Sinister Sites

by Tracy Lane

  Chapter 20

  When his family finally pulled away and let him breathe, Tank caught his eye and whispered, “Are they here?”

  As Mr. and Mrs. Weir clung to each other and tried to wipe the soot and ash from their costumes, Jake nodded and whispered back, “All of them.”

  He turned to face the ballroom just as ghostly faces began to appear by the dozens: young and old, rich and poor, guest and housekeeper, waiter, housewife, children, teenagers like him. He watched, speechless, as they wavered in an eerie mist, a collective group of lost souls.

  Then they began to walk.

  They moved slowly, and even so, they only appeared to be hovering, but Jake could feel them getting closer. As they approached, each figure grew more distinct, more human, with every step.

  Clara stood at the entrance to the ballroom and gently urged them on as Frank stood by her side, a hand on each of her shoulders.

  Atticus cowered on her other side as the ghosts filed past, their presence swelling within the lobby as Jake inched closer to Frank. Marley scurried close underfoot. Soot filled the air, smoke wafting aimlessly from the extinguished fire as Mrs. Weir crumpled into one of the purple velvet parlor chairs and Mr. Weir knelt by her side; he started fanning her with his clipboard that was full of lists of shots he wanted to film that day.

  Tank hovered over the two of them protectively; she nodded at Jake with the understanding that something else – something spectral – was happening in the hotel lobby. Jake nodded gratefully in return and turned to Frank.

  “What now?” he murmured.

  “Now we’ll finally be free,” Clara answered instead. She knelt in front of him, searching his face with her warm gaze. “Thanks to you and Frank here, that is.”

  She seemed positively real, as real as Tank or his parents. Her skin was radiant and glowing, her uniform crisp and clean as it might have been that very day in 1921.

  “I’ll miss you,” she said. Her hand came up to stroke his cheek, her touch as firm and gentle as his mother’s. He didn’t even flinch at the icy temperature of her skin, but instead clutched her hand in his own.

  “I’m glad we could help,” he said quietly as Clara nodded, stood, and then fell into Frank’s waiting embrace.

  Jake heard Atticus whimpering, and turned to watch the other ghosts circling him. The clerk balked at the presence of the crowd, staring at his shoes and shrinking into himself as they formed a shimmering gray wall to prevent his escape.

  “Goodbye,” Clara said after pulled away from Frank. It might have been a farewell to Frank, or to Jake, or perhaps to the Balthazar Hotel, where her spirit had been trapped for so very long.

  Then she turned away without another word, joining her fellow coworkers and guests as they drifted through the lobby. Their unearthly shapes, so human and so real one minute earlier, gradually disintegrated the closer they got to the front doors.

  There was a slight whiff sound that sent tingles down Jake’s spine as, ghost by ghost, soul by soul, each spirit left this world for the next. Jake and Frank stood side by side as the deceased gradually broke free of the hotel that had kept them captive.

  Eventually, Clara and Atticus were all that was left of the victims of the fire that had claimed nearly eighty lives. Jake thought the maid might look back, wink at Frank like in one of those gangster movies, and then sashay off like the one that got away, but she didn’t.

  Never did; never would.

  Instead, she reached for Atticus’ hand and led him to the doors. Their feet and legs vanished first, dissipating like dewdrops, then their waists, hands, and finally their faces, gone forever.

  Frank took a slow breath. After a moment of silence, he turned to Jake and shrugged. “You did it again, kid.”

  Back at Frank’s side like always, Marley let out a weak squeal as if in agreement.

  Jake, his throat tight, turned away. Only then was he aware that his family was watching.

  “Jake?” asked his mother. She watched him for another moment, then held out her arms.

  Jake sent Frank a quick look and then rushed to his mom. “Are you okay?” she asked. Her skin was moist with sweat and fear and her voice was strangely raw as she held him close.

  “I’m fine,” he laughed. “It’s you guys I was worried about.”

  “What happened, Jakey?” asked his dad, who started rubbing his son’s shoulders roughly. “What happened out here?”

  “Forget that!” Jake blurted. He pulled away and stepped back toward the ballroom; his heart nearly leapt from his chest when he saw several cameras on tripods, their red lights blinking. “Tell me you got it all on tape!”

