Fourteen
Jonathan immediately went to Sarah’s side and took the gun out of her hands.
“Where’d you get this?” He asked.
“I overheard you guys talking about it and got it from the hotel manager,” she pointed to the manager, who had a sheepish look on his face.
“Something needed to be done,” he said in his defense.
Jonathan took the ammunition out of the gun.
“Is everyone all right?” He asked the crowd, which was unusually quiet now. It was kind of creepy. It felt like any second now a huge fight could break out, the kind of fight that not even a gunshot could stop.
“I know some of you might find this hard to believe, but you’re acting this way because of the ghosts,” I explained.
“Oh shut up,” said a voice in the back. “No one is buying what you’re selling.”
“No, I’m not going to shut up,” I said. Jonathan gave me a warning look but I continued anyway. “We need to find out why this is happening, and the easiest way we can do that is by interviewing the oldest among you. We need to know what happened here before if we’re going to stop what’s happening now.”
“That sounds reasonable to me,” Jonathan said. “So will the elderly please go back to that side of the room, please? Let’s get this over with.”
There was chatter, but they did as they were told. Jonathan made sure his fellow officers were in line. Awkward and uncomfortable would be two words that described the atmosphere in the great hall, but at least hostile wasn’t one of them anymore.
“What the hell is going on here?” Said a middle-aged, groggy-looking man. He was obviously one of the hotel guests. “We heard a gunshot.”
Several people were right behind him, all confused by what was happening.
“Everything is under control now,” Jonathan reassured them. “Though, since you’re already down here, you can stay here. We already have two dead people on our hands, we don’t want any more.”
The man didn’t look too happy about that, but he listened and sat down.
I went to Sarah, who was sitting down as well now.
“We didn’t even get to cut the cake,” she said. “I could really use some cake right about now.”
“There’s no reason why you shouldn’t have any,” I said.
“People are dead, Meredith. Jonathan’s grandmother is dead. I don’t think that’s anything to celebrate.”
“We’re not celebrating their deaths, we’re celebrating your wedding. And who says that cakes are only for celebrating things anyway?”
“It’s fine by me if you eat cake,” Mrs. V said.
“Me too,” the sheriff said. “I’m going to miss cake. Do you think they have it on the other side?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I’ve never been there. It just looks like a door of light to me, but to those who it’s meant for, they see something that makes them happy. So if cake makes you happy, you’ll probably see some on the other side.”
I reassured Sarah that Mrs. V was totally fine with us eating cake. So it was decided that she and Jonathan would cut the first piece.
“Let them eat cake!” Troy joked.
To tell the truth, Gran’s cake was one of the best things I’d tasted in my life. It had chocolate hazelnut filling, delicious vanilla cake, and a deliciously fruity, yet hearty, frosting. Let’s just say that I was in my own version of heaven as I ate the cake. I even went for seconds, calories and other people be damned.
Once I was finished, and back in the bleak real world, the sheriff came to my side.
“So now that that’s done, are you ready to solve my murder? Because I don’t want to be stuck here any longer,” he said.
“Me neither. I’ve seen my grandson get married. There’s not much left for me to do here,” Mrs. V said.
I looked over at the other side of the room. Jonathan and the other officers had already started questioning the elderly folks.
“Having any luck?” I asked as I approached.
Jonathan immediately came to my side. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be here right now. Some of these people aren’t really fans of yours,” he whispered.
“Tell me something I don’t know. But if we’re going to get out of this mess, I need to know this place’s history. Something horrific must have happened here for the spirits to become so entwined and so powerful.”
“So far, the only consistent thing is stories of an insane asylum that might have been in this area. They were just scary stories they were told as kids, but there might be some truth to it.”
“I think I remember my mother telling me that one of her grandfathers or granduncles worked in an insane asylum,” Mrs. V said. “And before you ask, yes, my husband and I were cousins, twice removed. It was common, back in my day.”
“I think I heard something similar from my family,” the sheriff said. “I always thought they were just stories.”
“That’s our connection,” I said to Jonathan. “The ghosts are targeting those related to the people that worked in the insane asylum that used to stand here.”
“Wait,” Sarah said. I didn’t even know she was standing behind me. “Does that mean that Jonathan could be one of their targets as well?”
I hadn’t thought of that, but it made sense. “I guess,” I had to admit.
“Are you telling me my husband could be the next victim?” She said.
“Babe, I’m right here and I promise I’m not going anywhere,” Jonathan said. “These ghosts will have to work a lot harder to get rid of me. I don’t scare easily. Sorry grandma,” he added when he realized what he had said.
“It’s true,” Mrs. V. “I was old and frail, but my Jonathan is strong and young. You don’t think they could hurt him?” She asked me.
I looked at the sheriff. “I don’t know. I think we’re dealing with a human killer as well. I mean, if they were capable of stabbing people, they wouldn’t have had to scare you to death.”
“So you’re still thinking there’s a human killer in this hotel?” The sheriff said.
I nodded.
“Could you keep that to a minimum,” Jonathan said. “You’re going to start freaking people out again.”
