"Oh, he's here, all right. He keeps fading in and out. I don't think—"
Alex went silent. He turned and peered behind him, at the front door. There was no noise, no movement. Leese watched her brother carefully. His eyes darted about, watching something unfold in front of him.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Here we go again." He turned to face her and held out his hand. "Do you want to see this?"
Leese hesitated. She wasn't sure. She had no idea that before the end of a supposedly standard walk-through, she'd end up seeing a ghost.
But she wanted to help, both Alex and the Boyds, however she could.
She took his hand.
An ear-piercing shout made her jump.
"You piece of shit! I'll fucking kill you!"
Her entire body tensed as she squeezed. Alex winced and wiggled his fingers.
"You want to ease up on the vice?"
"Sorry."
"It's okay. Maybe I should have waited for this part to pass."
Leese blinked as she saw a man rolling on the carpet. He fought and struggled with someone. His face wasn't visible, only his clothes. A pair of jeans, a tan shirt with a streak of blood.
He rolled through the legs of the coffee table.
She'd seen ghosts many times. But she would never completely get used to peering into their world, looking at something she wasn't meant to see.
As the man continued to wrestle, she realized no one else was there. The ghost was alone.
Leese leaned forward to look closer. Alex held her back.
"No," he said. "Don't get too close."
"What's going on?" she asked.
The man stood up, and pushed away his invisible attacker. There was a cut under this right eye, and blood dripped from his face. It disappeared before hitting the floor. More punches were thrown. The man's face rocked back and forth, as if being struck. Now that he was standing, Leese had a clear view of his face.
It was Sheila's husband. She didn't even know his name.
Alex's voice was strained.
"He's caught in a loop. He's reliving his own death."
She stared at her brother.
"What?!"
He said nothing, simply gestured to keep watching. The ghost continued to engage in a stand-up fight. The jarring, odd sight might have been funny under other circumstances. She remembered having to perform plays in high school, sometimes act across an imaginary partner. But there was nothing amusing watching the man get beat. More cuts opened. His nose broke and blood splattered. The fight again went to the floor.
The fight changed. He stopped throwing punches, stopped resisting. He protected himself as best he could, covering his face and drawing his knees to his chest. But the attack didn't stop. He struggled to breathe.
A vase fell over somewhere upstairs. Leese jumped when the thought of another ghost crossed her mind.
Alex didn't budge.
"It's his energy, bleeding over into our world," he said. "He's haunting this place, and doesn't even know it."
The man bent halfway at the waist, as if someone lifted him by the collar. His body dragged across the carpet. His eyes were shut, his arms and legs still.
"Oh, God," Leese said. "Is he…?"
She couldn't finish the sentence.
His body slid across the carpet, through the living room, into the kitchen. He moved through the broken plates and glasses on the floor.
Suddenly, his eyes opened.
He reached behind him, tried to grab his attacker. Another fight ensued.
It was a short one.
His right cheek caved in. Leese realized he'd been struck with something. His jaw shifted.
Leese pulled her hand away. She clenched her eyes shut and turned her back. Alex continued to stare. A few cabinets opened and slammed shut, but not with the same ferocity as before.
"What…happens next?" she asked.
"Nothing. He just disappears." He pointed to the living room. "In a while, it'll happen all over again."
"Shit."
Leese left the kitchen, with Alex behind. She sat on the couch and held her head in her hands. Her eyes drifted to the empty carpet in front of her, wondering if Sheila's husband was there again. How many times, just beyond Sheila and Timmy, did he die over and over again?
"What do we do?" Leese asked. "Do we call the police?"
"And tell them what?"
She didn't have an answer, at least not yet. She let the question drop, planning to get back to it later.
"We have to tell Sheila."
He shook his head.
"How do we know she's not the one who killed him?"
She laughed at the idea.
"You really think that was her we saw there? Going UFC-mode on her husband? Dragging him across the house?"
Alex said nothing. He simply hung his head, in silent agreement with his sister.
"Okay," he said. "Give me ten minutes. We'll call her, bring her back here. We'll—" He stopped as his head tilted toward the middle of the living room. Wincing in frustration, he closed his eyes and turned around. "Oh, God."
"What?" Leese said, then realized what was happening. She stood up and moved away, knowing the ghostly reenactment was happening one more time. "Do you see him?"
"Yeah."
"We can't leave him like this. Can you help him?"
Alex was already moving forward. Leese admired her brother. He was tired and sore, in desperate need of rest. But he would always do the right thing. He was always willing to help the living or dead.
"I think so."
He held out his hand. Leese stopped him.
"Wait," she said. "I want to see this."
He nodded and took her hand. The man again appeared in front of Leese. He was on his feet, wrestling with his unseen attacker.
"Okay, I don't know how he'll act. Just watch out."
Alex reached out and grabbed his shoulder. His eyes went wide as he focused on Alex. Peering at the living room, a look of panic flashed across his face.
"What? Where am I? Who the hell are you?"
