City of Ghosts

by J. H. Moncrieff

  “Kate?”

  “Mm-hmm?”

  “I thought it was you…at first.” My cheeks burned again, but it was important that she knew the truth.

  “I’m sure that’s what she was hoping for. But I wouldn’t do that to you. I wouldn’t molest you in your sleep.”

  I wouldn’t mind. Except now, maybe I would. “I didn’t take it that way…as you molesting me.”

  “Maybe you should. Would you have gotten into bed with a woman who trusted you as a friend, and done that stuff to her without her permission?”

  The very thought made my skin crawl. “Hells no!”

  “Then why should it be any different for you? Because you’re a guy?” She sighed. “There’s this stupid notion in our society that guys want sex all the time or they’re not ‘real’ men, so that kind of shit is okay. But it’s not. You own the rights to your body, and I own the rights to mine. If you don’t think you should touch my body without permission, the reverse should also be true. This is why most men don’t report being raped. Maybe more men rape than women, but at least we acknowledge that the rape of a woman is a horrible thing. Guys are supposed to enjoy it. How fucked up is that?”

  The really fucked-up part was that I would have been one of them. If a woman had raped one of my buddies, I would have laughed and said he was lucky to be getting any. Kate’s perspective was new to me, but it made sense.

  Before I drifted off, there was something I needed to know. “She can’t hurt you, can she?”

  “No. Her connection isn’t with me, but with you. In any case, I don’t think you have to worry about her, as long as you don’t piss her off. She wasn’t a malevolent person when she was alive. Any power she has now comes from rage over what happened to her, but it’s nowhere near as strong as it would be if she had been an evil person.”

  “That’s comforting.”

  “Hey, we’ll take our comfort where we can get it, okay? Now get some rest, Jackson. I’m here. You don’t have to worry about her now.”

  Kate held my hand as I fell asleep.

  ~ Chapter Twenty-Five ~

  Three days later, we arrived in Hensu. A light rain was falling as mist, making the scene as ethereal as a Miyazaki movie. The golf cart transporting us to the mountain was full of chattering Chinese women and their mostly silent men. As much as it had been nice to connect to the outside world again, it was good to be back in mainland China. Something about the country was beginning to feel like home to me, in spite of everything.

  After sleeping off and on for forty-eight hours and taking many, many hot showers, I felt almost normal again. Every time I woke up, Kate had been ready with a progress report. By the time we’d left Hong Kong, over fifty thousand people had read my blog post, and hundreds of them had shared it. My friends were doing everything they could to help. Not exactly viral, but not too shabby, either.

  When I’d checked my email that morning, I’d learned my mom and Roxi were both mollified, if not entirely convinced I was okay. Roxi had freaked out over the blog post, but I told her I was exaggerating for dramatic effect. Since that was something I’d done once or twice, she believed me. She’d promised not to tell Mom, and since Mom didn’t understand what a blog was, it was probably safe to think she wouldn’t find it on her own. I could have been a YouTube sensation, and my mother wouldn’t have had a clue.

  I also had a message from Larry. Martin and Matt had written too, but I appreciated Larry’s the most.

  Hey Jacks,

  Glad to hear you’re okay. The rest of the tour was all right, if a bit weird. After pretending to search for you and Kate for about ten minutes, Harold continued being his usual ambivalent self.

  The farewell dinner was a tad strained, as you can imagine. I think the only person who said more than a word or two was Meghan. I’m sure you’re surprised. I think Harold was relieved to see the end of us. I was certainly relieved to see the last of him.

  We each got an email from Valiant saying that Harold Hu has been dismissed, due to reports of misconduct, and a personal apology with a voucher for twenty percent off our next trip. Ha! Don’t think I’ll be using that any time soon.

  Harold was supposed to meet us in the lobby on the last morning for the final goodbye, but he never showed up. And then we got that email. So no one knows where he is. If you’re still in China when you read this (and I really hope you’re not), watch your back. I don’t trust that guy.

