by Terri Reid
“But, don’t worry,” Gilbert quickly inserted. “I picked it up for him and handed it to him.”
Mary sighed. “You didn’t,” she said.
Gilbert grinned widely. “And the scream that emitted from his mouth shook the entire building.”
“You know, doing things like that is not a good idea,” Dave said, shaking his head.
“What could he do?” Maybelle asked. “We’re already dead.”
Dave looked at both of the elderly ghosts, their eyes twinkling with glee, and sighed. “I don’t want to rain on your parade,” he said. “But I’ve seen too many cases of people like Chuck getting scared and calling in some amateur paranormal investigator who does some kind of ritual they read about on the Internet or watched on some television show that traps spirits.”
“Traps spirits,” Gilbert said, his glee diminished. “How can they do that?”
Dave shrugged. “I don’t know the science of it; I wish I did,” he said. “But I’ve seen spirits that were angry because someone accidentally trapped them at a location, and they couldn’t leave.”
“That would be awful,” Maybelle said.
“Well, from a totally different perspective, we also don’t want to scare Chuck away from the office, so we can’t implicate him in this crime,” Mary added. “Which is another reason why you need to keep your ghostly activities more undercover.”
Gilbert nodded and glanced over to Maybelle. “I apologize, Maybelle,” he said. “I know it was my influence that caused you to behave this way.”
“Poppycock,” she replied, smiling at him. “I had a wonderful time scaring that pompous conman. But now we know to be more careful in the future.” Then she turned to Mary. “But we have wonderful news.”
“What?” Mary asked.
“For some reason,” Maybelle began, her eyes twinkling with mirth. “Chuck decided not to take his key from us. And, from his reaction, I can guarantee he won’t be coming back to the office tonight.”
“So, are you suggesting that this is a great night to tour your building?” Dave asked.
Maybelle laughed. “Yes, I am suggesting that very thing.”
Dave turned to Mary. “What do you think?”
“With Rosie spending the night, both Bradley and I would be able to go,” she said. “And it would be nice to look the place over before Stanley goes there.”
Maybelle clapped her hands. “Oh, this is so exciting,” she said, then she turned to Gilbert. “I don’t think I’ve had as much fun in ages.”
Gilbert smiled back at her. “Well, then, what are we waiting for?”
Chapter Forty-three
“This staircase gives me the creeps,” Alex said to Dave as the group made their way up to the fourth floor.
“It should,” Dave said, glancing around. “It’s filled with ghosts.”
Alex froze and stared at his friend. “You didn’t have to tell me that, you know,” he said pointedly.
Dave smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I know,” he said. “But I really like freaking you out. “
Bradley bit back a smile and then asked, “So, who are the ghosts who are sharing the staircase with us?”
“Well, there’s a janitor on the second landing with a mop cleaning, just doing what he did for forty years,” Dave replied. “There’s also a youngish woman, dressed in an outfit from the forties. Looks like she might have been a stenographer for one of the law offices. She’s hurrying down the stairs and out the door.”
“Why is she still here?” Alex asked.
Dave shrugged. “Could have been that she died in one of the offices and doesn’t know she’s dead,” he said. “Could be that she stepped outside the door and got hit by a car, and just keeps replaying that part of her life.” He turned to Mary. “What do you think, Mary?”
She turned to him. “I can’t see them,” she said to him, concerned.
“Hey, you’re just getting back in the saddle,” Mike said to her. “Take a second, gather your thoughts, and try again.”
Bradley turned back to her. “Are you okay?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yeah, but I might have to take a minute here,” she said. “If you want to continue upstairs, I’m fine with that.” She smiled sheepishly. “Actually, the smaller the crowd, the better I’d feel.”
He nodded. “Okay, I’ll take Alex and go up,” he said.
“I’ll join them,” Mike suggested. “In case we need to interact with Maybelle and Gilbert.”
“Thanks, Mike,” Mary said. “Dave?”
“I’m staying right here,” he replied. “You go ahead and take your time.”
Mary slowly looked around, still nothing. She closed her eyes for a moment, concentrated on her paranormal gift, opening her mind to the presence of others on that staircase. Then she opened her eyes. Suddenly, the stairwell was filled with spirits from the past. Some were shadows who were repeating things they had done when they were alive, and some were intelligent spirits who were looking back at her.
“Hi,” she said to the young woman Dave had seen. “I’m Mary.”
“Please to meet you,” she replied. “I’m Doris. I work for the law firm on four.”
“We’re going up to four now,” Mary said. “Any advice.”
“Yeah, watch out for those guys from the investment firm,” she replied. “They’re a bunch of hinky characters if you ask me.”
“Thank you,” Mary replied. “I appreciate your advice.” She paused for a moment and debated whether or not she should tell Doris that she was dead. “Um, Doris…”
Doris smiled at her and nodded. “Yeah, I know I’m dead,” she interrupted. “But I got a grandson who works in one of the other offices. I’m hanging around to watch him grow up.”
“That sounds lovely,” Mary said.
“I watched over his dad while he was growing up, I got to watch over him too,” Doris replied. She smiled at Mary and stepped down another step. “Well, I gotta go. Good luck.”