"Relax," Alex said. "You were—"
The man swung a fist. Leese was surprised when the punch caught Alex on the nose. The ghostly blow didn't move through Alex, but rocked him backward. He bumped into Leese, breaking contact with the spirit world for a moment. Leese could see nothing. Alex released her hand and stepped forward. She grabbed the back of his collar, letting a finger rest on his neck. She could see ghosts once again.
Alex held the man by the shoulders. The three of them dropped to one knee. Leese wanted to say something, anything, to help. But she knew she was way out of her element.
"It's okay. We're at your house. Look around. Remember this place? This is your home."
The ghost breathed deeply as he took in his surroundings.
"My name's Alex." He nodded toward Leese. "This here is my sister, Alicia. Do you remember your name?"
"Of course, I remember my name. I'm Brian. What are you doing in my house?"
"You were just fighting with somebody. Right here. Do you remember?"
Emotions danced in his eyes. Confusion. Frustration. For a moment, recognition, as if a light bulb turned on. Then, it was gone.
"No," Brian said. "I was just talking to my son. In his room. I don't think he heard me. But I don't remember…" His brow furrowed. "How did I get here?"
"Sit down with me." Alex gestured to the couch. "We have to talk."
Alex backed away from Brian. Leese kept her hand on Alex's arm as they moved to the couch. She was surprised when Brian sat without incident, although he didn't leave a dent in the cushion. Some ghosts didn't get the hang of physical objects, falling through everything.
"Try hard. What is the last thing you remember?"
Brian took a moment.
"I was getting my stuff together. I was leaving. Why? Why was I leaving?" A tear ran down his face. "Sheila…she was cheating on me. I was going to a hotel."
> Leese's heart broke for him. It must have been terrible to live through the first time. Now, here he was, living through it once again, in death.
"Someone attacked you," Alex told him. "Think back. Try to remember."
He was silent for half a minute.
"I remember…just punches. And I think some yelling."
"Do you see who it was?"
"No. Is Sheila here? I want to talk to her."
"She's out right now," Leese said. "But she'll be back soon."
Brian studied the living room. Something wasn't quite right for him. He stood up and crossed the floor, staring at various pictures on the walls.
"When did Sheila put these up?"
Alex and Leese glanced at each other. He had more experience talking with ghosts, but she could see her brother was just as uncomfortable as she was.
Brian whirled in place, facing them. His lip quivered, and his eyes spoke of grief and disbelief.
"I'm…dead, aren't I?"
"Yes," Alex said. His tone was even and steady, but Leese knew he was also hurting inside. "Your family thinks you ran away."
"Ran away? They think I deserted them?"
Alex said nothing, letting the silence speak for him. Brian held his head in frustration and paced a moment.
"What happened?" he said. His voice shook with anger. "Who killed me?"
"I don't know. I'm a…we'll just say a psychic, hired by your family to figure out if their house is haunted. It turns out it is. By you."
"How…long have I been dead?"
Alex didn't know. He gave Leese a glance and a shrug.
"Two years," she said. "Sheila said you disappeared two years ago."
Brian's jaw dropped.
"Two years? Years?"
"Yeah."
His knees trembled. He reached out to steady himself using the corner table, but his hand slid through. Losing his balance, he fell to one knee. Leese didn't understand completely. Ghosts had a sense of balance? Was it all in his head? She didn't ask questions. She jumped to her feet and went to help him, dragging Alex by the hand. Brian was already on his feet and shooing her away as she approached.
"I'm fine," he said. "Actually, could you give me a few minutes? Please?"
"Sure," Alex said, tugging on his sister. "I can see you, so just come get us. We'll be outside."
"Thank you."
Leese's thoughts were a jumbled mess as they stepped out of the house and stood in the front yard. The sun had long set on an exhausting day. She came to the Boyds full of hope, like she could help them, even if it was in the smallest of ways. Ultimately, they'd accomplished what they wanted. They had answers for Sheila and Timmy.
That didn't make her feel any better.
"What now?" Leese asked. "How the hell do we tell Sheila that not only was her husband murdered, but he's been the one scaring the hell out of them?"
Alex sighed.
"I don't know. But that's my job. I'll take care of it. You can head home, if you want."
Leese answered with a glare and her hands on her hips. Alex said nothing else. He had his response.
He peered into various windows. The living room, and the upstairs hallway. Leese followed his gaze.
"Do you see him?"
"Yeah. He's touring the house."
"I wish we could help him."
"We did. He can move on now. His family can move on."
"I know. I mean I wish we could find out who killed him."
He hung his head.
"I don't know. After Kylie and Zoey, I'm not sure about the whole detective thing." He gestured to the house. "Hell, isn't this enough? He doesn't even remember—"
He trailed off and stood up straight as he stared over Leese's shoulder. She followed his gaze, saw nothing, and knew what was happening.
"He's here?"
"How are you doing?" Alex asked.
Leese didn't hear the response. She joined her brother and grabbed his hand. Brian appeared, his mouth moving.
"—a favor?"
"What's that?"
"I keep seeing this house in my head. I have no idea why. But I know where it is. Can you take me there?"
"You don't want to see your family first?"
"I want to see them, but something is eating at me. I need to figure this out."
Alex glanced at Leese and shrugged.
