by Jason Hawes
“Sure.”
She gave him a long hug then, and he hugged her back, holding on to her as long as he could.
“How do you think it’s going to go?” Drew asked.
“You’re the psychologist,” Amber said. “You tell me.”
“You’re the psychic.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. But she didn’t seem very warm toward Trevor, did she?”
“No, she didn’t.”
“Poor Trevor.”
Drew nodded. “So how are you doing?”
Amber thought for a moment. “Good, I think. As good as can be expected, anyway.”
“The more I think about accompanying Trevor on his book tour, the less sure I am that it’s a good idea for us. For that matter, I’m not sure it’s a good idea for him.”
“Why?”
“Over the last few months, the three of us have had not one but two encounters with the supernatural. Both experiences were, to say the least, extreme. All three of us have been traumatized by these events to one extent or another, and if we were to continue investigating paranormal incidents, who’s to say we won’t encounter something else just as bad, if not worse? The psychological toll could be more than we can take.”
“I admit it’s not easy living with the things we’ve seen. But we have to focus on the people we’ve helped and the lives we’ve saved. That’s what matters most in the end, right?”
Drew smiled. “Right.”
Amber grinned. “Besides, regardless of whether the three of us should stop, do you really think we can?”
Drew didn’t have an immediate answer for that, so Amber gave him a kiss and excused herself to go to the restroom. She went to the same one she had used the day before. Once inside, she checked to make sure she was alone, and then she stepped up to the sink and looked into the mirror.
“Hello, Greg.”
His face—his true face, hairless and burn-scarred—smiled at her from behind the glass. “Hi, sweetie. Long time no see.”
“I’m glad you’re OK.”
“Aside from being dead, I’m just peachy.”
“When Connie woke up as herself again, I wasn’t sure what happened to you. But I think I’ve figured it out. When the wave hit, it caught the Dark Lady off balance. As you’d pointed out, her power was already stretched thin, and when Jenn and I distracted her, you made your move. You left Connie’s body, grabbed hold of the Dark Lady, and carried her with you over to the Other Side.”
Greg grinned. “Excellent deduction, Watson.”
“And when you took her, you took every spirit that was a part of her. All of them.”
“Every ghost, specter, and spook in Exeter. It is now officially the Least Haunted Town in America. But you didn’t come in here to verify your theory any more than you did to pee, did you?”
“I came to thank you—and to tell you that if you ever decide to help us again, we don’t want you to possess anyone like you did Connie. All right?”
Greg made a pouty face. “Party pooper.”
“But without you, we never would’ve been able to defeat the Dark Lady, so . . . thanks.”
“You’re welcome. And thank you for believing that I was sincere in my desire to help, even though you had every reason not to trust me. I have to say, I’m impressed by you, Amber. You’ve grown a great deal over the last couple of months, both personally and in power. But be careful. The stronger you become, the more dangers you’ll be exposed to.” His smile broadened. “And the more temptations.”
An image flashed through her mind: the expression of stunned disbelief on Mitch’s face as he impaled himself on her psychic sword.
“I’ll be careful. Good-bye, Greg.”
She turned to leave, but before she could go, he said, “You’d better be. Because if you thought the Dark Lady was bad, wait until you see what’s coming next.”
A chill grabbed hold of her at Greg’s words, but she didn’t look back as she walked out of the restroom, his laughter echoing in her ears.
Acknowledgments
All is only possible because my loving family. My wife, Kristen, my daughters Samantha, Haily, and Satori, and my twin sons Austin and Logan. You are the reason I wake every morning. You are all the reason I am where I am and I am who I am. You have all made my dreams possible and you walked this path beside me.
Jody Hotchkiss, thank you for everything. We changed the world all from a lunch meeting in CT. You had a vision and we had a dream.
—Jason
I’d like to thank my loving wife, Reanna, and my three amazing sons for their never-failing support of me in these various projects. My family and my good friends Mike, Chris, and Chris, for always sticking by me. Tim, of course, for weaving a better story than we ever could, and Jody for making it all happen. And to all those out there, still searching for answers to the unknown, your pioneering spirit is an inspiration to us all.
—Grant
As always, thanks to Jason and Grant for allowing me to play a small part in their paranormal adventures. Very special thanks to Larry Segriff and Emilia Pisani for picking up the ball and carrying it all the way for a touchdown.
—Tim
JASON HAWES and GRANT WILSON are the stars of the #1 hit Syfy television show Ghost Hunters and the cofounders of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (T.A.P.S.) They are the New York Times bestselling authors of two books of true stories about paranormal phenomena, Ghost Hunting and Seeking Spirits, as well as the novel Ghost Trackers. Both licensed plumbers, Jason and Grant live in Rhode Island with their families.
TIM WAGGONER has published close to thirty novels of fantasy and horror. A former editor and newspaper reporter, he teaches creative writing to college students in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2012 by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Gallery Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
First Gallery Books trade paperback edition October 2012
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hawes, Jason.
Ghost town : a novel / Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, with Tim Waggoner.—1st Gallery Books trade paperback ed.
p. cm.
I. Wilson, Grant. II. Waggoner, Tim. III. Title.
PS3608.A8828G47 2012
813'.6—dc23 2012008973
ISBN 978-1-4516-1382-7
ISB
N 978-1-4516-1384-1 (eBook)
