The Ghost Files 4: Part 2

by Apryl Baker

  “Of course.” Lila stands, her perfectly coifed hair falling down. None of them has left the hospital since Mattie was admitted. “Don’t argue with me, Ezekiel. You just said if you didn’t get some work done, the whole place was going to collapse around you. If she wakes, I will call you.”

  “Thank you, Mama.” Zeke turns his attention back to me. “Dan, maybe you should get some sleep before you come back. You don’t look well.”

  I shake my head even before he’s finished talking. “No. I just need a shower. I’ll be back.” Before he can argue, I turn around and start walking. There are a few things I need to do now that I know she’s okay. I send my dad a text to come pick me up, and I walk outside to wait. No one will let me drive. I’m perfectly fine. Aside from some severely massive headaches.

  The next call I make is to James Malone. Time is running out to find Kayla Rawlins—probably already has run out, truthfully. I need the case files, and hopefully James won’t hassle me about it. As freaked as I am about this new ability of mine, Mattie’s right about one thing. I’ll never forgive myself if I could have helped the girl and didn’t.

  “Malone.”

  The voice is brisk, abrupt, and more than a little impatient. He must be having as bad a day as I am.

  “Hey, James…it’s Dan.”

  “Dan?” My biological father’s voice goes from irritated to a hesitant pleased. “How’s Mattie?”

  “Eli hasn’t told you?”

  “Told me what? Is she okay?”

  Curious he didn’t tell his father his girlfriend is a demon, but then again, they destroy demons, so maybe not telling him was the best idea. “She’s fine.”

  “Ah, good.” He pauses and mumbles something to someone else in the room before returning to the conversation. “What can I do for you, Dan?”

  “I was hoping you could get me copies of all the case files on the missing kids. Eli said you’d taken over the investigation.”

  “Are you sure you’re up for that, Dan? You’re still recovering from your attack and…”

  “I need to work, James. With everything going on, I need to work. I know I took a leave of absence from the force, but I can still work on this. These kids are coming to Mattie. Her dad thinks they’re overloading her brain and it’s what’s causing her seizures. If we don’t figure this out, it’s going to kill her. She can’t take much more.”

  “I didn’t know.”

  “It started the night Meg was shot, and the last attack was at her funeral. This one almost did kill her. I need to do something besides sit and wait for the next ghost to appear that I may or may not be able to see.”

  “Okay. We can use another set of eyes anyway. Grady says you’re good. Very good.”

  Grady thinks I’m good? I respect him more than any other cop I’ve met. To know he thinks I’m a good cop means a lot.

  “Can you swing by the station? I’ll have copies made for you.”

  “My dad’s picking me up so I can go home and take a shower and get some clean clothes, then I’m heading back to the hospital. Could Caleb bring them over to the hospital? I need to talk to him anyway.”

  I’m hoping he might know a way to help me focus this new ability I have. If I can do that, I stand a good chance of picking up some clues on these missing kids. Right now, when I can get an impression from an object, it’s mostly a bunch of jumbled images that make no sense.

  “I’m sure that won’t be a problem.” He pauses again, speaking to someone before coming back. “I wanted to say I was sorry I wasn’t at the house when you came over. This case…”

  “I know. Time’s running out. Truthfully, the kid’s probably already dead and they just need to dump the body, but if we can stop this from happening to another kid, we have to try.”

  “You sound like me.” He laughs softly. “Caleb and Eli both hate it when I talk like that. They want to find Kayla alive, but he’s had her for almost a week. It is more likely than not she’s already dead.”

  “It would be great to find her alive, but it’s not practical at this point. Given what we know about the past victims and our perp’s timeline, it doesn’t look good for the little girl. I’ll admit that, but I guess I still want to hope she’s alive as much as the boys do.”

  “As do we all.” James sounds tired when he says that. It can’t be easy on him, trying to find a kid who’s about the same age as Benny, his youngest son.

  A horn blares, and I look up to see my dad waving at me from the driver’s side of his car.