"Sure, that's fine with me." He turned toward his truck. "It might be a little tight. Leese, can we take your car?"
Leese blinked as the attention shifted to her. Both Alex and Brian stared at her.
"Uh, yeah. Uh…who's sitting in the back?"
CHAPTER 11
It was an awkward drive across town. Alex sat in the passenger's seat, Brian in the back. Leese and Alex held hands across the console, so she could follow Brian's directions. Brian was quiet, only speaking when he had to. Luckily, he had no issues getting in the car, even though Alex had to open the door for him. She remembered the nightmare Alex had teaching Kylie to walk through solid objects.
"So, this house," Alex asked. "Do you know who lives there?"
"No. I just keep seeing it."
"Are we getting close?"
"I think so. It's not too far."
Leese flexed her fingers, her palm sweaty in her brother's grip.
"I think I've held your hand enough for one day."
"Well, then let go."
"Then I won't be able to hear Brian."
"You don't have to. I'll pass along the directions."
"Yeah, I don't think so. I've seen you try that before. Remember when Cindy tried to make that special dinner? And you were passing along the recipe from a dead chef?"
"Oh, shut up."
Brian laughed. Leese glanced in the rear-view mirror and smiled. It was the first laugh they'd heard from him.
"I have…had a brother. We used to fight all the time." He peered at the floor. "But I'd give anything to talk to him again."
"We can do that," Alex offered. "It's getting late, and I do have to sleep sometime. But I promise, I can help you talk to anyone you need."
"I appreciate it. Thank you, so much." Leese felt a wave of cold flush through her shoulder. Her eyes widened as she stiffened. She realized Brian had leaned forward and tried to lay a hand on her. "You, too, Alicia. Thank you."
"You're welcome. And call me Leese."
She glanced at her brother, thinking about the life he led. She wondered how many times those cold chills people felt throughout the day was just one world brushing up against another.
Leese frowned as Brian guided her down a dirt road. The houses were spread further apart, with nothing but fences and grassy fields separating them.
"Uh," Leese said. "Brian, are you sure we're going the right way?"
"Yeah. It's about another half mile, on the right."
She exchanged a glance with Alex. He didn't look concerned or worried, only curious. Leese tried to fight off feelings of dread.
Just as he said, they approached a lone house. They saw the fence first, old and beat-up, made of wood. The lights were on in the living room. Two cars were parked in a gravel driveway. Leese slowed down, waiting for a word from Brian.
He was completely quiet. She turned her head to look at him. He stared at the house, his mouth hanging open. His brow was furrowed, deep in thought, as he struggled to remember.
"Brian?" Leese said. "Is this the place?"
He still didn't answer. Alex turned in his seat as well.
"Hey," he said gently. "Are you alright?"
"This…." Brian's lip quivered. "This is…." His gaze went to the parked cars. "That's…."
He disappeared. Leese jumped in surprise, pulling her hand from Alex's. Alex lurched forward as the car came to a stop. She took a few deep breaths before touching his arm. Brian was still gone. She searched in all directions, the fields next to her, the road ahead. She saw nothing.
"Where did he go?"
"I have no idea."
"Co
uld he have gone back home?"
Alex shrugged, visibly frustrated. He rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"He could have. I don't know." He studied the house. "This place must have triggered something."
"What do we do now?"
He sighed.
"Nothing, really. We can't just go up and knock on a stranger's door, tell whoever lives there a ghost—" Alex trailed off as he noticed the look on Leese's face.
She stared at the living room window. The curtains were open, and a familiar feminine figure passed by. Leese thought her mind was playing tricks. She continued to stare, waiting for the figure to pass again. Her eyes narrowed in confusion when the woman stopped at the window and peered out. Behind her was little Timmy Boyd, drinking from a cup.
Leese and Alex looked at each other. Neither said a word. They left the car at the same time. She didn't even bother to move it from the middle of the road. The metal gate let out a loud screech as she pushed it open, cutting into the silence around them.
Alex tried to take the lead as they approached the front door, but Leese stopped him.
"Let me," she said. "I've been talking with them all night."
He nodded and stepped back. Leese pushed back the anxiety that came with knocking on someone's door in the dead of night. She gave the door three hard raps. Through the living room window, she could see people moving about.
A woman answered. She wasn't much younger than Sheila. Wearing sweatpants and a tee shirt, she stifled a yawn as she swung the door open. Her expression was a mix of surprise and annoyance. She gave Leese an icy stare, looking her up and down, before shifting her gaze to Alex.
"Yeah?" was all she said.
"Hi," Leese said. "I know it's late, but—"
"Leese? Is that you?"
She peered around the woman to see Sheila. Timmy then joined his mom, a smile spreading across his face.
"Hey, Sheila. Timmy."
"It's okay, Kris. I know them." Sheila joined Kris at the front door. "What are you doing here?"
Alex stepped forward.
"Hi. Do you mind if we talk to you for a few minutes?"
"Sure," Sheila said. "Come on in."
Kris rolled her eyes, but held the door open and stepped aside.
"Come on in. Why not?" Her tone was almost mocking. "Let's have a midnight party."
Damned and Cursed (Book 8): Witch Trial Page 13