The Elk (A Caine & Murphy Paranormal Thriller Series Book 1)

by Dominika Waclawiak

  “He was lucid enough when I saw him in the hall,” He countered. Lou gave a start at that.

  “When? When did you see him?”

  “About twenty minutes ago. I helped him back into the room,” Barney lied. Lou stared at him in shock. That couldn’t be possible.

  “I don’t believe you,” she whispered.

  “Believe what you want,” he said with a shrug and turned away from her.

  “I found your recorder,” she said, wanting to hit back at him in any way she could. He stepped back and got into her face.

  “You’re seriously cracked, Lou. Deranged even. How you’ve been able to do your job is beyond me and now you’re adding paranoia to your long list of issues?” He shook his head in amazement. “Why Diane hasn’t fired you yet none of us know, but she will. You mark my words, she will!”

  “I have proof it was you. Did you do that to Dads as well or did you get one of your cronies to do it?” Her spittle sprayed his face, but he made no move to wipe it off. He narrowed his eyes at her and leaned in closer.

  “I know what you are,” he hissed at her. She locked her eyes on his.

  “And what am I, exactly?” she whispered, brimming with violence. She wanted to throttle the man.

  “A murderer,” Barney bit back. “I know you killed them. All of them and I’m going to prove it.” She couldn’t help but step back in shock. He looked as murderous as she felt, and he was accusing her of violence.

  “You can’t prove that!”

  “You will not get away with any of it,” he said and pushed past her, stomping to the elevators.

  “YOU will be the one that has to leave here after Diane sees what I have on you,” she shouted at his receding back. He never turned around. All her anger evaporated, and she gasped for breath. The vertigo hit her along with a wave of nausea and the blackness crept into the edge of her vision. She was going to pass out, she thought, as she stumbled inside the apartment. Relieved to see Dads fast asleep on his bed, she took several steps to her own bed and felt herself falling. She aimed herself towards it and hoped that this blackout wouldn’t cause her another concussion.

  Sara Caine stood next to Johan in the hallway. “Are you ready for this?” Johan asked. “Maybe we should go home like we agreed.”

  “We might not get the chance again,” she reminded him and he nodded. He wasn’t happy about her changing her mind and they’d argued for two floors about it.

  “As long as you’re here to catch me if something weird happens again,” she said. “I do really hope you’re wrong about this,” she added.

  “Why?” Johan said and frowned.

  “What if she kills us after I touch her?” Sara joked. “You have thought of that possibility, haven’t you?”

  “I don’t think that’s going to happen, Sara,” Johan said as she knocked on the door.

  “Here goes nothing,” she said. Nurse Louise opened the door within seconds, wearing pajamas with yellow duckies on them. She looked as if a Mack truck had hit her. She had purple circles under her eyes, and Sara couldn’t remember seeing anyone look as pale as she did. They all stood silent for a moment, no one sure of what to say, when Sara stuck her hand out in greeting.

  “I don’t know whether you remember me, but I was the psychic at the sèance we had last week,” Sara began and Nurse Louise nodded, staring at her with the haunted eyes of a trapped animal.

  “Of course, I know who you are. How are you feeling, Ms. Caine?” she said and took Sara’s hand in her own. At first, nothing happened and then Sara felt her hand involuntarily clutch Nurse Louise’s and she was plunged back into the visions.

  The same gruesome images replayed in Sara’s mind: the laughing blond woman, the death scene on the bed, the poor woman’s genitalia displayed in the same grotesque manner and that horrible symbol carved into her body splitting it in two. The trident.

  The vision went further this time. Someone screamed behind her and fear crashed into her, sending acid gurgling into her stomach and spewing up into her esophagus. The burning feeling was excruciating, and she bent over, retching, while white static overtook the ghastly images in front of her and then faded into a dark black silence. She heard a whimper so quiet, she had to strain to hear it. Why was it so cold, she thought, and then heard the woman’s voice.

  “Don’t hurt me. Please don’t hurt me,” the woman pleaded between sobs. Sara recognized that voice but couldn’t place it? She strained to hear more but all that was left was the terrified sobbing.

