The Trouble with Ghosts
Here Witchy Witchy book 3
by A.L. Kessler
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Copyright © 2016 Amy Kessler
Editing: Jennifer Fleming, Wise Owl Word Polishing
Editing: Jasmyn Novachek, Hot Off the Shelves
Formatting and Cover art: Imagine Ink Designs
All rights reserved. No part of this book can be reproduced without written permission from the author.
To my husband,
who gave me the idea for the start of this book.
Thank you to everyone who made this book possible. To my beta readers and my editors who made sure that things flowed correctly and that the body count was correct. Thanks to the Starbucks on Academy and Hancock for being awesome and providing me with coffee while I work in my corner. Thanks to Morgan who won the contest to decide how Abby’s car was destroyed. And as always, thank you to my readers.
CHAPTER ONE
Severed thumbs dangled in the window of the old rotting house. I stood in front counting the graying appendages and wondered if they were matching pairs or if our culprit collected just one thumb from each victim as a trophy. The white thread wrapped tight around the base of the amputation site and strung up to the frame glinted in the early morning light. I spotted the thumb tacks that kept the thread in place, each one spaced perfectly apart from the next.
“What are you thinking, Abby?” Detective Mason’s rough voice pulled me away from the gross display.
He’d shaved his head in the last few weeks so there was only a light dusting of hair on top of his head. At some point, he’d decided to start growing a short beard too. His blue eyes watched me closely.
I wasn’t sure what answer he was expecting, nor was I aware of why he thought this was a supernatural crime. As a paranormal investigation agent, I only handled supernatural cases and Mason rarely made the mistake of calling me in on a human case.
“Why did you call us?”
“I didn’t call both of you, I called just you.” Mason motioned to a room off to the side of the kitchen. “Because of what’s in there.”
Nick, my partner, happened to still be on vacation when Mason called me. He’d be back in a couple days and I’d have no choice but to let him in on this case, but I appreciated working alone for a bit. I looked over the cracked tile of the floor and my gaze settled on the rotting wooden door. “Why hasn’t this place been condemned?”
“It is; the sign is down in the weeds.” Mason motioned to the door. “Go on in, I made sure the team didn’t touch it.”
I raised a brow and moved across the floor. I hadn’t felt anything magical when I walked into the house, but a shock went through me when my hand met the wood of the door.
Magic. Strong, powerful, could eat me alive magic. I glanced at Mason and he raised a brow. I pushed the door in and a chunk of wood fell from it at my feet. I raised my gaze from the black rotting chunk and found red runes covering the walls.
I clenched my jaw as I recognized the root language to them. I knew who had been here other than the crime teams and Mason.
“Was I right to call you?”
I nodded. “I haven’t seen or heard from the Cult of Ra since the Barn case.” It’d been about a year now. I clenched my fists as I looked over the runes, trying to decipher the spell. The last time I dealt with their magic a few things blew up, the barn included. “Nick would be helpful here, he’s studied the Cult more than I have.”
“But you know their runes.” Mason stated.
I didn’t look back at him. Each coven had their own runes for spells. My father had left me a guide to the Cult of Ra’s runes and Mason was right, I knew them. I studied them in my spare time to make sure I could read them in case they ever returned.
“I do, give me a few minutes and I’ll let you know what kind of spell this is.” I licked my lips and stepped further into the room. I froze, waiting.
Instead of evil pressing against me there was a strange comforting feeling that claimed my aura. I frowned. Normally magic that was foreign pressed against any witch or warlock who entered because it was a warning. The warmth confused me, especially because it came from the Cult.
On the other hand, I was glad it wasn’t going to cause something to explode. I looked around the room, my eyes drinking in every mark and symbol that they could, and I knew what this spell was for.
“It’s a protection spell, but it’s also a containment spell.” I brushed my hand against one of the marks. Electricity marched up my arm making the hairs stand up. “I can’t tell you what it’s containing though.”
“So do we just leave it here?” Mason stepped up next to me.
I shrugged. “Knowing how powerful the Cult is and seeing how much work they put into the spell, I’d say yes. Until Nick can get here to give me a second opinion.”
Mason mumbled something and I turned to him. “Did you guys have problems while I was gone?” I took a couple steps towards the door, but swore I felt something tug against my shirt. I glanced behind me and saw nothing. I shook my head and continued out.
“You’re never allowed to go on vacation again.” He motioned to the thumbs. “Want me to send those to the lab?”
“Please, see if we can’t identify who they came from. I was only gone for a weekend.” Though I knew he and Nick had to work a small case together while I was gone and it hadn’t gone great.
“Yeah, Nick struts around like a damn peacock while you’re gone. You’re much more level headed.”
Which said a lot, because I really wasn’t. I was learning to make less rash choices as I grew older, but I wouldn’t really consider myself level headed.
“How was your mini vacation?”
