Trouble at Thunder Mountain

by M J Waverly

  Pity time over. I lifted my face and stared at my computer monitor. I needed to write blog, but instead I walked over to the windows and watched as Jason opened the passenger side door of the Lexus. Mandy kissed him, and then slipped inside the car.

  Now, that Mandy was on her way home, this would be a great time to head to Thunder Mountain. I snatched up my Book of Shadows, and my keys and shoved them into my messenger bag. I would have to search for a protection spell or something for my personal belongings if Mandy would be hanging around the office.

  Downstairs, Jason waved at me. “Come on, I have a break. Let’s head over to the park and talk to Teresa Duncan. I’d like to meet Kylantha.”

  In Jason’s van, I hugged my messenger bag against my chest. Fury at having someone snoop through my belongings still smoldered within me.

  If I were a dragon, I’d flamed Mandy’s hair. No. Can’t do that. The Book of Shadows could be linked to my thoughts. If I were a dragon, I’d flame the Blood Collector. Yeah. You know I’d never seen a dragon in a horror movie. Maybe it could be a medieval castle controlled by an evil wizard, who turned all the knights into zombies. Scratch the zombies. I liked the zombies. I couldn’t stand it. I reached inside my messenger bag for my idea notebook and began scribbling my thoughts.

  “What are you doing?” Jason flicked his eyes over in my direction.

  “Taking notes.” I didn’t want to share my writing ideas with Jason. Too personal.

  “I caught Mandy snooping through my day planner, which had been my grandmother’s Book of Shadows.”

  Jason sighed. “Snooping is one of her worst habits.

  “It’s deplorable.”

  “I’m sorry. She’s on edge more than usual after the tree branch landed on her.”

  “That doesn’t excuse her pawing through my personal belongings.” Indigestion burned my stomach as I bit down on my tongue from speaking an angry retort. Jason would make excuses for Mandy. I’d seen this happen with one of my friends, Kera, whose boyfriend cheated on her. She always rationalized his roaming penis.

  I took a deep breath. Don’t speak in anger. Remember the Book of Shadows said it could be a pathway to evil. “When will Todd and Cyrus return from the haunted house photo shoot?”

  “I don’t know.” Jason barked and stared straight ahead.

  Mr. Grumpy didn’t want to talk about Todd or Cyrus. Too bad. We needed to discuss our plans for Thunder Mountain Park and George.

  “Teresa Duncan witnessed the fall. Thunder Mountain rose high above the horizon as if challenging me to find the answers.

  At the Thunder Mountain Park Visitor’s Center, a thin, older man with a crane-like neck waited behind the information desk. Tex Williamson was written on his name tag. “Can I help you?” He spoke in a low drawl like a cowboy just off a dusty trail.

  “Can you tell me when Ranger Duncan will be in? We have an appointment,” I asked. Jason studied a habitat display of stuffed mammals found around Thunder Mountain. A large tree rose from a replica of Thunder Mountain.

  Various animals including a bear, a mountain lion, and a fox circled the tree’s thick roots. In the branches, a stuffed squirrel and raccoon climbed through the artificial leaves.

  Even though the fox’s eyes were glass, its sad spirit could be lingering around the building. A Great Owl was displayed to be flying in on its prey, a mouse.

  I could’ve sworn I heard an owl hooting in the building. The bear held up a giant claw. The coyote next to it seemed to be grinning as if it knew a joke about the bear. Information about the various animals was written on different display cards with information about habitats and other facts.

  Tex returned to the information counter. “You must be Miss Latimer and Mr. Hunsinger. Ranger Duncan called just a little while ago and said she wouldn’t be able to make the meeting. She had to attend an emergency park meeting with some of the directors and commissioners.”

  “I wished she had called to let us know she had a change of plans.” Jason scowled.

  I wanted to kick Jason Grumpy Pants in the butt for his rudeness. Tex was just the messenger.

  “Are you the two ghost hunters from last night?” Tex wiped the back of his neck with a red bandana.

  “Why?” I held my breath. Had George done something else?