  Sara came to in Johan’s arms as Nurse Louise stared at her in terror. She smelled the sour fumes of vomit, and her throat burned. Nurse Louise slammed her door shut on them, and they heard a howl from inside. The woman sounded demented.

  “You were right, she didn’t kill us,” Sara whispered to him. “That’s always a plus,” she added. Lame attempt at a joke, she knew, but she was afraid to say what scared her out loud.

  “You were only out for a minute. The coma had to be a symptom of the shock to your system.”

  “I don’t want to be an empath,” she muttered as he helped her get to her feet. “Something’s not right,” she mumbled to him as she attempted to stand on her own. She swayed with dizziness and grabbed Johan’s arm.

  “We need to get out of here first, Sara. Stay with me,” he said as he wrapped his arm around her waist. They hobbled together to the elevator.

  “Can psychopaths feel fear? She looked terrified, and I felt overwhelming fear in her memories,” she whispered as they entered the elevator bank.

  “She knows you know what she is. That would cause anyone plenty of fear,” Johan said and hit the down button.

  “It doesn’t make sense, Johan,” Sara said and pulled away to test her strength. No dizziness but she was exhausted. The elevator dinged open before Johan could respond.

  Barney Leonard woke early the next morning and rushed through his morning ritual. After his run in with Lou, he’d snuck into Diane’s office and took a peek at Lou’s job application. He’d been surprised to see how sparse it was and couldn’t believe Diane hired her in the first place. She had to come cheap, he thought. He’d found what he went looking for and now needed an accomplice for the next step.

  Mary Ann took breakfast at the crack of dawn, and he wanted to catch her before she made any other plans that day. She was perfect for what he had in mind, and he knew he could convince her to come. He smoothed down his hair and gave himself another once over. Satisfied, he headed for the cafeteria.

  As expected, he found Mary Ann already seated and deep into her breakfast. He sauntered over and gave her a big hug.

  “How about a romantic getaway to Palm Springs today?” he whispered in her ear. Mary Ann beamed as Barney slid into the chair next to her.

  “I’ve found something on her,” he said, keeping his voice at a low whisper. Annoyance flashed across Mary Ann’s face, and he regretted giving away his intention so soon.

  “Oh, really?” she asked, her voice flat and disinterested.

  “I went and saw Dads last night,” he said and watched Lou walk into the cafeteria. “I’ll tell you later. Can you be ready in an hour?” Mary Ann nodded. Barney jumped back up, adrenaline pumping through him. He almost felt like himself again. He shot Lou a sideways glance. She, on the other hand, looked as if she hadn’t slept in a week. Good, he thought. He had spooked her and knew it was only a matter of time now.

  “Aren’t you going to eat breakfast?” Mary Ann called after him as he grabbed a blueberry muffin and a piece of bacon from the buffet. He waved the muffin behind him as he pushed the doors open with his shoulder, his mind already spinning about what he needed to fix on the old Volvo to make the trip.

  Lou Fairbanks knocked on Doreen’s door with force. “Please, Doreen. I just want to see the card.”

  Doreen’s voice sounded muffled through the door. “Leave me alone.” Lou grunted in frustration and used all her willpower not to kick the door.

  “I will i
f you give me the card,” Lou said in a carefully modulated voice.

  “I don’t have it.” Doreen sounded closer.

  “Open the door, Doreen. I just want the card,” Lou cajoled. The door creaked open, and a liver spotted hand appeared with a card. Lou plucked it from her and the hand slithered back inside. The door slammed shut.

  “Thank you, Doreen,” Lou called out and hoped the woman could hear her. She heard no response. Lou shook her head and stared down at the card. “Dammit,” she muttered. The card wasn’t for Sara Caine but for Ghost Hunters INC. with an address in Burbank. Sara Caine had come with them though, and maybe she was part of their outfit.

  She had no idea how Sara Caine knew who she was but if she did…Lou felt the now daily occurrence of the nausea and vertigo start and got moving before she passed out again.