“You too Doris,” Mary replied and watched the ghost skip down the steps into the darkness.
“Doris thinks the guys in the investment group are hinky,” she told the rest of the group.
“Hinky?” Dave asked with a smile.
“It’s a generational thing,” Mary laughed.
“You okay now?” Dave asked.
She nodded. “Yeah,” she replied with a relieved sigh, as she started up the stairs again. “I just have to remember how to see them again.”
“It’s like riding a bike,” Dave said. “You might fall over a couple of times, but you never forget.”
“Hey, can you see me?”
Mary turned to see the ghost of an older man walking up the stairs next to her. “Yes,” she replied. “I can see you.”
The man sighed softly. “Thank goodness,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been stuck in this stairwell forever. No one stops to help me. No one listens to me. What is it with people these days?”
“Well, I’d be happy to help you,” Mary said. “What can I do for you?”
“I’ve been on my way to the investment group on the fourth floor,” he said. “I can’t get the elevator to work, I keep pressing the button, but nothing! So, I tried the stairs, but I feel like I’m not getting anywhere.”
Mary glanced over at Dave, and he nodded. “I’m Mary,” she said. “And you are…”
“Mortimer,” the ghost said. “Mort Laramie.”
Dave nodded. “He’s on the list,” he whispered.
“Mort. May I call you Mort?” Mary asked.
Mort smiled. “Sure, that’s what everyone calls me,” he replied.
“Mort, what’s the last thing you remember?” she asked. “Before you got stuck on the stairwell?”
Mort paused and searched his memory for a moment. “Well,” he said thoughtfully. “I remember it was morning and I went to the gym. After that, I decided to treat myself to one of those fancy coffees they got for free at the investment group offices.”
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“I’ve heard about those fancy coffees,” Mary said.
He nodded. “They are sweet,” Mort said. “And free. So, I decide, since I’m going to make it one of those caramel ones, I ought to take the stairs and burn off a few more calories.”
He paused again, looked down the stairwell, and then looked back at Mary.
“Funny, I can’t seem to remember much after that,” he replied. “It’s kind of a blank.”
Mary sighed and nodded sadly. “Did you feel any pain when you were walking up the stairs?” she asked.
He immediately shook his head. “No. No, I did…” he said and paused. “You know, come to think of it, I did get this funny twinge, a cramp, but on my insides.”
“And then what happened?” she asked sympathetically.
He stared at her and his eyes filled with moisture. “Well, dammit, I think I died.”
And then he disappeared.
Chapter Forty-Four
Mary and Dave joined the rest of the group on the fourth floor. The office door was propped open, and Alex and Bradley were searching through the space with flashlights. Dave stepped inside and flipped on the lights. Shocked, both Alex and Bradley turned to him.
“Shut those off,” Alex demanded.
“Turn off the lights,” Bradley said simultaneously.
“Why?” Dave asked, closing the door behind them.
“Because, we don’t want to get caught,” Alex replied with a tinge of sarcasm.
Dave studied him for a moment. “And, if we get caught, who are they going to call?” he asked. “The police department? The district attorney’s office?”
Alex shrugged and glanced sheepishly over at Bradley. “He has a point,” he admitted.
“But if someone does call the police and some of my guys show up, how do I explain that we’re in here?” Bradley asked.
“Simple,” Dave said. “Mary is working with Alex on Maybelle’s estate. They came over to check out the building, and they found a key left in the open. They called you because they were concerned about a break-in.”
Bradley studied Dave and then smiled. “You have a very devious mind,” he said. “I’m glad you’re on my side.” He clicked off his flashlight. “So, did you get that mindset in the work you used to do?”
Dave shook his head. “No, I got it growing up and trying to lie to my parents,” he said. “At first, my mom could generally see right through me.” He grinned. “But I got better.”
“You really need to meet my brothers,” Mary laughed. “You would fit in perfectly.”
She glanced around the room at the small scattered cubicle space and the large area conference table with comfortable leather chairs in the center. “This is a nice set-up,” she said. “But it seems more conducive to meetings than for working.”
Bradley nodded. “I agree,” he said. “I wonder how much investing really went on in here?”
She walked around the conference table to a long counter against the wall that had high-end, stainless-steel, coffee-making equipment on it. “Wow,” she said, looking at the expresso machine. “This is fancy. They take their coffee-making seriously here.”
“Didn’t both of the guys we spoke with talk about the fancy coffees?” Dave asked.
“Both of the guys?” Alex asked. “I only remember you talking to Harry.”
Dave turned to Alex. “On the way up the stairs we met another ghost,” he replied. “Mort Laramie.”
“He was one of our Maybelle recipients,” Bradley said. “And he was on the list.”
Mary nodded. “He had just come from the gym and decided to take the steps because he was going to treat himself to one of the coffees,” she said. “He died in the stairwell.”
“I’d like to take some samples of the ingredients,” Bradley said. “Maybe they’ve added something to their coffee that both men reacted to.”
Dave shook his head. “So, you think the deaths might be accidental?” Dave asked, skeptically. “Or do you think they purposely poisoned them?”