  Chapter 21

  Pumpkins flickered on every table, and black and orange streamers hung from every bookshelf, nook, and cranny. Tank circulated around the ballroom – wearing her special Halloween-edition Paranormal Properties T-shirt; this one had oozing neon orange letters instead of green, in honor of their inaugural show on the Scream Channel – and passed out iced pumpkin cookies to the guests.

  The giant movie screen the network had set up in the back of the ballroom was playing the Halloween episode on repeat all night long. Jake and his family had already watched it three times, but folks kept wandering in, filling the rows of seats lined up before the screen, to watch it for the first time.

  Now that the Balthazar Hotel was no longer “haunted,” the bigwigs at the Scream Channel had decided on a unique promotional opportunity for the first Paranormal Properties episode on their channel: they would offer treats for the kids, elaborate candy handed out by false ghosts in the front lobby, and invite their parents to stick around and watch the show in the famed ballroom.

  It was an offer most folks couldn’t resist, and now, as the show began again on its endless loop, the ballroom was packed to the rafters with kids and adults in costume for Halloween night.

  Jake, Tank, and Frank watched from back behind the audience as Jake’s mom introduced the segment onscreen:

  “The hotel may be quiet now, but this was the scene several days ago when our expert team of paranormal investigators incited the ire of the ghosts who used to live here…”

  The scene cut from Mrs. Weir’s narration in the hotel lobby to herself, her husband, and Tank trapped in that very ballroom, banging on the doors as flames flickered beneath the wood. Chairs and tables flipped over behind them, and a screeching sound rose up in the air that was far more ghastly than the hissing of flames, as the ghosts relived that fateful day in 1921 when Atticus Granger ended their lives.

  The crowd gasped, and Jake had to admit the footage was pretty great. No one could see any of the ghosts, but they could sense that the toppling furniture and breaking glass and frenzied activity was far from staged.

  In fact, according to the Scream Channel executives who had been stopping by all evening, this special was the highest rated episode on the network to date!

  Jake’s parents stood to one side of the screen, watching their work proudly. He was proud of them. They had worked hard for this. Heck, his dad had spent weeks in the hospital, and then rehab, for this, and he would now walk with a slight, possibly permanent, limp thanks to the Balthazar Hotel. They had endured years of endless travel and living off every paycheck for this moment, and Jake was perfectly content to stand in the back of the room, quiet and anonymous, as the lively crowd cheered their onscreen antics.

  Mr. and Mrs. Weir held hands throughout the entire episode, and they immediately grew flushed and humbled as the credits rolled and the crowd surrounded them, desperate for an autograph or some ghostly behind-the-scenes gossip, both of which they were more than happy to dispense.

  “Look at those two hams,” Tank chuckled as she nibbled on her sixth cookie of the night. At her feet, Marley whimpered, and she knelt to pat his head with one hand while letting him scarf down the rest of the cookie with the other. “They love this stuff.”

  “You should be up there too, Tank,” Jake said. “Take your bow.”
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br />   “Heck no,” she said, already blushing at the thought. “I’m like you. I prefer staying out of the spotlight.”

  “Yeah, well, you worked a lot harder than I did on this one,” Jake said, sending a fond look up to his much taller friend. “I feel bad about that.”

  “Maybe I worked harder on the show,” she said. “But you and Frank were the ones who saved all those ghosts. You should be up there taking a bow.”

  Jake watched out of the corner of his eye as Frank drifted gently away, out through the open ballroom doors and into the quiet lobby. Marley, forgoing his last bite of pumpkin cookie, trotted after him. Ever since Clara had left, Frank and Marley had both been moping around too much for Jake’s liking.

  “Next time,” he promised Tank as he started inching toward the door, “you and I are going to work closer together on the show. I won’t let you down again.”

  Tank snorted as she wiped the orange frosting on her fingers onto her new black jeans. “You’re gonna get your chance this week.”

  He paused. “How’s that?”

  “Your dad just told me,” she explained proudly. “The folks from the Scream Channel found this haunted hospital down in some little Podunk town in Tennessee. It’s our next assignment!”

