Cemetery Tours

by Smith, Jacqueline

  This guy looked younger than Daniel, Michael guessed around twenty, with longish light brown hair and chubby features. He was wearing tight jeans and a green T-shirt. He looked up as Cannon and Michael entered the room. Michael quickly averted his eyes. He wasn’t about to acknowledge another ghost around these people, not after the fiasco with the Fords.

  He wasn’t sure what it was that had inspired him to run after them when Kate pointed out that they were getting ready to leave, why he hadn’t just torn Luke away from his adoring fans and reminded him why they’d come there. Maybe it had just been a reflex. Maybe it was because he knew Kate was there. Or maybe he wanted to do something, not just for Kate, but for himself. To prove he wasn’t some coward who needed his famous friend to bail him out of situations he’d rather avoid altogether.

  No matter what had driven him to speak with them, nothing could have prepared him for Mr. Ford’s violent reaction. In the years before he’d sworn off spiritual communication, he thought he’d seen it all, from tears of mirth to overwhelming displays of gratitude. But he’d never once been physically attacked or verbally assaulted. Even now that he’d been able to take a few deep breaths and think it through, he still didn’t understand what it was that had caused Mr. Ford to lash out at him like that.

  “Sorry this place is such a wreck. We’ve been having some technical difficulties over in our offices.” Cannon’s voice pulled Michael from his own mind and back into the tiny room. The older man stood in the corner of the room, unbuttoning the clasp on his long, white robe. “Last week, every bathroom in the whole building decided to flood, leaving us with a lot of damage and not a lot of space.”

  “Oh, it’s fine,” Michael replied, trying to distract himself from the ghost’s curious gaze. He picked up a Bible that had been left on the desk, flipped it open, and read the first verse that stood out to him.

  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

  “Well then,” Cannon addressed Michael casually after he hung his robe up in the dresser. “Let’s talk.” Michael swallowed nervously, only too aware of the ghost listening to their every word.

  “Can we maybe go outside? It’s pretty stuffy in here,” he said and prayed that the ghost wouldn’t follow them.

  “Sure.”

  Cannon led Michael through the hallway to a back exit and finally, outside to a small garden, full of ill-tended shrubs, flowers, and vegetables.

  “A Sunday School project. This hasn’t been our best year, partly due to the horrible drought we’ve been experiencing,” Cannon explained. “Now then. Tell me. What happened between you and the Fords?”

  “I was just... giving them a message,” Michael explained, sounding like he was somehow trying to prove his innocence while knowing full well that he could not.

  “A message from whom?” Cannon asked.

  “From Daniel.”

  “Daniel Ford is dead, son.”

  “I know.” Cannon’s eyes bore so deeply into him that Michael looked away.

  “Then surely you know that it is impossible for you to have had any sort of communication with him.” Michael didn’t respond. He recognized the pastor’s tone. It was the same one that teachers used in elementary school whenever they were about to lecture a kid for bad behavior. “That’s something I don’t understand about you young people today; that you have to go out of your way to hurt other people just to make yourselves feel superior. John and Deborah have suffered more than you can fathom and yet you seek them out at this holy place of worship, a place where they are supposed to feel loved and protected, and you come here intent on taking that peace away from them. Now tell me, what were you thinking?”

  “I was trying to do the right thing,” Michael mumbled.

  “I find that very hard to believe.” The pastor’s eyes were cold. “I don’t know what you were expecting to gain here, but you listen and you listen good. This is sacred ground. The members of this church are good, holy people of God, and I will not have troublemakers like you and your arrogant friends inflicting pain on any member of this congregation, especially a man who has lost his only son to sin and death. You need to abandon this path of evil and destruction and return to the Light of God. Until you do, you have no place in this church.” With that, Augustus Cannon walked away from Michael and back toward the building.

  “There’s a ghost in your office,” Michael announced to the pastor’s retreating back. The man stopped in his tracks. “He’s young. He’s got long brown hair. Sort of stocky.” Slowly, Cannon turned to look at him, his expression torn between shock, hatred, and pure terror. “Maybe you know him.”

  Cannon took a deep, trembling breath. “You get out of here,” he hissed through gritted teeth. “And don’t come back.”

  Michael was only too happy to oblige. After today, he didn’t want anything more to do with the small town church or its ghosts, and he was certainly through with trying to play the hero. The barrier between the realms of the living and the dead existed for a reason, and the ability to breach that barrier did not give him, or anyone else, the right to do so.

  Regardless, Michael felt a twinge of guilt when Kate took his hand, kissed him on the cheek, and whispered, “I’m so proud of you,” as they made their way through the parking lot and away from the weary souls of Calvary Hill.

  Chapter 20

  “Where have you been?” Gavin demanded as soon Kate walked through the door.

  “Church,” Kate answered. Of course, that wasn’t the entire truth. After church, she, Michael, and Luke had stopped for a quick lunch at a roadside barbecue joint which, at first glance, had struck Kate as “iffy,” but had turned out to be the best chopped beef sandwich she had ever tasted.