  Tex removed several business cards from a drawer beneath the desk. “We’ve had a lot of reporters wanting to interview eyewitnesses about the trail of terror as they’re calling it, and they’re particularly interested in you two, and the girl who was injured. It’s made the Atlanta news.”

  “We’re friends of Ms. Duncan’s. We’ll let you know if we see these ghost hunters,” I said. The last thing we needed was enthusiastic ghost hunters to show up and engage George. Or worse, the Blood Collector. We had to find a way to stop him and fast before the festival in a few days.

  “Have Ranger Duncan call me.” I wrote my cell phone number down on a park business card. I knew she already had it, but an urgent need to find Teresa surged through me. I learned not to ignore urgent needs. “Is Sophie here?” I asked.

  “No. She’s off for the next few days spending time with her family.”

  I smiled. I knew Sophie was Kylantha, the guardian fairy of the park. I checked my watch. Twelve o’clock. I wondered if I hiked Bear Falls Trail if she might make an appearance and Jason could meet her.

  A raccoon scooted up to me. “Kytlantha sent me with a message. She is not available right now, but she will send a messenger when it’s a good time to meet.”

  I nodded. “Thank you. Send my regards to Kylantha, and tell her I look forward to our next meeting.”

  Jason stared open-mouthed and watched with wide eyes as the raccoon waddled away into the woods. “Did you understand that raccoon?” He asked.

  “Of course, didn’t you?”

  He shook his head. “What magic is that?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Jason reached for my elbow and guided me to the front door. “We have just enough time to make a trip to Iceberg Cooler Company, and then we have to get back to work,” he said, scanning the forest and trees.

  Back in the van, Jason adjusted the air conditioning. Even though it was late September, the humidity remained at eighty percent, and sweat dripped down my back. “Do you think George watched us?” Jason pointed up at a fat squirrel not he side of the road. “I didn’t see him or feel him.” I adjusted my seat belt.

  “We’ll need to hike down to this cave so I can see the sigils, and we definitely have to keep an eye out for this guy you saw last night, who you said had matching tattoos.” He shifted in his seat.

  Relief filled me. Jason’s attitude had u-turned, and he was back on the case. I didn’t have to stop George by myself as I had feared.

  The Mandy tension faded between us. On the drive over to Iceberg Cooler Company, Jason and I updated one another on the events of the past twenty-four hours.

  “I’m glad Hawthorne accompanied you, but I think he’s pursuing you.” Jason stared straight ahead, but he gripped the steering wheel tighter.

  Jason jealous? Pleased, I momentarily enjoyed the feeling. However, if Jason still cared deeply for Mandy, but if he was attracted to me, emotional complications would develop. I had enough problems with George, the Blood Collector, and Nana’s disappearance.

  “I don’t think so. Anyway, I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself. I lived in Los Angeles.”

  Jason brushed his hair off his forehead. “You never talk about California. What gives?”

  “I went to school. Worked hard, but it’s difficult to break into Hollywood.” I kept to generics. I definitely didn’t want Jason to know about Camden Lawrence and Zombietown. Still too painful to share that part of my life.

  Fifteen minutes later, we arrived at Iceberg Cooler Company located on the industrial side of Cloverville, with its various manufacturing companies along with storage buildings. A huge billboard of a polar bear, dressed in a blue velour jogging suit
, drinking a beer while sitting on a cooler hung over the wilderness lodged-shaped building. The image matched George in his polar bear mascot costume.

  “Who knows, maybe we’ll get a free cooler.” Jason sounded hopeful.

  “In your dreams. I don’ understand why they charge so much for a cooler.” I’d priced them at the hardware store when Laney and I had stopped for something for her truck. Five hundred dollars for a cooler. If I’m paying five hundred dollars for a cooler, it better have a forever flowing fountain of chardonnay.

  “Because it’s bear proof. It keeps the bears out of your beer when you go camping.” Jason stared at me in disbelief.

  “It would be cheaper to buy a bear a six-pack of beer and share. I closed the van door. “If they do give you a cooler, maybe we can use it to capture George.”

