Midnight Reynolds and the Agency of Spectral Protection

by Catherine Holt

  “Well, I can help you there,” Jerry said, tearing his gaze away from Ruth to glance at the silver button gleaming in the bright lights of the hall. “It’s from the country club. See that squiggle there? It’s meant to represent a golf club but ended up looking more like a snake. It became a running joke, and these days they’re only used on the bellhop uniforms.”

  Midnight let out a gasp. Whoever had visited Elsie Perkin’s house and taken the particle realigner had also been in the museum and worked at the country club. She looked at Tabitha, but before they could speak, Phil came jogging toward them.

  “Hey, Midnight. I’ve just been speaking to your mom. She’s about to start filming for her latest vlog and wants you in it. She’ll throw in your favorite muffins. You too, Tabitha.”

  “Oh.” Midnight’s mind whirled. At that moment, the ghost app rang out on her phone, followed seconds later by the one on Tabitha’s. They had a new clue to follow up on, and spectral energy to release. She gulped. “A-actually Tabitha and I were going to do a bit more work on the article. Plus, I’m supposed to babysit today.”

  “Yeah, the article,” Tabitha seconded, neither one of them quite able to look Phil in the eye.

  “But I’ll call Mom and let her know I can’t make it. I’m sure she’ll understand,” Midnight said, reminding herself that letting down her mom over a cooking video was nothing in comparison to saving her wedding day from being washed out.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “Ouch.” Midnight groaned as she reached for the polishing cloth that she used on CARA. Her body ached from the spectral energy that had been trapped at the back of the movie theater. At least it had just been plain old, regular spectral energy, which seemed like a slow-motion version of the ruptures she’d been dealing with. Thankfully, the howling wind and rain had stopped anyone from walking past the dumpster that she’d been forced to hide behind as she cleared the spectral energy.

  While she’d been working, Tabitha had contacted the Berry Hills Country Club and—through means that Midnight didn’t want to examine too closely—had managed to get a list of the eight bellhops who worked there. After that, the girls had decided to call it a day.

  Once CARA was clean, Midnight hid her under the bed before writing out her latest report for the agency. It took an hour before she was done. She hit Send, then turned her attention to her spreadsheet. Clashing blocks of color stared back at her.

  What had once been a thing of pristine beauty had turned into a big, fat mess of blurred shades. None of it was helped by the ghost app going off all the time, making scheduling even more difficult.

  Midnight glanced at her pile of homework as a pale slither of pink fog slid in under her window.

  “Eliza?” she whispered.

  In reply, the fog danced around the room, then darted under Midnight’s bed like it was playing a game of tag.

  Midnight bit down on her lip and waited until the fog reemerged. Then she wriggled under the bed and pulled out the boxes she kept hidden there. As well as CARA, there was the ASP rulebook, a small toolbox, and several other particle realigners. The pink fog swirled around them like an atom, so fast that Midnight’s hair fluttered back.

  “I don’t understand what you’re trying to tell me,” Midnight said. “Is this about Logan?”

  The fog swirled faster.

  “Or ASP? Are you worried that I’m going to break the rules? Mess up like Miss Appleby did?”

  Faster. Faster. Faster.

  Frustration stung at her. “Please, Eliza. I don’t know what you’re trying to say.”

  Then, just as suddenly, the swirling stopped and the spreadsheet that she’d printed out fluttered to the ground. But before she could ask any questions, there was a knock on the door.

  The pink fog disintegrated into nothing.

  “Hang on a moment!” Midnight called out while staring at her ASP equipment. She shoved it back under the bed just as her mom poked her head around the corner of the door.

  “You okay?” her mom asked, looking tired.

  “I’m fine. Just doing my homework.” Definitely not trying to talk to the spirit of a twelve-year-old dead girl.

  “Well, let me know if you need a hand. Her mom paused, as if weighing her words. “I missed you tonight. It would’ve been fun if you could’ve been in the video. Still, at least Taylor and Dylan took part.”