  “Dad’s here, James. I gotta go. Thanks for letting me see the files.” I hang up before he can say anything. It’s rude, I know, but I don’t want Dad knowing I’m talking to him. Even though Dad says it doesn’t bother him, I think it does. It’s just this look he gets. I can’t really describe it, but it hurts me to see it on his face.

  “Hey, Dad! Thanks for coming to get me.” I get in and buckle my seatbelt.

  “How’s our girl?” He pulls out into traffic and settles back for the short ride to our neighborhood. “I’m assuming she’s awake since you pried yourself away from her bedside?”

  “She is. Her grandmother’s sitting with her so I could take a much-needed shower and get a bite to eat. I stink, which she pointed out right before she fell asleep.”

  Dad laughs. Mattie always amuses him. She’s like the daughter he never had.

  “How is she, really, though?” His laughter dies as he gets serious. “I know I spoke with her father yesterday and they were concerned.”

  “They still don’t know what’s causing the seizures. Every time she has one, she gets weaker and weaker. If they can’t figure it out soon…” I let my voice trail off. No need to state the obvious.

  “After surviving everything she’s been through, it wouldn’t be right to for her to die like this.”

  “We’re not telling her how bad it really is,” I say and turn the heat up. I’m freezing. I can’t seem to get warm these days. “If she knew, it would just freak her out more.”

  “Dan, it’s over a hundred outside, and you’re turning on the heat?”

  I shrug. “I’m cold.”

  Dad gives me a look, but then launches into a discussion on football. He’s already gearing up for his fantasy football team. He and I argued heavily about who should be on our starting lineups. Even my brother, Cam, has gotten into a few heated debates with Dad over his picks. He always seems to pick the craziest team, but manages to win almost every single time. Insanity.

  When we arrive at the house, I sit there a minute. I haven’t set foot in the house since before Silas almost killed me. It’s sobering to think I might never have stepped foot back inside it again, or hugged my mom, or played video games with Cam and my nephew when they come over for Sunday dinners. I almost died. Because of Silas.

  Who happens to be Mattie’s grandfather.

  I wince as a sharp bolt of pain lances the area right behind my eyes. I’ve been getting a lot of headaches and nosebleeds since the night Meg died. The doctors have run several CTs, but they’ve all been clear. Even while Mattie was out, I had them run another one, but it came up clean. They keep assuring me it’s normal after a brain injury to have headaches, and that nosebleeds are common in anyone who’s been on oxygen for prolonged periods of time, but something is wrong. I just don’t know what.

  “You coming?”

  I look up to see Dad standing beside the passenger door. Gritting my teeth at the pain, I get out and follow him up the porch steps and into the house.

  “Earl, is that you?”

  My mother, Ann Richards, looks up from the kitchen island where she’s sorting through recipes. Her blonde hair is pulled back into a ponytail, and she’s got on sweats and one of Dad’s old t-shirts. She looks like she’s about to tackle her weekly cleaning of the house. It’s the only time you’ll find her not immaculately dressed. She could even give Lila Crane a run for her money when it comes to best dressed.

  Except today. In her clean
ing clothes.

  “Dan!” She smiles and almost trips over her feet to get to me. I let her hug me for a minute then disentangle her. I’m still trying to come to terms with the fact she murdered my birth mother. Dad hasn’t gotten over it yet either. I’m lucky they haven’t killed each other since I haven’t been home.

  “You stink.” Her nose wrinkles.

  “That’s what Mattie said.” I shake my head. Leave it to girls to point out the obvious. Dad had refrained from remarking on my apparent odor.

  Her expression sours at the mention of Mattie. She hates her, blames Mattie for everything. Only none of it is Mattie’s fault. She didn’t murder anyone. Ann did all that. Secrets have a way of coming out. What she did would have been discovered eventually, with or without Mattie’s interference.

  “You good to take me back to the hospital after I grab a shower, Dad?”

  “Yeah. Do you think her father will mind me going up and checking in on her?”

  “Nah. Zeke’s cool.”