I couldn’t help the smile that crossed my face. “Hellish, nothing like I expected it to be. So yeah, maybe I shouldn’t go on vacations anymore.” The vacation he spoke of was my trip to a book festival with a friend that ended with a demon being summoned and a date with another PIB agent. At least the date had been pleasant.
He shook his head. “I’ll make sure my men leave the room alone until Nick gets a chance to look at it.”
I nodded. I knew I’d get a call when the lab was done processing the thumbs, and until then I needed to start my research on the house and see who, if anyone, might still have some connection to it. I walked out of the kitchen and onto the porch. The wood squeaked in protest under my feet as I climbed down the two steps that led me to solid ground. The warm morning sun danced over the dead grass and gave just the hint of spring around the corner.
This house was far enough out in the country that there weren’t many gawkers. The crime scene had been found by some kids playing some augmented reality game on the phone. Other than the couple of nearby families and some freelance photographers looking to make a quick buck, things were mild and quiet at the end of the dirt driveway.
My hand paused on the handle of my new car. I glanced around to see if anyone in the small crowd looked familiar. I wouldn’t know what the Cult members looked like, but that didn’t stop the paranoia in my head.
I opene
d the car door and held my breath. Nothing set off my magic. Nothing exploded. I blew out the breath and climbed into my car. There was nothing like starting out your birthday with severed thumbs.
I arrived back at the office of the Paranormal Investigation Bureau. The tall office building blocked out most of the rising sun and could be seen from the highway, yet it housed a small amount of agents. Some of the lower floors contained the labs, so evidence could be processed faster than if we had to send it out, but most of the offices remained empty. Boss Man remained on the top floor, and as far as I knew, that’s all that was up there.
I walked into the lobby and waved at the daytime receptionist. She barely glanced up, busy with some paperwork. Her hair fell over her shoulders in an unnatural way, making me wonder if it was a wig. She wasn’t as observant or attentive as our regular receptionists, but I cut her some slack. She was new and filling in while our day receptionist was on medical leave. I went to the elevator and called for the car. The silence of the building eased the nerves and paranoia I had built up on the drive over. The last time I had dealt with the Cult of Ra I’d almost died in a burning building and was a victim of a hex. My uncle had wanted me to kill the high priest of the Cult as payment for his help. A member of that same cult wanted me to kill the murderer I was after at the time. It was a complicated situation that I wasn’t sure I wanted to repeat.
I rode the elevator up to my office’s floor and got out. What I needed to decide was if I should tell my uncle that the Cult was back in town or if I could wait it out. Our monthly training to work on some of my skills had been stretched out to every other month and I didn’t want to see him more than I had to. Especially since he had betrayed me a few months back.
I swiped my key card and opened the door to my office. Nick’s desk was still blissfully empty, but there was someone sitting in my chair. I put my hands on my hips as Oliver stood. My uncle hadn’t changed much since I’d last seen him. He was still dressed in a business man’s finest, today it was a pin striped suit with polished black shoes. His brown hair was styled out of his eyes in a business fashion and his hazel gaze met mine. “Hello, Abigail.” He folded his hands in front of him. “I thought maybe we could go have coffee.”
Whatever he was here to discuss, he didn’t want to do it in the office. I shook my head. “I can’t right now. I have things to research.”
“Ah yes, the house Detective Mason called you to.” He smiled and I found it unnerving as hell. “Rumors say that it’s haunted.”
I rolled my eyes. “What are you doing here? How did you even get in?”
“Well, I was going to meet you at your house, but I saw you got a new security system.”
Glad to see my investment was paying off. I shrugged. “I’m tired of random visitors in my house.” I crossed my arms. “Your reason for visiting?”
“It’s your birthday, I wanted to celebrate with you.”
But I knew better. He’d just appeared in my life last year, not long after my twenty fourth birthday. Now suddenly he wanted to celebrate my twenty fifth with me? I shook my head. “I don’t celebrate much anymore and, again, I have a potential murderer on my hands.”
“Or just a body part collector.” He offered. “Could just be someone obsessed with thumbs.”
I licked my lips, debating on demanding where he got his information, but part of me knew he would just lie. “I won’t know until the lab gets back to me with the results. But either way, I’m not stepping away from work right now.”
“As you wish. Maybe later.” He strolled passed me but the stopped right at the door. “I copied your key pass last time you were at my house.”
I cursed and made a note to have the receptionist order me another one. “Have a good day, Oliver.”
“You too, Abigail, and happy birthday.” He walked out and the door closed with a little click. I took a deep breath and walked over to my desk. If he had gotten the information about the thumbs that meant he could know about the runes, but Mason would have been smart enough not to mention who left the runes.
I sat down at my desk and found a powder blue envelope sitting in front of my keyboard. My name was scrawled on it in black pen and guilt settled into my chest. Maybe he really was here just to spend some of my birthday with me. I opened the flap and pulled out the card.