  We walked inside the wilderness lodge-shaped building, similar to the Thunder Mountain Park Visitor's Center with its log cabin exterior. Thick tongue and groove hardwood covered the floors. The mounted heads of deer, elk, and moose stared down with jet black marble eyes. A huge seven-foot stuffed polar bear stood in the corner. Paws, forever poised, ready to attack. I felt sorry for the animals and searched inwardly for an impression of their spirits. Nothing. Hopefully, they’d passed onto the Bright Side. Onto the Light.

  The receptionist wearing a blue polo shirt embroidered with the Iceberg polar bear logo pointed at a notepad on a table near a water cooler. “Please sign in and state your business.” She hadn’t bothered to look up.

  I decided to go with honesty. I signed Third Eye Investigations and put George Abernathy’s ghost as our business. I hoped that attracted somebody’s attention.

  Dana Lewis was the name on the plaque on the receptionist’s desk. Dana continued to keyboard emails or whatever she was doing on the computer. Probably checking on her social media. I returned the clipboard to the counter. I sat down in a cushy leather chair next to Jason, who texted on his phone. Most likely to Mandy.

  I studied the room, trying to get a vibe on Babs Abernathy. The dead animal décor didn’t go with what I’d read about her, an interior designer from Long Island, New York. After a whirlwind romance in Las Vegas, she and George, an avid outdoorsman, had settled in the small and quiet community of Cloverville, Georgia. Babs concentrated on her interior decorating business, and George focused on the company.

  After George’s tragic accident, Babs had remarried.

  “Miss Latimer and Mr. Hunsinger.” Ms. Abernathy will see you now,” Dana gestured at two huge doors. Interesting, Babs still kept George’s married name even though she had remarried.

  Finally, Jason looked up from the Iceberg Cooler product catalog, blinked, and nodded. “Thanks.”

  I couldn’t believe he’d devolved into a fanboy over Iceberg products.

  We tapped on the glass of a large wooden oak door. Yapping small dogs erupted from inside the office.

  “Shaddup you two balls of puff. Come in,” A woman shouted in a distinct Long Island accent.

  We entered the office, and it seemed as if we’d departed from a magic hunting lodge to the penthouse suite designed by Mattel for Barbie. My feet sank into the white thick plush carpet. Two Pomeranians with pink-tipped white fur barked, and then bolted back to a pink chair.

  “Come in, or these two will go out in the waiting room and pee on the polar bear. It costs a fortune to get the smell out.” Babs Abernathy swung her bubble gum leather pink office chair around. She placed her hands on her glass-top desk that sat upon thick Grecian chrome columns. I had to make sure my mouth was closed when prismatic rainbows danced from a huge and sparkling Swarovski crystal chandelier.

  Babs physically matched her office décor from her manicured pink fingernails to the silver-sequined tank top and leather pants. “What the hell is Third Eye Investigations and what do you have to do with Georgie after all these years?” She batted her false eyelashes at Jason, but she pointed at me. “There’s something about you that’s different. I can tell you’re smart, and I like you. Have a seat.” She gestured at a white leather sofa with zebra-striped pillows. I hoped it wasn’t real zebra fur.

  I sat down on the edge of the seat. How did she keep the sofa clean? I still wasn’t good at interviewing people, but I needed information. Nothing like going for it. “Have you been visited by George’s ghost lately?”

  Babs picked up one of her poof-ball dogs and scratched behind its ears. “Is this a scam?” She glared at me and then at Jason.

  I held up my hands. “No. Nothing like that. I know the topic of the supernatural is uncomfortable. And we’re not here to blackmail you. It’s just that the ghost of your husband has been seen at Thunder Mountain Park.” I blurted out in one long sentence.

  “What?” Babs Abernathy stared at me and then at Jason. The other little dog scratched at her leather pants and barked in a high-pitch squeak, reminding me of a bat at dusk seeking bugs to eat.

  “It’s true,” Jason spoke calmly.

  Babs raised her chin. “Georgie is haunting Thunder Mountain. Why would he do that? We’re hosting the festival to honor his memory.”

  I leaned forward. “You need to cancel the festival. George is responsible for injuries to several hikers. During the full moon hike, he injured two people. Both had to go to the hospital, one hiker remains hospitalized with injuries. The other one was released this morning.”

