“Replay that,” Reaver ordered. We slowed the recording and observed it in detail.
“What will you do with it?” Callie inquired, eating a sandwich.
“Nothing. If we come across things like that, we keep them away from public scrutiny. If this footage got out, the Inn would be booked solid and the ghosts here harassed. She’s not hurting someone. In fact, there’s almost a motherly kindness in her expression,” I said.
Callie held my gaze. “That footage would make your club’s name. You’d be world famous.”
“More to life than fame, Callie. That’s not what we’re about. We took the TV deal for several reasons. We wanted to reach more people and to show them how to investigate correctly, and that agitating and insulting spirits is wrong. They may be dead, but they’ve still got feelings,” I stated.
“You’re preaching to the choir. It’s nice to meet someone who thinks the same as us. That footage is something special, though. It’s so clear it’s almost frightening,” Callie admitted.
“That was the closest we’ve been to a physical ghost. I was terrified but excited at the same time, and I’ve done this for fifteen years,” Gizmo said.
“I can’t believe you didn’t wake me up,” Suga complained.
“Serves you right for falling to sleep on the job,” I scolded, and Suga shrugged.
“Are we swapping around?” Jack asked, and I nodded.
“We’ll stay in our teams but move the rooms. Suga’ll probably find that room boring too.
Suga flipped me the bird, and I ignored him. As I began to list who was going where, an unholy scream raced through the Inn. We all froze where we sat or stood.
“What the hell was that?” Michelle finally gasped.
“Good question,” Reaver replied, looking around.
“We better investigate,” Lucky stated grimly.
“Do we have to?” Dive whined.
“Yeah. Ain’t got a lot of choice in that,” I replied and rose to my feet.
What had this entity done now?
Chapter Four.
Haunt
Everyone disagreed about where the scream came from. The hair on the back of my neck stood up in warning. This was a trap. The entity was demanding attention, but the question was why? If we all rushed mindlessly around, did it intend to harm us? I glanced across at Reaper standing beside Callie and saw the same thoughts reflected on his face.
“Lich, go with Sunny, Callie, Dive, and Gizmo; take the first floor,” I ordered, giving Callie the scrappiest fighters in my club.
Lich lifted his chin. “I protect you.”
“You protect the pregnant old lady,” I ordered, and he nodded instantly. He’d not considered Callie’s pregnancy. It was the only time they’d put someone else before me. A baby trumped me. “Jack, take Michelle, Ghoul, Suga, and Trunk; you’ve got the second floor. Lucky, Coffee and Reaver are with me; we’ll search down here…”
A second scream ripped through the Inn. I waited calmly. If this wanted to make us panic, tough shit.
“If you find anything, use the radios, and don’t split up. I’ve got a bad feeling that this is what the ghost wants,” I ordered.
Head nods met me as everyone geared up with radios, lights, and protective gear. I watched the two teams head off, then turned to my team.
“My guess is the screams came from this area. That’s why I sent the GSI off. Be on guard. I think we’re going to find some shit,” I warned.
Exiting the upper dining room, we walked downstairs into the smaller lower dining room. There was nothing unusual here. The main dining area showed the same. The chairs and tables were neatly set, with nothing out of the ordinary. We headed out and down a hallway and checked the snug next to it. Happy that it was okay, we checked out the larger lounge before heading into the bar.
There we stopped dead as Coffee whipped out a camera and began filming. It was something I’d come across before, but it made shivers run down my spine. The tables and chairs got stacked haphazardly on top of one another. One stiff breeze and they’d all come tumbling down.