  Midnight shuddered. Even more reason not to have done it.

  “I’m sorry too. But thanks for saving me some of it for dinner. And the muffin. We should have this article finished soon.”

  “Good,” her mom said. “But article or not, there’s no getting out of tomorrow night’s dance practice. And it’s full costume, so you’ll be able to wear your shield maiden outfit.”

  “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Midnight made a mental note to ignore any spectral energy until after the practice was over. No wonder her spreadsheet was so blurred.

  “Okay, that’s great. And now I need to edit the video. I can’t wait to see how it turned out.”

  “Cool.” Midnight absently nodded her head and tried not to yawn. Once her mom had gone, she flattened out her spreadsheet to try to figure out what Eliza had been telling her. But all she found was that she’d double-booked herself tomorrow at lunchtime. She wearily changed her schedule and crawled into bed.

  * * *

  “Oh, look. It’s the golden child who doesn’t need to participate in any family events,” Taylor said by way of greeting the following afternoon. She then stormed out of the room, knocking over a vase of flowers as she went. Midnight lunged to catch it, her aching muscles screaming in protest. It had been a long day at school, and all she wanted to do was eat a snack and collapse. Not deal with sister drama.

  She put the vase back on the counter and walked over to the table where her mom and Phil were sitting. Steam rose from their coffee cups, and croissant crumbs were scattered on their empty plates. Her mom had a laptop in front of her.

  “What’s wrong with Taylor?” Midnight asked. “Don’t tell me Dylan doesn’t like her new jeans, or some other catastrophe.”

  “It’s nothing like that.” Her mom lowered the screen of her laptop, her face worried. “It’s that Vespa. I swear I’m not being one of those airplane mothers.”

  “Airplane?” Midnight wrinkled her brow before groaning. “You mean helicopter or hover moms? And no way are you like that. You’re a cool mom.”

  “I always thought so.” Her mom sighed as Phil leaned over and patted her arm.

  “It’s my fault,” he said. “I never should have restored it for her.”

  “Nonsense, it was a lovely thing to do. The real problem is that Taylor’s determined to go to a party tomorrow night. It’s an hour away, and she wants to take the Vespa. In this weather, that’s just crazy. Not to mention that it’s a school night. So I said no. And of course, Dylan said—”

  “Please. No, ‘Dylan said,’” Midnight begged. “I’m too tired.”

  Still, the fact that her mom was distracted with Taylor might be a good thing. It might take her mind off the bad weather—or the fact that Midnight had missed so many things lately.

  “You’re right.” Her mom gave her a rueful smile. “And be warned, I’m going to be the same with you. I’m all for letting you girls express your creativity and push boundaries, but putting yourself into dangerous situations is another thing entirely.”

  “Of course.” Midnight crossed her fingers and tried not to think about what her mom would do if she knew about spectral energy and all the things she’d done in the last six months. Definitely time for a subject change. She glanced over to the kitchen bench and noticed all of her mom’s cooking things were out. “Are you filming again?”

  “Unfortunately, yes. I was using some new editing software and somehow managed to ruin all of yesterday’s footage.” Then her mom brightened. “I was just about to start. Would you like to be in it?”

  Midnight opened her mouth, but before she c
ould think of any excuse, her ghost app went off, quickly followed by a text from Tabitha:

  There’s been another robbery. Some diamond earrings have melted away. Meet me at Shaw and Co. jewelry store in ten minutes.

  “Sorry. Babysitting emergency,” Midnight said quickly before catching her mom’s frown. “But don’t worry. I’ll be home in plenty of time for tonight.”

  “Good. That means I’ll have at least one daughter who doesn’t hate me,” her mom said sadly.

  “Taylor doesn’t hate you,” Phil said, walking over and giving Midnight’s mom a long kiss. Midnight grimaced. Definitely time to leave.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Shaw and Co. was situated in an impressive gray stone building with a wide front window full of glittering necklaces and earrings. It was also surrounded by rain-soaked policemen and security tape designed to stop anyone from getting inside. Not that there were many onlookers, thanks to the black skies. Thunder rumbled overhead, and Midnight tugged the hood of her raincoat further up.

