“Morning, Tim,” Justin said as he made his way through the maze of desks that made up the bullpen. “Why is everyone up so early?”
“Didn’t you get the second message or see that big group of photographers out there?” his friend asked, busily straightening a pile of papers on his desk while simultaneously trying to shove an electromagnetic field detector back into its carrying case. “The people from AR are stopping by for a spot check this morning.”
Justin shrugged as he put down his messenger bag and powered up his computer. “Is that a problem?” He hadn’t noticed any more camera hounds than normal, but he hadn’t really been counting them, either.
Tim just gave him a look that said he clearly had no idea where his friend’s head was. “This is it, man. Make or break with AR is today. Either we get the contract or we don’t. Mia has been worrying about it all night.”
Deciding that he really didn’t want to know how, exactly, Tim knew what Mia had been up to the night before, he quickly changed the subject. “Well, we have some desk work to do this morning, so we’ll be here to put on bright happy faces when the AR executives come by. That’s what Mia wants right?”
Tim picked up his coffee mug and took a long swallow before answering. “For now, yeah, that’s what she wants. And I’m going to make sure it happens for her. For all of us,” he amended, though not before Justin caught his slip-up.
In too good of a mood to really be worried about Tim, Mia and the AR deal, Justin dropped a stack of files on his desk and picked up his own coffee mug. “That’s an old report about the night we died, written by the guy who replaced you as town doctor, plus some other stuff. They were hidden in a panel in the library of Rosewood House. Ben showed them to me last night.”
Tim’s eyebrows rose and he put down the night vision goggles he’d been holding. “How long has he known about this and why didn’t we get it before?”
Justin shrugged. “ I have no idea. I’m just thankful he showed it to me at all. You want to take a look at everything while I get some coffee and check in with Mia?”
Already engrossed in the papers, Tim barely nodded so Justin ambled off to get his jolt of morning caffeine and made a quick stop in his boss’s office. He assured Mia that, for most of the morning at least, he would be at his desk, looking very presentable and pleasant for any of the AR people that happened to come wandering through. By the time he returned to his desk, Tim already had Ben’s papers divided into two neat stacks.
“I don’t think these are relevant,” Tim informed him as Justin sat down, coffee in hand. “They’re mostly just old tax notices, a bill of sale for some extra acres of land that Ben bought and a few dress bills.” He grinned. “Rose did have a taste for the finer things, given how much some of these dresses cost.”
Justin gave his friend a reproachful look, but didn’t say anything. He wanted Tim’s help and didn’t want to tick him off. However, he also didn’t like the idea that Tim might be poking fun at Rose.
Seeing his now grouchy look, Tim apologized. “Sorry, dude. I was just trying to make light of this.” He blew out a breath and leaned back in his chair to stare at the ceiling. Justin flowed his gaze to the ornate tin ceiling above. Rusted in some places, the once beautiful ceiling clearly needed some restoration work. Allowing his gaze to roam around the office area, for the first time, Justin really noticed how truly decrepit, yet undeniably beautiful, the Canal Building was.
Though structurally sound, the building had obviously seen better days. It was also evident, however, that it had once been an architectural masterpiece; more than just a working building, but also a piece of art in its own right. When Mia had used the last of her savings to purchase the building a little over a year ago, Justin hadn’t understood what she’d seen in it. Instead, he’d urged her to consider a newer, more modern building out near the newest shopping plaza, with easy access to the interstate and plenty of land for expansion.
Typically, Mia had refused to budge and had bought the building anyway, telling Justin that even though something was damaged, that didn’t mean it was beyond repair and not worth saving. He hadn’t understood what she’d meant at the time. Now, looking - really looking - at the ceiling and the large arching support columns that were smaller versions of the ones in the lobby and mezzanine several floors below, he understood.
Maybe it was meeting Rose again, visiting Blue Spring and feeling somehow connected to that sleepy, small town. Maybe it was just that he was finally growing up. Whatever the reason, for the first time, Justin understood what Mia had been trying to accomplish and why. He understood what she saw in this building and the slightly rag-tag group of investigators she’d assembled. It was an unsettling feeling.
“Earth to Justin. Come in, buddy.” Tim’s voice broke through Justin’s thoughts, pulling him out of his musings. “Is there something wrong?”
Shaking his head, Justin picked up the pile of papers Tim had just laid in front of him. “No, I’m fine. I think that potion Reed gave me to help with the house is messing with my head, too, you know?”
“Or you could just be confused,” Tim offered gently. “Anyone would be after the last few days like the ones you’ve had.”
Justin didn’t really want to talk about all the thoughts rushing through his mind, all the changes he felt taking place inside of him. It was all still so new and confusing. If he talked to anyone, it would be Rose, at least for now.
“Really, I’m fine,” Justin assured him, effectively closing the door on the subject. “Now let’s start going through these records. Ben told me last night that Rose is starting to get tired. You and I both know from experience what that means.”
“She’s losing her ability to stay here.” Tim picked up a pen and started twirling it through his fingers. “We’re running out of time.”
Nodding in agreement, Justin pushed his chair back from his desk and got comfortable. “So let’s get to it.”