  Well, hang loose, good buddy. It was great to travel with you. Keep in touch, eh? You never know—maybe we’ll meet again.

  Larry

  * * *

  “There she is.”

  I’d been afraid I wouldn’t recognize her, but that wasn’t a problem. As it turned out, I would have known her face anywhere. Dragging Kate by the arm, I hurried to join the woman’s group. She was in the middle of her spiel about the underworld bridge, where tourists would be tested and judged…on whether or not they were dumb enough to pay for a cheesy photo. The guide nodded as we joined her circle, giving us a vague smile. No hint of recognition.

  We fell in step with several Brits and Australians, a couple from Canada, and a family of four from Finland. No one seemed to know anyone else, so our sudden appearance wasn’t taken as unusual. They probably thought we were stragglers.

  This time around, I was a man on a mission: I avoided the bridge; I didn’t attempt to stand on the tiny, slippery rock to prove I was a person of balanced morals; and I didn’t donate coins to the three great medical gurus to guarantee my health in the coming year.

  Kate wasn’t up for much either. She was probably exhausted from taking care of me the past few days. She claimed to have slept well, but the shadows under her eyes told a different story. I was willing to bet she’d stayed awake most of the time, standing guard, waiting for Yuèhai to try something.

  But if she had, Kate wouldn’t admit it, and I hadn’t seen or heard from Yuèhai again, which was just fine with me.

  By this time, we were accustomed to China. We used our umbrellas like weapons, and did not hesitate to push or shove as we made our way through the tourist attraction. If someone dared hit us with their umbrella, they got it right back. It might not have been good etiquette, but it was a hell of a lot more satisfying than being polite.

  “This is incredibly bizarre,” Kate said. We were going through the little corridor now, peering inside the dusty windows at the guardians of hell, who were busy torturing other statues for their transgressions. She wrinkled her nose. “Do they really believe this stuff happens when they die?” She grimaced at a figure of a crooked politician who was having his eyeballs yanked out.

  “If they do, you have to admit it’s a great deterrent.”

  “I can’t believe you spent the night here,” she said, gazing at the bloody, dismembered carvings, their mouths open in silent screams of agony. “It’s beyond creepy.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of ghosts.”

  “Maybe not the ghosts, but these things are freaking me out.”

  I laughed. “The woman talks to the dead, but she’s afraid of a few statues.”

  “Not afraid so much as grossed out.” Kate pulled the brim of my cap lower on her forehead. It had quickly become a nervous habit. “Let’s move on.”

  The Finnish woman looked over at her and smiled. “They’re quite grotesque, aren’t they? They really bothered me the first time I saw them. Gave me nightmares.”

  The first time? Who would come here more than once if they didn’t have to? As if the woman had read my mind, she said, “I see I’m not the only one who is fascinated by this place. Although I’m surprised you’d want to return after your last experience.”

  “Last experience?” Kate asked, frowning at me. I knew what she was upset about—we weren’t supposed to attract attention. At least, no more than usual. But what could I do about it? I couldn’t help it if the lady recognized me. How many stunningly beautiful black men did she get to see in Finland? Or in Chin
a, for that matter?

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I thought he would have told you.” She turned to me with an apologetic expression. “I hope I haven’t gotten you in trouble with your girlfriend.”

  Kate and I reacted as if we’d rather the woman had stuck a hot poker up our butts. “We’re not—”

  “She’s not—”

  The poor woman looked confused, and I smiled to reassure her. “What we’re trying to say is, we’re not dating. We’re friends.”

  “Oh, that’s a shame.”

  “Margot.” Her husband, who had ignored us until then, finally decided to join the conversation. “Stop meddling.”

  “I’m not meddling,” she said, playfully slapping him on the arm. “I know you were seeing it too—admit it. Wouldn’t they make a lovely couple?”

  Kate looked like she wanted to crawl into a dark hole and disappear, which wasn’t making the conversation any less awkward.

  “I’m afraid that’s not going to happen.” I slung an arm around Kate’s shoulders in a one-armed hug. She stiffened at my touch. “She’s far too good at resisting me.”

