Hoped. Prejudices ran deep here. I couldn’t afford to be complacent.
“Y’all call me Connie, everyone does,” the secretary informed us. She smiled at us in delight, and her attitude drew me a little out of my funk. At least someone was glad to see us. “And can you clarify for me, are you both mediums?”
“No, ma’am,” Brandon responded, eyes crinkling up in the corners with amusement. “I’m about as sensitive as a brick. Mack’s the medium. I handle the living world; he handles the dead.”
“That is a very good way to put it, cher,” I noted to him. I matched his smile for a moment. My phone rang in my pocket and I answered it promptly. “Hello?”
“Hey, this is Ken. Wanted to tell you, we’re making pretty good time. Should be there in about an hour and a half or so. How about we meet you on campus?”
I was eager to get started, so readily replied, “Sure. We’ve met with the president of the school and he’s a non-believer, so expect some trouble there.”
A gusty sigh. “Of course he is. Okay, I’ll pass that on. You been to the dorm building yet?”
“Not yet. We’re on our way to it. The situation’s escalated since the initial report. There’ve been more students hurt.”
A female voice spoke in the background, then Ken relayed, “Falisa says to hold off on entering, then. Wait for us to get there.”
I was a bit relieved to hear that. “Okay. We’ll get hotel rooms set up, then, while we’re waiting.”
“Sounds good. See you soon.”
“They requested we wait until they get here,” I shared. “Connie, can you round up the students who were hurt? If I could speak to them, I can get a better idea of what’s happened.”
“Sure, of course,” she assured me. “What else?”
“Give us a key to the building and full access.” I thought about it, but there really wasn’t much else to do. “Other than that, I’m not sure.”
Brandon handed her a business card. “That’s both of our numbers, just in case. We’ll be back in about an hour. We’re going to get hotel rooms set up for all of us.”
Connie took the card in a firm grip. “I understand. I’ll have at least a few students for y’all to talk to when you return.”
After that came a lot of logistics. We chose the Juliet Hotel, as it sat relatively nearby and had a slightly better rating than some of the other hotels. The rooms were nice, it came with a spa that we would likely need at some point, to destress, and it was ghost-free. Okay, no, it had the one who was nodding off in the hotel lobby, but he and I exchanged a nod, and he seemed quite content to just sit there and people watch. If he would mind his business, I’d mind mine.
It took an hour to get checked in, and get our bags into the room, and I took advantage of the hotel Wi-Fi to send Sylvia a quick email to update her on the situation. If the president tried to go over our heads, best to give my boss a head’s up now.
Then we returned to campus. This time, Brandon parked in the dorm building’s lot nearby to make it easier on us. We still had a lot of tools and things in the back of the SUV. I really hoped we wouldn’t have to break those out. The president would hit the roof if we had to demo his precious building.
As we unloaded, a trio of road-weary people climbed out of their SUV. A glance showed it also had government plates on it, and my hope rose sharply. Was this them?
Brandon must have spotted the same plate, as he gave a wave before approaching. “Hey. I’m Brandon Havili, Paranormal Activity Division. You our other team?”
“That’s us.” A woman with mahogany skin and a multitude of colorful tiny braids wrapped around her head approached with a hand outstretched. She wore comfortable looking yoga pants and a shirt-dress thing over the top that emphasized her pear-shaped build. “I’m Falisa Tate. This is my husband-slash-partner, Ken, and our proby, Delaney.”
I liked her smile, the vibe of her, and the aura she carried. Beau possessed a similar one. She was clearly a medium and a good one, as her aura was strong and confident.
Brandon shook hands, then gestured towards me. “This is my medium, Mackenzie Lafayette.”
“Enchanté,” I greeted, closing my hand over hers.
“Nice t’meet ya,” Falisa responded, clearly getting the measure of me.
Ken blinked at me. He was as pale as his wife was dark, a sharp juxtaposition, and he seemed the affable sort. Or at least, the nose too large for his face and the sleepy brown eyes leant that impression. Or maybe it was the ginger beard halfway down his chest that made him seem more laidback. He was lean and lanky, the spiky ginger hairstyle making him seem even taller. “You sound like you’re from here, Mackenzie?”
“Mack,” I encouraged him with a smile. “And yes, born and bred thirty minutes north of here. Part of the reason why I was called in. Delaney, nice to meet you.”
Delaney’s aura wasn’t quite as strong or confident, and I had the feeling he was barely into his training. As a first impression, I wasn’t sure what to make of him. His overall appearance was black on black, the multiple piercings and inky dyed black hair giving him a severe look. He almost looked goth, but not, at the same time. It was like he’d aimed for a specific style and missed. He gave me a handshake and smile, seeming both eager and curious as he analyzed the situation. “Thanks, good to be here. This is quite the first case for me.”
“Yeah, I bet,” Brandon agreed. “Alright, well, we met with the executive secretary—her name is Connie; she’s the one who called us in. She’s giving us full access to the building and is arranging for the victimized students to come in for interviews.”
“You did some good prep, there, thanks.” Falisa sounded straight from the Bronx. I had to wonder how she and Ken had met, as he didn’t. “Alright, let’s see if we can head in, get a feel for the place.”
We trooped towards the front doors. I didn’t see any signs of life near the building—a distinct contrast to the rest of campus, which was bustling with students. But as we approached the doors, a lone girl walked through the foyer. She spotted us and came forward, opening the door, pulling an earbud out as she did so.
“Hi?” she greeted uncertainly, pushing blonde hair out of her face.
Falisa flipped a badge open and gave her a smile. “Special Agent Falisa Tate, FBI Paranormal Activity Division. We’re here to investigate claims of a ghost. Can we come in?”
“Oh my god, please do,” the student said, immediately shoving the door open wider. “It’s getting really bad in here. I wouldn’t be in here at all if I didn’t have laundry to do. Come in, come in. I’m Jessica.”
I took two steps inside the door before I came to an abrupt stop. I could hear Ken talking to the girl, but the words were just background noise to me. The atmosphere of the place captured my full attention.
There’s a certain look to the sky right before a hurricane comes in. It’s green and aquamarine and grey, a strange wash of colors you never see at any other time. It was near impossible to describe and equally impossible to miss. I’d told Brandon at Edmée’s the atmosphere there was bad, like a Category Five hurricane about to tear through. This was worse by a factor of ten.