t seen you. Why didn’t you appear in the cemetery?”
“You are more here than I am. Teagan, something is happening to you that is very rare, but you have a real chance here.”
I furrowed my brows, confused. “A chance for what?”
“To live.”
“Live? What are you talking about?” I took a shaky step forward.
“I don’t understand everything myself, but one of the men who did the seance is now bound to you. He is your connection to the living.”
“Ronin?”
Megan nodded. “If you can find who did this to us and stop them from hurting anyone else, then you can go back.”
“Back home?” The thought filled me with hope, but also a strange sense of dread. I had been gone a long time. How would I explain just suddenly showing up again? “But we’ve already tried looking for the killer. There’s no way for us to track him down. The police have no leads and I didn’t see his face.”
“I believe you can do it. If anyone can, Tea, it’s you.” She smiled again. “Just be careful, that man you’re with may not be the only one who has a connection with you.”
“You mean our killer might as well?” Ice water filled my already cold veins. What did she mean? What kind of connection?
“I have to go now, and so do you.”
Then she disappeared.
Chapter Five
When she collapsed, Ronin hadn't known what to do. In the end he managed to pick her up and move her over to the couch. She seemed to be sleeping, bringing new meaning to the phrase "I can sleep when I'm dead."
He ran his hand over her cheek again, she seemed even more real now than before, like she was somehow stabilizing. The blue was less than ever, which he assumed was why he was able to pick her up, but every time he walked away it seemed to return, spreading over her like a virus.
"What is going on with you? And why can't I help?" He brushed her hair away from her face and smiled. She was beautiful, but there w
as more to it than that. Like before when he saw her picture for the first time, he felt drawn to her, like all of this was exactly how it was supposed to be. As if he was always meant to find her. Bring her back. Help her. But right now, he just felt useless. What if she never woke up? What if she died all over again? Disappear?
That's stupid Ronin, get it together! If she's a ghost then she can't die again. But then... What happened to her? Where did she go? It was somewhat unsettling seeing her laying there, no breath coming from her lips. Her chest didn't rise and fall with that simple motion that everyone takes for granted. It reminded him of the fairy tales Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. A ‘death like sleep.’ They were wakened with a simple kiss, but he doubted that this would be that simple.
But who knows? I didn't believe that the seance would ever work, and yet here she is. He leaned down, coming close to her. He closed his eyes. This is stupid... he thought right before he pressed his lips to hers.
It was a strange sensation, she seemed cold yet warm at the same time, but he didn't mind. His lips tingled even as he pulled away.
He gasped. Her eyes were open.
"What was that for? What are you doing?" Teagan asked slowly, as if she really were just waking up from a sound dream.
"I... um..." Ronin stuttered, desperately trying to come up with something to say that didn't make him seem like some kind of crazed lunatic. Teagan just stared at him as she started to sit up.
Ronin jumped up and crossed the room quickly, back turned to her, his cheeks lit on fire and quickly spread down his neck. He ran his hand over the back of his neck, hoping she couldn't see. He didn't want her to know how embarrassed he was.
"I was just... you passed out and I didn't know what to do, I mean, it's not like I'm well versed in how to care for an ailing spirit or anything." He knew he was rambling but he couldn't stop himself. "And so, I put you on the couch so you could be more comfortable, which I guess is silly since you're dead and probably don't even get uncomfortable anymore. I'm sorry, that was insensitive," he said quickly, turning around and putting his hands in front of him in an apologetic nature. "What I meant was, I just wanted to help but didn't know how and then I thought of the fairy tales and the sleeping curses where the princesses look like they're dead but really aren't--"
A Cursed All Hallows' Eve Page 51