Page 51 of Old Secrets

It only took a few minutes of my father displaying the sort of abuse I would have been tempted to murder over to get a better understanding of what they’d meant by trying to force a submissive into dominant behavior.

They’d attempted to beat the submissiveness out of him.

It hadn’t worked.

My heart broke for the child, who never should have been treated with such brutality. “That is so horrible.”

“This is the sort of thing Greenwich would do to cultivate a soul. This is what we fight. After this is finished, we may be able to help bring peace to his wolf’s spirit. It will not undo the damage, but we may be able to bring him some peace. He was bent, but he was not broken.” My father lifted his hand from the photograph and the tray, and the sands once again fell. “Cameras are interesting things. They capture more than pictures when used. They can also catch the echo of lost spirits such as these. I will meditate tonight, and I will offer my wish to the Earth that she never allow these spirits to walk this land again.”

“Do you have the photographs of my first adoptive parents, Mellisa?”

“I do.” She pulled them out and offered them to my father. “I know what she wants to ask.”

My father offered me a smile, and the sadness of it touched his eyes. “I can tell you what you want to know.”

This time, he did not make use of the tray, instead resting the fingertips of both hands on to the photograph. “I can confirm that mortal men murdered these two souls, and they died with a wish in their heart to protect you, their beloved daughter. When their spirits left their bodies, they still fought.” My father’s head tilted to the side. “They still fight. These are not contented spirits ready to move on. Yes, we have an ally here, if we wish to make use of them.”

The thought of my adoptive parents wandering the world as ghosts chilled me. “They’re ghosts?”

“That is as good a term as any for it. They are still present in a way we can reach. That is the power of love, my child. They did not have you long, but they loved you from the moment they saw you. They would have been good parents.” His cheek twitched. “But not for long. Their bodies were not well. They did not know this.”

That matched what we knew of them. “Can we make sure they rest well?”

“You are such a caring spirit.” My father sighed, and he picked up the picture, examining the ruins of their bodies. “These souls require closure, and the only closure they will get is through the end of Greenwich.”

“We haven’t done that before.” My mother rubbed her hands together. “That’s the one thing we’ve never tried. We’ve never tried balancing the scales through the ghosts of those who lost everything to these monsters.”

“It would be dangerous,” my father warned.

“Anything worth doing often is. We would need vessels.”

Aiko paled, and her eyes widened. “You mean to raise the dead?”

“Oh, no. We mean to give spirits purpose and direction. We cannot raise the dead. Nobody can do that. That is the one truth we must all abide. But there is no rule about reaching for those spirits and making requests. The Earth would appreciate giving her lost children a chance to rest.” With a wicked gleam in her eye, my mother rose from her seat and went to Eric, eyeing his briefcase. “Does that contain more pictures?”

“Of Greenwich’s deceased victims?” The man rummaged through both of his briefcases, pulling out a stack of photographs. “We have pulled out pictures of all cases we were not sure were connected. I don’t know if this is what you need, but this is what we have to offer.”

My mother accepted the stack before turning to Mellisa. “And your Inquisition?”

The psychologist pulled out her phone. “I only brought those pictures, but I can get more and have them here shortly. Do you need prints? Can you do the same thing on a phone?”

My parents eyed Mellisa’s phone with interest.

“I don’t know.” My father shrugged. “I have never owned a phone, and I do not know how they work. I have used them, but they were never mine.”

Mellisa tapped on the screen. “This is a different picture of the bodies.”

After accepting the phone, my father stared at the picture, and he rested his fingers upon the screen. “Ack.”

Laughing, Mellisa leaned over to see what he did, and she tapped a few times. “Try again.”

He did, and after a moment, he nodded. “I see their spirits.”

Bryce strolled over, peering at the phone. “Can you use those spirits?”

“How so?” my father asked.

“It has been an honor to work with and meet Richard. He did not deserve what was done to him. Can you make those spirits pay for their crimes before they are eradicated?”