A generic birthday cake covered the front of it and I opened it to find a gift card to our local coffee shop taped inside. Under it Oliver had written:
“Happy twenty fifth birthday to my paranoid niece.”
I gave a short laugh and set the card back on the desk. I should have taken another vacation for my birthday. No, I would have gone crazy doing nothing.
I unlocked my computer and scrolled through my e-mails. A few generic happy birthdays popped up, a bit of spam, but nothing really work related. I went to open my search system so I could search for the history on the thumbs house and a blue screen with white text appeared. I opened my mouth to yell at the computer for crashing and then shook my head. I grabbed my phone and dialed the number for the office’s help desk.
“Thanks for calling help desk, we’re currently experience a site wide crash so…” his voice trailed off.
I let out a sigh. “The entire site is down?”
“Yep. We’re trying to figure out what caused it and will have you back up and working soon.”
“Okay. Thank you.” I hung up the phone and swiveled in my chair for a moment. There was always the old fashioned way of finding information, but the library didn’t always have what I needed. Though Oliver had said the house was rumored to be haunted. Those rumors had to have started somewhere. I picked up my birthday card and put it in my bag. I could stop and get coffee on the way. It was a long time before sunset which meant that I wasn’t expected at Levi’s any time soon.
I walked into the library and looked around the quiet halls. My city had several libraries, but the one downtown had all the old reference books I would need. It was the only location that had the microfilm machines and the biggest archive of history documents. I looked around the hushed aisles filled with books. I hadn’t expected it to be busy and I’d been right. A few people dotted the area, and I passed only a handful more as I made my way over to the computer lab and signed in to use one of the computers. First stop would be modern day internet and then I’d check out the microfilm machines if I needed. Since I wasn’t searching for anything that was confidential, I couldn’t get in trouble for using a public system.
I sat down at a computer and opened the browser. Typing in the address, I found myself wondering how far back the rumors went to the house being haunted and mentally went down my list of people I knew who had that sixth sense of talking to spirits. My list was minimal and the one person I knew had moved away. My mind turned to the runes in the room and the containment spell. Was it containing some type of spirit? I was going to need to bring in an expert if that was the case. Of course, I was going to need someone who could undo the containment spell too. Which meant getting a hold of someone from the Cult.
And that put my life in danger. I let that soak in as I scrolled through the search results on the computer. A couple old listings of it for sale, before it became decrepit and rotted. I clicked on the one with the most recent date.
Price: $80,000
Description: Charming 3,000 sq. ft. home with personality, a bit of a fixer upper, but it just needs a little love. Four-acre lot in the country. Four bedrooms, two baths, and a beautiful view of the mountains.
Even for a fixer upper the price was cheap. The entry was dated back ten years and there was no other record for it. Nothing saying it had sold or been pulled off the market. I wrote down the realtor’s number and went back to my search, modifying my key words to search for news articles. Nothing modern turned up. There were a few rumored happenings, but none from reliable sources.
My phone rang and I cursed the device. I’d forgotten to put it on silent when I entered the library. A few heads t
urned my direction with narrowed eyes and I quickly hit the ignore button. I didn’t bother looking at who called, they could wait until I was done in the library.
My scroll through the search results produced nothing else and my stomach growled, reminding me that eating needed to happen at some point. I could go home for lunch or I could grab fast food and head back to the office. I didn’t want drive all the way back to the house, so fast food sounded like the better choice. I pushed away from the computer and signed out of the computer lab before heading out of the building.
Lunch time had descended on downtown. People in business clothes shuffled by, some staring at their phones, some eating as they walked, and others nursing coffee. I made my way back to my car and got in. There wasn’t much else I could do if the systems were down at work. I had the number and name of the realtor that I could call when I got back to the office, the thought reminded me that someone had called while I was in the library.
I pulled out my phone and looked at the missed call. Mason’s name flashed on the screen and I unlocked the phone to call him back. The phone kicked over to the hands-free system.
He answered on the first ring. “You missed my call.”
“I was in the library. What’s up?” I glanced around me to make sure no traffic was coming as I pulled out of my spot.
“Lab ran fingerprints already. We have ten different thumbs and ten different victims.”
I bit my lip. “Alive or dead?”
“Don’t know, nothing came back on them. They said that the thumbs aren’t recent though, they are showing signs of decay. Estimate is about ten years old.”
That was possibly a plus. “Nothing on the victims at all?”
“Not in our system. PIB hasn’t run them yet.”
Because the computer systems were down. “We’re having technical difficulties right now, which is why I was at the library. I didn’t find much public information on the house. I’ll have to try again when the systems are back up.” The only reason PIB would have something connected to the prints in the PIB database was if they were connected to the paranormal world, normally if they were part of the government. Like the vampire king, or an alpha werewolf.
The Trouble with Ghosts (Here Witchy Witchy Book 3) Page 1