  “Cool?” My mom’s expression morphs into something akin to rage. “He’s a vicious monster, and you think he’s cool? You have no idea what he’s done…”

  “What I know is that he’d do anything to protect his child. I think you, of all people, would understand that, Mom.” I don’t give her time to respond, but head upstairs to my room. I’d moved out when I started college, but Mom always kept my room intact in case I needed a place to crash. I grab a pair of clean jeans, a t-shirt, and underwear before ducking into the shower.

  Once I’m clean, I go back to my room and collect a couple notepads and some pens, as well as my laptop. I hope Dad won’t mind swinging by my apartment so I can grab a couple of my dry erase boards to set up in Mattie’s room. If she can’t leave the hospital, I’ll bring the investigation to her. Sometimes she sees things I don’t, and I hope it’ll take her mind off everything.

  I feel so bad for her. Finding out she’s part demon and that Silas is her grandfather on the heels of surviving an obsessive psychopath? She’s had a bad break the last few weeks.

  Helping me with the investigation is just the thing she needs.

  Downstairs, I find my mom buried in the fridge and a sandwich waiting on the island.

  “Mom, is that for me?”

  She jumps a little at the sound of my voice. “Who else would it be for?” When she straightens and closes the door, she turns with a bottle of cold water in hand. “Here. You’ll need this.”

  “Thanks.” I sit and dig in. My stomach rumbles appreciatively. It’s been a while since I’ve eaten. I think Zeke made me eat something yesterday, but I honestly can’t remember.

  “Dan, I’m worried about you. You don’t look well.”

  I know that, but not a lot I can do about it.

  “I’m fine, Mom.”

  “No, you’re not fine, Daniel Aaron Richards.”

  I wince at the use of my full name and her mom voice. Never bodes well.

  “You suffered a major brain injury then checked yourself out of the hospital. There is no way you’re fine. Your father tells me you’re having headaches and nosebleeds on top of that.”

  “I had a head CT. It was clear. Really, Mom, I’m all good. Don’t worry so much.”

  A heavy sigh leaves her. “I’m your mother, Dan. It’s my job to worry about you. Which is why I’m concerned that you’re spending so much time with Ezekiel Crane.”

  “Mom, I’m not getting into this with you.” I put the sandwich down, appetite gone. “Mattie is a part of my life, and since he’s her father, he’s part of my life too. I know he’s a bad guy, I do. I’m a police officer. I researched him. He’s still her dad, though, and he loves her.”

  “There are things the internet won’t tell you, Daniel. Things that would cause you to run screaming…”

  “Things like kidnapping a pregnant woman, holding her hostage until she gives birth, and then savagely murdering her?”

  I regret the words the second they leave my lips. Her face goes white and she clutches her throat with one hand. I know how badly I’ve hurt her, but she needs to understand that as bad as Zeke is, she’s done some pretty awful things too.

  “Dan, what I did, I did to save you. Those people, they are evil.”

  “Why are they evil, Mom? They don’t seem evil to me.”

  “That’s because you don’t understand who they are, what they can do…”

  “I know who they are, what they can do,” I interrupt her. “I know it because I can do the same things they can. Does that make me evil too?”

  Her white face turns ashen. “I thought if I took you, raised you away from all that, it would be different, you’d be safe.”

  “Enough!”

  We both flinch at the roar of Dad’s voice. He stalks over to us, wagging his finger. “I am sick and tired of hearing about how evil the Malones are, Ann. I’ve met them all. They are not evil. They are nice people who are dealing with this situation with grace and understanding. Dan is not evil because he’s James Malone’s son. I don’t know and I don’t care what imagined evil you think they are guilty of, enough is enough. I will not have my son think he’s some kind of leper because of your insanity.”

  “I’m not insane.”

  “Then you explain to me what caused you to murder an innocent woman.” The pain in his voice is enough to make me ache for him. He loves my mom so much, but he’s having a hard time accepting and forgiving what she did. I didn’t realize how hard until just now.

  And no matter what she says, he’ll think she’s insane. I know she’s not, at least when it comes to the world of the supernatural. Dad has no idea. He’s still living in the fairytale world of the normal humans who think ghosts are just scary stories you tell kids around a campfire.

  “Dad, she’s not crazy.”