I glared at Jonathan. “I’ll try,” I said through gritted teeth, trying to keep the peace. The last thing we needed was another shouting match in the great hall.
Kane put an arm around me. “You can do whatever you want. I don’t see him talking to dead people,” he said.
Jonathan rolled his eyes. “I’m going back to doing my job. Why don’t you go and eat some more of my wedding cake?”
“You know, maybe I will,” Kane said.
“Guys, please, not this again,” I said. “We need to focus on the task at hand: solving the sheriff’s murder and getting rid of these damned ghosts.”
“You’re right,” Jonathan said. “If you find out anything more, please be sure to inform me, all right?”
I nodded. “Of course.”
Kane turned to me as soon as he was gone. “You’re being awfully nice.”
“Yeah, I know, but being stuck here is having that effect on me. While Jonathan is interviewing the old folks, why don’t we focus on solving the sheriff’s murder? Or maybe I can try talking to the angry ghosts. If I could get just one of them to talk to me…”
Rebecca didn’t look too optimistic about that idea. “I don’t know, Meredith, they didn’t seem in a talking mood the last couple of times we tried to talk to them.”
“I tried to banish them and defy them, maybe if I tried a softer approach.”
Troy laughed at that.
“Good one, sis. Subtlety is not one of your strong suits last time I checked.”
“Well, what can I say, I grew up a little over the years.”
Kane raised his eyebrows.
“You guys are awful,” I said and headed for the exit.
“Where are you going now?” Troy asked, after catching up.
>
“I’m going to find out what the heck is going on here,” I said. “If any of you want to join me, you’re free to.”
Kane, Rebecca, the sheriff, Mrs. V, Troy, and Sarah all joined me.
I turned around and looked at them.
“Three living people and three ghosts,” I said. “That’s a bit much. But I guess the more the merrier.”
“You again,” Jackson said. “Do you have permission to just go wherever you please?”
I sighed. “You can take it up with Jonathan if you want, but yes, we do have permission to go wherever we want.”
“Good enough for me,” Jackson said and moved out of the way. “I’m just glad not everyone’s at each other’s throats again. Some hurtful things were said.”
“Don’t remind me,” I said. “Most of the hurtful things were about me. Good thing I have a thick skin.”
“If you need a cop with you, I’m willing to come along. I used to watch those ghost hunting shows, but they always seemed so fake.”
“The more the merrier,” I said.
Now I had seven people in my little troupe. Since my ghost hunting trips usually involved only me and Rebecca, this was going to take some getting used to. Though, in a way, it was comforting as well. If the lights went out again, I certainly didn’t want to be by myself.
“Where to first?” Troy asked. “This is so exciting,” he added. “It might even inspire my first movie.”
“If we ever get out of here,” Jackson said. “By the way the bodies are dropping, we all might be dead by the time this night is over.”
“You’re a cheery one, aren’t you?” Troy said.
“What can I say, I see things as they are,” Jackson said.
“I like you,” I said to Jackson. “But at the rate they’re going, I don’t think we have to worry too much about being killed off. That is, unless some of our family members used to work in an insane asylum.” I caught him up on that discovery.
“I think I’ll go back and look after Jonathan,” Mrs. V said. “You can do this without me, right?”
I nodded.
“You can go. And please come and find us if anything happens back there.”
“Who are you talking to?” Jackson asked, obviously not used to me talking to invisible people.
“Mrs. V’s ghost. She just went back to the great hall to look out for Jonathan. She’ll come and tell us if anything happens back there.”
“That’s actually a good idea,” the sheriff said. “Maybe I should check out the rest of the hotel. It should make things easier.”
The sheriff was gone then, too.
I felt a little less claustrophobic, but I still had four people and one ghost with me.
“So, we’re just going to walk around?” Jackson said after five minutes of us just walking around.
“Pretty much,” I said. “I’m trying to see if I can spot any ghosts that are separate from whatever is out there. I need to know for sure why they’re doing all this. Plus, if we find anything relating to the sheriff’s death, all the better.”
“Did anyone act suspiciously right after he died?” Kane asked Jackson.
Jackson shrugged his shoulders. “Everyone was acting weird after that happened. I didn’t see anyone who looked particularly guilty, though.”
“This isn’t gonna be easy,” Troy said. “I mean, there are too many suspects, right?”
“Yup,” Jackson said. “Welcome to my world.”
“Did you always want to be a cop?” Troy asked him.
“Nah, it’s just something I settled for. What else would I do in a town like this? It was either that or a firefighter,” he said. “I guess I just like helping people.”
“Me too,” Sarah said.
“I help dead people, does that count?” I joked.
A few of them laughed, but soon they all became quiet.
“What is it?” I asked.
Troy was pointing up ahead. His hands were actually shaking. “There was something there,” he said.
“A ghost or a person?” I asked.
But before he could answer, I got a glimpse of it myself. It was definitely a ghost or spirit. It flew by pretty fast.
“I’m on it,” Rebecca said, as she went after the thing.
I followed her lead, though the others weren’t so enthusiastic.