  “It won’t last.” Margot gave me a wink that dropped twenty years from her. “You keep trying, young man—you’ll see. She likes you; I can tell.”

  “Margot!” Her husband exclaimed in horror, but I was kind of enjoying the way Kate cringed under my arm. What was her problem, anyway? Things had been great between us in Hong Kong. Not exactly romantic, but comfortable. I couldn’t fathom why she was acting like I was a communicable disease.

  “Oh, hush up, Søren. They know I’m only having fun with them. Don’t you, young man?”

  “Sure. It’s okay,” I said to her husband, who apparently had never heard of sunscreen. He’d turned a lovely shade that was somewhere between radicchio and borscht.

  “Bah, don’t encourage her. She’ll have you married before the end of the tour.” He waved his hand at us as if swatting a fly, and stalked after the rest of the group. We’d fallen behind. Shades of déjà vu. Keeping up with tours was clearly not my thing.

  “Please don’t mind Søren. He doesn’t think I should talk to strangers, but what is traveling for, if not to meet new people?” While Margot was not nearly as fast as her husband, I was relieved to see her pick up her pace. It would have felt rude to ditch her, but this was one tour where I had no intention of losing my guide. “He says that I’m bothering folks and that they’re too polite to tell me. I can’t see how I’m bothering anyone—I’m only being friendly. I’m not bothering you, am I?”

  “Of course not.” I could have sworn Kate gave me a little kick in the calf, but she might have just lost her footing.

  “My, but you have a beautiful smile. You’d better snatch him up quickly, Miss.” She craned her neck to address Kate, who hid behind me. “I doubt he’ll stay on the market for long.”

  “Thank you. It’s nice to be appreciated.” This time I was sure I felt a kick.

  “I’m so glad you ended up being all right. You gave us quite a scare.”

  When I’d devised my grand plan of staying in the ghost city overnight, I’d never considered what effect it might have on my fellow travelers. I didn’t think anyone had bothered to search for me, but Margot insisted they did. I also never considered that someone else would be crazy enough to take this tour twice. While I didn’t recognize Margot, it was obvious she remembered me well.

  “We spent an hour searching for you, and still no one had any idea where you’d gone. Søren insisted on checking that godforsaken pagoda, but I think he would have jumped at any excuse to explore that thing.” She expelled her breath in an indignant huff. “Men. Always trying to find a way to kill themselves.”

  (My first choice for a hiding spot had been the sinking pagoda. Too bad I’d reconsidered—I could have avoided a lot of drama.)

  “If I was married to her, I’d want to kill myself too,” Kate muttered in my ear, and I jabbed her with my elbow, hoping Margot hadn’t overheard.

  “We stayed as long as we could, hoping you’d turn up, but it got dark so fast. We were fairly late returning to the boat as it was. We thought maybe you’d gotten an early ride to the ship.”

  “No such luck. I was here all night. Sorry to put you through so much trouble.” I fought the urge to add “ma’am.” My mother hated it when people called her that. She said it made her feel old.

  “No trouble at all. Least we could do for such a fine young man. Besides, what was the hurry? Lord knows there’s nothing to do on that boat at night but sit around listening to our bones creak.”

  I laughed.

  “Why did you come back here? Did you want to show your friend the city?” She said ‘friend’ in a way that made it clear she thought we were anything but, and I could see what her husband meant. When Margot got an idea in her head, she was like a dog with a bone.

  “Actually, I was hoping to get some more information from the guide,” I said, figuring there was no harm in telling her the truth. “I found the last tour to be a bit rushed.”

  Margot rolled her eyes. “They always are, aren’t they? There are two types of tour guides—the ones who never shut up, until you want to scream, and the ones who tell you nothing of use.” She lowered her voice as we caught up to the rest of the group. “Some of these tour guides can’t speak English. Oh, they try, don’t get me wrong, but you can’t make out a word they’re saying. Carol is wonderful, though. I’m sure she’ll be able to answer any questions you have.”