  Lou put on her best smile for the young woman who sat manning the front desk at the bustling reality TV office. A banner with loud graphics exclaiming Ghost Hunters INC. hung above her. “I’m here to see Fredrick. He’s expecting me,” Lou explained.

  “Fredrick is in the dregs,” the woman said without looking up.

  “Dregs?” Lou asked. The woman pointed to a door to her right.

  “Go through that door and down the hall. Take a right and go all the way down that hall. It’s the last door on the right.”

  Lou pushed the door open without giving the woman another glance. The hall consisted of generic, white walls with cheap, grey carpet running down its length. Claustrophobia made her vision swim and her strides quickened. Fluorescent lights had always aggravated her anxiety, and she had to get out of this hallway fast. She took a right and broke into a run to the last door. The buzzing of the fluorescent lights penetrated her brain and made her want to scream. Breathing heavily, she threw the door open to a large room filled with wires and hardware. Fredrick sat in the middle of it, tinkering with a microphone setup at a small desk.

  “Fredrick?” she asked, pulling herself together the best she could, and closed the door behind her.

  “That’s my name. Not sure what you need from me though?” he asked without looking up.

  “Like I said on the phone, I’d like all the footage from that night.”

  “Why?” he asked and studied her as if she were a bug under a microscope. Tears welled up in Lou’s eyes. Why did no one want to help her?

  “I need those tapes to show that I didn’t attack my father.”

  “But everyone already knows that you were nowhere near the room.”

  “I need to show Diane Lawrence the proof.”

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t help you. The police took all the tapes,” Fredrick said. Lou lifted her head up so that the tears didn’t run down her cheeks. Or at least she hoped they wouldn’t.

  She took a deep breath. “I know there was no ghost in my room. I found the speakers and sound equipment in the wall,” she pushed on.

  Fredrick put his small screwdriver down and gave her his complete attention. “I don’t know anything about that. There are ghosts at the Bockerman or Sunshine or whatever it’s being called these days. Maybe not whatever ghost you were expecting to find but they are there and that’s why we came. I’m sorry that you didn’t find what you were looking for. Now, I really should get back to this,” he said and gestured at the mass of wires in front of him. Lou scanned the room for any equipment that looked similar to what she’d found in the empty apartment. Seeing nothing that looked familiar, she tried to get him to talk.

  “Did Barney put you up to it?”

  “If you mean by calling us in, then yes. The Bockerman Hotel is one of the most famous and haunted buildings in Los Angeles. That’s just a fact. I don’t know anything about speakers or sound equipment and can hardly see the point in such a haunted place as that one. When Mr. Leonard called us, I jumped at the chance to get inside your home. That manager of yours is a dragon lady, you know that? We’ve tried setting up appointments to check it out repeatedly over the years. She never once returned our calls.” He turned back to his work and screwed a panel shut. Something in his voice made her believe him.

  “Sara Caine is a real medium, isn’t she?” Lou asked.

  “Why?”

  “The séance and her reaction felt real.”

  “That’s because it was real. She’s the real thing,” he said and smiled with pride.

  “I want to get in touch with her. Do you think you could connect me?”

  He stared at her for a moment. “Why?”

  “She might tell me who did that to Dads. He’s the last piece of the puzzle.”

  “I thought you said you found evidence of someone trying to scare you. That wasn’t a ghost. How can a medium help you with that?”

  “She saw me earlier today and touched me. She saw something. I want to know what she saw,” she pleaded.

  “I’ll call her and let her know you want to speak with her,” he said and pulled out his cellphone. “What’s your number? She can give you a call if she wants to.”

  “323-833-3859. Please tell her it’s important,” she added as he programmed it into his phone.

  “Great. Now, I should get back to this,” he said and Lou nodded.

  “Thanks for your help, Fredrick,” she said and closed the door behind her. How could she focus on anything else while she waited for Sara’s phone call? And what if Dads… She stopped herself before she took it any further. She couldn’t think that. Not yet.