  “How’s it going?” she asked Tabitha, who’d been taking a reading of the electromagnetic field levels.

  Tabitha tucked back a strand of black hair and frowned. “This is higher than what we had at the museum or the country club. And even if it’s invisible to everyone else, we know by what happened to the security guard at the country club that it can still hurt them.”

  “Which means we have to try to get inside so I can use CARA.” Midnight pushed her glasses further up her nose and tried to see past the rain and the thick rolls of spectral energy that were spilling out of the building. Through the window, it looked like the place was empty.

  Her fingers tightened around her backpack. It had been easy enough at the museum and country club to get to the source of the spectral energy.

  But if she didn’t try…

  “Any ideas on how we can get in?” Tabitha’s pale face was filled with worry.

  “Not exactly,” Midnight said as a red-faced woman holding a bright-yellow umbrella marched over to the policeman.

  “Excuse me, Officer. My daughter’s engagement ring is in there getting resized, and I need it for tonight. The party’s all planned.”

  “I’m sorry, but no one can cross this line. We’re waiting on the forensic team to arrive.” The policeman shook his head, his square jaw set in a fixed line. The woman’s face got redder, and instead of leaving, she took a step forward.

  “That’s not good enough. I only need to go in for one minute. It’s all paid for. Besides, it’s not like anyone was killed. I heard that only one thing was stolen. A pair of diamond earrings.”

  “I can’t comment on an open investigation,” the policeman replied, but still the woman didn’t leave. Instead she raised her voice louder, which attracted the other officers who’d been protecting the cordoned-off area.

  “Is there a problem?” a second officer asked, just as a third one joined them.

  Midnight exchanged a silence glance with Tabitha.

  Never look an umbrella-holding gift horse in the mouth.

  This might be their only chance to get in there.

  “For the record, this is the craziest thing we’ve ever done,” Tabitha whispered as they quickly made their way toward the store. Midnight just hoped that their dark raincoats stopped anyone from noticing them.

  Sluggish waves of spectral energy rolled out of the store, hissing as the energy tried to wrap itself around them. A high, buzzing noise echoed in Midnight’s ear as they stepped inside. A putrid smell clung to the air. Their villain had left behind another planodiume rupture.

  Through the angry fog came a howling noise. Pale-blue icy flames leapt out from a freestanding mirror on the counter.

  Midnight hated to think what would happen to anyone who touched them.

  “Get behind me,” she hissed to Tabitha as an almost-translucent flame rushed at them, stopping just inches from where they were standing.

  “Where is it coming from?” Tabitha frantically searched the store to no avail.

  “The mirror on the counter. It’s like something out of Frozen.” Midnight dropped to the floor and retrieved CARA. Her heart pounded like a ticking clock. If she didn’t release the spectral energy before the forensic team arrived, more people would end up in the hospital.

  “Okay, I don’t want to freak you out,” Tabitha’s voice shook as she glanced toward the front window. “But I think the policemen have finally finished talking to the woman. Let me know when it’s done so I can take a photograph of the mirror in case there’s another face.”

  “No, it’s too dangerous. You have to stay behind me.” Midnight dragged her gaze away from the mirror and back to the icy flames that only she could see. Tabitha looked like she wanted to protest but finally nodded.

  “I will.”

  “Thank you.” Midnight braced her knees and pressed her finger down on the trigger. A wave of white light burst out of CARA and hurtled toward the mirror. Sweat beaded on Midnight’s brow as she waited for the white light to smother the strange blue flames. Instead, the white light turned to ice, like a frozen pillar suspended in the air.

  “What’s happening?” Tabitha whispered, but Midnight didn’t answer. She pressed down on the trigger again. CARA shuddered in response before a second burst of white light poured out, pushing the frozen icicle back toward the mirror.

