The Trouble with Ghosts (Here Witchy Witchy Book 3)

by A. L. Kessler

  I clicked on the business website. I’d expected to find an out of date website plagued with old graphics and bad coding, but that’s not what came up.

  Brown and cream colors greeted me, with a fast loading page. The company’s name was spelled out in an actual calico pattern on top with a cat reading a book sitting at the end of it. A caption below the name read ‘providing quality social research for twenty years’ with seven locations listed.

  One was just down the road from the mall with bold letters next to the address declaring it as new and accepting research subjects. I clicked on the information and Jerry showed up next to Ira in a row of pictures labeled staff. “I’ll be damned. He managed to lie through my truth spell.” Of course, maybe it wasn’t a lie, maybe he didn’t know the real name of the vampire. All he knew was the alias.

  “Find something interesting?” Melody peeked over her computer. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

  I turned the screen around. “That’s our vampire with one of my witnesses. On a brand new shiny webpage for a business I thought closed ten years ago.”

  “I know him. He’s a shifter.” Her eyes widened a little. “Bit of a loner, but he likes to hunt as a wolf.”

  “Bear with me, because other than how to subdue or kill a shifter and a werewolf, I’m still learning. Would a werewolf be able to tell if there is a shifter among them?”

  “They might smell a difference, but probably not. I’ve never tried. Lycanthropes tend to be a bit more…unpredictable than shifters. We retain more of our human minds while in animal form. Why?”

  “Well, five out of fifteen of our corpses were werewolves.”

  “Have you contacted the local pack yet?”

  I shook my head. “Tomorrow, after the full moon, I’ll call the pack leader, but I don’t want to disturb him tonight when he’s about to run with his pack.”

  “Wise call. It’s possible that Jerry managed to work his way into the pack to lead some of them astray. I have a hard time imagining wolves volunteering for research.”

  “Same with witches.” I muttered and started clicking through the website. “I think I need to check out Calico research.”

  Melody clicked a few keys. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll have some more information on the other case.”

  I started gathering up my papers while she did what she needed to do.

  “Got it. Okay, ten years ago, it was the second case I was on. Ten missing, ransom note reported to PIB claiming that there was a supernatural creature taking humans hostage.” She turned the screen around. “There was only one ransom note and nothing else came of it. There weren’t any missing person reports that were turned in around the same time. The note wasn’t delivered to the families, it was delivered to PIB.”

  I glanced through the report. “Says that the ransom note was delivered via mail carrier and demanded that PIB remove their location from this territory.” I blinked a few times. “That they didn’t belong there and humans would continue to go missing if they didn’t listen.”

  She nodded. “But again, nothing came of it. PIB wasn’t going to move the office. My partner and I hit a dead end that was never resolved so it went into a cold case.”

  “Until now.” I scrolled through the report. “Some thought it was the vampire ruler of the territory.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, until we realized that Levi was handling a new teenage witch.” She pegged me with a twinkling look. “He had his hands full.”

  No kidding, I wasn’t a great teenager and I was a super awkward witch. “This case never hit the media, did it?”

  “No, we tried to keep it hush hush. We didn’t want to cause a massive scare. Levi had a feeling it might have been the local pack, but they were cleared too.”

  That was odd, Levi always stressed trying to keep peace with the local pack. “I don’t know who was pack master then.”

  “Another thing to ask the new pack master.” She made a note on the back of a piece of paper. “I’ll call the records building and have them pull the evidence box for me. We can go through it there, after we go to Calico research.”

  I didn’t know if I wanted to take her there and it weirded me out that she suddenly stepped into partner aspect when Nick could still be very much alive. “I can handle Calico, why don’t you go through the evidence and we can compare notes later?”

  “We’re in this together, Abby. Don’t worry, when Nick returns I’ll back off on everything but the thumbs case. Right now, though, your plate is too full to handle yourself.” She closed her computer and grabbed her phone.

  I couldn’t figure out what to say. I wasn’t used to people telling me when my plate was too full, but maybe she was right. There were twenty-five bodies that were waiting for answers. Possibly three cases, counting the blood-starved vampires. I was used to having Nick there to work through things and back me up the last year.

  She called the records building and read off the case number, mumbling a few things before hanging up. “They’ll have it for us in a couple hours.”

  “Perfect. Let’s go pick up lunch and head over to Calico.”

  She nodded and we packed up all of our stuff. I gave a little wave to the barista as we walked out.

  Calico Research was nestled in a rundown shopping center in the south part of town. The front door and windows had iron bars over them. A small white sign on the front read ‘receptionist has no cash’ which made me wonder how many times they had been robbed.

  I pulled the door open, Agent Grace walked in first and I followed. A little bell dinged in the doorway when the door closed behind us.

  “Welcome to Calico Research.” A southern voice called from the back. “I’ll be out in just a moment.”

  Most of the front room was taken up by a counter with two chairs sitting in front. Behind the counter, a doorway with plastic strips dangling down blocked the view of anything beyond. The strips rustled and Jerry walked through, back first. He turned around carrying a cooler by the handles. His gaze met mine, flickered to Agent Grace and then back to me. All color drained from his face.