  Barney Leonard and Mary Ann made record time to Palm Springs, and Barney’s plan was going off without a hitch. They sat across from Jebediah Horvath, the director of the Palm Springs Happy Horizons assisted living home. Jebediah’s leathery face made him look much older than his fifty years, Barney thought, and the paunch that pressed against his shirt was a heart attack waiting to happen.

  “Our home is rated the best in Palm Springs, Mrs. Leonard,” Jebediah said in his best salesman voice.

  “The grounds are indeed gorgeous. Oh, I do love it so, Barney!” Mary Ann exclaimed as she squeezed Barney’s arm. Jebediah beamed at her.

  “How did you hear about us? Always good to know where our marketing dollars are working,” Jebediah explained. Barney leaned in. He’d been waiting for that exact question.

  “We heard about this place from a friend, Louise Fairbanks. I believe she used to work here?” Barney said. Jebediah’s smile faltered and disappeared.

  “You’re friends with her?” Jebediah asked and cleared his throat.

  “Did you have a problem with her here? Your tone implies you did,” Barney said, and watched the man redden.

  “You aren’t here looking for a place, are you?” Jebediah asked. Barney shook his head.

  “Reporters, then?” Jebediah demanded as he got up and gestured to the door. “I don’t know who put you up to this, but I want you both to leave. NOW.” He was almost shouting. Barney’s smile wavered as Mary Ann got up.

  “Let’s go, Barney,” she said and tugged at his sleeve. He got up as Jebediah came up behind them and hustled them to the door. Jebediah put his hand on Mary Ann’s back and she stiffened at his touch.

  “Please don’t shove me, Mr. Horvath,” she hissed.

  She had some balls, this woman, Barney thought appreciatively. Jebediah stepped back and put his arms up in defensive.

  “Sorry, I meant nothing by it,” he muttered as they crossed the threshold. “Don’t come back. I’ll call the police if you trespass on these grounds again,” he said and slammed the door on them.

  “Now what?” Mary Ann asked as Barney guided her to the entrance.

  “We wait, my dear,” he said as they stepped out into the blinding light of the desert afternoon. They got back into the small red Volvo.

  “Glad I packed us a lunch,” Mary Ann said wryly as she slid into the passenger seat.

  “I don’t think we’ll have to wait too long,” Barney said and pushed the driver’s seat into a reclined position.

  Barney and Mary Ann had
just finished up their lunch when they saw a well-dressed couple walk out the front door of the home and head down the street.

  “They seem like a nice couple,” Mary Ann said as Barney started up the car.

  “I think they’ll do just fine,” he said and followed them down Main Street. The couple stopped in front of the El Compadre restaurant, and Barney pulled into a parking spot.

  “Feel like some Mexican?” Barney said.

  “I’m always up for Mexican.”

  Barney approached the couple sitting on the veranda of the restaurant enjoying the sunshine. Mary Ann pushed in front of him, her smile wide.

  “Hi, sorry to disturb you but we saw you coming out of Happy Horizons. We were checking it out as a potential place to move to and wanted to talk to some residents,” Mary Ann said as a dark haired waitress placed margaritas in front of the couple.

  “And here you are,” Barney finished.

  “My name’s Marvin and this here is Judy,” Marvin said and motioned at his wife. “Join us and have a drink.” Barney pulled out the chair next to Marvin and Mary Ann sat down.

  “Name’s Barney. This here’s Mary Ann,” Barney said and gestured to the drinks to the waitress. “We’ll have what they’re having.”

  Several rounds later, Barney, nursing his own drink, noticed the couple was lubricated enough to talk. He nodded to Mary Ann and raised his round goblet of glorious, golden liquid, several limes floating on top, in front of him. “I wanna propose a toast. To new friends,” he said. Marvin and Judy both raised their glasses, and Mary Ann clinked with Judy.

  “To new friends!” Their voices rang out.

  “How did you hear about Happy Horizons?” Marvin asked as he eyed Barney over his drink.

  “A friend spoke very highly of it. She raved and raved, and we decided we’d have to check it out.”

  “What’s your friend’s name? We might know her. We’ve lived there for what…” He glanced at Judy. “Has it been five years?”