  A slow, irrepressible smile stretched across Jake’s face. This was good. It would be good for them to get out of the city, away from the Balthazar and all its ugly memories.

  “Good,” he said.

  Tank must have noticed him trying to make a getaway; her expression softened. “It’s Frank, huh?” she asked knowingly.

  He gave a halfhearted shrug. “This was a rough one for him, you know?”

  Tank frowned. “I have a feeling they’re all gonna be rough ones for Frank. I mean, if we keep finding real ghosts.”

  Jake didn’t say anything in return; he was anxious to leave before the next rerun of the episode started. “Go,” she added, as if reading his mind. “I’ve got cookies to pass out and you’ve got a ghost to cheer up.”

  Jake rolled his eyes good-naturedly and gave her a wave as he exited the ballroom. He wove his way through the crowded lobby, where folks were already lining up for the next showing of Paranormal Properties: The Halloween Episode.

  Out on the street in front of the dilapidated hotel, kids in costumes and fussy parents milled about, either talking about what they’d just seen or anxious to get in and see it for themselves.

  “Marley!” he called, knowing he couldn’t very well call out the name of a gangster ghost in front of the assembled crowd. “Here boy!”

  He heard a distant bark and followed it to the small park up the street. Frank’s wispy glow filled the small gazebo that sat within a tight grove of trees; Marley was nestled at his feet.

  “You okay?” Jake asked as he stepped up into the gazebo.

  “Hey, Jake,” Frank said, trying – and failing – to seem lighthearted. “Happy Halloween.”

  Jake sniffed. “You don’t seem very happy.”

  “Nah, I’ll be fine, kiddo.” Frank brushed Jake’s shoulder with a pale hand. “Just a little blue this week, that’s all.”

  Jake shifted. “Clara?”

  “Clara, Atticus, all those lost souls.”

  “But you freed them,” Jake said, looking up into Frank’s cold, sad eyes. “If it wasn’t for you, they’d still be in there.”

  Frank sighed and looked over Jake’s head, back to the hotel. Jake followed his line of vision and gasped at what he saw: It was the Balthazar in its heyday, ornate and opulent, lit from within with glowing candlelight as fancy cars lined the street outside its doors. It was as it must have been in its prime, the best of the best, classiest of the classy. He could hear music wafting out from the ballroom and into the night, the laughter of a woman in a fine fur coat as she paused on the front steps, the honk of a car in the long line behind her.

  It was a momentary glimpse into the past, one of his visions of what must have been, powered by Frank’s strong emotions for Clara and all of the other victims once trapped inside. The moment Jake blinked, the lights, the sounds, the glory of the past were all gone. All that remained was the shabby hotel, dusty and crumbling before their very eyes, and Jake was left frozen there, his heart pounding with the thrill of it all.

  Eventually, his eyes drifted back to Frank, and he said, “You could have gone with her, you know.”

  Franks huffed and fell back against the gazebo railing, little Marley watching his every move. “I made a promise to you, Jakey.” He ruffled the boy’s hair. “Frank Barrone doesn’t go back on his promises.”

  “But I’m okay now,” Jake promised. “We’re okay. You deserve a…an afterlife too.”

  “And I want one, but Clara won’t be the only ghost in need. You’ve helped me find my purpose in whatever sort of afterlife this is, and I can’t just go running away from that the minute I see a pretty face.”

  “She was pretty,” Jake agreed.

  “She sure was,” Frank blurted, before scowling down at Jake playfully. “Hey now, you’re not hitting on my girl, are you?”

  Jake laughed and knelt down to pet Marley. The pup perked up immediately, happy for the attention. “I’m not really into ghost girls, Frank.”

  “Keep it that way.” Frank crouched down to join the two of them. “Girls, ghosts, they’re nothing but trouble!”

  Jake sprawled out on the gazebo floor as Halloween shambled on around them with the sounds of trick-or-treaters and crackling candy wrappers and shuffling feet.

  Soon his family would be packing up once more, heading to Tennessee, from the looks of it. Another town, another slew of ghosts, another adventure for Jake and Frank, and now little Marley too.