  “Shit.”

  That was an accurate word to describe the situation. He set the cooler down behind the counter. “What can I help you two agents with? Melody, you’re looking well.”

  “Shut it Jerry.” she snapped and I wondered just how she knew him.

  “When digging into the case some more, imagine my surprise when I discovered that the research center that was supposed to have closed ten years ago just opened up a new location here. And the two staff members were you and Johnny Smiths.” I used the alias on purpose to see if there was recognition.

  He jerked like I’d hit him. “It’s not a crime to have a business with a vampire.”

  “You’re right, but helping him out with experiments on humans and supernatural creatures that end in death is. Not to mention helping him cover it up.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He crouched and Agent Grace jumped over the counter, tackling him.

  “You’re not going to shift your way out of this.” She slapped cuffs on him as she pinned him to the floor. “You’re under arrest…” She continued to read him his rights and I called dispatch.

  “Hey, this is Agent Abigail Collins, I need a car to transport a suspect.”

  Dispatch made some joke about me not having my own car while they put the order in, but I couldn’t find the energy to correct him on what happened to my car. “Just get me a squad car.” I muttered and hung up.

  Agent Grace stood and pulled Jerry up from the floor. I walked behind the counter and looked at the cooler. “That’s a pretty big cooler for lunch.”

  “Everything we do here is legal.” He snarled. “We have release forms signed by all participants.”

  I flipped opened the cooler. The room spun as I counted over fifty packets of blood. “Holy shit, what the fuck are you doing with that much blood?” I closed the cooler and gave Jerry wide eyes.r />
  “We’re doing research on it.” He shrugged. “That’s all I can tell you because of client confidentiality laws.”

  I glanced at Grace. “You have him handled? I want to take a look in back.”

  “You can’t do that without a warrant.” He snapped at me.

  She nodded. “I’ve got him handled. Don’t worry about it. Squad car on its way?”

  “Yep.” I stepped around them and pushed the plastic aside. I didn’t know what I was expecting to find. Blood maybe? Torture room? More bodies? What greeted me was white halls, so clean they reflected the horrible lighting. Heavy wood doors led to rooms on either side of the hallway. I saw a only one sign and it was for a restroom. I took a deep breath and drew my gun before opening the first door. I nudged my way into the room. I aimed and swept the room with my gun. A chair with an IV stand next to it took up most of the room. Metal cabinets shone in the light. It all looked very sanitary. I flipped each cupboard open to find medical supplies in each.

  I left that room and went to the next, but something down the hall made a noise. A shuffle, a rub of fabric or something. I ran down the hall as silently as I could in my boots, making my steps soft. I put my ear up to the last door and heard groaning and more rustling. I tried the handle and let out a small sigh of relief as the handle gave. I pushed the door open. Firearm ready, finger on the trigger. My heart pounded and sweat beaded on my forehead as the door opened.

  A red light barely lit the room, but the figure standing over a person could be seen even in the dim lighting. Rows of flat beds with people strapped to them lined the bigger room. The figure looked up at me with blood dripping from his mouth. I shot twice into his chest but he disappeared and my bullets bit into the wall opposite me. I waited a moment to see if he’d reappear. Nothing happened. I took a step forward. Weight took me from behind. My face hit the cold tile floor as a massive palm held my face down.

  I slammed my elbow back and hit solid muscle.

  “You were warned to stay away, Abigail Collins.” The male voice hissed right next to my ear. “You just couldn’t let a vampire take the case.”

  I didn’t have any blades on me and I couldn’t shoot him at this angle, even though I still had my gun. “You obviously don’t know me that well. I don’t give up my cases.”

  His fangs scraped over my neck. A shiver shot down my body and my muscles tensed under him. Grace had to have heard the shots. I could scream, but with the heavy doors, I didn’t know if she’d hear me.

  “I’d love to strap you to a table and mix your blood. See what I could create with you.” His tongue traced the same vein his teeth had.

  Like hell I was going to become one of his experiments. A noise sounded outside the door and the pressure on me eased up just a bit as if he was distracted. I pushed up, slamming my head back into his head. The smack of my skull meeting his nose echoed through the room and the door burst open.

  Grace came in followed by two officers. With the help of the officers, she got him pinned to the wall and cuffed with silver to keep him from poofing anywhere. I had a moment of wondering why he didn’t leave when he had the chance. He had to have heard them coming.

  “I heard the shots, but I couldn’t leave Jerry alone out there.” She raised a brow. “Leave it to you to stumble upon a vampire in daylight.”

  I rubbed the back of my head. “My day just keeps getting worse.” I pulled out my phone and called for a containment team, ambulances, and a biohazard team. Dispatch was probably getting tired of hearing my voice.

  I put my phone back and Grace put a hand on my shoulder. “Still up for the records?”

  “A quick run. I want to be there to question Jerry again.” I closed my eyes and rolled my neck. “I swear, vampires come with harder skulls than anyone else.”

  “Heading butting him was your best option?” She chuckled. “Not your gun, not a knife, but your head?”