  “Dan, I know you want to protect your mother, but enough is enough.”

  “No, Dad, she’s not insane. Ask around about the unit James Malone works for. Then ask yourself how insane she is.”

  He frowns, clearly wanting to argue the point, but I simply don’t have the energy for a fight. I don’t want him accusing Mom of being insane either. At least if he starts poking around asking about the spook squad of the FBI, he might start to understand all is not as it seems.

  “I need to get back, Dad. Are you ready?”

  He nods, and I don’t give him time to change his mind. I stand up and go hug my mom. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I love you, Mom.”

  “I love you too.” The gratitude in her eyes makes my guilt all the worse. I shouldn’t have brought up what she did to make her shut up about Zeke. Warranted or not, it had hurt her, and I won’t do it again.

  Once we’re in the car, I lean back, exhausted. Who knew coming home for a quick shower would turn into an emotional ordeal? I should have guessed it, though, given Mom’s feelings on the Cranes.

  Instead of focusing on that, I pull out my phone and start going over the notes I’d jotted down about the missing kids. One list includes abduction and dump sites. The third child had been found in the park two blocks down. The forensic tech Mattie and I talked to said they hadn’t looked for the black goo that smelled like sulphur and had been found on Kayla’s bear at any of the other sites. No one knew to look for it until that point.

  An idea forms and I look over to my dad.

  “Hey, Dad, you up for a side trip?”

  Chapter Eight

  Freedom Park has always been one of my favorite places. Even after I got too old to play, I still went there just to think. It was only two blocks from my house, and I frequently used the batting cages to work out frustration. As we pulled in, I did notice there weren’t that many cars here. Nothing like finding the body of a child to deter parents and teens alike. This wasn’t New York City. We weren’t used to dead bodies turning up in our parks.

  “What are we looking for, son?”

  I glance over to my dad. His eyes are scanning the park, alert, but curious with
just a hint of excitement. Earl Richards is a detective at heart, whether he’ll admit it or not. My brother, Cameron, became an attorney just like my dad and my grandfather, but I went to the police academy. Mom flipped out, saying it was too dangerous, but Dad? He had the biggest grin on his face. I think I fulfilled a secret fantasy of his. He’s a closet cop.

  “We found a black substance on Kayla’s bear. When I asked forensics about it, they didn’t know what it was and admitted they hadn’t looked for the black goo at the other sites. I just want to check to see if it’s here.”

  “Black goo?”

  “Best description I have, Dad. It smells like sulphur.” I get out of the car and start walking. They’d found the body of Carl Dowling about fifty feet from the third baseball field.

  “Do they have any leads on who’s taking these kids?” Dad hurries to keep up with me, and I slow down, remembering he’s not as young as he used to be. Sure, he’s only fifty-two, but he does have high blood pressure, and Mom’s always nagging him to slow down.

  It’s not long before we come upon the area that’s still roped off with police tape. James Malone had requested it remain sealed until his own team could comb through it. I know for a fact that request upset quite a few at CMPD, including the forensics team. It rubbed them the wrong way when the FBI came barreling in and insinuated the cops didn’t know what they were doing by going over all their work.

  “Are we allowed in there, Dan?” Dad gestures to the area. “It’s still taped off.”

  “I’m a CMPD officer, Dad. I’m allowed.” I duck under the tape and stand there, taking a moment to study the area. The ground is littered with footsteps. There always seems to be more people at a crime scene than necessary. It can screw up evidence. We all know it, and yet it still happens. There are very few who will order unnecessary uniforms behind the line. Had Sergeant Carver, head of our forensics department, been here, he’d have ordered them out. He’d been at the abduction site of the next victim while his guys handled the dump site of the last victim.

  I haven’t seen the crime scene photos, so I’m not exactly sure where the actual body was, so I start walking slowly, scanning everything. Broken leaves and twigs have blown over the area. We’d gotten a big wind storm recently. No rain, just wind. The weather guy called it weird. Best he could do. Granted, a massive windstorm in the middle of one hundred degree heat with no rain is weird. I wonder if it has anything to do with a soul-sucking demon.