“I think that should work out fine. We’ll go over the details later, but I think this should mutually benefit Conjure Ink and your new business.”
As we gathered around the table, Tad began to tease Caitlin about her new haircut—she had shaved the sides of her long blond hair into a mullet. As I watched them, I caught a spark between the two. I didn’t think they were dating, but there was chemistry there. I doubted either of them knew it, but as I glanced over at Hank, he was grinning at me. He gave me a nod, then a glance at the pair. He could see it, too.
I bit into the fish and ate a spoon of the chowder, which slid down my throat in all its creamy gloriousness, and suddenly the work day felt like it was speeding by. For the first time in a long while, I felt like I was truly part of something, and that was a feeling I hadn’t had in a long, long time.
Caitlin handed me the list of suspicious deaths she’d been able to find from Decembers past, since the date of Psy Schooner’s death. The bodies had all been found on the grounds of the asylum, and they were all listed as cause of death uncertain.
I glanced over the names. None were any I recognized, and Caitlin had noted beside each name what their occupation was, along with the date they were found dead. All the deaths had been within the month of December. There were eighteen deaths total, including Arabella and the homeless man.
I turned to Caitlin before I headed out. “I’m out. I may be back before the day’s done, depending on what happens. I’m going to scope out the asylum first, and yes, I’ll be careful. Then I’ll go talk to Charles Crichton.”
They waved good-bye as I headed out, but before I left Tad reminded me to keep track of my mileage. The company would reimburse me so much per mile for the wear and tear on my car and the gasoline that it took. He handed me a mileage pad. “Here. Get used to using it. Paper and pen are more trustworthy than some of the apps I’ve seen. And be aware that when you are using your phone to record anything, if there are ghosts around it may fritz out. We have some specialized equipment, but it’s going to take a while to teach you how to use it. Tomorrow morning we’ll go through it together.”
“Sounds good,” I said. “Okay, I’m off.”
My first task of the afternoon was to head out to the site of the asylum and poke around. I wasn’t comfortable going alone, but I didn’t want to mention that to Tad or the others. I didn’t want them to regret hiring me. But who could I call? Ari was at work. And I hadn’t had time to reacquaint myself with anybody who I felt I could ask out on a jaunt around a haunted woodland.
Then it occurred to me. My new next-door neighbor hadn’t set up shop yet. And he was strong, there was no doubt about that. Before I could second-guess myself, I pulled out my phone and called Killian.
“Hey, what’s up?” His voice was smooth and made me melt. Just a little.
Pushing away the thought that I’d like to have him explore more than just a piece of land, I said, “I have a proposition for you. I’ll make you dinner tonight if you come tramp around the woods with me looking for a killer’s ghost. We may be marching to our deaths, by the way, so think before you answer.”
Short and to the point, with a little humor on the side. But if my invitation made him uneasy, at least I hadn’t glossed over the potential danger.
He laughed. “Okay, then. Good afternoon to you, too. Are you serious?”
I cleared my throat. “Unfortunately, yes. I have about ninety minutes before an appointment, but that should be plenty of time to do a preliminary examination of the area.”
“You’re not digging up graves, are you?” he asked.
I laughed. “No, I’m not. Here’s the deal.” I explained to him what I was working on and he agreed to meet me in fifteen minutes at the entrance to the old asylum. Feeling better, I eased out onto the road, heading toward the outskirts of Moonshadow Bay.
Moonshadow Bay had a thriving downtown, and there were shoppers everywhere, getting ready for the Solstice. The massive tree in the town square was sparkling as if Tinkerbell herself had decorated it. The twenty-four foot tall blue spruce was still young, but it was lovely and fluffed out, and each year they trimmed it so it would remain the right size and shape.
I gazed up at the twinkling multicolored lights as I passed by, feeling grateful that I had moved back to the town. I felt like I could breathe again.
I drove along Main Street, then took a right on Hawthorn. As I passed through the suburbs and then into a rural area, I made a left on Alabaster Way, which led to the northern exit out of town. My GPS warned me that the turnoff to Stellarview would be one-tenth of a mile ahead, to the left. I kept my eyes open and there it was. The road was paved, with tire tracks scattered through the snow. Probably the cops, come to investigate Arabella’s death.
I pulled into the turnoff to wait for Killian, trying to tell myself that it made sense for us to go in together. But in my heart, I knew that I was afraid. Big spooky abandoned building. Psycho killer ghost. A trail of eighteen dead bodies over the years. Yeah, I had reason to worry.
After another ten minutes, I was about ready to bite the bullet and head in alone when I saw a navy blue SUV pull in, Killian behind the wheel. He waved for me to go ahead of him, so I started the engine and eased on down the road. There had been a security gate blocking the road that led down the wooded drive, but the gate had been broken long ago, and I could see the remains of it on the side of the road.
The wooded driveway was level, wide enough for two cars to pass, but even through the snow, I could see that plants had broken through the asphalt over the years, cracking and buckling it.
The road was about a quarter-mile long, and opened into a wide, deserted parking lot. The asylum was there in the background, stark and imposing. Made of cinderblock and brick, it had once been white but now was a dirty gray, eclipsed by mildew, moss, and time.
I shook my head, frowning. An air of foreboding shrouded the building. The entire grounds, actually. My alarm bells went off, and the hair on my arms saluted. I glanced around. What the hell was out here? Was it Schooner’s ghost, or something else? Either way, the energy set my stomach to churning and I wanted nothing more than to turn tail.
I pushed the impulse away. This was my job. I couldn’t just run away.
I parked near the entrance, and Killian parked next to me. I stepped out of my car, staring up at the two-story structure. There were windows all along the bottom floor, wide bay windows, but up top, the windows were small and barred. They looked forlorn and stark. A face was staring out of one of them at me. I stiffened, but the face vanished as soon as I focused my attention on it.
“Good grief,” Killian said, joining me. “What the hell is this place?”
“It used to be an asylum for the criminally insane,” I said. “Somehow, I think several inmates never left when it was shut down, if you know what I mean.”
“Ghosts?”
I nodded. “I’m looking for…well, I’m not sure what, but there’s one ghost in particular I’m out to find.” I paused, then told him about my new job and the case I was investigating. “I think I’m going to really like the job, but this is a doozy for them to start me on.”