  “I was pinned to the floor. I took two shots and he avoided them.” I opened my eyes and looked over the victims in the room. Neither of us were medical, so we couldn’t touch them without fear of causing further harm or damage. I glanced at the vampire and realize he didn’t match the picture. I cursed.

  “Who are you?”

  He just looked up at me and laughed. “Abigail Collins, you were expecting the one who made me no doubt. My maker isn’t stupid enough to be in a human facility.” He smiled and showed his still blood stained fangs. “He’s much stronger than me. Had it been him, you’d be dead or under his care.”

  I didn’t like how that sounded. “What is going on here?”

  “I can’t tell you that. You don’t deserve the answers.” He was just another pawn, a scapegoat was my theory, which was why he didn’t disappear. Or maybe he didn’t have a safe place to go.

  Grace jerked him out of the room. I assumed the containment team had gotten there. I had an idea of what was going on now. His words and threats had given me more than enough to figure out what was happening.

  The medical team flooded the room, shouting orders to each other. I slipped out of the room and took a deep breath. Two people in custody, but one person missing. More victims, and nothing yet on either of the other cases, but we were making some sort of progress.

  My phone dinged and I pulled it out of my pocket. The text message was from the automated PIB system. “Debriefing scheduled for three PM, all personnel, north PIB location.”

  The north PIB location wasn’t used often, as far as I knew it was mostly storage with a few agents that needed to work further up north instead of downtown.

  Grace found me in the hall. “You get it too?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, looks like records is going to have to hold on.”

  “We have time to swing by and pick the box up. We can go over it at the other location.”

  “They’ll let you take a box of evidence?”

  She smiled. “They’ll let me do a lot of things with my clearance.”

  “Fair enough. Let’s go and get this over with.” I walked down the hall, avoiding the personnel that darted through the rooms. I didn’t want to know what else they would find; I could already imagine the horrors that waited in the rooms.

  “What do you think is going on here?” Grace asked, motioning to the building as we climbed into the Hummer.

  “I have a theory that they’re mixing supernatural blood with human and other sorts. We’re waiting on results from the lab to see what sort of blood they are mixing.”

  She leaned back in the seat. “Interesting.”

  “Isn’t it? I can’t wait to hear what Levi has to say about this.” I started the engine. “And now we have a vampire to question.”

  “I don’t think he’ll give you answers. I feel like he’ll probably hide everything from you like his maker wishes.”

  I shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I’m not going to try.”

  “Truth spell?”

  I shook my head. “Magic doesn’t work as well on vampires when it comes to spells like that. Their willpower is too strong. But I might bring Levi in to consult. If I can talk Mason into it.” And hopefully Levi would have the foresight to leave Mario home and out of all of this. I didn’t want to deal with him.

  “I think after what we found, Mason would be willing.”

  I headed towards the records department so we could pick up the box of evidence. “We’ll have to exchange notes tomorrow after I’m done working the spell with Merick tonight.”

  “I’ll do what research I can tonight then. I won’t be any good at the scene when it comes to magic. That’s your department, so I’ll let you have at it.” She looked out the window and I wondered where her mind went when she zoned out. I didn’t interrupt because sometimes we need those few minutes of silence to reset ourselves. I wasn’t going to take that from her.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Cars dotted the pristine parking lot in front of the North PIB building. Bright, freshly painted lines stood out against the asphalt, new enoug
h that it wasn’t faded by the sun or worn yet. Stepping out onto it I could feel the heat coming up from the dark surface, reminding me a bit of what hell might feel like.

  “I didn’t realize there was a second location in this state.” Agent Grace slammed the door.

  “It’s not used often.” I started towards the building where other agents moseyed towards the doors. We all looked about the same, dressed in black, guns at our hips, badges visible and a solemn expression on our faces. We all knew that we had lost people today in what seemed to be an attack. Now we’d learn the total count and hopefully what caused it.

  The black sea of agents moved down the hallway and into a conference room. Long tables crossed the room with seats behind them. One by one we filed to chairs and sat down, much like a herd of sheep. Agent Grace sat next to me and we both just looked ahead in silence. It seemed the same for everyone; maybe we were all too scared to speak about what happened.

  The lights dimmed as the room finished filling up. A projector on the ceiling flickered to life, showing a black and yellow square on the board in front of the room. I folded my hands on the table in front of us, trying to be patient. Boss Man walked in front of the crowd and I felt some relief, at least he hadn’t been killed.

  “As most of you know, today there was an attack on the downtown PIB office.” He walked out of the light of the projector and an image of the burning building filled the screen. “We can now say that this was the work of a magical spell placed in the elevator.”

  Magic. Well, shit. I remembered how the elevator had taken an abnormally long time to come up.

  “We’re looking into tracing the magic and the runes used to see if we can locate, at the very least, the coven responsible.”

  My heart pounded against my chest. Why would a witch or warlock target PIB? We were all supposed to be allies. Unless they were hired by someone.

  “We lost six of our own, five from the explosion, one from complications from injuries. All considering, we were lucky. The media will not be releasing the names of the deceased at our request. Here are those we lost: Nick Avarin…”