  There, Michael filled them in on his confrontation with John Ford as well as the lecture he’d received from Augustus Cannon. Although he didn’t say so, Kate could tell the morning had left him shaken and she hoped that he didn’t resent her or Luke for convincing him that they should go. As much as she wanted to believe that they had done the right thing, she couldn’t deny the remorse she felt over upsetting Mr. Ford, nor the nagging voice in the back of her mind that told her they’d made a mistake.

  Luke, who’d been in such a good mood earlier that morning, especially after meeting his fans, seemed equally disappointed by how their time at Calvary Hill had played out. Of course, being left alone with Chastity Cannon may have had something to do with that.

  Chastity Cannon was, to put it lightly, sort of a downer. Unlike the other girls in the congregation, Chastity hadn’t been impressed by Luke’s celebrity status. In fact, she had gone out of her way to try to make him feel as small and despicable as she could, to the point where Kate had felt like smacking her. Luke didn’t seem as bothered by it and he handled her harsh criticism with a lot more maturity and reason than Kate would have been able to muster, but he did look awfully relieved when Michael finally reappeared and announced that they could leave.

  Later, when Luke dropped them off at the apartment complex, he announced that he probably wouldn’t see them again before he headed back to L.A., but he promised to keep in touch. Watching him drive away, Kate wished that their adventure could have ended on a more positive note, but she knew that he would be back doing what he loved soon enough. Michael was the one who needed time to recover. After the assault by John Ford, she knew he wouldn’t be convinced to interfere with ghosts or their business for a long time. And maybe he had been right all along. Maybe it was for the best.

  Even if that meant she’d never find out who Trevor was, or what he wanted.

  “And you couldn’t be bothered to tell me you were leaving?” Gavin’s angry voice reminded Kate that while Michael might not hold her accountable for everything that had happened that morning, her brother wasn’t going to let her off the
hook that easily.

  “You saw me this morning. You knew I was going somewhere.” Kate tried to keep her tone calm and steady, but her nerves were running short.

  “I thought you were just getting home! I even asked you and since you didn’t respond, I assumed I was right!”

  “Well, you know what they say about making assumptions,” Kate remarked lightly.

  “Kate, you can’t keep doing this! You can’t just keep running off!”

  “I’m a grown woman. I can do whatever I want.”

  “Oh, that doesn’t sound childish at all,” Gavin snapped as Kate brushed past him into the living room. “Look, I know you’re still mad at me for yesterday, but we’ve got to be able to trust each other, and right now, you’re not doing a really good job of convincing me that I can.”

  “You know what, Gavin? I really don’t want to hear this from you right now. You’re the one who went behind my back. And don’t you dare lecture me about trust when you’ve been keeping secrets from me for months!”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “You know what it means,” Kate hissed.

  “No, I really don’t,” Gavin insisted. Kate looked him in the eye.

  “Trevor.”

  “What?” Gavin looked taken aback.

  “Trevor. Who is Trevor?”

  “How should I know?” Gavin tried to sound like he truly didn’t know why she was asking, but he was betrayed by a small tremor in his voice.

  “Because this guy is royally pissed at you. There’s no way you can make someone that angry without knowing who they are. So tell me.”

  “Why would you think he’s mad at me?”

  “Look at you, Gavin! Look at what he’s done to you!” Gavin took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Please, just tell me who he is. Maybe we can figure out what he wants from you.”

  “Kate, stop. There is no - ”

  “Gav, there’s nothing you can say. I know he’s here. Michael’s seen him.” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

  “What?” Gavin asked.

  “Michael... can see them. He can see ghosts. And he’s seen this guy. He’s tall and muscular with a buzzed haircut. And he’s angry with you, Gav. Please. Let me help you.” By now, every remaining ounce of color had drained from Gavin’s already pale complexion, and Kate was stunned to see tears shimmering in her brother’s eyes.

  “Kate... I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for everything that’s happened in the last six months. I’m sorry for everything that you’ve had to go through. But I can’t tell you.”

  “Why not?”

  When he finally answered her, his voice was barely audible. “Because I don’t want to hurt you anymore.” Kate was so stunned by his words and the raw guilt with which he spoke them that, for a moment, everything inside her mind short circuited. She couldn’t remember where she was or what they were arguing about. All she could think about was Gavin, her smart, protective older brother who had always been there for her, who would never let anything bad happen to her. The man standing before her with weary, guilt-ridden eyes wasn’t her brother. He was a stranger, one with a secret so terrible that he couldn’t even confide in his family, or look to them for help or advice.

  “Gav,” Kate whispered in a shaky voice. “What did you do?”

  But he didn’t answer. And before she could fully register what was happening, something ran toward them from across the room. The sound sent an icy wave of dread coursing through Kate’s body and she braced herself for impact.

  It never came.

  Instead, a burst of energy, akin to a cool electric shock, traveled through her like a gust of wind, leaving her breathless, but stable. Suddenly, there was nothing but stillness and a near-deafening silence. For a brief moment, Kate thought it was all over. Then the temperature in the room began to drop. The air grew tense and heavy. A lamp on the coffee table flickered once and died. Kate wanted to run, but she felt welded to the spot.

  “Kate...” Gavin whimpered.