  It was an oddball family, Jake’s was, and never before had the nickname “the Weirds” been more appropriate. Once, it had offended him when kids had called him “Jake Weird,” but looking around, seeing what they had accomplished with Paranormal Properties, Jake couldn’t care less. He had never been prouder.

  About the author

  Tracy Lane has always wanted to write about the paranormal and make it fun for young readers. She has accomplished that with her middle-grade book, Paranormal Properties and YA book, Hidden Power. Coming from Topeka, Kansas she now resides in Kissimmee, Florida with her two children. Visit her website at www.tossysbooks.blogspot.com.

  Also by Tracy Lane

  Paranormal Properties. The Weir family has just arrived in Dusk, North Carolina, one of the most haunted cities in America, to scope out some of the town’s 127 reported “paranormal properties,” which just happens to be the name of their own ghost hunting show: Paranormal Properties. What Jake Weir doesn’t know, and what his parents could never imagine, is that Jake can see ghosts! And hear them. And talk back to them! This talent comes in handy when he runs into Dusk’s oldest, most famous ghost: Frank Barrone, a one-time lounge singer made famous by his booze-soaked ballad, “Barroom Eyes.” Frank was gunned down by a local mobster in 1951 and has been searching for his killer ever since. When he learns that Jake can see and hear him, Frank makes young Jake a deal: if Jake will help Frank find his killer, Frank will help his parents find a ghost to film for their upcoming Halloween Special on Public Access TV. Ages 9 and up. Awards: 2014 Next Generation Indie Book Award Winner (Children's/Juvenile Fiction). Accelerated Reader Quiz No. 163449 EN - 5 Points.

  Hidden Power. A young adult fantasy.

  Aurora Turnleaf has lived her whole life hearing fairy tales of mysterious lands, magical beings, and crystal towers. She thought nothing of them until the day she stumbled upon a magnificent city, deep within the woods, built entirely of see-through crystal. It appeared out of nowhere, in a part of the forest she’s never ventured into before, and suddenly all those stories she heard growing up become much less imaginary.

  Her guide is Iragos, a light mage, who introduces her to Kayne, a mage in training for a dark wizard named Kronos. Unbeknownst to Aurora, Kayne had just stolen the Ythra Orb form the Ha
llowed Hall on behalf of his master and hidden it in her pack. Suddenly Aurora is thrust into a life or death journey to help Kayne find the mystical land of Morgis, home to the Oracles who first created the Orb, in hopes that they can secure its safety against Kronos.

  The path to Morgis will be treacherous enough, but it is what follows the two teens that is more life threatening. For the dark mage’s fierce legion of vicious minions is on their path, with Kronos himself not far behind, and all of them are intent on intercepting Kayne and Aurora at every turn. Meanwhile Aurora and Kayne must battle both the elements and Kronos’ dark magic to complete their quest. And along the way, the two teens from very different worlds must learn to work together to overcome obstacles, one of them being their mutual attraction.

  Thank You

  Now that you have finished my book, won’t you please consider writing a review? Reviews are the best way readers discover great new books. I would truly appreciate it.

  Middle Grade Catalog

  The Kringle Chronicles: Catching Santa. High-tech gadgetry and ancient magic has done little to aid in the centuries old search for Santa's rogue assistant, Servant Rupert. But Servant Rupert has been searching for someone too –the fabled Pole, the one person who can see Santa. But the search hasn’t fared well for Servant Rupert. To make matters worse, his agents have contacted Santa’s forces wishing to defect. A risky plan is quickly set in motion by Santa’s Special Forces to divulge the location of Jakob Jablonski, the Pole, in hopes it will lead to the capture of Santa’s forever naughty helper. Wasting little time, Servant Rupert recklessly contacts Jakob. In the ensuing mayhem Jakob is drawn into the mystery of Santa and his dastardly rogue assistant when proclaimed a Pole by Servant Rupert. He quickly demands that Jakob catch Santa...or he will turn everyone Jakob cares for into coal! Jakob and his band of friends, partnering with elf spies and rogue agents of Servant Rupert, begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot involving more than just catching Santa. Ages 9 and up. Awards: 2011 Next Generation Indie Book Award Winner (Children's/Juvenile Fiction). Accelerated Reader Quiz No. 150476 EN - 9 Points.