I couldn’t blame them. If normal people could see them, then that meant we were dealing with very powerful spirits indeed. And since they just happened to be murderous spirits, that wasn’t a good thing at all.
Fifteen
“C’mon guys, what are you waiting for?” I urged them.
Kane was already at my side, but the others still seemed reluctant.
“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” Sarah said. “And not to mention that I can’t run that fast in this damn dress.”
I laughed. “You’ll be fine, Sarah. And I promise not to leave you behind, all right?”
“Yeah, cousin, we got your back,” Troy said, suddenly feeling brave.
“Don’t worry, Sarah,” Jackson reassured her. “I’m a cop.”
“But you’re not in uniform,” I said. “You don’t even have a gun.”
“Being a cop is a state of mind, it’s got nothing to do with clothes, badges, or weapons.”
“That’s cool. Can I use that line in one of my movies?” Troy asked.
“As long as the character that says it doesn’t get killed off.”
“I can’t make that promise,” Troy said. “I’ll probably use it in a horror picture. No one survives those.”
“Guys, are you really talking about this now?” Sarah complained. “We have actual ghosts trying to kill us!”
“That’s a bit dramatic,” I said, “but she does have a point. Cool it on the people dying talk, even if they’re fictional. We don’t need that kind of energy in this of all places.”
“So that energy woo-woo is actually real?” Kane said, looking a bit taken aback.
“Well, everything gives off an energy. If you’re super fearful, of course you’re going to attract something that feeds on that kind of energy.”
“Damn, I wish I had a notebook or something,” Troy said. “I would write all this stuff down. My script will write itself.”
“Why not just use your phone?” I said.
“You’re right,” Troy said. He took out his cell but then put it back in his pocket. “Nah, I’d rather experience it than have my head in my phone.”
Rebecca flew in front of me then.
“Did you see anything?” I asked her.
“I tried to follow that thing but it’s super-fast. But I can tell you the direction it was going in.”
“Spill it, Rebecca.”
“It was going down toward the basement,” she said. “I was kind of afraid to follow it by myself.”
“It’s all right, we’re coming with you,” I reassured her.
I filled the others in on what was happening.
“So even a ghost is afraid to go down there? We’re screwed,” Troy said. “Sorry, but it’s true, isn’t it?”
“My dress will get all dirty,” Sarah complained.
“I wish I had my gun,” Jackson said.
“Guns don’t kill ghosts, guns make ghosts,” Troy joked.
I laughed despite myself. It was actually pretty funny. Rebecca wasn’t amused, though.
“Do we have any flashlights?” Kane asked.
“I have my cell phone,” I said. “Let’s just hope the battery doesn’t get drained.”
“That can happen?” Jackson asked.
“Yeah, but only if we’re dealing with very powerful ghosts. Which I guess in this case, we kind of are.”
“There better be lights down there, that’s all I’m saying,” Sarah said.
“It’s a new construction, of course there will be lights,” I said, though I wasn’t sure if what I was saying was actually true. Sometimes people just needed to be told what they wanted to
hear.
We followed Rebecca to where she saw the ghost disappear to. It was actually a pretty creepy looking door, that had stairs leading down to a pretty creepy basement. The lights were subdued and cast a reddish hue onto everything.
“This is…worse than I imagined,” Sarah said.
Troy took out his cell phone. “Damn, I hope I have enough battery to record this.”
“I don’t want to be on camera,” I said. “If you try and sell this to someone in Hollywood, I swear to God I’m going to…”
“Calm down, sis, this is just for research purposes,” he said as he pointed his phone in my face. “This is Meredith Good, an extraordinary ghost hunter and medium. Let’s watch as she reaches into the deepest depths of darkness to help the souls trapped there. Will she succeed? Will she fail miserably? Only time will tell.”
“You’re a jerk,” I said.
“Yeah, cut it off, Troy, we’re not teenagers anymore,” Sarah said.
“You’re just jealous because you didn’t think of it first,” he said, as he continued recording.
“I’m not signing any waivers,” I said. “All you’ll get is a blurry blob from me.”
“Me too,” Kane said.
“Me three,” Sarah added.
“You can use my face,” Jackson said. “Who knows, maybe I’ll be discovered by some big shot producer or agent.”
Kane gave Jackson a look. “Believe me, you don’t want that.”
“Yeah, there’s lots of pervs in Hollywood,” Troy said. “Plus, you’re getting kind of old. You’re thirty, right?”
“But I can pass for younger, right?” Jackson said.
I looked him over. “For sure. You can easily pass for mid-twenties.”
“I take care of myself,” he said proudly.
“Could you guys please be quiet,” Rebecca said. “These ghosts aren’t jokes.”
I told the others to keep it quiet, per Rebecca’s instructions.
“I wish I could see her,” Troy said. “I’ve always wondered what she looked like.”
“I wasn’t joking about that keeping quiet thing,” I reminded him. “If Rebecca says you should be quiet, you should listen.”
Ghostly Wedding (A Ghost Hunter P.I. Mystery Book 3) Page 10