  “Carol?” A few people glared at us, so I mouthed a silent apology. Once again, I wasn’t doing a great job of blending into the background.

  “Carol is our guide,” Margot stage-whispered. Tension emanated from Kate, but I couldn’t figure out what her problem was. Why was she in such a bad mood? Was it only the lack of sleep, or something else? Margot was chatty, sure, but I didn’t see any reason for hostility. I would have asked Kate what was wrong, but I’m positive she would have told me everything was fine. She was pretty cool for a chick, but she was still a chick. “She’s the same guide we had last time, so I’m sure you recognize her. Of course, her name isn’t really Carol. That’s only the name she uses with the tourists. We’ve gotten to be quite friendly. Would you like me to introduce you? I’m sure that if I tell her you’re my friend, she’d be more than happy to help.”

  “We wouldn’t want to interrupt the tour.” Kate attempted to sound pleasant, but each word was forced from between clenched teeth.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t do that.” Margot flapped her hand at Kate as if she were being silly. “We’ll wait to the end, and then we’ll pounce on her before the others can strike. It’ll work out fine, you’ll see. But in the meantime, let’s get to the front of the line, shall we?”

  Before I could blink, she’d taken my hand and led me past the rest of our group, who were absolutely thrilled at us cutting in front of them.

  Carol glanced at me for a beat longer than normal, but if she recognized me, she showed no sign. After asking if there were any more questions, she steered us out of the ghost city toward the marketplace, where we would be given free time to shop. That was the ideal moment for Margot to make her move, and our new friend didn’t hesitate. She swooped in, linking arms with the guide and hustling her in the opposite direction before she could protest. A few people followed, muttering and scowling. I could imagine what they were thinking. These assholes didn’t bother to pay attention during the tour, and now they want to monopolize the guide?

  “You remember me, don’t you Carol? We had such a lovely chat about Tibet and the political ramifications of the protests in Hong Kong,” Margot said while the guide tried unsuccessfully to free herself from the Finnish woman’s grip.

  Carol nodded politely, but she was as uncomfortable as anyone I’d ever seen, so her answer surprised me. “Of course I remember. Your husband, he speaks Mandarin.”

  Søren spoke Mandarin? This was unexpected.

  “That’s us,” Margot said, brighte
ning. “I often wonder if there’s anything that man of mine can’t do.”

  Carol’s brow furrowed in obvious confusion. “It was very nice to see you once more. But if you don’t have a question about the tour, I should join the others.”

  “I don’t have a question, but this fellow does.” Margot grabbed me by the wrist and hauled me forward. “This is…I’m sorry, I don’t believe I asked your name.”

  “It’s Jack,” I said, in case someone asked Carol about us later. “Jack…Ryan.”

  Kate kicked me again, but this time I’d expected it. Best I could come up with on short notice, though, and she had no grounds to complain—especially since she’d insisted I do all the talking.

  If Margot thought my name sounded familiar, she hid it well. She was already continuing with the introductions. “You must remember Jack Ryan. He was the young man who got lost on the first tour we did with you. He had to stay in this terrible place overnight. Can you imagine?”

  Stepping forward, I offered Carol my hand. Her grip was strong.

  “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to tell you how sorry I am,” she said. “Please believe me when I say I felt very, very bad for you. I searched for you until my boss say I must leave to take others to the boat.”

  “Her boss wouldn’t let her return to search further,” Margot added.

  “That is true. My boss felt it would not be respectful to leave the group on their own.”

  I’d had no idea how close my ghost-hunting career had come to ending before it had the chance to begin. But maybe that wouldn’t have been so bad. If Carol had returned that evening to search for me, she would have seen my fire right away, and I wouldn’t have met Yuèhai.

  “Excuse me, Miss?” It was one of the Australians, and it would be difficult to say which of the two of us appeared more annoyed. “Can you tell us where to find those statues of Yin and Yang?”

  “Just a sec,” I told him, moving to block Carol’s view of the impatient tourist. “I only have one question, but it’s important.”