“Well, I don’t want to rule anything out,” Bradley replied. “But I think testing the ingredients will let us know either way.”
“I’ll find something to put them in,” Mary volunteered. “And we should see if we can find copies of the life insurance policies.”
“I’m on it,” Alex called from the other side of the room. He was sitting at the front desk, searching through a small file cabinet. “There’s all kinds of interesting information here. It looks like Daphne isn’t the only banker who’s giving up information.”
He pulled out a manila folder with a well-known, local banker’s name on the tab. Inside was a grainy photo of the banker and a woman in a passionate embrace. Except, it wasn’t the equally well-known wife of the banker. “Interesting,” Alex muttered.
“What’s up?” Bradley asked, walking over to him.
Alex lifted the photo so that Bradley could see it.
“Well, that is interesting,” Bradley agreed. “We certainly have a group of enterprising businessmen, don’t we?”
Alex nodded. “And it will be interesting to see how enterprising they actually are.”
“I found something back here,” Dave called from the back of the office.
Alex put down the folder, and he and Bradley met the others in the back of the office. Dave stood in front of a dark, wood door with a touchpad security lock on the outside. “Someone doesn’t want us to see what’s inside,” he said.
“Do you know how to pick a lock?” Bradley asked him.
Dave chuckled but shook his head. “Dude, I’m good, but I’m not that good,” he said. “But you got to wonder why they would have to have a security lock on something inside an office.”
“I’ll find out,” Mike said, walking through the door.
“What’s going on?” Alex asked.
“Oh, Mike’s going in to check out the room,” Dave told his friend.
“Mike?”
“Yeah, you know, the guardian angel who used to be a fireman,” Dave replied. “We played him in softball.”
Alex still looked confused.
“You never met Mike?” Dave asked.
“Not in his present form,” Alex replied.
“You want me to introduce him to you?” Dave asked.
Alex shook his head. “No, really, I’m good.”
The door slowly opened a few inches, and Dave quickly grabbed it. “It takes a lot of energy for a spirit to move things,” Dave explained to Alex. “So, I’m just helping him out.”
“Yeah, well make sure you wipe the door free of your fingerprints before we leave,” Alex cautioned.
“You are not going to believe what’s in here,” Mike said from inside. “This is crazy!”
Chapter Forty-five
The room was filled with camera screens and computer monitors. Every part of the office was on camera, including the areas they had just searched. Dave sat down at the control panel and looked at the screens. “This isn’t great,” he said. “I can erase the tapes on the computer, but I don’t know if they have an automatic off-site backup. I’m thinking with an operation this big, they will.”
“So, you can erase what we just did on their server here, but not where ever they store it?” Bradley asked. “Yeah, you’re right, that’s not good.”
“I have a suggestion,” Gilbert said to Mary.
“Gilbert has a suggestion,” Mary said.
“Let’s here it,” Alex said, rolling his eyes. “Why not? We have one ghost opening doors, and the other ghost solving IT issues.”
“Um, Mike’s an angel, not a ghost,” Dave said with a smile.
Alex just shook his head. “Sorry, Mary, please tell Gilbert to go ahead.”
“I’ve been watching over all of Maybelle’s properties, for years,” Gilbert admitted, sending a shy glance toward Maybelle. “I felt that it was least I could do. And so, I often followed the inspectors around when they inspected the buildings. This office bu
ilding has a very old T1 line, that’s been corroded and should have been replaced a long time ago.”
“I had no idea,” Maybelle said.
“Well, your agent kept that from you because he wanted to keep expenses down,” Gilbert replied. “But, from what I understand, it would take weeks to replace the T1 line if something were to happen to it.”
“I’m sorry,” Mary inserted. “What’s a T1 line and why is it important.?”
“T1 lines are older voice and data cables that provide internet and phone access to many buildings,” Dave said. “For the most part, they really don’t support high-speed Internet usage, but for something like this, they are adequate.”
“Okay, so if the T1line goes out, it can do two things,” Bradley said. “Prevent them from uploading the footage on their off-site server and maybe, if we’re really lucky, prevent the server here from downloading what was recorded this evening. Dave, can you tell when uploads happen?”
“Let me see what I can do,” Dave replied. “In the meantime, who wants to go downstairs and help Gilbert destroy a T1 line?”
Alex shrugged off his suit jacket and laid it on a chair. “I can do that,” he said, rolling up his shirt cuffs. “But someone needs to be a translator between Gilbert and me.”
“I’ll translate,” Mary offered.
“I’ll follow along,” Mike offered. “You know, as a fire inspector.”
Once they left the room, Bradley turned to watch Dave access the data and delete the film. “What are you going to put in there instead?” he asked. “Fifteen minutes of blank tape is going to cause some questions.”
Dave nodded. “Yeah, I’m going to go back a day and copy the tape from the same time period. Hopefully, there’s nothing there that gives us away.”
“Yeah, what we don’t want to do is have Stanley walk into a trap,” Bradley said.
“Exactly,” Dave agreed.
Chapter Forty-six
Stanley sauntered into the office of the investment club twenty minutes after it started, just to give Chuck something to fret about. He walked up to the young woman behind the receptionist desk and was greeted with a dazzling smile.