  Midnight’s muscles screamed in protest but she refused to stop, and finally the icy flames disappeared. For a second, a face flashed in the mirror before it fell with a thud to the ground.

  “Please tell me it’s over.” Tabitha croaked as Midnight lowered CARA back to the floor.

  She scanned the store, but all the spectral energy had definitely gone. Now they could see a display cabinet filled with gold and silver jewelry, with a blank spot where one pair of earrings had been.

  All this for a lousy pair of earrings?

  Suddenly Midnight was angry at the unknown thief. Their crimes were hurting people, and they didn’t even seem to care.

  “It’s definitely over,” she said just as there was a commotion outside. Both girls dropped to the floor and crawled behind one of the counters as the door swung open. Midnight’s heart pounded as a couple of men in suits walked in, carrying large briefcases. The forensic team.

  The two men walked straight to the cabinet where the missing earrings were, and where—up until a minute ago—the deadly mirror had been sitting. Tabitha tapped Midnight’s shoulder and nodded toward the door, which was still open.

  The longer they stayed in the store, the more chance there was of being caught. Tabitha signaled her agreement, and the pair of them inched their way to the door. Midnight peered out first, relieved that the policemen were still all deep in conversation with the red-faced woman.

  Thunder cracked the sky, causing the police to all look up, and Midnight and Tabitha pulled their hoods up and ran down the street as quickly as they could.

  That had been way too close.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  “See, this is why I loathe solving crimes,” Tabitha groaned on Saturday afternoon as they huddled around a newspaper at the back of the local library. It was a lot less noisy than the school library, and there was no Mrs. Crown to give them the stink eye. “I mean, going to the jewelry store and containing the trapped spectral energy? That stuff is easy.”

  “Easy?” Midnight blinked, trying not to think about what had happened yesterday. They could’ve been arrested, or someone might have been seriously injured.

  “Okay, not easy. But at least we know what to do,” Tabitha corrected herself. “The same with local history. It’s like following a golden thread. Sometimes it might break, but you can always pick it up again. But with this, there’s no thread.”

  “Preach.” Midnight leaned her chair back before remembering that librarians frowned on chair leaning. She quickly brought the chair’s legs back to the floor and drummed the table with her fingers instead. Tabitha was right. Nothing made sen
se.

  They had two silver buttons.

  Three crime scenes.

  Two instances of pink fog.

  A villain who shopped in department stores and liked pizza.

  Terrible weather.

  And it all added up to nothing.

  She stared at the report. The news about yesterday’s robbery had confirmed that the only thing taken was a pair of diamond earrings worth eighty thousand dollars. A gold nugget, two daggers, and now some earrings?

  Who was this person?

  “And in another dead end, I’ve been going over the list of people who work at the country club—not just the bellhops—and I can’t link anyone to the museum or the jewelry store,” Tabitha said.

  “Do I even want to know how you got a list of everyone who works there?” Midnight ran a hand through her hair. This was like trying to do a jigsaw puzzle without knowing what the picture looked like.

  “Trust me, it wasn’t easy.” Tabitha gave her a pained look. “It involved a phone call to Chloe, who asked her mom. And you know what’s even worse? My mom was so happy I called Chloe that we’re all going back to the country club for dinner. Tonight.”

  “I’ll raise you dinner at the country club with learning how to dance like a Viking,” Midnight said in a gloomy voice as she looked at her watch. “And speaking of that, I should go. I’ve missed so many things, and my mom’s totally freaking out. Not helped by Taylor. The last thing I want to do is be late.”

  “Yeah, me too.” Tabitha packed away her things and glanced at her cell phone. “My mom’s waiting out front for me. We will figure this out.”

  “Of course,” Midnight said, shuddering at the memory of the blazing wall at the country club. “And be careful tonight. Make sure you have your ghost app on.”

  “I will,” Tabitha said before disappearing with a wave. Once she was gone, Midnight packed up her own work and made her way to the library foyer.