  “I heard about the accidents on the television news and the trouble at Thunder Mountain. And it’s because of Georgie.” Babs scooped up the other squeaking dog.

  Hope welled up in me that we could convince Babs the festival was a bad idea. “If we can get the park directors to cancel the festival until we find out to handle George, it could save a lot of people from being hurt.”

  Babs Abernathy confused expression turned to one of glee as she released both dogs back onto the floor. “Are you kidding me? George haunting the park is perfect. We can do commercials and feature his image as a ghost on the trail.” She clapped her hands. “I love it. This will be the best advertising campaign.”

  Stunned. Not the reaction I’d anticipated.

  “Are you serious?” Jason asked. “This is real. George has been hurting people.”

  “We came here to help you.” I managed to overcome my surprise and find my voice, even surprising myself at how calm I sounded.

  Babs waggled her index finger. “You did. You have given me a great advertising campaign. I wasn’t feeling this whole festival thing because it was someone else’s idea. Now, I am. This will go perfectly with the new designs. She pointed at a poster featuring the Thunder Mountain Park Festival with the same sigils from the cave. The sigils were used as a border around the letters. This would amplify the magic, help the Nightstalkers increase their magic.

  I cocked my head. Apparently, Babs hadn’t been visited by George in his polar bear mascot costume. If he had, she wouldn’t be so enthusiastic. It might be a good idea to have George visit his widow.

  “And this is fitting. Georgie loved Thunder Mountain.” Babs swept her hand through her short bob with pink tips. “He met his weird friends in some caves near a waterfall. They loved to dance naked in the dark.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Whatever gave him his jollies?”

  It sounded like a coven gathering. I never dreamed they went dancing naked in the dark. Had Nana gone dancing naked in the dark? Don’t go there.

  “Who were his friends?” I asked.

  “George was involved with a group of people that wore hoods and cloaks. They called themselves the Nightcrawlers.”

  “Nightcrawlers?” Babs must mean the Nightstalkers. My stomach dropped down to my feet. The same group that had cast a spell upon George.

  “Yeah, at first, I thought it was a fishing group, but then Georgie and I grew apart the more involved he became with his weird friends. The day he died he met them at the park, and then he fell off of the cliff.” She fake-sniffed, and the two poof ball dogs barked and squeaked and began pawing at Babs as
if trying to offer comfort or snag a treat.

  “It’s okay, my boo-boo’s. Mommykins is fine.” Babs glanced up at the clock. “Is there anything else I can help you with? I am a busy woman running a company.”

  Jason stood up. “Please reconsider the festival. George is an angry ghost and people have been hurt. More will be if the festival continues.”

  Babs blinked. “That’s not like my Georgie.”

  “Please. We wouldn’t be here if we weren’t concerned.” I pointed at the image of the Iceberg Polar Bear. “George is in pain. I think we can help him move unto the Bright Side.”

  She pursed her lips. “You said he’s been appearing to people. I wonder why he hasn’t visited me. I still miss him coming home and hearing him shouting ‘hey honey.’ You know, I could add that to a social marketing media. I have an appointment. You, two can see yourselves out.” She gave a dismissive wave.

  Five minutes later, Jason and I were escorted outside by a beefy guy in coveralls with an embroidered polar bear on the front left pocket. Dumbfounded, we just stood and looked up at the bear drinking a bear as it sat on a cooler sign.

  Jason and I walked back to his van. Both of us, still trying to figure out what had just happened.

  “Do you believe she and Georgie had a loving relationship?” Jason held my door open as I climbed inside his van. Camden had never held a door open in the entire two years we dated.

  He slid into his seat and inserted the key. “Hard to call. She seemed very happy to use Georgie’s haunting of Thunder Mountain Park as an advertising ploy.”

  Jason’s phone rang with the theme to Batman. He answered and turned up the audio so I could hear, too.

  “This is Ranger Duncan.”

  “Hey,” Jason said.

  “Tex told me that you stopped by for the interview. Sorry, I was out of the office, and then summoned by the park officials about the accidents.”