For the next hour, both Justin and Tim poured over the documents Ben had provided, making notes about possible leads and quickly discarding bits of information, like a note from the gardener that the ornamental shrubs had been watered, that didn’t seem relevant. Around them, the entire office was strangely silent. Some people worked, following the lead of Justin and Tim. Others, like Josh, used the time to organize their desks and put away old case files. At one point, Reed even emerged from his lab, followed by the organization’s receptionist, Francesca DeKay, better known as Chessie, who was holding a large blue plastic bin.
After announcing that he had been made temporary acting head of the Artifacts Department, Reed requested that if anyone had enchanted objects, spell books or potion bottles just lying around their desks, that he’d appreciate them turning the items over to Chessie, along with any accompanying paperwork. Justin was mildly surprised by the announcement.
Damian Easton had been the head of that department since the beginning, and as far as Justin knew, other than one minor accident last September, the other man had been doing a good job. Though to be fair, no one had seen Damian in several months, as he was currently believed to be traveling across the country and possibly throughout Europe in a quest to recover some lost objects before bounty hunters did. No one, save for possibly Chessie, who had a relationship with Damian that no one quite understood, knew for certain.
Picking up a few potion bottles he’d borrowed during his last investigation, Justin took them over to Chessie who had already placed the quickly filling tub on the floor and sent Reed in search of another one. Apparently the staff of Ghosts, Inc. wasn’t as good at putting things away as they should be.
“Is this a temporary change?” he asked Chessie as he dropped the bottles into her bin and handed her a stack of folders.
She shrugged, quickly putting matching tag numbers on each of the bottles and the accompanying files. “I don’t know. Mia called Damian last night and they talked about it. Damian mentioned possibly going to Indonesia for a little bit, an
d, well, someone has to take over if he’s going to be gone that long. That’s all I know.” However, there was a telltale blush on her cheeks that indicated she knew far more than she was telling.
It was no secret around the office that something was going on between the pretty receptionist and the dashing relic hunter, though no one could really say what it was. Other than Mia, Chessie was the only person on staff who spoke to Damian regularly, not to mention that she had been with him the day of the accident the previous year. Speculation had swirled for months about what exactly had happened that day, but those who knew weren’t saying anything.
“As long as you’re okay with it,” he said, fishing for information. At the moment, he was happy and he wanted those around him to feel just as good. From the expression on Chessie’s face, she was as far from being happy as one could get.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” she asked, even though the blank, uninterested expression she’d strived for didn’t quite reach her eyes. There, signs of misery lurked, deeply hidden, but still visible if you looked carefully enough. “What Damian does isn’t really my concern.”
Justin shrugged. Clearly Chessie didn’t want to discuss her relationship with Damian, if there even was one. “I just thought you two were friends. That’s all.”
At that, Chessie seemed to relax a bit. “We are. Friends I mean. But he’s got a job to do and so do I.”
Sensing the subject was closed, Justin gave her a small smile and ambled back to his desk. However, he also knew that there was far more to the subject of Chessie and Damian than anyone knew. It was only a matter of time before it came to light, he was certain. In an office full of paranormal investigators, keeping secrets was just about impossible.
Wandering back to his desk, Justin settled in once more and continued to review the files. Despite Ben’s promise of a clue, all he was finding was Doctor Baker’s medical reports and autopsy results, as well as a sketchy criminal investigation file. If the case had been investigated, it had been done quietly and extremely privately because there were precious few public details.
He was just about to suggest to Tim that they take a break when movement in Mia’s office caught his eye. The Alternate Reality people were here and they’d brought a massive group of people, far more than the three or four people Mia had predicted. They were just getting ready to leave Mia’s office for a tour of the building and he realized he must have missed their arrival while talking to Chessie.
Knowing he had to keep working and act responsible for at least the next half an hour, Justin settled himself back down at his desk and looked at the file again. Every so often, he would glance up, following the group’s progress around the semi-open office area. He also noticed almost every other investigator doing the same thing. When the group left via elevator to tour other parts of the building, he could sense a collective sigh of relief from the staff, knowing that they were no longer being observed like bugs in a jar.
That was going to have to change, Justin mused to himself as he made more notes. If they were going to have their own show, camera crews would be following them on investigations. Soon, people around the globe would be able to track every move a team member made. The entire staff had better get used to being observed if the show had any hope of succeeding.
Rather than worry about what that meant for his own life, Justin buried himself deeper and deeper into the stack of papers, reviewing everything, even the documents he’d put aside earlier because he’d believed they weren’t relevant. He was so engrossed in his work that he was only vaguely aware when the AR people returned, noticing only because the mood in the office shifted, once again his coworkers more alert than they had been when the group had been gone.
Wanting to show Tim a line item about a proposed root cellar for Rosewood House, Justin picked up the piece of paper he’d been studying and felt something odd. A second, extremely thin sheet of vellum had been stuck to the house upgrade list. Old and very faded, he hadn’t seen it before. Carefully, he peeled the vellum away from the other paper and studied it.