  The next second, he was hurtling backwards through the air, knocked off his feet by a powerful and invisible force. And Kate could only watch in horror as her brother crashed into a wall of framed photographs and slumped to the floor, unconscious in a mess of shattered glass and pooling blood.

  ~*~

  This has got to stop.

  That was the only thing Michael could say, or even think, after he’d received a phone call from a hysterical Kate, telling him that Gavin had been attacked.

  After the disastrous events of earlier that morning, he hadn’t considered that the day could possibly get worse, but by now he should have figured that things never went as expected. Grabbing his keys off of the kitchen table, he dashed out the door and across the landing to Kate’s apartment.

  Inside, he found Kate leaning over Gavin, who was lying bloodied and semiconscious in a field of broken picture frames and shards of glass at the base of their living room wall. Although Kate was obscuring most of Gavin’s body, Michael could see smears of red on her hands and clothes. Trevor was nowhere to be seen.

  “Gav? Gavin, look at me,” Kate was saying over and over again. “Gav, please. Come on, stay with me.”

  “What happened?” Michael asked, kneeling down next to her.

  “We - we were having a fight. And I started asking him about Trevor. It was him. I felt him. I felt him run straight through me. And then, the next thing I know, Gav is flying across the room...” As she spoke, Michael noticed the blood seeping out from a wound behind Gavin’s ear, and an open gash down his right arm. “We’ve got to get him to the hospital.”

  “Do you want me to call an ambulance?”

  “No.” This time, it was Gavin who spoke.

  “Gav? Gav, what is it?” Kate asked.

  “No ambulance,” he murmured.

  “Okay. But you’re still going to the emergency room,” Kate told him. Gavin closed his eyes and took a deep breath, but he made no objection. “Gav, I need you to stay awake. Michael, will you watch him? I’m going to get our first aid kit.”

  “Sure.”

  After she disappeared into the bathroom, Gavin opened his eyes and looked at Michael. “Can you really see him?” he murmured.

  “What?” Michael asked.

  “Trevor.” Gavin looked like he was having a difficult time staying conscious, but he spoke clearly and rationally. “Kate told me you can see him.”

  Under any other circumstances, Michael would have felt compelled to deny it. Maybe it was because he knew something needed to be done, or maybe it was because for the first time, he was speaking with a victim who was still alive. Either way, he answered, “Yes, I can see him.”

  “Is he here now?”

  “No,” Michael replied, though he knew for certain that he’d be back. “Gavin, what does he want from you?”

  But before Gavin could answer, Kate sprinted back into the room carrying a white kit and a wet wash cloth. Carefully, she cleaned Gavin’s wounds and patched them up with gauze and a lot of medical tape.

  “I hope that will hold until we get to the hospital,” she said. “Do you think you can stand?”

  Together, Michael and Kate lifted Gavin to his feet, but he got so dizzy that he had to lean back against the wall to keep from passing out again. Once he was on his feet, they carefully helped him wrap his bandaged arms around their shoulders before they turned and directed him to the front door. Michael took one step before he stopped dead in his tracks and stared ahead.

  Their friend was back.

  He stood in the entry hall, a dark, looming shadow, watching with utter resentment as Kate and Michael assisted his limping victim.

  “Michael, what’s wrong?” Kate asked.

  “Nothing,” he lied. She knew it too. If all the crap Luke had spouted out about sensitivity was true, then she could sense the ghost in the room almost as easily as he could. She just couldn’t see him. “We just need to get Gavin out of here.” Kate drew
in a shaky breath and Michael knew she understood what he was trying to tell her.

  Down in the parking lot, Michael assisted Gavin as he climbed into Kate’s Land Rover. He wished more than anything that he could accompany them on the ride over to the hospital, but something inside forbade him from leaving. He wanted to deny it was his conscience, but he couldn’t come up with any other reason for the cold knot gnawing away at his stomach. Knowing what he had to do, Michael took Kate by the hand and asked, “Do you think you can handle getting him into the emergency room by yourself?”

  “I think so. Why?”

  “There’s something I need to take care of. But I’ll meet you there,” he promised.

  Michael stayed behind in the parking lot and watched them drive away. Then, summoning up every ounce of courage he had, he climbed back up the stairs, walked across the landing, and began pounding on Kate and Gavin’s door.

  “Trevor!” he called, sounding a lot braver than he felt. “Trevor, I know you’re in there.”

  He appeared on the landing almost instantly, glaring at Michael with visible disdain. However, Michael could swear he also detected the slightest hint of curiosity. It was for that reason alone that Michael was able to stand his ground.

  “What?” Trevor growled. His voice was low and gravelly. It fit his rough, intimidating exterior perfectly.

  “What did he do?” Michael demanded. For the first time, Trevor’s expression faded from one of intense hatred to one of genuine and outright shock. As a result, Michael felt oddly empowered. Now, instead of feeling afraid of the ghost standing before him, he felt angry and annoyed for everything he had put Kate through in the last four months. When Trevor failed to answer him, he asked again, “What did Gavin Avery do to you to deserve this?”

  “You - you can really see me?” Trevor asked.

  “Yeah,” Michael answered shortly.

  “Have you always been able to - ”