It appeared to be a list of items from Rosewood that had been donated to the Blue Spring Library shortly after Ben had died. Among the items were personal objects taken from both James’ and Rose’s bedrooms, as well as a series of engravings detailing life at the house and a few photographs and some tintypes. At the bottom of the vellum sheet was a handwritten note mentioning that the objects were to be used in a display about the life of the Dorsey family, as well as the role James Morgan had played in its ultimate demise, and the end of the once well regarded family. The display was supposed to be set up in the library and eventually moved to the now-closed Valley Life History Museum that had once been located on the outskirts of Blue Spring.
Justin had an uneasy feeling in his gut, as if he was on the verge of a big discovery. This paper didn’t fit with the rest, as it was clearly written after Ben’s death. Though he didn’t know the ghost well, he knew that there was no way Ben would have authorized such a display while he’d been alive. He also wondered if the display still existed, at least in some form.
Turning to his computer, he did a quick search and discovered that the entire contents of the Valley Life Museum had been donated to the Logan Valley Heritage Society located only a few blocks away from the Ghosts, Inc. offices. The website also offered a few photos of some of the collections and exhibits currently on display at the society, including the Dorsey family display.
Knowing that this was the first and only real clue, Justin jumped up from his desk just as the AR people were coming back into the office area. He hesitated. Earlier, Mia had sent out an email telling the staff that the people from AR wanted to meet with all of the primary team members. That included him.
Tim, as if reading Justin’s mind, which he probably was, looked up from the file he’d been pretending to read. “Don’t even think about it, man. If you leave now, we’ll all look bad. It could kill the deal. Please.”
Justin was torn. If he left now, Mia and Ghosts, Inc. risked looking bad in front of the AR people. The corporate suits might view his abrupt departure as proof that Mia couldn’t control her staff and therefore, wouldn’t be able to handle the added pressures of a television show. On the other hand, a voice in the back of his mind whispered that there was no time to waste, that he had to see the exhibit now. Rose was running out of time.
In the end, there was no choice.
“Sorry, Tim, but I have to do this. I found something and it can’t wait.” Justin prayed that Tim understood and was rewarded with a small nod of reluctant approval.
That was all he needed. Grabbing his car keys, Justin bolted from his desk, just as the AR people approached. As the public face of the company, he knew they’d want to talk with him at length and right now, he simply didn’t have time for that. One member of the group, a producer he assumed, tried to catch his attention, but Justin brushed past her, mumbling apologies as he went.
Ahead of him, the bank of elevators stood silent and gleaming. If he waited for a car, someone would corner him and he wouldn’t get away for a long time, possibly hours. Instead, he decided that the ornate, gilded staircase at the far side of the office would be quicker.
Glancing back as he sprinted across the office floor, he saw Mia and Tim, who had gotten up from his desk to help, trying to calm the AR people, including the woman who had tried in vain to get Justin’s attention. He had a bad feeling about her and the trouble she could potentially cause. Thankfully, he saw Josh come over to the group and attempt to placate the woman. The man had a magic touch with even the crankiest of women. Hopefully, it would work just as well this time as it had in the past.
Justin took the stairs two at a time, not waiting to wait any longer. Though he had no paranormal talents of his own, he imagined that whatever was pushing him to visit the museum now must be similar to what the others felt every day. It was mildly disconcerting and for once, he was glad he didn’t have the abilities the other staff me
mbers did.
As he sprinted through the lobby, he stopped long enough to tell Chessie, who was now back her at reception desk, that he would be gone for a while, possibly the rest of the day. Once things settled down, he didn’t want anyone on staff worrying about him any more than they already did. Tim’s comments from earlier told Justin that word was getting around about his bizarre behavior and the last thing he wanted was some well-meaning but inexperienced investigator-in-training butting in where they weren’t welcome.
Though it went against every rule Ghosts, Inc. had about working in teams, Justin knew this was his mission. He had to be the one to find the clues. At this point, anyone else would just get in the way.
Chapter Sixteen
Hurrying the few blocks to the historical society’s museum, Justin was grateful that the building was still open when he arrived. A quick check of the posted hours told him that he had only forty five minutes before they closed for the day, even though it was barely past noon. Somehow, he doubted that the people who ran the place would be understanding and allow him to stay any longer.
Justin quickly paid the small admission fee and took the map the elderly, gray-haired tour guide offered. He politely declined her offer of a guided tour with what he hoped was a friendly smile and instead asked where the Dorsey exhibit was located. She gave him directions to the third floor and again offered to accompany him, but he declined once again. Whatever was up there, he needed to see it for himself, in private, without the grandmotherly docent by his side. Somehow, he didn’t think she’d understand when she looked at the pictures of James Morgan and saw Justin’s face.
The air was thick and heavy with dust as he made his way slowly up to the third floor. He’d been in a rush to get here, but now, he was a little afraid of what he might find. So far, all he’d had were disturbing bits of hazy memory mixed with second and third hand stories about the man he used to be, all of them colored by the perception of others. Now, he was on the verge of seeing himself through an unbiased eye and he wasn’t sure he’d like what he’d found.
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